Disclaimer: If I owned anything do you really think that I would be slaving away at college trying to get good grades so that I can get a good paying job?

She lay in his arms, her head resting against his strong chest. Her ears listening to the steady beating of his heart. His arms crossed over her stomach holding her close, chin resting on the tangled strands of her hair. They were cuddled on the couch staring into the flickering flame glowing in the fireplace. Both had a distant look in their eyes.

"You don't have to, you can stay with me."

"It's not that easy."

A moment of silence passed and she spoke again, "Well, I guess that means we…"

"Don't say it."

"No, it's no use, we could never be together."

"So I guess tomorrow, 'we' never happened."

"Yeah…"

A tear fell onto his hand and he looked down at the girl in his arms, quietly crying. He felt his eyes moisten as he watched her.

"I'll miss you."

"Me too."

He leaned down and softly kissed her.

Hermione walked into her small, run-down apartment. The wallpaper was peeling, revealing concrete walls. The paper itself was a pale white color, yellowed from years of water stains and poor upkeep. The floor was solid concrete with small holes standing as the only sign that there ever was a carpet. Now a small, dirty, torn rug served as flooring in, what she called, the living room. It was an extension from the kitchen originally planned to be the dining area, but now it was both. The fridge had food in it that had expired Merlin knows how long ago. The microwave had a bowl of leftovers which could be heated up to make a decent breakfast and on the stove were pots and pans cluttered everywhere with remains of the meals from which they were used to cook. To the side, a small door led to the bedroom. There was only a small twin sized mattress with a blanket tossed over it and a rather flat pillow at the end. A lamp stood among a sea of books strewn all over the ground beside the bed. The bathroom contained of a simple toilet, which barely functioned as it should, and a sink that clogged every second it got the chance. A cracked mirror needed to be replaced. One could not see his or her appearance without having to dodge the spots that covered it. A small tub was placed in the corner with a rusty showerhead and handles that looked like they would prefer to stay the way there were, thank you very much.

Hermione sighed as she hung her coat on a nail protruding from the wall. She shed her waitress uniform and left them scattered on her bedroom floor as she grabbed a towel from the chair back and disappeared into the bathroom for a shower. Hermione finished quickly so that the other tenants wouldn't complain about having no hot water. She dressed and went out to the crumbling bench near her apartment. Staring out at the dried grasses that the horses were lazily munching, she thought of England. Hermione simply adored Texas with the ranches and open spaces, but it could never fill the hole in her heart that was Home. She couldn't go back anyway, not with what she did. Her friends would probably act as if they didn't know her. The girl shook her head as unwanted memories flooded her mind. Getting up, she quickly made her way back to make dinner.

When Hermione stepped in, the piles of papers and trash on the table were ringing. She shoved the mess off the table to reveal the source of the ringing. She picked up the receiver and dropped it back down, hanging up and whoever was calling. Pouring some water into a foam container of instant noodles, Hermione sat down to eat. The phone rang again and this time, she answered. Another salesman trying to get her to buy some product of another. She told the man to save his breath and hung up, then proceeded to finish her dinner.