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Chapter Text

It was, without a doubt, the worst day of your entire life. As you sat there, surrounded by your friends in the coffee shop you always haunted, you couldn’t take your eyes off of the picture you’d been sent by some unknown person. Horror and despair filled every part of your being as you examined the picture of your boyfriend full on making out with another girl. Your surroundings felt surreal, as if they didn’t exist, as if the only thing that existed in the world was you and the picture, and it was burned into your memory forever. You feared you would see it even with your eyes closed, so you continued to stare, unblinking, at the photo.

“(y/n)?” came Rey’s voice, pulling you away from the screen of your phone as tears started to form in your eyes. Everyone’s eyes were on you as you looked up, and you felt a wave of emotion washing over you as you looked into the faces of each of your friends. You handed the phone to Poe, who was right next to you, bowing your head in your misery as he examined the contents on the screen, trying your damnedest not to let the floodgates spill.

“That prick,” Poe stated before he passed the phone around. Every one of your friends examined the photo, each one letting out their personal outrage over the situation. You, though, you couldn’t even speak. You were frozen in time, your heart feeling an icy pain sweep over it before your phone was handed back to you. Once it was securely in your hand, your vocal chords started working again.

“I’m sorry guys, I have to go home,” you said as you stood up. Finn, who was sitting across the table from you, also stood. 

“I’ll give you a ride home, (y/n),” Finn offered, but you shook your head. You wanted to be alone right now, to wail in sadness on your own, undisturbed by the condolences of others. You wanted to feel every bit of pain you were feeling right now so that when Shawn inevitably came crawling back, you would be able to turn him away with as much hatred as you could muster. 

“I’ll see you guys on Monday,” you said finally before leaving the coffee shop. As you passed the glass doors into the world on the sunny August day, your eyes decided they could no longer hold back, and you wept the entire walk home.

What a way to start senior year, huh?

Over the course of the weekend, your phone was blowing up, much like you’d expected. Most of them were from Shawn, apologizing, begging for you to take him back, promising it would never happen again. You didn’t care, though. The calls from him became so incessant, you had to put your phone on do not disturb.

He wasn’t the only one messaging you, though. In the short span of a few hours after you’d received the photo, it seemed that everyone you went to school with knew. 

From DM’s on your instagram to people you hadn’t shared but three words with somehow getting your phone number, you felt you couldn’t even have a moment of peace to escape from the harsh reality that your boyfriend of three years had cheated on you. You almost felt like you were suffocating, with no one giving you air to breathe, or even time to process everything that was going on. It made putting your phone on do not disturb all the easier. 

Unfortunately, despite everything that happened, Monday seemed to come in a flash. As you climbed out of bed after shutting off your alarm, you walked over to the bathroom, staring at your reflection for a few minutes. You looked just as exhausted as you felt, and your depression was clear from the bags under your eyes, not to mention how puffy they still were from all the crying you’d done. Heaving a sigh, you pulled your hair back before brushing your teeth. A week ago, you’d wanted to look nice for your last first day of school, but under the circumstances, you didn’t really care about your wardrobe, and opted for leggings and a t-shirt.

As you headed out of your room and down the stairs, you could hear your mom and dad talking in hushed voices. 

“I don’t know, maybe she shouldn’t go to school just yet. She barely left her room all weekend,” your mom said, concern lacing her voice.

“It’ll probably be better for her to go to school, talk to some people, instead of being holed up in her room,” came your dad’s resigned voice. He looked like he was going to say something else, but he saw your face around the corner as you came down the last of the stairs. “Good morning sweetie.” He smiled at you, and you attempted to smile back, but you already knew it wasn’t a convincing one.

“Do you want a ride to school? It’s been raining all morning,” Your mom said, handing you your lunch box as you walked into the kitchen.

“No, it’s fine. I have my umbrella, I can walk,” you said, giving another half-assed smile. The idea of sitting in a car with your mother right now was unbearable, you just wanted to walk. After all, your school was across the street from your neighborhood’s entrance.

“Okay. Be safe. Happy last first day of school,” your mom said before giving you a hug. When she finally let go, you headed to the door, opening up the door to a slight gust of wind.

The rain was just heavy enough to be uncomfortable, and now you wished you accepted that ride. However, as you started your walk down the cul de sac you lived on, you heard a voice call from the driveway of your next door neighbors.

“Hey, (y/n)!”

You turned your head to see Kylo Ren leaning against his beat up ‘75 Mustang. He didn’t have anything on his head, so the water fell freely onto his black hair, making some of the strands stick to the side of his cheeks. 

You and Kylo had a strange history. When the two of you were younger, and he still went by Ben, you were practically inseparable, but middle school came around and changed both of you. While you started to hang around more popular and well-behaved kids, Kylo began to hang out with the rebel crowd. Over the years, you saw Kylo less and less, only really catching glimpses of him when he came to visit his grandparents. 

You thought about what to do now. Kylo had a reputation, sure, but you couldn’t help the nagging voice of your mother coming in the back of your head, telling you to stay away from his crowd. It didn’t stop you from turning around, though.

“Hey, what’s up?” You said as you approached the end of the driveway.

“You’re not gonna walk in this, are you? I was about to head to school too, I can give you a ride,” he offered. You were a little shocked at first.The last conversation the two of you had really had was probably in seventh grade, but now he was offering you a ride? A part of you was hesitant, and couldn’t help be suspicious. Sure, he’d never done anything to you, but you couldn’t help but think of the comments made from others about him. Then, you remembered a lot of those comments came from Shawn, and what better way to piss him off than arrive at school in the car of someone he’d warned you against so many times? As petty as it was, you were angry enough to do it.

“That would be great. My mom offered me a ride, but I really didn’t want to be stuck in the car with her, even if it’s just to get to school,” you explained. Kylo gave you a half smile before pushing some of his wet hair out of his face. You smiled, your first genuine smile in days, and walked over to the passenger side of his car, closing your umbrella before climbing in. Kylo slid in as well, shutting the door before revving the engine to life. He turned his torso to look out the back window as he pulled out of the driveway, then changed gears and headed for school. 

“So how was your summer?” he asked, tapping his finger along with the bass line of the song softly playing on the speakers. You let out a sigh as you looked out the window, watching the raindrops roll down the window.

“Great, until last Thursday,” you replied, twiddling your thumbs in your lap, feeling your throat start to constrict. Stop, you thought to yourself. You told yourself you weren’t gonna cry today, get it together. 

“Oh yeah, I heard about that. What a prick,” Kylo said as he stopped at one of the many stop signs in your neighborhood. “I’ll beat his ass if you want me to.”

You chuckled lightly as you shook your head. “No, but if I change my mind, I’ll make sure to come to you first.” Kylo smiled, stopping at the red light at the end of your neighborhood. 

“Good thing you accepted my ride offer, then,” he stated as the light turned green, and the two of you pulled into the parking lot of the school, Kylo driving to his designated parking space. 

“Why’s that?” You asked, curious if Kylo had caught on to the reason you’d accepted the ride.

“Because he’s hated me since middle school. It’s cause I punched him that one time. But seeing you get out of my car, that’s gonna get him heated,” Kylo responded, a smirk on his face. Seemed like Kylo wanted to piss Shawn off as much as you did.

Kylo pulled into his parking spot, then put the car in park, checking the time. It was 7:28. The school didn’t open the door for students until 7:45. 

“You can hang out here with me, if you want. Probably wouldn’t be good for you to stand in the rain til they unlock the doors,” Kylo offered as he pulled a cigarette box out of his jacket pocket. As he pulled a cig out, he rolled the window down just enough to filter out the smoke. “Do you mind?” he asked, looking at you before lighting his cigarette. You shook your head, but rolled your window out a little just in case.

“What about you?” you asked as you turned to face Kylo. He held the lighter up to the edge of the cigarette, the flame of the lighter reflecting in his eyes for a brief moment, before he drew in a big breath, slowly exhaling the smoke out the window. 

“Well, I got caught ‘vandalizing’ the skate park off Saints Boulevard, so I was under house arrest for most of the summer. I actually just got off last week, and that’s when Mom and Dad decided I should stay with Gran and Granpa Skywalker,” he responded, looking down at his phone, and quickly typing out a message before placing it on his lap, taking another drag from his cigarette. 

“Oh shit. How long?” you asked, watching him carefully. You hadn’t had a conversation with Kylo in so long, it was weird to hear how differently things were for him than they were back then. Of course, what damage could a twelve year old do? However, you did notice that he had a lot of the same quirks, like the way he grimaced before talking, or the way he always had to have his fingers tapping. It was a strange thing to see how someone could be so different, but still remain the same. 

“Indefinitely. Mom thinks that Gran can whip me back into shape, not that I was really ever the shape her and dad wanted me in,” Kylo said with a frown. You couldn’t help but frown too. After all, everyone in town had pretty much agreed that Kylo was a disappointment child.

“Well, look on the bright side, at least you have a cool new neighbor,” you said with a smile.

“Old man Kenobi?” Kylo asked, a wicked grin on his face. You shook your head as you laughed, turning the opposite direction. It was then that you noticed a group of people watching you. Upon further inspection, you realized it was Shawn and his posse, who were all glaring daggers at you, but it was Shawn’s face that caught you most off guard. He had a look of hurt on his face, as if you’d betrayed him, simply by being in the same car as Kylo Ren. 

Kylo noticed your silence, and looked to see what you were looking at. You turned your face away, unable to look at Shawn any longer, anger and sadness building up in you. It was then that you noticed Kylo stick his hand forward, proudly flicking Shawn off, causing his face to contort with rage. Shawn turned around, and headed into the school. 

“Fuck that guy. My offer still stands,” Kylo said with a huff before taking a final drag of his cigarette before dropping the butt into the car’s ashtray. You smiled, but it was another one of those half-assed smiles as you wiped some tears from your eyes.

“It’s okay. He isn’t worth that kind of energy anyways,” you said as you looked at the clock. It was already almost 8, and you were supposed to be in homeroom at 8:15. 

“Thanks for the ride, Kylo,” you said as you opened the door to his car. 

“No problem, (y/n). If you need a ride home, too, let me know,” he said as he also climbed out of the car, locking the doors as soon as you were both out. You gave him one last smile before heading to the school entrance. 

Mos Eisley High School definitely looked different than it had when you’d left it at the end of May. More importantly, it felt different. As you walked through the halls that were beginning to crowd, with the arrivals of both buses and students who drove or were dropped off, you could feel the stares of people following you. More importantly, you could hear their whispers too.

“Apparently the girl in the pic is a sophomore at Corellia High.”

“I heard he might’ve gotten her pregnant.”

“Didn’t Shawn and (y/n) date for, like, years?”

It was definitely hard to listen to, so as you pushed past the crowds to get to homeroom, you started blocking out all the sound around you. Even as you sat down in homeroom, you had blocked everyone out so well, you didn’t even register that Finn, who was now sitting beside you, had been calling your name. 

“Hey, we were all worried about you. Did you turn off your phone?” He asked. You let out a sigh.

“No, just put it on do not disturb. He wouldn’t stop calling me,” you responded. 

“Just let us know next time. You didn’t really give anyone a warning,” Finn said, right as the 8:15 bell rang. As soon as it did, the morning announcements came on, but you didn’t even bother to listen. A part of you wished you were still sitting in Kylo’s car, even to just sit in silence and smell the cigarette smoke wafting throughout the car. The more you thought about it, the more you realized that was the most lighthearted you’d been in the past few days. You also thought about how Kylo was your new neighbor. Who knew, maybe the two of you would become friends again? You were sure your current friends, not to mention, your parents, wouldn’t really like that, but you couldn’t help but feel there was more to Kylo than met the eye.

Once the announcements were done, your homeroom teacher, Mr. Daniels, passed out your schedules. You stared at your schedule and sighed. Already, you knew you had a long senior year ahead of you.

“What lunch do you have?” Finn asked, trading his schedule with yours. The two of you had one class together, Brit Lit for fourth block. You looked at Finn’s lunch time. He had first lunch, and you had third. 

“Oh well. Poe usually gets third lunch, you’ll probably have it with him at least,” Finn said.

As it turned out, none of your friends had third lunch. You’d decided to actually look at your messages- ignoring any from Shawn- and in the groupchat, you found that everyone had either first or second lunch, leaving you all alone. Perfect. 

“Hey, I’m sure you’ll find someone to sit with,” Finn assured you. You hoped he was right.

As the bell rang, you walked with Finn, listening to him talk about being excited for senior year, and all the things you guys would get to do together. As much as you loved his enthusiasm, you still couldn’t help that feeling of dread and sorrow in your heart. You’d been hoping to involve your boyfriend in all of these senior activities, but now everything was ruined because he couldn’t keep his hands to himself. 

Your first two classes of the day seemed to pass by agonizingly slow. No matter what, talking about the syllabus of the class seemed to take a lifetime, and you found yourself unable to focus, settling on doodling on the hard copies given to you by your teachers, and blocking out any sound going on around you. Everywhere you went, there were whispers, and quite frankly, it was becoming more annoying than painful. After all, even if you and Shawn had been the “star couple,” as deemed by many of your peers, it wasn’t their business to know every little detail about the situation. Hell, even you didn’t really know everything about the story. You just knew your boyfriend had cheated on you, and it left a horrible pang in your heart that refused to go away.

It felt like an eternity, but finally it was time for lunch. As relieving as it was to not be in class, you still had the problem of who you were going to sit with. Sitting alone seemed like the best option, but at the same time, you felt that if you were sitting alone, more people would come up to you unwarranted. Now you were starting to panic, at least until you felt a tap on your shoulder, and saw a shadow loom over you. You turned around and felt your face curve in a smile in relief.

“Hey, (y/n). Got no one to sit with?” Kylo asked, pushing a lock of his black hair out of his eyes. On the inside, you were letting out a huge sigh of relief. If you sat with Kylo, no one would dare mess with you.

“Was it that obvious?” you mused, giving him a half smile. 

“Not really, you just kind of had that body language. Come on, you can sit with us,” Kylo said, placing a hand on your shoulder as he led you to a secluded table by the door to the outdoor seating. One look out the window told you that the rain wasn’t going to let up by the time school was over.

Kylo sat down, and you took the seat next to him, looking at the three others sitting at the table. One of them you recognized as Gwen Phasma, who, to your knowledge, only went by Phasma. Her blonde hair was cut into a pompadour, styled with gel, and her grey eyes were lined with thick black liner. She looked up at you and gave you a smirk.

“(y/n) (y/l/n)? Pleasure to meet you, I’m Phasma.” She held out her hand to you, and you took it, making sure to have a firm grip. Phasma picked up on it and smiled. You looked over to the other two, but you didn’t really know them that well.

“(y/n), this is Alan Tabash, a junior who we adopted, and that is Sami Martinez,” Kylo introduced. You looked at the two, Alan nodded at you as he forked his school meal, and Sami waved before she went back to drawing in her sketchbook. You looked around at the group and noticed that they were all wearing black jackets with the initials K.O.R. stitched onto the pocket on the front.

“K.O.R.?” You asked, looking up at Kylo. He looked down at his jacket, then back to you.

“Yeah, Knights of Ren,” Kylo answered, almost shyly. You saw Sami roll her eyes, though you tried not to draw attention to it. 

“So, what brings you to our side of the cafeteria?” Phasma asked before taking a bite from an apple.

“Well, none of my other friends have the same lunch, so really the only person I care to sit with right now is Kylo,” you admitted as you started pulling your lunch out of your lunch box. 

“Can’t say I blame you. Mos Eisley High sure does love its gossip, and man, you are really the center of it right now,” Phasma noted. You watched as Kylo tried to subtly elbow her, but your focus had just turned to staring at the table as an iciness filled your gut. So everyone really did know, huh? Fantastic.

“Hey, I’m sorry if I upset you,” Phasma said, breaking you out of your trance. You noticed how her voice got softer, and as you looked into her eyes, so did their expression. However, the only response you could give was a forced smile.

“Hey, let me see your schedule,” came Kylo’s voice, quickly changing the subject. You fished through your backpack and pulled it out, Kylo tossing you his own. As you looked, you noticed that the two of you shared your last two classes together. “Sick, all four of us have lit together.”

You smiled up at Kylo as you handed him back his schedule. He gave you a half-smile back, and took a bite out of a brownie. In some strange way, in that moment it felt like, despite the years, nothing had really changed with you two. 

The rest of lunch was spent learning about Alan and Sami. Alan, you learned, was actually the younger brother of someone who had graduated last year, Milo Tabash. Milo and Kylo had become good friends Kylo’s freshman year, and the two formed their small group called the Knights of Ren. Sami had gotten roped in when she first transferred to Mos Eisley, having made friends with Kylo and Milo. Now, she was Milo’s girlfriend. Alan got tied in because Kylo, Sami, and Phasma embraced him with open arms. Apparently there were two more people in the Knights of Ren, but you didn’t think to ask about them. You were sure you’d meet them eventually.

Soon enough, the bell to end lunch rang, and you threw out your lunch as Kylo waited for you at the exit to the cafeteria. You quickly slung your backpack onto your shoulder and walked over to Kylo.

“Not ready for Mr. Windu’s class. He always looks like he wants to catch me doing something wrong,” Kylo remarked with a frown. You frowned as well. Anyone who was close with any of Kylo’s family was constantly making sure Kylo didn’t get up to anything, and since Kylo’s uncle was a teacher as well, that practically meant all of them watched him like a hawk.

“Well, lucky for you, no one expects me to get into trouble, so if we stick together, I’m sure everything will be okay,” you assured him. After all, you’d always been a good kid, favored by teachers and parents alike. Maybe hanging out with you would earn Kylo some slack. 

