Early morning skies are truly some of the greatest masterpieces this world has to offer. Normally if I witness this kind of pink and orange sky, it's cause I'm still awake. Insomnia's usually fucking with me if I'm up to see this kind of coloring to the sky.

But today, there's no one awake with me as I leave the beach house and go down to the sand, standing just far enough to where the water nips at my ankles. I'm completely alone and the silence is only interrupted by the crashing waves.

Right now, in this moment, I feel like all the shit I deal with doesn't matter. Like my problems are all a million fucking miles away. Like if I let it, the ocean would carry me away and leave all my baggage at the shore.

I consider going for a swim but I don't really want to go further than ankle deep in this cold water so I settle for walking the beach with my thoughts and the silence. I pace the length of the sand, finding my shoes in a pile with everyone else's. Mine could use a good rinse off but I'm too lazy to deal with that now. So I just carry them with me as I walk, the heat from the summer dead and buried now.

Being awake before anyone else has this kinda surreal effect on you. Like you're all alone in the entire world or maybe even the entire universe. You can be alone whenever you want but there's something about the early morning air that makes your thoughts almost tangible. It's weird for me cause normally I'd be awake at this hour because I haven't fallen asleep yet. But no, this morning, I'm completely alert. And suddenly aware of a vibration in my pocket.

Oh yeah. I almost forgot I grabbed my phone from my bag on my way out. Kwan's name flashes as my phone vibrates again and I slide my thumb over the screen to answer the call. "Hey man, you guys back in Amity Park?"

Kwan exhales into the receiver and I can hear his frustration. "Yeah, we're here. Keith's in his sister's room now. I stepped out to call you." He lets out a small groan and I wonder how exhausted he is. He drove all night, there's no way he can turn around and come all the way back.

"Listen man," I start, turning my gaze out toward the ocean. The waves gently lap up over the sand and I take a step back before the water can reach me. "Don't worry about coming back today. Just get some rest and drive out tomorrow."

"You sure?" Kwan asks, a tiny bit of relief audible in his voice. Like I would actually ask my best friend to drive four hours on no sleep.

"Yeah, I'm sure. Seriously." I have no fucking clue what Danny and I are gonna do in the meantime but we'll figure something out. "Just text me about what time you think you'll be leaving so Danny and I can be ready to go when you get here."

He sighs again, this time more relieved than frustrated. "Okay, that sounds good."

There's a few seconds of silence on the line and I'm sure he can tell I'm hesitating. I want to ask but I don't know if he knows any more than I do and he doesn't offer up any information. Kwan keeps silent while I try to figure out how to word it and thankfully it doesn't take me long to come up with something. There's no point in trying to shy away from the topic.

"Umm… have uh… have you heard anything about Keith's sister?"

Kwan sighs and I wonder if I should have asked. Even if he does know something, he probably doesn't want to pass it back in case Keith doesn't want anyone talking about it. I'm pretty sure if I got some bad news, I wouldn't want anyone passing it around for fucking months, much less an hour after I learned about it.

"Yeah, she's okay right now. Her doctors think she's going to be alright," he says, sounding just as relieved as I feel. We may be standing miles away but I can feel that same tension ease from my chest at the news of Keith's sister. I don't know her personally and Keith's just my teammate but goddammit, he doesn't deserve all this shit.

"That's good, that's really good," I respond, turning my gaze out on the ocean again, my mind stolen away with my inner thoughts. I think about death and how short a person's life really is. I wonder if Keith's sister hadn't been born this way, would he still need football as an escape? Would he even still play and would he and I have ever crossed paths before now?


I eventually nag Kwan into ending our phone call and getting some sleep and I begin making my way up to the house. I'm pretty sure Kwan's just gonna crash in the waiting room but whatever. As long as he sleeps a little. He probably doesn't want to leave Keith stuck at the hospital with no way to get home. Though I'm not sure how much Keith's actually interested in leaving his sister.

The scent of coffee brewing hits me as soon I step into the house. Oh thank fuck. Surviving the following morning after a party is usually hell on no caffeine. My teammates are great to party with. They're not so great to spend mornings with.

Star's standing in front of the window, absentmindedly stirring her coffee. She looks up when I step inside the kitchen and she half-turns, giving me a smile. Her hair's pulled back into a ponytail and combined with her cutoff shorts and tank-top, she looks like a normal girl. Not like she's the daughter of one of the wealthiest families in Amity Park.

