Kevin dropped me off at school on the next Monday. I was terrified, and embarrassed. I knew I was going to see Nick, and I was breaking up with Sam.

"You're gonna be fine, A." Kevin smiled, "now, I need to go to school." He squeezed my hand, and I smiled a bit, then walked into the school.

•••

My first three classes went fine,y heart was thumping madly however, as I walked over to Sam.

"Hi baby." He smiled, pulling his arms around me. "Oh, are you okay? I'm sorry you got kicked out, but baby, you know that was your fault. You did sneak out." Sam laughed.

"Sam we need to talk." I wrung my hands.

"Sure, lets sit down." He pulled me over the bike racks, and situated me in his lap.

"Uh... we need to break up." I whispered.

"What?" He laughed a little bit. "Ugh, that was cute, come here." He pushed his hands up the back of my shirt, and I moved away.

"I really am, I'm sorry, I, I'm sorry." I sighed, standing up. I took one step, then Sam grabbed my foot and I fell.

"Come here." He gripped my wrist, yanking me up, and shoved me over to Nick. "I'm done with her." He decided.

"What do you mean?" Nick asked.

"She broke up with me, you can return to whatever the hell you were doing with her before we dated."

"Uh, okay." Nick laughed a little bit. "You can leave, Abigail." He pushed me off of him, and I grabbed my backpack and ran off inside of the school.

I managed to find a little unoccupied corner of the school, and I sat down, hugging my knees. I couldn't go back to the Walters on Friday. No one noticed me, it was pretty much back to normal.

I pulled a sandwich out of my bag and took a small bite. Mrs. Alvarez made me a lunch today. It felt weird to eat at school though. Wrong somehow.

I peacefully watched people walking past me, trying to find the silver lining in the day. I broke up with Sam, which was good, and Kevin wasn't pressuring me to date him either. It felt nice to have a guy who was willing to give me some space, our little mini-date went well, he was a sweet guy. I was hoping he'd be up for actually dating me.

•••

"So, how'd it go today?" Kevin asked, as I walked into work.

"Fine." I sighed, tossing my backpack down.

"You don't sound fine, Abigail." Kevin noted, and I went over to him, slipping under his arms into a hug. "Hi," he laughed a little, and rubbed my back.

"Hi." I whispered, resting my head on his chest.

"So, uh, did you break up with Sam? It's okay if you didn't, it's just a question."

"Yeah, I dumped him." I nodded, "he didn't take it well."

"Aw, did he hurt you?" Kevin asked, pulling away from the hug, and looking at me, holding my shoulders.

"Nope." I shook my head.

"Okay, come on, let's go to work." He draped my apron over my head. "That'll cheer you up, dealing with upset people yelling at you over their coffee orders. I'll even make the coffee today, I think you're the better people person."

"Yay." I smiled.

•••

"I vote that when we get home, we watch a movie, I will make homemade pizza." Kevin suggested, as we were walking down into the subway.

"Can you cook?" I asked, "like, are you good at that?"

"I'll make you pizza, and you can decide." He explained, grabbing a pole in the subway.

"Cool." I nodded, grabbing the one next to his.

"Crap now I don't get to relax, I get to pick the movie." He added.

"Now I'm scared, what do you have in mind?"

"We are going to watch The Shining."

"I'm going to take my chances on the street tonight." I laughed.

"I was joking, we'll watch a comedy or something like that." Kevin laughed as well, "also, I'm serious, if you ever don't feel safe, uh, come over, please. I love having you."

"Thanks." I sighed, as the subway stopped.

"Come along." He grabbed my hand and pulled me behind him, as he walked over to his apartment.

I smiled, walking into the apartment. The Alvarez family apartment was small, and homey.

"Hi kids." Mrs. Alvarez called, and I saw her walk out of her room.

"Hey Mom." Kevin smiled, going into the kitchen. "A, grab the couch cushions from my room."

"Okay." I smiled, and went into Kevin's small bedroom. He had assembled the couch cushions on the floor to make himself a bed, so that I could use his. I grabbed the cushions and pillows, and blankets, and brought them back into the living room.

"Abigail, how was your day?" Mrs Alvarez asked, as Kevin was making dough.

"Okay." I sighed, "I... I uh, I dumped my boyfriend."

"Oh, uh, I'm sorry, sweetheart." She said, and came over to the couch, to help me reassemble the cushions.

"No, it's okay, I uh, I had to, he was, he wasn't a good guy."

"Aw, come here, sweet pea." She smiled, and wrapped me in a hug.

"I'm okay, I really am." I smiled.

"Well, you can always use a motherly hug." She said, and pulled away.

"Uh, so, I've been meaning to ask, who's on your phone case?" She pointed to the Polaroid of me, Sebastian, and our parents.

"Uh, my mom, dad, and baby brother."

"Oh! Uh, so, I... is this your foster family?" She continued.

"Um, no, these are my actual parents, I mean, not my birth parents, they, uh, it's a messy timeline." I sighed, sitting on the couch.

