Will hadn't tried to come out and talk to me this morning, that could either be because I hadn't wanted to walk with him yesterday, or because he wanted nothing to do with me after my weird little mood swing at the lake. Either way, I was pretty sure he was regretting ever saying he'd be my friend and had probably said something along the lines of, "No wonder he's never had a friend before" to himself at least once.

I was holed up in my room again, blasting music loud enough that the Solaces could probably hear it across the street. It was a wonder Hazel wasn't yelling at me, or maybe she was and I just couldn't hear it. I didn't bother to check, instead scratching Mrs. O'Leary behind the ears and reaching over to grab the novel that was open, pages down, off to one side on my bed, when the blue glow of my phone lighting up from its position on my windowsill caught my eye.

I picked it up, the tiny screen on the front told me I had one new message. That was weird since the only numbers in my contacts were my family members, and out of them, my mom was the only one who ever called or texted me. She wasn't the type of person to text me when she was at home with me, which she was at the moment. I paused before flipping it open, trying to think of a way to let down the poor guy who had probably tried to pick up some girl and had been given a fake number, and opened the text.

Hey, Neeks, it's Will. It seemed like something was bothering you at the lake. I just wanted to make sure you were doing okay.

I blinked, unsure which was stranger, the fact that he had somehow acquired my number, or that he was concerned about my well-being. My thumbs did a little dance over the keyboard while I tried to figure out how to respond. At first I typed out a simple inquiry as to how he'd gotten my number, then I'd decided that sounded rude and quickly deleted it. After a long process of typing and erasing in which I considered telling Will that he had the wrong number, I eventually rolled my eyes, typed a quick, "I'm fine" and sent it before I had time to decide otherwise.

Will didn't waste any time texting back, my phone buzzed a couple of seconds later.

Are you sure? I was worried I might have said something.

No, I hesitated, biting my lip, before I typed the next part. I just had a bad day, that's all. It wasn't really a lie. . . just a terminological inexactitude.

Okay. he replied, What happened?

I swore under my breath, Nothing you can help.

Sometimes it helps to talk.

I rolled my eyes, scoffing, and then felt bad. Will was only trying to help. I don't really like talking.

I've noticed. I imagined that he was wearing a smirk right then.

Will. I complained.

Nico.

I hate you. I typed, only half meaning it; the other half of me was trying not to smile.

You barely even know me.

I could say the same about you.

It was almost a full minute before Will sent his next message.

Then maybe we should get to know each other better.

I rolled my eyes again, You want to make me go somewhere with you, don't you?

Hey, if you don't like me you could just say so.

I was pretty sure he was joking, but these things are kind of hard to tell when all you have to go by are a few emotionless characters on a screen.

I just don't like being around people.

I'm a people.

A people? Nice grammar, Will.

Shut up. I hoped he was blushing. I wished I was there to tease him about it. My point is that not all people are bad.

Who said that I don't classify you among those who I don't like being around?

Do you?

No. . . I admitted reluctantly, you're one of the few people I can tolerate.

If I bought you ice cream would you tolerate me for an hour?

-

It was at least three hours and a lot of aimless walking later and we had somehow ended up on top of the public library.

"Why are we here anyway?" Will wondered, leaning back on his hands and staring out over the houses and other assorted buildings to the mountains in the distance. The sky was completely cloudless and the day would probably have been miserably hot of not for the ever-present breeze that was rustling the leaves and making it feel quite nice outside.

"I have no idea, but it was your idea."

Will tipped his head back so he could see me where I was sitting above him and to his right, my elbows resting casually over my knees. "Oh yeah, it was, wasn't it?"

I snorted, rolling my eyes, but there was a little smile on my face. Will gave me a goofy grin back and laid down completely, "It's kind of nice up here, isn't it?"

I nodded, looking down at him, "Yeah

. . . it is."

Will closed his eyes, a serene smile plastered onto his face, "When do you have to be home?"

