"It's not that I don't...like you. It's that I can't deal with a serious relationship right now. You see-"

The boy sighed and hung his head. He'd heard every rejection there was, and this one was typical. He gazed at the small flower in his hands.

It was a white lily, slightly wilted. He had taken it from his neighbor's garden, which had been fairly easy since he was the one tending it while the old man had gone to his cousin's wedding.

"-I hope you can understand. After all, it'd be cool if we were still friends, right?"

The boy looked up into the girl's eyes before turning his back on her and walking away. His old sneakers made the dust rise up from the dirt that hung around everywhere in this tired town.

"Hey! Wait! You can't just walk away! I still want us to be friends...just not those kind of friends, okay!"

The boy waved his dark hand in the direction of the girl and mumbling a few rude words. The girl stood in front of the tiny shopping market while watching the boy walk down the sidewalk to his house.

He held his head high, even though he had just been turned down. His black hair was short and barely even there. He had a broad figure, like a football player, with wide shoulders and a thick neck. But that wasn't anything special in this town. The girls of this town wanted slim, almost feminine men like the ones in the movies.

That was why the boy, who was handsome in a manly way, would never find a girl in this town. He was just like the other boys who were sports, in the town.

"Can't we be friends? Please?"

The boy looked back with his dark eyes, a smile on his broad lips.

"I already have four friends. Why do I need anymore?"

The girl just looked at him with a hanging mouth.

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How lo----ng, how long must we sing this song?...

Raven scribbled a few more notes down on the paper. She bit her lip as she tried to focus on the upcoming exam but replaying that line over and over in her head. She gave up trying to contain in her head and allowed herself to sing it just under her breath.

"How lo—ng, how long must we sing this-"

"Hey, pretty Raven."

Raven nearly jumped out of her skin as someone placed a hand on her shoulder. She went rigid when she realized who it belonged to. The girl glanced up to make sure it was who she thought it was.

Yup...the moron. Is he following me or what?

With that the girl shook herself free from his grip and gathered her notes. She found it irritating that he just stood there, looking at her. She also didn't like the look on the librarian's face.

"Not gonna even say hi to your old friend?"

"I was trying to get prepared for tomorrow, Victor."

The boy mentally cringed as she used his full name. Not even his parents did that any more. Of course, they never had. But at least they stopped calling him Vicky. That was just embarrassing.

"Aw, come on. We're friends, right?"

"Yes, we are, Vic!"

Raven and the boy turned at the sound of Kory's familiar bubbly voice behind them. The librarian looked like he was going to pop a blood vessel. He started to head in their direction as Vic noticed.

"Okay, everyone! Let's get going," Vic lowers his voice, "Mr. Slick's coming over to teach us a lesson."

Kory happily took Raven's and Vic's arms in her own and waltzed out of the dark library. In the process, Victor had managed to forget his lily inside the book Raven had been trying to research out of.

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Raven was sitting, unhappily might I add, in the back of Robin's truck. Robin, or Richard, was driving with Kory squeezed right next to him, nestled under his arm. Even though he was shorter than her and had trouble reaching up to her shoulders while still driving, leading Kory to slouch down. Vic was sitting in the window seat talking about the newest game console that was to come out.

"I'm telling you, it's going to change the gaming world as we know it!"

Since the three seats in the front were taken, Raven was in the back. The others had insisted that she would be able to squeeze in, but being in a rather foul mood, the girl had declined and sat in the back. The wind was whipping her hair around along with the sawdust resting in the back of the truck.

Robin had explained that the sawdust was from his last job. The person who hired him had wanted a truck-ful of the stuff but had decided to cancel the job at the last second. Leaving the ebony haired boy with a truckload of sawdust no one wanted and empty pockets.

The four were going into town to check out if there was anything new. Then maybe go for some food and then the park. If they were lucky there would be a new movie that they could see. Even if there was, however, Raven and Vic would have to sit separate from the two others. Seeing as how Robin and Kory would be more interested in each other than the movie and it just disgusted the rest of the group.

"Yo, stop here! I'm half starved."

"You just ate that bag of chips and those crackers. How can you still be hungry?"

Raven had always eaten lightly, and didn't much like the taste of most chips.

"For one, I haven't had any meat today. Two, there was only half of that bag left. And three, the crackers were stale and smelled like old cheese."

No point in arguing with him. We're already here.

The pale girl looked up at the happy, dancing taco that had the words, Great Taco in flashing lights under it. She had been here a few days ago and hadn't reacted well to the spicy-ness of the taco she had ordered.

She remembered the conversation with Kory about how she got together with Robin after months of flirting.

The friends got out of the truck and walked in while talking about the exam the next day. Even though Kory wouldn't be taking it because she wasn't in that class at all.

"Okay, who's going to go order?"

They looked at each other before slapping their noses. Raven happened to be the last to touch hers. She usually was, Kory had perfected the method after she kept losing the first few times she had done it, Robin had quick reflexes and Vic had been slapping his nose since he was in kindergarten.

Raven's posse shouted out their orders before retreating to a window booth covered in bright orange pleather. She walked up to the counter and noticed that it was the same boy who she had given her order to before. This time he was giving her his full attention.

"Welcome to-"

"I'm going to order then sit down and eat. I don't need you to spout your slogan at me to earn money."

