"We've all got both light and darkness inside us. What matters is the part we choose to act on. That's who we really are."

~Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

~~~~~~~~~~~

"Oh, yes, you know you're trouble, don't you?" Kelsey cooed, rubbing Roadkill's face as he wagged his tail.

When Ethan called him over to play tug-of-war with a slobbery rope, Kelsey leaned back on her hands and looked around. Ethan had said he lived in an apartment, but Kelsey was seeing something a little more than a typical condo.

It resembled a house, but wasn't nearly as fancy as Kelsey had expected—not like Becca Lynn's residence, anyway. It was spacious, of course, but cozy.

It was pretty much a mess, with dog toys strewn across the carpet in the living room, a fair amount of dishes in the sink, and a suitcase left on the dining room table.

She yawned sleepily and glanced at the time. It was almost eleven o'clock.

Roadkill plodded over to her and she smiled. "Hey buddy."

"He tore up my couch too, if that's any consolation to your roommate," Ethan sighed.

"He didn't mean it, did he?" Kelsey said, talking to Roadkill. "He just likes all the fluffy stuff inside."

"I also took him to the set one day and he ran off. Found him in the snack lounge, eating all the treats the actors were giving him."

Kelsey giggled and stifled another yawn.

"Hey, none of that," Ethan reprimanded. "We're gonna pull an all-nighter if your roommate doesn't text you—like a high school lock-in."

Kelsey rolled her eyes and groaned as he pulled her to her feet.

"So he's going on this shooting spree just because someone killed his dog?" Kelsey asked, propping her chin up on one finger as they watched a movie of Ethan's choice.

"He meant a lot to him," Ethan explained.

"And that means he has to massacre everyone in a pointless bloodbath? I mean, I love dogs, but..."

Ethan gasped and covered Roadkill's ears, who was contentedly sitting between them. "Don't listen to her, I'd seek revenge if anyone tried to hurt you, pal. Don't worry."

Kelsey leaned back on the couch, mindlessly watching the plethora of guns, punches, and knife-wielding. If she closed her eyes, she could remember nights just like this with her family. The boys always won when they fought with the girls over watching a chick-flick or action movie—mainly because Kelsey and her mom secretly enjoyed them.

She fought to stay awake and would pretend to be interested when Ethan glanced at her.

But once she rested her head against the arm of the couch, she fell sound asleep.

                                                                                  ~~~~~~~~

Kelsey woke up, panicked for a second, not knowing where she was. Light spilled in from the window and she sat up blearily.

Ethan had put a blanket over her and placed a throw pillow under her head sometime during the night. She smiled absently.

As soon as Kelsey got her bearings, panic fled through her. She'd stayed the night at Ethan's...what would Sandy think?

But it wasn't like that.

It was an accident—and she didn't have a choice.

A momentary flash of anger coursed through Kelsey. Where had Sandy been, anyway?

She sat up and checked her phone.

There was still no text or call.

"Are you kidding me?" Kelsey huffed.

It was almost ten o'clock, which was the latest Kelsey had slept in years, she realized.

And where was Ethan? Was he already up?

She got to her feet and stretched before looking around.

He wasn't anywhere in sight, so she stood up and wandered to the kitchen.

She heard scratching coming from the hallway and walked over to a door that was partially ajar.

She opened it and Roadkill darted out, happy to be set free.

She found herself opening the door a tiny bit more. Ethan was sound asleep, his sheets twisted up, and one leg dangling off the bed.

It was strange to see him so unguarded, his face so expressionless and peaceful.

Then she realized what she was doing—what a creep—and promptly closed the door.

Kelsey made her way back to the kitchen and decided to put on some coffee. Roadkill kept looking at her expectantly, so she gave him a scoop of food from the large Tupperware on top of the counter.

Just as she was pouring herself a cup, Ethan walked out, yawning and squinting.

Kelsey suppressed a smile at his careless appearance. His hair was matted on one side and he wore a wrinkled white t-shirt and long mesh shorts.

"Good morning," she said quickly, feeling a rush of awkwardness as she pulled down another cup. She was in his house, making coffee as if she'd been there forever. Maybe she should've left already.

"Hey," he muttered through a yawn, not seeming to mind. "Did you ever hear from your roommate last night?" He asked, his voice an octave deeper than usual and scratchy to the point of cracking.

"Uh, no," Kelsey replied, pouring the coffee and handing Ethan one of the mugs. "I guess she had a pretty late night, or got drunk enough to forget to text."

"Mmm," Ethan grunted, guzzling the coffee as if it were water and not scalding liquid.

"Um, sorry about, er, crashing here. I really had no intention of doing that."

Ethan shook his head. "No problem. Just call it Hotel de la Glenn."

Kelsey grinned. "Not exactly a five-star bed and breakfast, if I were to be honest."

He smiled sleepily before taking another long sip of coffee.

Kelsey realized she was staring. It was just so strange to see him so out of it. She realized he was probably the farthest thing from a morning person she'd ever seen.

"Well, I'd better get going," she said, dumping out the remains of her coffee.

"Sorry about last night," he said, sounding more awake now.

Kelsey looked at him curiously. "What? Why?"

"At the beach. It was kind of a downer,"

"No," Kelsey said softly. "It was the truth. And I really appreciated it. Becca had me a little worried, and I was pretending that it didn't bother me, but it did."

