I got home around 6 and already heard the guys in the living room. I walk into the small room to find Daniel, Matt, Alex, and Luke staring at a soccer game on the TV as usual.

Luke breaks his trance-like gaze at the TV to look up and give me a half smile. "Hey." After staring at me for a moment, he goes back to the game.

"Hey," the other three chorus without glancing away from the game.

I rolled my eyes at their guy-like behavior and followed the amazing aroma of food coming from the kitchen. I wasn't surprised to find my foster mom in front of the stove cooking enough to feed our monstrous, teenage appetites. After giving her a quick hug from behind, she turned enough to kiss my cheek.

"Hi honey. What's wrong?" She was one of the few people I couldn't hide anything from.

I sighed, sitting down in a chair at the table and looking up at the ceiling. "I keep hoping that everything will get easier with time, but it doesn't. It's gotten to the point that I can't breathe. I've just realized that she won't be there to see me graduate or get married…" I trailed off as my voice began cracking from the tears I was holding in.

She stopped what she was doing and came over to sit by me. "It'll get better, Angel, I promise."

A tear finally broke loose and I wiped it away before it got far. Samantha walks in from the front door, kissing her mother on the cheek before moving to me.

"I'm going to do homework," I said quietly, moving to climb the stairs to my room.

After getting a shower and dressing in my usual boxer shorts and tank-top, I finally settle down to do my homework. Completely forgetting about dinner until there's a knock at my door.

"Come in," i yell, maybe a bit too loud, and Luke walks in carrying a tray of food. He set it on the counter and came over to sit by me on the bed. "Thanks," I said, giving him a weak smile.

Instead of responding, he reached over and grabbed my hand, giving it a comforting squeeze.

"You seemed a little down when you came in today" he noticed I let go of his hand, laying down onto the bed and placing my feet on his lap.

"It's been twelve years today. I keep replaying the accident over and over again" he looked down, running a finger down my leg from my knee to my ankle.

After a long moment of silence, he finally answers," you were five when your mom died in that accident. I don't get how you can still remember everything."

I sight, putting my hand over to cover my face. "Bad memories never fully go away. I guess. I still remember your mom's face when told me."

"This shouldn't have happened to you," he said in a low voice.

I let out one of those laughs that don't fit with conversation at all. "it's not like I chose this." Luke moved so that he was laying beside me, gentlypulling my face hands away from my don't say aniithing for a minute and I can feel the heat radiating from his body next to mine.

" so how's jenifer doing?" I aske, changing the subject , even though I'm not too fond of the tall blond.

"we broke up,"he replies in a nonchalant voice like he couldn't have cared less.

"what?! When did this happen?i'm supposed to be your bestest friend and I don't know this?"

" chill, jeez. It just happened today after practice.i just told her that I din't like how I always had to hang with her when I had you and the guys too." I laughed at his mindset. He qas a firm believer of the motto 'bro's before ho's'. " then she got it into her head that there was something going on between you and i."

I snorted , sitting up. "so…I'm confused. You broke up with her?"

"yep."

"But why would she think we were messing around? I mean, you're like my big brother"

"But we are not blood related, and we are really close and she feels threatened by that" he smiles but he got this look in his green eyes that I hadn't seen before.

Just as I glanced over at the door, someone knocks, breaking the moment.

"Come in," I call out to whoever it was. Sam walks in, carrying her brthers cell phone.

"hey guys," she says as she sits on the edge of the bed and tosses the phone to luke. " it's jen…again…for you." He gets up and leaves as he shut the phone, hanging up on