I shrugged, "My mom wouldn't care if I missed dinner. . . I don't know, I don't really leave the house so Marie hasn't really specified a curfew. . ."

Will opened one eye, his face splitting into a grin, "Rad."

I raised a skeptical eyebrow at him, "Rad?"

Will shrugged, which was a bit awkward considering his horizontal position on the roof, and then patted the spot next to him, "Lay down with me."

I shook my head, "I like the view."

"I am the view." Will stated smugly, closing his eyes again and looking a bit like a Cheshire cat basking in the sun.

I decided to ignore him, closing my eyes as well and enjoying the wind whispering through my hair and the sunlight warming my cheeks, imagining that Bianca and Maria were smiling down at me. The thought brought a mix of happiness and longing that made my chest ache.

I was thoroughly relaxed, completely lost in my own cogitation, and had completely forgotten I wasn't alone when Will's voice broke into my thoughts. "Are you wearing sunscreen?"

My eyes fluttered open and drifted down lazily to meet his, "No?"

Will's eyes bulged and he shot up, turning to face me and untying his hoodie from around his waist. "YOUR PALE COMPLEXION IS AT RISK!" he hollered dramatically, scurrying behind me to drape it over my shoulders.

I turned to look at him, confusion furrowing my brow, "Will--"

"YOU'RE ITALIAN, NICO!"

"I realize that."

Will was suddenly in front of me again, gripping my shoulders, his striking blue eyes boring into my muddy brown ones like he was trying to make me realize something extremely important, "ITALIANS TAN EASILY, NICO!"

I started laughing, "You are the weirdest--"

I was rudely interrupted by an angry-sounding man yelling at us to get off the roof. Will's head snapped around to look at where the man was standing, shaking his fist angrily at us. His demeanor changed from dramatic concern to extreme urgency in an instant and he grabbed my hands, hauling me to my feet, "RUN!"

He practically dragged me over to the edge of the roof where we had climbed up, "JUMP!" I didn't have much choice in the matter, considering that Will still had my hand in a death grip, which was probably his intent. The drop from this section of the roof wasn't that far, and we both landed on our feet, stumbling forward a couple of steps before we started running again.

The guy was coming around the corner after us, yelling about 'selfish, reckless teenagers' and threatening to call the cops, dropping in few choice words whenever he deemed it necessary. I wasn't really sure if we could actually be punished by the law for sitting on a roof, but I ran faster anyway, still clutching Will's bright red hoodie.

Will pulled me around the corner; he didn't stop running until we were several neighborhoods away, and then he turned to face me, laughing and releasing my hand.

I braced myself against the cinderblock wall, panting heavily, "This is. . . the most. . . exercise. . . I've gotten. . . in years."

That only made Will laugh harder, which brought a smile to my face. He leaned his back against the wall next to me, crossing his arms over his chest, "If you would've known you'd be needing to run away from an angry librarian in your future, would you have ventured from your room to run a couple of laps?"

"Probably not. . ." I admitted.

He chuckled, "Of course not."

I glared at him playfully, "Shut up."

Will reached out and tapped my nose, simultaneously pushing himself off the wall. "Not a chance, Neeks."

I regarded his retreating back with indignation, "Did you just boop my nose?"

"Maybe." Will cast over his shoulder; a coy smile was playing over his face.

I hurried to catch up with his long strides, practically jogging behind him. "Nobody boops my nose."

Will tucked his hands into the pockets of his shorts, a definite swagger in his walk. "And why is that?"

"Because I said so."

"Oh, feisty." I could only see the back of his head, but I knew that he was probably wearing the world's biggest smirk right then.

"Shut up and take your jacket back," I told him, feigning annoyance.

He glanced back at me, "And if I don't?" he asked slowly.

"I'll feed you to Mrs. O'Leary. " It came out as more of a question than a threat. Will's rich laughter filled the street as he turned around to face me, walking backward.

"You're going to run into something," I informed him.

