((same characters in the first one, just during a different time))

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     “God, you are such an asshole!”

     At Lynn’s shrill scream, everyone perked up and turned to look at the entrance of the living room, where Lynn stood chest to chest with Dale. Everyone, even Cody, knew that this was not the same type of playful banter that the two get into all the time. Something was wrong.

     Lynn’s brown hair was a mess, as if she kept running her fingers through it, and her hands were stuffed into her pockets, something she refrained from doing unless she was really nervous. But her eyes were glassy and rimmed red… As if she had been crying.

     Dale, however, stood tall, puffing out his chest as if he were preparing for a fight. His hands were balled into tight fists by his sides, the knuckles turning a pale shade of white. His cheeks were flushed and his lips were swollen, but his eyes held confusion. As if he didn’t understand why he was getting yelled at.

     “Yeah,” He muttered gruffly, lifting his broad shoulders in a lazy shrug. “I know. I thought we already established that.”

     Lynn took in a deep breath, held it, and let it out slowly. Carefully. “I don’t understand you.” She whispered, her voice cracking.

     Dale winced. Actually winced, and he reached forward as if to touch her but pulled back when she took a step away. “I don’t understand the point of this argument. What the fuck did I do to piss you off this time, Your Highness?” His voice was thick was sarcasm, heavy with anger. He probably didn’t like being rejected. “News flash, just because I kissed you doesn’t mean we’re dating. Get your head outta the clouds. You were just an easy distraction.”

     Lynn took another step back, ignoring all the other gasps that came from inside this room. Her expression fell and by the way Dale’s face paled, we all knew that he realized he had really messed up this time.

     “You know what, Dale?” Lynn whispered, looking away from him and directing her eyes to the ground. “I actually had faith in you. When everyone else doubted you. When everyone else wanted to give up on you. When everyone else talked shit about you. I stayed by your side because I thought…” She snorted, shaking her head slowly. “I don’t know what the hell I thought. Maybe…” She paused again and shook her head. “Forget it.”

     She looked up and him, just for a moment. “You were right. You’re just like your father.”

     The room was shock still as she began to walk away, and we watched as Dale’s face turned from pale in shame to red in anger. In three short strides, he was behind her, wrapping his hands around the top of her arms and holding her in place.

     “You don’t get to walk away now. Not after all that bullshit that just left your mouth.” He spun her around to face him, not faltering when he noticed the tears in her eyes. “Talk. Keep going. I’m just like my father, huh? What else?”

     Lynn looked up at him, as if trying to see where he was going with this. Dale had never been one to talk about his family, even if we were encouraged to talk about everything in our lives. His father was a topic that was never brought up. Why would he want her to keep going?

     But one look at Dale and we could tell. His eyes were pleading. Desperate. He knew he messed up, but he didn’t know how to apologize for it. He wanted her to keep talking because he didn’t want to lose her.

     She shook her head slowly, her lower lip trembling as she looked away. “Leave me alone, Dale.” She whispered and slipped through his grasp to rush to her room.

     Dale was still for a long moment, looking at the place she just stood before he turned and marched to his own room. A minute later, we heard his door slam closed.

* * * * * * *

     “Do you ever plan on talking to him again?” Cody asked softly, his hands tucked into his pockets as he walked next to Lynn. It had been two weeks since their argument, and the two have never spoken to each other since. Hell, they didn’t even look at each other. Dale avoided anything that had to do with the group, and even skipped meal times and group therapy. He sat in his room, blasting music and ignoring Dr. Rae, the nurses and anyone else who tried to talk to him.

     Lynn hadn’t been much better. She spent the first few days locked in her room, by herself. But even after she came out, everyone could tell that she wasn’t okay. It seemed like the second Dale was out of her life, her disorder got ten times worse. Dr. Rae didn’t want to make any assumptions, especially because he thought it was terrible for someone to lose sight of themselves simply because of a lost friendship, but everyone knew that this was more than just a measly friendship.

