Oh Hi Nolan, you just might be the death of us. 

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"𝙽𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚘𝚙𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚘 𝚊 𝚕𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚎𝚛 𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚕, 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚐𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚘𝚗𝚎𝚜 𝚒𝚗𝚟𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚢 𝚜𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚔 𝚒𝚗 𝚊𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚒𝚝."

What did morals even matter?

Everyone else was doing whatever they wanted, so why couldn't Anna? More importantly, why couldn't she just move on from the tragedy that struck their town, instead of dwelling over it? Life isn't a Nancy Drew novel and not everyone is meant to be a hero.

Maybe it was time to let go.

Anna was attempting to fight a battle blindly and in the process, she was losing the relationships with the people closest to her. Was it worth it? 

No suspects had been listed in Molly's case and things seemed to have halted. Would being honest now, even help?

The more days that past without her friends speaking to her, the more she realized that her fight would never be won. It wasn't her job or her right to play the blame game, nor was it okay to do so. It was time to cut her loses and rebuild what she could salvage. 

Anna took a deep breath, setting the leather-bound book Reese's father had given her on the white plush comforter. On her stomach, she turned her head towards the clock, it was well past 3:30am and there were no signs of any odd happenings. 

Nothing out of the usual had happened in more than 2 two weeks and she was more than thankful for it. 

Shaking her head, Anna picked the small decaying book up and continued to flip through its pages. The handwriting was small and at times, eligible. However, she was able to fill in for the words she couldn't quite make out. It was odd, seeing a handwritten book made during a time where typewriters were abundant.  

The stories in the book were mostly old folktale, derived from generations of paranoid people. each more different from the last. Though it was an interesting concept for the time period it belonged to. Stories of she-devils dancing down darkened paths, werewolves feasting on children who strayed from their homes and even killer trees sucking the blood from any living thing they could find. 

But perhaps, the most interesting of the stories was the one that didn't have a monster at all. The one about the mysterious disappearances of locals in a deserted forest. They'd enter, never to be seen again. 

It was a funny thing, the unknown. The scariest stories happen to be the ones where evil can't be seen. Which made Annas most recent experiences even more frightening. 

She cracked a smile a few times as she turned the pages, her eyes working from left to right. She had done a good job setting the mood for herself. A few candles burned warm light on her computer desk and nightstand. And the dim illuminance from the Christmas lights wrapped around her headboard spruced up the experience. 

A small tap came from her window near the left side of her bed. The wooden window pain was open slightly, letting the cool air of the night circulate the dim bedroom. Ignoring it, knowing the weather was fierce as of recently, Anna continued to read. 

The tapping came again and it caught her attention, forcing to look towards the window. Not even the sway of the trees beyond the glass could be seen, letting Anna knew it was pitch black outside. 

Suddenly a gust of wind forced the window open, slamming against the outside of the house. The force of air traveling so far into the room, the candle on the computer desk blew out, smoke trailing towards the ceiling.  

Startled from the force of the wind, Anna stood and strolled over to her desk. Grabbing a box of matches, she relit the dead candle and walked near the open window. It was like the beginning of every horror movie, but she had enough common sense to know that it was just the crazy weather they had been having. 

The oversized crop top t-shirt she wore allowed the cool air to tickle over her stomach, even bitting through the fabric of her flannel pants. Slowly, she inched towards the open glass, leaning over the window seat and resting her body on the pillows to reach out for the handle. 

As her grip grazed it, something gripped her instead.

Anna instinctively tried to pull the window closed but it caught something and she heard someone yell out. Looking down, she watched Nolan pull himself up the wine lattice on the side of the house. One of his hands gripped the window for support, the other shook off the sting of Anna's attempt to cut off his arm. 

"Fuck!" he shrieked out. His face twisted as he hung outside the window, gathering his wits.

Wide-eyed, Anna's covered her mouth both from shock and her own amusement, "I'm so sorry!" she half-whispered, reaching for his arm to help him inside, "Are you crazy? What the hell are you doing here?" The humor of his pain faded when she realized what time of night it was and the fact that there was a boy sneaking into her bedroom window.

As if she hadn't been in enough trouble.

It would only take half a second before her father heard a voice that wasn't her own and would be at her door, gun drawn. Scott didn't approve of boys and he certainly wouldn't be okay with one sneaking in during the middle of the night. 

But in the midst of her anxiety, Anna watched Nolan straighten himself out as he climbed through the window. His dark brown hair was messy on his head as he pushed it back, gathering himself. His tan skin looked glowy under the dim light and Anna resisted the urge to reach out and touch his pink plump lips. 

This was the first time he had ever been in her room. 

In fact, it was the first time they had ever really been truly alone together, without prying eyes and pushy words of friends. Her heart began to race against her chest as he looked down at her and smirked, showing a slight glimmer of his white smile. 

For a moment, Anna wondered if he could sense her nervousness. Perhaps, he was able to see the thump in her throat from her pulse skyrocketing. He was boyishly handsome but was still able to convey sex appeal with a single look.

Anna was a saint compared to the girls who chased after Nolan. And maybe that was part of the reason he didn't make the moves she wanted him to. 

Was that why he climbed into her bedroom window? Did he feel like it was time to take things a step further? And was sex that step for him?

