A/N: Whoa. Didn't expect me to come back, did you? I'm so sorry for not updating this thing in months. I've just been lazy, haven't felt like typing up a chapter. Forgive me? :[ I'll try to be better about it. Here's the fifth chapter, I hope my little hiatus didn't damage my writing sKiLlZ (rofl) too bad. Oh, and a new character.. Well, not NEW as in I made him up, but new that he hasn't been in the story yet. I figured I needed something to attract more readers, and well.. Putting him in my story is probably my best bet. (And if you haven't figured out who I'm talking about yet, HI you're dumb.3)

Cruel Despair

Chapter Five

"They're back together, huh?"

Ellie nearly jumped out of her seat. She turned her eyes away from their fixed state on Ashley Kerwin and Jimmy Brooks, who were sitting a few lunch tables away, laughing, hand in hand. Looking for the speaker, her gaze landed on Craig Manning, who was approaching her with a small, disappointed smile on his face, clutching his lunch tray. She wasn't sure why, but at that moment, she felt her heart skip a beat. Shaking her head at herself with her brow furrowed, she replied, distractedly, "What?"

"Them." Craig nodded in Ashley and Jimmy's direction, and then turned back to her.

"Oh." Struggling to gain her composure, she smiled slightly and nodded. "Yep."

"Damn." Craig slid into the seat across from her and stared down at his lunch tray. Ellie frowned sympathetically, feeling a tad bit sorry for the kid. She knew he'd been crushing on Ashley big time, and Ashley sure hadn't been trying to push him away.

"Hey," Ellie said, smiling a bit in an attempt to cheer him up. "There're more turtles.. in the lake.. or.. something.." she stumbled. Oh God, what the hell am I saying.

Craig sighed and nodded, glancing up at her. "I know, you're right, I just.." He trailed off, staring absentmindedly behind her.

Ellie nibbled at a French fry, trying to think of what to say that would make him feel better. She was never good at this kind of thing; for some reason, however, she couldn't stand to see Craig with that sad look in his eyes. She was scared, though, that if she tried to say something, she would start mumbling and rambling on like an idiot. There was something about Craig that she never noticed before. She couldn't put her finger on it, but whatever it was, it was making her nervous.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, before Craig suddenly seemed to land back on Earth. "Oh. Sorry," he apologized. "Kinda spaced out there."

"It's okay." Ellie smiled weakly at him, and then, suddenly realizing she was acting like every other idiot bimbo who lusted after Craig, decided to ignore her shaking hands that were on her lap and talk to him like a normal person. "Don't worry, I kinda got screwed, too. Now that they're back together, Ashley's hardly spoken a word to me."

Craig smiled at her with the same sympathetic look she had given him previously, and, much to her dismay, felt herself get chills. What the hell is wrong with you? she thought, forcing herself to look away from him. You do not like Craig Manning. You are not turning into some pathetic obsessed loser. She gripped the edge of her seat with her trembling hands angrily.

"Are you okay?" Craig asked, a hint of a smirk across his face.

He knows. I like him. He knows it. Probably has girls do the exact same thing around him every day, Ellie thought, narrowing her eyes in disgust. "Cocky bastard," she mumbled under her breath.

"What?" he asked, the smirk slowly spreading across his face while Ellie tried as hard as she could to control herself.

"Nothing," she spat, looking down at the table and forcing her glaring eyes to stay fixed on an ant that was scattering across it.

After a moment of silence, Ellie started to feel her heartbeat go back to normal and eased her grip on the edge of her seat, slowly exhaling the breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. She reached up and tucked a strand of red hair behind her ear calmly. Before she could stop herself, though, her eyes met Craig's, who was still staring at her with his annoying but irresistible smirk. "What?" she asked self consciously.

Craig's smirk turned into a grin. "Ellie?" Just hearing him say her name made Ellie's cheeks flush. Too flustered and frustrated with herself to speak, she raised her eyebrows at him, her heart starting to quicken its pace. "Do you wanna see a movie or something tomorrow night?"

Her eyes widening, Ellie grasped her once again shaking hands under the table, and forced herself to clamp her mouth shut, which had been hanging open. Her eyes wandered around, wondering what she should give him as an answer. Say no! she told herself. You don't like Craig.. You can't. She bit her lip. But if I don't like him, then why am I acting like a five-year-old? Before she could stop herself, her mouth opened and she heard herself say, "Okay."

Apparently satisfied with her answer, Craig smiled and stood up from the table, picking up his lunch tray. "Great. I'll pick you up around seven." Flashing his perfect smile at her one last time, he turned and walked to the garbage can, dumping his tray and then disappeared.

As Ellie watched him walk off, she panted and sunk down in her seat. What are you getting yourself into, she thought, blowing her bangs from her face. Idiot. Idiot, idiot, idiot.

She couldn't hold it in anymore. Defeated, a small smile crept across her face.

A/N: Okay, hi, did that suck? And no this Ellie/Craig stuff is not completely random, it will play a part in the story eventually. Ellie's so cute when she's all puppy-love-y. -petpet-