The dim lighting in the clothing store was making you sluggish as Sasha trudged through skirts, shirts, and dresses. You'd been at the mall for nearly two hours now after your photography class had ended. You weren't sure how much longer you were going to be here since Sasha drove, but it was probably going to be a while.

The place smelled like a mix of different perfumes and colognes, an unhealthy abundance of chemicals lingering in the air. Light pop music was playing over the speakers, the kind that was annoying to listen to but good enough to remain as background noise. Pre-teens littered the store with giggles and way over the top dramatics.

You didn't know why but the intimidation from them was really getting to you. It was just something about those judgemental stares and immaturity that was really irritating— the popular kind.

"What do you think about this?" Sasha held up a school girl styled skirt, the plaid being gold and navy in color. You nodded your head, approving of the look as you touched the fabric, the thickness of it throwing you off a bit.

"It'll last you forever, that's for sure," you admired the fabric and Sasha smiled, adding it to her pile of clothing to try on. There was so much dangling from her arm that you wondered how her arm hadn't fallen off yet.

"Is there anything you like?" She piped up and you quickly glanced across the store until your eyes landed on a black velvet dress with embroidered golden stars all over it. You went over and snatched a size off the shelf, holding it up for Sasha to see.

"Ooo, that's cute! You should try it on!" She encouraged and you followed her over to the dressing rooms, picking out the empty one across from Sasha.

So you changed into the dress and looked at yourself in the mirror. You hoped it didn't look too childish, fearing the stars would give off that vibe, but you really did love it. It was something simple and cute, a dress you could wear for any occasion— and a girl always needed a little black dress. It was a rule (at least that's what Sasha had always said).

"Wanna see?" You called out from the stall and Sasha answered with an excited yes. You opened the door and stepped out, waiting for Sasha to finish whatever clothing she was putting on.

He door clicked open and her eyebrows rose as a smile spread across her face, letting out an excited, "That's so cute!"

"You think?" You asked and Sasha eagerly nodded her head, coming over to touch the fabric.

"If you don't buy it, I will," she teased and winked at you before heading back into her changing room. You did the same and looked at yourself in the mirror. It was a dress worth buying, and not a bad price either.

With a smile, you decided to buy it, putting your other clothes on and walking out of the changing room with the dress, waiting for Sasha to finish.

You felt your phone buzz in your pocket and you quickly pulled it out, seeing that Marco had messaged you. You unlocked your phone and went to messages, seeing that Connie hadn't replied to you yet.

What are you doing tonight?

You wanted to work on your photography project tonight by taking pictures in the park at night, but maybe Marco could join you. Being on campus alone at night as a female wasn't the safest thing, sadly.

I'm working on my photography assignment and going to a park tonight. Wanna come?

Sure! Can Jean join?

That'd be fine ;)

Shut up.

You let out a light laugh and put your phone back in your pocket, turning around as Sasha got your attention.

"Are you ready?" Sasha called after you as she headed to the counter to pay.

"Coming!" You raced after her, excited for your new dress and for tonight.

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You were in your dorm room working on your math assignment, stuck on a problem that was making your head spin like a whirlpool. Sasha was doing her history homework, the faint noise of crash course videos playing in the background.

You were waiting for Jean and Marco to arrive, hoping they'd get here soon so you could ditch this problem altogether, and your prayers were answered.

A silent knock at the door made Sasha turn her head in curiosity. You bounced up onto your feet and opened the door with a smile to see Jean and Marco standing in front of you.

"Let me grab my things," you held up a finger as you raced back to your bed to grab your coat, phone, shoes, and stocking hat. Sasha waved goodbye to you as you shut the door, the three of you embarking on a nightly adventure.

The cold air was frigid as you walked outside towards the park. It was only a block or two away, so walking wasn't too bad. Jean and Marco were ahead of you as they talked privately, your eyes squinting a bit as you analyzed the way Jean's usual charming gaze was now more solemn— distant. You wondered what was wrong, but it seemed like Marco was handling it.

You felt your phone buzz and pulled it out of your pocket, the cold air biting at your hands like little pricks.

Hey! Sorry for the late response, I've been busy with class.

That's okay! How was your day?

Eh, same old same old. But I wanna come see you, I miss you :,(

I miss you too! I'm at the park right now with Jean and Marco. Wanna come?

Sure! I'm on my way!

You texted Connie the instructions, your heart fluttering with excitement. It'd been a while since you'd seen him and you knew he was working hard on school.

"Hey! Sorry to interrupt, but Connie's gonna meet us here too if that's okay," you raced up to Jean and Marco, your gaze flicking to the sudden change in Jean's eyes. Back to charming.

"Yeah, I guess that dunce can join us," Jean shrugged and you smacked his arm.

"That's my boyfriend you're talking about," you fired back with a light smirk on your lips.

