"Hi, Paul."

Paul just continuing to stare at his aunt in disbelief. He couldn't believe that the woman who had ditched him and Reggie four years ago was here at his doorstep at midnight. His eyes' expression changed from shock to that of anger at that thought.

Without any hesitation, he grabbed the door handle and proceeded to shut it in her face, when Vivian placed her foot in between. She looked at him with pleading eyes.

He exhaled and opened the door again. "What are you doing here?"

Vivian's light purple eyes were filled with tears. "I'm so sorry, sweetie. I know you're probably wondering why I'm here now after four years of not being with you, but before I explain myself I just want to let you know how sorry I am."

Paul scoffed. "Please,"he said, sarcasm dripping from his tone. "No explanation could give justice on why you abandoned me during the worst years of my life. I was left alone, while Reggie went to college. Because of that, Reggie had to constantly take time off from college and visit me because you never came. And on top of that, you were aware that Reggie was in the hospital for several months and yet you never even bothered to check up on us." There was no doubt that Paul was hurt and his aunt showing up after four years just escalated his anger.

Vivian nodded, her eyes gloomy. "I know. You can yell at me all you want. I've made a big mistake and I wanna fix it."

"Fix it?" Paul repeated, looking at her as if she'd said something ridiculous. "The damage's already been done, there is nothing you can do. Why are you even here?" he asked.

"I told you, I want to fix things…I know it might be too late, but please, just let me explain," she pleaded once again.

Paul hesitated as he crossed his arms in annoyance. He was a little sceptical of the fact that she was showing up now after four long years. He knew better than to trust this woman; in fact, he was pretty sure he despised her.

"I don't need an explanation," he said. Vivian was about to retort but he continued, "Thanks for the five-minute visit, you can leave now," he said before shutting the door.

"Paul!" he heard her exclaim before he locked the door.

He could never forgive her for what she did to him and Reggie. The phases of hardships he and Reggie had been through were the absolute worst. His aunt hadn't even bothered or cared about them. He had no idea what purpose she had for visiting him years later, but Paul knew she was being a hypocrite by doing so.

He exhaled, trying to relax himself and closed his eyes. He attempted to divert his mind a little, when he saw the painting he had been working on for Misty. He picked up the brush and resumed painting for about a half hour.

Before going to bed, he decided to check his email. He saw four emails from Misty and he clicked on them.

"How's the painting coming along? Daisy's birthday is less than a month now, I hope you can finish soon."

"Also, you're invited to her birthday party. You can bring as many people as you like with you."

"You may want to bring her a gift."

"Sorry I keep emailing you, I just keep forgetting what I have to say. Are you going to the funeral for Dawn's mom this week? I bet she needs all the support she can get."

Paul's mind instantaneously diverted to Dawn. He had definitely decided to go to the funeral, just to support her; something his family (other than Reggie) rarely did. Not only that, but for some reason, he didn't feel comfortable seeing her devastated. He preferred her quirky, cheerful and happy go lucky behaviour.

Sighing to himself, he closed the laptop before going to bed.


Saturday, September 12th; Lumoise Church; 5:30 p.m.

Coloured squares of light decorated the aisle. The magnitude of despair and devastation was clear in Dawn's sapphire blue eyes. Everyone was dressed in some shade of black, which only added to the depressing atmosphere. Sad hymns were being played and it was so tempting for Dawn to cry vigorously at this point.

A hand was put on her shoulder and she looked behind to see Leaf and May, who gave her sad smiles. Dawn smiled back, but barely, as her two closest friends sat next to her to give her comfort. Dawn noticed almost all her friends were here to support her, including Gary, Drew, Ash and Misty.

There was no sign of Paul anywhere though.

In front where the audience was sitting, there was an open casket. A preacher was currently praying for Johanna's soul to rest in peace.

Soon enough, everyone had their chance of making speeches, including Norman and Caroline, who had mourned for their friend. Dawn already had tears in her eyes. She couldn't bear to see this anymore. Her heart was aching every second.

While May was making her speech, Max sat next to Dawn. "You alright?" Dawn shook her head. "…Maybe this funeral was a bad idea?"

She wouldn't like to think of it as bad, but she knew she wasn't willing to do this, solely because of her dependency on her mom all these years. "No, you're right. I have to do this, otherwise this will just eat me alive. My mom is gone and I just have to accept it. It's hard but…I can do it." Max smiled in response.

