Darkest Hour:

An Until Dawn Collaboration

Chapter 5:

Unforgettable

a/n: The next 3 chapters are 100% backstory - the events that lead to the night of the prank.

Lincoln High School - September, 2011

The school bell rang, signaling the start of class. Mike was sitting in the middle of the classroom, twirling his pencil between all of his fingers as he unabashedly stared at the girl with the long dark hair sitting in the front row. She had her phone out, her fingers moving rapidly as she texted someone; Mike couldn't help but grin when she burst into laughter at a message she just received.

Everyone else in the room was being loud and social, so no one else even noticed her laugh. Everyone took this particular US History class with Mr. Cage because he was notorious for always being at least fifteen minutes late to each class. They were only about three weeks into their junior year, but no one was sure if any history lesson was actually given yet.

Mike stood up and made his way to the front of the room; the seats around the girl were taken, so he grabbed Mr. Cage's chair and wheeled it to her desk. He straddled the back of the chair, turning ever so slightly as he flashed her a smile.

"Funny story. I was sitting back there and then I heard this lovely sound float around me," he started, purposely making his speech over the top. He liked the way she looked up from her phone at him, one nicely shaped eyebrow arching in curiosity - possibly confusion.

"Go on," she said coolly, wondering what he was going to come up with.

"To quote Oscar Wilde, 'laughter is not at all a bad beginning for a friendship, and it is far the best ending for one.'" Mike held out his hand for her to shake, "Michael Munroe."

Beth didn't even look down at his hand, keeping direct eye contact with him, as she slipped her hand into his, "Well Michael Munroe, I'm not sure where you're going with this, but I believe you just told me that my laugh made this an okay meeting, but that it will make an awesome goodbye?"

He grasped her hand tightly, "I believe it means that we will go out of this world laughing our asses off together."

She leaned in closer to him like she was sharing a secret, "I've always dreamed I'd have that kind of death."

"It's a good thing we met then," he commented proudly, never even taking his hand from hers, "I promise we'll go down in a flame of glory together - Beth Washington."

The classroom door suddenly slammed as Mr. Cage entered the room, carrying a ridiculously large briefcase that held only a few pieces of paper, "Mr. Munroe, what are you doing in my chair?"

Mike quickly swung his leg from around the back of the chair, carefully sliding it around to the front of Mr. Cage's desk, "Just keepin' it warm for you, sir. Wouldn't want you to talk about the Cold War in a cold seat."

"Is that on the syllabus?" Mike heard him mumble to himself. As Mike walked past Beth's desk, he knocked on it two times quickly, his way of telling her that he would talk to her again soon.

That night, as Beth crawled into bed, she got an alert message on her phone and saw that it was a Facebook friend request from Mike Munroe. His profile picture was him on the beach, shirtless, jumping midair to hit a volleyball over the net. Her profile picture was a simple black and white headshot with her wearing sunglasses. She clicked Accept.

He automatically messaged her.

Mike Munroe: [9:48 pm] So we're officially friends now?

Beth Washington: [9:48 pm] Facebook official.

Mike Munroe: [9:49 pm] You're Josh.0's sister, right? We got into a fight a few years ago. Best buds now.

Beth Washington: [9:49pm] Really? He's never once mentioned you.

Mike Munroe: [9:49 pm] Sugar shits, now I'm depressed.

Beth grinned and threw her phone down on her bed, going downstairs to get a glass of water. It was strange to her that the famous Michael Munroe randomly started talking to her. Of course, everyone at school knew who he was. He won Most Attractive Guy the year prior. Everyone who voted thought it was okay to vote for him for real but when it came to voting for Most Attractive Gal, the majority of the school thought it would be funny to vote for Jennifer Willis, a short, super chunky girl with bad acne and social anxiety so bad that it made even the most extreme introverts wince. Beth didn't vote for anyone at all. She wanted no part in any of it.

Mike, as it turned out, was not a complete asshole and welcomed Jennifer on his Throne of Winners and sat with her for a few weeks at lunch so no one would make fun of her. Then just like all things in high school, the joke faded and people moved on to other things.

When Beth got back to her room, she picked up her phone to see his new message.

Mike Munroe: [9:53 pm] This is where you're supposed to say that WE'RE best buds now and that I don't have to be depressed.

