Riley looked at Joren a little nervously. Sure before in the hall she could have taken him on if her mind hadn't been dulled form…doing what every Numair did…but this was different. Now his friends were watching.

            "So Riley, you can take on Joren and I'll take Cleon on…that ok?" Uncle Frank asked smiling. Riley hated it how adults were so out of everything.

            "Yeah that's fine," Riley, said a false smile plastered on her face. Joren gave her a smirk and Riley decided not to go easy on him, his ego needed to be altered. "So you wanna be embarrassed like this in front of everyone?" Riley inquired her voice low so only Joren could hear.

            "You wish," he said smirking. "You're a girl, your Uncle went easy on you. I won't."

            Riley rolled her eyes and did the bow along with Joren. As before her body fell into the rhythm of the fight. She blocked, punched, kicked, and even tried out some moves she had tied into with her gymnastics. Before she knew it she was sitting on top of Joren's chest breathing heavily. She smirked at him.

            "Didn't go easy huh?" She whispered in his ear. "I did." Riley got up off of Joren and offered a hand to him which he knocked away scowling.

            "Nice try Joren," The Shang Warrior said with approval. "Good job, Riley. Anyone wanna try Riley next?" No one volunteered and Riley shrugged.

            "I need to go get something for Mr. N from the library," Riley said. She began to head back to the castle when her pace slowed and she looked over her shoulder. "Where is the library anyway?"

*_*_*_*_*

            Riley walked next to Joren in silence. He hadn't said anything and neither had she; she was starting to wonder why he had offered to show her where the library was. Riley could tell he was mad about the spar and didn't want to make him even madder.

            "You're really good," Joren finally said. Riley looked at him surprised. She wasn't expecting him to say that.

            "So you're not mad?" She asked, not really knowing why she cared if he was mad at her or not. She had only kissed the guy…three times.

            "I donno," He replied. "Well here we are." He led the way into the large room of books.

            "Hey where are you going?" Riley asked as Joren turned and began to leave the room. "I need your help to find the blasted book." Riley stood in front of the taller youth and looked into his eyes. Joren let out a sigh.

            "Alright, what do you need?" He asked.

            "Any book on the history of Tortall," Riley answered and followed Joren through the maze of shelves. "You are mad at me," Riley stated down heartily. But he deserved it. She told herself. He was the one who said I'd lose because I'm a girl.  While Riley was having this internal conflict Joren had stopped walking and looked at her.

            "No, I'm mad at myself," Joren said. "We're taught to expect the unexpected, and I didn't." 

            "Ahh ok well as long as you're not mad at me then it's all ok," Riley said grinning. She looked at the shelf of books and pulled a book of the shelf. Joren put his hands on her shoulders.

            "I could never be mad at you," He said in a whisper. Riley couldn't believe this, he was a regular Romeo, but then why did everyone hate him? Then Riley remembered his ego and hot head. She looked over at Joren and put the book back on the shelf.

            "How can you say that? We don't know each other," She said her voice quiet. Joren gave her a small smile and shrugged. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her deeply. Riley fell into the kiss. She let her lips part and her mind went blank as Joren slid his tongue into her mouth. ((AN;/ Can you believe I'm writing this? LOL this is my paperback romance novel thingy…)) Even though she knew that this was wrong it felt so right. When things began to get a bit heavier Riley heard a book fall off the shelf from the other side of where she and Joren were. Joren heard it too and Riley figuring she knew who it was, pulled a book off the shelf quickly and shoved it at Joren.

            "Here can you get this for me? I'll go see who it is." Joren was about to protest when Riley flashed him a smile.

            "Sure, go ahead," he said sighing. Riley disappeared to the other side and saw Neal standing there looking at a book.

            "Come on Neal, I know you saw us," Riley said as she approached her friend. Neal looked up and put the book back on the shelf. He gave Riley a look that clearly showed that he wasn't too happy.

              "What do you think your doing?" He asked in a harsh whisper. "This is Joren of Stone Mountain, he's not nice…at all."

            "Maybe not, but he's not mean to me," Riley said. She and Neal left the library so they wouldn't have to be so careful of Joren over hearing.

