Like a Train Wreck - 55. Chapter 55: Go Face Scary

Laquisha walked by Ben's desk and dropped a bag with a flash drive in it. "Looks like you don't have to talk to David at all and we're expecting something in the mail. I don't know who anonymous is but I already watched it, I know it's a man, distorted voice, but a deep one. I already watched it, he says he's not a cop but works with a higher affiliation and is doing all of this covertly."

Ben looked at the bag and then he looked up at Laquisha. "Higher affiliation? I doubt FBI, I don't think they would work like that."

Laquisha put a hand on her hip. "Maybe the governments behind it now, that, or it's a vigilante. For whatever reason, they choose to feed us the evidence so that we can go forward with it."

"Maybe they want to stay covert?" Ben took the bag and pulled the flash drive out. "I'm going to watch this." He waved at Laquisha. "Go buzz, fly."

Laquisha laughed. "You just mad that I'm a better investigator than you." Laquisha walked off.

"Yeah? Then thinking the government is behind it is way off base if they feed the evidence to us! How's that for investigating?!" Ben grinned and plugged the flash drive into his computer.

"Oh and there's a note too! I'm going to let you go face scary on your own!" Laquisha laughed.

Ben pulled out the note and unfolded it and there was a typed message. "Go talk to Miracle." He grinned. "Ha...signed Anonymous." He looked up at the computer. "How cute." He said, grabbing his head phones and he put them on as the video started.

"Um, okay guys, I'm going to go...uh, grocery shopping for movie night!" Jaemin smiled, walking towards the door.

Miracle laid across the couch and looked at Jaemin. "Movie night?" He then looked at Issac. "Since when do we have movie night?"

"Since Issac's sister is a shut in, only comes out to leave to go see Hunter, our friend count has dwindled to none and school is no more." Jaemin nodded.

"We might have a friend if we went and took care of Ashley." Miracle frowned. "And why the fuck didn't Kevin come home and visit? Is he that mad at me?"

"Well, you did put his life in danger, after peacefully sending him sailing off into the sunset." Jaemin thought about it. "I can only imagine a beautiful scene in my head."

"And if he was smart at all, coming home would have been the best thing to do, how crazy would it be to come home, right where the core of the danger is? Eric wouldn't think he'd be stupid enough to do that, actually making it a smart idea." Miracle looked up.

Issac cleared his throat. "Well, he's not here and we need something to do."

Miracle heard a knock on the door. "Well there's something. When you're bored, opportunity just knocks, isn't that cool?" He grinned and got up, walking to the door and opened it, only to see Ben standing there. "Well, well, well...look who it is. Did the goose bumps finally go away?" Miracle laughed.

Ben grinned. "There were no goose bumps, just a highly annoying kid. Can I come in?"

Jaemin started to step forward but Miracle placed a hand on his chest to stop him. He laughed at Ben. "Why not? Maybe I can throw another confession at you." Miracle turned around and walked inside. "Oh and that's Issac."

Ben walked in and looked at Jaemin and then Issac. "So, first of all, are you Anonymous?"

Miracle grinned and turned around. "If Anonymous wanted you to know, I'm sure they wouldn't be Anonymous. Why?"

"Well, who ever this Anonymous is, they have been feeding us evidence." Ben said.

Miracle laughed. "You have to be fed evidence? Really?!"

Ben sighed. "Could we not? You're graduated." He shook his head. "He's been giving us evidence against Eric, lead us to Rachel and then turned in a video made by Jordan, confessing the truth about Martha, of course it's safe to say that shes still staying in jail for a while. Anyway there was also a note to talk to you, I guess to find out anything you might know that we might not."

"Graduate? That I did, still doesn't mean I have to grow up yet." Miracle grinned and fell back on the couch, crossing his arms as he listened to Ben. "Well, I really can't think of a thing to tell you that you probably don't already know. I mean...Hunter has Skylar's diary, if Rachel sold out her dead daughter." Miracle held up a finger. "But, you copy those pages, if there is anything. You don't take that diary from my brother."

Ben looked at Miracle. "I'm sorry but we will need the actual diary."

"And then what? You throw it in an evidence box and storage it? I don't think so, I'll call him and tell him to hide it." Miracle frowned.

"Okay, what if Hunter testified to what it says and then lets us just show it?" Ben asked.

"Whatever, so long as he gets to keep it." Miracle narrowed his eyes at the cop.

Ben nodded. "Is there anything else?"