Beth Washington: [9:55 pm] You already said it for me! =P

Beth was planning on leaving it at that. She went to throw her phone on her dresser, but jumped when her bedroom door suddenly flew open, revealing Hannah, who let her hair air dry (again) and was therefore frizzy and wild. Her dark eyes were huge behind her glasses.

"Hannah, what the hell!" Beth chastised, "Just because I said you don't need to knock doesn't mean you can scare the shit outta me like th-"

"You're Facebook friends with Mike Munroe?" Hannah asked, getting straight to the point. She didn't really mean to react like this, but she had just logged on to the social media site and when she read the "Beth Washington and Mike Munroe are now friends!" post with that little button next to Mike's picture asking her - her! - if she wanted to add Mike Munroe as a friend, it obviously couldn't be helped that she would freak!

"Yeah, so?" Beth shrugged, narrowing her eyes in confusion. She looked down at her phone, seeing Mike's picture next to three little bouncing dots as he typed up another response.

Hannah ran over to Beth's bed, jumping up and landing on her knees on the soft comforter, "What do you mean so? He's the hottest guy in school! ...and the city! Maybe even the state!"

Beth rolled her eyes at Hannah's exaggerated expressions, "Oh, please…he is not all that." Her phone vibrated in her hand and she looked down to see the message.

Mike Munroe: [9:59pm] Sit with me at lunch tomorrow.

"What he say, what he say?" Hannah repeated, not even being able to wait for Beth's response. She snatched her sister's phone from her hands, her eyes roaming over the words that she read four or five times.

"You're acting like a spaz," Beth said dryly, not even bothering to get her phone back. She slipped under her covers, "Tell him okay."

"Whaaaat?!" Hannah threw the phone back down beside Beth, "I-I can't talk to him, no!"

Beth eyed her from the side before sighing heavily and meeting Hannah's gaze, noticing how pink her cheeks were, "Really? You have a crush on the most popular guy at school? Isn't that a little…I dunno, cliché?"

Hannah's face became redder. She thought she was being so careful - was she really that obvious? She could have sworn she just sounded like a curious sister and was looking out for her favorite sister's wellbeing.

"Y-you're the one living the cliché!" Hannah countered, biting her thumb nail nervously before Beth knocked her hand away from her mouth (she'd be trying to break her of that habit for years), "The popular guy wanting to be just friends," she had to put these words in air quotes, "until the girl gets to know him and they fall madly in love."

"You watch way too many romance movies," Beth noticed, "Or write too many romance stories. Maybe you should try a different genre. It'll do you-" She paused when she thought she saw a movement behind Hannah, but shook it off when there was nothing.

But before she could finish her sentence, a large creepy bunny suit quickly stood up from the side of her bed, causing both girls to scream loudly, Hannah jumping into Beth's arms.

It only took a few more seconds for Beth to realize that it had to be Josh. She groaned and threw a pillow at him, "Josh, why are you wearing that stupid bunny suit!?"

He slowly raised a furry finger and pointed at her, his voice deepened somehow, "Why are you wearing that stupid human suit?"

"You're a jerk!" Hannah yelled, leaping from the bed and onto Josh, trying hard to pull the bunny head off of him.

"Hey!" Josh countered when Hannah was able to expose his face, "Don't tear the mask, it's authentic Donnie Darko!"

Beth groaned and fell back on her bed as her siblings fought over the mask. If Hannah watched too many romances, Josh definitely watched too many horrors. Didn't they know that there was other stuff out there? Why did they have to choose one thing and become completely obsessed with it?

"Josh, my glasses!" Hannah yelled when Josh tried to pry the mask from her and accidentally bumped her glasses from her face, "I'm ratting you out if dad has to buy me new ones!"

"I'm ratting you out if dad-" Josh began mocking her in a high-pitched voice before Hannah punched him in his shoulder.

"Get out of my room!" Beth demanded, having had quite enough of their nonsense. She was only rewarded with a 180 pound bunny jumping on top of her.

October, 2011 - Washington House

Hannah could remember how shocked she was the day she came home from school and Mike Munroe was sitting on her living room couch. She'd always known who he was - it was hard to miss a face like that. But aside from the occasional eye contact or nod or hello in the hallway, Hannah and Mike were strangers and she admired him from afar. So him hanging out in her living room was unexpected, to say the least.

