For some reason, unknown to me, I was able to get the second half of this chapter done in less that two days. That's a new feeling, LOL. It's a short one, but at least it's something! Consider it a Thanksgiving present since I'm so thankful for all my readers.

This chapter is dedicated to anyone who's ever voted/commented or even just read my stories. It means the world to me when you guys vote, so don't forget to do so at the end if you think the chapter is deserving! Enjoy...

Friday rolls by a lot faster than I thought it would, and the hours at school that usually feel like decades seem to have gone by in seconds.

    I quickly put away all my books in my locker before throwing my bag over my shoulder, in hopes to avoid Sabrina if I'm fast enough. No doubt she is scanning the halls for me right now, with another one of her plans on how I can get out of this. Through her many attempts the past couple days, none of them have stood out to me.

    My locker is one of the first places she'll check, so I leave quickly. Bumping into her will only make me late, and I can't let that happen. Dax doesn't like it when people keep him waiting.

    Luckily, Sabrina rode with Amber to school today, so she doesn't know where I parked. This would give me a little more time to bolt.

    Before I can make it out the doors at the side doors of the school, my whole body halts, not daring to walk any further.

    Whittney stands at his locker down the hall, gathering what he needs and discarding the rest. For a few moments, he doesn't realize I'm there, but when he slams his locker shut and turns, his eyes go wide when they spot me.

    Red, distressing eyes look my way. Dark rings underline his eyes, possibly from both stress and lack of sleep. Usually Whittney isn't such a slob, but now his hair is unkempt and greasy and it doesn't look like he's been taking good care of himself at all.

The jitteriness of his whole body makes me realize he must be on something. And by the looks of him, he's on a lot of it. Maybe the guilt of outing the only friend he had left finally got to him.   

I haven't seen Whittney around much after he outed Harry to the entire school, and the last time we spoke, I beat him until he lost consciousness.

When his eyes meet mine, I truly realize that he's not himself. The playful gleam that used to always be there is now gone, replaced with an emptiness that I've never seen before - an emptiness driven by guilt. This new version of Whittney Rhodes is really starting to freak me out - it's too out of character.

His gaze shifts a little towards something behind me, a malicious look crossing his face.

"Sad, isn't it?" Rodney's voice comes from behind me, laced with blunt sarcasm. "How the mighty can fall."

Our stare is fixed on the depressing sight of Whittney, who is more than aware that we are talking about him. After shutting his locker with a 'slam' , he readjusts his bag onto his shoulder, all the while glowering at Rodney. He quickly storms out the doors and to the parking lot.

"He's going through a hard time," I say, trying to be at least a little understanding of why Whittney does the things he does.

Rodney chuckles. "You're defending him now?"

"I don't know." I sigh. "Habit, I guess."

Honestly, I have no idea why I just defended him after all he's done. Maybe it's the sad knowledge that I know I'm not so different. It's like he and I are on opposite sides of the same coin. Our clashing backgrounds are what keeps us separate, but the knowledge that I could have ended up just like him without Sabrina's help keeps us on the same spectrum.

No matter what, I will always have a part of me fighting to defend him, because I know, somewhere deep down, I see my old self  in him.

"Better snap out of it." He pats me on the back and sends me a discerning look. "You don't want him to keep fucking you over."

He's right. Letting my guard down around him is a bad idea.

When I finally make it to my car, someone already has made themselves comfortable leaning against the hood.

Harry smiles delicately at me, and I groan. The knowledge that Sabrina sent in the voice of reason to convince me to go down a different path sinks in almost immediately. She is a tricky one, I'll give her that.

"You're going to them right now," he points out, his smile deflates right away.

"I'm guessing Sabrina filled you in on everything." I sigh. She isn't supposed to be telling people. The more who know, the more chances those people will worry or get hurt in the process.

"You can't seriously be thinking this is the right choice." The judgement in his voice angers me.

"What are you, my mother?" I snarl, but quickly regain my composure. "Look Harry, I'm sorry. It's just, there's no other way for me to do this the right way unless I do this on my own. That way, no one gets hurt."

Hesitation clouds his eyes while he thinks, carefully choosing his next words. "And what if you get hurt? What will you do then?" A helpless whimper escapes him. "What will I do then?"

"There's no other way." I clear my throat, trying to ignore his neediness for a second so I can think straight. "I promised myself that no one else would have to get sucked into my fucked up mistakes again, and I'm going to keep it. So please, just leave. Let me do this."

When he finally gives in, I pull him in for a hug. He wraps his arms tightly around me, holding me like it were for the last time. In my opinion, he is being a little overdramatic, but it was still nice to have yet another person so concerned about my well-being.

The comfort of Harry's hug doesn't last long. He pulls away, putting his hands in his pockets. A weak smile appears on his lips, silently wishing me good luck.

I fish my lanyard out of my jacket pocket and unlock my door. Before getting in the driver's seat, I turn back towards Harry. "Could you tell Sabrina-" I cut myself off for a second, trying the think of anything better to say, but I got nothing. "Tell her, I'm sorry."

Before Harry can say another word, I sit down and slam the door shut.

Even though the sun is blinding, it's still freezing outside. I grab my sunglasses out of the glove department and put them on.

After I program the address into the GPS on my phone, I pull out of my parking spot. Since I left the school fifteen minutes after the last bell, the parking lot is already over half empty. Normally I would have loved this, but today I'm not really in a hurry to get to my destination.

Every stop light on the way to my destination is a blessing, and I purposely drive the speed limit more than ever before - prolonging the inevitable. Only the hum of the engine cuts through the silence on the way to the address. The quiet is exactly what I need right now before the craziness starts.

The buildings of the city grow closer, and so does my impending doom. Every second brings me more unease, but I know if I'm going to get through this, fear is something I need to leave behind.

When I finally enter the city, my nerves are completely shot. The nostalgic feeling creeps up my spine as I pass by all the familiar buildings. I haven't been here since I crashed one of father's cars to get back at him just over a year ago. Since that was on the whole other side of town, I didn't run into Dax back then.

In the end, of course, it was inevitable.

Everyone's past always comes back to haunt them, but mine just might be the death of me.

***

And the next chapter we get to see Dax again, and of course, Eddie. I thought I'd give you guys this chapter, because I don't know when the next chapter will be posted. I need to work a little harder on that one.

Please leave a comment telling me what you think, and maybe a prediction or two?