     Dale and Lynn were meant for each other. Yeah, they argued and they bantered, and more times than not they were annoying the hell out of each other, but… There was more to them than that. Like how Lynn taught Dale to think more about other people and their feelings. Like how Dale taught Lynn to take pride in herself and that not everyone’s opinions matter.

     Like when Dale’s father came for a surprise visit and Dale completely freaked out, leaving Lynn to be the only one able to calm him down.

     Like when Lynn nearly had a panic attack because she needed to present a project, and Dale was there to present with her.

     When the two of them need each other, they were always there.

     But now that they weren’t talking everything just seemed… Off. Sort of like when parents need to leave for the weekend, and the family just isn’t sure how to function without them. Everything just seemed a little darker. A little colder. Something not quite like home.

     And it was simply because Dale and Lynn were no longer there to brighten everyone’s days.

     “I don’t want to talk about this right now, Cody,” Lynn breathed softly, her eyes trained on her feet as she walked. At the moment, everyone in the group, minus Dale, were out with three nurses, wandering the mall. Apparently, Dr. Rae believed everyone needed some cheering up, so they were allowed to leave and buy whatever they pleased- courtesy of Cody’s parents.

     Cody nodded once, blowing out a soft sigh. “Understandable, I just… Hate seeing everyone so miserable.” He mumbled, tilting his head down and to the side to get a peek at her face. She wouldn’t look at him and after a long moment of no answer, another sigh pushed past his lips. “Is there any place you want to go in particular?” He asked curiously, hoping to get her to cheer up a little.

     She was quiet for a small moment and slowly picked her head up to give him a curious look. She seemed like she did have a place in mind, but didn’t know if she should ask.

     Cody raised an eyebrow. “Where?” He asked with a slight smile. She was too cute sometimes.

     “A music store,” She mumbled, a slight blush tinting her cheeks. “And a bookstore.”

     Cody grinning, being careful not to chuckle because he knew she would take offense to that. “Sounds like a plan.” He said with a nod.

* * * * * * *

     Nearly three hours later, everyone was wandering into the large food center of the mall. Cody carried nearly three full bags of clothes, posters and shoes. Alex carried five bags, two for himself and three for Avery. They had both stocked up on clothes, art supplies and video games. Micah carried only one large bag, which held movies, coloring books, a few stuffed animals and plenty of toy cars. Blaer carried two bags filled to the brim with books and pillows. But Lynn had four bags all to herself, mostly filled with music and a few extra books. No one knew why she needed so much, but Cody had a feeling that some of it was for Dale, even if she refused to admit it.

     Especially because she made sure to grab an extra Guitar Hero game, which everyone knew she only played with him.

     “You are my new best friend.” Alexander stated, leaning over to ruffle Cody’s hair. “We need to do this every weekend.”

     Cody snorted and rolled his eyes, shoving a forkful of Chinese food in his mouth. “Sure.” He said with a shrug. “I don’t mind. My parents’ll probably be happy about it too.”

     Lynn sat off to the side from everyone else, across from Micah who was eagerly eating his chicken nuggets with a happy smile. She couldn’t help smiling too, even though she wasn’t able to eat. This was the happiest she had seen the little boy in a long while.

     “Y’know,” Micah said quietly, licking some ketchup off his thumb. “He feels terrible.”

     Lynn cocked her head to the side curiously, even though a part of her already knew who he was talking about.

     “Dale. He didn’t mean what he said... I didn’t know he knew how to cry,” He muttered, speaking as if he were just thinking out loud.

     A part of her broke at hearing the last part. “He cried?” She whispered, her voice shaking. She didn’t apologize because she didn’t want to make anything worse. She saw the pleading way he had looked at her, begging with his eyes for her to not give up on him. That was what he was scared of. Dale had always been terrified that because he was such a jerk, he would lose the only good things in his life.

     He feared ending up like the asshole he was stuck with for a father.

     But Lynn knew he wouldn’t. Dale did have good parts in him, even if they were buried deep down.

     And Lynn threw the one fear that he had right in his face.

     It hurt him. She knew it did. Which is why she didn’t trust herself to continue speaking when he asked her to because she didn’t want to hurt him anymore. So she walked away.

