Note: NOT A FILLER! Huzzah! I am SO glad chapter nine is over…you really have no idea. I needed a stepping stone for this chapter, and that filler was a pretty shaky one. But I needed it. More wedding stuff on chapter eleven…I feel like I've been neglecting it. And oh my, I have a lot of new reviewers! Welcome aboard!

…And one hundred reviews?! Squee! (glomps) Thanks to my one-hundredth reviewer, Ekoaleko/Aeropostale…who cheated by reviewing twice, haha. I love you anyway. XD

Chapter Ten: Wishes

What would we be without love? What would life be like bereft of heartache, rejection, and envy? I don't know anymore. Such a life—one so perfectly free from the entanglements of the heart—seems so alien and far away from me; I can reach for it, but my fingers will never graze its surface. No matter how often I tell myself that I shouldn't love him, no matter how many times I say he belongs to Popuri, I can't let go of the past. And sometimes, I wish that I'd never loved him at all…that I'd never been forced to go through this kind of hellish adoration.

But a wish is only an unanswered prayer. And that's all it'll ever be.

I wrapped my arms around myself as I sat in the restaurant, shooting the clock a look of pure hatred. Eight o'clock. Eight freaking o'clock.

What kind of friend shows up two hours late?

Strike that, what kind of friend forgets to show up at all?

"Claire?"

I responded to the sound of my name, and turned to see Ann at my table once again. "Claire?" Ann repeated. "Do you want anything? You've been here for awhile…"

"I'm waiting for someone," I reminded her. "I…don't want to eat yet."

"Oh. Well, what about some water?" she suggested with a shrug. "Whoever you're waiting for seems to be a little late—"

"I can see that," I snapped.

The red-head glared at me and put her hands on her hips. "I'm just trying to be polite!" she exasperated. "I don't get paid to deal with whiny farmers, okay? So if you're not going to order, I'm going to leave."

A few moments were passed in silence until the waitress left with a groan, half as frustrated as myself. Burying my head in my arms, I sighed and closed my eyes in defeat.

"He's not coming," I mumbled to myself. "I'm such an idiot…of course he's not coming."

"Who's not coming?"

I snapped my head upwards—my hopes shattered as I saw Rick take the seat across from me.

"That seat's taken," I snapped. "Find another place to eat."

Unfazed by my rudeness, Rick leaned back rather comfortably in the chair and crossed his arms. "I don't see anyone here," he shrugged. "And it can't be any fun sitting alone."

"I told you, that seat's taken," I repeated, none too gently. "I'm not eating alone."

"You're not eating at all," Rick commented, staring at my empty placemat.

"Maybe I'm not hungry."

"Maybe you're just being difficult."

I kicked him from under the table, and he let out a small yelp of pain. Rubbing his leg gingerly, he smiled. "See? You are being difficult."

"And you're just being annoying," I retorted.

"Wait a second. Sitting with a lonely girl makes me annoying?" Rick accused.

I could feel my patience wearing thin with each new word he spoke. "I'm not lonely. Don't I have the right to sit by myself?"

"So you are sitting by yourself."

"I--!" With a low groan, I directed my gaze away from the poultry farmer to the door. "Whatever. Sit here if you want. I…don't care what you do."

The light glow of the lamps illuminated the room, casting shadows on the wall. I watched as they danced in the light, fleeting images on a wooden background. Murmurs of conversation reached my ears, merging into a collective voice of gossip and laughter.

And meanwhile, the clock ticked.

"…Who are you waiting for?" Rick asked quietly.

"Nobody." My fingers began to drum on the table, adding to the inn's melody of ruckus and merriment. "Just…nobody. Why are you here?"

"Baby-sitting," he explained, gesturing towards Karen seated at the counter. And indeed, she was already beginning to rack up quite a hefty bill as she guzzled down a bottle or two of wine.

"She's quite a drinker, isn't she?" I stated, somewhat alarmed as I realized the blonde's presence in the Inn. To be sure, I hadn't really been paying attention to any of the visitors as I waited for Kai, but now that I noticed that she was here, an uncomfortable feeling had wormed its way into my heart.

Karen…oh, what to think of Karen. Elli's words still rang in my ears, and while I pitied the girl, I felt almost…alienated from her. That girl crying on the beach—that girl drinking away her nights in denial—that girl clinging onto a past as superficial as her dreams…somehow frightened me.

And I couldn't for the life of me understand why.

"Karen loves her wine," he nodded. "She can tolerate more alcohol than most people, but I still have to watch her and make sure she doesn't go overboard."

"What are you, her big brother or something?" I teased.

"Something like that," he shrugged. "I guess after a while, the role just sticks."

