IDEA: Yesturday I was thinking, and I came to the conclusion that I'm not so sure about this name. For anyone who doesn't know, "I'm Feeling Lucky" basically means at first she feels unlucky that Dylan has to live with them, and then when she comes to like him, she feels lucky and happier. I dont know how much I like it now, but I was thinking of, when the story was finished of course, to call it "Her Ideal Man". So yeah, what do you guys think?

"What is love and what does it define?

Who's to say it,

and who's to draw the line?

And in this world,

and all of its fuss,

who's to say it's love or just a simple crush?"

-- unknown.

Seventeen

Another Note

Gingerly, Abbey threw herself on her waiting bed and buried her head in the fluffy pillow. School had let out an hour ago but she’d skipped the entire day without explanation to anyone. She’d spent the time trying to get some reading in but her heart had been elsewhere and she couldn’t seem to concentrate. She knew that she wouldn’t get any sleep, especially when Dylan was coming home soon. Her heart began beating a little faster at the thought of him. He always made her happy, even if he was picking on her. Sighing, Abbey stretched her arms out and opened her eyes.

Abbey’s brow creased as she spotted a small piece of white paper propped on her bedside table. It was very curious to her that she hadn’t noticed it before but it looked so innocent, just sitting there The words were a different matter, though. She recognized the writing from the day she’d found the note in her locker—but she’d thought nothing of it and thrown it away. Of course, someone obviously wanted her to read what they had to say. But did she want to read it? Sighing deeply, Abbey snatched the note from the table and scanned her eyes over it.

Abbey,

We’re the most unlikely of lovers, I know that. And for a long time now, you haven’t seen me. But I truly feel as if you’re The One.

Maybe I’m crazy, I don’t know. But you’ve been ignoring me, and I guess this is my way of letting you know I’m still here.

I love you, Abbey. And you may not believe that, especially after everything that’s happened between us, but I really do love you, more than anything else in the world.

I’d give you the sun, the moon and the stars if I could.

If only I could.

Her first thought was of Jamie but she pushed that idea away when she realized this certainly wasn’t his elegant writing. This was definitely from the same person as the last note. And even though they’d only sent two, it was freaking her out. Who had access to her room? Why hadn’t she noticed the note before? Of course, she’d been to busy thinking about Dylan—but she wasn’t blind. Groaning, she threw the paper away and rolled over on her bed. Maybe it was from Dylan himself. Abbey shook her head immediately after she thought of that. He didn’t like her that way. Thinking of Dylan reminded her of the confession she was to make that afternoon and it scared her out of her mind.

“Hey, are you okay?” His voice sent shivers up her spine as her eyes made contact with his dark blue ones when he came into the room. He smiled at her. “You look like you’ve just seen a ghost.” He frowned, “What happened to your face?” Dylan reached out to touch her but Abbey flinched backwards.

“Nothing, I just walked into a wall, that’s all.” She hated lying—especially to him.

“Abbey, you didn’t walk into a wall—you aren’t that stupid, even though sometimes you make me wonder...” His dark eyes swirled, “Someone did this to you. I know that, for sure. Was it Jamie?” He hissed. “I’ll kill that bastard for touching you, I swear, Abbey. Don’t worry; I’ll take care of him for you, you can tell me. Don’t let him scare you into being quiet about it. No man should hit a woman.” They way he looked at her—protectively, possessively—made Abbey wonder if he might happen to like her the way she liked him. It could have been possible, but highly unlikely.

Abbey shook her head furiously. “I walked into a wall!” she pressed. “Why do you automatically assume it was Jamie? Maybe he’s sorry for what he’s done.” Immediately after she said this, she wished she could take it back.

