Disclaimer- Please refer back to the first chapter.

Close Call

May dropped the phone into its receiver and was out the door just seconds later. She cursed herself for letting Brendan borrow her car. Of course, she figured she wouldn't need it that day after her date with him. His own vehicle was in for repairs and he needed hers to get to work. She sprinted down the street and praised the Lord that the city was small and not over populated. She also rejoiced for the fact that Drew lived three streets down from her.

She dodged around an old man who was out walking his dog and nearly collided with a little kid on his skate board. He yelled at her in a very childlike manner and told her to watch where she was going, but May wasn't paying attention. Her sole objective now was to get to Drew before it was too late.

'Please Drew, wait for me!'

Tears leaked from the corners of her eyes and blurred her vision, causing her to stumble and fall. She ignored the pain in her knee and hands, focusing only on her goal. She had to stop him, she just had to. Ever since the first day they had met in a park of green and sun she had felt something towards the cocky boy. That was seven years ago, but she remembered it as if it were only yesterday.

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A twelve year old May tossed a Frisbee high in the air, cheering for her little brother when he caught it. Their game of catch went on uninterrupted for some time after, the chirping of birds their only company.

"Good job Max! Come on, throw it back to me!"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm goin'!" The boy tossed the flying disc back to his sister, but a gust of wind carried it over her head.

"Too high! Wait, where'd it go?" May spun around, searching for the bright red toy.

"Hey, are you looking for this?" A green-haired boy stepped out of the bushes behind May and held the red Frisbee up, his eyebrow quirked in amusement.

"Yes! Thanks! What's you name?" May smiled and took the Frisbee from his hand when he offered it, her gratitude evident.

"Drew. And yours?" He flipped his bangs out of his eyes stuffed his hands on his pockets.

"I'm May, and this is my brother Max. Do you wanna play Frisbee with us?" She tilted her head in question.

"Yeah sure, why not." He shrugged and May handed him the Frisbee, her smile widening.

"Great, you get first throw!"

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She remembered going to the ice cream parlor afterwards, laughing when her brother started a whipped cream war with Drew. She was dragged into it, and all of them went home with sticky hands and faces. Drew was a constant sight with her from that time on, and Max began to tease her about it when he got older.

She was only two streets from his house now, her lungs burning and her legs begging to stop. But she refused to listen to her body, she would not slow down until she was on his doorstep. He meant too much to her, their bond was something she would give anything for.

May dashed across the street and cut through some person's yard, ignoring the snarl she received from an annoyed bulldog. Only one street to go. It felt like she had been running forever, and with every passing second her heart feared the worst had already happened.

'Drew, you promised, please wait for me!'

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The knife shook in his hands, and his chest ached something horrible. That image, it was forever burned into the back of his eyelids. Every time he tried to close his eyes, every time he tried to get away from the sight of that shiny blade, that picture would flash behind his lids. The emotional pain was staggering, he couldn't control the wretched tears that burned and leaked from his eyes.

She had kissed him, he had kissed her. That was something Drew wanted to be able to do ever since she first smiled at him. He had wanted to hold her like that ever since the first time he saw her cry. But no, he couldn't do anything. A friendly hand squeeze, a comforting smile, that was the limit to what he was permitted.

She had someone else, she loved someone else. Brendan was the one who could do those affectionate things for her, the only one who could kiss her. It was something Drew ached for so badly, but it was out of his reach. He was the best friend, he was the rock of unwavering support that she came to when something went wrong in a relationship that he wanted.

He bit his lip and clenched the handle of the knife, anger and hurt boiling inside him. The tang of blood touched his tongue, but he tried to ignore it. All he wanted was May. That's all he wanted. She was his only, she was the significant other he needed.

Something about the situation he was in jogged his memory, and he was taken back to a moment that he had tried to bury, tried to forget. It was something he would give anything to erase from history, a blight on his friendship with May.

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Drew strolled through the park where he had met May six years prior. The air was warm and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. It was a day that should've been remembered for good things. That wasn't what happened.

"Drew! Hey, wait up!" The green haired boy turned to see Mat running after him, her hand waving in greeting.

He stopped walking and waited for her to catch up, an amused smile toying with his lips. Her bubbly nature could do that to anyone really.

"How's it going?" She was all smiles, more so than usual.

"Good. What's with you today?" He quirkeda brow at her, receiving a confused look in return.

"What do you mean?"

