A/N: Hey! Here's the new chapter! Thanks for being so understanding about the long wait. Hope you enjoy :)

-QuirkyDiva1

*Ray's POV*

Good lord, what had I become?

I was like a goddamn young adult book character. Good girl meets bad boy. Bad boy falls for good girl. Bad boy gets reformed. Good girl falls for bad boy, and a bunch of messy subplot in the background.

Oh good god, this was the exact opposite of what I wanted to happen.

Well, actually, it was everything that I had ever wanted to happen in a way that was the exact opposite of the way I wanted it to happen, so, technically, it was everything I did not want to happen when I was trying to achieve what I wanted to happen, and in the process of trying to achieve what I wanted to happen I ended up achieving what I did not want to happen, but what I wanted to happen also happened, so in the end what I wanted to happen happened but it didn't happen the way it was supposed to happen.

We're girl related things always so confusing?

Suki walked down the hall, slightly in front of me, a slight swing in her step. She always seemed so…bouncy…? Was that the word? No…ah, it would come to me later.

While whistling the Doctor Who theme song, she looked over her shoulder and beckoned me to walk faster with a nod of her head. The girl may have been small, but she could race-walk like no other I had ever known. Not that I'd met a lot of race-walkers in my lifetime.

"C'mon, I need to get back soon or CJ's going to think you kidnapped me?"

My eyebrows furrowed. "Kidnapped? Why would she think I would kidnap you?"

Suki shrugged. "From the conversations we've had, it seems she thinks you're pretty psychopathic…"

"You have conversations about me?"

She rolled her eyes, "not just about you…you just sometimes pop up. Mostly conversations about scalpel-stabbing, locking people in closets…I think you've grown on her though, she hasn't mentioned much in a while… she's been a bit, well, eccentric about the whole…thing…"

"She seems eccentric" I replied, as we continued at Suki's hurried pace through the halls.

Suki smiled. "She is. She's a good friend. Sometimes I wish I let her know more…" Suki frowned, "I should let her know more. And Gabe. And Ian."

I shifted, slightly uncomfortable at all the Archer/Forrest/Ward talk. That was something I couldn't kno—didn't know about.

She looked over at me again. "You've never really told me much about your friends. A guy like you must have a lot of friends though, am I right?" she asked.

I shrugged. "I guess…don't really have a best friend, though."

Suki slowed her pace, walking beside me now. She cocked her head, questioning me further.

I sighed, thinking of the right words to say. "You know how you, and Forrest, and Archer can all just…I dunno, let go when you're around each other, is that the right analogy?"

She nodded. "I know what you mean."

"I guess…I don't really have that with anybody."

"You have Don though" she said, "He's your best friend, isn't he?"

I furrowed my brows slightly. "Yeah…I guess he is. Annoying little carrot" I finished, a slight affectionate grin crossing my face, for the slightest second. Suki let out a small smile as well. We we're silent for a few more moments, before she started her fast pace again.

"C'mon, CJ is going to be pressing charges on you if we don't start going faster!"

"I thought I was supposed to be walking you to your dorm, not you walking me to your dorm?"

"I like being in charge"

"I bet you…"

"Don't finish that sentence!" she said, turning slightly to glare at me.

Soon enough, we were nearing Suki's door. Suki put her ear to the door, listening, to see if CJ was still up or not. She looked to me, and shrugged. "Sounds like she's already gone to bed. Thanks for walking with me."

She looked like she was waiting for something.

Was she—no. No way. That was far too cliché. It was that freaking young adult book again. Boy and girl walk home together. Boy kisses girl on the steps in front of her door. Girl swoons.

This was turning into one of those cheesy cheap romance films that're played only on weekdays at noon.

Ah, this was uncomfortable. She was waiting, and I was stalling, and this was not going to turn out well until I kissed her. Why didn't I want to kiss her? Why didn't I want to…

A whole different person.

That was it.

That was what I didn't want to turn into. A whole different person. And that was what was happening.

Suki furrowed her eyebrows. "Ray, what's wrong?"

