Hey guys! I just wanted to say that I loved the reviews. And I am amazed at how close we are to 200 reviews!

Reviews: 168

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I loved your reactions to my last chapter (unexpected yet suspenseful) and I hope you guys like this one! And if you know any more writers/readers who would LOVE this story, steer them here so we can get 200 REVIEWS!

P.S. I also want to say goodbye to Christina Grimmie, a wonderful singer and person, who was tragically gunned down at a meet-and-greet at the Orlando Plaza and died at the hospital on June 10th. May she rest in peace.

P.S.S. Also, may her killer, Kevin Loibl, ROT IN HELL, STAY IN HELL, and if reincarnated, come back as a cockroach!

(Sorry, just had to get that out!)

ENJOY!

Previously…

"MOM! WE'RE HOME!" I yelled as Alaine and I entered through the front door.

We had just got back from the island an hour or two ago and decided to surprise my mom by hitching a ride and arriving home early.

It was silent in the house. No TV was on, running water or sizzling from the kitchen, and not even Thomas bulldozing his way to the front door to greet us.

Either something was wrong or my mom was not home.

…

"Mom, what is she doing here?" I asked, looking at her while standing in front of Alaine, blocking her from Andrea's view.

I watched as my mother turned to me, but couldn't look me in the eyes. I just knew I wasn't going to like this.

"Sweetie...I-" my mom was interrupted.

"I'm here to take my daughter home," Andrea said strictly, getting out of the chair and smoothing her tight dress.

…

I rushed past my mom and ran as fast as I could to get Alaine, but Andrea pushed me to the ground and slammed the car door shut. I got up and banged my hands onto the window, screaming and yelling. On the other side, Alaine was doing the same thing and also sprouting curses at her mother as well.

…

Alaine was still banging on the window, crying her eyes out in heartbreak as Andrea pulled out of the driveway and drove off. I wanted nothing more than to chase after them, but I just collapsed instead.

…

"Remember that 'surprise' date I wanted to take you? It's tonight!"

Her eyes widened at those words. Tonight? As in a school night? She had got back from an island camping trip and mourning a full night after crying over Alaine! Why would he choose tonight of all nights!?

"You're insane," she said, shaking her head, "it's a school night! What on Earth could be happening on a Monday night!?"

Riley chuckled "You'd be surprised. So, I'll come over to pick you up at 7:30 p.m."

…

Riley then grabbed my chin and began to lift it, drawing me closer. I might have kissed him the time was right and I, dare I say it, wanted to. I could feel my heart beating fast in my chest and his breath against my lips. So close...

That is if what happened next didn't happen:

Some drunk idiot bumped into us and split his drink all over me. In shock, I looked down and saw my dress was covered in whatever drink he had and was dripping down to my feet.

…

I then popped my head out of the water and tried to find Riley. After a few minutes of searching, I spotted him and began to hear him calling out my name. I just hope Riley won't go looking for me.

"CHARLOTTE!"

"CHARLOTTE!"

"CHARLOTTE!"

I groaned internally. Of Course, I'm gonna be wrong on this, again!

Oh great, how am I going to talk my way out of this one?

Present…

Paradise Cove Beach…

Charlotte's POV

"CHARLOTTE! CHARLOTTE! CHARLOTTE!" I heard as I watched Riley keep calling out for me from the beach.

I couldn't even describe how I was feeling at the moment.

Why? Why, why, why can't I have a good time without complications?

Part of me was screaming that life was unfair and that I needed this. The other part was saying that I was having fun a day after my best friend was taken away from me and that I deserved this.

Anyone who truly knew me, as a whole, knew which side I was listening to.

However, before I can go into a depressive funk, I hear Riley calling out for me again. I had to go, get dry, and meet up with Riley.

But first, I had to find some dry land.

I looked around the shore and saw the pier. It was big enough to hide me, plus it was already dark out and nobody would notice steam from over there. And if someone did, it could either be another fire or the cafe!

Smiling with a new objective, I dove underwater and did a mini speed-swim to the pier. When I emerged, I saw that I was underneath the pier and swam up a little to the point I had to crawl out of the water and onto the dry sand.

