Hey guys I told you I wouldn't give up on this story. It's been a while definitely but I finally had enough time off to sit down and actually reread the book and get inspired again. So I spent today and yesterday editing and revising the last 17 chapters. If you've not reread them yet, I strongly encourage you to. Some characters have different personality traits now that are key to understanding their further development. I also changed some scenes.

This is such a rocky chapter to start off writing but I figured you guys could use something to hook you back in. I'm not even going to bother with a recap. It's gotten to the point where so much as happened and changed that I just think yall should reread.

ALSO: I used to post some long ass chapters (like 7000 words. Idk if yall know but that's like 20 pages in Google Docs. That's not what's happening anymore. I'll post more often though. I figure you guys prefer 2 shorter updates a month over 1 loooong update every month or two.

Before work on Saturday, I get a text from Sage asking me if I'm down to go to a party tonight. I stare at my homework and sigh. I'll do as much as I can now and do the rest tomorrow. I agree and try to subtly ask if Diego will be there. He's texted me back but not enough. He takes a while to reply and when he does, it lacks substance. I've tried asking if he's alright and if he wants to talk about it, but he assures me that he's fine and that he just needs some time to think. Of course I want to give him that time but I feel like he's drifting away from me.

Orion: So who is going?

Sage: You, me, Quincy, Webster

Orion: Diego?

Sage: He hasn't texted me back yet. Probably, though.

Orion: Okay.

I feel a little disappointed at the fact that he may not even go. What's the point of going if I can't spend time with him? After asking her to keep me updated on Diego's status, I toss my phone to the other side of my bed and work on my homework. When I have a half hour before I leave for work, I hurriedly pack a bag and call my dad.

"Hey, dad," I greet him on the phone.

"What do you need, Orion?" he inquires.

"I was just wondering if I can spend the night at Sage's," I trail.

"Did you ask your mother?" he replies.

"She got called in," I respond.

"Okay, well, it's fine with me," he responds. "Text her and let her know."

I let Sage know about the plans and she tells me that Diego has yet to get back to her. I shove my phone to the bottom of my purse in an attempt to not think about him. I meet Calum at the car and we drive to work in silence. "8 o'clock?" he asks for my pickup time as we pull into the plaza.

"I'm sleeping at Sage's tonight," I inform him as I quickly search the lot for Diego's bike. Empty.

"Is that code for Diego's?" he inquires.

"No, it means Sage's," I respond as I open the door. I allow it to slam shut as I walk into the bookstore. I half expect Diego to be waiting for me inside with a big grin but he's nowhere to be seen. Diana's behind the counter though with a sad smile. She can see my disappointment.

"Any word from him?" she asks.

"Nope, not since last night," I mumble.

"He'll come around," she mutters unsurely.

I spend the rest of my shift moping around. When it's time for me to take my break, I look to Diana nervously. I walk to the bookstore with my hands shoved deep into my pockets. I open the door and my eyes dart behind the counter and immediately fall upon Elena and Diego, who are standing a few feet apart in silence. Diego sees me and visibly stiffens, which makes my heart drop to my stomach. I slowly approach the counter in an attempt to give him some time to think about what to do. I watch as he contemplates disappearing to the back and letting Elena take my order but he decides against it and begins preparing my drink.

I don't even glance at Elena, knowing that my blood will start to boil if I do. I know what happened is in the past but I still don't like looking at her. "That'll be $2.86," he tells me in a somewhat robotic voice. I stare at him and he gives me a forced smile, which only makes me feel worse. I hand my card to him and he takes it, swiping it and returning it to me. To avoid any further awkwardness, I take my drink and return to the bookstore. Diana doesn't ask what happens because I have a feeling that she knows.

It isn't until Sage picks me up that I get some good news. I toss my bag in the back of her car and wave goodbye to Diana before getting into the passenger's seat. "He said he'll see what he can do," Sage informs me.

"Diego?" I ask, which gets a nod from her.

"He said that his dad is hovering a bit but he'll try to come," she explains and I suddenly feel eager to check my phone. I reach into my purse and dig around a bit for my phone. I grab it and scroll through my notifications only to find that none of them are from him.

"Does he know I'm going to be there?" I ask.

"No, I just asked if he wanted to come out tonight," she replies. "Why?"