            "Riley, don't you think he feeds that line to all of the girls he's ever been with? Besides do you know what he and his friends have done?"

            "I don't like his friends, I like him," Riley said stubbornly. She let out a sigh. "If you could just see what he's like when no one else is looking maybe you'd understand."  Neal crossed his arms over his chest and looked at Riley for a long moment.

            "Alright, tonight I'll go into the palace gardens and you bring him. I'll watch you two, but if something happens I don't like I'll let you know. I just don't want you to get hurt." Neal said as they arrived at the mess hall for lunch.

            "Like I said before, I'm a big girl now, but that's for the back-up." Riley flashed him a smile and they joined Kel, Cleon and their other friends in line.

*_*_*_*_*

            "Here you left this in the library," Joren said as he dropped the book down on the table in front of Riley. Riley looked up at Joren and saw he was surrounded by his little posse.

            "Thanks," Riley replied as she picked the book up and put it down under her seat. "Do you need something else?" She asked Joren who still stood there. Joren scowled.

            "No, why would I?" He and his group went back to their seats and Riley rolled her eyes. She caught the look that Neal sent her and shrugged.

*_*_*_*

            Riley waited in the gardens for Joren to show up. Neal was sitting in the bushes waiting to see the other side of this brute he knew as Joren. It was after supper and the sun was beginning to set. Riley sat under a tree in the spot where she was supposed to meet Joren. She had brought the book she was supposed to read but it lay forgotten a few feet away. I twig snapped and Riley looked up and saw Joren approaching.

            "Took you long enough," Riley said as she stood up to meet him. Joren shrugged and offered no excuse.

            "You said you wanted to talk?" Joren said. Riley nodded and grinned.

            "Mind if I climb the tree while we talk though?" She asked. Joren shrugged and Riley pulled herself up into the branches of the tree.

            "So what's on your mind?" Joren asked as he sat himself down under the tree and picked of the book he had gotten for Riley.

            "My friends all tell me your dangerous, and I shouldn't be with you," Riley commented getting straight to the point.

            "You've told them about us?" Joren asked, anger ebbed at the edge of his voice.

            "No, I mean one of them has kind-a guessed but no, they just told me in general," Riley answered coolly. She knew how Joren was towards her friends and didn't want Neal to get himself hurt because of her.

            "Well they're right, I am," Joren, said his voice cool and back to normal.

            A branch broke underneath Riley and she tumbled a few feet out of the tree onto Joren's lap. "Then why am I with you?" Riley asked looking deep into Joren's eyes and forgetting that Neal was watching.

            "For the same reason I don't push you into going any farther than kissing," Joren answered truthfully.

            "And why's that?"

            "Because deep down you see something that no one else sees, you see the person I should be but can't."

            "Why can't you?" Riley asked her voice quiet.

            "I'm not sure," Joren answered truthfully and Riley turned away when he tried to kiss her. She got up from his lap and stood over him.

            "And what's going to happen next huh? I mean we can't do this forever and I'm not going to be here for the rest of my life. I have a home, and friends. And I still have to think about next year." Riley scowled and plopped down onto the ground. "I have to actually start getting better in school of collage. ICK! Collage!!! This is so not fair!" Riley fell backwards onto the grass and saw her book hovering in the air. "This is too much." She covered her face with her hands and just stayed there.

            "I don't what's going to happen next. And what's this collage you speak of?" Came Joren's voice from above Riley.

            "It's school after school," Riley answered, her voice muffled. "You know," She perched herself up on her elbows and looked at Joren. "I should do what Uncle Frank does, then I wouldn't need collage! Or I could be a knight, I mean all you really do is poke at things with sharp objects, I do that anyway!"

            Joren smiled and shook his head. "We do not just poke at things with sharp objects."

            "Could've fooled me," Riley said rolling her eyes. "Alright, we've talked. Let's go in now."

            As Riley began to stand up Joren grabbed her wrist. "I don't think so," He said grinning wolfishly as he pulled her towards him.

((AN:/ Oke day! I know I haven't worked on this thing in forever and that's why this chapter is so long! So here you are…hopefully I can add more soon but I'm making no promises. J ))