So here we are. The last chapter. At least i think it's the last one. I've been writing this story for so long, it feels kinda strange to be at the end. But i really appreciated all of your patience and support, and I hope you enjoy reading.

I kissed him. And it was every bit as good as I had imagined it to be.

In fact, it was better.

It should be noted that all kissing knowledge I had was from movies, and that I wasn't particularly inclined to copy most of it. I wasn't much of a fan of those kisses where you stuck your tongue down your partner's throat or sucked their face off. So I didn't try to inflict any poor copies of dramatic movie kisses on Quasi, who probably would've been turned off physical contact forever if I did. Instead, I cupped his face in my hands and pressed my lips to his, moving them experimentally to fit his lop-sided mouth. I felt him breathe in sharply and his face warm under my fingers, and his hands found my sides and held me lightly, as much to steady himself as to figure out what to do with them. It may not have been a movie-worthy kiss, but it was enough to send the butterflies into rampages.

"Hey, Mich, that wa-"

The voice behind me trailed off into shocked silence. I wasn't surprised. I wasn't phased, either. In fact, I didn't particularly care about anyone else just then. As the footsteps faded behind me, I pulled away and smiled shyly.

"Sorry. I've been wanting to do that for a while."

Quasi looked shaken, eyes wide and mouth open slightly, flushed to his roots. "D-don't be s-s-sorry," he stammered, and I giggled, strangely pleased at his state. Maybe I was cruel, but I did enjoy seeing him flustered.

The lateness of the hour and the excitement of everything must've caught up with me, because something compelled me to brush my fingers over the skin under his jaw and find his pulse, which was racing at a mile a minute. "Wow, excited much?" I teased, grinning deviously.

I didn't think it was possible for him to blush any more. Apparently I was wrong.

I could've gone on for a while, but it felt mean to fluster him anymore, not matter how tempting. Instead, I stepped back and grabbed his hands. "You were amazing up there. I'm so proud."

"Agreed." We looked over at Johanna, who winked at me before approaching us with open arms. I was sure she had caught the entire kiss (if the look she gave me was anything to go by) but I accepted her hug, a little less uncomfortable in the knowledge that she approved of our relationship and resulting affections. "I had no idea you were so talented! Both of you were so inspiring! The speech was a nice touch, Mich, although I'm afraid to ask what you were alluding to."

"Oh, that." I looked at Quasi, whose expression had turned serious, and sighed. "That was not a good time. Some people go too far in search for fun, and Quasi suffered for it."

"I was stupid," Quasi added softly. "I didn't listen to her. She tried to help me, and I didn't listen. It was my own fault."

"It's in the past now." I shook my head, not wanting to go into all that stuff again, and changed the subject. "What I really can't believe is that you actually agreed to get up on that stage by yourself, in front of everyone, and sing. A duet is one thing, but I definitely wouldn't have been able to do a solo."

He shrugged and smiled a little."You were there. I wasn't afraid because I knew you were there. I knew it would be ok."

I stared at him, open-mouthed, as my heart did a few somersaults. "Johanna... I think I've created a mo-" I stopped suddenly, realising the phrase was probably the worst possible choice, and tried to backtrack. "A, um, a charmer. Your cousin has become quite the smooth guy."

"So I've noticed." She looked like she was trying to suppress a laugh, but her eyes were sad. "I'm quite proud. And you know who else would be proud?"

"Who?"

She smiled a sad little smile. "Your mother."

Quasi nodded slowly, dropping his eyes to the ground, and I reached for his hand and squeezed it. We stood in silence for a moment, listening to the noise around us slowly dissipate as people filtered out of the hall to their cars, until someone cleared a throat behind us and we turned to see the girls waiting in the doorway.

"Oh." I frowned, realising that it was late and we had school the next day. Johanna probably wanted to leave, too. "I think my friends are waiting for me. I guess... I should go."

Johanna nodded. "We should get going, too."

