AN: God. I suck so much. I'm sorry for the long wait and honestly, I can't promise that this chapter means consistent updates. I'm having trouble remembering where I planned on going with this and irl moving has caused me to misplace my notebook with all the notes for this story in it! DX

But to those of you who still love this story, I will try my hardest to find that notebook so I can finish this story. I really want to finish this story for myself as well. I'm curious to see where it goes. ;)

Kuki fought the urge to crash the minute she walked into her house. It had been a long and uncomfortable day.

The petite teen took off her shoes in the foyer and quickly made her way upstairs to her room. She relished in this time of day, the hour she had the house to herself before her mother and sister got home.

The first thing she did was make herself comfortable. After changing into a pair of shorts and an ill-fitting t-shirt she opened her window and climbed out onto her roof. She carefully made her way to her usual spot and felt for the hollow place in the roofing. When she found it, she pulled aside the shingle and grabbed the lighter and cigarettes she'd stashed there. She quickly lit one and placed everything back in its spot, making sure that the shingle was put back on properly so it wouldn't fall off.

Once it was done, Kuki leaned back, placed the cigarette to her lips and inhaled deeply. Her eyes fluttered closed of their own accord and she found herself slowly relaxing. The thought of what her mother would do if she caught her made the girl laugh. No doubt she would flip her lid, but Kuki found herself not really caring at the moment. Besides, she was cautious enough to not get caught. She silently thanked the tree outside her window for effectively concealing her from her nosy neighbors.

"Hey Kooks!"

Kuki opened one eye and peered over the edge of her roof. Ace was coming up her driveway and she frowned despite herself. Wasn't she supposed to love him? Why was she frowning? She didn't dwell on the thoughts for long though.

"Hey Ace. What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see if you wanted to hang out with me and the gang." Ace replied. He grinned up at his girlfriend and Kuki couldn't deny just how cute he was. His brown hair was long but neat and his shades added just the right amount of mystery. Though sometimes, she wished he wouldn't wear them so much since she was rather fond of his green eyes. She found them comforting for some reason…

"Oh not today, today I need to just relax." She finally replied. Ace had begun climbing up the tree across from her and had made it to the branch closest to her spot on the roof. He looked at her with concern.

"Everything okay babe?"

Kuki blinked. She didn't know how to answer that. Not really. So instead, she left the question hanging and invited Ace inside.

"My mom and little sister won't be home for another 45 minutes or so." She said while shutting the window behind her.

"45 minutes huh?" Ace asked as he walked up to her. His hands slid around her slim waist before he pulled her flush against him. The smirk on his face gave away his intentions. Kuki sighed.

"I don't know Ace…I'm not really in the mood…" She said though she didn't move away. Ace smiled before leaning in to kiss her. The kiss was soft and sweet and Kuki found herself feeling relaxed again as the boy began kissing her jaw line and down to her neck.

"It's okay. We don't need to do anything if you don't want to." He whispered between kisses. When she didn't reply Ace began nipping lightly at her collarbone, smiling when he felt the tension leaving her shoulders.

"Okay…" was all she said. Ace removed his shades and looked at her for a minute before cupping her face and kissing her again a bit more forcefully this time but still sweet.

Kuki didn't even know they had been moving until she felt her bed against the back of her knees.

"Hey Wally, what's up?"

"Nothing much. Are you busy?"

"Not at the moment…"

"Cool. You wanna go to the park? We haven't hung out in awhile."

"Uh, yeah Abby thinks that'll be alright. Meet you there in ten?"

"That works. See you there."

Abby hung up her phone and saved her progress on the essay she'd been working on. She figured she should have turned down Wally's invitation and stayed home to finish but English was her best subject so she shouldn't have a problem. Besides, Wally was right in saying they hadn't seen each other in awhile. Aside from the occasional greeting in the hallway, Abby and Wally never really talked anymore. It had been like that for the past few months…'Ever since Nigel showed up…' Abby thought. She briefly wondered why that was as she looked for her sneakers. She found them under her bed and quickly pulled them on.

When she got downstairs she found her dad sitting at the kitchen table. He seemed to be lost in thought as he stared at the bottle of beer in his hands. Abby approached cautiously so she didn't startle him.

"Dad?" Her father looked at her for a moment before smiling softly.

"What is it sweetheart?" He asked quietly.

"I'm just letting you know I'm going out."

Mr. Lincoln nodded. "Will you be back for dinner?"

"Oh, I don't know. I'll call you when I find out."

