A/N: Note at the bottom. Enjoy!

Chapter Eleven: Cold as Ice

The days following were all a blur, and before she realized it, the first of May had come.

Blake sat in her usual seat next to Ruby, her pencil scratching random numbers here and there as she ran the calculations in her head. Besides Oobleck's anatomy exam, her calculus final would be the hardest hurdle to jump over as the year was coming to an end. Half the class had complained up until the test and answer sheets had been laid on their desks, and Blake couldn't blame them. She had tried to spend her spare hours studying for this very day, knowing that her grade rode heavily on the thirty questions she had to answer. It wasn't easy. She checked her answers once more before bringing her test to the front, where Mrs. Goodwitch sat, correcting some already finished tests. The teacher gave her a small grin before returning to her key.

The class had been given sixty minutes exactly to complete the exam. Surprisingly, Blake found that she didn't need the full amount, sitting back down in her seat with seven more minutes. She looked over to Ruby. Her head was dipped down until it nearly touched her desk, her brunette locks falling in front of her face. She had studied hard, too, and Blake didn't worry about how she would do. She knew she'd do well. Ruby might have goofed off in class, but that girl was a serious genius.

Blake turned her head to the side, looking towards the window. Outside, the sun hid shyly behind patches of clouds. It seemed that it would rain soon as dark gray started to paint the sky all over. Was it really spring, really May, already? She rested her chin on her hand and gave a long sigh. Soon, she'd be leaving, and it almost seemed to her like she hadn't spent nearly nine months here in this school, in this town. Blake wondered if, somewhere half across the world, it was also overcast and gloomy.

She had come to her decision late last night and placed her check in the mail before she left for school. In a few hours, the mail clerk would pick it up, and the small envelope would be sent away, sealing her fate for the next four years. It was a scary thought. She could choose where she wanted to learn and live for the new phase in her life. A part of her almost wish that it had been selected for her by some unseen force. But, of course, that wasn't how her life worked. That wasn't how any life worked in general.

She broke her own heart making her decision. Over and over.

As she laid in her bed last night, Blake came to the realization that for the past few months, she had been so foolish. Ridiculous. Stupid. Anything to describe how pathetic she felt, how horrible she had been. How hard was it to just speak the truth, to tell Yang her feelings, or her decision? More than that, why couldn't they just talk about it? Why couldn't they be grown-ups, civil people, and discuss their future, if it existed? Kisses never solved problems—if anything, they just complicated things even more. She had enjoyed it, certainly, but it hadn't cleared the air whatsoever. They needed to talk.

After class had ended, Ruby walked over to her and announced, "Man, that test was pretty hard!"

"It wasn't meant to be easy," Blake replied, standing and packing away her things. "How do you think you did?"

"Hmm…" Ruby hummed. "I think I did alright."

"Me too."

The two walked out of the room, feeling a burst of cold air as an unpleasant breeze blew by. "Aww man, what is this?" Ruby whined as she looked up towards the sky. Droplets of water started their descent.

Blake mimicked her action. "It's spring."

"I hate when it rains," the smaller girl complained as they headed towards the English classrooms. "It always ruins things."

"You must not like snow, then," Blake chuckled under her breath.

"I've only seen it a few times," Ruby replied. "But you like snow, don't you? Doesn't it snow a lot in Boston?"

At the mention of her previous home city, Blake thought about her parents, Charles, and their old house. The best days she had with her family were in the winter, when it was so cold that the only thing to do at home was sit by the fireplace and enjoy one another's company. She missed that.

"Yes. It does."

Blake had walked Ruby to her second class of the day a hundred times, but today felt strange. It felt heavy, in a way, like there was a burden on her shoulder or something similar. They continued on their normal route, through the central plaza, past the lockers, a right turn here, then a left. Then Blake stopped. Ruby did too, when she noticed she had walked a good fifteen feet without her companion. Brows furrowed, the sophomore asked, "What's up?"