"You're acting funny."

"I'm not acting funny! This is how I always am!" She propped her fists on her hips, obviously annoyed.

"No, something's different. You're too happy."

"Too happy? What's wrong with being happy?"

"Happy is okay, you're too happy. All that extra smiling is really annoying."

"What?! Did you just call me annoying?"

He sighed. "You need to relax May. You're overreacting." He flipped his bangs out of his eyes and stuffed his hands into his pockets, a very common trait for the boy.

"I am not overreacting!"

"Yes you are."

"Whatever!" She grouched and crossed her arms, pouting. Fighting wasn't something new to them. A day when they didn't quarrel over something was odd.

Silence relaxed the tension between the pair and when May dropped her hands to her sides Drew figured she was calm enough to talk to.

"So what had you in such a happy mood?"

"It's not like you're really going to care."

"Try me."She debated this for a while, and that overenthusiastic smile broke out on her face once more.

"I have a boyfriend!" Her squeal made it obvious that she was happy, and Drew stopped dead in his tracks.

"What?"

"I said I have a boyfriend!" She grinned at him, but the joy wasn't shared.

"Oh." He stared at the dirt, not quite sure what he should make of her declaration.

It wasn't like he had really thought about it before, the fact that she was attracting more of the male species now that she was older. He had always assumed that it would be just the two of them, that there would never be anything more than their friendship. But now, now that had changed. She had found someone that she loved. Someone who would be there to make her happy, and that relationship was going to be more important to her than the friendship they had.

He didn't understand why it made him feel…..hurt? He couldn't tell. His eyes shadowed over and he almost felt the need to yell at her.

"You were right."

"About what?"

"I don't care." He knew by the way she flinched that he had hurt her more than he had ever done in the past, but he couldn't let her know he felt just a little bit betrayed because she had found a guy in her life that was more important than he was.

He forced himself to walk away, to not look at her face. He knew if he stayed for her reaction he wouldn't be able to handle it. He knew the look on her face would be so heartbreaking that he would probably do something stupid.

So he just walked away without looking back.

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The memory was haunting and painful. He knew he should've at least smiled for her, he could've tried to be happy. But he wasn't, so he didn't try. He never really knew what made him so upset about her having a boyfriend at that time, but as days progressed he came to know. He loved her.

They didn't speak to each other for about a week after, and when they did their conversation was awkward and short. He tried to apologize for his actions once, but she just told him to forget about it. She said it wasn't right to rub it in his face like that, or something of the sort.

He managed to patch things up with her, and their friendship was once again a stable constant. The only difference was that May wasn't around as much. Almost all of her time was spent with Brendan. Drew watched from jealous eyes one day when he walked by the ice cream parlor and saw the lovebirds sharing a sundae. It made him sick.

He wanted to be the one she shared ice cream with. He tried to avoid places that May like to visit from then on out unless he was with her. He knew they would've been there, laughing and smiling at each other, holding hands…..it was too much for him to handle.

The silver blade pressed more firmly against his skin, and he knew it wouldn't take much more pressure to draw blood. He stared at his reflection in the metal, angry with himself. He was weak. He turned to pain when he needed an outlet. He could've gone to someone, he could've called May and talked to her the first time he ever felt like he needed to do this wretched thing, but he didn't.

He didn't think she of all people needed to share his burden, his sorrow. So, he took it upon himself to relieve his frustration. But now…...now May knew what he did. She knew he cut himself, and she was worried for him. The pressure of the blade on his skin relaxed ever so slightly. He was making her worry, he was causing her grief when she didn't need it. He was making her sad.

The knife clattered to the tiled floor, unused.

The front door crashed open. Drew snapped to attention when he heard May calling for him.

"May? I'm right here, May!" He stood and opened the bathroom door just as the blue eyed brunette skidded to a halt in from of him.

"Drew!! Are you okay?!" She was breathing hard and her face was beat red. She looked like she was close to passing out from exhaustion.

"I'm fine….May, did you run all the way here?" She nodded.

"Brendan…has my car." She swayed slightly, and Drew grabbed her arm to give her some support.

"Come on, you should sit down." He took her by the shoulders and led her to the living room, seating her on the couch.

May relaxed and thumped back against the cushion, her eyes studying him. For some time they sat like that before Drew attempted to break the silence.

"May….I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you worry, you deserve to be spending time with him, not watching over me like this. I can handle it."

