Littleton Colorado, July 31st 2005

Sunday, 6:27 p.m.

Rydel's P.O.V.

We just started brainstorming ideas and we got a set list of a couple of songs set up. Iris would start just singing, "Sk8er Boi" with me in background vocals. Then, Rocky and Ross would sing "When I Come Around" while still playing their guitars. I would have a solo singing; "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" by Pat Benatar, while Iris and Rocky would play battle up on stage with the guitar solo. Riker and Iris would then switch spots and Iris would play drums while Riker sings "Disease" by Matchbox 20, while playing bass. Then, for our last song, we've decided that Iris and Riker should do a duet, but we can't decide what song they should do.

"Well, definitely something acoustic." Riker said.

We all nodded and I went over to our cabinet under the T.V. and started pulling out all of our CDs, looking for a song.

"Okay, do you want an acoustic love song? Or something else?" I looked up and over to Iris, who was staring at Riker. Everyone else was quiet and the atmosphere was super awkward.

After a minute or two, who knows how long, Iris answered saying, "I guess it doesn't matter."

Everyone instantly relaxed and Rocky joined me to start looking through CDs. It was about six thirty now and mom went up stairs to order a pizza for dinner and invite April and Martin over. She came back down after ten minutes with them and said, "Okay, the pizza will be here in 30 minutes."

We all chorused our "okay" and "Thanks" and continued looking through songs. Every once in a while, I would look up to Iris, and find her either staring at Riker or staring off into space. I looked over to Riker and discreetly caught his attention. He perked up and I motioned over to Iris who was spacing out again. He looked over at her, then back to me and nodded.

He stood up and said, "Hey, I have more CDs in my room. Iris, you want to come look through them?"

After she didn't nudge or respond he went over and nudged her shoulder repeatedly saying, "Iris? Iris? Hello?"

She finally snapped out of it with a jump and a small scream. We all laughed and she looked around and said, "What'd I miss?"

Riker just chuckled and said, "Come on, weirdo. We'll go look through the CDs in my room."

She stood up with a defensive look on her face, and as they were walking up the stairs I could hear her say, "I may be a weirdo, but I'm your weirdo."

We all laughed quietly and continued looking through songs. This was going to be a long week...

Riker's P.O.V.

I led her upstairs to my room and opened the door. I shared it with Rocky, so it had two twin beds, one with blue blankets for me and one with green blankets for Rocky. The walls were dark blue and all the other furniture was just a brown wood color. I turned on the light and went over to my desk and started pulling out all my CDs while Iris plopped down onto Rocky's bed and put a pillow under her head. She was just staring at the floor, and was obviously lost in thought. I could basically see the wheels turning in her head and knew something was wrong. So I grabbed a stack of CDs and sat on the floor, underneath her head. I handed her a couple CD cases and she flipped over on her back and started looking through them.

She started laughing and I looked up and said, "What?", while laughing a little myself.

I couldn't help it, her laugh was contagious. She handed me my Goo Goo Dolls CD that I had and said, "We should sing "Iris". That would be sick."

I nodded and said, "I've never heard it. I've only listened to one or two songs on here, and I don't know how to play it."

She nodded and said, "It's a good song. You should listen to it sometime."

I nodded, not really paying attention as I stuck it with my pile of other CDs and looked over my NSYNC CDs. "It doesn't have to be a love song, does it?" I asked after a while.

"No, it doesn't have to be." She answered, maybe a little to quickly. I heard her sigh quietly.

I looked up to her and said, "What's the matter, Iris?"

She flipped back over on her stomach and stared at me, as if she was contemplating whether she should tell me or not. I decided to give her some encouragement and said, "You know you can tell me anything."

She nodded a little and said, "Promise you won't get mad?"

I laughed a little and said, "Yes, I promise I won't get mad."

She held out her pinkie and I locked it with mine. She flipped back over onto her back and said, "Well, its kind of about what happened today... at the park."

I nodded even though my insides were churning, I really didn't want to talk about that. I got up and sat down on my bed, which was only a foot or so away from were she was lying on Rocky's bed. I took a deep breath and said, "What about it?"

She continued to look up at the light on the roof, obviously not caring that it's bad for your health, and said, "Well, it's probably nothing. But, how do you know that Rodrick kid was staring at me and not Rydel?"

I thought for a moment and said, "I don't know. But he's a grade above us and even though you and Delly are only a month or two apart, you do look a lot older than her, and you act a little older than her. So, it just makes more sense that he would be staring at you. Why?" I added after a moment.

She sighed again and said, "Why would he though? I'm really nothing special. Why do people like Gerald and Rodrick think I am?"

