I told Rachel, Kayla and Allie pretty much the whole story. Everything the twins and Noah knew, at least. I told them about my mom leaving and about my foster homes and the postcard. I told them about my latest foster home as well as Andrea and Eric. I left the details of my escape out, just as I'd done before, which naturally meant I left out the scars on my back. Those were essentially the only two things that none of my friends knew about so far. For a few reasons, really. One being that talking in detail about that day was still too hard and too terrifying. And two, I hated those scars. I was repulsed by them and I didn't want anyone else to see them either. It was better if they remained out of sight. If no one else knew about them and I covered them up, it was like they weren't there.

After I'd told them, I found myself even more relieved than I had before. I'd expected to feel anxious at the fact that more people knew my story, but it actually felt good. For the first time in a long time, I was feeling hopeful. Less scared and less lost. Maybe that was part of the reason Elizabeth had her diary. She didn't have many people she could talk to or trust either and the diary was her way of getting it all out. Being able to tell somebody without really telling anyone at all.

I also wasn't really all that surprised when the girls didn't immediately start staying clear of me once I'd told them. They didn't know what to say at first and they asked a lot of questions, but that was expected, even if the questioning made me feel uneasy.

And then after that, nothing even changed. Not really anyway. Nothing except that I thought the girls felt like they understood me a lot better. And there were no more secrets between us. It only seemed to make our friendship stronger and perhaps more real. Rachel even became slightly less pushy about things. But not by much. She still thought that me getting out more and being social and having a life was for the best and would help me in the end. And maybe she was actually right.

About a week later, I was working on an especially busy Saturday morning when Martha stopped me.

"Sophie, darling, would you mind cleaning and turning over Mr. Smith's room?" she asked. "Room thirteen? He's leaving this morning."

"Of course," I answered.

"I'd do it, except for there's a lot of people out there for breakfast and Kyle needs some help." She gave me an apologetic look.

"Don't worry, I've got it," I assured her with a smile. I took my apron off and headed out front and up the guest staircases. I stopped in the hall closet a few doors down from room thirteen and grabbed the basket of cleaning supplies, using my wand to charm it into the air so that my hands were now free to grab clean towels and linens. And then I brought them all down the hall. I knocked twice just to confirm the room was empty before unlocking it and going inside.

I stood in the doorway and sighed wearily. The room was one of the messier rooms I'd been in. The quilt and bedsheets were rumpled and even partly hanging onto the floor. It looked like there was more trash surrounding the small trash can under the desk than there was in it. I was almost afraid to look in the bathroom.

I started by charming the bed to make itself and the trash to make its way into a bin I'd brought with me in order to remove the garbage from the room. I swept the floor and dusted and then moved on to the bathroom where I charmed the cleaning supplies to do their thing. It was times like these that I was so grateful for magic. Cleaning toilets by hand was the worst. I would know. I'd had to do it all the time back home.

When I was finally done, I headed back downstairs to the kitchen, where I washed my hands and put my apron back on. As I was tying the strings behind my back, Rachel and Allie came into the kitchen, both of them hanging up order slips in front of Kyle's work station so that he could start on the newest orders. He peered at them quickly as he continued preparing a dish of scrambled eggs.

"I heard you were given the unfortunate duty of cleaning Mr. Smith's room," Allie commented, the corner of her mouth turning up slightly as she looked at me. "Tell me, was his room as creepy as he is?"

"Just a little messy," I said. "Thank goodness for magic, honestly."

Allie did have a point, though. Mr. Smith had been staying at the Leaky Cauldron since Sunday night. He'd said he was visiting from Canada and during his first few nights, everyone seemed to notice that he had a habit of appearing to be watching everyone's every move.

It took only one night for Rachel and even Noah to bring up that they could swear they felt his eyes on them constantly, and Kayla, Allie and I backed them up.

"He's a writer," Martha had said, as this explained everything. "It's practically his job to be observant."

"Well, if he puts me in his next book, I hope I get sent some money for it," Rachel answered with a snort.

And after that, it was like floodgates opened. Mr. Smith's quiet, observant nature gave way to a talkative, personable one and he was socializing, asking questions, cracking jokes like it was nothing. Noah, Rachel and Kayla seemed to warm up to him, but Allie and I had both been a little put off by his earlier silence, but simultaneous, rapt attention to everything going on. Of course, that was normal for me, though. Put off by anyone who paid closer attention to me than I was used to.