His eyes darkened considerably as he stared intensely at her. Quickly, Dylan took her hand and sat down beside her. “Red,” he muttered. “You’ve got this personality where you can’t stay mad at anyone. You find good in everything—even if they don’t believe it. That’s why you are such an amazing person,” he stroked her cheek. “You can forgive. But I cannot. I hold onto the past. I won’t let anyone walk all over you, especially Jamie. Listen to me. He will hurt you—just to get to me, and I know that. People like Jamie, they aren’t sorry for their sins. They do it because they can. Because they have the money to get them out of it.”

“I know.” Abbey whispered, wishing she could kiss him. “But maybe he’s scared you won’t accept his apology.”

“And he’s right. No amount of apologies could make up for what he’s done to me and my family. It’s too late for us now.” His eyes softened as they stared back at her, making Abbey fall deeper than she’d been before. She loved him—with all her heart. “You have to tell me who did this to you.” Abbey cringed as the tips of his fingers brushed over the bruise. She hoped he’d never see the bruises on her stomach. “Please, Red, you can tell me.”

“I walked into a wall.”

Growling, Dylan turned and slammed his fist into the desk furiously. “Dammit, Red! Don’t you see that I’m worried here?” he glanced over at her frightened expression, and sighed. “You can’t let people get away with doing things like that, you just can’t. Everyone has the right to feel safe and warm and you don’t look like you feel safe at all. Nobody has the right to hurt you like this. Don’t let them walk all over you. This isn’t like you.”

“I feel safe around you.” Abbey whispered, just low enough so he couldn’t hear her.

“What?” he frowned, “I didn’t quite catch that?”

“I said, I walked into a wall.”

She hated making him worried and she desperately wanted to tell him that it was Linda—but she couldn’t. She didn’t want him to think she was a weak, stupid little girl who got beaten up by some insanely jealous woman in a fit of rage. Her pride was at stake. And then there was also the matter of Dylan and whether or not he actually believed her. Linda was his girlfriend after all, and who was she? His best friend’s little sister. Dylan had no reason to believe anything Abbey said and he probably wouldn’t. Who would want to believe that their own girlfriend beat people up to get what she wanted? Definitely not Dylan.

She wanted to tell him how she felt. She wanted to explain how he made her heart go crazy whenever he sauntered into the room; the way she could hardly breathe when she thought about him; how she couldn’t get him out of her head, and she thought about him in the strangest of situations. She’d never felt like that about anyone before and, frankly, those feelings really scared her anyway.

“Why do you keep lying to me, Red?” Dylan asked, leaning against the desk and folding his arms across his chest. “What are you afraid of?”

“I’m not lying to you!” Abbey’s eyes grew, and her voice lowered. “I’m not.”

“Then do me a favour.” He growled in response, making her stare at her hands—the guilt she felt was overwhelming. “Next time I try to help you, don’t lie to me through your teeth. Oh, and by the way, let Ryan know that I can’t practice football with him tonight.”

Abbey’s head snapped up to look at him, suddenly worried. “Why not?” she asked.

“Chill out, Red.” He gave her a small smile. “I’m going to Linda’s party.”

“Oh,” Abbey balled up her fists and gnashed her teeth together. “Why do you hang around her? She’s so awful and manipulative. I just don’t know how you can stand her. She’s very self-centered and doesn’t care about anything but money, fashion and guys. Honestly, she’s horrible and absolutely evil. Why do you even go out with her? If I were you, I’d feel sick at thought of being with her.”

“Well you’re not me, are you? And I enjoy her company.” Dylan frowned and shook his head. “Maybe you shouldn’t judge her. There’s more to her than you know, Red. You guys could actually be good friends if you tried. Sure, she’s a little rough around the edges, but she’s got her heart in the right place. Having so much money normally does that to you, Red. You really can’t blame her for the way she is. How about you come to the party with me?”

“No thanks.” Abbey shook her head; she’d never bring herself to go to a party when Dylan most likely would be dancing with other girls. Abbey wasn’t sure if she could handle watching that. “I don’t do parties. I’ve never fancied the idea of getting drunk just for the sake of it, you know?”