"Hey," Mike said, caught off guard when Hannah entered the room. She dropped her backpack to her side, staring back at him awkwardly. Thankfully for her, Sam was right behind her to alleviate some of that pressure.

"Hey Mike," Sam greeted casually. They'd taken a few classes together and had pretty much known each other since they were kids. Somehow, Hannah had never been lucky enough to end up in a class with Mike - it was probably because she was taking mostly Honors classes with Ashley.

It was Friday and Beth invited Mike and some of his friends over for a bonfire - Matt (the quarterback) and Jessica (the cheerleader). Hannah had already asked Sam and Ashley over, and Josh and Chris were in the media room playing video games since school had gotten out hours ago. That was the first night they all hung out together… except Emily. She came later.

It was easy for Hannah to see that Mike and Beth had a bond pretty early on - their personalities just clicked. She'd asked Beth a few times if she had a crush on Mike, secretly praying the answer was 'no' and then being so relieved when it was. She never said why, though. Just that she didn't see him that way.

At school, since both were pretty popular in their own cliques, Mike and Beth banded together to form a super-clique...which Hannah wasn't a part of. She didn't care, though. She very much enjoyed her quiet lunches with Ashley and sometimes Sam. Even though she was her best friend, Sam was a "floater," as Mike called her while explaining the hierarchy of the school's social ladder that night in front of the fire.

"Floaters are really the best because you get to experience all different parts in high school. It's not easy being popular all the time, you miss out on a lot," Mike lamented. Beth rolled her eyes at Mike's flawed logic. Meanwhile, Hannah found a way to see his ignorance as a desirable trait instead of a glaring flaw. He was just so handsome.

"What would I have been?" Josh droned from the other side of the fire, jabbing the logs with a stick and watching the flames. Mike and Josh had their own history - they got into a fist fight in the cafeteria when Josh was a sophomore and Mike was a freshman. If you asked them now, neither could tell you what started it. Both got sent to the principal's office, and they'd actually been good friends since.

Mike sucked some air through his teeth, obviously trying to think of the right answer, "I mean, I was kinda in with the popular seniors last year," Mike began. "I think they kinda considered you and Chris burnouts…"

"What? Josh and I didn't smoke pot," Chris dismissed, but then added, "before school." Everyone laughed. Josh laughed extra hard. Probably because he was high now.

"Tell you what, Josh. We won't label you a burnout. I will promote you to class clown, which is pretty much a floater with a sense of humor-"

"Hey!" Sam tried to object, but Mike went on. "- that means you can fit in just about anywhere so long as you're making people laugh," Mike negotiated. It was clear his parents were lawyers every time Mike opened his mouth. Not the political ones… more like the ones you see on bus stop benches.

"What about me?" Chris asked, still stuck on the bottom ring. Mike allowed him to make a horizontal move into 'Smart kids and Nerds.' It was okay though; Ashley was in that group and Chris liked anything if it involved her.

Hannah didn't ask where she fell, because as it turned out, according to Mike, Hannah was down with the other "theater freaks" towards the bottom. She had just been about to tell everyone she got the role of Juliet in the school play.
Convincing herself it was because it was too much of a commitment on top of debate team and creative writing, she turned it down to her understudy the next day.

February 2012 - First Lodge Get Together - Sam, Beth, Hannah, Mike, Chris, Josh

"Let's party like we're fucking pornstars!" Josh stood at the front of the party-bus and raised his arms above his head as loud music blasted from all the speakers on the bus.

"Josh, turn down the music!" Beth yelled from the back of the bus. She could already tell that Josh was getting wasted and didn't want to have to deal with carrying his ass to the lodge when they arrived.

Hannah stood from her seat and reached into the cooler for another beer, "Oh, C'mon, Beth! Loosen up a little!"

Beth narrowed her eyes at her sister, watching as Hannah's face winced at the bitter taste of beer even though she did her best to keep chugging. Hannah had taken off her jacket to reveal her low cut shirt that showed off the bottom of her tummy. Beth could see Hannah trying to shoot glances over to Mike to see if he was watching.

But when Beth looked over at Mike, he was looking out the window at the winter wonderland scenery. She leaned over to Sam and tried to talk over the music, "We're gonna have to keep an eye on Hannah this weekend."

"Sounds lovely," Sam commented dryly.

At the front of the bus, Chris and Josh tapped their beer bottles together before chugging down the full contents in mere seconds.

