Molly washes her hands in the school bathroom as she prepares herself for her next class. It's her second day back and she's already made five more friends than her entire first two months at the school. She's been wanting to come back to school all week, mentally she was ready and excited but she knew it was going to be hard to see him. That was the only thing she wasn't ready for. She's been trying not to think about him, to place her emotions to the back of her mind in an unhealthy and traumatizing way which hasn't made her feel any better.

She saw Alan twice over the week, and the first time they just talked. She opened up about everything that happened, about going out with Lauren and seeing Charlie unexpectedly. She explained how free she felt, how happy it made her, until she started to sober up and the tiredness wore her down. Alan said that she shouldn't rely on alcohol to make her feel that way and that she needed to find another source to help her. She's still figuring that one out.

The second time Alan visited her he brought Shiloh along. Molly couldn't contain her joy at being reunited with the dog and they took him for a long walk around the park. That was when Alan told her that she seemed different, that she looked different. He didn't tell her directly to stay away from Lauren but Molly began to suspect that was the hidden meaning behind everything he said. He told her that Lauren was a complicated person and could be a bad influence but Molly just shrugged it off. He doesn't know her like Molly does, even though Lauren has a traumatic past she just wants to make a difference in people's lives. Molly gets that.

She spent a lot of her time with Daisy and Henley. Taking them for hotdogs and watching them play in the park. And at night, she tried her best to get to know Pam and Daniel more. She listened to their stories of how they met and how they defied Daniel's parents to stay together because they hated her at first. They showed her old photographs of their prom night and they laughed as they relived the evening that Pam called 'a disaster from start to finish.' But when it came to their wedding photos, Molly saw the change in Pam's eyes. She could tell it was the best day of their lives, a magical day that still makes them emotional. Molly remembered her parents describing their wedding day and her mother had the same look as Pam did. It made Molly obsessed with her wedding day. She wanted it to be as perfect as her parents', she wanted the beautiful dress and the dozens of flowers draped around the church benches. She wanted her sister and Riley to be waiting for her as Molly's father walked her down the aisle clutching onto her arm to stop her from fainting. And her mother would be sat up front with a handkerchief pressed against her eyes. She hadn't visited that dream in a long time.

But one day when she does get married it will be Daisy as her bridesmaid and Daniel's arm clutching her own. She didn't know how to feel about that and she banished the thought before Pam and Daniel noticed.

Molly looks at her reflection in the mirror. Her hair is pulled back by the top today just like Lauren taught her. And she wears coloured eyeshadow with eyeliner on her face along with a thin, off-shoulder sweater and dark jeans. Her new look has been noticed by most of the boys in her classes and the attention she is receiving is new to her. Even Sandy Evans, the most popular girl in school, spoke to her this morning. Her beauty is not exaggerated and Molly was tongue tied throughout the entire exchange of words. She was really lovely but she's the type of person that Molly would normally avoid. Now she's beginning to wonder why. There are a lot of nice people in her classes, Molly has just always overlooked them, but yesterday she found herself joining a table of her fellow classmates and actually enjoying their company.

She turns to grab some towels to dry her hands and she hears the door open. Camilla walks towards her and then turns to stare at herself in the mirror.

"It's a good game that you're playing," she says as she pats her cheek. "But it won't work."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Molly says.

"You and Charlie," she says. "You like him don't you?"

"That's not really any of your business."

"Ah. That's where you're wrong." Camilla turns sharply and folds her arms. "You'll never come between him and Aubrey, nothing ever has. Whatever thing you think is happening, it isn't."

"You know Aubrey?" Molly mutters.

"She's my sister, didn't he mention that?" The look on Molly's face answers the question. "Oh dear. I just ruined the surprise. You know they're back together right? He went round to her apartment on Sunday and they made up and I'm not just talking about with words." Camilla raises an eyebrow and Molly looks away. "So you can dress differently and you can act differently all you want but if you want my advice stop chasing someone that clearly doesn't want to be chased."