"I trust that you'll warn me before that happens." he replied nonchalantly.

I threw his sweatshirt at him, "Whatever." He caught it easily, "How do you know I'm trustworthy?"

Will grinned, "You'd really let me run into a pole?"

"If it taught you to watch where you're going."

Will rolled his eyes and turned back around, "You're no fun."

I ran a couple of steps to come up next to him, "No, I'm just smart."

Will looked down at me, slipping his jacket on despite the heat, but leaving it unzipped. "Are you calling me dumb?"

I felt my cheeks redden, "Well, no. . ."

"FINALLY!" Will exclaimed, "I thought you'd become a vampire overnight."

I scowled at him, "Shut up."

He bumped his shoulder against mine, "I'm just teasing you, Neeks."

I bumped him back, still blushing and looking the other direction. "I know."

Will continued grinning the entire way back to our street; I felt a little twinge of disappointment in my chest as my house came into view, and found myself wishing we would have walked a little slower. I started veering away from Will's side, casting a reluctant goodbye back at him, but turned back around when I saw the expression on his face. It was a look of confusion that made him resemble a lost puppy.

"Where're you going?" he questioned, his frown deepening.

I paused for a second, "Home?"

A light blush painted his cheeks pink, "Oh. . . right." he said, looking towards the asphalt.

I cracked a small smile, "Want me to stay?"

He glanced up at me, shrugging nonchalantly, which made my smile grow for some reason. "Only if you want to."

I strode over to him, "I guess I don't have anything better to do."

"Pah-lease." he said, grinning, "Being with me is the best way you could possibly spend your time."

"Someone has an ego." I teased as we started walking towards his house, even though it was actually true. All l I would be doing if I went home was laying in my bed like the lazy oaf I am.

"You bet I do." Will winked at me.

"Weirdo."

"Shortie."

"Hey, now. There's no reason to make fun of my height."

Will rested his arm on top of my head, "There's plenty reason."

I ducked away from him, sticking out my tongue as we made our way up the stairs. Will grinned at me, pulling his keys from his pocket, and using them to open the door, "You're soooo mature."

"You bet I am." I pushed past him, doing my best to look stuck-up. The cool air of the house was a pleasant contrast to the heat outside.

Will walked in after me, "Oh, sassy."

I turned and leaned luxuriously against the banister, "I'm the world's greatest Sass Master."

"Sorry," Will said, not sounding sympathetic at all, and closing the door behind him. "That position's already taken."

I put on a confused face, surprising myself by not even letting the slightest trace of a smile sneak onto my face. "Oh, really? By who?"

"I think you might know him. He's about 6'2", ruggedly handsome, blonde hair, gorgeous blue eyes, and a dazzling smile. He's a kick-ass musician and I hear he's not bad at dancing either."

I pretended to think for a couple of seconds, "Nope. Doesn't ring a bell."

"Too bad. He's a pretty great guy."

I allowed a small chuckle. "And humble too."

"So you admit it!" Will exclaimed triumphantly. I was beginning to wonder if his smile even had a certain point it couldn't exceed because each one seemed to be bigger than the last.

I rolled my eyes, "Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Come on, Hot Shot, I want to see your room."

Will got a peculiar look on his face like he was trying really hard not to laugh at something, except I hadn't said anything funny. Unless Will found that much humor in me calling him a hot shot, I wouldn't be surprised. He moved past me and began running up the stairs, taking them two at a time and making it seem effortless. Like he was leisurely strolling through the park. I released a desolate sigh and followed after him, not even making any effort to catch up with him, but still almost running all the same.

Will was leaning against the wall at the top of the stairs like he'd been waiting there all day when I got to the top. "It's about time, slow poke."

I glowered, "It's not my fault you have spidery legs and I don't."

"No," Will relented, abandoning his post against the wall. "But it's still fun to tease you about it."

"Yeah, it's fun on the giving end." I was only half-kidding now.

