The next morning as school began Ryder walked to his locker to gather his stuff for 1ST period. Although he still felt bad about making Faith feel embarrassed over publicly rejecting her he was feeling a lot better than the previous afternoon.
"I feel a lot better today. Hopefully Faith does too. She might still be a bit upset over what happened but I'm sure that she's going to be fine" thought Ryder as he opened his locker & grabbed his stuff. Faith soon appeared & began walking towards him. She planned out exactly how to win Ryder's heart.
"My plan will be completely foolproof. There's no way Ryder won't be mine after I clear the air with him. I can already picture us together. What a lovely image that'll be. Soon everyone will be talking about how we're the hottest couple in school next to Elias & Kelly. We'll be the talk of the town" thought Faith as she smiled confidently while walking towards Ryder. She reached him as soon as he finished getting his stuff for 1ST period.
"Hi Ryder. How are you this morning?" asked Faith in a polite voice.
"I'm feeling good. How are you Faith?" asked Ryder with uncertainty in his voice.
"I feel wonderful. Much better than yesterday" said Faith in a cheerful tone.
"I'm glad to hear that. I'm sorry for making you feel embarrassed yesterday. I wasn't expecting you to publicly announce your crush on me. All I hope for is that we can still be friends" said Ryder as he smiled.
"Don't worry cutie I'm not losing sleep over what happened. Can we at least try & make it work? I'm sure we'd be a great couple" said Faith in a hopeful manner.
"Sorry Faith. I don't have any romantic feelings for you. It's not going to work" said Ryder in a nervous voice.
"That's OK. I'll just go & cry in the bathrooms. See you later" said Faith as she walked away. Ryder was confused by what Faith said. He didn't know what she meant.
"What did Faith mean by "I'll go cry in the bathrooms"? Is she serious or it an attempt to guilt trip me? How weird. I'm sure it's nothing. I better get to class. I don't want to be late" thought Ryder as he headed to class. As he arrived he met up with Angel, Elias & Kelly.
"Hi Ryder. How are you this morning?" asked Angel as she smiled warmly at Ryder.
"I'm feeling better than yesterday. How do you guys feel?" asked Ryder as he returned the smile.
"We all feel great. I'm glad you feel better" said Elias as he gave Ryder a hug.
"Me too. Anyways something weird just happened. Faith approached me at my locker & asked if we could try to make a relationship between us work. When I told her that it wouldn't she said something about going to cry in the bathrooms. I don't know what she meant by that. Do you guys have any suggestions?" asked Ryder as he tilted his head in confusion.
"I think she's trying to guilt trip you. She wants you to feel bad for her to the point that you start dating her out of pity. Don't fall for it" said Kelly in an annoyed voice.
"I had a feeling that was the case. Thanks for the help" said Ryder.
"You're welcome. As you always say "Whenever you're in trouble just yelp for help"" said Elias as he smiled. Ryder chuckled. He was glad that he had such supportive friends looking out for him. Soon Miss Spearwood arrived & let everyone in class. As soon as they all took their seats Miss Spearwood addressed the class.
"Good morning everyone. For today's lesson I'd like you all to write down what I put on the board. You'll then have the whole lesson to memorise it all before I test you on how much you remembered" said Miss Spearwood as she began writing on the board. Everyone began copying down everything that she wrote. Faith grabbed a loose sheet of paper on which she wrote a note to Ryder before folding it into a paper plane & throwing it to Ryder when Miss Spearwood wasn't looking. The paper plane landed right on top of Ryder's book. As soon as he noticed it he unfolded it & read the note.
Hi Ryder
I don't know what it is that you don't see in me but I'm sorry for not being what you want. I wish I could become your perfect girl. I'm sure that'd win your heart. I'd do anything to be with you. It'd be such a shame if you broke my heart even more. I know how much it hurts you to do that. If you make me your girl I promise you won't regret it.
Love, Faith.
Ryder rolled his eyes in frustration before scrunching up the note & throwing it in the bin. It was evident that Faith was trying to guilt trip him.
"I swear Faith doesn't get it. I've already made it clear that I'm not interested in her. No matter how many times she tries to guilt trip me it's not going to work. I wish she'd leave me alone" thought Ryder as he continued to do his work. Throughout the entire lesson Faith just stared at Ryder. She was desperate to become his girlfriend.
"Ryder looks so cute when he's doing his work. He looks cute doing anything. If he knew the lengths I'd go to be his girl he'd be flattered. Sooner or later we'll be together as 1" thought Faith as she continued staring at Ryder. Soon enough it was time for 2ND period. Ryder left the room, headed to his locker & grabbed what he needed before rushing to his next class. He wanted to be as far away from Faith as possible.
