When I woke up, I felt overheated. I stretched, yawning widely. My eyes shot open went I touched something— or someone warm. I sat up quickly, looking around at my surroundings. I was definitely not at home. There was a lump next to me, a person sleeping under the covers.

My mind was racing. What happened last night? After Mr. Heywood, Jeremy, and Casey had disappeared into the hospital I had gone back to Jeremy’s car… and then what? I couldn’t remember. When had I fallen asleep? I looked around the room again and realized with a jolt where I was.

Mr. Heywood’s house. So that meant…

Gripping the comforter tightly, I whipped it off the person next to me. When I noticed it was Jeremy, not Mr. Heywood, I shrieked, moving away from him. His eyes shot open, and he bolted up, looking around widely.

“Where’s the fire?” he shouted, his messy blonde hair everywhere, covering parts of his face.

“There is no fire!” I cried, grabbing a pillow and pulling it to my chest. “What are you doing in the same bed as me?”

Jeremy looked at me in confusion for a few seconds. “Holly?”

“That’s me,” I snapped, feeling my face heat up. “What are you doing in my bed?”

“Actually,” a new voice commented, “I do believe that’s my bed.”

My head snapped in the direction of the doorway, where Mr. Heywood was standing. He had large, white bandages wrapped around the top of his head, and a deep blue bruise under his left eye. He raised an eyebrow at me, taking a sip from the coffee cup in his hand.

“What…?” I trailed off, unsure of what I was about to ask.

Jeremy bounded out of Mr. Heywood’s bed, hopping to his feet. “Morning, Chris!”

Mr. Heywood gave Jeremy a hard look. “It’s afternoon.”

I climbed out of the bed as well, detangling myself from the sheets. Mr. Heywood smirked at me as I did so. I was about to ask him what he thought was so amusing when I looked down and noticed I was still in the boxers I was in last night. Flushing in embarrassment I quickly yanked the sheet off his bed and wrapped it around me.

“Casey and Lance are coming with clothing for you soon,” Mr. Heywood informed me.

“Casey and Lance?”

Mr. Heywood nodded. “We have a lot of explaining to do with Casey… And we have a few other things to discuss.”

“Like what?” I asked, narrowing my eyes in confusion. “What do you mean?”

Mr. Heywood ignored my question. “Want some breakfast?”

My stomach rumbled as if on cue, and I blushed again, causing Mr. Heywood and Jeremy to chuckle.

“It’s almost ready,” Mr. Heywood informed me.

“Then… can I take a quick shower?”

Mr. Heywood nodded. “Sure. You can grab some clothing out of my dresser if you want,” he informed me. “That way you won’t be changing back into dirty clothes.”

“Aw, you two share clothes?” Jeremy teased, grinning. “That’s cute.”

Mr. Heywood jammed his elbow into Jeremy’s side. “Shut up. Go check on the bacon.”

Jeremy grumbled, but left the room. Mr. Heywood stayed in the doorway, taking another sip from his mug.

“Um, what happened last night?”

Another amused smile appeared on Mr. Heywood’s face. “Well, it was around four in the morning when they finished fixing me up, and you were asleep in the car when we finally made it out, so we didn’t wake you up. Casey went home, but Jeremy called your mother and told her you were staying here for the night.”

I had to remember to thank Jeremy for calling my mom. I didn’t want her having a heart attack because I was missing. “Okay… So why was I in the same bed as Jeremy?”

Mr. Heywood scowled. “I don’t know. He was supposed to be sleeping on the couch.”

“Oh, so he snuck in,” I commented, rolling my eyes. “That’s just like him. Where’d you sleep?”

“Couch in the living room,” Mr. Heywood told me grumpily. “I have to be careful not to let my head bump into anything.”

“What did the doctors say?”

Mr. Heywood shrugged. “I just needed some stitches, and I guess I have a minor concussion. No big deal. I’ve had worse.”

