Well here is the next chapter. Hope you guys enjoy it! ^^

If you check my main page you can see which stories I am working on, or at least the ones I'm supposed to be working on. I tried my best finding all the spelling, and grammar errors.

My Resolve

The moment I regained consciousness I groaned as I was greeted with a heavy wave of dizziness and a pounding headache. I grabbed my head trying pull myself back into reality. The world was moving, and there was a deep hum that penetrated my head like pin needles. It sounded like the hum of a car engine. After a few moments the next thing I noticed was a warm, though slightly hard, pillow beneath my head. It took me another couple of minutes before I could open my eyes, and when I did green eyes were smirking down at me.

"Well look who finally decided to wake up."

Confusion marred my face. Where was Tom? Who was this guy, and why was I laying on his lap? Slowly everything came rushing back to me. He laughed as he watched the realization crawl along my face, and I shot up scooting as far from him as I could in the car we were in. The quick movement caused my headache to return, but that was the least of my worries. The cheerful guy I met earlier was nowhere in sight. Instead, he smirked mercilessly at me, chuckling as though he were playing a game.

"I have to say, you not too bad on the eyes. Though I'm sorry for interrupting your date."

I kept my head down and refused to respond to him. I needed to figure out a way to get out of here. I looked out the window hoping to recognize the area, but since I didn't really come to this side of town didn't know where I was. There weren't any houses I could see, and it seemed like we were riding through some back alley. Also, I glanced at the clock on the car's dashboard, it was about 4pm, which meant I had been out for at least 2 and a half hours. Who knows how far I was taken in that time. What was Tom doing right now? Was he looking for me? Did he even care that I was gone? If not, I wonder how long it would take for dad to realize I was missing. It could be days before then.

Suddenly, I was being yanked and I fell onto the guy's chest. I tried to pull away, but his grip was too strong. He grabbed my chin to make me face him. It was a position I often found myself in with Tom, but when this guy did it I just felt disgusted. "Now, now it's not nice to think about another man when there's one right in front of you." I winced when his grip tightened to keep me from struggling. He pouted, "You're hurting my feelings. You know, you haven't even asked me my name. It's Alan, Alan Forelli."

Well, that's because I don't care to know. I didn't even want to be here.

He leaned in close and his warm breath beat against my cheek, "Come one now, I'm trying to be nice to you. I promise I'll treat you better than Riddle ever could."

"...Why?" I couldn't look him in the eye, so I looked off to the side. "Why did you kidnap me?"

"Hm, you're pretty but not very smart it seems." He sighed as thought disappointed, "We still have some time to kill before we get where we're going, so I'll tell you. We've been watching you for a while."

Well that was news to me.

"For the past month in fact. You seem to have an interesting relationship with Riddle. At first, we didn't think much about you, but you continued to visit his home every Sunday. And then-" He gasped in mock surprise, "We came across a little goldmine of information. Just what would Riddle be doing with the daughter of the police chief?"

My blood ran cold, and I looked at him in fear. That means he knows who I really am. A blissful sigh parted his lips as his eyes soaked in my expression.

"Are you feeding him inside information? Or are you playing a double agent for your father?" Then he chuckled, "Though if you are, I must say you are quite the actress. Who could doubt such honest expressions? Regardless of your position, you'll be an invaluable little pawn. So, tell me, Raven, what do you know about the Marvelo gang?"

Alan's gaze turned serious as he asked his question, and under such a gaze I looked away. Of course, I don't know anything about what Tom does in his gang, but Alan wouldn't know that. He thinks I'm some type of informant for Tom, either betraying my father or betraying Tom. Why did any of this even matter to Alan? Well, it's not like I didn't have an idea. He must be a part of some rival gang, though since I didn't recognize the Forelli name, it must be a smaller one. Apparently, he thought he could use me to get to Tom, but sadly, Alan was completely wrong about our relationship. I was nothing more than something to relieve him of his boredom.

When I didn't speak her said, "You're either braver than you look, or just plain stupid." He chuckled and pushed me away from him.

The car came to a stop, and I looked out the window. The place we were in looked like the slums. There were run down homes and abandoned stores. My side card door opened, and I was being pulled out. It was the guy who supposedly thought I was cute. Now that I could see him closer, his face was littered with scars and it looked like his left eye was fake.