"I'm not sure how I'm going to get Faith off my back. She's not going to give up that easily. I refuse to be guilt tripped into dating her. She can try all she wants but I'm not changing my mind" thought Ryder as he arrived at class. Throughout the entire lesson he tried to focus on his work, but it was hard not to think about how to put a stop to Faith's antics. Once recess rolled around Ryder went out to the playground & played tetherball with Elias & Kelly. As they hit the ball around they discussed how to deal with Faith.
"Faith is driving me crazy. It's clear to me that she's the kind of girl who doesn't take no for an answer" said Ryder as he hit the ball in an anti-clockwise direction.
"I thought Burton & Melrose were troublesome but she's just as bad. I hope she doesn't do anything crazy like those 2 did" said Elias as he hit the ball in a clockwise direction.
"Me too. How can we get Faith to back off?" asked Ryder as he hit the ball again.
"Perhaps we could guilt trip her back. That might throw her off" said Kelly as she hit the ball in alternating directions.
"I don't know about that. What if she ups the ante with more guilt tripping?" asked Ryder.
"We'll do the same until she caves in. Guilt tripping is a 2-way street. She'll learn that the hard way" said Elias.
"Agreed. Sooner or later she'll have to accept the fact that Ryder's not interested in her" said Kelly as Faith walked over. She wasn't giving up on Ryder anytime soon.
"Hi Ryder. Can you tell me what I need to change to be your ideal girl?" asked Faith in a sweet voice.
"Go away Faith. Even if you became my "Ideal girl" I still wouldn't date you" said Ryder in a frustrated voice.
"Don't be like that cutie. I'm trying to make things work" said Faith.
"No means no Faith. The sooner you understand that the better" said Elias as he glared harshly at Faith.
"I'm telling you me & Ryder are soulmates. We're meant to be" said Faith.
"No, you're not. If you were Ryder would've hooked up with you. Leave us alone" said Kelly as she growled in anger. Faith sighed sadly.
"Fine. I'll go play something else. I hope I don't hurt myself. It'd be a shame if something happened to me that required medical attention" said Faith as she walked off. Elias, Kelly & Ryder rolled their eyes & shook their heads. They were all getting annoyed with Faith's behaviour.
"I'm losing sympathy for her. All she's doing is acting like an attention seeking brat. Faith is easily 1 of the most thick-headed people I've ever met" said Elias with frustration in his voice.
"I'll say. Sooner or later I swear I'm going to end up slapping her in the face" said Kelly.
"Let's stop thinking about her. I'd much rather enjoy a nice game of tetherball than think about Faith" said Ryder as Elias, Kelly & himself continued playing. They spent the rest of recess playing tetherball together while trying to avoid thinking about Faith. Throughout the next 2 periods Ryder did everything he could to focus on his work, but he knew that Faith would likely try to guilt trip him again at lunch.
"I know for a fact that Faith will approach me at lunch. I'm not changing my mind about how I feel about her. It's her problem not mine. I don't know how long this madness will last but I'm not going to let it get the best of me" thought Ryder as he continued doing his work. The dread he felt about Faith got worse as time went by. As soon as lunch came around he felt a bit sick to his stomach.
"I feel like I'm about to throw up. Hopefully a good meal will get rid of the feeling. Maybe it'll help me prepare for Faith's antics. It's important that I stay at least 1 step ahead of her. As long as I do everything will be fine" thought Ryder as he grabbed his lunch & sat with his friends. They all knew about Faith's behaviour & were determined to stick by Ryder throughout it all.
"How are you feeling right now Ryder?" asked Ace in a curious voice.
"I feel OK. Other than the situation with Faith I feel fine" said Ryder in a reassuring voice.
"I'm glad to hear that. I think it's ridiculous that she's trying to pity you into dating her. She obviously doesn't understand how love works" said Carlos as he sighed in frustration.
"I'll say. Just as long as it doesn't end up going as bad as the situations with Burton & Melrose I'm not too concerned" said Ryder.
"That'd be awful. Nothing would make us feel worse than having to deal with a dangerous psycho" said Danny.
"Prior to yesterday Faith was just a normal girl but over the last 24 hours she's evolved into a lovesick & obsessive fanatic. I don't know how she changed so quickly" said Ryder in an uncertain voice.
"I bet she's always been like that but until now she was keeping it hidden from everyone else" said Katie.