“You don’t have to get drunk.” He gave her a condescending look and smiled. “You could just hang out with me. That isn’t so bad, is it?”

Abbey’s heart soared at the idea. Spending some time with him before she told him about her feelings might calm down her nerves, but the fact remained that Linda would be still be there. She didn’t want to face Linda just yet, especially because so little time had passed since she’d paid her a visit in the girl’s bathroom. She wanted so much to go to the party with Dylan, because she knew he’d never let Linda hurt her, but she couldn’t face Linda. She just couldn’t do it.

“That’s okay, you go and have fun. Just be careful and don’t get too drunk.”

“Are you sure?” he frowned, “I’ll write the address to her house down just in case you change your mind. You really need to start getting out more; you can’t just stay inside for the rest of your life. It isn’t healthy, Red.”

“I know.” Abbey sighed. She wanted so much to go with him but she really couldn’t bring herself to. “But I just don’t think I’ll be welcome, okay? Linda doesn’t particularly like me all that much, if you hadn’t noticed. She’s hated me ever since middle school. I don’t get why but she just does.”

Dylan smirked and let out a light chuckle, “Yes I suppose your right. But if you do end up coming, Linda probably won’t notice you—she’ll probably be either too drunk or dancing. She’s actually quite a nice person when she wants to be.”

Abbey watched Dylan spend the next few minutes getting ready. She tried not to stare when he stripped off his clothes down to his boxers and picked out a plain white shirt, baggy ripped jeans and a pair of worn out skater shoes. She suspected he knew she was watching with wide eyes, but she honestly didn’t mind. It would have been the reaction of any teenage girl. Of course, he was probably used to this, since he got more attention than Abbey would have liked wherever he went. But it was hardly his fault; he did look like a Greek god.

“Well, I better go.” Dylan announced once he was finished dressing. He looked over at Abbey tenderly. “Are you sure you don’t want to come? I can wait a little longer while you get ready. I honestly don’t mind, it’s not a problem.”

“No, no.” Abbey smiled far too cheerfully for it to be true and waved him away. “You go have your fun, I’m really not feeling up to it.”

Dylan looked hesitant before striding towards the door, “Maybe you should invite one of your friends over, to keep you company.” He suggested. “Just because you’re not going to a big party doesn’t mean you can’t have fun.” She shot him a horrified look before staring down at her hands. “I mean it, Red. Order a pizza and watch a movie or something. Seriously, just do something enjoyable, okay? You deserve some relaxing time after everything that’s happened.”

“Okay.” She replied, but he’d already left the room, obviously expecting that to be her answer.

Taking his advice, Abbey ignored the empty feeling in her gut and called Amber, Gwen, Georgia and Taylor. After she’d made sure they would all get to her house in the next hour, Abbey cooked some popcorn, ordered a pizza like Dylan had suggested and pulled out her most favourite movie of all time—The Notebook. A good romantic movie always made her feel better, no matter what was going on in her life. When her friends arrived, she immediately broke into tears, and they all crowded around her—obviously extremely worried about her.

“Oh my god!” Georgia gasped, touching her face. “What happened Abbey?”

“Nothing.” She waved away her worries with a flick of her hand.

“That’s not nothing!” Taylor gapped at her face with a stunned expression on her face, “Are you alright?”

“Yes, I’m fine.” She replied quietly, trying to stop crying. She wiped away the tears on her sleeve and sniffed dramatically.

Gwen just stared at Abbey‘s bruised face. “Does it hurt? Shouldn’t you be taking pain-killer’s for that?”

“It’s fine, it stopped hurting after a while.”

Amber merely pulled Abbey into a hug and sighed, “How are you feeling? Did you tell him? What did he say? Are you two together now? Why are you crying? Did he hurt you?”