"He wasn't that bad," Noah said as he came into the kitchen with a bin of dirty breakfast dishes. "A little quiet at first, but then again," he smiled at me and ruffled my hair, "so were you."

I swatted his arm away and shot him a look as he laughed. Thankfully, Allie came to my rescue and defended me.

"Sophie didn't seem like she was watching everyone, though."

"No, she just watched the ground," Rachel teased. She shook her head and laughed.

"The ground is still scarred for life," Kyle chimed in with a chuckle of his own.

"Great, thanks, all of you," I said sarcastically. Constantly being teased was something I was slowly starting to get used to. I was more than aware by now that no one here meant it to be mean. It was just how they behaved. In fact, their teasing was practically a show of affection. Now that I knew that and was becoming accustomed to it, I didn't feel as nervous or angry by it. But that was just a small group of people that I had happened to befriend. The rest of the world was a greater challenge.

"But I mean it," Rachel went on, "he'd better pay us if he puts us in his next book. I'm betting Noah's going to be the main character from how badly the guy was just chewing his ear off."

"Really?" I asked with a raised eyebrow and a smirk as I looked at Noah. "What does he like you so much for?"

"Thanks, Sophie, really," Noah chuckled, as Rachel and Allie snorted with laughter. "I'm actually a little surprised he didn't try to talk to you. You're the one who isn't from around here."

"Neither is he. Lots of people come through here from other places."

"But you aren't just coming through," Noah argued.

"That was supposed to be the plan," I muttered.

Noah smiled and shrugged. "It seems to me that your plan fell to shit." He shrugged. "Mr. Smith did ask a little about you, though. But don't worry, I didn't give him any details."

"Then what did you tell him?" I asked curiously, leaning against the counter and crossing my arms.

"How much I like you," Noah grinned, reaching out and tugging me towards him by my apron.

"Oh, gosh, I'm going to be sick," Rachel declared with a groan as she began making retching noises and Allie giggled.

"They're sweet. Leave them alone," she told Rachel.

"They're sickening," she argued with a laugh.

Ignoring her, I looked up at Noah with a faint smile. "You really like me that much, huh?"

"Of course I do," he whispered. He studied my face for a second before leaning in and giving me a quick kiss before pulling back as Martha entered the room, clucking her tongue.

"I was wondering where half the staff went," she said. "Rachel, enough of that nonsense," she added, shooting a look at Rachel, who was still pretending to gag over my and Noah's display of affection.

"Sorry, Martha," Noah said politely, grabbing the now empty dish bin. "We'll get right back to work." He smiled and patted her arm on his way past her.

"Stopping kissing up to the boss-and stop actually kissing your co-workers!" Rachel called after him. Noah gave her a smile and a sarcastic wave in response.

"It's not Noah's fault he's so charming," Kyle piped up, sliding a couple of finished dishes down the counter towards Rachel. "Now, listen to Martha and bring the guests their food." He grinned cheekily as Rachel made a face at him. I smiled slightly, getting the feeling that if Martha wasn't around, a rude hand gesture would have accompanied the dirty look.

"You're such a pain, Kyle," Rachel told him, snatching up the two plates, spinning on her heel, and marching from the room.


My shift ended at five o'clock that night and by the time I was finished for the day, I was dying to get off my feet. It was no different than any other day, really. I headed straight upstairs, showered, put on a sweatshirt and a pair of pajama pants, and then went into the kitchen. Martha had made her famous chicken pot pie earlier that day and I couldn't wait to heat some up and relax.

By the time I was just about done, I heard a knock on the door that lead back down to the kitchen. I frowned slightly as I headed over to open it, wondering who it could be. It obviously wouldn't have been Tom and Martha.

"Who is it?" I asked, when I neared the door. I put my hand on the knob and pressed my ear against the wood.

"The big bad wolf," Noah's voice said from the other side.

Smiling, I opened the door and looked at him. He was casually leaning against the doorframe and grinning at me.

"You know about the big bad wolf?" I asked. "Isn't that a Muggle thing?"

"I took Muggle Studies at Hogwarts. We did a lesson on Muggle children's tales."

"What a coincidence. So did I," I answered with a smile. "Your shift's over already?"

"Six o'clock," Noah said happily. "The fate of all those dirty tables is now in the hands of the other two busboys. Personally, I don't think they're as capable as you and I are, but..." He trailed off and shrugged before grinning at me.

"I was just heating up some of Martha's chicken pot pie for dinner," I said. "Did you...want to come in and have some?"