When I was sure I wasn't being watched, I put my hand over my hand and closed it. I watched with a smile as the steam came off my tail and, soon enough, I was back in my dress.

Rolling from under the pier, I got up, dusted my dress off, and headed towards the party.

By the time I got there, it seemed like the party was still going on. I looked and saw Riley sitting on one of the benches with his head in his hands. Even though it was beyond my control, I didn't want to leave him hanging like that.

So, I walked up to him.

"You know, last I checked, no one should be frowning at a party," I said playfully with a smile.

I watched as Riley jerked his head up and looked at me in surprise, and possibly relief.

"Charlotte! Oh thank God!" he said as he got up and hugged me tightly. "I thought you disappeared or..."

"Or what? That I'd left? Riley, you're my date and my ride. There's no way I would leave you here," I consoled him.

I watched as he realized how close to me he was and nearly laughed as he pulled away, looking flustered.

"Well, can you blame me? One minute, I'm dancing with you and the next, you're gone! Though I was worried about you, I was terrified at the thought of telling your mom I lost you!" he exclaimed.

I couldn't help but laugh at how freaked out he was. Terrible, I know, but he looked cute when he was all worried about me.

"Wanna get out of here?" Riley asked me. That caught me off guard.

"I thought you wanted me to meet your friends?" I asked.

"Well, after that scare, I think I should take you out of here. Besides, I want to take you out to eat anyways," he said with a smile.

But I had to shut him down.

"Um, we could just go to the cafe and get something to eat," I pointed out.

"True, but I feel like they're going to overcharge me and I want to take you someplace you'll like," Riley stated a matter-of-factly.

I, once again, laughed before nodding as we left the beach.

Riley had taken me to one of his favorite bakeries, and I had to admit: I fell in love with their Delightful Chocolate-Chip cookie cakes! After that, he took me to the park near my house...

The same one where I came and got Alaine after she ran away from home.

We just walked around for a few minutes before we ended up just swinging on the swings. The night is nice, the air is warm and the moon is out.

He talked about his life as a lifeguard and told me a story about how he'd come to love it.

"I honestly didn't want to be a lifeguard at first. As far as I knew, if people had just taken the time to learn how to swim, then maybe no one would need a lifeguard. But I later learned how wrong I was," Riley recalled," I was 15 or 16 when I saved this woman's life. I was up at my post, keeping an eye on everyone, making sure they weren't breaking the laws and rules, etc. When it seemed like everyone was okay, I'll admit, I took my eyes off them and started doing my own thing. Flirting with the nearby girls, messing with some of the adults. The usual rebel-teen things. But then I heard a scream.

I grabbed my binoculars and saw a little girl screaming for her mother. I looked and saw that her mom was unconscious and practically drifting into the sea. I remember jumping and running into the water as fast as I could as I started tried to reach her. When I got there, I saw that she was knocked out as well as bleeding from her head. I figured she was taken down by a wave and possibly hit her head. So, I pulled her back to shore and started to see if she was awake.

When she didn't respond, I started to give her CPR. I can't even begin to describe how nerve-wracking that was. Maybe it was my fault. After all, had I been doing my job, maybe this wouldn't have happened! I gave her 3 breaths and started to give her chest 30 compressions. I repeated the process at least 5 or 6 times before she came to. Seeing her eyes open up like that scared me, but...when her daughter hugged her, I couldn't have been happier.

Since then, I started taking my job seriously. No slacking, no messing around, no anything. Until my time as a lifeguard was over, I asked Laguna for a permanent spot, and I've been at the beach ever since," Riley concluded as he finished.

I stared at him in amazement and fascination. The way his eyes lit up, from casual to regret to happiness, were almost as my kaleidoscope emotions.

But that's the thing: We may have learned from mistakes, but my demons are more haunting than his.

"That must have been nice," I softly said, "you at least managed to right a wrong. Some mistakes can be taken back. I mean, she could've died on your watch, but you prevented it. Some things can't be prevented or redone."

