"Holly, let's go to the mall." 

I pulled my attention away from the television screen and gave Chris, who was now towering over me, a questioning look. "The mall? Where all teenagers hang out? All teenagers from our school that could catch us?" 

He wagged his finger down at me. "Not that mall. One further away." 

"That'll waste gas," I pointed out. 

"It's fine," he told me with a wave of his hand. 

Frowning, I returned my gaze to the T.V. It wasn't that hard to figure out what he was doing. He wanted to get me away from the town so I wouldn't go talk to Aaron. That was also why he hadn't left my house yet. Jeremy hadn't called yet, so I didn't know what was going on with him. If he was still at the hospital, he'd been there for at least three hours. 

"I don't have any money," I finally stated. 

"I'll buy you stuff." 

Sighing, I shook my head. "No, Chris." 

"Come on, Holly. Let's go on a date." 

I resisted the urge to scowl at him. "I know you're only doing this because you don't want me to talk to Aaron." 

He placed a hand on my thigh. I turned to him. He gave me the most serious look he could muster. "Holly Evers, I'm aghast you would even think that!" 

"You know it's true!" 

He smirked evilly. "Even so, I'm not letting you go today." 

"Why don't you want me to talk to him?" 

An uncomfortable expression took over his smug one. He shifted into a different position, pulling his hand from my leg and into his lap. "I told you. I don't want you going because something might happen." 

"It's a public place though!" 

"Holly, please. Just drop it." 

"No!" 

He narrowed his eyes. "You know, stubbornness is not an attractive quality." 

"Neither is being over protective." 

We held each other's hard gazes for a moment, daring the other to break it. Chris was the one who gave up first, a laugh escaping his lips. "I'm not being over protective. I'm just worried about you." 

"I know," I said with a sigh. "I know. I understand. I get it. I just don't like it." Huffing, I crossed my arms. "What if you came with me?" 

He made a face. "No, thank you." 

"You could just wait outside-" 

"No, Holly." 

"Why not?" I cried. "You're being so difficult!" 

He sent me an amused glance. "I'm being difficult?" 

"Yeah! I'm trying to compromise with you so I don't have to go behind your back, Chris!" 

"Why should I help you feel better about yourself when you're going to do whatever you want anyway?" 

I puffed out my cheeks. "Because you love me." 

He chuckled. "It's really hard to be angry with you, you know? However, I still don't want you talking to Aaron. That kid's messed up. No matter what, he won't tell you the truth of what happened." 

"How do you know that?" 

"When has Aaron ever been completely honest with you, Holly?" Chris questioned. "As far as I'm aware, he's only tricked you." 

I cupped my elbow, chewing on my bottom lip. He was right. Aaron liked to make a fool out of me. But something was off this time. It didn't feel right. There was no way Aaron would get himself beat up and land himself in the hospital. Even if I didn't know him that well, I knew him enough to believe that wasn't true. Something had happened. 

"I want to talk to him," I mumbled, focusing on the hair tie around my wrist. 

Chris sighed. "You're not going to let this go, are you?" 

I shook my head. "I'm sorry, Chris, but-" 

"Don't apologize," he responded grumpily. "I should really get used to your stubbornness." 

"Sorry," I apologized again. 

He took my head into his hand and pressed it against his chest. "I said don't apologize, Holly. I love you, which means I love the good qualities about you and the bad." 

I pushed away from him, an expectant look on my face. "What's the deal then?" 

"You know me too well," he responded with a grin. "You have to spend the day with me and then I'll drive you to the hospital." 

"Are you going to wait up for me?" 

He nodded. "I don't trust that guy at all. I'll be in the parking lot and you'll have half an hour. Is that okay?" 

"It's okay," I agreed quickly. A half an hour was more than enough time. 

"It's settled then. Let's go to the mall." 

"Can we go somewhere else? I don't really like shopping," I told him honestly. "It gets boring and tedious." 

He raised an eyebrow. "A girl that doesn't like shopping? That's new. What do you want to do then?" 

"Let's go to the park," I suggested. 

"The park? Isn't it kind of cold?" 

"I'll wear a jacket," I promised him. "I just want to spend the day outside today. Malls are too crowded." 

He shrugged. "Okay. We'll go to the park. I don't think a lot of people will be out today, so we'll be safe. Are you ready to go?" 

I pulled at a strand of my hair. "Can I take a shower first?" 

He gave me a sly smirk. "Only if I can take one with you." 

