After a fitful night's sleep, I roll out of bed and trudge into the bathroom. Quickly, I turn on the shower, step in and let the warm rain roll over me as I rub my eyes.

Mum has told me before that both she and Dad used to suffer from nightmares. She'll never tell me what of though. I guess there are something's that are a little too personal. Although, when I asked how she got rid of them, she'd just smile and say, "Your Dad makes them disappear." She says it with this look in her eye that makes me sure that love exists. Unfortunately, I don't have 'my very own Peeta Mellark' (as Mum said I'd have when I was older) right now to stop my nightmares, so the suffering continues.

After twenty minutes of doing nothing, I wash my hair and step out of the shower. I catch myself in the mirror and groan at the presence of the dark circles under my eyes. Thankfully the shower rid my back of all my knots and I'm a little more relaxed. That bad thing is, I'm so relaxed I could fall asleep standing up.

I throw on my usual attire, yell a goodbye to my parents and meet Finn outside.

"Jesus, Riley," he says. "You look like shit."

"Always the charmer, Finn," I reply with a sarcastic smile. We start walking and he looks at me, concerned.

"I'm serious, Rye. You look awful. How much sleep did you get last night?"

I shrug, really not wanting to talk further about the subject, put my board down and push forward. I promised I'd teach Finn how to skate soon because he said he was tired of trying to keep up with me on my board. He shakes his head and quickens his pace to keep walking beside me.

We get to school and I struggle to stay awake in all of my lessons. Eventually, I got around a forty minute nap in History because we were watching some boring film about some war I don't care about. Maddie copies her notes for me, probably because she wants a favour more than just wanting to be a good friend, and after class she gives me the same lecture she always does when I don't get enough sleep.

"It's really unhealthy, and stops you from learning at your best. Not to mention my hand is killing me from having to write my notes out for you. Plus-"

"RYE!"

I sigh, thankful for the interruption. We turn and I see Leo jogging down the hall with an enormous smile on his face. I also see Finn standing by the lockers with Jack and remember that I'm supposed to be pretending to like Leo, so I plaster a big one on mine too.

Over these past few days I've been thinking more and more about Finn and I'm not sure I like it one bit. He's supposed to be my friend and yet, whenever we're alone together, doing homework or just hanging, I find my brain saying Go on, lean in. Kiss me. Look me in the eyes. Hold my hand. Do something! It's very distracting when I'm spending 98% of the time trying not to think those things. Not to mention the butterflies. I can't have him say my name without those fucking butterflies making their presence known.

"I've got news," says Leo. "Can you guess what it is?"

"Ummm…." I tap my chin and pretend to be thinking hard. "Your chlamidia is all cleared up?"

"Ha ha, very funny," he glares at me playfully. I laugh. "No, it's not that…" He shoves his hands into his pockets, shyly looking at the floor before exclaiming, "I GOT QUARTERBACK!"

"Congratualtions!" I open my arms and Leo hugs me, picking me up and spinning me around. I laugh and so does he. "I'm so proud of you!"

He sets me down and Maddie gives him a quick hug, saying congrats. He's still got a massive smile on his face. "I just can't believe it. I was so sure Coach James' kid was gonna get it."

"Psh, yeah right. Have you seen him play?" says Maddie. We laugh and he asks us if we're coming to the game. "I am," she says. "Jack's playing and I promised I'd wear his jersey." Leo and I both shout 'AW!' and Maddie blushes, punching both our arms lightly.

"So you two are serious then?" Leo asks.

Maddie shrugs. "He still hasn't asked me out, but I hope he will soon." I can tell she's starting to worry. She always acts like it doesn't bother her but I can see in her eyes that it's killing her.

The bell rings and people in the hall start moving again getting ready for their next class. Leo smiles, plants a sloppy kiss on my cheek and runs down the hallway screaming, "I'm the Quarterback, bitches!"

We watch him, laughing until he disappears. Maddie runs off to her next class and as I say goodbye, I catch Finn looking at me. I give him a half smile and he returns it half-heartedly before looking away quickly.

Strange, I think, but I decide not to make anything of it.

That evening Leo and I are working in the kitchen doing inventory when there's a shout from the front of the shop.

"Oi, assholes, get out here!"

We both walk out and find Maddie sitting on the counter, wearing a loose white top and light blue jeans. I envy her ability to look beautiful in everything. Still, however beautiful she is, I shove her off the counter. She lands on her feet and spins around to look at us, a mischievous smile playing on her lips.

"I have an idea."

"Oh, no," I groan. Whenever Maddie gets ideas, it almost always ends up with us in trouble, or me injured somehow.

"It's something to help you with your Finn situation," she says.

"Wait, you like Finn?" says Leo excitedly. I roll my eyes.

"I don't know. And there's nothing to help, he like Marina, it's not like I can compare to that," I say glumly.

"Marina?! That evil scheming whore?! How on EARTH could he like her?" Leo's face has contorted between horrified and disgusted. I just shrug.

