I'm skipping ahead three years. That's kinda important. Also, I wrote this as the finale, but I decided to keep writing it. So it probably has the tone of an ending, but believe me, there's a lot more to go. Future chapters will be placed under the title 'Forget Me Not' as a sequel.

"You need to file those folders before you leave, Carson," said Patrick, my boss. "You'll get your pay for today docked if you leave to go home without finishing what you started."

Gaping in disbelief at his lack of understanding for people who actually have lives, I walked over to his desk briskly. "Are you insane? I have been working my ass off for the past five hours. I have to get to school in less than an hour, and it's on the other side of town." I was in college. Nothing too prominent, but a decent college, no less.

Patrick just shook his head. "You obviously haven't worked hard enough. And it was your choice to go to a school so far away from your job," he said. Fucking snob.

"Patrick, I have an exam today. I'm not allowed to be late."

He shrugged. "Then leave. It'll be another five dollars docked from your daily pay."

"Patrick!"

"Your decision, Carson."

I stared at him helplessly. Even at the party that the office had for his coworker the week before, he continued to do his work, not eating cake with the rest of us. And he actually docked all of our daily pay by five dollars for the day. Like he was threatening to do now.

He was kind of a geek. Not a bad-looking one. He was twenty-eight years old, and kind of cute when he took off his glasses. But Patrick despised me. Or so it seemed. Probably because my dad had gotten me this job through Patrick's boss, without his consent, and he couldn't even fire me because he wasn't the one who hired me.

So, defeated, I went to pick up the manila folders and took them to the file room. "Alexis, what are you still doing here?" Georgia, a woman who worked in the same office, said, stopping me. "It's already two o'clock. You have to get to school, don't you?"

"Yep. But Pat wants these filed, and I can't afford to lose anymore of my paycheck."

Georgia rolled her eyes and took half the pile. "I'll do these for you later. That should save you some time."

I smiled gratefully. "Thank you so much, Georgia." But I had to hurry still. Class started at three, and it was already after two. I ran into the file room, thinking of ways I could murder Patrick without being caught.

Unfortunately, it was two thirty by the time I was done. I literally ran out of the office. "Thank you, Carson," said Patrick monotonously as I passed his desk. I wished I could slap him.

I swung the glass door of the office building open. Free at last! Of course I was grateful to my father for getting me such a good job to support myself while I was in college. But it was really boring. I'd been working there for a year and I still couldn't make myself have fun while answering phones and filing papers.

My car was parked down the street, seeing as it was impossible to get parking in this area. It was a new car. One that me and Kyle both went in on. Not that we were dating or anything. He was my dormmate. For now, anyway. It was surprising he ever went to college. But we wanted to buy this new car that cost twice what our cars combined cost. So we saved for two years, and finally got it.

Leslie and I still sort of talked. Not as often as we used to, but we called each other once a week. She was still going out with Derek. I was happy for them. And she still talked to Rena, who was now twenty-four. But not anyone else from that group. Rena still talked to the them, apparently, but Leslie didn't want to be around Pete anymore, and Pete was constantly around the rest. Only Rena made an effort to keep in contact with her still.

Luke moved to Washington after he graduated from Lexington High, and went to the same college as me and Kyle. We were as close as ever.

The sidewalk was crowded with businesspeople walking to one of the lunch places scattered on the block. My Jimmy Choo got caught in one of the cracks in the sidewalk, and I was propelled forward, landing flat on my face. Oh, that's graceful, Alexis.

I cursed the shoes, snatched my purse up off the ground, and stood up, slightly disoriented. One guy actually had the nerve to stop walking and stare at me. So what if I was a klutz?

Being in a bad mood and already late to class, I stared back. He was kind of tall. Brown hair. Blue eyes. I looked closer. "Oh my fucking God! Are you actually here!" I screamed, running at him and tackling him with a hug. He probably would've fallen down on the sidewalk if he hadn't realized just in time that I was about to attack him.

"You--you're in Washington!" I said, unable to contain my excitement at seeing Matt again. But finally I calmed myself, seeing as he couldn't stop laughing over my energetic reaction to seeing him. "What are you doing here?"

Matt shrugged. "I'm visiting for a while with my friends. We actually just ate lunch and then split up for the day." I knew he was referring to Ben, Angie, Fry, and everyone else by friends. "How are things here for you?"

"They're all right," I said with a small shrug. "I have a part-time job at this office, and I'm going to college the rest of the time. Not very exciting, but at least I have friends to hang out with now."

He smiled. "I was wondering if you were gonna decide to go to college."

"Of course I did."

"Good," he said. We stood there in a weird silence for a minute. "I'm in Washington for another week," said Matt suddenly. "I want to go out with you sometime while I'm here."

I shifted my weight awkwardly. "You mean like a date?" He nodded, looking at me as if this should have been obvious. "Well I thought maybe Megan was among the friends you brought here with you..."

Matt laughed a little. "She met a guy. We didn't try to get back together after you left. I figured she couldn't have been right for me if I cared more for you after less than three months than I cared for her after so many years." That made me cringe. I felt like a homewrecker and a heartbreaker. "So will you go out with me tomorrow night? We're going to a club to see if California does it better," he laughed.

"Uh. That probably isn't the best idea... Luke and I have been together for a little over a year," I said nervously. "Actually just last week, he kind of...proposed to me. We're getting married in June," I added, holding my hand out to show him the ring. It wasn't silver because I didn't want a ring that reminded me of the one Matt had given me, and Luke knew that.

He just laughed slightly. "Wouldn't have asked you out if I knew that," he said awkwardly.

I bit my lip, as I always did when I was nervous or awkward. "It isn't for another six months," I said. "But I'll send you an invitation if you want to come. Would that be weird?"

"Yes. But I want to go anyway."

"Good, because I want to see you again. I still have your number in my cell phone," I smiled. "I'll call you closer to the wedding date. Anyway, I have to get to class, I'm already so late. But it was good to see you again."

"Yeah, you too."

I smiled again and walked in the direction I was originally walking. Once in the car, I started the engine up. It had to warm up since it was a cold day in December. Then I turned in my seat. Matt was no longer where we stood talking. He was gone, and it was better that way.