"Chris!" 

A laugh burst from his lips. "I'm kidding, Holly. Go ahead. Try not to take too long." 

With my cheeks burning, I pushed myself off of the couch. "You're starting to act like Jeremy." 

That sobered him up pretty quickly. "I'm nothing like Jeremy!" he called after me as I quickly escaped from the room. 

If I really wanted to, I bet I could've became a quick-shower artist when I grew up. Whenever Chris was waiting for me, my hair and body was washed in less than five minutes. I easily slipped into a pair of black sweatpants and the light blue Hollister sweatshirt Casey had given me for my seventeenth birthday. It was too much effort to put on jeans. At the moment, I couldn't care less about my appearance. If it was Chris, it didn't matter. However, I did spend a little time on my hair and applied a touch of makeup. 

When I returned to the living room Chris was sitting on the couch, flipping through one of my mom's magazines. Upon hearing me, he looked up, scanned my body, and grinned. "Lazy day?" 

I scratched the back of my head. "Well, it'll keep me warm, right?" 

"Right," he agreed, springing up from the couch. "Shall we go then? If you have mittens you should probably grab a pair." 

"Or you could hold my hand in your pocket," I suggested. 

He did a double take at me. "Uh, sure..." 

Smiling to myself, I followed him out my front door, locking it behind us. It was a lot colder than I'd expected. As soon as we entered his car, I reached for the heat and cranked it all the way up. 

"The car's not even on yet," Chris said with a chuckle, now starting the engine. "Remember, it will blow out cold air for a few moments." 

"Ah!" 

"What?" 

I stared at him. "We could have taken my car! I could've drove!" 

He smirked. "Oops." 

"Wait-" 

"Too late," he said shortly, shifting the car into drive. "Maybe next time, Holly." 

I pouted at him. "Why don't you let me drive?" 

"I let you drive once, remember? And then you realized you didn't even have your license on you." 

"Simple mistake," I countered. "I'm sure that's happened to you plenty of times." 

He grinned. "I've never forgotten my license. I just didn't feel like going back into the house to grab it." 

I sighed. "That's a bad habit." 

"Okay, Mom." 

Ignoring his remark, I placed my hands over the vents that were now blowing warm air. The heat felt amazing on my cold hands. Without realizing it, I scrunched up my nose. Maybe going to the park was a stupid idea. It was still freezing outside- after all, it was only the beginning of March. What if one of us caught a cold? I couldn't deal with being sick at the moment... 

"Holly, let's not go to the park," Chris started, as if reading my mind. "We'll just drive around and talk." 

"Talk? About what?" 

"The future." 

I turned to frown at him. "What about it?" 

"I don't know. What you might want to do in college and stuff like that." 

"My mom put you up to this didn't she?" I asked, shaking my head. "I wonder if she knows it's okay just to ask me directly." 

He glanced at me. "Well, yes, she did, but I'm curious too. I know we've talked about this before, but have you talked to your guidance counselor yet?" 

"No," I admitted quietly. "She's no help though. Whenever I mentioned something I wanted to do in the past she basically told me I was too stupid to do it. In the nicest way possible, of course." 

"You're not stupid. You're a very smart girl. I bet you could do whatever you want, Holly. Who's your guidance counselor? I think I'll have a talk with them-" 

I grimaced. "There's no need for that. You know I've already applied to a few colleges. I'm waiting for a response to them." 

"Do you have any idea of what you're going to do? Aside from a lawyer?" 

Was there a hint of amusement in his voice? Wasn't I more likely to become a lawyer than Jeremy was? I couldn't imagine Jeremy being serious enough for that. Speaking of becoming a lawyer, how was he managing to teach gym class and go to college? Did he take all afternoon classes? When I went to college I wouldn't be able to take afternoon classes. It would make it harder to see Chris... 

"Holly?" 

"I don't know," I responded with a sigh. "Maybe a nurse. But that takes so long..." 

Chris gave me a confused look. "A nurse? That seems kind of random." 

I bit my lip, twiddling with my fingers. "Er, well I've actually never thought of being a nurse before I met you." 

"What do you mean by that?" 

"I've never experienced anyone getting injured in front of my eyes, or having a close friend being hurt. In those types of situations, I don't know what to do. All I could do was watch as you got hurt, as Jeremy got shot, as Lance got shot... I hate the feeling of not being able to do anything. The only thing I can do is CPR, but that was never needed. Luckily." 

