First Day Of Classes: 3 weeks later

Courtney sighed as she pushed around her fruit on her plate, her chin in her hand, her eyes going back and forth between her food and the new textbook she had gotten for this semester of new classes. Students were all around her, talking about the amazing things they did during the Holiday break. 

"All I'm saying is that literally no one is surprised that Geoff broke his leg," Gwen chuckled as she walked over and sat down next to Courtney. Bridgette wasn't far behind, her arms crossed over her chest as she pouted. 

"Excuse me?" Courtney asked, shocked by her words. "How the hell did that happen?" she turned and looked up at Bridgette 

"He was being an idiot-"

"He got shit faced and decided he could jump a bonfire with his skateboard," Gwen said, her voice flat as she rolled her eyes.

"I really wish I could say I'm surprised," Courtney said, closing her book "And why wasn't I invited to this bonfire?" she questioned her friends. Who shared  a look

"Well... We did Court, you said you were too busy with studying," Bridgette said

"And because we said Duncan would be there," Gwen said, looking at her nails. Bridgette nudged her shoulder

"Gwen! No Duncan talk, remember?" Bridgette hushed the pale girl who sighed. Courtney swallowed hard 

"You guys don't have to censor yourselves around me, I'm fine," she said, as her eye twitched.

"Tell that to the twitch," Bridgette said. Courtney wacked her hand with a folded up napkin, causing a chuckle out of the blonde.

"I'm really fine, it's been 3 weeks-"

"Oh... My God," Gwen's jaw dropped, Courtney whipped around just in time to see Duncan walking into the Cafe.

Sabrina on his hip, his arm around her shoulders as the girl walked with him. Her foot still in a boot from her accident in rehearsal all those weeks ago. 

"You've gotta be kidding me. He's joking, right?" Gwen snapped, her anger rising. 

The feeling washed over Courtney's body. Seemingly coming out of no where. She couldn't quite explain it.

Longing. 

She wasn't angry, no. She had felt like that for a while after the truth came out. Wasting her Christmas vacation crying upstairs alone. Her sister hadn't shown up, and her Father barely spoke to her. Leaving a few presents under the tree on Christmas and that had been it. 

Gwen, Izzy, Geoff, Trent, and even Jace had called her multiple times over the break. Checking in. Bridgette had come over for one week in break, knowing her best friend was alone. 

Jess had sent a letter, letting her know she was in hiding until the baby was born, but she still refused to go into detail. 

She was hurt now. But that wasn't the feeling that she was having currently watching her ex boyfriend walk though the doors already with a new girlfriend. 

He had moved on so quickly. 

Did what they had really mean so little to him?

"I take back all those times I complimented her tattoos, little whore-"

"Hey! No slut shaming over here," Courtney snapped, hushing Gwen up. Who grumbled and crossed her arms. 

"I can't believe he has the guts to do this, so soon after... Well... You know," Bridgette said. 

Trent and Mike walked in at that moment, both stopping and doing a double take of the new couple as they made their way to another table across the stage in the dining room. 

The boys walked over, Trent kissed Gwen's head and took his seat next to her, setting his guitar down on the table. "Since when was that a thing?"

"We're not sure, but we're not happy about it, and you're my boyfriend so you have to agree," Gwen said, rubbing his shoulder. 

"Yes ma'am, yes ma'am," Trent chuckled. Mike sighed 

"I'm sorry Court," he said, Courtney swallowed hard again, her hands in fists at her sides

"It's fine, if he wants to kiss a girl who tastes like cigarette smoke then so be it," she huffed. 

"And there's the Courtney I know!" Trent said, 

"Geoff!" Bridgette called, as she watched her boyfriend wheeling himself in, he smiled when he saw her, but stopped when he saw Duncan across the dining room. He looked stressed as he mentally tried to pick where he was going to go. 

"Geoff! Over here ya cripple!" Duncan called, waving the guy over. Geoff gulped and mouthed 

"I'm so sorry" to Bridgette and Courtney as he wheeled himself over to Duncan's table. 

"I hate this," Trent sighed "The group being so broken," 

The other's all nodded

"I agree," Courtney whispered, sadly. 

Zoey opened her dorm room door and looked around, sliding her bookbag off of her shoulder. Closing the door behind her she tried to ignore the empty side of the dorm. Skye's stuff all packed away and empty. She still had a few posters on the walls, as she had abruptly left before break. Zoey had promised to mail them to her when she got the chance, but she found herself stalling. In some hope that she might come back. The envelope of money for Courtney's new violin was still hidden in the closet, McLean had agreed to pay for the new violin in exchange for Skye's tuition. But Zoey couldn't pull the trigger yet. No one knew the plans yet, either. 

This wasn't how this year was supposed to go. A group like the friends she had don't come along very often. She missed them all, but she missed her roommate dearly. It was a huge piece missing. So was Duncan. 

She would almost rather deal with Heather's antics than this. 

She never thought she'd say that

Jumping the fence was something she had gotten pretty used to by now. But the harsh mid winter air was hitting her face, sharp pain etched at her skin as she grabbed the metal fence and climbed over it. Huffing as she hit the ground.

Courtney dusted off her hands on her jeans as she entered the old art wing. Pulling deal vines out of her way. It was still pretty light out, as she walked down the familiar hallway. 

Her onyx eyes teared up as the memories flooded back to her. 

She smiled as she passed the corner with the painting they had painted together the day their acting class had been canceled, she gently reached up and touched the spray-painted wall with her fingers. 

"And we're not doing anything illegal, correct?" she had asked, 

Duncan leaned up against the wall next to her, a smirk on his lips "What's wrong princess? Scared to break a few rules?" he had teased.

"No, I just don't want to give McLean any reasons to regret asking me to join the academy," she said. 

He wrapped a arm around her. that smirk still on his lips "You know, sometimes It's fun to step outside of the lines,"

As she came back to the present, she  felt a tear drip down her cheek. She quickly wiped it away and looked down at her fingers.

Some of the gold spray paint had wiped off on her fingers. 

Just like it had the first day they had painted it. 

"Huh... So I guess I'm not the only one who still comes here," a familiar deep voice said from behind her, causing her to jump and turn around to face the teal eyes.