Hey guys! Sorry for the long delay in updating! I have had exams and coursework and stuff . And writers block. Still, here we go!

Chapter Five

I stare at him. "Er..."

What. What. No. This is wrong. This is weird. Mal…likes…me? A member of the male species likes me in a more-than-friends way? But…but Mal likes Rainbow! Why was he talking to Rainbow if he doesn't like her? Who in their right mind would like me more than Rainbow? Maybe he's mad? Maybe he's been hit in the head too many times by his surfboard? Because seriously. Me vs Rainbow in the romance area? Rainbow would win every time. I am on the short side and slightly scrawny. Rainbow is several inches taller than me with a much more womanly figure. My hair is a long dark mop of tangles. Rainbow has a sleek, shiny blonde bob. I wear jeans and hoodies. Rainbow wears brightly coloured leggings and denim skirts. I hardly ever involve myself in any social activity at all, apart from surfing and body boarding every now and then. Rainbow, although she avoids the water, has the band, and loads of clubs, and is just a generally all round friendly, open, social person. So why the hell would Mal want to go out with me? Me, of all people, who bit his head off and embarrassed him in front of his friends about four years ago?

"Sapphire?" Mal looks like he's beginning to regret he said anything.

Believe me, I regret him saying anything too.

"Mal...erm...you are a really nice guy. A really, really nice guy...but..." I try to think of something that is an excuse. That isn't 'It's not you, it's me!' Why was I not prepared for this? Why do they not teach us this in school? 'How to turn down boys'. Now there's a lesson I need. I do not have experience in this area!

My brain is still struggling to come up with an excuse here.

Why did I not read more Jacqueline Wilson books? Why did I only read fantasy? Can I shoot him a line from Lord of the Rings and run off quickly and hope he never sees me again? "The Road goes ever on and on, Mal…must be off, see ya!"

Two words.

Lead.

Balloon.

Brain still struggling.

Oh God he's doing puppy dog eyes. Sad puppy dog eyes. No! Not the eyes! Anything but puppy dog eyes! Now he's reminding me of Sadie and I want to pat him on the head. NO! Must not do that!

BRAIN GOING INTO MELTDOWN.

DO NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO.

WHAT DO I SAY?

WHAT DO I SAY?!

"But...I already have a boyfriend."

"What?"

What?

Mal looks just as shocked as I feel at hearing these words come out of my mouth.

Bad brain! That was not the answer that I wanted you to produce!

What did you just say Sapphire? WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?

"You...you have a boyfriend?"

I feel myself nodding. My brain seems to have been taken over by a strange alien force and is acting entirely of its own accord. "Yes...sorry...we're keeping it quiet at the moment...You're a lovely, lovely guy, but...I'm sorry." I am such a bad person. Such a bad, bad person.

He nods. "I understand. Thank you for being so honest with me."

A very, very bad person. I manage to maintain a smile, despite the guilt ravaging my insides. "Thank you for asking me. It's very...flattering."

He stands up, brushing the sand off of his jeans and glancing back towards the silhouettes surrounding the bonfire. "I'd better get back to the party then. People will think I'm neglecting them..."

"Of course." The smile stays fixed on my face.

"You coming?" he says, holding out a hand, before quickly dropping it, going a little red as he remembers that I am apparently spoken for.

"I...I think I'll just stay here for a little while," I say, glancing towards the sea before looking back at him and the bonfire I can see beyond his shoulder. The smile is still glued to my lips, like the painted smile on a Barbie doll.

He looks a little put out. "Oh...okay...bye then..." He turns and walks away, back towards the fire.

I finally let the smile slip. I sigh, putting my head in my hands. What have I got myself into? Oh God...But the trouble is that I don't really like Mal. Not like that, anyway. I can't deny it. I feel bad for letting him down, but I can't pretend to like him to make him happy. That would be...well, somehow that would be underhand. Lying. Of course Sapphire. Telling him that you have a boyfriend when you definitely don't isn't lying at all...

Agh!

But I don't want to hurt him by telling I don't like him...

I say again; lessons on this would be really nice. Really nice. But no. We learn about quadratic equations and sonnets instead. Well, I'd probably be just as bad at boy-lessons as I am at Maths considering that put down.

