Her body felt like it was a brick. She felt heavy and all she could do was collapse into her bed. Her red hair was splayed across her pillow, her clothes beginning to wrinkle from wearing them all day. Everything felt different. Everything was different, she kept telling herself. Her head was full of deep thoughts of him; him standing in front of her with those intense blue eyes staring into her own; his arms wrapped around her small body; his warm breath in her ear, making her body shudder; his voice speaking softly, "I missed you so much, El… more than anything".

She had known that when she saw him at graduation it had changed. They were still best friends, yet she was in love with him. She was secretly in love with Craig Manning, her best friend. She had feelings for him before, feelings that she had made obvious, but she never let them become deeper because he had not chosen her, he had chosen Manny. And then he left. He went away. And while he was gone, she tried to get rid of her thoughts of him, and it worked. It worked until the phone would ring, every night at 8:30 and she would hear his voice on the other line, talking about his day and how much he wished she was with him. And once again her feelings were back, more intense and real than ever. And seeing him today had confirmed it for her: she had fallen in love with Craig Manning.

She closed her eyes and tried to fall asleep. She tried to stop thinking about him because as much as everything was different, so much was still the same. She wasn't with him. He wasn't hers. He was someone else's. He was Manny's.

It was the first day of summer and Ellie didn't know what to do. She had showered, curled her hair, put her makeup on, and had gotten changed into her favorite pair of jeans and her favorite green t-shirt that hugged her tightly in all the right places. She didn't even know why. She had no plans and no one had called her. Specifically one person (the one person who she maybe sorta got all dolled up for….) , but right as she was getting all depressed for herself, her phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Hey El! Do not tell me, I bet you are sitting around moping for yourself that no one has called you, am I right?" Marcos voice filled the other line. She laughed at how precise he was.

"Wow, am I that predictable?"

"No, I just know you too well. Well, come over to The Dot, a bunch of us are planning on meeting up for a first day of the summer breakfast."

"Ok, that I guess that sounds fun."

"But I just wanted to let you know," His voice turned into a whisper, "He'll be here." She smiled at the news, but also how Marco felt like he had to protect her. After all, he was the only one that knew of her feelings. Well maybe not to the extent of them, but he knew the general feelings.

"Thanks Marco, but I'm fine, really. Actually I'm really excited to see him. He is like my best friend."

"Ok well just to let you know, that hurts!" They both laughed and then hung up.

Ellie knew that Marco was her best friend, but Craig filled a spot in her that no one could, not even Marco. Craig just understood her. Maybe it was the whole group-thing. Maybe it was because he could make her laugh, but also make her really pissed off, but no matter what he did to her, at the end of the day he always made her smile. And also maybe it was the little fact that she was in love with him, but all she knew was that she couldn't wait to see him.