" I have something to confess." Anna spoke up.

" Hmm?" Kate looked at her, giving her full attention.

" I still can't believe that you and Nick, are at that stage of your lives."

" Do you think it's too soon?"

" With how much you two adore each other, I'm surprised you didn't do it the first year ." Anna said, making them both smile.

" That's a bit dramatic." Kate playfully rolled her eyes.

"Hey, take it from one of your witnesses, it was game over the minute you both admitted you liked each other."

" I did think he was too good for me." Kate admitted.

" And he thought the same."

Kate shook her head, " no way."

"Girl, you were in your own little world to notice how nervous he got, whenever you showed up. You are just that girl."

" I can't imagine it." Kate said as she continued walking, with Anna following suit.

They had been walking for a while now. Kate could admit that this was totally a need because she now felt calmer. After what happened, her emotions had been at an awful high, and her desire to leave, grew more.

" Honestly, it hasn't sunk in yet, it's too unreal, you know." Kate admitted once again.

" Believe it sister!" Anna playfully nudged Kate's shoulder," you guys love each other, it's pretty obvious to anyone."

" Are you sure about that?" Kate said with a certain look, that made Anna to sigh. " Forget about her."

" Hard to do that when she has every intention to be around him."

" She's delusional enough to think there is still a chance for her and Nick." Anna complained. " That won't happen."

" You've got to admit, her feelings never wavered."

Anna shook her head, " no, don't start giving Stacey credit for all the nonsense, we've had to tolerate this whole time."

Kate chuckled, seeing Anna's facial expression. Her friend never shied away from expressing how she felt.

" I mean Nick is one of the most irresistible guys at our school."

" And what about you?"

Kate only shrugged her shoulders.

" Let me tell you my unbiased opinion, you are one of the most beautiful girls at our school, you might not hear it because many are low-key jealous."

" Are you sure it's not biased?" Kate teased her friend.

" Yes, yes and you know what? The fact that you and Nick are together, is too perfect."

Kate chuckled, shaking her head slightly.

" So forget about what others think, especially miss delulu."

" Well, while she still lives in delulu land, she's not making it easy to be around her." Kate frowned.

" And you don't have to tolerate her nonsense, not that Nick will be able to, for much longer after today."

This peaked Kate's curiosity, " What do you mean?"

" Lets just say he wasn't really impressed by what she did earlier , and he made sure that she knew."

" Hopefully he'll set things straight with her and maybe, she will finally understand boundaries if it comes from him."

" Believe me when I say I have a feeling that it will happen, sooner than you think."

" I'll hold onto that."

Anna gave her a side hug, " hold on strong my friend because in no time, we wont have to see her try to sink her claws into him like all the other times. She'll grow tired once she's knocked out of delulu land and she sees how committed he is to you. Nick loves one person, my pretty bestfriend."

Kate held out her hand with the ring and a smile touched her face.

" Its very beautiful." Anna complimented.

" Like his love." Kate added.

" Okay, okay you lovesick girl, there's something I need to know."

" Yeah?"

" That Max guy, my curiosity hasn't left me about him."

" Oh uh, Max is------"

" Oh shoot," Anna muttered.

" What?"

"I forgot something back at the house."

" What is it?"

" My cam."

" Isn't it a bit far to go back for it?" Kate asked, looking behind.

" Yeah you're probably right."

Knowing how much the camera meant to Anna, she changed her mind and decided to encourage her friend. " No, you know what, you should go back for it and I'll wait here for you."

" No, lets forget it. I'll use it next time."

" Anna, I know how much that camera means to you and this is the right time, to put it into use."

" Are you sure?" Anna bit her lip, looking conflicted about leaving her friend alone.

" Positive, now off you go and come back soon. Oh and grab a flashlight on your way back, just incase it gets dark."

" Will do," Anna agreed.

She touched Kate's shoulders and released a long breath. " I'll be right back."

" And I'll be waiting," Kate replied.

Reluctantly Anna stepped back, gave her friend one last look before she walked back in the direction they came from.

As promised, Kate waited for her friend to return. For some reason, this reminded her of the time she used to wait up for Max. The mwmory of him showing up so excited to see her, made her smile to herself.

'We are reunited now and I won't have to wonder, where he is.' She thought to herself.

With time gone, she had settled for sitting on a log.

The sun was setting and that surprised Kate, who found it quite early. It felt like 30 minutes had gone or maybe she had started to feel, just a little lonely and bored.

At first she was conflicted about her next move, but later decided to head back and rather meet Anna halfway. The sound of a twig breaking, startled her. She looked around but there was no sign of anyone.

A few minutes passed with silence and she relaxed again, unfortunately her relief didn't last for long when she heard the sound again. Her curiosity pushed her to approach a nearby tree, where she assumed the sound came from.

For a while she stood and waited but it resulted to nothing.

'Am I imagining things now?' She shook her head, thinking she was getting way too paranoid for her own good.

Her intention to leave haulted, when her eyes caught sight of a figure, standing not too far from the tree. It was a man facing his back to her, he was quite tall and broad shouldered. His dark hair with hints of white convinced her that he might have been older.

She couldn't decide whether to approach the man or not, so she stayed behind the tree until she made a decision.

It didn't take long for her to figure out what to do, when the man tilted his head to the side, as if whatever he'd seen caught his interest. The hairs at the back of her neck rose, her eyes grew wide and her heart beat fast as realisation hit her.

No doubt, it was him.

Everything seemed to make sense now, her gut feeling about the trip hadn't been wrong. Everything had been quite fishy from the very beginning. She had not been fully on board about this trip and now her reason was more than valid.

Oh how she wished she hadn't seen that man, the one responsible for giving her nightmares. The one who hurt her deeply.

That man was here, her father.

She didn't know how she managed to not make a sound, as she shifted to be more hidden behind the tree,

It was a challenge to go unnoticed, but it was a challenge she willingly took. Her main goal was to run for safety.

Succeeding in maintaining enough distance, she turned around and made a run for it. She could feel her heart beat out of her chest as she ran.

Hope for safety crashed immediately when she suddenly tripped and fell, over a broken branch. She landed with a thud and hit her head in the process, thus falling unconscious.