A New Sort Of "Shy"

[Riley O'Connor]

Riley ran through the entrance hall at full speed. It was deserted and she was thankful she wasn't having to dodge staring students. She wasn't sure what she was doing, but she was ready to get away. She tried to hold back the tears, but she wasn't doing such a good job. She clombed down the front steps into the soft green of the lawns. She was losing her bloody mind. Everything seemed foggy. She wasn't thinking clearly. She ran towards the lake, stopping at the edge. staring out at the fast expanse of clear, cool water.

Riley threw off her robes. She could feel the sun now through her light cotton button-up. Her tie felt as if it was choking her; cutting off too much oxygen to her brain, making it impossible to think. She yanked at it till it was loose enough to pull over her head. She tossed it to the ground. She pushed her shoes off and pulled her gray knee socks off her sckinny calves. The grass felt wonderful beneath her toes. She wiggled them some more, enjoy the damp texture of the blades. She unbuttoned her shirt hurridly throwing it to the ground in the pile of her other shedded garments. She pulled her skirt off and let it lay at her ankles. She stepped out of it. She soaked up the feeling of the sun and the breeze on her bare skin.

Riley walked to the shore, letting the water wash up on her shins. She walked out a little further until she felt a ledge. She dived off into the water. The chillness washed over her entire body. She let it clear her mind and take away her thoughts. Her curls floated around her. Riley opened her eyes and looked around at the underwater world. She loved the softness of all the blues and greens. it was like a wonderful dream.

Riley pushed her way towards the surface. She could see the sun reflecting off the water. She broke out from under the water, pushing her hair out of her face. She took a deep breath. She felt better. She treaded water, leaning back a bit so as to soak up the rays of sun beating down from straight above.

[Eric Blaze]

Eric Blaze a fifth year Slytherin came down the steps out of the castle, he looked up in to the sky. Not a bad day, sun is out, no clouds. He sighed, looking around. Anyone out here he knew? His attention was caught by Riley. Eric lowered himself on to the nearest step so he could watch her a little better. As she began to undress Eric smirked, isn't afraid to strip, maybe not all the way, but she aint afraid to strip down to her underwear anyhow. When he looked down at her robes, he noticed the Gryffindor crest on it. Hmm, a Gryffindor? Now Eric didn't particulary like Gryffindors, then again, he didn't particular like his cousin, if anything, he hated Mike, but he still talked to him... a little bit. Then again, this girl was cute. A little inter house mingling never hurts anyone.

Getting to his feet, he strolled to the edge of lake, and lowered himself backwards on to the grass a few feet from where her stuff lay, he acted as if he didn't see Riley in the water right away. Casually glancing at the water, he then acted shocked and surprised to see her. "Oh hi." he said, gazing at her. "Enjoying the water?" he said with a slight grin. Up close, she was even more cute.

[Riley O'Connor]

"Enjoying the water?" he said with a slight grin.

Riley spun around in the water,finding herself facing a slytherin boy about her age. She felt a slight blush coming around her cheeks, but she ignored it, grinning as flirtasiously as she could. She had no idea who this boy was, but he was cute, and at the moment, cute guys where the only thing she had on her mind. She was tired of being the quiet good girl. She was ready to have a little bit of fun.

"Yeah actually," she answered him. "Water is quite nice. I just needed to clear my head. It worked quite well." She smiled sweetly. "You should join," she wasn't sure what had come out of her mouth, but she went with it

[Eric Blaze]

As Rile blushed a little bit, Eric smirked. His eyes slid down that portion of body that she didn't have in the water, cute looking girl, nice body hmm.... "Water can do that." he said, referring to the part about it being able to clear your thoughts. "Although, I don't see what sort of stuff could be going wrong in the life of a girl, as cute as you." he grinned. At her offer to join he kinda laughed, "Maybe a little later." he said. Not that he didn't want to go swimming, but he wanted to lay on the grass, enjoying the sun, and the girl, without getting in the lake, for now.

[Riley O'Connor]

"Although, I don't see what sort of stuff could be going wrong in the life of a girl, as cute as you." he grinned.

"Oh, you have no idea," Riley informed him. She giggled slightly. She could feel his eyes scanning her barely clothed body. A slight chill ran down her body, but she loved it.

She swam closer to him, still treading water. She contimplated resting on the bank near him, but she didn't want too much of her body out of the water.

"So, I'm not sure if I know your name," she told him, feeling slightly stupid. She didn't know anybody. Consequences of being shy. She told herself.

[Eric Blaze]

"Well, if you don't mind me asking, what kinds of stuff?" Eric didn't exactly care much about people's problems. But this girl seemed to have a great personality and she was hot, so what the hell, might as well ask. He noticed her swimming closer to him, Eric I think you hooked her, he told himself grinning. "So I'm not sure if I know your name," Eric smirked, "My name's Eric. Eric..." he stalled a little, "Blaze" he said. Get over your last name Eric, you're a Blaze and you should be proud. Mike is a Blaze, but he's a nobody, he might have a rather hot girlfriend, but forget about Mike. "Eric Blaze" he repeated, more confidently and proudly. He ran his hand through his hair, just like Mike always did, attempting to shake the whole deal over using his last name, hoping no one would know Mike.

[Riley O'Connor]

"Well, if you don't mind me asking, what kinds of stuff?"

Riley ignored that for a moment. She didn't mind spilling her guts at all, in fact, she needed too. However, she was too caught up in BLAZE to think about anything else.

"Blaze!?!," Riley practically yelled. "As in Mike Blaze?" She felt her stomach turn at the thought. That sure did turn out to be an akward situation. She thought.

