It was growing dark by the time Serena decided to head back home, though that wasn't why. It was also getting cold, something she hadn't considered when she'd taken her wild flight from the house.

            He probably thinks I'm an idiot.

            Why that mattered, Serena wasn't sure, but she didn't like the idea. She was a lot of things, but stupid wasn't one of them.

            She'd spent the afternoon in a old playground a few blocks from her house. She didn't need her headphones here, the creaking of rusty swing chains was the only sound that kept her company.

            It wasn't her first time finding refuge in this particular place. No one ever came here, as far as Serena knew anyway. Kids certainly weren't lining up around the block to play. The equipment was old, made of metal and wood, too dangerous for kids these days, or so they claimed. The asphalt was cracked and uneven, and the paint for four square and hopscotch had faded from bright blue and pink to washed out, muted hues.

            Why'd you have to go and cry?

             Serena knew it hadn't been because of Sebastian, not directly. If she was honest with herself, a very small part of her had actually been pleased to see him. Take that, Lila Malone. She thought ruefully. She would have smiled had she not felt so awful.

            It was his persistence that was off putting, and Serena didn't know how to handle it. She'd spent her entire life pushing people away, for their sake as much as her own, and it always worked.

            Until now.

            That was what scared her.

            What if he kept pushing and pushing and somehow discovered the truth? At best he'd think she was mental and he'd leave her alone after that. A thought that did not make her feel any better. He might start spreading rumors which would make life complicated to say the least. She'd have to convince her mom to let her home school because she was pretty confident she'd never be able to show her face at school again.

            At worst, he'd believe her and he'd use the knowledge against her.

            "Why can't you just leave well enough alone?" she muttered as she kicked a loose stone with her toe. It skittered across the sidewalk and disappeared into a crack. By the time she reached her house it was dark and the street lamps were flaring to life overhead.

            As she turned up the walkway she could make out a lone figure sitting on the front steps of the porch.

            Finally

            The thought brushed her mind unexpectedly and she flinched.

            She hadn't put her earbuds in after leaving the park.

            "What are you doing out here, Casey?"

            "Waiting for you," she replied with a sigh.

            The soles of Serena's sneakers scraped against the pavement as she shuffled closer. She really wasn't in the mood to have a heart to heart with her kid sister.

            "Mom mad?" Serena asked as she sat down next to Casey.

            "Nah," Casey replied with a shrug. "She just worries about you."

            No friends.

            Serena looked down at the scuffed toes of her converse and began to tap them together. There's no place like home she thought.

            Despite the lingering silence, Serena could barely make out the younger girl's thoughts which simmered beneath a veil of uncertainty. Should I give it to her? What if she doesn't like it? It's probably stupid. I shouldn't have bothered. Maybe I can return it...

            "What did you get, Casey?" Serena asked at last, trying not to sound impatient. The rising barrage of thoughts was beginning to grow irritating.

            Casey looked towards her in surprise. "How did you...? Hm, nevermind, here," she said at last. She held out a small package. It was Serena's turned to look surprised. Judging by the purple wrapping paper, Serena assumed it was a gift.

            "What's this for?" she asked as she took the package.

            "Are you sure you weren't dropped on your head when you were a baby?" Casey asked. She rolled her eyes and rose to her feet. It was a fair question, one Serena often wondered about. Had some freak accident been the cause of her curse? "Happy birthday, weirdo."

            "Thanks, freak," she replied, offering Casey a faint smile.

            Serena sat there looking down at the package for several minutes after Casey had gone back inside. Finally her curiosity got the better of her and she tore into the paper. There was a small wooden box and a note.

            To the best big sister, Happy Sweet 16, love Casey.

            Serena opened the box, not expecting to find much inside, Casey was only twelve after all. What she did find nearly brought tears to her eyes again. It was a simple silver chain upon which hung single silver music note. In the center of the note, a tiny diamond chip glinted in the weak moonlight.

            How had Casey afforded such a gift?

            Serena closed the box and stood up. It was too much, she was going to make Casey return it. Almost as soon as the thought entered her mind, Serena sank back down again. Casey had been so worried she wouldn't like it. Serena knew that any attempt to explain would be taken wrong and in the end Casey would be hurt by her refusal to accept the gift.

            Such a brat... she thought with a sigh.

            Opening the box again, Serena traced the charm with her fingertips and smiled.

            School the next day started out uneventful. She expected Sebastian to be waiting around every corner, ready to pounce, but he never was. Each time he failed to be lurking, Serena found herself greeted with a mixture of relief and disappointment. Though if one were to ask, she would never admit to the latter.

            Maybe he had finally taken the hint.

            As she walked into her English class that afternoon she found her gaze sliding involuntarily in the direction of Sebastian's desk.

            It was empty.

            Odd.

            He hadn't missed a day of school since he'd started. Was he sick? Had something happened after he'd left her house the night before? Had he-

            Why do you care?

            The thought caught her so off guard she didn't realize at first that it was coming from her own head. It was a valid question though. Why did she care? So what if he wasn't here. That was a good thing. Maybe now she'd be able to focus on the lesson.

            Then again, maybe not.

            Turning towards her own seat, Serena stopped.

            What the hell was he doing there?

            Sitting on the corner of her desk, his arms crossed and his attention focused on something outside, was Sebastian. Serena turned abruptly, her heart starting to flop about inside her chest. Her hope was to slip out before he realized she was there.

            She wasn't that lucky.

             Instead of a escaping she ran headlong into one of her other classmates causing them to drop all of their books. It was moments like these that she wished she could see the future rather than read minds.