After Alan whispered something to his partner, Alan pulled me into the building while the other guy moved the car. Once inside of the building, he led me to a back room that was occupied by 10 other people. They were all lounging around, sitting either on torn sofas or on the floor.

"Hello, boys." Alan grinned, roughly yanking me in front of him, "I brought back a friend. So, make sure to play nice."

I shrunk under their collective gaze, trying to make myself invisible. I was surprised that I hadn't bust out in tears yet. I was so frightened, and scared. At this rate I wouldn't ever see my friends and family again. Alan then took me to a pole in the corner of the room, pulled my arms behind me so that they wrapped around the pole, and then tied my wrists together with a ziptie.

"Is she really going to be of any help to us?" One of the guys asked. "Is she that important to the groups next successor?

Alan smirked, "If you saw the way that bastard behaved around her you wouldn't say that. Tch, it was disgusting to watch." He then shrugged, "Besides, even on the off chance he cuts his losses, we can still squeeze some use out of her as the daughter of the police chief."

As they continued talking I tried to think of what I should do. Experimentally I tried to pull my wrist apart, seeing if I had any space to work with, but that was quickly shot down as the plastic dug uncomfortably into my skin. I doubted it, but if I continued to work it maybe it would loosen enough to slip my hands out. Next, I examined the pole I was tied to. It was old and rusted. If enough force was exerted it would probably come apart, but even if that was the case, did I have the strength to do that? It would make a lot of noise, so I would have to succeed on the first few times I was wanted to escape. Neither of the two ideas filled me with hope, but regardless I would have to wait until it was dark, and they went to sleep to try anything.

Honestly, I was a bit surprised at myself. I was handling this better than I thought I would. Sure, I was scared, and my body wouldn't stop trembling, but somehow the fear hadn't clouded my judgment. On the contrary, I felt like I could think clearer. Being in this situation reminded me of Trent. How he must have felt being in this similar situation, and how I felt lying awake every night in worry. I didn't want to put others through that, and with that thought a calming determination settled into my body. No matter how long it took, I was going to get out of here. I just needed to be patient, be observant and wait for the right time. I couldn't help but hope that Tom would come and save me, but I tried not to put much faith in that.

Suddenly, Alan took a seat right in front of me and leaned forward, a smirk playing on his face. "Are you comfortable?"

I eyed him suspiciously, keeping tight lipped. Seeing that my silence continued his smirk fell, and my heart thumped in fear. Maybe staying silent wasn't the best solution. If I made him angry I may never get the chance to escape. "Well...The ziptie is a bit tight."

Alan's smirk returned, and he laughed, "We can't have you trying to run off, now can we? Not that you'd get very far, so do me a favor and don't make too much trouble for me. I'd hate to have to ruin that pretty face of yours."

I gulped at his threat and looked down at the ground, only for him to make me meet his eyes. "Don't worry, I'm not a bad guy. Like I said before, I'll treat you much better than Riddle ever could." Alan smiled, "Are you hungry? You haven't eaten since breakfast, right?"

"That's because you kidnapped me."

Alan laughed, and with the wave of his hand he was given a wrapped sandwich. He unwrapped it and held it out to me. "Go on, it's not poisoned I promise."

I didn't like how lightly he joked about the possibility of poisoning me. "No, thank you. I'm alright."

"You're hurting my feelings." Alan sighed, "You know, I'm actually a pretty good guy."

"If you let me go, I'll actually believe it." I didn't know where this confidence came from. My mouth moved before I could really think about what I was saying.

"Haha, you sure do know how to talk. I shouldn't have expected anything less from a police chief's daughter." After trying to get me to eat a few more times, he finally put aside the sandwich and looked me in the eyes. The seriousness in his expression made me tense and avert my eyes. "Alright then, let's get to the real reason why we're here. Tell me what you know about Riddle and his group, and what kind of information have you been giving them? And you'd best not lie, I'll be able to tell of you are."

'Would he believe me if I said nothing? Even though that's the truth? He said he'd be able to tell if I'm lying, but if I don't lie then he'll realize that I have no value as hostage. What should I do?'

