PUPS & THE SCORNED CRUSH

I DON'T OWN PAW PATROL ONLY MY OC'S

It was a nice & sunny Monday afternoon. Lunch had just begun at Adventure Bay Elementary & all the students were heading to the cafeteria to eat. Angel, Elias & Kelly walked through the halls towards the cafeteria while engaging in idle conversation.

"How has your day been so far Kelly?" asked Elias in a curious voice.

"It's been good. What about you?" asked Kelly with a curious smile.

"My day's been good. Nothing out of the ordinary has happened" said Elias as he smiled.

"What do you think we'll be having for lunch today?" asked Angel in an eager tone.

"We'll find out once we get to the cafeteria. I hope it's something good" said Kelly as she licked her lips in excitement.

"I bet it is" said Angel as she, Elias & Kelly continued walking to the cafeteria. Along the way they walked past a girl with blonde curly hair, tan skin & brown eyes wearing a bright green dress & red flat sole shoes. Her name was Faith Myerson. She was a classmate of Elias, Kelly & their friends who had a huge crush on Ryder. Whenever she saw, heard about or even thought of him she felt her insides doing acrobatics & her heart beating out of her chest. For a long time, she wished to tell Ryder how she truly felt & ultimately decided that lunch was the perfect opportunity to do so.

"I'm so excited. I can't wait to tell Ryder how I truly feel. If he gives me a kiss, I'll be the happiest girl in school. Soon we'll be 1 of the cutest couples in school" thought Faith as she smiled excitedly & walked to the cafeteria. All the students were sitting at their respective tables with their friends eating & talking amongst each other. Faith sat at a table near where Ryder & his friends were sitting. She planned to confess her crush on Ryder as soon as she finished eating.

"I can't wait for the moment I tell Ryder that I love him. He'll be swept off his feet. His beautiful brown eyes are just waiting for me to look deep into them. Never have I felt so in love before. Today's going to be the best day of my life" thought Faith as she eagerly gobbled down her food. Every passing moment made her feel even more excited. Once she finished eating she got up & walked over to where Ryder sat & cleared her throat before speaking up.

"Hi Ryder. How are you?" asked Faith in a sweet voice.

"I'm feeling fantastic Faith. How are you today?" asked Ryder with a warm smile.

"I feel good. I have something I need to tell you" said Faith as she smiled excitedly.

"What is it?" asked Ryder in a curious voice.

"1ST I'd like you to stand up. It'll make what I have to say a lot more meaningful" said Faith.

Ryder raised an eyebrow in curiosity. He had no idea what Faith wanted to tell him. Nonetheless he still got to his feet & faced Faith who smiled excitedly. She then proceeded to address the entire school.

"Attention everyone. I have an announcement to make" said Faith as everyone turned to look at her & Ryder. She took hold of Ryder's hands & took a deep breath as she prepared to make her confession.

"Ryder I've been meaning to tell you this for a very long time & today I figured I'd finally come clean. The moment I 1ST saw you I knew you were the person I'd end up calling my soulmate. Your eyes are beautiful & deep as the ocean, your smile lights up my face, your hair gives you a cool look that anyone would admire & your dedication to helping everyone in Adventure Bay is heart-warming. I love you Ryder. No other boy could ever make me feel the way that you do. I hope that we can be together forever" said Faith as she smiled enthusiastically. Everyone was touched by Faith's confession. They all thought it was beautiful. Ryder was surprised. He never knew that Faith felt that way about him. He gulped nervously as he looked Faith in the eyes & told her how he felt.

"That's very sweet of you to say Faith. I never knew you felt that way about me. Unfortunately, I only think of you as a friend. I'm sorry. You're a lovely girl but I just don't see you as anything more than a friend. Thanks for telling me how you felt. That took a lot of courage" said Ryder in a nervous voice. Everyone gasped. They all began to feel sorry for Faith seeing as how she had just been rejected. Faith began to tear up as she shook in shock. She felt like someone had just ripped her heart out & shredded it into tiny little pieces.

"Why would you do that to me? I wanted to give you my heart & this is what I get? I feel like an idiot right now because of you. Do you have any idea how embarrassed, humiliated & hurt I feel right now? Thanks for nothing" said Faith as she burst into tears & ran out of the cafeteria. Ryder stood still feeling confused & guilty. He didn't mean to make Faith look like a fool but at the same time he knew that he'd feel a lot worse by lying to her about how he felt. Ryder sat down as he began to tear up.

"I feel awful. I didn't mean to upset Faith. What do I do? This is all so confusing" said Ryder as tears ran down his face.

"It'll be OK Ryder. I think Faith is just in shock because she wasn't expecting you to reject her. I'm sure she'll come to accept it eventually" said Elias as he gave Ryder a hug. Seeing his best friend feeling so torn over Faith's confession was heartbreaking but he wasn't sure what he could do or say to fix the mess. The others also consoled Ryder telling him that it wasn't his fault & that he'd be fine. Meanwhile Faith had run into the restrooms where she locked herself in a stall & cried. All she wanted was for Ryder to tell her that he loved her but instead she got rejected.

"I can't believe this happened. Ryder ruined what was supposed to be a beautiful moment. I'm not going to let him get away that easily. 1 way or another I'll make him change his mind & fall in love with me. I won't stop until he's mine" thought Faith as she began thinking of how to get Ryder to fall in love with her. Throughout the rest of the school day there was a lot of awkwardness in the air. Nobody was sure what to do or say that'd make the situation better. After school finished everyone went about the afternoon as usual. Angel, Elias & Kelly headed to the Lookout to hang out with Ryder & the pups. As they walked there they couldn't help but discuss the drama from lunch.

