He sat fire to the world around him,

But he never let a flame touch her.

-

************************************

"So, I guess, this is it." And Justin pulled her into a warm hug.

"You are finally going, are not you?" Faye let out a sigh as she wrapped her arms around him, patting his back.

"I guess, I am. I will miss this place, you know. My friends, teammates, you, I will miss everything." He said as they pulled away from each other.

"You will be missed too, Justin. Thankfully, Yale is just hours away from here. And, well, you will be able to visit in the weekends and holidays, I guess." She said, trying to cheer him up.

"Yah, I guess that's a good thing." He mumbled under his breath.

"So, did you bid goodbyes to everyone?" She asked.

"Yah, I am done with all the farewells. Just have to meet my mom before finally going away from here." "Hey Faye, I know, this is not the right time to say this but I just wanted to tell you that... that I really really like you and, and I cannot just watch you destroying yourself." He said, his hands going to the either sides of her cheeks.

"What do you mean?"

"Let go of him, Faye. Let go of Kyle, he is not the one for someone so precious like you, hell, even I am not the one for you. You deserve someone who is better, who understands, who will always love you, with all your flaws, who knows every inch of you, look for the guy who is somewhere already there for you. Look for the guy who loves you like there's no end, trust me, he is already there." And after pecking her cheeks, he let go of her, walking away from the school building, walking away from her.

************************************

"Yes mom, I... I am ready, to go." Justin said with a sigh as he hung up.

He was just about to call his father to pick him up when he collided to someone, "Shit, I am so sorry man." The guy whom he had walked into said.

He rubbed his now soar shoulder and looked up to see the person, "Blake." And Justin looked at him with a blank look.

"Walter." River breathed out. "So, I guess, you are on your way?"

"Yah, I am finally going."

"Look... I am sorry, alright. Sorry for everything that I said to you that day." River said, patting his back.

Justin nodded at him before saying, "That's alright, I guess."

"I just, I do not know, I just do not want her to get hurt and now that I think, I am just too protective, and, and an idiot and dumb." River said, shaking his head.

"That's alright buddy." And Justin pulled him into a hug, you know that had all bro handshakes and patting each other's back.

"Well, so I think, I should get going. Farewell Blake." He said.

"You will be missed." River nodded.

Justin was just on his way when he stopped in his track and turned around, just to see River still standing there.

"Hey River." He shouted.

"Yah?"

"Take care of her."

************************************

It has been three days since Justin left, and three days since their exams ended.

"I still cannot believe I got a B." River looked at the paper that he was holding with a frown on his face.

"That's because you cared to flip through the pages of our textbook." Faye said, rolling her eyes as they made their way out of the campus.

"It's strange, I had thought that I will just pass one way or another, what I had not expected is this." And he pointed towards the B that was imprinted on his paper.

"Well, guys, how was Chemistry?" Madeline walked out of nowhere and wrapped her arm around Faye.

"Mads, I passed. Hell, I got a freaking B in Chemistry." And when those words left River's mouth, Madeline gasped.

"You got to be kidding me." Madeline scoffed, snatching his paper and running her eyes through it.

"Trust me, even I do not believe in this. I mean, even Mr. Garfield looked really fucked up today because of this B." River said, shaking his head.

"Am I the only one who failed?" She asked, horror flashing through her eyes.

"This time, yup." River said with a smirk, patting the top of Madeline's head, annoying her.

"Ugh, I am dead. Mom and dad's gonna kill me." She stomped on the ground and just as she was about to throw profanities on River, something caught her eye, making her gasp.

"What the actual fuck?" She cursed under her breath, her eyes snapping towards River and Faye who were already witnessing the scene.

There stood Kyle and Stacey, eating each other's face. In Harry Potter's reference, snogging.

Well, now, half of the school did not know that they really were a thing but let's just say, this sort of display will definitely not need a word. It will spread like fire. And in no time, the whole town along with all the neighboring towns will be aware of our sweet sweet Kyle being in a relationship with a bitchy bitchy Stacey. Well, maybe not the last part but yah, whatever.

"Did not see that coming." Madeline glared, scooting towards Faye and wrapping her arm around her.

Faye stood there, her eyes zeroing on Kyle, who was grinning like an idiot, his arms around Stacey. But well, she did not feel anything.

Nothing.

And for the first time, it felt like she did not care. When she herself figured that, a frown made its way to her face. Tears were not threatening to spill through her ocean blue orbs, for the first time, she felt like she, she was perfectly fine with it, that she did not feel any pain.

There was nothing.

These past days, she has been trying to do nothing but make herself feel like it is not worth it, that Kyle Francis did not care about her, she should not do that too. And somewhere, through these past days, she witnessed his flaws.

She witnessed how he is just not really the one whom she expects him to be. She witnessed how he did not give a damn about her.

"Hey guys. Ah... I need to talk to you all about something..." And out of nowhere, Aubree came up to them, looking really really nervous.

"What is it Bree?" Madeline looked at her in a suspicious manner.

"Not here.. ah, well, let us go to Starbucks..." Aubree said, a hesitant look on her face.

"Wooh, is everything alright?"

"I am gonna tell you all. Let's go. Zach and Max are waiting for us in the car."

"Alright, alright, woman, let us go." And wrapping her arm around Aubree, Madeline turned towards Faye and River.

"You both coming?" She asked.

"You both go, am gonna come with River." And nodding, Madeline and Aubree disappeared from their sight.

"I know what you are gonna say... maybe she is gonna tell us." River turned towards Faye, smiling.

"River?"

"Yup?"

"I think I am letting go of Kyle."

************************************

@tomboy_16