A lot of you guys asked for a sequel. Here it is. Starring Sapphire instead of Yellow.

Note: It's really awkward trying to write romance during a junior biology class. Especially when you are learning about lobster sex. Don't ask, I go to a really weird school.

And yes, I've been working on this since last year. If I get one person telling me that I should have hurried things up, I will take this entire story down. Don't think I won't do it. My personal "bullshit" tolerance has gone down way too much to be messed with right now. I dare you to try me.

I don't own the characters. I attach strings to them and shout, "Dance marionettes! Dance for my pleasure!"

I've never felt so close to God as I did that day.

I was aware of everything as the beast circled me, trying to decide if I was worth leaving the last thing it killed. The trees swayed silently in the afternoon summer breeze. I could hear birds calling to each other. Warnings, mating calls and all. I shivered in my thin summer dress, and not just from the chill either. There was nothing I could do. All I could do was wait for my end. Wally was already dead and lying a few feet away. I couldn't look at him because I couldn't take the sight of blood. Momma passed away when I was born. Poppa could hardly stand to look at the thing that took the love of his life away. Ruby was gone.

I felt the beast's sharp teeth pierce my breast. I didn't panic. My existence was a cruelty to everyone around me. I deserved to be erased and forgotten. I knew that, even at the tender age of six.

The beast threw me against a rock and my world went black.

My eyes flew open and I quickly sat up in bed, my breaths coming fast and shallow like I was drowning.

"Bad dream." I thought. "Just a very, very bad dream that you haven't had in years." I shook my head. "C'mon Sapph. Snap out of it. You've got school today."

I nearly gagged. If there was one thing I hated more than him it was school. People there signed so that you couldn't see. They talked about the poor girl who lost her best friend at such a young age. They talked about me like I was broken, like there was no way I could be fixed. I was too damaged, too scarred.

I scowled and threw my shirt off, determined to never think about it again. I stripped my pajamas off, throwing myself into the warm water and letting the bad memories mix with the water and flow down the drain.

I nearly threw up when I saw Yellow blushing at a text message Red sent her. You'd think that after a whole week of this lovey-dovey crap they would give it a rest already.

"We are not going out!" She fiercely denied when I asked her about it. "I'm still not sure whether to trust him or not!"

I rolled my eyes. "You have got to admit, you have been spending a lot of time together lately. People have been gossiping."

She rolled her eyes. "What do they say? I'm going out with some Hearing stalker of mine?"

"Pretty much, yeah. Though everyone does have a new respect for you after that speech at your last competition. You've pretty much inspired people to stand up against the oppression of Deaf people. Of course, you've also given our delinquents an excuse to rebel, but they would have done that anyways."

She smiled. "I just signed what came naturally. I couldn't let that girl ridicule me like that just because I was Deaf."

I felt giggles bubble up in my chest. "Can you believe they had to get security to escort her off the stage? I'm surprised she didn't get arrested right then and there!"

I saw him. I saw him and I was going to ignore him. He didn't deserve my attention. In fact, he didn't deserve anything from me.

"Sapph?" I turned my attention back to Yellow. "Isn't that Ruby? Isn't he Red's friend?"

"I don't know." I shrugged to make it look convincing. "I've never met him before."

I would never know a monster. The two boys I once played with were dead. One physically, and the other dead in my heart.

Yellow didn't look convinced in the least, but allowed me to take the lead as we we walked past him and into the school building. I didn't look back, but I could feel the burning sensation of his eyes on my back.

He was there again when school let out. I ignored him and walked past him, hoping he would get the hint.

He didn't. In fact, he followed me home. This gave me goosebumps. It was one thing knowing where I went to school, but knowing where I lived? That kind of crossed the line.

I turned around. "What are you doing? What gives you the right to follow me around?"

"I'm sorry."

I shook my head. "Don't be. After all, I got to see the real face behind the mask."

"I was six."

I snorted. "Even at six, I knew I wouldn't leave my friend to die." I gestured for him to leave. "I don't want to see you. In fact, I never want to see you again."

"So I can't even see you?"

"You ran and I had to suffer for it. That should be reason enough." I turned around and walked into my house.