"His bag is in the car. I'll be right back." I dropped his hand and ran to find Dez's mum, who was more than ready to leave by now. A few moments and I was back, handing over the backpack and realising that this was the start of Quasi's new life. I couldn't stop the lump from growing in my throat, despite the fact that nothing had anything to do with me anymore, so I just hugged them both and left, not wanting to drag it out any more than necessary. There would be time for that later.

Later. Which was two days away.

That was definitely not a tear I wiped away as I got into the car.

The car ride home was noisy and distracting. Dez's mum gushed about the performances and praised us for our skills, and Em and Beck chattered on about... something. Dez and I were quiet, tired out from the nerves of performing. She cleaned her clarinet, while I just curled up in the jumper I had retrieved from backstage, ready to sleep. I wasn't up for anymore social interaction that night, and though I sensed that she had questions, I was grateful that she knew not to interrogate me just then.

I got home and collapsed into my bed, desperate to find sleep and solitude from my thoughts. It took me a while, but surprisingly, I did fall asleep. My mind didn't stop, however- it just continued on into my dreams, picture flickering behind my eyes like old movie frames. I kept seeing fists and the look of terror on Quasi's face right before he was pulled back into his room. I saw violence, and fear, and anger. And then I saw music, and hope, and green. The feel of lips on mine. It made for a restless night.

When I woke the next morning, still in last night's clothes, I was exhausted. As I got ready for the day, showering and dressing and eating without much thought to what I was doing, I wondered what I was supposed to do now. All our planning, all our nerves and practicing and support... everything had payed off. It had worked. We had won. And now? What now? What was I supposed to focus on without the wolf at my heels?

How could I go back to the way I was before?

With that thought came the ever-present dread of Friday. I had less than 36 hours left before Quasi was gone forever. With everything else that had been happening of late, I don't think my heart had caught up with my mind and realised that the love of my life would disappear very soon. The clock was ticking.

Never had I wanted to get to school in such a hurry.

I lie- it wasn't school I wanted to get to. It was Quasi. When I walked through the gates that morning and realised that most of the grade twelves and half of the elevens had taken the day off, (because, hello, second-last day of school!) I didn't really want to be there either. Now, bear in mind that in my eleven years of schooling (twelve if you count pre-school) I had never in my life even thought about skipping school. It had never occurred to me at all. Knowing me and my rebellious streak as you now do, you wouldn't be surprised to hear that once it DID cross my mind, I ran with it.

"Hey Kaz, good news. You won't be needing those today," I called as I approached our lockers and nodded at the books in his arms.

"Why?"

"Because you're coming with me." I eased them out of his arms and back into the locker, then grabbed his hand and pulled him away. "Let's go."

"What... where are we going?"

"To celebrate."

Maybe that was enough for him, because he let me lead him out the gates, across the road and over the bridge towards the shopping village.

Sometimes I wondered if he would let me lead him over a cliff.

I went into the local Woollies and picked out a chocolate cake and some soft drinks, and we climbed up the embankment next to the overpass and lay on the grass, soaking up the sun. It was warm and comfortable, the air tolerably humid before the sun got too high, and I kicked off my shoes and unbuttoned my collar. Stretching out on the grass with a yawn, I looked over at Quasi and noticed how the sun glinted off his wavy red hair and seemed to set it on fire. I wanted to run my hands through it, but restrained myself and settled for looking. He, in turn, sat back with his legs crossed and pulled out his notebook and a pencil and started to draw.

"So, uh, what's happening now?" I asked him eventually. "What's being done about Frollo?"

"Oh..." He paused his drawing, "Th-there's going to be a t-trial today. Johanna says there's no way he won't go to jail."

"Oh, thank god. What are you going to do now?"

"Johanna's contacted some family." He took a breath. "My... family. I-I heard her mention Gladstone."

I had known this was coming for a long time, but hearing it from him felt like a blow all the same. I squeezed my eyes shut, watching the patterns the sun cast on the insides of my eyelids, and tried not to sound like I was about to cry. "S-so you are leaving."

"Yes."

"When?"

"As soon as school finishes."

"Oh," was all I could say.

He glanced at me, then went back to drawing. After a moment, he asked quietly, "Did you know this was going to happen?"

