"Shh, everything's okay," Chance strokes my waist with his thumb, trying to comfort me since he doesn't know that I can't feel anything. His other arm is wrapped around my shoulders. He's pulled me up, into his embrace, and I didn't fight him.

"N-no, n-nothing's o-okay, y-you l-liar," I stutter, tears pouring down my face, dripping onto his shirt. He doesn't seem to mind, and I want to clean it up, but I'm still shaking and hyperventilating.

"Shh, okay, okay, I'm lying," Chance wipes away my tears. "You know, once upon a time I liked, no, loved this girl. She was the most beautiful person ever, but because of some stupid people's words she didn't think so.

"And guess what? She went to try out this thing, the same thing that Troy and Shaylee had used." Chance's thumb strokes a rhythmic pattern on my waist. Well, I see it stroking a rhythmic pattern.

I whimper, and Chance gently presses a kiss to my forehead. I hate it that I can't feel his lips on my skin. I miss him. I miss Chance and his playful remarks, and his beautiful smiles, and his warm care and concern.

For me.

"Anyway, so she became someone else. It was scary, you know, how she was herself but not really her at the same time.

"She found herself more beautiful than her true self, without that mask, and that disgusted me. I still loved her, though, but then she changed. Into a whiny, selfish brat.

"I was awfully shocked, because I didn't recognize her anymore. And I started to hate her, because she stole the girl I had loved my whole life.

"So I started to treat her badly, kicking her around like a broken doll. She always cried, I knew, but she didn't change. She didn't get the message.

"Eventually, to not hurt her anymore because my girl was still there, somewhere inside that monster, I left."

My breathing finally returns to normal as I stare into Chance's eyes. What? No, that wasn't what happened!

Or was it? I've always only knew my side of the story...was that why Chance left? Because of me?

"And what happened to her after?" I whisper.

Chance looks down at me. "Something happened. She's herself again, but she's not happy. And I'm not going to push her on the reason, because I don't want to let her drift away, and I don't deserve the chance to, and I know she'll tell me if she wants to."

More tears fill my eyes. "But you still love her."

Chance stares at me, his eyes overflowing with emotion. "I..."

I pull back from him, turning away. Who am I to ask that question? I begin to walk towards the dining room, swiping at my eyes.

I pull out my chair at the table where everyone is eating, and dig into the mashed potatoes and mushroom soup and roasted chicken drizzled with honey.

All through dinner, I feel Chance staring at me. I try to ignore him, and poke at my food instead, chewing to give an excuse for not participating in the lovely chatter. Chance joins in, laughing with the others, but his eyes are glued to my face.

-------------------------------------------------

After dinner, we sit in the living room just before we go to finish up the corn chips that Sharlynn re-heated in the oven.

"So, Chance, how are you going to get home?" Shaylee asks.

"Um, Sharlynn says I can stay here until my house is safe for usage. My belongings are in my pod."

"No! You can't stay with Sharlynn, or any of us." Caden says immediately, a knee-jerk reaction. I can imagine him adding on the 'especially Sharlynn' under his breath.

"You shouldn't even have come back," Dustin agrees, crossing his arms.

Chance lifts his brows at the boys. "Okay...and why shouldn't I?"

"Because-" Before Caden can continue I send him a look that tells him to keep his mouth shut.

"Because?" Chance pries.

"Uh...you can ask Amber, I mean, Corinne, if you'd like."

Chance's eyes flicker to mine, and I hold my breath.

"It's okay," he says, and I exhale.

"Because she caused Mum and Dad's death!" Troy blurts out, before clamping a hand over his mouth. I swallow, and I know that my face's temperature is rising and rising and rising, until it becomes a raging inferno.

"I'm sorry, sis, I-" Troy starts, but I just nod weakly, staring down at my hands instead. I play with my fingers, anything to distract myself.

"I'm not going to push it, Amber. I can forget all about it if you'd like." Chance says cautiously.

I want to tell him everything, just say it and let the burden go, but my pride won't let me, even though I just want to stand up now and run to him and tell him everything. But it's not going to end like in my imagination. Chance is going to call me a freak, a monster. He'll never love me for who I am.

"Yes, please do," I murmur. He nods.

"So...where can I stay tonight?" Chance looks around, a smile on his face again. I pull my knees to my chest, and let my hair fall forward to cover my face as tears drop onto my jeans.

How can he do that, just pick himself back up right after hearing something so terrible? About "his" girl, the girl he loved his whole life?

