ENJOY! :)

Apologies. They were one of the hardest obstacles Liam ever went through. Whether it was apologizing to his mom when he was five for breaking her favorite vase or having to apologize to his seventh grade teacher for calling her more than one inappropriate word, Liam never found the guts to utter an apology. To him, apologies—like emotions—were a sign of weakness. He figured, what was the point of saying sorry for something that was already done, or better yet, for something that was purposely done. Breaking the vase, he admitted, might have required an apology, especially since it was his mother. Cursing out a teacher, on the other hand, did not require one. Liam very well meant the words he had uttered the day Mrs. Reyes had issued him an ultimatum in her seventh grade classroom. He had been sent to the principal's office and was forced, not only by his mom, but also by the principal to apologize. That was another reason Liam felt apologies were a waste of time. Why utter them when you aren't being genuine about it? If someone forces you to say sorry about an offence you committed, does the apology really count? It's just a word, not uttered genuinely or profoundly. As a matter of fact, Liam had heard the word 'sorry' too frequently in his lifetime and he knew that the words were never meant as an actual apology, but more of a way to warn him that the disappointment would soon settle in.

These thoughts echoed through his head as Liam dialed Ivy's number. After the events that had occurred the night before, he figured the only way to get out of this situation was to apologize. As difficult as it may be, in order to save his friendships Liam would have to utter the word that was so frequently spoken to him whenever something would go wrong in his life—which, unfortunately, was often enough.

Dialing Ivy's number in the emptiness of his home made him feel nervous. He stared around the kitchen as the phone rang and ran his hand anxiously through his dark, messy hair. His cobalt blue eyes wandered around a house that sometimes felt so foreign to him. He looked closely at the granite on the kitchen counter to the stainless steel, double door refrigerator, and then to the living room situated in front of the kitchen. Everywhere he would turn, Liam would see traces of Jeffrey. The anger that he always felt when a thought about his stepdad would pop into his head formed at the pit of his stomach. It took much will power for him to take a deep breath and ignore the animosity that he felt toward his new dad. He knew that as long as Liam kept living under Jeffrey's roof, he would always be a stranger in the house; the odd one in.

The phone went straight to voice mail and Liam uttered a silent curse for having to go through all this nonsense. He dialed again and paced back and forth from kitchen counter to couch as the phone rang a numerous amount of times. On the last ring, as Liam was about to give up, Ivy finally answered.

"What?" she said menacingly.

Liam cringed as he heard the venom in her voice, "I-I just wanted to apologize." He stuttered getting straight to the point.

"For what, Liam? You didn't do anything wrong?" he practically felt the sarcasm dripping from her voice.

"I'm sorry I was rude to you last night."

Ivy scoffed, "Is that it?"

Liam rolled his eyes and took a deep breath, "I know I was harsh, but you caught me by surprise. How was I supposed to react to the fact that you want to go on a date with me?"

"Well, I don't know, but I expected a nicer reaction. You were just cruel." Ivy mentioned harshly, making Liam feel guilty.

"Okay, but you and I are really good friends. You're like one of the guys. I've never seen you as the type of girl who would date me." Liam attempted to justify his answer, but little did he know that on the other end of the phone conversation Ivy was growing impatient. She didn't want to hear how she was 'one of the guys'. The pang of sadness that enveloped her as he said it made her want to yell at Liam.

"Of course, 'cuz I don't wear expensive perfume or walk around in tiny skirts and shirts that look like they would be the perfect fit for a five year old. Just because I don't use Coach purses or any other of the things I mentioned doesn't mean that I'm not a girl."

Liam sighed as he tried to rationalize with the girl whom he thought of more as a sister than anything else, "Look, Ivy, I know that you're a girl but you're a part of our group. We're all guys and we all see you as a sister. Plus, you know more than anyone what kind of guy I am. I don't do real dates. How could you be willing to do that with me?"

"Because, Liam," Ivy took a deep breath and with a shaky voice continued, "I actually think that if you ever find the right girl she could change your ways."

Liam didn't know what to say. Ivy had mentioned this the night before but he had been too shocked to actually pay attention to the statement. Unlike Ivy, Liam didn't believe that anyone would ever be able to change him. He was who he was and better yet, he chose to be that person. No one, not even his friends, had ever seen the real him and he wasn't planning on showing that to anyone. Ever.

"Ivy, I am who I am. No one can change me."

"Maybe someone can. You never know."

