Ariel walked timidly into the large cafeteria filled with the buzz of gossip-spreading teenagers. She spotted her friends at "their" table, and quickly ran over and sat down. Ariel smiled at them. "Hey, gals. What's up?"

Two of the three girls in the group looked rather uncomfortable, but one only looked at Ariel in digust. "What's up is that you were trying to steal Gemini's boyfriend, that's what," Ariel's friend Hope Buchannan said. Her eyes narrowed hawkishly as she looked at Ariel.

"Excuse me? What are you talking about?"

"I think you know exactly what I'm talking about. You went behind our friend's back and tried to take her man! That was uncalled for and inexcusable."

Ariel looked around at the other two girls helplessly. "Y'all..."

"I'm sorry, Ariel," was all one of them, Lindsey Singer, could say. The other, Melissa Sweeney, only nodded her head in agreement.

"Don't even try to weasel your way out of this one, Ariel. You have been known to get yourself into tight spots, but this is ridiculous. Do you even know how much you hurt Gemini?"

"Yes! Of course I do." There were tears in Ariel's eyes.

"No, I really don't think you do. How self-centered and conceited can you get? You were trying to act all supportive of their relationship when you're really working to tear them apart, you two-faced..."

"OK, yelling at each other isn't going to help anything," Lindsey broke in. "Let's just calm down."

"Calm down? Lindsey, this girl just stabbed one of our best friends in the back. Who's to say she won't stop there and go on to do it to one of us?"

Ariel slammed her hand down on the table. "How dare you insult me like that! I understand that you're angry, Hope, but don't you even think about rubbing my character in the trash."

"Ariel, you've proven your character is trash. We thought you were our friend, but you betrayed all of us, not just Gemini. The trust is gone. We see you for what you really are: a two-faced, backstabbing witch only out to get what she wants. Come on, girls, I think we're through."

Ariel stood up, facing Hope with dangerously burning eyes. "I don't think so, Hope Buchannan. You're not going anywhere until you hear what I have to say."

Mark took Meredith down to The Lobster Cove, a seafood restaurant located in Midway. Meredith was all smiles as she walked into the lake-docked restaurant with a beautiful view of Lake Destiny. Several fishing boats were still out, but the sun was beginning to set. Everything was so peaceful, so blissful, and so perfect.

Meredith only continued smiling across the table at Mark when they were seated. "I truly think I'm the happiest girl on this earth, thanks to you."

Mark smiled uneasily. "Yeah."

"I don't care what anyone else says. There's something special between us, I can feel it. Maybe..." Meredith smiled basfully down at her menu, "it'll develop into something very big."

Mark turned and stared out of the window at the lake. "You don't know how much I'd like that to happen. God, you just don't know."

Meredith took Mark's hand in hers. "Yes, I do. I feel the same way too, Mark. We can make it happen, we really can. Our romantic walks through the park, our picnics on the beach, they all tell me that we're meant to be."

Mark laughed at the irony. "Yeah, we sure are. I just wish it were that easy to be together."

Meredith drew away. A confused look appeared on her face. "What do you mean you wish it could be that easy?"

Mark turned to face Meredith, his eyes trying to tell Meredith all the secrets his mouth couldn't say. "There's just so much you don't know, Meredith. There's so much working against us."

Meredith shook her head. "I'm sorry. I don't understand."

Mark took a deep breath and leaned in closer to Meredith. "I have to tell you something really important, Meredith. Something that will change the future of this relationship forever."

Francesca paled. "Um, excuse me?" she managed to choke out.

Amante laughed in his deep voice. "I thought you would be surprised. But yes, I am coming to Midway Prep to see you."

"You've gotta be joking," she mumbled under her breath. She sighed and finally spoke up in her full voice, "Amante, I must say, I am in shock at this."

"Francesca!" Amante's voice was full of concern. "Please tell me you aren't upset! I couldn't live with myself if I knew I've caused you any pain at all."

"Oh, Amante," she sighed, "I'm just so surprised to hear from you. It's been a while since we've last spoken."

"I'll never foorget that last day we spent together. Do you remember it? It was a beautiful day in Madrid. Of course, you must remember every moment as I do."

She thought about it. She didn't want to admit that she had just been thinking about it. The sun had been shining as he had handed her a single red rose and swore that his love for her would never die. He did have a way about him that could make you fall in love with....