"You never have to ask me if I want some of Martha's chicken pot pie because the answer is always yes," he answered. "As long as it's okay with you, I'd love some."

"I'd like the company actually," I said, stepping aside and letting him in.

"Really?" Noah asked, looking at me in slight surprise. "I'm surprised to hear you say that."

I looked up at him. "It's not that I don't like people, Noah. I'm just not good at trusting them. But you...you I happen to both like and trust."

"I'm flattered," he whispered, taking a step closer. "I happen to like you, too. A lot."

I chewed on my lip as I studied his face. I could tell he wanted to kiss me-and I mean really kiss me. Usually, he just kept it to quick kisses, either on the cheek or the lips, but they were always quick. I knew he was doing it for my benefit because he didn't want to push me and I appreciated it. It was respectful and considerate-a few traits that could be hard to come by. And a lot of times moving into anything more than those quick kisses scared me, which was another reason I was grateful that Noah didn't push me. But at the same time, I wanted to kiss him, too. And I felt guilty that he was always the one to initiate it and that even then, he had a habit of trying to gauge my reaction first, as if silently asking for permission. I felt as if it wasn't fair to him, but at the same time, I didn't want to feel guilty for allowing us to take this at a pace I was comfortable with. I deserved that, didn't I?

As we stood there, in the doorway to the kitchen, I made a split second decision and leaned up on my tiptoes to kiss him. It was quick, but surprisingly not as quick as the ones he usually gave me.

"I'm sorry," I whispered. "I know this isn't-that this relationship isn't exactly normal. I'm not very...good at this."

Noah stared down at me before taking my chin between his thumb and index finger and tilting my head up. "Ultimately, I want to do what you're comfortable with," he said. "I don't want to frighten you or hurt you. Those are the last things I want to do. Trust me. But I also really do want to just..." He let a puff of air out of his mouth as his eyes quickly flicked down to my lips, then back up to my eyes.

"I really don't know what I'm doing, Noah," I muttered. "Dating was never really something I did."

"I know that," he said. "And do you think I care?"

I smiled and shook my head.

"Then try not to worry about it," he said with a smile of his own. He slid a hand around my hip to the small of my back. "And try to relax."

I took in a slow breath to calm my pounding heart as Noah leaned in again, pressing his lips to mine. Slowly, slowly, slowly. He pulled back for a second before going in again, gently backing me up against the doorframe.

With every second that passed, I wasn't as nervous anymore. My heart was still racing and my stomach was still flipping around, but it didn't feel bad, like typical nervousness usually felt. And my mind was oddly blank.

"You okay?" Noah breathed, pulling away slightly again.

"Mhm," I whispered, nodding my head slightly and keeping my eyes closed.

Noah kissed me again and I felt one of his hands leave my hip and start traveling further up my back, under my sweatshirt and closer and closer to those hideous red scars.

My eyes flew open and I quickly pulled away with a gasp. "Stop," I said quickly.

And he did. His own eyes flew open in alarm and he let go of me, stepping back and blinking at me. "Sorry," he said. "I started going too fast. Lost myself there for a second." He gave me a sheepish smile. "You okay?"

I felt my body relax as the tension left me. "Yeah. Sorry."

"Don't apologize," Noah said with a tiny, sad smile.

For a moment, as he and I looked at each other, I genuinely considered telling him about the scars on my back. I wanted make sure he knew this was all me and that it had nothing to do with him or anything he'd done. It was a complete cliché, and Noah deserved better than a dumb cliché. But it was also true. And I didn't know how else to explain and also make sure he knew that this was all me and that he wasn't doing a single thing wrong.

I'd said something similar to Fred as well, and I almost smiled as I remembered his response. So you're one of those people, he'd said.

"You don't have anything to be sorry for either, Noah," I finally said, looking down at my hands. "I'm just-"

"You're fine," Noah whispered, his voice quiet, but firm. "You're completely fine." He smiled again and tilted his head towards the chicken pot pie. "You ready to eat?"

I nodded and quickly got to work putting together two dishes of Martha's chicken pot pie. We ate at the kitchen table and Noah even helped me wash the dishes. We talked and joked with each other, laughing and acting as if nothing tense or awkward had happened earlier.

The two of us ended up falling asleep on the couch sometime after dinner. I'd barely remembered resting my head against Noah's shoulder and him wrapping his arms around me and pulling my legs onto his lap. The next thing I knew, Tom and Martha had returned from closing up downstairs and Martha was gently shaking us awake.

