Oye, in trying to make it shorter, I somehow ended up making it longer. There's just so much to say! I'm so glad I have a Part II so I can add more things. My apologies for the delay in posting. I've been hurting, but I'm slowly getting back on my feet because I have to.

Songs I listened to while writing this chapter:

Someday by OneRepublic

Black Roses Red by Alana Grace

Breathe by Michelle Branch

Crush by Mandy Moore

Love by Lana Del Rey

1994

Montana, U.S.

Luke tried hard to distance himself from Rita, but it was very difficult. She wouldn't leave him alone; it was as if she knew what he was trying to do, but he did his best regardless to keep the conversations short and limit his time with her. He kept himself busy with continuing practising Russian and Spanish, sparring with Lance, doing his workouts, and rock wall climbing, which was a new skill his body was getting used to, but he loved doing it. He was getting a bit faster at climbing the wall behind the house, and soon he was going to try free climbing. He knew Rita was still punching the bag, but he kept his teaching short and to the point whenever he was in the barn with her.

After the third week of keeping to himself and staying professional with Rita, she startled him by flinging open his bedroom door just as he'd pulled off his sweaty t-shirt over his head. Kenny had worked him hard in the fields that day.

"What are you doing?" she demanded. He stood frozen, shirt still on his arms around his elbows.

"Um, changing?" he said back, looking around. "This is my room I believe." She waved her hand dismissively.

"I mean why are you ignoring me?" she corrected. Her other hand was on her hip as she stared at him. He could see a small flush in her neck, though, as her eyes worked to stay on his face.

"I'm not," he tried.

"You are," she interrupted abruptly. "I'm not stupid, Luke. What did I do?"

"It's not you..."

"Then what is it?" she asked. He sighed and chucked his shirt into the laundry hamper by the door.

"I don't like getting close to people," he eventually answered.

"Why?"

"Because they get taken away from me," he answered simply, meeting her eyes again. "I lose them, and it hurts. So if I'm not close with anyone, I can't lose them, and it won't hurt." He tensed slightly as she walked a little closer to him. She stopped a foot away from him, arms crossed.

"I've got news for you," she said firmly. "I am un-loseable."

"What?" he asked, laughing.

"You heard me. You can't lose me."

"You don't know that."

"You can't live your life being alone because you're afraid of losing people, Luke," Rita insisted. "That's a really sad life."

"Well..." he tried again.

"I have lost people," she cut him off again. "Okay? It sucks and it hurts, but if I just closed myself off to everyone else, then how could I get through life?"

"Experiences do that to you, though," Luke said. "The more people you lose does that to you. You don't know if eventually you'll make the same choice as me and stay alone."

"Stop being an idiot," she ordered, reaching out to cuff his arm hard. "And don't shut me out. It hurts, and I don't like it. You're in this family now, so be a part of it."

Her brutal honesty was something he was still getting used to. He looked at her and hoped with all his heart that she never reached the place where she shut herself off from others. He hoped life would be kind to her moving forward.

"Okay," he said softly.

"Good," she said with a curt nod. Then she turned on her heel and quickly walked back out. From then on, Luke let himself be a part of this new family.

1994

Montana, U.S.

Rita's first day of high school was utter hell. She'd slept in, her hair looked stupid, she'd thrown up her breakfast in between classes because of her anxiety, and she'd gotten called on in class and failed to answer the question correctly, which had elicited laughter from every student in the room.

She wanted to die.

At lunch, she waited for Bridget to stop talking to the group of boys and come sit with her. She looked around the cafeteria and saw Luke by himself eating his sandwich. This was his second year here, and the message he sent out to everyone in the first year was that he wasn't to be messed with. This was made clear by the whispers amongst her fellow grade nines in the halls. Rita wished she could feel at ease the way he looked. As if he felt her staring, he looked at her. She felt that hot rush inside at his gaze and his smile. He'd told her all morning that it'd be okay, and she hadn't believed him, but in that moment with him looking at her, she felt like it really would be okay.

"OhmyGod," Bridget said in a rush as she flung herself into the seat across from Rita. "Jake totally wants to go out with me!"

"What?" Rita asked, tearing her eyes from Luke.

"He asked me out!"

"When?"

"Now! Rita, come on," Bridget said, nudging her under the table. "You were supposed to talk to them with me. Devon likes you."

"Who is Devon?" Rita asked. She felt so confused. She'd only been here one day. How did a guy already like her? How did Bridget already have a guy asking her out after half of the first day of school?!

"He saw you in English. He thinks you're cute."

Rita had no idea who Devon even was. She stared as Bridget ate and talked. Her friend didn't seem to realize that Rita was having difficulty being there. She looked back to where Luke was sitting, but he was already gone. She felt lonely suddenly.

"Come on," Bridget said, finishing and getting up. "We have got to fix your hair..."

...

Rita played with her side braid nervously. Bridget had done her best and made Rita look normal at least. It made her look less poofy and more regular. She was standing on the sidewalk with her backpack over her shoulder, waiting for the bus. Her father was helping Luke fix up a car for him, so she was looking forward to having at least one year of not riding the stupid bus. She was planning on getting her license as quickly as possible, and she hoped to eventually get her own car too when she was able to drive by herself.

Shouting and loud voices made her spin to see people huddling around something. She pushed her way through the crowd to find Luke being attacked by two other boys. He was on the ground, ducking a foot stomp by rolling out of the way.

"Go back where you came from, Limey!" one shouted. Rita bristled inside. Memories of being picked on for her accent years ago came to the surface very quickly.

"Hey!" she shouted, dropping her bag. She stepped into the ring, and the other kids all exclaimed and egged her on.

"Well, if it isn't your girlfriend coming to bail you out," the second guy sneered.

"Rita, get out of here," Luke ordered, getting to his feet.

"No way," she said, clenching her fists. "This is not a fair fight..."

"Rita," he said loudly and firmly.

"Come on, mate," the first one said, laughing. "Let the little girl slap us around a little." Rita didn't even hesitate. She walked right up to him and punched him directly in the jaw. He stumbled and swore, catching himself before falling. All her practising with the punching bag had paid off, except his face hurt her hand a bit more than she anticipated. She let on she was fine, though.

"Whoa!" the second one exclaimed.

"You bitch!" the first yelled, lunging at her. Rita felt herself get yanked backwards by Luke, and he quickly turned to the left to shield her before shoving her away towards the crowd. She twisted to see the first guy jump on Luke's back and wrap and elbow around Luke's neck. She was beyond angry now. Nobody hurt her friends. Nobody.

