TWO DAYS AFTER the memorial, Angelica sat across from Tyler as the two shared an early lunch at Dorothea's place, chatting the time away. It was pointless chatter, really, from an onlookers point of view, but Angelica was getting to know the boy better than the occasional chat in math class.

They were in the middle of their conversation when two plates of cinnamon rolls were passed to them. Tyler continued talking, laughing as he told a detailed story, then became serious, as though someone had told him not to tell the story. It was weird, but Angelica was hooked onto his words as he told her something deeply personal.

"I've never had the biggest crowd of friends... I guess I just don't fit in very well."

Angelica glanced up at him as she cut into one of the rolls on her plate, "You seem to be fitting in fine here."

"Yeah, you're not running away from me, so that's further than I've been able to get with anyone else," Tyler explained as laughed slightly.

Angelica smiled empathetically, "I'm glad to hear that."

Tyler nodded, finally deciding to dig into his food, "I'm just glad I'm finally somewhere where I feel welcome."

"We're definitely the accepting crowd," Angelica expressed sarcastically, pausing as she shook her head, "I'm happy you feel that way, at least."

Tyler nodded again as he chewed, understanding what Angelica was implying with that statement. She was talking about Keira and her secret - the one that ended up with her committing suicide.

He quickly moved the conversation forward, "Yeah, we've moved a lot in my lifetime."

"You and your mom?" Angelica asked.

"Yeah," Tyler breathed, "After my dad died, she never wanted to settle in one place. I've been to eleven states in the past seven years. It's hectic, if I must say, and as soon as I settle somewhere it seems we pick up and move out."

"Interesting," Angelica commented around a bite of food, "My story isn't that extraordinary. It's quite boring, actually."

"Really?" Tyler questioned, "Nothing exciting has ever happened here?"

Angelica shook her head, "Nope. Before Keira's death, it was simple. Everyone got along. We all lived in peace. It was the same routine, day by day. Of course, people moved out here and there, but most of us are stuck here. My brother had the opportunity to go to Ivy League because of his intelligence, and he took it without hesitation. I'm proud of him for that, even if I miss him, you know? If he didn't take that chance, he'd be here, working in one of our old shops. It's crazy to think about..."

Just as Angelica got into telling the story about her brother, her eyes lighting up, she stopped. She looked ahead, meeting the whiskey colored gaze of Tyler as she forced a small smile.

"I don't know," She sighed, her voice thick with emotion, "Life is interesting."

"Definitely," Tyler agreed, and they ate in silence.

<<<<<<<

The day after, when school had started again after the long weekend, Angelica found her lunch and free period spent in the library with Evan. It had been quiet for a little bit as Angelica was trying to take notes to study off of, but her and Evan had bits of conversation here and there.

Angelica huffed, laying her head down on the page as her curled hair fell into her face. She took her hand and lazily stabbed at the lettuce in her salad, bored with the silence, the work - just bored.

"What do you think about Tyler?" Angelica suddenly asked, trying to make herself less bored as her hazel gaze traveled upward to meet Evan's.

Evan looked up when he heard her speak, tilting his head to the side slightly as he shrugged, "I don't really know, to be honest."

Angelica nodded, pulling a piece of hair out of her face, "He's definitely reserved."

"Yeah," Evan agreed, "And there's something else - I just don't want to say it because I feel like I'll offend you."

"No, no," Angelica dismissed Evan's worry with a quick wave of her hand as she sat up, "You won't offend me. Go ahead."

"Well," Evan started, setting down his pencil in a sign of giving his full attention to the conversation he was tending to, "I feel like he is reserved, yes, but it's more than that. He has an absence to him - almost like his emotions aren't there," - when he saw Angelica nodding along with this, he continued - "It's weird. He didn't bat an eye when you told me that Keira was dead, and both of us were emotional train wrecks. He wasn't at the memorial - at all - and I feel like if he would've been there, he wouldn't have been crying. He would've had his blank stare placed on his face and he would have sat there. It says something - do you see where I'm coming from?"

