A/N: I'm terribly sorry about the long wait. If you have been reading my profile page you would know that life is currently hectic and finding time to read has become a challenge. But here I am, still with this one, hopefully you are too. Thank you very much for sticking with me. Now, please enjoy.

Chapter 4: Motives

"Out of the way, food is calling my name and I must obey!" Mika shouted as she charged down the hall. Her pace was fast and Riane and Colby had a hard time keeping up with the short girl through the crowded hallway. "Come on people, move or else you get free tickets to the gun show."

"Mika, it's not nice to threaten people."

"Shut up my goody good brother, what would you know about threats? What I'm doing is just warning everyone of the dangers when coming between me and lunch."

I patted Colby's shoulder. "It's okay Colby, she didn't mean it."

"I know, it's just I wish she would take it easy, you never know when people will snap in this environment."

Colby wasn't kidding. School can be one of the most stressful experiences in a child's life; and people did often snap, hence why there was detention. Mika had quite the history with detention. In fact, they were old pals. Even though Mika recovered from the loss of her mother and step father, it wounded her deeper than most people could see. She would always pick fights with random people and piss the wrong people off. After going to some counseling and with the help of Riane and Colby, her delinquent behavior vanished.

Well almost vanished.

"Hey, you, I saw that look you threw at me. Why don't you come over here and give me a better view of it. Hey I'm talking to you." Mika shouted as she pointed to a small freshman carrying a load of books.

"Mika, he wasn't giving you a bad look. It was a look of terror."

Mika paused in the middle of the hallway. "Bout time people started fearing me."

They pushed their way into the cafeteria and were suddenly engulfed in loud chatter, clattering of silverware on plates and trays, and the smell of good old cafeteria food. Mika cut to the front of the line, leaving Riane and Colby to wait at the end of the line like good citizens. In reality, Mika would get food fast and then find and save seats for the three of them, cause face it, it's easy to sneak in one person, a little tougher to smuggle three.

"So," Colby started as they slowly inched their way along the line of students, "are you coming to my game tonight?"

"What?" Riane asked only halfway paying attention and trying harder to focus on not thinking about Jason.

"My game, you know, a bunch of people kick a ball around on a big grass field, trying to put the ball in a big netted box? Some call it soccer? Others, it's simply known as football?"

"Oh yeah, your game, I don't know, I have a big science lab due tomorrow. Who are we playing again?"

"Northside." Colby said exasperated. He couldn't remember the number of times he had had this same conversation with Riane this week.

"Dang, that's right, I remember now. That's suppose to be a big game."

"So I've heard but what do I know." Colby said, not bothering to hide the sarcasm from is voice.

"It's not like that and you know it Colby."

"Sometimes I really wonder about you."

Riane threw him a hurt look as they took a step closer to the food.

"I'm just kidding, I know you got things to do and I respect that. You are probably going to go further than both me and Mika out together."

"Don't say that, we're all going to go to the same college together. Anyway, I will have to think about the game, depends on if I can finish my report in class."

"Okay well I hope to see you there. It would mean a lot to me if you would come."

Riane stared at her shoes, admiring the colorful stitching of her DCs and trying not to let Colby see her reddening cheeks. "We'll see."

They were hustled through the line, food thrown onto their plate whether they wanted it or not. The main goal at lunch was to get in and get out. Second goal was to sort through what you wanted and didn't want and one usually ended up trading lunches with someone else. Beats going back in line or holding up the line and getting a mob of hungry and angry teenagers all mad at you.

When they finally joined Mika at a table close to the exit, for a clean getaway, Mika asked Riane, "You coming to the game tonight?" Food crowded her mouth making her speech hard to understand.

Fortunately, Riane and Colby were pro at speaking "pizza and fries."

"I was just telling Colby I might not make it due to my science lab I have yet to type up."

"I finished that easy second period; it shouldn't take a genius like you more than ten minutes." Bits of pepperoni shot out of her mouth and decorated the table. Riane and Colby moved an arm in front of their trays to protect their own lunch from the rain of pizza.

"I don't think that's possible for anybody currently at this school."

"What are you talking about, Billy finished it in twelve."

Colby spoke up. "That's because Billy makes up answers and never does the work."

Mika shrugged and tried to swallow down some food before taking a drink of her soda, God forbid she should choke on her drink and not her overwhelming food. The chatter in the room reached boarderline deafening, causing the three friends to almost shout even though they were only a few feet from each other.

"Okay, okay, you convinced me. I'll be at the game."

"Sweet!" Colby said smiling, his dark eyes brightening slightly. Or it could have been the sun peaking through the massive windows of the cafeteria.

