After we finished the first two movies I let out a small yawn,

"What time is it?"

I asked no one in particular. Senri was the first to answer in his typical stoic voice,

"11:30. Are you getting tired?"

I nodded, a guilty smile on my face,

"A bit. I don't think I should drive home right now. Would you guys mind if I stayed the night? I'll sleep on the couch and leave first thing in the morning. You won't even know I'm here."

I said hopefully, not wanting to risk a drive home when I'm this tired. My smile faded as Senri shook his head,

"In afraid that won't be possible. You'll have to stay in our guest bedroom."

My smile returned as I blinked at him in surprise,

"Are you sure? I don't want to be a nuisance."

The blonde honor student shook his head,

"I wouldn't have offered if it wasn't possible."

I laughed slightly in relief and smiled wider,

"Thank you so much! That's very kind of you."

Senri smirked coolly at me,

"Not at all. Do you want to go there now?"

I nodded and March immediately stood,

"I'll show you where it is."

"Thanks."

I responded sweetly, catching the glares sent to him by the other teens in the room. March led me up the stairs and showed me where everyone's rooms are,

"The door next to the staircase is Riki's, next to him is mine, then Jackson, then Bex, then Senri. Yours is at the very end of the hall."

He led me to a dark wooden door and turned the handle to open it,

"Ladies first."

He said smoothly. I smiled, blushing slightly,

"Thanks."

I stepped inside and looked around at the room,

"Th-This is the guest room?"

I asked, my eyes wide in shock. March nodded,

"Yeah. We have it in case one of our parents ever drops by. It's much nicer than any of ours. Make yourself at home."

I smiled to myself as I went to the window,

"This is way nicer than my apartment. Thank you so so much! I promise I won't overstay my welcome."

March waved my promise off,

"You can stay as long as you'd like. By the way, I want to apologize."

March moved to sit down on the bed and I followed suit,

"For what?"

"I just feel like what happened with Kenji today is my fault."

"How?"

I asked in confusion. March looked down,

"After the first time, I went up to him and told him to stay away from you. That he'd regret it if he ever hurt or touched you. The look in his eyes... he took it as a challenge. I see that now. And it's all my fault."

I tilted my head in confusion,

"Why'd you go and talk to him in the first place? I'm grateful you tried to help, but why did you want to get involved?"

Curiosity laced my voice as I spoke to the garnet haired teen. He lifted his head to face me, pain lurking in his eyes as he responded,

"You... you really don't remember, do you?"

My eyebrows snapped together in confusion,

"Remember what? Have we met before?"

March's eyes hardened at my response as he gripped my wrist with bruising force,

"Come with me."

Before I could protest he was dragging me down the hall to his room. He pushed the door open and sat me down on his bed before digging through a box he pulled from under his bed,

"What are you looking for?"

March didn't look up as he replied,

"You'll see."

His tone was stoic and I was worried I made him angry. Before I could voice these concerns, he pulled out a photograph. March looked down at it adoringly before handing it to me,

"Here, tell me if you recognize the people in this photograph."

I took the photograph from him and looked at it. I saw two young kids at a playground that looked oddly familiar. I looked at the girl and my eyes widened in surprise,

"That's me! That's the playground near my old house! I used to love going there when I was younger, especially going on the swings. I loved seeing how high I could go."

I looked at the boy and smiled,

"I remember him, too. I had seen him there for a while before I talked to him. He always looked so sad. I remember talking with him after I got a bully to leave him alone. He was really nice but his mom was scary. Not too long after we started talking he just vanished. I never saw him again. Never gave me his name, either. If I remember correctly, this picture was taken on the last day I saw him."

March nodded slightly at my words,

"You're right. It was taken on the last day he saw you. Do you remember what he said to you?"

I shook my head and March smiled sadly,

"He said that no matter what happened he'd always find his way to you, and that he'd always be there for you. That he'd protect you no matter what."

My eyes flicked from him, to the boy, and back to him,

"Wait... you're him? You're the boy I met on the playground?"

My voice held shock and March smiled warmly,

"Yes. Yes I am."

I laughed slightly in surprise, smiling as I pulled him into a tight hug,

"You were my only friend back then. I missed you so damn much. I thought you didn't want to be around me or something."

March held me close and smiled into my hair,

"That wasn't it at all. My father got a better job at a different hospital and we had to move away. I wanted to tell you that day but my mother threatened to hurt you if I did. She didn't like you and she didn't want you trying to find me."

I nodded in understanding,

"It's alright, March. I'm just glad I finally got the truth after eleven years. I'm glad I found my first friend again."

March laughed softly before he pulled away and looked into my eyes,

"I thought you'd hate me."

I giggled and rolled my eyes playfully,

"How could I hate you? None of that was your fault. You were just trying to protect me from your mother. There's nothing wrong with that. Do any of the others know?"

March shook his head, hair falling over his eyes before he pushed it back,

"No. I never told anyone. When I saw you in the cafeteria I thought my mind was playing a trick on me. It wasn't until I heard your voice that I knew it was you. My blood boiled at the thought of Kenji harassing you and threatening you. That's when I knew I had to get involved. When you looked at me I could tell that you didn't recognize me. It hurt, but I couldn't blame you. I thought you hated me."

I smiled warmly at my childhood friend,

"Well now we both know the truth. Everything happens for a reason, right? Maybe it's fate that we met up again."

March looked at me with his steel gray eyes and smiled slightly,

"Maybe it is."

I returned the smile before yawning softly. March laughed slightly before leading me back to the guest bedroom,

"I want you to get some rest okay? You look really tired. Don't strain yourself."

I let out a tired laugh as I got into bed,

"Can do. Night, March."

"Goodnight, (Y/N)."

March said kindly, shutting the door behind him as he left. I smiled to myself, happy that I found my childhood friend again. The more I thought about it, however, questions began to form in my mind:

why did his mother threaten to hurt me? And why did he expect me to automatically recognize him? I was six years old! Besides, how did he even know it was me? I've changed a lot since then. He looked so angry when I didn't recognize him, too. Why?

My mind was spinning with questions and my gut kept saying he wasn't telling me everything. I tossed questions and theories around in my head until I fell asleep.