He probably thinks I'm crazy.

Someone shakes me and I snap out of my stupor, yet again, staring into their eyes. I realise that they've been staring at me all this while. Chance asks, "Are you okay?" I turn and see his arm around me. I push back away from him.

"I...I'm...okay..." I stutter. Chance raises his brows, clearing doubting me.

"I said I'm okay." I say with more confidence, to let them back off. Chance shrugs and walks off back to the couch, grabbing a corn chip on his way.

Sharlynn still doesn't believe me. Her eyes are trained on me. I understand what that means. Being her best friend for such a long time, how could I not know?

"Um, can I talk to Chance privately for a minute?" Dustin nods at Chance, and I tilt my head. Dustin wants to talk to Chance? What for? They don't have any bad blood between them...

Do they?

"Where will you guys be?" Caden asks.

Chance draws his brows together. "Just outside Corinne's house, don't worry."

I press my lips together. Something is off, sending warning bells ringing. Chance and Dustin leave, and Shaylee comes running down the stairs where she had disappeared with Troy just a while before. I almost don't recognize her again, but after a few seconds of staring at that face, I realize that it's Shaylee.

"Troy's asleep," she whispers to us. I smile and stand up slowly, climbing the carpeted wooden stairs to Shaylee's room, which has pink walls and pink floors and a pink ceiling and a giant queen sized bed with, well, pink bed sheets.

And Troy-again I need to stare for a while because he looks like some supermodel or the most popular guy back at school-leans against her desk, snoring softly. I laugh quietly, then scoop my brother up and thank Shaylee, wishing her a goodnight. Just as I'm about to leave, Shaylee stops me.

"Um, Corinne, can I ask you a question?" She peers at me through her eyelashes.

"Yeah, what is it?" I bend down slightly, Troy still resting in my arms.

"Do you hate me?" She asks innocently. I bite my lip, sighing.

"No, never!" I say, shaking my head.

"It's because I, you know, used Edit and let Troy use it too..." She trails off, looking at her feet.

"Don't worry about it, it's just that...I wouldn't use Edit if I were you," I reassure her, "it could end up in a mess."

"Okay, goodnight Corinne!" She replies, beaming, visibly relieved that I am on good terms with her.

"Sweet dreams, Shay," I whisper as I walk out of the room, the door closing behind me automatically.

I make my way downstairs, to the room where Troy usually sleeps in during his sleepovers, when I stop abruptly and squeal, turning around, almost dropping Troy.

Because Sharlynn and Caden are kissing each other intensely on the sofa, Sharlynn's hands through Caden's hair. Sharlynn climbs off Caden at a superhuman speed, her face burning, her lips swollen and red.

Caden stands up slowly behind her, and winces, a blush spreading through his cheeks. His hair is messed up and the first button of his shirt is already undone.

"I'm sorry! I didn't see anything, I'll just...uh, walk by," I say, hurrying past them to the room, and setting Troy on his bed.

Well...that was awkward. And didn't Caden just say he wouldn't tell her about his crush on her?

If I could feel it, I think I'd be blushing now. I walk out into the living room and see Sharlynn ans Caden still staring at me. Caden has this amused smirk on his face, ans has his arm wrapped around Sharlynn's shoulders and Sharlynn's looking a little flustered. Just as in about to leave, I backtrack and say, "Just remember not to go too overboard, and if you do, always...um..."

Caden laughs, and Sharlynn presses her hands to her face. "Yeah, I've got it," he says, kissing the side of Sharlynn's head.

Clearing my throat, I slip on my sneakers, grabbing my hoverboard.

"Uh, I won't be a third wheel now, so, uh, you guys can continue, bye!" I wave in the weirdest way possible and toss the hoverboard out the door, stepping onto it and waiting for the metal strips to attach me to the board. When it does, I direct it towards my house.

As I'm balancing, I think of Caden and Sharlynn and smile. I can't wait to ask her about it later on...and maybe I'll tell Dustin. Then I remember both Chance and Dustin are at my house.

Chance. I don't know what to think of him anymore. He seems so...different, yet the same. I just don't want to get hurt again by him. I don't know what will happen if I do, and I don't want to see the aftermath of getting my heart broken again.

I'm reaching my house soon, and I still don't know what to do. Let Chance stay over? Or just let him find someone else? My conscience tells me to let him stay, but I don't know what will happen if I do. I swoop down lower...

And what I see makes my blood run cold.