"I made my decision, about college," Blake answered. "I need to tell Yang."

"Oh." She sounded neither happy nor upset. Ruby already knew. "When do you plan to?"

"Today." It has to be today. "I'm tired of acting stupidly, Ruby. I need to apologize and just tell her the truth. I can't keep hiding secrets."

Ruby's lips stretched into a thin line. "I'm glad you're going to be honest."

Me too.

The rain was really pissing her off.

Yang brought her hood over her face as she made her last lap on the track, the liquid bullets raining hell. Of all days, it just had to rain today, when she wanted to run around in literal circles for all of lunch. Now, instead of actually managing to blow off some steam, she just got angrier. She didn't mind rain whenever she was inside, but the sheets that blanketed her from above proved to be too much. She came to a slow and let out an exasperated groan, walking back towards her locker. Hopefully she had a spare outfit. Otherwise, she'd be spending the next half of her classes in soaked, dripping clothes.

For the past week, instead of eating lunch in the cafeteria, Yang had gone over to the track to run a few laps. Running always cleared her head, and she needed to be away from school and her exams and prom and… And her. She loved Blake, obviously, madly and deeply. The only problem was that she hadn't said so. She hadn't confessed, yet. And it was driving her crazy.

There was the thought that maybe, just maybe, it wouldn't happen. Blake might've loved Yang—since she had said so herself—but there was the possibility that life would throw something at them and end their relationship. She wouldn't be staying in California, and if they wanted to keep their friendship alive, it would take a lot of work. Yang didn't want to think about that too much.

Sometimes her memory would rewind to the night she snuck out to see Blake. She hadn't said it. Yang rehearsed three simple, easy words in her brain several times, mouthing it to herself like a mantra, but of course, she said three other words, You have me. That wasn't I love you. It wasn't untrue, but God, if she just grew up, and just spoke her mind for once, and, and… If she could just act her age, act seventeen, and be honest—God!

Needless to say, Yang Xiao Long was very, very frustrated.

As she rummaged through her locker and its contents, she heard heavy footsteps falling just a few yards away. She turned her head and noticed flowing, red hair and bright, green eyes, belonging only to one person. Yang greeted her with a smile and felt herself relax. Pyrrha always had a way of bringing a sense of comfort and warmth wherever she went. The girl leaned against the other lockers, crossing her arms and her ankles.

"Yikes," she laugh, inspecting Yang's wet form. "It appears you've gone swimming today, Yang."

"Clearly," Yang sighed, trying not to sound so curt. She was incredibly grateful her clothes weren't see-through. "What's up, Pyrrha?"

"Oh, nothing." She grinned. "I just wanted to say hello again. Oh! You are going to Prom, yes?"

Oh, right. That. "Of course I'm going! I'm nominated. Dunno why." Her hands felt something soft, a shirt, or maybe a pair of shorts? She reached and discovered it was just a sock.

Pyrrha chuckled. "Well, the whole school can give you a long list of why you're nominated for court."

"Yeah, well." Yang smiled. "You're on court again, too. If I lose, I hope it's because you're Prom queen! You're nominated too!'

"Yes. It seems so." Pyrrha let out a deep breath, her shoulders falling.

Yang arched an eyebrow. She only did that when she was upset. So there is something. "Is something wrong? Did Jaune do something dumb?"

"No." She shook her head. "No, I'm alright. We're alright."

Yang continued her search through her duffel bag, finding a clean shirt. Now I just need some shorts… "Are you sure?" she asked, not entirely convinced.

"I'm sure. Yang." She brought her hands together, all jovial sense to her voice gone. "There is something I have to tell you."

Yang slung the duffel bag over her shoulder and looked over at her. "Yeah? What is it?"

Pyrrha bit the inside of her cheek, her look apologetic. "I'm sorry. Yang, he's back in town."

"Who is?"

Pyrrha's green eyes narrowed. "Yang, you know."