Painting was my artistic release point. A few years ago I found a video that showed me when I was fingerpainting. I looked so happy and innocent; my face was covered in paint, my cheeks were pink and my hair in ponytails. It's one of the only videos I have of me as an innocent child.

As I grew up I found that I could escape the real world by art. I was sitting in my room, watching Ruby pace in front of my house in the dark while working on a watercolor painting for the next art exhibition. I wasn't paying attention to my surroundings, so I didn't realize he was in my room until I felt his presence. I turned around. "What do you want?"

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay. You were even more quiet than usual at dinner."

I sneered. "I'm always quiet. I'm deaf after all. But why do you care? You've made it perfectly clear you never have cared. Now leave."

He sighed and leaned against my door. "We've had this conversation a million times. I was overcome with grief."

"You couldn't have taken it out on the cat? The car? Our relatives? No. You had to take it out on me because I look like Mom. That is no excuse, especially since you didn't even feel any remorse until I was almost dead. I kind of feel like I should have died that day, just to teach you a lesson."

"I'm sorry."

"Me too, but not for feeling the way I do. I will never feel sorry for that. Ever. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a painting to finish and you being here is killing me artistically."

He looked like he wanted to say something, but instead signed, "Goodnight Sapphire."

I waited until he was out of the room to sign, "Goodnight Poppa."

I saw Poppa's face as he looked at a photo of my mother.

I felt the coldness of being lonely as I watched Poppa look at me and see the wife he would never again embrace.

I heard Wally's screams as he died.

I saw Ruby's scared expression as he turned away from me(us) and ran away.

I tried to block out the gradual fading on the crunching noises as the beast ate it's dinner.

I remember the feeling of waking up, only to discover I couldn't hear anymore.

I recall the look on Ruby's face as I glared at him in a hospital room after the accident. The way I screamed at him that I hated him and I never wanted to see him again still penetrates my mind.

I remember being so chilled to the bone, even when Poppa hugged me.

I hated the nightmares that haunted me for months, all the blood and crunching sounds, the sad realization that one of my best friends abandoned us to be killed.

I recall the struggles of learning a new language so young when I wasn't even finished grieving.

I saw the jeers of my hearing classmates when they were told that I couldn't hear anything.

I remember–

I woke up screaming.

I was Alice, stuck in a world of dark memories I would never escape from.

"You look terrible." Yellow commented as we walked to school. "Are you okay?"

I couldn't blame her. I had been having nightmares about Wally's death for weeks and they chilled me to the bone. I had blocked out those memories from my past for years and now, all of a sudden, they were coming back with Ruby? That made me hate him even more.

I waved off her concerns. "I'm fine. I'm just really tired. I've been spending so much time on my painting for the exhibition that I haven't been sleeping much. I'll be fine once the contest is over."

She still didn't look convinced, but she let it go and I couldn't help but be grateful. After all, the last thing I needed was Yellow of all people knowing what went on through my head. The girl already had enough of her own demons without having to deal with mine. She was an angel in her own right and I didn't want to be the monster that dimmed her light.

She tapped me on the shoulder, pointing to where Ruby was standing in front of our school. "Why is he here again? I walked up to him the other day, but he didn't seem like he was here for me." She stared at me for a minute, then her eyes widened. "He is the one you were staring at when I took Red and his friends to the art competition last month, isn't he?" Her signing was wild with excitement. I just kept walking, looking straight ahead as I passed him. Yellow waved to him, but I could feel his eyes on me. She shook her head. "I don't know what happened Sapph, but he looked like a kicked puppy when you didn't look at him." I couldn't help but smirk. Yellow frowned. "Okay, who are you and what have you done with my Sapphire? You aren't usually this masochistic."

"I'm fine. I'm just really tired."

"Is it the painting that's really tiring you out?" She grabbed my shoulder, pulling me to a stop outside her classroom. "Look, you know I'm your friend right?"

"I think you made it fairly obvious when we started to hang out outside of art club."

"Than as a friend, I'm letting you know that I'm here for you. That even though you can be a real pain in the ass sometimes, I still think of you as an amazing person. So if you ever want to talk, just come to me. We'll go to the art room or my house, I'll treat you to those pastries you like from Amara's, and we'll talk."

