I walked into school the next day with a plan. Of course it wasn't the most brilliant plan, but it was the only thing I could conjure up at the time. After what Knox had said to me the night before, something in me had clicked, like the pieces of a missing puzzle, and I had an idea as to what the pieces to my missing puzzle was.

 The only issue was that I couldn't approach those pieces until I had put my plan into motion.

I refused to put them into the crossfire.

It had been a long morning. It was hard getting ready with my side screaming in pain nearly every time I moved. I almost marched down the stairs and kicked Lauren back, but practiced some good self restraint and finished getting ready without any incident occurring. When I had finished, I tugged out a suitcase and a backpack, and started to pack. An inexplicable amount of joy filled me at what I was doing, and a smile graced my features, even though I knew that I wouldn't be talking to the boys much today or at all, even.

I still needed to speak to them about the events of the night before, but I didn't want to jeopardize my plan or drag them into it. If everything went right, then the plan would be completed by that evening and I could drop by Kota's for a visit before dinner, and potentially apologize and explain. The knowledge that by ignoring them might ruin our carefully constructed friendship had me aching, but I knew that it was best for me.

Homeroom was dreadful.

Both North and Luke stared at me the entire time, as if waiting for me to talk to them first. I squirmed in my seat, staring at the clock, waiting for the bell to ring. It truly killed me not to talk to them, but there wasn't much I could do. I was stuck in a hard place and between a rock. If they were made aware of the plan, they would most certainly ruin it, and I couldn't have it. The plan was necessary if I wanted to remain sane. 

The moment the shrill sound of the bell filled the room, I jumped to my feet and shot out the door. I wasn't dim enough to think that they didn't try to follow me, I was actually certain that they were, but I couldn't have anyone cornering me. I walked as fast as I could to the trailer that I had English in, then sat in the back corner. Luke, Kota, and Gabriel would periodically glance back at me, their eyes full of wonder and hurt. 

I tried my best to convey sympathy towards them, but I wasn't sure they could tell. By the time study hall rolled around, I was exhausted. It was physically exhausting trying to fight the draw I had towards them, to avoid them. I just needed a moment to rest and get back in the right headspace, to remind myself why I was avoiding and ignoring them. I leant against the wall, closing my eyes and inhaling deeply. My head pounded from a headache that was forming and my heart ached.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Sang?"

I jumped and yelped, my eyes widening at the sight of North and Luke standing before me. Their whiskey brown eyes were staring me down, serious and solemn, full of barely concealed pain. I almost broke at that moment; almost burst into tears and informed them of how poorly my mother and my brother had treated me the night before, of how broken I truly was. I, somehow, managed to regain my composure and steeled myself, raising my chin defiantly just as I had done the night before.

"Don't worry about it," I said, my voice stronger than I felt.

 I wanted to collapse into one of their arms and ask them to help me with my situation, but it didn't work that way. I had to help myself. I knew that I could rely on them, but I also wanted to know that I could rely on myself in case something went amiss with our friendship. I shouldn't have been so dependent on people for so long, even my brothers. One of them had already broken my trust, and I didn't think I would handle that betrayal very well if I was forced to go through it again.

North opened his mouth, preparing to fight with me, probably, but I didn't allow it. I slipped past them, and speed walked to the nearest girl's bathroom. Once in the safe confinement of one of the stalls, I allowed myself to lean against the door, attempting to remind myself why I was putting us all through this pain. It's for their safety, and for your sanity, my brain quietly reminded me and I nodded, as if I was agreeing with it.

By lunch, I decided I could no longer handle ignoring them if I had to see them every period. Without even bothering to consider the consequences, I slid out of one of the exits and marched my way to the parking lot. I had my phone out, prepared to call Knox and to speak to him about my plan, when I froze, a good few feet away from my car. I tilted my head, studying the white sheet that was stuck in between my windshield wipers and the glass.

I looked around, searching for the culprit, but I was the only person out in the parking lot. I couldn't stand there and ponder long, if I was caught, I would be in a good amount of trouble. Moving quickly, I snatched the paper up and then slid into my car, tearing out of the parking lot, turning up the volume to my radio as loud as it could go. All thoughts of contacting Knox were thrown out the window after I had saw the paper waiting for me; I had no idea what was on it yet, but I was certain that whatever it was, it wasn't good.