"Happy birthday to me!" Josh bellowed followed by a long, obnoxious "WOOO!" from both him and Chris.

As Beth predicted, Hannah drank too much too fast and was pretty drunk once they arrived at the lodge. She told them guys that she would catch up with them later once she got Hannah taken care of, and she was grateful that Sam was still willing to help. They got Hannah up to her butterfly bedroom, giggles escaping her lips every few seconds.

"Did you guys see how hot Mike looks?" Hannah stared wide-eyed at the two girls, her face completely serious.

"Sure did," Beth answered quickly, twisting open the top of a water bottle and handing it to Hannah, "But if you want to continue hanging out with him, you're going to have to sober up a bit."

Hannah nodded and grabbed the water, acting like she was about to take a long swig, but then only took a small sip. She swayed. Beth and Sam reached out for her at the same time, helping her sit on her bed covered with a purple comforter.

"Maybe you should take a quick nap," Sam suggested, putting a hand on Hannah's shoulder and pushing her back. Beth grabbed a hold of her legs and hoisted them on the bed while taking off her boots.

"No, but...it's Josh's birthday!" Hannah argued as though that would keep her from falling asleep, her eyes already closing.

Sam took Hannah's glasses off and set them on her nightstand, "And Josh will still be celebrating it when you wake up."

It only took a few more minutes for Hannah to be asleep. Beth sighed deeply, "Ohh, dear sister of mine…"

Sam chuckled as she threw a small blanket over Hannah, "She just wants everything to happen now but then gets way ahead of herself. I just really wish she didn't like Mike so much. I know it must be hard for her that he's almost always around."

Beth nodded, taking off her hat and jacket. She threw the items over the back of a chair, "It's not her fault...she can't help how she feels."

Sam slid her hat from her head, her long blonde hair looking disheveled. When she took of her jacket, she revealed her green long-sleeved shirt, making her eyes stand out. Beth smiled softly at her, taking Sam's outerwear to hang over the chair as well.

"You look really pretty tonight," Beth complemented, hoping that came out sounding normal, "Don't tell me you're here to get someone's attention too?"

"Please," Sam droned, rolling her eyes, "With any of those hotheads down there? They're not my type at all."

"That's good to hear," Beth admitted, then paused, expecting Sam to ask if she was secretly dating Mike since so many others seemed to think that as a possibility. She was overcome with a sense of relief when Sam didn't. She even felt a giddiness flutter her heart when Sam sat down on the floor and began looking through some of Hannah's poorly put together scrapbooks.

"Hannah has to document every moment, I swear," Sam laughed as she looked at some of the pictures Hannah kept as strong mementos.

Beth sat down next to her to see what she was looking at. Random pictures of dances, parties, and beach visits littered the scrapbook. Sam held up a particular one taken a few years ago of her, Beth, and Hannah at a pool party. Hannah was in a purple one-piece bathing suit, Beth was in a black bikini, Sam in a dark green one.

"Green really is your color," Beth commented, taking the picture from Sam and admiring how gorgeous they looked together.

"It brings out my eyes," Sam said in a joking way, as though she didn't want to accept the compliment.

"I know."

Beth's gaze met Sam's, but only for a brief moment before Sam gave a tight smile and closed the scrapbook. It was at that moment that Josh burst into the room holding three beers, not even caring that he was spilling a lot of liquid on the wood floor, "Come on down to the party, ladies! We need something besides sausages!"

"Gross," Sam and Beth said at the same time. Beth grinned and stood up quickly, grabbing Sam's hand and pulling her to her feet, "Let's go show these guys that we can hold our own."

July, 2012 - Washington House

It was movie night at The Washington's and almost everyone was there: Josh, Hannah, Beth, Mike, Sam, and Chris. It was Ladies Night, so each of the girls got to choose a movie. Hannah chose a romantic comedy, Sam chose a movie about animals, and Beth chose a suspense thriller that all the guys were quite thankful for.

It was during Hannah's movie, He's Just Not That Into You, that she kept sneaking glances over at Mike. Beth was sitting next to him. They were practically joined at the hip and Hannah couldn't help the jealousy that was building in her stomach that prevented her from enjoying the movie. And she hated it more than anything. She didn't want to be jealous of her twin sister. Especially when she knew Beth and Mike were only friends and Beth had no interest in him whatsoever. Hannah knew that because Beth had to reassure her about it. A lot.