He realized he wasn't going to be able to convince Ivy anytime soon and so he decided he'd let it be until the time came, "Okay, Ivy, I'll go on that date with you if you win, but know that the hundred dollars are refundable and I could use them to get you a diamond necklace or something."

He swore he saw the smile on Ivy's face as she replied, "Okay, you've got yourself a deal. And just know that a) I don't wear diamonds and b) I'm going to win this bet big time."

Liam couldn't help but laugh at how happy she got, "Well okay, whatever you say."

"Uhh, yeahh! oh—hey Liam I gotta go, Dixon's calling me."

"Umm, yeah okay. Bye." He replied and then hung up. One down, the scariest one to go. Now for apology number two.

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Liam actually decided to visit Annie rather than call her. This friendship—being fairly new and all—deserved more than an apology via phone call. He parked his car in front of Annie's house and stared at its white façade for a couple minutes before exiting the car and walking slowly toward the double doors. As he was walking he looked overhead at the large oak tree that seemed to be still growing in front of the Wilson's home. He made it to the double doors and hesitated for a second before finally knocking on the mahogany. He was afraid that no one would answer, or better yet, that Mr. Wilson or Mrs. Wilson would answer and Annie would refuse to see him giving her parents more of a reason to hate him. But the one that scared him the most, the fear that made him practically tremble was the one that actually came true.

Annie answered the door and when she saw who it was she closed it halfway, just enough for her to fit through the gap. It was time to face his fears. Liam took a deep breath and smiled an actual smile.

"Wow, no smirk this time?" Annie said feigning surprise, but clearly not feigning the anger that dripped from her tone. Her eyes were glazed over with hostility, her lips were a rigid straight line—no smile, no frown, and her stance was also rigid, as if she were on alert, prepared for anything.

Liam's smile faltered. Taking in her appearance and her remark was making him realize that he needed way more than an 'I'm sorry' to be forgiven.

But he tried it anyway, "I'm really sorry about the phone call last night."

Annie scoffed and rolled her eyes. She still hadn't opened the door; instead she seemed to be closing it more. "You know, in my book, 'sorry' is just another word. Nowadays nobody means what they say, especially if it's that word."

It surprised Liam how she had practically summarized the reasons he hated the word 'sorry' in a couple of sentences. It surprised him even more to know that she felt the same way about that word. But then again, he realized, she never ceased to surprise him.

"Trust me, I know that 'sorry' is a crappy word, but this time I am being genuine. I truly am sorry for what I said to you and how I reacted."

Annie crossed her arms over her chest, "Why the hell should I believe you, Liam? You haven't been genuine since the moment I met you! Then we finally agree to be friends and you pull this move. If you didn't really want to be my friend you could have just said so. We're not in kindergarten; you won't hurt my feelings or anything."

Liam didn't know what to do to convince Annie that he was being genuine. Desperation was starting to seep through as he realized that maybe she really wasn't going to forgive him. Maybe he would have to date Ivy. Maybe he would lose the bet.

"Listen, Liam, I'll work on the project with you and then we'll leave each other alone. We don't have to be anything but project partners." She explained to him and then went to close the door, but Liam was quick and was able to stop the door before it fully closed.

"Would it help if I said my dad is a douche bag?" Liam started. He didn't know why. He didn't know whether it was the bet or the feeling that he got at the thought of not being her friend or maybe the fact that she was intriguing and definitely different than any other girl. But he knew as he stood there trying to maintain the door open that he didn't want to leave without getting back on her good side. He knew the only way to get Annie to forgive him was to tell the truth. He didn't know why, but he felt okay about it. For once in his life, Liam was fine with telling the truth about his family and, maybe, himself.

"What?" Annie asked surprised at his comment. She was attempting to close the door, but he was obviously stronger than her and so she gave up. She sighed and decided to listen to Liam's excuse for having treated her like crap, considering she didn't have any plans for the night and all.

"I'll tell you why I was pissed last night." Liam explained hoping that she'd hear him out.

Annie sighed; "Fine" she said and stepped out of the doorway and into the porch. She closed the door behind her and took a seat on the first step going down. Liam smiled with relief and sat next to her.

"Continue, and by the way if you expect to be fully forgiven you need to give me a full legit explanation." Annie explained and smiled up at Liam who smirked down at her.

He took a deep breath and braced himself for what he was about to say. He had never uttered these words aloud. His family history was a secret only he and his mom ever really knew.