As I frantically searched for a way to satisfy Alan's question, while not completely divulging that I was completely clueless, I came up with an idea. If I mix lies and truths together then maybe I can get by. The way impatience flashed across his features, I realized I had been silent for too long, and rushed to speak. "I um...Actually, you're a bit...A bit mistaken with Tom and mine's relationship. I-" I hesitated a bit, briefly wondering if this was the best idea. No, I had already come this far. It would be stranger if I didn't continue. "A friend of mine took a loan and used my name as a co-signer. The friend skipped town when he couldn't pay and suddenly I was saddled with the debt. To pay it back I go to his place every Sunday and give him information on things my father does and pass on messages to CEO's I meet at my father's different gatherings."

"What kind of things to you tell him?"

'Ugh, come on. Think.'

"Once I told him about patrol times, and guard rotations."

Alan hummed thoughtfully while he scrutinized me, trying to find the lie in my words. He didn't seem to believe me, and the longer he thought the more doubt I could see forming in his eyes. He wasn't buying my story. I needed to do something. Desperately I tried to remember every time I visited Tom and pull any sort of memory that would help me. Though before I could Alan spoke.

"What kind of messages to you deliver?"

"O-oh, nothing really. J-just places, or phrases that don't mean much sense to me." I vaguely answered.

Suddenly, one of the guys listening clicked his tongue, "I should have known this plan would turn to shit. She's fucking useless."

Alan ignored the guy, still observing me closely. Finally, he ruffled his hair in frustration, "Ugh, something just doesn't feel right. I don't think you're telling me the truth. Your answers are too vague."

"Or maybe," The guy who was ignored spoke again, "You fucked up again, Alan. The only reason we agreed to this was because you said we could get back at that bastard for what he did to us, but we should have known better. If you hadn't gotten so greedy in the first place, our leader would still be here, and we wouldn't have been reduced to petty thievery and kidnapping."

"Shut the fuck up will you. It's still under control." Alan bit back, his eyes hardening in wild rage as he glared at the guy. At this the guy swallowed whatever reply he had and settled for grumbling quietly. Alan then turned back to me, "Fine, I'll admit, maybe I was a little too hopeful that you could give me inside information. If you could I'm sure Riddle would keep you on a shorter leash."

Suddenly the door came flying down, completely breaking away from its hinges, as a body came barreling through. Everyone looked at the entrance way shocked by what just happened. The guy lay on the ground, heavily bruised and clearly unconscious.

"I gave her a leash once, but I don't think she enjoyed it as much as I did." The familiar voice filled me with hope, and I couldn't help but look expectantly at the entrance. Tom, Abraxus, Antonin, Jake and Nanashi walked through the door as though they owned the building.

The moment I saw Tom everything else faded out. My heart threatened to beat out of my chest. I hadn't ever expected Tom to come looking for me, but here he was barging in to rescue me. I couldn't help but see him in a completely new light as relief, admiration and affection swelled within me.

Alan and the others soon got over their shock and was on their feet glaring threateningly at my rescuers.

"Riddle!? Why the fuck are you here?!" Alan growled angrier than I had ever seen him. "How did you find this place?!"

Tom chuckled calmly, looking down his nose at Alan, which made him angrier. "I must applaud you. It was pretty difficult to track you down, and in the mean time you've been making yourself busy by being a thorn in my side. So, I've decided to permanently remove said thorn."

Alan threw his head back in laughter, "Looks like your dumber than you look! Take a look around, jackass. You can try to look as cool as you want, but we clearly outnumber you."

"Ha!" Jake suddenly laughed, "You think these weak ass mutherfuckers can really beat us?! I could take them out all by myself in my sleep!"

"We'll see about that." Seems like that was the que, because all the guys in the room began closing in on Tom and the others.

"We'll make you pay for what you did to us!" The guy from before yelled and rushed Tom. He didn't get very far before he was being blocked by Antonin, who didn't have any of his usual mirth.

"If you want to get to the Boss, you'll have to get through me."

The guy glared heatedly at Antonin, but he didn't seem phased. Instead he calmly asked Tom, "Boss, orders?"

Tom smirked, and while looking directly at Alan he answered, "Crush them."

No other words were needed, and right in front of me a full-on brawl started. I was so startled by the turn of events that I pushed myself against the pole I was tied to. I didn't want to get caught in the crossfire. The people on Alan's side had bats, metal pipes or some type of weapon, while Antonin and the others did not. Despite the disadvantage of both numbers and weapons, Tom's group seemed to be gaining the upper hand. It was clear that they all had fighting experience. They expertly dodged every swing, while landing blows on their opponent.