His voice was hoarse, like he was holding back tears, and I had to swallow the lump in my throat before I answered. "Yes. Well... I-I knew that you'd have to find a new place if our plan worked. I knew that it was very improbable that Johanna would find somewhere close. I've been expecting this for quite a while."

"And you still... you still helped me. You still-"

"How could I not?" I sat up, my fists digging into the grass. "You were in trouble. I couldn't let my feelings get in the way of your happiness. Th-that's just what you do... when you love someone."

He looked up, and I could see the tears swimming in his eyes. "I've never met anyone who did so much for me. Thank you."

I could feel my chin trembling, but I didn't want to be the one to break down. I turned away and stared at the shopping centre, willing myself to get it together. "I've never met anyone who made me want to do so much. You are an extraordinary person, Quasimodo."

I heard a sniff, and a whisper. "How am I going to leave?"

"You'll leave." I drew my knees up to my chest. "You'll go and start a new life on your own, make friends, figure out your way in the world. Everything is open to you now. Go and busk in the city. Go and open a crafts shop. Nothing is holding you back."

"But... how am I going to leave you?"

The tears were burning my eyes now, but I stubbornly held them back and turned to him, trying to smile. "Oh, you'll be fine without me. You'll meet other people, find someone who appreciates you. You'll be happy."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

I shook my head, too exhausted by sadness to argue. "This isn't all there is, you know. There is life beyond your house or the school or this godforsaken town. You can find it, and you can live it. Can't you do that, for me?"

He was silent, staring down at his notebook, his pencil clutched tightly in his hand. At length he glanced up, tilted his head, and uttered three words. "Tilt your head."

I frowned and did so, looking back over the carpark as I felt him study my profile. The silence stretched out as he nodded to himself and went back to drawing, and I held my pose and wondered if I could even take my own advice. Sure, there was life after Quasi, I knew that. I had been fine before I met him, and I would be fine when he left. But he had affected my life so much that the thought of never seeing him again was physically painful. I needed to find life and live it myself. I needed to get back to reality.

But it hurt.

"It's hard for me too, you know." I heard him pause, then resume drawing. "You've become a part of my life. It's going to break my heart to see you go. It already is. But I did what I had to do. You know that, right? I couldn't have just left things the way they were. I don't regret what I-" I stopped, laughed, and sang the last few words. "-what I did for love!" He looked at me- I could feel his quizzical stare without seeing it- and I shook my head. "It's a song from a musical. About dancing. But it could apply here too."

"Could you... sing it?"

I wrinkled my nose. "I don't really sound great on my own. And it's a very... operatic song."

"Please?"

Who could resist such a request? I sighed and shrugged. "Alright, if you want."

"I-It's just... it might be the last time."

He was right. This probably was my last chance to sing to him, and while I didn't really want to sing by myself, he had made a valid request. And it wasn't like he would judge me on my voice. So I cleared my throat and breathed deeply, and started the song.

"Kiss today goodbye,
The sweetness and the sorrow.
Wish me luck, the same to you.
But I can't regret
What I did for love, what I did for love..."

He put down his pencil to watch me, and I turned to face him, smiling a little as I sang to him, hoping the tears in my eyes wouldn't affect my voice.

"Look my eyes are dry..."

"Liar," he whispered, studying my face, and I sniffed, my voice wavering a little.

"The gift was ours to borrow.
It's as if we always knew,
And I won't forget what I did for love,
What I did for love.

Gone,
Love is never gone.
As we travel on,
Love's what we'll remember."

I reached for his hand, and he took mine, blinking away his own tears.

"Kiss today goodbye,
And point me t'ward tomorrow.
We did what we had to do.
Won't forget, can't regret
What I did for
Love."

Here I stopped, unable to sing through the huge lump in my throat. Quasi squeezed my hand, and I chuckled dryly, wiping my eyes. "Look at us. This is ridiculous. You're not even leaving yet and we can't keep it together."

"I just... don't want to go."

"Neither do I. But you gotta. So that's it." I pulled away and reached for the cake. "While we're here, let's drown our sorrows in chocolate cake. The least it can do is send us on a sugar high."