Chris stayed silent for a moment. "I don't know whether to be impressed or troubled by your reason. Just so you know, I'm not planning on anyone close to me being hurt again, Holly." 

"I know," I responded, turning to stare out the window. "I don't know. It's just an idea." 

"I think it's a great idea." 

I smiled. "Are you just saying that?" 

"No. You just seem like the type of girl that would enjoy life saving other people's lives. It suits you." 

"You know what the best part is if I decide to become a nurse?" I questioned, turning my head to grin at him. 

He glanced at me. "No, what?" 

"I can go to the community college. Which means I can live with you." 

"Or your mom," he added. "If that's what you really want to do, then I'm happy. But remember I don't want you to base your decision on me." 

I waved him off. "I know, I know. You've said that enough. In fact, you've said it so much it sounds like you want me to go away." 

"Please," he snorted. "I'd never let you go." 

"Biology is an important class if I'm going to take nursing though... It's a good thing I have a great teacher." 

Chris hummed. "Really? I heard he was a lying, devil of a teacher." 

"Sometimes. I have a secret involving him though." 

"Yeah?" 

"I'm in love with him." 

He smirked. "Naughty, naughty." 

I laughed. "He's really not that bad once you get to know him. He's kind of a narcissist, but I can't really blame him. He is really handsome." 

"Sounds like he's my type," Chris commented, running a hand through his hair. "I bet we look a lot alike." 

"He's kind of mean, but it's for a good reason. Plus, his kindness outweighs whatever unpleasantness I witness. He's always looking out for me, even if he has to do things that make me angry. He gets along well with my mom and I care about him more than anyone else." 

Chris grinned at me. "I already told you I'd let you go talk to Aaron. You don't need to cajole me." 

I scratched the back of my head, giving him a sheepish look. "I think I kind of owe it to you. I know you hate when I do stuff like that." 

"I do, but I care about you, so I get over it." 

"Chris, did you ever think when you first met me that we'd end up together?" I questioned, curiosity bubbling up inside of me. I certainly hadn't thought that. Hoped, yes, but not thought. 

His grip tightened on the steering wheel. For a few moments he stayed silent, as if debating on what to say. "Actually, I was pretty torn. My first thought was that I didn't want to see you again." 

My eyes widened. "Really?" 

He nodded. "You looked just like my ex-girlfriend, Holly. I actually wanted to hate you." 

"Really?" I repeated, my eyes growing even more. I never expected that. 

"Yeah, but then right after I thought that I realized I wanted to see you again. So the next day I was shocked you were in my class. Part of me was excited while the other part was pissed." 

"Gee, thanks," I said sarcastically. 

He rolled his eyes at me. "Really, Holly. If you don't want to hear it, you shouldn't have asked." 

"Yeah, yeah. Was there a reason you technically blackmailed me into coming with you today?" 

"You didn't want to?" 

"That's not it!" I told him quickly, causing a smug expression to cross his face. I did my best to ignore it. "It's just you don't normally do it." 

He removed one of his hands from the steering wheel and found mine with it. "We haven't had a chance to talk in awhile, just you and me. I'd like to spend a little, uninterrupted time with my girlfriend before everything gets messy." 

"What do you mean by that?" 

A wrinkle appeared on his forehead as his lips turned down into a deep frown. "It's just a foreboding feeling. I wouldn't worry about it too much, but just in case..." 

A foreboding feeling? Like the one I had before Shawn kidnapped me? The idea made my stomach shift uncomfortable. It was highly possible something was going to happen. It'd been too quiet lately. Sure, Aaron was still there, but Aaron was Aaron. He wasn't violent. He didn't seem like an actual gangster. He was only doing what Shawn asked him to. Who knew what Shawn was planning? It was obviously something. Why only tell Aaron certain thing about me? As much as I hated to (and didn't want to) admit it, something needed to happen. Be in Shawn breaking out of jail (highly impossible) or sending some different after me (more plausible), there had to be something. 

"Maybe Aaron knows something," I proposed, squeezing Chris' hand. "I can probably talk it out of him." 

Chris didn't look convinced. "You think? I know this may be hurtful to you, Holly, but I'd better let you know sooner than later. Now, this might be a shock, but... Aaron hates you." 

"Ha ha," I responded sarcastically. "I know that. But I also know he feels betrayed by Shawn. I could use that to my advantage." 

"You're not thinking of befriend him, are you?" 

