"He did what?" Anna shouted.

Esperanza was pacing around the living room of her friend's house. "You act as if he did it to you."

Anna stood up to stop her friend from going crazy. "You are my friend and I want to be there for you. Break ups are tough."

"Those were not the exact words he used. He said that he wanted to take a break. A break. From what? I see him once every month, and he wants a break? But he texted me this morning asking if he could still come see me before he goes home for his winter break."

"What did you say to him? No? Why does he think he can still show up here after breaking up with you? Anna questioned. Esperanza shook her head. "You are such a great help, Anna. But that is all beside the point. He has been acting odd lately and I honestly think that he is not himself. I want to talk to him in person."

The next day Max drove from Williamsburg, VA to Bethesda to face the music. Esperanza told him that they could talk privately, if only just to clear the air. "It's just been a long semester and I didn't know how to deal with a lot of things, Esi." Max sat at the table, across from Esperanza, playing with his French fries and refusing to look her in the eyes.

Esperanza was still not getting it. "But Max, I haven't really been holding you to any certain standards. I come visit 'you' on the weekends. I've helped you with all of your projects…and seen all of your grades. Did you have a complete 180 in the past month and fail?"Running his fingers through his hair he looked up and into her eyes for the first time. Something was different. They seemed to be darker and more distant. Not the same Max that she had left over a month ago in the dorm rooms at the University. "Max…what's wrong?"

"I…I…I only meant to do it because I couldn't stay awake to study one week. And one kid down the hall and I were talking and he gave me…" Esperanza could tell that Max was fidgeting under the table and she also knew what was coming up next. "Max…no! Please tell me that you didn't take drugs?" She jumped up and ran over to his side of the table, not caring about the scene that she was making. Max threw his arms around her. "Esi, I didn't mean to! I know that it must look wrong…" "Are you still doing whatever drug it is that he gave you?" Esperanza asked calmly. Max didn't respond. He continued to hold her and remained silent. "We're leaving." She placed a twenty dollar bill on the table and grabbed their jackets. "Come on. I said we are leaving."

Once outside she held her hand out, signaling for his keys. "Keys. I want whatever that kid gave you." She had already lost someone close to her due to drugs; she was not ready to lose the man that she loved. Taking the keys she popped open the trunk and took out his duffel bag. "I'm going to assume it's in your shower bag. That's where you usually put your medicine." She was frantic. Max placed his hands on her shoulders, causing her to stop what she was doing and turn and around. He tried to take the bag. "It's ok. Breathe." Esperanza rolled her eyes and ran her hands through her hair, pulling at the ends. "Ok? No. Not quite Max. Is it in there?"

"Yes. It's right here. That's all there is." He took the bottle out and handed it to her. Esperanza read the label. "What is this stuff?" "I don't know. It's just something that helps me stay awake…like super-energy pills or something." Shrugging his shoulders Max closed the trunk and headed towards the passenger seat. "Can we go somewhere where people will not stare at us?"

"Whatcha thinking?" Sean asked Holly as they drove down the highway, the music turned down low. She had her feet kicked up on his dashboard and was tracing patterns on the window, as rain fell outside. "What do you think of moving in together?" Sean took the idea in for a second. "It's a thought. We can talk about it when we get home." There was more silence in the car for a few more moments. "So, are you excited to see Alex?" Sean asked hesitantly. Holly put her feet down and sat up straight in the seat. "Why wouldn't I be? Sean, she's fine with everything now. She's happily in love. And we have actually gotten closer now that she's so far away. She said that you guys have actually talked a couple of times too."

"Ok, so that's true. We covered all the bad stuff. She did sound happy…" He let his words drift off as he stared at the road ahead of him. "Alex never sounds truly happy. That's what caught me off guard. She sounded as if she had thrown all caution to the wind, as the saying goes." Holly listened as her boyfriend spoke about his ex-girlfriend, her sister. "Well," Holly stated, "She's different. And we'll get to meet that different person tomorrow at the airport."

Anna and Chris had been dating for going on several months and had not really discussed what they would do after they graduated. "I applied to William & Mary and the University of Maryland." Chris stated. Anna shrugged her shoulders. "I haven't really applied anywhere except the community college. I think that everyone expects me to go off to New York and settle into a life there…honestly though that is not a terrible idea." Anna had not told anyone, not even her boyfriend or parents that she had applied to Brown, Columbia, and even NYU. She felt that Chris would be upset knowing that she would be in the same company of Zach all the time. While it was true that their break up was over, Anna had found it within herself to forgive Zach and move on to being friends again. They spoke over video-chat and visited whenever she came to the city. "Actually, Chris, can I be honest?" She waited for his response. When he didn't respond, she took that as her cue to go on.

"I cannot lie to you anymore about what is going on. I applied to several schools including NYU and Columbia."

"Wow, Anna." Chris stated. "That is amazing! Wouldn't it be awesome if you got into school in New York? I am sure that Eric would convince the women's coach to recruit you in a heartbeat." "But what about Zach? Are you not mad about me being in the same city as he is?" Anna asked her boyfriend. "Zach? No. He made a huge mistake, and I think that I know you well enough to say that you wouldn't talk to him if he was the last guy on earth." Chris' assumption was not really true. Anna decided to just tell him everything. "Well, not necessarily. I have been talking with him via email. I don't want to burst your bubble either, but I have seen him a few times since the premiere."

Chris stood up from the porch swing that they were sitting in and turned around. "Why would you hide this from me? I thought we were better than that. I need some time to think." He leaned down and kissed Anna on her forehead, before walking towards his car.

"Great," Anna said aloud to herself. "This is just why I keep everything to myself."

"Jon, sweetie." Ella said, as soon as the thought popped into her head. "Yes, Ella. Sweetie." Jon answered back mockingly. "I love you…and I think that we should move in together after this semester." She turned her head to look at his reaction. He gave a sheepish grin. "I thought that you would never come up with the idea by yourself." Ella jumped up in her seat, filled with the excitement of his answer. "Really? SO you mean that you've thought of it?"

"Thought of it?" Jon replied. "It is really all I think about. I love you so much and don't know what I would do without you. It is not fair, really. You are beautiful, smart, and best of all you are my best friend."

"Jon, you are my favorite." Ella leaned over and kissed her boyfriend on his cheek.