Make sure you've read the last two chapters! I uploaded them right before this. This picks up directly from the last one.

Also, I'm too tired to fix typos so please point out any you see :)

~

Six months. It had been a whole six months since I last saw Dean. And now, here we were, sitting on the floor of our school hallway.

If you told me this around Valentine's day, I would have called you crazy. Back then, I was so sure he was here to stay.

But he wasn't.

You may be wondering: Bella? What happened? I thought that was it? You finally got your happy ending, no longer have trust issues, and everything is great in the world?

Ah, if only.

If life really was that perfect, this whole day wouldn't have happened.

So what did happen? Parents. Yes, out of all the times they chose to be present in our lives, it was then.

Apparently, Dean's parents had no idea about him going to jail. His brother, and my old English teacher, covered for him. Everybody thought Dean was staying at his place for over two months.

Yikes.

So when they found out his disappearance was because he was in jail, going back to his gang activities, they were furious. No amount of pleading could sway them. They decided to send Dean to Florida to live with his aunt and uncle. It was far enough from Chicago that he couldn't just take a quick overnight trip.

It really sucked.

They did let him come back for his senior year though. They weren't that cruel.

But now, as we sat on the dirty floor of the hallway, I couldn't help but wonder. What if things were different between us? What if he found some beach babe and didn't want to be with me? What if he had a summer fling and couldn't forget about her?

But all my insecurities dissolved as he pulled me closer and rested his head on top of mine. As if he knew what I was thinking about, he gave my hand a reassuring squeeze. Neither of us made a move to get up.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the happy couple. Finally reunited?"

Dean tensed from under me. I felt his shoulder slowly rise and I took the hint to pry apart. Then, with a groan, he hit his head against the locker.

"Aw Bella, your man isn't happy to see me," Reece pouted. Amusement twinkled in his eyes and I could tell he was secretly enjoying this.

"Why can't you leave me alone," Dean groaned before eying Reece. He made no move to remove his hand from mine, which left a small smile on my lips. "Didn't you graduate? Or did you get held back?"

Reece scoffed like it was the most ridiculous thing in the world. "I work here now."

"Shocker," he muttered under his breath.

Reece gave him a nasty look before curling like lip into a smirk. "Yup. Couldn't just leave poor Bella alone, again." That's it, he struck a nerve.

Dean tensed even more. I gave his hand a reassuring squeeze, but that only reminded him that I was in a grip. Within seconds, his hand dropped from mine, leaving me empty. I couldn't help but glare at Reece, who was totally doing this on purpose.

Either he was totally oblivious - which he wasn't because he was watching us like a hawk - or he was planning something. I wasn't sure exactly what he was planning, but I could guarantee it wasn't going well for me.

Dean cleared his throat and stood up, leaving me alone on the ground. I hid my disappointment and watched the two, hoping a fight wouldn't break out. If it did, I could probably break it up with my violent streak.

I mean, I did break Taylor's nose after all.

"Can I talk to you outside?" Dean asked through gritted teeth. From the amused smile of Reece, I could tell this is what I was expecting. He nodded with a flashy grin.

Before I knew it, a hand extended out to help me up. I narrowed my eyes when it was Reece's, not my boyfriends- if we were even that. I took it anyway and he pulled me up. From the clenching of Dean's jaw, I could tell he wished he had done that first.

But he didn't. He was just going to leave me on the floor.

"Thanks, Reece," I gratefully smiled. "Uh, I'm gonna head out. See ya." I gave a tight-lipped smile to the both of them before turning on my heel and walking out.

A dull pain throbbed in my ankle but I pushed it back. It wasn't until I was out of their view that I hissed in pain and limped the rest of the way to my car.

What the hell happened back there? Why was Dean suddenly so closed off, and why was Reece provoking him so much, enough for it to actually make a difference?

My eyes widened when I saw both Jaz and Dylan leaning against my car. I hadn't expected them to wait for me. Based on their reactions, they expected me to be overjoyed, maybe walking out with Dean. But when they noticed my scowl, their smiles slowly faded.

Right away, their defenses went up. Normally, Dylan would be the pissed one and Jaz would have to calm him down, but they were both pissed. I wasn't sure if I could handle both of them, let alone one.

"Do I need to kill someone?" Jaz asked as I came within earshot. She threateningly cracked her knuckles and wore an intimidating look. Dylan was less verbal. He straightened out and clenched his fists. He took a couple steps forward but I placed a hand on his chest, shaking my head.

He slowly exhaled through his nose in an attempt to calm himself down. I only moved my hand when I was sure he wouldn't make a run for it.

"Okay, we're grabbing milkshakes and having a vent day," Jaz decided, standing by my door. I looked to Dylan, who shrugged, and unlocked my car. They both hopped in and I got behind the wheel.