As the two of you crossed the threshold of Mr. Windu’s classroom, you froze in your tracks. You should have expected this, after all, you were both seniors, but it really was a nightmare come to fruition. You tried your hardest not to make eye contact, deciding to turn away and grab Kylo’s arm, dragging him along to the table furthest away from Shawn. Kylo didn’t ask any questions and simply went along with you, sitting down beside you at the lab table. As soon as the two of you sat down, the room went deadly silent, and you hoped and prayed for nothing to happen next.

Then you heard the sliding of a chair against the tile, footsteps following afterwards, making every inch of your body tense up and fill with anxiety.

“Hey,” came Shawn’s voice from above you, but you didn’t dare look up. You heard Kylo scoff from beside you.

“Move along, Alvarez, clearly she doesn’t want to talk to you,” Kylo said, glaring up at Shawn, his arms crossed.

“Stay out of this, Solo. (y/n), can we please talk?” Shawn bit back, his voice becoming softer when he spoke to you. You felt tears prick at your eyes, but you still didn’t budge. You wanted desperately to scream in his face, to tell him to leave you alone and never speak to you again, but you didn’t want that kind of attention. Lucky for you, Kylo picked up on how you were feeling.

“Look, you don’t deserve even a word from her, let alone a whole conversation. Fuck off, Alvarez,” Kylo said, this time his stare like daggers. Shawn gave him a sneer, and stepped back as the late bell rang.

“Watch out, (y/n), someone like him is only gonna get you into trouble,” Shawn said as he walked away. You looked up at Kylo and saw the fire in his eyes, and his fists clenched. 

Mr. Windu came in from the hallway, and began to take attendance. The more names he called out, the more you began to relax. After the syllabus was passed around, you went back to doodling, but this time on Kylo’s stuff. He did the same to you, and you had to fight to keep your laughter controlled as Kylo drew ridiculous drawing after ridiculous drawing.

“I hope you like the person sitting next to you, because that’s going to be your lab partner for the semester,” Mr. Windu stated, causing both you and Kylo to look up from your respective drawings. “That means that any projects assigned throughout the semester, the person you are sitting with is going to be your partner. I don’t want to hear any complaints, that’s just the way it is.” 

Not long after, the bell rang, and you and Kylo quickly rushed out of Mr. Windu’s classroom to avoid another confrontation.

“Thanks for fending him off,” you said to Kylo softly, looking up at him as the two of you walked through the crowded hall. 

“It’s no problem. He shouldn’t be fucking with you anyway,” Kylo stated with nonchalance. You felt a small smile embrace your lips as the two of you continued down the hall. Soon, you reached the classroom of Mr. Skywalker. Before going in, Kylo stopped, heaved a huge sigh, and the two of you walked in. 

As you looked around the room, you noticed four of your friends, Finn, Poe, Rey, and Rose. The four of them were smiling at you until they saw who you walked in with. Their expressions forced you to remember that none of them liked Kylo. You smiled back though, and noticed that Sami wasn’t sitting too far from them. You and Kylo walked over to Sami and sat in the two desks behind her.

“How was physics?” Sami asked as she closed her sketchbook and turned to face the two of you.

“Could’ve been better, could’ve been worse,” Kylo said, leaning back in his seat. Within moments, the bell rang, and Phasma walked in, settling down next to Sami.

“Alright class, welcome back,” came the voice of Mr. Skywalker from his desk. “When I call your name, you can just raise your hand. If you want to be called something else just let me know.” As Mr. Skywalker took attendance, you decided to take a peek at your phone, and noticed a text from Poe. 

Why are you sitting with Kylo Ren? 

You looked up to see Poe looking back at you with a confused look on his face. With a small sigh, you started typing away.

Catching up with an old friend. 

All three of you used to be friends in elementary school, but you and Poe split off together, leaving Kylo to find his new crowd. Now, Poe was one of those people weary of Kylo, which made you sad to think about. The three of you had such good times together when you were kids.

“I’m gonna pass out a calendar, and then we’re gonna go over the books we’re reading this semester. Don’t worry, it’s only two novels, one play, and one poem. Shouldn’t take us too long,” Mr. Skywalker said, handing the person sitting at the front of the class a pile of paper to pass around. When the calendars came to you, you looked at the assignments. Only two essays, two tests, a project, and a quiz after each piece of literature. You’d heard that there wasn’t much workload in Mr. Skywalker’s class, but you could see how the lack of grades would make it easy to pass or fail.

“Alright, everyone got one? Okay, so this semester, we’re going to be reading 1984, by Orwell, Hard Times, by Dickens, Beowulf, and Midsummer Night’s Dream, ” started Mr. Skywalker. “If you’ve looked at the calendar, you’ll see the assignments for the semester. You’ll only be doing essays on Hard Times and Beowulf, but there is a partner project for Midsummer Night’s Dream, so go ahead and think about who you want to work on that with.”

After Mr. Skywalker finished talking about the assignments, you began to drown out his words, and instead watched the rain falling outside from the window behind his desk. The day hadn’t been as terrible as you had feared it would be, and for that you were thankful. You were definitely thankful for how willing Kylo was to accept you again, and you almost wondered if there was a reason behind it. It didn’t worry you, though, because at least now you had a friend who didn’t look at you like you were wounded, and didn’t expect you to talk about what was bothering you. 

You didn’t pay attention for the rest of class, and were only broken out of your trance when everyone began to pack up their things. 

“Are you gonna need a ride home?” Kylo asked, gesturing to outside the window, where the rain was getting heavier. 

“Yeah, that would be great,” you answered, pulling out your phone to see another text from Poe.

Just be careful.

The bell rang, and people rushed to get out of the door, and you started to rise from your seat. 

“Ben, come here,” came the voice of Mr. Skywalker, causing all four of you to turn around. Kylo sighed, and turned to you.

“Just wait for me outside the door, this shouldn’t take long,” he said in a very resigned voice, turning to go talk to his uncle. You did as Kylo asked, walking out with Sami and Phasma, who were talking about an event coming up, which you gathered had something to do with skating. As you passed the threshold and into the hall, you leaned against the wall next to the door, trying your hardest not to eavesdrop, but failing.

“Yeah, Uncle Luke?” you heard Kylo’s voice say, laced with annoyance.

“I just wanted to let you know I’m glad you’re hanging out with (y/n). She’s a good kid,” you heard Mr. Skywalker say.

“I know,” was Kylo’s only response before you heard his heavy footsteps heading your way. When Kylo walked out, he looked to see if you were still there, and when you were, he simply nodded for the two of you to get going. You walked together to the entrance of the school, rushing to his car as soon as you left the safety of the school. 

Once the two of you were safely in the car, you let out a laugh as Kylo started the car. In minutes, Kylo was pulling out of his parking spot, taking a spot in line with the after school traffic.

“Thanks for making today not terrible,” you said, looking over at Kylo with a smile. Kylo shrugged, but gave you a half smile as he turned to look at you.

“Hey, I understand what it’s like to go through this situation. I thought you might just want a friend who wasn’t gonna badger you about it,” he admitted.

“I appreciate it. If you don’t mind me asking, what happened?” You knew that at one point last year, Kylo had a girlfriend, but you weren’t aware that their relationship had ended, so now you were curious. 

“No it’s fine,” he said before pulling a cigarette out and rolling down the window. He lit the cigarette and took a couple of puffs. “I dated this girl Stella, who I met through Sami. We weren’t really super serious at first, but eventually I wanted us to be. She claimed she wanted to be too, but then I caught her with Armitage Hux. Never looked back after that, only a text to tell her we were through.” You watched as Kylo’s whole demeanor changed. Sure, he was kind of brooding before, but his posture slouched, and his eyes looked a little glossed over. 

The rest of the ride back was spent in a comfortable silence, and pretty soon the two of you were pulling into the driveway of the Skywalkers. Kylo shut the engine off, relaxing in his seat for a moment. You watched him for a brief moment, then turned to get out of the car. Without warning, Kylo placed his hand on top of yours and you turned around. His expression changed, like he’d come to some brilliant revelation. 

“This might sound a little crazy, but I’m about to make a suggestion. All I’m doing is asking that you hear me out,” he said, pushing a lone piece of hair out of his face. You simply nodded as you waited for him to explain.

“We should pretend to date.”

You looked up at him, confused, and a little in shock. Had he really just asked this? You could understand the benefit you would get from it, but you failed to see how it would help him.

“Listen,” he continued, “Shawn hates me, so it would be perfect revenge for you, something to make him realize what he lost.”

“And what about you? You can’t want to do this out of the kindness of your heart, I mean, who would?” you asked. As enticing as getting back at Shawn sounded, considering all the hurt he’d caused you, there had to be a catch.

“Look, my whole family has always liked you. Uncle Luke talking to me had me thinking about that. I’m hoping that, by pretending to date you, they’ll think I’m trying to be better, and cut me some slack,” he explained. Your confusion went away, as you nodded in understanding. If Kylo’s parents had practically kicked him out of the house, they were probably hoping for some improvement. Maybe “dating” you was all the improvement he needed. After all, it would be great to see the look on Shawn’s face if the two of you “dated.” You still had your reservations though.

“I don’t know, Kylo. Let me think about it,” you said, moving to open the door. Kylo took a piece of paper and a pen he’d found and scribbled on a piece of paper. Shortly after, he handed the paper to you.

“Here. Text me if you decide before tomorrow morning,” he said. You smiled at him. Though shocked about his proposition, you still couldn’t help appreciate how much better he’d made your day.

“Okay,” you said, taking the piece of paper out of his hand. Once you shut the door behind you, you ran across the lawn to get to your house, trying to soak in as little rain as possible.

Chapter Text

As you walked through the door, you saw your mom waiting for you in the kitchen, reading some article in a magazine. When she heard the door close, she looked up and smiled at you.

“How was the first day back?” she asked, a little too enthusiastically.

“Not terrible. Made some new friends,” you replied before heading up the stairs to your room, trying to avoid any more questions. You didn’t want to have to lie to your mom about the new friends you’d made, especially since she saw Kylo how everyone else did. 

Closing the door to your room, you heaved a sigh before throwing your backpack onto the ground, and plopping down on your bed, pulling out your phone to see an email. Curious, you opened the notification, then groaned when you saw who the sender was.

(y/n), we really need to talk. I understand that you probably have me blocked, so I had to go to drastic measures. As much as there is I want to say to you, a lot of it can’t be said over an email. However, I do think you should know that I really don’t think you should be hanging out with Ben Solo. He’s not the kind of person someone like you should hang around, and he’s nothing more than a common criminal. I’m only looking out for you. I love you, Shawn.

You wanted to throw your phone across the room, scream at the top of your lungs, and maybe break something. The rage inside you was boiling hot, and you felt like a kettle, left on the stove too long. What kind of desperate asshole decides an email is a great way to contact the girl you cheated on? Why did he even expect a response from you? Most importantly, how dare he claim to love you. The whole thing had you heated, but you held your composure as you deleted the email, and pulled the little slip of paper with Kylo’s number on it out. 

You stared at the number, and thought about Kylo’s idea. If you were being completely honest, Shawn’s email made you consider it more seriously. After all, it was obvious that the idea of you even hanging around Kylo set something off in him. If the two of you were to “date,” he would probably lose his shit. Admittedly, the idea of watching Shawn implode like that would be kinda fun. 

At the same time, you didn’t know this person. Not Kylo, you’d known him so long, even though today seemed more like a reintroduction instead of a reunion. No, you weren’t sure you knew who you were. You’d never wished ill upon someone like this, and certainly never considered going through with something so major in order to upset someone. That had never really been your style, and you’d always looked down at people who did stuff like that.

But did you really know yourself at all?

You’d been with Shawn for three years, all of high school, really. Those were the most formative years of your life, and they’d been shaped by your boyfriend. Were you really this suburban good girl, who only had good friends, had never even been to a high school party, and certainly never rebelled against even her parents? Or were those things that Shawn had shaped you to be? After all, the more you thought about it, the more you realised his opinions had affected a lot of the way you acted. So now, you were left at an impasse. Were you really who you’d acted as your first three years of high school, or were you someone else entirely that you’d never gotten to discover?

You created a contact for Kylo on your phone, and typed up a message.

What exactly would us “dating” entail?

You started at the screen of your phone as you watched the dots appear as Kylo started texting back. There was a little bit of anxiety in your chest, but the idea of “dating” Kylo filled you with a sense of thrill as well. 

We wouldn’t be “dating” right away. We’d pretend to flirt for a while and then start dating. Do basic couple shit at school, but especially wherever him or his little friends can see.

Made sense. It wouldn’t be smart to jump straight to dating, that would be too suspicious. Admittedly, you weren’t entirely sure how to flirt, but you were sure you could get some advice somewhere. You pulled up your keyboard to respond.

We should also make sure to go on dates, too. That way, we can convince your parents we’re dating too. 

After all, Kylo had to have something in it as well, and he said he wanted to convince his parents he was improving. 

Shit, I forgot about that. I’ll have to bring you around Gran and Granpa too, if that’s okay with you.

Yeah, that’s fine. 

So is that a yes?

You thought for a moment. Was this really the decision you wanted to make? Then, you thought about the picture, and thought about the email.

Hell yeah.

The next morning, you didn’t have to fight so hard to get out of bed. You actually took the time to throw on some jeans instead of leggings. Most importantly, your heart didn’t feel so heavy. It was like you finally had an inkling of hope in the form of revenge. Looking out of your bedroom window, you noticed how the sky was still overcast, but there was no rain. However, just to be on the safe side, you threw on your jacket and made sure to bring your umbrella. 

Walking down the steps, you peeked into the kitchen from the top of the stairs, making sure the coast was clear before continuing your descent. Your dad was there, sipping his morning coffee and reading something on his phone, but your mom was nowhere in sight. Letting out a small sigh of relief, you continued down the stairs, noticing your lunch bag and a small note on the island.

“Morning, (y/n),” your dad said, not looking up from his phone. 

“Morning,” you responded before picking up the note. 

Morning, dear. I had to head to work early today, but I went ahead and packed your lunch. Have a good day at school! Love, mom.

A small frown pulled the corners of your mouth down a little. You loved your mom, but she had been trying too hard to cheer you up instead of letting you simply wallow in your misery for a couple of days. You neatly folded the note and put it in your pocket before taking your lunch off the counter. 

“Bye, dad,” you said as you headed for the front door. Your dad gave you a final wave goodbye before you opened the door, heading out into the world.

Unsurprisingly, Kylo was sitting there, presumably waiting for you as he leaned against the back of his Mustang, smoking his morning cigarette. He must’ve been out there for a while, because he dropped the butt onto the ground before stomping it out and picking it back up. When he came back up, he noticed you and smiled.

“Want another ride?” He asked, standing straight and running a hand through his long hair. 

“Beats walking,” you said, walking up to the Skywalker driveway and climbing into the car as Kylo threw his cigarette butt away. Kylo climbed in next, starting the car as soon as he closed the door.  

“So my uncle told Gran and Granpa that you and I have been hanging out,” Kylo started as he pulled out of the driveway. “Can you believe they already want you over for dinner?”

You shook your head with a smile on your face. Even though they were your next door neighbors, you hadn’t really spoken to Kylo’s grandparents. “Sounds like fun. When?”

“Friday,” Kylo responded

You simply nodded in response before staring out of the passenger window. Then, you remembered.

“Do you want to hear about something Shawn sent to me yesterday?” you asked, turning to Kylo. He furrowed his brows in confusion as he glanced at you from his peripherals. 

“Did you not block him?” he asked, the same confusion he wore on his face mixed into his tone.

“No, I did. He sent me this through email, if you can believe it,” you said.

“Go ahead, I’m all ears,” he replied.

You recalled the contents of the email to the best of your ability, and as you did, you watched Kylo’s knuckles slowly turn white as he tightened his grip on the steering wheel. 

“And after all of that, he has the nerve to say he loves me? After everything he’s put me through, he has the balls to say he loves me? Apparently not, if he’s perfectly okay sticking his tongue down some other girl’s throat,” you said with an angry huff, as tears threatened to fall. They weren’t sad tears, however. No, these were the tears of pure unbridled rage that only became realized when you talked about the situation out loud. It was weird, but admittedly the feeling was welcome. You were tired of being sad, and angry was a much better improvement. At least with anger you could stop moping around.

“I hate that shit,” Kylo commented as he stopped at the red light at the end of the neighborhood. “They always try to tell you they love you, but if they loved you they wouldn’t have cheated in the first place. Fuck that.” 

“My sentiments exactly.” There was another good thing about Kylo; he could relate to you. You knew that none of your friends had ever been cheated on before, so it was a lot harder to talk to them about it. Kylo, though, he knew the pain, the resentment, everything. He would know exactly how you were feeling and not make any judgements-not that he would do it whether or not he’d experienced it anyways. It was such a different change of scenery, it was honestly refreshing. 

Not that you didn’t love your friends, you treasured them dearly. There was just something about knowing someone who’d had the same experiences as you.

The light turned green and Kylo drove forward into the school parking lot, maneuvering into his spot. When he placed the car in park, there was a small ding from his phone, and he grabbed it, checking the notification.

“Milo’s gonna drop Sami and Alan off, so they’re gonna hang with us before class. Means you can meet Milo,” Kylo said before texting a reply. You didn’t know why, but you had a really good feeling about Milo. After all, he was a friend of Kylo’s. 

It was about five minutes later when a grey Honda Civic pulled up beside the two of you. Needless to say, that was not what you were expecting. You watched as Sami and Alan stepped out of the Honda Civic, followed by who you assumed was Milo.

