It's the last week of school, and I couldn't be happier. I'm so ready to get out of this hellhole--at least for the summer.

A lot has changed, as cliche as that sounds.

It's weird. When the accident first happened, I wasn't fazed at all. Yet now, a month and a half later, things are different.

Paisley and I have gotten to know each other very well. I know so much about her now, and I'd like to think she feels like she knows me. The real me, not the bullshit act I put up for everyone but her.

I don't think the act would've ever worked on her. She's too...perceptive. She would see right through it. I knew that ever since I went to visit her for the very first time. Since then, I'd known it was no use trying to hide around her.

It's very strange to be so open, though. I've never really had family or friends that truly cared about what I've felt or thought. Paisley's been the first.

We've hung out several times. Pretty much once a week now. I still haven't been to her house though. And of course, we see each other on the way to and from school. Never in school though. We're part of different social groups, and I think she accepts that. I would be weird for people to see her with me, and vice versa, I think. So, we just avoid that.

Paisley doesn't know this, but I havent drank since that night we watched Twilight. I went to the party and got shitfaced, like usual. After I was home and safe though, (I took a cab like I promised) it occured to me that the alcohol didn't make the party any more fun than it would have been without. All my friends were there, so that's what counts, not the fact that we were wasted.

All the guys viewed me a little weird the first time I denied a drink, but they don't give a fuck what I do, so they just went on with their business. It didn't necessarily stop me from getting crazy, so basically nothing had changed.

The only thing that changed was how much I had come to enjoy Paisley's company.

I never knew what it could be like to not be home by yourself every night of the week. Paisley comes over after school and we just hang out. It's nice to not be alone.

There's an underlying spark between the two of us, there's no denying. I've known it since that night. When we were sitting so close and I could feel the electricity between our bodies. It wouldn't work, though.

I'm not the relationship kind of guy, and we're definitely not in the situation to be in a relationship.

There's still so many embedded feelings from the accident. I know Paisley wants to act like it doesn't bother her, but it does. The fact that she'll always be restricted, that she'll always have those scars. She's incredibly self-conscious about it. She may think she's come to terms with what's happened, and in many ways I'm sure she has, but you don't just forget about something like that.

And of course the guilt never leaves me, especially now that her and I are together all the time. That's why it's best to just remain friends.

"Hi." I said, walking through the front door. My parents got home late last night, and I haven't seen them all week.

"Harry." My mom called from the kitchen. I walked towards her voice, wondering what she wanted.

"Hey." I said.

"Harry, I just checked your grades." She stared. Great, here we go with this again.

"And?" I asked, my tone getting a little more snippy now.

"And, they're bad. How do you expect to get into college like this?" She scolded. It always amazed me how she could play the 'mom' role only half the time.

"I don't know, you ask me."

"Don't talk to me like that. You need to bring your grades up."

"How can you just come home one night and expect all of this from me?" I said, my voice short. When my parents are home, all they do is yell at me.

"What do you mean?" She asked innocently, like she actually cared.

"I mean you've left me home alone since I was ten. I practically live by myself. You guys care more about work than you do about me. And don't pull that 'that's not true' bullshit. I've heard that before. Maybe if you were here to guide me when I was growing up, I wouldn't be so fucked up."

"Harry, don't you dare turn this on me and your father. We have always been here for you." She said. Wow, the audacity.

"I'm not doing this with you, mom. My grades are shit and I know it, but  you know what, I really don't care because even if I did well in school, it wouldn't matter."

"Harry don't speak to me like that, again." She said, trying to take the upperhand in the conversation.

"I'll speak to you how I want." I said quietly, but my voice was powerful. "I'm passing, it may not be with a 4.0 but I'm passing. Be happy I managed to get that far on my own."

"You're not on your own, Harry."

"Mom, stop." I yelled, not being able to handle in any more. "I am on my own and both of you know it. Don't pretend like you care. I've made it this far without your guidance, so don't start now." I said.

She just gave a fake hurt look, her eyes directed straight into mine, before letting out a defeated sigh. "Alright." She said, leaving me in the kitchen by myself.

At least she admitted it to herself. We've had this fight a thousand times, and it usually ended with one of us convincing the other we're right, but not this time. I've had enough, and to be honest, I think they have too. Nothing either of us are going to do can change what's in the past, so why try.

After standing in the room going over what happened once more, I impulsively walk out the door and get into my car. Paisley; She will know what to do.

I dial her number while pulling out of the driveway, hoping she will pick up.

"Hello?" Her quiet voice says over the line.

"Hey." I say.

"Hi, Harry. What's up?"

"I was, uh, just wondering if you wanted to hang out. Like...now?" I asked. We usually never did this, spur of the moment kind of stuff. But I don't want to be at home with my parents, and my friends aren't together unless there's a party going on.

"Uh, sure. I guess. I have nothing going on right now. Why?"

"Just wanted to get out of the house." I answered cooly.

"Okay. What do you want to do, then?"

"I'm not sure." I answered. I still had never gone to her house, but my house wasn't an option right now.

"You can come over to my house, I guess." She said, although she sounded a bit hesitant.

"Is that okay? We could go somewhere else."

"No, it's fine. Come on over."

