Littleton Colorado, May 15th 2006

Saturday, 4:15 p.m.

Iris's P.O.V.

Well, I tried my best all week to give Riker the space he needs. But this week was terrible for me. On the outside, I looked tired and drained. On the inside, I was an emotional wreck. I was tired all this week because I would cry all night, which resulted in dark bags under my eyes. I tried covering it up with make-up, but that just made my skin break out. I hadn't been outside in the sun at all, so I've become paler than before. I had minor weight loss because I had frequently lost my appetite. The kids and teachers at school would give me worried looks, but never actually cared enough to ask if I was alright. The only thing keeping me sane was the thought that maybe Riker looked and felt just as bad as I do. But clearly, that wasn't the case. He looked good, he looked normal. He looked...fine. Rydel had gotten over her shock and was speaking to me again, and between her and Rocky, I had drilled them both for any evidence that maybe Riker wasn't as happy as he looked. Rocky said he didn't seem near as angry as before, and said that it might be safe for me to talk to him now.

So that's basically what happened this week. I'm currently pacing my room, looking for an outfit for my "date" with Rodrick, and words to say to Riker. I finally settled on a plain yellow t-shirt, jeans and converse for my date, and then grabbed my purse and walked out of the house, still not sure what I could say to Riker.
I walked up their driveway, but before I could even get up the porch steps, the door swung open.

"Hey." I said upon seeing Riker. He was all dressed up in a button down black, gray, and white striped shirt. His hair had obviously been gelled, and he smelled of subtle, but intoxicating, after-shave.

"H-hey Iris." He said, stuttering. I immediately hated the way the atmosphere had changed between us.

"Uh, y-you look nice." I said, mentally kicking myself for not preparing a speech or anything.

"Thanks." He said, a slight blush appearing on his cheeks.

I sighed out of frustration and walked all the way up the steps, facing him. "Look, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I agreed to Rodrick, I wish I hadn't. But this whole 'not talking' thing is killing me. Literally. I can't stand the thought that your mad at me and, and... I'm sorry, Rikes. I'm just sorry." I had a small set of tears brewing in my eyes and I wiped them away viciously as I made to step off the porch. But, a hand stopped me on my wrist, pulling me back. Riker enclosed me in the best hug I've ever had.

"I'm not mad at you, Rissy. I'll admit, I was at first. But I understand now. I miss you too." He said softly as we released from the hug.

I smiled and said," That really feels good to hear you say that." He smiled and nodded at me, and it felt good to finally have my best friend back. "So, I have my death date with Rodrick at five, so that gives us half an hour to hang out."

I was enjoying the light and airy mood, but it suddenly vanished. His face seemed to drop, and he looked at me apologetically. "Geez, I'm sorry, Rissy. But I have to go. I'm going to an art showcase and it starts at five."

I nodded slowly, disappointed and a little sad, but trying my hardest to hide it. "Oh. Well that's all right. I-I'll just hang out with Rydel or something."

He nodded and gave me one last wave, then vanished down the sidewalk. I never did see Delly. I just walked sadly home, dreading the second the clock would hit five.

Riker's P.O.V.

I felt really bad about leaving Iris there, the look on her face sent tiny knives through my heart. But I made a commitment to McKenzie, and my dad always tells us to keep our commitments. So, there I was, walking through the busy hallways of the decorated art center, wondering what I may find when I find hers. Maybe she'll be with all her other popular friends, hanging out and hair-twirling, gossiping about the new quarterback, and probably not even paying any attention to me. I pushed my way through groups of proud parents and friends, enveloping their talented little painters and artists in hugs, congratulating them and buying all their paintings.

That's when I saw her. She sat in an empty corner of the big room, sitting with her ankles crossed and hands folded in her lap. Everyone passed by her, no one from school even bothered to show up. She wore a deep purple sweater and her blonde hair was pushed back by a headband. She kept her head down and would raise it up ever so often, giving passer bys longing looks. Her eyes met mine, and I smiled slightly and approached. She stood up slowly and wiped at her eyes a bit, before plastering on a smile and sticking her hand out.

"I'm glad you came." She said.

I nodded and she led me over her paintings. "Wow, these are really good." I complimented, examining one she did of a rose. The petals were a rich red color, and they looked soft and fragrant, almost too life-like to believe.

"Thank you." she said softly. She then pointed to another one," This one is my favorite." I smiled as I recognized the flower.

"It's an Iris." I said, amused.

She slightly smiled and said, "Yeah, in honor of your friend. I was going to give it to her, like peace treaty of sorts. To apologize for how awful I've been to her the past school years."

I was shocked at first, but then something inside told me that maybe McKenzie wasn't that awful after all. "That's very nice of you, McKenzie." I said. She blushed and looked down, and I felt a fluttering in my stomach I thought I'd only ever feel for Iris.

I grabbed her hand in mine and said, "You wanna get some pizza or something?"

Her eyes twinkled with delight and she said, "I love pizza."

Iris's P.O.V.

