My stare is blank and set on Sebastian's glossy eyes. There's sort of an awkward silence between the two of us after his admittance. I suck my bottom lip into my mouth, nibbling on it softly. I'm not exactly sure what to say to Sebastian at the moment. Looking away from him, I let my eyes trail over his walls and then to the desk that's sat in here. I almost turn back towards him when something catches my eye.

A new picture frame is on it but from this distance, I can't see what it's a picture of. As I walk closer, I feel eyes on me, knowing it can only be Sebastian. Maybe it's of him and Simon while they were on the beaches of Hawaii. Or even the whole family. Reaching the desk, I extend my hand to reach for the photo.

"Emie," Sebastian calls, but I ignore him as I stare at the picture.

Staring back at me are the smiling faces of Sebastian, Simon, and Cody. My mood immediately plummets as I stare at the photo. The three of them stood on the beach and it's truly a breathtaking sight. The sun is setting behind them and the skies are a gorgeous mix of yellow, orange, and event hints of blue and purple. The ocean behind them appears still and orange from the setting sun and two giant rocks are sticking out of the water in the distance, no doubt small islands. The leaves of a palm tree are hanging above them, but the beautiful land isn't what captures my attention.

What I'm drawn to are the smiles on Sebastian and Cody's faces. They look so incredibly happy as their heads face each other. They both slightly tower over Simon who's facing the camera with a large smile on his face, his childish eyes shining brightly. If you really knew Sebastian's new feelings, you'd know that the way he's looking at Cody shows real feelings.

In a bit of a daze, I set the frame down. The stand gives out and the frame falls. The noise feels much louder than it actually is, maybe that's because I'm feeling jealous or because we're both so silent. Nevertheless, I'm feeling like trash after seeing that photo.

Pursing my lips to the side, I turn to face Sebastian who can barely keep his eyes open. A grimace is on his face and I'm not sure if it's because he's sick or because I've just found some contraband.

"Emie bear..." Sebastian trails into a cough, sniffing after.

I shake my head at him, scoffing. "Jesus, Sebastian." I groan, crossing my arms. "You tell me you love me...but what? You love Cody too?"

Sebastian winces and pushes himself up from his bed. He lifts a hand to his face and rubs it down his cheek. "No...I love you, Emie. I've always loved you."

A cynical laugh leaves me and honestly, I'm afraid myself. I feel like some new, sarcastic person who takes nothing from anybody. In a matter of two months since the beginning of the school year, I feel like I've changed for the worse. The only thing keeping me afloat is that my grades are okay. With anything else, I feel like I'm constantly drowning with nobody here to save me.

"No you don't." I shake my head before biting my cheek to keep myself from snapping. "Maybe as a friend as you've told me before, but if you loved me, you wouldn't have been hanging around nor boyfriend nor keeping photos of him!"

Sebastian grows red and I can do nothing but laugh. With a sigh, I grab my bag that had been deposited on the floor by his bed. Not sparing Sebastian a glance, I begin my walk towards his door, planning to get out of there as soon as possible.

"Emie, please, let's talk." The bed squeaks loudly as Sebastian gets up. A hand grabs my wrist, the grip weak yet still somehow firm.

"I miss you so much, Emie, please," Sebastian croaks.

I nearly give myself whiplash by how fast I turn my head to look at him. There it is, the tears I had hoped he hadn't shed. Yet as I continue to look at him, the tears continue to roll down his cheeks. Whoever said men don't cry is a liar and should have shoved a sock in it.

"No," I speak softly, shaking my head once again. "Sebastian, I know you're confused but you can't-"

"Sebastian!" A deep, male voice shouts, cutting me off mid sentence. If I hadn't have spent years hearing that voice, I would've thought it was some random guy. But I know better; it's Sebastian's dad, someone I haven't spoken to in a while.

The loud stomping of feet lead both of us to believe Sebastian's father is making his way up. Sebastian's father is what you'd call...nean, maybe? A nice mean of sorts. There are times that I just want to never be around Sebastian's house because of how crass Damien Caldwell could be sometimes. A small weight comment here or there is fine because I like my body the way it is, but I draw the line when the future is mentioned with me being possibly incapable of 'wifely duties.'

Damien Caldwell is a serious work of art. Still, I wonder how he had gotten the chance to marry someone as sweet and amazing as Sabrina Jones-Caldwell. Sebastian's mother is the exact opposite of her husband. While he can be downright mean and ignorant, Sabrina is the light at the end of the tunnel. She's one of the sweetest women I've ever met. Yes, it seems like every mother figure in my life is amazing, but that's because there's nothing like a mothers love.

