I held on tightly to the shopping bags in my hands as I unlocked the front door. With money so tight lately, I knew my mom was going to freak out but I needed this. After everything with A, Ian, Spencer, and now Caleb, I needed something to get my mind off things. I took a deep breath before storming inside.

"I know what you're thinking," I rambled quickly, "but when I tell you how much money I saved you'll be very happy...and I'll share the Maddens with you if I can wear the purse."

"Hanna," my mom said quietly. I stood there about to brace the calm before the storm.

"Ok fine," I tried to diffuse the situation. "You can have the Maddens and I'll just take the Betsey Johnsons."

I dropped the bags on the steps and slowly walked toward the kitchen. Then something caught my eye. My mom wasn't alone. Caleb was sitting across from her at the counter. That's weird, he didn't belong here.

"Hi," he said almost in a whisper.

"Hi," I echoed.

"I'm going to excuse myself," my mom said grabbing a glass of wine, "and go try on my new shoes."

I watched as my mom left the kitchen but not before giving Caleb a sympathetic look. How dare her! She could not for one second expect that she can side with him. That's not going to fly in my book. She passed by me.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said through clenched teeth.

"You wanna sit down or..." Caleb began. Who did he think he was. It's my house. I'll sit if I want. I didn't sit. I just leaned against the stove as far away from him as possible. He looked at me with those piercing dark eyes.

"You're not allowed to look at me like that," I told him. He looked away and then back at me with that stupid puppy dog face. "...and you're not allowed to do that either."

"I didn't leave without saying goodbye," he told me.

"Was I unconscious during that exchange?" I retorted.

"I should have told you in person," he spoke quickly. "I just...I have never said the things that I was feeling...and I didn't think that I could say those things without making a complete ass of myself. Pretty much like I'm doing right now. So I wrote you a letter...and in that letter I said I was sorry."

He took a deep breath while I resisted the urge to break down into tears and run into his arms for comfort. Why is it that every time someone breaks your heart, you want that person more than anything?

"Most of my life," he told me, "I have felt alone even when I was with people...that was...until I met you."

"So what happened to this letter?" I asked. I couldn't deal with any more of his bullshit.

"I gave it to Mona," he explained. "She said she would give it to you."

"I don...I appreciate that you came back to tell me that," I sighed, "...but it doesn't change what you did."

"If you let me," he said, "I know I can make it up to you...because I love you."

He said it in a way that made us both uncomfortable but in a good way. It's like he didn't know how to use them because he'd never said them before. It was a lot like that night in the tent. When I gave him everything, it was a little bit awkward because I'd never done it before, yet it felt right. I caught myself empathizing with him and instantly snapped out of it. I am strong Hanna. I can't let anyone get away with hurting me. I turned to him.

"I'll never be able to forget that you were using me."

"I'm sorry," he said it sincerely. I could feel it.

"I believe you," I replied, "but you should probably go."

He walked closer to me and I flinched. Did he really think I'd hug him or even touch him right now? He sensed that I was not having and he grabbed his bag walking toward the door. He turned back one more time.

"Goodbye Hanna," he said before letting himself out. I don't know why but those words made me cave. I don't know if it was the finality of the word goodbye or the fact that I just love when he says my name. A single tear slid down my cheek and I vowed that was the last tear I would ever shed for Caleb Rivers.


"I think you should eat dinner with your father," my mom said at breakfast a few weeks later.

"You know I can't do that," I told her. "That's almost harder than seeing Caleb in school everyday."

"Are you ever going to tell me what happened?"

There she went again with her maternal intuition. How could I explain to her that Caleb was paid to spy on me by the girl who I helped blind? I don't think any mother knows how to handle that information.

"He lied to me," I told her. "Let's just leave it at that. Why are you nagging me about this dad business."

"I need you to do me a favor," she told me.

"What?" I asked. "What's wrong?"

"They're sending us for training," she explained. "Apparently the government has issued new bills and we need to learn how to spot counterfeits. If I go to this conference in Vermont, I'm eligible for a promotion which this family could really use."

"So," I paused, "what does this have to do with Dad."

"The training is during your ski week so you won't miss school and I think," she told me, "while I'm gone you should stay in New York with your dad to spend some time together. Your only alternative is hanging out in a hotel room for five days."

"Why can't I just stay here?" I pleaded.

"It's five days, Hanna," she said. "I'm not leaving a hormonal teenager in the house by herself for a week."

"It's not a week," I corrected. "It's five days."

My mom opened her mouth to say something but then I think she thought better of it. I hated this. I hated that we didn't always get along and most of the time it was my dad's fault. Why is it that every man in my life turns out to be an asshole?