"Hmm..." Miracle looked around, thoughtfully. "He threatened my friend Kevin. When I called from California, he said something like paying Kevin a visit or me paying him a visit. That was while we were hiding from Eric."

Ben slowly nodded, writing it down. "Well, in the context of the situation." He looked up. "Anything else? Something more...bigger?"

Aside from Eric sending Kyler to kill them in West Virginia, which was something that he wanted to keep under wraps, there wasn't all that much. "Nope, that's about it."

Ben nodded. "Okay." He smiled. "Thanks for..a more decent visit."

"Don't let the door hit you on the way out!" Miracle grinned.

Ben nodded and turned around, walking out, Jaemin shutting the door behind him.

"Anonymous, has to be that weird guy." Jaemin said.

"Well if it is, leave him alone, he's helping." Miracle said.

"Just hope no one thinks of West Virginia.." Jaemin said.

"You don't have to speak in code." Miracle sighed. "I told Issac about Brad and Melanie, he's keeping it secret."

Jaemin looked at Issac. "He told you?"

"Look, I get it and I'm not going to say anything. As far as I'm concerned, Brad deserved it, and Melanie, well, crimes over inheritances happen all the time, if you felt in danger...so be it." Issac stood up and walked closer to Jaemin. "I haven't reported it yet, I'm not going to. Hell I'm the one that wants to be a criminal."

"Fine, then you should know that Miracle killed Jordan and Kyler in West Virginia." Jaemin said.

"Woah." Issac's eyes widened and he looked at Miracle. "I could see Jaemin, but you?"

Miracle looked up. "They were chasing us, I was sick of it, so I decided to make the worry go away. I used a hammer, lured Jordan to our hotel room, he had his own little thing for me. Kyler followed and as they came in, I caught them off guard."

"How did you...get away with it?" Issac asked.

"I told the investigator that Jordan and I were hooking up, Kyler was a mean ex and stalked Jordan, hit him with a hammer. Then I told him that me and Kyler fought over the hammer, explained the little mess we staged in the room as the struggle and that I threw the hammer and it hit Kyler in the face. Thing is, Kyler's face was beaten so bad, the self defense wasn't flying."

Miracle continued. "So then I added kidnapping, that he was threatening to take me away, then the investigator said I could of waited until I was out of the room to escape or call for help. The more I went on, the more he argued me. So then I went on into my past, played for sympathy and..he played dirty cop for me, said he would fix a believable story. Though it's something we're still afraid of so we avoid bringing it up like the plague."

"How long ago was it?" Issac asked.

"Last year, before we came to Nevada, it's the reason we came to Nevada. So I feel like it's safe to say that if it never comes up then we're safe." Jaemin said.

"Unless Eric brings it up in court." Issac said.

"Yeah, but then we'll have to hope that whatever story that cop made, we have to hope that it sticks." Miracle shook his head.

Miracle smiled as he walked around the store with Dayna, this was his first chance actually hanging out with her. "Well, I'm glad that we found something mutual to do together."

"We're both redoing our rooms, so I figured, why not? Miracle, it's not that I dislike you or Jaemin. My brother? Maybe." She laughed. "It's just the wild part that kind of alienates me. This is something that I can do." She said as she looked over the paint colors.

Miracle nodded. "Understandable." Miracle took a deep breath. "Wow, I never took wall color into consideration with my big dream room that...well, it's going to come together a little at a time."

"Well I heard all of your ideas. Very cribs worthy." Dayna grinned. "If you want a wall to wall window like that, don't go with a dark color, something bright and airy would flow much better. Like a blue, a light blue, even if it's barely blue."

"You mean like one of those white blues that you can barely see? I kinda want changes that you can see." Miracle said.

Dayna grinned. "I figured you might say that. Well then a light blue, no darker than the sky on a sunny day. Oh and that window is going to need curtains, if you're going to watch television, you don't want the reflection."

"So what kind of curtains?" Miracle asked.

"Depends on what kind of carpet, are you redoing the carpet?"

"I could." Miracle said, thoughtfully.

"Well the carpet could either flow with the wall or dramatically contrast, either way works, it just depends on how you feel. Though I wouldn't go with any reds. Those seem like they are for stuffy offices to me." Dayna said. "Or you could ditch the carpet and go for wood, tile, marble, non carpeting would actually be better for your vision if you ask me."

"Okay, so blue for the walls and then green marble for the floor? Maybe like a hunter green?"

