Martina spent a few hours with Katie Friday night before driving her back to their Aunt Katherine's. Katie woke up early Saturday morning to hang out with Lindley and Sierra. After a few hours, Sierra had to go to work so Lindley and Katie headed back to Katie's aunt's house. Lindley and Katie entered the house laughing at one another.

"I see you found someone new to make you laugh."

The voice stopped Katie in her tracks as she passed the living room. She turned and squealed when she saw Ashley standing there waiting for her. Katie ran over and pulled Ashley into the tightest hug she could without suffocating her. "What are you doing here? I haven't seen you in so long. I'm sorry I don't call more. How's Mason?" Katie kept rambling, but Ashley brushed off most of Katie's questions.

Ashley poked her head to the side of Katie in order to get a better view of Lindley. "Hi, I'm Ashley." Ashley sent her a small wave. "You must be Lindley."

"I am indeed." Lindley returned Ashley's wave with a smile. "I'm assuming that you two have a lot to catch up on so I'm gonna head out. My brother wanted to spend time with me anyway." Lindley said goodbye to the girls and left them to talk amongst themselves, not wanting to intrude.

"Ash, I had no idea you were coming. I miss you so much." Katie pulled Ashley into another tight hug.

"I miss you too, but I'm actually not here because of me." Ashley pulled away from the embrace. "I kind of need a favor."

"What's wrong?"

"I need you to talk to Dana." Ashley winced at her own words, knowing that Katie would refuse. "I mean actually talk. She won't talk to anyone else, but I know she needs to talk to you." Katie shook her head. She didn't want to talk to Dana. Well, of course she wanted to speak to Dana, but not for the reasons Ashley wanted her to. Katie wanted to talk to Dana and beg her to love her again. But she knew she couldn't do that. Ashley could see the struggle in Katie's eyes. She knew Katie was fighting herself on if she could actually go see Dana. "Katie, please. Dana needs you."

"Why can't you or Eddie talk to her?"

"Dana's different." Ashley folded her arms over her chest. "She's not the same Dana she was with you. She's quiet and shut down and she's built this wall up. She's always either working or just gone."

"Gone?"

Ashley nodded. "We don't know where she runs off to. Eddie says she always comes back, but we-"

"We have to go." Katie turned instantly and exited the house. She knew where Dana was. Ashley ran to catch up to her. "I need you to drive me somewhere."

"Where?"

Katie paused a moment, mumbling to herself, "Anywhere."

☼ ☼ ☼

"I had no idea you could even get up here." Ashley was in awe as she pulled up to Dana and Katie's spot on the side of the mountain.

"Most people don't. It was our little secret." Katie told Ashley to pull to the side and wait there. Ashley could see a car with someone sitting on the roof. Katie was right. "Stay here, Ash." Ashley obeyed and waited in the car.

Katie stepped out of the passenger seat and took a deep breath. She had thought about what to say for the entirety of the car ride, but seeing Dana sitting there in their spot made her forget everything she had planned in her head.

Katie walked to the back of Dana's car. She traced her finger along the sides amazed the car could be repaired so well. She remembered the pictures from Dana's accident. "I didn't even notice you were walking again." Katie finally spoke.

Dana jumped slightly. She was unaware that she wasn't alone. Dana's eyes widened when she saw Katie standing behind her. Dana slid off of the roof of her car and planted her feet in front of Katie. "It's been a couple of weeks I guess. It still feels weird not having to get around with crutches." Dana looked at her leg, avoiding Katie's eyes as much as she could. She glanced back up at Katie, no clear emotion showing on her face. "What are you doing here?" Dana crossed her arms over her chest.

"You know that is one sentence that I have both said and heard a lot in the last couple of days." Katie forced a small smile across her pink lips. Dana's expression remained unchanged. The smile disappeared from Katie as she thought about what to say next. "You know, I thought that it was going to be hard to see you again. That standing in front of the girl that I fell in love with, and knowing that I couldn't touch her or kiss her," Katie swallowed hard, "I thought it was going to tear me apart all over again." Katie shrugged and shook her head slightly. "But standing in front of me is not the girl I fell in love with."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Dana's eyes weren't furrowed like they usually would be. Her jaw wasn't clenched like it usually was when she was holding in emotion. Katie knew that the girl standing in front of her was not Dana. This was whatever was left of her. And it wasn't much.