I felt my eyes water. "Thanks Yellow."

She smiled and bumped my shoulder. "What are friends for?"

I was in the middle of painting again when I saw rocks being thrown at my window.

Guess who it was.

"What are you doing?"

His signing was blurry in the dark, but I think I got the gist of it. "I need to talk to you. Can you come down?"

I rolled my eyes. "I'm not going anywhere with you."

He grinned. "Don't make me reintroduce myself to your dad."

I bit back a growl. "You bastard."

He shrugged and I wanted nothing more than to march down there and give him a nice shiner to his face. "I have to do something to get your attention."

"I'll be down in ten and if you even try to get past my threshold before I get down there, you will find yourself in a world of pain!"

I couldn't hear it, but the way he doubled over made me think he was laughing.

We walked in silence for the first few minutes. He had taken me to a large park near my house and we set off down the unpaved path. It was dark and there were barely any lights illuminating the path and it creeped me out so much that I wanted to tear off my big girl face and run home.

He stopped walking, staring at a park straight ahead. With a jolt I remembered that this was the park Wally, Ruby and I used to play at when we were kids. It was also where we were attacked and where Ruby left Wally and I to die. "What are we doing here?"

He shrugged. "I can't just take a walk down memory lane?"

"Not when the path to that memory reminds me of the day I lost my hearing." I started inching backwards. "I'm going home. I don't need to be reminded of this."

He gently captured my wrist and made me face him. "I don't want to discuss why you hate me. I just want to talk."

I gave him my most sarcastic look. "Talk about what?"

"Anything. Except," He quickly added. "what happened here. I just want to know you again, Sapph."

"Why?" I blinked back tears. "You made it pretty clear that you didn't care about what happened to Wally and I when you left us for dead. Why now, after all these years?"

He looked frustrated. "Because I've been going to Wally's grave everyday since it happened! Because after the accident, when I found out you couldn't hear anymore, I begged my parents to teach me how to sign because someday, when or if you ever forgave me, I wanted to be able to communicate with you! I gave you space, and now I'm paying for my own stupidity!" One of his hands grasped my upper arm. I was too shocked to notice. "I love you, Sapph. I've been in love with you since we were kids. Even when you refused to see me, I still loved you. I still loved you when you shouted at me to leave you alone because it was my fault. I love you now, because no matter what happened to your ears I'll never stop loving your heart."

I didn't know what to say and I stood there in shock. He loved me? After all these years, after everything I said, he still loved me? I didn't feel the tears on my cheeks until Ruby brushed a finger over my cheek. "I'm sorry. I made you cry, didn't I?"

I nodded. It was the truth after all. "Why do you love me? I've hated you for the longest time Ruby. I always felt like you were the reason I couldn't hear anymore."

He looked pained. "It was my fault. You were right; I should have stayed and helped. Sapph, I'm not going to admit I wasn't a coward. Only a fool would say he isn't afraid of anything. I was scared, and I ran and I forgot everything that mattered. When I realized you weren't with me," He looked sick. "that you guys might have been eaten by that animal, I told my parents what happened and they called for help."

My lips trembled. "That help didn't come soon enough."

He shook his head. "It will always be the one thing I regret most of all. I wasn't fast enough, even though the coaches and my dad begged me to sign up for soccer and track because I was a fast runner, it just wasn't enough." He sighed. "Please Sapphire, let me be in your life again. I was miserable these past ten years because I couldn't see you. I still have every picture of you and Wally and I that we took as kids. I–"

I held up a hand. "Stop it Ruby." I suddenly felt exhausted. "I don't need you in my life anymore. I was fine without you for the past ten years and I'll be fine without you for the rest of my life."

"I won't be fine without you! I need you!" He took my shoulder and held my body with his arms, holding me captive in his embrace with my chest against his. I shivered as he whispered into my neck.

I love you Sapphire.

My head was swirling and I felt like I couldn't breathe. My heart wanted to jump out of my chest and do somersaults. He loved me? I mean he already said it, but didn't I hate him?

Did I want to keep hating him?

He tightened his grip and moved his mouth towards my neck, sucking lightly on the hollow base near my collar. I couldn't stifle my gasp and I was suddenly pushed away. He was panting heavily, although I wasn't exactly calm either.

