In my own misery, I hadn't really taken Viktor's feelings into account.

Even though he made it clear that the entire time he was with Caroline, he wanted it to be me, a small spark of hope within him died right along with Caroline.

I couldn't really blame him. The same thing happened to me.

Countless talks with his agent confirmed my suspicions. There wasn't anything he could do to salvage the last hockey season with the injury and schoolwide scandal.

Getting drafted simply wasn't a possibility anymore, not with plenty of other unproblematic talent in the NCAA and juniors.

That number fifty was a part of him and me, but it wasn't everything. He wasn't just a former Swedish hockey star. He was my closest ally, someone who understood me better than I could understand myself without even trying, and the kindest person who ever bothered to get to know me without running from my cold exterior.

The odds finally just caught up with us. All Cinderella stories had to come to an end eventually, and we met ours a bit too soon, leaving a bitter taste in my mouth.

At the end of our spring break, I went straight back to Winterview to focus on my classes again, but Viktor decided to stay behind at home for another week just to get himself back together after dedicating all of his time to me and mourning the career that could have been.

Of course, he still had a couple years left to play hockey at Winterview, but it wasn't what we had set our greedy eyes on.

Jackie and I sat in our room in silence together. She wasn't all that smooth with words, and she must have assumed that she'd say something awkward, so she didn't say anything to me at all. Or maybe she just didn't know about what happened.

Either way, I wanted to leave it behind me, and I was thankful she didn't try to bring it up.

Along with the minor issue of Caroline's suicide came the fact that I was carless, and I needed to get a new one. Since I didn't report the car as missing to the police (which any rational human being would have done), the insurance would only pay for half of the next one. Half. And I was pretty sure that was only because I cried on the fucking phone.

That three thousand dollars from the annual Nerf battle could have been useful, but someone had to shoot me.

And just as my thoughts led me in his direction, Diego knocked on the door. It opened slightly.

Diego peered into the room. "Yo, where's Viktor?"

"He's taking a week off," I replied, not looking up from my essay due the next week.

"Why? He literally just had a week off."

"Diego, don't," Jackie said.

Diego held up his hands. "Fine, fine. Did you guys hear about Caroline?"

"Diego, no," Jackie said louder.

I looked over my glasses and at Diego. "Yes, we heard."

"Can't say I feel bad for her. She had everything, and she just threw it all away like a spoiled ass bitch," Diego said.

I went back to my essay without saying anything.

He wasn't wrong.

"Why don't we do something, like, the three of us?" Jackie changed the subject.

"I have work in a half an hour, so you two can catch up about what fun things you did over break," I said.

God knew I needed all the money I could get.

"Oh, well, don't work yourself to death. I'll be sure to stop by during your shift," Jackie said.

I nodded my head in acknowledgement, but I didn't say anything else.

Diego would probably tease the shit out of me if he found out that I was one of the ones who found Caroline dead, and I sure as hell didn't need that. I certainly wasn't in the mood to deal with him, and I'd probably just kick the shit out of him.

***

Later that morning, with no one in line to order anything, I turned around and restacked the cups that were beginning to tip over like the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

"Excuse me, lady," a high-pitched voice said from the other side of the counter, and I looked down to see a child looking up at me.

"Uh, hi, small child," I said.

He couldn't have been older than four years old, and his innocent brown eyes and polite attitude melted my heart for a second.

What a cute kid.

"I'm lost," he said.

"Well, I figured you didn't want any coffee," I said, laughing slightly to myself.

He looked back at me wordlessly.

I cleared my throat. "What's your name, kid?"

"Scott."

"Are your parents here?"

He shook his head.

"Then who were you with before you got lost?" I asked.

What kind of parents would let their kid run around on a college campus? Even I wouldn't be that horrible as a mother.

"My cousins. Do you know where they are?" Scott asked.

Who the fuck would let their dumbass kid on a college campus with their stupid ass cousins? Matt was a better mother than whoever the hell was raising this kid.

"Who are your cousins?" I asked.

"Their names are Adrian and Hunter. Do you know them?"

Of course those dumbasses lost their little cousin.

"Lucky for you, I do know them. They play hockey, right?" I said.

Scott nodded. "Yeah. They're really good, too. One time, I watched their game. They're so cool."

I smiled. The poor kid was far too young to understand that his older cousins were in big, big trouble.

"They really are. My boyfriend is their teammate," I said, trying to make conversation with the child as he wandered around the counter and next to me.

"How do you have a boyfriend?"

I wasn't quite sure how to take that, so instead of drop-kicking the child, I ignored the comment. His politeness score was officially zero now.

I forced a smile. "You are certainly a little firecracker, aren't you?"

He nodded, then reached for my hand.

His hand stuck right on mine, and I did my best not to scream at him for infecting me with whatever questionable substance was on his puny hands. I took his wrist with my other hand and removed it from mine.

"How old are you?" I asked.

"I'm three."

"Great. You're old enough not to have to hold my hand."

"But—"

"You'll be okay."

He folded his hands in front of him and stood beside me.

"Do you have any idea where Hunter and Adrian were going when they lost you?" I asked.

Scott shrugged and wiped his snotty nose with his hand.

"Fantastic," I muttered, then wiped my own hands on my pants. "Well, you're more than welcome to stay with me and wait."

