Kyle takes me home before midnight, just right in time, before Aunt Abbie might call the police on me. He walks me right up to the porch with his hands stuffed into his pockets, eyes staring at his feet.

It's funny how we were so comfortable back at the beach, but now that the thought of us being officially together in a relationship finally sinks in, neither of us knows how to behave around each other.

Deep down in my heart, I'm afraid that I might do something wrong that will ruin things between us.

And Kyle feels the same way as I do. That's understandable, considering he has to deal with a girlfriend who's currently suffering from amnesia.

Baby steps, I remind myself. Baby steps.

An awkward silence settles between us. I watch him through my eyelashes, and he mirrors me. After several seconds, his hand reaches for my face, brushing his fingers across my heated cheeks.

"Don't worry about a thing," he tells me. "And call me if you need me." He inclines his head at the jacket that I'm still wearing. "Keep it."

I blush and nod. "Okay."

Kyle hesitates, looking as if he has something else to add, but he decides not to. "Good night, Riley."

"Good night, Kyle."

He watches me enter the house before he leaves. Shutting the door behind me, I lean against it and finally let out the breath that I didn't know I was holding in.

Is this how we're going to be like in the future?

Because I don't think I can survive if my heart continuously pounds against my ribcage this hard.

I shake my head wildly, pushing myself off the door. Just then, Aunt Abbie appears at the stairs in her sleeping dress. I speed past her, telling her a quick 'good night' before heading for my bedroom. Once I'm inside, I plop down on the bed and stare up at the ceiling.

In my mind, I'm recalling the events that have happened in the last couple of hours. It's strange how I'm feeling a bundle of emotions; giddy and happy because of Kyle, but terror eats me like tendrils wrapping at the back of my mind.

When Monday comes and I see Taylor again, what am I going to do? Avoid him for the rest of my life? I can't imagine looking at his face without recalling the way he had assaulted me and how his hands left a revolting imprint across my skin. No matter how much I scrub my arms, it doesn't seem effective.

I change into my pajamas, but I can't sleep for the rest of the night. I toss and turn in bed. The pitter-patter of the rain on my window isn't helping either, but at some point, I give in to the fatigue. I remember clinging onto Kyle's jacket, mainly because it provides me with a sense of security.

At this rate, I don't think I'm ever going to return it to him.

When morning arrives, the buzzing in my phone wakes me up. Blaire's name appears on the screen and I answer immediately.

"Blaire?"

She sounds afraid. "Riley," she groans. "I'm so screwed. Help me."

The panic in her voice makes me roll into a seating position on the edge of my bed. "What's wrong?"

A loud sigh comes from her. "Everything," she sniffs. "Last night, I was drunk."

Concern enters my voice. "Did you get hurt?"

"No."

"Did the girls bully you?"

"No."

I relax in relief, but am still confused. "Then?"

I hear a long pause over the line before she explains. "Long story short, Ian and I... We kissed."

***

Half an hour later, Blaire appears at my doorstep.

Just like me, she has a rough night. Her eyes are blood-shot, her hair is all over the place, and she hasn't bothered to put on her usual thick makeup. Showing me her defenseless state. Without hesitation, I take her to my room on the second floor and she immediately collapses on my bed, burying her face into my pillows.

I'm dying of worry and curiosity. My mouth opens to ask her a question, but Aunt Abbie appears at the door. She leans against the frame and shoots me a concerned look.

Even she senses something off about Blaire and knows well enough not to question it.

"Do you girls want some food? Pizza?"

I shake my head, just as Blaire pulls together a response. "No, thank you, Mrs Dale. But do you have ice cream instead?"

Aunt Abbie swings her car key around her finger. "I'm about to head out to the nearby mart," she says. "Will two giant tubs of Ben & Jerry's be enough?"

"That's perfect. I need a chocolate therapy and a strawberry cheesecake."

"Alright, sweetheart. I got your order."

The moment Aunt Abbie leaves, I join Blaire on the bed, crossing my legs and staring up at the ceiling. "Do you want to talk about it now?"