She dodged the flailing legs of the first guy as he kicked out on Luke's back and the hands of the second guy. She reached and grabbed a hold of the first guy's shorts and underpants, yanking them down. He was instantly off of Luke's back, screaming and hollering as he tried to pull them back up while racing off. Rita was laughing. His buddy ran after him while the crowd went nuts. Rita didn't get to live with the glory for too long before Luke had a hold of her arm like a vice and hauled her away.

"What?" she asked as he grabbed her bag on the way by. Their bus was coming down the line now. Luke pulled her towards it, and when they arrived to it and it was stopped, he shoved her against it, making her gasp.

"Don't you ever do that again," he ordered fiercely.

"Do what? Save your sorry arse?"

"Bring attention to yourself like that. I had it under control."

"Sure you did," she said, gesturing to his face. "That blossoming shiner says you were way on top of things."

"You don't get it," he said angrily. "You're going to be their target from now on. You needed to stay low."

"I'm not sorry for helping," she insisted, jutting her chin out. She ignored the other kids shooting them looks as they boarded the bus.

"I don't need your help," he said, his voice still angry sounding. He let her go and got on the bus. She brushed herself off as Bridget ran towards her.

"That was crazy!" she exclaimed. "What made you do it?!"

"Nothing," Rita answered, stepping on the bus and taking a seat far away from Luke. Bridget sat next to her and chattered on about how cool everyone thought she was now. Rita didn't care. She'd done it for Luke. He'd taught her how to use the punching bag, and she thought they were a team. It turned out he felt he didn't need her help.

That hurt more than if she'd stood by watching him get beat up.

...

Luke beat the crap out of the punching bag that evening. He was angry that Rita had gotten herself involved in a fight. What had she been thinking? His job was to keep her safe; he'd promised Lance. If she got hurt on his watch, Lance would straight up kill him.

He hadn't been able to stay distant from her. Rita's scolding of him needing to be in this family and not shut her out had stuck with him, and he'd let her be in his life full force since then. He'd given in to the fact that he didn't want to be distant from her anyway. He had to take the risk that one day, he could lose her, but he was determined to do everything in his power to prevent it.

If she'd just keep her damn nose clean.

Mike and Vince were a pair of idiots, and they'd been after him since the day he started. He'd always held his own with them, and now they'd go after Rita. He couldn't have that. She deserved to go through school unscathed. The only plus side was the two jerks were finished after this year. Because Luke had been held back a year, he got picked on.

He gave the bag one last hard swing before catching it in his hands and resting his forehead against it, panting hard. Thoughts of his mother went through his mind. It had been a long time since he'd seen her last. Even though in his heart of hearts he knew he was never seeing her again, it still hurt when the days rolled by without a word from her.

"I'm sorry," Rita said, making him turn his head and see her standing off to the side and watching him.

"I know," he replied.

"You don't get it," she went on, stepping closer. Luke pulled back from the bag and started unwrapping his hands. The sweat on his shirt was making it stick to him.

"Don't get what?" he asked, setting the first one on the shelf and working on the next one.

"Friends have each other's backs," she said, stopping on front of him. "You needed help today, and I gave it, cos that's what friends do. I would expect that if I needed you to have my back, you'd be there."

"In a heartbeat," Luke agreed, "but what you don't understand is I can't have you being bullied on your first year of high school, and that's what you've brought upon yourself by associating with me."

"I don't care," she said defiantly. "You're my best friend. We stick together or we fall apart. I sure as hell don't feel like falling apart."

Luke studied her carefully and felt a smile grow on his face whether he wanted to or not. He gave his head a shake and looked away before looking back at her.

"It's your funeral," he said after a moment.

"Well, you better say a nice speech then, since I probably died saving your arse," she retorted, making him laugh.

"Alright," he promised. "I will."

"Don't forget to mention that I saved your arse," she reminded him as they started walking outside together.

"I wouldn't dream of forgetting."

She jostled his shoulder as they walked, and he nudged her back. Lance looked up at them as they came inside together. He was cutting up vegetables. Luke vividly remembered their knife throwing sessions they'd been doing together. He put some space between him and Rita. He knew how quick Lance's throw was.

"Good first day?" he asked Rita. She shared a look with Luke first before answering.

"It was alright," she answered casually. Luke smiled to himself as he went to put his stuff away. At dinner, he listened to her talk to her father while they ate. Even though he missed his mother, he wouldn't trade this moment for anything. Lance and Rita were all he had now, and he was glad he had been dropped into their lives despite the reasons for it.

Christmas

Rita knew exactly what she was getting Luke for Christmas. He'd always said Christmas had never been a big thing growing up, but last year he'd been surprised with a few gifts from Lance and Rita. They hadn't been fancy, but he'd been touched all the same.

This year, Rita had a plan. She'd already gotten her father on board. Now, she just had to get Kenny on board. For Kenny's mixed breed hound dog had puppies earlier, and she'd been over there enough times to see Luke on his back on the kitchen floor after having six puppies push him over in their haste to soak him with their little tongues. She even knew which one was his favorite. She wanted to get that one for him before Kenny sold them all.

"Hello, little Rita," Kenny said when he saw her at his door. "What can I do you for?"

"Do you still have Copper?" she asked. He chuckled.

"For now," he answered. "He's my last one. I've got a fella interested in him."

"I want him," Rita said quickly. "I mean, for Luke."

"Luke?"

"Yes."

"Your dad okay with that?"

"I wouldn't be here without his permission," Rita said truthfully. Kenny scratched his chin before nodding and letting her inside. She found Copper racing around attacking a chew toy and then tripping over his feet in his haste. The copper brown puppy charged at her once she came into view, though, his floppy ears flapping with the motion. He had a black back and black on his chest. Black was lightly mixed with the copper brown on his tail, legs, ears, and snout, and a black band went across the top of his head. He was the cutest thing Rita had ever seen.

"So why do you want a dog for Luke?" Kenny asked, curious.

"He said he's always wanted one," Rita answered, fending off Copper's tongue. "So..." She reached into her pocket and pulled out some bills. "I have 250 dollars I've saved over the last few months from working. I know you're selling for 300, but I can either work for you to pay it off or give you my work money every time I get paid..."

"Tell you what," Kenny said, cutting her off. He was smiling, though. "You can have him for 150. Consider him a clearance puppy."

"Really?"

