"Maddie, wake up," A loud voice shouted, disturbing my sleep as a heavy weight fell onto my legs.

I peeked opened my eyes just a little, really not wanting to wake up. It was Carson, of course, sitting on my legs, being loud and mean so early in the morning.

"What time is it?" I groaned.

"Like 9:30."

"Why did you wake me up?" I whined.

"Because I have to go, and I didn't want you to be upset."

I rolled my eyes, "Well, I'm upset anyway."

Carson chuckled. He grabbed both of my hands, and, without my consent, he pulled me up so I was sitting up in the bed. Again, I groaned, but I gave in and open my eyes.

Carson was now standing in front of me, his body angled so that his side was facing toward me. He had obviously just gotten out of the shower. His hair was soaking wet, and the only covering he had on was a towel that was very loose and low around his waist.

I scratched my head, "Where do you have to go?"

"Home."

I stared at him in shock. He turned back toward me and looked down at me.

"My parents are insisting I drive them to the airport. They're leaving today."

"Carson?"

He shrugged, "It's whatever. I don't really care."

The thing about Carson is, before I knew him well, I used to think he was a really good liar. He's got a great poker face, too; whenever we'd play he'd be unbreakable. But recently, his lies were so easy to see through.

I pushed myself up into a kneeling position on the bed. When he had taken his attention off of me, I wrapped my arms around his torso and pulled him down onto the bed with me.

He didn't even protest, her just grabbed onto my hips for stability as I snaked my arms around his neck, trying to pull him as close to me as I could. He kissed my temple, and we both made the unspoken decision to lay in this somewhat-awkward but weirdly comfortable position for a while.

"You should probably get dressed," I said after a while, noticing how his towel was only one wrong move from falling completely off of his hips.

"Yeah, I probably should."

"You should probably get going soon," I continued as he flipped us over so that I was now lying on top of him.

"Yeah, I probably should."

I picked my head up, and began playing with his hair, fully aware that he was staring up at me. I looked down at him, catching his eye, "Would you like me to come with you?"

He shook his head as he sat us up, "No. I just- I need to do this on my own."

He lifted us off the bed, and, discarding his towel, walked across the room to find a pair of boxers.

"Okay," I responded. "When will you be back?"

Carson shrugged as he slid on his underwear and a shirt, "Maybe like one?"

"Okay, we'll talk after." After kissing him once more, I left the room, leaving him to his own thoughts, which it was very apparent he was completely involved in.

* * *

"So can we talk about it?" She asked.

I shook my head.

"Why not?" He asked.

I shrugged my shoulders.

"Stop being stubborn and give us the details!" Jason shouted. I rolled my eyes.

"Jason, we're in fucking public," TK scolded. He nodded his head in the direction of other people in the diner that now were staring at us with menacing glares. "Stop screaming."

"My screaming didn't seem to bother you last night," Jason retorted. I pinched the bridge of my nose.

"I'm getting too old for this crap," Dylan sighed.

"J, respectfully shut up. Way too much information," Zach said, physically cringing.

"Can we get back to the subject at hand?" Luna asked.

"I agree, I would like to know if I have to beat up my best friend," Dylan added.

I groaned, "You aren't beating up anyone."

"So does that mean it went well?"

I sighed, "Sure."

"Madeline Spencer I swear to God if I have to pry the information out of you I will," Jason threatened in the most non-threatening way ever.

"It was fine. It was good, we had a good time, everything was good."

"If it was so 'good' why do you look so not good?" Dylan asked.

I shrugged, "I don't know."

"So, what did you guys do?" Zach asked.

"Um, we went and played hockey, we had a picnic on his roof, that was pretty much it. Like I said, it was good, we had a good time."

I picked up my glass and took a long drink to avoid having to answer any more questions for a few minutes.

"Mads, I have to go to the bathroom," Luna said. "Can you come with?"

I nodded and followed Luna to the back of the diner. She stopped right outside the women's bathroom.

"Madeline, what's going on?"

I shook my head, "Nothing, I'm just worried... about Carson."

She signaled for me to go on.

"He's with his parents right now and they're leaving again," I sighed. "He doesn't want to say anything, but I know he's really upset. I'm just worried something is going to happen, and we'll end up in that same alley all over again. I can't watch him do that again."

"Maddie, breathe," Luna said softly, placing a hand on my shoulder. "You said it yourself, a lot has changed for him since that night. He's mentally in a better place, and beyond that, he has you."