Molly pushes past her and bursts through the door. Her hands are shaking and her eyes are tearing up. She manages to escape around the back of the school and she sits with her back to the wall as she cries. She never imagined she could be hurt like this, that it was possible for Charlie to hurt her like this. It was her own fault, she was the one that told him to back off, that told him she needed to find who she is without his help. She replays that night in her mind endlessly, wishing for a chance to go back and tell him the truth. The real truth. She was so angry at him that she wasn't thinking straight. But it's done now, it's over. Her heart is breaking but it's over.

Molly dries her eyes and takes a mirror from her pocket, trying to correct her make up that has run down her cheeks. She finds the strength to walk to her next class and she aimlessly drifts by Charlie as he does his best to ignore her. Camilla is in this class too and she's taking secret delight from watching Molly in pain.

A girl named Louise that Molly sat with at lunch yesterday greets her. Molly just smiles in return. Molly keeps her head down and studies the poems that they've been instructed to dissect. She can't focus on anything. By the time the bell rings she hasn't even moved on to the second poem. She signs her name and hands it in anyway despite knowing it's a fail. Louise stays by her side as they walk towards the lockers.

"You're pretty quiet," Louise says. "Everything okay?"

Molly nods and yanks open her locker. Suddenly, an arm is resting above her face and she takes a deep breath as Charlie leans over her.

"Will you just talk to me? Please? I know you wanted space but this is ridiculous."

"I have nothing to say to you," Molly says as she swaps her books. She turns to walk down the hallway, pulling a dumbstruck Louise with her.

"You were right," Charlie says as he matches their strides. "I'm overprotective and I think that every man out there is like my father. I can't help it. I'm sorry for the things I said, you're not naïve, far from it."

"How much of the essay did you write for the history assignment?" Molly asks Louise.

"Really?" Louise says with her eyes wide. "You're going to ignore him?"

"I got about half done," Molly says. "Did you use the civil war as one of the contrast examples?"

"I can't win with you," Charlie mutters as he follows them around the school. "I know you're listening, you like listening. It's one of the incredibly weird things that I love about you."

Molly's heart begins to race. He's saying nice things, she wasn't prepared for him to say nice things. She walks a little slower.

"Just look at me," he says. "Please. Molly?"

"If you don't look at him then I will," Louise mutters.

Molly stops in the middle of the hallway and turns around. "I have to get to class."

"This won't take long. Look, I know that you're trying to do this life thing on your own and you seem to be doing a really great job so far but I miss you. You won't even look at me, what's that about?"

"Did you go to Aubrey's apartment on Sunday?" Molly whispers.

"Yeah, how did you. . . Camilla." He clenches his jaw and glares at the ceiling. "Whatever she told you is a lie."

"So you didn't kiss her and do. . . other things?"

"Yeah, but-"

"It's not a lie then." Molly smiles. "You're back together with her."

"No! Me and Aubrey are not back together."

"You don't have to lie about it," Molly says. "We're just friends remember? It's better this way anyway. No big deal."

"Don't be like that," Charlie says.

"Like what?"

"Cold."

Molly backs away slowly. "I hope you're happy together."

"Holy crap!" Louise says when they turn the corner. "You and Charlie Park? Have you slept together?"

"No," Molly says in disgust. "It was nothing like that. It's complicated."

"Well, the guy seemed really into you and you kind of destroyed him," Louise says honestly. "It wasn't pretty to watch."

Molly thinks about that as they walk. She didn't intend to be mean, but she was putting on a brave face, it was either that or cry in front of him. Maybe he's telling the truth, maybe they aren't back together, maybe she's overreacting, but it still doesn't change anything. She needs to forget him; she needs to fill her life with something else that can shelter the fears she faces every day. She needs consistency, to be with someone that won't hide how they feel about her, and she plans to find them.