Finally, Dawn was called to the podium. She adjusted the edge of her black dress before walking, not taking her eyes off of the motionless body in the casket.

While Dawn stood there, the door creaked open a bit, however no one paid attention to who entered. Paul noticed Dawn on the podium looking for her speech and he quickly found a seat, waiting for her to commence.

Dawn eyed the speech on her paper she had made the prior day, but she could barely see it, as her tears were blurring her vision. She exhaled, attempting to speak, but failed. Everyone watched her with sympathy.

Paul watched as she motionlessly wiped her tears before crumpling up the paper and disposing of it somewhere. She took shaky breaths before beginning to speak.

"My mom was a fighter. Two months ago, she ended up in the hospital in a coma because of a car accident. Ever since then, she's been fighting for her life."

She exhaled before continuing. "As her only child, it's so hard for me to say goodbye," she said, tears spilling down on her cheeks. "I considered her to be my best friend and role model. I would come home after school every day and tell her everything; about my grades, my social life and even random crushes I had going on. She'd always tell me 'no need to worry'. And yes, that phrase is from her."

"Even though she was a single parent, I never felt like I had an absence of a dad, because I never thought I needed one. She was the one that taught me how to ride a bike and there was one day she even played 'dress up' with me. She'd yell at me whenever I would try to touch her make-up kit and put play with her lipstick," she laughed slightly as her voice began to break.

"She was always there when I needed her. She was always so generous, kind, loving and supportive. I would always be her top priority, even when it regarded her working late at night. That's just the way she was."

Paul continued to watch, not breaking eye contact. "Many people don't get the chance to say goodbye, and today, I have that opportunity." Dawn continued, looking at the casket. "Mom, you will always be remembered, and I will always miss you and love you."

She let out a long sigh and left the podium, her heart feeling at a bit of ease, before she sat down in her respective seat.

The preacher then returned to the podium and said a few more words before everyone stood up and said their final prayers. The casket closed and was picked up to be taken into another room where she was going to be cremated.

Eventually, people made their out of the hall to give Dawn their condolences. Leaf and May approached Dawn and the group shared a long hug. "We're so sorry, Dawn. You don't deserve this at all," Leaf said before the group released.

Dawn smiled weakly. "Thanks, Leaf." Her voice held little to no emotion. "Everyone has to go someday and even though it was unfortunate timing, I think I might be okay eventually."

"Good, because you're still welcome to stay with me for as long as you want," May suggested.

Drew, Gary and Ash approached the girls and they eyed Dawn sadly. "You okay, Dawn?" Drew asked. Dawn nodded slowly. "I know it must suck to lose your mom, but things will get better with time. I lost my grandmother at a young age, so I can relate to you."

"I also lost my parents when I was about six, but I mean I have my grandpa," Gary said. "I would not wanna lose him at all, but I know it's inevitable at his age."

Ash put his hand on Dawn's shoulder for comfort. "Just so you know, if you ever feel like talking, you can talk to one of us. Though I recommend me out of these two guys, I'm the most mature," he said while the other two rolled their eyes. Dawn let out a small giggle. "And, we made you this," he said as he reached into his pocket. Dawn watched curiously as he held out what looked like a bracelet.

"What is-" she stopped herself short when she noticed the letter 'J' on the bracelet. Dawn smiled thankfully before she put it on. "Wow, thanks so much guys," she said, her eyes misty. "It means a lot."

"No problem," Gary said. "Anything to help out a friend."

"Dawn," May said, "Are you ready to leave soon?"

The blunette eyed the bracelet and then glanced where the coffin was. "You guys can get in the car. I'll catch up with you soon. I just…wanna be alone for a few."

May nodded in understanding. "Okay, don't be too long," she said before she walked along with the group.

Dawn sat down in silence, alone with her thoughts. There was no doubt that she missed her mom very much already; so much that it hurt. But she was also grateful for holding the funeral. She reminisced all the good times she had with her mother and closed her eyes.

"Hey."

Dawn opened her eyes and looked to her right, her eyes widening in slight shock of Paul. He was dressed in a black T-shirt and dark jeans. She stood up, unable to fathom he was here. "You came?"

"It was the least I could do," he replied, placing his hands in his jeans pockets.

"You must think I'm pathetic," she sighed.