"Fortunate for me, that seems to be my current position." Not taking any notice of my antagonistic tone, he abruptly veered towards a door and opened it, turning to face me and gesturing grandly inside, "After you."

I swept into the room, "Thank you, kind sir."

Will entered behind me, chuckling. "As you can see, I'm still in the process of unpacking."

I arched my eyebrow, taking in boxes and boxes of miscellaneous items and a few pieces of assorted furniture that were scattered around the room at random; his bed was off to one side, at a 45-degree angle to the wall. The only thing that he seemed to have taken the time to place was a Mumford & Sons poster hanging on one wall. "Have you even started yet?" I asked, trying not to laugh.

Will smiled sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck, "I haven't exactly gotten around to it yet. . ."

"And you called me lazy."

"I may have said that you're short, but never lazy." Will pointed out.

"It was in your tone of voice, I could hear you thinking it."

"You're telepathic?" Will asked, doing a surprisingly good job of seeming awed at my "ability."

I nodded, "It's one of my many talents."

"So you can tell what I'm thinking right now?"

"Oh. . . well, not right this. . ." I trailed off, getting distracted by a box labeled "Photography" in big letters. The handwriting was extremely neat, I noted.

"That might just be for the b--" Will started, but immediately cut himself short and moved to intercept me as soon as he saw where I was headed. "Those are kind of personal," he explained sheepishly. His back was turned towards me and his fingers brushed over the lid like it was a bomb and any more pressure would cause it to combust.

He turned to face me, looking embarrassed, his hands still resting on the box behind him. "Maybe later

. . ."

I could tell that my face had once again decided to impersonate a turnip and I cast my eyes downward. "No, I'm sorry, I should have asked."

Will brushed off my apology immediately, "There's no harm done." His voice was sincere enough, but he seemed reluctant to step away from it, as if he was afraid I would pounce at the chance to get ahold of the pictures.

A very awkward silence would have probably ensued if the door wouldn't have burst open at that moment.

"Bear!" The little girl who had thrown the door open rushed forward, her long, brunette hair flying out behind her, and leaped into Will's arms. I was fairly sure she wouldn't have made it if Will hadn't bent down to catch her.

He straightened, grinning and shifting her so he could hold her on his hip. "Hey, Kit."

But she was having none of it, despite her ecstatic greeting, she now wore a deeply grumpy expression. "Why were you gone all day? You promised me that we could go to the--" she cast a furtive glance my way before whispering loudly, "tree house."

Will's face immediately crumpled into shock and self-deprecation. "Oh," he said, squeezing his eyes shut, "I completely forgot."

"That's okay!" Kit said, smiling brightly once more and tugging on the strings of his hoodie. "We can still go!"

He glanced over at the window, where we could still see the sun hanging in the sky just above the horizon. "Well. . . it's getting dark outside. . ." he didn't need to finish the sentence; Kit was already staring disappointedly down at his chest.

"But that doesn't mean we can't have fun here!"

She squealed as he spun her around before swooping her down to the floor, giggling. Will ruffled her hair fondly, "So, what do you want to do?"

-

I glared up at Will (who was trying to look sympathetic, and failing miserably, as he had to keep turning his face into the mound of blankets atop her bed to suppress fits of laughter) over Kathrin's head while she sorted through her nail polish. My face was thoroughly unrecognizable, as she had coated it with gallons of makeup. I wasn't an expert on the stuff, but I was pretty sure that ninety percent of it wasn't even in the right place, and the feathery green boa wrapped around my neck was really starting to itch.

She returned her green eyes to my face and I immediately rearranged it back into a smile as she held a neon pink shade up to my face.

"Bear!" (Will composed himself long enough to look up at her.) "Does this color match his complession?"

Will's lips twitched as he met my death glare, and then he nodded.

"I hate you." I mouthed to him.

Kit turned back to me, "What do you think?"

"It's really pretty," I responded with a forced smile.

