Disclaimer: nothing's mine. Nope. It doesn't belong to JK like I said in the last chapter which no one pointed out to me except Ailin and for that she now has a new grain of rice. Instead Animorphs decided to go off and belong to KA. That is my disclaimer and I'm sticking to it.

I had on a filthy shirt and holy jeans. Not blessed jeans, oh no, these jeans had holes in them the size of Rhode Island. I looked like a total low life and I was sitting with people who looked liked they had some money. I felt out of place.

I had been heading to the nerds table when Jake called me over. I turned to see him waving me to his table. I walked unsurely over; maybe he wanted to ask me if I had gotten the notes in Geometry. Rachel scooted over to make more room for me.

She was incredibly beautiful. Rachel, I mean. In ways that went deeper than your basic physical attraction. She melted so perfectly with me when we were together (usually only in Biology when we're lab partners). I felt like I had already been with her, already indulging in her.

Anyways, I sat there, peering at Jake while Marco flirted with Rachel. I was jealous of him- he was confident enough to do it. I tried to figure out what he wanted but he was already picking at the disgusting peaches on his plate.

We sat there uncomfortably until Jake finally brought up a subject to talk about.

"Some um... has anyone you know, had this guy called Ellimist... visit them?" I stopped chewing and looked to the others, trying to make sense of the random question. Cassie looked puzzled and I figured she was doing the same thing as me. Rachel and Marco were different. Marco had cocked his head to one side and was looking at Rachel for help. Rachel had thrown down her fork all together. She leaned forward and rested her head on her hands, looking determined and tired, all at the same time.

"No, Jake." She said. "It's not real. He's not real. There was no war."

Jake looked defeated and Rachel leaned back again. I was aware of how close she was to me, painfully aware.

War? It was weird. Rachel and Marco knew what Jake meant, and from the look of Cassie, she knew too now. I was left in the dark.

"Yea, ok." And then he left sulking and taking his tray with him.

Rachel made a sound of frustration and slammed her head a couple times against the table with Marco joining her on the third time. Cassie had her head in her hands, I think she was crying.

"Um… what's going on?" I asked.

I know that Jake was in an accident. I was there when it happened. I had held a vein in his neck shut. Did the whole Ellimist thing had something to do with that?

Rachel looked up at me with her too pretty eyes. I tried really hard to stay serious but it's difficult when you've got a girl who looks like she could be a super model looking you straight in your eyes.

"The accident screwed up Jake. He thinks that the five of us were involved in some war against aliens. The doctors say that if we keep discouraging it… it'll eventually go away." It came out slowly and at the end Rachel managed to compose herself enough to pick up her tray and walk away.

That left me alone with Marco and Cassie. And it was too weird. It felt right but wrong at the same time… if that made any sense.

Not being able to stand the awkwardness, I picked up my tray and walked away. I met Jake outside in the hall. It looked like he had been waiting for me.

He was just lounging against the blue lockers looking like he belonged. I was jealous. It wouldn't be natural if I tried to look how he did now.

"Tobias!" He called again. I hadn't realized he had called me the first time, I was too busy fuming. I walked towards him and only when he was in front of me did he say, "Do you um... want to go to the mall or something after school. We could hang out?"

I stared at him blankly. It had finally happened. Just days after he saved me from the idiots that were giving me a swirly, he began to feel sorry for me.

"No thanks, I don't want to be your charity case," I said. It came out harsher then I had meant. Jake however, didn't even wince and my er… tone.

"It's not. I'd um… kind of be yours?" I guess I looked at him weird, I mean come on. Jake? The most popular kid in school be a charity case to the school's biggest wimp? That hardly seems logical. "Look, Rachel and Marco and probably even Cassie know about my stupid "delusions"… if that's what they are. You're the only one that doesn't or if you do… you wouldn't care. Plus, I don't know… you're really cool."

I weighed my options, trying to figure out if he was playing some sick, cruel joke on me. Jake didn't seem the kind of person to do that.

"Ok sure."

He smiled. "I'll see you at the food court after school?" And I nodded.

I turned to go, my next class being Biology. With Rachel.

I snuck into my seat twenty seconds after the bell rang. No one but Rachel saw me, and she shot me a suspicious look. I shrugged and bent down to hide the blush from my face while trying to figure out what the heck I would do with Jake.