Alan's face was quickly darkening as he too noticed the rapidly changing advantage.

"It's laughable that you thought this would be enough to exact your revenge." Tom sneered.

Before long the only people left standing were Alan, Tom and his group. Seeing that he would lose this battle, I was all but forgotten, and Alan tried to make a break for it. Unfortunately for him, it was too late for that. Abraxus was quick to stop him and pinned him on the ground.

"Well, if I had known it would be this easy I wouldn't have brought so many people with me." Tom chuckled, squatting in front of Alan and leaning his head in his hand.

"You fucking bastard! I will kill you!" Alan growled, little good it did him. Abraxus twisted Alan's arm at his words and didn't stop until there was a loud pop and Alan gave a painful scream.

I wanted to cover my ears, but my arms were still bound, and at the moment I was too scared to speak up. In my head I knew they were a gang. I knew that they didn't have any issue hurting others, fighting and possibly even killing people, but seeing it in person was different. Since coming in here not once had they even looked my way. It felt more like they came to settle a score, rather than save me. I just happened to be taken by the people they needed to get rid of. I didn't want to see anymore. I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to imagine myself somewhere else.

Tom's smile didn't waver, "Really now? I'd love to see how you plan to accomplish that. I know that despite your efforts to gain allies, this pathetic group was all you could manage."

"H-how do you-"

"Do you really think I hadn't notice you lurking around these past few months?" Tom sighed, "Even though I was generous enough to let you live last time, you clearly hadn't learned your lesson."

"Let me live...?" At this Alan laughed crazily, as though he lost all sense of himself, "You bastard! The moment you destroyed our gang I had already died! It was all your fault! My father killed himself because of you! Because you ruined our group!"

I couldn't help but open my eyes to see how Tom reacted. To my surprise Tom chuckled coldly.

"My fault? I gave you all plenty warning, but it was you guys who kept making trouble on my turf. If I had let you guys continue then what kind of example would that be setting for others?" Tom chuckled, "If you want to blame someone, blame yourself. All I had to do was dangle some bait, and you fell for it."

"Bait?" Alan's eyes widened, "You used her as bait and you let me take her, so I would lead you back here? This was all part of some plan of yours!?"

"This whole time I was 2 steps ahead of you." Tom smirked, "Say hello to your father when you meet him."

With those parting words Abraxus knocked Alan out, and finally they remembered I was in the room. While Tom instructed the others to gather the unconscious men together, he moved over to me, and with a pocket knife, cut me loose. I sighed thankful that I was able to stretch and rotate my stiff shoulders. My wrist also hurt, and were slightly red, due to how tightly they were bound.

"Are you alright, Raven?" Tom asked helping me onto my feet. "You must have been frightened."

"O-oh...Yeah." I wasn't sure how to answer. When I first saw him, thinking that he came to rescue me, I was happy. However, after hearing their conversation, I didn't know what to think. I wanted to ask him, but I was afraid of the answer he would give. Did he really use me as bait? Did he let me get kidnapped just to settle some dispute?

Suddenly I felt a thumb caress my lips, which I only then realized I was mercilessly chewing on. I turned my head and stepped away from Tom.

He chuckled, "What's with that look? I expected you to be happier to be rescued. Don't tell me you enjoyed being tied up. If that's the case, I am more than happy to accommodate."

Instead of replied, I asked him what was on my mind. "Was that true? What you said earlier?" I kept my head down too afraid to see his reaction. "Did you use me as bait?"

Tom reached out and raised my head. He looked at me with a confident smirk, "I did, and you played your role perfectly."

My heart dropped at his answer, and I could feel my face droop in response. "B-but...Why?"

"As my slave, I'm allowed to use you in any way I please."

That wasn't the answer I wanted to hear. I wanted him to deny it, say that I hadn't heard him right, or maybe that it was all just some bit lie. Instead he proudly declared that it was all true. He didn't know how terrified I was when I was being taken, thinking that I wouldn't ever see my family or friends again. Or thinking that I could be killed or seriously hurt if I made a single wrong move. When he came into the room, I was happier than I had ever been. To think that he went through the trouble of finding me and saving me, even though the only thing binding us together was some measly contract. At that time, I thought that I could actually come to like Tom as a person. Now, however, that wasn't the case.

Disappointment in his answer had long sense faded, leaving only a constricting burning in my chest. The heat spread to my eyes and I blinked the tears away harshly.

