Well, I finally updated! Again, thanks so much to everyone who's read and reviewed this story. :) I'm not too happy with this chapter, but I wanted to get it written before the next, you know, century, and this was the best I could come up with.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

She might as well have slapped him.

Heck, she should have slapped him- and hard. Maybe then he would've just fallen unconscious. Maybe then he wouldn't have heard those words, those cutting words that pierced his heart like Cronus' scythe and made an irreparable tear in the fabric of their friendship. Oh, god…their friendship. Had he messed it up? Was it over? Archie cringed at the thought. He'd never had many friends, and he'd certainly never had a best friend.

Not before Atlanta.

"Don't hate me." He mumbled, shifting slightly closer to the redhead but still keeping a decent amount of space between them. Atlanta didn't react. She sat frozen, staring off into space and biting her lip. Archie didn't know whether to be upset at the lack of a response, or relieved at the fact that she didn't move away. Hesitantly, he scooted even closer. "Please, Atlanta. Please don't hate me."

Atlanta's head was spinning. He loved her. Her best friend was in love with her. But how much? For how long? His lips were moving. He was talking to her, but what was he saying? She was only half paying attention, still caught up in her thoughts. And now…oh, gods. He was moving towards her. Was he going to hug her? He spoke again. Moved again.

…Was he going to kiss her?

Gods, I hope so. Atlanta thought, almost dreamily.

Wait, what?

Her feelings confused her. Scared her. Heck, even that was an understatement. They terrified her. The huntress suddenly leapt to her feet, startling Archie and sprinting out of the room as fast as…well, as fast as Atlanta. "My date's in half an hour." She threw the words over her shoulder as she darted down the hallway, and Archie barely heard the statement over the sound of the bedroom door slamming behind her. After a beat, he buried his head in his hands, leaning back against the bed with a noise that was somewhere between a sigh and a groan.

That was it, then.

No; "I love you too, Arch!" No kiss. No hug. Not even an; "Of course I don't hate you…but I'd really rather just be friends right now."

She'd run away. As if disgusted by him. Afraid of him.

Forget friendship, let alone dating. He'd count himself lucky if she ever even spoke to him again.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Atlanta hung up the phone with an audible sigh, drawing the attention of the redheaded girl who just happened to be walking past. Theresa turned at the sound and wandered over to the huntress, wrapping an arm around the younger girl's shoulders.

"Everything okay?"

"I called Gus and cancelled our date." Atlanta mumbled, relaxing into Theresa's embrace.

"What? Oh, thank god, Lannie! That guy's such a jerk." Theresa exclaimed excitedly. "What did you tell him?"

"That I didn't feel good." Atlanta stated simply. Theresa frowned.

"You're not getting sick or something, are you?" She asked. Atlanta shook her head.

"I said that I felt bad…I never specified that I felt sick. It…wasn't exactly a lie."

"What happened, Lan?" Theresa questioned, pulling away slightly and giving the huntress a questioning look. Atlanta gave an exasperated cry and strode towards the window, startling her companion. Without warning, she spun around to face Theresa again, throwing her arms up in the air as she did so.

"I don't know what happened, that's the problem! One minute Archie and I were just hanging out, and the next he told me…well…he implied that he was in love with me or something. Maybe he isn't, I don't know, but I could've sworn that that's what he was trying to say. And then I freaked out, and he leaned in, and I thought that he was going to…to kiss me. And then I…then I…" Atlanta trailed off, biting her lip nervously.

"Then you what, Atlanta?" Theresa prodded, looking concerned.

"And then I…oh my god, Terry. And then I wanted him to. There! I said it! I wanted Archie-my best friend Archie- to kiss me."

Had it not been for Atlanta's obvious distress, Theresa would have grinned. Instead, she merely pulled the younger girl in for a hug and whispered consolingly; "Oh, Lannie…"

Atlanta shook her head vigorously, moving away. "But after that…I ran. It scared me, Terry! I've never felt like this before. Well, I kind of did with Pan, but the feeling wasn't this…strong, you know? It felt like…well, it felt like whatever you must feel

when you look at Jay."

Theresa coughed loudly, her face suddenly changing colour so that it rivaled Atlanta's hair. Oblivious, the huntress continued her rant.

"And that's why I left. And now he hates me! I know that he hates me. He'd be an idiot not to hate me." She paused. "Well, he is an idiot, but still. And now he's probably never going to want to go running with me again, or go boarding, or watch a movie with me, or go to the mall, or-"

"Atlanta." Theresa cut her off sharply, her tone a hundred percent serious. "Archie doesn't hate you. Just trust me on this. But you do need to talk to him. Sort things out. You know?"

"And tell him what?"

"The truth. Just… tell him that you love him." A soft smile crossed Theresa's face as she spoke, and Atlanta paled at her words.

"What? But Terry, I don't- I mean…" She rolled her eyes, taking on a defeated expression. She turned to walk away, but stopped when the reached the next room. She turned to the fighter and said simply; "But just because I'm in love with him, it doesn't mean that I don't still think of him as a dork."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Chances are that there will be only one more chapter before the end of the story. I was actually going to finish it off in this chapter, but then I added in a bunch of random stuff and it started getting too long...so another chapter it is! I promise to try and update more quickly this time.

As always, reviews are more than welcome!