*****

I met Jake in the food court. He was munching down on a couple of French fries from McDonald's. He was concentrating very hard on those fries, on that table- his surroundings. It was odd.

"Hey," I said sliding into a seat across from him. "What's up?"

"Hey," Jake said as he looked up to find me. "Nothing, I was just trying to figure out if I had enough money to buy a soda. I'm willing to bet they put all that salt on the fries to make you buy the drinks."

I laughed and sank deeper into the chair, hoping that he wouldn't ask if I wanted anything. My uncle didn't really offer me money when I told him I was going to the mall.

There was a period of silence that was extremely weird to say the least. I knew we were both scrambling to find something to talk about.

"So uh… how are you? You know since…" I didn't know how to finish it without crossing the line.

"You mean since I had my guts spread on the pavement by a truck?" He volunteered grinning. I shrugged. "I'm ok. I mean, it's weird, one day your living this life and then you wake up another day to find that life was a lie and never really even happened. But… it was so weird you know?" He looked up from his fries and looked at me with a face that held so much frustration and anger. "Then I start to think that there's something seriously wrong with me like everyone else and I'm about ready to die. I don't want to go insane but that's how they treat me, like a nut." There was nothing much for me to do but shrug. It was a sucky deal that he had. I wouldn't want to be in his position. He smiled a slow, sad smile. "Sorry dude, didn't mean to dump this all on you. Want some of my fries?"

I guess it was Jake's brilliant way of breaking the ice but from then on conversation flowed easily. We were never at a lost of what to talk about. Until that is, Jake's jaw suddenly dropped and his gaze was fixed on something past me.

I turned to look and saw nothing but a mother wiping ice cream off her kid's face, two teenaged lovers making out and some really weird boy around our age pigging out on cinnamon buns.

Turning back to Jake I literally saw the color drain out of his face.

He managed to utter one word before he tipped over his chair and ran after the weird boy pigging out on cinnamon buns, "Ax."

*****

DH: That's ok for taking so long to review and such, I waited for you. *wrinkles nose* Cassie's a brat to write, she's so particular! Hehe… you'll have to see about the Ellimist won't ya? I was just teasing you about the whole my-story's-awful thing. Thank you for loving this.

ArrowSphere: I know, I know, story length. I have a problem with that. But two chapters from now, I'll try and write longer ones. *try* That's the key word. Thank you for loving my story. Ah yes, Ax. Piss, he's going to be hardest to write. Demensions? Wouldn't you like to know.. I'm not telling anything but you know.. maybe.

Myst4: *pat pat* There, there, you still have Myst in it. It ain't all that bad. AND DON'T YOU DARE PAINT MY GRAINS OF RICE! And um… no you didn't help I just thought I'd pretend you did. Thanks for the info about Cassie's nails, I was dying to know about them. And honestly, this isn't Cassie and Jake as we know them. It's the sweaty palms factor. You know, the awkwardness of relationships. Come on, I know you know what I'm talking about!

Lotrfreek: Yes. I could because… I'm an almight powerful fanfiction writer who is limited by nothing. Oh wait, there are those damn copyright infringement laws. Poo. But other then that I'm limited by nothing. What's with the grain of rice thing… Um, well I dunno. I've just always had grains of rice in this story. (I was eating Chicken and Wild Rice soup when I wrote this. They have a special place in my heart.)

Cryptic1: Oh, me too! I can't stand it! I wish it would all make sense soon.

Ailin: Thanks for liking it! AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR POINTING THAT OUT! I didn't even realize it! No one did. For this, you get a grain of rice! *ceremoniously hands over a grain of rice, everyone oh's and aw's while secretly plotting to raid Ailin's house to steal the grain of rice*.

FacelessName: I wrote more. Hehe. Fun.

PureHalliwell: Yes. Cassie. *glares at the snob* Even though I love her… she's too picky.

Remnants-21: *gasps* DID YOU COMPARE ME TO KA? How fabulous! You're grand! I could kiss you! Thank you! Want a grain of rice? *ceremoniously hands over another grain of rice, everyone sighs and wishes they could be like Remnants-21 but they can't so the go home depressed*.

Alara-Sirinial-Amalon: Yay! I did a good job, you think? Really. Thanks. It means a lot! This much *spreads arms open wide*