“Oh.” He’s had worse?

“Want to take a shower now?”

I nodded my head quickly. “Yeah.” Warm, relaxing water was just what I needed right now.

Twenty minutes later I heard a knock on the bathroom door. A frown appeared on my face, thinking it was Mr. Heywood telling me it was time to get out. When I heard a different voice I blinked in surprise.

“Holly? I’ve got your clothes,” Lance yelled through the door. “I’m coming in.”

“What? Lance stay out!” I cried, pulling the shower curtain more securely across the rod.

Lance ignored my demands, and I heard the door open. Footsteps filled the room and I heard Lance cough. “Muggy enough in here?”

“I like my showers hot,” I responded simply, staying as far away from the curtain as possible. “Get out.”

“Is Holly done in the shower now? I have to go to the bathroom,” a new voice asked, and I heard another pair of feet in my bathroom.

“Nope.”

“Oh,” Jeremy responded. “Holly, do you mind if I just go—”

I wrenched the top of the shower curtain open, sticking only my head out to glower at the boys by the sink. “Yes. You two. Out. Now.”

“What are you guys doing in here?”

My eyes went past Jeremy and Lance to the door, where Casey and Mr. Heywood were now standing. Casey looked like she was about to start laughing while Mr. Heywood’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion, and then he glared at Jeremy. Jeremy held up his hands.

“I didn’t know she was in here, dude.”

“Get out!” Mr. Heywood and I ordered at the same time.

Jeremy winced. “Oh, double teamed. I’m going, I’m going,” he said, holding up his hands. “Come on, Lance.”

Lance shrugged, placing my clothing on the sink counter. “Sure.”

Mr. Heywood locked gazes with me for a moment. “Make sure to lock the door when you take a shower in the future,” he suggested before closing the door.

I blushed, pulling my head back under the spray of hot water. Did that mean he planned on me taking more showers here? The thought brought a smile to my face. I turned off the shower and slipped out, drying and dressing myself quickly.

Jeremy, Lance, Casey, and Mr. Heywood were all in the living room when I finally finished getting ready. Lance was in the recliner, Jeremy and Casey on the couch, and Mr. Heywood on the other couch. Mr. Heywood gestured for me to take a seat next to him. After a moment of hesitation I went to the couch and took a seat, sitting as far from Mr. Heywood as possible. With Casey, Jeremy, and Lance here, it was sure to be awkward enough.

“So,” Jeremy said, clapping his hands together. “To save us trouble today, I’ve already explained everything about the gang problem to Casey.”

Lance and I stared at Jeremy in horror. Casey grinned from her seat next to him.

“I’m so sorry Casey!” I apologized quickly. “I know it was mean to hide in from you, and I feel really guilty for lying and I totally understand if you don’t want to be best friends anymore.”

Jeremy, Casey, and Lance gave me strange looks.

“I don’t blame you for hiding this from me,” Casey told me slowly. “It’s not really a big deal…”

“Oh,” I responded, feeling my face heat up. “I… I see…”

Mr. Heywood snickered and I glared at him. He held up his hand, turning his snicker into a cough.

“My head injury causes me to cough,” he told me.

“Sure it does.”

“Casey we kept it a secret so you wouldn’t get hurt,” Lance told her. “Which didn’t really work, but still.”

Casey laughed. “Guys, chill. It’s fine. I understand. I would have never guessed you guys would be involved with a gang though. Or that Mr. Heywood was an ex-gangster.”

Mr. Heywood shrugged. “That means I’m good at keeping it a secret.”

“Except for the part where Holly find out,” Casey responded. “Way to keep your secrecy there.”

“That wasn’t my fault.”

“But it still happened.”

Mr. Heywood scowled at Casey. “I like you better in class.”

“Holly likes you all the time.”

“Casey!” I cried, staring at her incredulously.

Jeremy burst out laughing, clapping Casey on the back. “That was a good one!” Even Lance grinned widely.