For a moment, I was silent. Did I want to befriend Aaron? He was a jerk and I didn't like him very much, but... Maybe becoming his friend would change things. He'd help me instead of try to hurt me. "Well-" 

"No, Holly," Chris interjected. "Don't even think about it. Do you remember what he's done to you?" 

"But-" 

He shook his head. "No buts. If you forgive him for that it's not being nice. It's being stupid." 

"I think it's being nice." 

"That's because you're too nice of a person. You wouldn't forgive Shawn, would you?" 

"No!" 

He lightly rapped his knuckles against my thigh. "Then there you go. Don't forgive Aaron." 

I groaned. "You're not understanding." 

"I suppose that's the biggest problem in our relationship," he stated quietly. "We have trouble understanding each other." 

"That's because we're so different," I muttered. 

The corners of his lips twitched. "That's very true. It's not a bad thing. It'd be strange if we were completely compatible." 

"It's okay too because as soon as I graduate we won't have to deal with Aaron again," I told him, letting my head fall against the headrest. "I wish I could just graduate now." 

"Two more months, Holly." 

"You're lucky you graduated early." 

"I'll only agree with you because I'm a teacher now. My life feels the same as it was when I was attending high school." 

I grinned. "Except right now you're not part of a gang." 

He smiled wickedly. "Or am I?" 

"You're not." 

"I know," he told me with a laugh. "Can't say I miss it too much. Although I'm not going to lie and say it wasn't fun at the time." 

I wrinkled my nose. "I don't see how you can think fighting is fun." 

"That's because you're Holly Evers. Miss Could-Not-Even-Form-A-Fist." 

"Good one," I snapped, feeling embarrassment wash over me. Of course I didn't know how to form a fist! I'd never fought before meeting Chris! 

His hand left mine so he could muss with my hair. "That's all in the past now. Let's stop somewhere and grab lunch and then I'll bring you to the hospital." 

"Okay." 

"Then afterward you should come back to my house. Milkshake misses you, you know." 

A silly smile grew on my face. "Milkshake! Oh my god! I miss him so much! Of course I'll come over!" 

"For some reason I feel like a pedophile now," Chris muttered. 

I laughed, gently pushing on his arm. "Maybe you shouldn't coerce people to go to your house with cute animals then." 

"Just choose where you want to eat, Holly." 

"Subway!" 

"Scrubway it is," he responded, putting on his left blinker. "You would choose the one restaurant we passed ten minutes ago." 

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * 

"Half an hour, okay?" 

I mocked saluted Chris. "Vale!" 

"If not, I'm coming in." 

"Don't come in," I warned him, dropping my teasing face. "If you come in you'll definitely blow our cover. Not to mention I'm afraid you'll try hitting Aaron." 

Chris looked offended. "I would not-" 

"Save it." 

He grinned. "Be careful, Holly. Don't do anything stupid. Don't make him angry." 

I waved him off. "Yeah, yeah. I'll be back then." 

"Wait," he demanded, grabbing my wrist and pulling me closer to him. He gave me a quick kiss on the lips. "Bye, Holly." 

"Bye," I mumbled, pulling away from him. If it weren't for my spirit of inquiry, I would have stayed in the car and made out with him. 

The smell of the hospital was familiar as I entered the building. It worried me how used to it I was. Before, I used to gag at the scent. What was worse was the fact I recognized the secretary at the front desk. Sighing inwardly, I moved toward the female, hoping she didn't seem too suspicious. Hopefully she wouldn't recognize me. 

"Hi Holly!" the woman chirped brightly. 

Figures. 

I did my best to remember her name, but it escaped me. How come she wasn't wearing a nametag? I felt bad now. "Hey, how are you?" 

"Great! How are you? Your stomach okay?" 

I nodded. "It's fine now. Could you give me the room number for Aaron Lemay? I'm here to, er, visit him." 

"Of course!" she responded in a chipper tone. She was way too happy for this job. "He's on the second floor in room twenty-forty-three." 

"Thank you!" 

"No problem, Holly! See you soon!" 

I smiled wryly at her. If all went well, I wouldn't be seeing her again. I'd been to the hospital way too many times already in my life. Anymore and I could consider it a curse. 

It took me no time to find Aaron's room. I'd been in the room down the hall when I was recovering from my stabbing. This was the recuperation hall. After a moment of idling by his door, I took a deep breath, and brought my fist to the wood, knocking. After a brief second there was a short call of "come in". 

I poked my head in, my eyes immediately going to Aaron's face. "Hi." 

