Sitting in my last class for the day I really started worrying about what I was going to do. With Ken gone, I let out a sigh, I didn't really have anyone else to talk to after my appointment today. I hate these appointments. It's not like they help...They only make things worse.

I tapped my pen on my paper anxiously, not listening to a word the teacher said. I'm really going to miss him. Tears started blurring my vision before blinking and wiping them away. I guess I could talk to my Aunt if she's not busy and she'l probably just tell me that I have to go and that it is helping even if it doesn't seem like it, which is the last thing I want to hear. Ken always just let me rant and somehow chased away all the images and memories in my head without even trying. No one else here knows about what happened..

Sitting back in my chair resigned to having a horrible evening it hit me. Lysander! He knows. I let out another sigh. No...I've hardly spoken to him since the day we met. Still...it's him or my aunt. I start chewing on the end of my pen. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to ask at least.

The bell rings finally and I hurry to pack my stuff up. I have to catch him before he leaves. I head for the door but am stopped by the teacher calling my name. I freeze. Did she notice I wasn't paying attention?

Slowly I turn back around and hesitantly walk up to the teacher.

"Yes, ma'am?"

"Is everything okay? You look out of sorts today. Your other teachers have noticed as well."

Great.

"Uh. My friend just moved away today, that's all."

"Oh. I'm sorry to hear that. If you need an extension on your assignment just let me know." She gave my shoulder a squeeze with a sympathetic smile.

"Thank you. I'll be okay." I bow my head slightly before awkwardly walking away.

I let out a sigh of relief as I step out into the hallway. Really dodged a bullet there.

I scan up and down the hallways looking for Lysander, not seeing him. I start chewing on my lip as I head for where I remember his locker being, but he wasn't there either. Maybe Nathaniel's seen him.

I quickly turn and head for the student council room with my head down trying to think of what I should do if I can't find him or where else he could be. Maybe in the courtyard? But them that probably means he's leaving soon. I don't really want to talk to my aunt...I could just deal with it alone. Maybe it will be better than the other times. I haven't seen her in a month and I am doing a lot b-

My heart leaps out of my chest as I run right into someone making me stumble backwards. I almost fell but my unfortunate victim caught me. I look up stunned and embarrassed, my face on fire.

Lysander!

"OH! Thank god I found you!" I say in relief, temporarily ignoring my embarrassment.

His cheeks redden as he looks at me in surprise. I notice he's still holding me and I remember that I just ran into him like a human battering ram, my cheeks growing warmer. I look away and step out of his secure embrace. He awkwardly lets me go offering a small embarrassed smirk.

I clear my throat trying shake off my humiliation.

"Sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going. It seems I always end up doing something stupid and mortifying when you're around," I chuckle uncomfortably, rubbing my neck and mentally face palming myself. Why did I have to say that?

Composing himself rather quickly he gives me one of his signature mysterious smiles before calmly speaking, "We all have our moments. I won't hold it against you. Truth be told my head was also in the clouds when I ran into you, so the fault is mutual. What were you looking for me for?"

I smile at his words feeling a little better, but I suddenly realize I don't know how to ask him for his help on this.

"I, uh, well I-" I clear my throat, "I wanted to ask you a favor, but it's kind of personal so I understand if you don't want to or can't."

He looks at me thoughtfully, "What sort of favor?"

I sigh not believing that I am about to ask him this. Quickly I scan the hallway and notice a few stragglers. I don't want anyone to over hear so I grab his arm gently and pull him into an empty classroom. I scan the room a second time for good measure before turning to face him and closing the door.

I pause for a moment biting my lip.

"Okay. So, I know I asked you to forget what I told you the last time we talked. You know...when you gave me my uniform?" He nods his head once, "Well I could use some one to listen to me today. I-" I scan the room one more time and speak a little more quietly make him lean in to hear me, "I have to go see my councilor today, it's mandatory, but she always makes things worse instead of better."

I let out a sigh, "Normally I would talk to my friend Ken after an appointment, but he just moved away,"I clench my jaw willing the tightness in my throat away, "I just need some one to listen to my ranting when I get out of my appointment...I'd rather not talk to my aunt." I look into his magnetic eyes waiting for a reply and ignoring the slight flutter in my chest from being so close to him.