Abbey let out a little laugh, “Okay I guess. I didn’t tell him. He said nothing. No we aren’t together. I’m crying because I’m upset. And he could never hurt me.” Amber pursed her lips tightly and sighed.

“Who did what say?” Taylor frowned, confused. “Tell who what?” the rest of girls declared their confusion along with her.

“Maybe you should tell them.” Amber suggested gently, wiping away the tears falling from Abbey’s eyes. “They should know, it might make you feel better, Abbs. Get everything off your chest—even the thing that happened with Linda. They deserve to know, they’re your best friends and they’re worried about you. I know I was.”

They sat down in the lounge room, watching Abbey intently with worried expressions. “Today when I ran into the girl’s toilets I realized that I was in love with Dylan.” Before any of the girls could smile, squeal and give her their support, Abbey continued. “I was crying, and Linda came in. She must have snuck in two of her friends into one of the cubicles, because I didn’t notice them. But anyway, I said some things that made her angry, and I wished I hadn’t because I guess she decided that she’d punish me for them. My stomach is covered in bruises just like my face.”

“She can’t do that!” Georgia exclaimed, “You need to tell someone, Abbs. Don’t let her get away with this.”

“No.” Abbey declared, “I want you guys to promise that you won’t tell anyone what I’ve just told you. And I mean nobody; I don’t want this to get out. If I hear anyone talking about it, I’ll know it was one of you guys because nobody else knows.”

They all nodded, albeit reluctantly. “Anyway, Amber came in the toilets and found me. I told her how I felt about Dylan and she told me I should tell him. I haven’t told him yet because I’m scared of what he might say. He doesn’t like me that way, I know he doesn’t, I can just tell. Anyways, he’s gone to Linda’s party and he invited me, but I just couldn’t go, you know? I don’t think I’ll be at school tomorrow, guys. I can’t face her, I just can’t. It’s too soon.”

“We understand,” Gwen took Abbey’s hand and smiled. “When are you going to tell him, though?”

Abbey shrugged, “I really don’t know. I tried to before, but I just couldn’t. He kept asking me about my face. I don’t know why, but I have a sneaking suspicion he might not believe me when I tell him the one who mucked up my face is his girlfriend. Do you really think that’ll go down well? Because I certainly don’t think he’ll take it like a duck to water. He thinks that she’s a good person. I can’t compete with her! She’s popular, beautiful and absolutely adored by him.”

Taylor rolled her eyes, “You are beautiful, popular like her and he adores you too. Why the heck would he put up with your dramatics if he didn’t like you? Come on, Abbs, see the signs!” She grinned and grabbed a piece of pizza. “Besides, if you don’t tell him, you’ll never have him—and he would be one fun boyfriend.” Her eyes glazed over.

Georgia whacked her over the head, “No fantasizing about Abbey’s future husband. Especially in front of her. It’s rude. If you really want to, do it while none of us are around. Honestly.” She shook her head. “Although, I have to hand it to you, Abbey, that boy is pretty fine…”

“Um, guys!” Abbey exclaimed, giving Gwen and Amber worried looks. “Could we please stay focused here and not call Dylan my future husband?”

“Why are you calling my best friend your future husband?” Ryan stood behind the door, his work clothes on and his red hair a mess. Gwen squealed and jumped into his arms, and Ryan’s eyes immediately lit up. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her temple. “Hey, how was your day?” he rested his forehead against hers and smiled as she blushed. The girls watched with smiles on their faces. They all wanted someone like that—to kiss, hold and just talk to when they’d had a bad day.

“It was okay.” Gwen murmured, totally lost in her boyfriend’s eyes. “We’re just helping Abbey with guy troubles.”

Ryan didn’t even look up and start questioning her like he usually would. “Do you want me to leave, then?” his expression dropped. “I don’t want to interrupt anything.”

“No, no.” Gwen replied, wrapping her arms around his waist to hold him there.