"Sorry." He signed when he had calmed down. "I'm so sorry."

"What?"

"I understand. I'll stay away."

What? "Wai–"

He refused to listen. "Come on. I'll walk you back."

Getting up in the morning is hard in general. Getting up, knowing that I had to face Ruby sooner or later? I considered playing sick for a month.

I dragged myself to the bathroom anyways.

As soon as I looked in the mirror, I groaned and my hand instinctively went to my throat. The marking was still there. They looked like bruises. Or more specifically, hickeys.

I was so going to be teased. Spring wasn't exactly the time to wear turtlenecks, so there went that option. I hated scarves and the one bandanna I had, I used for my hair. I didn't own any chokers.

I guess teasing was definitely in my future.

Yellow's grin almost made me turn around and run home. "Well well well. Someone got some last night."

I groaned. "Don't you dare. I still need to talk to the asshole who gave this to me."

She wiggled her eyebrows. "A boy named after a red jewel?"

I raised a brow. "I wasn't aware I knew anyone named Garnet."

She rolled her eyes. "You know I'm talking about Ruby. So what happened last night?"

I shook my head. "I don't want to go there, Yel."

She pouted, but thankfully let it go.

I huffed and checked the time on my watch. He should have gotten out by now. I wasn't going to stand by and just wait for him to come to me. I knew that he would be avoiding me, so I was going to bring the fight to him.

Besides, I had to really talk to him about what we felt for each other and how we were going to work it out. Communicating wasn't a problem; he was already near-fluent. Getting past the awkwardness of the past? That was going to be harder.

Someone tapped me on the shoulder. I prepared to glare at them before I realized it was just Red. "Hi Sapph. What brings you here?"

"I'm looking for Ruby. Is he here?"

He scratched his chin. "I think so. He's a year or two younger than me so I have different classes than him. I do know that school let out ten minutes ago, so he should have gotten out by now."

I lightly bumped my head against the wall. "Wonderful." I had to fingerspell the word. Even though he's getting better at interpreting my signs and learning new ones, I have to remind myself he isn't perfectly fluent yet. Getting there, but not there yet. "Would you be the best guy in the world and drag his ass out here? I'll even put in a good word about you to Yellow."

From his shaking shoulders I assumed he laughed. "Tempting. You certainly know how to make an offer. What did he do this time?"

"Lots of things."

He laughed some more. "Way to be specific Sapph, but I'll go get him if that is what you want."

I nodded. "Please."

He didn't have to. Red suddenly snapped his head towards the direction of the entrance to the school. I peered over his shoulder and my heart shattered for the second time in eleven years.

Ruby was smiling (laughing) with a girl. Her arms were wrapped around one of his and she was blushing. In fact, I could see a tiny blush on his cheeks too. They were laughing at something he said. The worst part is that she was amazingly beautiful. She looked nothing like me in my ratty jeans and a plain white shirt covered with oil paint. My heart burned with an intense rage and sadness I knew I'd felt before.

This was the feeling of learning that someone you trusted betrayed you.

I felt a pat on my shoulder. "Sapph? You okay?"

I wanted to scream until I was hoarse. I wanted to hurl until there was nothing left inside of me anymore. I wanted to cry until my body shriveled up in a gutter somewhere far from here. I wanted to die. Of course I wasn't okay. "I'm fine. I just remembered I had to do something. See you later."

He grabbed my wrist before I could get far enough away. "Wait. Are you sure you're okay?"

I shook my head as the tears started to fall. "I can't Red. I just can't do it anymore."

He looked scared. "Sapph stop talking like that. You're scaring me." He suddenly snapped his head to Ruby again and I did the same. Ruby was staring at us, or staring at me and my tears. The girl on his arm was moving her lips but he didn't seem to be paying attention.

There was no room for me in his life anymore. Even if he did want me, he didn't want the current me. He wanted the girl who would trust him unequivocally, the sad little girl who believed that her two best friends would be with her for the rest of her life.

I tore my wrist away from Red and signed, "I'm sorry. I loved you too."

I couldn't take the surprised look on his face and ran as fast as I could.

