And here we are at the beginning of yet another chapter. I want to thank my lovely reviewers but especially zodiac1805 who has been a faithful review since the very beginning.

Well anyways, I hope you all enjoy this chapter. I had a great time writing the ending for which all I am goin gto say is that for those who thought things were complicated now we have truly just hit below the tip of the iceberg...

Richard glanced up from his notebook where he was writing on the bed to the computer where Riley sat, immersed in an article about perception of color in the human eye or something like that last time he checked. She shifted, tossing her still slightly damp hair over her shoulder as she bent over to type…

"How goes it over there?"

Her voice dragged him from his trance with an almighty jerk. As he looked up he realized that she was no longer bent over typing but had turned the chair and was now surveying him with a look of mixed amusement and curiosity and Richard could have sworn he saw something else flash in her eyes, though as to what he was clueless.

"I've just got the procedure left and then I'm done for today." He said, the wheels on his internal train starting to move. "What about you?"

"I've got one more summary to do and I'm done too."

They sat there.

"Um, okay then back to work I guess." Richard said clapping his hands together.

So for lack of anything else to do or say, they went back to work. Richard resumed writing out the labs, pausing ever so often to look up at Riley slumped against the computer chair, lips moving silently as her eyes traveled over paragraphs of boring scientific studies on color.

Fifteen minutes later, Richard let out a sigh as he lightly tossed his pencil and stretched. After popping his back, he stood and ripped out his papers before walking over to the computer and depositing them beside Riley.

Riley rubbed her eyes wearily as Richard walked over.

"Done," he said placing down two freshly written lab papers.

Looking over them she couldn't help but notice he had nice handwriting for a boy.

"Want any help?" he asked.

"What? Ah no, I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, just staring at the computer screen too long is getting to my eyes."

"Whatever. I'm going to get something to drink, do you want anything?"

"No thanks."

"Suit yourself." He left the room.

"Argh!" She threw her head at the desk. Inhaling deeply she tried to clear her racing mind. Being in this room and acting natural was taking all of her nerve control. She was sure that before this was over he would do something that would make her eye twitch which only happened when she was uncomfortable.

Since her first day her emotions had been riding a rollercoaster where Richard was concerned and at this point she felt as if the end of the rollercoaster had been removed and she was just about to go over the edge.

The more she tried to suppress them, images of him would keep floating to the surface of her mind, invading her dreams, and waking mind when she least expected them, when she most vulnerable, when she needed her concentration most…

"Ahhh, Stop. Thinking." She moaned. She needed to get her self in check before Richard came back. Breathe in…breathe out…in…and out…

She heard steps approaching and righted herself in the chair.

"How are ya doing, partner?"

"Fine, just fine."

Richard set down his glass and casually placed a hand on either side of her and the keyboard as he looked over her shoulder with mild interest at the computer screen. At the moment the rollercoaster went through five loops in a row at 100 miles an hour.

"Still don't need help?" he asked bending down.

"Oh um…I…n-nu-no," she managed to stutter from her drunken haze.

"Riley…"

She turned to look at him. Their faces were a mere six inches apart. "Yeah…"

RING! The bell signaled the end of sixth period. Just one more class Riley reminded herself. Then she'd be free to go home and crawl in under the covers to reel in the evil that was bad timing and the steaming crap pile that was her life.

As Riley walked into class she kept her head down but saw with a darting glance out of the corner of her eye that Richard had his head under a desk, as did Victor, and she was free to walk to her desk safe from any awkward eye contact that might have resulted otherwise.

"Hello Joey," Riley said as she settled into her chair. "Feeling better?"

He nodded. Then he made a few gestures with his hands.

"That's not funny! I suppose you and Victor planned to be absent did you?"

Joey laughed.

"He-he, Sorry, I fail to see the humor of my situation." Riley said with biting sarcasm. "Seriously, what are the chances of me getting partnered with Richard?"

Joey signed again.

"What do you mean I'm going to get eaten by crocodiles?"

Joey looked at her before he tentatively replied, "It's not just a river in Egypt then?"

"You are traveling on a steady road to being backhanded."

Joey just casted her an amused look.

"That bad, huh?"

Riley sighed. "I guess you could say that."

"Care to Share? After all caring is sharing and love makes the world go round."

"You are an odd person, do you know that?"

"But you know you love me." He winked out her.

"Do you want me to tell you what happened or not?"

"Fine, fine, go on about your love life problems."

She gave him a glare before saying, "Well you see…"

Richard sat in his computer chair and stared at the floor. It was blue… Maybe Riley and him were just destined to never be together. He sighed and banged his head on his desk.

He had been close, so close! If only he had made his move earlier, if only he had just come out and said it rather than attempt to build up the moment, if only he had just one more minute, if only…

"Still don't need help?" he asked leaning down so that his mouth was beside her ear.