"Hey," she greets, setting her mug on the counter as she ditches the spoon in the sink. "How'd you sleep?" She leans back against the counter, swiping her mug up again and blowing across the top. She arches an eyebrow at me in question and I try to think.

With a shrug, I cross over to the cabinet and dig a mug out for myself, only filling it two-thirds of the way up before I grab the canister of sugar from the counter. "Alright," I tell her, stirring in way too much sugar than any human being should consume first thing in the morning but fuck it.

Star's younger brother Derek is an insomniac like me but he struggles a hell of a lot more with it than I do. I have my sleepless nights and occasionally, my string of sleepless nights but this kid can go for fucking days straight. I'm pretty sure one month he averaged about an hour a night.

He'll be starting high school after we've graduated and Star's probably freaking the fuck out about leaving him alone with her parents. I only know about her family's shit cause I'm in the inner circle. I know how much leaving Amity Park is worrying her and honestly, I wish there was something I could do for her, or her brother.

Neither one of her parents believe that Derek's actually dealing with insomnia. They took away all of his electronics and kept him home for weeks, determined to prove that he was just being difficult. Cause, y'know. That's so much easier than just getting him some fucking treatment.

I take a small sip of my coffee, gauging the taste, before I add a few more drops of milk. I twist the cap back on the carton of milk and let the fridge door close before I speak. "How's uh… how'd you sleep?" I ask, flicking my gaze toward her. I want to ask her how her brother's doing, if her parents are up to the same old shit, but I don't. It's probably none of my business.

She gives me a smile, taking a sip of her coffee before she responds. "Pretty well, actually. Even with Jeff snoring right next door," she says with a laugh. Her eyebrows draw down after a second and the smile slips from her face. "You sure you slept alright?"

Ever since I let it slip that occasionally I can't sleep, Star gets concerned about it. Especially when the bags under my eyes are pretty heavy. I don't remember the last time Paulina asked me about my sleep. If she ever did.

Speak of the devil.

Paulina's footsteps are light as she crosses in front of me to get to the coffee pot, her shoulder brushing against my chest with the movement. She sends a glance my way as I take a step back, keeping distance between us. We're like fireworks around each other. Any kind of friction can set either one of us off and then it's only a matter of time before we're both exploding.

"Have fun babysitting Fenton last night?" she asks, her lips curled into a smirk as she takes a sip of her coffee. That's two things I've never understood. People that can drink their coffee black. And people that give a shit about what other people do.

With a roll of my eyes, I take another couple sips before I set my mug on the counter in front of the coffee pot, flicking my gaze to Star's. "Hey, don't let anyone ditch my mug, I'm gonna grab a shower before someone steals it." Star nods and I hesitate a second before I glance toward Paulina with a shrug. "Danny's a lot of fun to be around."

I don't know why I feel like I should defend him to her – she's clearly made up her mind about him and I seriously doubt there's anything I can do to change that. But she's never explained why she hates him so much and honestly, sometimes I think she hates him just to be a bitch.

Paulina rolls her eyes and I don't wait for a response, sparing a final glance at Star before I head for the shower, taking the stairs two at a time. My teammates definitely won't rise before noon so the shower's gonna be free for a while but still. I'd rather get it over with. Besides, it gets me away from Paulina for now.

I ease the bedroom door open as quietly as I possibly can and when I step inside, I see Danny still sleeping near the edge of the bed, his arm dangling over the side. His hair is plastered to the side of his face and though his mouth is open, he's not snoring. He'd look peaceful if it wasn't for the open mouth thing. He just looks like some kind of fish instead. I grab my bag and leave the room, softly clicking the door shut behind me.

The bathroom's empty again but somebody's shoes and jacket are discarded on the floor. I step over them as I strip down, turning the water on before I dig my outfit from my bag. I grab a towel from underneath the sink and throw it over the shower stall door before I step underneath the water, letting the warmth spread over me.

I don't know what the hell I'm gonna do about staying here an extra night but Star should be cool with it. I hope. If she's not well fuck, Danny and I'll have to grab a ride home with someone. Jeff'd probably be good to take us back. But that also means putting up with Blake... ugh.

My hands run down my body as I soap myself up, turning to face the shower spray. I'm lost in my thoughts and I don't hear movement until the shower door's pulled back and Paulina steps into the stall. She smiles at me as I turn toward her and words don't come to me immediately.