Paul raised an eyebrow. Of all the things he had thought about her, pathetic was not one of them. Sure, he used to, but things were a bit different now. "I don't," he said, causing Dawn to look at him appalled. "Losing family hurts and I can relate to it the most."

"What do you mean?"

Paul hesitated before replying, "I lost my parents at a young age and…those times were tough. Reggie and I were devastated, and we had to learn to take care of ourselves."

Dawn never realized how fortunate she was. Despite losing her only family, she was still never truly alone. She still had her best friend giving her a roof over her head. "I didn't know that. I'm sorry."

Paul cleared his throat, before attempting to say something. "If you…erm, ever need someone to talk to…you can come to me."

She looked at him in disbelief. "Wow. I never thought I'd see the day where Paul would grow soft on me," she said, before Paul rolled his eyes.

She didn't know why, but she found herself grinning at that point. Paul felt somewhat reassured that he, of all people, could make her smile without practically any effort. To his surprise, she reached out and hugged him tightly, her eyes clenching shut.

An uncomfortable feeling surrounded him, making the plum haired male confused, but at the same time, he was pleased as he slowly snaked his arms around her waist. His stomach began to grow warm and his blood pounded against his ears.

She had no idea why she felt so much comfort in his arms; maybe it was because he felt warm? She also had no idea why his words reassured her the most, especially when he said the least. Whatever the reason was, she knew she felt at ease right now.

"Reggie's going to be discharged soon," he mentioned after they released.

"That's great," she smiled in response. "I'm glad he's feeling better. You must be ecstatic to know that he's coming home soon, especially after so long."

He nodded. "I am."

Dawn gave him a deadpanned look. "You don't look ecstatic," she said, narrowing her eyes. "Well, then again, you only have one emotion: anger," she said a bit jokingly.

Paul ignored her words deliberately. "Hm," he said, but then his lips formed into a small smirk. "You only seem to have one emotion as well: an annoying peppy attitude," he said, his eyes filled with amusement.

Dawn gasped slightly but then lightly smiled. "Now you seem more like yourself."

Paul shrugged. "Can't help it. Insulting you is quite enjoyable."


9:30p.m.

Dawn was currently laying down on the couch, eyeing the bracelet with a small smile on her face. May and Max were sitting around watching TV but they couldn't help but notice Dawn was a bit quiet. Of course, they couldn't expect the blunette to just forget about the tragedy instantly, but that didn't mean they wouldn't try.

"Dawn, as your best friend, I seriously need your help!" May exclaimed suddenly, bringing Dawn away from her thoughts. Dawn raised an eyebrow in response. May looked around coherently and her eyes glanced at a fashion magazine. "I need new clothes," she said dramatically as she pointed to the magazine that she picked up. "And I have no idea what to pick, plus we all know prom is coming up."

"Prom is still a few months away, though," Max said smartly. May glared at her younger sibling as he rolled his eyes. "What's so great about prom anyway? It's just a bunch of horny teenagers dancing and acting like goofballs."

"Of course you would think that," May rolled her eyes. "Boys. Come on Dawn, tell him!"

Dawn smiled. "Of course, prom is every girl's dream. That day's when all girls and maybe even guys could hope for a special night and have that special dance with a special someone. It's a big deal."

"Ugh, not you too," Max said. "Does every girl think like this?"

"Now, Max, if prom didn't exist, then you would never have been born," Caroline stated as she entered the living room.

"…You and dad did the deed at-"

Caroline cut him off, "No, Max! I meant your father and I met at prom."

"Oh yeah!" May exclaimed. "I totally forgot you told us about it. Aww so romantic!"

"Wait," Dawn said, "You and Mr. Maple met at prom?" Caroline nodded. "Well, then who was your date?"

Before she could reply, Norman sat down next to his wife and put an arm around her. "It was this geeky nerd named Wilson. He was in our physics class. I still remember his awful and cheesy pickup lines he told Caroline. What a dork," he said as Dawn burst out laughing.

"He was a good kid. He asked me out for prom, so why not? You know, Norman," she said looking at her husband, "You should thank Wilson. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't have gone to prom that night and I never would have met you."

He chuckled. "Yeah, you're probably right," he said.

"That is the sweetest story I have ever heard," Dawn squealed.

"Ugh," Max rolled his eyes.