"I can't be the sole reason that's keeping him from losing his sanity, that's just not possible. We're all a bit more complex than that."

"No, you're right," She sighed. "But at the end of today, he's gets to come home to you. And I can't speak for him, but if I was him, and at the end of today I got to come home to you, it would certainly help."

* * *

"Well, that was definitely one of our most normal outings," Dylan commented as he walked me to my car, which he insisted on doing for some reason even though it was broad daylight. He looked kind of nervous or something, but I didn't mention it, figuring he'd speak his mind on his true intentions eventually.

"I know," I agreed. "Zach and Luna didn't fight and Jason only made the waiter uncomfortable like twice."

"Well, I guess that's progress for the Zach and Luna; at least their break up isn't going to ruin the group. But, speaking of Jason, I guess him and TK are getting serious now."

I shrugged, "I mean it is Jason, so who really knows? Although, he did call TK his 'dream man.'"

"Dream man, huh?" Dylan laughed. "Well, I'm not sure how valuable that is, because he also said that about Kyle Listings last year.

"Yeah, and with TK leaving for college in a few months, I think it'll be interesting to see if the 'dream man' thing lasts."

Dylan nodded his head and we continued our walk across the parking lot in silence. Once we had gotten to my car, I gave him a quick goodbye, eager to get back home because Carson should be home soon, too.

"Hey, Maddie?" He said, stopping me.

"Yeah?"

"I know you guys just got all your shit figured out, but Carson's my best friend."

"I know."

"So, I will never forgive you if hurt him."

I laughed, "Seriously?"

Dylan looked at me with a straight face. I stopped laughing.

"I love you, Mads, and you're the first person he's ever trusted enough to let in. Please don't fuck it up."

"I don't plan on it."

* * *

"Carson?" I called out as I opened the door to the house. It was eerily silent.

My parents weren't home, so the house, completely quiet, seemed deserted. There were no lights on, no blinds drawn or curtains open.

"Carson?" I called out again. There was no response.

I checked my phone. It was way past 2, so Carson should be home by now. I started getting worried. Maybe Luna was wrong.

I ran to the kitchen. Empty.

I checked the living room. Not even a pillow was out of place. The dining room. Every place setting neatly put together in front of each chair, no sign someone had been here either.

I checked his room and bathroom. Empty.

As a last resort, I checked my room. I couldn't rationalize why he might be in here, but upon walking through the room, I found the door to my balcony was cracked open the tiniest sliver.

I walked out and was met with a hot, midsummer breeze. There, hunched over staring out over the city, was Carson. He sat with his back toward me, so he hadn't seen or heard me come out.

I let out a small breath of relief that he was here and not somewhere else. I walked up behind him and wrapped my arms around his chest, pulling him tightly into me, resting my chin on top of his head.

"I don't like them, Maddie," He said after a little moment of silence.

"I know."

"I didn't want them to leave."

"I know."

"But I never want to see them again."

"I know."

"I don't ever want to be like them."

"You're not going to be."

We stayed in this position for a while, blankly staring out at the city in front of us. Watching as the streetlights turned on when the sun began to set, and following the cars driving in and out of the city.

After a while, he seemed to relax a bit more.

"Talk to me?"

He did. He told me the extent of the car ride to the airport, and the moments leading up to them getting on the plane.

"They're just too much sometimes," he shrugged. "I just wish I could hate them." I kissed the top of his head, and used my fingers to gently brush through his hair.

"They gave me the keys to the house," he said, holding them out in his palm for me to see.

"Oh?"

"They don't want me to be a burden to you guys anymore, so."

"So what are you going to do?"

"I can't expect your parents to-"

"Stay," I cut him off.

"Madeline," he started.

I grabbed hold of the sides of his face and turned his head upwards so he was forced to look at me. "You are not a burden," I said. "Believe it or not I actually kind of like you. Only a little bit though, so don't get carried away thinking you're special or anything."

The corners of his mouth turned upwards in the irritating smirky way, but in this moment I didn't mind it so much, because it meant that his body, mind, and soul were completely and fully here, and not dreaming of some alleyway in the middle of nowhere.

"I'm so glad," He said sarcastically. "I kind of like you a little bit, too. Don't worry, you're totally not special to me either."

"Good."

He shook his head, "How did I ever get so lucky as to have you?"

"You better count your blessings," I responded with the biggest smile on my face.