So that's what we did. We ate half a cake and drank a few bottles of soft drink, and relaxed on the grass. As far as rebellion went, I'd say it was the nicest illegal day out I'd ever been on. Not that I had been on many. But still.

I timed our exit five minutes before the home bell rang, giving us just enough time to get to school and be picked up. And it may have been the sugar, but I was surprisingly fine about the fact that we now had exactly 24 hours before Quasi left forever.

That afternoon, I was helping Angie with a last minute maths assignment, trying to explain a rule that I barely understood myself. She was hoping to get into an advanced class in the next year, and for some reason thought that because I was older, I would be able to help her with it. I had laughed and laughed when she suggested it, but despite my below average abilities I was trying my best to figure it out for her. We were halfway through a problem when she decided to raise a startling question.

"Mich, are you in love with someone?"

My heart gave a great jump, but I managed to remain calm. "What? Why would you ask that?"

She shrugged. "You're always distracted or in a hurry. You sing a lot more, and you look stressed and jumpy. I wouldn't usually see that as love symptoms, but you're weird, so things are different with you."

My jaw dropped. "Weird? You think that because I'm a bit stressed, that means I'm in love, because I'm weird?"

"You've changed. Something's changed you. It cant be anything else, because you don't care about anything. It has to be a person."

"You don't know what you're talking about."

She grinned, twirling her pencil with her long, thin fingers. "It's that ugly boy, isn't it? Kasi-something?"

"His name is Quasimodo. And he's not ugly."

"I knew it!"

"Oh, shut up."

"You couldn't have fallen in love with a normal person. That's not how you roll. It had to be the weirdest, most unlikely person in the whole school. Why am I not surprised?"

I didn't want to hear any more. It was bad enough that he was leaving and I would probably never see him again, but now sister was teasing me about him. Well, screw that. I rolled off the bed and headed out the door, ignoring her laughing apologies and appeals to return, and stomped into the kitchen to practice my ritual of staring into the cupboard without the intention of taking anything.

"There's nothing new in there today. I'm not shopping till tomorrow." Mum poured herself a glass of water and eyed me over the top. "I thought you were helping Angie."

"She's annoying me."

"Ah. Nothing new there either." She waited a beat while I pulled out the almost-empty Nutella jar, thought better of it and put it back. "Mich, are you alright?"

"Actually, I'm half left." I closed the cupboard and moved on to the fridge. Hmm, mandarins...

"Is everything going ok at school?"

"It's nearly over, mum. What could possibly be going on?" I picked up a half-empty dip and a packet of carrots and kicked the fridge shut.

She finished her water and leaned against the bench, watching as I got out a cutting board and knife. "I don't know. You don't talk much anymore. You seem kind of... distant. Is there something bothering you? You know you can to me with anything, right?"

"I know." I started on the carrots, chopping off the ends and cutting them in half. "I'm sorry. Everything's been very hectic lately, but after tomorrow it'll be gone. Don't worry. I'm fine."

"Do you want it talk about whatever's been bothering you?"

"God, mum, can you give it a rest?" I bit my lip, knowing without seeing that she was hurt. "I'm sorry. I just don't wanna talk about it, ok? It's not important."

She nodded, frowning a little. "Alright. I know it's hard. You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. Just realise that you're young, and it take a while to figure this romance stuff out."

I stilled my knife, casting her a sidelong glance as she started to walk away. "What? Who said anything about romance?"

She smiled at me over her shoulder. "I was teenager too, a few hundred years ago. I'm not completely stupid."

I sighed. Of course everyone would've been able to see through my protective layer. I should've known by now that I was pretty transparent to the people who knew me best. My mother only wanted to help- why keep her in the dark trying to hide something she already guessed at?

"He's leaving." The words were out before I could stop them. I cleared my throat as she turned and nodded, motioning for me to continue. "My... friend. He's moving to Gladstone tomorrow. I'm never going to see him again. I'm happy for him- it means a better life. I can't begrudge him that. But it's hard."

"And does this friend know how you feel about him?"

