Chapter Two- And the Plot Thickens

…Three Years Later…

"Richard, we're going to be late!" Kori protested as Richard dragged her away from their next class.

"Mr. Garcia won't even know," Richard insisted, not stopping. "Please Kori?" He pouted, sapphire eyes pretending to be hurt.

"Fine," Kori replied, sighing dramatically.

People stared as the couple walked by, hands firmly interlocked.

"Here," Richard said, finally stopping in front of a section of lockers painted blue. He carefully entered the combination and pulled it open.

A sea of scarlet roses fell out at Kori's feet. She picked one up, stared at it, and then moved her emerald eyes to Richard's anxious face.

"Well?"

"I love them, Richard!" Kori squealed, throwing her arms around Richard's neck. She felt him slip his strong arms around her waist, bringing her to his chest and holding her protectively. "But what are they for?"

"It's National Give Roses to Kori Because I Love Her Day!" Richard teased, burying his face into her crimson tresses. Her hair smelled like strawberries, just as it always did.

"You are so sweet," Kori giggled, ruffling his jet-black locks affectionately. "But we'll be late," she reminded him, inhaling the rose's sweet scent.

"Who needs Calculus in the real world?" Richard demanded, but he allowed himself to be pulled back to class by a smirking Kori.

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Roy Harper gave him a dirty look when Richard and Kori ambled in, still holding hands.

"Hi, Kori," he said, acting as if Richard didn't exist. "Mr. Garcia said he'll be giving our tests back today. I know you did well."

"Er, thanks, Roy," Kori responded, glaring at Richard to keep him from laughing.

Seemingly content, Roy turned back to Mr. Garcia, admiration written clearly across his features.

"Be quiet, Richard," Kori hissed, steering him to the back of the classroom. "And not a word from either of you," she added, glaring at Victor Stone and Gar Logan.

"Aw, come on, Kor, he's totally got a thing for you," Gar whispered quite audibly.

"Shut up, Gar," said Rachel Roth.

"It's not his fault he's got hormones," Karen Beecher chimed in. "Come on, if she wasn't taken, you'd be all over her."

"Thanks," Rachel said dryly, rolling her amethyst eyes.

"Order, please!" Mr. Garcia's voice washed over the class's ears. "Now, I will be handing back the results of Friday's examination. If I have stamped athe school's nameon it, it needs to be signed by a parent. I will be calling your parents personally, Mr. Logan," he added.

"Dude! Not fair!" Gar squawked.

"That's enough, Garfield," Rachel said, patting his arm gingerly.

"Look, Kori," Richard muttered, tugging on her slender arm. "I really wish you'd tellRoy to bug off. He's always hitting on you and it makes me uncomfortable."

"Richard," Kori began. "Roy has no chance with me and he knows it as well as you do."

"Anders, Beecher, Roth, good! Grayson, Stone, not bad. Logan- see me after class." Mr. Garcia said, slapping down test papers on their desks.

Kori quickly looked in the top right hand corner and saw that she'd gotten a 94.

"Way to go, Kor," Richard said, pecking her on the cheek.

Mr. Garcia, now back in the front of the room, cleared his throat. "Attention, if you please. Now kindly turn your books to page 107…"

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Later that day, the three couples sat outside eating their lunches. Kori lay across the sun-warmed concrete bench, head in Richard's lap, jade eyes closed contentedly as he absentmindedly played with a lock of her crimson hair.

"Hey, Rich, you never did say if you could come Saturday night," Vic said suddenly.

"Er, yeah. I don't think I'll be able to make it," Richard mumbled, turning scarlet.

"Why?" Gar demanded.

"I didn't ask," Richard admitted.

"You said Bruce was out of town this week," Vic pointed out.

"Yeah!" Gar chimed in. "Come on, we haven't had a guy's night out in forever!"

"Well, Kor, don't we have plans for Saturday?" Richard asked pointedly.

Gar rolled his forest-green eyes and Vic groaned.

"I think you should go," Kori chirped, not even bothering to open her eyes. "Garfield speaks the truth when he says you haven't had a guy's night out in a long time."

"Kori! Don't call me Garfield!" Gar grunted.

"Are you sure?" Richard asked loudly to drown out Gar's complaints about his name.

"I am sure," Kori replied. "I can hang out with the girls on Saturday."

"No can do, Kori," Karen said. "My step-mom is taking me to some spa in New York. She thinks it'll be good for the two of us to 'bond'."

"Oh. What about you, Rachel?" Kori asked, sitting up and turning her bottle green eyes to Rachel's face.

"My mom thinks we've 'grown apart'. She's taking me to my favorite bookstore to watch me spend hours looking for books."

"Perhaps I shall partake in a mother-daughter activity with my mother this weekend," Kori murmured.

"It's OK, Kor, I don't have to go," Richard whispered. "I don't want you to have to be hanging out with your mom when we could be out having fun."

"I will be fine," Kori insisted, kissing him lightly. "You need some time with your guy friends."

"Are you sure?" he queried.

"Positive."

Gar let out a whoop. "And score one for Kori! You rock!" he proclaimed, hugging her. "This is gonna be sweet! We'll get pizza, go see a horror flick, and just hang…" he rattled off his list of things for the guy's night out as the bell rang.

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"Are you absolutely positive you want me to go out with my friends?" Richard asked for the millionth time during he and Kori's nightly phone call.

"I am certain, Richard. Just don't meet any other girls like that Barbara."

Richard grinned slightly. "OK. I love you, baby," he reminded her.

"I love you too."

Sooo…another chapter from your exhausted authoress. A cookie to the first person to guess Roy's role in this story. (Excluding you, Katie!)

Love,

Queenie