Her father nodded again and took a sip from his bottle. "Ok darling."

Abby hesitated for a moment before shrugging it off. There was nothing she could do. Her dad had been distant ever since Cree had moved out. He kept saying it was just a funk but Abby wasn't so sure. All she could do was be vigilant in case things got worse. It wasn't all bad though. When her dad was in the moment he was great so she tried not to worry herself to death over it. Besides, her dad was a doctor so he would know if something was seriously wrong…right?

"Oi! Lincoln!" Abby snapped out of her thoughts at the sound of her name. She looked up to see Wally jogging towards her. When had she gotten here? She didn't remember the walk to the park at all and that kind of scared her. She brushed it off though. She never dwelled on anything long.

"What's up Beatles?" she asked, smile slowly making its way across her features. Wally smiled back at his friend, peering down at her with curious green eyes. Abby cringed under his gaze. She still wasn't use to his height advantage even though he'd been taller than her since the 8th grade. A lot had changed since they were younger. In a lot of ways it seemed the two had switched personalities. Other than Wally's growth spurt, he'd calmed down a bit and wasn't as hot headed as he'd used to be while Abby had a tendency to get riled up easily and say things she didn't mean. Wally was also a straight A student now, his work ethic having improved greatly, while Abby's GPA was dropping slowly.

"Ah nothing really, I just realized we haven't talked in awhile is all and I thought we could catch up." Wally answered. He was seriously staring at Abby and she found it hard to meet his eyes. The blonde teenager raised an eyebrow before continuing his thought.

"Is everything alright? You seem…off." He finished. For some reason this made Abby angry and she glared at her friend.

"How would you know if something was off? It's not like we talk anymore. This could be what I'm always like." She muttered. Wally's jaw dropped.

"Well it's not my fault we don't talk anymore…and if this is normal then that's not okay. The Abby I know doesn't have such sad eyes…." Abby didn't say anything but risked a glance at Wally. He wasn't looking at her anymore, but behind her. Abby turned around to see Kuki and Ace headed towards the park. Wally sighed.

"Come on." He grabbed Abby's hand and pulled her off towards the tree line at the back of the park. When he was sure they were hidden from sight he dropped Abby's hand and continued walking until he reached the clearing they used to come to all the time in middle school. Wally found his way to his old stump and dropped down on it. He suddenly seemed exhausted, which worried Abby.

When he didn't say anything, Abby went and sat next to him. A few moments passed before she spoke up.

"I talked to her today. It was brief…and awkward as hell…but we did speak." She whispered. Wally looked at her.

"Oh. How is she doing?" His face was blank as he spoke but his eyes gave him away. They looked hopeful.

"She's not doing well…at least that's what I think. She said everything was great but it seemed forced."

Wally watched her for a minute before picking up a leaf from the ground. He fiddled with it as he thought to himself. Abby knew he wanted to keep talking about Kuki but what was there to say? Neither one of them spoke to her very often. Neither one of them truly knew what her life was like. They could only speculate.

The two sat in silence for awhile just enjoying each other's company. Finally, Wally spoke up.

"So…what's up with you and Uno? I haven't seen you much since he showed up." Wally stated. The leaf he'd been playing with was now completely in pieces and fluttering away with the wind. Abby sighed.

"It's weird…but I feel like I've met him before…like we were friends…" She stopped and looked at Wally who looked shocked but knowing. Abby ignored it and continued.

"I know it doesn't make any sense, but he says things about his life and personality and I get this nagging feeling that tells me I knew all of that already. It feels like nothing he tells me is new and…" Abby trailed off when she realized how crazy she sounded. She looked at Wally again and he was picking at another leaf, lost in thought. He looked a little upset though. Abby grabbed his hand so he would look at her again. When she had his attention, she squeezed it.

"I'm sorry for abandoning you Wally. I guess Abby just got caught up in the whole "new kid" thing. You're still my best friend." She smiled and Wally smiled back. Suddenly he began to laugh. Abby watched, confused, until he explained.

"Do you remember the first time we brought Kuki here?" He asked. Abby grinned as she thought back to that day.

"Of course I do. She stepped in that mud puddle and started crying about her ruined shoes."

"And when she wouldn't shut up you smacked her and told her to get a grip." Wally laughed again and Abby joined him. When they'd calmed down Wally held a look of contentment on his face for a moment before it changed to one of wonder. Looking towards the sky he asked Abby if she ever missed it.

"It?"