"It's okay honey, I was just wondering, I assumed they weren't your birth parents, no offense but, you're white." She laughed a little, and sat by me.

"Yeah, not exactly the same race." I smiled, "my dad's first generation Puerto Rican, and my mom is Dominican/Austrian." I explained.

"Well, that's cool." She smiled, "do you have pictures?"

"Mmhm." I nodded, smiling, I was glad she was treating the adoption situation so normally, and wasn't pestering me about why my parents lost custody. I'll talk about it, when I want to. I scrolled through my camera roll, and clicked on a photo album of the four of us. "Here." I handed her the phone.

"Aw, you're adorable," Mrs. Alvarez laughed at some of the pictures.

"Thanks." I smiled.

"Okay, Abigail, pizza is in the oven, what are we watching?" Kevin asked, coming over to us.

"First, you said you'd pick the movie, second, I like your apron." I laughed a little, it was red checkered with little hearts on the pockets.

"Ha ha." He taunted, pulling it off. "We're watching Kindergarten Cop."

"Yay." I smiled, pulling my blanket onto the couch. A few seconds later, Kevin came over by me, and slipped under the blanket. I bit my lip, feeling him next to me. I curled up, just a little closer, trying to get him to put his arm around me, but he didn't.

"So, uh, A, I, uh..." Kevin started, and I sucked it up, and snuggled closer to him. I had always had attachment issues, according to the doctors I had as a child, my mom refused to hold me at birth. I was in the hospital for months, I had trouble developing, and now, I couldn't connect with the people around me. I felt him tense up a little, as I rested against him. I immediately realized it was a bad idea.

"I'm sorry, I'm trying. I, I can't, I'm sorry." I sighed, and scooted away from him a little.

"No, Abigail, come back." He pulled me into a hug.

"I'm sorry, I just, I... I thought you would like that, and I have trouble trying to like, connect with people, because of my stupid mom, and I thought I just needed to, you know, like, uh..."

"Abigail. Stop. It's okay." He snuggled me into his hug, "it wasn't weird at all. You're such a sweetheart, we can cuddle if you want to."

"I'm sorry. Was that weird? I mean, I don't, I know you just said it wasn't weird, but, you know, was it? I'm sorry, I'm just a l-"

"Come here." He sighed, cutting me off, and kissed my head, "you're very snuggily."

"Is that a word?" I asked, looking up at him.

"Snuggily? Yes Abigail, you are warm, and your clothes are soft, and you are easy to hug, therefore you are snuggily."

"Thanks." I smiled, and closed my eyes, resting against his chest. He gently rubbed my back, until the oven beeped.

"That's the pizza." He sat up a little.

"Uh uh, no, don't get up." I protested as he stood up. "Now I'm cold."

"I'm bringing you food, Abigail."

"Bring me warmth." I requested.

"I'll be back in two seconds." He whined, and I humphed, crossing my arms. Eventually, Kevin got back to the couch, and scooped me up to sit in his lap. "Pizza." He announced, handing me a plate.

"Thank you." I smiled, and picked up the fluffy square shaped slice, I took a small bite of the food, and a smile spread over my face.

"This is really good." I nodded, my mouth full.

"Told you." Kevin laughed a little, and hugged me tightly to him.

•••

Thursday night, I was sitting in bed, upset. Kevin was in the bathroom, and I was sitting cross legged with the covers over my legs.

He didn't ask me out all week. I was sorta hoping he would, I thought he liked me, I mean, we cuddled, I don't know, I would have thought he would have suggested something by now.

"Hey, you doing okay, A?" Kevin asked, coming into the room.

"Mmhm." I nodded, "I don't want to go back tomorrow."

"I get that, hey, call me if something happens." He said.

"I would, but, uh, they made it so my phone can only call their phones, Nicks phone, Sams phone and 911."

"What the hell?" Kevin seemed surprised. "No privacy, I assume they read your texts."

"Yeah." I nodded.

"Well, try and get in touch with me." He changed the request.

"I will." I nodded, starting to tear up.

"Hey, hey, honey, what's going on? You okay?" He sat next to me on his bed, pulling me into his arms.

"I'm scared."

"I'm sorry, I want to help, I want to help so bad." He sighed, rubbing my arm.

"What if he hits me again?" I questioned, "like with the belt."

"I'm sorry baby. It's all gonna be okay, lay down, go to sleep." Kevin nodded.

"Okay." I sighed, slipping down into the bed.

"Alright, goodnight." He smiled, standing up, I immediately grasped his hand.

"Nu uh." I shook my head, and pulled him back a little, "don't you dare leave me alone Kevin Alvarez. I know we're not dating, just, don't leave me alone."

"Okay, okay, just, be praying my mom doesn't come in." He smiled, and got in next to me. He pulled my warm body into his arms, hugging me, and lightly rubbing my back. "Now, go to sleep."

"Kay." I smiled, nuzzled into his sweatshirt.

•••

Morning.

I'm tired.

I don't want to go to APUSH, I have a test on the Great Depression and WWII.

Wish me luck today, school's been crap lately.

I love you guys.

Part four should be coming soon.