Two days distance! A new record! :) I felt that this chapter was a bit rushed personally, but I got some feedback and decided to upload it as is. If you notice anything that you think should be re-worded or you think I went too quickly in some parts, just tell me in a chapter review- Remember, I love constructive criticism! Hopefully chapter 8 will be coming soon too, so just keep a lookout. Read, review, and enjoy! :3

The coffee shop was ridiculously busy, even for this time in the morning. Neil and I stood outside for about 10 minutes in the cold before we managed to squeeze our way inside and get warm. As soon as we got inside the door and into the actual line, I looked around, hoping that I wouldn't be unlucky enough to run into a classmate. Thankfully, I didn't see anyone I really knew, but everyone else imaginable was there: men is suits, mothers and their children, young couples, and even some of the nurses from the hospital, who looked much happier now that they were away from their usual setting.

"What sounds good to you, Kris? I think I might just go for a hot chocolate or something," said Neil casually, his neck craned upward to take the menu in fully.

I shrugged, glancing up at the menu as well, but not really reading it. I was starting to wonder about school now. What was everyone saying? How many people knew about Adam, and if they did, how many were happy that it happened to him? It was no secret anymore that Adam and I were together, and after Tommy and Danny had completely abandoned me a year ago, we'd both become the prey of half of the student population. Maybe I was being pessimistic, but I seriously doubted anyone would be welcoming us back with open arms.

Neil turned toward me expectantly and I snapped out of my trance, saying the first thing that came to mind.

"I'll have a regular latte."

Oh great, I get away from the hospital for five minutes and order something that'll remind me of him in five seconds. Way to keep yourself semi-upbeat, Kris!

Neil smirked slightly after hearing my answer and turned away from me again, shaking his head and laughing.

"I'll order for you too when we get up there. Hey, why don't you go ahead and get us a table before we're forced to drink our coffee out by the dumpster?" suggested Neil with a sarcastic tone, glancing quickly at the madness filing in behind us as we spoke.

I nodded and cracked a small smile, scanning the room for an empty table. There was one by the window, and I walked quickly over to it, plopping down in one of the seats and watching Neil move up a few inches in line.

I leaned down into the palm of my hand and let my eyes follow the different clusters of people filing past the café, but the people out there didn't really differ from the people in here: Workers, kids, mothers and fathers on errands…

And then I saw it: The one thing that made me genuinely and wholeheartedly smile for the first time in days. My gaze traveled with two men, probably in their mid-twenties, who were holding hands and laughing, just going about a normal routine like everyone else; in love like everyone else.

"Kris?" said Neil questioningly, trying to angle his head around and see what I was staring at. I looked back at him. He was balancing my latte and his hot chocolate in one hand, a doughnut and receipt in the other. I reached out and took my latte, inhaling deeply when steam started wafting up to my nose and feeling utterly bittersweet.

"Thanks Neil," I said plainly, pressing the top to my lips and letting the hot, oh-so-familiar liquid and cream trickle down into my throat. I noticed that he was staring at me when I put my cup down and I smiled, shifting awkwardly in my seat.

"What?" I asked, avoiding his eyes so I hopefully wouldn't have to explain my sudden happiness to him.

"You're just… smiling," said Neil, chuckling a little but still looking inquisitive.

I sat back a little more in my chair and took another hurried swig of my coffee. "Well, I'm just thinking I guess."

"Oh."

We both grew unusually silent and I tapped my fingers on the tabletop, suddenly bored and getting a little impatient to get back to the hospital.

"Hey Kris, can I ask you something?" said Neil, examining the whipped cream and chocolate drizzle over his cocoa.

I looked up at him, raising an eyebrow, but not saying any other words of indication.

"When I first asked you about you and Adam, you said that you tortured him, but all you did was trip him-"

I laughed out loud, shaking my head and nearly choking on the last gulp of coffee I'd taken. Neil looked at me with a sort of confused smile and tilted his head to the side a bit, prompting me to explain. I swallowed the remains of my coffee and looked up at him.

"Well, after I talked to Adam that day, I was totally thrown off by what he said… Don't give me any credit Neil. I didn't take what he said as flattery. If anything, it just made me more paranoid about him liking me. I mean, we're in highschool. How was I supposed to know that genuinely forgiving, kind people existed?" I said, smiling, as Neil looked more and more lost by the minute.

"So wait, you didn't like him at that point?" asked Neil, leaning over the table, his eyebrows furrowing.

I looked up at the ceiling, biting my lip and shrugging as I thought of the best way to describe exactly how I felt back then.

"It wasn't that I didn't like him… It was just that I didn't know what I was feeling. It started out as intimidation, then I finally realized a few months later that it was a lot more than that. It took months though: Tons of name-calling with Tommy and Daniel, a few dozen shoves in the hallway, and a few rumors," I said, remembering just how much damage I had done.

Neil looked at my incredulously, and I just sat, frozen in place and hoping that Neil wouldn't write me off for telling him all of this. "Why the hell did he keep dealing with it? I mean, no offense Kris, but I would've given up on you a long time ago!"

I smirked and rubbed my hands in circles around the on-the-go cup, thinking back on Adam's persistence and resiliency, and how much I admired it.

"Yeah, I probably would've too. I told you his reason though- He knew that everything I was doing was because of them; Not just the tripping incident, all of it," I said, suddenly feeling horrible for everything I'd done to him all over again.

Neil looked out the window for a minute, and I joined him, watching as small droplets slowly hit the ground and city-goers whipped out umbrellas. It was so serene outside, and yet my head was such a mess from all of this. How many other people out there were as messed up as I was right then? Was there anyone out there that was really as heartbroken as I was?

"When did you finally realize?" asked Neil flatly, staring off still into the distance.

I looked over at him blankly, having lost my train of thought. It dawned on me what he was talking about after a few seconds and I stopped to think about just right when it was that I knew I had feelings for Adam.

"It was at the coffee shop where he worked. I'd given up messing with him for a few weeks and he took advantage of that by asking me to come to his work with him at closing time and hang out," I said, still remembering the exact smell that day and all of the messy countertops he had to take care of, "I figured that nobody I knew would be there, so I decided to go and he made me help him clean the place up. He blasted the radio and started dancing like a dork to some Madonna song from the 80's. I have to admit even to this day, it was hilarious."

Neil smiled warmly. "Typical Adam."

I giggled a bit and sighed, swirling my latte around and taking a small sip, getting a big blob of cream instead of coffee.

"Tell me more about that… Like, what did he do that made you realize how you felt? Did he just dance like a dork, because I don't think that's supposed to turn many people on…" said Neil matter-of-factly, tilting his chair backward so the front legs came off the ground.

"Well, the dancing was charming, but no. When I showed up there-"

"Oh, hold on," said Neil, digging around in his hoodie pocket for his cell phone. He pulled it out and examined the front screen for a few seconds before flipping it open and clicking away rapidly on the keypad.

"What's up?" I asked, suddenly feeling concerned as Neil's expression became sullen.

He tucked his phone away and stood still for a moment, raising both eyebrows. I felt as my stomach dropped and I clenched my fists to keep my out-of-control emotions locked away, worried that I might blow things out of proportion once again. Did Neil's sudden change in expression and attitude have anything to do with Adam? He looked up at me quickly, his face as pale as a corpse.

"We need to get back. And fast."