"Yea. He ain't quite the sharpest one in the toolbox anyway," Kenny said with a chuckle. At this point, Copper had rushed off to attach his mother, who was passing by, and he missed and crashed into the wall. He shook it off quickly and then started to chase his own tail after it caught his eye.

"You're the best!" Rita exclaimed, handing him the money. He smiled wider and tucked it into his front pocket.

"When do you want him?"

"I'm gonna sneak over here early tomorrow morning and bring him back with me," Rita said. "Is that okay?"

"That's fine."

"Don't tell him."

"I wouldn't dream of it, darlin'," Kenny laughed. "You're a sweet kid. I wish there were more of you out there."

"Then I wouldn't be one of a kind," she said, grinning. He laughed out loud.

"That's very true. You better get on out of here, though, before Luke catches you," he warned. "He's helping with the cows tonight."

"Okay. Thanks!"

She hurried out, feeling excited. She knew Luke would have no idea.

...

Luke woke up Christmas morning with a slight ache in his chest. He wondered where his mother was in the world or if she was even alive. Even though Christmas had never been a big thing for him, it was a day where the two of them would go do something special, just the two of them. He wondered if she was thinking of him at all.

He could hear Lance loading the fire in the living room and Rita's footsteps in her room above him. He couldn't help but smile. She loved Christmas and did everything she could to get him into it with her. He'd indulged her a few times with decorating the tree with her (she'd gone crazy with everything he'd done wrong with it, which he'd done on purpose just to rile her up) and watching her favorite Christmas movie: Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. He'd done terrible at hiding his snickers at some of the antics, and she'd done nothing but elbow him in the chest for the entire movie to make her point that he wasn't a Grinch after all.

He got dressed and went out, greeting both of them and laughing at Rita jumping around like an idiot. She was definitely excited about something.

"You better tend to those animals, Rita," Lance told her with a meaningful look. "They don't know it is Christmas."

"I'm going, I'm going," she said, sighing heavily. "Buzz kill."

"I heard that."

"I'll help," Luke offered. He threw on his coat and boots and followed her to the barn. When they got there, he pulled the doors open, and she practically sprinted inside. Willow was nickering, sounding annoyed by something. He was bending over the pails when he heard the whining.

"Rita?" he said, feeling confused and slightly worried. He looked over his shoulder toward the sound. He was answered with a rambunctious puppy barreling towards him at full speed and launching at him before he could even move, knocking him over.

"Hey, whoa!" he exclaimed, getting a hold of the collar and noticing that it was his buddy, Copper. A red bow was on his collar too. "What is this? What are you doing over here?" He managed to sit up with Copper still trying to wash his face, his paws on Luke's chest.

"He's yours," Rita said, appearing finally. She was grinning.

"He's what?" Luke asked, not hearing her properly. Copper was now trying to stick his tongue inside of his ear, which didn't help. "Hey, settle down, you." He managed to get the puppy a few feet from his head. Copper's tongue was still flapping and snapping at the air, though, trying to get access to skin of any kind.

"I got him for you. He's yours," Rita said again. "Merry Christmas."

"Rita," Luke said, floored. "Are you serious?"

"No, Luke, I just borrowed him and pretended he's yours," Rita said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "Duh! Of course I'm serious. He's yours."

"I...I don't know what to say."

"You say 'thank you,'" Rita told him. Luke was on his feet now with the puppy dancing around his legs excitedly. He surprised Rita with a tight hug, and he felt her put her arms around him after a moment.

"Thank you," he said to her. "I did not expect that. It...it means a lot." Johnny had never let him have a pet of any kind, stating it would only cause trouble. He'd felt jealous of all the other kids running with their dogs outside all the time.

He let her go, and he noticed her very red face. The crush was still alive and well apparently.

"Shucks, it was nothing," she said, clearing her throat. "Dad said just keep Copper off of him and they'll get along just fine."

"I'll train him."

"I know you will."

Luke smiled at her, and she punched his arm before going to feed Willow and Hank. Copper pawed at his leg, wanting attention.

"Alright," he said, snapping his fingers. "Come on, then." Copper raced after him as he went to help Rita.

It would seem he had two friends now.

...

Rita got ready for bed that night feeling giddy. The day had gone by too quickly, but it had been fun. Keira had come over with Lucy for a short visit, and she'd entertained herself with the puppy and Luke. Kenny dropped by to say hello before going to have dinner with his relatives. Luke had teased her by hiding her new book and received a shove into a snow bank in return (he'd returned it not long after). Even her father had smiled at Copper's antics and let him chew on his feet after dinner for a bit. She knew her father struggled with Christmas because of her mother, so it was nice to see him smiling. She felt slightly jealous that Luke now got to sleep with a dog, but that was okay. She was glad he had a buddy.

She got to her room to find a bunch of papers bound together on her night stand, and she paused. She hadn't expected anything back from Luke, but it would appear this was from him. She picked it up and read the front.

Words for Rita.

She flipped through it and was surprised to find an array of different things on each page. Some held poems. Others held different styles of doodling for one or two words. Some had a short story on them. Some looked like songs. She knew he hated English, but apparently he understood how much Rita loved to read and play with words, so he'd taken the time to compile this for her.

She felt very touched.

She turned to look over her shoulder, almost expecting him to be standing in the doorway, but he wasn't. She went down the stairs slowly and found him watching the fire in the fireplace. The unit was blowing warm air across the room, and the light from the flames behind the glass was flickering across his face in the semi-darkness. Copper was on his back across his lap and chewing on his fingers playfully.

"Hey," he said, looking at her.

"Thank you," she blurted out. He smiled, knowing what she meant.

"Don't tell anyone," he told her. "I wouldn't want anyone to think I'm a nerd or something."

"There's nothing wrong with being a nerd," Rita said defensively.

"Maybe not, but it's not for me," he said, smirking at her. She shook her head and bent to squish Copper's face with her hands since he'd jumped off of Luke to come see her. His tail whipped back and forth eagerly.

"You holding up okay?" Luke asked. "With the whole Vince thing?" Rita shrugged, still petting Copper. She didn't want to get into it. Ever since she'd humiliated Mike and Vince on her first day, they took time to get back at her every so often. It usually was minor things like getting knocked into a locker or tripped or name called. This time, right before the school's break for Christmas, Vince had written in the boy's bathroom what sexual favors she would do for guys. It was hard because that was not who Rita was, but she was the only one who knew that aside from Luke. Even Bridget was skeptical that she didn't do this type of stuff when she found out from Jake. It annoyed Rita to have to keep denying it.

