A/N: Well this is fun, updating a story that hasn't been updated for two years. But reading through it, I remembered two things: how awesome my idea was, how much MORE awesome I can make this story with new ideas and an extended vocabulary, and how awesome the band Split Fifty is. Okay, three things, but still. I hope this will pick up readers again... And just a forewarning, I might be extremely late with updates because I started this in high school, and now I'm a college freshman with eighteen credit hours. . Keep pestering me until I update if I'm horribly late, I'll even give you my yahoo messenger name: Saya_ LET'S BE FRIENDS! By the way, this chapter takes place two weeks prior to the other two. Yay back story!

Astrid ran out the double doors of Lakeshore High School, her jade green eyes distorted with tears. She wiped them angrily away as she slowed her pace, putting her skullcandy earbuds in her ears, determined to block out the world and it's jerks named Chris. Chris... the boy who had just broken up with her for blond, hour-glass figured, Tawny; the head cheerleader. "What's so great about her anyway!?" She screamed out loud in anger, asking the world an unanswerable question. Her eyes were squeezed shut as the lyrics of End Transmission by AFI washed over her. Unfortunately as her eyes squeezed shut a black-haired boy was walking out of the coffee shop she was walking into. She felt herself falling, but the boy caught her shoulders, looking down at her with concern in his gray eyes.

"Are you okay?" The boy looked down at the girl who bumped into him, concerned for he saw her tears. "Here, come have a cup of coffee with me." He gently led her into the coffee shop, picking a table well away from the door, where not many people would notice them. "My name is Allesio, what's yours?"

Astrid didn't know why she had followed Allesio into the coffee shop, perhaps because she was hurt and confused. "Astrid." She breathed deeply, trying to stop herself from crying. She hated crying, especially with an audience, for she hated being told everything would be alright when she felt nothing would ever be alright ever again.

"Astrid, what a pretty name. Tell me, Astrid, why are you crying?" Allesio smiled slightly at Astrid, encouraging her to talk to him. He looked up as a waitress approached, surprised at his return, and with company. "I'd like a Hawaiian Kona, black. What would you like Astrid? I'll pay for it." He looked to the girl, one eyebrow raised.

"Just the regular kind, with sugar and no cream." Astrid tugged her shirt sleeve, as she often did when she was nervous, her eyes turned down to the expanse of wood table between her and Allesio. When the waitress was gone, she turned her eyes up towards the man across from her, seeing again the concern in his gray eyes. "I don't know if I should talk about it to someone I just met..."

Allesio smiled slightly. "I can understand why you hesitate, but since I'm treating you to coffee, the least you can do is tell me why." He looked at her with a half amusement shining in his eyes, briefly masking the concern.

"I got broken up with... I had been dating him for a year, and he broke up with me for the head cheerleader, perky, perfect, Tawny." Astrid sighed, her long, black hair falling in her face. She sighed impatiently and grabbed a hair tie out of the front pocket of her bag, quickly, and flawlessly putting her hair in a pony tail, her bangs framing her face. "He told me..." she sighed again, trying to keep from shedding fresh tears. "He told me that he had been waiting to go out with her half the time he was going out with me. He sabotaged her relationship and had been seeing her on the side. Apparently, everyone knew but me." She bit her lip, hard.

"It sounds like you're better off without him, and he doesn't deserve a pretty girl like you." Allesio smiled a bit at Astrid gently placing his hand over hers. "I know that it's a common, cliché thing to say, but I really do mean it." He smiled a bit more as Astrid gave him a small smile. He looked up as the waitress brought them their coffee.

"You're lucky, this was the last bit of Hawaiian Kona we had." The waitress set the cups in front of Allesio and Astrid before walking off to serve two more people who had just come in.

"Nothing like a good cup of Hawaiian coffee. I have rare, expensive tastes." Allesio grinned at Astrid, taking a sip of his coffee. "Do you not like the cream they have here, or...?"

"Oh, I used to drink it all the time, but then I went vegan." Astrid was ready for the look of shock followed by the lengthy interrogation, and the long speech about how stupid that was. But she was surprised when it didn't come.

"That's interesting. I've never met a vegan before, I thought they were just myths and didn't really exist." Allesio grinned, lightly teasing Astrid. He was glad when she giggled appreciatively, and briefly mused about how adorable her giggle was. "But anyways, that's an amazing choice you made, and I applaud you for it."

Astrid smiled a bit, suddenly feeling halfway happy. "Thanks. That's not the reaction I usually get. Usually it's stares implying I'm crazy, a million questions about it, and then actually told I'm crazy. The change is nice." She sipped her coffee, glad she had run into Allesio, he was the nicest person she had ever met; a great improvement over Chris.

"I never condemn another person's choices, especially when it comes to what they consume." Allesio smiled over the rim of his coffee cup, more smiling at the irony of it over everything else. "You seem incredibly intelligent, and you're also very pretty. I think that boy was a fool to break up with you, but people these days only seemed concerned over who they can trick into bed than what's in a person's head."