Rodrick arrived right on time, and he actually didn't look half bad. He wore a simple black button down shirt, hair neatly combed, and a polite smile on his face. I suddenly felt a little under-dressed then thought, "Ah, what the heck. I ain't trying to impress anybody anyhow."

We walked down our street, and an awkward, yet comfortable silence filled the air. "So, you and your band did very good at the festival." He commented as we crossed the street.

I politely smiled and said, "Yours too."

He nodded back and we continued walking. "So, what kind of stuff do you like?" I asked awkwardly.

He smirked when he looked over at me and said, "Is that the best thing you can think of? Nerd." He shoved me playfully at the end, and I found myself laughing, something I never thought would happen today.

"Alright, what do I need to know about you? Any criminal records or assault charges that I should be aware of?"

He laughed at my playful tone and said, "Well, no. I don't think so. What about you?"

I smiled mischeviously and said, "Well, I could tell you. But that would be in violation of my parole."

He raised his eyebrows and said, "Oh really now? Just what did little miss buttercup do to upset the law."

I chuckled and answered, "I threw a water balloon full of ketchup at a cop."

We both laughed as he held open the door to my favorite pizza place.

Rodrick's P.O.V.

The date was going fine as I held the door open for her. We walked into the pizza place laughing. We scanned the crowd, looking for an empty booth when I saw a familiar face.

"Hey, isn't that your friend over there?" I asked Iris as I pointed to a booth in the middle of the restaurant.

She followed my finger and her face grew confused. "Yeah, it is. But who's that girl with him?" She answered.

I shrugged my shoulders and said, "I don't know. Over there's an empty booth right beside them. Let's go find out."

She nodded and I grabbed her hand to lead the way. I thought that maybe I was supposed to feel some sort of spark when our hands met, but I didn't.

Riker's P.O.V.

McKenzie and I were actually having a good time. We sat in my favorite booth at the best pizza place in town. We were talking and eating pepperoni pizza and I laughed when she got a bit of sauce on her nose. Her cheeks tinted red as she grabbed the napkin and turned her head away a bit to wipe it off. As she was doing so I noticed two people walking down our aisle heading towards an empty booth. I fixated my eyes and saw a heart stopping sight.

"Hey, isn't that Iris over there?" McKenzie asked as she craned her head around the side of the booth.

I shrunk down in my seat a bit and said, "Yeah, it is."

She turned back around too look at me just as they reached our table. No words were said, and as soon as she saw I was with McKenzie she looked like someone kicked her in the gut. Rodrick sent us a smile and a nod and I returned the favor, trying to ignore the heartbreak I felt when I saw their hands linked.

As I craned my neck around to see them sit in a booth, Iris' back to me, I heard McKenzie say, "Wow, she's with Rodrick Carter. He's a whole grade above us."

I nodded my head and ushered a small, "Yeah." As I turned back around and caught McKenzie with an odd look in her eyes.

Iris's P.O.V.

He was with...her. Mckenzie. He was with McKenzie. Why was he with McKenzie?! I was so mad and confused I saw red everywhere I looked. Rodrick kept giving me odd stares and glancing back at their table every now and then, with an even stranger glint in his eyes. The waitress came by and brought us our Cokes then went back to get our cheese pizza.

"Are you okay?" He asked me after an awkward silence.

I faked a smile and nodded saying. "Yeah, I'm fine. How are you?" I winced a little at how weird that was and I started munching on a piece of pizza.

"I'm...fine." He said somewhat hesitantly.

I nodded and sputtered out a "Good, good." as I slurped my Coke. I know what you're thinking, and no. I'm not purposely trying to be weird so he'll never want to go out again. I'm just that way.

After a while I non-chalantly glanced back and saw Riker stand from the booth, taking McKenzie's hand and lead her to the arcade. I was fuming now and without thinking, grabbed Rodrick's hand furiously, jerking him away from the table and pulling him over to the arcade. We walked inside the loud, black-lit room. I noticed Riker and...her, getting ready to play Dance Dance Revolution. I scanned the room a bit more and saw a motorcycle racing game right next to it. Rodrick came back by then with a bag full of tokens and I, gently this time, pulled him over. I acted like I failed to notice Riker and McKenzie there, or the daggers Riker was sending Rodrick, and hopped on. I had to lean over far on the motorcycle to reach the handlebars. It was really wobbly and as Rodrick put the two coins in he wrapped both arms around mine to keep me steady. I smirked a bit as I saw Riker staring at us with anger in his eyes, not even paying attention to McKenzie. The game ended and I had won a hundred tickets from the machine for coming in first. I sat straight up and squealed (like a girly girl, my mind added with a shudder) and threw my arms around his neck in a hug. I heard him chuckle then hug me back. I hopped off the game and collected the tickets.

Riker and McKenzie were done on the dance game, and I smiled sweetly at them both before turning around to face Rodrick and said, "Bet ya, I can beat you at that." I pointed over to the dance game.

