Hey sorry for the long wait guys but I've been just kind of gliding along my life write now and I felt the need to relax on something so I chose to fall behind on this. But anyway, just enjoy the new chapter.

The next couple of weeks were great. I rarely had dull moments to push through anymore thanks to Blake. Every now and then we would meet up and just enjoy the day together and when we weren't doing that, there was always the conversations we had over the phone or through text messages. It even got the point where my dad had called to ask why my phone's activity had spiked so suddenly. The only explanation I could give him was that I made a great friend. It was like a giddy feeling inside my stomach. Seeing my phone light up gave me reassurance that there was at least someone who cared for my input.

But now it felt like everything was slowing down. The beginning of university was coming up and even though Blake and I were both going to the same school, I knew that we were both going to potentially be a lot busier. Less time talking and more concentration on studies would be the theme of my time. I didn't want my time to be wasted sitting and studying or stressing about a test. And then there's my dad's expectations about how well I should be doing in each class.

It was nice that I have all these opportunities to get along easier in the world but it sometimes felt like there was a hand above me, waiting to grab me at the smallest sign of disturbance. I guess it just meant that I would have to do well at school or I may be stuck with my dad's plans, whatever they may be. It would probably be me working somewhere within the company. It's not what I want though. I may not know what I want for myself yet but I do know that much.

Right now though, I had to wait and see what university had in store for me. I hoped it included Blake though, she could probably help me stay in good spirits through the journey. In fact, I decided to see how she was doing today since I've accomplished basically nothing so far today. My phone beeped at me as I typed out a greeting and asked what she was doing. It took a bit for a reply to show up but at least she replied. I picked it up and tapped the little postcard symbol.

"I'm just fixing up my apartment. Not much else for me to do."

I quickly replied. "I haven't done anything today. Want to hang out after your done?"

Four minutes later the screen lit up. "I'm going to be busy almost all day with this. Though, I guess you can come over if you're willing to help out a bit."



I was happy with that choice and had her send me her address so I could find her apartment. It shouldn't be too bad helping her out considering she's down one roommate. I doubt someone like her had much to her name. Modest, smart, and simple wasn't usually the signs of a messy person. Then again, I wonder what could possible be needed to clean up at her place.

Those thoughts still pegged at my head but they were beat back by the giddy feeling of getting out of the house and visiting a friend's place. I haven't done something like this in such a long time. Since middle school even, it felt. Even my car was probably appreciating the extra use it was getting. I've had to fill up the gas tank a lot more than usual now. It's the price of a budding social life if anything I would say. If anything, my wallet was the only one complaining right now.

The trip there wasn't really all that bad. Blake was straight forward about where she lived even to the point of including a picture of the surrounding area for me to know when I actually made it. Where she lived wasn't all that bad. Even I would have lived in this area if my father would allow it. Nothing seemed too dangerous or questionable and it wasn't far from the university we were both attending. There was a green tree or two that added to the relative niceness of the complex.

I caught myself thinking about the costs of a place like this compared to the story Blake told me about how she came to be here. Maybe she had a little more than she let on? She didn't seem like the type to lie about something like that. That or she just ended up saving just a little bit extra before moving. I didn't plan on asking her though. I didn't feel like ruining one of my few chances to have friend like her.

I was so caught up thinking about it all that I ended up passing her apartment while driving through the complex. If I had to find any fault in the whole place while I was here, it was that there wasn't enough areas to turn around. After passing another group of apartments I gave up on turning around and decided to drive the whole way around again and hope I hope I don't miss it. About halfway through the place I noticed my bag glowing. The only thing it could have been was my phone so either my father or mother had wanted to tell me something or, the much preferred option, Blake was deciding to talk to me.

I made sure the car was stopped and checked my phone. "Was that your car that passed by here a minute ago? I thought it looked familiar so I stopped to see but it kept going."

I was feeling self-conscious about my complete zone-out. "It was. Sorry, I spaced out and ended up driving by it. I'm driving around again."

Before I could start driving again, Blake had replied. "Cool, I was right. Well, I'll leave the door unlocked for you while I'm doing some things. See you then."

I threw my phone into the seat next to me and started driving until I finally made it back around to her apartment. It seemed as if people were not very busy today as there was a a small lack of places to park. I could see Blake's car sitting snug between a much more high end car and a rather large truck with mud on the tires. My only option was to park across the driving area away from her apartment which kind of annoyed me since I would have preferred to be right next to Blake's car. But it was only a minor inconvenience as I put the car into park and shut it off.

