"You are home early hunny." Ashleigh stated curiously as she heard Alice come in the door. "Aren't you normally out with Alex right about now?"

"Yeah…" She stated sullenly and walked up to her room.

"I'm worried about her. It seems like she's avoiding Alex ever since what happened a few weeks ago." Ashleigh stated as she looked at Duo. "I wonder what could have happened between those two for them to not want to see one another."

"I'm sure they are just taking a break from being with each other." Duo answered her as he flipped channels.

"I hope so. I'd hate to see the inseparable duo separate."

"Yo Alex, what's up with you man? You've been gloomy since that whole terrorist thing." One of Alex's friends, John, asked as they sat at lunch outside.

"Don't worry about it." Alex sighed and looked off towards the back of the school where he knew Alice always spent her lunch with her friends.

"Hey Babe." A girl walked up and draped her arms around Alex's shoulders.

"Get off please Brittany." Alex stated as he stood up. "I just want to be left alone right now." And with that he walked off.

"What's up with him?" Brittany asked haughtily as Alex walked off.

"He won't tell us anything." John stated as he watched his friend.

"All I know is he had better be in higher moods by the dance. I don't want to go with someone who is going to make it a glooms day fest."

"He asked you?"

"No, but it's quite obvious that he's gonna ask me at the last minute like he has the past couple of dances."

"I wouldn't get your hopes up." John stated as he grabbed his bag and walked off.

"Whatever." She huffed and walked off to join her friends.

"So what happened with you and Winner?" Charles asked Alice as they sat eating their lunch.

"What do you mean?" She looked at him.

"Haven't seen you talk to him or show up to school with him ever since you came back."

"Don't worry about it." She stated as she went back to her salad.

"When it comes to my friends acting gloomy and depressed it does. Come on Alice, you two grew up together, what's with the sudden 'I don't want to see him or talk to him' bit?"

"Let's just say I found out how badly I treated and hurt him in the past when it came to Josh and I can't bear to face him again." She finally told him and looked at the ground. "When I thought he was just being jerk about me and Josh, he was actually trying to save me the pain I felt when I finally found out about Josh."

"You can't change the past Ali." Charles leaned over and hugged her. "And you can't run forever. Your families are really close, there is no way you could avoid him."

"I could prove you wrong."

"How about let's not and say you didn't. Just talk to him. I've seen him around school, he's taking this as hard as you are. I think you should just go talk to him. I bet it would make you and him feel better."

"I'll think about it." She sighed and picked up her bag. "I'll see ya later Charles."

"Just remember what I said!" He called after her.

"Yeah yeah, I know." She waved her hand and walked towards the entrance to the building.

'If I were to talk to him again…I don't know what I would say…It's not everyday that your best friend, the person you grew up with, tells you, well sort of, that he has been in love with you for a long time now. I don't even know how to act around him. I will admit that it is a relief to know that I'm not the only one who feels this way.' Alice stopped by one of the oak tree's behind the school and leaned on the trunk. She looked up at the sky with tears breeching her eyes.

"Oh Alex…I wish I could tell you how I feel…I just…I just don't know how to approach you about it…" She said to no one.

Alex walked with his hands in his pockets and head lowered. He ignored anyone who tried to talk to him or approached him. He didn't even pay attention to where he was going until he came upon the oak tree behind the building. He sat down by it and stared at the ground deep in thought. He never looked up until he heard Alice's voice.

'How she feels? What does she exactly mean? About what was revealed to her a few weeks ago? Or is it the one thing my heart urns for, but I know is foolish to hope for…'

"What do you fear will happen if you tell?" He asked unconsciously.

"I can't fear rejection." She closed her eyes and lowered her head a bit with a small smile on her face. "For I know that he will accept me no matter what I am, but for who I am. What I fear is what will happen to our friendship and our bond…not that it pretty much isn't severed right now…"

As she spoke, Alex stood up and leaned against the tree as well. "The only way a bond could be severed is if you really want it to be. And from the sounds of it, you don't want it to be."

"It's the last thing I want. I grew up with him and even though we hang out with different people, are considered different social classes, and are in different cliques so to speak, we've stayed closer than anyone would have ever guessed."

Yet again as Alice spoke, Alex moved. He moved that so that he was right in front of her. He stared down at her and resisted the urge to move a piece of stray hair behind her ear.

"Over the past couple of weeks, I've come to realize that I return his feelings, but I don't know how to tell him about it. Thus leads to one of the main reasons I avoid him. Another, the fact that I feel I have betrayed him…when he was protecting me, I felt that he was being a jerk. I put someone before my best friend and I don't think there is anyway I could ever pay him back for that."

"I forgave you when it happened." He gently lifted her chin up. At his touch, Alice's eyes snapped open and looked up at him. "And I don't expect pay back from you Ali. You are my best friend and I would do anything to protect you or help you. I love you Alice and there is nothing anyone can do to stop me from it."

Alex gave her a sincere smile and a gentle kiss on the cheek and whispered in her ear. "You know I'm always here for you Ali, no matter what." And with that he headed back into the school as the bell rang.

Alice watched him retreat as she put her hand to her cheek. Her facial expression turned to one of admiration as she smiled. "You always seem to find some way to break through and make me smile Alex."

I hope you all like this story. I tried to work on it when i could and probably did less than my best. ; Atleast this one didn't drag on like the other one. 6.6;; Anyways, hopefully see ya'll with my other stories.

Ja.