It was when they started kissing and Abbey could see tongue that she got completely grossed out. She cringed and took a bite of her pizza. It was almost too romantic and sweet that her best friend and brother were together. They looked perfect in each other’s arms, and Ryan was the one person who made Gwen smile like he was the sun. Gwen was the only thing that brightened Ryan’s day when he’d had a bad one, and they were the best of friends. Abbey had learnt all this once she’d accepted they were together—but that didn‘t mean she still wasn‘t utterly disgusted and even a bit jealous. They had what she wanted with Dylan. Something she knew she’d never get—no matter how she tried.

“Get a freaking room, please!” Amber, thankfully, barked once she’d had enough. Georgia shot her a grateful look.

Gwen blushed red and giggled, “Sorry guys.”

“Don’t apologize to us, say sorry to Abbey. She looks like she’s going to throw up. And frankly, I think my stomach is churning as well.”

Immediately Ryan’s eyes burned as he spotted the bruise, and went in big-brother-protective mode. “What the devil happened to your face?!” he gapped. “Did you get into a fight?” he looked disappointed with her and shook his head. “Honestly, Abbey, mum is going to fry you alive and eat you for breakfast.”

“It wasn’t her fault.” Gwen whacked him on the side of the arm and pouted, “Don’t immediately blame her.”

“Then who did it?” his eyes were aglow with something akin to malevolence. “I’ll rip to freaking pieces for even touching my baby sister. Nobody messes with my family and gets away with it. Ever.”

“I’m fine, Ryan. I just got into a little argument with Linda.” She snapped, “Don’t tell anyone. If you even think about it, I’ll destroy all your Star Wars movies.” She threatened and smirked as his big-brother act was dropped.

“You have no idea how long it took me to collect those!” he shrieked as his eyes grew comically wide. “They are like my babies; you can’t do that to them. I’d be devastated!”

Abbey rolled her eyes and sighed, “Well that means your not telling anyone, okay? Because if you do, I’ll find a way to make sure your Star Wars DVD’s get it.” She smiled as Gwen giggled and tightened her arms around Ryan’s waist. “Oh, and by the way, Dylan can’t practice football with you tonight because he’s going to Linda’s party.” Clenching her fists, Abbey closed her eyes and took a few deep breathes to calm her down.

“So have you finally realized you two are meant to be together?” he asked. Abbey’s eyes snapped open and then narrowed dangerously.

“What?”

“It’s so obvious that you guys like each other that it’s almost sickening.” The girls yelled out in agreement, but with a silencing look from Abbey they shut their mouths. “I’ve been waiting for ages to see when you’d finally tell him. Why isn’t he here with you? Don’t you think its kind of weird he’s going to another girl’s party without you? He better not have just left you here right after you guys got together.”

“I haven’t told him yet.” She replied snottily.

“Why not?” he exclaimed.

“I think you should tell him.” Gwen took Ryan’s hand and looked into his eyes. “It’s really great having a boyfriend.”

Taylor stuck her tongue out and motioned to gag herself. “Are you trying to make me commit suicide?”

Gwen giggled response, “You are only jealous of us.”

“Hardly.”

“I didn’t tell him because he doesn’t feel the same way.” Abbey replied, referring to her brother’s question. She’d never talked to her brother about love before, and she was pretty sure he had a very cynical outlook on love. He’d always snorted in romantic movies and said it was hardly realistic. “Besides, what if he doesn’t feel the same way? I’d feel so stupid for even wishing that he did.”

“Abbey,” Ryan came over to his sister and shook her shoulders. “Wake up! He’s crazy about you. Just go to that party and tell him how you feel. He’s an idiot if he doesn’t want to go out with you. Take the chance, okay? You’ll never get anywhere in life if you sit around moping and hoping that he’ll ask you out first. Guys are stupid,” he rolled his eyes and whispered ‘apparently’ under his breathe before continuing. “You need to take the very first step.”

