A.N.

Okay, this chapter was purposely slightly boring. The next chapter is going to be my favorite, probably, and I cannot wait to submit it! I haven't had many new reviews, so I hope my little story isn't getting too boring or anything! Leave me some thoughts, please! Luv yah 3 Carlee

"Did he rent a limo or is his mommy gonna drive you two?"

Riley ignored me as we walked out of the hospital, Claire and Brian behind us. I had been teasing her the whole time we had left Andy's room, and she was on the brink of snapping at me. In fact, a part of me wanted her to get all bent out of shape just so I could see how sexy she looked when she was pissed off.

"Picture it, babe. You and Brainy arrive at the school, you wearing some sexy red number and him wearing a frilly blue tux. Oh, but he's wearing a pair of his own shoes because his mommy doesn't like it when he wears other people's shoes. Right, Big Bri?"

Brian's face turned a light shade of pink. He had been gushing over Riley the whole time we were in the room, but now when he was around me, he was quiet and embarrassed. I didn't blame him, though. I'd been poking fun at him the whole time.

I put an arm around Riley's shoulders, and I felt her tense up. She glanced at me quickly, her face also slightly pink. "Let's continue, shall we? You walk into the gym, arm in arm. You hear a slow song playing so he leads you out on the dance floor. His hands on your hips...your arms slung around his neck...your head on his chest...,"

"John," Claire murmured pleadingly. She knew what I was up to. I had done this to her before, and it just left her annoyed and confused. But I was angry, damn it, and I was not going to quit just yet.

I stared hard at Riley, making her uncomfortable. "...you look into his eyes...he gazes at your lips longingly...you lean in...so does he...your kiss starts out sweet and innocent...then he slips his tongue in your mouth–,"

"Fuck off, John! If you're trying to make me miserable, you're going to have a hard time because I'm glad Brian asked me to Homecoming!" She finally shouted at me with surprising volume. A few of the nurses looked over at us suspiciously.

She yanked away from my grasp and glared at me. "Yeah, I'm GLAD he asked me! Otherwise no one would have asked me! I think you're just jealous! But it's not like I'd expect you to ask me anywhere!"

Claire and Brian just watched as Riley and I fought. People had started coming out of their rooms and standing in the doorways to find out what was disturbing them.

"You're absolutely fucking right!" I yelled back at her, not caring that everyone was watching in disapproval. "I wouldn't have asked you! And don't you dare think that I'm jealous of Brian! He gets to deal with your sorry ass the whole night!"

Riley gritted her teeth and groaned at me, then took off down the hall in a fast walk. In no less than a minute, a doctor had tapped on my shoulder to tell me to leave. Before he could say anything, I had already walked off in the same direction to leave.

Once I had gotten home, climbed up onto the patio roof, crawled through the bathroom window, and snuck up into the attic, I fell on my bed and tried to let my anger cool off. I wished now that I hadn't given Riley such a hard time about Brian, and I realized that maybe I was jealous. But that didn't stop me from being pissed off. I wouldn't have asked her anyway. Who would expect me to go to a dance? It would have been much easier to deal with if Brian hadn't asked her at all. Then maybe she wouldn't have a date at all.

The more I thought about it, I guess I knew that Riley wouldn't do anything serious with Brian. She was probably just going with him as friends. I tried to convince myself of that, but it lingered in the back of my mind the whole time.

So now it was official. I did like her. A lot. And now she was stuck in my mind. I liked the way she looked at me, even when she was mad. I liked her laugh, her hair, her attitude. I even liked her dumb little mood ring. She probably hated me, but she would get over it eventually, just like she did with everything else. Her little comment as she drove away the other day proved that we might actually have some hope.

I rolled over in my bed and buried my face into my pillow. I wanted just to redo what had happened and maybe ask Riley out on a date. That would have been just fine to deal with. I wanted to picture myself with her the way I had described her night with Brian. I wanted her arms around my neck. I wanted her head on my chest. And I wanted to kiss her again.

The next few days were unbearably boring. I had nothing to do at all. I didn't even feel like causing chaos at school. There wasn't really much trouble to cause anymore. I think I might have already done all the trouble that could be caused. Put itching powder in the cafeteria ladies's gloves, graffiti on Vernon's office door, glue Mr. Marshall's hairpiece to his head...it had all been done.

When I would finally be in a class with Riley, she'd just ignore me like I wasn't there. Her friends would comment about how much I was staring at her lately, but she would say something like I wasn't looking at her but one of them, or that I was trying to be annoying. That's when I began to think that maybe she wasn't going to get over it this time.

The more she ignored me, the more I found myself looking at her, and the more I found her more attractive and unattainable. I felt so different from usual. She was driving me absolutely crazy!

One day I was walking down the hallway and saw her at her locker. I decided that maybe if I would approach her, she would actually talk to me and then I wouldn't need this strange addiction anymore.

"What's your deal?" I asked her. Dumb question.

She just stared at me in amazement, closed her locker door, and walked away. I slammed my fist against the lockers and shouted, "Mother fucker!" in frustration. I wanted to get her out of my head, out of my life. I had never felt like this about any chick, and it was the best and worst feeling in the world. Not caring who saw me, I pulled out a smoke, lit it up, and took a long drag on it. Then I tore off a Homecoming poster as I left the school.