He was maybe an inch taller than Kylo, his hair bleached white with dark brown barely peeking out at the roots of his hair. He had a cigarette between his lips, and you wondered if that was where Kylo had picked up the habit. When Kylo rolled down your window, he leaned against the car and peered in through the window while Alan and Sami climbed into the backseat behind the driver’s seat. Once they were in the back, Kylo set the seat back, settling in and closing the door. 

“You must be (y/n),” he said, holding out his hand to you. You shook his hand and smiled up at him.

“That’s me,” you answered before dropping your hand onto your lap. 

“So, are we still on for Friday?” Milo asked, turning to Kylo. Kylo frowned before letting out a sigh.

“Shit, I forgot. Told my grandparents that me and (y/n) would have dinner with them. If you wanna go later though, I can probably sneak out,” Kylo responded, running a hand through his hair.

“That’s fine, just don’t get caught. Wanna come along too, (y/n)? Sami, Alan, Phasma, and Pat are coming,” Milo said, turning back to you.

“Where exactly?” you asked, turning to Kylo.

“Jordan’s place, she graduated with Milo. She’s having a kickback before heading to Coruscant for college,” Kylo explained.

“I don’t want to intrude,” you started, a little uncomfortable about being invited to the house of someone you didn’t know.

“If you go, Kylo might not have to sneak out,” Sami suggested from the back. “Besides, Jordan’s really chill, I think you’d like her.”

“How would her going with me make it to where I don’t have to sneak out?” Kylo asked, turning around to face Sami.

“Well, no one really expects (y/n) to go to a party. She could just tell your grandparents that the two of you are going to study,” Sami offered. As you thought it over, it was a pretty decent idea. You didn’t really have the party reputation, and everyone knew it. 

“I’m game,” you answered. Kylo looked at you with a look of surprise, but simply shrugged as he pulled out a cigarette from the box.

“Sick. I’ll see you Friday then. I gotta go, I have a shift in thirty minutes. See ya, Alan, bye babe!” Milo said before blowing a kiss to Sami. She smiled back at him and waved goodbye as he climbed back into his car, driving off out of the parking lot.

“Oh, (y/n), you might wanna tell your parents you’re staying at my place on Friday night,” Sami said as Kylo lit his cigarette. “Jordan usually has drinks at her ‘kickbacks.’” You nodded as you looked back at her.

“So did he ask you yet?” came Alan’s voice, his eyes refusing to leave the screen of his phone.

“As a matter of fact,” Kylo said after taking the first drag of his cig. “I did. Me and (y/n) are planning to ‘date.’ And Sami thought I wouldn’t have the balls.” He blew the smoke out of the window, before taking another drag.

“I never said that,” Sami said with a frown. “I just said that your explanation of your plan seemed a little lacking. I’m glad you agreed, though, (y/n). Shawn’s a piece of shit.” 

“You’re telling me,” you said as you let out a sigh. “Can’t wait to see the look on his smug little face when I start ‘dating’ someone he hates. Wasn’t aware that Kylo shared his plan with everyone, though.” A small flush arose in Kylo’s cheeks, and he didn’t make eye contact with you.

“You would be surprised, when he’s not being an emo prick, he won’t shut the fuck up,” Alan added, looking up with a smirk. Kylo looked back at him with his brows furrowed. 

“Like you’re one to talk,” Kylo huffed out. He finished up the last of his cigarette before checking the clock. It was 8:00 already.

“Shit, let’s get going, punks,” Sami said, lightly kicking the back of Kylo’s seat.

“Fuck, I’m getting out. Hand me my bag,” Kylo said as he tossed the cigarette butt into the car’s ashtray. Without warning, a black backpack went flying towards Kylo and hit him on the chest. “Fuck you, Sami.” He grabbed his bag by the straps and stepped out of the car, bringing the seat forward so Sami and Alan could climb out. You stepped out of the car and closed the door behind you, putting your backpack onto your shoulders while you waited for everyone to step out. Kylo walked forward first and you fell into step beside him.

As the four of you walked into the building, you could feel people turn to stare at you, and you remembered your reputation. You weren’t the kind of girl to hang out with Kylo Ren and his ilk, you were one of the good girls. A small voice in the back of your head resented that. 

Alan split off pretty quickly, bidding his farewell before heading to his first class. Sami was next, saying she wanted to be early to art, so she said her goodbye before speeding away. 

“Guess I’ll see you at lunch,” Kylo said as the two of you parted, and you headed for your econ class. 

Much like yesterday, the pace of which your first two classes moved was painfully slow. You weren’t surprised, the first day of actual class was horrible, but you tried to stay focused and take notes. Whenever you got distracted, though, you kept thinking about the plan you and Kylo had established. It felt like the perfect revenge, “dating” someone Shawn hated. However, the more you thought about it, the more you wondered why exactly Shawn hated Kylo. Kylo had said it was because he’d punched Shawn, but you felt like there was something there that you were missing, some truth that Kylo didn’t want to say.

You couldn’t worry about it too much, though. It was Kylo’s business, and you didn’t want to pry if he didn’t want to tell you exactly what had happened. You definitely weren’t going to go to Shawn for the reason, and you doubted that Shawn would tell you the truth anyways, so it would have to remain an unsolved mystery in your mind. 

Lunch could not have come sooner, and as you flowed into the cafeteria with the rest of the people who had third lunch, you looked around for your new group of friends. You saw Phasma first, who waved at you to come over to her. As you walked closer, you watched as she stepped out to the outdoor seating, and you followed, noticing everyone else sitting there too. There were only a handful of other groups outside as well, so it was much more quiet and calm than being in the loud cafeteria. 

“Man, Mr. Jinn’s class is kicking my ass,” you heard Alan say as you sat down between Phasma and Kylo.

“How, it’s only the second day of classes?” Phasma asked before biting into a roll. 

“Have you ever had Mr. Jinn’s class, Phasma?” Kylo asked, putting a bookmark in the book he was reading.

“No.”

“Then don’t say shit. He’s a cool guy, but damn he gives a lot of homework. Alan, if you need help, don’t come to me,” Kylo said, leaning against the table. Alan frowned as he looked up at Kylo.

“Wow, thanks, Kylo, you’re such a hero,” he quipped. 

“So, (y/n), how was the beginning of your second day?” Sami asked, pushing aside her untouched lunch as she leaned forward to talk to you.

“It was alright, but I’m getting tired of people staring at me,” you responded. Even though you’d tried your hardest to focus, the whispers were still hard to ignore. It almost felt like you were being punished for Shawn’s actions.

“People don’t know how to mind their own goddamn business,” Phasma stated. “They just want shit to gossip about. When you’re not the fresh gossip anymore, they’ll all but forget you exist.” 

“I can’t wait for that to happen. I’m tired of hearing rumors about something involving me. Especially since I basically don’t know shit,” you admitted. This caused Sami to raise her eyebrows.

“How do you mean? If you don’t mind, of course.” For a second, you pondered on whether or not you wanted to talk about it, but your doubt washed away pretty quickly. It was amazing how comfortable you felt around these people. You did look around the courtyard though, to make sure there was no one there that you didn’t want to hear what you were talking about. When you decided the coast was clear, you let out a sigh before you spoke.

“Well, on Thursday, I was sent a picture,” you started, feeling the pang in your chest, but not as fiercely as you did yesterday. “It was of Shawn making out with some girl. I’m guessing it was one of his friends who sent it to me, but it wasn’t from a number I had saved. I’m also assuming that whoever it was that sent the picture also sent it to a lot of people. I got a lot of messages that night from people I’d maybe spoken to once about what happened, but the thing is, I don’t know what happened. I didn’t want Shawn’s explanation, because I didn’t think he’d be truly honest, and I wasn’t sure who to ask about it. Shawn’s friends would probably defend him.”

Sami’s face turned to one of deep thought, as if she was trying to solve some kind of puzzle. 

“Did you think about texting the sender?” Alan asked. When he said it, you felt kind of dumb for not thinking about it.

“I did not,” you admitted.

“I can write something up for you,” Sami offered. “That way you don’t have to look at the picture again.” You shrugged, and handed your phone to Sami, who took it in her hands, bringing it close to her face. She tapped on what you assumed was the conversation with the sender, and for a moment, you could have sworn there was shock in her eyes. If it had been there, it didn’t last, as her face instantly went back to the one of thought. She hesitated a moment, then started typing away.

“How does this sound: Hey, I want to thank you for sending this. Do you mind telling me how you came upon this picture?” She said aloud.

“Yeah, that sounds fine,” you said. Sami tapped the screen again, sending the message, before handing your phone back to you. A part of you felt a little anxious. On the one hand, you wanted to know the story behind the photo, but at the same time, you wanted to remain willfully ignorant. It mostly branched from a fear inside you that he’d been cheating for a long time. 

However, the rest of lunch passed, and you hadn’t received any messages. While it was a little relieving, it still added on to the anxiety that had settled in the pit of your stomach. You tried to ignore it though, as you and Kylo headed to physics, the two of you walking in a comfortable silence. 

When you got to Mr. Windu’s class, the two of you took your seats, while people whispered from around the room.

“Can you believe she’s hanging out with him now?”

“She really shouldn’t lower her standards like that just because of what happened.”

The last one had you whipping around, trying to find the person who said it. Everyone looked away when you did, though, so there was no clear suspect, but it didn’t prevent you from glaring at everyone around the room. At least, you did until you saw Shawn walk in. Once you caught even the slightest glimpse out of the corner of your eye, you turned back around, boiling in your anger.

“Don’t worry about it,” Kylo said softly, unbothered by the whispers. “I’m the town disappointment, of course they’re going to say that.” You looked up at Kylo and frowned. 

“What makes them so holy to pass judgement like that? I’m sure they’ve all done fucked up shit too, their parents just aren’t as in the spotlight as yours,” you huffed out as Mr. Windu began to take roll. 

When Mr. Windu’s lecture started, you were your normal studious self, taking detailed notes and making sure to get any equations down. Every once in a while, you would look over to Kylo’s notes and noticed the bare minimum of notes being taken. At one point, you looked at him incredulously. He simply shrugged before writing in the margins of your notes.

I’ve always been good at science. You let out a small huff of air before writing back.

Lucky. Kylo smiled before looking back up at the board, where Mr. Windu was writing another equation. 

When the bell rang, you quickly shoved your stuff into your backpack, and waited for Kylo so the two of you could get to fourth block. Once Kylo had his stuff packed, the two of you were off. You were free, at least that was what you thought. The notion of freedom disappeared when you felt a hand on your shoulder, causing you to stop in your tracks, and for Kylo to stop as well. Turning around, you had to resist the incredible urge to punch Shawn in the face.

“You haven’t been responding to my messages,” he stated. He was obviously trying to sound hurt, but you could hear that hint of anger in his voice. It was something you were familiar with, but it was weird for it to be directed at you.

“Fuck off, Alvarez,” Kylo said, stepping forward, his figure looming over you. You looked up at Kylo and shook your head. 

“I don’t remember asking your opinion, Solo,” Shawn said, trying to puff out his chest. It was kind of funny to see, honestly, because he was at least six inches shorter than Kylo. Despite how funny a part of you found Shawn’s response, though, you stepped between them. 

“Have you considered that the reason I haven’t responded to you is because I don’t give a fuck about what you have to say?” You finally said, crossing your arms as you looked at Shawn. Looking at him straight on like this for the first time in a week was causing your stomach to churn, and your heart to clench, but you were tired, in every sense of the word. You just wanted to be left alone to deal with your emotions, and not have him harassing you every three seconds.

“You have to let me explain myself-” he started, but you let out a laugh, one of those laughs that dripped of sarcasm and anger.

“I don’t have to let you do shit. You cheated on me, end of story. Please , just leave me alone,” you said before turning around and walking off. After a few seconds, you heard Kylo begin to follow you, catching up to you with ease and falling into step beside you, not saying a word. You appreciated that, as you were trying your hardest not to cry. As much as you thought your anger had taken over your sadness, it was really just a blanket. At this moment, it felt like you were shriveling from the inside, and anything said to you would immediately cause you to start sobbing. It was a special kind of hurt, being cheated on. So many emotions ran through your head, but the one that remained in your heart always lingered; why weren’t you enough?

The two of you walked into fourth block not but two minutes before the bell rang. You took the same seat you sat in yesterday, and settled in your seat, breathing deeply to keep yourself calm. You saw Sami and Phasma both look at Kylo, confused looks on their faces. Kylo merely shook his head before pulling out a notebook. Taking one final deep breath, you did the same, sitting straight as you waited for Mr. Skywalker to call roll.

Once he’d done so, he picked up a crate, placing it on the desk nearest to him.

“Alright, go ahead, come up, and grab your copy of Beowulf,” he said.

“I’ll get them.” Kylo said as he stood, walking up to the crate and waiting behind your other classmates as he waited to grab the books. When he came back, he handed a book to each of you, and you gave him a half smile. It was all you could really manage, but Kylo matched it with a little more enthusiasm than you. 

Once everyone had their books, Mr. Skywalker decided to go into the history of Beowulf. However, during his explanation, you began to zone out. You really just wanted to go home, curl up in your room, and sleep until tomorrow came. You did feel a hand tap you, and you turned to Kylo, who was holding out a slip of paper to you, while keeping his eyes on the board. You took the folded paper from his hand, and opened it up. On the paper were two phone numbers, the top one being Phasma’s, and the lower being Sami’s. You typed both into your phone and sent a simple “hey” to each number. Sami responded back.

You okay?

With a sigh, you started typing on your keyboard.

Yeah, just had a run-in with my ex. You watched Sami out of the corner of your eye as she read your message and responded.

Shit, I’m sorry. She then sent a picture of a ridiculously fat cat, which actually did make you smile. 

The rest of class passed by pretty quickly, even after the class started the beginning of the poem aloud, which, like anyone else, you had to admit was the worst part of class. When Mr. Skywalker had decided the class had done enough reading, everyone began to pack up as they waited for the final bell to ring to let them out of class. Phasma and Sami both turned around in their seats to strike conversation for the last few minutes of class. 

“Glad that’s over,” Phasma said, frowning. “Why do we have to read aloud in the first place?”

“Torture,” Sami said sagely. “We’re meant to suffer.”

“Pretty sure it’s so that people can gain confidence reading aloud and speaking in front of a crowd,” Kylo said as he leaned back in his seat, looking at his phone.

“What academic input, truly an improvement for such a delinquent,” Phasma quipped, causing Kylo to look up from his phone, eyebrows raised, before returning to staring at the screen. “So, I heard you’re coming to Jordan’s on Friday.” Phasma now turned to you.

“Yeah. I’m actually pretty excited,” you said, leaning forward to feel more present in the conversation. 

“As you should be, Jordan knows how to have fun,” Sami said, making herself sound like an expert in the subject of Jordan. You laughed as the bell rang, standing up and stretching before slinging your backpack onto your shoulder. You watched as Finn, Poe, Rey, and Rose all walked by, waving at you as they went. You waved back to each of them, but frowned a little once they’d passed. You hadn’t really spoken to them much since Thursday, and you felt kinda bad about it. You would talk to them tonight, you decided. 

Soon, the four of you filed out of the classroom, walking at a comfortable pace as Kylo and Phasma walked together, talking about skating. You and Sami walked side by side in silence, until Sami leaned closer to you, so that the two in front of you couldn’t hear.

“I think I know who the girl in the picture is. Text me when you get home,” she said before drifting away again. You felt your chest tighten, but you only nodded, deciding to change the subject.

“I’m gonna tell my mom I’m staying at your place Friday night when I get home. She’s a little weird about sleepovers, so she might want to talk to you,” you said as your group reached the front of the school. 

“Hey, I can probably just tell my grandparents that the three of us are gonna study at your place,” Kylo offered. 

“Yeah, that works. After all, I am the only one of your friends who hasn’t wound up with the title ‘delinquent,’” Sami quipped. Kylo gave a frown in response, before stopping in front of the entrance to the school. 

“Well, we’ll see you tomorrow,” Kylo said. The two of you waved goodbye before heading to Kylo’s car. There was silence at first as the two of you climbed into the car, and Kylo started the engine, but it was broken with a sigh from Kylo.

“We don’t have to do this, you know. If Shawn’s just gonna harass you for even being around me, it isn’t really worth it,” he said, pulling out of his parking spot. You couldn’t help but let out your own sigh.

“That’s not the reason he’s harassing me,” you started. “He’s harassing me because he thinks he can still control me, and convince me that he didn’t mean it. Honestly, the easiest way to get him to leave me alone is if we stick to the plan.” It was a frustrating realization, but it was certainly true. If Shawn thought you had moved on, he was probably more likely to leave you alone. Sure, he’d probably have some choice words to say about you, but you seriously doubted that he’d say them to your face. 

The rest of the drive home was spent with the music loud, Kylo occasionally singing along softly. When the two of you pulled into the driveway, you waited before stepping out, and turned to Kylo.

“Thanks for sticking up for me again. You really don’t have to do that,” you said. Kylo shook his head and ran a hand through his ebony hair.

“You’re my friend, (y/n). I’ll always stick up for you,” he responded before turning the car off. You gave him a small smile before opening the door.

“See you in the morning,” you said before stepping out.

“See ya, bright and early,” he responded with a smirk. You shook your head as you turned to head to your house.

Upon walking in the door, you saw your mom sitting at the dining room table. She was looking at what looked to be some documents from work, but she looked up when you closed the door, and gave you a warm smile. 

Here goes, you thought to yourself before returning her smile, and walking up to the table.

“How was your day, honey?” she asked, shifting her attention to you. 

“It was good. Actually, my friend Sami invited me to stay at her place on Friday,” you responded. You actually felt a lot of anxiety in your chest, but you were trying your hardest not to let it show. You’d never really lied to your parents like this before, and it was strange for that to start your senior year, but you actually really wanted to go. The opportunity to hang out with your new set of friends, not to mention Kylo, was so exciting.