“Guys,” Mr. Heywood started, looking stern, but sounding amused. “Let’s keep on topic, shall we?”

Jeremy nodded. “Okay. I have the news on right now, and I’ll have it on all day too. You guys make sure to watch it every time you get the chance too.”

“Why?” Casey, Lance, and I chorused.

“To see if Shawn was caught,” Jeremy said, as if stating the obvious. “Holly, when you and Shawn were alone last night, what happened?”

I lowered my gaze to the floor. “Nothing much… Shawn fell through the stairs.”

Jeremy raised an eyebrow. “What?”

“I led him upstairs, and he fell through one of them,” I explained. “That’s how I escaped from him.”

“And how exactly did you lose your pants?”

“That’s… um…” Reflecting upon the moment, it seemed like a pretty stupid lucky break. My face reddened. How could I tell them I had to take off my pants to make him fall?

“Holly?”

I turned to Mr. Heywood, who was giving me an unusually concerned look. “What?”

“Did Shawn… do anything to you?”

I cocked my head to the side for a moment. Did Shawn do anything to me? It took me a moment to realize what he meant. I quickly waved my hands in front of my face. “No, no, no! I just had to take off my pants to make him fall.”

Jeremy snorted. “Bribery?”

I glared at him. “No!”

“I was joking,” Jeremy responded with a laugh.

“You have a bruise on your forehead,” Mr. Heywood interjected, shooting a dirty look at Jeremy. “Top right. How did that happen?”

Surprised, I raised my hand to my forehead and put pressure on it gently. When I hit the bruise, I winced. “Ow!”

Mr. Heywood tried to keep his face straight, but I could tell he was holding back a smirk. “So?”

“Umm,” I hesitated, thinking back. “It could have been when I tripped you’re your leg… Or when Shawn threw his gun at me—”

“Shawn threw his gun at you?” Lance interrupted. “Shawn had a gun?”

Casey nodded. “He shot Jeremy with it.”

Lance whipped around to stare at Jeremy, a confused expression on his face. “You don’t…”

“Bulletproof vest,” Jeremy told Lance with a grin. “Bet you wish you had one of those the other night.”

Lance scowled at Jeremy. “Shut up.”

“Holly, why did Shawn throw the gun at you?” Casey asked curiously, turning to me. “If I was him, I would have just shot you.”

“Casey!”

She shrugged, grinning sheepishly. “What? You put yourself in his shoes. Isn’t that what you’d do?”

I nodded my head begrudgingly. “Yeah, I guess I would. And he did try to shoot me… But I got lucky. Again. He ran out of bullets or something.”

Jeremy laughed again. “That’s just his luck.”

“So was Shawn immobile when you left him?” Lance asked.

“Yep.”

“There’s a good chance that the police caught him then.”

“Yeah.”

Lance crossed his arms. “Just in case though, I’m canceling my phone. I thought I’d get it back, but I didn’t realize Shawn had it…” He narrowed his eyes accusingly at me.

I stared back at him in surprise. “What? Lance, no! You can’t cancel it!”

“Why not?”

“That’s the only means of communication I have with him!”

“Which is why you need to get rid of it,” Mr. Heywood interjected, giving me a stern look. “The less interaction you have with Shawn, the better.”

“But Mr. Heywood! What if something like last night happens again? Shawn won’t be able to reach me—”

Mr. Heywood cut me off. “Which is a good thing.”

“Not if you, Jeremy, Casey, or Lance are getting hurt!” I protested. “What if he texts Lance’s phone with a threat, and I don’t receive it, and one of you gets hurt?”

Mr. Heywood stayed silent, and I quickly looked around the room. Lance, Casey, and Jeremy were all giving me sober looks. Casey chewed on the bottom of her lip, giving me a half-smile.

“Don’t tell me…” I started, my eyes growing wide. “Do you guys think it’s better for you to get hurt than for me just to talk to Shawn?”

