Bonnie stared down at her lap feeling numb and empty. She had done the one thing she promised herself she'd avoid. She couldn't believe that she had actually kissed Arcadia... Not only was Arcadia a girl but Bonnie was also very happy with Zack. It just didn't make sense to willingly cheat on him... He was funny, sweet and although he wasn't the brightest he always had Bonnie's best interest at heart. He was all anyone could ever want... So why couldn't she just like him like she was supposed to?

It wasn't like Arcadia was someone she should want to be with regardless of gender... Arcadia was unstable and reckless. She was the type of person to get into fights and she didn't seem to care about anyone, even the people who claimed to be her friends. That wasn't somebody Bonnie wanted to be associated with, much less wanted to date. But then she pictured Arcadia running alongside her. She saw her laughing heard her light teasing. And most of all she felt her lips against hers.

Kissing girls was everything Bonnie had thought it was and more. She hadn't minded kissing Zack... She didn't see the big deal in kissing for the longest time until she had kissed Arcadia. Her lips were soft and cool to the touch. Her arms had wrapped around Bonnie's neck and her bright smiles in between kisses were enough to send Bonnie's heart racing. She wanted to relive that night over and over as much as she wanted to pretend it never happened.

She closed her eyes and tangled her fingers in her hair, tugging at the ends in frustration. Everything was going so wrong. She should have just let Arcadia fight Matt and his friends then everything would be fine. Sure, Arcadia would have a few bruises but she imagined that she could outrun them and Bonnie had seen Arcadia kick boys asses in the past. It would be routine for Arcadia and Bonnie would be content with last night never happening.

"Bonnie, can you give me a ride?" Tj asked as he pushed open Bonnie's door, not bothering to knock.

"No, tell our moms that I'm staying home from school... I don't feel good" Bonnie lied. Tj gave her a puzzled look and Bonnie knew just how weird it must sound. Bonnie never missed school if she could help it. The last time Bonnie missed school she was in the hospital after getting her appendix removed.

"You alright...?" Tj awkwardly asked, shifting slightly at the doorway in discomfort. Bonnie shook her head 'no' receiving a long and awkward stare from her younger brother. Tj wasn't necessarily good at handling emotions. He kind of just stood there and awkwardly patted people's backs. But maybe that was enough... Tj and Bonnie were close and she knew Tj would support her regardless. And maybe it wouldn't hurt to finally tell somebody.

"I kissed Arcadia" Bonnie quietly admitted. Tj was quiet for a few minutes which sent Bonnie's anxiety through the roof. That is until he took a seat beside Bonnie on the bed and pulled her into a long hug. Tears swelled in Bonnie's eyes and she quickly hugged him back, burying her face in his hoodie. "Please don't tell Zack... I'll figure things out with him on my own but I need a minute"

"Family first, Bon... You know I'd never say anything" Tj promised. He finally pulled away from Bonnie and brushed her tears off of her cheeks before grinning in satisfaction. "Look on the plus side, you can finally add to the movie nights list with me, Mama, and Mom" Bonnie snorted at that.

Every weekend Bonnie and her family watched a movie or two together. Tj and her moms had a game where they shouted dibs every time an actress from a combined list of their celebrity crushes walked onto the screen. Whoever had the most points at the end of the movie got to pick what restaurant they ordered takeout from next week.

"Shut up" Bonnie laughed despite tears still streaming down her cheeks. Maybe everything would be okay... She still had her brother and her moms. So maybe that much would be enough.

_________________________________________

Scooters hands shook as they neared the door to the mansion. It was just a date... They had done this a million times so it shouldn't be a big deal. But Bay was pretty and Scooter fell for people a little too easily. Scooter swallowed the lump in their throat before hesitantly knocking on one of the two doors. It took a few minutes before the wide door was pulled open to reveal Bay seemingly unbothered. Scooter wasn't so sure how they felt about how neutral Bay's expression was, but they hoped things would improve in a bit.

"Hey, thanks for inviting me" Scooter chuckled before their curse of making things awkward kicked in. "I was honestly really surprised you asked, I mean I wasn't sure if you liked me or like liked me... But I'm glad you asked because I think I was about to drive myself crazy-" Scooter froze before seeing Bay, biting back a laugh as he watched and their face turned a bright shade of pink. "Crap... Sorry... Please just say something before I start talking again"

"You're fine" Bay chuckled. "Come on in" He nodded inside and Scooter took a deep breath before following Bay into the mansion and down a different hallway Scooter had never been down.

"Where are we going this time?" Scooter hummed, their eyes darting to every piece of art or old furniture in pure fascination.

"Miss Evangeline's old room" Bay hummed with a small grin. Scooter's face lit up at the thought of learning more about the people that once walked Burrows Mansion. They had learned about Dr. Alexander and his companion. They had learned about Madam Lyudmila and her affairs. But Miss Evangeline was a completely new name... A name Bay hadn't once mentioned last time Scooter was there.