"What an awkward afternoon it's been. I feel bad for both Faith & Ryder. I can't imagine the sorrow they're feeling right now" said Angel in a sympathetic voice.

"Me either. I hope they'll be OK" said Elias with uncertainty in his voice.

"Me too. Right now, the best thing we can do is support Ryder & make sure he knows that he didn't do anything wrong. It'd be a lot worse if he led Faith on by lying about his feelings. That'd only embarrass her even more" said Kelly.

"Indeed. How long do you think it'll be before this all blows over?" asked Elias in an uncertain tone.

"I don't know. I'd estimate it'd take between a few days to a few weeks at least" said Angel.

"Just as long as it doesn't cause the situation to escalate I'd say that they'll eventually put this incident behind them & mend any damage to the bond they had" said Elias in a hopeful manner.

"Maybe. Only time will tell if that's the case" said Kelly as Angel, Elias & herself kept walking. Soon they arrived at the Lookout. The pups were out the front looking nervous, but Ryder was nowhere to be seen. Angel, Elias & Kelly knew that Ryder had told the pups about what had happened at school.

"Hey guys. Where's Ryder?" asked Angel as she tilted her head in confusion.

"He's in his room. This whole situation regarding Faith's crush has overwhelmed him" said Chase as he sighed sadly.

"I had a feeling that'd happen" said Elias in a concerned voice.

"It wouldn't surprise me if Faith felt the same way. I bet she's at home feeling extremely heartbroken" said Marshall as he whimpered.

"More than likely. Maybe we can try to help Ryder feel better" said Kelly with hope in her voice.

"How can we do that?" asked Rocky in an uncertain manner.

"Perhaps we can treat Ryder to some ice cream. That might make him feel better" said Angel.

"Maybe. Food always makes me feel better" said Rubble as he licked his lips.

"I just hope Ryder knows that he's not a bad person for rejecting Faith & that he shouldn't be so hard on himself over it" said Elias.

"We should talk to him. If we don't he'll only feel worse" said Skye in a nervous manner.

"Good thinking. He'll need all the support he can get" said Kelly in a confident tone.

"Let's cheer Ryder up & make him happy again" said Zuma as he smiled & wagged his tail excitedly. Everyone then went inside the Lookout & walked over to Ryder's room. Ryder was lying on his bed curled up feeling sad. He couldn't stop thinking about what had happened at lunch.

"Why can't I stop feeling bad about rejecting Faith? It's so confusing. If only this awkwardness could go away. I'd do anything to forget about it" thought Ryder as he wiped away his tears. He then heard knocking on his door.

"Who is it?" asked Ryder.

"It's just us Ryder. Can we come in?" asked Elias in a polite voice.

"No. I don't want you to see me like this" said Ryder in a shaky tone.

"Ryder it's not your fault. If you don't feel the same way that Faith does about you it's OK. You'd feel a lot worse if you lied to her & led her on" said Kelly as she tried to reassure Ryder that he hadn't done anything wrong.

"The fact that everyone in school saw what happened is embarrassing. I can't imagine how Faith is feeling right now" said Ryder as he sat up & sighed sadly.

"I'm sure she'll eventually accept that you're not into her. It might take a bit of time, but everything will work out" said Elias in a soothing manner.

"How can you be sure? There's no way of knowing what Faith will do or say next" said Ryder with uncertainty in his voice.

"Don't worry about it. Let's go out & get some ice cream. That'll help cheer you up" said Kelly as she smiled hopefully. Ryder sat quietly for a few moments considering the offer. Ultimately, he decided that getting some ice cream was better than lying in bed feeling sorry for himself. After getting off his bed Ryder wiped the tears off his face & opened the door to his room. Angel, Elias, Kelly & the pups gave Ryder warm smiles. They were glad he decided to join them for some ice cream.

"You guys are the best. Thanks for sticking by me" said Ryder as he gave everyone a hug.

"You're welcome. We're always here for you when you need us" said Elias in a reassuring voice.

"Let's go. I can hear the ice cream calling us" said Kelly as everyone left the Lookout & headed to the ice cream shop. As soon as they arrived they picked out the flavours they wished to have. Angel chose mint choc chip, Elias chose caramel toffee, Kelly chose strawberry, Ryder chose chocolate, Chase chose boysenberry, Marshall chose vanilla, Rocky chose rainbow, Rubble chose cookies & cream, Skye chose banana & Zuma chose rum & raisin. After getting their ice cream everyone went to Adventure Beach & sat on the sand while enjoying their frozen treats. The ice cream had a creamy smooth texture & tasted nice & sweet. Everyone happily devoured their ice cream before laying down & soaking up some rays. The sand felt nice & warm which made everyone feel cosy as if they were lying in bed. For the rest of the afternoon they stayed on Adventure Beach enjoying the nice weather. Soon it was time to head home.

"This afternoon was fantastic. It helped me forget about Faith. Thanks for cheering me up guys" said Ryder as he smiled warmly at everyone.

"You're welcome. I'm glad we made you feel better" said Elias as he gave Ryder a hug.

"We better get home. See you tomorrow" said Kelly as Angel, Elias & herself left to go home. Ryder & the pups returned to the Lookout to get dinner sorted. Meanwhile Faith was at home curled up in bed. Ever since she got home from school she'd been in her room. That was where she stayed for the rest of the day. All she could think about was how humiliated she felt over being rejected.

"Ryder will fall in love with me 1 way or another. I know that we're meant to be. I don't care what I must do to win him over. Nothing will stop me from becoming his soulmate. If any other girl dares to put their moves on him, I'll gouge their eyes out. Ryder's mine. Nobody else can have him" thought Faith as she drifted off to sleep.