A/N: The quicker I try to get this out, the longer it seems to take. Thanks to everyone that is still there. I do appreciate the reviews and thank you, AllisonI3, for staying with me too. It's almost over. whew

She finds Ray before lunch. " How did your test go?"

He shrugs " Alright. I would have done better if you would have put the Ed, Ted voodoo on me."

She rolls her eyes "Are you ready to get something to eat after your
ordeal?"

" Hey," he smiles " It wasn't an ordeal, it was a breeze. Nothing the
Raymister couldn't handle."

" Ok, ok," she giggles " I'm ready for some of those tater things though. We
have to get there fast." She takes him in for a second and almost hugs him.
He really had no idea how precious he was to her.

" You okay Lil?" he asks, noticing the strange look she was giving him.

" Yeah," she answers, turning red " I'm sorry. I don't know where my head is
these days."

" Well, I kind of wanted to talk to you about that," he says " I mean, I
don't know where your head is these days but...well, I don't want to be the
cause of any of your pain. Lily, I want for you to be happy. Just forget
everything, like I told you to and if...if you want to be with someone else,
then do it." He smiles " You'll get over who ever it is and come crawling
back to me anyway."

She doesn't even have the strength to punch him this time. All of her energy
seemed to be drained. " I know Ray. I do. I'm tired of it all you know? I
don't think I want a boyfriend until I graduate from college," she sighs. "
I could never keep up with you anyway," she teases " I'm surprised you don't
have a date for lunch."

" Well, actually," he grins, this time earning a punch from her as they walk
to the lunchroom.

It doesn't take long for Travis and Robbie to join Lily and Ray at their usual spot at the lunchroom table. " What's the matter Swami?" Ray asks playfully " You're quieter than usual
today. Are you doing one of those meditation, trance things now?"

" No," Travis answers, not bothering to correct Ray over the "Swami" comment,
" I'm just...Well, I broke up with Bridget last night," he answers. Leaning
in toward Ray he says " You want to know the really ironic thing about it?
She said that she was going to stay in Hong Kong anyway."

Well, you left that little bit of info out, Trav, Lily thinks, now
wondering what had actually happened between Travis and Bridget but knowing
better than to try and ask in front of Robbie and Ray.

" Oh," Ray says, taken a back by Travis' answer " I'm sorry man, you should
have told me that earlier. I was just kidding around with you." He thinks
about it for a second " Why were you going to break up with her in the first
place? I thought the two of you were really umm...connecting." Travis glances at Lily. A very quick glance, so quick that he doubted anyone
would catch it but it was enough to make her heart do that thing it did when
she talked or even looked at Travis these days.

" I suppose it just wasn'tsupposed to be," he shrugs " I put a lot of thought into it and really, I think it was all too sudden. We were good friends and it should have just stayed that way." He takes in a breath " Really, I believe the feelings that I felt for her weren't totally real. I wasn't honest with her nor myself. I was trying to hard to be spontaneous and I think I was just feeling lonely." He sneaks another glance at Lily.

Low Travis, she thinks, not bothering to look away You will so pay. She
hopes that her thoughts bore into his mind as her eyes do his.

" Wow," Ray says, popping a fry into his mouth " I'm really sorry, man," he
says, feeling more than a little guilty that he had pushed the two of them
into a relationship. Who could blame me though? he thinks as he steals his
own look at Lily. His eyes narrow as he notices the faraway but angry look
on her face. " What's up with you Lil?" he asks, feeling as if everyone at
the table were down and out. " And Robbie, you haven't been yourself either
lately...Is there something that I don't know about with you guys?"

Lily answers first, feeling nervous and defensive " No Ray. Sorry for having
a few thoughts of my own." Oops, she hadn't meant to snap at him. " Sorry,"
she says, rubbing her temples " I'm just feeling...off today. I didn't sleep
well," she glances at Travis before looking at Robbie " And what's your
story? You have been acting weird for days now."

Travis has no appetite anymore. Why did she have to look at him that way? It
made him feel so guilty. He wished that they really did have a time machine
so that he could go back to when he helped her with her single. He would
make sure that things didn't wind up like this.

" I'm fine," Robbie says as he see's Kim across the lunchroom " I just
haven't been myself either lately I guess, but that's all going to change
starting now." He decides that he will put Kim out of his mind, well, at
least for now. She was beginning to consume his thoughts and he didn't like
it.

" Okaaay," Ray says as he looks at his three best friends acting like their
dog had died or aliens had taken over their bodies. " Well Trav, I'll get
you a date," he smiles " I won't go back on my promise and there is no
better way than to forget a girl than by going out with another," he lies
forcing himself not to look at Lily.

" Thanks but no thanks," Travis answers " I think I'll stay single for
awhile. Life seems to be a lot less stressful that way." " Your decision man," Ray shrugs, still afraid to make eye contact with
Lily.

" Yeah," Lily says, trying to gather her composure " Not having to deal with
a significant other and all of the emotional baggage that comes with it, is
refreshing." There. She hoped that they would both feel that one because she
had certainly felt their comments. They had felt like knives stabbing her
heart. Now that everyone at the entire table felt uncomfortable, the entire lunch
period felt as if it would never end. Ray couldn't even come up with jokes
to lighten the mood as he felt confused and irritated at the same time by
his friends.

When they were finished pushing their food around their plates, trying to
pretend to eat and make some semblance of a conversation, they all suddenly
seemed to have something to do at the same time and left the table
hurriedly, in separate ways.