Our faces were just an inch apart when the call of a seagull brought me back to my senses.

Two things happened simultaneously.

I scooped up some sand in my right hand and threw it at Jamie's face, to act as if I had been playing him. At the same time, he snatched one of my éclairs from my left hand.

I gasped, and he choked. I wasn't expecting that, he looked so sincere. He wasn't expecting what I did either. I looked as if I was taken in. Which I infact was. The jerk! Good thing I stopped my guilt from overcoming me when I was about to throw sand at his face.

"You éclair theif," I yelled.

"You sand thrower," he said, spitting the sand out of his mouth, to his side.

"Give me back my éclair," I said.

"Here," he held it out to me. "It was just a joke. You didn't have to throw sand at my face. Do you know how horrible the feeling is?"

'A very mean joke,' I wanted to say. But it would then seem that I was hurt by what he did. Which I wasn't. But these two, of all people, had a way of twisting my words to create a meaning of their choice.

So I simply said, "no thanks," and grabbed my éclair from his hand.

"It's covered in sand," I wailed.

"Your fault," he shrugged.

I got the perfect excuse to let my tears flow free.

"Cry in front of someone who cares," said Jamie.

I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand and got up. I flung my éclair at him, turned away and ran, hiding my face in my hands.

I was running away from them, but infact, I wanted them to come after me. I needed them to console me. To tell me that everything was fine. That it doesn't matter if I didn't get to call someone dad. That they really were my friends. And that Harvey wasn't pretending to be my friend because of some twisted scheme.

But I didn't hear anyone calling me back.

I suddenly felt dizzy and fell to my knees. Before my face could touch the sand, someone grabbed my hair from behind. At the sudden tug, I felt a short, sharp wave of pain at the back of my neck. It cleared my mind a little. It must be Harvey. Who else would be idiotic enough to prevent a girl from falling by grabbing her hair? What if my neck broke?

"Are you alive?" he asked, trying to haul me up by placing his hands under my armpits.

It didn't work.

"Lazy bum! Come help me," he said to Jamie. "She's heavy and I can't drag her to the car by myself."

I could get up if I wanted to, but I didn't. I wanted to see what they would do. Would they help me like friends? Or would they just take me home out of pity? Or because they would want to get rid of a sick me as soon as possible?

"She's pranking us," said Jamie. "I'm not falling for it again."

Great! Now I was the boy who called wolf.

"No, you idiot. She's really sick. You should be blind not to see it," said Harvey.

"I swear if this is a trick of some sort, I am going to make you both regret it," said Jamie.

I felt a pair of hands on my elbows as Jamie stood in front of me, trying to make me stand.

I suddenly felt nauseous and I wished that I could just lie down on the cool sand and fall asleep. Even though my head had stopped spinning, it hadn't stopped aching.

"I still think she's acting," said Jamie.

"No, I'm sure..." started Harvey when a retching noise from my throat cut him off.

"Get back," Harvey said to Jamie.

"I'm definately not falling for that one," he laughed.

I bent down and puked all over his shoes.

After hurling out my breakfast, and hearing Jamie's groans and Harvey's laughter, I felt so much better.

I sat back in the sand and looked at Jamie's twisted face, with a small smile playing on my lips.

"You were greedy and I got punished for it. How is that fair?" whined Jamie.

"It wouldn't have happened if you hadn't snatched my éclair," I said.

"I am deeply regretting the moment when I decided to buy éclairs," he shook his head. "Though how does this," he pointed to his vomit covered shoes," have anything to do with me snatching your éclair."

I didn't reply.

"Yes, Mary. Why were you suddenly crying and running away from us? And don't tell me you were mad that he snatched your éclair. You knew it was a joke as much as we did," said Harvey.

"I didn't," I said, shaking my head. "I thought I would never see my éclair again."

I could clearly see on their faces that they did not buy my lame excuse.

"Oh, I get it," said Jamie, winking. "She's upset that she didn't get to live her dream," he made a kissing sound.

"Let me remind you, my stupid Jamie, that I was the one who threw sand at your face, first," I smirked. "So if anybody's disappointed around here, it's you."

Jamie made a face and Harvey laughed.

"I'm seeing a whole different side of you, Mary. This is the third time you have cried in front of me, within just a fortnight. And I'm not talking about the fake tears you squeeze out to fool people, I'm talking about real tears," Harvey said to me.

"So? It's none of your business," I said defensively.

"It is," he insisted.

"Why?" I scowled.

"Because I'm your friend," he said.

"You are not," I said.

"Are you still doubting me, Mary?" he asked.

"I still do not know your true intentions," I said.

"I can't believe you still think I'm faking this friendship," he scowled.

"Have you given me any reason to stop suspecting you?" I asked.

"Why do you suspect everyone of having a motive behind everything?" he asked, getting angry.

"Because everybody does, I replied.

"I don't see other people having such issues. I do not question the motives of people who want to befriend me," he said angrily.

"You would too if everybody hated you," I yelled.

"Everybody doesn't hate you. You are just an idiot with friendship issues," he yelled back.

"I am not," I growled. "You hated me. You made my life hell."

"It was the only way to get your freaking mouth open. You brushed me off whenever I tried to talk to you," he yelled. "I couldn't think of any other way to make you talk to me."

"You didn't think that it would be better to show me that you really wanted to be my friend?" I asked.