"Oh um…I…n-nu-no," she managed to stutter from her drunken haze.

"Riley…"

She turned to look at him. Their faces were a mere six inches apart. "Yeah…"

It was now or never…

"I… I wa-…"

There was a knock at the door.

He groaned as he straightened up. "Yes?"

"A Mr. Emmett Hyland is here."

"That's my ride."

"Thanks, Alfred."

Riley shook her head as she stood up.

"Um, well I guess I'll see you at school."

"Yeah, I suppose."

He walked her out and down the stairs and to the door.

"Well bye."

"Bye."

After that he had walked back up to his room and there he sat, cursing himself for hesitating.

"So, who's this Richard guy?" Emmett asked as they drove through the pouring rain.

"Just some guy who I got partnered with for a science project." Riley said in an attempt to sound casual as she flipped through radio stations.

"Um-hum, yeah sure. I saw the look on both of your faces. You can't use your evil underplay skills here."

"Evil underplay skills?" Riley gave him a weird, but curious, look.

"Yeah, underplay skills. Like that time when I caught you coming out of my room and when I asked you what you were doing you said you were making my bed and you were; you made it after you filled it with cream cheese."

A look of nostalgia crossed Riley's face. "Yeah, that was a good one. I loved that satisfying squelching sound it made when you laid down in it later."

"Yeah… I mean no! Riley, you're getting me off topic!"

"What were we talking about again?"

Emmett rolled his eyes.

Riley lay in bed that night thinking, particularly about what Emmett said. What look was Emmett talking about? Before she drifted to sleep Riley came to the conclusion about two things, that her life was really just a melodramatic play put on by one of those community theaters and that she should put cream cheese in Emmett's shoes sometime…

The next day Richard and Riley went back to their no interacting game but now Riley had super cool turn-red-and-squeal-action!

It was as though nothing had happened. Something had happened but they were too stupid to do anything about it and the author is attempting to stretch this thing out like the soap operas her grandmother watches except Riley is not going to marry Richard but be pregnant with Joey's baby.

Riley was quieter and more withdrawn in her thoughts. Richard was more introverted and easily distracted, not good for a football player as it resulted in him being knocked to the ground a lot. Their friends thought it odd but hadn't started to really worry yet. Both parties knew that Richard and Riley liked each other but they needed to work it out on their terms. However despite the cheap teen drama, time still plowed on, carrying them all unknowingly into a dark future…

"You've been awfully quiet lately." Garth said in math one day. "Normally you'd have made some joke or rant about how Ms. Keynes has no freaking clue about how to teach Geometry and she's the epitome of the downfall of the public educating system."

"I'm not in the mood." Riley said sighing.

"You're never just not in the mood. What's wrong?"

"I'm fine." She replied in a melancholy voice.

"No, you're not. If you were fine you would have just pointed out the small sexual innuendo in what I said a few moments ago."

She just gave him a look.

"You know, Riley? If looks could kill that look you just gave me wouldn't even have given me a paper cut."

She rummaged around in her bag.

"Well here's a band-aid."

"What? And why does this band-aid have little fishes on it?"

"You said you had a paper cut and I've always thought of you as a fish person."

"I don't have a paper cut! You weren't listening to me! And I'm going to choose to not ask about that fish comment."

"Mr. Curry, Ms. Hyland, would you two like to flirt on your own time?" Ms. Keynes said from the front of the room causing the class to turn around and look at them.

Riley threw them all a dirty look and Garth just turned red.

Riley found Garth waiting for her at her locker at the end of the day.

"Riley?"

She handed him her lock as she shuffled around trying to stuff all her books into her locker. He took that as a sign to continue.

"Okay then, well I have something to tell you. You probably like someone else, actually I have very good reason to believe that you do, but I like you. And…"

Riley however had stopped listening. She really hoped he was playing some kind of joke on her because she did not need any more trouble where guys were concerned than she already had.

However things were about to get more tangled up. Riley turned around to face Garth but before she could say anything he swooped down and kissed her. It wasn't one of those spit swapping kisses either. It was slow, lingering, and with all the finality as though with it he was ending something.

Garth broke away from her, and looked down with at her with sad eyes and a broken smile, before he took off.

Riley just stood there eyes wide, completely unaware of the sound of Richard's heart breaking as he turned away from the corner he had been standing at.

Poor, Richard! I feel bad because I enjoyed writing this but I think that was more of I was imagining the reactions of the readers rather than I enjoy hurting characters. XP

Don't forget to review! I know there are more people out there that read thisbut don't review and honestly I share your feelings but at least review this story once! Just once!It doesn't have to be a good review or anything. I just want to see how many people read this story.