I know this isn't the...happiest of chapters, but I had a lot of fun writing this; and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it.

"Do you want the last slice?"

"I don't think I can eat another bite." I said, rubbing my stomach, to further prove my point.

"I don't think we've ever eaten this much in one night." Phil said, flopping back onto the bed.

"Actually, we did. Once. Do you remember, in...Fourth grade? We had that sleepover at the school?"

"Oh yeah! And we had burgers and chips and pizza."

"And we snuck chocolate in our bags so we could eat it while we were supposed to be asleep."

"And then Nicola Greymark caught us, and instead of saying something, she snuck into our tent and shared it." Phil sighed, as we reminisced the old days.

"God, I felt so sick the next day." I said, wincing slightly at the memory.

"Yeah, but we were kids. We were stupid, and immature. Hell, you told me the moon died because the sun killed it, and then resurrected itself each night. You said, that was why sometimes the moon was full, and sometimes it wasn't. Because when it wasn't, it hadn't fully resurrected itself."

"And you believed me!"

"I was young, and very gullible. And you were a very convincing storyteller."

I smiled, pleased with my past self.

"Do you ever miss the good old days?" Phil asked.

"Like when we were six and you climbed the big tree because you wanted to save Mrs Norris' tabby, who then jumped down from the tree. Except you didn't, you fell and you broke your wrist. Do you mean those good old days? Or, when we were eight, and we were playing pirates and you said I needed an eye patch, so you poked me in the eye to make it more real?"

"No. I mean, when taking the last cookie from the cookie jar was your biggest achievement. When the only thing you needed to worry about, was whether your dog would eat anymore of your unwanted vegetables. The only relationships that mattered were between you and your pet goldfish. You said I love you to your parents, or your stuffy, smelly grandparents; or your best friend because they were just words. Everyone said it, so you did too. It didn't mean anything."

"Phil..." I began, my tone becoming more serious.

"We always wanted to grow up. We couldn't wait to be teenagers, to have girlfriends, to stay up late at night because you could. To be alone in the house, because your parents trusted you enough. To play video games for hours because no one could tell you off. We were so naive back then; and wrong."

Phil sighed, shaking his head. I placed a cautious hand on his arm, squeezing gently.

"I hate him. I just, I hate him so much. But, I don't. You know? I still love him. Deep down, I still love him. And I hate that. I hate him for doing that to me, and I hate myself for still loving him. And, I hate myself for being so bloody weak. For falling for him in the first place, for believing all his lies, time after time. For letting him do all those things, and not saying anything. For keeping everything a secret because I thought it was the right thing."

"Phil, you're not weak."

"I was. Maybe I'm not now, maybe I've learnt. But I was. And perhaps if I wasn't so weak, if I had stood up for myself none of that would have happened. But I didn't. I fell; I was blinded by the love I thought was returned. He made me think that everything he did was normal, the way he treated me was right."

"And he was an idiot. An abusive, dim-witted, arsehole...a jerk. He didn't love you, Phil; he used you." I spoke softly, trying to sooth raw wounds.

"He didn't deserve your love, Phil. But that doesn't mean you were weak for loving him. We can't choose who we love anymore than we can choose our family. Now, all you can do is be more careful when it comes to relationships."

"I think I may be in trouble, then."

I stared at Phil.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"It's only been a week, a bloody week." Phil shook his head. "Peej, I think I'm crushing on Dan."

"Oh, Phil..."

"And I don't want to. I don't want to crush; I don't want to like him that way. I should be horrified by the thought of it, but I'm not. Instead, the more I think about him, the more I want to like him; the more I do like him. I just...I don't know what to do."

Phil put his head in his hands, and I rubbed his back.

"You really do like him, don't you?"

Phil nodded.

"Then tell him."

That shocked Phil. His head flew up, and he stared at me incredulously.

"What?"

"Tell him. I don't think he's bad, Phil. I think there are some things we don't know about him, we don't know if there is any connection between him and Jamie. And I definitely think there are some things he isn't telling us. But I do think you should talk to him, properly."

"How? When?"

"There's a student-free day on Wednesday. Invite him over Tuesday night. Just talk to him. You're not going to find out anything unless you ask him. We could be wrong; he might not be that bad. And he might have the same feelings for you."

Phil still looked unsure.

"What's the worst that can happen? Things get a little awkward between you for a while. Big deal. I think the potential benefits, outweigh the potential problems. But it's up to you, whether you're willing to take the risk or not."

"You seriously think it will work?"

"I think it's your best option."

Phil nodded, before wrapping his long, awkward limbs around me side-on.

"Thank you, Pj."

"That's okay...Phil." I wheezed, Phil's hug restricting my breathing.

Phil apologised, letting go of me.

"How about you?" He asked.

"Do I like Dan? Come on Phil, you know I have a boyfriend. I mean, he's nice and all; but I'm taken."

"No, that's not what I meant." Phil laughed.

"We've talked about me and my problems; are you okay? Is there anything you want to get off of your chest? Anyone you're worried about?"

"I'm worried about Chris. I mean, I'm always worried about him. He can be clumsy and foolish; and he talks and acts without thinking it through, which usually gets him in trouble. And he talks back a lot, and jokes; which I usually find adorable but also gets him in trouble. But he's...he's different now. Stranger. He seems sadder, most of the time; but then yesterday he was happy, back to normal. Like a switch has suddenly been flicked and he's himself again. But I don't believe it. And I don't know what to do. I want to help him, to be there for him. I want him to know that...but I don't know how to tell him."

"So, take your own advice." Phil said, as though it were the simplest answer.

"What advice?"

"Ask him over Tuesday, or see if you can stay at his house. Talk to him...just tell him. Maybe there is something wrong, and he wants to tell you; but he can't. Maybe he's too scared to tell you, so he needs that little nudge. If there is something wrong, and he does want to tell you, you might need to encourage him...remind him that you are there and you're willing to listen."

"You think that will work?"

"Pj, I know you care about Chris. And he knows it too. If something's bothering him, he needs you to be there, so he can spill it. You and I both know what it's like to keep things bottled up."

I nodded.

"Eventually the bottle explodes."

THERE IS LITERALLY 1-2 CHAPTERS LEFT BEFORE ALL ANSWERS ARE REVEALED ARE YOU AS EXCITED AS I AM?*

REVIEW-REPLY THINGY!

NeverlandNat: Please, share them with the group ;) I love their friendship. It's something I really wanted to focus on. Because, you have the Phan and the Kickthestickz and what not, which is great; but I wanted to show the friends side as well. And Phil and Pj (in this) have been friends since they were 4. So, Pj has grown to notice all these things about Phil and vice-versa, and I think it's important to focus on all the relationships. (How did you like the friendship in this chapter? There's certainly a lot more; and there is so much more to come). You don't need to die. As noted above*, you will find out what's going on with both Dan and Chris very soon, I promise! All questions will be answered. I did, my love, I did.

KittyKat0989: Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it. The puzzles will be clicking into place shortly. Aw, you know me so well *blushes*

Its-real-to-us: It is. They need some buddy-buddy time, after all that's happened. Hmm, interesting. Everyone's acting a little strange though, really. Thank you very much; I'm glad you enjoyed it. Thank you, it's really nice to know it's being...appreciated. (I'm not trying to sound pretentious, I swear.) Thank you, I am really proud. Especially as it's being received so well!