Pulling into the parking lot of a familiar diner in the midst of being made, I took a deep breath, glancing over at the paper that laid on my seat next to my phone, mocking me. My heart hammered in my chest, and I wasn't prepared to read it, but I knew that I had to. It had been left for me, directly, and not in a place that one of my friends or family could find it. It had happened in the past; people leaving notes for my family, whether they were threats or notes of admirers.

Either way, the thought made me uneasy, and I really didn't want to read it alone, but I didn't have a choice.

Steeling myself as best as I could, I picked up the paper, my hands shaking. My eyes refused to look down, refused to read what had been written. But after a moment, I had mentally coaxed myself into doing it, and as soon as I did, I wished I hadn't.

Pretty girls like you shouldn't associate themselves with men like them.

- a friend.

Shock and horror filled me as I read over the words again, certain that this must have been some practical joke. Anxiety ripped through me like a hurricane. I scrambled to get my car door open, and I stumbled before falling to the ground and emptying the meager contents of my stomach. When there was no more left, I rested my hands on the ground to hold myself up, and dry heaved. Tears ran down my face and I sobbed, wiping at them angrily.

I only had one group of friends, and they were all men, which left me with no doubt. Whoever had left me the note had been speaking of Kota and Gabriel and the others. I knew that they were involved in bad things, but they were good men. The person who had wrote that note was wrong.

"Miss? Miss, are you alright?"

I looked up and jerked my head back in surprise, blinking several times to clear my eyes of tears and fully take in the man before me. He was tall, and had a bald head that was shining from the sun. His mouth was drawn down into a frown, his brown eyes staring down at me, concern present in them. There was something about his eyes that had me doing a double take, there was a certain amount of familiarity they had about them, but it wasn't something I could pin point.

"Yes, I'm sorry," I managed to squeak out, my voice raspy from throwing up. I pulled myself to my feet, then smoothed down my hair in an attempt to make myself look more presentable, though I was sure it didn't exactly work. I probably still looked like a mess. "I just needed a moment. I just got some... bad news."

His eyes softened even more, and it seemed as if he felt bad for me. I was sure I would feel bad for me too, at this point. "It's alright, dear. Why don't you come inside and have some water? You're in no state to drive right now."

As much as I knew that I shouldn't have agreed, after all I didn't even know the man, I found myself nodding anyways. There was something so familiar and so soothing about the man, that I craved his presence, and thought that it wouldn't be so awful to remain around him. He lead me inside the church/diner in works that I had been in just a few days prior, and I couldn't help the smile that formed. They had gotten a lot of work done since I had been around last time, but there was still a bit of ways to go.

He brought me to the back, to what I assumed would soon be transformed into a kitchen, and reached inside a cooler then handed me a water bottle. I sent him a thankful smile, then carefully began to sip it slowly, wincing when it made contact with my throat. I was certain that it might be a little sore for a while.

"What's your name?" The man asked, still watching me with curiosity and concern. He didn't seem like a threat, and even if he was, I knew how to handle myself, which were the only reasons why I decided to answer him.

"Sang," I sighed, my voice still scratchy. I winced and took another sip of my water, watching as the man's eyes lit up.

"Ah, you're the girl that my nephews have been going on about," he said, causing my eyebrows to shoot up and confusion to form. He laughed, noticing that I didn't have the slightest clue what he was talking about. "My nephews are Luke and North. I'm their uncle, they stay with me. You can call me Uncle, everyone does. But, it's nice to finally meet you. They haven't stopped talking about you ever since they met you."

A blush colored my cheeks and I shrugged slightly, trying to brush off the fact that the boys had been talking about me. "Well, it's nice to meet you too."

His smile fell slightly, as if he had just realized something. "Sang," he said slowly, his eyes reflecting concern once again. "Do the boys know you're here? By yourself? Crying? In the middle of a school day?"

I looked down then slowly shook my head, feeling slightly ashamed about the matter. I should have texted one of them as soon as I saw the note, but I was so used to handling things between my siblings and I, that I hadn't even considered it. I felt bad; they were my friends and they should be made aware of such things, and I hadn't even thought of it. They were my friends, yet I was treating them like outsiders when they were anything but.

