Dedicated to CJustMe for the inspiration for a character's name and also for being one of my favorite writers here!

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When I don't react one bit, Luc's face turns horror-struck.

I don't even feel like responding. I guess I kind of knew Luc was gone for good a long time ago, so I'm not that shocked by this piece of gen.

"Excuse me, are you the same person I met back in second grade?" he asks me.

"Not exactly the same but mostly yeah."

Shaking his head, he crosses his arm and shoots me a look that shows he's clearly upset.

"The Ashica I knew would never be this calm." he pauses, his eyebrows furrowing as a new thought occurs to him, and continues, "Hey, are you feeling okay? You know, um, physically? Like are you ill or something?"

"A bit off, yeah."

"And, um, emotionally?"

"Never been better." I lie through my teeth, a big smile distorting my face.

"Knock that stupid fake smile off your face. I know you well enough to know that's fake, Jessley."

"Fine, Mathis. Whatever."

Luc looks at me with confusion, probably trying to remember something.

"What were we talking about before we derailed?" he asks, making me burst out laughing. Forget Hart and all that b.s., this is hilarious!

"Glad I could get you laughing like that again!" Luc buckets says.

"I'm glad too!" I say, wiping away the tears trickling down my cheeks. My cheeks hurt from laughing this much!

"Ash, I'm serious."

My face widens into a grin again. He's calling me Ash again! Gone is that formal 'Ashica'!

"Okay, tell me, Mathis."

"Ash, I'm seriously serious."

"Speak, already!" I snap.

"You just let people trample all over you and let them back like it was nothing!"

"Do you want me not to let you back in?" I ask, lifting my eyebrow.

"Well, I did leave you all alone during a terrible time and there's no excuse I could have to make that okay. I do want back in, but you don't have to feel forced to let me. I want to apologize, but-"

"Apology accepted." I cut him off, now desperately wanting to leave before the devil incarnate reappears for round two.

"But I-"

I don't let him finish, words exploding out of my mouth before I can stop them.

"No ifs and buts, I've missed you long enough, Luc. Just take it or leave it. I can't deal with any more ambiguity and- it's just so tiring and I- I..." I trail off, unable to articulate what I want to say.

"Ash, I-" Luc's cut off by the sound of a maniacal laugh. One that has the power to send me into a full-fledged panic attack right now because I know whose it is. Yes, it's Satan Hart.

My thoughts must appear on my face as clear as water from the look on Luc's face.

"Ash, I'm so sorry, I forgot! What did I- I said something insensitive, didn't I? I- What can I do, Ashica? Tell me!" he rambles on until I make a shushing gesture. Too late, too little. She found us, no, me.

"Jessley, 's time." Nova tells me, her eyes shining.

Great job, Luc, great job! I follow Hart, but not before shooting  a dark glower to Luc and hastily bidding him adieu.

"Hart, wait." I stop, and, to my everlasting surprise, she immediately stops and turns around, her usual high-pitched "What?" floating towards me.

"Don't you think we can call this quits?"

"Quits? No way! This is amazing!"

"But-"

"Why, does the little peasant girl find out that it hurts too much? Too bad, 'cause it's honestly too late, Jessley! Get a move on now."

I'm going to do something now that I'm most probably going to regret later, but I have to try this.

"Hart, just 'cause you don't know yourself and you may or may not like what you have, you don't have to treat others like trash because there are many who would definitely consider you much much more precious. Even I would give it a shot if it would make you better."

Hart pauses for a while, letting it all sink in.

"That does make sense- if I were to just forgive you for everything, Jessley!" she ends up screaming loud enough for the entire hall to hear, if the only things in the hall weren't lockers and walls and air.

"How in the world was it my fault, Nova?" I say, desperately trying to keep my voice steady and not just slap her or something.

"You know!"

"No, you think I'm at fault here, but you're just plain wrong. You didn't even pause to consider how it must've been from someone else's point of view!! You didn't consider how what you did could've affected everyone else! You were the reason Rylan went away for good! Don't you think I loved him? I lost a whole part of me when he left. And why did he leave? You!" I burst out, stopping only when the lump in my throat frees up and the tears flowing down my face threaten to choke me.

I try to wipe away my tears but it's pointless because they just keep appearing again and again. I look at Hart, who, of everything she could've been doing, is smirking.

"That's why no one likes you. You're so clingy. Don't deny it- I've seen it. You're so open with everyone and eventually they all leave. You know it, but you don't try to cushion yourself in case you're pushed back down, which nearly everyone will at some point or the other. So every single time you end up down on your knees and gasping for air. And you lose a part of yourself every time." she pauses for a breath and continues.

"Now you're broken and shattered for that very reason. You tried patching yourself back up but how can you be good at that? How can you walk back down the same roads you used to before? But you still do. And you still give people your all in the hope that somebody will help you get back, but be realistic. No, you can't. It's in your very DNA. You need some reminder of what you've faced so you don't get carried away. Plus you messed with me. No one messes with me and gets away with it!"

I'm frozen in my spot. Too frozen to respond, too stunned to say anything.

"Surprised to hear I know, huh? I do know, and I used to try to get you to do what's best for yourself but you wouldn't let me. I gave up on you. I knew there wasn't anything I could do to get you back on the right track. So you sidestepped and now you don't know how to get back to the tracks so you can get back on the train. You missed it, and your only option is to doggedly keep moving, else you'll die. I'll tell you there are people who are willing to give you a lift to the next stop, only you deem yourself far too unworthy. I'm right, aren't I?" she pauses and quirks up her eyebrows as if to ask me if she's right.

"Your silence is answer enough, Ashica. Just stop already now. I know you were quite upset over him, and so was I. I know you had quite a special bond with him and half-died when he left. You're all alone, and I would've wished I could help you a long time ago, but not now. I'm long past you, yet I'm still trying to keep you grounded, Ashica. Just know that there are those who care."

She pats my shoulder and leaves. This is too good to be true.

"Just not me anymore." she says and flashes me a wicked grin before she drags me along for round two.

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Hey, so there's the next chapter! I finally got a proper cover up and I'm so happy!

This is longer than my usual chapter here, but it did have some serious stuff!

Any idea as to what this whole feud between Ashica and Nova over Rylan is? Comment your ideas! Btw, the inspiration for Rylan's name came from CJustMe's 'Rewind' XD

Thank you for reading!

Later update- Ugh, I feel so stupid! This was supposed to be published yesterday, but it didn't! At least it finally did! I'm working on the next chapter now...

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