"I didn't mean to stay this late," Noah said guiltily, his voice groggy as he stretched his arms over his head. "Sorry, Martha."

"You know you're always welcome here," Martha answered. "I just don't want your poor mother to worry."

Noah smiled as he stood up, helping me to my feet as well. "I'll probably see you tomorrow at some point, yeah?" he asked. "I know it's your day off, but I'm sure you'll be around. And if not tomorrow, then Monday."

"Of course," I answered with a smile as I walked Noah to the door. "Thanks for coming over."

He leaned in and pressed a gentle, lingering kiss to my forehead as I closed my eyes and sighed.

"See you later," he whispered, pulling away and giving me a lazy smile. I smiled back and waved as he turned and walked down the stairs. I waited until he'd reached the bottom, gone around the corner and I'd heard the back door open and shut behind him before I started to shut the door to the flat.

"Don't bother," Tom stopped me, appearing form the kitchen. "I've got to go lock the back door behind him."

"Sorry that he stayed so late," I said.

He shook his head. "Don't worry about it. Martha and I trust Noah. He's a great kid. Polite, respectful, a hard worker...He's like family." He smiled a bit awkwardly. "As long as he keeps that up and continues treating you right, we have no issues with him."

I smiled. "Everyone here has been treating me wonderfully," I said.

Tom smiled slightly and gave me a tiny nod. "Go on, get some sleep," he urged.

Stifling a yawn, I complied and left the entryway, heading down the hallway for my warm, comfortable bed.


I didn't end up running into Noah the next day, because I had found myself being invited back to the Burrow. It'd been a few weeks since I'd been there, and a few days since I'd seen or talked to the twins as well. They'd been swamped the last few weeks with people who had been in Diagon Alley doing their back to school shopping. But now that school had started up again, they were expecting things at work to calm down significantly.

All of the usual group of people were visiting the Burrow for dinner, except I was also surprised to see Angelina and Oliver there as well, talking to two other people-a girl and a guy-that I hadn't met before.

"Shut up," Fred said, surprising me by actually smirking slightly when he saw my look of surprise as we walked into the backyard.

"I didn't say anything," I said with a shrug.

"Of course not," Fred laughed. "But just because you don't say much, doesn't mean you aren't thinking much." He sighed heavily. "George invited them. But whether I like it or not, Wood and Angelina are friends of ours. The whole group of us were really close at school. Me, George, Angelina, Katie, Alicia and Lee-they're the two talking to Angelina and Oliver. We were all on the Quidditch team together. Except Lee, but he always commentated the matches."

"How'd you all become friends?" I asked. "Through Quidditch?"

"Wood, yeah," Fred said. "But George and I met Lee on the train in to school on our first day. All of the train compartments were full and he was trying to find somewhere to sit. So he was trying to convince a popular group of sixth year girls to let him sit with them by heavily and terribly flirting with them."

I laughed. "I'm guessing it didn't work."

"Nope, George and I had to rescue him and invite him to sit with us." He smiled at the memory before he spoke again. "Angelina, Alicia and Katie became friends with each other on the train, too, and then I became friends with Ange in Herbology when I dropped a worm down the back of her shirt, so after that, her friends and my friends merged into one big group."

"You put a worm down her shirt?" I asked in horror. "And it led to her agreeing to be your friend? And later dating you?" I shook my head incredulously. "That's amazing."

Fred snorted with laughter. "Don't act so surprised. You became my friend after I stepped on your foot."

"Good point," I muttered.

Fred shrugged. "Don't get me wrong--Ange was extremely angry with me after the worm incident. But I managed to charm her-and continued to do so. Enough for her to fall in love with me." His smile faded as he looked in Angelina's direction. "Until, of course, I also got her to fall out of love with me." There was a long, awkward pause. "I planned on marrying her one day," he murmured. "And then I had to go put a wrench in it all by completely losing my shit."

"It is not your fault," I insisted. "Remember what Elizabeth said in the diary? Some things are simply out of our control."

"How I behaved was not out of my control. I probably could have controlled it if I tried. If I even gave a shit. But a lot of the time, I felt like being an asshole. I felt like being an asshole because maybe I wanted everyone else to hurt as much as I was. But the thing was, they already were hurting."

"It's still not your fault. You just-you just got a little lost. But it doesn't mean you can never find your way again."