"Yeah, totally," Angelica reassured him when his face fell into a frenzied look, "But there are a few things that contradict that point, you know?" Evan nodded, and she continued, "He just moved here, so he wouldn't have any attachment to Keira anyways. I don't feel like he had a reason to come to that memorial - heck, half the town missed out because of what happened before. Plus, in math the other day, he was telling me how he knows the pain of losing someone, so he's not emotionless. He lost his dad, and he's moved a bunch of times in the past couple of years. More than I can count on all of ten my fingers, and his mom isn't the most stable person ever from what I've heard. It seems like she hasn't recovered from the crash her husband was in that caused his death, and for that I sort of don't blame Tyler. He's just a kid, a new kid, and we kind of have to remember that. We're all still kids, swept up in a small town mystery mess," She paused, forcing a smile as she quickly looked down and shook her head, "Yeah?"

"Yeah," Evan repeated as a statement, "I was just trying to convey that he was quite the interesting kid, that's all."

"Agreed," Angelica commented in conclusion to their conversation, but they didn't slip into silence this time.

A set of footsteps tramped up the stairs leading to the library, and as Angelica looked up from her notes to see who it was, she saw Jen Rivera walking straight towards her and Evan. Angelica tapped him on the arm, nodding her head in Jen's direction to notify him of the sight. He looked as though he was about to say something to her, but shut his mouth as Jen gave the pair a smile just before she started to speak.

"Hey Angel," Jen nodded in the direction of Angelica, then in Evan's direction, "Evan. Can I sit?"

Angelica threw a glance at Evan to make sure he was okay with it without asking directly, trying to avoid being rude, but he didn't glance back. He fixed his gaze upon Jen and looked at her as if she was an alien, then nodded slowly.

"Sure," He told her, watching as she grabbed the chair across from the pair and sat in it.

She sighed, looking down as she tucked a stray piece of her hair behind her ear, "It's been a long week."

Angelica nodded, "That it has."

"How are you two holding up?" Jen asked as she looked backup, flicking her gaze between the two across from her.

Evan answered first, "I'm alright."

"I'm hanging in there," Angelica followed as she forced a short laugh, moving her head to toss a few strands of hair out of her eyes.

Jen nodded, "Well, I should go now," She voiced, feeling the awkward tension that formed in the air, "I just came to check up on you."

Evan and Angelica nodded, finding the whole situation weird as they watched her get up from the chair she was sitting in and walk away. Before she walked out of earshot of the two, Angelica turned in her seat and called out to Jen.

"Hey!" She whisper-shouted, catching the older girl's attention, her face softening, "Thank you."

>>>>>>>

Later, in Physics, Angelica and Evan mentally prepared themselves for anything as Mr. Kauch assigned partners for their next project. Every pair of eyes in the room watched intently as he tapped his clipboard, murmuring a short 'yeah, let's go with that' or 'no, not that' here and there. Finally, after what felt like ages, Mr. Kauch stood.

"Everyone please take your stuff and stand at the back of the room."

The students obeyed his order, a nervousness in the air as everyone prepared for assignments. There was always a hope that one would end up with a best friend, but that rarely ever happened. When asked about it, Mr. Kauch merely replied with 'I want everyone to get a chance to meet someone new'.

When all of the students had assembled at the back of the room, standing and waiting, he glanced at his clipboard over the glasses perched on his nose as he sighed. He walked over to the first table that was going to be assigned and tapped his pen on it.

"Steve, Andrea," He began, and the two that were paired sat in their seats.

Mr. Kauch moved over to the next table, "Grant, Noah."

He went on in this fashion, assigning seats as he went. The only names Angelica paid attention to were hers and Evans, and they weren't paired together, as expected. Evan was paired with a guy named Leah and Angelica was paired with Tyler.

After they had a chance to sit down, Angelica turned to her assigned partner.

"How is it that we always end up together?" She asked, a curious glint in her eye.

Tyler quickly responded, to which Angelica laughed, "Maybe it's fate."

"Whatever you say."