"Please don't leave me!" I begged my two best friends who were currently saying goodbye to me.

It was the first weekend they were both going home to see their families at the same time, and they were leaving me behind all by myself. I never visited my aunt Maria because she didn't want anything to do with me, so I was stuck here like always. I didn't even have Matt to hang out with because he was going home too.

"Sorry but it's my mom's birthday." Sky told me.

"And my parents are making me come home." Jess added, giving me an apologetic smile.

"Fine, leave me to die of boredom!" I exclaimed dramatically.

"Bye." They sang as they headed out the door.

What am I suppose to do now? I'd already eaten and I didn't have any new shows to binge watch. This was going to be a terrible weekend.

After a while of doing nothing I decided to wander the halls in an attempt to find something to entertain me for a while. I sighed as I headed out the door. Stupid friends having families and stuff. They could've taken me with one of them.

Eventually I found myself in front of the music room. It was empty so I went in and sat down on the piano bench.

It had been a week since the performance and Drew and I haven't spoken, not that I was complaining. He even made Matt and Cody stop bugging me. It was like I didn't exist in his world anymore. Maybe he was calling a truce. He apologized for blaming me for his mistake in the song, and now he's stopped bugging me. I should be happy, right?

But I couldn't help missing the anticipation of what he was going to come up with to annoy me next. Maybe I actually wanted things to go back to normal. All I knew since coming here was Drew's presence, whether it was in music class or math when Cody and Matt were bugging me. He was always there somehow. And now it was like he disappeared without actually leaving. He was still around but he wasn't the Drew I knew.

I tried to rid my thoughts of him by placing my hands on the keys of the piano and playing the all too familiar chords and notes of our song. I almost wished Drew was here playing his part. As the music swirled around me I pictured the two of us on stage, this time without either of us messing up.

I smiled as the song came to an end and sat with my eyes still closed for a minute.

The creek of the door opening snapped me back to reality. I whipped my head around to the direction of the noise and saw Drew walking into the room. Think of the Devil and he shall appear.

"Oh, you're here." He said when he noticed me. And although those words would usually be rude, he didn't say them in a mean way.

"I was just leaving anyway." I replied, standing up to leave.

He furrowed his brows as he thought for a second, and then said words I never thought I'd hear from him, "Don't go."

I opened my mouth to say something but he cut me off.

"I mean, you can leave but you don't have to, you were here first."

I gave him a confused look, but shook off his words and sat back down at the piano.

He was actually being kind of nice. Did he take one too many blows to the head in football or something?

"I didn't get hit in the head." He stated as he sat down on a chair near me.

I looked at him, shocked. He read my mind!

"You said it out loud." He explained when I didn't reply.

"Oh." Was all I could say. I really had to stop doing that.

After that it was silent, so I started playing random tunes. I was enjoying just messing around when I heard it. The song.

Drew was playing the intro to our song.

I smiled as I waited to join in. I needed this. I had no friends for the weekend, I was lonely, and the song just makes everything better for a while.

I've tried to play different songs, desperate to feel my heart warm up again, but it never worked. Even when I played our song alone. But when we play it together I don't feel so lonely.

As the music filled the space around us I felt it again, the warmth, and I couldn't help but grin. And when the song came to an end I felt the same sadness I did when our performance was over. Like an addict, I needed to feel that warmth. I needed to feel whole again. And I was sad that I wasn't going to, maybe ever.

"I know it's a sad song but why do you look like you're about to cry?" Drew asked when I didn't open my eyes or play something else.

I shrugged, "I just love playing our song."

I wanted to tell him why I really looked sad, but I couldn't. I wasn't going to let my guard down for someone that didn't even like me.

"Well uh, if you ever want to play it just come find me." He replied, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Thanks." Was all I said as I looked down at the piano in confusion. Why was he being nice? What changed?

After a few minutes of uncomfortable silence, I broke it. Things were just too strange right now. "I'm gonna go."

And before he could reply I was in the hallway, face palming and hurrying back to my room.

That was weird.

• • • • • • • • • • • • •

I finally found a show to watch! So for the past six hours I'd been watching it. Yes, six hours. I really had nothing better to do, and I didn't want to wander the halls in case I ran into Drew. I decided to avoid him after our time in the music room earlier. It was just too weird.

But now I was getting bored again. A girl can only watch so much of one show before she needs a break.

I looked around the room, hoping to find something to save me from the boredom, and my eyes landed on my phone sitting on the night table beside my bed.

I turned it on to see if anyone had texted me, and much to my surprise I had a text from Matt.

From: Coach Matty

What are you wearing? ;)

I rolled my eyes at his weird way of flirting. Two can play at that game.

To: Coach Matty

Why do you just assume I'm wearing clothes? ;P

He wasn't going to know how to reply to that.

I was excitedly waited for his response when my phone started ringing.

"Hello." I greeted Matt.

"Please tell me you're actually not wearing any clothes."

I rolled my eyes, what a guy thing to say.

"I'm wearing my hello kitty pj bottoms and a stained tank top." I told him, crushing all his fantasies with just one sentence.

"Oh you're such a tease."

"Isn't that what you love about me?" I laughed, he actually sounded disappointed.

I heard him chuckle. "Of course it is dear."

"Now that we've got that over with, you need to save me from the boredom!" I begged dramatically.

"Unfortunately I can't do that. But we could talk for a while, that'll help a bit." He suggested.

That was certainly better than nothing. "Well, okay." I fake sighed.

We chatted about nothing for a while, and then it dawned on me. I could ask him what was going on with Drew. They were best friends after all.