"Are you going to eat that hotdog Riane?" Mika asked pointing to Riane's lunch and licking her lips.

The rest of the day breezed by without any problems. The science lab proved easier than she originally thought it would and she managed to finish the report in fifteen minutes.

Not nearly as good as Billy, but hey, no one's perfect.

When the final bell blared throughout the school, Riane was out of her seat and headed to her car before anyone could stop and say hello to her. The last half of class Jason had popped up in her mind. Now she didn't want to run into him in case he heard her thinking about him and was somehow magically drawn to her mind waves or something exciting like that.

Keys in hand, she was the first to enter the parking lot but she wasn't the first one to reach her car. Jason leaned against her black '84 Mazda RX-7, a sly smile showing radiantly in the waning sunlight.

When he saw her, he waved at her, stood up straight and began walking toward her.

Riane flipped a U-turn and marched straight back toward the school. Apparently she'd forgotten something important in her locker. She glanced over her shoulder to see if he was following her and was relieved to see he was nowhere in sight. She sighed then faced forward only to gasped as Jason suddenly appeared in front of her. Taking advantage of her surprise, Jason wrapped his arms around her in a bear hug; face inches away from her, lips only a few centimeters.

He smelled so wonderful Riane thought she would faint. Even through her jeans, she could feel warmth flooding from his legs, giving her the thought that maybe he really was real and not an illusion. Feeling better that she wasn't going crazy, it didn't help with her current predicament.

"Uh… hi Jason." A nervous twitch could be detected in her voice and she struggled to keep it together.

"Hey babe. How was your day?" He loosened his grip but refused to let her escape again.

"It was fantastic." Riane figeted under his gaze.

"You're lying."

"No I'm not." She protested. The day had been stressful but nothing extremely bad had happened. No water balloons had been dropped on her, paper airplanes hadn't poke out one of her eyes, and a "kick me" sign wasn't taped to her back unknowingly. At least she didn't think one was. She tried to crane her head around to look down at her back was sad to find out she wasn't that flexible.

"What are you doing?"

"Checking to make sure Colby and Mika didn't pulled a fast one on me. Is there something stuck to my back?"

Jason gently pushed my chin toward him so that I was looking him straight in the eye. His hypnotizing blue eyes were like a violent sea storm forever locked in a swirling dance. "Nothing is on your back. Now are you going to tell me what's wrong?"

Truth be told, Mika had told her someone had said some nasty things in ear shot of Colby about his father being a violent alcoholic and that his father had been driving drunk and made the fatal error himself, not the other way around which was the truth

Although this might have been true many years ago, his father had abonded his drunking ways for his family. Colby knew they were just trying to piss him off. Jealous of his role on the soccer team was the most likely reason and if they could get Colby to snap and hit them, there would go his title as captain.

Pricks. Riane thought as she remembered the rising anger she had felt. She knew she had to keep Mika calm though and didn't let her anger show back then. Now, she clenched her fists so hard her nails dug painfully into her palm. She relaxed though when she felt a drop of blood trail down the side of her hand.

Sensing her distress, Jason looked down at her hands and noticed the flowing blood. Brow knitted with concern, he carefully grabbed her hand, pulled it toward his face and kissed her palm.

Blushing, Riane said jokingly but really trying to keep her voice from squeaking, "Whoa, Jason. I don't remember making you a vampire."

The sun beat down on the parking lot that was now completely full of students old enough to drive themselves home. Some glanced in their direction but just rolled their eyes and kept walking. Obviously they had seen better stuff in their days at school.

Satisfied that the cut was no longer bleeding, Jason held Riane's hand out and slowly worked his way up her arm, planting a kiss every few inches.

Riane's stomach did a flip and heat flooded through her cheeks. "Uh… Jason?" She felt herself growing dizzy from the heat of the sun. With every kiss, the sun's rays seemed to get more and more intense.

He reached her neck but didn't stop there. Instead he continued along his set path, the targeted goal obvious to anyone with any sense at all.

Short of breath all of a sudden, Riane gasped, "Jason…wait… stop…" She closed her eyes as the noise of cars and voices drowned out into silence. Her body grew weak and legs threatened to drop out from under her. It was too damn hot.

Jason paused; his lips hovered just over hers. His breath hot on her skin.

In the back of her mind, she heard someone calling her name. Ignoring the cry, she tried to regain her senses but the heat wass overwhelming her and she felt on the verge of fainting. "Jason..." She couldn't catch her breath. "There's something...something wrong with me..."

Jason whispered to her as darkness began to cloud her vision."Riane, come with me now."