Author's Note: So for a little context. This story is three years after the movie, but everything that happened after the airport scene has been altered, so the last few scenes of the movie never happened.

Also, I just wanted to thank my amazing reviewers for their helpful feedback: Purple Shamrock 17, acciodanrad9, and JmacKarla. Thanks a bunch!

I'd also like to thank Law and Order, procrastination, my microbiology book, and the band Acceptance for their inspiration.

Chapter 2

This is Only A Test

Natalie sat in a big cushioned chair in a secluded corner of the school library. She was surrounded by manuals and pamphlets from the different programs at the college. What was she going to do? The deadline for her major declaration was in two weeks and she had no idea what to study, Nothing really caught her eye. There was the social work brochure with its shiny, glossed paper. Nope. She set that one in the ever-growing "reject" pile. The next paper was for social sciences. She could almost hear her father. "Now didn't I tell you? If you would have gone to Duke and not messed around with that boy, then you'd be a lawyer, a doctor…anything but this."

"Sorry Dad," she said, tossing the paper in the rejects. The College of Health Science and Engineering held her attention for a minute. But perhaps that was only wishful thinking. She had thought about going into medicine until the whole ordeal with Keith had thoroughly convinced her that she would never handle being a doctor. Her heart wouldn't be able to handle it.

The last choice was the English program, that or history. Natalie grimaced at thinking of her father's displeasure of her future degree. Being a teacher was not on his list of acceptable careers. Oh well. She had already fallen in his eyes. Might as well go all the way. But either way, she had better think it over before committing. A quick glance at the wall clock told her she needed to get going or else risk being late to class and incurring the wrath of her professor. Natalie threw the other papers in the trash and tucked the English pamphlet into her backpack and headed towards the front of the library. To her annoyance, Garrett Lindstrom was waiting by the front door. She breezed past him without a word. He was always following her around, trying his hardest to get her to go out with him. She had refused about four times already, but he kept coming around. He now hurried to keep up with her furious strides. "Hey Natalie, are you heading to class?"

"What's it look like?" she said, not very kindly. He still didn't get the hint.

"Oh good. Me too. We can walk together," he sounded ecstatic by that fact.

"Oh goody," she mumbled under her breath.

"What'd you say?"

"Oh good," Natalie repeated, trying to keep a fake smile on her face.

"Hey, are you busy tonight?" he asked, a hopeful expression on his face.

"Tonight…" she drew out the word, trying to stall for time. "Oh, look, we're here," she said brightly, relieved to see her classroom. "Bye!" She ducked into her class, but Garrett followed her.

"Wait!" he practically shouted. The entire class turned to face them. Natalie could feel her face burning from embarrassment. "Please think about it?" he begged. She felt bad for the guy. He must like her an awful lot to make such a fool of himself.

"I'll think about it," she answered, watching with some amusement as he almost jumped up and down from excitement.

"Great!" he said excitedly. Then, realizing what he had just done, he dashed out of the room with one last smile and wave to her. Natalie half-heartedly waved at him. She dropped her bag next to an open desk and fell into the chair.

"Long day?" the voice of her friend Crystal immediately perked her up.

"Yeah," Natalie said. "Have you decided what you're declaring?"

"Yep, but I'll tell you about it after class," Crystal whispered, with a cautious look at Dr. Fielding, who was harrumphing disapprovingly in their direction. African-American Studies was a fairly interesting class, but today Natalie was too preoccupied to concentrate. She had just begun to focus when class was let out. "Earth to Natalie," Crystal said, waving her hand in front of Natalie's face. "Thinking of lover boy?" she teased.

"No! He's not that at all," Natalie protested.

"I know that, you know that, but he sure doesn't," Crystal said, slinging her backpack onto her shoulder. "Want to go eat something? I'm starving."

"Sure." They walked to a small deli near the social sciences building. After getting their food, they sat at a window table, watching students rush to their classes. Crystal said, "I guess I decided to go with business management. At least I should get a job after graduation."

"Well, that's good. You do enjoy the classes," Natalie said encouragingly.

"Aren't we supposed to be excited about this? I mean, we are deciding what we want to do in the future. I just feel if I commit to this, I'm going to miss out on something else," Crystal said. "What if we don't make the right choice?"

"I feel you there," Natalie said. "But I guess we can change our minds. It's college after all. They say you change your major at least twice before graduation."

"What about you?"

"I don't know," she sighed. "I'm leaning towards English. My dad's going to be thrilled. He wants me to be a lawyer."