"Just hear me out, okay?" she asks me. I sigh and nod. "Leo, this may or may not be new information to you but upon asking who Rye like, I may have panicked and said you," she tells him. He smiles, looking quite proud. I roll my eyes again and she continues. "And, Rye, I don't know if you saw today, but when we were with Leo and he kissed you on the cheek and spun you around, Finn was watching. And he looked jealous."

I scoff, almost laughing. Finn? Jealous? Of what? It's not like he likes me, so what could he possibly be jealous of? Plus, Leo is just my friend, he knows that!

"I'm serious, Rye. His nostrils flared and his face got all red and he looked pretty pissed. He kept glaring at Leo. So my plan is…" She grins, pausing for effect. Leo is bouncing up and down next to me with excitement, while I'm just getting impatient. "That you two pretend to date to make him jealous."

My jaw drops and I look at her as if she's grown two heads. I turn to Leo, hoping for much of the same reaction but getting the complete opposite.

"Actually," he says thoughtfully. "That's not a bad idea."

"What?!" I shout, my voice going up an octave. "That's the worst idea I've ever heard!"

"Come on, Rye. You're not the only one that will benefit from it! It would make Brianne jealous too," he explains.

I look between the two of them. "No! Not only would it be gross, because it's basically incest, it's mean and cruel and someone is going to get hurt."

"Please, Rye? For me?" He makes his puppy dog eyes and it gets to the point where I almost say yes, but I stop myself.

"No, I'm not doing it. And that's final." I stop back into the kitchen and begin to 'angrily knead bread' like Leo always says I do when I'm upset.

"It was worth a shot," I hear Maddie sigh. I can only assume that Leo shrugs because I don't hear any other conversation apart from their goodbyes. When Leo re-enters the kitchen, I don't look at him and we work in silence for the last hour until we shut the Bakery. I give a short goodbye and board home with a stony expression.

In truth, I'm not as furious as I'm acting but he needs to see that jealousy does really ugly things to people and someone will get hurt. They always do.

The next morning, seeing Finn almost makes me reconsider the offer, expecially when I make the stupid mistake of asking if he's going to ask out Marina. I'm not sure if it was for my own torture, distraction or benefit (in the hope he decided that she was the evil bitch I know her to be and proclaims his love to me- wait? What the hell, Rye?!).

Finn blushes slightly and shakes his head no.

"Why not?"

"Because I'm not good enough. She's the most popular girl in school, plus she's got half the guys chasing after her. She could easily have some football player instead of some new kid surfer from D4." He sighs and we approach the school doors. "She's perfect. I don't deserve her anyway."

That's what makes me stop. I'm almost livid with the way she's got him thinking this about himself. I stop him and put my hands on his shoulders, making him look me in the eyes.

"Okay, Finn, if there's one thing that you are, it's good enough. Got it?" He nods, but doesn't say anything. I take my hands off his shoulders and sigh. "She's the one that doesn't deserve you." And I run up the steps before he can say anything else.

My morning lessons really weren't that bad. It took real strength to sit through homeroom while Jack and I stuck things in Maddie's hair while she was asleep. More than once I had to bite down on my jumper sleeve to try not to laugh and Jack was in tears by the end. It was even funnider when she woke up as the bell rang and as she flipped her hair back, all the pencils, rubbers, paper and other items that were placed in her hair flew onto the floor. I ran out of the room but Jack just laughed and laughed and laughed.

I have a free period now and so I make my way to the library, wondering if Jack was still alive or if his corpse was in the janitor's closet somewhere.

I turn right to walk down to the library just as it happens. Finn and Marina's lips collide in a fiery kiss and I'm frozen on the spot. I can't believe it. I guess this is what heartbreak feels like… though, it can't be heartbreak because he never liked me back. And yet, it feels like my heart is shattering, pieces on the floor. I guess I just thought- No, never mind. Just get out of here. So I run instead. I run and not think. I run back down the corridor I came and turn left.

"UMPH!" I'm just about to fall when two familiar arms wrap around me and catch me.

"Rye? Are you okay?" Leo asks, worried.

I don't answer his question and it seems I continue to not think and I can't the words as they tumble from my mouth.

"I'll do it. I'll be your girlfriend."

Hey guys! I'm back!

Okay, so I just wanted to say that

1) I'VE GOT TICKETS TO SEE SLEEPING WITH SIRENS LIVE AND IM SO FUCKING EXCITED

2) I haven't proof read this so if there are mistakes then I will change them after I've completed German Revision (sigh)

3) It's an extra long chapter so apologise for being away for so long ok and finally

4) I have recently started writing an original story and the first four chapters are on right now. It's for a project at school and will eventually be turned into a webseries on my youtube channel and I would appreciate it so much if you guys could go and check it out. My account name is the same as it is on here 'panemsbest' and the story is titled Marked.

Okay I LOVE YOU ALL