Wait! What was she thinking? She was in love with Allan Benton and has been for over eight months, nine months in a week or so. Amante Aldovar and everything that had gone on in Spain had been one big mistake. But still... what did all of this mean?

"Hello? Francesca, are you still there?"

"Oh, yes, I'm sorry."

"Well, I must be going soon. I will be seeing you soon my love."

"Amante, when will you be coming?"

"Oh! I meant to tell you," he went on, ignoring her question, "you might want to thank you friend Amber for setting this up."

"WHAT?"

"Yes, a girl named Amber called and told me all about how you've been speaking of how you missed me and said she has set it up where I can come see you! Isn't that wonderful? Well, I must be going."

"Amante, don't hang up!"

"Goodbye, my love."

"AMANTE!"

Click.

Francesca dropped the phone. She and Amber had had their fights, but this was too low. This could potentially ruin everything at Midway, and she would make sure that Amber would pay for this.

Whatever it took, Amber Hart would pay for this.

Ariel faced the group, eyes blazing and red flags of rage flying on her cheeks. "You think that you can sit up there and judge me? No, let me tell you something. I sat up here and tried to fight it. I tried to push aside the feelings so that I could be the best friend that I could be to Gemini. I sat up there and tried to support the relationship from the start, knowing the entire time that my heart was breaking into a million tiny pieces."

Tears began flowing from Ariel's eyes like rivers. "Do you know what it feels like to love a man, yet have to hide it? On top of that, he was dating my best friend, and on top of that I had to try and support the relationship. Do you know what it's like to be torn apart because of your love of a person and your loyalty to a friend. I spent nights upon nights sitting in my room crying because I didn't know what to do. Should I follow my heart or just be what everyone thinks is a 'good' friend."

Ariel went on vehemently, nearly breaking down into a weeping heap in front of them. "I have had to sacrifice so much for Rusty & Gemini's relationship. I had to put away my feelings, I had to give up any chance I had over the past few months to be happy, I had to give up almost everything! But you," Ariel pointed violently at Hope, "don't seem to care about that! All you care about is how I 'stabbed Gemini in the back' and how I 'betrayed everyone's trust.' God, I tried, Hope. I tried so hard but I can't do it anymore! That's why I don't care if anyone knows, because I just can't take it anymore!" Ariel shouted the words at Hope, Lindsey, and Melissa.

She then began crying violently and ran out of the cafeteria, down the hall, and into the girls' bathroom before breaking down entirely, sliding down the wall into a sobbing heap. She just couldn't take it anymore.

Meredith was now scared by Mark's serious look and attitude. "What could be that bad, Mark?"

Mark only shook his head. "Don't talk. Just let me speak. See, there's a whole lot you don't know about me, Meredith. I'm not the 'knight in shining armor' that you think I am."

"You don't have to be perfect..."

Mark only shook his head again, this time more forcefully. "Look, Meredith. Things have been going really bad for me the past few months. I was at the bottom of a black pit basically. I didn't know where I was coming from, didn't know where I was, and didn't know where I was going in life. So I made the stupid mistake of..." Mark hesitated.

"Of what?" Meredith asked softly.

"I made the stupid mistake of joining a gang," the words tumbled out of Mark's mouth. He breathed deeply when he finished.

Meredith choked up. "A gang?"

"Yes, a gang. It was the worst mistake I've ever made in my life, trust me I know that. But Meredith, that's not all."

Meredith laughed shrewishly. "Oh really? What, did you get involved with the Mafia too?"

Mark didn't laugh. "No. You see, now that they've found out about you and me, about us, they're trying to force me to make a decision."

"Oh?"

"They're trying to make me choose the gang over you. They said that if I don't break things off with you, then they'll hurt you," Mark searched for clues to Meredith's feelings in her face.

Meredith betrayed none. "I see," was all she said.

Mark waited. And waited. And waited. "Well? What are you thinking?"

"I think I need to go home right now," Meredith began to get up.

"Come on, Mere. We need to talk about this. Mere!" Mark yelled, but Meredith was already out of the door and running back towards the dorms. Mark cursed under his breath. He knew this was going to tear them apart. He knew it was going to take away his only chance to escape from that black pit that would take him nowhere in life.

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