The dead-end road was full of sticks and leaves. The only light was from the moon. Savana could barely see where she was heading but knew she needed to get home. Once she got back on the main road, she would be fine.

"Savana!" Landon called out for her.

Tears finally poured down her face. She didn't know what had just happened. She was so angry. Did Landon think so little of her?

"Wait! Please! Listen to me!" He continued to yell, his voice echoing in the darkness. She could hear him running on the road behind her.

Against her better judgment, Savana paused and listened. She stood behind a tree on the side of the road, hoping he didn't see where she had gone. Her heart pounded in her chest as she tried to remain still and stay hidden.

"Savana! I'm sorry! Please!" It almost sounded like Landon was crying. "I'm sorry! I was a dumbass! I know you wouldn't hurt me like that!"

His steps slowed down as they approached where she hid. "Please, Savana, look at me."

Savana jumped again. It sounded like he was right behind the tree. She slowly turned and poked her head around the tree. She didn't understand why she felt so afraid of Landon now.

Once Landon saw her coming from around the tree, he grabbed her arm and pulled her into his chest. She wanted to fight him off but felt his arms wrap around her in a tight hug. She heard him crying.

"I'm so sorry Savana. I don't know what got into me." He cried into her shoulder. She felt his whole body shake. "I just like you so much. I don't want to lose you."

The only thing Savana could think to do at that moment was to hug him back. They stood there in silence for what felt like hours.

Landon whispered in her ear. "I swear I remember your birthday."

Savana still couldn't say anything. She was still angry but felt the need to comfort him for some deranged reason. She felt a little guilty for slapping him. She didn't mean to make him cry.

After a few more silence moments, Savana spoke.

"I want to go home. Please." She said coldly.

Landon sniffled. "Okay." He sounded defeated.

The drive back to Savana's house was silent. It wasn't until she opened the door that someone spoke again.

"I'm sorry." He turned to her.

She wouldn't face him. "I know."

Savana climbed out of the truck and shut the door. She didn't even turn back to look at him, driving away slowly.

In a daze, Savana walked into her house. She didn't even try to be quiet. Once she got into her room and lay on her bed, she heard the chainsaw noise from her dad's room again. That was when she snapped out of it.

Her whole body trembled. She felt nauseated. Her crying turned into uncontrollable sobbing. She had trouble catching her breath. This feeling scared her. It felt like the world had stopped, leaving her alone.

Somehow, she got her phone out. She needed to talk to someone. The phone rang and rang. Of course, they were probably asleep. Savana choked out a loud cry, scared no one would answer.

"Hello?" A tired voice answered.

Savana tried to speak but couldn't. The only thing the other person could hear was crying.

"What happened? Are you okay?"

"C-Cully. I f-f-fucked up." Savana sobbed loudly. She grabbed her blanket and pushed it hard against her mouth. She couldn't let her dad hear her.

"Do you need me to come over?" Cully was worried. She hadn't heard Savana this upset since her mom died.

"Mmhmm." It was all Savana could choke out.

"Do you want me to bring Faye too?" Cully knew Faye needed to be there too. Faye was better at this sort of thing.

"Mmhmm." Savana repeated.

"Okay, I'm going to call her and we'll be right over. Are you okay with waiting for a little bit?" Cully worried hanging up would make things worse.

Savana felt more at ease with both her best friends there. It had been a long time since they were together at her house. "Yeah, I'll be okay. Thank you." Savana sniffled.

It felt like hours had passed before Cully and Faye got to her house. But really, it wasn't even ten minutes. Savana stared up at her ceiling and watched her ceiling fan spin. Her black cat, Hannibal, entered her room after calling Cully. He meowed at her as if he was asking her if she was okay. She started crying again and held him tightly in her arms.

The girls, still in their pajamas, let themselves inside and quietly stepped into Savana's room. They stopped in the doorway and looked down at Savana. Hannibal saw the girls, jumped from her arms, and ran away. He didn't like others.

Faye slowly walked up to the bed. "Savana? Are you okay?"

Savana's face scrunched up, and she tried to stop sobbing again. It sounded like she was choking. Quickly, both girls sat on each side of her and comforted her the only way they could.

"Shh, shh. It's okay." Faye brushed Savana's hair and noticed how messy it was. It looked like Savana had run through the woods.

"Whenever you want to talk, we're here to listen." Cully rubbed Savana's arm.

Savana turned to them and tried to smile. It wasn't compelling. Then she decided to sit up and take deep breaths. They were very shaky. Faye took deep breaths with her to get her in the same pattern.

Once Savana seemed calmer, she looked up at her friends. She felt guilty for not telling them about Landon before. "There's something I've kept from you both. I was afraid of what you would think."

Cully and Faye were surprised. They didn't think Savana would ever keep a secret from them. But the three of them hadn't been that close for a while.

"What is it? We promise we won't be mad. You can tell us." Faye comforted her. Cully nodded in agreement.

"I've been seeing Landon." Savana spoke softly and held her head down.

"What do you mean by seeing him?" Faye asked. They already knew she and Landon worked together. So, that wasn't a secret.

Cully instantly knew what Savana meant by that. "She means they're dating." She whispered to Faye.

Faye's eyes widened in shock. "Wow, okay."

"Did he hurt you?" Cully asked. She was just as surprised as Faye.

"No, yes, I don't know." Savana cried again.

"What happened? Did he break up with you?" Faye asked.

"No. We fought, I slapped him, he cried. I don't know what to do." Savana sat with her back against her headboard and her knees tucked into her chest. She tried to keep her breath steady.

Cully and Faye looked at each other. Neither knew what to say about this. They never thought Savana would actually date Landon. And if she slapped him, he probably deserved it.

The girls continued to ask her what had happened. Savana explained every detail. She then told them about how their relationship started and everything in between.

After a couple of hours of talking, Savana decided to break up with Landon as soon as possible. She had mixed feelings about breaking up with him, but now that her friends knew, she felt she had to. They all eventually moved down to the floor and fell asleep.