AN: I thought this story was completed but after a LOT of poking from the TWOP folks (you know who you are and you should all be ashamed) I decided to continue. Here's an action filled chapter but I promise more introspection and angst in the future chapters, but this part just came to me after getting reacquainted with the story.

Several days later:

Luke and I were walking between Seth and Summer on our way into school. Things had finally settled into a semblance of calm. Teresa had stopped calling me and according to Summer, Jimmy had encouraged Marissa to give me some space. Thank god. I was so fucking relaxed that I knew that something bad was bound to happen soon.

Anna had started hanging out with Luke and I on a regular basis. Luke had confessed to me earlier that morning that he had a slight crush on the short blonde. I knew that Anna liked Luke too, so I told him to take a chance and ask her out. He was hesitant, due mainly to Julie Cooper's fevered obsession with him.

Luke had taken Sandy's advice and told Mrs. Cooper that it was over. He hadn't been taking her calls or answering her emails. He had been talking to Sandy a lot, without me around, and seemed to be at ease with his decision.

"Dude, what's on your mind today? World peace? The cure for cancer?" Seth smiled.

"Nada," I replied. "Just remembered how much I hate school," I added.

"Amen, man!" Luke laughed.

"What's Marissa's mom doing here?" Summer asked.

Julie Cooper was standing by the steps outside the school talking to Anna. Luke and I glanced at each other. This wasn't good at all. Especially considering the escalating emotional messages Luke had been getting.

"Summer, where's Marissa?" I asked.

"She's in the library, she had a quiz she forgot about," Summer started. Luke and I increased our pace immediately and within moments were beside Anna.

Anna's face was pale but her eyes were bright with anger. She gave Luke a strange look and I could tell that she knew about the affair.

"You have no idea what you're talking about Mrs. Cooper," Anna hissed. I put my hand on her back and could feel the tension in her body.

"I know you're fucking Luke…" Julie started.

"Julie, stop, you don't know what you're talking about…" Luke said quietly. I glanced behind me and saw Seth and Summer observing from a few steps away.

"You won't come and see me, you won't return my calls or my emails, what am I supposed to think?" Julie snapped.

"He told you that it was over," I whispered. "You know that this can't go on."

"Shut the fuck up," Julie said immediately. "I've lost my husband, I've lost my daughter and I will not lose you, too," She said to Luke.

"Julie, just let it go," Luke replied, pale.

I didn't expect her to hit him or I would have done something. Julie swung her oversized purse and knocked Luke against me causing all three of us to stumble.

"Fuck, lady!" Anna cursed as she regained her balance first. I glanced at Luke who was stunned but when I turned my attention back to Julie, I vaguely registered Summer and Seth yelling at me. Julie had a gun. A real fucking gun on the fucking front steps of her daughter's school.

"Whoa, Julie, just calm down…" Luke whispered, raising his hands automatically in a defensive posture. I was vaguely aware of kids running in panic in several directions around me but Anna and I stayed where we were.

"I won't let you leave me for some little tramp," Julie snapped and pointed the shiny silver pistol at Luke.

Luke had faced down a gun once before, he was getting serious combat hours this year. He looked like an animal caught in the headlights. He couldn't seem to believe that his lover was pointing a gun at him.

"Julie..." I started but she wouldn't take her attention from Luke's frozen form.

"Shut up," She snapped at me again.

I slowly urged Anna behind me, hoping that she would take off to the safety of…of anywhere but here. She didn't run away, though. There was a slight pressure and I realized that she had looped her fingers through the belt loops of my jeans. I should run, too. But I couldn't leave Luke here. But I couldn't rush Marissa's mom, either. Someone had to do something.

"Julie, let's just talk about this…" Luke said slowly.

"Oh, so now you want to talk, now you want to make it up to me? Well, you're too fucking late…" Julie hissed. Her hands were trembling. I hadn't even noticed how disheveled she was until she was pointing a gun on my friend. Her red hair was faded and I could see her brunette roots. She wasn't wearing makeup. She was wearing sweatpants. Julie Cooper owned sweatpants, who knew?

"You don't want to do this, Mrs. Cooper," I attempted again. Her gaze flickered toward me for an instant and I expected Luke to jump her but he didn't move.

