Sorry for the long wait! This chapter used up a lot of my material so I'm nearing the end of my stockpile ;-; I loved the comments from the last chapter. They had me smiling from ear to ear.

-Picture of Charlie

Keegan's POV

After our wonderful day out Alayne took me back to the street near my home. I waved her off and began the trek back to my house. She told me she would explain the first step of her plan tomorrow at school. Man, I wish there was a way I could get out of this, its too late now though.

I snuck into the house. My father was home but I guess he was in his room since he wasn't anywhere in sight down stairs. Lucky me. I made my way to my room and dropped my bag next to my bed. I guess the only thing left to do now is to go to bed. I brushed my teeth, showered then got out a book. I read while I fell asleep. It felt so good letting myself be enveloped by my much needed rest.

The next morning I quickly brushed my teeth grabbed my bag and ran out of the house without my father catching me. I was heading over to the diner to see if they were stilling offering any jobs. It took a couple of minutes to get there so I would still have plenty of time to get to school.

"Welcome!" The woman greeted as I entered through the door.

"Uh, hi. Are you still offering that job?" I asked scanning the shop for any help wanted signs. To my disappointment none where in sight.

"Oh, I know you!" She exclaimed pointing at me. I blushed and stiffened a little at her attention.

"Lucky you, we have have one more position left. Some guy came around the other day taking the dish washing position, I forget when he's startin' though." She informed me. My eyes lit up. This is great, now I'll finally be able to eat properly and pay for my own things, even if it isn't that much.

"I'll take it!" I accepted hastily without knowing the details of the job.

"Great, when can ya start workin'?" She asked, pulling out a clipboard.

"Is tomorrow fine?" I asked. I wasn't sure if it would be the best time but I needed to start working as soon as possible.

"Sure! Your shift is from four-pm to seven-pm. You'll be mannin' the front desk, 'course I'll be there to help ya too if ya need anything." She informed. This seemed like it could work. Alayne will be disappointed since we won't be able to hang out as often though.

"Would ya like a slice of pie, or anything before ya go?" She asked over her shoulder, behind the counter.

"Uh yeah, sure." I accepted. I did come here for a bit after all.

"Alright, pull up a chair, I'll be there with yo' order in a sec." She informed. I did as she said and watched as she moved from shelf to shelf. Soon enough I had a nice slice of pie sitting in front of me. It was just as delicious as last time.

"Before ya go can you help me with something?" She asked while she organized her counters.

"Sure, what is it?" I questioned simply, standing up from my seat.

"I need some help liftin' some boxes in the back. I got a shipment of graham crackers today and Micheal ain't arrived yet." She explained, still a little preoccupied. A curious look popped onto my face.

"Oh, right, Micheal works here in the back room. He organizes all of our ingredients and lifts heavy things for me." She answered, knowing what I was curious about.

I followed her into the back room and began stacking the boxes of graham crackers where they belonged. Great, working before I even officially start my job.

"What do you use all of these crackers for?" I questioned as I lifted one of the heavy boxes.

"I crush them up and use them in my pastries, like the crust o' my pie fo' example." She explained. That would explain why it reminded me so much of Christmas cookies.

"By the way, don't worry, this'll all be added to yo' paycheck." She assured, putting all of my earlier concerns to rest, even though I still would've gladly helped her for free.

I barely made it to the bus stop in time after coming from the diner. That was a crap ton of graham crackers! Her pastries must be popular if she needs that much. I guess I'd see soon enough since I start work tomorrow.

"Hey!" Alayne called as I entered the school. I looked around trying to spot her voice and saw her making her way over to me from the hall.

"Hey." I greeted back with a smile. She seemed as her usual peppy self.

"I'm taking you to my house after school." She suddenly announced.

"Okay, but why?" I asked suspicious, raising a brow at her.

"We're going over the plan." She whispered. I mentally groaned, remembering her proposal to help me get Theo. I still didn't think this was the best idea.

"Alright." I sighed. After our conversation I headed off to my locker with her following behind. I got all of my things then headed to homeroom. Once it was over I was off to my first class being history. We got a mean substitute teacher who was taking over for the next few days and she practically insulted everyone in the class by the time it got out. She kept on mocking my lack of intelligence when I got one question wrong, one freaking question! She shamed me through class, and even though the others were shamed along side me they'd make it a priority to laugh at me. I felt so embarrassed, I hung my head in shame. Hmph, I'm probably smarter than most people in this classroom.

School went on then lunch eventually rolled around. Alayne caught up with me and we made our way to the cafeteria. I dreaded getting in line but it was the only way to get food so I had no choice. Alayne stood right behind me, playing with the tray in her hand. I lit up when I saw Theo enter through the door. I would've called out to him, but I didn't want to gain too much attention.

After getting our lunch we headed over to our usual table, meeting up with Theo and his friends.

"Hey." Theo greeted as he bit into his sandwich.

"Hi." I greeted back, throwing a small wave with my cheeks noticeably red. Gosh, I'm blushing just looking at him. I guess its cause I haven't seen him as much as I used to, its a rare sight.