Maybe I'd have been better off with the Lord of the Rings thing?

With a heavy heart, I stand and begin to walk along the seafront, barefoot, the sea breeze blowing at my hair and whipping the skirt of the red dress around my legs, making me wish that I could just dive into the waves and be at one with the ocean. Away in Ingo, where love nor care never trouble me…

~x~

"You're very quiet Saph."

"Mm." I stare out the window, not meeting Conor's questioning gaze in the mirror.

"Saph?"

"CONOR, KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE ROAD!"

"Sorry Rainbow..."

Conor quickly returns his gaze to the tarmac stretching out in front of us, instead of turning around to look at me properly.

"I'm fine, Con," I say with a slight edge to my voice. I really do not want to be questioned about this now. Or ever. In fact, I want to forget the entire shambles all together and lock it away in the deepest, darkest corner of my mind and pretend that it never happened.

I can hear the disbelief in his voice when he answers. "Really?"

"Yes. Fine. Okay. Happy as Larry."

"Who's Larry?" Rainbow pipes up from next to me.

"It's an expression, Rainbow."

"I knew that!" she pouts. "I was making a joke."

"Oh."

The car descends into an awkward silence. Conor taps his fingers lightly on the steering wheel as he drives along the narrow winding road up the hill, the sound almost deafening in the stillness. Rainbow begins to hum. Simultaneously, everyone, except the driving Conor, turns to look at her.

"Are you humming the Beatles?" Patrick says from the passenger seat.

"Do you have a problem with the Beatles?" Rainbow asks her brother, raising her eyebrows. He shakes his head quickly. Rainbow can be ever so slightly scary when she's like this. And by 'like this', I mean when she has consumed sugar.

"No. No problem at all," he says, looking a little anxious.

"Good."

Conor stops the car outside of Rainbow and Patricks house. "See you two around then."

"Thanks for the lift Conor," Patrick says, opening the car door and shutting it quietly after him, as River is asleep inside.

"Yeah, thanks," Rainbow adds, smiling sunnily at Conor before hugging me. "See you Sapphy." She goes to climb out, before hesitating. "Actually, Sapphy, do you want to meet up tomorrow?" she asks, giving me a significant look. I'm not quite sure what the look is for, but the eyebrow raised with it makes me feel slightly nervous. As if she knows something that I don't know she knows. Oh no.

"Umm..." I reply, unsure what tactics to use here. Does she know what I now think she knows that I didn't think she knew?

"There's this place which does amazing ice-cream! It's pretty new, I don't think you've been to it; it only opened a little while ago!"

"Um..." Is she trying to bribe me with promises of delicious ice-cream?

"See you there at eleven then!"

Well it looks like she's succeeded, despite the fact I appear to have said nothing except 'Umm' through the entire conversation. I sigh. "Okay then. What's it called?"

"The Moo Maid of Zennor Ice-Cream parlour," she says, grinning. "I thought of you the moment I saw it."

I catch Conor's eye in the mirror and we simultaneously burst out laughing.

Okay, so I knoooooow this chapter is ABYSMALLY short. You can shoot me. I don't mind. Well actually I do...:S (EDIT 25/08/12: Extended it now, mwhahaha! :P)

I blame whoever wrote out the plot and chapter outline for this story. That was the person who dictated what content should go in each chapter...oh yeah, that was me...XD.

Nah, in seriousness, I have been EVILLY neglecting this story, and so many lovely, lovely people have reviewed, and I wanted to put something up...you are ALL amazing! Thank you so much, I actually do a little dance every time I get a review. I am being serious. I actually do. You can ask my family. XD

Anyway, is it just me, or is Rainbow slowly going a bit bonkers (i.e, turning into me...:S)? Ah well...XD.

Thank you again for reviewing!

Next chapter should be up soon to make up for the fact that this was disgustingly short!

Lot's of love,

Sapphire

P.S Shameless self-advertising; I have got an Ingo groupy thing on deviantArt, if anyone wants to join, and have recently put up a truck load of Ingo related art :D. If you want to see, search for SapphireLovesTheSea and you'll find me :D Thank you guys!

xxx