A/n- Remember I said last chapter that the questions some of you stated will be answered in the story later on? Well, a few will actually be explained in the sequel. Like the poaching and prostituting thing. And no, I do not support either one of them. Being a vegan for you know why, I've always loved animals. And not only is poaching against the law, it's a totally cruel way to end an animal's life. Now, prostituting... humph. Definitely immoral and twisted. But I do think what they do for a living is very interesting, though. Well, interesting is probably not the best word since-

Okie dokie artichokie, shutting up and moving on. As promised, here are the replies to you people's reviews. You can skip this part if you want, since it is definitely not necessary to read my rantings. Some things I may say are totally random also. And this is also in alphabetical order by username. Yes, I'm a perfectionist. Well, in certain things.

Astrid Zen- Why, thank you! Your lovely reviews always brighten my day. Mind telling me who you are? Do you have an account at fanfiction also? I'd love to see your work. And I don't think the songfic will work out. I've decided to just do a chapter in Ria's POV.

Clavel- Mwahahaha, not exactly creepy, but definitely possessive. Ria sure is a very unusual character. And your full name is Alejandra? So what do you go by short? Pretty obvious, but sometimes you never know...

DyInAzNb0i72- You should really consider becoming a vegan. And DO NOT EAT AT KFC, which in reality stands for Kentucky's Fried Cruelty!

Esodes08- Lol, actually the songfic did imply that Paul moved on. He's just kind of stuck on Suze physically. And sex? I'd think not that about Suze. Who could help suspecting that about Ria? I sure would have thought the same thing... but then again, that's just me.

Jess- You actually paid attention to my random venting at the Author's Note! Well, thank you for listening. Haha. Anway, I can't assure you that Jesse is going to stay because that'll be like giving away the ending. Actually, that's not even what the real question is. The real question is how Jesse and Suze will end up together, don't you think?

Muzacgurl- You are like the nicest person ever! You know that, right? Really considerate and NOT judgmental, and I think you're one of the few ones who doesn't hate Paul. You sure didn't throw firewood at him ::cough cough:: Ah, the only sane pillar in a sea of total wackos in the Jesse Fan Club. No offense, peeps. :D But as I always say, more times than not things are always not as they seem. And hurry up and update You Can't Have Everything. I've been waiting for two weeks! :D

Mystique Angelique- Ah, I understand. I really do understand. Wait... what do I understand? Oh yeah... your need to show your friend how fast you can type??? Aha, yes, I do that too. Aren't we a bunch of wackos. Not.

Nice Hayley- Eh, what can I say? Some siblings just love each other to death. (I hate puns, but use them all the same).

SweetestReject- .......... Well, you were definitely not being scary. Rather......CUTE. Hehe.................

UnangelicHalo- I PROMISE Jesse will show up soon. Points for you for waiting 'patiently', hehz.

Whitegirloutcast- Well, Kel, you're not SUPPOSED to understand Ria. She's supposed to remain a mystery until... you hurry up and update After the Kiss and make stupid Claris leave with Jesse and Suze actually starts to fall for Paul when she's pretending to be in love with him but he finds out it's all an act and gets mad and figures out Suze isn't the one for him so he escapes to some deserted island where he finds the love of his life... ME! So we live happily ever after. The End.

And to all, a big thank you. Here's the latest chapter. Please read and review.



Chapter 6

"So, I think you should learn to drive."

I was home after school later that day. Puck had popped up just as I was trying to get some homework done for once, therefore disturbing the nice studi-esh peace within my room. I didn't get too ticked, seeing I was secretly rather glad that someone showed up to avert my attention away from the element table. Except I, of course, had actually been thinking about something else entirely different than how to memorize compounds.

Ria had disappeared as suddenly as she'd appeared. After her free lecture of "Jesse is MINE", she dematerialized before I had the chance to say anything, much less ask her if she's on crack. Okay, okay, I know she was totally serious about the whole thing, but what makes her so sure she has control over what Jesse chooses to do? What, is she going to threaten 'suicide' if Jesse refuses to move on with her? Or did she already get him to agree?

That thought was awfully alarming, but I chased it away quickly. Even Ria had said Jesse admitted he'd found true love at last. And knowing Jesse, he would not just give something up that easily.

Well, that something obviously is me, so I must be very seductive indeed. Yeah. And Romeo and Juliet ended happily ever after.

Riiiiight.