            "Just learn to walk? Geesh," her unintentional victim grumbled as she began to pick up her books off the floor.

           You see that? Glad I'm not her. What a freak. Is it time to go home yet? What the hell is her problem? Drama queen. It took Serena a moment to realize that her classmates weren't speaking aloud. One of the earbuds had been jostled loose during the collision and their thoughts were beginning to creep in.

            "Sorry," she murmured as she stepped around the girl and hurried towards the door. She didn't dare look over her shoulder. She didn't want to risk meeting his eyes. Which of the thoughts had belonged to him? Her mind swam with the possibilities.

            "Serena?" her teacher questioned as they passed each in the doorway to the classroom.

            "Bathroom," was all Serena offered as explanation for her hasty exit. She felt like she'd been thrown under water before taking a breath.

            Serena needed to get away.

            Once in the hall, she could breathe again.

            True to her word she made her way to the bathroom. Ducking around two girls as they exited, Serena made a beeline for the nearest empty stall and slipped inside. Grinding her palms against her eyes, she waited for the thoughts to recede. It took a few minutes, but soon she had only her own thoughts to contend with.

             There was no music loud enough to drown that mess out.

             Serena sighed and closed her eyes.

            You can't sit in here forever.

            Well, she could try.

            She certainly didn't want to go back to class. The longer she sat there, the higher the possibility was that Mrs. Meadows might send someone looking for her. How embarrassing would that be?

            That's when Serena made the decision that would change her life forever.

            She was going to skip.

            It was easier than she expected. Though if she was honest she hadn't known what to expect. Sirens? Alarms? Teachers running out from every direction to stop her from leaving? She'd been smart enough not to walk out the front doors. That required going past the front office. Instead she had taken a side door leading out onto the field. It was a cold, rainy day so gym classes were being held indoors and Serena was able to make a clean escape.

            Or so she thought.

            As she rounded the corner into the back parking lot she saw Sebastian sitting on the hood of a beat up Chevy. He saw her and hopped up. Serena sighed and stopped walking. How did this guy keep showing up everywhere? Had he been a ninja in another life?

            "What do you want, Sebastian?" she asked as he approached. She heard him clear his throat over the soft hum of music buzzing in her ears.

            "I thought you might need a ride," he said, motioning towards the car.

            Why in the world would he think that? She looked past him to the car in question. "Does that thing even run?"

            "Oh, well, yeah, most of the time," he said rubbing the back of his head. "So? Can I take you somewhere? It looks like it's going to rain again."

            "I'm not supposed to take rides from strangers," Serena replied, stepping past him.

            "Alright, fair enough," Sebastian said, turning and falling into step beside her. "Can I walk with you then?"

           "If I said no would you leave?"

           "Probably not," he grinned.

           "Then why bother asking?"

           "You aren't much of a people person are you," Sebastian noted.

           "You're just realizing this now? How very observant."

           "I have my moments," Sebastian joked. "I'm curious about something."

           "What's that?"

           "Why do you push everyone away?"

           Serena stopped walking and looked at him. He stared down at her, his expression serious. Why was he asking her that? "I don't," she said sharply. "Isn't that a rude thing to ask someone?" She started walking again, her pace brisk. He hurried to catch up, unfazed by her sharp response.

            She wasn't surprised.

            "Okay then, why do you keep pushing me away?"

            "You said it yourself, I am not a people person. Can I ask you a question?"
"Shoot."

            "Why do you keep bothering me?"

            "Because despite the fact that you are kind of mean and tend to overreact a bit, I think you're interesting," he countered easily.

            "You don't know me," she shot back. Despite her annoyance she could feel heat beginning to creep into her cheeks. No one had ever called her interesting before.

            "I'd like to," he admonished. "If you'd give me the chance."

            "I can't," Serena said.

            "Why not?"

            "Because you won't like what you find," she said, the words popping out quite unexpectedly. Since she'd already said it, she decided to drive it home. "I'm not like those other girls. I'm not like Lila Malone, or Nancy Lawson. I don't care about boys, or fashion, or dating."

            "I know you aren't," he insisted. "In fact that is why I've been trying to talk to you."

            Serena frowned. Why did he have to make it so difficult? It would have been so much easier if he was a jerk, or if he got mad at her, or if he'd just give up.

            Then she might not have felt so bad telling him off. What was worse? Now that the ice had been broken, Serena found herself less inclined to try and run him off again. She found she liked the attention.

           It was a dangerous feeling and she struggled with it.

           "Alright then," she said, looking sideways at him. "What do you want to talk about?"

           He was quiet for a moment and just when Serena was about to question him again, he spoke. "Why don't you have any friends?"

           "You don't ease into things do you?" She asked, wishing that he had just stayed quiet.

           "Nope," Sebastian replied. "Well?"

           "I have friends," Serena protested, averting her eyes so he wouldn't see the lie.

           "Where do you hide them?" he asked. "Are they locked up in your basement?

           All of a sudden he stopped walking and Serena took a few steps before turning to look back at him. What was his problem now?
"What are you even talking about?" She asked, doing little to mask her annoyance.

           "Am I your next victim?"

          "Don't be stupid," she said, rolling her eyes. Serena started down the sidewalk again and Sebastian hurried to catch up.

          "Where are we going?" He asked, burying his hands in his pockets.

          "I'm going home," she said flatly. "You can go wherever you want."

          "Alright, I'll go with you then," Sebastian declared.

          "What? No! I didn't-"

          "You said wherever I want," he interrupted.

          "You are so frustrating, do you realize that?" Serena scowled.

         "Yep," Sebastian said, grinning widely.