I sigh as I drop my phone back into my purse. "His dad really hurt his feelings last night and he's being distant. He said he needs space but I don't know. Things just feel off," I mumble. "I don't know what to do. I've texted him. I've tried calling. Should I visit?"

"Well, let's see if he shows up tonight. You can talk to him then," she replies.

Sage tries to cheer me up by playing music as we get ready but I only feel dread as I pull on my jeans and t-shirt. She braids my hair and I just stare at my phone, waiting for a response. It's been 10 hours since he's replied. Soon enough, Sage and I are in the car driving to the party. Quincy and Webster are within walking distance of it so they took it upon themselves to arrive earlier.

"Let's not get separated this time," Sage insists as we enter the house. I trail behind her as she looks for Quincy and Webster, who we find in the garage talking to a couple of girls. I stand there trying my best to participate in the conversation before excusing myself to the bathroom. Sage tells me to come right back before I dip into the house. I take a left and am submerged into the kitchen where I spot a familiar face. Before I can turn on my heel and leave, he spots me.

"Well, hello Orion," he grins at me. "I didn't peg you for such a partier but this is my second time seeing you at one. It must be fate, right?"

"Hi, Roman," I grunt awkwardly. He peers around me dramatically before tilting his head.

"Where's your boy toy?" he inquires and I repress the urge to sigh. I wish I knew.

"At home," I respond and he nods.

"Does he know you're here?" he continues to question. I notice the slightly glassy look to his eyes and sum it up to him being under the influence.

"Yeah," I lie.

"He wouldn't be too happy if he knew you were hanging out with me, right?" he asks. Before I can tell him that we aren't hanging out, he laughs. "On a scale of one to ten, how much do you think he hates me?"

I let out a small chuckle as I think about asking Diego that. Of course he'd say he doesn't hate him but I know deep down it's at least an 8. "You'd have to ask him that," I respond.

"You know, for someone who claims to like him so much, you don't seem so happy," he comments.

"Do I have to be grinning all the time to be considered happy?" I retort.

"No but you wouldn't be frowning more than you're smiling," he responds.

I roll my eyes at him. "It still isn't your business," I reply.

"Come on, lab partner," he chides. "You can tell me."

"I'm happy with him," I respond.

"Okay, well can you answer me this?" he asks.

"Sure," I reply.

"Does he live here?" Roman asks and I furrow my eyebrows in confusion. "Or is that not him standing right over there?"

I turn my head to find Diego staring at me with a tilted head and a curious look on his face. He's standing across the kitchen and is being passed by groups of shorter girls and cliques of guys. I wonder if he wants me to approach him. I decide to just go for it, figuring that if he really doesn't want to talk that he'll say something. I shimmy through people to get to him and it proves more difficult than I thought but soon enough, I'm in his range.

"Hi," I greet him hesitantly.

"Hey," he replies quietly.

"Are you okay?" I ask.

"Yeah," he says but I don't think he's telling the truth. "I've just had some time to think."

"Are you feeling better?" I question.

"I..." he trails quietly. "We need to talk."

"About?" I ask as my heart thuds fast in my chest. What does that mean? What do we have to talk about?

"Can we go somewhere quieter?" he asks. I quickly nod and follow closely behind him as he leads the way outside. We stand a couple feet away from each other and I peer up at him, waiting for him to speak. He bites his lip nervously and his eyes remain locked on the grass. The way he avoids my gaze only makes my anxiety worse. The sound of faint music and the chilly breeze is the only things I can hear.

"Diego?" I prompt when I see him lightly zoning out.

He sighs quietly and grabs his right arm with his left hand. "I don't know how else to say this," he starts and I feel my heart drop to my stomach. "I don't think this is going to work, Orion."

"What?" I say barely above a whisper. My eyes are about the size of saucers as I search hs face for answers. This was so unexpected. Yeah, things haven't been easy but they were getting better. I thought we were fine. I thought everything was fine.

"Us..." he trails. "I don't think it's going to work."

"Why not?" My voice cracks as I try my best not to cry.

"A lot of reasons, Orion," he replies. "For one, I'm not good enough for you-."

"Diego, that's bullshit!" I cut him off before he can continue. He doesn't seem alarmed at my vulgarity or my slight outburst. I shake my head as I glare at him. "You're just letting your dad infiltrate your mind now."

"No, I'm not," he replies. "You don't see it because you don't want to. We're so different, Orion. Your future holds so much good and mine...doesn't."