"So what's up with your fearless leader? He hasn't ordered you or Cody to annoy me recently, and he was nice to me today."

I could practically see his confused face through the phone. "I never really noticed until you just pointed it out but yeah, he has been different. I have no idea why though, sorry."

"It's okay, but I hope things go back to normal. This is just weird."

"Matt, it's time to watch the movie." I heard through the phone.

"Sorry, I have to go. Family time." He told me, his tone fake grossed out.

"Well okay, Goodbye." I said, and waved. Oh god, why? He couldn't even see me.

"Goodbye Cora."

As I hung up the phone I realized something. I liked Matt. As a friend of course, but I genuinely enjoyed talking to him. I wouldn't mind hanging out with him like real friends. Why was he close to someone like Drew? He should be friends with nice people that don't treat new students like crap for no reason.

A knock at the door brought me out of my thoughts.

Who would be knocking at my door? Especially at 9:00 at night?

I opened the door to reveal a man in his early twenties, holding an envelope.

"You have mail." Was all he said as he handed me the envelope.

And before I could thank him, he was walking down the hallway.

Who would send me mail? I'm not close with anyone except for the friends I'd made at school this year.

I cautiously opened the letter inside and read the messy writing.

It wasn't an accident.

Maria's next.

What was that supposed to mean? What wasn't an accident?

"Cora could you please come down to the front office?" A voice through the P.A system in my room said.

What was going on?

I slowly made my way to the office, trying to think of any reason they had to call me down.

"I'm Cora. I was called down." I told Mrs. Catherine, the secretary I met on my first day here.

"Go right in." She told me, pointing to the principal's door and giving me a reassuring smile.

"You can take a seat right there." The principal said when I entered his office, pointing to the chair facing his desk.

As I sat down I realized that I didn't know his name. Come to think of it, I'd never actually seen him before.

"I have some bad news." he told me, and I stayed silent as I waited for him to continue. What news could he possibly have?

"Your aunt Maria was in a car accident. It seems that her car was hit by a drunk driver. She didn't make it. I'm sorry." He told me in a robotic tone. Like he's done this countless times before.

What? Aunt Maria was dead?

This couldn't be happening. Not again.

"You're joking, right?" I snapped, taking him by surprise.

"No. I'm-I'm sorry." He replied, obviously uncomfortable with the situation, and then quickly added "Since Maria had custody of you, that will now be passed on to your grandmother Eleanor Steele."

I'd never even met the woman, she would just send money as gifts for the holidays. She didn't want anything to do with me and she threw around money like it was nothing, just so she didn't feel guilty.

Without another word I stood up and stormed out of the office.

How could this happen again?

How?

And then I remembered the letter.

Maria's next.

She was murdered. There was no other possibility. I got a letter from the person that killed her.

It wasn't an accident.

What does that mean? That aunt Maria's accident was intentional?

And then it hit me. The same thing happened to my parents.

It wasn't an accident.

My parents were killed by the same person that killed my aunt.

This couldn't be real.

I started running. I didn't know where I was going but I couldn't stop. I just needed to run. I had to get away from this. From everything. My lungs burned as I held back sobs, and my legs ached, but I couldn't stop.

And then I hit something and fell to the ground.

I was on my hands and knees now, crying uncontrollably.

Why? I banged my fist on the snowy ground.

"Why?" I screamed, banging my fist on the ground again.

"What's wrong?" A deep, panicked voice asked.

I didn't run into a tree or something, I ran into a person.

"Why?" I whispered weakly. I felt like I could just disappear at any second, and I wished the ground would swallow me up and take the pain away.

"Cora. Talk to me." The voice demanded.

I looked up to see who I ran into and banged my fist on the ground again.

Drew Bates.

When I didn't say anything he sat down and pulled me towards him.

I wanted to push him away, or scream at him to leave me alone, but I couldn't. I couldn't do anything.

"Shh. Please don't cry." He whispered, wrapping his arms around me.

I was sitting outside, on a cold winter night, on the ground, as Drew embraced me.

"Go away. Please go away." I begged through sobs. I needed to be alone.

His grip tightened and he shook his head "I'm not leaving you like this."

This wasn't right. Why was he here? Why was he helping me?

"I'm here and I'm not leaving until you're okay." He whispered.

I don't know how long we sat like that, but eventually I couldn't cry anymore, and calmed down. When I composed myself I slid out of Drew's grasp and sat across from him.

"You didn't need to do that." I told him as I looked down at the snow.

Only now did I realize that I was soaked and freezing.

"Look at me." He said.

I shook my head. I couldn't do that or I was going to break down again.

This time he gently pushed my chin up until I couldn't see the ground anymore.

"Look at me." He calmly repeated.

I looked him in the eye. His were darker than I'd ever seen them, and filled with, sadness?

"What's wrong?" He asked in a tone that left no room for argument.

I looked away. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Tell me."

I shook my head. "Please don't make me say it. Please." I begged, tears starting to fill my eyes again.

"Fine." He sighed.

We sat in silence for a while, and I started to shiver uncontrollably. In an attempt to keep warm I pulled my knees up so my chin could rest on them, and wrapped my arms around my legs.

"I'm going to bring you back to your room now." Drew said when he saw my failed attempt at warming up, and stood up, putting a hand out to help me to my feet.

I took it and he pulled me up a little too roughly, causing me to bump into his chest.

I quickly backed away, and then started towards my dorm, and as we walked I looked around. I ended up in the middle of the football field.