AN: Hey, this is a sequel to Not What You Want. You should read that first. Thanks to everyone who read/reviewed last time, they were some lovely and ego boosting comments and I appreciate them all. Hope this isn't a let down lol.

One Beat

Alex Nunez sighed as she looked around her cramped, messy room. The walls were depressingly close, a mattress on the floor serving as the bed part of the room and empty bottles and school papers covering the rest of the floor space.

But it wasn't the room that she was struggling to leave behind. It was the neatly folded pile of clothes at the corner of the mattress that kept her standing in that apartment instead of marching out like she'd planned.

The night of their first kiss Alex had stayed at Paige's, alone in her bed while the other girl was freaked out and sleeping on the sofa but still. And the next morning, the blonde had given her clean clothes for school which she'd been reluctant to give back. Too much significance even though she'd never admit it.

She'd never been a planner. In fact it was a concept she tried so hard to avoid but in the two days since her break up with Paige she realised a lot. She broke up with Paige because she kept trying to map out her future for her and that scared her.

Plan's lead to disappointment. Her mom had plans, needless to say they never worked out. The only plan that ever worked in her family was her father's plan to bolt the second he found out her mom was pregnant.

Paige was destined for a good life with a good career after she graduated from Banting. Alex wouldn't be the only flaw in her otherwise perfect life.

She knew what she had gave up in Paige but it was only because she really cared about the blonde. She knew there was logic in it somewhere, it was just confused logic. If she could just figure out how to not be her mother but in her own way, in a way she knew wouldn't fail, then maybe she could be worthy of fighting for Paige.

So, she finally turned her back on that room and left.

Paige Michalchuk had been a shell of her former self for two days straight and she was sick of it. She'd been a mess and she begged Alex to take her back. She'd never done that in her life. She'd never met anyone who made her so pathetic.

"Paige, you're pathetic."

She didn't even raise her head to look at Dylan, she just stayed how she'd been all day, lying on her bed starring at either the pillow or the wall.

"Thanks." She mumbled weakly.

Dylan sighed then took Paige by the arm and easily pulled her up so she was sitting next to him.

"Leave me alone! Why did you even come back home so early!" She said as she shoved him.

"Love. I came back for Marco and it worked. I didn't lie in bed all day feeling sorry for myself."

She finally looked him in the eye, her fury was obvious. "I went after her, you know that! I begged her to go to Banting! She just doesn't want me and you rubbing it in doesn't help."

Dylan put his arm around his little sister's shoulders. "Trust your gay big brother's relationship advice, especially since I got the entire run-down from Marco - Alex loves you, even if neither of you will admit that, and it seems like she thinks she's doing the best for both of you but if you just talk to her again, tell her you want her, she'll eventually get the message."

Paige wiped the stray tears from her face. "Can you give me a ride?"

Paige paced the hallway outside Alex's apartment. She could do this. She just had to convince Alex that she can be her own person, not Paige's shadow.

Finally stepping up to the door she knocked. After a few moments she heard some noise then the door swung open.

"Paige. Come on in." Alex's mom had obviously been woken by her knocking.

"Hi. Is Alex in her room?" She asked stepping inside.

Her mom shrugged, "had a late night, was catching up on some sleep so you go on and check."

Paige thanked her then headed to Alex's room. Her stomach was doing flips but she didn't slow down. When she opened the door she expected to see Alex stretched out on her bed, headphones on, completely oblivious to the world but instead she saw a more empty room than normal. Her pile of CD's were gone, along with her clothes and her duffel.

The only thing in the room that stuck out was the neat pile of clothes on the mattress. Her heart stopped. She knew they were her's. But they became Alex's when she did. If she was getting them back it was like she really wasn't Alex's any more.

Paige wasn't sure what happened next. She was carrying the pile of clothes, hugging them close to her chest as she struggled to keep composed. She said something to Alex's mom who just waved her off. Once she had left the apartment complex and got back to Dylan's car she broke down. Her brother was asking her what had happened, then he gave up and just hugged her but none of it made a difference.