Sometimes I find myself wandering back to the place where I lost it all. The same park where I lost everything I stupidly considered important. I would cry and sob and remember that despite the fact that I had Yellow and my paintings, I was still all alone in this world.

A tap to my shoulder brought me out of my thoughts. I turned to see Yellow looking concerned. "You okay?"

I shook my head. "No."

"Do you want to talk?"

"No."

She paused. "Do you need anything?"

"No."

She shook her head. "You know I don't believe that."

I had to pinch myself. This was Yellow. She was one of the only people who could truly see who I was, what I was really thinking and feeling. "I do need one thing."

"A hug?" I nodded. "Well, then come here."

She opened her arms and I flung myself into her embrace, clutching her like a lifeline I never wanted to let go of.

I couldn't hear myself wail, but I'm pretty sure everyone else could hear the sobs of a heartbroken girl echoing throughout the park that afternoon.

After finding out Poppa was out of town and I was alone for the night she insisted on staying. I couldn't refuse her. I needed the company. Whether or not I would ever admit it was another question.

He came by several times. Yellow was the one who answered the door and told him to leave. I didn't see what they signed, but when she came back she always looked grimmer.

"Talk to him Sapph!" She was near tears. "I can't stand to see you like this."

I always shook my head. "I can't break my own heart again. I'm just so tired of being let down by him."

"He says–"

"I don't care what he says anymore!" I signed as I screamed in frustration. "I'm done! I'm done with all of this! I don't want to keep looking at him and remember that he abandoned us to be eaten! He left us to die and now he wants me again?" I wiped away the heavy tears flowing down my cheeks. "I can't do this anymore, Yellow. I don't want to have my heart broken all over again. You don't know Yellow. You don't understand that for the first few years, I always looked over my shoulder because I thought that my friends would be just behind me. I can still hear my heart crack every single time I realize that even though I'm alive, one of my best friends is dead and the other one abandoned us to die because he was too scared to stay with us."

"Did you ever stop to think that maybe not everyone is as strong as you?"

I shook my head. "Ruby was the strongest out of all of us. Wally and I were the ones who were always scared of everything. Everyone called us babies because we were frightened of everything. Every time something scared us we would always go to Ruby and he would protect us. I've never been so disappointed in anyone."

"Even more than Santa Claus not being real?"

I smiled at her failed attempt at a joke. "Yeah. Even more than a fat, creepy old man who sneaks into my house while I'm asleep to leave gifts I don't want."

"Has anyone ever told you to stop being so sarcastic?"

"A side bonus to being deaf: I don't always have to hear what they say. Selective hearing comes in handy."

I dreaded the next day. Ruby was sure to show up and follow me and try to explain. Someone needed to put me out of my misery and shoot me.

"Suck it up." Yellow commanded as she tossed me my backpack. "I didn't want to face Red. I did it anyways."

I huffed, but grabbed a piece of toast and followed her out the door anyways. As I expected, he was there waiting for us.

Yellow frowned. "You look like you've been standing out here all night." She was right. His hair was limp, his uniform from yesterday wrinkled, and his eyes baggy, as if he hadn't gotten a lick of sleep.

He shrugged. "I've done worse. I need to talk to you, Sapphire."

"I'm finished talking to you. Nice acting, by the way. Almost made me think you cared about me."

"I swear it wasn't how it looked–"

"Not how what looked, Ruby? The girl on your arm who was clearly attracted to you? The fact that the day after you kissed me, you decide that I'm not worth crap and decide to go out with some normal, rich, hearing girl? I got it the first time I saw you, Ruby. You don't need to explain yourself. I'm deaf, not blind."

"It wasn't like that!" He insisted.

I held my hand up before signing, "Just stop, Ruby. Just stop. No more stalking me outside of school, no more trying to manipulate me. I'm done and I don't want to see you anymore.

I don't know how but I know I dragged on listlessly for the next few weeks. I barely felt the inspiration I needed for art and when I did, everything I did was mute in color and dark in symbolism. I watched as my image in the mirror grew grayer and grayer; the bags in my eyes more pronounced, my getting sick more often and my eating less were really starting to take its toll on my body.

I approached Yellow one day and her eyes grew wide as she looked at me. "You look dead."