"Yes."

"And does he return it?"

"Yes."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"Don't be." I smiled a little. "It's out of my control. It was nice while it lasted, but now it has to end. I've reconciled myself to that." Mum smiled a mushy kind of smile at me, a tender look in her eyes, and I scowled. "What? Stop it. Why are you giving me that look?"

"Because you're all grown up, and I don't know how I missed it."

"You're such a cheese, mum."

"You love me."

"Yes I do. But you're still a cheese."

She laughed and left me to my carrots, which I no longer felt like eating. Annoyed, I wrapped them in a plastic bag and returned them to the fridge, and glanced at the clock.

I totally wasn't counting the minutes.

Friday dawned hot and sunny and obnoxiously bright. As I threw the sheets off me and groaned at the thought of a beautiful Australian summer, I felt like the walls were closing in on me. It was only morning, and already the air felt like I could swim in it. Was it even worth getting up? Just the idea of spending a day like this at school was horrifying.

Except... It was Quasi's last day.

Of course it was worth it.

I dragged myself around the house, loudly complaining to anyone who would listen that I was going move to Canada or die from the heat. I was largely ignored, as this was something I did every summer and they were all used to it. But Rose did ask if she could live with me, and then Katie told me solemnly that she would visit me when she was married to Dez's brother Richie. That put me in a slightly better mood, leaving Angie and Del to complain about still having two more weeks of school left and that it wasn't fair that seniors got to finish early.

Honestly, I would've been ok with having two more weeks of school if I knew Quasi would be there.

And there went my good mood.

I got to school without much of a hassle, and melted as soon as I got out of the car. I was so glad I wasn't wearing makeup that day.

School was... school. It was almost like a normal day, except there was less schoolwork and more Year Twelves crying. We handed in the last of our catch-up work and helped pack up books and things that wouldn't be used for another eight weeks. Most classes were free periods, so things got a little hectic. I hung out with Em or Quasi, depending on the class, and stayed out of everyone's way. Things were going ok.

Until second break, that is.

I met Quasi at our lockers. We got our food, started heading for the cafeteria. As we passed the doors leading outside, however, we were suddenly pulled away by some familiar faces- Esme's former followers, our new friends who shared their lunch table with us sometimes. They dragged us outside, chattering excitedly and all at once.

"Wait, you can't go yet!"

"Hang on, we have to show you something."

"Come this way."

We followed them, no idea of what was to come. They led us to the clump of trees outside the music room and told us to wait, so we did. A few others had started to gather too. Well, I say a few, but I really mean about 20. They talked among themselves, wondering why they were here, and I realised our friends were amassing a crowd. For what? I was starting to worry, but I couldn't for the life of me think of what they could be doing.

I think it hit me when I saw the girl on the roof. She was carrying a bucket, and wearing the broadest grin I had ever seen. And as I looked around and caught sight of Esme Azarola heading towards our gathering with another of group, I flashed back to that lunchtime when I had told them that under no circumstances were they to get revenge on Esme, because we didn't want to sink to her level. Those non-committal shrugs and sly looks that hadn't instilled me with any kind of confidence.

Oh god no.

I grabbed Quasi's arm and tried to call a warning, but the words stuck in my throat. There was a hush as Esme passed under the roof and the bucket tipped. Green slime poured like a shiny ribbon though the air and splashed onto her, coating her perfect curly hair and dripping over her clothes.

The worst thing was her scream. It was shrill, frightened, when the slime first touched her, but as it spread all over her, it ended on an angry note. There was silence as she stumbled away from the roof and tripped on those stupid heeled shoes she still wore, landing on the grass with a thump. Then the laughter started. The crowd around me broke out into raucous laughter, making fun of the girl who had finally got what she deserved. I found myself chuckling at it too, before realising that this was exactly what I hadn't wanted. Six months ago this would've been a dream come true for me, to finally see the bitch get a taste of her own medicine. But things had changed. Revenge wasn't sweet. I didn't like this at all.

Next to me, Quasi was silent, but his eyes betrayed his disapproval. He had never wanted revenge, only some peace. I guess I wanted to the same. And suddenly, I knew exactly what to do.