"Do you think they're looking for me?" he asked.

"Probably not, but I'm just nice enough to not kick you out of the shop."

"Oh." He sighed. "Maybe they'll find me on accident then."

Shit, I didn't mean to hurt the poor kid's feelings. Abort. Abort.

"How would you like a muffin?" I asked.

Scott brightened right back up. "I love muffins."

"Just don't choke. I don't want to be liable for anything bad that happens to you."

"What does that mean?"

I turned for the back kitchen. "Take small bites."

As I snuck a chocolate chip muffin from the box, I smiled to myself. The triplets were once that young and dumb too, and Matt and I used to have a blast messing with their little brains.

It was no wonder they turned out the way they did.

"Here, sweetie. I brought you—" As I stepped out of the kitchen, in the two seconds I was gone, Scott must have snuck away.

"What the fuck?" I mumbled to myself.

At least he wasn't my problem anymore.

I took a bite from the muffin. Whoever made it wasn't nearly as talented as me, since it was drier than the goddamn Sahara, but I ate it anyway and took my spot back at the cash register.

"That's coming out of your paycheck, I hope you know." I heard Mo's voice inside my head.

At least I hoped it was inside my head. I didn't have two dollars to spend such luxuries.

Two guys that I didn't know well but knew too well opened up the door to Cool Beans Coffee, and I mentally braced myself for the oncoming onslaught of stupidity.

"Thought you guys would have been kicked out of school by now," I said.

Hunter crossed his arms. "Not cute, Claire. We're looking for our little cousin. He's about this tall." He held his hand about a foot off the ground.

"Scott's taller than that, you moron. He's, like, this tall." Adrian held his hand six inches higher than Hunter's.

"How'd you guys lose him?" I asked as if I hadn't lost him myself.

"One second he was there, the next he wasn't. Have you seen him? It's kinda hard to miss a three-year-old running around on a college campus," Adrian said.

"Yeah, we were chilling just a few minutes ago. He seems like a brat on a sugar rush," I said.

"Where'd he go?" Hunter asked.

I shrugged. "I don't know, and I really don't give a shit."

"I'm here!" a high-pitched voice cried behind me.

"God fucking da—" I jumped at the sudden noise, then turned around to see Scott climbing out from one of the cabinets below the counters. "You little shit."

"You guys found me!" Scott ran over and hugged Adrian's leg. "That lady said you wouldn't."

"That lady's mean," Hunter said.

"Where's my muffin?" Scott asked.

"You're gonna have to have your older cousins pay for one if you want it now," I said. "You know, you gotta follow the rules, which they seem to have a problem doing."

"Shut up," Adrian said as he nudged the kid out the door. "We'll get ice cream from someone who can mind their own business."

I waved and smiled at their backs. "Come again."

Just another reason to not reproduce. Small children were embodiments of the goddamn devil, stirring up shit wherever they struck.

Not my thing. I liked to be the one to orchestrate chaos.

***

On my way back into the dorm after my shift, I smiled at Krista, the woman who worked the front desk.

She was always kind to me, and I had absolutely nothing negative to say about her, even if she was partially responsible for my barefoot trek across the frozen sidewalks to sociology.

"Hey, Amanda, there's a letter for you from financial aid," she said as I passed by.

I turned to her. "Financial aid? Are they pissed that I haven't paid what I owe for this semester yet?"

She laughed. "You should probably get on that. They'll place a hold on your classes if you don't do it soon."

She handed me the envelope, and I gave her a smile and a thank you as I headed for the stairs.

"Well, Krista, not all of us have money for that right now," I mumbled to myself as I unlocked the door to my room.

"How was work?" Jackie asked.

I tore the envelope open. "I stole a muffin without getting caught, so it was a damn good day."

Jackie laughed. "It's the little things that matter. I get that."

I looked up at her before I read the letter and smiled. "Yep. I've learned that over the years."

Dear Amanda Jayne:

Due to your recent academic success, we encourage you to apply for scholarships for your next semester at WU. Many students have higher academic achievement in college than high school, and to reward the positive contributions to our university, we try to provide scholarships for all who prove they work diligently for a better future.

Please stop by the Office of Financial Aid if you have any questions on the application process.

Victoria Lorenzo

Vice President of Financial Aid

I covered my mouth with my hand. "No way. No fucking way."

"What?" Jackie asked.

"They're encouraging me to apply for scholarships for next year. They're actually offering me something," I said.

"You're a genius, Amanda. It's about time they do. They screwed you by making you pay full tuition this year, in my opinion." Jackie smiled. "You should get started on that. It's better to get it done now than later."

I nodded. "You're right. I really needed this. All I needed was for one thing to go right for once."

If I hadn't gotten out of Dr. Mann's shit hole class with a B, there was no possible way that I would have this chance.

And that was all I needed.

A chance.

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Hey everyone! Thank you so much for all your support!

So remember how I just went a week without posting a chapter? Yeah, here's the thing: I'm probably going to do that again. I'm spending ten days doing marine ecology in the Northeastern US (where I've never really been, even though I live in freaking Ohio), and that's a little important. I'll try to make it up by maybe posting two or three chapters before I leave, depending on how smoothly the writing process goes. Thank y'all for being awesome!!