She beamed, "I thought so too!" And then she unscrewed the cap, rambling about how it was her favorite color while I watched in horror as my nails were coated with the ungodly substance. When I looked back up at Will he had his face buried in the pillows again and his shoulders were shaking with uncontrollable mirth.

"Finished!" Kit exclaimed, recapping the bottle.

I looked down at my nails, unlike the makeup, she actually seemed to know how to accurately apply the nail polish and had done a pretty good job. Not that that made things any less embarrassing.

I forced myself to look up at Will again, he was, of course, wearing an expression of barely contained laughter.

"Doesn't he look pretty?" Kit asked him hopefully, scooting out of the way to give Will a better view. For once I was actually glad for the fifty pounds of powder on my face, as it concealed the blush that was heating up my face.

Will nodded, his lips twitching with the effort of not laughing. "He looks beautiful."

I caught myself right before I groaned and buried my face in my hands and instead sat there awkwardly while Kathrin admired her work proudly and Will tried to discreetly reach for his phone. I glared at him and he hesitantly pulled his hand away from the device.

Will's eyes snapped over to Kit's Disney Princess alarm clock as she yawned widely, the time read 9:43.

Will swore quietly and then cast an alarmed glance at Kit, but she didn't seem to have heard him.

"Hey, Kit. I think it's time for you to go to sleep." he told her, climbing out of her bed.

"But I'm not tired." she informed him through another yawn.

"Maybe not," Will said, smiling, "but me and Nico are, and we want to go to bed."

She looked from Will to me doubtfully, "You don't look tired."

I quickly faked a yawn at the same time Will did.

"Okay." she relented after a few seconds, "I'll let you two sleep."

"Thanks, Kit," Will said, rubbing his eyes tiredly like a little kid.

We helped her clean up and left the room while she changed into her pajamas and then Will went in to tuck her in. I stood awkwardly outside the door for a second until Will laughed at me and told me to come in.

"Will you sing me a song?" she asked tiredly.

Will smiled warmly at her, "Of course."

He left to get his guitar-- "She's a folk guitar-- steel strings." Will had said, it had a pretty, midnight blue top and black sides, back, and neck-- and then perched himself on the foot of Kit's bed, the instrument lying across his lap. "What song?" he asked, strumming it once.

"The one Dad wrote for us. . ." she mumbled.

Will smiled, "Good choice."

He hovered his fingers over the strings, glancing over at me nervously, and then he started strumming; after a few seconds, he added his voice to the tune. I gasped quietly and Will blushed a bit, which made me laugh. I had expected him to be good, but his voice was absolutely beautiful; low and rich like melted chocolate flowing slowly out of a container: something I could listen to all day. The lyrics of the song and the notes Will was coaxing out of the guitar wove together to make a heart-melting melody, and he looked utterly lost in his own music, strands of golden hair falling into his eyes, shoulders relaxed, fingers moving easily over the strings.

His voice grew quieter and quieter as Kit's eyelids drooped until he was almost whispering and her breathing was slow and even. His voice tapered off in the middle of a sentence, much to my disappointment, and he stood up, kissing her forehead before he gestured for me to follow him out of the room.

I waited until Will had closed the door softly to speak. "Do you have any makeup remover?" I asked sheepishly.

Will laughed, "Yeah, come on. I think there's some in the bathroom."

-

Will finished wiping the last remnants of the makeup off of my face while I furiously scrubbed at my fingernail with nail polish remover.

"Thanks." Will said randomly, pausing his work with the makeup remover wipe still pressed to my cheek.

I looked up at him in confusion, "For what?"

"For letting my little sister make you look like a deranged, murderous Barbie doll," Will said, turning and throwing me a lopsided smile as he shot the wipe he'd been using into the trash.

I rolled my eyes, "I didn't really have much choice in the matter."

"No, I guess not." Will turned back around to face me, still smiling.