"Okay, I'll be there in 15 minutes."

"Sounds good."

We both said goodbye and I went in the direction of Paisley's house. I'm not thrilled about being over there, as her parents probably hate me, but we have no better option, and if Paisley's okay with it, it should be okay.

Parking my car along the street, I went up to the door and rang the bell. Did she feel this nervous when she came to my house the first time?

Moments later, Paisley had the door open and was motioning me inside.

"Hi." I said.

"Hi." She smiled. "Everything okay?" Paisley knew my parents weren't home a lot, and that we didn't have the best of relationships. We'd never really had a conversation about it, but with all the hints I've dropped and her never having even seen my parents around the house, I'm sure she's caught on. She's never actually asked me about it though, so her question threw me for a loop.

"Yeah." I said. She looked at me unconvinced.

"Okay." Was all she said.

"Well, I don't have a super nice basement like you." She teased. "So do you want to go up to my room?" She asked.

"Sure." I answered. Before we could make it up the stairs, we ran into a middle-aged woman I remember seeing at the hospital.

"Mom, this is Harry." Paisley said, introducing me to her mom.

"Harry, yes, we've met." She said, her voice kind and not at all menacing like I thought it would be. "What are you doing here?" She asked. Did she not know Paisley and I had become friends?

"We're just gonna hang out." Paisley said quickly, confirming my idea that she knew nothing about us being friends.

"Oh okay." She said, surprised, before walking down the hallway and out of sight.

When her mom was out of earshot, I leant down to Paisley's ears. "Care to explain?"

"Later." She said. I followed her to her room, which was not upstairs like I expected. We went down the whole hallway on the second floor, where there was a door at the very end. "I'm at the top."

She opened that very last door and we were met with a set of stairs, turning the corner. Her room was its very own floor. It was small, but beautiful, She had a big window up on the slanted walls, the sunshine coming through. Her bed sat up against the wall, with only a bookshelf and small desk in the corner.

"It's kind of small, but it works." She said. I thought it was awesome. I liked the way it was secluded from everybody else.

"I like it." I said, taking a seat on her bed.

"Thanks." She said, sitting next to me.

"So, your mom?" I asked. Paisley took a deep breath before looking at me.

"She...doesn't know we've become...friends." She said, pausing in between. "She knows about the first time I went over to your house and stuff, and she thought it would be good for us to get...everything off our chests." She explained.

"But?"

"I haven't exactly told her how close we've become." Before I could say anything, she started speaking again. "I'm sure it'll be okay, but I just don't want them to think you're a bad person and-" She said quickly but I cut her off.

"Paisley, it's okay." I stopped her. "I understand."

"I just...haven't had the right time to tell her, and I knew it would come out sooner or later. I'm sorry." Why was she sorry? I wouldn't tell my parents if I was in her position either.

"Don't apologize." I said.

"Well, I feel bad that you had to come in like that. I should've told her before you came."

"It's okay, I promise. Worst things have happpened." I said, trying to reassure her that it didn't bother me. She should know by now that I care very little about what people think of me.

"Okay." She said. There was silence between us, both ounsure of what to do or say. There were still these awkward moments between us. "So what's going on?"

I figured she would ask, I just didn't figure out what I was going to tell her. I've never really been open for talking about this shit.

"Nothing." I said.

"Okay. I know you probably don't want to, but you know you can talk to me, Harry." I just stared at her. "I mean, I won't judge you or anything."

"Uh, thanks." I said. What in the hell am I supposed to say. Nobody's ever been this open with me. We both still sat in silence, and I'll be damned if those blue eyes weren't boring into mine again. Before I could even process what I was doing, I was telling her all my problems.

"I got in a fight with my mom." For some reason, I couldn't hold myself back around her in times like these.

"Oh?" She asked. I can tell she wants to know more but is refraining from trying to intrude.

"Yeah about my grades and whatever. It doesn't really matter. They'll be gone by tomorrow anyway." I said. I have no clue why I'm telling her all this, because it's not like she cares. And it's not like I've told anyone else before.

"I'm sorry, Harry." She said, grabbing my hand and holding it between us.

"It's whatever." I said.

"No, it's not. It's not fair that your parents aren't there for you." She said, then realized she was still holding my hand and quickly dropped it.

"Well, I'm used to it by now."

"That doesn't make it any easier to deal with."

"Well...thanks for listening." I said, suddenly feeling uncomfortable with her knowing this much about me. But friends are supposed to tell each other stuff like this.

"No problem. I'm always here." She smiled with sympathy. 

"Thanks. I just had to get out of that house."

"Well, you can stay here for a while if you want. We can watch a movie or something."

"Sure. As long as it's better than Twilight."

"Okay." She giggled, getting up to turn the TV on and turning on a movie.

And even though the movie was way better than Twilight, I couldn't concentrate on it at all, because all that was running through my mind was how someone was actually there for me, and now she was sitting so close to me and it all occured to me right then and there that I was falling for her.

*  *  *  *  *  *  * 

Bang Bang. 

Sorry to leave you guys with an ending like this! I'm excited for what's coming, though!!

Please let me know what you thought of this chapter! (And you could vote too ;)

Thank you so, SO much for reading! You're special and I love you!

Macy xx