Long time no see, eh? Sorry everyone for that. I've got good news, bad news (well depends on how you view it), and worse news. Good news, I'm starting Chpt 6 and will be 1/3 through it before Nov. 7; bad news, I entered NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) where I shall be going through the grueling task of writing 50,000 words, aka a novel, in a month; worse news, Chpt 6 will be on hiatus till at least Nov. 25th. I know for sure it probably won't be up till Thanksgiving. BUT, I may be able to supply you all with 1-2 nice filler chapters till then. Probably something like my 100 question character sheet on Riley and extras/bloopers. However, with luck I may be able to get Chappie 6 up before Thanksgiving but it depends on how much headway I make on my novel. Any questions/comments/etc. should be directed to me by form of PMs. I WILL respond to them although it may not be right away. Feel free to drop me a line. You never know what story goods you might get. ;D

With purely platonic writer love I dedicate this to MONKIY who sent me relentless PMs harassing me for updates and without who I might not have been motivated to update in order to stop said PMs. lol

Disclaimer: If I owned TT I would update faster. XP

Riley stood slumped against her locker in a complete daze. What the hell had just happened? What was he playing at? She had clearly expressed nothing more than pure friendship towards Garth. The best comfort she had was in knowing that no one had knew and that if her and Garth acted like nothing had happened no one would have to know.

Yes, she thought as she slid slowly down to the floor, one foot bending up and one extending out, at least no one saw.

Richard kicked off his shoes forcefully at the door, not caring if he broke something expensive or irreplaceable. He walked to his room with a manner that clearly displayed a person full of seething and frothing anger.

Collapsing on his bed, Richard stared at the ceiling with an expression of vacancy on his features. He tried not to think, anything to keep the hole inside from burning him alive from the inside out.

Growling in frustration, he turned over and buried his face into his pillow, squinting his eyes shut in an attempt to escape reliving the previous hour. No go though for while his drowned in the darkness, his mind played over images like a film.

The hallway was empty as he left Science late, hearing voices talking; he slowed and crept up on the corner to see who it was.

He instantly recognized one of the voices as Riley's. Curious, he got closer. It was silent for a few seconds, so long that he peered around to see if she had left and what he saw made him want to hurl on the spot.

That one guy, Gerard, George, something with a 'G', leaned in and kissed Riley. His Riley! He wanted to be sick, scream, run, and punch something all at once. But above all those feelings one reined supreme. A hole was slowly growing inside him, making its home where his heart used to be.

Riley slammed the door and slipped out of her muddy shoes before heading for the stairs.

"Something wrong, honey?" Her mother called from the living room.

"Yeah," she replied. "Everything."

"You've been rather quiet lately, Riley. Sick or something?" Karen asked as Riley massacred her tater tots with her fork.

"Everything's just absolutely spiffing. Perfectly fine." She said alittle too forcefully to pass for a normal tone of voice.

"Ya sure? Cause if I didn't know better I'd say you had a problem the way you're attacking those innocent spuds." Garfield said, peering around Rachel.

"These potatoes have done me a personal wrong and must be punished." She replied adding ketchup blood for a dramatic effect.

"Um, yeah…okay then. So, anyone know where Garth is today?" Garfield asked.

"No. I called him on my cell during break but his mom said he felt sick," Kori said looking concerned.

"Probably mono." Riley muttered too quiet for anyone to hear.

"Hm, wonder what's wrong with him? I hear there's some sorta stomach flu going around school this week. Maybe it's that." Karen said leaning forward.

As the others got into a discussing the possible, and impossible, ailments of Garth, Riley got up and walked away. As she approached the lunchroom door someone shouted her name.

"Riley! Hey, Riley!"

Turning around she saw it was Roy Harper.

"Yes, Roy?"

"Hi, Riley. I was told to pass on a message to you. Um, let's see…how'd it go again? Oh yeah. Richard told Garfield to tell Karen to tell Vic to tell me to tell you that Richard's going to have to cancel working on your guy's project this week."

"Oh." Riley's face fell. "Thanks, Roy."