Tom smiled wryly upon seeing my expression, "Come on, there's no need to be sad."

Again, I put distance between the two of us, shaking my head. "No...I'm not sad." What I was feeling wasn't sadness. I should have known not to get my hopes up. This was the guy who took advantage of my friend's debt to corner me into a contract that only benefited him. The feeling I had now boiled in my stomach and made me want to scream. I wanted to pull my hair out, shout at him all my complaints, and maybe even smack him a few times. The embarrassment I go through when we are alone is one thing, but this is something completely different. He risked my life and justified it as me being his slave! Just what did he think people were? Playthings for him to do whatever he wanted?

"Boss, Moron and I will handle the clean up here."

"How many times do I have to tell you, It's Moran!"

"Antonin, you also stay and help them clean up." Once Antonin replied, Tom faced me again with a grin. "Well, then. Let's head back."

"I can walk by myself!" I uncharacteristically snapped when he attempted to wrap his arm around my shoulder. I didn't want to be touched, especially not by him. He looked momentarily surprised, before it turned into amusement. Seeing his look made my frustrations double and I made sure not to spare him a second glance as I stormed out of the room.

In the car I looked out of the window the entire way back. It was a long 4 hours, and any attempt on Tom's part to start a conversation, I ignored. This wasn't anything but a game to him, and I was a fool for thinking that we could get along. Sometime during the ride, I realized that I wasn't just angry, but also disappointed. I wanted to be able to see something decent and good within Tom. I wanted to hope for a better relationship with him, but after today I finally realized that wouldn't happen. From now on I wouldn't let his small kindnesses sway me.

We finally returned to the Tom's home and I wasted no time exiting the car. Klein and Tinker were at the door to greet us. Tinker rushed to me, enveloping me into a warm embrace.

"Oh, dear! I'm so glad you're safe!" I was surprised that she knew about it but simply nodded. "I'm relieved that Tom was able to find you. They didn't hurt you, did they? Are you hungry? Do you need anything?"

From her words it seems like she didn't know anything about Tom's plan. It made me feel better that she didn't know about it. I didn't want to have any negative feelings for Tinker, she was just too nice. I visibly relaxed, and though I didn't feel it, plastered on a smile for her. "Thank you, but I don't need anything."

"If you say so." Her eyes shown with worry, "Let me show you back to your room. You should rest after today."

"Actually, I plan on going home."

"Nonsense!" She chastised. "It's way too late. You should just stay for another night. We don't mind."

I shook my head. Tinker was kind, but it wasn't enough to sway me to stay another night. I wanted to get away from Tom. I couldn't even look at him. "I'm sorry, but I'm not changing my mind. Thank you for the hospitality, but I'd very much like to head home."

She eventually gave in, and made Tom walk me back to the room I used. It was silent the entire way back and I made myself busy by watching the floor. I quickly gathered my things, and despite Tinker's insistence, I chose to walk back to the station alone. "I'll be on my way." With that I quickly left not sparing a single glance back.

Friday

Before I knew it, the week passed, and it was already Friday. I kept dreaming about being kidnapped, but unlike reality, I ended up in a worse situation. No one would come for me, and I was left at the mercy of my kidnappers. Except to answer my father's calls or Trent's texts I didn't speak to anyone, and I only went out once to give my father the gift I bought him. It wasn't that I was frightened. I was just tired, and honestly, I didn't have anything to do. On Wednesday, Tom texted me saying that I still needed to tell him what I wanted as my reward. With everything that had happened I had forgotten about it, and of course I have yet to reply to him. Anything that had to do with him I wanted to forget, though I guess with Sunday looming around the corner I would be forced to face him.

Oh!

Why didn't I think of this before? If I can ask for anything I want, why don't I ask for a break this Sunday.

Me: I know what I want now.

I was surprised to receive a reply only moments later.

Tom: Well?

Me: I don't want to go this Sunday.

He didn't reply right away, and I could hear my heart beating in my ears. After a few moments he finally replied, and with a single word all of the tension left my shoulders.

Tom: Fine.

Before I knew it, I was smiling, and laid across the couch. It was like a weight was lifted from me, and it was only then I realized just how much I was dreading this upcoming Sunday. I couldn't completely avoid him since break ended the upcoming Monday, but we never really spoke at school.