His face went blank for a split second before turning to annoyance. "Not you too." 

"What's that supposed to mean?" 

"It means what are you doing here?" he snapped. "Mr. Ross already interrogated me and I'll have you know I didn't tell neither him nor my sister anything and I sure as hell won't say anything to you." 

I faltered a little bit at his words. He wouldn't even tell his sister? "Well, I won't leave until you tell me what happened." 

"Then you'll be here all night." 

We glared at each other stubbornly for a few moments until I gave in with a sigh. Taking the chair from the corner of the room, I dragged it closer to the edge of his bed, but not too close. "At least tell me what happened." 

"Why?" 

"I want to know." 

"I was attacked." 

I ground my teeth together. This guy was more infuriating than Chris ever was! "Well obviously! How hurt are you?" 

"Three broken ribs," he grunted. "Some bruising and what not." 

My gaze softened. "I'm sorry to hear that." 

For some reason, Aaron looked taken aback. After a few moments he recollected himself and turned away from me. "I don't want your pity." 

Once again I had to restrain myself from snapping at him. He really knew how to get on my nerves. "I'm not giving you pity, Aaron. I was just being polite." 

"Yay," he said sarcastically. 

"How come you won't tell your sister what happened?" 

He gave me a flat stare. "Why should I?" 

"She's your sister! I'm sure she's really worried about you-" 

"Listen, if you're going to preach to me about how I should treat my family, then get out. You don't know anything." 

"I do know that even if you two hated each other, she'd still be worried about you," I retorted. "Lexi isn't a bad person." 

Aaron cocked an eyebrow. "Really? You really think that? Even though she flirted with Mr. Ross and your best friend while dating Willis? Even though she can't make up her mind about who she likes?" 

I frowned at him. "She's a girl..." 

"That's not an excuse." 

"Whatever. I'm not here to talk about her." 

"Then leave." 

"Tell me what happened, Aaron," I demanded. "I promise I won't tell anyone else. I just need to know."  

"Why do you even care?" 

"I told you, Aaron. I've been on the receiving end of Shawn. This isn't unlike him. I want to help you." 

Aaron narrowed his eyes at me. "Shawn? Oh no, you've got this all wrong. He's not the one who ambushed me." 

"Duh. He's in jail. I'm talking about his followers." 

"They didn't do it either." 

I cocked my head to the side. "Huh?" 

He sneered at me. "Don't pretend like you don't know." 

"Don't know what?" I said slowly, furrowing my eyebrows. If not Shawn, who else would attack Aaron? No one I knew came to mind. 

"You know I get sick of your innocent act," he told me, scowling. 

"I really don't know what you're talking about!" 

He crossed his arms. "Yeah right. You were probably laughing about it with Mr. Ross and Mr. Heywood all last night, right?" 

I shook my head. "No! We didn't even know you were in here until today- 

Oh," I gasped, covering my mouth. Too late. 

"You were with them last night?" Aaron questioned, a sly smirk spreading across his face. "What were you three doing?" 

"T-they're my mom's friends," I made up quickly. 

"I doubt that." 

Wincing, I decided to change the subject. There wasn't anything I could say to cover up my mistake at the moment. "Who attacked you?" 

He ran a hand over his face. "You're really annoying." 

"If not Shawn, then who?" 

A dark look flashed across his face. "Oh? Maybe you really don't know? How mean." 

"How is that mean?" 

"Someone so close to you wouldn't even tell you he was going to assault me." 

My body tensed up. Someone close to me? Jeremy? No, he was drunk and at my house all night. Lance? Why would he attack Aaron? Slowly, I moved my eyes to Aaron's pale face. "I don't..." 

"Mr. Heywood," he stated in a hard voice. "He was the one who attacked me last night." 

My eyes flew open. No way... 

Chris? 

_____________________________________________ 

Phew! It's been a long time! Aloha, guys! 

So this chapter was actually going to be longer, but I'm about to pass out and I wanted to post something before I went to bed. No worries though! The next update will be on time! And loads better! I actually know what I want to do with this now :D If you couldn't tell, I've been a little stuck lately, so I've been sticking in random, not-so-important parts-- like Holly's future in this chapter. Although that is important for them to talk about I guess .-. But yeah! Sorry about it's shortness! I bet it seems really boring... oh well. You guys can go with one boring chapter. All stories have them~ 

It's really hot... I really hate the summer weather.

Disasterology by Pierce the Veil!