The ride home was brutal. I was crying the whole time, cradling my hand against my chest. Joshua was stoic and watched the road intensely. The radio was shut off which left us in complete silence. I hated it. I hated everything.

I glanced at him. His soft features were now hard. His chin was jutted out and his eyes were narrowed. White hands on the steering wheel, dark eyes on the road.

I probably didn't look any better than I felt. My hand was hurting, throbbing. But it didn't match the pain in my chest. It was nothing compared to that.

He parked at the bakery, and we just sat there. I didn't want to leave. I wanted to make everything right, but he looked like he was going to explode. I didn't want him to explode.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, opening the car door with my good hand. I jumped when he grabbed my arm. "What do you want?"

I looked at him and his eyes were a little softer than before. "I have some thinking to do," he whispered.

I nodded. I didn't think I could speak again, so I pushed his hand away from me. Slamming the door behind me, I walked to the front door of the bakery. One hand touched the cool metal of the knob, but I wasn't paying attention to that. I had glanced back at Joshua. I knew I shouldn't have; his eyes were locked with mine, and I wanted to run right back to him. I couldn't, though.

The bell chimed as I stepped into the bakery. A few customers were sitting at some tables, and my mom was helping one guy. Scott noticed me first and jumped the counter, running to me. When she saw me, she ditched her customer as well, running to my side.

"Grace, what's wrong?" Mom asked quickly.

Her embrace was the only thing holding me up. Talking rose up in the background, so Scott must've helped the customer. I couldn't concentrate on much. I knew I was crying, but was that me yelling? Or was it all in my head?

Soft material wrapped around my body and soothing tones hit my ears. Gentle touches and light caresses filled my body with warmth. I couldn't really feel anything else.

"Is she finally asleep?"

My mind had settled down, finally. I had somehow made it from the bakery and into my own bed. I was pretty sure I was out of my regular clothes and in my pajamas, too. My covers were wrapped up to my chin, and I was laying on my side, away from whoever was speaking.

"Yeah," Mom answered whoever asked that question. "What even happened?"

"Some guy from school kissed her," the person answered, and I knew that it was Fin. "I'm guessing she told Josh about it and he didn't want anything to do with her."

Well, that brought back the tears. I sniffled, trying to be quiet. I didn't want to face them. I didn't want to sob in front of them.

"Grace?"

I sighed, pulling my blanket out of the way. "Hi, Mom. Hi, Fin."

Mom ran her hand through my hair and gave me a small smile. I leaned into her touch, relishing in how much she loved me. "How are you doing?"

I closed my eyes, focusing on my beating heart. I was still alive, but I was empty. "Not so well."

"Oh, honey." Mom wrapped me up in a hug. Her arms were tight around me, and I couldn't move. As suffocating as it was, I wouldn't trade it for the world. "This is just the first of many guys who will come around."

I sighed again. She pulled away from me but stayed close. Fin was right above her, watching me with a concerned expression. Her arms were crossed over her chest as she laced her fingers through mine.

"I don't know," I whispered. "This feels pretty real. The things I feel for him . . ."

"You'll feel that way for every guy you let into your life."

"No, I don't think I will," I replied. "He was the one I wanted. Is the one I want."

Mom glanced at Fin and whispered something to her. She nodded, and Mom kissed my forehead. "I'll be right out here if you need me," she said softly.

"Okay."

She slipped out of my room, leaving me alone with Fin. She sat down on the edge of my bed. "How did he find out?"

"Drew told him," I said softly. "He came to Bubbles and told him."

She caught herself before calling him something she would regret. Her face filled with rage, flushing red. Instead, she said, "You punched him, didn't you?"

"Yeah."

"Your hand is bruising up."

"It hurts."

"I'll tell your mom - no, I'll tell Scott to get you some ice," Fin said, and I could hear the smile in her voice.

"I don't want Scott." She gave me a dirty look. "I don't want him to see me like this. I barely want you to see me like this."

"We'll get through this," Fin said, forcing me to look her directly in the eyes. "Repeat after me. We."

"We," I repeated.

"Will get."

"Will get."

"Through this."

"Through this." Maybe it was because she truly believed those words, but my heart rose.

"Now, do you want ice cream? Because I'm pretty sure you have some in your fridge," she said, her eyes lighting up. "We can put a movie up in the family room and kick everyone out for a while. Just have you and me in there."

"I want to stay right where I'm at."

"Then let's talk."

"About? Fin, I know everything about you." I snuggled into my pillow. "I just . . . I need time."

"To do what?"

"Think. Dream. I don't know."

"That'll just bring you back to what happened," Fin said, shaking her head. "You need to be distracted."

"It won't work."

"How do you know?"

I sat up. "Because even with you talking, I'm still thinking of him."

"I know this hurts," Fin whispered. "Trust me. I do. But also trust me on this: it will get better."

"When?"

"Not right now, no." She smiled at me. "But in the future, with the help of other people, everything will be fine."

"Tell me when we get there."

"I'll make sure you know."