She ran the question through her brain a few times. "Who?"

All Pyrrha had to do was dip her head down just a bit, just a centimeter. And then she knew.

Oh.

"How do you know?" Yang inquired, slowly closing her locker.

Pyrrha brought her head up, her eyes sympathetic. "I overheard Cardin talking about it this morning. I wasn't sure if you noticed or not, because you were listening to music." Pyrrha frowned. "He's supposed to be coming to our Prom. He's back for the weekend, it seems, so at least… You won't have to worry about him for too long."

Yang's brain felt like mush. Fried. Not functioning. Her heart sank in her chest.

Nope.

Nope nope nope.

Of all the things that could happen in her life, this certainly was not what she wanted. She gave her friend one more look before turning away from her. She could deal with this later, when other things weren't already pressuring her. "Pyrrha, let's go. I need to change out of my clothes."

Pyrrha reached out. "Yang…"

"Come on, Pyrrha."

Nope.

Blake looked for her after school ended. It was time.

Truth be told, she wasn't sure why she didn't do this months ago. Maybe this wasn't a good day to do it. Yang hadn't spoken to her in Port's English class, too busy writing notes down in her notebook to notice that Blake had been trying to get her attention for a little while. Maybe she'd wait. But she had been waiting too long, and it was getting to be too much, this need for clarification. Looking up, she envied the carefree, gray clouds. The rain stopped for about an hour after lunch, but she knew it would rain again soon.

She waited a few minutes for the school to clear out, although there would be other students who would linger for a while longer. When the majority of people had gone home, the raven-haired girl found her friend and pulled her into the courtyard, which, surprisingly, was empty at the time. She hadn't complained or objected. Yang stood before her, arms at her sides, lips pursed. Blake took in a deep breath, preparing her next set of words carefully. Yang was not, by any means, delicate or fragile, but she had been hurt before. She hoped this would not damage her as much as she anticipated it would.

"Yang, I wanted to be honest with you and clear the air," she began. The other girl remained silent and nodded, so she continued, saying, "I have made my decision." Blake locked gazes and summoned all the courage she had in her. "I committed to a college in France. That's where I'll be studying."

There was a long, long pause, as if time froze.

Yang broke eye contact, looking instead at her feet as she crossed her arms. Suddenly the ground was much more appealing. "Yeah?"

Blake nodded. "I decided that I really want to continue my parents' work and see through what my mother would have wanted me to experience in another country. It'll be hard, but I believe it will be very rewarding."

A bit of silence followed before the other girl spoke. "That's a good idea," Yang replied, swallowing thickly. "I'm sure you'll be happy," she added, trying to smile and failing miserably.

It started to rain. Blake frowned, her chest quickly becoming too tight. "What are you thinking?"

"Really, Blake, I'm happy for you," she answered, although her tone seemed too dismal for her words to be true. "I know you're going to do well. What is it you'll be studying again? Business?"

"Yes." She took a step towards the blonde, trying to close the distance between them. "I'll make sure to text you, call you, mail you some things. At least, that way, we can keep in contact with each other."

"But there's nothing to really keep us together, huh, Blakey?" Yang finally lifted her eyes up, looking so despondent, Blake instantly regretted speaking. She gave out a small ha, but there was no joy, no happiness, no mirth to it. It was hollow. "What about us? Did you think of that?"

"Yang…" Blake shook her head. She wished that she hadn't asked. "I did."

"Really?" Yang ran her hands through her thick hair, tugging a bit. "What are you going to do about us?"

Blake wanted to stay quiet, but she had done that enough. No. Now it was time to be completely honest and to admit what she had been thinking for the previous week. She shut her eyes. Her voice trembled as she answered, "I'm going to let you go."

The blonde could hardly believe what she had heard. Her jaw hung open. "What?"

Heat pooled behind Blake's eyelids, and she knew that if she opened her eyes, she'd start crying. "You're a kind person, Yang. And I know that you'll be able to get anyone that you want."