I didn't want to go to Mel's. I often visited when Dean was away. It was the only place that connected me to him. His parents were apologetic and assured me that sending him away wasn't personal. I couldn't blame them either. Their kids lied to them for months about their whereabouts.

Their punishment was too lenient in my honest opinion.

But right now, I didn't want to be linked to him. How could he just brush me aside after not seeing me for months? I thought I meant something to him, that we would feel the same way. I guess not though.

It also hurt that I was obviously being excluded, again. Whatever Dean wanted to say, he could have said it in front of me. Instead, he kicked me out before I could get a single word in.

Maybe things weren't changing like I thought.

I pulled into the drive-thru of a local Dairy Queen. Dylan ordered a Rocky Road Blizzard, Jaz got a sundae, and I: an Oreo Blizzard. After I paid, I pulled into a free parking spot and got comfortable.

The three of us ate our desserts in silence, the only noise coming from the stereo.

Jaz finally groaned. I was just waiting for her to speak. I knew she would.

"Okay, fine, I'll start. My day was pretty great. I like all my classes and the people in them. Dylan, how was your day?" 

I was genuinely surprised she didn't bring up how entertaining I was. She held it over my head the entire day.

Dylan snorted, but saw her piercing glare and sobered up. "My day was great. I learned that being captain has major perks. Everyone either loves me or is scared of me." His tone held a bit of smugness in it and his eyes got distant, like he was reminiscing on all the cruel acts he committed today.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Jaz itching to yell at him. But she also knew that we needed to address my problem too. Yelling at Dylan for being stupid would have to wait.

Her cold gaze snapped to me and it was enough to make me talk before asking. "Well, my day was terrible. Like, I never wanna relive it again."

"What happened?"

"Well, besides terrorizing the same kid on three different occasions" –everyone snorted– "I guess I didn't really realize what six months would do to our relationship." I didn't even have to mention a name for them to know who I was referring to.

"Elaborate," Jaz demanded.

I took a spoonful of ice cream and let it melt on my tongue before answering. "Well, we were being all cute by the lockers, and suddenly Reece came up. Dean got so weird and distanced himself, like he didn't want to be seen with me."

I heard Jaz cracking her knuckles behind me. It was Dylan who put a reassuring hand on my leg. "I'm sure there's a good reason for that. What did you guys talk about?" he asked. I gave him a sheepish smile. "You guys didn't talk? Then what the hell did you do?"

I shrugged. "Just sat, enjoyed each others' company. Held hands?"

"You didn't even kiss?" Jaz yelled. I winced, seeing that her head was poked between Dylan and I's seats. She practically screamed in my ear.

Dylan shook his head. "You guys have to talk about what's happening next. For all you know, he doesn't even love-" He stopped himself and averted his gaze.

My heart sunk, realizing that he was right. Did Dean even love me anymore? I still loved him. At least, I think.

So sitting at that Dairy Queen, I created a plan. I was going to do the one thing I was great at: run away from my problems to avoid rejection.