She just wished Mike would stop liking Beth so much, as horrible as that sounded. But it was hard to get him alone when they were literally always together.

Speaking of which, Hannah watched as Mike leaned his mouth to Beth's ear and whispered something to her. Beth simply nodded then stood up nonchalantly, followed by Mike, and began walking toward the exit of the media room.

"No ditching allowed!" Josh called after them. He looked around the area quickly, "Shit, where's my taser!?"

"No tasering tonight," Sam said calmly as she reached for the bucket of popcorn without butter (made specifically for her).

"You need to learn to live a little, Sweetheart."

"Don't ever call me that again."

"Guys!" Hannah interrupted, her face turning red and her glasses fogging. Beth and Mike left as soon as Josh called them out on it and now she had to continue sitting through a movie that no longer seemed romantic or funny, just tragic and ironic. He's Just Not That Into You.

Beth and Mike went out to the gazebo in the middle of the Washington's huge backyard. It was empty save for the flowers hanging from the beams (maintained by the gardeners) and a large swing with tons of cushions.

The air was crisp, even for mid-summer, but their long-sleeved flannels kept them comfortable. Beth first brought him to the gazebo a few months ago when he asked her where her go to spot was when she needed alone time. No one else ever utilized the secluded spot.

Mike placed his hands behind his head, pushing the swing slowly with his foot, "Nice night."

Beth snorted at his lame comment, "Come here often?"

He side-eyed her, a small smirk curving his lips. He raised his voice to a feminine tone with a snooty influx, "Mmm...I like this."

"I think we were in love in another life."

Mike lowered his arms, "Daaammmnn girl, you're smooth."

She rolled her eyes, "Oh please. If you ever bring home a girl telling me that you used that line on her, I'm going to smack you and buy her a cab."

"I would never dream of using the line you just used on me on somebody else," Mike swore, smiling when she shook her head but then laughed when she giggled.

They fell into comfortable silence. Beth laid her head back and closed her eyes. Mike stared out into the dark garden, pondering his next move. He had really gotten close with the girl sitting next to him and she somehow became his everything. And they never really talked about how natural their friendship became, and he assumed it was because she felt everything he felt. When they were hanging out with all of their friends, they usually stuck together most of the time. His favorite times were when Josh sent a mass text to everyone about a party, and then Beth would follow up with a text to only him about bailing on the party and finding something else to do.

He watched countless guys hit on her, and yet every time, her eyes would find his and she would flash him a smile that would melt his jealousy in an instant. And before her, Mike would always eat up all the girls throwing themselves at him, but now he enjoyed walking away from them and finding Beth. He would follow her to the end of the earth if she asked. He swore he would.

Mike reached behind her and smoothed her soft hair down, smiling softly when she turned her head toward him and looked at him with pure contentedness.

So he dipped his head to kiss her. Finally.

"Whoa!" She snapped her head back and and held a hand to his chest. Her eyes were wide with surprise, and she even felt her heart clench at the immediate fear that flashed in his eyes. "Mike...what are you doing?"

"I...I mean, I really want to say that it was obvious but-."

"No, I know. I know, it's just…" Beth trailed off and wrapped her arms around herself, sitting forward a bit on the swing. She momentarily hated herself and silently scolded her inner thoughts for having not thought that something like this would happen.

"Sorry," he said genuinely, followed by a pause, then, "Son of a dick!" He rubbed his hands down his face, "I just really thought you were waiting for me to make a move…"

Beth looked at him from the side as he struggled with the embarrassment of being rejected and the confusion of not knowing why. And she couldn't blame him for any of it. But she did blame herself for not talking to him about the oddly perfect connection between them.

She leaned back again so their shoulders touching, "There's something I need to tell you...something I never told anyone."

Mike dropped his hands heavily to his lap, "Let me guess, not even yourself?"

"Don't be a smartass," she chastised but then quickly pursed her lips, "Even though you're kinda right. It's been something I was never fully sure of so-."

"You're gay," Mike said for her.

She turned to him with wide eyes and a pale face, "How did you know I was going to say that?"

"Please," he rolled his eyes but looked down at her with a grin, "There's only one reason you wouldn't want to bone me."

Beth narrowed her eyes and punched him in the arm, "Or maybe it's because you're a narcissistic asshole!"

They both chuckled, almost forced perhaps, but it allowed them to clear the air.