I looked down as the words poured out my mouth. I could quite possibly be telling him more than I've ever told Alaine and that's not bothering me?

"Hey, Beautiful, look at me," Riley said.

I looked up and scowled. "Riley, I told you this already: Don't call me beautiful!"

Riley got off his swing and stood in front of me.

"Why? I'm sorry if this offends you, but you are! From the beautiful brown hair to your amazing brown eyes. And honestly, you look like you could easily be a beautiful surfer with your height and muscles! I mean, honestly, what guy have you ever date made you felt less than that! Please, tell me who on earth made you feel any less than special?" he demanded.

I was taken back by Riley's tone. His facial expression was dead serious, but his eyes...

If I didn't know any better...

"Riley...are you in love with me or something?" I asked hesitantly. I don't think I was ready for his answer.

But his stiff posture relaxed and his face softened. He gave me a small smile and a quick laugh.

"Honestly, I don't think I'm there yet. I knew, from the moment I saw you, that I would start caring about you but loving you...I don't even think I'm there yet. And if I was?" he asked reluctantly.

I felt something in my stomach and I don't even think I can handle it.

"Ry, I honestly don't know what to say. Truth be told, you've made me so crazy, that if I liked you as a friend, I wouldn't even know how to respond. But to be honest, more than ever, if you did love me, you'd be making a poor choice. You wouldn't understand that to even have that type of affection...just doesn't belong to me," I confessed.

Honestly, the idea of someone loving me. And if they knew the things I've done...

"Then tell me."

I looked up at him in disbelief and examined his face for anything false as he sat down in front of me. He wasn't asking me to tell him why I don't deserve love, was he?

But I didn't see anything that exposed ill intentions. He was dead serious.

There was no way I could tell him the WHOLE truth, but maybe if I watered down the story as I did with Alaine, it'll come out better.

I sighed. "It started in Australia, back when I was living in the Gold Coast. On my first day of school, I met this guy named Lewis McCartney. He was introduced to me by his, at-the-time girlfriend, Cleo Sertori after she saw me get sprayed with water. I'll admit, I thought he was cute, but I wanted to be Cleo's friend...eventually. I don't like talking about this but..."

"Go on," Riley encouraged.

"When I realized their relationship, I tried to downplay the crush I had for him and try to at least be his friend. But then, I saw him at the beach one day and saw how sad he looked. Just so sad and down in the dumps. So, to cheer him up, I drew him a portrait of himself. I think he liked it. Later on, it turned out that he was a total science geek, which was good because I liked science too. I helped him worked on his weather machines and such, and he would see my drawings.

One day, I asked him to take me to this island called Mako so I could draw. I did get some drawing done, but after that, we did a little exploring. We were just sitting around, just talking, when there was a noise from behind us. I turned around to see what it was, but he turned me back to him and kissed me. It caught me off guard at first, but then I kissed him again.

But it was only a matter of time anyways. Turns out it was Cleo, who had followed us and made that noise," I confessed.

Lewis might've not told me himself, but I figured it out on my own shortly after I left for the States.

From there, I told Riley how I tried to start a friendship with Cleo and her friends, but the attempts mostly backfired. Then, I described how I started to get protective of him, and soon, rather controlling. And my attitude didn't skip over his friends. I was horrible to them, especially Emma, who was the only one willing to put up with me! Eventually, I got to the part where Cleo practically ran away and my last fight with Lewis and how harshly it ended.

By the time I got to the 'last' civil talk between him and me, I didn't realize I was crying until I felt Riley's hands brush the wetness away from my cheeks. I gazed at him and saw how furious he looked.

"If I ever meet the guy, I am personally going to kill him," Riley growled lowly. And judging by the tone, he might mean it.

"No. It's been a year almost a year already. We just weren't compatible, that's all," I tried to reason, but he wasn't having it.

"But still, even if he didn't mean to, he played you like a fiddle! And this Cleo chick, I don't need to tell you that you made a few mistakes, but that doesn't mean you're a bad person! It just means your human like the rest of us. We practically live to make mistakes that we regret, but we also live for the moments that bring us joy.