What's with her whole love equals illusion concept anyway? Has she never even heard of the infamous Romeo and Juliet? Even though the ending was definitely tragic and a tearjerker, it was pretty obvious the couple were in love. In LOVE. They were not in love with the idea that they were in love, like what she thinks is what Jesse is in love with. Um, hello, but last time I checked, Jesse has too much sense in him to go around loving something as impudent as the impression of true love. If that even makes sense.

Well, it doesn't really matter, does it? Jesse knows the THING we have is positively love, not just a notion of it. We share a special bond only we can understand, and no one will ever be able to break and shatter it to pieces. Especially not a psycho sister who goes around using possessives on a guy that evidently belongs to someone else.

I'm sorry, but her "Jesse is MINE" is really pissing me off, not to mention distracting me from concentrating on my chemistry homework.

So yes, it was more or less a relief when Puck showed up. Even if the first thing out of his mouth was –no, no how was your day, or even a simple hello for me- "So, I think you should learn to drive."

"I mean, every sixteen-year-old teenager in the state of California knows, so why shouldn't you learn?" He added hastily, ignoring the glare I was shooting him. "Besides, it'll allow you to be more independent, and easier for you to get from place to place."

"I'm sorry," I said sarcastically. "But in case you haven't noticed, I kind of have my hands full right now with my boyfriend's sister who I just found out happens to be a total control freak and is intent on doing everything possible to drag Jesse with her when she moves on and-"

"Yeah, I know," He interrupted. "I heard."

"What?!" I screeched, whirling fully around to face him. Eavesdroppers are definitely one of the tops on my list of pet peeves. Not only is it terribly rude to listen in on other people's private conversations, it also seems sneaky. Which just gives me more reason to suspect Puck of being way more than he's letting on.

Puck, however, didn't even bother to acknowledge my outburst. He just went right on with his speech on driving and blah blah blah. But I zoned out. So much for diverting my attention from Jesse and his sister.

"So anyway, I was thinking we can go over to my place, and you can try out my car."

I snapped my head up. "Excuse me? Why exactly would I want to do that?"

Puck shrugged nonchalantly, "To distract you from obsessing over your boyfriend choosing his sister over you?"

Damn. He had me there.

"And no one'll know that you don't even have your learner's permit, much less a driver's license. What's the chance of a policeman suspecting you out of all the people on the road that you're unlicensed?"

"Gee, I don't know," I said, giving him the full force of my glare. "Maybe it'll become clear as day when I crash into the wall?"

Puck rolled his eyes. "I'll be sitting beside you, and I promise nothing too bad will happen. Don't you need a break from Ria's little- "

And wouldn't the girl in question just show up right then.

And blackmail me into going along with Puck's ridiculous scheme.



Puck's old neighborhood was breathtakingly beautiful. Even though most of the trees were already mostly bare, you can't help but wonder and admire how they must have looked like in the spring. Little white picket fences divided houses from right, left, front, and back. And the houses all looked very old-fashioned, but in very good form all the same. They were big and elegant, and I couldn't stop staring at each one we passed by. As we walked on, a lake came into view. The crystal-clear water was free of any litters, showing a perfect reflection of anything staring down into the exquisite lake. The ride I had to hitch to get here was worth it.

"Which one was your house?" I asked curiously, after we've been walking for a couple of minutes.

Puck didn't answer for awhile, but just kept on walking. I tagged along, allowing him to reminisce the good old times when he was alive. Suddenly I realized that I knew almost nothing about him, not even his real name. I was supposed to help him move on, and instead I've been too absorbed in my own problems lately. Guilt consumed me, and I made a silent vow that I'll try to get to know him better. Except that's kind of hard when he's always defying me.

Finally we stopped, and Puck pointed at the front of a very large, very quaint habitation. I regarded it quizzically, looking at the front porch running the entire length of the house, and the small garage door at the back.

"Well, it's sure different from the houses we had back in the 19th century," Ria commented from beside me.

"Well, duh," I muttered, still mad at her for making me come here in the first place. When she showed up, somehow our conversation turned into an argument, and the argument turned into a fight, and the fight turned into a dare. Or a threat, of some sort. Whatever. I really didn't want to come. It's just this girl has some ability to twist your words around and make you seem like a loser if you don't do what she says.

Puck beckoned us to follow him as he started walking toward the garage. I glanced around nervously, not wanting to be seen or heard. No one but me could see Puck, and if I'm caught I could get in big trouble for trespassing.

"Don't worry," Puck called back, as he started to walk in the garage door. "No one's home at this hour. They're all either at work or some club activities. Both my parents aren't here neither."