Astrid looked away, blushing. "Yeah, I guess you're right." She squeezed her eyes shut tight, suddenly wanting to run away and cry some more.

"Ah. I'm sorry, I believe I spoke out of turn." Allesio could guess by Astrid's expression and her blush what he had said wrong. "I'm sorry."

"It's alright, you're right. He is. I'm not angry at him, or you, I'm angry at me for falling for it; I can't believe I was so stupid." Astrid spoke quietly, her face still turned to the left.

"Not stupid. It was just a lapse in judgment; it happens to the best of us, my dear." Allesio gently patted Astrid's hand reassuringly as she took another sip of her coffee, both of their cups half gone.

"It was a mistake, that is for sure. But it was a mistake I learned from." Astrid didn't know why she was telling Allesio everything; he was just so easy to talk to, and she couldn't seem to control what spilled out between her lips around him. "It was just a week ago. We'd been going out so long, I thought.... I thought wrong." She sighed deeply, composing herself.

"I believe the Beatles said it best; with every mistake we must surely be learning." Allesio smiled reassuringly. He smiled more when Astrid looked up at him with eyes full of hope, and a radiant smile on her face.

"While My Guitar Gently Weeps." Astrid wiped away the stray tears that had somehow escaped to her light skin. She smiled at Allesio, glad she had met him, and that he had been so nice to her as she knew countless others wouldn't have been. "Good taste, you have." She took the last sips of her coffee, setting the cup down on the dark wood table.

"Why thank you." Allesio grinned as he took his last sips of coffee. "Would you care for another cup?" He didn't want one, but he was always courteous.

"No, thank you." Astrid looked down at her watch and was shocked by what time it was. "I have to get home before my mom and brother." She swiftly stood up, surprised when Allesio rose as well.

"Please allow me to accompany you. I'd like to see you again." Allesio hoped that Astrid would say yes, the girl intrigued him, and he wanted to spend more time with her. His face noticeably lit up when she nodded her head with a smile. "Splendid." He offered her his arm, and after a deep blush, and a few moments hesitation, she gently put her hand on it.

Only an hour ago, Astrid had never imagined that she would walk out of her favorite coffee shop with her eyes dry, and her head held high, but there she was. But as she and Allesio walked towards the door, she caught sight of blond hair and couldn't help but turn. There was Chris and Tawny making goo goo eyes at each other and grinning like idiots.

"Wow, Astrid, I guess I wasn't the only faithless one." Chris grinned maliciously, winking at Tawny, causing the blond barbie to giggle.

Before Astrid could say anything in retort, Allesio stepped forward. "Ah, so you must be the cad that made this beautiful girl cry. I met her on my way out of the shop when she bumped into me, blind with tears. I invited her to partake in a cup of coffee with me and tell me what happened and I was shocked to find anyone would leave her for someone like the dunderhead you're with."

"Chris, I didn't understand half of what he said..." Tawny looked at Chris, looking pouty. Chris, however was too busy glaring at Allesio to notice.

"What business is it of yours? I only dumped Astrid because she wouldn't put out, and when she did, it was lousy. Tawny on the other hand, she's great in the sack." Chris grinned, knowing he had virtually hit Astrid in the gut and totally destroyed her social life.

"You tell him, Chris! I'm great in bed, and pretty to boot." Tawny giggled, trailing her fingers up Chris's arm.

"I think you got just the girl you deserve, Astrid is far too good for you." Allesio couldn't help but chuckle at both Chris and Tawny's immense stupidity. "Shallow as a shower. Come along Astrid, I think if we stay our I.Q's will drop by five points." He led Astrid out of the coffee shop, leaving Chris and Tawny stunned.

"Cute Is What We Aim For? Do your musical tastes know no bounds? You are a god, man!" Astrid giggled, not even looking over her shoulder as she and Allesio exited the coffee shop. She knew that Allesio had only stunned Chris and Tawny, not much else, but she was still incredibly happy, because she knew and understood everything he had said to the duo which couldn't be said for Tawny, and she was sure, Chris. "You were right, he doesn't deserve me."

Allesio grinned at the teen, glad he had made her happy. "Why thank you. That was quite fun, and we must make it a point to run into them again so that I may do an encore." He chuckled lightly. "How far is your house?"

"Not far, just down the street." Astrid led Allesio to her house, glad she had made it back before her mother and brother returned. "This is it. 204 Cleveland. Do you want to come in?" She looked at Allesio, wondering what he would say.

"Unfortunately, I cannot. But I'd like to see you tomorrow if that's alright. Join me for coffee tomorrow, same time same place?" He looked down at Astrid, already knowing the answer.

"Of course I will. See you tomorrow then?" She smiled a bit as Allesio nodded. She turned to walk into her house, waving at the man before walking inside, sighing happily as she closed the door.