Yang shook her head, trying to make sense of what the golden-eyed girl was saying. In an instant, she closed the gap and grabbed Blake by her shoulders, trying to be careful so as not to hurt her. "Blake, what are you—"

"I'm doing this not just so I can pursue my dreams, but so that you don't feel obligated to hold onto me. Europe is far away, and long-distance relationships can be very hard to manage. I don't want you to feel like you need to do that just to make me happy." Blake steadied herself and opened her eyes again, meeting lavender as soon as her vision came full focus. "At least that way you can be happy, too. It would be too hard. There's someone better, I know it. Even though I love you, I think it would be best if—"

"Blake."

Yang shut her up with a kiss before she could say anything more.

It would have been nice if kisses solved problems, but they never did.

Silence followed as she pulled away slowly. The rain picked up as the skies opened up more and more.

"I'm…" Blake was dumbfounded. "Yang, what are you…"

Yang's impulsivity got the best of her again, but she didn't really care. "Damn it, Blake, you… You…" She cursed at herself inwardly, trying so hard to say the right thing. Vocalizing her thoughts properly never seemed to be her strong suit. Lavender met gold as she confessed, "I love you. Don't you see that?"

Blake stared back at her, her lips parted, as if to say something. But she said nothing in response.

"I get it," Yang sniffled, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "I know that high school friends part and that it's hard to stay together and all that, but… I mean, Blake, look at me, being an idiot and all…" Her hands balled into fists. "I'm sorry that I haven't really been able to tell you and that I've been kinda… hiding it these couple of months. I do love you."

Blake turned away, not being able to bear the gravity of Yang's words. She wanted to shrink. Still, she remained silent.

Yang collected herself again before going on. "That time at Christmas, and Valentine's Day, and the beach. All those study sessions, and the movies we watched, Monopoly, dinner and shopping together… Don't they mean anything to you?" She turned her around so that they faced each other. "Don't we mean anything to you?"

"Yes, Yang, of course!" Blake replied, crying now. She didn't cry, ever. But she didn't care. Any shred of pride in her had vanished.

"Then why?" Yang sounded strained and hushed. "Why aren't you wanting to try? Blake, I can't be just friends with you!"

For a minute, Blake considered changing her mind. But there was no time to undo her actions.

She removed Yang's hands from her shoulders, shaking her head. "I can't, Yang. I can't do it."

This wasn't how it was supposed to happen.

"You can't, or you won't?" Yang stepped backwards, tense. A familiar heat rushed through her, coursing through her veins as if it was blood. "Is it too hard, Blake? Is it too much to ask for? Are you just going to stop being my friend after we graduate because that's too hard for you?"

Blake stood her ground. "What are you saying? Yang, I'm trying to do what I can, but I just don't know if—" She stopped talking, suddenly.

Yang's lips trembled before she bit down on them, hard, to feel something, anything. Hot tears spilled from her eyes in small rivulets down her cheeks. "Bullshit, Blake. Bullshit. You're not being serious." Her voice was thick with ire, her eyes a blended shade between deep violet and burning crimson.

"I'm s-sorry… I'm really sorry." Blake stumbled over her words and backed away.

"You're not being serious," Yang repeated again, making it sound more like a fact than her speculation. "You have got to be kidding me."

No response.

"You're fucking kidding me." Her chest rose in sporadic, uneven motions as she took in a few gasps of air.

Blake moved backwards, afraid and wanting to hide. She'd hurt her, and now she was angry. "Please, please, Yang…"

The blonde stared at her, hard. "Are you throwing what we have away?"

She didn't know how to answer. Blake closed her eyes, tears falling down her cheeks and onto her shoes. They were indistinguishable from the rain.

Yang's eyes, which had burned like fire once again, subsided and returned to their purple hue. Only now, they looked forlorn and desperate for an answer. When Blake didn't reply, Yang whispered, "Fine."

