She pulled into Zack's driveway and had second thoughts. She almost turned around, but it was too late. The porch light came on, and she knew she couldn't turn back. She tried her best to check her face for any signs of tears, but the lighting was too dim. Slowly, she got out of the car, and made her way up the sidewalk.

When she reached Zack's door, she didn't have to knock. The door opened, "Hey, Kelly," he welcomed before even getting a glimpse of her.

"How did you know it was me?" she asked.

"I recognized the sound of your parent's car." When Kelly looked at him quizzically, he quickly added, "They took us on a lot of dates," and shrugged.

The corner of Kelly's mouth lifted into a small smile.

Zack closed the door behind her, then, he noticed her eyes were red and her mascara was slightly smeared. "Is everything ok?" Zack asked concerned.

"I just had a hard day at work." Kelly tried to smile, but it turned into a frown despite her best efforts. She took a deep breath, and then asked, "Can we go for a walk? I need to blow off some steam."

"Sure," Zack replied.

Then, she paused for a moment. "Will your parents mind?"

Zack thought for a moment. "Mmm… probably," he gave her a coy grin.

Kelly couldn't help but chuckle.

They walked two blocks with no sounds, but the passing cars. Zack glanced over at Kelly several times, each time she was looking straight ahead intently with both arms crossed tightly. He shoved his hands into his pockets to fight the urge of reaching for her hand.

"We should probably head back," Zack told her. "It is a school night you know," he joked. He didn't really care about the time, but he figured Kelly's parents would.

Kelly nodded. As they turned, she linked her arm through Zack's. The right corner of his mouth lifted.

He broke the silence. "So did you just drop by to exercise?" he asked with a half smile.

She smiled weakly at him. "I don't know," she replied gazing at the sidewalk in front of her as they walked. "I just had a hard day and… needed a friend."

Zack pondered her words for a moment. Jessie lived right next door to him; she was always willing to help or talk. Kelly told Jessie everything. Lisa lived even closer to Kelly than he did, and usually Kelly confided in her. Yet, here she was with him. "Why me, Kel?" he asked softly. "Why didn't you go to Lisa or Jessie?"

"You're the first person that I thought of." She didn't know why she thought of him over her two best friends. She couldn't explain it. That was the only reason she could give him, and he seemed content with leaving it at that.