Suddenly he straightens up before looking at me again, "I don't know how much help I'll be to you, but if you need an ear, I am willing to listen." He says calmly with that same small smirk/smile that drives me crazy.

I blush with a small grateful smile, "Thanks, Lysander. I know It's an odd thing to ask when I hardly know you, but I appreciate it all the same."

"I am happy to help in any way I can. I am hardly able to fathom what you have been through, but I admire your strength for even being here, and more so to have the wisdom to know hen to ask for help."

His words and the sincere look in his eyes my my heart pound and my cheeks blush even harder. "I-I- Th-thank you," I say while picking at my nails and looking at my feet. I look up at him and get lost in his eyes yet again causing me to bite my lip. God, he's beautiful.

I snap myself out of my trance, briefly looking away with a deep breath, and putting my business face on, "My appointment is in..." I look down at my watch. 4:00. My eyes widen and I gasp, "My appointment is in half an hour! It's on the other side of town! Is there a bus that usually comes at this time?"

"Oh, you don't have a car?" I shake my head. "That's alright. I can drive you. I don't have any commitments until eight this evening." He offers with a gesture for me to follow him.

I sigh in relief before following him out the door. "Thank you so much. I'm really going to owe you after today. Honestly. I really appreciated this. I'll make it up to you somehow, I promise." I beam up at him trying to show how thankful I truly am.

He looks at me out of the corner of his eye with his wonderful smile, "It's my pleasure," he says simply.

Why does everything he does make me feel like I'm melting? And why doesn't that bother me? Am I really over being afraid of people? Should I be?

"Is everything alright?" He asks as we reach the parking lot and walk up to his flashy classic black car that I should probably know the name of.

"Yeah. Just thinking."

Thankfully he doesn't ask me what I was thinking about and instead opens the passenger car door for me.

"Thanks."

He nods his head before walking around to the driver's side and getting in.

"Where to?" He asks as he buckles up.

"Seventy second and Scott road."

We made it!

Five minutes late.

I rush up to the receptionist desk out of breath looking guilty, "Sorry I'm late!"

The receptionist's brow rose, "Laolanna Yates?"

I nod my head trying to catch my breath.

"Right this way." She says blandly.

"I shouldn't be too long." I tell Lysander apologetically as I follow the receptionist to the councilor's office.

I walk into the overly organized room that is entirely uninviting in its properness.

"Ah, , you're late. Is there anything I should know about?" She asks me in her assuming manner as her receptionist leaves us closing the door behind her.

And so it begins. Wonderful.

"Please. Take a seat." She beckons with false lightness to a firm looking sofa.

Reluctantly I sit on it.

"So. You look a little tired, is this why you were late?" She probes further.

Jesus, I was five minutes late.

"No. My friend got lost driving me here." I say pointedly, giving her a bland look.

She scribbles something down on her stupid yellow note pad nodding to herself. I resist the temptation to roll my eyes.

"Ah, so you're making friends. This is good. And who is the friend that drove you today? What is he or she like?"

What? What kind of stupid question is that.

I answer the question with that exact expression on my face, "He is very nice. I haven't known him that long, but he has been nothing but a perfect gentleman and if you must know since I'm certain you are going to continue to pry, I also happen to work with his brother who is equally kind and gentlemanly," I huff irritably.

"I was not aware you felt as though I am prying. I will ask less questions, but then that means you must be willing to talk on your own."

I bite my tongue trying desperately not to tell her that she obviously isn't very perceptive then.

Sighing, I begin my useless attempt to convince her that I no longer need to see her.

"Remember, this is completely normal. Take things in baby steps and come up with a routine. Don't push yourself," She says handing me a tissue as she leads me out of her office, "You'l be okay in time."

I nod lamely, sniffling and wiping my tears.

"Please get the prescription filled before you go home. You'l sleep much better with it." She urges me as we come up the waiting room before turning around and going back to her office.

I sigh dragging my feet and avoiding eye contact with Lysander after getting his attention so we could leave.

Stepping out of the stuffy building I finally feel like I can speak.

I take a deep breath, "Finally. It's over."

Lysander chuckles softly behind me. "Are you alright?" He asks seriously, coming to stand in front of me.