"Rita," Luke said, making her look at him. "Tell me the truth."

"Who doesn't like being called a whore, Luke?" Rita asked, keeping her voice level. "It's fun. It gets you lots of attention by boys, and it makes every guy's girlfriend humiliate you every chance they get as a warning to not steal their boyfriend."

"Shit," Luke said, rubbing his face with his hand. Copper was pushing himself tight against Rita's chest now, and she hugged him close. He squirmed before long, chewing on her arm a little.

"It's fine."

"It's not fine. I'll deal with it."

"No, you will not," Rita said sharply. "I don't need you to fix this. I will survive. It's just high school."

"I wish I could believe you, but your tone says you barely believe yourself," Luke pointed out. She hated the sad look he was giving her.

"Don't look at me like that," she said, her voice breaking a little. "And don't say that this is what you didn't want for me. I know that already. I don't regret what I did. Okay?"

"I wasn't going to say that."

"You didn't have to. Your face did."

Luke pressed his lips together but didn't say anything else. Copper trotted over to him after a while and jumped back onto his lap. Rita didn't want what Vince did to ruin this day for her, so she cleared her throat and swallowed before managing to smile again.

"It'll be old news by the time we go back to school anyway," she reasoned. "Don't worry about it."

"Rita..."

"Goodnight," she said firmly, indicating she was finished talking about this. He sighed but didn't push it.

"Merry Christmas, Rita," he said.

"Merry Christmas, Luke."

She went to bed and did her best to stop daydreaming about what it would be like to curl up in Luke's arms and have him hold her all night long.

...

Three days later, Rita saw Vince in town with his mother, and she almost made Lance trip over her when she stopped walking abruptly.

"What's going on?" he asked once he recovered. "Rita?"

She took in the bandage on Vince's face and his two black eyes, indicating his nose had been broken. She had no doubt at all how he'd gotten that.

"Rita?" Lance prompted again.

"Nothing," she said, flashing him a smile. "I just had a thought for a school project."

"And it made you stop walking?"

"It was really good..."

"Geez, child," Lance sighed, putting a hand on her shoulder and propelling her forward. Even though Rita was a bit mad that Luke had taken matters into his own hands anyway, she still smiled that Vince looked absolutely miserable about it.

1996

Montana, U.S.

"1868," Rita said.

"Ehhhh," Luke said, mimicking a buzzer to indicate she was wrong.

"69. 69!" she corrected, pressing the heel of her hand into her forehead and closing her eyes in frustration.

"Better."

"Uggggghhhhh," she groaned, starting to pace again. Luke was sitting at the table with all of her flash cards in front of him. He rested his elbows on the table and watched her. Copper was snoring underneath the table while laying on Luke's feet.

"Need a break?" he asked.

"No. I can't afford anymore breaks. My test is tomorrow."

"You'll be fine."

"No, I won't. I can't remember shit," Rita said, blowing air out her lips roughly. She slapped her hands on her sides as she dropped them.

"Language," Luke commented.

"Shit, shit, shit, shit," she chanted. He raised a brow and gave her a look.

"Does that make you feel better?" he asked.

"Not really."

"Come on," he said, getting to his feet. "We're taking a break."

"No! I can't..."

"It's not a suggestion," he said, grabbing her upper sleeve and pulling her with him towards the door, grabbing their coats as he went. She dragged her feet the whole way, but he was stronger. It didn't seem to matter how much she worked out or punched that bag. He was always stronger than her.

They stepped out into the cold air, and she put on her coat after he handed it to her. The snow crunched under their feet as they walked. She thought about the last few months. She missed having Luke at school with her, but she was left alone for the most part. Mike and Vince had still hassled her a little after Luke had broken Vince's nose, but they'd graduated at the end of that year, so it had been her and Luke until he'd graduated as well last year. The two of them had done a lot during Luke's last year at school and experienced different things. It had made them grow closer in their friendship, and it had made Rita love Luke that much more. She had a suspicion that he returned her feelings but was holding himself in check. It frustrated her.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"Just for a walk," he answered. "Might clear your head for a bit and make room for what you're studying."

"This is a waste of time," she grumbled, kicking at the snow. It was darker earlier, which she hated.

"How is taking care of yourself a waste of time?" he challenged. His hands were tucked into his coat pockets.

She muttered something nonsensical, and he shook his head with a laugh.

"You gotta take breaks sometimes," he said, nudging her with his elbow.

"You're just lucky you're done school," she complained.

"Hey, I had to do an entire extra year," he said. "It sucked."

"It's no fun without you there," she commented. It was true. Luke had established he didn't take bullshit in his first year there alone, so when Rita got there, she made it known that she was associated with him on the first day by fighting off Vince and Mike with him. Some people thought Luke was her foster brother, but others had thought she was his girlfriend. For security purposes, she sometimes didn't deny that one. There had been times where Luke had used it himself to steer her out of trouble. There were a few things her father didn't know about, and she hoped he wouldn't find out about them.

"You've got Devon now," he pointed out.

"It's not the same," she insisted. "And we're just friends." She knew Devon wanted more than that, but she just couldn't right now. He was okay. He was 16 and cute. They'd started hanging out after doing a project together in the fall, and she hadn't fully trusted him at first. She'd been skeptical thinking he was just looking for what he thought she could do for him based off of Vince's stupid rumor like a few others had been, but he'd denied that. They went out the odd time to see a movie. She pretended not to see her father was parked down the street but knew he'd been waiting the entire time.

"I figured you'd be too smitten with him to even notice I wasn't there," Luke went on. She ached inside. Did he really think she'd just forget about him? He was off limits, though. Her father made it repeatedly clear to her any time he caught her staring at him longer than ten seconds.

"I don't know about that," she said, sighing.

"Uh oh," he teased. "Trouble in paradise already? You've been together, what...three months?"

"Two. And we're just hanging out!"

"Ah, sorry."

"He's just...blah," she said, finally warming up now as they kept walking around the yard. The outside lights helped them see where they were going, but they couldn't entirely see each other. It made Rita feel all swoopy inside.

"Wow," Luke said, laughing. "Does he know that?"

"I don't want to hurt his feelings..."

"Are you really giving him a chance, though?"

"I am. I mean...I think I am," she said, frowning.

"Are you in love with someone else?" he asked, and she almost stopped walking. Did he know how she felt about him? She tried to tame her thoughts before stringing words together in a response.