I felt a pang through my heart as I realized how much he must miss them. The 'rents, I mean. And vice versa. The guy didn't look like he was even in college yet. How did he die anyway? Great. I never bothered to ask that neither. This is so not like me. Ugh.

I went in the garage, and stood beside his car, watching uncomfortably as he fished a key out of his jeans' pocket and unlocked the door. I didn't even have any clue what kind of car that is. Not that I cared.

"Well," He said, looking at me. "Hop in the driver's seat. I can't drive, since when we get out there people'll just see a car rolling down the road on its own."

Gulping, I nodded and slowly eased myself into the driver's seat. I buckled my seat belt as he did the same opposite me. Ria settled down in the back seat. She obviously has never been in a car before. But her questions about this and that really weren't all that annoying, since I was wondering the same things myself.

I turned the key in the ignition, and waited for my next instructions. As unnerving as all this is, it at least took my mind off my earlier conversation with Ria.

"So, what does this button do?" I asked.

"It's the radio. Turn it off."

"But I want to listen to it! This place is so quiet."

"Just turn it off, all right? Music is too distracting."

"Okay. Wait, what button was it?"

Puck sighed, and gave me a look of overstated impatience. "Never mind. Now, set the car in reverse, and put your feet on that paddle over there." He pointed, and I obeyed.

And we would have zoomed right into the picket fence of the house right in front of his if Puck hadn't switched the car to brake on time.

"Jesus," he breathed, glaring at me. "NOT THAT FAST. Slowly, just put a LITTLE pressure on the paddle, all right?"

I nodded, barely able to catch my breath myself, and listened to his directions as he told me how to turn into the road. Soon, we were driving down the road toward this little mountain place Puck told me were near this neighborhood. And I was going 5 miles per hour.

"Uh, Suze," He asked, and I wondered where he'd heard anyone call me that before. "You can go a little faster than that."

"Oh, right," I said, and stepped on the paddle a little harder.

The drove was uneven to say the least. I kept going off the road and Puck had to grab the wheel several times to prevent us from crashing into something. Add the fact that I was constantly stepping on the brake paddle to avoid hitting whatever it is in my way, and the speed I was going had no regularity. Every time the car suddenly lurched due to my poor driving skills, Ria would let out a loud shriek. Well, not exactly a shriek, but something sounding very alike it.

Soon we arrived at the mountain track he was talking about. Trees surrounded the road from both sides, but the spaces in between was pretty narrow. All our windows were rolled down, so when I just let myself go after talking a huge breath, wind blew across my face, but it was a nice feeling.

"You doing okay?" Puck called from over the rapid whooshing sound of the wind. "This was where I practice drove first. As far as I know, it's a safe place, and no one really drives here, so you don't have to worry about crashing into another car."

Soon we arrived at the mountain track he was talking about. Trees surrounded the road from both sides, but the spaces in between was pretty narrow. All our windows were rolled down, so when I just let myself go after talking a huge breath, wind blew across my face, but it was a nice feeling.

"You doing okay?" Puck called from over the rapid whooshing sound of the wind. "This was where I practice drove first."

I could hear the grin in his voice, and I smiled. Even with Ria's constant mutterings from behind me, I tried my best to concentrate on doing this right.

Before long I relaxed, and let myself to just enjoy the view. Everything was stunningly beautiful, the horizon, the occasional tall plants lining the path, and even the sky somehow looked bluer and clearer if you looked up from here. I let the wind cool me down, and for a moment I felt tempted to just close my eyes and feel the thrill of driving down so quickly and carelessly forever.

Who cares that I could get arrested for driving without a license? Hell, I do things illegally all the time, with my chore for helping ghosts and all. Polices had to take me home in the middle of night more times than I can count. Either it's that or I'm found doing something outside the law. So one more time won't make that much difference.

While I was contemplating how big of a trouble I could get into this time if caught, my attention was drifting away from the road. I didn't notice the curve, and before I could even begin to turn, we were lurching and swerving across the road. I think I almost fainted from horror and panic, but the voices of Puck's curses and Ria's screeches kept me awake. After like five seconds, the car tilted off the road into the wilderness that awaited us deep down at the edge of the track. We bumped, stopped, and slowly I could feel the car beginning to topple.

And then we were completely plunging into the darkness of the woods.

Before I passed out, I could still hear Ria's mumbles of, "we're going to die, we're going to die..."

Which of course was pretty ironic, considering that she and Puck were already dead.



A/n- Yes, I'm sorry, I will get back to the topic of Jesse/Ria/Suze some time soon. But sheesh, that's not all there is to this story. :D

Must I still tell you to click and review?