With the car's air conditioning running the whole time I failed to remember how hot it was today. I was already feeling the sun's radiation on my face within a minute. It made me wonder if Blake's apartment was overheating because of it. With her working to clean and get things fixed withing her home it probably added to the temperature more than one might think. I felt kind of bad about it if it was true. Maybe I should have stopped and got something for us to cool down with. Cold drinks, fans, maybe even some nice ice cream. It was too late now and it was time to finally go inside and see what she was up to.

I climbed the stairs up to her apartment and get to the door. It looked rather sturdy for an apartment but I guess that it was just for safety, like how my parents have people watching over our property constantly. Except only one of those things didn't seem so extreme. I knocked on the door and waited for a bit before I mentally thumped myself when I realized that she was too busy to open it and that she had left it unlocked for me. The door knob nearly burned me as I turned it and pushed the door open in one smooth manner.

It opened to the living room and everything seemed kind of quiet if not a little messy. There were some boxes here and there but nothing that completely overtook the room. I pushed the door closed and walked into the room. Maybe it was just my nerves talking to me but it felt kind of off to be in here, in someone else's apartment, without them knowing yet. Like I was some kind of intruder in their life before they had a chance to hide certain things they wanted to protect. My eyes would look at her couch and I would wonder what she may have done while sitting there or they would see a closed book case that she may have special books that Blake might not want someone to notice. Things that might help me figure out Blake just a little bit more so I might be able to relate to her.

My mind didn't wonder for long though as I heard a loud thud come from another room along with a soft curse. Excited that I wouldn't have to deal with anymore eerie thoughts, I started walking toward and into the room the noise came from. Much to my surprise I was greeted to Blake bent over slowly picking up a box that seemed to have toppled over earlier. Normally it wouldn't have bothered me but her underwear was showing above her pants so it caused me to look away awkwardly. It seemed necessary to announce my presence at this point so I loudly knocked on the door which gave Blake a small fright.

The box fell from her hands and some of its contents fell to the floor, some of it just papers or other small objects. Blake on the other hand turned quickly and eyeballed me with a threatening look but dropped it when she finally understood what was happening. She sighed and turned back around to crouch and pick up the things that fell out of the cardboard when I first alerted her to me entering the room.

Without even looking over her shoulder she called for me. "Come help me clean this up since you caused it."

I didn't argue and gladly went to go help. "Sorry. I know you wanted help cleaning and I just set you back."

Blake laughed at my worries. "It's fine. It's only just one box. It was only going in my closet."

I started grabbing some stray papers. "Okay, where's your closet?"

"Right next to us, duh." She said while using her thumb to point at the door frame next to her.

I looked around quickly. "Oh this is your room.."

"Yep, thanks for the help."

Blake picked up the box and walked into the closet to put it in its place. For a quick second I was once again alone in Blake's apartment giving me a chance to look around her room. It was as plain as mine and had more color to it. Her bed was smaller than I would have expected with some modest black covers. There was only one pillow at the head of the bed but it was a pretty large one that seemed to be doing its job. One wall only had a window that was covered by a curtain and the other walls either had random posters on them or a hanging bookshelf. There was a desk but all it had was a laptop and a picture of Blake and what I would assume to be her family. It seemed Blake had gotten her beautiful hair from her mother.

"Okay Weiss, next up is the living room. Don't worry though. It's the only one that needs a lot of work. The other room is pretty much empty aside from the bed my ex-roommate left behind." Blake patted my back making me jump a little.

I quickly started for the living room. "Oh sorry, I was just looking at your room."

Blake smiled but started directing me to the door. "You can look some more when we get things done. Sorry if that's pushy."

My head shook. "No it's fine. That's why I'm here anyway."

We got into the living room and I realized why it was a lot of work. All of the boxes that were in there when I arrived were going to be moved into the spare room's closet. I stopped a little but Blake just walked over to a box and started to pick it up. "Well let's get to it. There's dusting and such after moving these." She said right before lifting the box and walking into the other room. I got my breath and prepared myself for doing a little bit extra work than I was used to and started for a box. When I tried to lift it I nearly fell over when I found out how heavy this one was.

I sighed and picked it up with the proper amount of needed strength and pushed toward the room. I was already feeling the strain from just this box alone and I thought about how long this would take if Blake was doing this alone. It was going to be a long day but I was glad I could help her after how she helped me.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter and that it was worth the break. I still think this story is going slow but I know some people enjoy that so what ever. As always, reviews are welcome and remember, have fun!