“Oh, is this that new friend you were talking about yesterday?” she asked. It almost looked like there was a great deal of happiness in her eyes. They practically lit up, and you couldn’t really say you blamed her. After all, after you’d gotten home on Thursday, you had shut yourself in your room, refusing to come out. Making new friends and being invited to one of their houses? It was definitely an upgrade. 

“Yeah. She’s really cool, and she’s trying to get into art school,” you said, smiling at your mom.

“Alright, but I want you to message me throughout the night. Are you gonna head home with her that night?” Your heart dropped at that. You hadn’t mentioned anything about Kylo- obviously- and you were supposed to be having dinner with the Skywalkers on Friday as well. There really was no point in lying about that, it would be too easy to get caught.

“Actually, I’m supposed to have dinner with the Skywalkers next door that night, too. I’ve been getting rides from Ben, and his grandparents invited me to dinner,” you said, waiting for shit to hit the fan. Surprisingly, your mother’s face didn’t turn red, but she did frown.

“I don’t know about you hanging around with Ben Solo…” you could tell she was trying to be delicate, but there was no mistaking in her voice that she felt the same way about him that all the parents did. You knew another lie was needed in this scenario too.

“He has been giving me rides, and they really just want us to be friends because they think I’ll make him be a little more responsible. But he did offer to take me to Sami’s house too. I promise, when I get there, I’ll take a picture with Sami and send it to you,” you said. You could see the cogs turning over in her head as she thought it over. When she finally let out a sigh, you knew she had relented.

“Alright, but I want to see you after dinner, before you leave for Sami’s, okay?” she said. You smiled and nodded before turning on your heels, heading for the stairs.

“I’m gonna go ahead and get started on dinner,” she called as you practically skipped up the stairs. 

When you got into your room, you let your backpack fall to the ground before plopping onto your bed and pulling your phone. You had two messages. One was from Sami, and you remembered what she had told you earlier. With a pang in your chest, your excitement for Friday extinguished, you decided to look at the other message.

It was from the sender of the picture.

Chapter Text

You felt your chest tighten, and a wave of nausea hit you. You hadn’t expected to receive a message at all, let alone when you were without the company of your friends. Your hands were shaking, and you weren’t sure what to do.

So, you opened the message. 

Sorry for the late reply. I took this picture at a party Wednesday night. A few of us on the soccer team decided to go to this house party in Corellia. Shawn was flirting with this girl all night, but I never got a good shot of them together until I found them making out on the couch. I asked some of the guys about it, and Dylan said that he’d been seriously talking to this girl for about a month.

It was like your heart broke all over again. The walls felt like they were closing in, and you felt like you couldn’t breath. It would have been one thing if this was a one time thing, caused by some drunken stupor, but knowing that he’d been talking to this girl before then? It crushed every part of you. Only one thought stuck out in the cascading river of emotions: Why wasn’t I good enough? 

With a choked sob, you let your tears fall freely. You needed to talk to someone, desperately. You knew that if you bottled this knowledge up, it wouldn’t be long before you went crazy. Kylo wasn’t really an option, after all he would probably insist you sit with him outside, and you weren’t quite mentally ready to leave your room at the moment. You definitely didn’t want to call any of your old friends. You had barely talked to them recently, you felt it would be shitty of you to just dump all of this on them.

So, you decided to dial Sami.

It took two rings before Sami picked up, and when she did, you were still sobbing.

“(y/n)? What happened?” she said, her voice slightly distorted through the phone. Through your sobs and tears, you read her the message the sender of the picture had sent you. 

“Fuck that. What an asshole,” was her response.

“I just d-d-don’t get it,” you said, trying to wipe away your tears as you began to calm down. “Why wasn’t I enough for him?” It almost felt stupid to ask, but it was how you honestly felt.

“Sweetie, don’t think like that. It’s not your fault he couldn’t keep his hands to himself,” she assured you with a stern tone. “Men like Shawn never realize that they have something good until they lose it.” 

Your mind, however lacking in rationality it was right now, knew that what Sami was saying was true. That didn’t stop your heart from feeling like it was ripping in two. You were planning your life with this man. As stupid as that sounded, especially in retrospect, you had hoped the two of you would spend your lives together. Even though you already knew that wasn’t going to happen, the hurt of the fact that he’d been flirting with someone behind your back told you that he hadn’t thought like that, or even worse, that he could fool around and have you waiting for him. It made his insistence to talk to you all the more unbearable. Why would he want you back if he’d been talking to this unnamed girl for a month?

“Are you gonna talk to Kylo about this?” Sami said, breaking the silence you’d created. You thought about the question for a moment, and wondered whether you should. 

“No,” you decided, a hiccup proceeding your words. “If Kylo finds out, he’ll beat Shawn’s ass.”

“You’re right. Kylo doesn’t fuck around with cheaters. I’m surprised he hasn’t already beat Shawn’s ass,” Sami mused. “Look, try to keep yourself distracted, and think ahead to Friday. I’m assuming you got permission?”

“Yeah. We need to take a picture together when I get there, so I can send it to my mom. I had to tell her about dinner with the Skywalkers, and obviously, she doesn’t trust Kylo,” you responded. Sami was right, the best thing you could do was try to look forward to Friday. 

The two of you talked a while longer, until you had fully calmed down. Not long after, your mom called you for dinner, so you said your goodbyes and hung up. It wasn’t until after you’d hung up that you remembered that Sami said she’d recognized the girl in the photo. You pondered on whether or not to call her back after dinner, but you ultimately decided that you couldn’t handle that knowledge tonight. 

Wednesday and Thursday passed by in a blur. Wednesday morning, when you’d gotten into Kylo’s car, he’d asked if you were alright, but you answered rather placidly.

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

Thankfully, that had been enough for Kylo, and you were content with holding off the slaughter for another day, but you knew eventually, Kylo would find out. You were just worried that Kylo would get worse than house arrest when he did.

Wednesday had passed by quickly, probably because you had spent a good portion of the day spacing out, choosing not to be present in any conversations. As much as you wanted to pretend that you were fine, you most certainly were not, and you were glad that no one had pressed the matter. You suspected that either Sami or Kylo had informed them not to. 

The drive home Wednesday was silent, Kylo choosing to play music instead of forcing you to talk. You listened to the music, preferring the music over your tumultuous thoughts. The more you listened, the more you realised that Kylo had really good taste in music. You began to sway your head to the music.

When Kylo pulled into the driveway, you gathered your backpack, prepared to say a quick goodbye before making a beeline for your house, but Kylo laid a hand over yours as he turned to look at you.

“Look, I don’t expect you to tell me what happened, but I can only assume it has to do with Shawn. I just want you to know that if you ever need catharsis without having to talk about anything, let me know. I have plenty of glass bottles to break,” he said, the corner of his lip turning up in a smirk as he said the last part. You looked into his brown eyes, and where most people saw coldness, you felt a great sense of warmth. Something about Kylo’s presence had become really comforting to you.

“I’ll let you know,” you said with a smile before leaning across the dash to give him a hug. As you wrapped your arms around him, he did the same, and you breathed in the smell of fir and cedar, along with faint hints of cigarette smoke. Damn, how did someone who smelt like cigs manage to smell so good?

When you let go, you gave one last smile before departing the car, heading for the door to your house. 

Thursday was a lot better, but your thoughts still plagued your mind. It was now a week since you’d received the photo, knowledge that would tear you apart. It was amazing how, even within a week, you felt you had changed so much. You’d always been warned that your first break-up would do that to you, but you’d never expected to break up with Shawn, and you certainly never expected him to cheat on you. 

As you walked out the door, lunch bag in hand, you noticed that Kylo was talking to someone. Upon further inspection, you realised it was his grandfather.

“Well, make sure you’re calling your mother. She says you haven’t spoken to her, other than sending one word responses to her texts. She worries about you, you know,” Mr Skywalker said, his arms crossed over his chest. Kylo looked away from his grandfather, scratching the back of his head.

“Yeah, I will later,” he responded in a mutter. You wouldn’t have heard him if you hadn’t been walking towards them.

“Good morning, miss (y/l/n)!” Mr Skywalker said as he noticed you walking towards them. Kylo turned around to see you, and gave you his signature half smile.

“Good morning, Mr. Skywalker,” you responded as you fell into place beside Kylo, giving him a smile. He smiled right back at you. You had always liked the Skywalkers. Even though you hadn’t really talked to them all that much, they were nice to you whenever you did. 

“Alright, well drive safe, Kylo,” he said, turning back to his grandson. “Love you.”

“Love you, too, Granpa,” Kylo responded before turning away and heading towards his car. You gave Mr. Skywalker a final wave goodbye before making your way to the passenger side of the car. 

As you climbed into the car, Kylo turned on the engine, and you put your seatbelt on, settling into the seat. Admittedly, listening to Kylo and Mr. Skywalker's talk was a little heartwarming.

“I didn’t know your Granpa called you Kylo,” you said as Kylo pulled out of the driveway. When you turned to look at the window, Mr. Skywalker was sitting on the porch, waving goodbye.

“He’s the only one who does. Said he was the same way when he was my age, which Gran confirmed. It’s part of the reason I like Granpa the best,” Kylo said as he drove. “You excited for tomorrow?” 

You had been so caught up in your sorrow you nearly forgot that tomorrow was Friday. As soon as you remembered, you could feel the excitement begin to build within you. 

“Yeah. I’ve never been to a party before. At least, not an actual high school party,” you admitted, feeling a little embarrassed. You were sure Kylo had gone to his fair share of parties in his day, and the thought made you feel kind of amateurish.

“Parties aren’t really my thing, I just like to smoke and drink. Being crossfaded is a nice feeling. But, Jordan has a lot of college friends. That’s why she decided to go to Coruscant Central. All of her college friends are there. But, because she has so many college friends, her parties are more like college parties. A lot more drinks, and a lot more drugs,” Kylo said.

You felt your chest tighten slightly. You’d never once had anything to drink, and you definitely had never tried any drugs. The idea was certainly daunting.

Kylo, probably sensing your unease, turned to sneak a peek at you before looking back at the road.

“Look, you don’t have to try anything you don’t want to. Usually, Jordan’s friends only ever bring weed. There was a time they brought acid, but they won’t pressure you into taking anything. They’re all chill people,” he assured you. It did make you feel a little better. If Kylo trusted them, then you would trust them.

The rest of the drive was spent in silence, and the silence continued as the two of you waited to be allowed into the building. Once inside, Kylo walked with you until it was time for your paths to diverge. He waved at you, and you waved back, giving him a half smile before heading off to first block. 

Instead of the nice and quick passage of time that you’d lived through the first three days of school, your first two blocks passed by agonizingly slow. It almost felt as if someone was controlling time, making your economics teacher speak in slow motion, and the ticking of the clock to be abnormally slow. The feeling made you want to pull your hair out. It gave you too much time to think, and that was the last thing you wanted. You really wished there was a way to get your mind to stop thinking for once, and just be empty-headed with no emotions. 

Naturally, second block was no better, and you had to resist the urge to bang your head on the desk as you took notes, trying your hardest to pay attention to what your math teacher was saying. You kept stealing glances at your phone, and at one point, you saw a text message show up on your lock screen. Glancing up at the front, you noticed how your teacher, Mrs. Portman, was looking solely at the board. You had another advantage, as you sat at the very back of the class. Unlocking your phone, you saw a message from Kylo.

Apparently Shawn already thinks we’re flirting, cause Dylan just came up to me and threatened me. Confused, you started to type back.

Really? What did he say? Also, what class do you have with Dylan? As you sent the message, you carefully placed your phone beside your notebook and looked up at the board so as to not raise suspicion. You knew Mrs. Portman wouldn’t give you detention for having your phone out, but she would certainly give you a stern talking to. You did, however, keep glancing at your phone waiting for a response. When your screen lit up, you checked to make sure you weren’t being watched before looking back down.

Said I had no right to be flirting with “Shawn’s girl,” and that I need to back off. Also, I have weight training with him. 

You tried to stifle a laugh. Yeah, what Dylan, Shawn’s best friend and confidante, said to Kylo was annoying, especially since you now knew more about the situation than before, but you couldn’t help but laugh at the idea that Kylo took weight training. Imagining Kylo Ren lifting weights was an odd thought. 

Funny, considering Dylan flirts with girls before they even break up with their boyfriends. Dylan certainly had a reputation as a womanizer. He probably would’ve flirted with you, too, if you hadn’t been dating Shawn.

Some men truly only think with their smaller head. 

You shook your head at Kylo’s response before typing up a response of your own.

Never thought of it that way. Of course, I can’t imagine that head has a very long neck attached to it. 

Have you seen the truck he drives? He’s definitely compensating. You tried hard not to laugh again. Finally, someone said what you’d been thinking for almost two years. 

The bell rang, and you let out a sigh of relief as you packed your stuff back into your backpack, and headed off to lunch. 

In the cafeteria, the same level of noise rang throughout the hall, and you were glad you always brought your own lunch as you looked at the line before heading to the courtyard for lunch. It was a beautiful day today, and the sun warmed your skin as soon as you stepped outside, peering around before you spotted Sami and Alan, who were already sitting side by side. 

“How are you feeling today?” Sami asked as you sat down next to her, pulling some fruit snacks out of your lunch bag. 

“Better. Still pissed, but better,” you assured her. You popped one of the fruit snacks into your mouth before looking up, seeing Kylo and Phasma walking side by side, the two in deep conversation.

“I told her I didn’t really feel comfortable with them coming, but she promised they would behave,” Phasma said as she and Kylo sat down, Kylo sitting next to you.

“I fucking hope so. I thought Milo might get arrested, he almost beat the shit out of Andrew,” Kylo said.

“You guys aren’t talking about Andrew and Lauren, are you?” Sami said, looking between Kylo and Phasma. 

“Yeah, Jordan invited them to come tomorrow, but she said she doesn’t really think they’ll come,” Phasma answered.

“Who are they?” You asked, curious about people potentially coming to the party, especially since Sami seemed worried when she asked about them.

“Assholes. Andrew and Lauren are two of Jordan’s friends who already go to CCU. They cause drama with Milo each time, and Andrew keeps looking at me like he’s looking for a fight with me next. Can’t say I’m shocked, I think he lives to get his ass beat,” Kylo said before stealing one of your fruit snacks. You playfully punched his arm as he popped it into his mouth.

“On top of that, Lauren keeps trying to sleep with Jordan. Jordan keeps saying that she’s only like that when she’s fucked up, but she’s always giving me dirty looks,” Phasma said, picking at her food. 

Kylo typed something on his phone before showing the screen to you. Phasma and Jordan are dating. That did clarify things. 

“Well, let’s hope Jordan’s right, and they won’t even bother showing up. After all, they’re gonna have all this time with Jordan once their semester starts,” Sami said with resignation, taking a sip of the soda she was drinking. 

“I don’t feel like being here tomorrow,” Phasma said before heaving a sigh. 

“I can’t skip. All of my teachers are friends with my grandfather, not to mention my uncle,” Kylo said with a frown. “I think they did it on purpose.”

“Wouldn’t surprise me, after all your mother is very well-to-do in town, on top of the fact that she’s a government official,” Alan offered. “You got into a lot of trouble last year especially.”

“That’s because Stella would drag me across the state,” Kylo huffed out, a frown forming on his face. You put your hand on his under the table, and he gave you a half-smile. 

“We also barely ever saw you then. It’s a miracle they didn’t hold you back,” Sami noted. 

“They can’t say I’m not smart,” was Kylo’s response. 

When lunch was over, the five of you split your separate ways, and you and Kylo walked to physics. 

“You know what we should do?” Kylo said as the two of you pushed your way through the crowd of students in order to get to the physics room.

“What?” you asked, looking up at him.

“Fan the flame,” was all Kylo said, before he held out his hand for you to take. With a smirk, and a rush of excitement in your heart, you took his hand, lacing your fingers with his. 

The initial discomfort of how large his hand was compared to yours was overtaken by how well your fingers seemed to lace together with his. Even though his hands were a little rough, nothing about holding his hand felt unnatural, like you’d expected it to. 

Walking into the classroom with each other’s hands clasped caused about as much of a stir as you thought it would, and oddly enough, some sick part of you enjoyed it. You enjoyed the whispers of people as the two of you walked to sit at your lab table. 

“Did you see that?”

“I guess she’s going for bad boys now.”

“What a way to throw away her future.” 

You ignored them- doing so was becoming a sport to you- and you pulled your stuff out of your bag, and prepared to take notes for the day. Kylo leaned over to whisper in your ear, clearly getting as close as he was for dramatic effect. 

“Someone’s fuming. Feels like daggers are being stared into my back,” he said to you before sitting up straight and pulling out his own notebook. You didn’t dare look behind you, and instead decided to laugh. Amazing how the simple act of holding hands could get someone so heated. 

Physics passed by quickly, probably because you were now in the company of a friend. Between taking notes from the board, you and Kylo would draw on each other’s notebooks, or write notes for each other, trying your hardest to keep from laughing. 

The two of you made sure to hold hands walking out, as well, and you laughed all the way to English. 

“I only caught a glimpse of his face, but damn was the motherfucker mad,” Kylo said, withdrawing his hand from yours as the two of you entered Mr. Skywalker’s classroom. A very small part of you missed the warmth of his hands when he did. 

“Good. I hope his blood boils so much that his head pops off,” you joked as the two of you sat down behind Phasma and Sami. 

“What are you two so chipper about?” Phasma asked, turning to face the two of you. 

“Just pissing off Satan himself,” you answered, pulling things from your backpack.