"Hey," she says softly, the curve of her lips driving me wild, just like it's always done in the past. A pink bikini is the only thing between us as she steps closer to me. Her hands touch my chest and I can't think. I lean down to meet her kiss but stop just short of touching my lips to hers. I don't want to get sucked back in to her tidal wave even though she's clearly what my body's interested in.

"What are you doing?" I mumble, my eyes falling closed as our foreheads meet. I don't want to give in to her but my lips brush across hers and it doesn't take long for us to start kissing. We're moving in time to a pace only we've memorized and perfected and fuck, her body fits perfectly against mine. Her fingernails scratch my back and goddammit, she knows how to draw me in.

Our mouths are on each other's and my mind is hazy. Her hands move up to my head and her fucking nails against my scalp is dragging me back to her. It's not until her legs wrap around my waist and I've got her pressed against the wall of the shower stall that I realize what the fuck I'm doing.

I break away from the kiss and turn away, waiting until she slowly drops her legs before I let her go, putting as much distance as I can between us in the limited amount the stall provides. "We can't… do this, Paulina," I say, flicking my gaze up to hers. She's biting her bottom lip, a tiny smirk on her lips and god, it makes me want to fucking kiss her.

"You never had a problem with shower sex before," she says bluntly, a laugh escaping her as she speaks. "Oh come on, Dash. Don't tell me you'll have problems getting it up."

She's still grinning and I don't want this to end like this. I want to crawl back to her and make out until the weekend's over. I want to meet her between classes and sit with her at lunch. I want her to see me as more than what I see myself and I want her to tell me that I'm not fucked up. But that kinda shit's for fairytales and last I checked, we live in the real world.

"No." I slide the stall open and let out a breath, one hand scrubbing down the side of my face. "Seriously, you need to… just go, Paulina." I don't have the energy right now to tell her why it's over, why I can't be with her anymore. Why it hurts so fucking bad to know that this really is the end of us. But it's been a long time coming and if there was ever a time for me to push her away, it's definitely now.

Paulina pouts, sparing a glance at the door before looking back toward me. "Dash… can't we just have the weekend together? I really missed you at my side last night. Parties were always better when I was on your arm."

God-fucking-dammit, how the hell am I supposed to say no? She's everything I wanted when I was a freshman and my stupid heart still can't believe that we dated for as long as we did. It was off and on from the time I joined the Ravens but it was still amazing. She was amazing.

"No," I repeat, seeming like it's the only word I know. When she turns her doe eyes on me again, pinning me in place, I know I only have one shot to push her away before I break and crawl back to her like I always do. "No, Paulina. Cause… cause once the weekend's over, we'll go back to Amity Park. And I'll fuck up somehow and you'll hate me again. I don't want to go through all of our shit again. I'm done, Paulina. I'm just… I'm done."

The sound of my own voice rings in my ears, intermittent with the shower spray, as I stare at Paulina, holding her gaze for as long as I can before I eventually have to look away. "Just go. Please." I gesture toward the open shower stall and she surprises me by getting out. I leave the glass open while she gathers up her clothes, flicking her hair over her shoulder as she looks back toward me.

She opens her mouth like she wants to say something but decides against it, simply stalking out of the bathroom with her clothes thrown over her arm. I watch the door slam closed before I slide the glass shut again, letting the pounding water erase everything from my thoughts for a few more minutes.


Danny's still asleep when I'm finished with my shower so I gather up the pile of our clothes and the bedding from where I kicked it last night and leave him to sleep some more. I check behind a couple of doors before I find the washer and dryer, throwing in the clothes with the comforter. I leave the sheets in a pile on top of the dryer and close the door to the laundry room on my way out.

Star's still in the kitchen when I go downstairs again but she's moved to the breakfast bar. She looks up when I enter and gives me a smile. "Your coffee's probably cold by now," she says with a soft smile and I don't need to even test the mug to know it is.

"Yeah," I respond, dumping the contents down the drain before I rinse it and move back to the coffee pot for a fresh cup. I hesitate a second as I pour the coffee before I glance over my shoulder. "Hey, uhh… any idea where Paulina is?" If I can avoid running into her for as long as possible, that's for the best. She gives me an apologetic look as I reach for the sugar container and I think I already know the answer to my question.

"She left. About ten minutes ago? Just stormed out, saying she'd call me later." Star gives a shrug before her gaze falls back to her magazine. She seems to hesitate for a second before she looks up at me. "She… never told me. What happened between you two?"