I still avoid eye contact knowing I look even worse than before, "Yeah. I'm just tired now. That woman is unbelievable."

He sits on the hood of his car and welcomes me to join him.

Sitting next to him I begin my rant, "Read?" He nods with an amused smirk. "Okay, so I go in there and the first thing she does is pester me about being late! Were were five minutes late for christ sake! And she wouldn't let up until I explained why, started insinuating that something was wrong or that I wasn't sleeping because I look tired. She didn't even ask why I was tired, just automatically assumed that I wasn't sleeping right and having 'night terrors' about the incident. Didn't give a damn that maybe I have other things going on besides my parents being murdered almost five months ago. Like my closest friend and my only friend from my other school being shipped off to military school without warning and leaving without saying goodbye, but instead sobbingly admitting that he's in love with me and running away without any explanation! But of course THAT isn't relevant, why would that be a reason for me looking like crap?"

I stood up and started pacing, "Then when I corrected her assumption and said that you got lost on the way here, she gets all uppity and starts probing me about who you are and I had to go into a long winded explanation that I haven't known you long, but that you were perfectly gentlemanly and always nice to me. That I work with your brother and that he to is always gentlemanly. And then she expected me to just ramble on about how I was doing so I did. I went on and on about how I was doing really well got a sort of mantra going and was starting to feel more like myself. Said I had made several friends and am keeping a diary and determined to not let the past consume me and then started probing me again and made me admit things that I had omitted like when I told you about what happened to my parents and then started insinuating that I wasn't dealing with the issue and was trying to ignore it and that this was going to make things worse. And I told her that I wasn't ignoring it just trying to make my parents proud and that I wasn't having problems sleeping. And then she was asking weird questions like when I wake up do I find I'm sweaty, how many hours a night do I sleep, do I ever wake up in the middle of the night, do certain stimuli still trigger memories, and every time I said sometimes or sort of she didn't care if I had another reason for it like the fact that I eat too late or have started working while going to school and have a lot of homework to do, or anything else. She jumped right into that I'm suppressing my feelings and that I need to reflect on my memories and stop pushing myself so hard. That I should take things slower. Essentially telling me all of my hard work that I was so proud of was wrong and so I got frustrated cause I AM tired and that always makes me more emotional, so then I started crying. And she told me crying was good, that it's good to mourn my parents and be frustrated by all of my emotions, that it's normal. and UHG!"

I cuss under my breath, "Honestly! She completely twists every word that comes out of my mouth. Now I'm doubting everything I had going before stepping into her stupid office. I told her I didn't think I was afraid of people any more, that I was willing to trust again, but more cautiously than before, that I felt like I knew what to look for, what to avoid, and she pretty much told me that I didn't and that I should be careful and take things slow. She's so confusing! shouldn't she be telling me the opposite?" I sigh shaking my head, "So frustrating. I think I'm done now. Sorry for talking your ear off." I apologize sitting back down next to him.

"My ear is just fine. If anything it is intrigued. I'm glad you were comfortable enough to have me listen and it was my pleasure to be of service to you." He says bowing his head courteously.

I feel myself blush again as I smile at my shoes. "Thank you. I'll try not to make a habit of this all the same."

"You're welcome. If you ever need my ear again, I'd be more than happy to lend it. Are you feeling better?"

"Much, actually." I smile at him in gratitude.

"Glad to hear it. Let's get you home." He says offering his hand to me as he stands. I take it gladly ignoring the sensation rushing from my hand to my core, making me almost undisguisably giddy. I envy the girl that steals his heart.

Phew! I really struggled with these last two chapters. I'm not sure I am satisfied with the way I have written them. I am getting increasingly annoyed that I chose to write in first person present tense-it's a nightmare and is completely foreign to me. I may never do it again.

If you have any advice for me please let me know.

I am certain there are grammar and spelling mistakes so no point in mentioning that. I am horrible at typing. I tend to do it primarily with one had so I run into many typo issues. I also sometimes get my two stories confused when I'm writing, so if I mixed something up, again, please let me know.

Lastly, I am so happy people are following my story. It makes me way more willing to write. And every time I post a new chapter I'm always refreshing my email inbox to check for follows, favorites, and comments. Then when I get one I am childishly giddy... :D I ruv you!

Thanks for the support!