"Wanna hangout after school?" He asked hopeful, but his look dropped when he saw mine. I really did want to hangout with him but... Alayne. Gah, this girl is going to be the death of me. I can't be mad at her though, since she's trying to help me.

"I'm really sorry." I apologized. My heart was aching for turning him down, but this would be for the better in the long run , right? "I promise we'll hangout eventually." eventually? I almost facepalmed, that sounded terrible.

"Its fine." Was all he said before going back to his sandwich.

His friends continued to ignore me like usual, but they've seemed to warm up to me a little.

Lunch ended and it was time for my next class. I ran into Theo's brother on the way and decided to talk to him for a bit.

"Hey." I greeted as I approached him. He gave me a strange look before looking around the room.

"Are you talking to me?" He asked a little wide eyed.

"Uh, yeah." I confirmed.

"Why?" He asked, narrowing his eyes.

"I just... I just thought I'd say hi." I responded nervously, maybe this wasn't a good idea.

"Oh... sorry, I'm not used to this is all, so you can't blame me for being suspicious." He explained, relieving some of my tension.

"Not used to it?" I question, raising a brow.

"Yeah... no one," He paused a second. "No one outside my friend group ever talks to me, I'm like Theo's shadow." He said with sadness clear in his voice. "Not that I want anymore friends anyway." He added looking off to the side. The look in his eyes seemed overly familiar. That's the expression I wore when I realized I was alone, when I realized I did have anyone I could talk to, anyone I could rely on.

"I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Keegan, Keegan Canterberry." I said.

"Sounds-" He began "Nerdy." We finished in unison. I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Yeah, how'd you know?" He asked with a smile creeping onto his face.

"Heard it several times before." I pout.

"I'm guessing from my brother, right?" He asked almost rolling his eyes.

"And not limited to." I confirmed in dread.

"Shoot, I just remembered I'm supposed to be heading to class." I murmur after thinking a moment.

"Same." He said. "Charlie, by the way." He added before walking off without another word. I smiled and watched until he disappeared out of sight. Charlie huh? I like it.

I hurried off to my next class and made it just in time, not by more than a hair. I took my usual seat near the middle of the class and listened to the teacher speak.

Alayne drove me to her house later that evening. It looked a little above average, far better than mine, well anything probably is to be honest. The landscaping is fantastic, the walk way seemed to be made of high quality stone, and the exterior looked clean and bright. Inside was just as impressive. Her room looked like how I'd expect to, the color pink everywhere, stuffed animals, what I didn't expect were all of her gaming consoles stacked in the corner and her massive flat screen TV. My expression mimicked that of a chemical reaction.

"My gosh." I gawked, and she chuckled.

"Welcome to my room." She said as she did a little twirl with her arms spread out.

"This must have been expensive." I remarked.

"I have the cash." She said nonchalantly with a shrug.

"Alright, lets get to the plan." She blurted, plopping onto her pink animal print sheets.

"Do we have to?" I whined.

"Oh quit it. You don't want to wait for someone to come and snatch him up do you?" She asked.

"If I even have a chance." I sighed.

"Okay, so here's my first idea. You could write him an anonymous letter and sprinkle it with compliments then place it in his locker." She suggested.

"How will it help me if its anonymous?" I asked, giving her a strange look.

"You don't want him to know right off the bat. The things you do next will add to the reveal. When he figures out how much effort and attention you put into him he's bound to feel something, assuming he has some sort of feelings for you already." She explained. This wasn't the worst plan ever but would I call it good? I don't know.

"Get to writing!" She yelled, shoving a pen and paper into my chest. I took them and gave her a look of worry. She ignored it and went on to play her games.

After writing several mind wrenching compliments I was finally done. I released a sigh of relief.

"You done?" She asked not removing her attention from the TV screen.

"Yeah." I muttered.

"Come play with me." She said, then pulled out another controller and sat it besides her. I scooted off her bed and onto the floor to join her.

Now I see why people spend so much time and money on these things, they're freaking fun. I was shock at how much more advanced it was compared to the games in the arcade. I hope I can get my own someday.

"Theo is having a practice match in a couple of days. I think we should go and support him." She said, still with all of her focus on the screen. "His first big game of the season is in two weeks as well, that's when we should start seeing results." She added. I would've gone to support him either way. He's a great friend, and I want to see him win. I know how important it is to him so I'll root for him every step of the way.

"After the practice match you'll go into the boys locker room, take his uniform and wash it in the school's laundry room." She instructed. "He's always complaining how hard and inconvenient it is to wash it, so if someone else did it I'm sure he'd be overly grateful."

"Are you sure Theo won't find it creepy with me going through his lockers?" I asked, nervously. If it upset him I don't know what I'd do, other than panic like I'm on fire that is.

"If its you I'm sure he wont mind at all." She assured. I sure hope she's right.

"Two weeks huh?" I thought out loud. "Seems so close yet so far."

"That's plenty of time to layout our plan." She informed.