“Holly—”

I shook my head. “It’s not just about me! Why don’t you guys get that? Shawn isn’t just after me. He’s after all of us.”

Mr. Heywood put his hand on my shoulder, silencing me. “Holly, none of us are going to have contact with Shawn. That way we’re all safe.”

I stared at Mr. Heywood. “But…”

“But what, Holly?” Lance cried in exasperation. “There is no but!”

“It’s dangerous still,” I protested weakly.

Lance shook his head. “No, it’s dangerous to have contact with him. Do you want another repeat of last night?”

“No!”

“Then that’s that.”

I wanted to protest, but I kept my mouth shut. They didn’t understand what I was trying to say. Wouldn’t it be better to have a warning than something happening out of the blue? Like when Lance got shot?

Jeremy sighed, putting his head on the back of the couch. “Holly, you worry too much.”

“Sorry I care,” I snapped, feeling upset.

Jeremy shook his head. “Chances are Shawn’s in jail now, so it doesn’t matter. Holly, I know you’re thinking it’s safer to have a warning from Shawn, but what if he lied? What if he said, for example, he has Lance and he wants you to go to him otherwise he’ll hurt Lance, when he really doesn’t have Lance?”

I stared at Jeremy in confusion. “Can you repeat that?”

“Like in Harry Potter,” Casey interjected, looking excited. “When Vold—”

“He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named!” Jeremy hissed, looking around in mock horror.

Casey rolled her eyes. “When He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named told Harry he had Sirius, and when Harry went to save Sirius it turned out Vold—”

“He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named,” Mr. Heywood joked, grinning as Jeremy clapped his hands over his ears.

I had the urge to laugh, but instead I just grinned. “Yeah, Casey. The Dark Lord’s name must not be said.”

“Voldemort,” Casey said quickly before anyone could interrupt her again, “never had Sirius… And we both know how that ended.”

My grin dropped. “Oh.”

There was an awkward silence in the room now. Lance cleared his throat quietly, and Jeremy started whistling the Harry Potter theme song. Mr. Heywood eventually joined in, and so did Casey.

“Fine,” I finally grumbled, rolling my eyes at their antics. “Lance, shut off your phone.”

“I’m doing that right after we’re done here,” he told me, nodding his head.

“So if Shawn actually is caught… Does that mean this whole gang problem is over and done with?” Casey asked, furrowing her eyebrows.

I blanked at her question. That was exactly what it meant. There would be no more danger, or threats, or being paranoid. I glanced at Jeremy, who had the same expression I had on. He blinked at me, opening his mouth and saying nothing. Lance was starting to grin. I turned to Mr. Heywood, expecting to see a relieved expression, but instead he had a hard look.

“That’s exactly what it means,” Mr. Heywood told Casey, setting his jaw. “Let’s hope that’s what happened.”

I cocked my head. “What are you…?”

“There’s always the chance Shawn got away,” Mr. Heywood told me, confirming my thoughts.

I shook my head. “No way! He couldn’t move and the cops came not even five minutes later.”

Jeremy pursed his lips. “The chances are low, but there’s still the slight possibility.”

“Which is why we keep an eye on the news and the newspaper,” Lance threw in. “There’ll definitely be something about the warehouse.”

“Sounds easy enough,” Casey said, shrugging. “I don’t usually watch TV, but once in awhile is okay.”

“We shouldn’t all watch the same channel,” Mr. Heywood commented, glancing at his T.V. “Lance, why don’t you go to your house and watch channel ten? Jeremy, you go watch channel three, and Casey you watch channel five. I’ve got it on channel six.”

Jeremy, Casey, and Lance nodded, oblivious to the fact that Mr. Heywood didn’t assign me a channel. Before I could ask Mr. Heywood anything, Jeremy spoke.

“So we should do that right away,” he said, pushing himself off the couch. “Casey, give me your cell phone.”