"Stop making excuses for me, Soph," Fred sighed.

I fell quiet as we kept walking. "Are you going to be okay?" I finally asked.

"You know I hate that question," Fred practically snapped. "It implies that you're really asking you're not going to lose your temper and destroy the house, are you?"

"That's not what I'm asking. "I'm genuinely asking because I want to know what you're thinking and how you're feeling."

Fred didn't answer for a moment. Finally, he nodded. "I'll be fine. Just...don't leave me alone with them, okay?" He looked at me hopefully. "Will you stay with me?" He gave me a wry smile when I raised an eyebrow at him. "I'll contain myself. I promise. If I didn't, surely Mum would have my head."

I nodded. "Don't worry, I'll stay."

Not long after, I found myself officially meeting Alicia and Lee, who both greeted me warmly. Lee even not-so-subtly wiggled his eyebrows at Fred after being introduced to me. Fred had scowled at him in return and given him a shove.

"Knock it off," he said. "Sophie and I are just friends. She's taken anyway."

"Sort of," I added with a shrug.

"What do you mean sort of?" Fred asked in surprise. "You and Noah are together, aren't you?"

"Yeah, I mean, I guess we are..."

"I've seen him kiss you," Fred pointed out. "And hold your hand. When we've been out on the weekends...What exactly would you call that if it's not dating?"

"Yeah, I-suppose we are together," I answered. "I just-I had wanted to take it slow. And Noah's been respecting that."

"Yeah, that sounds like him," Fred said with a scoff of laughter. "Ever the perfect gentleman. Never the one to be pushy."

"Isn't that good?" I asked, peering up at him.

Lee let out a loud snort. When I raised an eyebrow at him, he shrugged. "Fred and George have always walked the line between gentlemen and complete imps. They can be charming and chivalrous when they want to be, but they're both bloody impatient. Especially when it comes to girls. In all my years of knowing them, I've never seen them take anything slow. Especially Fred. In fact, the Fred I knew in school would have never alloweda girl as pretty as yourself to pass him by without trying to get with them in one way or another."

"Will you shut up?" Fred groaned. "You make me out to be such an animal," Fred said.

"Hey, I'm just speaking the truth," Lee shrugged. He playfully clapped Fred on the shoulder. "If the shoe fits, wear it, mate," he quipped.

Fred simply rolled his eyes.

Lee smiled and gave another shrug before turning to me. "It was nice to meet you," he said. "If it turns out that you and Noah are, in fact, not together after all, and if Fred doesn't immediately take advantage of that, be sure to send me an owl, yeah?" He sent me a wink and a charming smile before heading off to the house for another drink.

"Ignore him," Fred said, turning to me and shaking his head. "He'd flirt with a tree if he could. Pretty sure he has, come to think of it, when he's been drunk enough."

"So, essentially, you're saying I'm not as pretty as he says?" I teased quietly, glancing up at him.

Fred froze for a second. "Ah, that's a trick question," he finally said with a grin. "If I say no, it's an insult. And if I say yes, then I'm suddenly the one flirting with you."

I simply stared up at him, chewing on my lip. Sometimes I really couldn't make sense of him at all. I'd experienced a side of him that was kind and gentle and chivalrous and I'd also experienced his funny, prankster side. But that was the thing. I wasn't sure I'd witnessed the full extent of it. If what Lee said was true, then Fred would have probably been flirting with me incessantly. But he hadn't. But what Lee had said also implied that had been the old Fred. And I'd only known him since after Percy had died. I had no idea what he'd been like before or just how wild or flirtatious he'd been. And how much had he changed? Part of me also wondered just how he and I had managed to become friends. We were so utterly different. For now, at least.

Currently, I was still jumpy and still didn't always like being touched-especially on my back where my scars were. I still wasn't a fan of noise and pranks and jokes could be a sore subject. But the thing was that ever since hanging around with Fred and George, I'd noticed a change. I was less of all those things. I'd even been able to start making jokes with them and my other friends myself. Lots of noise and chatter didn't bother me much anymore. I wasn't overwhelmed by their joke shop anymore. I didn't mind being touched as much anymore-although anything too sudden or too close to my back was an issue. I was still a bit paranoid and on edge, but hardly as much as when I'd first arrived. My thick, closed off exterior was giving way to reveal the person I really was-the person I'd long since lost over the years. It was like I was getting reacquainted with myself. And it seemed to me that Fred was doing the same thing. So maybe, in the end, he and I weren't so different after all.