"Hmm, but what should I do? It's been a while since I had a whole weekend to myself." It was then I remembered that on Sunday's there was open volleyball. Ever since I gave up my Sundays I couldn't go, but now that I had the time I planned on capitalizing. While finalizing my plans, my phone buzzed with a call. I was surprised to receive a call from him, but I happily answered.

"Hey Sirius, how are you?"

"Much better after hearing your lovely voice, beautiful."

I sighed exasperated, but couldn't fight the smile, or blush, from my face. Even over the phone he doesn't miss a chance to lay it on thick. "Can we just get to the point, Sirius?"

"I'm hurt, beautiful."

I laughed, "I doubt it. So, why the sudden call, and quit with the nickname?"

"Alright, alright." He chuckled, and his deep timbre was a pleasure to my ears. Hearing his deep, flirtatious voice so close was making me blush. I was glad he couldn't see me to tease me. "I was wondering if you were free this weekend. I wanted to try to hang out again before school started, and I heard Lola will be coming back into town tomorrow."

"Yeah, she will. How did you know?"

"James told me. Who knows when we'll have time to hang out again, so I figured why not this weekend."

"Yeah, I don't mind, but I don't think Lola is coming back until later in the evening, and I already made plans for Sunday."

"I see, that's too bad." He really did sound disappointed. It wasn't like I absolutely had to go to Volleyball, but after what happened with Tom I wanted to spike a few balls and let off some steam. Well, I could always go some other time, and maybe some company with normal people is just what the doctor ordered.

"On second thought, I'll tag along. I can go play volleyball some other day."

"Oh, you were going to play volleyball? Where at?"

"It's just a community group that gets together on Sunday's to play. Nothing special."

"You know, I only planned for us to hang out, maybe grab something to eat, so perhaps we can go play as a group. I'm sure James, and the others won't mind."

I laughed, "Yeah, but I think Lola would." I pondered for a while, "On second thought, she just might go if she knew James was going. I'll call her and see if she's interested."

"Great!"

I giggled at how excited he sounded. "You know, you have some scary good timing."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I'm not usually free on Sundays, but I just found out that I'll have the day to myself, and as soon as I do you call me asking to hang out."

"That can only mean one thing."

"And that is?"

"It's destiny pulling us together."

I rolled my eyes, smiling. I think I was starting to get used to his casual flirting. Though, not actually seeing him was helpful. "If you say so, Sirius. I'll see you Sunday."

"Rodger that, I'll make sure to bring enough people on my end, so we can have enough for our own team."

After exchanging a few more pleasantries we ended the call. Afterwards I sent Lola a text, explaining the tentative plan for Sunday. A few hours later I received her reply, saying that she would go if James would also be going, and I couldn't help by smile amusingly at how predictable she was. Saturday came and went without much incident. Lola texted me that she arrived back safely and that she was looking forward to Sunday. As for Trent, he also messaged me saying that he would arrive Sunday evening. I was glad for the warning, as this way I could prepare dinner. I had to admit, after having such a lively dinner and breakfast at Tom's place, I felt extremely lonely eating by myself. With Trent finally coming back home, I would finally have some company.

Sunday

That Sunday morning, I woke early to eagerly get ready for the day. The Volleyball group met from 10-2pm, so it gave me plenty of time to relieve myself of some pent-up stress. When I arrived at the gym, Lola was already waiting out in front. I smiled, jogging the rest of the way, and once she noticed me she gave me a hug, which I returned.

"Welcome back Lola. How was the trip?"

"It was great! We had a blast, and I got some really nice outfits out of it. I got you guys something too. I'll bring it to school tomorrow." I was curious as to what she bought. Lola always had a good sense for buying gifts. "How about you, anything interesting happened?"

Well, I went over to Tom's place last Sunday, and spent the night. I also went out on a sort-of-date before I was kidnaped by some weirdo. Then I was saved by Tom, only to find out that it was all a part of some plan of his to lure the other guy out. Of course, I couldn't tell her any of this. So instead I shrugged, "Nothing much. Stayed home and caught up on some tv shows." Which wasn't exactly a lie.

Lola pouted, "I should have known you would hold yourself up at home. You've gotta get out more."

"I'll try next time." I said just as Sirius as the others came into view. When I mentioned this Lola looked at the group expectantly, only to visibly droop in disappointment. It wasn't hard to figure out why. James wasn't in the group walking towards us. It was Sirius, Remus, Peter and some girl that looked familiar, but I couldn't place the name.