Casey gave Jeremy a questioning look. “Why?”

“I need your phone number to contact you if I find something, and vice versa. I’ll give you Chris’s too, and then you can text Chris so he has your number,” Jeremy explained. “Lance, do you have a house phone?”

“I’ll be picking up a new cell phone while I cancel my old one,” Lance responded, looking grumpy. “Waste of my money…”

“He has a house phone,” I told Jeremy, shaking my head at Lance. Didn’t he know they’d replace his phone for free? “I’ll text you the number.”

Jeremy nodded. “Alright, then we are all in contact.”

“Yep,” the rest of us chorused.

“Then let’s go,” Jeremy ordered, clapping his hands. He turned to me. “Holly, want a ride home with me?”

I gave him a wary look. “You drive like a maniac…”

“I’m not that bad,” he protested, grinning.

“I live like, two doors down from her,” Lance told Jeremy. “I’ve got her.”

Jeremy looked disappointed. “Fine.”

I laughed. “Sorry, Jeremy, maybe next time.”

Jeremy shrugged, heading towards the door. “I’ll talk to you guys later,” he called, waving over his shoulder.

“You ready?” Lance asked, looking at Casey, and then me.

“Yep,” Casey responded.

I glanced at Mr. Heywood, and blinked in surprise when I found him staring intensely at me. “Um…”

He smirked. “Lance, I have to talk to Holly for a bit. You and Casey go ahead, and I’ll bring Holly home after.”

Lance frowned. “Why can’t you talk to her in front of us?”

Casey rolled her eyes, shoving Lance’s shoulder, and steering him towards the door. “Shut up, Lance. Let’s go.”

“But—”

“No buts,” Casey said firmly, sending me a secret smile. She winked. “Have fun, you two.”

I blushed, ducking my head. If it wasn’t Jeremy, it was Casey. Lance threw an apprehensive look at me but I waved him away. “Bye Lance, bye Case.”

“I still think—” Lance started, but Casey kicked him.

“Keep walking,” she ordered.

I grinned after them. Then the fact that Mr. Heywood and I were all alone hit me, and I held my breath. This was the first time we were alone since the other night. A blush tried to make its’ way to my face, but I forced it away. There was nothing to be embarrassed about…

That wasn’t even a fraction of my feelings.

I quickly smacked my hands to my cheeks. I had to stop thinking. Mr. Heywood was giving me a funny look when I turned to him. “Bug,” I lied with a tiny smile. “So, what’d you want to talk about?”

Mr. Heywood’s expression suddenly turned solemn and I felt my heart drop. Immediately my palms became sweaty, and I forced myself to stay calm. His expression didn’t mean anything. He hadn’t even said a word yet. There was nothing to be nervous about.

“Holly, before I start talking I want you to consider everything I say, okay?” Mr. Heywood started, giving me a serious look. “No matter how you feel about it.”

“O-okay,” I said quietly. What did he want to talk about?

“There’s two things I want to talk about,” Mr. Heywood told me, as if reading my thoughts. “One of them, you won’t like. The second, we need to think carefully through.”

I bit my lip. “Alright…”

“So do you want the bad or good first?” Mr. Heywood asked with a wry grin.

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. It was better to get the worse over and done with. “Bad.”

_____________________________

I have a great idea for the sequel. It's going to be so awesome. But first, I need to finish this. There's one last big thing, and then I'm ending it. The sequel is going to have a lot of Jeremy in it, and two new characters... Muahahaha. It's going to be amazing.

By the way, can you guess I saw Harry Potter 7 today? It was, in the words of Ron, "Bloody brilliant!" I didn't really like the ending. It was like, Voldemort and the wand, and then END. And you're like ....... wtf. haha

The results of the contest will be with the next upload, because I'm not quite done reading them all yet, since I don't have internet, it's hard lol.

If you have questions, my formspring is in the link this time...