I rolled my eyes. "Thanks Yellow. Thanks so much for pointing out how much I look like a corpse. I really appreciate it."

Instead of retorting she grabbed my wrist and pulled me towards the school, towards the girls bathroom. She grabbed my face and forced me to look at my reflection. "Look at yourself! Look at what you're doing to yourself!"

I shrugged. "I'm acting just like I normally d–"

She cut me off when her mouth started to move. I don't know what was happening, but two teachers burst into the bathroom and had to restrain her. She just kept moving her mouth, glaring at me and trying to break the teacher's hold on her.

Later, when we were escorted out of the classroom and I was told to go back to class, I asked a girl who was hard of hearing who had heard all the commotion. She said she had never heard so much screaming in her life. It was also the most heartbreaking cry she had ever heard.

I went home early.

The exhibition was filled to the brim with the upper-class. The large rooms reminded me of a palace in a fairytale, but the snobby stares were not needed. I felt so out of place in my nice dress and shoes without Yellow by my side.

A tap on my shoulder broke me out of my self-inflicted misery. It was one of Red's friends. Gold, I think his name was.

"Hey!" He signed. "You're Sapphire, right?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Gold, right?"

He nodded. "Yep. Are you here with Yellow?"

"No." I frowned. "We had...a fight."

"About?" He prodded.

I shook my head. "I don't even know. I went to school, we started talking, and suddenly she started to scream at me. I couldn't hear it of course, but she hasn't talked to me since we fought."

"Did she say anything beforehand?"

I tried to think back. "She said I looked dead, and that I should take a look at what I was doing to myself."

"I think I understand. Yellow lost her parents, right?" I nodded. "If you look like you could just drop and die, especially since you're her best friend, don't you think she would overreact if she felt like she was about to lose someone important? Especially since you are her best friend and she's already lost so many important people already."

Well, didn't I feel like shit.

I was at Yellow's door early the next morning. I wanted to catch her when she left. A few hours later I saw the door open and then Yellow spotted me with a look of surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"Can we talk?"

She nodded and we set off for school. We were quiet for awhile until Yellow broke the ice. "So why are you here?"

I took a deep breath and signed, "I wanted to apologize."

"For what?"

"For looking like I didn't care about myself. I'm sure that must have been hard on you, and I'm sorry for having to watch me like that."

She smiled. "Thanks. Who made you realize it?"

I rolled my eyes. "It was Gold, Red's friend. I saw him at that gala the other night and he made me realize what a jerk I was being."

She shook her shoulders. "You weren't doing it on purpose." She frowned. "Will you please just do yourself a favor and talk to him? Anyone can see you're miserable."

"I can't."

"All I can see is that you won't make the effort to try."

"I did!" I insisted. "I did try! And look what happened! I gave him a second chance and he lost it not even a whole day later."

"Some people are worth more than just a second chance. You just have to be willing to give it to him." Yellow gave me a hard look. "If you think I'm stupid enough to believe that you don't think that he isn't worth another chance, then I'm not deaf."

"You could have just been faking it."

That earned me a punch on the arm and, from the way her shoulders shook, a laugh.

I sighed in dread, looking up at the school that looked more like a palace than a learning institution. Why did I let Yellow talk me into this?

Because I'm a sucker for the puppy-dog look, that's why. Damn, I needed to stop being so soft.

I felt the gates vibrate and I straightened up. That must have been the bell. Slowly uniformed students made their way out. I saw several of Red's friends, all of whom waved at me. I was waving back when I saw him. Now, I have a reputation at school as being the scary loner who will kick anyone's butt if they get too close (there are rumors that Yellow is either the goddess of kindness or some sort of psychic). I like that. It keeps the annoying people away. But when I saw Ruby walking out of his school my heart almost broke.

He looked absolutely miserable. His eyes were red. His shoulders were hunched, like he had a huge rock on his shoulders.

A girl, the same girl I saw that day with Ruby, ran up to him and stopped him from walking. From the looks of his angry expression and her red face they were clearly having an argument.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Red and a few of his friends staring at the commotion. I waved to him and signed for him to stop the fight. He nodded, gave his bag to one of his friends, and walked over to Ruby and the girl. They exchanged a few words before Red pointed at me and gestured for me to walk over. I thanked Red. He took that as the signal to leave.