She didn't point the gun at me but she met my gaze. Her eyes were dark with depression. The woman really had lost everything. I could relate. But I'd never been upset enough to try and shoot anyone. Maybe a beating or two, but I didn't want to kill anyone. I had heard the sirens but they didn't register with me until I saw the officers tentatively approaching Julie from behind her.

Julie saw my gaze waver from hers and she panicked. I saw her hands shaking worse. The recoil from the shot would probably knock her down. Something had to be done. What if the cops shot her? She was still Marissa's mom.

"Ma'am, please put the gun away…" An officer was close now, with his gun drawn. He was flanked by a hoard of officers. Damn, I hate cops.

"Oh god…" Julie lost her motivation suddenly and her entire body started to shake.

"Let's go…grab Luke, Ryan…" Anna whispered in my ear so only I could hear her voice.

I glanced at Luke but he was still stricken, his eyes were locked on Julie and he was panicked. "Luke. Luke?" I called quietly, reaching over to try and get his attention.

"Don't touch him!" Julie snapped immediately. I saw the flash of the gun before I heard the first shot.

Everything seemed to happen in an instant but it was slow motion. Luke fell to the ground. I fell beside him. Anna screamed. Seth screamed. There were more gunshots before Julie Cooper was tackled by a huge policeman.

Sandy was going to kill us for letting this happen.

"Ryan. Ryan. Ryan."

I glanced over at the source of my name and saw that I had knocked Anna down when I fell. I rolled off her.

"Ryan?" Her eyes were dark with worry but before I could answer, Seth's pale visage came into my view.

"Ryan, are you all right?" Seth demanded. He grabbed my arms and pulled me to my feet.

"Where's Luke?" I asked. It was the only question that my brain could process right now.

"I'm all right," Luke said, he was on his feet now, too. He was shaking as he helped Anna to her feet.

"Is everyone okay?" I asked.

"Are you kids okay?" A group of officers had descended upon us. Julie was gone, I guess one of the cops had taken her away.

"Who's bleeding?" Seth asked. Anna's clothes were bloody, mine were bloody and Luke was bloody.

"It's not me…" Anna murmured, her eyes glazed with shock now that the gun was gone.

I glanced down at myself to see if the blood was mine and I felt warmth trickling down my side.

"Fuck…" Luke whispered. Summer was with us now and she had her hands clenched on Luke's bleeding arm. "I just got shot again…in the other arm…"

"At least you have matching scars," I murmured as Seth ignored me and was pulling at my shirt.

"Ryan, you're bleeding…" Seth whispered.

A chunk of my flesh was gone from my side and was bleeding freely. I didn't even feel it until I saw it but a wave of pain washed through me. I immediately felt dizzy. I hadn't been shot before.

"Fuck…" I said and took several steps away from Seth. Anna and Seth immediately followed me. I felt like I was suffocating from their worry and I needed a minute to compose myself. I turned to leave but Seth took my arm and stopped me as he pressed his hand painfully into my injured side.

"Don't run…relax, okay?" Seth said. He was calm. Usually he was hyperactive and anything but calm but his brown eyes urged me to stop and stay still.

"Okay…"

"It's okay, it's not that bad, all right? I think it just grazed you and the ambulance is almost here and you're going to be fine…" Seth said, his familiar babble returning.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Summer was looking at me, the cop having pulled Luke over to the steps and was holding a bandage on his arm.

"Yeah…" I replied as a cop came over to me and Seth.

"Let me take a look at that…" The officer said. I tensed up immediately. I knew they were there to help but I didn't trust cops. Ever. I should have run…

"I got it, just get the ambulance here," Seth snapped at the cop.

The cop's face softened, he seemed to sense that Seth was being protective. "I just want to make sure your friend is okay."

"I'm okay, I'm fine…" I managed.

"You want to sit down?" Seth asked me, giving the policeman a warning glare.

Before I could answer, my dizziness got worse and everything started to spin. When I blinked again, I realized that I was on my ass on the sidewalk.

"You need to call your dad," I said to Seth who was standing beside me with a stricken expression. The cop was holding a bandage against my side.

"Already done…what the fuck just happened?" He asked.

"Ryan?" Marissa's voice distracted me. She was standing at the top of the steps outside of the entrance to the school with Dr. Kim.

"Fuck," Luke and I both said.