"Yang…"

But she didn't turn around to face her. She didn't stop walking away. Blake watched her back as she turned around the corner. By now, the sheets of rain had returned, full force, covering everything. She stood alone. The water felt heavy and cold, much like herself, like her heart.

"Everything is going to plan!"

Weiss lifted her eyes off of her notes, setting her pen down after she checked the time. She had been studying for three hours, and she hadn't once let herself relax. She looked over to Ruby, who laid on her bed, phone in hand. "Is that so?"

The rain continued throughout much of the week, although it had lightened up today. Still, it hadn't ceased raining as the evening carried on. The two girls had eaten their dinners before resuming their studies. Because Ruby had already finished most of her hard exams, she took time to lounge while Weiss braced herself for another intense amount of studying. The brunette remained patient and silent, knowing that her host could only take so much noise before she'd scold her. Weiss appreciated it. Even if she could be a bit much at times, Ruby made good company, especially on Friday nights like these.

"Yup!" Ruby grinned, her reaction delayed. "Yang's been at Blake's for a while now."

Weiss pursed her lips. "Strange. Blake told me she'd be out today."

"Really? Well, I don't think she'd turn Yang away." Ruby tapped away at her device.

Because it was the day before Prom, most of the students at Beacon hadn't gone to school, much to Weiss' joy. It meant classes would be quieter and easier to focus in with her talkative peers gone. Yang hadn't showed up today, not surprisingly. But neither did Blake. Somehow, she felt as though something was wrong. She hadn't spoken to either of them since the beginning of the week, as they somehow found a way to allude her.

Strange.

"Can you believe Prom is tomorrow night?" Ruby sighed, rolling onto her back.

"You do have a dress, don't you?" Weiss returned to her homework, ignoring her question. "If you do, I haven't seen it."

"Yeah…" Ruby leapt off her bed. "Penny's letting me borrow a dress. She's so nice." The girl chuckled to herself. "Say, Weiss," she started, walking over to where the girl sat at her desk. "Why are you taking me? Like, there are tons of other guys that would love to go with you."

Weiss deadpanned. "Like who?"

"Uh, Neptune?" Ruby gave her a toothy smile. "I thought you really liked him."

"Ruby, don't talk to me about him." She had. Certainly. Perhaps she still did. "But I'm trying to focus on school." And sticking to the plan… "Besides, I chose to go with you so you could keep an eye out on Yang. I thought she would enjoy her last high school dance much more if her little sister came along."

"Yeah? That's pretty nice of you. Did you want to go with a boy?"

Weiss tried not to lie. "Yes, but it's better if you're with me instead."

"Huh." Ruby looked over her shoulder, deciding to change the topic. "You take really nice notes. How do you not smear the pen?" Ruby wondered. She, too, was left-handed, but she couldn't do anything to have handwriting like Weiss'.

"I suppose I'm just careful," she replied. It took a whopping five minutes of staring at her bullet points before she leaned back in her chair, finished with her study session for the day. "Ruby, are you sure Yang's with Blake? What has she been doing all day today, do you know?"

"I have no idea…" She tapped her finger on her lips. "She probably slept all day. Why?"

"I haven't talked to her. Has she asked Blake to the dance?"

"Y'know, now that you say that…" Ruby appeared deep in thought for a moment. "I don't know. I thought you were supposed to get her to do that."

"She told me she'd figure out some way to do so," Weiss murmured, closing her notebook and placing it inside her desk. "I should've bothered her about it." Again, she looked at the clock on her desk. "Are you going to go home?"

"Huh?" Silver met sapphire.

"Ruby, it's almost ten thirty. Are you going to go home, or do I need to provide you with sleeping arrangements here?"

A blush fell on the younger girl's face. "I gotta go home, of course… Are you trying to get rid of me?"