Lewis made you happy, like your first love. He seemed interested but also was trying to move on from his girlfriend. He should have never kissed you that day, especially if he was just doing it to protect someone who already had his heart. He should have, from the very start, explained how he wasn't ready to move on and still asked for your friendship. You were pretty much made the villainess due to his screw-up and it reached out to his friends.

You are the strongest and bravest person I've ever met. Not many people can go down that road and recover from it as you did. Honestly, you hold all the marbles now. If in twenty years from now, you see that girl again, I want you to tell me how...gob smacked she was that instead of you being miserable like Karma might've permitted, you are living the best-damned life in your existence and no one can take that from you.

And mostly, you just told me what was probably the most traumatic and hurtful part of your life and you don't think you're beautiful!? Dammit, Char, you're too good for this world because of that. You're moving on, actually taking a chance to be happy and you honestly believe you deserve less than that!? You are the most amazing person I know, stronger than I'll ever be and you don't see that! Or do you need more words to describe you? Oh how about 'Incredible', 'Fiery', 'Passionate', 'Brilliant', 'Courageous', or how about I just call you the most gorgeous woman out there because I really-"

I honestly don't know how this happened. But one moment, I'm just sitting there, listening to him talk, and the next moment...

I'm grabbing his face and kissing him like there's no tomorrow!

It must have shocked the hell out of him because before I can pull away, he grabbed my face and kissed me hard! I moved my arms until they wrapped around his neck and he moves his hands were around my waist and held me firmly.

It felt like time stopped around us. I couldn't get enough of him and he couldn't get enough of me!

And add in the fact that he was an AMAZING kisser sealed the deal!

But as our bodies would have it, we reluctantly pulled away for oxygen and were breathing deep breaths.

We didn't say anything for a moment. Like there was this barrier that kept us in for infinity.

But Riley had something to say first.

"I told you that I didn't think I was in love with you yet. But...if you keep kissing me like that, then I'll sure as hell start falling for you," he said with a smile.

I couldn't help but smile at him too. Riley drives me crazy to the point I want to use my powers on him. But if he drives me even crazier...

I think I might just fall for him too.

At Charlotte's house...

When we got back to my place, he walked me to my front door.

Now that my head was back together, I realized that I shouldn't have kissed him.

My emotions were everywhere, he was saying the right things, and I almost believed that he was right about everything.

Almost.

Even if Lewis had some fault in what happened, I still took it too far. Riley doesn't know the full story. And if he did, would he still feel the same way? Or would he be just as disgusted with me as the others are?

"You can stop thinking now," Riley's voice rang, bringing me back to the present. I looked and saw he was giving me a look crossed with amusement and seriousness.

"Riley, I-" I started.

"Nope," he interrupted, "I hope you had a great time tonight. And I think we learned a bit more about each other than we thought. I don't regret hearing your story. I'll keep it close so that when I'm sure I'm in love with you, I can do it right."

"Ry," I said slowly.

He continued "And I also realized that some of the methods to my madness won't always appease you. But here's what I do know: The woman who's caught my eyes is a part of a big picture and I need to start understanding her more. So, that way, I can understand the picture better. You can hit me all you want, slap me, ignore me, but I still want you in my life just as I want to be in yours.

I don't want you to say you regret the kiss, because, honestly, it was a long time coming. And I hope to kiss you again and again until we think we've got it out of our systems and we keep coming back for more!"

I couldn't help it as I'm sure I was blushing like a tomato by now.

"I had a good time tonight," I commented, "maybe we could do it again sometime? And I hopefully meet your friends later on?"

Riley gave me a very amused smile and leaned in. At first, I was sure he was going to kiss me again, but instead, I feel a pair of lips on my forehead.

As he pulls away, he leans down to my ear and whispers:

"Never believe you're less than amazing. You just might realize that you're exactly what this world needs."

With that, he bids me a "Goodnight" before getting on his Vespa and driving away.

I just used my keys and went inside before closing the door and sliding down to the floor with a possible goofy look on my face.

I won't say I'm in love.

October 1st, 2009, Thursday...

Valencia High...

