A/N: Finally, a new chapter! There weren't that many reviews for the last chapter, but I technically said it was only a teaser, so I'll pretend that you all still love me. There's fluff, then it's like, WOAH, and then like, omg! and then like, CLIFFIE! Hehe… that made you want to read this less, didn't it?

"I love you too."

I snorted. Less than a second after hearing the girl I love tell me she loves me back, I should have done anything but snort. But I did.

"Sure you do, Paige," I said.

"I do, and that's the problem," she said. I gnawed on my thumb nail.

"It's a problem?" I said.

"Yeah. Because you're perfect, and you should be enough for me. And sometimes I think you are, but I know that I need people. Lots of people. And I care what they think of me. You know what would happen if people knew we were together at school. They'd do everything but kill us," Paige said. I pulled my hand away from my mouth.

"I wouldn't care if I had you," I said. Paige was silent for a minute. "You don't get me, do you?" I asked.

"I'm not sure anyone does," she said, and I could hear her smile in her voice.

"But you're not just anyone. You're my pretty girl," I said.

"I am? Even after everything I've done to you?" she said. I slipped a hand up my sleeve and touched the cuts gently.

"Yeah. And that's my problem. You can do whatever you want to me, but I still want you," I said.

"I know. And I want you too. I love you. But it's hard for me. It's hard for us. You just… need to let me be me, and us be us. Does that make sense?" Paige asked.

"No. But I know what you mean. We're together, but not together," I said.

"Yeah," she said softly. "So… are you okay with that? You won't hate me?"

"I'd never hate you," I whispered.

"So it can work?" she said.

"Yeah," I agreed. "It can work."

It couldn't work. It didn't. When I couldn't kiss her, I could taste her. And the taste made my heart ache, and my head pound, and, after a little help from my hands, my arms bleed. I shouldn't have been doing it. It was making me cut myself, and I should've stopped it. But I couldn't, because it kept me near her. And she kept me sane.

Sort of. There were cuts all over my arms, and I was making myself bleed at every opportunity. But I'd have been bleeding every chance anyway, and as long as I was with her, there was less of a chance. She'd made me hurt in the first place, but she was the only thing to keep me from hurting.

My cell phone rang at midnight, two weeks after the original phone call. She was one of the few people who had the number (along with Marco, my parents, and a few people from my old school who I'd never see again). I answered it.

"Paige?" I whispered.

"Who else would call you in the middle of the night?" she whispered back.

"Someone with a death wish. Did you call me for a reason?" I asked.

"I love you," Paige whispered.

"Good reason," I said, settling back into bed. "Is that it?"

"Yeah. And to ask if you could meet me at the east door the day after tomorrow after school?" Paige said.

"Tomorrow meaning today, since it's midnight, or tomorrow meaning the actual tomorrow?" I asked.

"The actual tomorrow. I know what time it is, Ellie Nash," she said. I yawned.

"You're keeping me up too late. I'll be there the day after tomorrow," I said, and I hung up. Of course, I hadn't known that Paige wouldn't be early to school as usual to see me. I hadn't known she wouldn't be with me. I hadn't known she'd be sitting with Spinner the first time I saw her. She glanced at me, then back at Spinner. I made my way inside to the girls' washroom, rolled up my sleeve, and dug the compass out of my backpack. One little line, and everything was okay again. I knew it was real, I knew this was just how things were going to go. I rested the heels of my hands on the edge of the sink and closed my eyes. The door opened. I looked over. Paige was standing there. I stared at her. She stared back. Not at me, though. Down further. I followed her gaze down to my arm. My sleeves were still pushed up.

A/N: Reviewers will receive cookies. And coffee. And Chee-tos. I heart Chee-tos.