"Nothing—I just…do I seem different to you? From two weeks ago?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Of course. I don't hate you anymore. I actually quite enjoy your compa…"

I cut her off. "No, do I seem…different, like in general? Like the way I've been towards people, not just you?"

She looked slightly put off-guard, but recovered. She pondered, and nodded slightly. "Yeah, you've changed a little. You've opened up a little more." She smiled.

I did not feel smiley. I did not feel well at all. "Opened up?"

"You haven't seemed as cold. You've seemed a little more excepting. A little more a funny. A little bit different of a person than you were two weeks ago…"

"I don't want to be a whole different person!" I exclaimed.

"It's okay, Ray. Everyone changes. Maybe it's a little, and maybe it's a lot. Maybe it's for the better, maybe it's for the worst. Maybe it's over ten years, or maybe it's over ten minutes. The only thing that makes changing hard, is if you're afraid of it."

I opened my mouth to reply, then shut it. "You're an amazing person, you know that?"

She looked startled. "Thank you."

I put my hand on her shoulder, and pulled her towards me, kissing her full on the mouth.

And that's when the door swung open.

"Ah-hah, I knew he was your friend…OH!" CJ's voice said loudly, and we broke apart.

Standing behind CJ were Forrest and Archer. And they did not look happy at all.

"Oh," Suki said, eyes plastered wide open. "Hey guys."

*Suki's POV*

"The fucking weasel. Really? You had to go and pick the fucking weasel?"

It was the first word said after a long period of silence, and it was uttered out of Gabe's mouth.

"I am not a weasel!" Ray argued, and I slapped his arm. We would definitely want to keep the talking to me.

I looked over to CJ, who looked at me with the most apologetic face in the world.

Another silence fell.

"Well?" Ian asked, and beckoned between Ray and I. "Are you going to explain this?"

I shrugged. "There's not a lot to explain…I think you've seen all there is to see."

"So you two are a thing, then?" Ian asked.

A chorus of "no"-s and "well"-s and "not really"-s echoed between Ray and I, and then we looked to each other, and back at Gabe, Ian and CJ.

Ian looked to CJ, "what do you think. You're a girl. Aren't you good at sensing these relationship-things? Isn't like how dogs are good at sniffing out drugs and all that shit…"

"You did not just compare me to a dog, did you?" CJ breathed, closing her eyes, and rubbing the bridge of her nose.

"I didn't mean it like…" Ian started, but Gabe cut him off.

"Less talk-y. More girl sensing stuff."

They looked to CJ. CJ looked to me. She shrugged. "I dunno…you guys saw them kissing…you decide!"

Gabe and Ian looked to each other, than back at Ray and I.

"Yup. She's with the weasel." Gabe said.

"Hey…!"

Another slap.

"I'm in agreement with Gabe" Ian finished.

More silence.

"Aren't you guys mad or anything…?" I asked, slightly out off at the lack of yelling and shouting and dramatics I had expected when this would happen.

"Well, of course we don't like it!" Gabe said, "but what say do we have in it?"

"I'm in agreement with Gabe" Ian repeated.

CJ shoved him slightly with her shoulder. "We know you are…" she hissed.

"So you guys are like…chill, with all of this?"

CJ, Gabe and Ian all exchanged a look. "Yeah, guess so" Ian said, and grabbed his coat, as he and Gabe walked out the door.

I was left in complete shock.

"You're still a weasel. And I still fucking hate you." Gabe said, as he passed Ray.

"Back at you, Forrest."

As the boys footsteps echoed quieter and quieter, CJ looked between Ray and I. "I'm going to the washroom…close the door behind you, Suki."

"Will do."

CJ walked off, and a turned my head towards Ray. "So that's it then? That was the big reveal?"

"I think you over-dramatized it in your head."

"But that's what it's like in all the books I read…"

Ray groaned.

"What?" I questioned.

He shook his head, and let out a small laugh. "Nothing—nothing at all. See you tomorrow, Suki."

I smiled at him, as he turned to walk off.

"See you tomorrow, Ray"

A/N: And there we have it. The second to last chapter. The next chapter will sort of be like an epilogue type thingy. Really hope you guys have enjoyed this series and I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! :)

-QuirkyDiva1