A/N: I feel so terrible it has taken me this long to finally update a chapter that only had proofreading left to do, I know I'm awful. I lost my ambition to keep this fic going quite some time before I stopped updating so I'm not sure I'll ever truly finish this story, but I'm gonna give it a shot anyways. I still have three other chapters already written that I will make sure to proofread and post soon, and then three more partly done I'll start working on. I can't make any promises on the other fifteen I have outlined, but like I said I will try my best to keep this going. So whoever is still left on here, sorry for the wait, and hopefully it was worth it. Let me know what you think, and enjoy!

Alex woke early in the morning and went downstairs, sitting at the kitchen table drinking a cup of coffee as he thought about the events from last night. He had to deal with two women hurt by the same punk, feared what might happen when he saw Norma drinking so much, upsetting her when he wouldn't take her upstairs to do what in any other situation he would have gladly accepted, racing her away from the house after she threw a brick through said punks window, and making a fake confession to his father that he was the one who did it. So why was lying with Norma in his arms the main thing on his mind?

"Alex." David said, walking into the kitchen.

"I tried staying up till you got home, then it got too late." Alex told him as he went over and made his own cup of coffee.

"I went back to work after I spoke with his dad." David said, sitting at the table across from him.

"What did he say? Are they pressing charges?"

"We came to an agreement. They will look past this unfortunate event, as long as you stop by their house this morning and apologize to Bob for what you did."

"Are you kidding me?" Alex asked, shaking his head. "I am not saying sorry to him after what he did to Norma. How can you expect me to do that?"

"You are going to do that because it is what I agreed with his parents that you would do." David said sternly. "Do you know how many problems you could have caused by doing that? The Paris's are one of my biggest clients."

"I get it." Alex said, coming to a realization. "This isn't about me and my record, this is about you losing money."

"It's about everything. What you did was stupid for so many reasons."

"You know it's funny how you were so worried about Norma being around that family, maybe you just cared that one of them might tell her about your secrets. Figured if I went with I could field any of them away, just like you always made me do."

"No, I didn't want her hanging around alone with that kind of crowd."

"But she can live under the same roof with you? Like you are any better than them." Alex said, standing up from his chair. "Do you think she would ever look at you the same way if she knew the things you've done."

"Everything I have ever done has been for my family, when are you going to see that?"

"Let's be honest here, you never did anything for me or mom."

"I've done plenty of things for you."

"Talking me into bringing a hostage to your drug warehouse, that was you doing something for me?"

"He could have killed us, it was what he deserved."

"Yeah, and what did you do to him to make him get to that point?" Alex asked and he kept quiet. "Fine, I'll be the bigger man and tell him I'm sorry. Maybe it's time you do the same and stop pretending you have ever done anything for anyone other than yourself." He said then left the room, going upstairs.

When he got up to his room he changed quickly, throwing on a tee shirt and jeans. He had wanted to be home when Norma woke up, but since his dad decided to make plans for him he wasn't sure if he'd be back in time. He walked over and grabbed an unopened bottle of water off his night stand then went over to his dresser and picked up a bottle of Tylenol before leaving his room and going over to Norma's. He knocked light enough that if she was asleep she wouldn't hear it, and if she was awake she would. When she didn't answer he opened the door and set both things on her nightstand next to her before sneaking back out.

Alex hated the whole drive over to Bob's house. The fact that he had to apologize to that punk was seeming worse than the record he might get if he didn't. Not like they would really press charges against the sheriff's son when his drug trade is what kept them rolling in cash. He knew that it was all Bob's idea that he had to say sorry and they ran with it. He parked right outside by the fountain, laughing a little at the dirt lying on the concrete next to where the missing brick had sat. He shut off his car and got out, walking up to the front door and ringing the bell.

"Alex, my father told me you would be stopping by." Bob said as he opened the door, a smug look on his face. "Would you like to come inside? There's a nice entrance right into my room now." He said, nodding up toward his window.

"I'm fine out here." Alex said, standing in place. "My dad told me that he agreed I would come over here and apologize. So, I am sorry."

Bob smiled at him. "Well thank you Alex, it lacked a bit of sincerity but I'll take it-"

"I'm not finished." Alex said, cutting him off. "I'm sorry that I allowed you anywhere near Norma. I'm sorry that I didn't call your pompous ass out the second you stepped foot in my house last week. I'm sorry that I came to your spoiled rotten party. I'm sorry that you are too much of a pig to keep your damn hands to yourself. And most of all I'm sorry I smashed in your window, when I should have smashed in your face. That good enough of an apology for you?" He said, stepping in closer to him.

"Yes." Bob said weakly, giving him a nod.

"Good." Alex said then started to walk away, turning back a second. "And one more thing. If you so much as even look at Norma ever again it won't be a brick next time, I'll throw you through the window." He said then turned back around and left.

When Alex got back to the house his father's car was already gone, he just hoped Norma was still asleep and the two of them never ran into each other. He went inside and kicked off his shoes, heading right upstairs. He noticed Norma's door was cracked open and walked over to it, pushing it open the rest of the way.

Norma glanced up at him from where she sat on her bed, drying her damp hair. "Hey." She said awkwardly.

"Hi." Alex said, stepping into the room. "Did you talk to my dad before he left for work?"