Her hand shot out and grabbed his wrist, yanking it forward and exposing the brutal cuts and scars.

"Drew, if this is what you mean by 'you can handle it' then I'm not going to run off with Brendan! I'd never be able to forgive myself if…..if you….needed me and I wasn't there…." She stared at the floor, her eyes cloudy.

"I can take care of myself, May." It hurt him to say those words with such a bitter tone, but he had to. He had to make her leave and forget him so she could be happy. All he did was make her cry.

"What?"

"I said I can take care of myself, I don't need your help. I won't be such a burden anymore!" May's expression became angry as she stood from the couch, her hands shaking.

"How could you say that? You think you're a burden?! Drew, you think you don't need anyone because you're so arrogant! If you would just relax and lean on someone every once and a while life wouldn't be so hard! I always had our friendship when I was having rough times, don't you think it would work the same way for you? I just want to be there for you, like you were for me. Please Drew, don't push me away!" Hot tears spilled from her eyes and her whole body was shaking with pent up emotion.

Drew just sat there, his eyes wide. He truly didn't know what to say.

"May……" He stood and enveloped her in a tight embrace, a grateful smile turning his lips. "Thank you."

May wrapped her arms around him, silent tears soaking into his shirt. It seemed like the only time they ever got to spend with each other was when something bad happened nowadays. When the tears stopped and Drew relaxed his grip they broke apart, both quite unwilling.

"Drew, promise me you won't scare me like that again. I almost got plowed over by some skateboarder!" She sniffled and gave him a weak smile.

He smiled in return and grasped her hands, giving them a reassuring squeeze.

"I promise, May."

"Why…..why did you break down like that, anyways?" She cocked her head and gave him a quizzical look.

Drew turned his head and stared at the carpet, unable to meet her gaze.

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Drew…."

"Please May, not now."

"But will you tell me when you're ready?"

"I will."

"Good." She nodded her head and smiled at him, her blue eyes bright again.

"So….do you have any plans? I mean, if you don't it'd be nice to spend some time together again." He scratched the back of his head, trying his best to remain casual.

"Well, Brendan is working late today, so I guess it's a date! Err….well, I mean…..you know what I mean!" Drew just laughed at her red face and turned to the kitchen.

"Come on, I've been wanting some cookies for a long time. Now that you're here, I'd better put you to work!" He smirked and she swatted him on the shoulder.

"I'll only help if we make chocolate chip cookies! You know they're my favorite……eep!!" Drew tossed a towel at her and it hit her square in the face. "Hey! What was that for!?"

"You were drooling. Now hurry up and wash your hands!" May scowled at him and turned the facet, scrubbing her hands thoroughly.

It wasn't long before they had forgotten about the entire cutting incident. The smell of baking cookies could do that to anyone. The two were busy cleaning up the mess when Drew got a devilish idea.

"Hey May?" He was currently working beside her to clean up a pile of spilled flour.

"What?" She turned to look at him.

"You've got some flour on your nose." He reached over and tweaked it, leaving white fingerprints on her face.

"Drew!!" He laughed as she rubbed away the powder, sneezing. "Oh, you think it's just so funny, don't you!" She grabbed a handful of the loose flour and tossed it at him, snorting when it poofed against his face, leaving him looking like a ghost.

"Hey!" He threw a handful back, and it wasn't long before they had gotten into a full-blown flour faceoff.

Five minutes later they were covered in white, and it appeared as if it had snowed in the kitchen.

"I won." Drew proclaimed with a smirk, sitting in a heavily floured chair.

"You did not!" May barked from her position on the floor.

"I did too. You have a lot more flour on you than I have on me." He said smugly, flipping his hair. A small dusting of flour was rustled from his bangs when he did so and it settled on his nose.

"How can you tell? From my point of view you're the one who's covered in more flour!" She folded her arms across her chest indignantly.

"No, I'll show you." Drew dragged her off the floor and pulled her down the hallway and into the bathroom.

The two stood in front of the body mirror and examined each other, trying to figure out who had more flour on their person.

"Well…..I hate to admit it but it looks like a tie." May shrugged stared at the mirror a while longer.

"Humph. I still won." Drew spun on his heel and exited the bathroom, followed by May who rolled her eyes.

Men.