This is probably the kind of question she's not supposed to be asking cause she keeps her voice low and glances around the area for anyone listening. When she looks back toward me, she raises an eyebrow, like I'd refuse or some shit.

I exhale as I stir in a bit of milk to my coffee and put the jug back before I move to the breakfast bar, leaning my forearms on it as I talk. "We broke up. She came to the garage to talk and I don't know how it happened, we just… kinda exploded on each other." I take a sip from my coffee, letting it burn the inside of my mouth on the way down. "She left and we haven't really seen each other since. Except for last night."

Star nods, her gaze falling to her magazine again. She flips it closed and pushes it away, leaning forward as she picks up her mug. "You know…" She flicks her gaze up to mine with a quiet exhale and I can tell she's warring with herself. "Paulina's… she's always been kind of…" Her breath leaves her like she can't find the right words and she shakes her head. "You know how she can be. She'll come around," Star says, offering up a smile.

I don't know if I should tell her that I don't want Paulina to come around. I don't know how to tell her that I don't know what the fuck I want but it's not this. The tension between us and the feeling that she'll explode at any moment and we'll all be affected by her shrapnel… it's not what I want at all.

With a shrug, I down a few more gulps of my coffee and set the mug on the counter. "So, listen," I start, keeping my voice soft as I look toward her again. "Last night, Keith's sister was taken to the hospital again."

Star's eyes widen. "Shit. Is she okay?"

"She's fine, at least as far as I know." I exhale slowly, my gaze falling to the counter. I can't even begin to imagine what a day's like for him. Wondering if his sister's gonna make it through the week or even the night. I'd go fucking insane every time I was away from her. "Thing is," I start again, glancing up at Star. "He couldn't find you last night to go home. So I gave him and Kwan my car to drive back with. I was wondering if… maybe I could stay another night here?"

She hesitates for a second before grinning. "Sure. We'll let only a couple people know that we're staying so most of the obnoxious ones go home," she says with a small laugh. "Good thing Paulina's already left."

I can't help it when a grin crosses my face at the idea that maybe Star and Paulina aren't as close as I always thought they were. Kind of nice to know I'm not the only one not on the queen bee's side. "Sounds like fun. Uh… Danny rode out with me, he'll have to stay too." I don't know why but I really hope she doesn't have a problem with him staying. I don't know what he did that was apparently so terrible but Paulina's had a grudge against him for as long as I can remember.

Star makes a small scoff, shaking her head. She looks away from me before she shrugs. "I'm not going to be rude if that's what you're asking about," she says, glancing back toward me. "If you want him around, I'm fine with that."

I don't know what she's heard about him or what her opinion really is. She doesn't look pissed that I'm hanging around him. She just kinda looks like she doesn't understand why I would. I don't get what's so wrong with him. Seriously, what the fuck did he do that was so awful?

She leans closer to me, placing her hands on top of mine. "Just, be careful, okay? He's not…" She exhales, shaking her head as she leans away. "He just may not be who you think he is." Star offers me a smile before she moves around the bar to pour out her coffee. She rinses her mug before letting it sit in the sink.

"Who do we want to let know that we're staying?" she asks, leaning back against the counter with her arms crossed. "I kind of like the idea of having Jeff stay," she says, in an attempt to sound casual. Jeff's already told me and about five other guys that he was fucking Star all summer. I know a hell of a lot more about his sex life than I care to.

I try to cover my grin with a swallow of coffee, shrugging when she looks at me. "Sure, sounds good. Though Blake rode with him so we'll probably be stuck with him."

Star rolls her eyes, shoving away from the counter. "I don't care what anyone says, he was on something last night." She adjusts the strap of her tank-top before leaving the kitchen, her footsteps fading the further away she moves.

After a few seconds, I down the rest of my coffee and rinse the mug, setting it in the sink next to Star's before I leave the kitchen. I follow after her and meet her in the living room. She gestures to a white bag near the hallway and I grab it, gathering up a few of the empty cups left on the coffee table.

We work in silence as we put the living room and most of the downstairs back in order. Some of my teammates stagger downstairs and drink coffee in silence, most of them probably nursing a hangover. A few people, that aren't cheerleaders or any of my teammates, make their way downstairs and out the door. Star keeps an eye on everyone that leaves and only stops to pass on the fact that we're staying another night to a handful of people. Most of the ones she stops stick around but a couple of them leave anyway.