"My dad meant a lot to me when I was a kid. We used to go sailing and he always took me everywhere. We were a real family for a while, but then my dad and my mom split when I was seven. That same year my dad went to prison. I didn't understand why all those bad things had happened to me in a matter of a year, but my mom promised that nothing bad would ever happen to me again, that the divorce was actually a good thing considering my dad was a bad person. She was wrong, though, something worse happened. A few years later my mom met Jeffrey. They dated and then married and now I'm stuck with the stupid bastard as my stepdad. He hates me and you might say that I'm exaggerating or it's just my imagination but it's not. He thinks that because my dad is in prison that's exactly where I'm headed. You know, like father like son type of thing. And because of all the stunts that I've pulled over the years I haven't exactly proved him wrong. He sent me off to boot camp just this past summer because I had 'temper' issues. He threatened me that next time it would be longer than three months. To be honest, I don't even really care that he hates me. What makes me truly hate him is the fact that he treats my mom like crap. He cheats on her and she knows it. I've caught him twice and she just tells me to let it go. She allows for it to happen and doesn't even stand up for herself. It gets me so mad and he just acts like its normal to be cheating on your wife."

"Well can't you reason with her? You're her son, she must listen to you."

"Not when it comes Jeffrey. I don't know what it is about him, but she just can't seem to see the bad in him. I've tried so many times to make her listen to me but she just ignores me. She says it's nothing."

"I know that I don't like to say this phrase, but I'm truly sorry about that." Annie told him and he smiled knowing that she actually meant what she was saying.

"Wait, but what happened last night that got you all worked up?" she asked curiously.

"Oh," Liam started, "I really don't know what happened, but my mom and Jeffrey were arguing about something and he made her cry. The worst part was that he just took off without an explanation or a second glance. I really didn't care that he was gone, but it was obvious that it hurt my mom."

"Right. That is horrible, it really sucks." Annie said and she looked into Liam's eyes. She didn't know if he knew it or not, but she could plainly see the sadness and hurt reflected in his blue orbs. She felt a little guilty now for getting angry with him. She shouldn't have judged too quickly.

"Yeah, well am I forgiven?" Liam asked not wanting to hear another 'sorry'. He knew that she actually meant it, but he still didn't like hearing it.

"Hmm, should I really forgive you?" Annie played and Liam shoved her shoulder.

"I definitely think you should." He replied and she smiled.

"Fine, you are forgiven"

"Yess!" Liam exclaimed and threw his fist up in the air for celebration. Annie kept laughing, but then grew serious as she thought of her own father. Maybe it was time she told someone about her family history.

Liam looked over at Annie and saw her somber expression. "What's wrong?" he asked curiously.

She looked up into his eyes and he saw the pain in them. He felt the need to grab her and shield her from whatever was hurting her, but he kept his arms down and just encouraged her silently to tell him what was going on.

Annie took a deep breath, "Three years ago, my dad was taking me to school. We were running really late and so he was speeding a bit. He passed a few stop signs and then decided to speed through a red light. As we were driving, another car came and hit the driver's side of the car. I ended up in the hospital for a week and well my dad had died on impact. My mom didn't take it well and I knew that she somewhat blamed me. I was angry that I had survived and he hadn't. My household was pretty screwed up after that. My mom became diagnosed with depression and she refused to take her medication. It was up to me to take care of her. After a couple months she began drinking and figured it was the best medication they could ever give and so every day she would just drink. I had to take care of myself for a really long time because I knew that my mom didn't care anymore about anything—not even me. One day we got into this huge argument and I locked myself in my room. She was cooking and drinking and I'm not really sure how it happened but either way, the house caught on fire. I was stuck in my room until the fire rescue came and by that time I was really light headed and pretty sure I was going to die. I spent about another week in the hospital and that was all it took for my mom to realize just how badly she had screwed up. While I was at the hospital, my mom cleaned out all her drawers and threw away all her bottles. By the time I got home, the house seemed brand new. And it actually was considering we had to buy new furniture and stuff, but that's beside the point. My mom seemed brand new too. She actually managed to clean up her act and we became really close. Then she met Harry. They dated and I wanted to hate him for taking my dad's place, but he was extremely sweet with me and I couldn't help but like him. He wanted my approval before he proposed to my mom and I gave it to him. They married and then we moved here… where I met this really annoying guy who wanted to date me before he even knew me. Can you believe that?"

Liam laughed, "Annoying? Don't you mean extremely charming and super good looking?"

