A/N: Hey all! Thanks so much for all the love and support, here's the next chapter!

November 14, 1995

"what I would give to know that you were okay"

JJ walked down the main hall of East Allegheny High School to her locker. As she was exchanging notebooks and folders between her backpack and her locker, she felt a pair of arms suddenly squeeze around her stomach. JJ laughed.

"You know Riley when you do that everyday for four years, it stops being scary pretty quick."

Riley ran a hand through her hair, smiling at JJ as she did,

"What can I not give my best friend a good morning hug?" She winked at JJ. JJ put her hand on Riley's arm,

"Your hugs are always welcome."

The girls chuckled slightly, and soon enough they saw people staring at them whispering. Riley suddenly became very uncomfortable, she knew exactly why everyone was acting so strangely around them. JJ gave each of them a harsh stare,

"What? Can't you people leave her alone? You're sick, get on!"

Everyone around them shut up and walked away.

"Thanks, it's been tough ever since I…" Riley looked at JJ. Just two weeks ago, she had shot and killed her mother's abusive boyfriend, finally deciding to defend them and stop the abuse after years of being pushed around. She'd been arrested but the charges had been dropped, the judge and jury clearly knowing that it had been self defense. Their classmates, however, didn't understand this, and talked about Riley like she was some kind of freak, a homicidal bitch. JJ had taken to defending Riley, knowing that her friend didn't need any more crap going on in her life.

"It's fine, these assholes really do need to mind their own damn business and not waste their time judging you." JJ said to Riley as Riley opened her own locker. JJ's heart broke when Riley took off her jacket, revealing her tiny body. Riley was barely healthy anymore, she was constantly depressed and barely ate, a combination of the depression and her own feelings of self-worthlessness. Riley had thankfully stopped smoking cigarettes but did occasionally. take drugs such as ecstasy. JJ made sure she was safe and was helping Riley kick her bad habits as much as possible, but Riley didn't care what happened to her, she only did as JJ said because she loved JJ and didn't want to hurt her. JJ was thankful for Riley's compliancy, she couldn't lose another person she loved so dearly, especially since Riley had become more and more like her sister in the recent years.

"and the rumors, they grew bigger, while you gradually got thinner"

The girls pulled through the school day, JJ managing to get Riley to eat an apple at lunch without coaxing her too much.

They were walking to JJ's house when Riley asked JJ a question that would forever burn in JJ's mind,

"JJ?" Riley stopped, turning to her friend, "Why is it that you're so…kind to me? And patient? I mean, most people would have run for the hills years ago, but you…you stick by me. Why? Why would you want to love and care for someone who has a pretty damn screwed up life and constantly hates themselves and mopes around like there's no tomorrow?"

JJ was absolutely shocked, but she didn't have to think very hard for hr answer. There was just one thing Riley needed to hear, and it wasn't that they had promised to stick by one another forever, or that they needed one another, it was this,

"Because I love you unconditionally. I always have, and I always will. I don't have a reason, I just do."

Riley nodded, hugged JJ, then they continued on, arms linked.

The months after passed smoothly. Riley got clean, opened up more to JJ and her mother, and slowly but surely filled back into the tall, slim, healthy girl they had all once known. They kept their grades up, and applied for college. It was the day they had been waiting for, the day that everyone's top-choice school, Penn State, told the students their decisions.

JJ and Riley stood in JJ's kitchen, each of them with their Penn state letter in hand. They kept glancing between their letters and one another, anxiously waiting for Ben.

"Ben hurry up! We aren't getting any younger!" JJ called to her brother.

With that, Ben walked in, stood between them, and looked at each of them,

"You guys ready?"

"YES!" They shouted at him in unison, slightly annoyed.

"Okay, okay! Ready, one…" He started the count to three,

"Two," JJ continued,

"Three!" Riley said sharply.

The girls dug into the envelopes, tearing them apart in seconds and nearly destroying the letters themselves. Riley opened her letter, cleared her throat, and read,

"'Miss Riley Anne Neal, congratulations! You have been accepted to Pennsylvania State University for the Fall 1996 admittance term!' Oh my god guys I got in!" Riley jumped up and squealed, and JJ joined her.

"Alright girls please I'm going to go deaf here!" Ben shoved them apart, wincing at their high-pitched shrieks. JJ took a deep breath,

"'Miss Jennifer Elizabeth Jareau, we are sorry to inform you that you have not been accepted for the Pennsylvania State University Fall 1996 term…we thank you for your time, and we wish you the best of luck.'" Riley looked at her in shock,

"What? But…how? Why?" Riley took the letter as JJ's lip began to quiver and tears filled her eyes. Ben took his sister into a hug,

"Hey, it's okay. Just spend a semester or two at another place, then transfer, it'll be okay."

"Oh JJ, I'm sorry! That's so stupid, I mean how could they…" Riley shook her head in disbelief, and pulled JJ close.

"Ben is right, just spend a semester or two at another school, maybe University of Pittsburgh, and then transfer!"

JJ had gotten into the University of Pittsburgh early decision, but it wasn't exactly her type of school.

As if on cue, Sandy walked into the kitchen, tossing her keys on the counter.

"Hi guys! Oh JJ, what's wrong?" She asked as she saw the three of them standing there with heartbroken looks on their faces and her daughter in tears.

"I didn't get into Penn State…Riley did, but I didn't." JJ trudged over to her mother, leaning in for a hug.

"Oh baby, I'm sorry. But you know what? There are other schools, and I noticed you left a very important letter from your second-choice school in the mailbox.

JJ came apart from her mother, and looked up at her as she sniffled and wiped her eyes,

"Wha…what?"

Sandy handed her a letter from none other than Georgetown University. JJ stepped back, took the letter from her mother, opened it and read,

"I…I got in. I got in!" Her heart immediately lightened. Georgetown was a close second-choice to Penn State, and she was thankful for the acceptance.

"See JJ? Told you it would be okay." Ben said, patting his sister on the back.

"Congrats JJ! That's wonderful!" Riley smiled and pulled JJ into a hug.

"Congratulations sweetie, I'm very proud of you, and your dad is too." Sandy said, smiling at the two girls, both of whom she considered her daughters,

"And Riley, congrats to you too, your mother and I are very proud, as is JJ."

"Thank you Sandy." Riley said, smiling at her as she continued to hold JJ.

"Rose would be proud of all of us." Ben said with a wisdom no one had expected.

They all stopped and smiled, knowing that he was very, very correct.