"Blake?" Cara asked, tapping him on the shoulder. He was standing putting things in his locker.

"Um hey Cora," Blake turned his head to look at her.

"Um actually it's Cara."

"Oh, okay."

"So, I was wondering if you could help me with something," Cara asked.

"What could I possibly help you with?"

"Homework, English homework," Cara said sheepishly.

"You need English help?"

"Yeah, desperately," Cara admitted.

"Library after school," Blake said bluntly.

"What?"

"Come to the library after school, and I'll help you," Blake told Cara.

"Oh," Cara was amazed at how cold Blake was.


Cara sat in the library waiting for Blake. She chewed the nail on her pinkie, down and down. After a while Blake came in and sat down.

"Finally," Cara muttered.

"Do you want my help?" Cara nodded. "What don't you get?"

"It's the novel," Car explained.

"What about it."

"I watched the movie, but it didn't really help. I was still confused," Cara whispered.

"You watched the movie? You do know you're supposed to actually read the book," Blake laughed. Cara looked down.

"I can't," Cara whispered.

"Why not, everyone can read. You just pick up the book and turn the pages," Blake laughed.

"Not everyone can read! There's this thing called Dyslexia, yeah, you might have heard of it!" Cara snapped.

"Wow, I'm really sorry, I didn't know," Blake mumbled.

"Everyone else does!"

"Yeah, I only moved here last year. I don't really catch much gossip!" Blake told Cara.

"That's because you've always got your nose stuck in a book!" Cara laughed. "Maybe you'd make a friend or two if you actually talked to people!"

"Who says I want to make friends?

"So you want to spend high school as a freaky loner, who loves books?"

"You wouldn't understand," Blake hissed.

"Try me, is it family issues, because I guarantee my family's more messed up! My Dad's Bipolar, he hasn't even been around since forever, my Mum is only twenty-nine, and she is pregnant at the moment with her boyfriend, Jay's baby. Mum didn't even tell me she had a boyfriend until she was pregnant. I mean how is it possible for a family to be more messed up?" Cara asked Blake.

"You don't have a Dad?"

"Well not really."

"My Dad died when I was six," Blake told Cara.

"Oh, is that why you don't really talk to people?"

"No."

"So…"

"My older sister had Bipolar, like your Dad, I guess, two years ago she went off her meds and killed herself. And then it was just me and Mum, and then we moved here," Blake looked up at Cara.

"I'm really sorry to hear that," Cara told him.

"Everyone always is," Blake said bitterly.

"Wanna ditch homework? We could go get something to eat, you know, drown our sorrows in junk food," Cara smiled. The corners of Blake's mouth twitched. Well it was almost a smile.

"Sure," Blake replied. He got up and picked up is bag; Cara stuffed all of her homework into her bag and followed him out of the library. Cara followed him to the parking lot.

"You drive?" Cara asked.

"I got held back the year my Dad died," Blake explained.

"Oh." Blake stopped in front of one of the cars. It was a silver Audi, Cara gasped slightly.

"What?" Blake asked her.

"You drive an Audi? They're so expensive!" Cara exclaimed. Blake shifted uncomfortably.

"Mum bought it for me, she buys stuff to keep her mind off April," Blake explained.

"Is April your sister?"

"April was my sister," Blake corrected quietly.

"So your Mum buys really expensive cars to take her mind off things? Does she have any money left?" Cara asked.

"Before he died my Dad ran a big company, and my Mum is an author," Blake told Cara.

"So you're like … rich?"

"I guess, I wish I wasn't though," Blake mumbled.

"So you're kind of like Tom Sloane," Cara smiled.

"Who?"

"He was a character on an old cartoon, from the 90's," Cara explained.

"Oh, okay. You can get in if you want," Blake smiled. Cara opened the door and got in, the car still smelt very new. Blake got in on the driver's side. "So where to?"

"Junk food right," Cara smiled.

"There's a Maccas down the street," Blake told Cara.

"To Maccas we go," Cara laughed.


"Eww!" Cara said. She and Blake were sitting on a picnic bench in the ravine, eating McDonald's. Blake was putting fries in his cheeseburger.

"What?"

"Why you put fries in your burger?" Cara asked wrinkling her nose.

"It's nice! Why do you dip fries in your drink?" Blake asked.

"Because it's yummy!" Cara laughed.

"How sad do you think we look now?"

"Not that sad, just funny. I mean an hour ago you were cold shouldering me, and now we're eating Maccas in the ravine, going on about how crap our lives are! And discovering each other's weird Maccas habits!" Cara smiled.

"Ah, the weird things people bond over!"

"Yeah, well," Cara smiled.

"So your Mum didn't tell you she had a boyfriend until she got pregnant?"

"Nope."

"That's sucks."

"Jay's not so bad, Cara smiled.

"Mum is never happy, she just works, and works, never, ever rests," Blake grimaced.

"That's sucks." Blake smiled at Cara, Cara smiled back. He'd smiled at her! She couldn't believe he'd finally smiled!

"You know, I knew your name was Cara today, don't know why I said Cora. I must have been nervous," Blake told Cara. Cara looked at him, whoa! He moved his head in towards her.

"Hey, you should hang out with Sam, Lo and me tomorrow," Cara offered, moving out of the way a little. Blake moved back.

"I'm not really a joiner, I'd rather read my book," Blake told Cara.

"But that's boring!" Cara complained.

"I like it, it's not boring to me," Blake told Cara.

"Why don't you join in?"

"I told you before."

"Yeah but why does that stop you joining in?" Blake shrugged.

"We should be heading home," Blake mumbled.

"Yeah right," Cara mumbled back.

Cara climbed out of Blake's Audi and waved goodbye. She then walked into her apartment block and up the stairs to her apartment. Manny and Jay were watching TV.

"Hey Car," Manny smiled.

"Hey."

"Where've you been?"

"The ravine with this guy from school," Cara told them. Manny and Jay looked at each other in horror.

"What?" Manny squeaked.

"We were eating away our pain with Maccas," Cara told her Mum.

"What pain?" Manny asked. Cara ignored her and walked to her room. "What pain?" Cara closed her door and laughed, she'd just given her Mum a whole new thing to worry about.


Sorry I haven't updated in a while, lots of homework though. Almost school holidays, so I can write heaps then!

R&R Greatly appreciated, I do love hearing from you. Which you may have noticed if you;re read my Host fic!

TheBlackRosette ;)