Weiss huffed. "Well, no. I'm only asking, since it's starting to get late." She was about to add onto her comment until a noise interrupted her. She turned her head to look at her phone, buzzing rather violently on the table. With one swipe, she answered the call she was receiving. "Hello?"

The voice on the other line was not anyone she expected to call her at this time. His voice wavered. "Hey, snow angel?"

She almost dropped her phone. "N-Neptune?" Weiss sat up straight in her chair, meeting Ruby's curious eyes. She cleared her throat and calmed her nerves. Good Heavens, get it together! "What is it?"

"Hey," he repeated, sounding a bit more relaxed as well. "I wanted to call you."

"Oh, I see…" Weiss wasn't sure how to respond. Ruby grinned at her, leaning in closer to listen in on the conversation. "Is something the matter?"

"Yeah, actually," he replied. "Sun and I passed by a party and we thought we saw Yang."

"Yang?" Her brows furrowed together. As far as she knew, she was supposed to be with Blake! "Where are you guys?"

"Well, we were just leaving Skylar's, but we passed by Cardin's. He's throwing a huge party right now. There are a lot of cars parked out front and I'm pretty sure Yang's bike is there too. Sun thought he saw her get off and go inside like twenty or thirty minutes ago."

Weiss looked at Ruby, whose complexion reflected something between worry and confusion. "You're sure? Why would she be at Cardin's house?"

"Didn't you hear?" Neptune paused. "Her ex is back for the weekend."

"What?" Weiss hissed into the phone, tone suddenly turning venomous. "Why didn't you say so earlier?!"

"I only just found out today!" Neptune defended himself. "Listen, Weiss, I—"

She ended the phone call.

"What's going on?" Ruby questioned, watching the heiress pull on a jacket and her shoes.

"We have to go, Ruby." The heiress grabbed her keys and her purse off the desk and made her way towards the door. "Yang's at a party"

"What?" Ruby hurried after her. "A party? I thought she was… with Blake…"

I thought so too, but we'll have to see how this plays out. Weiss could not piece together the logic behind Yang and her actions to go to Cardin's party. Sparing herself from thinking about it too much, she stormed through the halls, Ruby following close behind her. In just under a minute, she found herself behind the steering wheel of her Bentley. The white lights illuminated the driveway before her and she raced off into the night, the rain falling harder and harder as each second died away.

Ruby had stayed silent the whole time, trying to contact her older sister. When her calls went unanswered, she finally spoke. "Weiss, you don't think Yang's…"

"I don't know. Try calling Blake."

Weiss took a sharp turn, flying past Beacon Academy. If her father had been in the car with her, he would've had a heart attack as she sped fifteen over the speed limit.

Ruby tapped at Blake's contact, but the phone rang five times before Blake's voicemail greeted her. She tried again, and again, but three calls had gone unanswered. The brunette shook her head. "She's not answering her phone."

"Where is she?" Weiss wondered aloud.

Cardin Winchester always threw the parties one might see in those typical high school movies. Beacon, although being a highly ranked school, had its own sore spot of students, and he belonged to that group. Hardly anyone liked him, but he made friends and remained popular throughout their time at school. Parties were his norm. Of course, since a certain someone was back in town, Weiss was sure that his party would be wilder than usual. If Yang was really there…

The line of houses blended together, but there was one in particular that stood out to the young heiress. Cardin had the privilege in being born into a well-known, well-off family, and his house certainly boasted of their prestige. Of course, she was much richer, and his humble abode seemed tiny compared to hers, but that didn't matter to her right now. What did was that she spotted Yang's trademark yellow motorcycle amongst the incredible amount of vehicles all parked in the long driveway. Weiss brought her car to a stop a house away and exited the car, heels splashing water around her.

"Weiss, wait!" Ruby called out, catching up to her. "Are you sure Yang's here?"

"Her bike is here, Ruby." Weiss climbed the small set of stairs leading to the front door.