"What's her story?" Scooter hummed. Their heart fluttered as Bay smiled down at them, running his fingers through Scooter's frizzy red hair in a soothing matter. Scooter blushed and leaned into his touch with the shyest of smiles on their lips.

"Miss Evangeline was a student to a pianist by the name of Allister. Allister was hired to play at all of the events and when he had passed instead of searching for a new pianist, they took on Miss Evangeline" Bay began. "She was young and only nineteen at the time, but had countless suitors from the town that would filter in and out of the mansion. When she rejected all of them they began to grow suspicious of her so she had to marry to preserve her reputation and good title. She married a wealthy older man by the name of William and only three days after their wedding he was found dead, said to have been stabbed by his brother. Miss Evangeline returned to the mansion and her dear Emily, the woman she loved and lived a long happy life in her arms as the pianist. But letters between Emily and Miss Evangeline suggest that Miss Evangeline might have been the one that stabbed William"

"I think I have a new role model" Scooter lightly joked.

"Should I be worried that one day you'll stab me and take my inheritance?" Bay snorted. A small smile reached Scooter's lips at that. Bay unlocked a small wooden door leading to a bedroom, much smaller than the ones upstairs but slightly bigger than a servant's quarters.

The wallpaper was a lovely faded violet and blue, the carpet was worn but still soft, and the room overall felt very homely. There was an old wooden bed frame and a worn unused mattress. Ancient quilts and hand-stitched pillows decorated it and near the window was a wooden vanity that matched the bedframe. The closet was emptied of any elegant dresses that had once filled it, but the vanity was still covered in some of Miss Evangeline's belongings. A cracked hand mirror, a pendant, a journal, a few books, and a small box filled with letters decorated and neat cursive.

What caught Scooter's eye above all was a small, round painting of a young woman. Her silky black hair was pinned up and out of her face. Her skin was paler than snow and her lips were a lovely red, the same color as the rose in her hands. Her eyes were a beautiful seafoam green and an elegant blue and white dress with puffed sleeves hugged her body. The painting was from the chest up, and she looked to be lost in thought or distracted by something. But she was beautiful... That much was clear.

"That painting is... Wow," Scooter smiled as they walked over to it to inspect it further. "Is this Miss Evangeline? Is there one of Emily?" Scooter asked with an excited grin. Bay chuckled before heading to the vanity.

"Well... Emily is a little bit complicated" Bay awkwardly laughed at that part. "She was a servant so she wasn't given the same treatment or opportunities as everybody else, but Miss Evangeline did draw her once" Bay pulled out a folded up, yellow-tinted piece of paper before handing it to Scooter. Scooter carefully unfolded it before their eyes widened in astonishment.

Emily had a rounder face, her curly hair was combed back and into a low bun and her eyes were dark and soulful. She had plump lips and a birthmark on her right cheek... Even if the drawing was done in pencil, it was still clear that she was black. From her facial features to the texture of her hair, she was simply beautiful. But there was something weirdly familiar about her... Something Scooter couldn't place until they brought their gaze back to Bay. That was when they saw it.

"You two look a lot alike" Scooter blindly commented.

"We should. She's my four times great grandmother" Bay admitted with a small smile. "Emily had a hard life... She was raped by the owner of the mansion, had his illegitimate child, my grandfather, and struggled to keep her son fed. Of course, her son was the only family left when the owner passed and everything was left to him despite him being mixed. Emily's life improved a lot after that... A few generations later and here I am"

"That's incredible" Scooter grinned before taking a seat on the bed. "My family's story is kinda boring... Although, my great-grandfather was a child on the titanic. Immigrated from Ireland with his family, but only he and his sister made it off alive"

"Interesting enough for me" Bay grinned before taking a seat beside Scooter. "If you think about it, a hundred years from now your story could be passed down like this. A hundred years from now somebody could be reading your journal or your texts. Talking about your story and your adventures..."

"Yeah, but instead of tragic love stories all my descendants will hear about is that time I got my head stuck in a traffic cone" Scooter deadpanned.

"You what?" Bay laughed. Scooter groaned and that's when they realized they'd have to tell Bay a long story. So they did... They told Bay about Maryland. They told him all about their friends and their adventures. They told him about how Scooter tended to do stupid things when they were drunk and how their friend had just gotten new lightsabers... How Scooter had thought it would be a good idea to battle them with cones on their heads to make things more interesting. Traffic cones were a lot heavier than Scooter had intended...

While Scooter told Bay all of this, Bay was carefully writing it out in an empty journal. Every detail, every word, and emotion attached to the memories was written in that journal now. The story of Scooter Kelly's adventures would forever join the stories of Miss Evangeline or Dr. Alexander. Of Emily and Madam Lyudmila...

"Why'd you write it all out?" Scooter asked, their head laying on Bay's shoulder as they watched Bay finish the last line.