"Nahh, I'm pretty sure I meant what I said. He's super annoying." Annie responded with a playful roll of her eyes and a smile.

"I think you're wrong." Liam stated simply.

"Maybe I was." Annie said a little more seriously. "I'm sorry I got so mad, I shouldn't have judged you so quickly either."

"It's okay." Liam smiled, "It's natural. You are forgiven. Oh, and I'm sorry about your dad. And your mom. I know what it's like to have one disappear and one not care."

Once again, Annie could see the hurt in Liam's eyes and she realized that she had just seen a completely different side of him; he wasn't cocky or flirty, he was real and genuine. She figured she liked this side of him better, but he wouldn't be Liam without the cockiness.

Liam was tremendously astounded at what Annie had revealed to him. Their stories, while complete opposites, were still very similar and he knew that not only could he relate to her, but she could relate to him as well.

"I believe that you're sorry about my dad. Truthfully sorry. We were really close and it hurt. If I think about it too much I start to tear up again." Annie smiled sadly and Liam actually wrapped his arms around her. "It's weird how I can actually relate to your story," she mumbled into his chest.

Liam laughed and let go of her. He gave her a strange look but nodded, "It is kind of weird, but I'm glad someone actually does relate to it."

"True." Annie said and smiled happily. She knew that she would have never spilled her guts out, especially to a guy she barely knew, but for some reason Liam was different. She trusted him with her secrets and she knew that he wouldn't tell anyone about it.

"Is that why you don't like it when people say 'sorry'?" Liam asked curious for the reason.

"Why?" she asked, wanting to know if maybe he had the answer for her.

"Well because everyone always mentioned how sorry they were about your dad dying."

Annie nodded, her auburn hair started swaying in the wind that was all of a sudden picking up, "Yeah, the more people apologized for it the more the word seemed so fake. As if there was nothing better to say than 'I'm sorry'."

"I get you." Liam said, "That's why I hate the phrase too."

"Why?" Annie asked curiously.

"Well, when my parents first told me about the divorce they kept apologizing and saying how bad they felt and how sorry they were, but I knew even as a seven year old that they weren't sorry at all. They looked so happy to be getting rid of each other and it sounded so fake when they'd apologize that I just got tired of the phrase."

Annie shivered as the wind started to get stronger. She was wearing a tank top and shorts. Goosebumps were starting to appear all over her body as the temperature grew colder.

Liam saw Annie shiver, "Maybe you should go inside. It's getting cold and you're parents should be wondering why the hell you've been outside for so long."

"My parents aren't home right now." Annie said and then hesitated before she said her next phrase, "Do you want to come in and you know hang out or whatever?"

The invitation took Liam by surprise and although they had both spilled their guts out to each other, the selfish part of him couldn't help but remember the bet. This would have been the perfect opportunity, but he wouldn't ruin it today, though. He had had a good day and didn't even mind that she knew his secrets.

"Alright, I'll go in with you, but as long as you promise that you won't share what I just told you with anyone." He stated just wanting to make sure that she knew that what he had told her was a secret.

Annie nodded and made and X over her heart, "Right back at ya" she replied. Liam nodded and pinky swore with her. They both laughed at the childishness of it all and then stood up to enter the house.

"You wanna play the Wii?" Annie asked looking back at Liam.

"Yeah sure, but as long as you're okay with getting your ass kicked." He commented and Annie scoffed playfully.

"Oh, please. I bet you I'll be the one to be kicking your ass!"

"Cool story, but no."

"Fine, be that way. Some friend you are."

Liam smiled at her phrase, "This is the beginning of a good friendship, isn't it?"

Annie nodded and stared directly up into Liam's eyes, "Yeah, I think it really is." Their eyes locked and lingered there for a moment before Annie looked away.

Liam felt his heart go out of control as they stared at each other. Then Annie looked away and he couldn't help but laugh as they made their way toward the living room. He looked at Annie and figured that winning the bet right now was the least of his priorities. He just really wanted to have fun with his new friend. He never would have imagined that he'd be calling Annie his friend. He couldn't help but laugh again as he thought about the first time he saw her to how they ended up here and now in this moment.

Annie looked at Liam. She never would have imagined that he'd be sitting on her couch just laughing as if everything was good in the world. She thought back to the first time they met and then to their encounter at the grocery store and she smiled. She never would have imagined that he'd be the one person she'd trust with her life story. She never would have imagined that she'd be calling him a friend.