The past week consisted of Vance walking me to school then walking me home then to the Grab n Go as I worked and he played pinball. We got to know each other a lot more. Turns out his mom left when he was young and his dads a total creep. I feel bad for his situation, but he tells me not to pity him because he doesn't need that pity. I've told Vance about my situation with my parents and he didn't really say anything. Instead he just wrapped his arm around me squeezing me. I could tell he was trying his best and I appreciated it. Kisses on the cheek became the daily routine because he asked in a sort of harsh way I suppose?

"So you're just going to give me a kiss one night and not give me one the next?! What kind of shit deal is that?!" He said snarling. I rolled my eyes playfully now kissing him on the cheek.

"Better?" I asked smiling fluttering my eyelashes. He just pushed me away and got all flustered. Vance ended up stomping his way back home from what I saw. I laughed as I watched him leave.

Nights like those were what really made me look forward to the next day. It was like a constant thing that would happen. Vance stopped getting "jealous" of Finny but instead actually saw him as a maybe friend? He would threaten Moose or those three idiots that if they came near Finny or me, he'd bust them up which made Finny and Robins view change on him. In my eyes Vance had always been nice but just misunderstood.

Another kid was taken by the Grabber, Bruce Yamada. I actually knew Bruce, because of family friends. Our dads went to high school together so we were pushed to be friends, although we hadn't gotten close. I was upset for a bit and Vance noticed it, he taught me how to play pinball and all the tricks he's learned throughout years of playing. I guess that was a big step in our friendship, or whatever this was.

School was boring this day as classes went by so slowly. I was just counting down the seconds until it was time to see Vance. I just got all giddy thinking about him in general, I couldn't tell if this was a crush forming or if this was just normal feelings for a friend. I've noticed that less boys have been talking to me then usual. I usually just flowed around with people just talking to everyone but it seemed like my friendship with some males had gone down ever since Vance had started showing up more around me. At my locker I was grabbing my books for my last class when someone had harshly slammed my locker. I looked to see the culprit was no one other then Moose.

"How could you get with Pinball Vance? I gave you so many chances and this is how you treat me?!" Moose said growling at most. I just starred at him raising my eyebrow.

"First off if you were to at least try to be smart, you wouldn't get Vance pissed and second of all there's a reason I rejected you all those times. I just don't like you." I said smiling then turning around to walk to my next class. Leaving Moose angry like that made me feel like a boss.

Soon class was over and walking out of the school was different this time, Vance stood right there leaning against the bike rack. I went up walking, before I could even greet him I was yanked back by my backpack. I ended up landing straight on my ass, looking up to see Moose and his two little sidekicks. I didn't even think Moose had it coming when Vance pounced onto him kicking the living shit out him. Moose's two friends tried ripping Vance off but he was strapped onto Moose, making him into a bloody mess. I saw teachers talking on their phones and I knew it was time to go.

"Vance! Cops, lets go!" I yelled reaching out my hand for him to grab. This time he took it with his bloodied hands and I gripped tight running with him behind me. I looked back to see Moose unresponsive on the ground as blood spewed out of his nose and mouth. We ran for a bit until I found the entrance to the woods that would lead me and Vance to my house. I tried pulling Vance through but his abrupt stop led me stumbling into him. "What's wrong?" I said turning around as we still held hands.

"I don't do forests." Vance said starring ahead then back at me. I looked at him confused but he seemed to be stuck in place. If he was scared, I don't think anyone could've told, well except for me. I hung out with Vance enough to know when he's shit scarred. Like butterfly's, its not common but for Vance, he'd end his life if a Butterfly flew on him. One time as he walked me to the grab n go a butterfly flew by, Vance tried to kill it as I begged him not to. He always tells me not to bring that up though...

"You're not scared...Are you?" I said baiting him on. Right now wasn't a time to decide whether to like something or not. The cops had been called but if we held out for a certain amount of time, it would turn over with the cops.

"Of course I'm not fucking scared!" Vance said angrily stomping into the forest entrance dragging me behind him. Well that was one way to do it.

