Fourth story of mine that i've updated today. There's a tropical storm heading towards me...so i'll probably end up writing alot all weekend unless there's no electricity. Anyway, Here's the second chapter of this...it's interesting to write and totally out of my element a bit. Making Ryan be a jerk is rather difficult here.

Chapter 2

It happened two days before he turned thirteen. I can remember it exactly because it was a really rainy day out. I remember walking from my house to his with the rain pelting down on my but not caring because I'd get to see my best friend, so it just didn't matter. I knew he'd let me change into some of his clothes so I wouldn't get sick.

I walked into their house just like I usually had without knocking. Dawn never cared and the housekeeper couldn't speak English so it never mattered to her one way or another. I made my way up the stairs that led to Ryan's bedroom. I didn't knock on his door either instead just walking in myself.

I was surprised to see that Ryan wasn't alone in his room. Usually when I would come over he'd be sitting on the floor playing video games by himself but not today. Today Luke Ward was sitting next to him and Marissa Cooper and Summer Roberts were both laying on his bed flipping through magazines. I remember standing there really confused. I coughed until all four of them looked up at me. Marissa and Summer giggled while Luke made some really lame joke. Ryan had pushed me out into the hall and shut his door so they couldn't hear him speaking to me.

That's when he told me that he had met Luke from the soccer team and they were going to start hanging out. He said that I just didn't fit in as well with his new friends. I told him that wasn't fair that he could still be friends with me. After eight years you'd think it would be more difficult for Ryan to get rid of me. It wasn't. He didn't even give me a sympathetic look when he asked me to leave and he told me I wasn't allowed to come to his party. At thirteen that was a big deal.

I ran from his house back out in the rain to mine. I ended up having the flu the next two weeks.

"Are you in there?" Someone's hand was moving back and forth in front of my face. I snapped out of my thoughts and saw the red hair of my best friend. I gave her a slight smile before we both started walking towards our lockers.

"Sorry…you will never guess who my lab partner is." I just had to come out and say it.

"Who?" She questioned. I looked over at her and she caught on. I didn't expect her to laugh but she did and it wasn't just a little giggle this was like a full on hysterical laugh. "It's all part of your luck, Taylor." She smiled.

"This is not funny, Lindsey! You don't understand the torture I'm going to have to endure the next year having to be that asshole's partner." I glared at her.

"Just make the best of it, Taylor. I'm sure it won't be so bad." Easy for her to say, she hadn't been Ryan's best friend at one point.

"I have Social Committee after school. Another year of Marissa Cooper thinking she's better than everyone else." I rolled my eyes. I really can't stand that girl.

"Have fun with that." She gave me a smile before shutting her locker and leaving me alone with my thoughts again.

After Social Committee and having to go through over an hour listening to Marissa Cooper not take any ideas from us about the Kick Off Carnival, I found myself walking out of the school to see Ryan leaning up against my car. I had to take a deep breath before approaching him.

"What are you doing?" I tried to sound as annoyed as possible that he was blocking my way to get into my car.

"I needed to talk to you." He shrugged.

"Then talk." I huffed once again hoping to sound annoyed, but I'm not. In fact I enjoy that he's standing in front of me and actually able to speak to me without calling me some stupid childish name.

"Is there any possible way that you can just put my name on projects that we do? I really don't have time to spend with you doing stupid shit…" I really wasn't expecting that so now I'm really annoyed, and not just pretending.

"Are you kidding me?" I gawk at him. Ryan Atwood is a very stupid boy.

"If I could I would change partners but I can't so you're going to have to just do what I say, got it?"

"Actually, no, Ryan I don't get it. What I do get is you are complete jerk and don't deserve my time of day. You will help me on these stupid little projects or get a failing grade. Either way I don't care." I pursed my lips.

"Why are you so difficult?" He cocked an eyebrow.

"Why are you such a jerk?" I retorted. "You aren't even close to the guy I was best friends with."

"You're right, I'm not that geek anymore." He grinned.

"So are you going to move or what?" I asked him.

"If you give me a ride home." I could not believe the audacity of this boy. I huffed but nodded. I really need to learn to be more mean, more aggressive with my actions or words.

"I live…" He started to tell me directions to his house. I laughed at him.

"I know where you live, Ryan. I did spend eight years of my life practically living there."

"Right, I forgot…" He trailed off.

"Why exactly didn't you ask Marissa for a ride home?" I questioned.

"We're not together anymore, not that it's any of your business." He huffed realizing that he was actually being a little nice to me.

"Let me guess, she likes Luke Ward better than you."

"Don't." He warned.

"Don't what?" I asked him.

"Try to read my fucking thoughts. It's creepy."

"Whatever." I rolled my eyes relaxing more into my seat putting my blinker on to turn out of the school parking lot. "We were eleven when you told me that you thought it was cute, what happened to that?" I looked over at him.

"I grew up. Don't start reminiscing and shit, just because we're partners and because you're giving me a ride home doesn't mean we're friends again." He glanced over at me before looking back out the winder.

"Why is it that you can't even look at me in the eye when you talk to me?" It had bothered me. He always avoided eye contact now whenever we talked.

"Because…" Was all he said.

"That's a great answer, Ryan. That really tells me a lot." I said sarcastically.

"I thought so, too." He shot back.

I suddenly slammed on my breaks in the middle of the road. I didn't care that there were cars honking at me and having to go around me.

"What are you doing?" He panicked a bit.

"Get out. You can walk home." I glared at him again. I really didn't need him talking to me like this. It's not fair, even a little bit.

"Look, I'm sorry…Just take me home. We don't have to talk the rest of the way."

"Fine but you are never getting another ride from me." I said as I put the car back in park.

"Got it." He nodded.

"Great." It's really difficult to be in the same vehicle with someone and not be able to speak to them. It's strange actually, since I love to talk. Maybe it's a good thing Ryan and aren't talking since we would probably just be arguing about something stupid. But then again at least he's saying something to me. There's one question waiting on the tip of my tongue and I decide once I ease my car up his drive way I'm going to ask. "Why?" I think I catch him a little off guard because he stops reaching for the door handle to leave.

"Why what?" He scratched the back of his head.

"Why Luke and Marissa? What did I do that you just had to dump me as a friend?" I asked him. He seemed to think about his answer. I expected him to say some really jerk-like comment.

"You were getting too close." Then I was left to ponder his answer. Getting too close? What in the hell does he mean by that? I want to get out of the car and keep asking him questions but I know he won't answer anymore since he basically just answered my question like it was nothing. He sure knows how to confuse the hell out of me.

He's always been that way actually.

Especially on my thirteenth birthday. I'm a couple of months older than he is. It had just been me and him celebrating my birthday in my bedroom. He had bought me this little cake and he had snuck a lighter from his mom to light the lone candle. It had been really sweet. We spent the rest of the day like we always had. My mom had come in and said that Ryan's mom wanted him home now. He stood up and gave me a half smile. My mom left the room and he helped me up from the floor.

Although at seven I kissed him, he had never kissed me aside from the cheek kisses we would sometimes give each other, I had always adored those. It brought Ryan closer to me. He caught me off guard when he pecked my lips instead of my cheek. When he pulled away my eyes widened. "Happy Birthday, and tell anyone about that and I'll kill you." I remember only being able to nod. Once he left my room I remember laying back on my bed not being able to forget how cute it was that he had kissed me. Something that I hadn't even expected from Ryan. He wasn't an aggressive type person. Not even close to one of those people who likes to take charge of things. He usually just went with whatever I did. I knew he wouldn't have been surprised if I had given him a kiss but it was strange to get one from him.

We never talked about it. Especially since not too long after that we were no longer best friends.