Hey, sorry it's been so long since I updated this fic (like 4 months) but I really lost motivation to do so until recently. There will be one more chapter after this one which will tie the whole thing together and I really cannot wait to write and upload it so it should be up within the next week. As usual, thanks for reading and please leave a review if you like it because it really gives me motivation to keep writing! Thanks and hope you enjoy! ^_^

Hope awoke at 7AM and the morning continued as normal, he showered, he got dressed, packed his bag and waited for Serah to knock at his door so that they could walk to school together. The walk was exactly the same as usual, Serah didn't even mention Noel or anything that the pair had talked about the previous evening, and it was like the whole thing had never happened. Hope was beginning to think this was because Serah had buckled and taken Noel back, with that thought his heart sank slightly in his chest.

Hope and Serah approached the gates and Noel was standing at one of the pillars waiting for them as usual, this all but confirmed Hope's suspicions and he let out a quiet, disappointed sigh but continued to walk onwards with Serah. As the pair walked near to Noel, Noel stretched his hand out slightly as to grasp for Serah

'Serah…' Was all Noel could manage as Serah walked straight passed Noel completely nonchalantly.

Hope's mouth opened slightly with shock as he continued to walk alongside Serah, passed Noel, without turning back for a second glance at the rejected brunette. Hope looked up at Serah as to search for answers and she simply looked back at him with a single tear running down her cheek and that told him everything that he needed to know. He saw now that she hadn't talked about Noel on the way to school this morning, not because she had gone back to him and she didn't want to tell Hope, but because she'd finally cut everything with him and that talking about him would only hurt her. Hope didn't say anything about it to Serah, instead he just held her hand firmly in his own as to reassure her as they walked through front doors to the school.

The 2 classes before break were pretty much the same as usual but this time Noel sat on the opposite side of the room to Serah and Hope and instead of drawing doodles like he usually did he was just slumped over his desk. Walking in between classes Hope noticed Noel's change in body language and demeanour, he looked solemn and dejected compared to his normally fun and happy self.

The bell rang at the end of their second class and Serah and Hope took a seat in the cafeteria, they were talking for around 5 minutes before Noel joined them on the opposite side of the table and glanced at Hope.

'Hope, would you mind leaving me and Serah to talk for a minute please?'

Hope responded to Noel's request by rising from his seat but he was abruptly pushed back down into it by Serah.

'No Noel. Hope is my best friend and it's perfectly alright for him to be here, you didn't seem to be able to acknowledge that when we were together and it would seem you still aren't able to acknowledge it now when we're… apart' That last part was slightly hard for Serah to say but she knew she'd have to say it at some point.

'Serah, please, I just want a chance to talk to you, a chance to explain…' Noel was cut off by his now ex-girlfriend.

'There's nothing to explain Noel, we're not together anymore and we never will be again, the sooner you accept that, the better'.

Hope glanced between the pair, he could see how much Serah's words had stung Noel and how it hurt her almost as much to say them.

Hope's thoughts were stopped abruptly by Noel smashing his fist against the table in anger before storming off. As soon as Noel left Serah burst into tears and began to cry into her best friend's shoulder, Hope put his arm around her reassuringly but found himself staring at the door through which Noel had left, wanting to chase after him. Hope's eyes widened as he saw Snow glance over at the pair before running out of the door through which Noel had just left through. Hope knew that Noel hated Snow just as much as he did and any meeting between the two of them at this moment would end up in nothing but violence. Hope shook the thought of his best friends' ex-boyfriends from his head to concentrate on Serah's well-being.

A teacher monitoring the cafeteria noticed Serah's crying and took her aside, they talked for a while and he decided it was the best course of action to telephone Lightning and to ask her to come and pick up her sister from school and take her home.

20 minutes later Lightning arrived and Serah ran into her sister's arms with tears running down her cheek . Lightning gave Hope a nod and a smile before walking away with her sister. Hope walked back into the school just in time for the bell to ring, signalling the start of his next lesson. The rest of the day continued as normal for Hope until 3PM. The bell rang to signify the end of school and everyone in the class began to make their way out of the classroom, Hope bent down to pick up his school bag from underneath his desk and when he rose again he found a folded up piece of paper on top of his notebook which he was certain wasn't there before. He unfolded it and read the writing in the middle of it

'Meet me in the abandoned warehouse around the corner at 5PM, Noel.'

Hope's heart raced as he finished reading the note, he stared at it for a moment longer before folding it back up again and placing it in his pocket.