"Aw, who cares. It's your life anyways."

"I know." Natalie replied, stabbing viciously at her salad with a fork.

"Calm down there. That poor cherry tomato never did anything to you," Crystal laughed, then stopped at the look on Natalie's face. "What's wrong?"

"It's him," she admitted. "I keep thinking about him."

"Who, Garrett? Just ignore him and hopefully he'll go away."

"No, not Garrett. Keith."

"Keith. That boy you liked back in high school?" she asked. "Why are you thinking about him?"

"I just miss him."

"I hate to break it to you, but he's gone." Crystal said bluntly. Natalie just stared at her. "What? I'm right, aren't I? He's not coming back. It's been three years. You've grieved long enough. You need to move on."

"Move on to what? Garrett? No way."

"He's not that bad of a guy."

"Then why don't you date him instead?"

"I didn't say I liked him. Anyways, you should go on this date with him. Loosen up. Have a little fun," Crystal suggested. Natalie didn't want to face it, but deep inside she had the sinking feeling that her friend was right. Keith was dead. It pained her to even think about it. But maybe, just maybe she would be able to move on from him.

"Okay," she answered. "I'll go out with Garrett. But if the date is a disaster, I'm never listening to you again."

"I knew I could talk some sense into you," Crystal told her. "I've got to get to work, but I'll text you later."

"Okay, bye." Natalie watched her leave, and then turned back to her food. She felt bad for not quite telling her friend the truth, but she knew Crystal wouldn't understand. Keith had been different. He hadn't been just some boy. She had loved him. No, she still did love him. But the love had changed somewhat over time. Crystal didn't see that. She wished Brooke was there, but she was halfway across the world volunteering with the Peace Corps. Natalie sighed. At least she was coming back in a few weeks. They could talk then. She tossed the rest of her salad into the trash and headed out the door. Before she went to work, she had a rather unpleasant errand to run.

"Yes!" Garrett pumped his fist in the air, after she told him yes.
"Don't push your luck," she said. "I could still change my mind.

"I will win you over with my wit and charm," he said so convinced.

"Sure you will," Natalie couldn't believe this guy. He was delusional.

"How about I pick you up at 6?"

"Okay, I'll see you then," she answered, turning to leave, not wishing to see his victory celebration any longer. It felt like a betrayal of her feelings, but she set her jaw and stuck with it.

"I'll be waiting!" he called after her. She kept walking at a rapid pace.

Natalie headed to her job in the school greenhouse. She slipped her earphones in and listened to a random playlist that Crystal had made her while she watered the plants. Then, she donned some glove and began to plant some new ferns that had just been delivered. The old pots were placed in a barrel of bleach solution to soak until reused. She rolled the hose up and hung it on a holder on the wall. The other various supplies were returned to their respective shelves and drawers. Natalie threw away her gloves and washed her hands. She exited the greenhouse, being careful to close the door firmly behind her. On the way back to her dorm, she stopped by her boss's office. "Hi, Mike," she greeted cheerfully. "I just wanted to let you know that I finished planting those new ferns."

"Thanks so much," he said gratefully. "It's been so hectic here. I had to give a tour to three different elementary schools this morning." He rolled his eyes. "Boy, was that fun."

"You know you love kids," she teased, knowing how much he tried to avoid kids at all cost.

"Next time they come, you can take them around."

"Sorry, but I'm not 'qualified'," she said in a mock serious tone. "I'll be back to water the plants over the weekend. See you later!" After another long study session in the library and a quick bite to eat, Natalie trekked up the hill to her dorm. She hadn't planned on staying in the dorms so long, but Crystal had convinced her to stick it out one more year.

Her room was located on the third floor, facing towards the west. She unlocked the door, set her backpack by her desk and flopped across her bed. Her eyes wandered around the room, coming to rest on a framed picture on her dresser of her and Keith. It had been taken just days before he had died. That night, they had snuck into the pediatric ward, where there was a set of gigantic stuffed animals that the little kids played with. They were so large, that Natalie could sit on the bear's lap with room for at least one little kid. The animals had gone on a photo shoot across the hospital, posing with everything from the plants in the lobby to unsuspecting doctors. That particular photo was of the two of them sitting on a bench in the hospital gardens, with a gigantic panda carefully posed as if he was going to dive into the waterfall behind them. She smiled fondly at the memory. The nurses had caught them and gave them a good scolding for taking Keith outside, before shooing them inside. How could she ever let go of him, all the times they had shared. Crystal just didn't understand, she decided. There was just no way. She could feel a familiar prickling feeling at the corners of her eyes. Natalie furiously rubbed the tears away, before curling up into a tight ball. She closed her eyes tightly, hoping to fall asleep. Only in her dreams, could she truly remember his voice, his mannerisms. Every little thing that made her fall in love with him all over again every night.