"I think only the most extraordinary people came to Burrows Mansion... Their stories were never forgotten or destroyed, so why should yours be?" Bay quietly asked. A small blush reached Scooter's cheeks and they gathered any confidence they had before pulling Bay in for a long and gentle kiss.

Bay's lips were warm and tasted like green tea, something Scooter often noticed Bay drinking in the shop. His hand moved to tuck Scooter's hair out of their face and his fingers glided down their cheek. Scooter's heart was racing at this point and when Bay finally pulled away, Scooter wasn't sure it had even happened. It felt like a dream.

"Holy shit" Scooter blurted out before mentally facepalming themself. They groaned as Bay broke out laughing and collapsed back onto the bed, covering their face with their hands in embarrassment. Why couldn't they just shut up sometimes? Or even better, be smooth and unbothered like Bay? But then Scooter's hands were peeled away from their face and their lips were caught in another long kiss.

_________________________________________

Bonnie anxiously shifted from side to side as she waited for Zack's car to pull up to the shop. What would he say? What would she say? She knew she couldn't tell him the truth, but he also deserved a reason. She could always lie and say she had just fallen out of love or maybe she could just pretend she never kissed Arcadia... But then she'd always feel guilty. Guilty for taking up Zack's life when she knew deep down she didn't feel the same way. Guilty for keeping him from finding someone better for him.

She twirled a hoodie string around her finger as she stared down at the tattered strings. The hoodie used to be Tj's until he outgrew it and gave it to Bonnie. It was a dark violet color and was for the Washington Huskies, Tj's favorite college football team. Bonnie kept it because she intended on going to UW when she graduated. She hoped that the familiarity of it would comfort her enough to get through this painful process...

"Hey" Zack grinned as he collapsed into the red booth across from Bonnie. "Did you order yet?"

"No... I'm not staying here long" Bonnie mumbled. She brought her gaze down to the table, her stomach twisting and turning in anxiety and guilt. She wanted to disappear at that moment.

"You alright?" Zack asked.

"Not really..." Bonnie admitted. "I think we need to break up..." Zack was silent for a few moments and Bonnie couldn't bring herself to look up from the table. She didn't want to see any hurt or anger or disappointment on his face. She just wanted to disappear and never be heard from again.

"Why?" Zack asked after a long silence. His voice was monotone. Any emotion was removed from it, almost robotic.

"It's... Complicated" Bonnie winced. She couldn't bring herself to lie to Zack. But she also couldn't tell him the truth. "I wish I could give you an answer... You deserve one. It's just that I'm not completely comfortable with the answer myself... I'm sorry and I really hope we can stay friends?"

"Um... Yeah, Bonnie... Sure" Zack shifted in slight discomfort and Bonnie finally looked up at him to find him avoiding her gaze. His hooded eyes were locked onto the table, unfocused and lost. His face was unreadable but Bonnie knew he was unhappy. "Just... You know, give it a few days?"

"Yeah... Sure" the table fell into silence before Zack suddenly got up and walked out without another word. Bonnie closed her eyes tight, slowly recentering herself before she heard a familiar voice ordering. She forced a small smile and looked toward the familiar curly-haired boy. "Hey, Emrys" Bonnie quietly called. His head snapped in her direction and she instantly knew something was wrong.

Emrys was always bright and passionate. If he was a color he'd be a friendly orange. A pinch of an optimistic yellow tinted by a loud and fiery red. He was always smiling, always laughing, and forcing others to show their best selves. But today there was sorrow in his eyes despite the smile on his lips.

"Hey" Emrys grinned and slid into the booth across from Bonnie. "You alright?"

"I could ask you the same thing" Emrys' smile fell at that and a look of defeat washed over him.

"That obvious, huh?" Emrys mumbled. "It's all fine... Just Arran... We're not talking at the moment" Bonnie felt a pang of sympathy for the boy. She never understood why Emrys was friends with Arran... Sure, Arran was nice to Emrys. He was only ever nice and relaxed around him. But even if Arran was good to Emrys, Arran said and did a lot of things that didn't align with Emrys' morals. And even if Emrys could be a pushover, she had seen him get in fights defending the little guy.

"Emrys... You know I love you like a brother" Bonnie carefully began. "But... Why Arran? He's not a good person..." Emrys gave a shy smile, bringing his broken gaze to the counter.

"I like his smile" Emrys admitted. "He doesn't do it often... But when he does I just know there's good... There has to be"

"Em... He takes you for granted" Bonnie carefully reached out to hold one of her best friend's hands. "You are an amazing person and a beautiful soul... You deserve the world... And I know he's your best friend, but sometimes you outgrow people. Arran may have good in him, but that doesn't mean he's been good to others"

Emrys was quiet for a moment before nodding and tightening his grip around Bonnie's hand and giving her a light squeeze. He brought his watering gaze up to meet Bonnie's, the ghost of a smile on his lips.

"Thank you..."

Question of the chapter: How long would you survive a zombie apocalypse? I think if I was able to last the first year I'd last a while. So either like two months or ten years. No in between.