Travis's eyes kept running to her empty seat from the moment he stepped in class. She was always there before him. After what happened between them last night he couldn't wait to see her the next morning. He wasn't sure if he slept or not. Everything seemed like a dream. Good thing his mother had the day off so she dropped Maggie at her school. He was out the house earlier than usual, eager to see Ryesen. He waited for her near her locker until the first bell rang and then the second. Then waited in class, but she didn't come. Even Zoe had the same confused puzzled look on her face when she saw Ryesen's seat was empty.

"Hey! Good morning," he said as he stood by Zoe's desk.

"Good morning," she leaned to the side taking another look behind him, double checking, before looking back at him, "Ryesen hasn't arrived yet?"

Travis shook his head, "Did she tell you that she was going to be late or anything?" Not that he wanted to pry or anything, but he was hoping that at least she texted Zoe.

Zoe pulled out her phone to check. Her short black hair swayed left and right as she shook her head, "No, nothing." She was about to say something when Mr. James walked in sending everyone to their seats.

Slumping on his chair he heard Max ask, "Hey, where is your girl?"

Travis's eyes went to her empty seat. The happy, giddy feeling was turning to doleful and worry, "I don't know."

Thirteen slow, heavy minutes passed with his gaze alternating between her empty space, his watch, the door and the board -whenever Mr. James was facing them-. He secretly checked his phone under the desk in hopes that she might have sent him anything. To his disappointment, he got nothing except for a couple of Apps requesting permission to run an update.

The bell rang announcing the start of the first period. The other girls who were refreshing their lip-glosses and reapplying multiple layers of mascara rushed to finish what they were doing and head to class. Good! Now she can sulk alone in silence. She saw his truck in the parking lot when she arrived. Ironically, of all the days he came in late, today, he was early. If this day would turn any better, she'll be able to go through classes without talking to Travis. 

Ryesen lingered in the girls bathroom unable to calm her excessively beating heart or her flushing face or her queasy stomach. Yup! She had a very long sleepless night to think of her actions. What in the name of The Ancient One was I doing kissing Travis? 

 Cailín dúr! Cailín dúr! Cailín dúr! That was the most stupidest thing I've ever did! She growled pacing the empty bathroom. 

She was waiting for class to start before she could walk in. Just to make sure that Mr. James has already started and the chances of talking to Travis talking were close to nothing. We can't be anything more than friends, I said! It's complicated, I said! She growled again. And then I go and smooch the guy! Cailín dúr! Cailín dúr! Cailín dúr! It's not like I've kissed him on the lips! A new wave for heat ran through her body and nestled in her cheeks at the thought of that. I shouldn't have done that in the first place! Cheek, lips or whatever.

Why didn't she stay home today? 

"Class has already started","a voice broke the silence around her and through the loudness of her thoughts startling her.

Looking at the white haired short woman with thick eyeglasses and a stern look that turned her thin lips down in a frown. Ryesen remembered her from the administration and registration office when she came to register.  Grabbing her bag, "Ah... yes, Mrs. Ingrid! I heard the bell, but I wasn't feeling well." That wasn't a lie! 

The woman's face softened a little, "Are you feeling better now? Would you want to go the nurses office?" She stepped closer examining her face, "You do look a bit flushed."

"Oh, no. I feel much better now," she said with a smile. Now that was a lie!

"Okay then. To your class right away. During the day if you needed to visit the nurse, tell you teacher."

Ryesen nodded with a mumbled 'thank you' and rushed out.

Mr. James was already in class when she knocked and opened the door.  Avoiding all sorts of eye contact Ryesen slipped down her chair and faked an undivided concentration on taking notes. 

Travis's heart jolted when he heard a knock on the door and exulted at the sight of her. Without interrupting his slow elucidation over some long ago era, Mr. James ushered her in with an even slower hand. He watched her walk to her seat without much of a glance in his direction. Then she took out her note book and started scribbling right away. There was a beginning of tightness that started to form in his chest when she didn't look at him not even once during class. As soon as the bell rang and before he could get off his chair she was out.

"Hey, man. What did you do?" Max asked. 

Max noticed. Zoe noticed. Hell, other people in class noticed. What's going on? Travis stared after her for a moment, "I didn't do anything! I think." He rushed after her while squeezing his brain for every detail of what might have happened. By the time he reached the hall he couldn't find her.

Ryesen did the same thing and hid before Geometry class. She made sure she was to walk in after class has already started and avoided glancing to the back of the room. She could feel his eyes on her. That only stirred a stronger inner battle. She heard him call her name when she was on her way out the door, but she couldn't stop.

Ryesen rushed to chemistry class as soon as the bell rang. Good thing that the teacher was already there when she arrived and started to hand out safety goggles and beakers. Ryesen knew that she was being ridiculous jumping from one class to another just to avoid Travis. Who has just walked in with a silent question on his face. Good thing he didn't get the chance to speak to her as he was rushed to his seat with safety goggles and a beaker too.

"What's going on?", Zoe whispered while they measured sulfuric acid and hydrogen peroxide solutions before pouring them in the beaker in front of her following the measurement paper that was assigned to her. "Did something happen between you and Travis?"

Ryesen took a lungful of air and then sighed it out, "Yes... No... sort of," she said while she measured potassium iodide and sodium thiosulfate then handing the containers to Zoe, "I kind of kissed Travis."

"What????" Zoe jolted causing a loud clink from smacking the graduated cylinders and the beaker.

That rewarded them a strict 'Be careful' form the teacher and a few glances from the others.