     “Mhm,” Micah nodded a little, throwing her back into reality. “Late at night when he has to turn his music off to let other people sleep. He’s not loud or anything, but his room is right next to mine. And I hear the nurses talking about him. He cries a lot.”

     Lynn sighed, pushing away the pizza she was supposed to be eating and leaned her head against the table. She wanted to cry. She wanted to go home. This was such shit.

     “Excuse me, everyone!”

     The food court’s noises was slowly brought down to nearly silent as Lynn’s head jerked up in surprise, nearly positive that she was imagining things.

     Dale stood on top of an empty table in the middle, nervously running his fingers through his hair. He looked tired with heavy bags under his clear blue eyes. His jeans and sweatshirt were wrinkled, as if he left in a hurry and there was a guitar in his free hand.

     He cleared his throat, and Lynn nearly blushed when his gaze swept towards her. Alexander was literally squealing, bouncing up and down on his seat in excitement. Everyone else, even the nurses, kept shooting confused, yet pleased looks between both Lynn and the boy standing on the table.

     “So, I know you guys don’t know me,” Dale spoke, finally tearing his gaze away from Lynn to look around the mall. “But, I messed up.” His shoulders fell and he looked down, seeming more vulnerable than anyone (except Lynn) had ever seen him. “I made a mistake and hurt the last person that I ever wanted to upset. And I’ve been miserable ever since.”  He ran his hand through his hair again, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. “She’s been miserable too, and it makes me feel even more terrible. But I don’t know how to say sorry without making everything worse.” He brought his eyes to Lynn and pulled his lips into a sad smile. “So I am going to apologize in the only way I know how,” His lips pressed together as he smiled, looking more like a grimace than anything else. He lifted his guitar to strap it over his chest. “Through music.”

     Curiously, Cody and Blaer looked toward Lynn when they heard her sharp intake of breath, but their eyes were alight with happiness. Music had always been an escape for Dale. He sang when he was upset and couldn’t sleep. He literally listened to music all the time and his favorite game of all time revolved around music. But he was too nervous to show anyone how deep his passion ran for the simple sounds.

     Which meant that Dale’s determination to play something for Lynn in front of all these people proved just how sorry he was.

     He hadn’t even started yet and all Lynn wanted to run up to him and claim that everything was okay.

     “Will you listen to my story?”

     The second he started to sing, the hairs rose on Lynn’s arms and she was captivated in the trance that was pure Dale. His eyes were closed, his face a mask of the emotions he was feeling through the words. She could listen to his raspy, deep voice for hours.

     Everyone in their group sat shock still in their seats, staring between Lynn and Dale with wide eyes and loose jaws. Because damn… Dale could sing.

     “It just be a minute… How can I explain?” Dale paused, licking his lips and his eyes fluttered open for a brief moment to instantly connect with Lynn’s. And her eyes misted over with tears when she noticed the raw nervousness and pain in his gaze.

“Whatever happened here, I never meant to hurt you… How can I cause you so much pain?” His voice thickened and Lynn could have sworn his eyes glistened with the threat of tears before they closed again.

     Oh, Dale, she thought desperately, please, please, stop. Don’t look so sad. I’m so sorry.

     “When I say I'm sorry, will you believe me? Listen to my story, say you won't leave me. When I say I'm sorry, can you forgive me? When I say I will always be there, will you believe, will you believe in me?

     "All the words that I come up with… They're like gasoline on flames. There's no excuse, no explanation. Believe me if I could undo what I did wrong, I'd give away all that I own. When I say I'm sorry, will you believe me? Listen to my story, say you won't leave me. When I say I'm sorry, can you forgive me? When I say I will always be there, will you believe, will you believe in me?

     “If I told you I've been cleanin' my soul and if I promise you I'll regain control… Will you open your door? And let me in, take me for who I am, and not for who I've been.

     “When I say I'm sorry, will you believe me? Listen to my story, say you won't leave me. When I say I'm sorry, can you forgive me? When I say I will always be there, will you believe, will you believe in me?”