"Why do you ask?" she questioned carefully.

"Sometimes it's hard to be in a relationship when you're constantly thinking about someone else," he replied with a shrug. "That's all."

Was he fishing? Did he wonder about her and want a definite answer?

"Well, sometimes you have to try and move on when the person you want is out of reach," she said after a moment, daring to be bold. He said nothing, and she wished she knew what he was thinking.

"There's a time and place for everything," he said softly when she had given up on getting an answer from him. "Maybe you'll get your chance yet."

She felt the flare of hope in her chest. Was he talking about them? Then, as if he recognized things had gotten too serious, he bent to pick up snow and stuffed it down the back of her shirt.

"ARRGHH!" she shrieked, twisting free from his grasp. She chased him, and he ran fast. She was faster, though, and she leaped on him to knock him down moments later. They rolled in the snow laughing as she crammed snow down the front and back of his neck.

"Alright, alright," he gasped. "Truce!" Rita rolled off of him onto her back into the snow and sighed happily. Then she shrieked when he was suddenly on her chest and burying her face in snow. She spluttered and shoved him away.

"You're such an arsehole!" she yelled as he laughed. She shoved him off, and they lay side by side in the snow. She was hot from his touch and cold from all the snow. She looked up at the stars and saw how bright they were.

"I feel so small," she commented.

"I know what you mean," Luke agreed. "It's vast up there." She dared to reach and take his hand in hers, and he let her. They were quiet as they breathed and looked at the stars together.

"I don't feel as small when you're with me," she said after a moment.

"Me either."

She debated on telling him how she felt, but her father coming home interrupted her opportunity, and she felt aggravated inside. Luke helped her to her feet, and they walked back to the house together. She slowed her steps while Luke walked to greet Lance. She watched them smile and laugh at each other as they went towards the house.

She wished that she could have been fully honest with Luke, but she was afraid to. What if he didn't like her back? What if he did regard her as a sister? She'd be devastated and deal with it, but a part of her didn't want to find out. She trudged inside slowly, dreading tomorrow. She forced herself to eat dinner and smile before going back to studying.

...

Luke stood in the barn with his hands on the table in front of him. His eyes were blindfolded. Lance had tasked him with learning how to assemble and load guns without being able to look at them, so he'd been practising it nightly after Rita went to bed. His training had slowed a little, but that was because he'd spent more time helping Kenny on his ranch. Luke was considering being a rancher. He enjoyed the work, and it didn't involve killing anyone.

However, he still thought about his mother and how much she'd wanted him to follow in her footsteps. It was all so confusing at times.

He exhaled slowly as he reached out to find the rifle with his fingers. He was still slow moving when he did it, but he was getting better. He didn't have to lift the blindfold for help anymore.

His focus was distracted tonight, though. Rita's words wouldn't leave him alone. She wasn't entirely into Devon because she was into someone else? Someone out of reach? Was she talking about him? He knew she must be. She still gave away that she had a crush on him at times, like when she reached to hold his hand tonight or found a way to touch him on the arm or he caught her watching him. All throughout their time at high school together and even recently, there had been moments that were intense where he'd almost told her, but he knew he couldn't. He wished he could be honest and tell her that he returned the feelings, but that wouldn't end well with Lance, and he didn't want to get kicked out because that meant never seeing Rita again, and he'd rather suffer and be with her than suffer and be away from her. He felt bad that he couldn't keep his promise of not getting close to her. He'd failed that, hard. She just had a way of wiggling her way into his life whether he wanted her to or not.

He wished he wasn't so afraid of Lance. He'd seen Lance lose his cool a few different times in the last three years, and he knew better than to provoke it. Dating his daughter would most definitely provoke it, so Luke had to get over it and move on. He knew that.

"Luke?"

He jumped, having not heard her come in at all. He dropped the rifle, lifted up his blindfold, and turned to see Rita standing there in her boots, pajamas, and winter coat.

"What're you doing out here?" he asked.

"I couldn't sleep. I came to see Willow," she answered, looking at him with a confused expression. "What are you doing?"

"Just...practising," he answered.

"Practising what?"

"Nothing important."

"Is that an assault rifle?" she asked, incredulous. Too late. He hadn't managed to conceal it from her.

"Yes," he answered. He had no choice but to be honest.

"Where did you get that?"

"It was one of your dad's from his time in the military," he replied. She stood there staring at him. He held his breath, wondering if she knew he was slightly fibbing. It was Lance's, but it was from his time as an assassin.

In the end, she didn't say anything. She walked past him towards Willow with a sidelong glance at the table of guns before turning her head away. He exhaled, wondering when she was going to bring it up again. He stood there watching her go into Willow's stall and murmur quietly to her as she slid her hand up Willow's nose. He looked back down at his guns and picked up his rifle again, finishing loading it without the blindfold. He decided to just practise his speed of assembling and disassembling with his eyes open. After a while, Rita appeared at his elbow.

"I want to learn," she said, surprising him.

"What?" he asked.

"I know how to fire a .22, but I want to learn gun safety and be as good as you are," she said, gesturing.

"Why?"

"Why not?" she challenged.

"Because it's dangerous?"

"You're doing it."

He knew it was a fight he was going to lose, so he decided to stop while he was relatively ahead. He decided it was better to just teach her than have her hound him constantly about it.

"Fine," he said, pointing a finger at her, "but not a word of this to your father."

"I'm good at keeping secrets," she said. Something in the way she said it and the look in her eyes that followed raised a red flag inside of him.

"Like what?" he asked.

"It wouldn't be a secret anymore if I told you, would it?" she challenged. He saw it clearly: the hurt and pain in her eyes. It seemed to be more evident lately. He knew she'd gone through some stuff over the last couple of years, but she'd held her own and shown the world she didn't care. At certain times, though, he'd catch the pain in her eyes briefly. Tonight it was bigger than usual.

"What happened to you, Rita?" he asked quietly.

"Nothing," she said, trying to keep her voice level.

"Was it someone from school? Did Trevor...?"

"No. He's left me alone since you 'dealt' with him," she said, shaking her head. Luke hated that kid. Vince's brother was a chip off the old block it seemed.

"Was it Simon?" He never brought up her cousin, especially after Lance had told him not to, and he now knew why from her reaction. It was like she'd been hit with a shotgun blast.

"Don't," she said, her voice shaking. "Don't talk about him."

"Okay..." He desperately wanted to know what the bastard had done to her. His imagination started to run wild, and none of it was good.