“Amazing how holding hands can bring so much anger to one person,” Kylo mused as Mr. Skywalker stood, looking around the room and taking attendance as the late bell rang. 

English passed by as quickly as it could, with people reading a book written in old English aloud. You simply ignored them, opting to read ahead and block out the voices. When you glanced over at Kylo, you saw he wasn’t even paying attention. He noticed you looking at him, and wrote on the corner of his notebook.

I read this over the summer.

You rolled your eyes. I guess it made sense, if his uncle already knew that Kylo was going to be in class, and Kylo was under house arrest over the summer.

Did you read all the books for class? You wrote in his notebook. Kylo quickly wrote back before sliding the notebook to you discreetly.

Not Midsummer Night’s Dream. I didn’t feel like reading a play. 

You decided to turn away, with a shake of your head, and keep reading ahead. If you finished the book early, you could get a head start on the essay. 

Once Mr. Skywalker announced the class finished for the day, you tore a piece of paper and used it as a bookmark for where you’d left off in the book before stowing your stuff away into your backpack. 

“I’m skipping tomorrow, sorry Kylo,” Phasma said as she and Sami turned to face the two of you. “I’m gonna help Jordan set up.”

“Jealous. I guess I’ll see you there,” Kylo responded. “What about you, Sami?”

“I’m gonna come, I can’t let you two suffer alone,” Sami said, checking her phone. You felt your phone buzz, and you picked it up from the desk, unlocking it to see a message from Rey.

Can we talk tonight? I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever, the text read. You smiled before typing onto your keyboard.

Yeah! I’ve been meaning to call you. You sent the message as the bell rang, and the four of you rose from your seats. Like usual, the four of you walked together, travelling with the crowd like a school of fish all headed for the entrance of the school, relieved the school day was over and the weekend was almost here. You and Kylo departed from Phasma and Sami before heading to Kylo’s car, deciding to sit in the parking lot for a while before heading home. Kylo pulled out a cigarette as he leaned against the hood of his car. You did the same, watching as people scrambled to their cars. You felt so disconnected from everyone now, you realised. When you were dating Shawn, you were a part of the popular crowd, everyone knew and liked you, and you had plenty of friends. Now, you were beginning to become an outcast. But, as you watched Kylo smoke his cigarette, you couldn’t help but be thankful for that. Even though people like Rey, Finn, and the others were genuine people, a lot of the people Shawn had been friends with weren’t, and Kylo’s crowd was a hell of a lot more accepting than any of them. In four days, you’d made amazing new friends, and you couldn’t help but be thankful.

“What?” Kylo asked when he caught you staring at him. Your face flushed from embarrassment, and you turned away, looking out at the crowd of students before smiling. 

“Nothing. I’m just really grateful that you guys just kind of took me in,” you said.

“We used to be great friends. Besides, I figured you would appreciate friends who understand more. Not to be dramatic, but none of us have had it easy. It just makes it easier for us to connect to each other,” Kylo explained before tossing the cigarette butt on the ground and stomping it out. 

The two of you got into the car and silently drove home. Something you noticed- that you weren’t quite ready to tell Kylo- was how at ease Kylo made you. Though the torrential waves of emotion coursed through you normally, any time you were near Kylo, the sea inside you was calmed, and you felt like you could actually enjoy life for a few brief moments. 

When the two of you pulled up to the cul de sac, you saw the two old men sitting on the porch at the Skywalker house. One was obviously the older Mr. Skywalker, chatting away to the man next to him, who you recognized as Mr. Kenobi. Kylo pulled into the driveway and let out a sigh. 

“Great, now I get to be asked a lot of questions,” Kylo said with a huff, pushing his black hair out of his face before shutting off the engine. You stepped out of the car, closing the door behind you as you waited for Kylo to get out so you could say goodbye.

“Well, hello (y/n),” Mr. Kenobi called out as he noticed you. You smiled and walked over to the other side of the car in order to properly say hello.

“Hello, Mr. Kenobi! How’ve you been?” you asked, smiling up at the two old men.

“I’ve been well, enjoying my retirement. You’ve been hanging around this rascal, I hear?” he responded, nodding his head at Kylo. You could tell Kylo was annoyed, as his knuckles turned white around the strap of his backpack, but he held it in as he gave a small smile to his grandfather’s friend.

“Kylo’s been kind enough to offer me rides, and we have some classes together. We’ll actually be working on a project in English together,” you responded, continuing to smile at the men. They both nodded and smiled back.

“Well, we don’t want to hold you up for too long,” Mr. Skywalker said. “We’ll see you at dinner tomorrow, (y/n).”

“I can’t wait! See you tomorrow,” you said before waving goodbye to everyone, making eye contact with Kylo one last time before heading home. 

When you got inside, you went to your room immediately, pulling out your phone and dialing Rey’s number. As you stepped into your room, you closed the door behind you before dropping your backpack on your floor and plopping onto your bed. You waited as the phone rang, and soon, Rey picked up.

“Hey, (y/n)!”

“Hey! Sorry I haven’t really talked to you guys recently, I’ve been...dealing with stuff,” you responded. 

“Yeah, that makes sense. I was getting worried about you and just wanted to check in,” Rey responded. 

“Well, I’ve certainly been better,” you started, the tone of your voice taking a turn. “I’ve somehow been able to cope with everything that’s going on.”

“Did you ever find out what happened?”

With a sigh, you tried to collect yourself as you felt that deep pang in your chest. You trusted Rey, that wasn’t the issue. The issue was that the emotions were still so raw inside of you, but you relented. If you told at least one person in your friend group, then it would get spread around between them, so at least you wouldn’t have to tell the story more than twice.

“Yeah Apparently he and some of the guys in the soccer team went to Corellia for a party. The person who sent me the picture said that he’d seen Shawn with this girl all night, and apparently asked Dylan about them, who said they’d been talking for a month before this,” you said, trying to hold in your tears. You weren’t going to sob, but your tears definitely filled your eyes, threatening to spill and break your streak of having not cried all day.

“Oh, (y/n), I’m so sorry. Have you talked to Shawn?” 

“No, and I don’t plan on it. I know that all he wants to do is ask me to take him back, but it isn’t happening. He can go have that girl from Corellia for all I care,” you said, wiping away tears from your eyes before they had the chance to fall down your cheeks. 

“You’re probably right. He’s always been really self-absorbed, he probably doesn’t even really think he did anything wrong,” Rey stated. As much as it hurt to hear, her words did ring true. Though you’d never thought it in the year the two of you had been dating, Shawn was incredibly selfish. “Anyways, do you want to come over tomorrow night? Rose, Kaydel, and Jannah are coming over, we’re gonna watch some movies.”

You felt bad, as you thought about rejecting Rey’s offer, but you were so excited for tomorrow, there was no way you could miss it. After all, you had accepted that offer first.

“I wish I could, but I’m staying with Sami Martinez tomorrow night. I’m sorry,” you said, your voice truly apologetic.

“It’s okay! That’s something I wanted to talk to you about to,” Rey said. Instantly, you knew where this was going, and you felt a pang of anxiety run through you. You knew this conversation was going to happen with one of your friends sooner or later, might as well get it over with. 

“What’s that?” you asked, trying to feign innocence, but probably failing. 

“You’ve been hanging out with Ben Solo a lot, and it has us all pretty worried. I get that you might want to piss off Shawn, and that’s totally valid, but I don’t think hanging out with Ben is the best way to do that,” she said, making you want to sigh heavily. Before any of this was over, you were probably going to hear the same spiel from a million other people.

“Look, Rey, I appreciate you guys looking out for me, but Kylo has been nothing but nice to me all week. Besides, we used to be really good friends. I don’t think he’d do anything hurtful to me,” you assured her.

“That’s not really what I’m worried about, (y/n). He might not intentionally hurt you, but he might influence you to be a different person that you aren’t. He hangs out with bad people, and does a lot of bad things himself. I just don’t want you to be influenced by him to do those kinds of things too.” 

The sentiment really pissed you off, admittedly. You knew people felt that way about Kylo, that much you’d expected, but to basically be told you were easily manipulated? That was frustrating. If anyone was likely to manipulate you, it was Shawn, and in fact, he had manipulated you. After all, he’d convinced you that you were just like him. You didn’t want to be the same person you were when you were dating Shawn.

“Listen, I’m going to keep hanging out with Kylo. I love and respect you guys, so I’m asking you to do the same for me. I’m not going to be a drastically different person because I’ve been hanging out with Kylo. I’m going to be a drastically different person because I’m not dating Shawn anymore. Believe it or not, I don’t want to be the same person I was with Shawn, because that person was too dependent on her boyfriend. So, I’m going to keep hanging with Kylo and all of his friends. They’ve been nothing but good to me all week, and they’ve been really accepting. You guys are still my best friends, but I’m asking you to please respect my decision,” you said, trying to keep calm as best as you could. 

There was silence for a few moments, as Rey processed what you said to her. Then, there was a sigh.

“Okay, (y/n). Just, please be careful,” Rey finally answered. “I’ll talk to you later. Bye.”

“Bye,” you said before hanging up. Once you did, you grabbed the pillow closest to you, wrapping onto it as tears began to fall from your face, made from a mixture of rage and sadness. You loved your new friends, especially Kylo and Sami. They didn’t judge you, included you in conversation, and made sure you stayed positive. You were so happy to accept them into your life, welcoming the change they brought, but that couldn’t change the fact that you were afraid to lose your old friends. You’d been friends with them for so long, and you trusted all of them deeply. You knew that once you and Kylo began to feign your relationship, a lot of them would probably view you differently. Even though they barely understood what you were going through, you still loved them. You just worried that everything to come might end the friendships you’d enjoyed for so long.

You stared out of the window, the blinds open, giving you a perfect view of the clear sky. As you looked around the cul de sac from your window, you noticed Kylo standing outside, smoking a cigarette as he leaned against his car. Then, as if he could sense you watching him, he turned his head, making eye contact with you. He waved at you, giving you his signature half-smile. You waved back a little unenthusiastic, but you tried to smile back. You saw Kylo look back down as he pulled out his phone. Not long after, you heard your phone buzz, and you picked up your phone, unlocking it to reveal a message from Kylo.

You okay?

You thought about whether or not to be honest as you stared at the keyboard, trying to think of what to say. In the end, you settled on a simple white lie.

Yeah, I’m fine.

Chapter Text

As promised, Phasma didn’t show up to school on Friday. As the four of you sat in the courtyard during lunchtime, soaking in the rays of the sun, you each excitedly talked about the party. Apparently it would be Alan’s first time going to one of Jordan’s parties, too. 

“Milo hasn’t ever let me go before. The only reason I get to go now is because I promised to be the DD,” he said, excitement in his voice. You could tell he was happy simply by being included. Even though you hadn’t spent much time with the group, it was clear that Alan felt like the token younger sibling. 

“Well, I’m glad we all get to relax after a successful first week of school. Now, you guys have your alibi covered, right?” Sami looked at you and Kylo with feigned suspicion.

“Yeah. We’re studying at your place tonight. My grandparents don’t expect me home, but do want messages before I go to bed, so there’s that,” Kylo responded. Even though he was doing his best to hide it, you could feel just an inkling of frustration radiating off of him.

“So does my mom. We can remind each other to send them at a reasonable time,” you said to Kylo, trying to ease some of his frustration. He nodded in agreement before taking a bite of the roll he was holding. 

Like yesterday, you and Kylo decided to walk into class holding hands again, stirring just as much attention. From behind you, you could hear Shawn talking to Dylan, but you couldn’t quite make out what it was they were saying. With a slight, barely noticeable glance back, Kylo smirked before resting his arm on the back of your chair. The action took you by surprise initially, but when you heard Shawn become silent, you leaned back into Kylo’s touch, scooting your chair a little closer to him for dramatic effect. 

When class started, you tried to take notes, but your excitement for the night to come was killing you slowly. You were so ready to go to your first party that wasn’t a slumber party, and with your new friends. 

When Physics ended, you and Kylo walked hand in hand to English, seeing Sami missing from her seat.

“That’s weird. Sami usually gets here early,” Kylo noted. Almost as soon as he said that, Sami rushed into the door, mere seconds before the late bell rang. She quickly sat down before plopping all of her things into Phasma’s empty seat.

“What’s all that about?” you asked as she struggled to catch her breath.

“Was talking to Pat about tonight, we got sidetracked,” she said, her breathing still heavy as she sank into her seat.

You remembered the name. Milo had mentioned Pat as being one of the people coming to Jordan’s tonight. You figured he was also a part of Kylo’s friend group as well.

“He’s still coming, right?” Kylo asked, pulling out his notebook and copy of Beowulf , which had numerous sticky notes inside. 

“Yeah, he was just telling me that a friend of his from Corellia is a plug, and was hooking him up for tonight. Said he’d buy enough for all of us, provided we pay him back,” Sami said, pulling out her own book and notebook. You did the same as you simply listened to their conversation. 

“I don’t need any. Can’t keep it in my grandparents house anyways,” Kylo said with a huff. 

“What about you, (y/n)?” Sami asked as she turned towards you. You were caught by surprise. You knew they were talking about weed, but you never thought that anyone would ask if you wanted to buy some.

“No, I’m good. I’ve never even had it,” you admitted, a small flush coming to your cheeks. This week was truly highlighting all the things you’d never done before, and you felt kind of lame for it. 

“It’s no problem. If you’re interested, you can try it tonight,” Sami assured you. The thought made your stomach churn, but whether it was from anxiety or excitement, you couldn’t tell. 

Soon, Mr. Skywalker had begun class, and the three of you paid attention as the class began with a discussion of the reading thus far. You made notes as best you could, but the end of the school day loomed so near that your stomach was turning in knots. First, it would be dinner with Kylo’s grandparents, and then it would be your first party. All of the hardship you faced melted away with the excitement of finally getting to live life as a teenager. 

There was both a feeling of relief and a feeling of anxiety as the final bell rang. You hurried to put your stuff away in your backpack, standing from your seat once you did so. Like usual, the three of you waited for the crowd to disperse before heading out the door. You threw your backpack over your shoulder, smiling at your old friends as they all walked past you. They all smiled back, warming your heart a little bit.

Once the crowd died down a bit, the three of you walked out of Mr. Skywalker’s room, and headed for the entrance of the school. Your heart was pounding. You only had dinner with Kylo’s family, and then the two of you would set off for the party. 

“Okay, I’ll see you guys at Jordan’s. Text me when you head that way, okay?” Sami said as the three of you walked out the front door and into the student parking lot. 

“Alright, we’ll see you there,” Kylo said before pulling his pack of cigarettes from his jacket. He pulled the last cigarette out of the box and put it between his lips before the two of you started walking towards his car, separating from Sami. When you got to his car, you climbed in and tried to calm yourself down a little. You needed to have some kind of composure for dinner, and then you could let loose. 

Kylo took a drag of his cigarette before climbing into the car. When he did, he cranked the engine before letting out a sigh.

“You excited?” He asked you, turning to you with a smile. 

“Yeah! I can’t wait to meet Jordan, she seems fun,” you said. “I am a little nervous, though. I haven’t ever been to a party before.” You blushed as you turned away to look out the window. It was probably pretty obvious that you’d never been to a party before, but it didn’t stop you from feeling lame.

“Don’t sweat it. Parties are honestly overhyped, but Jordan knows how to throw a good kickback. Besides, everyone that’s gonna be there is cool, unless that godawful pair shows up. No one’s gonna make you do anything you aren’t comfortable with,” Kylo assured you as he got in line behind all the other student drivers.

The drive home was agonizingly slow, but luckily you began to calm down. As the two of you listened to the radio, you let yourself be absorbed in the music, and forget your anxiety, even for a little while. Pretty soon, the two of you were pulling into the driveway at the Skywalker house. 

When Kylo shut off the engine, he sighed before turning to you.

“Do you want to get your stuff from home first, or come inside with me? I’m sure Gran is gonna have food ready within thirty minutes,” Kylo asked before running a hand through his black hair.

“My mom wants me to come by after dinner, so I’ll just grab my stuff then,” you told him.

“Okay. Sorry if they’re weird, they’re just...like that,” Kylo said before climbing out of the car. You could’ve sworn you saw a blush on his cheeks before he turned away from you.

Climbing out of the car, you decided to leave your backpack behind. You’d bring it with you to Jordan’s, that way no one could question that you were studying. Kylo waited at the foot of the porch steps for you, and you quickly caught up with him. When you reached him, he went up the stairs, leaving you to follow behind him into the house.

The Skywalker house was interesting to say the least. There was a mix of all sorts of decorations, clearly souvenirs from different places they’d been. There were also a lot of photos of a lake, and some family photos as well. As you followed Kylo, you couldn’t help but to examine them all, finally deciding to stop at the section of the wall with the most photos.

At the top were a lot of photos of who you assumed were Mr. and Mrs. Skywalker. In all of these photos, Mr. Skywalker had his arm around Mrs. Skywalker, and the two were grinning ear to ear. The only difference in the many photos like this were that each were in a different location, but the joy on their faces remained the same. The next level of photos were the beginning of the family photos. The oldest Skywalkers still had the same joy on their faces, but they were now accompanied by their children, each at three different ages. The photo on the bottom, and eye level to you, warmed your heart. It was a huge family portrait, the oldest Skywalkers sitting down in the center of the photo. On the right side, where Mr. Skywalker was sitting were Kylo’s parents, and Kylo himself. Kylo couldn’t have been older than fourteen, but was still freakishly tall. On the left side, the side of Mrs. Skywalker, was the younger Mr. Skywalker, and beside him a fourteen year old Rey. It was easy to forget that Rey was a part of Kylo’s family. After all, Rey never really claimed him as family, even though she’d been adopted by his uncle.