If that was his goal, Anna didn't trust herself enough to say no. 

His eyes wandered around the room, his smile growing wider the more ground his gaze covered. Suddenly, she felt self-conscious of the things he might see, including the blush-colored paint that covered the walls. Would he find it humorous or pathetic that the color could have been picked out by a toddler?

Old family photos mixed with new ones of friends laid across tables and for a moment, she struggled with the idea of running over to each frame and turning them over. But she knew it would only make Nolan gravitate towards them. 

"So this is where the magic happens huh?" He whispered as his eyes finally landed on hers, they too were smiling. 

Anna blushed, most likely matching the color of her room, "I guess you could say that."

Slowly, Nolan made his way towards her bed, settling on the edge of the plush white comforter. She could tell by his expression that he was pleased with the comfort level it provided. 

Biting her lip, Anna awkwardly crossed her arms over her chest in an attempt to conceal her bare stomach. Nolan had never seen her in such a laid back, revealing style. But by the way, his eyes followed her hands and the small chuckle he let out, she was sure he liked it. 

Claire would be living for the moment and the thought of not being able to tell her best friend was heart-wrenching. But the sadness was washed away as Nolan lifted his finger, guiding her over to the bed. 

Heart still thumping and pulse racing, Anna's bare feet took small light steps near him. The smell of his cologne greeting her nose as she fought the urge to bite her lip from its intoxicating quality. 

But as she neared closer, placing herself almost between his legs, she realized his scent was mixed with the aroma of stale alcohol. 

He was drunk.

Now it was making sense as to why he would climb through her window at three in the morning. The liquid courage brought him, not his own want. 

Slightly irritated by the new findings, Anna exhaled, causing Nolan to look up at her under his eyes. He no longer looked amused. In fact, he no longer looked himself and she wondered if it was the alcohol finally getting the best of him. 

A few seconds passed as silence fell over them. Their eyes locked and Anna found herself wanting to reach out and touch his face. But a flicker of sadness pierced his eyes as he looked away from her and to his feet. 

Anna had been around for more than a few of his drunken nights, but she never witnessed him becoming down in the process. It was unfamiliar territory and she didn't know how to handle the situation. Everything about the encounter was foreign. 

"Why are you here Nolan?" She asked slowly and quietly, hoping to start somewhere. He kept his head down as if he didn't hear her question, "Did something happen?"

It was the only thing she could think to ask, considering his behavior. 

And it seemed she was right, as Nolan picked his head up to look at her. His eyes were blank and his face was unreadable. 

He looked empty. 

She didn't know much about his life at home, except that he did not have a stable family. It was only him and his mom and the occasional boyfriend she'd allow to stay with them. 

Even so, Nolan was different from the people he hung around with, though he did everything he could to be just like them. 

Anna could imagine how hard that would be for someone, to constantly try to fit in. On some levels, she could relate, though she would never admit it to anyone but herself.

Suddenly, she felt cold fingers graze her stomach and chills ran over her body. Both from the cool skin and the fact that Nolan was actually touching her a way she had never experienced before. 

Resting his entire hand against her skin, he slowly gilding it up towards the edge of the crop top. The tips of his fingers disappearing as they hid under the material. Anna's breathe caught in her throat as he gazed upon her, slightly unsure of what he was doing.

Letting his hand fall, he let a single finger trail down her belly button as he leaned forward. His lips met her skin and she finally let out a breath that formed into a moan from his warm kiss. It was intimate and sensual and she could stand there all night as he kissed her stomach.

But soon she could feel the drawstrings of the pajama pants being pulled from their tight knot and she instantly pushed herself away from Nolan. His face twisted in confusion, lips pursing and eyes squinting thought it was hardly bright in the room.

"Is this why you came here?" She pressed, tying the string back into a secure bow, "You haven't even looked at me since Reese's party and now sneak into my bedroom in the middle of the night and think you're going to somehow get laid?" Her voice was raising and of the first time, since he had shown up, she didn't care if her father walked in. 

Anna wasn't sure if Nolan knew that she was a virgin, they had never taken their relationship far enough to kiss, let alone have sex or even discuss it. And although he was probably unaware of that fact, she was still angry for his attempt. Watching him crawl into her window, she knew what he was there for, but she didn't want to admit it.

Anna didn't want to be just some girl to him. 

"Anna, stop," he pleaded, resting his elbow on his thigh and leaning his head into his hands, "That's not why I'm here," he finally admitted, still not looking at her, "Reese and the boys wanted to get drunk and I didn't have the balls to say no. So the more I sat around and watched everyone having fun, the more I missed you and the more I wanted you there. With me," he leaned up, making eye contact with her, "I've been seeing things a little more clearly now and I've been an asshole to you by not taking whatever this is between us seriously."

Feeling a weight lifted, Anna finally was hearing what she has been longing for all these months. Though, she wondered why and how the change of heart came so suddenly. What caused him to see clearly? Or who cleared his vision?

She had questions, but at the moment they didn't matter. For the first time since Molly's murder, she felt peace.

"But I'm ready now and I think you are too," he confessed, standing from the bed and walking to her, Nolan put both of his hands on either side of her face. His eyes studying every feature, "It's time to let me in."