This chapter took me a while. (sorry.) Honestly, I didn't know what I wanted for it, what should happen. Then when I figured it out, I didn't exactly know how to do it. Things happen in this chapter that I'm not happy about but... yeah, that's it. Enjoy...

A lot of things had put me into perspective. Things involving Austin, things involving my future, if I had one. I had decided that if I was going to have a future, now was the time to worry about it. I didn't want to be one of those people who worried about the future when it was far, far ahead, but I couldn't stop myself. I wasn't worrying about college or anything; I was worried about where I'd be in the next couple of years.

Despite all the fun I've had with Austin, all the feelings and emotions I feel around him, where I am in the next couple of years doesn't include him. I mean, I could picture us both being happy but never with each other. I know that doesn't mean it's not possible, but it does mean that there are other options? Those other options include living with my aunt. I want everything to be perfect, something it's never been before for me. My aunt looks perfect, she seems perfect, and, maybe, if I had stayed, I'd be perfect. I remember Austin saying, "You never know unless you try." last night. And he was right. I didn't know if my life with my aunt would be so bad, so I had to try. Of course, that made me think if leaving Austin and possibly never talking to him again was the answer. I never knew if the two of us would work out, so I had to try. I had tried. He tried. We're both still trying. The only thing is we're trying too hard. All of that effort and hard work makes us even more dispensable.

I didn't want to go. I was doing this for me, for myself. How selfish was that? I would attempt at forcing myself to stay, something I really wanted to do, but the urge to go was overbearing. I knew that if I went, I could never make myself go back and even if I did, it would never be the same. It was one of the worst feelings, to know that you had to choose which future you wanted and once you chose one, the other one disappeared. And maybe that other one is someone you're finding yourself to be in love with. I didn't have to leave just yet, but if I didn't leave now, I would never leave. Never leaving was something I'd actually be okay with. I didn't see why I had the desire to go in the first place. I was happy where I was, so why go somewhere where I'm unhappy?

I didn't understand it. I didn't understand the situation, why part of me felt like leaving was a good idea. I felt like that part of me was stupid. People had always said 'see what your heart tells you'. Well, my heart was telling me two different things. Maybe one half of my heart was wrong. I wanted the other half to be right.

It took me three hours to realize that being anywhere but where I was right now was the dumbest and biggest mistake I'd probably ever make. I couldn't choose a place where I might be happy over a place where I am already happy. The only thing is, I don't know how long I will be happy, where I am.

This officially made things worse. I still knew that I had to try. I had to.

My aunt's house smelled of coffee and nail polish when I walked in, at the scheduled and forced time of three in the afternoon. The Diana lady was there, a clipboard on her lap and an open folder with paper in it in one of her hands. I sat down without being asked.

"Ally. I'm so glad you could make it." she holds out her hand for me to shake it. My hands remain on my lap. She puts her hand down once she realizes that I will not shake her hand. My aunt sits down next to her.

"We have been discussing a few things, Pamela and I. We find it best if you lived with a friend. You have any of those?" I hated the way she asked me that.

"Yeah. Trish... and..." I breathed a little before I said, "Austin. I've been staying with him, mostly."

Diana huffs, as if that's the stupidest thing she's ever heard. "Well... teenagers of the opposite sex living together suggests that they might-"

"Yeah, I know." I cut her off.

She nods. "How about staying with Trish? Are her parents okay with it? Would they be?"

"Wait a second. You're saying I can't stay with Austin?"

"Precisely. You can hang out, but you can't live with him."

"But I can still stay with him whenever I choose to."

"Actually, you can't. You'd be considered a runaway under the custody of Trish's parents. It's a done deal. We just need her parent's approval."

"You can't do this."

"Yes, I can. In fact, if you choose to go against this, I can file a restraining order. You can't go within a hundred feet of each other. You don't have any counters to this, do you, Ally?"

Yes. I had seven thousand counters to this, but there wasn't much I could do. This is what I get for trying. "No."

"Diana. I think you're over thinking this. There might be some stuff we don't know and that we, well, you aren't capable of preventing her from doing. You are just the social worker."

"Yes and it is my job to make sure that she lives in a safe and happy home. Do you really think your niece living with a teenage boy is a good idea?"

"If she's safe and happy, it's a wonderful idea."

"Pamela. I am a social worker; you're a lawyer. This isn't the courtroom so I do suggest you take your debates elsewhere. Real business is going on." In some sort of business world, this could get her eyes scratched out. This is like a policemen saying a firefighter doesn't do anything to help the community.

My aunt sighed, as if she was giving up, but she wasn't. "It is always the decision of the friend's parents whether or not Ally can stay with Austin. It doesn't matter. It's not our business. We can call the parents and arrange something."

"Pamela, I appreciate your effort but I've been in this business long enough to know-"

"Stop it. Stop arguing over what I do. It's my life and I've never had control over it. Well, now I do and where I go is my decision." I stormed out, honestly hoping for a dramatic exit to let them know I was serious. And that it was my decision.

I didn't have many places to go. Except for the one place I knew I was accepted. Before I went to that place, I had to stop somewhere.

"Ally?" he asks.

"Hey."

"Hi." he says.

"We can't keep this up. Whatever this is. I mean, I know we obviously have... something, but..." I stop talking because I don't know where I'm going with it.

He doesn't say anything. "I... it's stupid, really. Why I'm doing this, it's... stupid. I-"

"Ally. It's cool. I know you're doing this for a reason and I accept that."

"Yeah, that reason involves my aunt and a social worker and a lot of other stupid things. Just know it doesn't involve you."

"I do and that's why I accept it."

I would have forced a smile but I knew it would come on its own and it did. I stare into his brown eyes for a long time until tears start to form in my own.

Everyone always said that everything happened for a reason. So, then, why did this have to happen? It felt impossible to even be sad when he wasn't upset or anything. There was no problem with us. This didn't have to happen. But it was. It is happening. The only thing is, if I had a time machine, as much as I regretted doing this, I wouldn't do anything differently. It sucks to know that you make the same mistakes over and over again. If I got a second chance, which I know I never will, I don't know if I'd make the same one again. I do know that I've made it a hundred times already. "I'm sorry."

I believe this is a sucky chapter, but I also believe that bigfoot is real (don't judge me). I SO want to spoil the next few chapters but I can't! UGH! We're getting closer to... things happening. But 'things' could be anything... I honestly don't know what should happen in the next chapter. I have an idea in mind but it's not definite. I'm open to suggestions. No, seriously, any ideas? Tell me what you think?