Blaire rolls onto her side to face me, tucking her arm under her head. "It's stupid, really. Ian caught me before I could make a run. He wanted to talk me into going for our family's dinner this Sunday. Again."

A frustrated groan escapes her lips. "And then somehow we ended up drinking a couple of beers. We chatted just like good old times. Before I knew it, we were kissing."

The memory replays in her head, and she screams into the pillow. "Stupid, stupid me. I can't believe what I did. What we did. Our parents are dating, we broke up like three months ago and somehow, we crossed the line just because we drank a few beers. Goddamn it, Blaire, you're a freaking genius."

She sobs harder into the pillow and it doesn't bother me if she dirties it. "Hey." I reach for her shoulder and give her a squeeze. "It's not your fault for liking someone. I'm sure Ian will understand that it's something that you guys didn't intend on happening. He'll move on from there."

"That's the problem, Riley. I like it," she confesses, her face paling in fear. "I like it so much. It's like my feelings for him have resurfaced, and I don't know how to face him now. Kill me, Riley. Can you bury my body ten-feet deep in the Sahara Desert so that no one can ever find me?"

Her revelation renders me speechless. Unlike how she has helped me before, I'm a person who doesn't know how to offer advice. Especially when I have very little experience with people in my life.

Not knowing what I should say, I settle on giving her a gentle pat on her back. "Sorry, I don't really know what to say. I'm such a terrible friend, aren't I?"

"Terrible," she agrees, "but you can always make it up by having a movie marathon with me. I rented a bunch of DVDs and they are in my mom's car. Speaking of this, she's going to flip since I kind of 'borrowed' it without telling her. Oh, well."

With a shrug, she sits up and wrinkles her nose at the ugly mess she has made on my bed. "Sorry about your pillow, by the way. I think I left some snort on it. I'll wash it or buy you a new one later, whichever you prefer."

"Definitely the latter."

She sticks out her tongue at me and leaves the room. While she makes a quick trip to her car, I head into the living room to switch on the tv and player. Out of the blue, my phone vibrates twice, showing that I've received a text.

The moment I see the name on the screen, my heart rate picks up quickly.

Kyle: Lunch with me tmr?

I smile, feeling the tingle of excitement in my toes as I text back a quick 'okay'. When I glance up, Blaire is already back, and she's watching me with a humored expression.

"Let me guess," she muses. "You and Kyle had a wonderful talk last night?"

I feel a slight blush rise to my cheeks. "We're officially dating."

Her face twists into a strained smile. "I'm happy for you, really," she sighs. "It's just...the thing with Ian is hurting my head."

I nod in understanding. "Whatever happens, just know that I'll be here for you."

My words catch her off guard, and her eyes glisten. She abandons the bag of discs and throws her hands around me for a tight hug. "I swear you're the sweetest thing to happen in my high school life."

When we break apart, she steals the phone out of my hand and tosses it aside. "I know that you're having a date with him tomorrow," she pouts, "but today, you're having a date with me. Don't get distracted."

When I snort, she looks offended. After Aunt Abbie returns, we settle on the couch, holding a spoon in one hand and the ice cream tub in the other. The moment the movie rolls, I realize what a wimp I am at watching horror movies.

The opening scene shows two nuns walking down a dark hallway. As the terrifying background music intensifies by the second, fear trickles through me.

"Erm, Blaire? Is that the Black Widow that you were referring to the last time?"

"Oops." She leaps off the couch and rifles through the stacks of discs, but I can tell from her back that she's trying to hold back her laughter. Her shoulders are shaking. "I guess I put in the wrong one."

I jump in my seat just as a nun gets dragged into the darkness. My voice rises a notch higher, edging towards hysteria. "Blaire!" I cry out.

"I'll fix it now. I swear!"

Shaking my head in disbelief, I squeeze my eyes shut and cover my ears to block out the screams. From my left, I can hear Blaire snickering at me.

Oh god. I can't wait for the next 24 hours to pass so that I can see Kyle.