“That one’s my favorite,” said a voice from behind you. You turned around to see Mr. Skywalker looking at the photos with happiness and reminiscence in his eyes. “I’ve lived a long life, and I’ve done a lot, but I’m most thankful for my family.” You smiled at him, feeling your heart warm even more at his words. You couldn’t really explain it, but you got a very similar level of comfort from Mr. Skywalker that you did from Kylo. It almost felt as if he was your own grandfather.

“Granpa, Gran is looking for you,” came Kylo’s voice as he walked back into the foyer. Mr. Skywalker turned to his grandson, about to say something, but he was cut off.

“Anakin, come help me with the food!” came the voice of Mrs. Skywalker from a distant room. Mr. Skywalker gave you a smile before turning to go to his wife. 

For a moment, you and Kylo stood there in silence. You turned to look back at the family photo, and smiled. Kylo came up beside you, crossing his arms.

“I hate that picture. I’m so awkward in it,” he said with a huff. A small frown formed on your face as you examined Kylo in the photo. Yes, he had that early pubescent awkwardness about him, but you found the picture charming. Especially since he was smiling pretty widely.

“I think it’s cute,” you stated, turning to look at Kylo, who looked down at you with a frown. You simply smiled up at him, and eventually his frown faded a little.

“Okay, kids, dinner is ready,” came the voice of Mrs. Skywalker. Kylo indicated for you to follow him once more, and he led you into the dining room. 

The table was set with two plates on either side. Mr. and Mrs. Skywalker were already seated next to each other, leaving the other adjacent seats for you and Kylo. The two of you sat down, and you looked down at the plate, breathing in the delicious aroma of the food Mrs. Skywalker prepared. It was a pot roast, and the smells were intoxicating, making your stomach grumble as it remembered how long ago lunch was. 

“Thank you for joining us for dinner, (y/n),” Mrs. Skywalker said as all of you started to dig into your food.

“Thank you for inviting me! Your food looks delicious,” you said before taking a bite of a potato.

“My wife is the best cook in all the world,” Mr. Skywalker said with confidence. Mrs. Skywalker lightly pushed at his arm, shaking her head as she let out a chuckle.

“I’m glad you and Be-I mean Kylo are becoming friends again! You’re the kind of friend he needs,” she said before taking a bite of her food. You could almost feel Kylo roll his eyes from beside you. “So, do you have any plans for college?” Of course, a college question. The dreaded dinner table conversation of every high school senior.

“Yeah, I was hoping to go to either Coruscant Central or Hosnian State, but I’m not sure for what, yet,” you admitted, trying not to look down in order to hide the flush in your cheeks. Every adult expected you to have a plan already, and it was a source of stress for you, especially since college had been another thing you’d planned around Shawn.

“That’s okay. You have time to figure out what you want to do,” Mr. Skywalker assured you, which made you feel a little better. It filled you with a sense of relief, since you probably weren’t going to get bombarded with questions of what you enjoyed, and reasons why that should be what you majored in. “So, Kylo, how was your day?”

You could tell Kylo had enjoyed not being the center of attention because as soon as the attention was brought to him, he clenched his fist under the table. 

“It was alright. I don’t have too much homework for the weekend,” he answered before continuing to eat his food. 

“That’s good. Have you talked to your mother at all?”

A small sigh left Kylo’s lips before he replied. “No.”

There was silence after that, the kind that falls after a touchy subject is discussed. You didn’t know how to react, so you waited for someone else to speak so the air in the room would be a little less heavy.

“Well, if you get good grades on your first report card, we’ll let you invite some friends to the lake house,” Mrs. Skywalker said. Kylo’s head raised, his eyes widened by disbelief.

“Are you serious?”

“Of course I am. I think even you deserve a little bit of fun, provided you promise to be responsible,” she responded. Kylo’s mood seemed to lift a little after that. 

From then on, the small talk continued. Mrs. Skywalker seemed to want to know a lot about you, and even though you were happily enjoying the meal she made, that didn’t mean you didn’t catch the looks she was giving Mr. Skywalker. You wondered if they thought something was between you and Kylo. If so, that meant the two of you wouldn’t have to work hard on that front. 

Once dinner was finished, you helped cleaned up, despite how much Mrs. Skywalker insisted you didn’t. As you helped, you could hear Mr. Skywalker and Kylo talking in the other room, but about what, you weren’t entirely sure. As you placed some of the plates into the sink, you felt Mrs. Skywalker place her hand on your shoulder.

“Kylo might seem a little standoffish, but he’s just a little confused. I think someone like you would be good for him,” she said before going back to washing the dishes. So, your questions were now answered. If the two of you were going to “date” soon anyways, where was the harm in playing along.

“I know. I’m just hoping he can pick up on hints,” you said as you helped wash the dishes. You could see Mrs. Skywalker smile out of the corner of your eye. 

When all that was done, you and Kylo headed out the front door and down the porch steps. Mr. and Mrs. Skywalker stood at the door, Mr. Skywalker’s arm around his wife’s shoulders, making you think of the photographs.

“Make sure you message one of us before you go to bed,” called Mrs. Skywalker. Kylo simply nodded, and the two of you watched as they went inside.

“He gave me the ‘she’s a good one’ speech,” Kylo said casually as he leaned against the hood of the car.

“Funny, you’re grandmother assured me that you aren’t the emotionless brick wall that people see you as. I think she was trying to hint at something,” you joked. Kylo let out a laugh, and you couldn’t help but smile as well.

“Go get your stuff, I’ll start the car.”

You did as he said, all but sprinting to your house as the excitement began to build up in you again. You were so ready for this party, you almost couldn’t contain yourself. You opened the door, and headed up the stairs to grab the bag you’d left by your door.

Before you left, your mom gave you the whole spiel again, making sure you knew to message her when you got there, when you went to bed, and when you woke up in the morning. Repeating the same promise that you would at least ten times, she finally gave you a hug and told you to have fun. 

When you got outside, you saw Kylo sitting in the car, not paying attention to the fact that you were approaching, and instead swaying along to the music playing in the car. When you opened the car door, he turned to face you with his signature smirk, a fire in his golden eyes. He waited for you to get your seatbelt on before pulling out of the driveway, and making his way out of the neighborhood. 

It was about a twenty minute drive to Jordan’s house, in one of the nicer neighborhoods of Mos Eisley, and the whole time the excitement and anxiety started to fill your stomach, creating waves and turns that were starting to make you nauseous. You were so ready to let loose and have fun, something you’d needed desperately recently, but you were still worried about seeming stupid to anyone you hadn’t met yet. However, as Kylo pulled into the driveway that already had a couple of cars in it, you felt all the anxiety fade away, and the excitement was the only thing you could feel, causing you to be restless. 

You stared in awe at the house in front of you. You knew you shouldn’t be too surprised, as you were in such a nice neighborhood, but you couldn’t help it. You’d never laid eyes on such a huge and ornate house before. It was almost overwhelming.

“Okay, before we go in, I just want you to know that if you’re uncomfortable at any point, let me know, and I’ll hang around you, okay?” Kylo said, turning to face you.

“Alright. I will let you know if anything happens. I’ll probably stick with either you or Sami anyways,” you said. Kylo simply nodded in response before smiling at you.

“Alright, let’s pop your party cherry.”

The two of you stepped out of the car, and almost instantly, you heard your name being called. You turned to the front door and saw Sami, Phasma, and who you assumed was Jordan based on the way Phasma had her arm resting on her shoulder. Sami ran up to you, drink in hand. 

“Hey, let’s go ahead and take that picture for your mom,” Sami said, her words having an extra little pep to them.

“Have you been drinking already?” Kylo asked as Phasma and Jordan approached.

“We only had a shot, but she’s been working on that rum and coke,” Phasma answered. Sami flicked them off before standing beside you, waiting for you to take your phone out. Quickly, you snapped a selfie of you and Sami and sent it to your mom, assuring her you’d made it to “Sami’s house” safe. Once you’d done that, you turned to face Phasma and Jordan.

In short, Jordan was gorgeous. She had dark brown hair that was braided back, and beautiful brown eyes to match. Her face radiated friendliness as she looked you up and down, a smile on her face. Something about her was remarkably familiar to you, but you couldn’t quite place it.

“You must be (y/n)! I’m Jordan,” she said, opening her arms to give you a hug. You hesitantly accepted it, and when you did, her hug was tight. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“I’m not sure if I should be flattered,” you admitted as she let you go. You rubbed the nape of your neck as you looked between Sami, Phasma, and Kylo.

“Trust me, you should be. Anyways, come on in, make yourself at home. We’ve got a few people here already, but there’s some more people on their way,” She said as she turned around, leading all of you into her house. “Mom and Dad are away on a trip, so we have the house to ourselves!”

When you got into the house, you noticed there were more than a few people there. There had to be about twenty other people already in the house, a few of them dancing along to the music on the speaker, some sitting on the couch enjoying drinks, and a circle of people with a haze floating over them. One of the people in the circle peeked up as the five of you entered, and got up from his spot, walking over to all of you, carrying the sweet but pungent smell with him.

“Hey Kylo, I was wondering when you’d get here,” the guy said, giving Kylo a half hug, which Kylo half-heartedly returned. 

“We had dinner with my grandparents before heading over here, I thought I told you about that,” Kylo responded, frowning slightly. The guy laughed before turning his gaze to you. There was a certain kind of look in his eyes, but you really couldn’t tell what it was, as it changed when he smiled at you. 

“I’m guessing you’re (y/n)? Pleasure to finally meet you, I’m Pat,” he introduced himself, holding his hand out for you to shake. You took it, and he shook your hand a little too firmly, but you decided to ignore it. Pat was definitely the stereotypical stoner, his back hunched slightly, and red, shaggy hair covering up most of his hooded green eyes. He was about as tall as Kylo, if you added the inch he lost from slouching.

“Hey Pat, we’re about to do a round, do you want a shot?” Jordan asked as she walked over to the kitchen, soon returning with a bottle of tequila and some shot glasses. 

“Hell, why not? What about you guys?” Pat asked, looking around the group for responses. Everyone nodded but you and Kylo, and you felt like a deer in the headlights as everyone seemed to look at you. You felt your heart start to pound, but you took a deep breath, quelling your anxiety before smiling.

“Hell yeah,” you said. Sami smiled widely before grabbing a shot glass from Jordan. Pat turned his gaze back to Kylo, who simply shrugged. Jordan ushered all of you into the dining room, laying all the shot glasses on the table and pouring tequila into each of them. After she filled them, she handed one to each of you. 

“Alright. Cheers, lads,” she said, raising her shot glass. You lifted yours in the air along with everyone else, clinking your shot glass against the glasses of others. You hesitated for a second, but then poured the liquid into your mouth, feeling it burn on it’s way down. You had to fight to keep from scrunching your face at the taste in the back of your throat. 

“The first one’s always awful,” Kylo said as he leaned over to whisper in your ear. “At least it isn’t vodka, that’s more like rubbing alcohol.”

“Alright, let’s get you something tasty,” Sami said before linking your arm with hers and dragging you to the kitchen. You looked back at Kylo, who was laughing at you before turning to face Pat. 

In the kitchen there was a stack of red cups and a sharpie. Next to the cups were more alcohol bottles than you had ever seen in your entire life. There had to be one of everything there, and it was a little overwhelming. Sami pulled a cup from the stack, and uncapped the sharpie, writing your name onto the cup.

“Trust me, some of these people have horrible ideas of what a mixed drink is. You don’t want to accidentally drink one of theirs. Especially Kylo, he’ll nurse a cup full of Fireball for hours.” Sami stuck her tongue out in disgust, and you wondered if she’d really only had two shots with her rum and coke. 

Sami then turned to the fridge, where she pulled out pineapple juice. She the procured Malibu from the city of bottles, pouring way too much into the cup with your name on it. When she was satisfied with the amount of liquor, she then began to fill the rest of the cup with the pineapple juice, taking a straw and stirring it before pushing it towards you.

“Drink up! You deserve it,” she said as she came around the island to stand next to you. When she got beside you, she leaned against the counter before taking a sip from her own drink. You shrugged before taking the straw between your lips and drinking the cocktail.

You almost expected there to be the same fire you’d gotten with the shot, but instead all you could taste was the heavenly combination of pineapple and coconut, and without hesitation, you drank half of the cup in one go. Sami was laughing from beside you before taking another sip of her own drink.

Pretty soon, you were starting to feel what you could only describe as woozy. You felt a lot lighter than when you’d gotten there, and your thoughts started to tumble around in your brain.

“Where’s Milo and Alan?” you asked, turning to face Sami.

“Oh, Milo’s smoking with Pat and all them, Alan was dancing last I saw him. Milo prefers getting high to drinking anyways, especially since he used to blackout a lot last year,” Sami answered, lightly swaying to the music. “How was dinner?”

“Pretty good, but it’s really obvious that his grandparents want us together,” you admitted before taking another sip. You were also starting to sway with the music subconsciously, matching your swaying with Sami’s.

“Well isn’t that convenient. I didn’t think it would take much to convince them. Apparently it isn’t going to take much to convince the Mos Eisley student body either. The rumor mill is a-turnin’,” Sami said.

“How you mean?” You asked, looking at Sami with your brows raised in confusion.

“Well, one of Shawn’s friends, Jacob, is in my math class, and I overheard him talking about the two of you. Apparently Shawn thinks you were talking to Kylo before you even split up,” Sami disclosed. You felt rage boil up inside of you, and you could think of nothing better to do than take the straw from your cup and chug the rest of your drink.

“He’s one to fucking talk, considering,” you said with a huff, crossing your arms and tapping your foot along to the beat of the music. 

“I know. Cheating scumbag. I hope his balls fall off.” You laughed at Sami’s response. Just then, Phasma and Jordan both walked into the kitchen, making their way to the city of bottles for a drink.

“What are you two talking about?” Jordan asked as she grabbed a bottle of Smirnoff, pouring some into her cup.

“Alvarez?” Phasma asked. You and Sami simply nodded. “What happened now?”

Sami explained what the sender had told you and Shawn’s new claims to the two women as they listened attentively. Both of their faces shifted to ones of anger as they listened.

“What a prick. I always hated Alvarez, him and his older brother are pieces of shit,” Jordan said before taking a gulp from her cup.

“Didn’t you date his older brother, Jordan?” Sami asked. Suddenly it clicked. 

“Wait, we’ve met before!” You exclaimed, now unable to control the volume of your voice. Jordan gave you a confused look for a moment, but then she too realized.

“Shit, that’s right! That time we all went out to dinner together, what, two years ago? Wild,” Jordan said, her face lighting up as she let out a laugh. “Yeah, fuck Diego Alvarez. He’s got a small dick anyways.” All of you laughed.

“C’mon, let’s go dance,” Sami said before dragging you out of the kitchen with her. You snuck a peek of outside, and saw that the sun was starting to set, and as you turned to the living room, you realized the amount of people in the house must have doubled since you got here. However, you decided you didn’t give a shit as you joined Sami in the crowd, swaying to the beat of the music. It was the most lighthearted you’d felt in probably your entire life, and you didn’t give a shit about anything as you danced. Somehow, between all the dancing, Sami seemed to keep filling your cup with a different drink each time, and the overall feeling of drunkenness made you feel indestructible. Time seemed like nothing to you, and you just kept dancing with reckless abandon, not caring if anyone saw you or judged you. No, this was your chance to relax, and you were going to take that chance. At least, until your stomach grumbled.

“I’m gonna grab a snack!” You yelled to Sami over the music. She nodded in response, but kept on dancing as you made your way into the kitchen. 

There were a handful of people in the kitchen, but they were all absorbed in their own conversations, paying you no mind. You examined the different snacks on the counter, unsure of what to eat until your eyes landed on a pan of brownies. Your mouth watered instantly, and you grabbed a pretty big piece, taking a large bite from it and savoring the rich chocolatey taste before shoving the rest in your mouth.

“Hey, I’ve been looking for you, I-” Kylo stopped dead in his tracks as he watched you chewing on the brownie, some of the icing that had been on top lingering on your fingers. “Please tell me you didn’t eat a whole one.”

You swallowed what was left of the brownie, and you looked at Kylo with innocent eyes. “Yeah, why?”

Kylo placed the palm of his hand on his forehead before running his fingers through his hair. 

“(y/n), this is a party with college kids attending. Did you really think they would be plain brownies?” 

His words caused realization to dawn on you as you looked to the pan of brownies, and then back at Kylo. Then, without warning, you started laughing. You were laughing so hard, you had doubled over. Of course your dumb ass would accidentally eat pot brownies. You heard Kylo lightly chuckle beside you before grabbing a bottle of water from the counter and handing it to you.

“Here, drink up,” he said. You grabbed the bottle and opened the cap.

“Is this gonna keep me from getting high?” you asked, though as the question left your mouth, you realized how stupid it was.

“No, but it’ll keep you from feeling sick tomorrow morning,” he said. After that, you gulped down the water, only then realizing how dry eating the brownie had left your mouth.

“Come with me, in about thirty minutes, you’re gonna want to sit down,” Kylo said, taking your hand and dragging you along with him. You tried your best to keep up with him, the crowd constantly bumping you around and starting to make you feel really hot. Luckily for you, the two of you were soon at the back door of the house. Once you stepped outside, you saw Jordan sitting on a lawn chair, holding a cigarette in her hand.

“You okay, (y/n)?” She asked. You smiled at her and gave her a thumbs up.

“Better than ever!” Jordan turned to Kylo with a confused look.

