This is a story about a cactus-

gods this cover...

Enjoy Chapter 13... already...

And see what friends can do to each other ;)

Jem stop :)

She slid under the covers, because friends could share a blanket when they were with other friends, couldn´t they?

Octavian looked down at her, but she just smiled up at him, and he huffed slightly under his breath, his hand moving up almost automatically to brush out a strain of her hair that fell into her face. Her beautiful red, curly hair that matched so perfectly with her- no, Octavian, he told himself. She is your friend. Friends. Friends aren´t in love with each other, so you´re not in love with her, do you understand me?

He sighed softly when Katie started laughing.

It wasn´t the first evening they did like this, him, Rachel, Katie Gardener and Travis Stoll, who finally were a couple now.

He smiled over at Katie. " What´s so funny?" He asked, noticed how Rachel sat up next to him, shifting closer to him. Gods, she made it seem so easy, being best friends and everything. She never seemed to worry about this things as he did. For her, they were just friends now, while he... he wanted her, still, after everything. Gods, he wanted her so much.

" Oh, just Travis." Katie said and Travis rolled his eyes, sitting down next to her. " He´s an idiot" Katie added, and then she and Travis were giggling and making jokes.

Octavian felt his stomach drop, because as happy as he was for the two of them, it always reminded him of the fact that they had worked out, that they had found each other without any lies; it reminded him that they were happy and in love and had them.

And it reminded him that if he wouldn´t get over Meridiana, over Rachel, soon he would never have something like that.

He hated himself for being like this.

Fall asleep to dreams of home,

But now he just needed to be okey with it, didn´t he?

His index finger played with one curl of her hair while they were talking to each other, as well as to Katie and to Travis; until, eventually, she took his hand in hers.

" Otherwise, you would have never stopped playing with my hair and you really can´t make knots into it again." She said and he laughed silently. " That´s not funny, Tavi" She said and he grinned.

" You´re not funny, too" He mumbled under his breath, then cleared his throath. " So. Um. How do you think that the movie will be?" He asked, because he didn´t knew and she chose the movie, which was called "The one who dies first is the one wit the longest death" or something like that,and she said that it was a very good movie.

" You will love it" She whispered back when the movie started. " But it´s scary, a bit-" She warned him, and he nodded.

The movie was a freaking horror movie.

It was a horror movie and even though he could pretty much take it, he heard Katie yelp sometimes in suprise, but it wasn´t until it got really scary that he started to really enjoy it.

Because when the next onscreen kill happened, he felt Rachel shifting even closer to him, she technically was sitting inside his lap now, and she turned around, eyes scared and wide open, like a child would have them.

"Hold me" She whispered, and he wrapped his arms around her, because that was what friends did, wasn´t it?

Where the waves are crashing.

The only place I've ever known,

And as the movie got scarier, Rachel got even more affectionate, hiding her face inside his shoulder. Why on earth did she pick this movie if she knew that she would be scared while watching it?

" I´m so scared" She whispered and he leaned forward, closer to her.

" I can help you stop being scared" He whispered back, because an idea had just struck his mind. " A... it´s... just an idea... you don´t have to like it... I´m... I could kiss you" He mumbled, a stupid suggestion as it was, it really was.

She looked at him, and he felt his stomach drop. Oh, hell.

Before he had anything figured out, she had turned away already, and he was short to feel hurt, when she turned properly and pressed her lips against his.

He squeezed his eyes shut, his hands entwined in the curls of her hair, and he felt her shifting closer to him.

Did friends do that to each other, he didn´t know.

And when she pulled away about half a second later, he was pretty sure that friends did in fact NOT do that to each other.

He looked away a bit embarassed, and once again he was sure that he messed up everything again.

He just noticed how much in his life now was a 'again'.

Rachel, on the other hand, she wasn´t just an 'again', she was a 'once in a lifetime'.

Gods, how much he hated that, how much he hated her for making him feel like that.

Now the future has me.

I see the fire in the sky,

" That... was very nice" He said when he brought Rachel home, holding her hand because she said it was freezing and that was what friends did, wasn´t it?

" Yeah" She said, then turned to him. " Look, about... about that kiss..." She said, but he interrupted her, to scared of what would follow after that.

" No, it was a stupid idea. I mean, some friends do kiss each other, don´t they?" He asked, and he was sure that she frowned a bit.

And then, he was pulled down into a hug, where he just stood for a second before he hugged back, wrapping his arms around her fragile but perfect stature, nuzzling his nose into her hair.

Was she... shaking?

" Are you okay?" He asked, careful, because he didn´t want to frighten her with his question; but she nodded, only looked at him for a second. In the dim light, her freckles seemed to dance over her face.

" So..." She said " You say, that it´s okay for friends to sometimes... kiss each other?" she mumbled, coming closer to his face " Like... maybe like that?" She asked and their lips brushed for a second.

His breath got caught inside his throath for a second, then he nodded. " Yes. Like that." He said, and she nodded.

He really didn´t know how they ended up making out for the next five minutes outside her doorway.

But sometimes... maybe sometimes not knowing was okay.

At least, right now.

ee it all around me.

I said the past is dead, the life I had is gone.

Said I won't give up,

Until I see the sun

Hold me now,

'Til the fear is leaving,

I am barely breathing.

Waking up and letting go,

To the sound of angels.

Am I alive or just a ghost?

Haunted by my sorrows.

Hope is slipping through my hands,

Gravity is taking hold.

Said I'm not afraid, that I am brave enough.

I will not give up,

Until I see the sun.

Hold me now,

'Til the fear is leaving,

I am barely breathing.

Crying out,

These tired wings are falling,

I need you to catch me.

As I burn,

As I break,

I can't take it anymore.

I return to the place,

Where the water covers over everything.

Rescue me some how.

Hold me now,

'Til the fear is leaving,

I am barely breathing.

Crying out.

These tired wings are falling,

I need you to catch me.

Hold me now,

'Til the fear is leaving,

I am barely breathing.

Oooooh that´s so nice

For all of you: Yes, friends can kiss each other sometimes... that´s how we started, right?

Yep, I think so.

Anyways, leave us a nice review or a PM.

Talk to you, soon!

- Hazy and Jem xX