"No, I woke up a little while ago and got right in the shower. I felt so gross."

"You sleep well?"

"I don't remember waking up at all during the night, but I feel like I barely even slept."

"This your first hangover?"

Norma nodded. "I appreciate the Tylenol by the way. If you were the one to put them there, I really don't remember much about getting here last night."

"Yeah, I set them in here this morning."

"I guess that one drink thing didn't last long."

"It did not."

"I'm sorry about that, I don't know what I was thinking."

"It's alright." Alex said, coming over and sitting down next to her. "You did better than the drunk people I use to drive around in high school, at least you told me to pull over before you threw up."

"Oh, I forgot about that." Norma said, shivering at the thought. "I can't believe I teased Lizzy and told her I wasn't going to drag her drunk ass home, then I made you do the same thing."

"It's fine, really." Alex reassured. "I didn't mind."

"You seem like you minded last night, you were mad at me about it."

"I just act that way sometimes, you can't take it personally." Alex said. He figured she didn't remember the confession he made about why he was so upset, not wanting to bring it up again now that she was sober.

Norma gave him a small smile, deciding not to tell him she remembered that he told her he was mad because he didn't want to lose her. "Still, it was nice of you to take care of me."

"Anytime." Alex said in such a way that she knew he meant it.

Norma stared at him, not knowing how to get out of this moment she accidentally created. She shrugged and let out a little laugh. "I wonder what Bob thought when he saw his broken window." She joked.

"Him and his folks weren't too happy about it."

"How do you know that?" Norma asked curiously.

"His father called my dad and told him, he came home from work to yell at me. Bob said he saw my car driving off right after it happened, I guess he assumed you told me about what he tried doing to you and I got pissed. He thinks I'm the one who threw the brick through it."

"How did David react when you told him I was the one who did it?"

Alex shook his head. "I didn't tell him."

"What? What do you mean, you told him it wasn't either of us?"

"No, I let him keep believing it was me who did it."

"Are you crazy?" Norma said, shocked. "I can't let you take the fall for me."

"Yes, you can. And it's already done, no point in coming clean now."

"You realize you could get in serious trouble for this?"

"My dad already got me out of it, he knows all the best ways to get around the law."

"Just like that?" Norma said, not knowing whether to be happy or disturbed about it. "You admit to chucking a brick through a window of one of the fanciest houses I've ever seen outside of a movie, and everything is just fine now?"

"All I had to do was go over to his place this morning and apologize."

"You apologized to Bob?"

"Not in the way he was hoping I would." Alex said with a smile, thinking back to the terrified look on Bob's face. "But you don't have to worry about it, he's not going to be bothering you ever again."

"I still don't understand why you would do that, taking the fall for me."

"I knew I would be able to get out of it."

Norma looked at him, knowing he was lying. "You couldn't have possibly known that, not even you are that sure of everything."

"It's not like it matters anymore, I took a chance and it worked out in the end."

"Yeah, a pretty damn stupid chance." Norma said, a bit of anger bubbling up.

"You're welcome?" Alex said sarcastically.

"You should have just told your dad that I was the one who broke his window. I'm under eighteen, they wouldn't have done much anyways. So why risk your record for me?"

Alex sat silent a moment then looked over at her. "You have more to lose than I do."

"What are you talking about? I'm a seventeen year old with no family, I've done nothing with my life so far, and I'm living with a couple of guys I didn't even know a few months ago. What could I possibly have to lose?"

"A future."

"And what about your future?" Norma asked, emphasizing the word your.

"My future doesn't matter, I'm past the point of happiness."

"Why would you think that?" Norma asked, looking hurt by the idea of it.

"I just know. I have tried for too long to make everything turn out the way I wanted to, and it never works. I've come to terms with the fact that I won't be happy."

"I don't think that's true." Norma said, setting her hand on his leg sympathetically. "What would it take for you to be happy?" She asked, watching as his eyes shot right to hers. He stared longingly at her, and it was as if he answered her question without even saying a word.

Alex reached up a hand and ran his thumb lightly across her cheek, causing her breath to hitch just from the contact. Without any hesitation they both leaned in, catching each others lips in the middle. It was a gentle kiss, but packed with every emotion they had been too stubborn to say. Norma's hand went to the back of his neck, pulling him deeper into it when he started to come to his senses. He pulled back and stayed a few inches from her face, watching her to try and figure out if this was what she wanted. It seemed like she did by the way she kept glancing back down at his lips, waiting for him to make his next move. But he also knew what she had said last week, about them being just friends.

"Are you okay?" Norma asked when he made no attempt to continue the bliss they had just been experiencing.

"We shouldn't be doing this." Alex said, letting his hands move away from her.

"Why not?" Norma asked.

"Me and you, it's a really bad idea." Alex said, being pained by his own words as much as she looked to be. "I'm sorry-"

Norma cut him off. "Get out of my room."

"Norma-"

"I said, get out." She said, standing up and pointing out the door.

"Okay." He said simply, getting off the bed and leaving her room.

Norma felt like an idiot. She could not believe the amount of times she managed to convince herself he was having the same feelings she was, only to have the truth of the matter thrown in her face every time. He was a nice guy and he clearly cared for her, but he knew she was no good and he would never feel the same way she did about him. She laid back on her bed, the day somehow feeling worse than the hangover it started with.