Alex:

Alex was driving, all of her belongings thrown hurriedly into the back of her car. She could hardly believe she was doing this. One message from Marissa and here she was, dropping everything for the girl. She'd always known that she would, though. She couldn't stop herself.

She'd been thinking about what to say ever since she'd heard Marissa's voice last night, but she was still no closer to knowing what her words should be. How should she act? Should she go to Marissa, or should she wait? The thoughts were making her head hurt. She didn't realise how nervous she would be about going back, and she still wasn't sure that she was doing the right thing.

She should have called. She should have called before taking this step. When it came to Marissa, though, she'd never really done the rational thing; she just didn't have that kind of control over her feelings. As her destination became closer, she became increasingly worried about what would happen.

Ryan. What about Ryan? Alex remembered their reason for breaking up, the thought getting under her skin, prickling. What the hell was she thinking? It made her want to turn around and go back. Back to that grey town filled with grey people. How was she supposed to do this? Telling herself to get over her fears, she continued to drive.

Marissa had made the first move. That had to mean something, right? Letting her hopes build up for a second, she thought about the possibility that Marissa hadn't got back together with Ryan. She was doing the right thing here. They both missed each other. At least, this way, they'd be near each other, even if they couldn't get back together right away.

Alex would be disappointed if they were only friends, because, as much as she had enjoyed her friendship with Marissa, she had always wanted something more. It wouldn't be any different this time around, she knew that. But she also knew that any kind of friendship they had would be leading up to something else. There was something undeniable between them, and it would have to manifest itself eventually.

Daylight was rapidly disappearing, as the time seemed to pass by so quickly. Alex had left Newport in the dark, and now she was going to return to it in the dark. She hoped that wasn't a bad sign. When she got there the first thing she'd have to do would be to find a place to live. She really hadn't thought this through. Hopefully her old place would still be available. She'd liked it there, even if she was sometimes a little saddened by the memories that came attached to it.

She and Marissa had been happy there, though, for the most part. Even though those feelings had been gone for a while, they were heading for a new start. Alex would need something familiar and comforting. In some ways, when she went back, she wanted it to be like she had never left. That way she could pretend her heart hadn't been broken and then it wouldn't need fixing. She could pretend that Marissa hadn't let her go.

Now she was passing the sign that said "Welcome to Newport", and feeling like this whole experience was slightly surreal.

Marissa:

Marissa was feeling anxious. She didn't like being away from her room. She didn't want to go back there and find that she had missed Alex's call. What if she didn't call though? The thought was constantly at the back of Marissa's head. She didn't know what she'd do if Alex didn't call her back.

The bell finally rang to signal the end of the last lesson of the day, and Marissa had never been so relieved to hear a bell ring in her life. She got up quickly, practically running for her car, dismissing Ryan as he tried to talk to her.

When she got home, she immediately went to her bedroom, throwing her bag on the floor and sitting on the bed. She stared at the phone, wondering why it wouldn't ring when she wanted it to. Considering there had been no contact between them during all the time they'd been apart, Alex must have been surprised. Marissa half wished that she had talked to Alex instead of leaving a message, but she knew if she had heard Alex's voice, she wouldn't have been able to say a word. Maybe it was better this way, but it also meant that Marissa didn't have any idea of Alex's reaction to her call.

Maybe she just hadn't listened to the message yet, Marissa rationalised. Alex had always been busy here; it would probably be the same somewhere else, wherever she was now. What if she was busy with someone else rather than something else? The thought made Marissa shudder. She'd made her decision, though, and now it was up to Alex to do something about it. If Alex didn't do anything about it, Marissa couldn't imagine how she'd feel. It had hurt enough the first time around; she didn't think she could survive through more of those feelings.

The phone rang, and Marissa jumped. Despite the fact that she had been waiting for it to ring, she was startled by the sound. She laughed a little at herself, before tensely reaching over to pick up the phone. She was disappointed when, instead of the voice she so desperately wanted to hear, it was Summer's voice on the other end of the phone. Summer obviously picked up on this disappointment, even if she couldn't read it as disappointment, because she asked Marissa why she "sounded funny". Marissa didn't tell her, excusing herself from the conversation by telling Summer that she had a headache and that she wanted to get some sleep.

Replacing the phone in its cradle, she lay down so that her eyes were on the ceiling. As more time passed, she was becoming increasingly frustrated. She couldn't stand how helpless Alex made her feel when she wasn't here. All she could think about was Alex and what Alex was doing. Her thoughts weren't helping, twisting her thoughts so that she kept imagining that Alex had moved on, and that she'd never want to talk to Marissa again. Why wasn't she calling?