“She ate a whole one of Pat’s brownies, so I figured we’d go to the treehouse. Are there still blankets up there?” Kylo said. You were only half paying attention, though, as the cool wind brushed across your cheeks, keeping them from getting too warm. It felt much better out here than it did inside.

“No, but I can go grab you guys some. Go ahead and head to the treehouse,” Jordan said before she stood up, heading back into the house. Kylo then started leading you down a path into the backyard, which was practically a forest. You stared up at the trees as you passed by them, until you got to some wooden steps. Your eyes followed the steps to look up at a pretty fancy treehouse, and your jaw gaped as you continued to stare. 

“Alright, I’m gonna let you climb up first, that way I can catch you if you fall, okay?” Kylo said. You nodded in response before walking up the staircase, taking each step slowly, as you thought more and more about the possibility of falling as you ascended. When you made it to the top, you let out a sigh of relief before opening the door to the treehouse. 

Inside, there was a daybed with a couple of pillows next to a window. Across the room from the bed was a flatscreen TV, and a bookshelf full of DVD’s. You walked over to the bookshelf, examining the different movies. You were so caught up in doing so, you didn’t even notice Jordan coming in with blankets and snacks until she spoke.

“Alright, here’s some blankets, and here’s some snacks, cause you know she’s gonna be hungry soon. I also brought some water for cottonmouth. I’m assuming you still have that joint?” she said to Kylo.

“Yeah, I’m gonna go ahead and smoke it while I babysit her. Thanks, Jordan,” he said. 

“No problem. Also, (y/n), Sami told me to remind you to text your mom,” Jordan said, turning towards you. You looked up at her, and then pulled out your phone, checking the time. 10:27. Damn, had time passed quickly. You quickly sent a text to your mom, and then you shoved your phone back into your pocket.

“Thanks, Jordan!” you said. She waved a goodbye before she closed the door to the treehouse. 

Once you and Kylo were alone, you headed over to the daybed, plopping down, laying your head on the pillows. As soon as you did, it almost felt as if your body was merging with the bed itself. Your head didn’t really feel heavy anymore from the alcohol, but almost like it had gotten ten times lighter. You felt like you couldn’t open your eyes more than halfway, and you laughed when you tried to do otherwise.

“I see that shit’s kicking in now,” Kylo said with a laugh. “Leave it to Pat to make extra strong brownies.” Kylo walked over to the bed, blankets in hand. He laid one over you before placing the snacks and water next to you at the edge of the bed on the floor. After that, he sat down next to you, pulling out what looked like a weird cigarette from his pocket. You knew instantly it was the joint Jordan had mentioned. Kylo opened the window slightly before lighting the joint, taking a small drag from it to get it burning just right. 

You smacked the inside of your mouth, suddenly feeling it become dry, before reaching for the water bottle beside you. Opening up the cap, you sat up, gulping down the water like you hadn’t had water in weeks. Once you closed the bottle back up, you leaned your body against Kylo’s, letting out a sigh as your body seemed to feel heavy against his. As Kylo took another hit from the joint, the smell of the weed filled your senses as he blew out. 

“Let me try,” you said, holding out your hand. Kylo let out a laugh before taking another hit.

“I think the fuck not. You already had a brownie, you don’t need a hit from a joint. Maybe another time,” he said, tapping the joint against his finger outside the window before bringing it back up to his lips. You frowned and crossed your arms dramatically. 

“Do you want to watch a movie?” Kylo asked as he took the bottle of water from your hand, opening it up and finishing the bottle.

“Not right now. I just kinda wanna sit here,” you said, beginning to hum an indistinct tune. There was silence for what felt like an eternity before Kylo let out a soft sigh.

“I heard you and the girls talking in the kitchen earlier,” he confessed before taking another hit of the joint, this one longer than the others. He let out a small cough as he breathed this one out.

Your heart sank a little bit as you realized what he meant. You then leaned over to grab a bag of chips, opening it up and shoving chips into your mouth, choosing not to say anything.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked, leaning forward, his elbows resting against his knees. You let out your own sigh.

“Because I didn’t want you doing anything stupid,” you said. “If I told you when I found out, you would have heard me crying, and then you would have decided to take matters into your own hands. You did that a lot when we were kids, too,” you said, remembering a time you’d been bullied, and Kylo had caught you crying about it. Needless to say, the boy that bullied you had a pretty bruised face. 

“I guess that makes sense, but it would be no less than what the fucker deserves,” he said, taking another hit from the joint. You wrapped your arms around his, pressing your cheek into his bicep.

“We already have a way to deal with that, though. And trust me, it’s going to be an even worse punishment for Shawn to have to watch us date, that I can guarantee,” you said before laying back down. Kylo took a final hit from the joint before putting it out against the window sill. He then laid beside you, staring at the ceiling. 

“Then we shouldn’t keep his punishment waiting,” he said before turning to you with a smirk on his face. You laughed before turning your body to face him.

“Alright then. On Monday, we will officially present ourselves as a couple,” you declared before standing up to go look at the movie selection again. You wobbled as you made your way across the room, and Kylo had to get up in order to help you work the TV and DVD player attached to it. 

The two of you decided on a kids movie, but what exactly it was, you hadn’t paid attention to. Once the movie started, and the two of you were settled on the bed, you just started talking about anything and everything before your highness caused you to fall asleep, cuddling up next to Kylo.

Chapter Text

The next morning, you woke with the sun shining in your eyes, forcing you from your peaceful slumber. You blinked a couple of times before sitting up slightly, looking over to see Kylo still sleeping. As you sat up, slowly as to not wake him, you watched him, noting how peaceful he looked. Normally, Kylo always seemed to have either a gruff or stressed look about his face, but not as he was being embraced by rest. His face was relaxed, his mouth slightly open, causing him to illicit small snores with every other inhale. His black hair was all a mess, and fanned out over different parts of his face, conveniently blocking the sun from his eyes. The sun still illuminated the many freckles all over his face. 

You were distracted from observing him, though, when you heard a buzz from your phone. Frowning as you remembered you were supposed to text your mom when you woke up, you picked up your phone and checked the notification. As you opened the text from your mother, you marveled at how your phone had even lasted the night. Sending a quick response to your mom, you then put your phone back on the ground at the edge of the bed, and decided to lay back down, resting your head on Kylo’s arm, turning your head to the TV that was still on. 

In not too long, though, Kylo began to stir. When he did, you decided to sit up again, making it easier for him to start sitting up himself. He stretched his limbs out first, and then opened his eyes, his brown irises glossed over from having just woken. Then, he let out a yawn before sitting up, running a hand through his hair.

“Morning,” he said in a groggy voice. 

“Morning. How’d you sleep?” You asked, though you already knew the answer.

“Like a baby. You?”

“Same.”

Kylo stood from the bed, walking over to the TV and turning it off. He then grabbed his phone, which was plugged into an outlet next to the TV, and looked through it. After a few moments of silence, you heard Kylo’s phone begin to ring. With a sigh, Kylo picked up, putting the phone on speaker.

“Good morning! I’m guessing you’re both awake?” came Jordan’s voice through the phone. 

“Yeah. What’s up?” Kylo asked before letting out a yawn.

“Just wanted to let you know that we made breakfast, so whenever you’re hungry, there’s pancakes!” When you heard that, you felt your stomach grumble. It had been apparently loud enough for Kylo to hear, because he smirked at you before shaking his head. You simply turned away to hide the blush on your cheeks. 

“Sounds great. Who all is still here?”

“Well, Milo, Sami, and Alan all had to stay because Alan also ate one of Pat’s brownies. Obviously Gwen’s still here, and so is Pat.”

“Alright. We’ll be there in a couple minutes.” With that, Kylo hung up the phone, and walked over to his boots so he could pull them on. You did the same, though you didn’t bother asking how your sneakers had come off your feet in the first place. You pulled them on, then laced them up, and you stood, following Kylo out of the treehouse.

It was a gorgeous morning. The leaves in the trees rustled as the wind gently blew through them, sending a slight chill down your spine. You looked out to the clear sky and watched as a few birds flew by, chirping to the other birds hiding in the canopy. Turning back to Kylo, you followed him down the steps of the treehouse, and down the path that led back to the house.

“Hey, what time are you supposed to be home today?” Kylo asked, slowing down so the two of you could walk side by side. 

“No specific time to my knowledge. Why?” You looked up at Kylo, who was simply looking forward, hands in his pockets.

“Just wanted to see if you wanted to go to a park or something later, if you’re up to it.”

You smiled before answering. “Yeah, we definitely should.”

When the two of you entered the house through the sliding glass back door, you could hear the chatter of everyone in the kitchen. The two of you walked to the kitchen, where everyone was sitting at the table, each of them enjoying their own plate of pancakes. 

“There they are! Good morning, you two,” came Milo’s voice from the table. Sitting next to him was Sami, who was nursing a glass of water, occasionally picking off Milo's plate. The bags under her eyes were dark, and the smudged mascara under her eyes didn’t help. In short, she looked like shit.

“Morning. Looks like someone didn’t drink enough water,” Kylo said as he ambled over to the counter, grabbing himself a plate and piling pancakes on top. 

“Fuck you,” was Sami’s only reply before she crossed her arms on the table, laying her head atop to hide from the sunlight streaming in through the kitchen window. 

“Did you two sleep alright? I wasn’t sure how comfortable you’d be in the tree house,” Jordan remarked, looking between you and Kylo.

“I slept great,” you admitted as you grabbed your own plate of pancakes. Once you’d done so, you and Kylo walked over to the table, Kylo sitting next to Milo, and you sitting next to him. 

“Yeah, those brownies were pretty strong. I’d be surprised to hear you didn’t pass out after they hit you,” Pat said before taking the last bite of the pancakes on his plate. 

“Surprisingly, she didn’t. We stayed up for about an hour after we got to the treehouse,” Kylo said as he poured syrup all over his pancakes. If you were being honest, the amount of syrup was immense, and you had to keep from laughing with how shocked you were. 

“Well, I am impressed. Anyways, has anyone got any plans today?” Pat asked, looking around the table.

“Might go skating for a while, I don’t have work today,” Milo said, putting an arm over Sami’s shoulders before leaning in close, whispering something to her unheard by the rest of the group.

“I thought about that, too. It’s supposed to be nice all day,” Pat responded. “What about you two?” He turned to look at you, and in response, you turned to Kylo. You decided you would go along with whatever Kylo wanted to do today. 

“I like how you ask that like they’re a packaged deal,” Jordan said, shaking her head as she took a sip from her glass of orange juice. Pat looked at Jordan with a look of confusion.

“Are they not?”

You nearly choked on your pancakes.

“Wow, you managed to convince the most oblivious person in the world, congrats,” Sami said, lifting her head slightly so she could give you a smirk before sitting up, leaning against the chair and towards Milo.

“Wait, what’s going on?” Pat asked, now turning to Kylo with the same look of confusion. Kylo let out a sigh as he rubbed the nape of his neck.

“No, we’re not really dating. We only technically are,” Kylo said, which you had to admit sounded a little cryptic.

“What he means,” you started, wanting to clarify, “we’re not actually romantically interested in each other, but we’re ‘dating.’” 

“So you guys are ‘official’ now, huh?” Phasma said with air quotes. 

“Well, after I heard the conversation you ladies were having last night, me and (y/n) decided that rather than beating Shawn’s ass into the pavement, we would go forward with our arrangement,” Kylo explained before shoving pancakes into his mouth.

“Shawn? As in Shawn Alvarez?” Pat asked, still confused, but visibly less so.

“My ex,” you explained. “He cheated on me, and he keeps trying to get me back.”

Pat nodded in understanding before crossing his arms over his chest. “Never did like Alvarez, or any of the idiots on the soccer team, to be quite honest. They’re high paying, cause they don’t know any better, but they’re all boneheads who think with their dicks before thinking with their heads.”

“Moving away from this subject, I was thinking of going to the park, (y/n) was gonna go with me,” Kylo said. “Jordan, you got any coffee?”

“Yeah, in the pot. There’s mugs in the cabinet by the fridge,” Jordan said, pointing to somewhere in the kitchen. Kylo stood and went where she pointed, grabbing a mug and pouring himself some coffee. When he was done, he came back and sat back down. He then pulled the cigarette box out of his back pocket, and looked to Jordan, who simply nodded in response.

“Pat, you got a light?” Kylo asked as he pulled a cigarette from the box, sticking it between his lips. Pat didn’t respond, but simply fished through his pockets before pulling out a box of matches. Kylo rolled his eyes, but took the box anyways, running a matchstick across the magnesium, then holding the lit match up to the cigarette. 

“We should all see a movie. We haven’t done that in a while,” Alan suggested from beside Sami.

“Well, we’ve been banned from the movie theatre at the promenade, so that would explain our lack of seeing movies,” Milo said before stealing one of Kylo’s cigarettes.

“ We haven’t been banned, you, Pat, and Kylo have been banned. It’s not our fault the three of you didn’t have to sense to not smoke in the movie theatre bathroom,” Sami said, furrowing her brows at Milo. Milo simply laughed before lighting his cigarette. 

“There’s always that drive-in in Corellia. They usually do double features every night,” Kylo suggested before taking a sip from his coffee. Once he’d had a sip, you offered you some. Shrugging, you decided to take a sip as well, but almost gagged when you realized the coffee was black. Thankfully, you held in your shocked disgust as you took a sip, then promptly placed the mug in front of Kylo again.

“That’s a good idea. Do you remember what it’s called?” Jordan said, pulling out her phone, ready to search for the name of the drive-in theatre. 

“Yeah, Starlight Drive-in is the name,” Kylo responded. Jordan typed away on her phone. 

“That sounds doable. Do we wanna go ahead and decide what we’re seeing or should we wait till we get there?” 

“Let’s wait till we get there,” Phasma offered, taking a sip from her own mug.

“Alan, you can ride with me. That way you don’t have to third wheel,” Pat offered.

“Thanks, I don’t wanna be stuck with those two,” Alan said, turning to his brother and Sami with a smirk. Sami flicked him off while Milo laughed. 

“One day, you’re gonna find someone to be equally annoying with, that I can guarantee,” Milo quipped.

You worried for a second about how you were gonna manage staying out that late, but you figured that if you texted your mom, it wouldn’t be too big of an issue. Deciding to get it done sooner, rather than later, you pulled out your phone and opened your messages.

Hey mom, me and Sami are thinking about going to the movies tonight. Is that okay?

Almost instantly you got a reply.

Yeah. Just let me know when the movie lets out. You didn’t have any homework, did you?

No, me and Sami finished it all.

Ok. If you have to, you can stay another night, but be home before dinner tomorrow!

You could’ve jumped out of your seat in relief. This was easily becoming the best weekend you’d ever had in years. 

The rest of the morning was wonderful. All of you cracked jokes about each other, and you never felt like the odd one out. Something about these people was magnetic, and you felt like you had always belonged as one of them, though you could never quite explain it. That didn’t stop you from feeling immensely grateful, however. Even though you’d only been friends with Sami, Phasma, and Alan for a week, and Jordan, Pat, and Milo even less time, you felt like you’d always known them as you laughed alongside them. 

“Alright, I’m gonna head for Liberty Park. Babe, you coming with me, or are you gonna stay here?” Milo asked as he turned his face towards Sami. 

“I’ll stay with Jordan and Phasma. Just let me know if you want to pick up dinner when you’re done,” she replied, leaning over to place a kiss on his cheek.

“I’ll go with you, Milo. We can all meet up for dinner before we go to the movie,” Pat suggested. Everyone nodded their heads in agreement before Milo and Pat stood, the two of them heading for the door. Alan stood up as well, opting to hang with his older brother instead of Sami, Jordan, and Phasma.

“You ready to head out for a bit, too?” Kylo asked as he turned to you. 

“Yeah, let’s go,” you said, standing from your spot on the couch- the group had moved into the living room after finishing breakfast- and waiting for Kylo to get up as well.

“We’ll see you two later. (y/n), I’m gonna message you for dinner plans, Kylo sucks at checking his phone,” Sami said with a smile, causing you to laugh.

“That’s not the problem,” Kylo said indignantly. “I just forget to respond.”

“Cause that’s much better,” Phasma teased from the other side of the living room. Beside her, Jordan laughed.  As the two of you headed for the front door, you waved at the ladies in the living room.

“Thanks for having me over, Jordan!” you said as Kylo opened the front door.

“No problem, I’m glad you came! See you two later!” Jordan called after the two of you. You gave a final wave before stepping out the door behind Kylo.

The bright August sun hit your eyes as soon as you stepped outside. In response, you held a hand over your eyes for shade as you followed Kylo to his car. Once the two of you climbed into the car, Kylo started the ignition, and soon, the two of you were heading out of the neighborhood. 

There was silence between the two of you, only disturbed by the music on the radio. It wasn’t an awkward silence, though, silences between you and Kylo were rarely ever so. No, you just enjoyed staring out the open window, the wind whipping against your face, keeping you cool as Kylo tried to hum as softly as possible to the songs playing. You watched as the world seemed to pass by, people going about their daily lives in comfort as you drove past them. Soon, the neighborhoods and sidewalks began to fade into groves of trees, the two of you occasionally going over creeks as you seemed to drive further away from civilization.

“Hey, where are we headed?” you asked as the trees became more dense.

“Endor State Park. There’s a trail there I like to haunt,” Kylo replied. Soon, he turned off onto a smaller road, and with each mile, the trees grew thicker and taller. In no time, you could see the sign to the state park next to the gates, and a ticket booth, no doubt to pay for parking. As the two of you pulled up, Kylo rolled down his window, then looked around for his wallet. You saw it on the passenger side floor, and handed it to him.

“Ah, Mr. Solo! We haven’t seen you for a while,” said the man at the booth. He was an older man, the hair on his head whitening, but some of the hairs on his mustache still a light brown color with a little bit of white hairs peppered in. 