"We're not late, are we?" Sirius asked.

"Nope right on time."

"What happened to James?" Lola questioned, "I thought he was also coming."

Remus and Sirius shared a glance, and somehow the atmosphere became a little awkward. Remus then said, "Something kind of came up last minute so he couldn't come."

I turned to Lola apologetically, and though she just shrugged as if it didn't bother her, I knew she was disappointed at not being able to see James. After a brief silence Remus cleared his throat and introduced the girl that they brought with them. Her hair was died a bright magenta, and she had sparkling blue eyes that seemed to bounce with an abundance of energy. The longer I started at her the more I felt like I knew her. As though I've seen her before, but I'm sure I would remember someone with hair like hers. Did she go to school with us? Maybe I've walked by her a few times.

"This here is my girlfriend, Nymphadora Tonks." He smiled down at her and placed a gentle arm around her shoulder. "I hope you don't mind, but I brought her along to max out the team when James couldn't make it."

I shook my head, "No, of course not. It's nice to meet you Nymphadora."

"Please, call me Tonks, or Dora." She quickly said. "I'd actually prefer it if you did."

"Sure think. My name is Raven Clark."

"I'm Lola Smith. Have we met before? You look really familiar."

Tonks laughed and waved her hand, "Probably not, but a lot of people say that. Apparently, I have a face that resembles a lot of people."

"She also goes to Hogwarts like us, but she is a year younger, and most of her classes are on the opposite wing of the school." Remus explained.

"Yeah? What house?"

"Hufflepuff."

"Sweet, so am I." I smiled

"Great, so are we going to go play, or are we going to stand out here all day?" Sirius asked, prompting all of us finally move inside. I led the group to the gymnasium, where we were greeted to two volleyball courts with games already underway. Just the sound of people shouting, spiking the ball and the ball hitting the floor had my adrenalin pumping.

"Haha, you must really love volleyball." Sirius teased nudging my shoulder.

"She's a crazy person when it comes to it." Lola laughed. "Just wait, you're about to see a completely different side of her."

"I hope we don't have to be very good. I've never really played before." Tonks admitted, having become a little nervous after seeing how other people were playing.

"Nope, it's totally fine if you don't really play." I assured her, "We're all here to have fun! Skill level doesn't matter!"

"Do you play any sports?"

Tonks nodded at Lola's question, "Yeah, I run track for the team at Hogwarts."

"I can totally tell. Your body looks amazing." Lola complimented taking a look over Tonks' shape, which was easy to see since she was in her sport wear. "And you run-?"

"Long distance, and relay."

"Raven! Long time no see!" Suddenly a tall guy, around 6'6, with short brown hair came running over to us. He was wearing shorts, and a black muscle T. And when I say muscles, the man was in no shortage of them. As he jogged over to us they contacted attractively across his skin, and the sheen of sweat he sported was breath taking.

"How come you never told me you knew such a hot guy?" Lola whispered to me, elbowing me in the side.

"Is that really important?" I rolled my eyes with a chuckled, and then smiled at the guy. "Sorry Kyle, I've gotten pretty busy lately."

"That's a shame, we've missed having you around."

I giggled, "Sorry, I'll try to make it a bit more."

Ahem!

Lola sent me a look, and I laughed, "Guys, this here is Kyle Mayson. He goes to Durmstrang and plays volleyball there. He's actually pretty good."

He laughed, "What do you mean by actually?" Kyle combed over the group as everyone introduced themselves before asking, "So you guys here to play? It's rare for Raven to bring such a large group of friends. How come Mary isn't here?"

"Actually, I didn't even tell her I was coming." I confessed feeling a little guilty.

"Well, it's nice to see you again Raven. I'll go let the guys know that your team has next in the rotation."

With a wave he ran off, and as soon as he left Sirius said, "He's so fircken tall."

"If you think he's tall, you should see some of the other players at Drumstrang. Kyle is about the average height for players in volleyball. Though if it makes you feel any better you still have a few more years before you stop growing."

"Looks like Lola was right, you act more confident since coming in here. It's usually me doing the teasing, not the other way around." Sirius smirked, "It's a good look on you."

"If you guys are done flirting, looks like Kyle is calling us." Tonks laughed when I blushed.