Dayna grinned. "Go for it. And then...red satin curtains, since that is what is on your bed, make it match."

Miracle smiled and then heard his phone ring and pulled it out and looked at the text. "Ryder is here, he came to college here. Wants me to meet him."

"Go ahead, we'll be doing plenty more shopping. I'm really just looking at my options anyway." Dayna laughed. "Erica and Craig come home from their honeymoon tomorrow, so that's when we can start spending."

"Being out of school, they are probably going to make us get up and go to work." Miracle laughed. "My Mom will so bitch at Craig if I don't want to."

Dayna looked up at Miracle. "Well you should. Miracle, I know you like the idea of staying at home, hanging on to a piece of childhood like that, but without school, it's really going to leave you shut in the house. Sure, you will probably go out and find things to do, but you won't go to that one place that gives you a little bit of a purpose."

"School never gave me purpose, did give me a place to start trouble though." Miracle grinned.

"Then you will have a horrible work history." Dayna looked back at the paint options. "Think about it this way, Jasmine left, you guys had zero friends and there was no school to make more. Where will you get them?"

Miracle thought about it and nodded. "You got a point. For now though, one just came to town, so I'm going to go and see him." Miracle smiled and ran off, leaving the store.

Miracle walked across the rail road tracks. "Okay, Ryder obviously doesn't know what happened here. I'll give him that pass." Miracle moved down the small hill and walked around the corner.

"Ryder, a warehouse? Really? Why? This is odd." Miracle said as he walked in and looked around and his eyes widened to see Ryder tied up to a chair and gagged but before he could even react, a man grabbed him from behind, put a hand over his mouth and put a gun to his head.

"Now, you're going to play it cool, you got it?" The man said to Miracle, holding the gun to his head. "You won't scream?"

Miracle shut his eyes momentarily and then nodded.

The man moved his hand from Miracle's mouth but kept the gun where it was at.

"Who are you?" Miracle asked.

"Oh, you can't see my jacket, sorry." The man looked over to see another one of his guys knelt down with a gun to Ryder's head. "Well, we spotted this guy here, has a tendency to talk to himself, he knew you were going to be real excited to see him."

Miracle took a deep breath and looked at Ryder. "Let him go, you got me now, he was just the bait, right?"

"As harmless as you are." The man laughed and nodded to his friend. "Let the other go." He said and then his friend started to untie Ryder and then removed the gag.

"Miracle!" Ryder stood up, only for the other guy to grab him.

"Ryder, just go!" Miracle said.

Ryder stared at Miracle and slowly shook his head and then started to leave.

"Oh! One more thing." The other man grabbed Ryder by the back of the shirt and pulled his cell phone out and then pushed him on. He threw the cell phone down and then stomped on it, smashing it.

Miracle watched Ryder run out of the warehouse and took a nervous breath, noticing the other guy was a hells angel. "Have you talked to Jack? He might be kind of pissed if he knows about this."

The man grinned. "Get your phone." He said.

Miracle reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone and then before the man could take it from him, he threw it as far as he could. "Go get it if you want it!" He said, hoping the man would be impulsive and run after it himself.

Just as sure as Miracle hoped, the man threw Miracle to the ground and ran after the phone. Miracle quickly got up. The other guy started running towards him and he grabbed a metal post and swung around it, one foot slammed into the guys face, the other into his stomach. Miracle didn't have the strength of a fighter and hardly knew much but it was enough to buy him time to run for the exit of the warehouse and run out.

"Woah! Miracle! What's going on?!" Philip asked, standing up on the rail road tracks.

Miracle ran up the hill and shoved Philip out of his way as he ran around to the driver side of the lexus, Philip running after him. "You tell me why you're trying to kidnap me!"

Miracle yanked the door open and got into the car, he slammed it shut and locked all the doors, shoving the keys into the ignition and speeding off down the road, looking to see if he saw Ryder anywhere, spotting him around the block, the tires squealed as he slammed on the breaks.

"Ryder!" He called out after rolling the window down.

Ryder breathed heavily and stopped walking and looked, seeing that Miracle was okay. "Thank god." He ran around and when Miracle unlocked the door, he fell into the passenger side and shut it.

Miracle drove on. "Welcome to New York, the heart of my danger, of course that danger followed me from Nevada."

"Huh...well..obviously, I didn't care. I mean New York was in my choices anyway and I got accepted anyway and...so I came and I said...well, if Miracle ever comes home, that would be a little cool." Ryder looked over at Miracle and smiled.