I kicked my legs back and forth, my heels thumping softly against the cabinet under the bathroom sink that I was sitting on. I wasn't exactly sure what to say, and Will seemed to realize this, as he quickly asked if I wanted to watch a movie or if I should head home.

I shrugged and jumped off of the counter, agreeing to stay for a little while longer. Will grinned and led the way downstairs, where I plopped down on the couch while he put in a movie before joining me. Will commented all through the whole thing, but I didn't mind. I liked hearing his crazy predictions and opinions and his (most of the time inappropriate) jokes.

At some point, I must have drifted off, because the next thing I knew I was blinking against the brightness of the light filtering through the window. For some reason my first thought was that my room usually didn't smell like lemons and the outdoors. I sat up straight and realized that I was curled up on Will's couch and my head had been resting on his shoulder.

"Merda!" I cursed loudly, comprehending that I had accidentally slept over at the Solace's and I had no idea what time it was.

I scrambled to my feet, plunging my hands into my pockets in search of my phone. Will opened his eyes blearily, "Nico. . ." his brow furrowed in confusion, "Nico, why are you--"

"WILL!" I yelled, "DO YOU KNOW WHAT TIME IT IS?"

"No, but I don't see--"

My fingers finally brushed against the device and I yanked it out of my back pocket gratefully, flipping it open with such force that I was surprised it didn't snap in half. "FANC--"

Realization dawned on Will's face, and then he immediately looked amused, "Nico--"

"--ULO! I'M SUPPOSED TO BE IN--"

"Nico! Y--"

"--SECOND PERIOD RIGHT NOW, MY MOM IS GOING--" I babbled hysterically, looking around for my shoes and ignoring Will.

"NICO DI ANGELO--!"

"TO KILL ME! I DON'T THINK YOU UNDERSTAND, YOU'RE HOMESCHOOLED BUT--"

"NEEKS! IT IS A SATURDAY!" Will finally yelled.

I stared at him, my hair flying in every direction, mid-act of putting on my shoe. "Oh," I said, lowering my foot. Will started laughing, which of course earned him one of my signature glares.

He fell back against the couch and patted the spot next to him, yawning, "Come on, we can sleep a little while longer."

I stood awkwardly in front of him, I wasn't really tired at all and the idea of purposefully snuggling up next to him made me feel extremely embarrassed and uncomfortable.

Will opened one of his eyes, "What's taking you so long, Neeks?"

"I. . . er. . . I'm not really tired." I said, blushing.

Will sighed, "Yeah, I'd be wide awake too if I woke up and hopped around, screaming like you just did."

"I was not--"

"Teasing, Nico." Will reassured me, pulling himself up from the couch, "I'm teasing."

He grinned at my exasperated expression and started making his way towards the stairs, "You hungry?"

I nodded grudgingly and followed up to the kitchen, where he started pulling out everything we needed to make "an epic breakfast."

"My mom likes French toast, my dad likes blueberry pancakes. . . my sister likes eggs and toast, and I like chocolate chip pancakes. Oh, look! We have bacon. . ." Will rambled, pulling things out of the various locations where his family kept food and loading them into my arms.

It was already getting to the point where I couldn't see above the huge mass of food, so I tottered cautiously over to the counter and set everything down on it.

"NICO! HEADS UP!"

"Wha--" I had barely turned around when I saw something flying towards my face. I reached out to catch it and it broke all over my hands-- egg squelched through my fingers.

Will feigned annoyance, but I could tell this had been his intention; he was trying not to laugh. "Get it together, Nico," he teased.

"This was a perfectly good egg," I said, somewhere in between exasperation and amusement.

"I know," Will said, laughing as I made my way over to the sink. "But it was totally worth it to see the look on your face."

"Dork," I said, smiling as I washed my hands.

I turned around and leaned against the counter, watching Will pull various measuring cups and bowls from a drawer. "Are we making these from scratch?"

"Well, of course," he replied, not looking up from his task, "That's the best way to do anything. I find that if I work for something I appreciate it a lot more. And plus, these taste way better than any stupid mix anyway."