"And that's another thing," Ethan said. "Becca is like family, whether I like it or not. But she's a very jealous person, and I've seen her destroy people's relationships before just because she didn't like them. So just be careful, okay? I don't want her to hurt you or make you believe something that's not true."

Kelsey nodded, remembering the way Becca had twisted her words to make Kelsey believe that Ethan was some monster without saying it directly.

She was going to leave it at that, but had to ask one more question to set her mind at ease. "Why doesn't she like me?"

"Because you'd take me away from her. In a sense. Kind of like when a sibling gets married; the other siblings feel a loss." He suddenly straightened and cleared his throat. "Not that we're, um—it's not like that. Becca knows we're not, you know, dating, or whatever. But still, she weasels her way into everything, just so she can find a way to create drama."

"Right," Kelsey nodded. "I'll keep that in mind."

She found her purse near the couch and folded up the blanket she'd used before bending down to say goodbye to Roadkill.

"Thanks again, Ethan. For everything," she said.

"Anytime you need a babysitter, just say the word," Ethan replied, opening the door for her.

She lingered for a second before hugging him tightly.

She felt Ethan stiffen before wrapping his arms around her.

Kelsey let go quickly and backed up, her cheeks flushed. "Okay, right. Anyway. See you later."

                                                                                      ~~~~~~~~

Kelsey wasn't in a hurry to get home—she figured allowing Sandy time to remedy her hangover would be a good idea.

Instead, she drove around L.A.

It was somehow more inviting in the happy morning light, rather than the busyness of night life. The streets were quiet. Welcoming.

She found an empty parking space and began to wander around without the thought of a destination.

Sunshine mixed with the smell of sunscreen and fried food rendered her mind clearer than it had been over the past several days.

Maybe she should've looked past the fact that Ethan wasn't over Althea Stellan, but it still bothered her, though she hated to admit it. What did it matter anyway?

Kelsey wanted to help him get over his past, but something Becca said kept repeating itself in her head.

You don't belong out there.

Though her words had stung back then, they rang true now. Kelsey felt it.

The world was split up into two categories: stars and planets. The planets were dazzling and wonderous and a little untouchable. The stars were numerous, common, searchable.

She was different than Ethan. She belonged with the stars—with the people like her, who worked a normal job, didn't see their name in a Buzzfeed article, or worry that a simple picture could expose them to the public.

Kelsey toyed with a price tag she'd been looking at and sighed.

"Can I help you?" A woman asked.

Kelsey started. "Uh, no. I'm just looking. Thanks."

                                                                                            ~~~~~~~~~~~

Kelsey took in a long breath before opening the door to Sandy's house.

She'd already told herself not to lose her temper. Not to dwell on the fact that Sandy had been too "busy" to tell her it was okay to come home, therefore marring her with a guilty conscience because she'd slept at Ethan's house.

When she went inside, she was shocked to see that nothing had been cleaned up after the party.

Food was still left uncovered on the counter, half-full plates littered the tables, trash was everywhere, and the decorations had only been partially torn down.

Kelsey frowned.

"Sandy?" She called, glancing out the window to make sure Sandy's car was still out there.

It was.

She stepped over a sticky spot on the wooden floor where a drink had been spilled, but not cleaned up.

"Hey, Sandy?"

Worry knotted her stomach, and Kelsey walked briskly to Sandy's room.

When she knocked on the door, she was relieved to hear a faint "come in".

She turned the handle and carefully peered inside. Sandy sat up in bed, still in her pajamas, and gave a smile. "Sorry, I was asleep."

She also sounded hungover.

Kelsey sighed. "Are you sober or should I come back later?"

"No, no I'm good," Sandy replied. "I broke up with Alex last night."

Kelsey's jaw dropped. Confusion and relief filled her all at once. "What? Really?"

"I met someone new. Waaaaay better."

Kelsey's brow bent. "Oh."

"Don't sound so judgy! He's great."

Kelsey made her way over and sat on the corner of the bed. "What happened?"

Sandy sat up a little more. "Alex came right in the middle of my party and started yelling at me for not inviting him! So I told him to get out and never come back."

"And he just left?"

"He was so mad, but you know what? I didn't care. I said I was tired of him walking all over me and that I'd call the cops if he didn't leave."

"Wow," was all Kelsey could say. "And where'd this new guy come from?"

"The party! I don't need Alex anymore."

Kelsey gently took her friend's hand and said, "Sandy, maybe you don't need anyone for a little while."

Sandy rolled her eyes and laughed. "Just be happy for me, Kel!"

"I am, I just—"

"So where were you all night? I texted you and you never came!"

Kelsey tilted her head to the side. "I never got a text."

"What?" Sandy grabbed her phone from the nightstand and looked through it for a second. "Oops, I accidentally sent it to one of my blogging friends."

"Ah," Kelsey gave a tired sigh. "Oh well."

"Sorry," Sandy apologized. "So where'd you go?"

Kelsey looked down at her hands before standing up. "A friend's."

She tucked Sandy's blanket around her again. "Get some more sleep, I'll be back to check on you later."

Kelsey closed the door behind her before releasing a heavy exhale.

The more she got to know what effects L.A. had on people, the less she was beginning to like it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hey everyone! Even though there wasn't a Kethan kiss, I hope you enjoyed the chapter!

~How do you think Ethan and Becca's relationship will be after this?

~Do you think Sandy's new boyfriend will be any better than Alex?

~Thoughts on the chapter?

Thank you so much for reading!  {Don't forget to comment, vote, and share!}