"Maybe. Ultimately you never know exactly what goes on in someone else's head" said Ryder as he sighed in uncertainty.
"True. Here she comes now" said Mayabella as everyone saw Faith approach. Ryder groaned in annoyance. He was sick of Faith's constant attempts to manipulate him into loving her.
"Hi Ryder. You look hungry. Would you like me to feed you?" asked Faith in a sweet voice.
"No. Leave me alone" said Ryder in a blunt tone.
"Cheer up honey cake. I'm trying to take good care of you" said Faith.
"He's not your honey cake. Stop wasting your time. Ryder will never fall in love with you" said Elias as he sneered at Faith.
"That's what you think. I'll win his heart 1 way or another. I promise you that" said Faith in a confident voice.
"I'd like to see you try. He loves you not" said Kelly as she gave Faith a harsh glare.
"Whatever. Let's feed each other lunch babe. It'll strengthen our bond" said Faith as she smiled eagerly.
"No. Get out of here Faith" said Ryder as he growled in anger. Faith frowned as she turned to walk away.
"Fine. I'll just go & choke on my own food. Don't worry about me" said Faith as she left. Everyone huffed in frustration. Faith's annoying behaviour was driving them crazy.
"I'm getting really fed up with that girl. I want to punch her" said Ace with anger in her voice.
"I think we all do. I refuse to feel sorry for her anymore. She's just acting up on purpose" said Carlos as he shook his head.
"Guilt tripping Ryder isn't going to do her any good. All it's doing is pushing him further away" said Danny in an annoyed tone.
"What should we do? I have no idea how to handle this" said Katie in a confused manner.
"It's best for us to ignore Faith. That'll get her off our backs" said Mayabella.
"Good idea. It's better than nothing" said Ryder as he & the others continued eating lunch. The remainder of the school day came & went as usual. After school Angel, Elias & Kelly headed to the Lookout. None of them knew if Faith would try & guilt trip Ryder again.
"Do you guys think Faith's going to spend all afternoon trying to get Ryder to pity her?" asked Angel.
"Maybe. If she does we'll just ignore her. Maybe that'll get the message through her thick head" said Elias.
"I suppose we'll find out soon enough" said Kelly as Angel, Elias & herself kept walking. Soon they arrived at the Lookout where Ryder & the pups were waiting.
"Hi pups. How was your day?" asked Angel as she smiled & wagged her tail excitedly.
"It's been OK. We heard about Faith's behaviour. What a joke she is" said Chase as he scowled.
"I'll say. The way things are going she's turning into another incarnation of Burton & Melrose" said Elias.
"I hope Faith doesn't become unhinged like them. I have no idea what she'd do if she went of the deep end" said Marshall as a chill ran down his spine.
"Right now, I think she's a low risk of danger. She hasn't displayed any dangerous behaviour so far" said Kelly in a reassuring voice.
"Good. If she even dares to lay a finger on Ryder, I'll rip her face off" said Rocky with a growl.
"There's no way I'm letting her get near me like that. Let's forget about her. What do you want to do this afternoon?" asked Ryder.
"Let's stay here. That way Faith won't be able to bother us" said Rubble.
"Good idea. We can have all the fun we want here at the Lookout" said Skye as she performed a back flip.
"Let's play Pup, Pup Boogie. That'll brighten up the day" said Zuma in an excited voice. Everyone went inside & set up Pup, Pup Boogie before they began to play. Although there were only 2 dance pads everyone still danced along anyways. It made them all feel like they were part of a pop group dancing together & having a great time. At numerous points Ryder kept getting calls from Faith on his Pup Pad but he ignored the calls not wanting to think about her. At 1-point Faith came to the Lookout & tried to enter only to find the doors locked. She knocked to try & get everyone's attention, but they ignored her. After a few minutes she decide to climb up the slide, but it was too slippery for her to ascend.
"Fine. If that's how Ryder wants it, I'll leave. Looks like I'm going on to phase 2 of my plan" said Faith as she huffed in frustration & went home. It was getting late & Angel, Elias & Kelly headed home not long after Faith left. Faith spent the evening planning out phase 2 of her scheme to win Ryder over. It was much more extreme than her guilt tripping attempts.
"Tomorrow phase 2 will come into effect. Once it does Ryder will be mine for sure. There's no way he'll reject me after he sees what I have in store for him. I better get some rest. Tomorrow's going to be a big day" thought Faith as she got in bed. As she went to sleep she thought about how the 2ND phase of her plan was much more effective & the impact it'd make on Ryder.