Hurting

Summary: Cat loves Frank and is just a good friend to Syd. Frank loves Cat but thinks that Cat loves Syd, so he dates Lily ( he doesn't really love Lily ) . Get it? Read on…

Pairing: Cat/Frank

Disclaimer: I don't own the Cat Royal series, I am not Julia Golding, ( yabba yabba )and if I was, I'd make Frank and Cat fall in love. And publish all the books out ( she says she'd like to make 9 of them ) to the public quickly.

Oh and its set a few months, nearing a year after Cat's Cradle. I pretended that Frank went to his school soon after.

CAT'S POV

It's been a few months since I last saw him. Just as I was devoting another minute to my strictly less-than-sisterly thoughts about him, I suddenly heard his footsteps. Slowly and softly, then gradually faster and louder. Frank's footsteps. I sighed. I was just another girl with a stupid crush.

"Cat, wait up!" I heard his melodious boyish tone. "Yeah?" I said turning to face Frank, who had changed since I last saw him. His hair was still unruly and brown, and it was damp with perspiration, probably from catching up with me, under all his thick woolly clothes when it was nearing the end of winter. His hair had curled around his ears and his eyes were twinkling merrily.

"I'm dating Lily! Do you remember her?" Yes I did. She was a rather exotic beauty, brown-eyed and blond, and was rather curvy. I was a scrawny midget with red hair and green eyes, and my choice of words was ghastly. It was so easy to see why he didn't like me.

Reader, you may wonder why I am...attracted to Frank, or when. You see, even I don't know why. From the first time I saw him, I was…attracted. 'Love at first sight, how cliché.' I snorted at my thoughts. Suddenly he stopped my train of thoughts.

"Hello Cat? A penny for your thoughts? Thinking about kissing Syd?" I started smacking his arm really hard and replied, "Course not, you bumbling oaf. Did your mother drop you on the head when you were born or did you start filling up your empty head with manure? I was just thinking about yo…your date! Yes, your date! Make sure it doesn't clash with Syd's latest boxing match!"

I swear my cheeks must have turned red like a tomato. Not good for a redhead.

He laughed, his blue eyes sparkling with mirth in the sunlight. "Well, midget, of course I won't! Syd's one of my oldest friends! I was thinking about this Sunday." My eyes widened slightly, than I faked a grin, which was the opposite of what I was feeling. "Good for you! Pease, for once, dress nicely. Do I have to spell it out?" I chirped fakely. He gave a flourished and exaggerated bow. "I will take heed your words, mademoiselle! Oh and madame, I doubt there is a need as I am perfectly perfect as I am." I pulled a face at him and smacked him on the head.

"Watch out woman! Visiting Syd?" He gave a short salute and I waved back, nodding while watching him as he left. After I saw his figure walk away, drowning in the thickness of the fog, then I let the smile slip off my face like hot grease in a pan. Did he not realise how upset I was? He must really love that Lily a lot to forget about his promise to watch Pedro playing Ariel in the crowd's favourite play. With me.

I started to run, my mind blank on where my legs were taking me and I felt my eyes start to water. I started shaking my head and thought, 'I would not cry, The Street-smart Cat Royal never did.' 'But that was never the true you. You're just a plain orphan that nobody wants.'

With that last statement my brain made, I just ran off, my tears wetting the fragile silk fabric and cried in a dark alley, where no one would find me, where no one would see me start to cry and where I could think my self-depreciating thoughts in peace.

FRANK'S POV

Cat looked…pretty today. She was acting weird though. This morning, I saw her on my route to Grosvenor Square so I wanted to greet her after being in of Cambridge for a long time. She was ahead of me by at least a few hundred meters. I had to run fast. "Cat, wait up!" I called out to her after I was in talking range.

I was sweating a lot under my bundle of winter clothes that mother insisted me to wear. It was nearing the end of winter and yet mum insisted me to wear this. I will have to try to convince my mother to let me wear my normal clothes again. Unlike me, Cat wore Lizzie's blue petticoat and dress and looked so…so beautiful in it.

"Yeah?" She said. "I'm dating Lily! Do you remember her?" I watched her eyes turn impassive and glazed over, as if deep in thought. I did not want to disturb her, as I could look at her for a few more minutes. 'Oh god, I sound so stupid.' I thought. My cheeks heated. 'Compose yourself, Frank, breathe in and out, in and out…yes, that's it. Calm down, you were not thinking that. Yes, yes, very good.'

We continued to walk in the slight cold. I suddenly said, "Hello Cat? A penny for your thoughts? Thinking about kissing Syd?" Uh oh. I did not just say that. Cat, of course heard and started smacking me with her hand. 'Ouch, she sure does not know her strength. Three…two…one!' I thought. And right on cue, Cat had her comeback all ready for me.

"Course not, you bumbling oaf. Did your mother drop you on the head when you were born or did you start filling up your empty head with manure? I was just thinking about yo…your date! Yes, your date! Make sure it doesn't clash with Syd's latest boxing match!" Her cheeks bloomed red. I laughed. "Well, midget, of course I won't! Syd's one of my oldest friends! I was thinking about this Sunday."

Her eyes widened…in excitement, I guess and then she smiled a big grin at me. She chirped, "Good for you! Please, for once, dress nicely. Do I have to spell it out?" I gave a flourished and exaggerated bow. "I will take heed your words, mademoiselle! Oh and madame, I doubt there was a need as I am perfectly perfect as I am." She pulled a face at me and smacked me on the head.

"Watch out woman! Visiting Syd?"I quipped as Syd's shop was nearby. She nodded and I gave a short salute as I walked to My house. She waved back while I retreated to my abode, Grosvenor Square. I yawned, such a boring name. I preferred Drury Lane to this.

A/N: First story I wrote. Rather short, I know and I don't know how people can write so much in one chapter! I'm so not a gifted writer… I'm just testing the waters, see how people react and stuff so this might not be a one-shot.