Quick word. Just a huge thanks to cheynicole1975 for being the reason this story is still going on and for putting up with my bullshit. You're the best Chey. Thank you.

"Come on let's go home" Zac said. "I'm not allowed to play football for a couple of days and I'm supposed to rest for at least a week"

"I'll make sure of that" I said as we turned to the door. However, something on one of the canvases caught my eye. It was a small kitty with a pink yarn ball. It wasn't that good but it was discernable nonetheless. I immediately thought of it.

"Can we get a kitten?" I asked Zac.

"Why do you ask me?" his arm was around me and we were walking out  to the hallway. He instinctively let go of me once we were outside class and I couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. But he was right to do so, I understood that he had his own reasons. I was really great huh?

Though he still needed to tell me them before I lost my shit and hell would break loose.

"Well, it's your house, and it's only proper to ask first."

"I can't believe you" he shook his head. "Evan it's your house too now and you can do as you please"

Awe he thought that of me. He was too precious for a bad looking guy. Honestly what's with the leather pants he's always wearing?

"What if you or Liam had allergies?"

"Makes sense. We don't, though, so you're good"

I couldn't contain my excitement.

"Soooo... We're getting a kitty?"

"We're getting a kitty" he repeated.  I tried so hard not to hug him as to not draw attention from passerby students. Zac actually got a few 'Hey's and nods from a multiple of students that I didn't know. He was too popular yet he was so casual about it. That's one of the many things I liked about him. He was really modest and he cared for all of his friends.

"How did you even get here?" I asked Zac. I still felt guilty about getting his motorcycle taken away from him because of our accident. But if you look in the alleyways of my inside self, you'd find a small part that wasn't so guilty because walking on steady ground is much better. At least we get to talk without shouting over the loud roars of the wind and the loud engine of the bike.

"I had one of dad's friends drive me here. It's not much of a distance anyway"

We fell silent after that. That's until we reached the open road. I felt the words tugging at my throat. Just three words. Say them and you'll get it off your chest. It shouldn't be that hard to admit it. Right? Right. So I said it.

"I am sorry" I apologized for it.

"For what?" he was looking straight forward, kicking pebbles as we walked.

"For getting your bike taken and all. I hope you don't hate me for it" I admitted sheepishly. I didn't want him to remember me through stuff that affected him negatively.

He slid his arm around my frame and tugged me to him, kissing the top of my head in the process.

"You can't do anything that'd make me hate you" he said, still holding me tight. I didn't want him to let me go. "Besides, I can't really drive anything in the meantime" his voice was slightly disappointed in spite of his attempt at sounding unfazed by the whole thing. I still didn't know what the 'whole thing'  was. I made a mental note to ask him later.

Zac//

He was silent. I knew his mind was churning stuff to say. Evan always had something to say even in the worst situations. He could turn a situation from Charlie Chaplin silent movie into a Rap battle. It was his thing and I liked it. Mainly because it felt like it opposed my usually silent persona. Sure I had the charisma, but small talks, or big talks for that matter, weren't my specialty. With Evan it was different.

I didn't feel the need to hold back. I could speak my mind and he would listen. I could blabber nonsense and he would listen. He wouldn't judge anything I say or do and he'd respect it. It was something both him and his mom had in common. I couldn't be more thankful for Linda for giving birth to this great human walking next to me. I had to thank her sometime.

I looked at him. He was absent-mindedly walking. He turned abruptly to me.

"Can I ask you something?" he asked firmly. It was like he was desperate for an answer.

"Anything"

"It's just that when we first moved here, you weren't there. I felt guilty for weeks. I didn't know whether it was because of me, or mom, or both of us together that you wouldn't want to come live at your own house. And I still, to this day, don't know why you were forced to stay there and not at your own will"

"Technically that's not a question" I joked.

He shoved me playfully "you get my point"

I sighed deeply. I didn't know where to start. I decided to be as open as I could. He at least deserved that.

"Before mom passed away" I started and he quickly interrupted me.

"It's okay you don't have to continue"

"No it's fine... Really"

"Alright if you say so"

"Yeah, well one day, she was really tired and she was lying in her bed. Dad told me that she wanted to speak to me alone, and so he left us in her room. She spoke about many things. She didn't say anything but deep down I could feel that she knew she wasn't going to last long." I felt my voice start to crack so I took a deep breath. Evan was all ears.

"She told me one thing in particular. She told me that if dad ever gets married after her, I should love his wife as much as I loved her. She made me promise that. And I did"

"But I don't get it. If you promised to love his wife, why didn't you want to live with us?"

"I was afraid. I used to think, what if I break the promise I made to my mom and don't like living with my stepmother? What if she was mean and horrible? And then I learnt that she had a son, and it made me even more scared. I've always lived alone and suddenly I was expected to share half my life with a stepbrother that I didn't know anything about. I was expected to do things and I don't do good when I'm put under expectations."

"Can I ask you something else?"

"Yeah"

"Why are you crying?" his question made me realize that my tears were flowing. I never cried in front of anyone before except for my mother. I only knew Evan for a few months and I already cried with him twice. What was he doing to me?

I wiped my eyes with the back of my hands but Evan stopped me and wiped them with his palms and gave me a gentle kiss.

Special Guest Star P.O.V//

Knock Knock

"Andrea I thought Mr. Olden's son was my last one today" I said before Andrea, my secretary nurse opened the door.

"Can you have just one more?" It wasn't Andrea, it was Liam.

"Honey! You look so tired what's the matter?" he trudged towards the patients' couch and dropped himself on it.

"I'm drained. I had a lot of patients today and I can't stop thinking about Zac's diagnosis"

"I didn't get the chance to talk to you since they came up. What's so worrying about them?" I grabbed a juice box from the mini fridge and opened it for him. I keep them for little kids but Liam looked like he needed it more.

"It's not what's in the diagnosis that I'm worried about. It's the upcoming ones that are driving me over the edge" he drank the juice like it was the elixir of life.

"We've done 2 proper diagnosis so far, and they're both exactly the same as Melina's and it's driving me crazy."

"Deep breaths. It's gonna be okay" I tried to reassure him. I really hoped that things were going to be okay.

Knock knock

"Who is it?"

"Sorry Dr. Peterson, it's Andrea. There's a mail for you and it looks official so I thought you'd like to see it as soon as possible"

"It's okay come in" I said and went to the door. She handed me the mail and she was right. It did look official. It was from a law court.

Way early update you should be proud.