"How? When?" Zoe whispered getting excited. Good thing that others were talking to, but the difference was they were discussing the experiment while they were talking about Ryesen and Travis kissing.

"Last night. Outside my house. Before he left. On the cheek."

Zoe's eyes widened and her lips stretched in a big smile, "Oh my!" The longer that Zoe looked at her friend the weaker her smile turned. "You don't seem happy about it"

Ryesen shook her head, "I shouldn't have done that."

That confused Zoe. "I thought you liked Travis"

"I did... I do... it's just that..." her words were pressed to silence under the weight of guilt.

Princesses should never allow their feelings to take over. Never let their heart overrule their mind. Always think rationally. Always think of the of their actions. Always think how those consequences will affect others. A Princess doesn't live for herself only, she lives for the clan that depends on her. Not that only the Lights were depending on her, but so were the Darks too. And that bargain that tied her to the Dark Prince. 

Jarle told her to 'live a little'. But this 'living a little' was resulting in hurting a friend she liked and cared about. And those two humans were nothing but nice and caring towards her. Then she had to go and ruin things. 

Zoe touched her arm snapping her out of her thoughts. When she looked at her, that worried expression on Zoe's face settled in her heart. 

"Do you wan to talk about it?" Zoe asked. 

Ryesen wished it was that easy. She really wished she could tell her. Tell them. 

The inner battle was clear on her face that Zoe added with sympathy, "Or perhaps talk to Travis. You can't avoid him for ever."

Hearing that part added another knot to Ryesen's stomach. It doesn't have to be forever. Only for the coming nine months, twenty-eight days, sixteen hours and thirty-seven minutes. A lot has happened during the past couple of months. She highly doubted that what was coming would turn out to be any less eventful. 

But Zoe was right. She has to talk to Travis. Her gaze traveled to the back of the room where he worked on his experiment. Their eyes met and confusion was clear in his gaze. Ryesen faced her beakers again. She had no idea what to say to him. Admitting her mistake would be a start. Way to complicate things, Ryesen! I had to rattle my own cage.

Completing the rest of the experiment and mixing the solutions together then quickly hitting the timer to register their findings. They watched as the mixture turned from transparent to deep ink-like color. They waited for the rest of the class to reach the same results before the teacher explained the reaction that happened to the mixed solutions. 

Whatever the teacher was saying was lost in Travis's scrambled thoughts. He wasn't able to concentrate at all, neither in class or sorting through the mess that was happening in his head. The single glance he received from her during class was perplexing and the closer the class was coming to an end the more restless he became. He wondered if she was going to bolt out on him again.

Students were taking turns putting their beakers in the sink and handing over their safety goggles when the bell rang. The teacher's voice rose reminding them of their assignment before everyone could escape.

Travis's eyes sought her out starting from the door. He caught her, but this time she was walking towards him then she stopping farther than where she usually did, putting some extra space between them. That uneasy feeling intensified just by looking at her.

"Um... hi," Ryesen started.

Travis tried his best to keep his cool, "Hi..." Her, avoiding looking at him wasn't helping, "What's going on?" 

That tightness in her stomach increased, "Could we talk?"

"Of course! Sure." Travis collected the last of his stuff and silently followed her.

They choose a quiet place behind school and sat on a short brick wall that divided the small garden. They have been sitting side by side for a silent moment, before Ryesen jumped off and started to pace.  

"I'm really sorry for the way that I've been acting since morning" she managed to say finally finding the guts to look at him. If she was going to apologize then the decent thing was doing it right. It broke her heart the way he was looking at her. Dejected and baffled. There was no laugh or even a hint of a smile. She caused that and she hated herself for it. 

"Did I do something wrong?" Travis fretted at the thought even though he was raking his brain since morning.

Her eyes widened with shock from hearing him saying that. She reached for his hand shaking her head, "No... no, you did nothing. It was me. I'm the one who's at fault."

Travis watched her eyes drop with guilt, "Is it because of yesterday? The kiss?" His heart dropped when she nodded and started to slip her hand from his. 

"I shouldn't have done that. I'm sorry"

He didn't let go. Instead he kept hold on her hands and pulled her a bit closer, "Then it's forgotten. We don't have to think or talk about it ever again."

Ryesen shook her head again, "But it never should have happened in the first place. I wasn't thinking."

"Because we're just friends or because of your boyfriend?" He saw how she flinched at the mention her boyfriend. All that coolness and calmness he restored fled him and nothing but anger and hate towards the guy filled him. "Break up with him" the words left him before he could stop them.

Ryesen jolted and eyes shot to his face, "What?"

"Break up with him," he said again. There was no turning back now. He wanted to ask her to do that the day she found out about him, when he helped her look for her bracelet. When he saw how unhappy she was.

She shook her head, "I can't!" If only it was that easy. Her heart ached.

"Do you love him?" his voice came out angrier than he attended to. His frustration increased when she kept quiet. She didn't have to say anything. The look on her face said it all.

"Did he hurt you?" Asking that question stirred something ugly inside him that calmed a little when she shook her head. "Then help me understand, Ryesen. You don't love him, and you can't break up with him. How does that work?" the words getting bitter per syllable.

"It's complicated" she told him again.

"Simplify it then, I'm sure I can catch up!" Travis pleaded, "Please, Ryesen." 

Ryesen looked at him. His features pleading for an explanation. But how could she? "I can't, I'm sorry."

In case you were wondering:

Cailín dúr! means 'Stupid girl'

And the experiment that was done here is called 'Iodine clock'. Check it out if you want to. It's pretty cool!