Far And Away.

Andy shuffled through the crowd, pushing against the grain as everyone rushed towards their first class. He had to find Flora and make sure she was okay-he didn't know why he cared so much because he didn't really like her all that much, but he felt bad. Andy had been the one to call her Chicken Legs first and he had stupidly done it in front of other people. Now that seemed to her nickname and it wasn't fair. Andy huffed as he turned a corner, looking around to make sure administration wasn't around before he shouldered the door before him open and started to walk up the set of stairs.

It was a long shot, but he had to try and as Andy walked up the stairs, his breath coming out heavy, he couldn't help but think of things. Flora was an amazing girl-he couldn't deny that-and she was pretty, especially that night of the concert when she was all dressed up. Andy also liked the fact that she didn't want to just settle in town, get pregnant and become a townie. No, it was very clear that Flora had dreams of being a writer, moving out to LA and Andy could respect that. Finally he had made it to the door to the roof and as the bold letters stared him in the face, Andy inhaled deeply.

What was he going to say to her? What if she wasn't up here? Slowly Andy pushed open the door, the bright October sun shining in his eyes and at first Andy was blinded. Then he spotted someone sitting on the edge of the building with their legs hanging off and he let out the breath he didn't even know he was holding. Flora was there, sitting with her legs swinging and Andy could hear her soft crying coming through her hands as they covered her face. Silently so he didn't spook her, Andy walked towards Flora and slowly sat down beside her and did something that shocked them both.

Andy wrapped an arm around Flora's shoulders and brought her head down to rest on his shoulder.


"I am so, so sorry Flora." Andy said quietly as he avoided her inevitable gaze. She looked over at him and Andy slowly looked up, locking his eyes with her own. They were tear filled, sad and red and Andy felt his heart break.

"Why?" She simply asked and Andy felt confused.

"Why what?" He asked and she only sighed and ran her hands through her hair.

"Why are you sorry?" She asked him, straightening up and Andy let his arm fall off the back of her shoulders. He hadn't been expecting this-she was so calm and her eyes were filled with complete seriousness.

"Because-uh-because..." He stopped as Flora opened her mouth and began to speak to him very calmly.

"Because you have completely and irrevocably ruined my life here. I lived a quiet existence. I came to school, I kept my head down for the most part and I was on the right track to graduating with straight A's."She didn't sound angry and that shocked Andy because usually every time he spoke with Flora she was mad at him. Right now she just sounded very, very sad.

"I-I never meant..." He stopped because it was obvious by the way Flora was holding her eyebrows, that she wasn't finished.

"I have a great relationship with Bret...I really care about him..."

"O-okay..."

"But then there's you. You frustrate me to no end. You make me mad, you always have an opinion on things, you dress like you're homeless...and yet I can't help but have feelings for you." She admitted with wide eyes, almost as if she had shocked herself by her own admission of her feelings.

"Flora I-I don't know what to say." He said stupidly and then Andy jumped as Flora began to laugh. He loved her laugh-it was soft but then it grew in intensity the more she cared on.

"Sorry-it's just shocking to me because you always know what to say." Flora said and then she stopped laughing and nervously tucked her hair behind her ear.


Andy just sat there stupidly silent as he watched this girl look down at her lap where her hands were fidgeting nervously and then back up at him through her long eyelashes. Flora was dressed simply in a pair of jeans and a AFI shirt under her black hoodie, but to Andy she looked beautiful. Where was this coming from? Was he just feeling sorry for her? No, no his gut was telling him that this feeling that was rising in his heart was not pity-it was attraction. They frustrated one another, they pissed one another off to no end and yet still here they were-both of them laughing together and in their laughter Andy had absent mindedly reached over and grabbed for one of her hands.


"Well you make me kind of fumble over my words and so not talking is sometimes the only solution."" He admitted and Flora just looked at him. He had never noticed the spattering of freckles that crossed over her nose and Andy felt his cheeks flame.

"Do I?" She asked, biting down on her lower lip before looking up at him through her eye lashes once again. She really needed to not do that as it was really hard for Andy to restrain himself from reaching over and kissing her.

"Yeah-I've never met a girl who knew more than me..." He said, sucking his lip ring in to his mouth and Flora felt her heart begin to race. She had feelings for Andy, that was pretty clear and yet Bret was still in the back of her mind.

"Andy I..." She stopped as he had placed a hand on her cheek, his thumb rubbing the bruised skin of her eye. Slowly they were moving towards one another, their lips parted and Flora could see that Andy was tilting his head to one side.

"Hey! What are you kids doing up here?!"

Fuck.

Notes