"Vance do you even know where you're going?" As he lead me recklessly through the woods. I could feel blood getting on me as he held my hand. I turned his hand to see that the cuts on his fists were bad. "What happened to your hands?" I said trying to stop him but he just kept pulling me.

"It's non of your fucking concern." I could just sense the eyeroll when he said that. He definitely was going the right way shockingly. Vance had probably cut his knuckles on Moose's sharp ass teeth.

"Well when we get to my house I'm gonna bandage them up. My parents shouldn't be home so." I knew my dad was still at the Grab n Go and my mother was doing something? I didn't really keep tabs on my mom for obvious reasons.

Vance just huffed and continued walking in the exact direction to my house. How did he know the back route to my house from the school? I mean I used to take it when I was a freshman but my father didn't want me in the woods because of ticks. Which made sense, so I stopped doing it. After a couple of minutes we were at my house, Vance in front of me as we walked up into the house porch. He cranked open the door walking in a bit before freezing in his tracks.

"What's the hassle?" I said brushing past him before I felt a hand cover my mouth. I saw my mother laying there on the couch with a bottle of booze right beside her. Thank god for Vance but I didn't enjoy his bloody hand covering my mouth, who knows what diseases are contained with in the blood of his or Moose's. Vance slowly took his hand off my mouth as I spit out what seemed to be some ones blood, I led him carefully to the bathroom which was right across from my bathroom thank god.

Rushing into the bathroom with Vance right behind me. I quietly shut the door before relief had hit me. Vance stood looking around, he seemed to be starring at something hanging from the shower. I looked up to see my underwear hanging right there, I rushed past him grabbing it down from there. "In my eyes I never imagined you in red." Vance said smirking (In a laughing way!).

"Shut up!" My face started heating up like crazy. That was so embarrassing, the dryer was being used so I ended up hanging my underwear up to dry with the intention of taking it down right after school. Well, minor collisions happened and now I was snatching my underwear that is now dry in front of Vance Hopper. "Now let's see what we have." I said now moving past that...-embarrassing moment. I checked the cabinets and found the first aid kit, I sat myself on my counter. I motioned for him to come closer to me so I could bandage his fists.

Turning on the faucet as he stood in between my thighs which seemed to be the only way to go about this. Taking his hands gently I stuck them under the cold water which he didn't tense up for that part. I washed all the blood off his hands, and ended up washing the blood off my hands as well. It wasn't until I had to apply the ointment was Vance really whiny.

"Do not put that on my hands." Vance said looking dead straight at me. I looked at him like he was a complete idiot.

"You're going to get them infected if I don't apply this." I argued back. We ended up bickering about this until I promised he could play the pinball machine 5 minutes past closing time. He ended up budging at that part. I placed the ointment on one hand and he started wincing at that. "It's gonna hurt if you keep tugging your hand away when it's not fully applicated onto your knuckles!" Vance just gave me a tired of this bullshit look. I continued applying the ointment until he pulled back his hand.

"Alright! That's fucking enough for that hand, just finish it up on this hand now." he said pissed off at the pain. I just rolled my eyes at which he snarled at me. I swear one day he's gonna bite my head off.

"Ok, whatever you say buddy." I said now quickly applying the ointment on his other hand. I got the bandages out of the first aid and wrapped a light layer around both of his fists. "There, all patched up. See? That wasn't so bad." I said looking up from his bandaged fists to find him really close to my face. I could feel his body heat radiating onto me, he made gulp me as he starred at me. He wiped off the blood remaining on my lips with his thumb carefully getting every drop. I could feel my cheeks heating, I struggled to find what to do next. It was just me and Vance starring at each other, both of us leaning forward a bit. I turned my face away turning my attention to something else. There's no possible way he wanted to kiss me, even though I wanted to kiss him...

Vance just stepped back looking distraught. He rushed out of the bathroom, then out of the house. Surprisingly not waking up my mother in the process. I rushed after him and tried to catch up but he ended up running, I watched him as he ran until I couldn't see him anymore. "Vance!!!" I tried yelling out for him again. But it was to late, ugh stupid me. You had it perfect!!! And you just ruined it...