Miracle smiled. "Well you wouldn't believe what I came home to."

"Aside from this?" Ryder asked.

"Well aside from a lot of crazy things, the craziest is that my old best friend, my ex boyfriend, I come to find out has been seeing a girl, got her knocked up, joined the military, proposed to her and they took off to Fort Bragg!" Miracle slightly shook his head. "Have any theories on how that works? My boyfriend, Issac, came up with a bunch, still doesn't make sense to me."

"Uh...was he ever...confused?" Ryder asked.

"Not that I knew of." Miracle said. "Issac thinks that she drugged him, tied his hands, blind folded him and basically took away all of his senses and that sex is sex and it feels good no matter what. Still, be there for your baby, sure. But wouldn't he be pissed at her? So obviously she didn't do that, unless he doesn't remember, but then he'd want to know how it happened and if she said he just wanted it, well that would make just as much sense to him as it does us." Miracle took a deep breath.

"Um, I would just let it go. Something like that might drive you crazy. It might be something that only he understands." Ryder said.

"Yeah, well if he wants to blame me for it, if he decided to forcibly change himself just because I was screwed up and tried to die on his bathroom floor and then got together with Jaemin, not my fucking fault that Jaemin jump kicked him down the stairs! And then Melanie made up a bunch of lies and I don't even remember how it all went!" Miracle shook his head. "And I'm thinking about all of this when our lives nearly ended like ten minutes ago!"

Miracle slammed on the breaks at a red light. "You see how fucked up that is? I nearly die and my last thoughts are how a gay guy decides to knock a girl up and marry her!"

Ryder's eyebrows lifted. "Well, obviously this person is very important to you..."

"Good thing he has a car phone." Miracle hit the speaker button and dialed Sterling's number from memory. The light turned green and he started driving again.

"Hello?" Sterling answered.

"Put Ashley on the phone." Miracle said.

"Are we still doing this?" Sterling asked.

"Yes and we're going to do this until I understand." Miracle frowned.

"What is to understand? I explained it to you."

"You explained the what, you didn't explain the how. Like...your brain, your fucking brain. How does your brain work one way for like...forever, like it works, and then it changes? That's like me going back to Australia and getting myself put in prison so I can be with David! For real?!"

"The mechanics, that's what you don't understand." Sterling replied.

"Exactly! Like...okay, Brad for example..."

"Brad's actually a perfect example." Sterling said.

"Brad wanted me because I was easy, sex is sex, but in the end, he was straight, he was with Sarah, no matter how many times he fucked me, that never changed. So...how can you fuck her and then suddenly plan happily ever after? And how is Brad a perfect example, you're not even like Brad!" Miracle sighed, frustrated.

"Well, maybe if Brad actually liked you as a person, that could of changed. See, Miracle? That's the difference. I like Ashley as a person, Brad didn't care about you. Yes, I'll admit, the physical parts were difficult but she knew that and she was patient and...well I'm not even going to go into details with you. We just made it work but there was no sudden click, if that is what plagues your mind. If Brad had cared about you as a person, maybe it would have been the same way with him. Anyone willing to try, they open that door to chance. Does it make sense to you now?" Sterling asked.

"Sure, I hope her bridesmaid betrays her!" Miracle reaches down and hangs up the call.

Ryder's eyebrows lifted and his hand moved to cover his mouth, trying to hide the grin that wanted to form in reaction to how Miracle ended the call.

"That's it..." Miracle gasped. "I know I can get Jasmine to do it." Miracle's eyes widened and then he started to laugh. "Knock the bridesmaid out, lock her in a closet and have Jasmine put her dress on, then..if shes careful and can keep Sterling from recognizing her, she can step up and say that Sterling cheated on Ashley the night before..."

Ryder then started laughing, he couldn't help himself. "You better pass this idea by Jaemin, see what he says." He joked, knowing Jaemin had to pass all of Miracle's ideas before.

"Memories." Miracle said. "He would probably say there is no way Jasmine could hide her face." Miracle grinned. "You could call your cousin! Kyah wanted in on everything, this is good and dramatic!"

"Funny, she went to college at Chapel Hill." Ryder grinned and shook his head, not believing that he was plotting with Miracle.

"She could wait till the preacher says if anyone has a reason to object." Miracle laughed as he pulled onto his street.

"Ryder! What the hell are you doing here?!" Jaemin pulled his arm from around Issac's shoulders and got off of the sofa and smiled.