Perfect.

~~~

"Hey bubs," I cooed as soon as I opened the front door.

After dropping Jaz and Dylan back at school to pick up their cars, I drove home. It seemed like the only place that was safe enough for me to sulk in.

Ryder sensed my off-mood and greeted me with extra kisses. He grew significantly. Although he was still a puppy, he was almost to his adult height. He was energetic as always, running around with his toys. Luckily, he was completely potty trained, so he spent the nights sleeping in my bed.

I put my bag down on the couch and walked to the kitchen, my dog trotting behind. He was so close, I could feel his breathing on my calf.

After seeing a near-empty fridge, I felt thankful that I at least had ice cream to fill myself up.

"Bella, is that you?" a voice asked from far away. Seconds later, Justin, my sophomore bother, came sliding into the kitchen. "Ah, cool. I was wondering if we could invite Andrew over? I'm bored." Andrew not only got close to me over the summer, but Justin as well. It was, and still is, an interesting relationship we have. We mostly just hang out at one of our houses.

"Sure, whatever," I waved a dismissive hand.

I heard his excited footsteps as he ran to the backyard and straight into Drew's. Rolling my eyes, I made a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and gave the crust to Ryder.

I took my plate into the living room and guarded it with my life. Our dog may be trained, but he'd snatch the food out of my hands in a heartbeat.

He looked up at me with those chocolate eyes. I rubbed his noggin. "You're the only consistent man in my life. Besides dad and Justin, obviously." As if he understood, his mouth opened up into a smile. I gave him one last pat and ate my food.

The backdoor opened and closed again, getting Ryder's attention. After a few seconds, Drew and Justin walked in.

"Hey Bella," Drew grinned, ruffling my hair and taking a seat next to me. I scrunched my nose and fixed my hair. "How was your first day of senior year?"

"Awful, and yours?"

Before he could answer, Justin interrupted. "Right! Didn't you attack some poor kid?"

I groaned and leaned my head back on the couch. How did everyone know about that?

Even innocent Andrew snickered. I hit the pair with a throw pillow before leaning back again. "My day was great. How was meeting your boyfriend for the first time in six months?" Drew asked. He ran his hand through his blond hair in a casual manner.

Upon hearing this, Justin perked up and leaned on the couch.

I eyed him warily. "Hey, grab some lemonade for Andrew," I ordered my brother. He sighed and trudged to the kitchen. "Anyway, it was not what I expected."

Throughout summer, I mentioned Dean a lot, and how excited I was to see him again. Andrew was just another victim of my pathetic rambling. At first, it felt weird, considering he had a crush on me, but he assured me he'd rather be a friend than nothing in my life.

He frowned. "Aw Bellz, I'm sorry."

I gave him a tight-lipped smile. "It's whatever. Let's talk about something else."

On cue, Justin sauntered back in with an ice-cold glass of lemonade. I plucked it out of his hands and took a long sip. He narrowed his eyes. "You said that was for Andrew."

"I lied. Now, are you guys gonna game here or somewhere else?"

"Here's fine," Drew said, looking at me. His blue eyes sparkled. I cleared my throat and looked away. Sometimes I still felt as if he had a crush on me. Maybe he was just being his usual self and I read too much into it.

Yeah, sure.

The night passed as the three of us hung out. The two played video games while I watched. Andrew tried to teach me how to play, but I got sick of it too quickly.

He couldn't stay for dinner, so left before. My parents weren't home so we ended up splitting a pizza and talking about our day. Justin talked about football and how he was excited for the season. I wondered how Dylan was treating him, but I didn't ask. I needed to confront Dylan about his malicious behavior either way. I just hoped he wouldn't take it out on my brother.

When I went to bed that night, I wondered how a year ago, I'd fall asleep dreaming about the very blue eyes that I saw today. I was lucky to have Drew as a friend. He could be so sweet sometimes. I just wish we were more open earlier. It would have cleared up everything and we'd be a happy couple. Maybe he'd be the one sneaking in at night.

I absentmindedly stroked Ryder's fur as he nuzzled into me. His breathing was steady as he dozed off.

At least one of us could sleep.

Tossing and turning did no good for me. I grabbed my phone and texted Jaz to pass some time.

Me: So, what the hell are we gonna do about Dylan?

Jaz: No freaking clue.

Jaz: What are we gonna do about Dean?

Me: Oh, the usual

Jaz: Ignore the problem until it goes away?

Me: You know me so well :*

Me: Also means you're going to help me avoid him as much as possible, just like you did all day today.

Jaz: 😳

Jaz: Ugh, fine. Even though I disapprove, I want to see him suffer.

Me: If he even notices...

Jaz: Girl stop. If he doesn't notice, I have a list of eligible bachelors.

Me: LOL thanks. Anyways... what about Dylan?

And just like that, we texted back and forth about ways to snap our friend back into his senses. She eventually had to sleep and stopped. I held back a groan as I no longer had a distraction. I wasn't tired enough to fall asleep.

From the corner of my eye, I caught sight of a pink fuzzy notebook on my desk. A pack of pens laid inches away, scattered around. It was a familiar sight. For a moment, I debated whether it was worth it to sacrifice my comfortable position.

I realized the sleep wouldn't come to me, so I slowly got up, making Ryder stir. He didn't wake up. My desk chair creaked under my weight but easily rolled so I was sitting directly under the table.

My fingers skimmed the fuzz that covered the journal. A slight smile appeared on my lips as I remembered the day I got it. It was only recently after Dean left. Mr. Cullen, my old English teacher, taught me the importance of journaling and letting my feelings out.

As soon as Dean left, I bought the ugliest notebook I could find. I wasn't sure why, but this one called to me. I began writing things for Dean, things I wanted him to know. It was like I was writing letters to him, only they were undelivered.

It helped a lot to cope with everything. It was a safe outlet to get my feelings out. Not to mention, it felt like I was catching him up on my life, even though I had no intention of showing him this.

I switched on my desk lamp. The room had a soft glow. I flipped through the full pages, catching glimpses of what I wrote about. Then, I grabbed one of the many pens on my desk and opened the next empty page.

My hands had a mind of their own and began pouring out words. I wrote out everything I was feeling, how my day went, and how upset I was. I wrote in first person, writing the words 'you' instead of Dean. By the end of my thoughts, my hand was cramping.

I massaged my hand and switched the lamp off, being met with total darkness. When I climbed back into bed, Ryder was taking up half the mattress. A small grin formed on my face as I stroked his golden fur and lulled myself to bed.

I felt a lot better.