Admittedly, Abbey knew her brother was making a lot of sense. If Dylan did feel the same way she did, and she never told him—she could be missing out on something she’d been pushing away for a long time. Abbey wanted Dylan more than she’d ever wanted anyone before, and she wanted their relationship to work—she wanted something more out of the slight friendship they’d established. But if she didn’t take the jump and tell him, she’d never find out how he felt about her. Even if she took the fall, it was better than looking back on her life and remembering the times she’d wanted to tell the guy she loved the truth.

She had to tell him.

“I’ve gotta go! I’ll be back soon, don’t wait up. I’m going to tell the man of my dreams how I really feel.” Abbey grabbed the note by the door with Linda’s address on it, slung her handbag over her shoulder and left without waiting for a reply from her friends.

The car was warm and Abbey squeezed the steering wheel tightly as so many things zoomed through her mind while she stared at the road. What would he say when she told him? Did he feel the same way? Could she really go through with it? What if she chickened out? Before she could question herself anymore, Abbey shook her thoughts out of her head. She was so nervous her teeth were chattering frantically and her brain was going haywire with the anxiety. Abbey bit her lip and sighed, she would really have to do it quickly or she’d probably run away before she even found Dylan.

Immediately Abbey knew she’d come to the right place when she saw the massive house at the end of the street—it was white, with a green roof and at least three stories. Music could be heard from at least two blocks away because it was that loud and the door was left open for anyone who wanted to attend the party. Abbey could see people carrying handfuls of alcohol into the house from cars parked outside of the driveway, and it made her crinkle her nose in disgust. She could see people dancing beside the windows as she parked her car a few houses away.

Making sure to lock her car, Abbey jogged towards the house and slipped in before the people outside could even look at her. The closely knit bodies dancing made it hard for her to move through the crowd, but she eventually was able to shove people out of her way. The crappy rap music rung in her ears, it was so loud she knew her ears would be hurting for days. But she hardly registered this as she moved through the house, searching for Dylan.

After asking a few girls who were standing at the back of the room holding cans of beers where Dylan was, and being directed up the stairs and told to go to the pool room—Abbey found herself in a closed in room with an actual swimming pool in the middle. All the girls were in skimpy bikinis, maybe even less, and the guys were walking around in their boxers and board-shorts, holding no shame. Abbey saw Dylan’s mop of black hair at the back of the room. Her heart beating fast in her chest, Abbey rushed forward, ready to tell him everything.

What she saw made her heart burst out of her chest, fall onto the floor and shatter into a million tiny pieces.

Dylan sat on a couch, his hands wrapped around Linda Reynolds waist as she sat on his lap. Her lips were pressed against his and they were making out passionately. There was a beer in one of his hands and his other was siding up her shirt. Abbey remembered with a burning jealously how it had felt to have his hands on her. The way it had made her feel as though she could take anything on and win. Her smile was immediately wiped off her face and she gasped, the tears prickling at the back her dark green eyes. Somehow, Abbey had never felt so horrible before—she felt like someone had walked up to her and ripped her heart out right before her eyes.

And then what she heard next made her whole body convulse into a envious spasm.

“God, I love you.” Linda breathed as she pulled away from Dylan. At that moment Abbey wanted to rip all of her hair out and skin her alive, but instead she just balled up her fists and ground her teeth together noisily.

“Yeah, me too.” Dylan replied, making her feel even worse, if it were even possbile.

She couldn’t take anymore. The tears fell from her eyes as she turned away, ready to leave before anyone, mostly Dylan, saw her. She had no trouble climbing down the stairs and throwing herself into the crowd of people moving to the music, which had changed from rap to rock since she’d gone up stairs. Just as she reached for the door, which had been closed since she’d entered Linda’s house, someone grabbed her forearm and dragged her backwards. Abbey found herself dancing with Jamie.

Her heart gave an involuntary churn as his eyes focused on her. “Abbs, just hear me out, I’ve been thinking about you for days now. I’ve called you so many times, but you never call back. Listen, we have to talk.”