"I hope you don't mind, but I'm going to text my nephews. I don't want them worrying about you, and I'm sure that they are." Uncle told me, his voice soft, as if he was talking to a cornered animal. I nodded slowly, looking down at the floor, feeling mildly upset and uncomfortable still.

Uncle made me stay with him, apparently still concerned about my well being. He didn't ask me what was wrong, but that was probably for the best due to the fact that I wouldn't tell him what was bothering me. I wasn't even sure that I was mentally prepared to tell the boys what had happened, but I needed to. They needed to be aware of the situation, and I had to apologize.

I wasn't sure how long I had been sitting in the area that was designated for the kitchen, slumped against the wall, periodically sipping my water, when seven unruly, panicked boys arrived. I wanted to say that I was shocked that Kota had let them leave during the middle of a school day, but I wasn't. When it came to people that they cared about, I had come to learn that they would do anything.

"Sang!" Luke exclaimed and pulled me to my feet then into a hug. I hugged him back tightly, burying my face in his chest, fighting off tears. I had never felt more loved than when I was in their presence. "Oh my god. I was so worried."

"I know," I sniffled and wiped my nose as I turned to look at the rest of them. I expected them to look irritated or angry, but instead they were looking more concerned about my well being. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for ignoring you. Some... things happened with my mom and Zain last night, and I wasn't handling it well. I had to take care of some things before I could approach you. I hated it, I really did. And I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have done it. I should have told you."

Silas's eyebrows pulled together and he pulled me into a hug, rubbing my back. "Aggele mou, we understand. We're not very happy with you for not coming to us when you needed help, but we understand. And we're going to do everything that we can help."

I stepped back, shaking my head, a sob bubbling out of me. Tears clouded my vision and I looked down, feeling and probably looking pathetic and pitiful. They couldn't help me, no one could. I was stuck with my Momster until I was eighteen, and that was an entire 13 months away. They couldn't help me with Lauren, but they could help me with the note.

"That's not all," I whispered, entwining my fingers together, twisting them nervously. "There's something else too."

"Sang," Kota's voice was somehow both firm and gentle as he scrutinized me behind the lenses of his glasses. "What happened?"

"I decided to leave at lunch," I admitted, leaning against the wall for support. I needed something to hold me up at the moment, whether it be one of the boys or a wall. "It was hard avoiding you, and it was draining me. I decided to head to Knox's, take my stuff there, inform him I would be staying with him for awhile. But when I got to my car there was a note waiting for me on my windshield. I pulled into here to read it. What I read... It really freaked me out. I ended up throwing up and crying. Uncle found me and let me come inside, then texted North and Luke. He had me stay here, but he didn't tell me that all of you would be coming."

"What did the note say, sweetie?" Kota asked, his voice soft and soothing.

I swallowed hard, not prepared to think of the words that had been left for me again, but somehow I managed. I recited it to them, and the room erupted. Swears drifted to me and Gabriel looked near close to tears, much to my dismay. I didn't understand what was wrong; whatever the issue was, it was my issue, not theirs. It may have involved them, but the note was left for me.

Tears formed again, and I looked around, utterly confused. Noticing the look on my face, Victor pulled me into his side and pressed a kiss to my temple.

"Victor," I whispered, looking up at him, wide eyed. "What's going on?"

His response was short and simple: "Our past is catching up to us, and now you're involved." 

~~~

a/n: Alright everyone. Here is the new chapter that I would have had up sooner if I wasn't having some writer's block and I had a visitor. But since I took forever I wanted to gift you with something. There are certain songs that remind me of Sang and the boys and I thought I would share those with you!! If you guys appreciate that then let me know and I'll continue to share songs that remind me of certain boys and such. 

Kota/Sang: The Only Exception by Paramore and Lost Boy by Ruth B

Victor: Tear In My Heart by Twenty One Pilots

Silas: Lights Down Low by MAX and 10 Victoria's Secret Models by MAX

Nathan: Stupid For You by Waterparks and Heaven In Hiding by Halsey

Gabriel: TOO GOOD by Troye Sivan

Luke: for him. by Troye Sivan

North: Talk Me Down by Troye Sivan and Malibu by Miley Cyrus

Sean: Wild by Troye Sivan

Owen: Follow You by Bring Me The Horizon and Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol

All nine: They Don't Know About us by One Direction

xoxo,

ry.