A light bulb clicked in my head as I realized he was referring to his relationship with Popuri. I crossed my legs and propped my arms on the table, grinning somewhat. "I always wanted a big brother and a little sister when I was little," I admitted. "I've never had any siblings…so I don't know what it's like. But it looks fun."

"Are you kidding me?" Rick laughed. "You wanted a little sister? Sometimes I think Popuri's more trouble than she's worth. Though…I do love the girl. I just sometimes wonder about her sense of judgment."

"She's a loveable ditz," I agreed. "Actually…I, um, haven't seen her since the day before yesterday."

"The day you fainted?"

I bristled at the reference to my accident. "That—that was a one-time thing, okay? I don't usually do stupid things like that. I'm not a wimp."

"You really scared me back then, though," he said, shaking his head. "I started panicking; I had no idea what to do."

"…You carried me," I mumbled, disgusted. "You carried me all the way to the Clinic."

"Who told you that--?"

"Elli."

He closed his eyes and let out a sigh. "I didn't have much of a choice, Claire—what did you want me to do, drop you in the sand and let you lie there?"

"Just—well—oh, I don't know, Rick!" I exasperated. "What do you want me to say, yes? No? Because it doesn't even matter; you carried me, I'm fine, and that's that. End of discussion."

My fingers tapped on the tabletop, and my eyes flitted towards the clock again—still late, still ticking away my precious minutes. A shock traveled its way across my skin as I felt Rick's hand suddenly upon my own.

"Don't do that," he ordered me, flattening my palm on the table. "The way you've been drumming your fingers is beginning to drive me crazy."

I closed my hand into a fist and grimaced. "Sorry…I'm just really impatient."

"When was he supposed to come?"

"Hours ago," I answered, casting the door a wistful glance. "He promised he'd come."

"That's rough. I'm sorry your date isn't showing up," Rick apologized.

"It's not a date," I hissed. "It's a--more like a—"

"A what?"

I glared at Rick for breaking my train of thought. "A—it's a--Well, it's kind of what you do with Karen," I explained at length. "Just hanging out for no real reason, except to get to know each other more."

A smile eased its way across his lips. "I think I understand," he nodded. "It's Kai, isn't it?"

And ignoring him, I turned to the clock once again.

"What are you doing here?"

I squinted, my eyes blinded by the sunlight reflecting off the school pool. The woman put her hands on her hips, and insisted, "Well? You're just here to look at guys in Speedos, aren't ya?"

"N-no. I need to see my boyfriend," I tried to explain.

"Aha. So you are here to see boys in Speedos." She put her hand out for me to shake. "Name's Coach Whicket. And you are…?"

"Claire. Claire Banks," I explained. "Is Kai here..?"

"Rivers? Yeah, he's finishing up his last lap," Whicket nodded. "Practice is over; feel free to talk to him. I have to tell you, you've got yourself one fine boy. I haven't seen a free-style like that in years."

I pretended that swimming strokes were an admirable quality in a guy and nodded. "Er, yeah. I'm just going to go see him now," I replied, clearing my throat.

"Go ahead."

I walked the outline the pool, watching as a dark-tanned shadow sped through the water, shooting towards the far end of the pool with powerful and precise strokes. Then, reaching the end, he flipped and shot towards the other end again, his movements flawless and fluid.

I crept towards him, where he had finally come to a halt and snapped his head out the water for breath. Moisture clung to his features, and a broad smile lit up his face as I approached him.

"Claire? What are you doing here?" he inquired, propping his arms on the edge of the pool.

"Uh…well, I saw Nikki today," I began, Kai watching me in interest. "She, uh…she doesn't think we should date."

"Screw that," Kai laughed. "Like I'm going to break up with you just because some girl doesn't like it."

"I—I don't know…" I shrugged. "Maybe we should be more worried or something."

He smiled. "You worry enough for the both of us."

"Well, there's a lot going on," I sighed. "Report cards just came, and my parents are flipping out because I didn't get on the honor roll."

"Are you kidding me?" he smirked. "My parents are panicking because they don't think I'll graduate."

"Seriously?"

"Well…I'm barely passing as is," he shrugged. "My dad is hoping and praying that I'll get a swimming scholarship or something. He really wants me to go to college."

I nodded. "College sounds like a good idea to me. To help get you ready for business and stuff."

"But business is…it's so boring, Claire," he groaned. "I don't know, I want to do something spontaneous, something different with my life."

"If you can't earn any money doing it, then you'll have to find something boring and ordinary like the rest of us," I reminded him.

"You know what, Claire?" Kai sighed, a mischievous gleam sparkling in his eyes. "I think you just need to cool down."