"Eddie and Ashley said you've been shutting people out. That you're not you anymore." Katie took a step closer to Dana. "I know you. I know that you're shutting down and going into robot mode where you're overly stoic and don't let anyone in. You're overthinking. I know how you work and I know that you're hurting yourself more than you're leading on."

Dana took a step backward from Katie. She shook her head and dropped her hands to her sides. "I don't know what you want from me."

"I want you to not push me away. I want you to let me in." Katie paused. She glanced at the chain around Dana's neck. "You know, you were right about you needing St. Jude Thaddeus. I've never met anyone as lost as you."

"I don't know what to tell you, Katie." Dana buried her hands in her pockets. "I shut people out and I push them away. That's what I do. I can't help it."

"Yes you can." Katie's voice began to rise. Dana looked away from Katie. "Don't treat me like you treat everyone else, Dana. I'm not everyone else. I'm not Savannah!"

Dana's eyes locked with Katie's and her lips parted. Her eyes shifted back and forth quickly. "Where did you hear that name?"

Katie's voice was back to its normal octave. She swallowed before speaking. "Ashley told me about what happened last time."

"Whatever she told you, it's not the full story."

"So tell me the full story then." Katie took another step forward. Dana didn't move this time. "Make me understand why you're so damn defensive all of a sudden." Dana's jaw clenched at Katie's words. "What the hell happened with Savannah?" Dana looked away from Katie. "What was so bad that you didn't even tell me about her yourself? I had to hear about it from Ashley. I-"

"She was my first love, Katie!" Dana's voice finally cracked with emotion. Her voice rose and her eyes shot back to stare into Katie's. "Is that what you want to hear?" Katie stood firmly, holding back whatever pain she was feeling. "You want me to tell you about my best friend all throughout middle and high school? You want me to tell you about how she made me fall in love with her and then tore me apart? You want me to explain to you in excruciating detail about how she told me she loved me back but was too afraid to tell the world? About how I had to sneak around to see her? About how every time we were in public I had to walk with my hands in my pockets because I was so damn scared that I might absentmindedly brush my hand against hers and we'd get into another fight about how I'm not considering how hard it is for her to have to deal with the relationship? Do you want to hear about how I got my heart broken and swore that I'd never let myself fall as hard for someone as I did for her? Do you want me to tell you about how I promised myself I'd never date a girl who wasn't out again?"

Katie's voice rose out of defense. "I'm sorry, Dana! I'm sorry that I made you fall in love with me. I'm sorry that I was terrified to tell my mother about us. I'm sorry that I put you through hell. I'm sorry that I broke your heart. I'm sorry that I'm just like Savannah. I'm sorry that I was just a misstep for you." Katie took a heavy breath in. She lowered her voice. "This was a mistake." Katie turned to walk back to Ashley's car.

"You're not Savannah." Dana's voice was low, but Katie still heard her. Katie stopped walking, but didn't turn to face Dana. "You were so much worse." Dana took a step forward, but stopped herself. "You weren't my first love, Katie... but I was hoping you'd be my last. I pushed everyone, including you, away. I shut down. I thought that if I let you go, you could be happy - you could move on." Dana lowered her head for a moment. "I didn't know what else to do."

Katie looked over her shoulder at Dana who was now looking back at her. "Stop pushing." Katie left without another word. She climbed into Ashley's car and Ashley pulled away. Dana watch as they left her standing alone. She knew everything was her fault, and that made it all hurt so much more.

Dana hadn't cried over Katie since that day she woke up in the hospital. Even then, she didn't shed more than a few tears. Katie was right when she called Dana a robot. That's what Dana was on the outside. She held back any emotion she had. She didn't cry, she didn't scream, she didn't do anything. Dana just shut down.

Dana pulled into her driveway hours after seeing Katie. The sun was long set by the time she drove home. Dana parked her car, releasing the key from the ignition. She sat there, unable to move. Dana clenched her jaw, feeling tears forming in her eyes. She slammed her hand on the steering wheel once. Then twice. Then she couldn't stop hitting the dashboard of the car. When Dana lifted her head, tears were now streaming down her face. She inhaled as much air as she could, catching her breath. Dana lifted her hands to wipe the tears from her eyes, but it wasn't any use.

Dana, the robot that shut down and didn't show any emotion, now had tears streaming down her face. And much like Dana's love for Katie, the tears wouldn't stop.