She gestured to the table. "Which one do I start with?" She looked at him with a bit of a pleading look, one that was asking him to not ask her anymore questions. As much as he wanted to ignore that plea, he knew he couldn't push and have her get angry at him. He hated it when she was angry at him.

"The pistol," he answered, still looking at her. She picked it up.

"Alright," she said, looking back at him. "Show me."

Three Weeks Later

Christmas was always a quiet affair even with Rita's attempts to liven it up. It was just the three of them, and it was very low key. Rita was out with the animals after dinner, trying to reflect on the day. Bridget had come over for a bit. Devon had called. Luke had disappeared all afternoon while her father sat in his office with a bottle of whiskey. Christmas had been a special thing between him and her mother apparently, and every year, he handled it poorly. It was the same way he handled New Year's, which was apparently Carol's special thing with him.

"Do you miss her?" Rita asked Willow, petting her gently. She loved to run her fingers all over Willow's fur. The horse nickered softly, and Rita took that to mean yes. Willow was 18 years old, but they still went on rides together. Rita dreaded the day she lost her beloved friend.

She thought on the last few weeks and Luke's gun lessons. She was getting faster at assembling them. She was getting better at hitting the targets. She tried not to think about him going off to war one day. Fear of losing him was overwhelming and suffocating at times. She didn't want to lose any more people in her life. Her mother and Carol were enough.

"Rita?"

She turned to see Luke walking towards the stall. He leaned his arms on it and looked at her. It didn't seem to matter when she saw him; she'd get all jumpy inside and feel her stomach drop.

"Where were you?" she asked.

"With Lisa," he answered. Her heart clenched. Lisa was new. Luke had met her in the library, of all places, when he'd picked Rita up from her shift two weeks ago. Rita hated her.

"Oh." She noticed a smudge of lipstick on the corner of his mouth.

"What're you doing out here?"

"Just...thinking about my mother," she answered. Now she was thinking about how much she hated Lisa. It had prompted her to agree to date Devon, just to try and forget about Luke. Did Luke feel this way about her being with Devon? No, he wouldn't. He didn't like her that way. She was the one with the crush, not him. She really didn't know anymore.

"Must be going around. I've been thinking about mine too," Luke commented. Rita felt intrigued. He never usually talked about his family. She knew his mother had left him here and that he had never seen her again, but that was all.

"What was your mother like?" she dared to ask. He shifted his jaw around before swallowing.

"Tough," he answered. "Funny. Sweet. My, uh, dad beat her up often enough that I was surprised she didn't become a bitter, hateful person, but she seemed to always just get through it. She loved that bastard, and she wouldn't leave him."

"I'm sorry," Rita said, not knowing what else to say. She did, however, notice the pause before he'd said the word "dad." She wondered why.

"Ah," Luke said, waving his hand. "It's in the past now."

"Do you miss them?"

"I miss her," he answered softly. Their eyes met, and she could see the vulnerability there. She gave Willow one last pat before heading out of the stall. Luke backed up so she could get out. They walked out together, and she turned the lights off on the way. They were walking towards the house when the first howl started. Out of instinct, she grabbed his arm.

"Those are close," Luke noted, nodding in the direction of where the wolves were carrying on. Rita could hear Willow's nervous whickering coming from the barn along with Hank's snorts. She knew Kenny lost a cow or two to a wolf at times, and Luke and Lance would go hunting for it with him.

"They sound so...mournful," Rita said once she wasn't feeling so afraid. She reluctantly let go of his arm.

"Yea," he agreed. They went inside after a moment, and Rita watched him go load the fire. She was tired and knew she should go to bed. She could hear her father snoring loudly from his bedroom.

"Do you like her?" she asked, unable to help herself.

"Who?"

"Lisa."

"Oh. Yea," he said. "She's alright."

"You liked her enough to kiss her," Rita pointed out, and he frowned before Rita gestured at her own face, making him understand what she was telling him. He reached to wipe off the lipstick.

"It came out of nowhere," he offered. "Mistletoe."

"Mmm."

"Is there something you want to tell me?" he asked, looking intently at her.

"No," she said quickly, shaking her head.

Stay away from him, her father's voice said in her mind. Please do that for me.

"You sure?" he prompted.

"Mmhmm," she said with a nod. She couldn't move for some reason, and he walked closer to her, stopping right in front of her.

"You know that I always know when you're lying, right?" he told her.

"How so?"

"Your jaw gets tight," he said, reaching to touch it. She felt instant heat at the feel of his thumb against it.

"Really."

"You also give me clipped, one word answers or statements," he went on, "and you fidget with your pockets." She pulled her hand away from the pocket of her jeans.

"You're wrong," she said.

"I'm not."

"I couldn't tell you even if I wanted to," she said next. She shivered as he traced his thumb down her jaw line slowly.

"I know," he said softly. "I couldn't either."

She couldn't look away from him. They were both bound to their promise to her father, and yet she wanted to break it so badly in this moment.

"Lucky Devon," Luke said after a moment.

"Lucky Lisa," she said back. She wanted him to kiss her. Her entire body was craving it like air. She watched him look at her lips and back at her face and knew he wanted it too.

"Good night, Rita," he said instead, taking his hand back and stepping away from her. She wanted to cry. This was the first time they'd come so close to acknowledging how they both felt, and now she knew he felt the same way about her. It was torture.

She found a note on her nightstand next to a gold chain with the letter "R" attached to it. She picked it up, feeling a bit breathless. It was beautiful. She recognized Luke's handwriting as she looked at it.

Saw it and couldn't help myself. It reminds me of you. P.S. My favorite letter in the alphabet is the letter "R," which is a happy coincidence since you're my favorite person. I think it's a sign. Merry Christmas, Rita. Luke.

Rita looked at her closed door and wondered if he liked the pen and ink drawing she'd done of him and Copper. She put on the necklace and instantly ran her fingers up and down the chain. It made her feel instantly calm. She envisioned Luke's fingers touching it and now hers were; it brought her a feeling of closeness to him, a feeling of safety and comfort.

She fell asleep dreaming of him actually kissing her, but it wasn't as good as she knew it would be in real life.

...

Luke couldn't sleep (it didn't help that Copper was extra restless for some reason). He'd stared at Rita's drawing for a long time, marveling at her talent. She'd captured both him and the dog perfectly. He felt torn up inside knowing they were both stuck in this position of having feelings but not allowed to share them with each other. He got up and went outside for air with Copper on his heels, excited for a night time outing. That was where he found Lance, who had apparently gotten up at some point. He was standing in the backyard on the path, a cigar hanging from his mouth. Copper went over to him, pushing his head under Lance's free hand for pats, which Lance gave in to.