"Whaa--?"

Before I knew it, his arm had pulled me straight into the freezing cold water. I screamed as I fell, and I could hear his laughter as I began to tread water, shivering in my now-wet clothes.

He pushed my damp stringy hair from my eyes and smiled. "Don't worry so much," he whispered, putting his arms around me. "It'll all work out. You'll see. I won't let you down."

"You…are…so…dead!" I threatened, my teeth chattering as I clung to the side of the pool.

And he started to laugh once again, not caring that the coach was shouting at both of us to get of the pool.

"Guys, guys!"

I snapped out of my reverie as the doors to the Inn burst wide open, revealing a certain pink-haired girl absolutely brimming with excitement.

"Popuri?" Rick exclaimed in surprise; Ann and Karen were shocked as well. It was truly rare to see Popuri at the Inn this time of night, seeing as she was still underage.

"The most wonderful thing just happened!" she gushed, jumping up and down in joy. "See, Kai and I were at the Snack Shack, and then Elli came, which is really weird because Elli almost never comes to the Snack Shack, but anyway, she did and she ordered a snow cone. So Kai gives it to her, and she said she didn't recognize the flavor, and—"

"Just get to the point!" Karen barked, annoyed at being interrupted in the midst of her wine-drinking.

Popuri blinked. "Oh…sorry. Well, anyway, Elli has a snow cone, right? And then suddenly she gets all dizzy, and she says she doesn't feel well. So then Kai is like, are you okay? And she says no, she isn't, and then Kai offers to take her to the Clinic. And so he does, and guess what, guess what?!"

"What?" we all answer begrudgingly, knowing that we'll be told regardless.

"Elli's pregnant!" Popuri squealed.

Immediately, the annoyance forming in everyone's minds vanished, and the entire Inn was bursting with exclamations of surprise and excitement.

"Are you serious?!" Ann gasped, grinning from ear to ear. "That's so great! Oh, she must be so excited…her first kid! Wow."

Rick smiled as he turned to me. "Tim must be worrying like crazy," he said with a little laugh. "But that's good news. Really, those two deserve a child."

I could do nothing but smile as well; what words could I say to express how happy I was for them? Elli was a sweetheart; I had no doubt she'd be a wonderful mother. Understanding, kind, and loyal—she was every child's dream parent.

"…It's wonderful," I whispered in agreement. "Absolutely wonderful."

I heard a snort in the corner as Karen turned to her wine bottle once again, muttering, "Like hell it is."

"Oh, oh! Claire!" Popuri spoke suddenly, coming over to me. "Kai said that he'd promised to see you today…he says he's sorry, but Elli kind of needed his help and all. So, maybe tomorrow you could go on a picnic with Kai and I?"

For a brief moment, I basked in the glow of her words—until I heard the final two. "You mean, you'd be coming, too?"

"Well, yeah," Popuri nodded. "Plus, we're doing a rehearsal for the reception tomorrow, so you need to be there—"

"I'm sorry," I interrupted her, standing up. "But, um, I have to go home. Something just came up."

Popuri watched me in confusion as I started to go. "W-wait, Claire--!"

But a stern Rick held her back, shaking his head. "Let her go," he told her, his grip relaxing somewhat. "See you tomorrow, then, Claire?"

I nodded offhandedly. "Sure, why not. It's not like I have anything better to do. See ya."

"But, Claire--!"

"Popuri. Let. Her. Go," Rick warned.

A downcast look reflected in her scarlet eyes, but she nodded reluctantly as I turned to go. The door closed behind me, ending all the noise and excitement and laughter and leaving only silence in its wake.

The moon was out that night. I could see the stars sparkling in the distance, pinpricks of unreachable light. For a moment, I stopped in the middle of the path and gazed at them, wondering if perhaps I was unknowingly staring at a constellation or two. I'd never cared to learn about such things before, but now on such a clear moonlit night, I wished I could give these beautiful designs a name and a story.

They say if you wish upon a shooting star, your heart's deepest wish will come true. I don't know if I believe that, but on that night amidst all the sky's celestial beauty, I almost did. I almost, for a brief moment, believed in the impossible. Almost.

But as I walked home, I instead berated myself for tossing Elli's sleeping pills, and blatantly ignored the shooting star overhead.

Important Note: Okay, about this update every Friday thing… I really, really want to keep that up. But if life gets in the way, I'll say that the chapter will be late in my profile, okay? Ekoaleko made a very valid point, that I shouldn't try and force chapters out. Normally, writing chapters comes more easily to me; these last two were just harder. Plus, I've been super busy with a ton of essays. Pah. I estimate I'll have six more chapters. Estimate, anyway.