I pushed my way through the crowd and approached the girl on the ground. She looked absolutely ridiculous, covered in slime and grass and leaves, her hair dripping green around her face. I felt sorry for her, for what this meant for her- this was her last day, and she was being humiliated in front of everyone. This was how she would be remembered. Not as the beautiful girl who ruled the school with an iron fist, but as the girl lying in the dirt with green slime on her face. The pathetic bully who was brought down by a bunch of freaks. One of which was me.

I gulped and held out my hand.

She looked up, and the horror and fear in her eyes turned to hatred.

She took my hand and I pulled her up.

And she punched me in the face.

I stumbled back, my face on fire. Everything was wet- my eyes with tears, and my nose with blood. And it hurt- God did it hurt. I thought I was dying until I realised she was screaming at me. And everyone else was yelling. Some chanted 'fight, fight, fight!' while others were gathered around me, asking if I was ok, if I needed the nurse, if I needed ice, if my nose was broken. Still others were gathered around Esme, holding her back and telling her to calm down.

"Don't tell me to calm down!" she screamed at them, then addressed me. "You've ruined my life, you little bitch! I hope you're happy now."

She said a few more things that I don't think are worth repeating. Sufficed to say, she hated my guts.

Soon enough, an ice pack and some tissues appeared. I cleaned myself up as well as I could and held the ice pack to my face, wondering if something really was broken and cursing the genius who thought the prank was a good idea.

Maybe you should be cursing the genius who thought helping her was a good idea.

Oh shove off.

Then Quasi was there, grabbing my free hand and asking if I was alright, and hands were on my shoulders leading me away. Most of the noise faded as we headed back towards the office, and I heard the teacher who was steering me say that I would be fine, I just needed to get to sickbay and let the nurse take a look, and why was I fighting on the last day of school?

"I'm ok," I kept saying. "I'm ok."

And I was. She didn't really punch my nose. She got my cheek, mostly, and knocked my nose on the way. I wasn't hard to do, given it's size, and I was surprised she missed it. I suppose anger clouds the mind. The slime in her eyes probably didn't help either.

So there was most of lunchtime gone. I was fine after about half an hour, my face tender but not so much that I couldn't eat or talk. I spent a quiet English class writing fan fiction and trying to explain it to a random girl who liked reality TV. What fun.

And then the home bell rang.

Quasi and I met at the lockers again. He spent about five minutes making sure that I was ok, which doesn't sound long but it really is when you have to keep reassuring someone that your face isn't broken. When we'd established that I wasn't going to die, we packed all of our stuff into our bags and carried what wouldn't fit. As I dragged my feet out the door, a heavy feeling settled in my chest that managed to take my mind off my face. This was it. This was the end of everything.

We tried to drag time out, but all too soon we were at the carpark, and Johanna's car was waiting. She waved at us from her seat, but didn't seem in too much of a hurry. We stood there for a moment, staring at each other, unsure of how to say goodbye, until Quasi remembered something and pulled his journal out of his bag.

"Here. I-I want you to have this."

I took it from him, carefully brushing my fingers over the worn cover. "Are you sure?"

"Yes."

I zipped it into a pocket in my bag. Then I dropped my books and bag and threw my arms around him, pulling him close. He dropped everything and wrapped his strong arms around me, holding me tight.

I didn't want to let go. I didn't want him to leave. I had been through this scenario in my head hundreds of times, tried to figure out how I would act when the time came, but I could never have imagined that way I felt just then. My heart was breaking in a million little pieces. My chest physically hurt, a different kind of hurt to getting punched in the face. This was like someone had lit a fire inside me. Like something deep inside was splitting open.

I buried my face in his shoulder as he held me tightly. All I could think about that that I needed him. I needed his arms around me, needed him to hold me and whisper that we'd find a way to be together. But that was stupid. I had always known that. It was stupid to think we had a chance of seeing each other again, and it was stupid to torture myself with pointless wishing. But I wasn't strong enough to leave. I didn't want to to let go of him. I wanted to keep him here and tell him how much I loved him, how beautiful he was, how everything was better when he was around and how he was the only person I cared about in the world. But my throat was thick and aching and my tears were blurring my eyes so much I couldn't see. I was terrified and useless and so, so sad.