"The three of us hanging out I mean. Or hell, even just the two of us…we used to be so close…"

Abby took a minute to think before answering, "Sometimes I do. It's hard going from being a part of a really tight group to suddenly being alone."

The two sat in silence after that just listening to the woods around them. Neither of them had to say it, but being there again after spending such a long time away felt right. For the first time in months the two of them felt like they could breathe again. Wally sighed before finally standing up. He pulled Abby to her feet and the two began walking back to the park all the while catching up on each other's lives.

When they were out of the trees they stopped short. Off in the distance was Kuki, but she wasn't with Ace anymore.

"Who's Kuki with? That's not Ace is it?" Abby asked.

"Oh. That's that Gilligan kid." Wally answered. "You remember him right? He went to our middle school and was a real class clown." Abby nodded as she watched Hoagie talk to Kuki. Watching the conversation made her uncomfortable for some reason but she ignored the feeling, as she always did. That's when she realized she was hungry.

"Come on Beatles, I need to call my dad but after that you and Abby are getting something to eat." She said. Wally grinned.

"Sounds like a plan."

Kuki sat on the swings for awhile just thinking. Ace had gone home about ten minutes ago and she was glad for the chance to breathe.

She didn't really feel right. She never did after sleeping with Ace…not that he was a bad guy; it was quite the opposite actually. He was smart, cute and he really did care about Kuki, he was just a little rough around the edges and he had his vices. Like Kuki, his home life wasn't all that great and he was constantly trying to find ways to escape. It was probably what drew her to him. In all honesty Kuki really did like Ace and she truly cared for him, but she still couldn't help but feel something was missing…like she'd given something up.

She tried to brush the feeling off as she got up to go home. She was about to start walking when she spotted a tall lanky figure coming toward her.

"Well, if it's not Kuki Sanban. I'll be damned. Long time no talk sweetheart." Hoagie started as he came up to the small teen. Kuki's heart skipped a beat as he stopped in front of her, the smirk on his face making her want to smile despite her being annoyed at his presence.

"Hey. What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?" Hoagie mused when she didn't speak up. He leaned in closer, his right hand grasping at the swing chain above Kuki's head. This forced her attention and the girl's heart fluttered at the look on his face. It was one of pure joy and...longing? What?

"Hello Hoagie." She muttered hoping to hide the effect he was having on her. Hoagie's grin grew.

"There we go. I was beginning to think you'd gone mute and that wouldn't be any fun now would it?" The wind was picking up quickly and Hoagie licked his lips in an attempt to re-moisturize them. Kuki read into the action wrong though and blushed profusely. 'What the hell is wrong with me?' She thought.

"What do you want Hoagie? I need to head home…" Kuki spoke with the strongest most uninterested sounding voice she could muster. Hoagie seemed to buy it as he brought his hand back from the swing and began rubbing the back of his head.

"Why all the hostility Sanban? If I recall correctly, you had a huge crush on me in middle school. Where's the love gone?" Hoagie smiled sweetly and Kuki frowned.

"That was four years ago, before you got your reputation changed." She replied. Now it was Hoagie's turn to frown.

"Oh. That. Tell me, do you believe everything you hear Kooks?" He asked. His face was pouting but his eyes were mischievous.

"Not everything. Just true things." She quipped. "And don't call me 'Kooks'."

Hoagie sighed. She was being really stubborn and if he was being really honest with himself he didn't think this was worth his time. Why would he even want to hit on someone who believed the worst of him? 'If Beatles hadn't practically begged I wouldn't be bothering with this…'

"Are we done?" Kuki asked suddenly. She looked very bored and ready to go. Hoagie saw through it but played along.

"Yeah, I guess so. You should call me sometime when you get the stick out of your ass." He leaned in closer. "Maybe we could have some fun?" He winked. Kuki rolled her eyes but couldn't fight the blush that began creeping back into her cheeks. She began walking away quickly.

"Bite me."

"That can be arranged!" Hoagie shouted after her.

Kuki pretended she didn't hear him as she picked up her pace, her arms tightening around her body. He had some nerve hitting on her like that considering she had a boyfriend. But as much as she tried to be angry, she couldn't help but be flattered. It was strange but she HAD crushed on him pretty hard in middle school. He had been sweet and the only guy to see her as something other than just a beauty. Of course that was before she met Wally and Abby...in any case, she assumed her current feelings of joy were only human. Anyone would be happy to know that an old crush found them attractive, even if that old crush had turned into a womanizing creep.

Regardless, the conversation brought up old feelings she'd thought were long gone.