Author's Note- It has been a year since I've updated, and I'm so incredibly sorry! In the last chapter, I said how I'd see you guys soon; and in the previous chapter told you guys to expect a new chapter every Sunday. I've failed to do both things. You don't know how much I missed writing! But now I'm back! I plan to finish this story within the next month, and start a new story. For those of you who actually stuck with this story, thank you so much! I'm not even just saying that either. Thank you again, and on wards with the chapter!

Austin

Relationships can be hard. No, they are hard. There is no way to develop the "perfect" relationship. Unless you're living in a alternate society. The thing is, relationships flourish on how you manage them. If you put no effort into them, they will wither away. Like a flower, when the cold starts to come. If you put everything you have into them, they will continue to grow and change over time.

There is no way to stop that change from happening. But hopefully, that change will work for the best. Just like the relationship I had with Ally. We had a change. It wasn't a good change, but it wasn't a bad change. Now she can move on to someone who can truly care for her with all their heart, and I can move on, too. My relationship with Dez also changed. Like a chain of events, after breaking up with Ally, Dez and I began a relationship. It's still uncertain if it was good change or bad change. Hopefully, the effort I put into this relationship will prove to be for the better.

I found Dez. He did sell his house. Was my delay on finally pursuing the relationship really that bad and long that he thought he should move to finally get away from all this?

I should really start paying attention to other people's feelings.

But relationships are hard, especially for me. You see, I can be quite paranoid of them. I guess that was one of the reasons why I just could not tell Ally I loved her. But even if I did have the courage to tell her back then, I wouldn't have. Since it would've been a lie. I mean, I never really liked her. I like Dez, and probably always have. But for the reason why I'm paranoid, it's my parents. Or it was.

My parents have never really gotten along. It would sure seem so in their Moon Mattress Kingdom commercials though. It's really funny. I remember back when I was around 8, I heard my parents say how they swore to each other to fake their happiness on the commercials. As well as in public. And of course, in front of me. I was 8 back then, a naïve little thing. So I went up to my parents and said,

"Why would you fake your happiness?"

I don't know why or how it set him off, but that day my dad gave a big slap in the face, and told me to never talk like that again or bring that up again. My mom just sat their, giving me a sickly sweet smile.

Since I was 8, of course, I believed all relationships would be that way. Full of lies, secrets, and hurt. And no one was ever happy in one. And with me being 8, I vowed to try my best to never develop strong feelings for anyone since that seemed to happen between my mom and dad, and with it destroying them, it would destroy me. You must be thinking, "Oh how horrible for an 8 year old to go through such trauma!" Yes, it was horrible. I was very sad and withdrawn for at least a week because of it. But it had some pros. Such as allowing me to detect when someone is lying, and most importantly, to see how full of shit everyone is. From that experience, at least I became aware at a young age.

It seems my life has always been full of disappointments. And now since I finally have things going mildly okay for once, I want to keep it that way. I don't ever want to screw up that badly again.

Dez doesn't know all too much about me. You would guess he would after being friends for over 10 years. But I'm pretty damn good at keeping things hidden. But maybe I should have told him more so he understands my motives, and why I do the things I do. After being closed off for so long, I'm not sure how to embrace this new power. I consider it power since I basically have the power to say all the things I should've said years ago.

The thing is, I'm afraid.

Dez

My life has always been filled with cheer and happiness. My parents were happy in their marriage, and I was just a happy child.

That changed in middle school.

Middle school is filled with assholes who think they are better than everyone else. They will put you down because they want to be noticed by fellow peers, they have something going on at home so they feel the need to take it out on others, or they are just jealous. Those kids have sadistic little brains. It was unbearable to go to school sometimes.

I mean, it kinda sucks getting your face shoved in dirty toilet water every other day.

Or getting beat up.

Worst of all, the verbal insults.

I had one good friend though and I still have him. His name was, and is, Austin Moon. I met him earlier than kindergarten, and somehow he continued to stick with me throughout my years. However, during middle school, he did not. I mean he was still my friend and all, and we still played video games together, but he just became more distant. I don't know what happened or why, but he always assured me that it was nothing I did. That he wasn't ignoring me because the other kids were. That's the good thing about Austin, he doesn't follow what everyone else does or seems to be doing.

Austin is his own person. And he likes it that way.

But during those middle school years, I'm still at a loss on why he decided to just retreat from me for a while. Not just from me, but from everyone! I should've mentioned earlier that Austin, back in middle school acted that way with everyone. He didn't talk as much or act as much.

The one thing that stuck with him though, was that fake smile.

The smile I absolutely loathe.