I shifted my head and let out a sob. Quasi held me tight for a few moments more until finally his arms gave me a light squeeze. I knew what that meant, so I looked up at him one last time before I let go. His cheeks were wet, and his beautiful lips turned up at the corners in a sad smile before I watched him turn and walk away.

I stood there long after he had gotten into the car and Johanna had driven away, waving. The car disappeared into traffic and was gone, and I turned and picked up my things, rubbing my eyes. Heading towards my mother's car, I didn't even trying to fake a smile when she asked me how my day was.

"Fine," I said blankly, crossing my arms as I settled into my seat. All I could feel was absence, the emptiness where a body used to be in my arms. "I'm just fine."

I'd like to say that I went home and sighed a bit, shed a tear or two and got on with my life. That's what I'd like to say, but it couldn't be further from the truth. I didn't even cry myself to sleep, because I didn't end up sleeping that night. But I cried. Oh, how I cried. I tried to keep it down so that I wouldn't disturb my roommate with my ugly weeping, but I'm pretty sure she woke up sometime around midnight.

Finally, when my tears had run out and my eyes and throat ached like I had been through a fire, I wandered out into the living room with a certain notebook and settled down to read. There I stayed until the morning, flicking through pages of doodles and artwork and scrawled poetry and lyrics. A few sheets of paper were folded among the pages- the sketches of his mother and me, and some new ones that I recognized as the photos his mother had left for him, copied down just for me. At the back of the book was a picture- the picture he had drawn the day before. I was sitting on the grass, hugging my knees and gazing into the distance. It wasn't a particularly beautiful or elegant drawing of me, but he had managed to put his own flavour into it. I saw myself through his eyes, and if I had had any energy or tears left, I probably would've cried again.

I got up sometime before sunrise to make myself a coffee- just instant, as the machine would've woken everybody up- and snuck out the back door with my mug and my blanket to sit outside. The grass was dry and the air was cool, and I breathed in deeply, taking in the freshness of the morning. Somewhere above me, a bird started to chirp, and then another and another. The sky was lightening and a breeze was starting to blow; I wrapped myself in my blanket and sipped my coffee, feeling a little less dead.

Somewhere in the east, the sun was rising. I watched the colours change around me and knew that i was going to be ok. I was sad and broken-hearted, but it wouldn't kill me.

Quasi was unexpected. I truly had not expected him, his effect on my mind and feelings. He had slipped into the cracks in my heart like a shadow and lodged there quietly. He was the calming sound of the light pitter-patter of drizzle on a summer night in my boring, ordinary life. Barely discernible, but always there. I had fought to establish a special friendship, and tried to ignore it when it turned into something more. I had almost missed something so precious. And now, even though it felt like half of me was gone, I knew I had done the right thing. Because of me, Quasi would have a better life. That was something to be proud of. And that other half of me would grow back, and I would be stronger for it.

I sighed and closed my eyes, cradling my mug and feeling the early morning breeze on my face. And I knew that everything was going to be ok.

I didn't expect it to be this long. I actually wanted to add more, but it didn't really fit.

So, its over. To all those who stuck with me through this ridiculous story:

kamikaze-djali

sticksbranchesroots

Antikreativ

karisdaae24601

Snakespur

palpablefantasy

Tineyboppa

Sarah

Darkfire333

rapunzel101

Doctor Pot8osoup

Reviewer

ChibiFelicia

Mrs. Gold

Dancinconverse

Anony mouse101

Guest

and all the reviews I lost when I re-wrote the story. Thank you all for your continued support and reviews and I hope you enjoyed reading this. I've certainly enjoyed entertaining you.

Eventually, I will write a sequel or two. I feel there is more to be told about these characters, and I've plotted out some things I'd like to write. I can't say when I'll start, but I'm definitely going to get into it.

Thank you again. See you later!