She wasn't sure what she was expecting when she pulled open the door. The heiress almost lost her dinner. The smell of sweat and liquor wafted down the hallway, the bass of some club beat bouncing off the walls so strongly the whole house seemed to vibrate. People were everywhere—on the couches, on the floor, on each other. Not a single person looked sober. Bottles of vodka laid empty, one of them broken, and other colorful spirits, like brandy, beer, even whiskey, found their way either on the floor or in someone's bloodstream. Steeling herself, Weiss pushed past a group of boys, trying to find golden hair somewhere. She knew she was here.

She felt Ruby grab onto her hand so that they wouldn't get separated. The silver-haired girl forced herself into the kitchen. Cardin had his head tilted back, some kind of alcohol flowing down his throat. His friends were all cheering him on. But there was no sign of Yang. She continued, searching the bathroom, the family room, even the garage. Then, suddenly, she bolted up the stairs, her feet falling so hard she could have broken a hole in the wooden steps. Her body carried her over to a bedroom. She flung the door open and all her rage seemed to wake at once. Ruby gasped, clutching Weiss tightly.

There he was, slate-gray hair and matching eyes, that cocky, arrogant smile spread across his charming face. If Weiss hadn't known any better, she felt that she might've liked him, too. Mercury Black was an attractive young man. But she saw the way Yang had fallen, hard, only to be left months later. She couldn't stand the look of him, especially back then, but seeing him now only made her angrier. It took all her power and self-control to keep herself from breaking his nose, or breaking something else. This was the first time she'd seen him in more than nine months and she still wanted to have his head on a stake.

They were kissing in the middle of the room, but once the door opened, Yang pulled away. When Weiss looked into those familiar, lilac eyes, she saw something that hadn't been present for a long, long time. There was that haze, that foggy look over her that meant her brain had stopped functioning, and that she was acting not of her own accord. Weiss couldn't be sure how long she'd been like that, but it scared her. Yang gave a little drunk giggle, her lips managing a small smile. The blue-eyed girl couldn't even be sure if she realized Ruby was standing right next to her, her own silver eyes wide and body stiff, as though petrified.

"Yang," Weiss called out, her tone cold. "We're going home."

"Hoohm?" The blonde titled her head. "But I gotta—"

She didn't waste her breath by trying to argue. Instead, the Ice Queen walked over to her and pulled her away from Mercury, mustering all her strength. Yang was heavy, muscular as she was. "You're coming with me."

"You're no fun, Weiss." Mercury sighed, his hair messy and unkempt. They must've been kissing for an ungodly amount of time.

Weiss slammed the door shut on him as she and Ruby dragged Yang out of the house. "I cannot believe you," she shouted at Yang once they put her inside the Bentley. Without wasting another minute, the three headed back.

Ruby stayed in the backseat with her older sister, cradling her head and whispering that it would be alright, that it would be okay, that their father would understand, surely. She had started crying, trying hard to wish that this hadn't happened, that Yang was with Blake instead, or at least with her. Weiss glanced a few times at the rear-view mirror, catching sight of the younger girl hunched over, upset. She gripped the steering wheel so tightly she thought she'd snap it. It happened again.

This was not a part of the plan.

And this was not what was supposed to happen.

A/N: Oh boy. This chapter was, by far, the hardest of all. I had a really hard time figuring out how I was going to write it. It's fairly intense and there's a huge shift in the dynamic, I think, but don't worry ya'll. There are three more chapters after this, and those ones will be worth the read. Sorry if this one wasn't the best. It hurt to write. (I can feel someone planning my murder.)

I wanted to let you guys know that fall quarter is starting up at the end of this month and this next week for me is going to be pretty crazy, so it might be a while until you see an update. I will be finishing this fic, though, so stay tuned.

Thank you so much, all of you, for your support. As always, please leave a review so I can see what I can improve on. Many of you have been incredibly helpful and there are notable changes in my writing thanks to your feedback. I appreciate it!

-Lex