The only thing that bothered me still was his past. I kept finding out bits of information of how he used to be that didn't match with the way he'd treated me now. I felt like I was missing out on knowing a big part of him. A big part that I wantedto know.

"You okay?" Fred asked now, bringing me out of my trance.

I nodded. "Yeah, fine."

"Lee doesn't know what he's talking about," Fred went on, glancing off in the direction Lee was now walking.

"Doesn't he?" I asked. "He probably knows you really well."

"So does George. In fact, George probably knows me better." He studied me seriously for a bit. "What are you thinking about? I can see something's bothering you."

I looked up at him and studied his face. "I just wish I could have known you before Percy died. I know you've said you thought it was better that way because I couldn't compare your behavior now to your behavior back then. But everyone here knows the old you. Except me. I don't really know that version of you. And I'd really like to."

"I'd like that, too," Fred whispered.

"Ever since I've been here, I've heard things about you from other people that I haven't seen for myself. And it's surprising. Like what Lee just said about you not passing up a chance to flirt with a pretty girl."

"It may have been somewhat true," Fred said. "But take it from me--I was never creepy and I never crossed a line. Not like, say, Marcus Flint. I know things like that worry you. People crossing lines they shouldn't. I've crossed several lines in my life, I'll admit, but never one where I disrespected someone who didn't deserve it. And I also was never unfaithful to Angelina. The whole time she and I were together, she was it."

I nodded. "I believe you. But that's just it--I'd like to hear your side of things. I've also yet to hear the story about the day you left school. And I actually want to hear it. I want to know about who you used to be, Fred. From you. I want to know who you are. All of it. You wanted me to give you a chance, didn't you? Well, I think in order for me to really do that, I need to get the full story. Who you are now, who you used to be...I'd just like to have the full picture. So I don't get bits and pieces from other people. Bits and pieces that may put me on edge and make me think my impression of you isn't right."

"Look, Soph," he said. "I wasn't someone who got nicer only after Percy died, if that's what you're worried about. I wasn't some kind of total asshole before that suddenly turned into some kind of angel. If anything, I got meaner. You know that."

"But you've been so nice to me since the day you met me. And then Lee says things like what he said, and a part of me can't help but think--"

"That it's not real?" Fred asked. "It is, trust me. Weren't you the one telling me a few weeks ago that you could see all the parts of me that even I couldn't see? You've told me that I'm not a monster. Trust your gut, Soph. What are your instincts telling you?"

"That you're not an asshole or a monster. I do believe that. But I still want to hear from you about who you used to be. I'm sick of hearing about everyone else's version of you."

Fred stared at me wordlessly for a moment before smiling. "You know, Soph, I think that if you had gone to Hogwarts, you would have fit in just fine with us."

I looked up at him and smiled. "How can you possibly know that? You haven't known me very long."

"No, but I know you're honest. And I've seen a pretty impressive sense of humor make an appearance on more than one occasion," he said. "Once you got over staring at George and I as if we were nuts, of course."

"You are nuts," I told him.

"See?" Fred chuckled, poking me with a finger. His expression became solemn. "The teasing you experienced at school was mean. You knew that. And the fact that it was constant put you on edge. It made you afraid of any form of teasing whatsoever. It put you on guard. I know that and I get it. I know you're cautious, even when it comes to me."

"Cautious might even be an understatement," I muttered.

Fred gave me a small smile. "But deep down, you know the difference between bullying and teasing simply in jest. You have a sense of a humor, Soph. It's there. And once you knew that the people here weren't ever going to make fun of you...that's when you started to relax and show it off. Since you've arrived here, the best parts of you have been coming out. The parts of you that you missed out on. The parts that weren't stored away, deep inside of you, surrounded by a brick wall. I think you would have been better off growing up around here. With a better group of people who would've actually treated you right."

"Thanks, Fred," I whispered, blinking up at him. He was right. I felt slightly surprised about his noticing that coming here had starting to change me. If someone else was noticing it, then it couldn't possibly be all in my head. I was different. I felt different. I was slowly figuring out who I was and becoming less lost. But I still had a long way to go.

"So...what are you doing Saturday night?" Fred asked. "I know it's still essentially a week way, but I figured I had to ask before Rachel or Noah got to you."

"I work until eight," I said. "Why?"

"I think it's time I told you about the day George and I left school," Fred said with a grin.

I smiled back at him. "I'd like that."

And I meant it.