"This Art history: Time and Illusions is really kicking my ass." I tell my friend as we exit my dorm to walk to class together.

"I told you not to take that shit." She chuckles. "That's what you get."

"Well you're a bit mentally challenged Mads, I just thought it was hard for you." I drawl out and laugh as she hits me on the arm.

"Fuck you blondie." She laughs along with me.

"I've already told you Mads, I don't swing that way." I joke.

"And what way is that...Puerto Rican?" She asks, raising a brow. "Cause your ass sure as hell-"

"You did not just say that?" I stop walking, bending over to laugh and finding it hard to breathe.

"What'd I say?" She asks seriously. I can't even deal with her right now. When I finally get my breathing under control I link our arms and shake my head at my friend.

"You're a freaking riot, you know that?" I question my friend who just smiles as we continue our trek to class. I hate the fact that my dorm is completely across campus now; away from all my classes.

"You love me." She smiles.

"That I do." I tell her, laying my head down on her shoulder. "Where's Aiden?" I ask, realizing he's not making this normal walk with us.

"He's decided to skip his morning classes today." She replies with a shrug. I mumble out an 'oh' and notice her glancing over at me. "You okay Spence?" She asks after a moment. I know what she's asking me without her having to say it.

This past summer was... well, the worst and best times of my life.

I fell in love... like really fell in love.

And then had my heartbroken.

I lost my absolute best friend, but became immensely closer to another.

I realized that although my mom gets on my nerves most of the time, she always only has my best interest at heart.

I've experienced more one summer then some people experience their entire lives.

Most importantly, I've felt it... I know what it feels like to love someone so much it hurts. To be willing to do anything for them. To want them so much you forget where you end and they begin. And most importantly, I know what it's like to give up that love. To believe that the only way to make things right is to give up the one thing you want in life.

I sigh and close my eyes, relishing in the memory of the brunette. I don't really say her name anymore. It hurts too much. And until now, Madison hasn't really brought it up. She knows that I don't like to talk about it.

"I'm okay." I whisper.

"You know I love you right?" She stops us, turning to me. I give her a confused look before nodding.

"Of course."

"And that I wouldn't do anything that I didn't think was good for you, right?"

I nod again. "Madison what's going on?" I question. I'm so confused right now.

"I'm being a good best friend." She gives me a small smile before turning me around to face the other direction.

I gasp at the sight in front of me.

Am I dreaming?

This must be a dream.

I rub my eyes, telling myself to wake up.

"You're not dreaming." An all too familiar voice tells me. I open my eyes and there she is. She's here. Standing directly in front of me. I close my eyes again. "No." She says quickly, causing me to reopen them. "I want you to see me." She says as her eyes scan my face. I'm still debating whether or not this is real. "This is real." She whispers. "I'm real."

Okay she really needs to stop reading my mind right now.

"How...why..." I shake my head, trying to will myself to say something intelligible. Words won't seem to form right now.

"She called me." Madison speaks up from behind me. "She called and asked me if it were okay if she came. I told her yes." I turn to look at Madison. I can't decide if I want to hug her right now or kill her. "Don't kill me." She says holding her hands up with a smile.

Why is everyone reading my mind right now?

Am I that easy to read?

I turn back to Ashley, unsure of what to say.

I guess she realizes this because she opts to do all the talking. "These past few months I've had a lot of time to think Spencer. I've gone over it in my head time and time again." She pauses, shaking her head. "I can't figure it out. I can't wrap my head around why God would bring you into my life and then just take you away." She takes her bottom lip between her teeth and I can see the tears building in her eyes. "But I get it now." She nods. "I wasn't ready then, I wasn't ready to love you like you deserve to be loved... then..." She stresses the word then. "But I am now." She nods. "I know it wasn't easy for you to just love me, after what happened with Lexy and I don't expect you to forget everything that happened this summer, everything that I put you through. But I want you to know that I love you Spencer Carlin and I have since the moment I laid eyes on you." She smiles as the tears begin to fall. "And I hope that you can find it in your heart to give me another chance." She finishes and starts to back up.

Wait, where's she going?

"Where are you-"

"To finish this how it began." She smiles. "With a song." She adds before turning and running back in the direction she came from.

"Hey Spencer!" Andrew, Joey and Mikey all yell. Oh crap! I didn't even see them there. And all the bands equipment. What the hell? How did I miss all that?

I guess tunnel vision does exists. I look beside the boys to a smiling Stacy. She waves before walking towards me.

"Yup, she's still hot." Madison leans forward and whispers to me.

"You're so bisexual." I tell my friend. Giggling and shaking my head at her.

"Meh." She shrugs.

"Hi." Stacy says once she reaches me.

"Hi." I reply with a smile.

"It's good to see you, Spence. We've missed you around L.A." She says placing a hand on my arm.

"It's really good to see you too, Stace." I tell her, pulling her into a hug. "I'm so sorry about-"

"It's okay, Spencer." She cuts me off, pulling back from our hug. "Like I said before, we don't always get to choose the people we connect with. I just want you to be happy." She shrugs, leaning to look around me at my friend. "Hey Madison."

Madison giggles like a damn school girl before saying, "Hey Stacy."

See... so gay.

"Well, I better get back over there." She thumbs back towards the band.

"What's going on?" I question, looking around her at Ashley.

"Why she wrote you a song of course." Stacy smiles. "It's a good one Spence." She adds before walking back to join her band. I watch them as they finish setting up, each of the three boys smiling brightly at me. Aw, I missed them.

Madison moves closer to me, taking my hand in hers as Mikey beats his drum sticks together and starts a countdown as Stacy starts playing her keyboard. Soon Joey and Andrew join in and the few people that were walking to class have stopped to watch the impromptu performance.