Friday was more of the same routine. Classes, studying, work. Her mood, however, was not as cheerful. The thought of an impending date with Garrett filled her with dread. "What if he thinks that we're dating now?" she asked Crystal, who was patiently listening as they lounged out on the grass in the middle of campus. "I mean, by the end of tonight, we could be engaged, according to him.

"Nat, give the man a little credit. He's not that dumb."

"Okay, maybe I'm overreacting a little. I haven't been on a date since…" her voice trailed off. "Never mind, I'll figure out some sort of escape plan just in case it is a complete disaster."

"You'll be fine," Crystal reassured her. "Garret's a pretty nice guy."

"If you say so," Natalie said, rising and grabbing her purse. "I've got to run, he'll be coming in an hour, and I have to get ready."

"Let me know how it goes," Crystal told her, with a devilish grin. Natalie made it back to her dorm in record time and got cleaned up. She decided to wear a light blue shirt with a tank top underneath with a mid length printed skirt. Not too fancy, but nicer than what she usually wore. Natalie went downstairs to wait by the door. Strangely enough, she felt nervous, which surprised her. Garrett arrived promptly at 7, with a bouquet of red roses. She felt embarrassed, but thanked him. They drove to a small Thai restaurant that was located downtown. Towards the end of dinner, Natalie found that she was actually enjoying herself. Garrett was actually a nice guy, even if he didn't have the best social skills. Maybe this was a sign that this was the direction she needed to move towards. She was thinking so hard, that she completely missed one of Garrett's questions. "Oh, I'm sorry, what were you saying?"

"I just asked what you thought about the whole counterfeiting ring that the Feds busted just a few days ago. Apparently, this group had been laundering money for several years."

"I don't know. I haven't heard about it."

"It was actually based in your hometown."

"Really? Wow. Nothing ever happens there."

"They were sending money all over the country. Apparently, it's one of the biggest scams in the last decade. They even killed some of the people who caught on to what they were doing. Crazy, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it is," she said. "Sounds like something out of a movie." They continued carrying on a conversation and before they knew it, time had flown by.

"Maybe we'd better go," he said, noticing that the lights in the room were dimming and hardly anyone was left.

"Really? What time is it?"

"It's almost nine o'clock." Garret said after checking his watch.

"I'd better get back soon. I have to be up early," she agreed. He paid for the meal and they went back out to the car. Natalie had just glanced across the street when something caught her eye and she stopped and stared. The glare of the streetlights fell across a shadowy form that stood under an awning just down the sidewalk. It almost seemed the man was watching her. Natalie held her breath when she realized that he looked a little bit like…no, it couldn't be. He was dead. Her mind was playing tricks on her. But he really did have the same profile as Keith, the way he leaned against the wall with a confident air about him. She tried to make out his face, but the shadows were too dark. Garrett came up beside her.

"Is everything okay?"

"Yeah…everything's fine," she smiled at him. "Ready to go?" As he was backing out the car, Natalie glanced at the place where the man had been earlier, but no one was there. They made small talk until they reached the dorm, where he offered to walk her to the door. She let him. "Thank you for tonight," she said. "I had a great time."

"I surprised you, did I?" he laughed. "I know you weren't too happy about going out with me."

"I'm sorry," she blushed. "I had run. Really."

"Awesome!" he said, grinning at her. "Do you think you might want to do this again." She had to think for a moment. Keith's face popped in her mind, but she brushed it away.

"Yeah, I'd like that," she answered. The smile on his face widened.

"Okay, great! I'll call you," he said before turning to leave. "See you later."

"Bye," she answered, watching him drive away. He hadn't even tried to kiss her, for which she was grateful. That would have been too much. But he really was a nice guy. Crystal was never going to let her forget this; she was right. It was time to move on. To let go of the past once and for all. She was about to go inside, when the light by the door glinted off of a small object on the ground. Natalie bent to pick it up. She couldn't tell what it was, so she held it closer to the light. Her breath caught in her throat. Lying in her open palm was a bright, shiny copper penny.

Well, that's all I have for now. I hope you enjoyed it! Let me know what you think.