It's just past one in the afternoon when Danny surfaces from the room. I'm switching our clothes and the bedding from the washer to the dryer, when he appears. He catches my eye as he passes by the laundry room and I offer a smile. He doesn't return it, just gestures to the bathroom, before he leaves. I don't know if he's got a bitch of a headache or if he's still trying to wake up but either way, I hope he's cool with sticking around for another night.

Star and I are playing blackjack at the kitchen table when Roxane makes an appearance, easily breezing in to the kitchen and pouring herself a cup of coffee. She swallows a few mouthfuls before making a face, glancing toward us.

"No offense, Star, but you make the worst coffee in the world," Roxane says, setting the mug back on the counter. She glances around the kitchen before taking the sugar container and shaking it into her coffee. She stirs the sugar in before she moves to the table. "What are you guys doing?

I flick my gaze up to hers as Star turns around in her seat. "Playing blackjack," she says, gesturing to the empty chair next to her. "You wanna join?"

Roxane shrugs as she pulls the chair out, sinking down into it as she watches me deal. I'm surprised she's not complaining of a monster headache yet. She was full on drunk before the night was even half-over and literally had to be carried up the stairs.

Star glances toward Roxane with a soft smile and I try to communicate with a pointed look but it goes unnoticed. "So, a couple of us are spending another night here. We're not going to party too hard or anything, just mainly get tipsy and play music," she says with a small laugh. "You interested in sticking around?"

"What, and spend another night with a bunch of you losers?" Roxane rolls her eyes but she's smiling. "Sure, why not?" She sips her coffee again before setting the mug down, nodding toward the cards in my hand. "Deal me in this round."

I gather up the cards and shuffle them again, dealing a hand out to the three of us. We play three rounds before someone joins us. The girls notice him before I do and it takes me a second of trying to figure out why the fuck they've gone silent before I realize who it is.

Danny stands at the edge of the kitchen, fidgeting nervously as he watches the three of us. He looks like he regrets coming down here or maybe just regrets coming to this party at all. I give him a smile and leave my chair, clapping him on the shoulder as I pass by.

"Hey, how'd you sleep?" I ask, crossing the kitchen to get a bottle of water. It takes me a second to find one and when I resurface, I toss one toward Danny. He fumbles but he keeps it from hitting the ground, casting a look my way when he straightens back up.

I move back to the table and sit across from Roxane this time, offering the seat next to me to Danny. He hesitates for a second before crossing over to me, sinking down in the chair with an exhale.

"We're playing blackjack, you wanna join us?" I ask, casting a glance his way. He flicks his gaze up to mine and gives me a small shrug. I deal a round, including Danny this time, and take a glance at my cards before I turn to him. "So listen."

Danny looks up, angling his body toward me and I'm suddenly reminded of last night. I don't know why it makes my face flush but I quickly drop my gaze. I don't need him to figure out what I'm thinking of… god, would he even remember that?

"Yeah?" he prompts, his voice a little gravelly, probably from the hangover. I'd imagine it's a bitch of one considering how much alcohol he put away last night.

For some reason, I'm nervous that he'll get seriously pissed that he has to stay another night. I think my wallet's in my bag, I could give him some cash to get a taxi home. But part of me really hopes he sticks around.

I let out a breath. "Last night… uh… Kwan had to borrow my car to get one of our teammates home… kind of… an emergency situation," I say, twisting the cap off my water bottle. I take a long pull of water before I set the bottle down on the table again, nervously drumming my fingers. "S-So, I told him not to drive back until tomorrow cause he's dead tired. Wh-Which leaves me without a ride home. Uh.. we need to crash here another night." I watch his face carefully but I don't get anything from his expression.

"Okay," he says softly, his gaze falling to his cards. He twists the cap off his water bottle and takes a sip before sparing me another look. "Um… I-I don't know how to play this."

Star makes a soft noise and must take pity on him cause she flips her cards over. "Your goal is to be the first one to get twenty-one points, or the closest you can to it, without going over." She gestures to her cards, a Jack and a three. "All of the face cards like King, Queen, and Jack count for ten points each. So, I only have thirteen points here."

I take the top card off the deck and lean over to flip it face up next to Star's other two. "Aces count for two or eleven points. So she's either busted by reaching twenty-four points or she only has fifteen points. At this point, she can choose to hit again or stay at fifteen."

