I know, I know... I'm a horrible person. I haven't updated in months. I'm so sorry! I somehow fell of the writing bandwagon or whatever. I will try to be more active, but please only expect about a chapter every month. THANK YOU FOR 575 READS! 3, Cali


The next morning, Dan woke up on his floor with a splitting headache.
"Ugghhh..." he groaned, dragging a hand down his face. "How much did I drink last night?"
Grabbing the corner of his bed, he pulled himself to is feet, slipping and sliding on the various Pokemon cards strewn across the floor.
"Huh... How did these get here?" Dropping back to his knees, he attempted to put the cards in some kind of order before cursing and shoving them back in their drawer.

He stumbled down the hall to the kitchen, shutting the blinds as fast as his clumsy hands could manage. Fumbling at the kettle, he plopped a tea bag into a mug and waited for the water to boil.

Five minutes later, he was sitting down at the table with a steaming cup of tea. "I am never getting drunk again," he muttered, taking a long sip of the milky liquid.
Glancing around, he noticed a half-eaten bowl of popcorn on the couch, a few kernels spilt over the cushions.
"...Nicole wouldn't leave half a bowl of popcorn uneaten... Would she?" Walking down the stairs to Nicole's room, with one hand placed firmly on the banister, he knocked lightly on her door. "Hey Nicole? You in there?"
There was a long silence before a terse,
"I'm fine." sounded from inside. Dan paused, slightly worried.
"Are you sure? You sound a little-"
"I said I'm fine."

"Umm... Alright. If you need anything, just let me know." Dan turned and trudged back up the stairs, rubbing his aching forehead.
"Did I do something wrong?"


Nicole sat, hugging her knees, rocking back and forth on her bed. Dark circles hung beneath haunted eyes, eyes that showed too much pain and indicison for one body to handle.
She knew that Dan had been drunk off his ass, and had no idea what he had been doing. But when he slammed her into the wall, when he glared at her like that, something in her mind had just... shut down. She became that weak, broken, groveling shell that she had been turned into... That Jake had turned her into.
And in that moment, when Dan had taken her body and dashed it against the wall, he had looked so very much like Jake.


"Nicole?" Dan called, kicking her door gently. "Hello?"
"Hey." Nicole's voice was a quiet, raspy mutter, but Dan sighed in relief.
"Good, you're not dead. It would've taken hours to fill out the paperwork and get you a coffin and such." Getting the feeling that Nicole wasn't appreciating his humor, Dan hastily asked,
"So, why are you hiding in your room? Are you sick or something?"A sigh answered.
"No, I'm fine, just a little tired. Anywhy, why did you kick my door? Knocking is a thing, you know."
Dan chuckled in response. " Oh, I would've knocked, but I was sure you'd enjoy lunch more than the floor would."
Muffled footsteps padded across the wooden floor, and the door opened a crack. Messy brown hair and tired chocolatey eyes peered out.
"What was that about lunch?"