I laughed and crossed the kitchen to stand next to him, "Where's the recipe?"

Will tapped his temple importantly, "It's all up here. Measure out 1 1/4 cups flour." he said, grabbing a small measuring cup and pulling the salt towards him, "While I get the salt."

I looked over at Will, who was carefully pouring salt into the 1/2 teaspoon and not paying any attention to me, and back down at the flour, a smile creeping onto my face. Before I could change my mind, I delved my hand into the bag and pulled out a handful. Will looked up at me to say something at the same moment that I flung it at him and he got the majority of it directly in the face.

I immediately started laughing and then stopped abruptly when Will grinned wickedly and seized the bottle of syrup that was sitting on the counter. My eyes widened to the size of saucers, "No, wait! I'm sorry, I--" I was cut off by a stream of syrup hitting me in the face.

I stood there for a couple of seconds with the thick, sticky liquid leaking off of me, and then I lunged across the counter for the sugar while Will bolted to the pantry.

I assailed his back with fistfuls of sugar, yelling taunts while he yanked the pantry door open and pulled out a can of Easy Cheese. I attempted to duck, but I wasn't fast enough, as a large quantity of it splattered all over my hair, and the rest flew over my head, splattering the floor and a few of the nearby cabinets and drawers.

Will shook up the can enthusiastically as I ran past him, heading for the refrigerator. I felt more of the orange-yellow paste spray over my back, but I was having too much fun to really care. I jerked open the refrigerator and scanned its contents quickly, my eyes landed on a bottle of ketchup, which I immediately snagged and uncapped.

As soon as I turned around, I was hit in the face with a jet of Easy Cheese; I sprayed the ketchup blindly, hoping to hit Will. When I opened my eyes I found that only a small amount had hit him in the chest and the rest was spattered over various areas of the kitchen. We both froze, aiming our 'weapons' at each other threateningly, me with a lethal glower, and Will with a devilish smirk.

"What are you doing?"

We shared a shell-shocked expression and then turned slowly to face Mr. Solace, who was staring around his kitchen in horror.

Will shrunk under his father's gaze, "We'll clean it up." he promised in a small voice.

"You bet you will. After you finish making breakfast," he pointed over to where we had left everything on the counter. Will raised his eyebrows at him and he shrugged, "I'm hungry." And turned to walk back upstairs.

His son laughed, shaking his head, strands of radiant hair fell in front of his eyes. "Come on, let's clean this up first."

-

"So, what do you want to do tomorrow?" Will asked as I tugged on my shoes at his front door, we'd our best to get the food out of our clothes. My mom had called and said that she wanted me home, she never said why.

I looked up at him in surprise, "Tomorrow?"

Will cracked a smile. There was something in his expression I couldn't quite read. "Well, yeah. Unless you have something you need to be at."

I blushed, "Well, I have, er, I have church an--"

"Oh!" Will said, smiling understandingly, "Yeah, yeah, that's fine."

My eyebrows shot up, I frequently got made fun of at school for being Catholic. "Really?"

Will looked slightly confused, "Well, yeah."

"Oh. . . Well, yeah. Thanks." I stood up, feeling extremely awkward.

Will gave me one of his easy smiles and my shoulders relaxed immediately, "I'll see you on Monday, Neeks."

He opened the door and I waved to him stepping out, "See you." I heard the door close behind me as I made my way down the steps.

I pushed my door open, mentally condemning myself to spending the rest of the day doing average, normal things like I always did. No climbing on libraries or being humiliated by five-year-olds. "Mom, I'm ho--!" My throat tightened around the word, choking it and holding it down as I stared in stunned silence at the couch.

Sorry people I'm a really slower writer but I will always update unless I say I'm not going to :) (and I'ma definitely finish this fic because I've written a lot of future scenes :3 ) so even if there's like a month or seven years in between updates, fear not, children