3rd POV

It's been three days since Alaine was taken and two days since Riley's and Char's first date. Though they weren't together, he took the time to get to know her properly.

Riley had joked once that he was courting her, but Charlotte told him the vast differences between courting and dating.

But that didn't mean she wasn't missing her best friend. After her date, Charlotte had dashed upstairs and called her best friend on the phone...

Only to realize that she wouldn't answer anytime soon.

This nearly made her cry, but instead, she grabbed her guitar and started writing a song. Riley's words may have almost worked, but they did leave some influence.

So when Charlotte walked into school that day, she was dressed simply yet elegant. Or as elegant as she could get.

She was wearing a white, lace day dress with a tan belt around the waist and a pair of sandals. Her hair was in a messy bun, but she was determined to make it through the day.

As she made her way to her locker, she noticed Willow, Tessa, and a third girl were standing in front of it. Trying to shake off her annoyance, she stayed positive and walked right up to them.

"Um, excuse me girls, but you guys are kind of in front of my locker," Charlotte said.

The two girls looked at her and smirked.

"Yeah, and this locker belongs to the school, so it's not yours," Tessa smirked.

Charlotte kept herself from rolling her eyes and started over.

"What I was trying to say was that I needed to get my stuff for class. So can you guys move over?" she asked again.

The two girls just smirked at each other and gave her a look.

"Well, we could, but right next to yours is our friend's locker," Willow said, pointing at the locker on the left of hers.

This confused Charlotte. That can't be right. That locker belongs to...

Charlotte turned the third girl around and was almost couldn't believe who it was.

Alaine.

Charlotte couldn't help but do a quick scan her over. She didn't seem like she got any bruises from Andrea, otherwise, she wouldn't be wearing a tank top and shorts. Besides, it's been nearly 3-4 days since she left. Any visible wounds could have healed by now.

And speaking of clothes, Alaine usually wore a flowy dress, mostly loose shirts and short jeans. What she was wearing instead was a white tank top that had a dull-brown sun on it and her shorts were a little too short for the school dress code to be allowed. And her usually curly or braided hair was now ironed-straight and in the ponytail.

This was not her best friend.

"Alaine, what's going on? Why are you with them? After everything they've done to you?!" She exclaimed.

But there was close to no emotion in her eyes to what Alaine said next.

"Listen, loser. They are my friends and have always been. Besides, I need to stick with my kind. Not some senior who's going to be gone in a couple of months," Alaine said, this time, with a harsh tone.

Charlotte almost stepped back and did a double-take.

No way. What had Andrea done to her? This was the same Alaine that had hated her since the first day of school!

What happened to the happy, bubbly, down-to-Earth girl that had come to be her best friend?

"Alaine, this is not you. I don't honestly know what your mother did, but this is not who you are," she tried to reason, "Willow and Tessa dropped you. After all, they were done being your friend like a child was done playing with their toys because they want something new. They used you! They aren't your friends, I am!"

But all Alaine did was stare blankly at her.

"My friend? A friend wouldn't just decide to go on a date and not speak a word to me. A friend wouldn't ignore me when I've called hundreds of times. A friend wouldn't assume that my mother did something to me. And a friend wouldn't ever claim a title that wasn't there!" Alaine shouted.

Charlotte's mouth just hung open at her best friend's word. Her mind was practically trying to fight them off and come up with a logical explanation for Alaine's action.

This was not her Alaine.

Unbeknownst to them, they didn't realize that almost everyone stopped to look and stared at the commotion that was occurring.

But then, Alaine dropped the nail on the hatch.

"Besides, you couldn't even get THREE girls to like you. So why would I?" Alaine asked rhetorically.

This was just getting to be too much for Charlotte. The pain, the anger, the hurt. Everything that she had trusted Alaine with was just thrown back in her face.

Take away the magical aspect, she pretty much told Alaine everything.

Not wanting to show a tear, she just nodded and ran away in the opposite direction.

Her heart was broken once again by somebody she trusted.

And if that wasn't enough, it was by the first friend she ever made since moving to Cali.

If only she knew that Alaine's heart was breaking to the point of complete shattering.