"Yeah but usually only bitches stop at fifteen points," Roxane says, gesturing to the deck when I look at her. "Hit me, Baxter."

I flip a card over and lay it beside hers. She looks at whatever card she's got and gestures for me to give her another card. I do and she lets out a groan.

"Bust, twenty-six." She shoves her cards to the center of the table and I glance toward Danny.

He looks at his card that's still face down and flicks his gaze up to mine. "Um… h-hit me, I guess," he says, more like a question, and I give him another card. He glances at it for a second before nodding. "What do I do if I don't need any more cards?" he asks.

"You just say you're gonna stay," I respond and he nods, quickly repeating it back to me. He still seems hesitant in all of his movements but the more I keep my gaze on him, the less tension I can see in his body. He seems to relax more the longer we play and I'm down with continuing the game as long as it keeps the tension off his face.


After a while, we kind of abandon the game and then it's just the four of us sitting around talking. Eventually, Jeff and Blake make an appearance and then it's the six of us. We're trading stories, discussing some of the dumbest things we've done. The story of the bus-stealing incident makes the round and we get Danny laughing so hard, he's actually doubled over.

When he sobers up a little, Jeff asks Danny about his story. What's the dumbest thing he's ever done. For a minute, we're all wondering if Danny's even gonna respond cause he's hesitating a lot. But just as I'm about to put the conversation in another direction to get the focus off of him, he speaks.

"So… uhh, my parents are kinda…" He scratches at the back of his head before exhaling, a slight laugh leaving him. It doesn't sound like he's amused, it sounds more frustrated, but he continues. "They work for the government, right?"

He glances around the table and his gaze lingers on me before he drops it to the table. "I uh… I might have stolen some kind of technology from their lab," he says, flicking his gaze back up to me, with a small sheepish smile. "They've never found it either."

Jeff's eyebrows are up on his forehead and he leans in closer as he speaks. "So like… what'd you do with it?"

Danny laughs, his face flushing as he scratches at the back of his head again. "I uh… I just kinda destroyed it?" He laughs again at the look on our faces. "What? It's not like they'll ever be able to trace it back to me."

"That's fucking ballsy man," Jeff says with a grin and I feel the same way. Except, I'm also wondering if that has anything to do with the bruises painted across his chest. I wonder how much of last night Danny remembers. I want to tell him that it's okay if he talks to me about what his parents do when he's alone with them but I don't. I can't bring that shit up in front of everyone. No one at this table knows what my dad does and I wouldn't put that kind of spotlight on Danny.

Danny gives us a few more details about the 'stealing from the government' incident before he turns to me with a smile. "Aside from the bus, what's the dumbest thing you've ever done?" he asks, his smile widening a little as Jeff laughs at the mention of the bus.

I can't think with everyone's eyes on me and the dumbest thing I've really done is probably let Valerie or Kwan know about my dad. But I can't say that to my teammates or to Danny. So I force a grin on my face and tell them about the time Paulina and I downed a whole bottle of wine in one sitting at the end of our sophomore year.

The story gets everyone laughing and by the end of it, I'm kinda able to convince myself that pretending like this good. It's better if they think the dumbest shit I've pulled is alcohol-related. It's a little early to bring up any kind of dark shit. And part of me doesn't want to. This atmosphere is nice and I don't want to destroy it. Especially cause part of me doesn't want to see the grin on Danny's face disappear. I tell myself it's cause I have no idea how often he smiles cause of whatever shit he's going through. But maybe a small part of it is cause happy looks so fucking good on him.


A/N: Yooo, look at me updating on time this week. Though I have a feeling it's about to get crazy again pretty soon and I'll miss another week?

So it's November first now. Which means, NaNoWriMo has arrived and it's time for me to sell my soul to this writing project once more! ...I swear, I actually enjoy NaNo. It always seems so daunting at first though. Also, it feels like yesterday I was talking about Camp NaNo in July.

Moving on to the story. Whaaaat'd you guys think of this update? Kind of slow in terms of plot development but it's got a lot of character interaction so hopefully you all still enjoy it. Sorry it can't be as teasing as the last update ;) But I'd still love to hear your thoughts, they're very motivating!

The title of this chapter comes from DKLA by Troye Sivan. Honestly, that one's just a really great song but I think it has some Stay vibes to it? I don't know, the lyric just really spoke to me and it's something Dash probably feels.

Anyway though, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and again, I love hearing what you think! I'll see you all next chapter!