Miracle closed the door behind Ryder after they walked in.

"Well I picked New York as a college, partly hoping I would run into you guys." Ryder grinned.

"Well he's not the only one." Jaemin looked at Miracle as Tara came from the kitchen with a bag of chips. "Miracle!"

"Tara! Oh my god!" Miracle smiled and walked over and hugged her.

"I had to get as far from my sister as possible and the big city called my name." Tara smiled and pulled back.

"Where did she go?" Miracle asked.

"California." Tara grinned. "As far apart as we can get."

Miracle nodded and then looked at Jaemin and Issac. "Unfortunately, I also come with some bad news."

"What?" Jaemin asked, Issac stood up and walked closer, concerned.

"Well, the text I got from Ryder's phone, it wasn't from Ryder. It asked me to go to...'the warehouse' and so I went." He looked at Jaemin. "A couple of biker guys jumped him, tied him up and they got me. For some reason they wanted me to get my phone, I guess to take it from me. I told them to let Ryder go, they got me and so they let him go and I took my phone and I threw it, hoping the guy would be impulsive and run for it and I got away." Miracle explained.

Issac looked over at Jaemin.

"I've seen Philip a few times, he hasn't done anything, just chatted me and been annoying, like always. He was at the top of the tracks, acted innocent but he didn't stop me from getting in my car and leaving, he could of, if he really wanted to." Miracle looked between Jaemin and Issac.

"At least you're safe." Issac said.

"That doesn't make sense." Tara said. "If they wanted to take the phone from you to keep you, why run after it as if they wanted it? As if the phone were just as valuable, or more valuable than you? Maybe they just wanted you for your phone, or they wanted both? I mean if it's kidnap, the point of getting the phone away would be so the person couldn't use it, Miracle threw it, he sure wouldn't be able to use it."

Miracle looked at Tara. "She has a really good point. But what would be in my phone that they would want?" Miracle looked around, thoughtfully.

Issac placed his hand on Jaemin's shoulder, feeling how tense he was.

"Maybe they want Eric's number." Jaemin finally spoke up. "They know about your problem, with both of us out, thinking about it, given how Eric wants you, they could actually cash in on that." Jaemin said, holding back the fact that he actually knew that was the plan.

Miracle's eyes widened. "Then they got my phone, if it didn't break." He looked over at Jaemin. "All they would need is me for the ransom."

Tara looked at Issac. "Can I assume this is their escape from New York, come to Nevada and then mess with the biker gang business?"

Issac nodded to Tara. "Yeah, you can."

Tears started to form in Miracle's eyes as he turned away from everyone and walked across the living room. "I have been plagued for the past two years, as if being hurt as a child and given away wasn't enough."

Issac looked at Jaemin, noticing that he was the one holding back. He took a deep breath and walked over to Miracle. "We're not going to let anything happen to you." He placed his hands on Miracle's shoulders and then stepped around and moved in front of him.

"Issac, I am tired, I am just so tired. Why don't we just let them take me, let them get the money and let them go? We can set up the police, Eric get in trouble for buying me and then all of them can just get arrested." Miracle looked down.

"That is to dangerous and you know it." Issac placed a finger beneath Miracle's chin and lifted his head up. "We would never risk you, even if you begged us to."

Miracle started crying and he wrapped his arms around Issac and held onto him, feeling safe in Issac's arms.

"That is so sad." Tara mumbled. "How a person could be put through so much." Tara turned away and wiped her own eyes.

Ryder walked over to Tara and shook his head. "Miracle is strong, much stronger than he appears. He might break down, but what I find amazing is that he took that dark trip to that dark place, wanting to die and...he's never gone to that place again." He spoke quietly.

Jaemin watched Miracle and Issac and slightly lifted his hand, giving Issac a thumbs up, glad that he stepped up to the plate, though the situation overall worried him.

"Okay! Family meeting!" Erica smiled, looking around at all the kids. "I feel like the mother to the Brady bunch." She sat on the love seat, looking at Issac, Jaemin and Miracle on the couch, Dayna on the stoop of the fire place. Craig sat beside Erica on the love seat.

"I told you this would happen." Dayna nodded at Miracle. "I bet I know what this is about. Sounds like your Mom's leading it to."

Erica grinned at Dayna and then took a deep breath. "Okay, first of all, this house obviously is a full house and we have two rooms getting make overs." She paused and looked at Miracle. "And you want a major renovation."