Caroline and Norman both smiled. "Well kids, we're awfully tired so we're going to bed. Don't stay up too long, okay?" All three of them nodded. "And Dawn," Caroline said, "Remember if you ever need anything, you can tell us. We're practically family now."

"Thank you."


9:57p.m.

Later that evening, Paul had decided to get something he knew he would need. After a few weeks of getting jobs that paid him a decent amount of wage, he had finally got his hands on a cell phone. Of course, he never entirely needed one because he didn't keep in contact with any acquaintances that much, aside from his brother. However, now that Reggie was awake, he figured a phone would be necessary in the future to keep contact with him.

The first number he registered was Reggie's, of course. He happened to know his number by heart.

He opened his laptop and started to work on his assignments, when his eyes drifted to the new i-phone he just purchased. He briefly wondered how Dawn was doing.

Opening a new tab, he logged into his facebook account and searched for Dawn. He clicked her profile picture once he found her and then sent her a request.

He resumed working on his assignments before he realized he still needed to complete Misty's painting. It would only take about a half hour to complete according to his calculations. While painting, he played some soft soothing music that calmed his ears.

The painting was satisfactorily completed after forty-five minutes and he set it aside before going back to his laptop. He noticed he had a new notification and an unread message in his inbox.

Hey, I didn't know you had facebook? -Dawn, 10:20p.m.

He hesitated to type for a few seconds.

I wanted your number, so I contacted you here. -Paul, 10:49p.m.

Dawn eyed her screen on her phone with surprise. She assumed Paul had gotten a new phone, so she quickly messaged her number and anticipated for some sort of text.

She didn't expect for him to call her.

She slightly jumped in her seat when her phone started to vibrate. May looked at Dawn expectedly. "Who's that?" she asked. Dawn simply shrugged before picking up her phone and walking out of the living room to go outside on the porch.

She slid across the 'answer' button and spoke. "Hello?"

"Hey," he said.

"Hey," she said, her lips forming into a smile. "You got a phone?"

"No I'm calling you using a tin can and a string," he said, sarcasm dripping at every word.

Dawn rolled her eyes and sat down on one of the chairs that was placed there. "Ha-ha," she added. "You know I wouldn't be surprised if that's what you actually used before you got a phone."

"I never really needed one," he replied.

"So why do you need one now?"

"It'd be good to keep in contact with Reggie. Plus, I finally had some good money in my hands," he explained.

Dawn nodded. "Yeah, you can thank me for that. I was the one that got you your new job at the mall," she said.

"You also got me fired from my old one," he pointed out.

Dawn scoffed. "That was May, I had nothing to do with it!" she retorted. She could have sworn she heard him chuckle a bit and she swore her heart did a somersault. She had never heard Paul laugh before, let alone chuckle. It was a deep and slightly breathy, but it gave a sort of pleasure to her ears.

"Are you okay, by the way?"

She could never get used to this; the way Paul was treating her now. It was unbelievable how far they had come in their relationship. Never had she imagined that Paul would be so concerned about her as to call her up at night after he had just gotten a new phone. "I'm fine. In fact, I don't really feel sad anymore. I mean, I still feel sad, but not as much. I think having that funeral really helped me to let it all out. And May and her family are always trying to change my mood."

"Hm. Good."

"Thanks for checking up on me," she said. "It feels good to know that you don't hate me anymore and that you actually care."

Silence ensued on the line for a bit, until Paul said. "…I don't think I ever hated you. Sure, you can be annoying, but I never hated you."

"I'm not sure whether I should be insulted or relieved," Dawn said, allowing him to let out yet another chuckle, giving that soothing pleasure to her ears again.

They said nothing for a while, but there was no awkward tension. It was just a comforting silence. The blunette sat there, smiling to herself, her heart fuzzy. "Goodnight," she heard him say.

"Night," she said before she hung up.

She couldn't stop grinning for the rest of the night.


I'm back after a bajillion years! Yeah I know, I'm so inconsistent with my story updates and I'm so sorry for keeping you guys. I've basically had no motivation to write these past few months and school keeps me very busy as well.

Anyways, hopefully you guys liked this chapter. As you can see, Paul and Dawn's relationship is starting to develop, and I am so excited! I tried very much to keep Paul in his character as well and I think I did a good job with it.

Thank you guys for reading and leave a review below, please You might get an update the more you review, who knows :P