Ariana held her breath when Jake spoke her name. It felt so right to hear him say it, and yet so wrong at the same time. The last time she had seen him, he had been horrible to her, but she knew that after everything that had happened at the Agency, she needed support, which wasn't Jake. She turned to walk away, but Jake grabbed her shoulder; not in a harsh manner mind you, but softly, just enough to get her attention and have her turn back around to face him. 

"Ariana wait," he said. "I need to--"

"You need to what?" she exclaimed. She knew full-well that his family was staring, along with everyone else in the park, but she didn't care; she needed answers. "You want me back, is that it? You want me back? After everything you did to me and everything I've gone through since then, did you really think that I'd take you back?" She could see the pain in his eyes as she yelled at him; something that she knew that she should have done sooner. "You are a monster, Jake Malus. Over your dead body I'd come back! My life has been a living hell since I met you! You beat me, you stopped me from seeing my father, you controlled me! Do you have any idea how sick and twisted you are?" she stopped, seeing the look that was plastered on Jake face--his family's faces--a look of horror, and of shame on Jake's. "What do you have to say that's so important Jake Malus? Go on. Spit it out."

"Nothing," he said quietly. "I shouldn't have--"

"Damn right you shouldn't have done any of this," Ariana cried. "Get away from me, before I call the cops."

Jake ran off towards his family again, leaving Ariana standing on the gravel path of the park, seething with more anger than she had felt in her entire life.  It felt good in a way, to yell at Jake for everything. She wondered if he would have to gall to approach her again after this. Hopefully he wouldn't. She tried to think of other reasons that Jake might have approached her as the Malus family drove off towards their mansions. She wondered if his family had even known what had happened between them, and if this was the first they were hearing of it.

While she pondered this, she walked back towards the shelter. She was hungry, so she hoped that someone dropped off some food. If not, she would just have to beg in the park like last night. She walked up to the homeless shelter, where Jeffery awaited her. He seemed worried, as if he couldn't wait to tell her something, but that something wasn't a pleasant surprise. He ran his fingers through his graying hair, and shuffled nervously as she approached him.

"What's the matter, Jeffery?" she asked him.

"They're shutting down the shelter," he said quietly. "We've been kicked out."

Just when Ariana thought that things wouldn't be worse than they already were. 

"What do to mean they're shutting it down?" Ariana asked. "That doesn't make sense."

"That said there were issues with funding or something," he replied. "So looks like I'm back to sleeping in an alleyway with only cats to keep me company."

Ariana felt sad for the poor man. He was doing the best he could with the hand he'd been dealt, but here's only so much you can do. It wasn't his fault that the shelter was shutting down, or that his wife had left him in the first place. Jeffery was a kind man; he didn't deserve any of this. Now Ariana hugged him gently, surprising them both. 

"You won't be alone this time," she said. "I'll be with you."

---

Ariana and Jeffery moved into an alleyway that was still close to the park. Ariana was now careful to make sure that Jake wasn't around, though she wasn't sure if she should be afraid of him coming back. She had proof that his family visited this park, especially on warm day, and it was only going to get warmer from here. Ariana would spend hours, just watching the park from the alleyway, holding up a sign that asked for any donation, just hoping that she would survive. Was this her life now? Fearing for Jake to return, while she sat on a street corner, barely getting enough food or money for both Jeffery and herself? 

Ariana's little plastic cup from the trash never held more than a couple dollars total, which Jeffery and herself would have to save up for one or two weeks before they would try to buy some food. Some places wouldn't let them enter, saying that they might be dangerous, or would scare customers away. After that, they started only buying from street vendours when the could find--and afford--them. 

Life was tough without the promise of shelter and food, but they scrapped by. Some people were empathetic and generous towards them. Some gave them money and food, while others offered them work, which Ariana would always accept. She worked as an house cleaner, stable girl, dish cleaner at nearby restaurants, and sign holder for small businesses. The work was tedious, but it kept her mind off things and gave them some money for food, so it was welcome. Jeffery began tending to gardens for local businesses and homes during the day in exchange for a spare bedroom for the two of them. Life was good. 

---

Jeremy enjoyed university. Even though he missed him family and friends, he met so many more. University was fun in its own strange way. When Jeremy wasn't stuck studying like he was most days, he was able to go out with friends, and have some freedom. He enjoyed his classes for the most part, though he wished that he had someone special in his life, whoever that might end up being. He could hardly remember how life had been when he lived in British Columbia, on the Pacific ocean, and complete other side of the country. 

Jeremy couldn't help just feeling alone, despite having so many friends. They were all into sports, just like him, but whenever he was around them, he couldn't help but remember teaching someone how to play soccer in a public park. A girl with brown hair and fire for eyes. A girl, who's name was always just out of reach. He wished that by some miracle, he could see her again. If only he could remember her name!

Jeremy wished for this for months; to return to British Columbia, and see the girl that must have stolen his heart years before. But his mom, Catherine, was ill, and his sister Miriam had just started university herself. He couldn't leave them here, in Québec, while he ran off to find a girl who's name he didn't even know. Was she the same girl that Catherine murmured about in her feverish sleep? The girl she told to stay away from her son? Could she really be Ariana Parkes? Yes. He was so certain that this was her. 

He remembered the blush that had formed on her cheeks when he looked at her. The girl who had only met him by chance when her bag broke. He had given number, had he not? If so, why hadn't she called? Surprisingly, his phone number hadn't even been changed since that time. Had she lost the note? What about her affection for him? He could now remember their last conversation:

"Ariana," he tried again. He couldn't speak. "I'm moving away!" he finally exclaimed sadly, then spoke in a calmer tone. "I'm moving away. My mum wants us to move to Québec, where there will be more people who speak French. I'm sorry."

"It'll be okay—" he started.

"But it won't be okay!" she cried. "You're leaving. You're going to another province for Pete's sake. All the way to Québec? That a six and a half hour flight, and costs almost a thousand dollars. Jeremy, that too far—" her voice stopped.

"There's something else I need to tell you—"

"What?" she exclaimed. "Are you going die in two years? That would be the icing on the cake wouldn't it! Just like my mother; someone a love finally—" she stopped, as if realizing what she'd said. "I'm sorry, it just—"

And Jeremy had kissed her. 

"There's no need to apologize," he told her sincerely. "I've, um, wanted to say the same, for a really long time now. Just, don't worry. The feeling is mutual."

"Just, promise me that you won't forget me while you're in Québec," She told him. "Don't forget all the fun times we had together, and I'll be here when you get back, whenever that is."

"Of course," he told her. "I could never forget you, Ariana."

And what had he done? He broke his promise; he'd forgotten her. He knew that he had to make things right.

And we are done! Finally this chapter has been completed. Sorry for taking so long with this one. I've been really stressed with school moving to completely online because of new lock-down measures here, and I really haven't had the inspiration to write. As you saw at the beginning, this chapter is dedicated to Whiplash246 who helped me get this new bit written. Check her out!! Here are your questions:

-  What is Jeremy going to do to set things right?

- What is Ariana going to do with Jake's offer?

- Did you like what Ariana said to Jake at the beginning of the chapter?

- What are some things that you would like to happen next?

Thanks for reading you guys. Hopefully the next one doesn't take quite so long to write. Happy quarantine!

~Alley