A/N: I will upload the next chapter (Scott's) later this week. I have a little more tweaking to do on it yet. No beta on this one, so all mistakes are mine. Enjoy.

Daisy quietly pulled the vodka bottle from the back of the cupboard under the kitchen sink. She poured a small amount into her glass and drank it down quickly. She winced as the liquid burned the back of her throat and poured herself another glass. She filled it to the top this time and carefully placed the bottle back where she had found it. She wasn't sure who she was hiding it from anymore. Since David had left she was alone in the apartment. Not that he had cared anyway. More often than not, he would mix the drinks for her, telling her she needed to relax. She smiled slightly, remembering his softer side. Despite all of his faults, he had some good qualities.

It had been months since David had gone, and she was still hiding. She didn't know from whom – everyone had walked out of her life. Her mother had been dead for years. Her father had gone off on a bender not long before she left Horizon and never returned – not even for her graduation. She wasn't saddened by it, she didn't need him anyway, she reasoned, but he was one less person that would care if she had a drink or not. She had no friends who stopped by the house unexpectedly. The only real friend she had lived more than 3 hours away. And Shelby was not likely to show up on her doorstep anytime soon – not since their last blow out.

Daisy closed her eyes and tried to remember how it had all started. Everyone had been quick to blame David, but she knew that wasn't right. She had her share of sins as well. But things began to change. David had still been using. She had turned a blind eye to it for a long time. Shelby said he had been using since they left Horizon, but Daisy refused to believe it. Then, only a few short months ago, things had changed. She would never forget that night. Shelby had been up to visit for the first time in ages. Daisy knew that Shelby didn't visit more often because she didn't like to be around David. He was harsh and never made an attempt to hide his feelings of dislike for her. He had been using a lot the week of Shelby's visit and had just lost yet another job. When Daisy confided that David had stormed out in a drugged out state of rage after the two had gotten into a fight, Shelby tried to convince Daisy to leave him, but Daisy wouldn't hear it. She loved him. No matter what, she loved him.

November 2008

"Daisy open your eyes! He's been using since we left Horizon and you know it!"

Daisy shook her head, refusing to hear the truth. "What do you know about it Shelby?"

"He's no good for you. Come with me, let's get out of here. You can stay with me until you're back on your feet."

"Oh, now you're suddenly all sanctimonious on me! You waltz in here, what, once every three months and pass judgment on my life? Well, what the hell do you know about relationships anyway?"

"I know a bad one when I see it."

Daisy snorted. "Please Shelby. At least I have a relationship. You've been so busy running from anything that might make you use that cold heart of yours that you haven't even moved on." She stared Shelby straight in the eyes and delivered her final blow. "Scott's gone, Shelby. He didn't choose you. Get on with your life already."

Shelby's eyes flashed with anger. "Don't put this on me Daisy. I haven't –" She stopped short, her anger overcoming her. "You know what? I don't need this shit. If you want to stay, then stay! But don't expect me to stick around and pick up the pieces when this falls apart too." She turned in a rage and stormed out the front door, slamming it behind her.

May 2009

Daisy had waited, but Shelby never called to apologize - not that she expected it. Even David hadn't returned by the next day. Almost 48 hours passed before Daisy heard from him. He had been arrested. A fight at the bar had turned ugly, and quicker than she could imagine, David was being charged with attempted murder. The charge didn't surprise her. He could be very violent, especially when he was high on meth.

The trial had been a joke. With David's past criminal record, his drug use, and his very bad attitude, the judge and jury hadn't shown any leniency. He was now serving a 30 year sentence in upstate Washington, and Daisy hadn't spoken to him or Shelby since that day.

Daisy took another long drink from her glass when an abrupt pounding on her door nearly caused her to choke.

"Daisy! It's Shelby! Open up!"

Daisy quickly drained the last of the vodka in her glass and hid it too in the kitchen cupboard. She paused to compose herself, and then opened the door.

Shelby looked the same, if not a bit more frazzled than the last time Daisy had seen her. "Shelby what are you doing here?"

Shelby looked almost relieved. "You haven't heard?"

"Heard what?" Daisy didn't even try to mask her annoyance.

"It's Ezra." She softened, trying to find the right words to tell her friend.

Daisy shrugged and retreated to the comfort of her living room. "What about him Shelb? He still pining over me, hoping to be 'the one?'" Daisy rolled her eyes and threw her feet up on the couch. "In case you missed the memo, I'm over him."

Shelby sat at the edge of the couch and wondered when her friend had become so embittered with life. This wasn't the Daisy she knew. For a minute, she almost regretted coming, and she felt the anger rising up in her again - the same anger she had felt the last time they had been together.

"He's dead," Shelby stated matter-of-factly. "Overdosed two days ago. Peter just called me this morning."

Daisy froze as she reeled from the sting of Shelby's proclamation. Her mind was suspended in temporary disbelief. This wasn't really happening, she told herself. It was the alcohol, not reality. She closed her eyes, trying to shut out the rest of the world so she could focus on the truth, but when she opened her eyes again, Shelby was still there, waiting.

"Dais, did you hear me?"

She wasn't sure if she nodded or not as she seemed to have gone completely numb. Shelby was still talking, but all Daisy could hear was the low hum of the television and the thump-thump of her heart pounding in her ears. She closed her eyes and slowly beat her hands against her face, trying to regain some feeling. She wasn't sure how long she sat like that until she suddenly felt very warm, and she realized that Shelby's arms were wrapped around her, protecting her. Slowly, her body righted itself, and it was then that she felt the warm tears that had been pouring down her face.