My teeth are pressed together so hard, I'm afraid I'll chip a tooth. The door nearly comes into contact with my head as Sebastian's father walks in. His figure adorns a suit so it's reasonable that he may have just come from a meeting. His light brown hair, sprinkled with gray, is slicked back quite nicely. The one thing I've always hated about Sebastian' father is that he knows how to dress. For some reason, I always believe that he deserves to wear two different colors one day as if he'll die of utter embarrassment. Black pants and a green suit jacket? He'd just look so messy that everyone would laugh behind his back.

"Ah, Emerson, what a pleasant surprise." Damien greets, his eyebrows raised. The disdain in his eyes doesn't go unnoticed. This man has never liked me and I just don't know why.

"Mister Caldwell," I greet back softly. Perhaps if I stay quiet, I'll disappear?

Damien seems finished with me as his eyes shoot over my shoulder to Sebastian. He then brushes past me but it brings for all of us to be in awkward positions since Sebastian and I had been stook quite close. To eradicate a vexatious situation, I step back, though Sebastian still has a hold on my wrist so I don't exactly get too far.

"Why are you here?" Damien wondered, his eyes narrowed and his arms now crossed.

Sebastian clenches his jaw and it makes me wonder why the father and son are being so aloof towards each other. "I live here," Sebastian answers.

Damien moves a hand up to his face. He rubs his chin, scratching lightly over the stubble that's there. His arms drop to his sides and his hands clench into fists. I'm frozen stiff to my spot, nervous to make any moves or sound that will bring attention to me. Their attitudes are new to me. There's never been a time where Sebastian and his father have been so withdrawn with each other. I can't help but feel like I need to know what's been happening behind closed doors.

"I'm sick, have a fever," Sebastian mumbles, finally dropping my wrist and taking a seat on his bed.

"Why weren't your parents notified?" Damien asks, his hands moving to his hips. My eyes go there too, taking in the beer belly he has.

"I'm eighteen already, no need to call you guys." Sebastian drops back on his bed, his hand to his forehead. "I can check myself out."

Damien scoffs like he doesn't believe Sebastian. "And I guess your girlfriend has a fever too, huh?"

I'm astonished by his words, not having expected that. Had Sebastian not told his parents that we broke up? Is there a particular reason he wouldn't have told them? There's a good chance that I'm still Sebastian's coverup while he traipses about with Cody from Hawaii. If that's the case, I don't think I could ever forgive him.

"She drove me home, okay?" Sebastian groans, his chin pressing into his chest as he no doubt strains his eyes to look at his father. "I would've crashed with how lightheaded I was feeling so Emie helped me out."

"Hmm," Damien glances over at me, a scowl on his face. He slowly turns back to Sebastian before he shakes his head. "I don't need you to start slacking, Sebastian. This is your last year, the year that will make or break you. Keep your head in the game."

Damien turns and pauses in front of me before scoffing and walking out of Seastian's room. We're both quiet as we listen to his retreating footsteps. A breath of relief leaves my mouth.

"Sorry you had to witness that." Sebastian speaks, breaking the suffocating silence that had taken over his room. "He's been a bit stressed and snapping at anyone and everyone."

I shrug, though he's not looking so I doubt he saw. "Is there a reason your dad still thinks we're together?" I choose to test the waters and see.

Sebastian is silent once again and that's all the confirmation I need to know that my previous thoughts were correct. I'm still his coverup despite me not wanting to be used anymore. I huff, thought while I wanted it to sound angry and done, it just sounds so resigned, so defeated. My shoulders slouch and my head drops.

"Right," I say softly, staring at the white carpet in his room. "I'm going to go, please refrain from speaking to me again, okay? I'd like us to keep our distance."

I turn and reach for the door handle. Twisting it, I take one step thought stop briefly as Sebastian calls out for me. He tells me to wait, but this time I don't. I can't, not anymore. It's about time that I focus solely on myself and not what Sebastian's doing or what Jenny's doing or what Micah's doing. I need to fully separate myself from everyone and just start new or at least wipe my mind for the duration of this school year.

Easier said than done though.

*What this chapter boring? Hello, hello, btw. But was it boring? I feel like it was a little, I also feel like I'm adding in all of these random subplots that I don't know how to wrap up...never fear, I'll get through it. So, tell me how this chapter was. Were you guys happy to see Emie and Sebastian talk? Do you think Sebastian is for real about being in love with Emie, or does he just miss her? Please, don't be afraid to comment your thoughts. And don't be afraid to vote, they all count to me. Thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter.*