“Jamie all the talking is done! No more talking, we’re over!” Abbey tried to pull away but his hold tightened on her arm. “Let go, Jamie! Please, just let me go.”

“Please, babe, just give me five seconds. I promise I can explain everything.” Jamie pulled her towards him again and tried to force his lips onto her’s, but she struggled away.

On top of everything else that had happened that night, Abbey didn’t know if she could handle dealing with Jamie. His grip on her shoulders was getting tighter, and it was beginning to scare her. What if he hurt her again? He didn’t seem to worry about the fact that most guys didn’t hit girls and she really didn’t want any bruises to match the ones she already had. Furiously, Abbey wished that someone she knew would come to her rescue and help, but there was nobody around who would be willing. They were all busy dancing and getting lost in their own drunken world.

“Please,” Abbey closed her eyes tightly, willing herself anywhere but with him. “Just let me go.” She said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Jamie growled and shook her violently, “You’re my girlfriend, and don’t you dare ditch me. A relationship is only ever over when I say so. So live with it, Abbs.”

“I’m not your girlfriend!” Abbey screamed, shaking slightly. “Please, Jamie, just let me go.”

“Is there a problem here?”

Abbey’s heart thumped in her chest as she turned her head and saw Dylan standing above her, his eyes burning in anger. No matter how angry and betrayed she felt about Dylan making out with Linda, she was happy to see him. God only knew what Jamie would have done if Dylan didn’t come into the situation. Abbey shuddered at the thought that she might turn out like Carrie.

“No.” Jamie grunted, pulling Abbey closer to him still, yet with some difficulty.

“I think she asked you to let her go, Jamie.” Dylan wrapped his arms around Abbey and pushed her behind him. “I told you to stay away from her and I meant it. If you ever touch her again, I’ll personally make your life a living hell.” Trying not to grab onto him for support, Abbey couldn’t help but feel lighter. The way he was being so protective of her made her feel like she was the only person in the world to him. Of course, Abbey knew this was entirely incorrect.

“I should be saying the same thing about you.”

Before either of them could fight, Linda stepped in front of them both and pushed on their chests. “Both of you can break it up. There won’t be any fighting in my house, especially since my parents are coming home tomorrow and I don’t want too much of a mess.” Linda winked at Jamie and smiled sweetly, “Leave, please.” Before Jamie could say anymore, Linda turned away from him and faced Dylan. “You shouldn’t have left, we weren’t finished.”

Abbey sighed with relief when she saw Jamie turn away and disappear into the crowd—but almost took it back as she realized that she was in the vacancy of the two people who’d played a role in breaking her heart. Linda smirked at her and let out a laugh, “You actually had the nerve to come to my party?”

“I invited her.” Dylan wrapped a hand around Abbey’s shoulder and smiled.

“Ew.” Linda picked at her nails, obviously uninterested. “Why?”

Dylan rolled his eyes, “Stop being so rude.” Linda gapped at him, but he didn’t seem to notice. “Come on, Red, I’m taking you home.”

“No!” Abbey shrieked, “I mean, maybe you should stay here with your girlfriend.” She sent a nasty glare towards Linda before catching Dylan’s confused expression. “I just want to go for a drive. Alone. By myself.”

“Well, okay. But drive safely, okay?”

Dylan moved to give her a hug goodbye, but Abbey ducked out of his arms and slipped out of the house.

As soon she was alone in her car, she broke out into tears.

a/n:

Chapter Seventeen! Yay! I've actually finished the whole story, so I know how it's going to end and I hope you all like it. I've got twenty chapters all together, so yeah. Not long until the story finishes and I'll be really excited about that. I've also got some more stories coming and on the way, I've already started to plan them so hopefully I'll enjoy writing them as much as this one!

Peace.

Everybodyloveschocolate. :)

I love you all.