"That's not true, Diego," I attempt to rebut but he doesn't listen.

"I'm just going to hold you back and it's not fair to you," he tells me. "Look at where we are right now. A party. This isn't your scene. You're supposed to be home doing your AP homework or reading your romance novels."

"I don't want to be doing that," I tell him.

"You can read your romance books again..." he tells me with a sad smile. "You experienced romance."

I stare at him with pursed lips as I try to think of something to say. "This isn't fair," I retort. "Why do you get to decide?"

"Because you can't see it," he replies.

"No, Diego, you don't see it," I retort. "You're so used to hearing people say that you're a bad person and a bad influence but it's not true. None of that is true."

He reaches out and touches the side of my face. "Listen, Orion," he starts, "you're going to find another guy who is perfect for you. He won't bring you down and you guys can talk about college together and you can plan an actual future together."

I grip his wrist in my hand. "What about my future with you?" I ask and he smiles at me.

"We're still going to be friends. I can't completely get rid of you. I'm not that selfless," he responds.

"I don't want to be your friend, Diego," I snap. "I like you. Why would I want to be your friend?"

"Your feelings will go away soon," he assures me. Tears begin welling up in my eyes as I stare at him, completely lost for words. I don't know what I expected but it wasn't this. "I have to go now but I wanted to do this in person. Please don't hate me, Orion."

I can only stare at him as he lightly presses his lips to my forehead. "Diego..." I whisper.

He tucks his hands in his pockets and approaches his motorcycle, which is parked on haphazardly on the yard. I watch as he puts his helmet on and starts the bike. Tears well up in my eyes and cloud my vision so I lower myself into a sitting position on the grass. I press my face against my knees as I feel tears fall down my cheeks. Here I was thinking he just needed some space to think.

I hear footsteps approaching me but I don't care enough to see who it is. I hear a quiet grunt and feel my foot lightly nudged my someone else's. I retract a little and sniffle quietly. "You okay, kid?" Roman asks and I want to groan. He's the last person I want to talk to right now. "I saw what happened. You were right when you said guys are stupid."

"That didn't exclude you," I manage to respond and he laughs.

"I didn't think it did," he says. "We don't have to talk. I'm just going to sit here and ensure you don't get kidnapped."

"Gee, thanks," I retort through a sniffle.

"You shouldn't cry over a boy," he comments as he nudges my foot with his.

"What happened to not talking?" I mutter.

"Sorry," he mumbles. A few seconds pass as I just stare at the grass beneath my legs, feeling the tears dry on my face. "Is there anyone you want me to get for you?"

As if on cue, I hear Sage's voice. "Orion?" she calls from afar. I vigorously wipe at my face and look up. My eyes fall on Roman, who is sitting in a position that matched mine, except his head is facing me. I turn my gaze to Sage, who is looking at Roman curiously.

"Hello," I mumble awkwardly and she lightly touches my head from her standing position.

"You okay?" she whispers.

"No," I retort.

"Do you want to leave?" she asks and I give a small nod. "Alright, let's go."

She helps me stand up and I look to Roman, who is also rising to his feet. "Thanks," I mutter.

"No problem..." he trails. "Feel better."

He offers me a small smile before turning and heading back towards the house, where he disappears. Sage leads the way to the car and I can tell she wants to ask who he is. Before she can question me, I make a request. "Do you think you can drop me off at home?" I inquire.

"Yeah," she agrees. She looks at me worriedly and I can tell she's wondering if my parents will be alarmed at me arriving home at half past midnight. At this moment, I don't really care. I just want my own bed to sleep in tonight.

We drive in silence and she turns to me. "Who was that boy?" she asks.

"Roman," I answer. "Did Diego tell you about him?"

"No," she replies. "Should he have?"

I shrug in response, not wanting to explain myself to her. We eventually reach my house and my dad's car is not here so I assume he's working late. I grab my bag from the backseat and thank Sage before walking to the front door. I unlock it and let myself in. Nate's sitting on the couch watching television.

"You're home early...or late," he mutters as he looks at the time. "Aren't you supposed to be sleeping over Sage's house?"

"Yeah," I respond as I lock the door behind me.

"I wanted to come home," I reply. "I'm going to bed."

Without another word, I drag myself upstairs and into my room, where I strip out of my clothes and into pajamas. I lay in bed and stare at the ceiling, silently wishing that Diego never moved in.