"About that." Miracle raised his hand. "The master already has a private bathroom, so if you let us have the master, you won't have to touch the hall bathroom or the dining room, it cuts a major cost."

"That big window would also be a front window for drive bys." Craig raised his eyebrows.

"Yeah, but eventually that will be over." Erica looked at Craig. "We can just put that on hold until all the danger ends." She looked towards the floor. "It makes sense not to touch the hall bathroom and the dining room."

"Erica, come on. You're literally going to try to give Miracle that whole dream bed and bath?" Craig stared at her.

"Well, it's not just for Miracle's benefit. Maybe he'll move out and then we can have it someday." Erica said.

Craig started laughing. "Are you kidding? I doubt Miracle will ever move out!"

Miracle grinned and looked at Dayna. "Now they're arguing."

"Think about what Miracle's been through, his childhood and then the past two years and part of that, most of that is my fault. Come on, the least I can do is give him a cool bed and bath." Erica waved her hand.

"Okay, woman, so you won't mind switching into Miracle's current bedroom? Because that would be what happens." Craig said.

"Hey, it has a back window, it won't get shot out." Erica grinned.

"But someday the danger will be over." Craig smiled.

"Guys!" Jaemin yelled out. "The meeting?" He looked between the two.

Erica and Craig looked at Jaemin.

"Right, the meeting." Erica nodded. "Okay, so my point is, we're not going to have a bunch of bum kids, you won't get nothing out of life like that. Besides, when we're dead, and I hate thinking about that, it's morbid, so don't talk to me about it, our life insurance will only be so big. So you all need to learn to be independent."

Craig looked at Erica and laughed.

"Stop." She looked at Eric. "You're not even helping." She looked around. "So you all need to get jobs."

"Ha!" Dayna laughed and pointed at Miracle. "Told you!"

"Mom! But wait, what if I want to be like you? I mean, I got two guys, they can take care of me." Miracle held his hands up.

Dayna laughed harder.

"I did that and you see where it got me? Where it got you? I was all about the man and all about myself." Erica leaned forward. "And I'm actually being very serious about this. If I wasn't so concerned about having the perfect family and was more prepared for the idea of being independent, I might not have made that horrible decision that I made, a decision that I regret every single day."

Miracle frowned and looked down and nodded in understanding. "Are you getting a job?"

Erica thought about it. "Martha didn't, you think I'm going to be like her? I actually take pride in doing everything the opposite of her, besides, if I want to undo her horrid decorating around here, I have to help pay for it." She grinned. "Now look up at me, this is about the future."

Miracle looked up at his Mom and smiled. "You didn't go to college either, you know you will have to get a crummy job like us?"

Erica made a face and looked at Craig. "Oh no! You got to pull some strings! What kind of example am I making to my son if I am working a same level job as him? Get me a secretary job or something! If I get a job at McDonalds we might as well be Co-workers!"

Craig started laughing. "I think I like the idea of you and Miracle mopping floors together, I can drop by at lunch and pull up and see you at the drive thru."

"That is so not funny!" Erica slapped him on the shoulder. "You got to get me a serious looking job! I'm a mother!"

Craig laughed and jumped up. "Maybe I can call and pull some strings, get you a little job you can at least dress up for!" He said, walking off down the hall with Erica chasing after him.

Dayna grinned. "Oh, their first fight as a married couple." She stood up and headed off to her room.

Miracle smiled. "She means well though." He said and then looked around.

"She does, she really hurts for everything that happened." Jaemin takes Miracle's hand.

"I know she does. She hurts as bad as me, it's why we have to love each other, one of many reasons, it helps us through the hurt." Miracle nodded. "All she did was do life a little wrong, like she said, depend on a man and it was because of him, he left."

"Do you worry that you depend? I mean you practically said that me and Issac would take care of you. And we would Miracle, but are you prepared to be on your own if anything bad happened?" Jaemin asked.

Miracle looked at Jaemin and shrugged. "I don't know. I can't say. I guess it's one of those things that you just don't know until it happens."

"I don't want to have to worry about you." Jaemin kissed the top of Miracle's head.

"Once this mess is over...if it ever ends." Miracle laughed. "It surpassed high school!"

"I got a surprise for you." Jaemin reached into his pocket and pulled out the locket and handed it to Miracle. "I called Aiden and he had his Mom pick it up and she mailed it, sorry I can't edit and add Issac."