"Translate to the girl." I signed to Ruby. He looked confused, then nodded. I turned to the startled girl. "Would you mind giving us a few minutes?" I asked. "I've got some issues to resolve with him." I pointed at Ruby. "You can have him back when I'm through with him." She nodded, still a little shocked, and then rushed towards a small group of girls. I turned back to him. "I'm done with this push and pull bullshit. You either love me or you don't. Which is it?"

"I do." He looked dead serious as he said it.

"Who is that girl and what happened when I came to see you?"

"Her name is Opal and we're in the Cultural Divisions club together. She's the Secretary, I'm Vice Secretary, so we have to spend a lot of time together. I had told some funny joke when we were walking out and she had to lean on me because she couldn't hold herself up. That's when you saw us."

"She was making love-struck eyes at you."

He winced. "I didn't know she had a crush on me until she told me afterwards. That's why you saw us fighting today. I quit the club because I couldn't be in the same room with her without her trying to 'apologize'," He used air quotes after he signed the word. "and I was making the other members of the club uncomfortable because I was yelling at her so much. I've never been remotely attracted to her, even when she's thrown herself at me." He hesitated before taking my hand and kissing it, only letting go after he also kissed my wrist. "You are the only girl for me. There's no one else I can even imagine having beside me."

"What if I hadn't forgiven you the first time?"

He shrugged. "I knew that I had to move on, but I promised myself I wouldn't date anyone until I found you and apologized. I knew you would either be so angry that you would demand me to never speak to you again, or you would accept my offer at becoming friends again and I would make my way up from there."

"You thought that you could make me fall for you?"

He stared at me so intensely that I shivered. "I know that I'll only ever love you. My plan was to show you my devotion to our relationship and try and convince you that we are made for each other. I would have proved my love for you in any way I could."

Well what could I say to that? "I don't trust people anymore, you know. People have to prove themselves to me in order for me to trust them."

"I know."

"So if I forgive you, right here, right now, will you prove to me that you really do care about me?"

"I would jump off a cliff with a rope around my neck if you asked me to."

I gave him a faint smile. "I probably wouldn't go that far."

I saw a ray of hope in his eyes. "Does that mean that you forgive me?"

"It means I'm giving you another chance and you better damn well not screw this one up. This is your last shot and you won't get another."

Yellow was right. Some people were just worth giving third chances to.

Don't tell her I said that.

Our first date was at five-thirty in the morning on a Saturday.

"What are we doing again?" I had to sign with one hand because I was holding a flashlight in the other. About half an hour ago I received a text from Ruby telling me to wear something warm and wear shoes for long-distance walking. It wasn't enough that he got me out of my bed on a glorious Saturday morning, but now he was taking me hiking too?

He just kept on smiling. "You'll see." He always replied.

I huffed, but kept up with him easily.

Finally we came upon a ledge. The sun hadn't risen yet, but you could see a hint of orange peeking out from the horizon. It was a sea of trees as far as the eyes could see. Out of the corner of my eyes I saw a huge bird of prey flying in the sky, looking for its morning meal.

"Now can I ask why we're here?" I signed impatiently.

Ruby rolled his eyes and pointed to the horizon.

My artist eye was almost overwhelmed. Mixed vibrant colors of orange, pink, red, and yellow flashed in my eyes. The sun rose elegantly, slowly and softly. Rays of light cut through mountain peaks, covering almost gray with a gold shine.

He tapped my shoulder, snapping me out of my gaping. "Do you like it?"

"I can't even begin to describe how amazing this view is. I wish I had brought a sketchbook or something. How did you find it?"

"When I was depressed sometimes I just wandered around the city. I found this spot after a lot of trial and error."

"I love it."

He suddenly grabbed my shoulder so that I was pressed to his chest. "I'm happy you like it. We'll come here when we can."

I smiled and hugged myself closer to him. I think I could stand to stick around if there were more moments like these.

Ending sucks. I know. Deal. I'll probably edit it later.

If Ruby seems overdramatic, deal with it. He's a very dramatic person in my eyes.