Drew produced two glasses from the cupboard and set them on the table, filling them each with milk. It wasn't long before the cookies were done and May pulled the tray out of the oven, taking an indulgent whiff of the newly made treats. They were soon served up on a plate and set out on the table, steaming with chocolate chippy goodness. May grabbed a cookie and dunked it in her glass, groaning when she took a bite. They were delicious! Drew smiled and took a cookie as well, choosing to eat it as it was.

Just like old times.

The two worked their way through the plate of cookies, chatting comfortably and relaxing. When the final crumb was eaten and the last drop of milk drained from the glass May and Drew sighed and stared at the kitchen. It was a mess. May stood and brushed herself off, adding to the white powder coating the floor. She grabbed the dishrag from the sink and began to wipe down table, humming to herself.

Drew shook his head and shrugged, heading off to find the mop. Well, it was better to clean it now when he had help than to wait and clean up by himself. He sighed. His house always seemed a bit more lonely when May left. Drew grabbed the mop from the closet and headed back to the kitchen.

He came upon the flour covered war zone just in time. May slipped on a particularly thick coating of flour and fell backwards, gasping in shock. Drew was right there to catch her, his eyes wide with alarm.

"Are you okay May?"

"I'm fine! I guess I'm just a klutz." She blushed slightly and stood up, Drew supporting her with a hand.

"Be more careful, idiot." He relaxed and calmed his frayed nerves, assuring herself that she was okay.

"Yeah, yeah…" She rolled her eyes and continued to wipe away the flour on the table, rinsing out her washrag every now and again.

The two worked in a comfortable silence to clean up the mess, content with the presence of one another. When they had managed to clean the entire kitchen until it was spotless Drew returned the mop to the closet, glad to be getting rid of the thing.

"Hey, Drew, I think I should be getting home now. It's starting to get dark and I want to make it back before Brendan gets home with my car." She glanced out the window, clearly annoyed with the rapidly setting sun.

"Oh don't worry, I'll drive you home. It's not like I have anything else to do." He shrugged and grabbed his car keys off of the counter, heading for the door.

"Really? Thanks Drew, I'd rather not have to walk home in the dark!" She smiled and followed him.

"It's not a problem."

The car ride to Mays house was uneventful, and when they arrived her car was parked and waiting in front of the house.

"Oh no." She breathed and ran her fingers through her hair, obviously bothered by the sight of her vehicle.

"What's wrong?"

"I told Brendan I'd be here when I got back."

"So? It's not like he's going to freak out or anything."

"Drew, you don't get it. The last time I told him I'd be home when he got there I was out back tending to my garden. When I came inside again he-"

"May!! Where have you been?! I've been trying to find you for the past fifteen minutes!" Brendan threw open the door of the house and jogged out to where Drew and May were standing.

"It's okay, I was just over at Drew's place. I missed seeing my friends, that was all. I didn't mean to make you worry." She smiled gently and stepped forward, grabbing Brendan by the hand.

Drew felt a pang of jealousy in his gut as he stared at their fingers twined together. The ache in his chest returned, but he tried to maintain his composure while he was in front of May. She didn't need to worry any more about him.

"Next time you decide to wander off maybe you should call me at work and let me know what you're doing! He tugged on her hand and led her back to the house, not even bothering to acknowledge Drew's presence.

"I'll see you later Drew!" She waved back at him and stumbled on behind Brendan.

Drew waved in return and offered her a smile before she disappeared into the house. As soon as she was gone, however his face blanked out and he walked back to his car, chest aching. Brendan seemed a bit more….possessive since he had seen him last. The look in Mays eyes seemed almost helpless.

There was something wrong with that relationship. It just didn't seem right.

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Alright everybody! I finally posted again! (Wee!) You might have been noticing all my new one-shots popping up, and you've probably also been wondering why it's taking so long for me to update. Well, one-shots don't require nearly as much commitment as chappie fics, and I'm also a very bad procrastinator. Yes, bad author! Anywho, I hope you enjoyed the second chapter!! I actually had a bit of fun writing it, even though it kind of jumped around a lot.

I'll try to update quicker next time, sorry!! Please forgive me…..encouraging reviews will get me going faster, so feel free to leave a nice little message before you leave! Thanks for all of your support you guys, I really appreciate it! I actually didn't expect to get so many reviews the first chapter….thanks!

Yummy chocolate chip cookies for all who leave a nice review! And our wonderful Drew will even bake them with love…aw. XD Thanks again for reading! I WILL UPDATE SOONER!! HOORAH!!

Mistoffelees Shadow