I smiled a little, she really didn't know. I decided to play with her a little and layed down on my back saying, "Yeah, I don't know why either."

She raised her head up and looked at me laughing saying, "Wow, thanks. My self esteem is through the roof now..."

I laughed and threw a pillow at her. It hit her square in the face and she shot up saying, "Did you just seriously, legitimately, hit me in the face with-" she held up the pillow"-this pillow?"

I sat up and said, in my best mysterious voice, "Perhaps..."

She held back her smile well and crossed her legs, while tapping her fingers together in front of her mouth. "Now, I can tell that you're thinking what I'm thinking. So before we start the most epic war ever, please, let me arm myself first."

Without another word, she got up and went to my closet, pulling out Rocky's red Darth Maul lightsaber, and my blue Luke Skywalker jedi lightsaber. She tossed the blue one to me and we quickly took our jedi stance. We clicked on our lightsabers and the battle begun. She deflected almost every attack I made at her, and got me at least five times. I turned the lights off so she couldn't see where I was. This made it much more fun.

I heard her say, "Riker? What happened to the lights?"

I didn't answer but I followed the sound of her voice and crept up right behind her. I flashed on my lightsaber and it made the little noise. She turned around and before she could even get her lightsaber turned on, I spun her around and held my lightsaber up to her neck. I got up close to her ear and whispered, "You give up?"

She shivered and I smirked. She slid her hand from my wrist to my shoulder, her other hand gripping onto my other shoulder. I shivered and she turned her head so her lips were just ghosting the skin under my ear. "Nope." She said popping the "P".

Before I could register what happened, or even prepare myself. She bent down and flipped me over her shoulder and onto my bed. She jumped up onto the bed with me and turned on her lightsaber, pointing it into my chest. "Any last words?" She asked, obviously trying to hold back her laughter from completely schooling me.

I smiled and said, "Still want to know what's so special about you?"

She laughed softly and collapsed down beside me. "I don't know how you did it. Thanks."

I rolled over on my side and hugged her saying, "For what?"

She hugged me back and stuck her head on my chest saying, "For making me feel better, for helping me smile, for always being there, for everything."

I kissed her head and said, "That's what I'm here for."

I felt her shift a little and get up saying, "We should go back down. We still need to find a song to sing. And I want pizza."

I laughed and got up, turning the light on and walking out the door.

Iris's P.O.V.

We went back downstairs and saw everyone eating pizza and watching a movie. Rydel was still over looking through CDs and her eyes were bloodshot. I grabbed a piece of pizza from the box and walked over and sat down beside her.

She yawned and looked up at me saying, "Did you figure one out yet?"

I noticed how bloodshot her eyes were. She stretched her neck and I said, "No, not yet. We'll figure something out. You look sore, go sit on the couch."

She nodded and sat on the couch in between my mom and Ryland. I started sorting through the CDs and narrowed the search down to a few songs. Mark came over after a little and sat down cross-legged on the floor.

"Did you find any yet?" He asked, helping me look.

I nodded slightly and said, "I think so, I narrowed it down to Time Of Your Life by Green Day, Yellow by Coldplay, Wonderwall by Oaisis, and I kind of wanted to do Iris by The Goo Goo Dolls, but I don't know how to play it..." I trailed off and he chuckled.

After a minute of searching, he spoke up saying, "We need to think of a name for your band, you and Riker are the oldest so you talk it over and meet me in my office in ten minutes."

I giggled at his professional tone and said, "Sir, yes sir!"

He smiled and got up and went out. I stood up to after a minute and walked over to the stairs tapping Riker on the shoulder on the way out. I ran up the steps and out the deck doors to their little play set outside. I sat down on one of the swings and I felt someone start to push me. I turned my head and saw Riker smiling at me.

I smiled back and said, "Your dad wants us to figure out a name for the band."

He nodded and said, "Okay, any ideas so far?"

I thought for a moment and said, "It has to be something cool." I looked back at him and he had his "thinking" face on.

After a moment he said, "What about R.I.?"

I laughed and said, "R.I.? What's that supposed to mean?"

He smiled and said, "Well, all our names start with R and yours starts with an I..."

I nodded in understandment and continued thinking. "What about Flashback?"

He nodded and said, "Yeah, that sounds pretty cool. Lets go with that."

We nodded and got up to go tell Mark our new name.

Whatcha think?;) I personally liked the little Star Wars fight in there. Lizzie is pretty genius with her ideas … so I uploaded three chapters in two days! I hope that made up for my small hiatus. I should upload next week too:)

Lots of love!

-Lora & Lizzie