"No problem." He walked off.

Garth wasn't the only one missing that day at school. Richard too, had failed to show up. This bothered Riley slightly, but up till now she had still planned to go to his house after school. Now facing a day with no guaranteed sign of his face put a considerable damper on her day. So much for the pick-me-up his company would have brought her.

Well fine! If she didn't know better though, she would have thought this had some to do with her 'incident' with Garth.

The thought bugged her all day.

Not being able to fall into a deep sleep, Richard was already laying awake when Alfred came to knock and wake him up.

"I don't feel so good, Alfred. I think I'll stay home."

"Yes, Master Grayson. I will phone the school to inform them of your absence and get your work. Than I shall return with some soup, yes?"

"Yeah, thanks Alfred."

"Anytime, sir."

Richard rolled over onto his stomach. He didn't like playing opossum when he could avoid it but he didn't think he could stand to see Riley today. No, he especially couldn't handle seeing her walking with that Garth…guy. They'd be all lovey-dovey, holding hands, sharing chaste little kisses at lunch, before classes, in the hall, he'd be carrying her books, all those things Richard had seen himself doing when he fantasized during class or at night in his dreams.

You see Richard had come to a conclusion last night in a fit of irrational thinking that tends to occur in soap operas and when sees something but doesn't see it all of when they don't have all the facts.

He had come to the conclusion that Garth and Riley were a 'couple'. He also thought that it was his fault too. If he hadn't been so mean, hadn't pushed her around, been so cold to her, had shown more interest in her she wouldn't have 'gone off', so to speak, with Garth.

'He' had never been mean to her… Hell! He had been the first one to talk to her. He had helped her get to her classes, make friends, and made her feel at home. No wonder she had picked him over Richard. No, it was all his fault.

Sighing, he reached over and grabbed his phone.

Riley walked up the never-ending driveway, keeping pace with the steady glancing blows of rain on her jacket. In her hand, a plaid thermos full of really hot chicken noodle soup.

"I wonder if her runs up and down his driveway to get into shape for football season?" She huffed as she walked. Finally she managed to reach the door and knocked.

"Why good evening, Ms. Hyland. I am sorry but Master Grayson is feeling rather under the weather today is unable to study."

"Oh I know," Riley said. "That's why I brought soup," she held up the thermos, "I know it's horribly cliché but I couldn't think of anything else."

Alfred observed her for a few, long moments which made Riley wonder if he was going to let her in or not. Finally, he smiled at her, which just furthered confused Riley but she was happy when he opened the door as she was certain a few more minutes in the rain and her underwear would started to turn soggy.

"Wait here and I shall see if Master Grayson is fit to see company." He took the thermos and disappeared behind a swing door.

Riley just stood there and tried her best not to drip on the rugs. It was like déjà vu all over again.

"I really need to invest in an umbrella." She muttered to herself.

Just then her savior appeared with a towel.

"Master Grayson is awake if you wish to speak with him."

"Thanks, Alfred," she said, taking the towel from him.

Richard sat propped up on his pillows, reading, when he heard a knock. "C'mon in, Alfred." He said without even looking up. However the voice that greeted him was not Alfred's.

"So how are you feeling?"

Richard's head snapped up to see a somewhat concerned and wet Riley.

"It's not contagious is it?"

"No," he answered shortly, going back to his book.

"Good then." She said. It was silent for a few minutes.

"So is that all?" He asked hoping that she'd say yes and leave him to "re-cooperate" in peace.

"Why didn't you come to school today?"

"Huh?" That surprised him.

"Look, I've played opossum enough times to tell when someone's faking sick and you, my dear Richard, are not sick."

He was definitely not expecting the conversation to go this way.

"You should know why."

Now it was her turn to be surprised. "And why's that?"

Fine! He thought. If she wanted to play dumb he'd spit it out. Maybe she'll quit playing games with him and leave him in peace.

"I saw you and Garth in the hallway yesterday and I get it."

Her face which had been getting red from suppressing the urge to butt in paled suddenly to white. "You saw that?"