Ashley gives me another warm smile before grabbing the mic, waiting for her cue to start singing.

"Lying in my bed, I hear the clock tick and think of you. Caught up in circles, confusion is nothing new. Flashback, warm nights, almost left behind. Suitcase memories, time after...sometimes you'll picture me, I'm walking to far ahead. You're calling to me I can't hear what you've said. Then you say, go slow. I fall behind. The second hand unwinds."

Stacy and Andrew join in as she sings the chorus. "If you're lost you can look and you will find me. Time after time. If you fall I will catch you I'll be waiting. Time after time. If you're lost you can look and you will find me. Time after time. If you fall I will catch you, time after time."

Andrew does a short guitar solo before Ashley starts to sing again, this time with the accompaniment of Mikey. "After my picture fades and darkness has turned to gray, watching through windows you're wondering if I'm okay. Secrets stolen, from deep inside. The drum beats out of time." They finish and the others join into the chorus.

"If you're lost you can look and you will find me. Time after time. If you fall I will catch you I'll be waiting, time after time."

Andrew does another short solo before Ashley sings again on her own."You said go slow. I fall behind. The second hand unwinds."

The band joins in. "If you're lost you can look and you will find me. Time after time. If you fall I will catch you, I'll will be waiting. Time after time. If you're lost you can look and you will find me. Time after time. If you fall I will catch you..."

"I will be waiting." Ashley solo's.

"Time after time." The group joins back in. "Time after time. Time after time. Time after time. Time after time. Time after time. Time after time." The gradually get softer with each time saying it. "Time after time. Time after..." When they stop playing the couple dozen people that had stopped to listen cheer out and whistle.

The rest of the band smiles and waves to the crowd but Ashley, her eyes on focused on mine. She's smiling at me. She side steps the mic, walking towards me; never letting her eyes leave mine. I feel Madison release my hand and step away from me, just as Ashley reaches me.

"I just want you to know that I'm here Spencer. I'm here and I'm not going anywhere. I know that you may need a little more time and I get that." She nods. "But I want you to know that I'll wait for you. I'll wait as long as you need to-"

I hear a few cheers as I cut Ashley off with my lips. I think Madison cheers the loudest.

I kissed her because one, she was talking too much.

And because all I've wanted to do since I saw her five minutes ago is kiss her.

And because all I ever want to do when I'm around her is kiss her.

And because most importantly I can... and not feel guilty about it.

"Thank you." I whisper once we pull back.

"For what?" She questions, confusion evident in her tone.

"Coming here." I shrug and shake my head. "For singing that song." I smile and she bites her lip shyly. "And..." I trail off, taking in her face. How I've missed this face.

"And?" She asks, urging me to continuing.

"For being you." I reply simply, pulling her into another kiss. The crowd cheers again, a few squeals and cat calls cause us to giggle, breaking our kiss. And the groans that followed made us laugh even harder.

"I don't think our audience is liking our show." She chuckles into my neck.

"I think we should make this a private one." I reply.

"Booo." Madison says from next to me.

"Seriously?" I turn to her with a raised brow and say, noticing that all the bystanders were now dispersing. She shrugs and smiles. "I seriously wonder Madison." I tell my friend with the most serious look I can muster.

She laughs and shakes her head. "So I take it you're not going to class today?" She questions with a raised brow. I shake my head. "Figured." She smacks her lips. "Well you two have fun, you know... fuc-"

"Oh my God, Madison go!" I shout at my friend. Not letting her finish her sentence. She shrugs and chuckles again before waving and heading off the class.

"So, what do you want to do?" Ashley asks as I turn back to face her.

"I don't know." I shrug. I look around her at the band. They're pretty much done packing up and when they see me looking Andrew shouts,"We love you Spencer!" Mikey and Joey concur apparently. I chuckle at them.

"Don't mind them." Ashley turns back to her band and shakes her head with a smile. "They just missed you." She turns back to me.

"Are they alone?" I ask, quirking a brow.

"Nope." She shakes her head. "Definitely not alone."

"You think Lexy will ever find it in her heart to forgive me?" I ask as we walk back towards my dorm room. Yeah, there's no way I'm going to class now.

"I'm not sure." Ashley says throwing and arm over my shoulder. "When I went by the house to pick up the rest of my stuff last month she offered me a s'more so..." We both chuckle a bit, Lexy loves herself some s'mores. "I think she will Spence, she just needs time." Ashley nods and kisses my temple.

"I hope so." I reply softly.

We walk in silence and it's anything but uncomfortable. God, I missed her!

The feeling of having her here with me, holding my hand. It's amazing. I look over at her and smile. She's looking at me and I can't help the giggle that escapes my lips.

"I missed you." She tells me in a whisper.

"Really? I had not a clue with that song you wrote me."

"Oh no, that wasn't for you." She shakes her head seriously. "That was for Madison."

"I knew it!" We erupt in laughter and it feels good to be this way after spending the last few months trying to get through the pain. Having her here erases every bad thing I've been feeling. We get up to my room and I fumble my keys. I lean against my door and bite my lip nervously.

"So now what?" Ashley asks as she places both her hands on the door, trapping me there. She moves her face closer.

"We could make s'mores." I answer with a smirk. She groans, grabbing my keys and placing the correct one into the keyhole, successfully unlocking the door.

"I think we can do better than s'mores."

I giggle as she attacks my neck and we stumble through the door. We shut it behind us as if we closing the door on our past as we start our future...together.

Song used- Cyndi Lauper- Time After Time

A/N: I know everyone's gonna think this is the last chapter, but it's not. No worries.