"That's right, almost forgot about that," Jean chuckled and you rolled his eyes. Jean had also been completely oblivious to the whole thing too.

"So what are we here for?" Jean asked.

"I'm working on a photography project and wanted to take some pictures of the park at night. I don't know, parks at night just seem so lonely," you looked at all the empty benches, the tired and paint-chipped gazebo, the swings creaking and aching in the the slight breeze.

"Damn. You got a point. This is kind of eerie," Jean shifted, stepping closer to Marco.

You saw Marco freeze, a slight blush creeping on to his freckled cheeks. You pursed your lips as you brushed past them, pulling out your phone to take some pictures of the empty benches, the sad looking gazebo, and the rusted swings with no one to swing with.

You looked around, your eyes landing on a streetlamp with it's light a dull yellow, the bulb flickering ever so often. You walked over to it, close enough to get a full shot. The pictures were coming out great and you were excited to put them all together for the end result.

As you stood staring at your pictures, strong arms wrapped around you from behind, gripping you tightly. You let out a scream and kicked the person's shin, their arms letting go as a familiar voice started to howl in pain.

Oh my God.

"Connie, what the fuck?! Don't do that!" You yelled, turning around to see him on the ground holding his shin.

"I'm sorry! I was trying to surprise you!" He grimaced and you let out a sigh.

"Connie, I'm a college girl in a park standing next to a shady street lamp when arms suddenly wrapped around me from behind. What the hell am I supposed to think?" You let out your hand to help him up, your lips pursed as you raised your eyebrows at him.

"Oh...that makes more sense now," he chuckled nervously as he took your hand, getting to his feet.

Your eyes fell onto Jean and Marco, Connie's gaze following yours as he crossed his arms across his chest.

"Does Jean seem sad to you?" You asked and Connie sighed, rubbing the back of his head.

"He and Mikasa kind of got into it last night...it wasn't pretty," Connie replied as he placed an arm around your shoulder, leaning on you.

"I hope he's okay," you murmured, leaning into Connie as the cold air sent shivers up your spine.

You and Connie spent most of the time away from Marco and Jean so they could continue to talk. You captured a few more pictures and then decided to mess around when you felt you had enough. You and Connie played hide-and-seek, a quick game of pathetic tag, and then a session of trying to get Connie to stop climbing the trees.

It was nearing around 11:00 when your phone started to go off. You left Connie to continue his running around the park as you stepped away to answer.

"Hey, you've got school tomorrow, why are you calling me?" You smiled, your little brother throwing an insult back at you.

"Y/N this is an emergency," you rolled your eyes at that, knowing it was probably his game console that crashed again.

"Just unplug it and plug it back in Falco, it'll work again."

"No, not that! It's Floch, he's coming home and transferring to where you are."

The world stopped. Floch. He was coming home. He was coming here? Every bit of you trembled as your heart seemed to gallop in fear. You grabbed at your chest and sat down, Falco's voice calling out your name from the other line.

"Go to bed Falco, you have school," you spoke with a coldness and hung up the phone, stuffing it into your pocket.

"Y/N?" Connie came up to you and crouched with a concerned look gleaming in his honey eyes.

"I'm fine, just got a little winded. Can we go home? I'm cold," you forced a smile and got to your feet, extending your hand for Connie to take it.

He hesitated, but took it, the two of you walking over to Jean and Marco, ready to leave.

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You couldn't sleep. Sasha was snoring away, the wind howling outside, and the heavy thoughts of Floch transferring kept your mind wide awake. Sleep was useless.

You sat up and let out a sigh, burying your face in your hands. Why was he coming here? To torment you? To try and get you back? What was the point?

You had been his prize once, but once was enough. And Connie never made you feel like you were something to be won. He genuinely cared, and you could see it in the way he acted, the way he spoke, the way he held you, and the way he kissed you. Sometimes it felt like he loved you, but it was way too early for that.

You threw the covers off and slipped into your slippers, opening the door to walk down the hall to get some water from the fountain. It was silent, everybody else asleep.

You kept thinking about Floch, even the cool water down your throat not enough to ease your mind. So when you got back to your room, you checked your phone, trying to see if anyone messaged you, and to your surprise, no one did.

All that was left to do was find a way to sleep, and to wait— anxiously.

a/n: ........hey........sorry this has taken so long.....i have work and school and a lot of other stuff on my plate. i feel so bad about how late this chapter came out but...surprise!!! her ex was floch. idk about you, but i admire how well written floch's character is but that doesn't mean i like him and i just feel like he'd be an ass of a boyfriend. also, i know falco isn't 16, but i wanted to get as many characters in here as possible and i like the idea of an older falco anyways because then the age gap between them wouldn't be so awkward lol. anyways, i hope you liked this chapter!! i know it isn't much but it is something :)

-ocean