"True." Was all I said. The room went silent with nothing but the sound of her TV, We were focusing on the game in front of us. She was stomping me, no surprise there.

Alayne wanted me to stay for dinner but her mother didn't come home in time to cook, so I decided to head home since it was getting pretty late. We chaotically made our way to a car parked in the driveway. Her mother took the car Alayne was driving earlier so she had to drive the only other car in the driveway.

"This one's my dad's old car. It's pretty beat up, but mom took her car so we have to settle for this." She explained, stretching the "so".

"I actually think it looks pretty cute." I chucked as I scanned the car's appearance. You could definitely tell it was old, the design looked jagged, and the colors were dull, dirt brown and stain yellow, despite all that I still thought it looked kinda cute. Her look shriveled into pure terror making me burst out laughing.

We got into the car and pulled out the driveway. She flicked on the radio and some boring station came on. I don't think either of us were into this type of music since she was giggling the whole time it was playing, I followed behind due to her intoxicating laughter. The words intoxicating and driving don't work well together, but somehow I managed to make it home alive.

When I stepped inside I didn't see my father.  I hurried to my room, not wanting to spend a second more than necessary in the living room. I dropped my bag besides my bed and pulled out a book like usual. I shut out the lights and turned on my small lamp I kept next to the window. I sat under the moonlight on a pillow that I received from Christmas years ago. It was so soft and plump, it did wonders easing my tension. The lamp's light with the moon's was enough to make the words of my book visible. I read a few pages before getting lost in my own thoughts. I was physically still reading but mentally I was in another realm. One of the reoccurring thoughts was about work, I actually have a job now. Hopefully I don't blow it on the first day. I don't think I'd ever forgive myself if that was actually the case.

After realizing I was reading without taking in a single word I flipped the page back, rereading it. The book I'm reading is about a banker who recently divorced and doesn't know what to do with his life. He does some pretty outrageous things to accomplish his goals. If only I had his courage. I haven't gotten too far into the book so I don't know how it'll end, but I can tell it'll be an enjoyable ride.

I shut my book and crawled into bed with Theo on my mind. His face in my thoughts brings a smile to my face. I snuggled into the covers of my uncomfortable bed, with Theo on my mind it was a lot more comfortable than usual though. I haven't had any night terrors since the trip. I guess with my life changing so drastically it made things a little easier to bear. I still cant believe I have friends, and a job! This was all so exciting and new to me. Alayne was pretty disappointed when I told her we wouldn't be able hang out as much after school due to me getting a job, but she took it better than I imagined she would.

The next morning I prepared for school and left the house as usual. I got lucky again, dodging my father and made my way to school. I was prettified of stepping through those doors, as phase one of Alayne and I's plan would begin. We skipped out on lunch to place the note in Theo's locker. She was one of the few people who knew his combination. I hesitantly followed her down the hall towards Theo's locker. My heart raced the closer I got. Was I actually going to do this? Once I place this in his locker there's no going back.

"C'mon, we gotta hurry before lunch is out. We don't want to be spotted." She had a point, I wouldn't want Theo to catch us with his locker half open. I shook my head and pushed my thoughts to the back of my head.

"I'm going to keep watch." She notified as she went to peak around the corners of the hall. I thanked her silently, not wanting to draw any attention.

I used the combination Alayne told me and there was a sudden clicking sound, startling me a little, his locker popped open. It smelled just like him. All of his belongings had his sweet, unique scent. I didn't mean to snoop but I noticed a picture of an old lady and a young kid. If I wasn't mistaken that was him and his grandmother. Suddenly another wave of memories washed over me like before.

I remember when I'd watch grandma on her sewing machine. I was mesmerized by how well she worked it. She'd definitely be considered a pro with her level of techniques. The little light and the jagged sounds coming from the machine were oddly soothing. I'd just sit there and stare off into the distance while listening to the relaxing sounds I found it funny how sometimes I preferred watching her sew over TV. My mother also found it amusing.

The bell rang, snapping me out of my thoughts. I mentally swore, hurry! I quickly placed the note on top of some books he had laying around his locker then hastily shut the door. When I turned around Alayne was no where in sight. Crap, she totally bailed! I thought I was chicken. Luckily no one else was around so I still had time to make a clean escape. It usually took everyone sometime to get to their lockers after lunch if they aren't already there. The hall I was currently in was empty, thankfully. I ran off to my locker and thats when everyone started pouring in. The halls got a little chaotic, but now I could blend in.

"There you are!" I shouted when I saw Alayne.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to leave you alone. I saw someone down the hall and tried distracting them while you placed the note." She explained. I guess she isn't the chicken I made her out to be after all. I smiled, relieved everything went well.

"Come on, lets go watch Theo read the note. It'd be helpful to see his reaction so we can go from there." She suggested. I hesitantly tagged along with her. We peaked around a corner making sure he wouldn't catch us in his sight.

My heart pounded as him and his friends crowded the hall. He was talking to one of them while he entered his combination. What happened next practically ripped my heart from my chest and exploded it, and not just mine either as everyone was shocked...