Okay, I'm back. Needed to take a break from writing for a while. I'm still recovering from the most eventful school year of my life. (dies, and resurrects) Forgive me if this chapter sucks. I'm out of practice… Ah well, let's get on with it. Oh, and thank you all for the cookies! (ignores the fact that she gained six pounds) Heheh, just kidding…

--

Dear Die-ary,

These past two days have been…eventful. So many thoughts have been coursing through my mind. You may remember Devi, the girl I tried to kill during our date. She kicked my ass, though. Heh, looking back on it now, it's quite funny. But I'm getting off-topic. She's back in my life again, and though I'm glad for her friendship, I'm more confused than I was before. From the moment I awoke from unconsciousness, sick and wounded and dazed, I've been wondering if Devi could ever forgive me. She was kind enough to take me in, to help me. We talked, and when I asked for her forgiveness, she gave it, but not without some understandable hesitation.

I know she forgave me, and we're friends again. But… I felt something when I carried her to her bed last night. I don't know if I can put it into words, but I'll try. I felt safe, yet a bit uneasy, with her in my arms. It felt so right, more than I felt with on the night of our date. But I seriously doubt that I'm actually capable of feeling this way for long, before I snap again. Like last time…

Some say this feeling is nothing but hormones, something that we misinterpret as complex emotions. That it's just a thing of fairy tales, and nothing for the real world. But if it does, indeed, truly exist…

…I doubt she'll accept me in that way.

Sighing harshly, Johnny put the pen down and closed the black, bloodstained journal in his hands. He closed his eyes and let his head hang for a moment. The cold wind stroked his hair with icy coldness, and he shivered.

Shit, he thought, My head's hurting again. Why did I come up here?

He opened his eyes again, sluggishly. When he left Devi's apartment, he had wandered to his house, grabbed his "Die-ary", and walked to the hill on the outskirts of town. He was always drawn to that place. Watching the stars and the city lights helped him to think when he was troubled. But now he just gazed at the sky, breaking with light as the sun began to peak over the mountainous horizon, cold and very lonely.

Johnny hauled himself off the cold, nearly frozen ground, suddenly wishing he had brought his car. His eyes blinked against the rising sun for a moment, before he turned away. He needed time to clear his head, and then he would get back home. And this time, he would stay there. Besides, thinking of her wasn't helping him much right now.

--

"So, he just left? Without even saying goodbye?"

"Well, not really," Devi replied. "He did say goodbye. In the note he left, I mean."

Tenna and Devi were sitting in a booth at the Eat-or-Die. It was around noon now, and all around them people were sharing conversations, stuffing their faces as they talked. It was just background noise to Devi; meaningless and full of static. All she could think of was Johnny.

"That's kind of weird," Tenna observed. "He seemed nice when we met him, right Spooky?" She gave the rubber skeleton a soft squeak.

"He is nice. But I swear, Ten'. He's just making me feel so…so…"

"Crazy?"

Devi groaned and let her forehead hit the table with a soft 'thump'. "Yes, I guess you could say that."

Tenna listened to her friend's slightly muffled words. She drummed her fingers on the table, pouting her lower lip as she tried to think. Before she could say something, Devi lifted her head, her green eyes brimming with confusion.

"I don't know, Tenna," she muttered. "I just wish I knew why I care about this so much."

Tenna looked at her friend carefully. In all the years they had been friends, she had never seen Devi so miserable. But she finally thought of something to say.

"Go to him."

Devi stared back. "What?"

"You heard me," Tenna replied. "Go to his house, and see him there."

"Why the fuck would I do that?" Devi growled, narrowing her eyes to an icy glare.

"Because he's your friend, and you're worried about him."

Devi was still for a moment, running Tenna's words through her mind over and over again. The events of the past few days replayed in her memory. In such a short time, the friendship between Johnny and herself had been restored, strengthened, and perhaps, been turned something more. Devi's glare softened, and she sighed. She stood, threw on her coat and turned for the door.

"I must be out of my mind," she whispered as she left.

Tenna followed her out of the restaurant, Spooky in hand. "You're not out of your mind. You tried pulling that on me before, remember? With that freaky painting, and-"

Devi rolled her eyes. "I'll see 'ya later, Tenna," she muttered, talking her leave.

As Tenna watched her friend leave, she smiled, and though she knew Devi couldn't hear her, she whispered to her.

"Go and get 'im, tiger."

--

There it was.

The house.

His house.

Or was it more of a shack than an actual house? It certainly seemed that way. Even from outside, Devi could see the poor condition of the building. The walls were cracked. Dead leaves clung lifelessly to the flat roof. The windows had no glass, but were boarded with planks of hardwood. Through the planks, she could see the gloomy darkness within. Devi almost expected to see a pair of red eyes staring back at her, like in some horror movie.

It looked the same as the last time she saw it. It was the night of her date with Johnny. After a movie and a long talk at the hill, they had come here. The interior of the house mirrored the outside. The walls inside were cracked. The floor was crawling with dirt and debris. The couch was ripped, and the entire place smelled of dust. Devi shivered as she remembered this. But, oddly, the last time she was here, before Johnny had snapped, it didn't seem like such a gruesome dwelling.

Taking in a deep lungful of air, Devi narrowed her eyes and began walking to the front door. She knocked on it a few times, softly, with a shaking hand.

No answer.

"Johnny, it's Devi," she called. Still, no answer came. She knocked on the door more forcefully. "Nny, I came to see if you were-"

There was a loud creaking sort of sound, and the door opened a crack. Devi stepped back, a bit surprised. She regained her posture, and spoke again.

"Nny, are you okay?" No answer again. Her hand shaking, she grasped the doorknob, and pushed open the door, unveiling the shadowy rooms. "Are you…even here?"

Trembling, with worry of her friend and fear for herself, Devi stepped forward. And, against all her better judgment, she entered the forebodingly dark house.

--

Yey! I feel happy now. Devi's bad…breaking into Nny's house like that. (throws waffles at her I shall start on the next chapter right now. Before my creative block comes back.