[Eric Blaze]

"Blaze!?!," Riley practically yelled. "As in Mike Blaze?" She felt her stomach turn at the thought. That sure did turn out to be an akward situation. She thought.

Mike Blaze, the name hit Eric with such impact, his grin that he used on all the ladies turned in to showing no emotion, his eyes flashing hatred. "So... you've heard of my cousin, have you?" Eric said, merely only smirking now. "My idiotic, good for nothing cousin." he said laughing. "Yes, I am a Blaze, Mike's cousin, although I am not proud of it, nor do I even believe I am blood related to him." he said shrugging. In hopes to turn this conversation away from Mike he thought for something else to say, he stretched out his legs, yawning a bit.

[Riley O'Connor]

"So... you've heard of my cousin, have you?" Eric said, merely only smirking now. "My idiotic, good for nothing cousin." he said laughing. "Yes, I am a Blaze, Mike's cousin, although I am not proud of it, nor do I even believe I am blood related to him." he said shrugging.

Riley was a little shocked to speechlessness. She wasn't sure how to reply to that. She felt torn between the sweet guy she could never have and this ridiculously good looking Slytherin that was right in her reach. She was at a loss for what to do. She almost hated Eric for insulting Mike. There was no chance he could ever do anything wrong. Shut up! He's not yours and you barely know him. You don't have a chance! Give up already. she had been trying to shove this philosophy toward Mike into her thoughts every chance she got. She had to let those fantasies go. As soon as possible.

"Yeah I know him. I guess you could say we are friends, although we hardly talk. His girlfriend hates me," Riley told him. She was trying to be honest without sounding too buddy-buddy. She didn't want to ruin her friendship with Mike or her chance with his very sexy cousin.

[Eric Blaze]

Eric realized that Riley must be friends with Mike from her sudden speech loss. "Don't get me wrong.." he said after a pause, "Mike is... a good guy, we use to be best friends. But people change..." Eric said trailing his words off. Kind of shocked by his own words, he never admitted to ever liking Mike, ever. But there was something about this girl.

So Mike was sorta friends with this girl? Well that's alright, that didn't change his opinion on this girl one bit. Anyways, Mike passed up this girl to go back to that red head, what an idiot. Mike's girlfriend was hot, but this girl was too. "How come you two don't talk much?" Eric was trying to give Riley an idea that he was ok with her being friends with Mike, though he really wasn't, but that's another thing.

[Riley O'Connor]

"How come you two don't talk much?"

"Well, Audrey hates me deeply. She thinks I'm trying to steal Mike from her, which is not so. I tried to talk to her but she refuses to be civil. I've pretty much given up on my friendship with either of them. It's not worth the drama, although Mike is a sweet guy," Riley answered her question.

She found herself swimming closer to the bank where Eric was lounging on the grass. She had an undescribable longing to be nearer to him. She wasn't sure why, she barely knew him. But he was charming and attractive; she was lonely and needy for affection. It seemed too easy.

[Eric Blaze]

Eric smirked, looking across the lake, and began laughing. "I don't see how anyone goes out with Mike." he said shaking his head. When she mentioned about Mike being sweet, he smirked, he figured if he'd laugh though it would be rude to her, now Eric was a rude guy, but this girl was hot. No way he was gonna screw around with his chance at her. "Mike's alright. But I still say I'm the better Blaze boy." he said laughing this time, putting his hands behind his head leaning back once more.

As she swam closer to the bank, Eric knew she wanted to get as close to him as possible without making it obvious, but he knew girls like her. He wasn't a stranger to it. Sitting up he figured he'd give her a treat, plus it was beginning to get hot in the sun. Pulling off his shirt after getting to his feet, he pulled out his wand, pulled of his shoes and dove in to the deep end a few feet from the bank. Surfacing, he pushed his brown hair out of his eyes. "You're right, the water is nice." he said, he looked her over once more, this girl was even nicer.

[Riley O'Connor]

Pulling off his shirt after getting to his feet, he pulled out his wand, pulled of his shoes and dove in to the deep end a few feet from the bank. Surfacing, he pushed his brown hair out of his eyes. "You're right, the water is nice." he said, he looked her over once more, this girl was even nicer.

Riley closed her eyes and looked away at the light splash he made as he dove into the water. She giggled slightly. He was in the water. She was in her underwear. There was no way this was going to end good.

She swam closer to him as he surfaced. She wasn't exactly sure how to handle this situation. She splashed at him slightly. Then she dove under the water, swimming underneath him and resurfacing on the other sid, just out of his immediate reach.

Maybe playing hard to get will be fun. Riley thought as she waited for Eric's reaction.

[Eric Blaze]

Finally getting use to the temperature of the water, he put his head under the water, pushing his hair back, so it would stay out of his eyes. When he cleared his eyes of water, she splashed him. Smirking, he cleared the water again, "Ohh, so that's how you want to play?" he said laughing. He went to splash her back but then she swam under the water. So a game of tag she was hinting at? This would be fun. It was his turn, he did a sort of flip and swam straight down, far down in the water, he swam towards her, coming up behind her

[Riley O'Connor]

This would be fun. It was his turn, he did a sort of flip and swam straight down, far down in the water, he swam towards her, coming up behind her

Riley came up to find Eric not in front of her. She spun around in the water, finding herself very very close to Eric. But not close enough. She floated a little closer to him, so that there half naked bodies were just grazing eachother below the surface of the water. Riley took in a sharp breath of air as she felt Eric's bare chest against hers. She longed to be closer, but she controlled the urge. He was going to have to make the first move.