"Are you okay?" She finally asked.

Mike breathed heavily through his nose, letting it out through his lips, "Only you would ask something like that after spilling your deepest secret. I should be asking you how it feels to get that off your chest."

"It feels...I mean, you don't even seem surprised?"

He shrugged, a playful look in his eyes as he gave her a nudge, "I mean… how can you be sure you're gay? Have you ever kissed a girl?" he wondered. Beth bit her bottom lip and gave his arm a light punch.

"No… have you ever kissed a guy?"

"What!?" Mike nearly shouted, laughing uncomfortably at the mere thought. "No. No way."

"Well, then how do you know that you're straight?"

"I just know, okay?"

"Well," Beth said softly, tucking her dark hair behind her ear, "there ya go, then. I just know."

"Fair enough," Mike sighed, leaning back into the wooden swing and bringing Beth closer to him. He pressed a kiss into her hair and tired not to take in her scent. He wanted to support her. He loved her. Even if she would never be able to love him back the way he wanted.

"So… who is she then?" Mike asked after a long silence. Beth popped her head up, her eyes searching his for the seriousness in his tone. "Is it Jess? Ashley?"

"Oh, shut up," Beth laughed, pushing herself away from him and leaning forward. Mike could still see the pink in her cheeks, even in the darkness.

"Amy? Sarah?"

"Cut it out!"

"That chick in gym? The one with the shorty-shorts we're always checking out-"

"Mike-" she warned.

"Is it Sam?" Mike stopped when he saw Beth freeze, a look of terror in her eyes. "W-w-wait… Sam!?"

"Would you shut up, I don't think the neighbor's heard you!" Beth snapped, standing up and immediately beginning to pace. Mike leaned back, folding his arms over his chest and feeling quite proud of himself for figuring that one out.

"What is with the Washingtons and their infatuation with that girl?" he asked rhetorically. "You know you're gonna have to fight Josh for her. This is straight up Jerry Springer shit-" he teased. Beth charged him, her small hand cupping over his mouth to shut him up physically, since he seemed incapable of doing it himself.

"It's just a crush, okay? Besides… I don't even think she bats for my team, ya dig?" She tried to say this with humor in her tone, but Mike's heart sunk when he picked out the poignant sadness behind her words. She slowly slid her hand down from his mouth and plopped down beside him.

"You want to gay-marry Sam and go for hikes and save the whales and eat granola…" Mike mumbled, shaking his head. Beth shot him one more disapproving glance before her face softened and she began to laugh weakly. She covered her face with her hands, shaking her head.

"I so regret telling you now…" She groaned. Mike moved her hands from her face, meeting her gaze.

"Beth… I swear, I won't say anything. Please don't regret telling me. I'm honored you chose to tell me," he told her sincerely. Beth smiled, leaning in and giving her best friend a hug, relieved that although there was initial teasing, she was happy he was there for her.

"You sure you're okay?" she said into his shirt before looking up at him.

"Think it's still just shock? Maybe that's not the right word." He looked down at her and she met his gaze, her heart clenching at the sad look in his eyes.

She interlaced their fingers and rested their hands on his thigh, "I hope this doesn't change anything though. You're still my best friend...you're my - you're my person. I still want to put you in your place when you're being obnoxious. And I still want to be the first person you tell everything to."

Mike stared down at their hands, and he never thought he would feel any more in love than he did right then, and he wondered if it was because he knew he could never fully have her now.

"Aaaanndd I do have a twin sister that's crazy about you. Just throwing that out there."

Mike tried to let out a laugh and tried to think of something inappropriate to say about twins, but he couldn't even bring himself to it. And he didn't want to say anything bad about Hannah, but she was definitely not Beth and he just had to let that go.

"Tell me that, no matter what lucky girl gets you, that I'll always be your person, too," she said in a lighthearted tone, but he could tell she was completely serious about it. And Beth was never one to throw soulful or romantic one-liners out there all willy-nilly, so Mike knew she really needed this reassurance. It could've been because she laid out a secret to him that she may have not ever let out if they weren't as close as they were. This was the real her that no one else knew anything about. And he would never have her romantically, but the purity that would remain between them softened the blow because now he was sure he would never mess up with her. He would never have the chance to destroy her. She'd be there forever.

"No bullshit," he said, "You'll always be my person, Beth."

To Be Continued...