Miracle smiled and took the locket. "Jaemin, thank you. This means so much to me." He looked down at it. "No offense Issac, it's just from our time."

Issac looked up awkwardly and shook his head. "It's okay. I can get you a present." He frowned and looked away, he tried not to let their history bother him but at the mention of 'our time' it just told him that he would never have a special time like that with Miracle.

Jaemin looked at Issac and he could tell that it bothered him and he looked down, he couldn't erase what had been, nor would he if he could, he would just have to help Issac through these sort of moments when they came up.

Miracle smiled at the locket and stood up. "I'm going to go put it up, keep it safe." He walked off to their room.

Once Miracle was gone, Jaemin looked at Issac. "Sorry if that bothered you. Well, of course it did. Thing is, that locket is special to Miracle, not simply because of me but because of what it says, it's about freedom and happiness and there is a picture inside from when he was a child, Erica gave it to me. It's not entirely a couple thing."

Issac looked up at Jaemin and shook his head. "Don't apologize, we already acknowledged this, you have the history, I'm going to react like that, I choke it back and bottle it up, it passes."

"Still, I should have waited to give it to him when it was just us, I'm sorry, it was crappy timing, I just knew he would be so happy and..."

Issac shook his head and smiled. "It's okay, just help me find a good present and we're even."

Jaemin nodded. "Sure thing."

"So this is what it feels like to walk on a college." Miracle grinned, walking along with Ryder and Tara. "I am royalty!" He laughed, stepping up onto a stone bench and then he jumped off and stopped at a large fountain.

"You know, maybe you could talk them into letting you in." Ryder said. "It's a worth a shot."

"Hey, look at that movie, homeless to harvard, if she can do it, why not?" Tara grinned.

"She peddled her sad story." Miracle turned around. "Given, I have a sad one too but they will say it's fixed and I don't need their help to fix it."

Ryder fell onto one of the benches and started laughing. "Peddling stories?"

"Yes, peddling stories." Miracle nodded. "Besides...I don't know what I want to do." Miracle leaned down and looked into the fountain. "Maybe raise some gold fish in the fountain." He turned around. "We should buy some and put them in, you guys can feed them every day."

Tara grinned. "The fountain would bounce the food around, they probably wouldn't be able to catch it."

Miracle paused. "I wonder if Sterling ever replaced his fish."

"What happened to them?" Ryder asked.

"A friend threw open nail polish into the aquarium." Miracle said.

"Oh my god, sounds like something Tanya would do." Tara looked at Miracle, horrified.

Miracle grinned and then started laughing.

"That's awful." Ryder started laughing. "Miracle, stop. Laughing is contagious."

"I know, I had to make Aiden stop smiling just so I could kiss him..." Miracle kept laughing.

Tara sighed. "Well, I think I have to head to class."

"Yeah, me too." Ryder stood up and grinned. "You won't get lost will you?"

"If I do...I'll just have a frat boy help me out." Miracle rolled his eyes and laughed, watching the two walk off. He shook his head and turned around only for Philip to step out from behind a tree. "You..."

"Me." Philip said.

"Good, you're here, I can call the police on you." Miracle dug for his cell phone. "Oh, right, your dumbass friend still has my phone. You know it has GPS, he can return it or I'll press charges for theft."

Philip grinned. "I had nothing to do with that. I could of stopped you and you know it."

"So you just happened to be there? Oh how fate works!" Miracle brought his hands to his chest and looked at the sky. "We can beg destiny for our answers but she will forever stay silent!"

Philip brought a foot up on the stone bench. "That your major? Drama?" He grinned.

Miracle glared at Philip. "No, I don't go here, I'm just standing here pretending."

"Why?"

"Because you got in my way when I was leaving." Miracle looked around. "That's fine though, I'll see someone and they will call the police for me and then you'll fry."

"You got a way home?" Philip asked.

"No." Miracle sighed and sat on the bench beside Philips leg. "And I'd rather burn in the heat instead of going with you."

Philip grinned and leaned over, offering a twenty ounce coke. "Got it from the machine over there, you can have it."

Miracle looked at the drink. "You probably poisoned it." He grabbed it and looked at the seal. "And you probably know how to make it look like you didn't open it."

Philip sat on the bench side ways and leaned close, resting his chin on Miracle's shoulder. "Why would I resort to things like that when all I really want to do..."

His hand moved over Miracle's thigh and a light kiss was placed on his neck. "...is tear you down? I want you to give in. That gives me the sense of success, make you hate me so bad and then make you give in."