"I told you a thousand times," he said.

"I don't believe in words. I believe in actions," I replied.

"Oh yeah? I tried actions too, but you were too naive to understand them. You know, it's your own fault that you don't have any friends, and that even your own cousins don't talk to you," he said.

"My fault?" I growled. "No one wanted to be my friend. And my aunt and cousins hate me."

"Many kids wanted to. But you brushed them aside," he said. "I asked Margaret why don't you come to school with them in the car. You know what she said?"

"That they do not want to sit in the same car as me?" I was crying again, but I didn't care.

"No. She said that she asked you to go with them quite a few times. You refused," he said. "And I believed her. Because that is so like you."

"Because I didn't want to share the same car as Lily," I said.

"So it was you who pushed them away. Not them," Harvey pointed out. "Margaret doesn't hate you. She keeps herself to herself."

"Except giving orders," I said.

"Not just you. She orders everyone about. Even the teachers," he said. "It's her nature. She's not good with words."

"What about Lily?" I asked. "Do you have some pathetic excuse for her? And the others?"

"She's a bitch. That's her excuse. She can't help it," he said pointedly. "As for your little cousins, I don't know them. But I'm sure if they bother you it means that they love you. Or else they wouldn't talk to you."

"And my aunt?" I asked.

"I can't say anything about her. I've just met her a few times," he said. "Stop drowning yourself in self pity."

I realised that he was right. Everything he said was logical and true. He was accusing me of being the one to mess up my life and he was right. That made me angrier.

"I don't drown in self pity," I hissed.

"You do," he said.

I did. And that's why I was angry. I was hating him for shoving the truth in my face.

"I hate you, Harvey Arthur McDonald," I screamed. "Just like everybody hates me."

"You are a freaking psychopath. You need to see a psychologist," he said angrily.

"You made me a psychopath. You and all others," I screamed. "You all made my life hell."

"You made your own life hell. You, you and you," he yelled, pointing at me. "With your freaking trust issues."

"You would have them too if you were a freaking orphan with a living father," I screamed.

"Your father's alive?" he whispered.

"My uncle. He was my father," I sobbed.

I stumbled to him and fell into his arms. He patted my back as I sobbed out my heart on his shoulder.

"Let it all out," he said soothingly.

"Yes, all your tears along with the snot," said Jamie.

I felt Harvey's body go rigid for a second and then relax again.

"No problem," he said. "I have spare clothes in the car."

"Who keeps spare clothes in their car?" I laughed in between my sobs.

"They were actually for you. After I push you in the water," he said.

I had stopped sobbing but I was still hugging Harvey.

"Is this the part where we ask you that do you want to talk about it?" asked Jamie.

"Yes," I said, letting go of Harvey.

"So, do you want to talk about it?" asked Jamie.

"Yes," I nodded.

Then I told them everything that happened. From going to 'Frozen Delights' yesterday evening, to school this morning.

"I will buy you two new éclairs," said Jamie, patting my head.

I couldn't help laughing at his childish way of consoling me. Also, I was tired of crying and I wanted to laugh at everything. I wanted to be happy.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you," said Harvey.

"No. I'm sorry for yelling at you," I said. "You were right. I am a blaming psychopath with trust issues."

"I never said I was wrong," he smirked. "Just that I shouldn't have yelled."

"Idiot," I slapped his arm.

"Ow! It hurt," he rubbed the spot where I had slapped.

"Mary, do you really believe that everybody hates you?" asked Jamie.

"No," I said. "I know I'm too cool to be hated. I was just having terrible mood swings. I always think horribly pessimistic thoughts then. I feel I'm all alone."

"I wonder who's fault is that," Harvey rolled his eyes.

I ignored him.

"Why don't you make friends then?" asked Jamie.

"I always thought making friends was strenuous. At home I already had seven cousins to deal with, and I didn't need any more responsibility for other people," I replied. "Also, I never felt any need of friends. I had books."

"But like it or not, you're stuck with us. We're not letting you go that easily," he said.

"Thanks. And I don't want you to leave," I smiled.

"So, is the flood of tears and snot over?" he asked.

"For good," I replied, smiling.

"Thank God," said Jamie. "I'm not good with crying girls."

I laughed.

"I was a whiz wasn't I?" boasted Harvey.

"Yeah. A whiz at making her cry more," said Jamie.

"Better than nothing," Harvey said. "At least I wasn't standing stupified with my mouth open. Like you."

"I wasn't," denied Jamie.

"Were too," replied Harvey.

"Don't start this, please," I interrupted.

"Yeah Jamie. You better tend to your vomit covered shoes," smirked Harvey.

"Oh and you'd better tend to your snot covered shirt," replied Jamie.

Both of them turned towards me and glared.

I smiled sheepishly.

"I hate you, Mary," said Harvey.

"I hate her more," said Jamie.

"The feeling's mutual," I beamed, as I, at last, accepted their friendship without a motive.

Unfortunately, my happiness was short lived.

Author's note:

Ramadan mubarak!

Chapter dedicated to sept27libran for commenting when I was craving comments.

Chapter also dedicated to Bareerakhan for the best comment on the last chapter. About skinning Jamie alive if he kissed Mary :D

Dedication in the next chapter to the reader with the best comment on this chapter.

Are you happy at this quick update? I know I am :)

Vote, comment, share, if you like.

Hope to see you soon. Insha Allah.