"W-we weren't flirting!"

"Sure looked like it to me." Lola jumped in snickering.

At Kyle's beckoning, we joined him on the court and introduced us to everyone. Since my last visit there were a few new faces, and they told me that Kyle told them how good Mary and I were. I blushed from the praise, hoping that I could live up to the expectations. After asking the skill level of my friends, Kyle matched us up with some people around the same level.

Finally, the game began, and I was pleasantly surprised. Even though Tonks had said she didn't know how to play, she was a quick learner and her natural athleticism made up for her lack of skill. She was agile and had great reflexes. As for Peter, I was truthfully a bit worried. He was such a petit boy, and Sirius had said that Peter wasn't very good at physical sports. I spoke to him briefly just to make sure that he was ok with playing, to which he nodded saying that Sirius had promised to buy some new game for him if he came. Now that he was playing, I could see that the reason he wasn't good at sports wasn't because of the ability. Peter was surprisingly good, especially at receiving, and had good sense of his body, and special awareness. However, he just didn't seem interested. While I would give his playing a passing grade, I could tell he was doing just enough to get by. Sirius was a completely different story. He had a wild play style that really fit his image. The plays that he made had me stunned as they could have only been accomplished by someone with the instincts of an animal. Honestly, I was impressed. Remus had told me that Sirius excelled at anything sport related, and he was being proved right. Remus, though initially pegged as a bookworm, didn't lose out to Sirius. He didn't appear to have the same innate sense for sports as Sirius or his girlfriend, but he worked hard, and his reflexes were pretty unnatural. They were all in shape, and with some training could become very good.

It had been about 2 hours since we've started playing and during a break in the game we talked about where we would go for lunch. We agreed that after one more game would head out, however things didn't go as we planned. During the middle of the set, Lola tried to save a ball that was shanked by Tonks and had fell.

"Lola are you-"

"Are you ok?" Sirius asked rushing over to Lola's side. I blinked surprised by his quickness but shook my head and joined the others in circling Lola.

Her face twisted in pain as she held her ankle. "No, I think I twisted it." Upon request she tried to move it but with a whiner she shook her head. "It's no use. It hurts if I move it too much. Ugh, this suck!"

"I'm sorry Lola." I frowned guiltily, as we moved off of the court, so the others could still play.

"Not like it's your fault I fell." She waved my apology off. "But it looks like I won't be able to go out to eat."

"If anything, you should go home, ice and wrap it." Sirius, who was hovering over Lola the most, said. "Hopefully, the swelling will go down before school tomorrow."

"Guess we should call it." Remus said moving to help Sirius pick up Lola, however Sirius has other plans. He lifted her himself in a princess style carry.

"Woah! Sirius!" Lola shouted in surprise and blushed. "P-put me down!"

"You can't walk right now, so I'll just have to carry you. Don't worry I can hardly tell I am holding anything." He grinned wolfishly, making Lola blush more. I was glad to know that I wasn't the only one flustered by Sirius. Also, seeing Lola like this gave me a strange sense of satisfaction. I was usually the one being teased, but now that it was happening to someone else I couldn't help but laugh.

Lola shot me a glare, and though I couldn't hide my smile, I quickly averted my eyes.

"I'll go ahead and take her home. You guys should go on a head."

"Wait a minute!" Lola frowned, "Don't I get a say in this? I don't need you to take me home." She turned to me, "Raven, help me out here."

"What's so bad about me taking you home? Worried you'll fall for me if we're alone? Don't worry, I'll be gentle." He wiggled his eyebrows and leaned closer to Lola's face. In response her blush exploded across her face and down her neck. Heck, even I blushed.

'Woah. I've never seen Lola like this before.'

"S-seriously! Put me down! Raven, you take me home."

"If you keep struggling I might drop you." As if to prove it he let the strength leave his arms and Lola, in her panic, threw her arms around Sirius' neck.

He laughed when she glared at him, "I thought you wanted me to put you down?"

"Yes, but gently!" She snapped back.

"I get it, I get it. As an apology I'll see to it that you get home safely." With a parting wink at us, he walked off all the while Lola grumbling. As I watched them I couldn't help but giggle at the way Lola reacted to Sirius.

I couldn't wait to tease her about this later.

I was going to wait a bit before putting out this chapter, but I didn't feel like it haha! So I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Constructive criticism is always welcomed!