Miracle shifted his head around and shoved a hand into Philip's chest, pushing him back. "Well...you're failing." Miracle stood up and started walking away.

"Oh!" Philip stood up and clapped. "You just keep going! Makes me want to try harder!"

Miracle stopped and then a grin appeared and he gave the drink a good firm shake and he turned around. "Philip?"

Philip walked forward to catch up with Miracle. "Reconsidering?"

"If you can open my drink for me, the lid is on to tight." Miracle handed the coke to Philip.

"You need a strong guy." Philip took the coke.

"A very strong guy." Miracle grinned.

Philip twisted the cap and it flew off as the soda spewed out into his face and all over him. "What the fuck?!"

"Stay cool, Philip." Miracle laughed and turned around to walk away.

Philip stared off in anger and threw the bottle down and walked over and grabbed Miracle, spinning him around by the shoulders. "You think that's funny?!"

Miracle grinned. "Oh, I can't play jokes? That against the rules? Well, see, I break rules." He then shook and jerked out of Philips grip. "Go shower before you get sticky...in a way that you don't want to." Miracle spun around and walked away.

Erica walked through the mall and smiled at Dayna. "It's so nice having you here, kind of like the daughter I never had."

"Well I didn't have much of a mother." Dayna said.

"Don't say that, people just have things." Erica looked at Dayna.

"Yeah, I guess. I just don't know how much you will really enjoy me. Shopping isn't so much my thing. I mean looking for stuff for my room or things like that is cool, I just never went crazy over clothes or anything."

Erica nodded and smiled. "Well we don't have to do the clothes thing. Not everyone comes here for that. Although it seems hard to avoid, you can find some nice little stores with other things."

Dayna nodded and folded her arms and looked around, feeling slightly awkward.

Erica looked around and then took out her phone, checking to see if she had any messages. "Uh...well, okay." She stopped and dug into her purse and pulled out three hundred dollars and handed it to Dayna. "So, go shop, make a day of it and text me when you're ready." She smiled.

Dayna took the money. "Thanks." She said and then walked off.

Erica sighed. "Bang up job." She dropped her phone in her purse and ran a hand through her hair. "What would I have done if I had an awkward child?"

"Oh I don't know, I guess you got lucky and ended up with a kid who's rather perky about what happened to him."

Erica spun around and her eyes widened as they landed on Jeremy. "You bastard." She lifted a hand to slap him.

"Oh, I wouldn't, security." Jeremy said. "Though I deserve it, I'm looking out for you."

Erica lowered her hand. "Where the hell did you come from? Why are you here? Where have you been?"

"Not here." Jeremy looked around. "I think we need somewhere that we can get a little emotional, don't you?"

Erica thought about Dayna. "Fine, but we can't go far, I have a friend with me."

Jeremy nodded and he walked off, Erica followed after him.

Miracle walked down the hall in a white tee shirt and a pair of white and gray striped pajama pants. He looked up and yawned, then he saw Issac at the door with a bag full of luggage. "Issac? What are you doing?"

Issac closed his eyes and turned around and looked at Miracle. "You see."

"Yeah, I see." Miracle walked over and pushed the door shut. "What I don't see is why."

"I don't belong here. You and Jaemin, you both go so far back, seems that way. He knows all these little things about you...I'm so insignificant to that. Miracle, what we're doing, it's like you having your future and your past and...as your future, I sadly don't know your past, not enough to compete with it."

"It wasn't supposed to be a competition." Miracle said.

"I know, but every time I turn around, I just see more and more ways that I'm inferior, more ways that I'm incompetent, so I have to stand back and let Jaemin fix it because he knows all the little tips and tricks, he's like Martha Stewarts cook book. And then you look at your locket, the one you love so much, and you're sorry but it's from your time, with him." Issac shook his head.

"I shouldn't of said that, it was kind of bitchy." Miracle pulled Issac's bag off his shoulder and lead him over to the couch and sat him down before climbing into his lap, straddling him. "Thing is, you have to stop letting Jaemin fix it, step in yourself, beat him to the punch. Then you will learn, you would of had to learn me anyway. The only difference with this is that, you can let him fix it all or you can still stand up and get it done."

Issac looked up at Miracle. "It just hurts, the inferiority complex is always there."

Miracle cupped Issac's face in his hands. "Well, how about today, we start organizing our times? And today, you get me. You need me and I'll be here." He leaned forward and kissed him.