The girl gave her order then stood by and waited.

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The nerve of this chick. I should spit in her drink or have Barb and Andrew put tofu in the taco's instead of beef. That would teach her.

And probably lose me this job.

The green eyed boy waited for the order to come. There weren't any other people in his line so he was able to just watch the girl.

She stood by with arms crossed over her black shirt covered chest. The boy dismissed the thoughts that came with looking in that particular area. She was unquestionably angry...

"Excuse me? Mind not staring at me?"

He realized he had drifted off. He tended to do that every once in awhile. He liked to make up stories for random people he saw.

This girl probably goes around glaring at people for no reason except that she hates everyone. Well she sure hasn't made me admire her for her-

"Did you hear me? I can sue for harassment..."

The boy finally focused on the girl across from him. He realized that he had let his eyes rest at where her hands had been previously crossed. Previously.

"Umm..."

"Order up! Number 7!"

The girl took the trays and stomped off to her table. She sat by a boy with her back to the counter, two people sat opposite her.

Good thing Andrew got her order up when he did. What was I supposed to say after that? Oops, sorry I was staring at your rack because I was thinking how stupid you are? Oh, you're just so attractive when you're verbally abusing me? You're the hottest girl that has come in today?

The boy had to laugh at the last one. Hot? The girl was anything but.

He had gone on plenty of first dates, but only a few second dates. Third dates were even fewer and fourth dates were out of the question.

With the girl's return, though, the boy remembered what she had said the last time she was here. And how it had bothered him that night and the next day even though he had forgotten the girl who had said it by then. Now he could remember and he realized he had never looked up what fate meant.

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Raven hadn't mentioned her encounter with the boy the emerald eyes. She was too embarrassed and mortified by it. No doubt that would give Vic and maybe her other friends ground to further embarrass her.

Can't let that happen. Unless it's fate. But it's not.

She was supposed to be listening to Robin explain how the best way to study was. Vic was slouching and picking his ear and examining what came out.

"So anyway, that reminds me...Kory and you haven't met BB."

The comment was directed at Raven without using her nickname. Which was an amazement in itself. She shook her head to mean that no, she hadn't met the person Vic was talking about.

"Oh well, me, Rob and BB were going to hang out at the arcade tomorrow. You girls can come and meet him. He's decent."

Robin let out a snort as he heard Vic say the part about the girls meeting them at the arcade. How were they supposed to meet them if the only decent arcade was half an hour away in a different town? Especially since they didn't have a car. Plus, the girls weren't ones who particularly enjoyed video games.

"Sorry to say it but-"

"Me and Raven would love to meet your friend!"

Robin chose to interject, "We can't all fit in the truck. And you two don't have a car."

"BB does."

"It's a moped."

Vic waved his hand and closed his hand. He didn't seem to think much of the information.

"One of us will ride with him and the rest will ride in the truck. It'll have to be either you or one of the girls. I'm too big to ride that thing."

"I'm the only one to drive the truck."

"I will be happy to ride with this new friend," Kory beamed as she clasped her hands together.

Robin thought about exactly what that could mean. His Kory would be riding alone with BB, their bodies pressed together with nothing but themselves to interrupt. No, that would not do.

"Uh, wouldn't you rather ride with me Kory? It'd be more comfortable?"

"But, what about this BB?"

"Well, uh..."

"He means he'd be too jealous with you alone with his friend. Right?"

"Right, Raven."

Vic finally jumped in again and opened his eyes to stare at Robin with his arm around Kory. Then he looked at his empty wrappers. Then he switched his gaze to Raven, sipping her soda. He grinned.

"I guess it's you then, pretty Raven. I'm sure you and BB will hit it off real quick."

"No, thank you. I'll ride in the back like usual."

"Okay..."

Vic exchanged a knowing smile with Robin. Then shrugged his shoulders as if he truly didn't care.

"Come on, let's go see how much dirt we can kick up," He glanced back, "I bet I can beat you, Rob!"

"You're on!"

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Update...I changed kismet to fate. Thanks Elihu for correcting me. Please humor me when the boy wonders what fate is. I know most people do know what it is but let's just say he doesn't know the true meaning of it.

Well...this has been amazing. Another chapter in less than a week. Understand, that it usually takes me forever to write a new chapter. And I thought this would be a much harder fic to write than any of my other ones. I guess I was wrong. This morning I thought I was stuck but I got inspired after reading both "Beast" by Ikustioa and "Forever Mine" by Aine of Knockaine. I absolutely love those stories.

Thanks for being my first reviewer Dave! I'm never know where my writing is going when I start it, but it turns out in the end. As you (hopefully) guessed, Victor was the boy in the car. Which is really Cyborg except not a cyborg. I'm not too sure how old they are. I couldn't imagine Raven with parents so she's living alone yet I mentioned Vic's parent's. I'd imagine that they're still in high school but not living with parents. I guess that's where artistic license comes in, eh?

BB is finally coming in. But perhaps he was here all along? Hmm...

Anyways, my best friend is moving away. Which isn't too bad because she'll still be in the same town and school but I won't be able to walk to her house anymore. And no more going to her house just to go swimming in her huge pool. Heh heh...

Here comes the end...BOOM!