"You smoke?" Luke asked, surprised.

"No," Lance answered, shaking his head. "Every Christmas I have a cigar because Rosie used to love the smell of them from her grandfather."

Luke stood quietly and patiently. Lance didn't typically offer much about Rosie, but he would mention her from time to time. He didn't talk much about Carol either. Luke was learning that Lance kept a lot of things to his chest.

"She was beautiful," Lance went on, staring past Luke. "I remember the first time I met her. She took my breath away. Then I walked into a lamp post."

"Ouch," Luke chuckled.

"Time slowed when I was with her. She made me feel like I could be the good guy in the story, you know? She helped me be a better person. Then God took her away from me, and to this day, I still don't understand why, but I imagine it's punishment for what I did to people."

Luke saw the wistfulness and grief in Lance's expression. He wished he knew Rosie. She sounded a lot like Rita.

"She was so excited to be a mother," Lance whispered. "She had all these plans..." He trailed off, sticking the cigar back into his mouth and taking a drag. Luke watched the smoke rings disappear into the dark, cold air. His other hand was still absently petting Copper, who was reading the room and sat there patiently as he did so.

"I feel like I failed Rita, you know?" he said after a moment, his voice emotional. "If I had just insisted on driving Rosie to the hospital...if I had just gone to pick her up...it would have altered all the chain of events that happened after, and she'd be alive today. Rita would have had her mother, and a lot of other things wouldn't have happened. I just...I hate myself for not trying harder."

Luke didn't want to voice it, but he had a feeling that if Rosie had been alive today, she wouldn't have let Lance take him in as an apprentice to be an assassin. He didn't know where that would have left him or where he would have ended up.

"Can't change the past," Lance muttered, putting out his cigar now. "It'd be really nice if you could. You'd get to make things right or change a decision about something. Maybe one day."

Luke still said nothing as Lance walked past him and went inside. He knew Lance was a bit drunk. He wouldn't have shared this much with him otherwise.

He stood outside with Copper now racing around and rolling in the snow happily, feeling guilty for breaking his promise to Lance by falling in love with his daughter. He was trying to move on with Lisa, trying to forget about Rita, but it was proving difficult. He knew he had to, though. He had to move on from this. He had to let her go.

And he would.

Two Months Later—1997

Luke kept his distance from Rita a bit more since Christmas Day. She noticed it, but she didn't comment on it. She figured the space would be good for them right now. She was almost 17. He was almost 20. Her father would have a massive stroke if they attempted to date, and she couldn't lose another parent.

She kept trying to date Devon, and even though he was nice and cute and funny, she struggled to connect with him. It wasn't like she didn't try. When he'd French kissed her for the first time, which had also been her first time experiencing that, she'd wondered what all the fuss was about. It was nothing like the books or movies made it out to be. She kept hoping it would get better, and she didn't want to break up with him over his lack of kissing abilities. Surely he'd learn how to do it without making it feel like he was drowning or choking her.

Luke kept seeing Lisa too, and she couldn't stop wondering if he'd had sex with her yet. Rita herself was not planning on doing anything like that until the time was right. She'd made that decision a long time ago. Maybe she was old-fashioned, but she stood firm in her choice.

She went looking for Luke, wanting to talk to him because she trusted him and his opinions. Rita walked into the garage to find Luke bent under the hood of his black Charger. She remembered how hard he'd tried not to be thrilled when Lance had brought it home from work to fix up for him after getting a good deal on it from his boss. It was almost March, so it was a milder day. She hugged herself and shivered under her jacket even though he was in a t-shirt. She knew he got hot when he worked, though. The radio was on in the background, and he was humming along to it while occasionally singing a line or two. She smiled to herself.

"Can I help you?" he asked after a moment.

"You always know," she said, slightly huffing in impatience. She'd been hoping to scare him.

"I heard you scuffling," he retorted, laughing as he looked over his shoulder at her. "What's up?"

"Nothing. I'm just feeling aloof today."

"Read all your books?"

"Shut up." She rolled her eyes as he snickered in more laughter to himself before going back to his car. She wasn't sure why she was out here if she was honest. She tapped her fingers against her arm, thinking. She didn't want to talk to Bridget about this because she'd say Rita was being stupid. She didn't want to talk to her father about this because his head would explode. Lucy would tell her father. Kenny would just embarrass her. The animals couldn't give her advice, so that left Luke. She knew he'd take her seriously, though, and wouldn't laugh at her. She hoped.

"Spit it out," he said now, cranking his socket wrench quickly. She got lost in a slight daydream at watching the muscles in his arms ripple with the motion. He stopped after a moment and looked at her again. "Rita?"

"Huh?" she asked, snapping out of her daydream that consisted of Luke bending her backwards over the engine.

"What's on your mind?" he asked.

"Oh, um..." she hesitated. This really was embarrassing, but she had no choice. "I just...I don't want to talk to anyone else about this because...well..."

"Oh, man," Luke said, setting the wrench down and resting his hands on his car as he leaned on it, still under the hood. "Did you have sex with Devon?!"

"No!" she exclaimed, mortified. She did not miss the relief on his face after hearing that. She found that interesting.

"Oh thank God," he said. "Your dad would murder me for knowing that information and not telling him."

"Hey, what happened to confidentiality?" she asked, raising a brow at him.

"It has limits," he said dryly. "Drugs, alcohol, and sex are the three things I have to breach confidentiality for."

"Sod off," Rita said, annoyed. "It's none of his business anyway. Never mind then. I'll just go write it in my diary and burn it."

"Okay, wait, wait, wait," Luke called, making her stop and look back at him. "I'm kidding. You can tell me anything, Rita. It stays with me."

"You promise?"

"Yes."

"I get to kill you if you're lying to me?"

"Of course," he agreed. "Now, out with it." He picked up the wrench again, leaning back over the engine, and continued to crank while looking at her every so often, waiting for her answer. She walked closer to him until she was standing beside him and fidgeted slightly for a moment before taking a breath and diving into it.

"How do you French kiss?" she asked in a rush. Luke's head jerked up and bashed into the hood of his car at this point, and he growled in pain while trying to keep his composure.

"Come again?" he asked, wincing and blinking as his eyes slightly watered.

"I think I'm doing it wrong," she went on, feeling stupid.