"Yes and I get it, okay? I never had a chance with you and you obviously like Garth."

Pain shot through him as he said it.

"Look, Richard. That wasn't what it looked like…"

"So what was it then? Was something on your mouth that he was trying to get off with is mouth? Is that it, Riley? Well silly me, thinking he was kissing you when he was just trying to clean your face!"

She stood straighter suddenly, her angry eyes boring into his.

"Why if I didn't know better, I'd say you were jealous, Mr. Grayson! Yes, he was kissing me! But if you had managed to see all of what happened you would have seen me pull back! There is nothing between me and Garth! I like him in nothing more than a platonic way because, if you've failed to notice, which you probably have due to your head being up your ass, I like you!" Tears swelled at the brims of her eyes but she refused to let them flow.

Richard was stunned speechless. Just then Alfred walked in a worried look on his face and Riley bolted out. Richard stared at the empty doorway before Alfred clearing his throat, caught Richard's eye and gave him a look that plainly said, 'Go.'

Tears ran with raindrops as Riley brutally cut her way home in the monotone drone of storm. She ignored the screaming wind, the bewildered and pissed looks of the passerby she bumped into. She focused on nothing but the steady, solid, murderous stampede of her feet on the wet pavement. Her ears blocked out the curses of strangers, honking of car honks, barking of dogs. She was deaf to everything but the sound of her last words and the terrible numbness of the following silence ringing in her ears, that was until a voice made her stop dead in her tracks.

"Riley!" She gave a sob and continued on faster.

"Riley!" His feet pounding as he sped on towards made her break out into a run.

"No! Leave me alone!" This was a stupid thing to do as Richard had longer legs and was an athlete were as Riley's main source of exercise was walking from class to class at school. He easily caught and maintained pace with her.

"Wait a minute, Riley!" He cried, desperate for her to stop. She did and wheeled around to face him. When she did so though she had not expected what he did next. Without another word, or even a sign, Richard bent his head and kissed her.

They pulled apart after a few moments, Riley found herself breathless and unable to find words to describe this sudden moment, this serendipity, and not really caring. Something that normally would have frightened her given normal circumstances. But then again, she thought, love was no ordinary circumstance. Love! Is that what this was? She had read about love in many different novels, watched it portrayed by a variety of different actors, listened to the countless songs composed in awe of it, deciphered a number of poems, love was something she thought she could see coming and yet here she stood soaked in the rain with a man that only weeks ago she had despised to the very core.

It was then that she realized Richard was staring at her and she shifted slightly. Determined not to show her discomfort under his steady stare after her unseen revelation, she looked up at him with the same unwavering attention he was gazing at her with.

And with that her eyes took in what before she had only admired from afar. She traced the faint trail of freckles that lay under his eyes and connected over the bridge of his nose, the slight white lock of hair that curled round his ear, hinting in an obvious way that there was Welsh blood in him, and the rain drops that hung from the edges of his gold tipped eyelashes…

It was an hour later that Riley found herself walking home yet again, a fog of happiness clouding her vision. She couldn't remember the last time everything felt as right as it did then. The sun was feebly casting out its last rays of the day through the dark and heavy rain clouds causing the glistening after effects of the shower to shine in a bright sheen of orange and yellow. Not paying attention to where she was stepping she suddenly found her legs splashed with cold water. Giggling she plowed the rest of the way through the puddle.

The loud keeling of tires screaming for friction on the ground caught her attention and she snapped her head up suddenly. In motions so fast she could hardly string them together, the van swung its way dangerously beside her and two large men in ski masks jumped out. Riley panicking started to run but didn't manage to get very far as one pair of strong arms swung around her, covering her mouth with a cloth and another pair swept her legs off the ground. Screaming in vain into the cloth, Riley tasted a stale tang that she realized must be some sort of knock out drug. However she was too late as the chemical slid its way down her throat and everything disappeared.

Like I said Chpt 6 might not be for a few weeks but feel free to PM threating messages for updates anyways. Trust me, they do motivate me. ;)