     “Will you believe?”

     When he paused, and allowed the finally strum to fade away into the shocked silence, Lynn watched as he bowed his head, hiding his expression from everyone.

     “I’m an asshole,” He whispered, but his voice was so deep that it easily carried to her. “And I know that I say that a lot, but it’s the truth. I never meant to hurt you, angel,” When the endearment left his lips, everyone in the group turned to stare at Lynn with wide eyes, and that was when her control snapped. Her resolve melted and her launched herself to her feet, across the court and into his arms.

     She was sobbing and laughing at the same time, making it impossible to breath, but that didn’t stop her from wrapping her arm around his waist and holding onto him tightly. And after a moment, she felt his cheek press against her head as he hugged her back.

     “I was scared.” He breathed, his breath tickling her hair as he tried to explain and make up for what she had already forgiven him for. “You’re not an easy distraction, okay? You’re everything to me Lynn, and that terrifies me.” His voice thickened and grew choked, so she understood when he paused for a moment. “It terrifies me to know what I would do for you. It terrifies me to know that you could do so much better than me. It terrifies me to know that you could turn your back on me at any minute and kill me in doing so.”

     She felt the wet drop that met her head as he cried, but she didn’t pull away.

     “Because Lynn, I love you so fucking much, but you deserve someone so much better than me, which means that I won’t be surprised when you walk away. It’ll hurt like hell and it’ll tear me apart, but it won’t surprise me.” He sniffled softly, his arms tightening around her briefly.

     “And I got scared because I didn’t want to think about how soon that day could be. So I hurt you before you could hurt me.”

     They were silent for a long moment, wrapped in each other’s arms and trying to process his shocking emission.

     “Dale,” Lynn breathed softly, her voice slightly muffled by his chest. “You are such an idiot.”

     His chest rumbled as he chuckled and Lynn looked up into his glossy, tired eyes as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. She could easily see the regret on his face. She could read the vulnerability in his eyes that he didn’t bother to try and hide from her. He was open. Raw. He was laying his heart on the floor for her, just so she knew how truthful he was being.

     And that was what caused her to kiss him.

     It was a timid gesture, something slow and sweet - the hesitant familiarity of trying to mend their wounded hearts. At first it was hardly a kiss, just a soft brush of their lips together, but quickly it turned into something more. Something meaningful. They were forgiving each other through touch.

     Her hands curled into the hair on the nape of his neck and she gently threaded her fingers through the thick strands, lightly pushing herself up onto the tips of her toes to be closer to him. His fingers dug into his waist slightly, holding her to him in a way that proved how messed up the thought of her walking away left him.

     When they finally pulled away for air, she kept her face close to his, gently brushing her lips over his jaw. “I am not going anywhere,” She promised, her voice nothing more than a soft whisper. “You’re all that I want, Dale. Even when you’re an ass. Even when you’re upset. Through it all, I want to be beside you.”

     She opened her eyes to meet his and her lips pulled into a warm smile. “For as long as you want me, I’ll be there for you.”

     He took a shuddering breath, as if her words physically affected him and he gently pressed his lips to her forehead. “I am so sorry.”

     “Me too,” She muttered, hiding her face in his shoulder once again. “For walking away and saying you were just like your dad.”

     He grunted, gently kissing the top of her hand, never releasing his hold on her. “I understand why you did it.” He chuckled slightly, but sighed at the end. “Doesn’t mean it didn’t hurt any less, though”

     “I just… I couldn’t,” Tears caused her voice to crack and Dale’s arms tightened around her for a moment.

     “Hey,” He breathed. “I get it. I do. I was an ass, and yeah, you pointed it out in a bitchy way, but I get it. What I said really hurt you, and you wanted to hurt me like I hurt you.” He kissed her head again. “We both said things we regretted and then you walked away so you wouldn’t say anything else you’d feel bad for. I understand.”

     She smiled up at him, pressing a brief kiss to his cheek. "So we're okay now?" She whispered nervously.

     His smile was bright and radiant as he leaned down to kiss her forehead affectionately. "We are better than okay."