"How could you be doing it wrong?"

"I don't know! It's just...icky," she said, biting her lip and feeling her face turning red.

"Icky," he repeated.

"I know I'm supposed to enjoy it, but honestly, I hate it. I feel like Devon is trying touch the back of my throat every time. I feel like I'm drowning in his spit. Don't laugh!" She noticed his lips slightly twitching, but she knew he was laughing at Devon and not her. He grew somber again.

"He's doing it wrong," Luke said.

"How is it done right?"

"Ah, geez," Luke said, turning away slightly, but not before she noticed his neck starting to flush.

"This was stupid," she said, turning to leave again.

"No! Hang on," he said, moving to catch her arm to stop her. He let her go quickly, though, and they stood facing each other.

"Am I just being stupid?" she asked.

"No," he answered, shaking his head. "You're not. Look, it's supposed to be...I dunno...light. Gentle. Slow. Or hard and fast if you're...um, never mind. Basically, you're not supposed to choke or drown the other person. He's probably opening his mouth too wide."

"So you do it right," she said.

"We're not talking about me here," he countered quickly.

"Luke, I'm serious," she said, running her hands through her hair. "I'm embarrassed to be having this conversation as it is. I like Devon, but his kissing is driving me nuts."

"Alright," Luke interrupted. "I'll just say this: I don't typically stick my entire tongue into a lady's mouth. Okay?"

"Just, like, half?" She could see he was struggling with this conversation. He cleared his throat a couple of times.

"Half-ish. Sometimes three quarters," he said finally. "Sometimes a quarter. It depends."

"See, I think I could tolerate that," Rita commented. She saw that most of his face was a bit red now, and she knew she had to end this conversation. She couldn't help but wonder if he was thinking about kissing her, though.

"Does that answer your question?" he asked.

"Yes. Thank you."

"You're welcome." He turned back to his car, hiding his face from her. Rita knew she had to get this back into friends territory, so she went over and leaned over the engine on the right side of the car. His face was starting to return back to normal color now.

"What are you fixing on it?" she asked.

"Her," he corrected.

"What?"

"How many times have I told you that her name is Rosalee, and she's a she," he said, lifting a brow at her.

"Why not a he?"

"Because. It started with ships that were made out of female wood because it was stronger than male wood, so it just kind of got transferred onto all mechanical things," he answered.

"Seriously?"

"Yes," he answered. "Or so I've been told. Don't quote me."

"Interesting."

"Yes, so please, refer to her as a she."

"You're so weird," Rita snorted. "Fine. What are you fixing on her?"

"Just tuning her up," he answered.

"You doing another race soon?"

"Probably."

"Can I come?"

"No."

"Luuuuke," she whined.

"Ritaaaaaa," he whined back, mocking her. She shot him a look, and he made a face back at her. Now this was normal. There was no longer any awkwardness.

"I'll tell my dad," she threatened.

"Pfft, he already knows," Luke snorted. "He's put money on this race too."

"What?!"

"Oh yea. I almost bet he'd be there watching if he could."

Rita pushed up from the car and shook her head as she started to walk away. "Well, have fun losing since your lucky charm won't be there."

"I've got a lock of your hair. I'm good," he called after her.

"WHAT?!" she exclaimed, whirling around. He burst out laughing.

"You're so easy sometimes," he commented. She growled and rushed at him, trying to push him down into his car. He fought her off, wiping grease on her face and making her exclaim in outrage. She wrestled with him for a moment more until he had her pinned down against the car, hovering over her.

"I'm still the best," he told her, winking.

"For now," she shot back.

"You give?"

"Fine," she sighed. He helped her get upright again, and she stood there looking at him with her face close to his. She suddenly really wanted to know what it would be like to kiss him when he could kiss her back. She dared to move closer, her lips millimeters from his now.

"Rita," he said quietly. One more move and she'd be kissing him. It was that easy. Sensing this, Luke put his hands on her arms to stop her. Then she felt ridiculous. Of course he no longer liked her back that way. She was so stupid.

"I'm sorry," she said, trying to pull away.

"Don't be," he told her, holding her firmly. "It's just...wrong timing."

"Wrong timing?" she echoed. What was he saying? If the timing was better, he'd kiss her?

"I'm with someone else," he said softly. Right. Lisa. The bitch who had told her she was just a dumb kid with a stupid crush.

"Right," she said out loud.

"And so are you."

"I know."

"You should go," he said, releasing her arms. "Tell your boyfriend how to kiss better. Maybe you'll start to like it."

"I don't think I will," she admitted.

"You won't know until you try," he replied. "I'll see you inside later."

"Okay." She walked away from him, feeling foolish. Why did she keep thinking they could act on their feelings? They couldn't.

And that hurt so much.

...

Luke was trying to get his wits back about him. Rita had almost kissed him tonight. He knew that was very bad. If Lance had seen...

He gave his head a shake. The worst part of it was the fact he kept imagining it. It annoyed him that she was not getting the best kissing experience with the dolt boyfriend of hers. In his mind, Rita deserved only the best. He knew he wasn't the best, but he was better than Devon.

When the dolt himself came over later that night, he groaned and kept himself hidden away as much as he could. He saw Rita trying to make him jealous by touching Devon in front of him more than usual. It was her way of putting it in his face that she wanted him to admit he had feelings too, and the worst part was that she was right. He had feelings. He just wasn't allowed to act on them.

And then there was Lisa. She was a nice girl. He liked her. He was trying to establish a relationship with her, but it was challenging at times. He knew that if he couldn't stop thinking about Rita, he should end things with Lisa. He'd monitor it and make a decision in the next while. Even if he couldn't be with Rita, he knew he shouldn't be with someone else when his heart wasn't fully theirs.

"Hey, boy," he said when Copper found him in his room and pressed against his legs. He winced at the tail smacking the back of his legs, nudging Copper to the side to get out of the line of fire. Eventually, Copper sat down and looked at him, whining softly.

"I know," he said. "It's all just a big mess, isn't it?" Copper gave a slight woof in his throat, and Luke sighed. Maybe one day, things would be different.

Maybe.

I promise you that Part II has sooo much more of Luke and Rita in high school. I couldn't fit it all in here, but hang in there! It's coming :)

I'm dedicating this chapter to an old friend of mine, Emily, who also would never let a friend get into a fight without having their back. The tragedy of your loss breaks my heart every single day since I found out, but I'm trying to be strong because you'd want me to be. You'll never be forgotten. I miss you xo.