"Your on." He accepted with a smirk. I nodded and walked over to it.

McKenzie walked up with Riker in tow and said, "Mind if we watch? I think someone here needs to show us how it's done also."

I laughed and nodded. I shot Riker a friendly smile and popped two coins in the machine. Rodrick hopped up and shot me a discreet wink. I blushed and picked a Latin sounding song, then pressed play. The music filtered loudly through the speakers and the arrows popped up on the screen. I hit each step perfectly and won bonus points for adding my own salsa moves. Rodrick was creeping up fairly close to my score, and a small crowd had gathered around, cheering us on. During one spin I noticed Riker's red cheeks watching me, and McKenzie's red cheeks watching Rodrick. I laughed to myself as the game came to a close, me winning by twenty points. The machine burst to life, flashing colors and showing a percentage meter that was fully green. I fist bumped the air and hopped off, collecting the tickets.

"You did really good, Rissy." Riker congratulated me. I laughed and we high-fived

Iris's P.O.V.

"So, anything else you wanna do?" Rodrick asked as we walked around the arcade.

I shrugged my shoulders. But then, Riker caught my eye. He was standing next to McKenzie, who was playing a racing game. All he was doing was staring at me, not even bothering to look away. I held his gaze, and noticed the different flecks of jealousy, hurt, want, and longing in them. He may be on a date with McKenzie, and it may hurt my feelings for however long, but I'm not going to do the same to him. I care about him too much. Rodrick can live without me, but Riker can't, and that's whom my heart truly belongs to.

I let out a long sigh. "No, I'm fine. Let's just head home."

He seemed a bit sad, but nodded anyway. We gave our tickets to a little kid, who was more than thrilled, and walked out the door. There was an awkward silence the whole time, but when we reached my driveway, Rodrick spoke. "So, I know this was only supposed to be one date, but can I see you again next Friday?"

I had to say, the date wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, but I needed to be honest. "No, I'm sorry, Rodrick. I did have a nice time, honest I did. But, it just wouldn't feel right...for me."

He looked like a kicked puppy, and it pained me to see him like that. "There's someone else isn't there?"

His question took me slightly off guard, but as I remained silent, with my head held low, he knew he got his answer. "He's a lucky guy, your friend." I looked up at him in shock; surprised he caught on so fast. He smiled and held his hands up in surrender saying, "Hey, I'm not stupid! I saw how he kept looking at you. I'm just a little disappointed that I'll be out fifty bucks."

He seemed shocked that he let that out. I crossed my arms over my chest and stared at him accusingly. "What do you mean? Was this just a bet?"

He shoved his hands into his pockets shamefully and looked down at his toes saying, "Yes. It was a bet."

I suppose he was waiting for me to yell at him, to cry, scream and tell him to get off my porch but I couldn't help myself, I started laughing. Hard. I was doubled over with tears coming out of my eyes and my stomach cramping from the laughter.

"Why are you laughing?!" He demanded to know.

I just shook my head and motioned with my finger for him to give me a minute, and as soon as I had calmed down enough I spoke, "I could only expect something like that from you!"

He crossed his arms over his chest sternly and said, "What do you mean someone like me?"

I then stopped laughing and all the rage that I should have felt washed over me. "Someone like you. The 'thinks he's a bad boy', player that thinks he can get any girl he winks at but can't."

He seemed taken aback but immediately dropped his arms with a sigh and said, "Your right, and I'm sorry I played you like that. Your actually really cool and I would actually kind of want to see you again."

I sighed and said, "You seem like an okay guy, I'm sorry I was so mean to you before, but I don't think that would be a good idea." He sighed again in sadness and I wanted desperately to make him feel better so I said, "But, if you want, you could take me to the dance thingy at the end of the year?"

He nodded his head enthusiastically and I laughed before saying goodnight, giving him a quick hug and peck on the cheek and walking inside.

Riker's P.O.V.

I actually had a really good time tonight with McKenzie. It made me realize that she only acted the way she does in school because of the peer pressure. She said that everyone just sort of expects to see her act like that and for me, that was perfectly understandable. I walked her home, but it felt like I didn't want her to leave, I wanted to spend more time with her. So, surprising myself, I asked her to go out on another date with me, which she readily accepted. Then, she kissed me. Not on the cheek, but right on the lips, it was soft and sweet, almost timid, and it was wonderful, really, it just didn't feel the same.

I brushed the feeling off and walked home, I went into the living room and greeted my family, who was playing a rather intense game of Monopoly and everyone was absolutely hating the fact that Rocky was yet again, in the lead with hotels and houses lined up all over the board. I laughed and walked upstairs into my room, kicking my shoes off and changing quickly into my pajamas before jumping into bed for the night.

Well a well well. *Sighs* I am so sorry that this is late. It's my fault, things have just been insane. I just recently got my Drivers License though! Woohoo! It won't be as late next time, I promise!

Sorry Lizzie!

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Twitter: LoraR5

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Lots of love!

- Lora & Lizzie