“Hi, Mr. Antilles. How’s the crowd today?” Kylo asked as he handed the man some cash.

“Barely anyone here today. It’s usually like that after the first week of school.” The man handed Kylo a piece of paper to put on the mirror, which Kylo promptly did. 

“Awesome. Have a good day, Mr. Antilles!” Kylo waved at the man in the booth, then slowly moved forward into the park. Soon, he was pulling into a parking spot in the near empty parking lot. Once he put the car in park, he turned off the engine then stepped out of the car, popping the trunk first. You climbed out of the car as well, walking to the back of the car to wait for Kylo. Kylo grabbed a backpack that was in the back, as well as two water bottles from a pack that was in his trunk. He then closed the trunk and beckoned you to follow.

The trailhead alone was gorgeous, with hemlock and pine trees stretching as far as the eye could see. Ferns littered the ground as well, covering the ground everywhere except on the actual trail where people frequently tread. The smell of the trees was divine, and the warmth of the sun through the canopy of the trees was comfortable, rather than the sweltering it usually was this time of year. You followed Kylo as he descended down the trail into a ravine, vines hanging off the sides of the ravine, just barely missing the top of Kylo’s head as he walked by. After a few minutes of hiking, the ravine opened up, exposing the rest of the forest. There was an overlook, which viewed a small gorge with a waterfall crashing, spraying the air with its mist. There were two trails from here, one that led down some metal steps, leading down into the gorge, and one that had barely been hiked through, only noticeable by the small line of dirt, and rectangle of bright blue paint on the tree at the beginning of the trail. Kylo stopped as he looked out at the overlook, taking in the view of the waterfall.

“How often do you come here?” you asked as you reached into the backpack and pulled a water bottle out.

“I try to come once a week. It’s a really good escape for me, and a really nice place to think. I thought you might enjoy it,” he said, his eyes still on the landscape in front of you. You took a drink from the water bottle before standing next to Kylo, staring at the tops of the trees on the other side of the gorge, and then at the waterfall.

“It’s beautiful, Kylo.”

Kylo looked at you and then gave you his signature half-smile before turning towards the light trudged trail. You followed after him, pushing against the brush, making sure to keep up with him so you wouldn’t get lost. Every once in a while, Kylo would glance back at you to make sure you were still behind him, and then continued on past the ferns and varied brush that was barely withheld by the trail. As the two of you went on, the trail became less and less clear, and soon, the two of you were practically following a line of sand. You suspected that Kylo was one of the few people to actually go this far on the trail.

Soon, the two of you came to a stop at a cliffside. Kylo walked over to one of the boulders, sitting down on top of it and pulling out his water bottle. You walked over and sat next to him, staring out at the gorgeous landscape ahead of you. 

“This is my favorite spot in the world,” Kylo said, breaking the silence between the two of you.

“I can see why. It’s so peaceful here, it’s almost like you’re in a whole other world,” you remarked, turning to face Kylo.

“I alway go here to destress. I figured, given everything that’s happened to you recently, you might need a place like this.”

You were awestruck, but in a warm and pleasant way. You knew Kylo wasn’t really good at expressing how he felt with words, but this act of kindness warmed your heart. It was like he’d shared a piece of himself with you, and it truly meant a lot to you. As you looked over the canopy of trees, you felt a sense of calm wash over you as you listened to the breeze rustle the leaves, and the chirping of birds and squirrels from deep within the forest. It was truly an escape from reality, and the feeling was freeing. You hadn’t noticed your eyes tearing up until you felt a tear stream down your cheek. After that, they wouldn’t stop.

Kylo looked at you with shock at first as you started to sob.

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you,” he said, panic filling his voice as he turned his body to face you, pulling his backpack in front of him so he could rummage through it. He then pulled a t-shirt from the bag and handed it to you, and you began to wipe your tears away.

“No, it wasn’t anything you said,” you assured him as you continued to wipe away each new teardrop. “It’s just that you’ve been so kind to me since all of this happened and I’m so grateful.” 

Kylo didn’t say anything. Instead, he scooted closer to you and put an arm over your shoulders, bringing you closer to him. You leaned your head against him as you sniffled and stared into the foliage.

“We may have had a while apart, but I always considered you a friend, (y/n). I wasn’t just gonna let you go through this alone,” he said, leaning his head against your own. The two of you sat in silence for a while, listening to the sounds of the forest. It was a peaceful silence, until the ringing of your phone cut through the air, almost shrill in comparison to the soft sounds of the woods. You pulled out your phone and saw Sami’s name on the screen. You also noted that it was already 3PM. Picking up the phone, you brought it to your ear.

“Hello?”

“Hey, where are you guys?” Sami asked through the phone.

“Endor State Park. Why, what’s up?”

“We’re getting hungry so we were wanting to go to Savage Pizza in Corellia. Wanna meet us there in, like, an hour?” 

“It might take us a little longer than that,” Kylo said loudly enough for Sami to hear.

“Okay, what about 4:30?”

“That should be fine. See you then!” you said before hanging up the phone. You shoved Kylo’s t-shirt into his backpack and started to get ready to get off the boulder, but Kylo put his hand on yours to stop you.

“Let’s sit here a little longer,” Kylo said. You had no complaints, so you laid down on the boulder, looking up at the clear sky. Kylo also laid down next to you, closing his eyes and breathing the fresh air in deeply before letting it out in a sigh. After lying there for about twenty minutes, Kylo sat back up, so you did the same, scratching the top of your head before hopping off the boulder. You let Kylo continue to take the lead back down the trail, following close behind him, your stomach starting to grumble. Pizza was sounding really good right about now. 

When the two of you got back to the overlook, you decided to pull out your phone and take a picture. You were sure you were going to come back here soon, but you wanted the picture more for the memory of today, rather than the actual scenic view you were witnessing. When you were satisfied with the pictures, you followed Kylo back up the ravine. 

When you got to the parking lot, you waited for Kylo to unlock the door before climbing into the passenger seat, relaxing in the slightly more plush seat of the old mustang. When Kylo climbed in, he heaved a sigh, then turned the key in the ignition. Within minutes, the two of you were leaving the parking lot. As Kylo passed by the ticket booth, he waved a goodbye to Mr. Antilles before driving off, heading for Corellia. 

It took about thirty minutes to get there, and the two of you arrived at 4:28. Outside of the restaurant, you could see everyone huddled around Milo’s car, Pat and Milo both smoking cigarettes as the group waited on the two of you. 

“Nice of you guys to arrive,” Milo said as you climbed out of the car.

“Sorry. We went on a nice afternoon hike,” you said as you joined the group, opting to stand next to Pat, who still smelt a little like weed. You wondered if he had smoked so much that it had become a part of his natural scent, or if the smell simply lingered on his clothes. 

Milo and Pat finished the last of their cigarettes before putting them out and tossing them in the garbage can placed on the curb.

“Come on, let’s head in,” said Phasma, taking the lead as she wrapped her arm around Jordan’s waist.

From behind the group, Sami lingered, falling into step with Kylo, who brought in the rear, the two of them out of earshot from the rest of the group.

“You took her to Endor? You never even took Stella there,” Sami whispered, looking up at Kylo.

“Stella never needed it. (y/n) does,” Kylo responded before speeding up, falling into step with you. 

Dinner was just as fun as breakfast had been. Around the table, jokes were thrown, and the chatter was mostly lighthearted.

“Man, I can’t believe you two are going off to college,” Pat said after his second slice of pizza. “Mos Eisley is gonna be so boring without the two of you.” 

Milo began to pretend weep, and Jordan simply rolled her eyes. 

“Coruscant is only forty-five minutes from Mos Eisley. You should be worrying more about Mr. Hosnian State University over here. That’s almost three hours away,” Jordan said, crossing her arms across her chest. 

“Hey, I needed to get further away from the parents. Sorry, Alan,” Milo said, turning to his brother.

“Can’t say I blame you, they’re both crazy,” Alan replied before drinking some of his soda. 

“Jordan, you could have gone anywhere, why did you decide to go to Coruscant Central?” Sami asked, turning towards Jordan. Jordan’s face turned into a frown as she thought about her answer.

“I already have friends at CCU, and besides, I wanted to stay close to you guys. I’d get too depressed without seeing you often,” she responded. “And, despite the fact that I leave on Monday, I hope I get to see more of you, (y/n).” You blushed at the recognition, but grinned ear to ear in response.

“Thanks so much! I really enjoy hanging out with all of you, you’re all fun, but also so real. It’s definitely not something I’m used to,” you admitted. Were your other friends real, of course they were, but there was such a deep rooted honesty about this group that nothing you’d ever experienced had ever come close to. 

“Can’t say I’m surprised, considering your ex. Can’t imagine Dickhead Dylan is a particularly genuine human being, if you can even call him that,” Alan said, causing you to almost spit out your drink. Kylo laughed his deep laugh from beside you.

“You should have seen him try and threaten me on Thursday. It was the funniest shit I’ve ever seen, watching his face turn red trying to think of a good insult,” Kylo remarked, causing you to laugh as you remembered Kylo texting you about it. 

“You could easily beat his ass into the ground, soccer player or not,” Phasma said with a laugh. “He’s all muscle and no brain, he wouldn’t even know how to fight properly.”

“No, he got into a fight last year, remember? With Ian on the football team. Of course, Dylan did sleep with Ian’s girlfriend. But, his fighting style is basically hugging,” you recalled. The memory of that day had always been a good one, as Ian had walked into the cafeteria and decked Dylan. You had to try hard not to laugh that day. You’d never liked Dylan. 

As the group finished up dinner, you all opted to head to a CVS to buy snacks before the movie. In CVS, the eight of you nearly wreaked havoc on the CVS, and you all had to keep yourselves calm as you each waited to check out with your things. You and Kylo had bought chips and ice cream, buying some plastic spoons to go along with it as you did. 

When you got to the drive-in theatre, you all decided to watch the horror double feature, which featured Us and Get Out. You all parked in a row together, two people in each car, seats reclined, comfortably facing the screen with the radio tuned into the proper station for the screen. While Kylo was seemingly unmoved the whole time, you still experienced the occasional jump, trying your hardest not to send chips flying everywhere. Kylo laughed every time it happened, and every time he laughed, your chest filled with warmth, and you laughed along as well. 

When the movies were done, you all decided to head back to Jordan’s place for another sleepover. When you got there, Kylo volunteered the two of you for the tree house again, giving Sami and Milo the guest room, forcing Pat and Alan to bunk together for the night in the living room. Kylo paid Pat for another joint before the two of you headed for the tree house. 

“Are you gonna let me hit it this time?” you asked, mostly joking, but wondering what being high from smoking felt like.

“Yeah, but only if you don’t act a fool,” Kylo said with a smirk. 

Once the two of you had gotten settled in the tree house once more, Kylo lit the joint, taking a deep drag before passing it to you. You cautiously sucked in, and as soon as the smoke hit the back of your throat, you started coughing up a storm. 

“That’s enough for me, I think,” you said, handing Kylo the joint. He let out a laugh before taking another drag, then putting it out, presumably to save the rest for later. 

“I just wanted enough to be able to sleep,” he said, popping the joint into his cigarette box. You simply let out a chuckle as you stared at Kylo, admiring his features before heading over to the TV, turning it on so the two of you could watch something before going to sleep. Kylo laid down on the bed, leaving the outside of the bed for you as he covered up in blankets. Once you started the movie, you nestled into the bed, cocooning yourself in blankets before succumbing to sleep once more.

Chapter Text

Going home the next afternoon sucked. It was like plunging into ice cold water after being wrapped in warm blankets, and the moment you stepped through your front door that Sunday afternoon, you felt alone again. 

Your mom had given you a lecture about having not messaged her after the movie, but she seemed to get over it quickly. It was clear to you that she was simply content in seeing you do something other than hiding in your room in your sorrows. You couldn’t say you blamed her. Even as the feelings of sadness and loneliness crept back into you, you could recognize that your refusal to interact with the outside world following the receiving of the picture was nothing short of sad. 

However, as you sat in your room that night after dinner, looking for something to keep you occupied, you began to scheme. You and Kylo were “official” now, so you needed to cement suspicion in the student body before going to school tomorrow. Just as your friendship had come to a shock to the student body, so would this, and if the student body knew, Shawn would know. 

Looking through your phone, you browsed the pictures you’d taken over the weekend. Seeing a picture you’d tried to take of Kylo that morning at breakfast, an idea came to mind. Closing out of your camera roll, you opened up Instagram, creating a new post. The first picture you used was a picture of the waterfall at Endor State Park. The second was the picture of Kylo at breakfast, his hand covering most of his face as he reached for the camera. You quickly typed out a caption before pressing the word “post.” Then, you decided to move over to your bio. For an extra bit of spice, you quickly edited your bio, adding the word “taken” in the space it had once been when you’d been dating Shawn. Then, you put today’s date and saved. Now all there was left to do was wait. 

It took maybe fifteen minutes before you’d gotten a message in your DM’s. You opened up the message request, and much to your content, the message was exactly what you wanted.

Are you dating Ben Solo?

You responded with a quick yes before your phone began to ring. Kylo’s name flashed across the screen, and you picked up, putting the phone to your ear.

“Y’know, I’m hurt you used that picture,” came Kylo’s voice with feigned annoyance. You laughed before letting out a sigh.

“I figured that picture would be a little more mysterious. Besides, the other picture I have of you, you were making that stupid face. I figured you would hate that picture more,” you responded, leaning against your bed frame as you stared out the window. 

“Fair point. This is gonna cause a shit storm tomorrow, you know that, right?” he asked. 

“That’s the idea. Gotta get the people talking.”

“Alright, well, I’ll see you in the morning. Later.”

“Later,” you responded before hanging up the phone. As soon as you put the phone down, though, you felt the buzz of a message coming through. Bringing your phone back up from your lap, you saw you had a message from Poe.

Please tell me you’re joking.

You couldn’t lie and say you didn’t know this was coming. After all, none of them liked Kylo, especially Rey. You knew Rey would have a lot to say about it eventually, but you really weren’t expecting an almost instantaneous message from someone. A part of you wished you could tell them about the plan, how you weren’t really interested in Kylo that way, but you knew they would hate that too. The idea of you even hanging around Kylo was hard for any of them to understand, you weren’t naive enough to think otherwise. If you told them about the plan, they’d say something about how Kylo had put you up to it, and how it wasn’t really you. So, as hard as it was, you had to keep the facade up with them as well.

What do you mean? You responded before looking at a notification from instagram. Sami had commented a number of emojis underneath your post. Just as you were about to respond, you were receiving another call. 

“Hello?” you asked as you answered the phone.

“Cut the shit, (y/n). Are you really dating Ben Solo? Of all people?” came Poe’s voice from the other end of the receiver. You let out a sigh before answering.

“Yes, I’m dating Kylo,” was all you said. You didn’t need to justify the reason. Even if the relationship was real, you would hope that your friends would respect your choice, or at least not be so up front about it. To be fair, though, Poe was the only one to say anything so far, but you knew more was coming your way.

“I get that you’re hurt from what Shawn did, but that doesn’t make it okay to jump to the next shitty guy who will have you. He’s a piece of shit, (y/n), he’s always getting into trouble, and he’s probably going nowhere with his life!” The words stung. You knew Poe was mad, but that didn’t justify his cruel words. Now, you were starting to boil over with rage.

“Fuck you, Dameron.”

“C’mon, (y/n), you know I didn’t mean it like that, it’s just that-”

“That I’m going for the next shitty guy that will have me? Grow the fuck up. When was the last time you bothered to talk to him, or even know the person he is now? And how the fuck dare you say something like that to me? What the fuck else was it supposed to mean? I know you might not agree with all of my decisions, but I at least hoped you would respect me enough to not degrade me for the decisions I make.”

“But this isn’t who you are! We’ve all been thinking about it, but this really just proved it. You’re not like Solo’s group of friends, and you’re trying too hard to reinvent yourself after what happened,” Poe fought back.

“Sorry that I can’t just go back to the person I was before I got cheated on. Sorry I can’t be the perfect little girlfriend I was to Shawn and never do anything but study and chat all day long! The person I was with Shawn wasn’t really me, and the fact that you expect me to still be that person really fucking hurts. It tells me that you can’t understand how something like that can change everything about a person. Even so, that’s not why I’m dating Kylo. I’m dating Kylo because for once, someone doesn’t expect me to be what they want me to be, and it’s so goddamn refreshing. So go fuck yourself, Dameron, and don’t talk to me until you get your head out of your ass,” you all but screamed into the phone. Once you finished, you hung up, tossing your phone onto your bed. You grabbed the nearest pillow and screamed into it, infuriated. Tears streaked down your face as you steeped in your anger, trying to process the conversation you’d just had.

The next shitty guy who would have you? He made it sound as if you had been jumping to relationships over the years, as opposed to the reality that you’d been stuck in a relationship for three years that ended in nothing. Poe hadn’t even bothered to ask what it was about Kylo that made you want to date him, he simply assumed the worst and decided to share his assumptions with you. Through all your anger, you felt a pang in your chest from the hurt of what had just been said to you. 

You were grateful that your relationship wasn’t actually real though. If it was, this conversation would have crushed you. Even so, you weren’t sure you could ever look Poe in the eye the same way again.

The next morning you tried your hardest not to think about your conversation with Poe, at least until you could tell Kylo about it. You knew Kylo would be furious- rightfully so in your opinion- but you knew that talking to him about it would make you feel a lot better. You rushed out of your house, only barely remembering to grab your lunch from the counter before heading outside and meeting Kylo in his driveway. 

As soon as you caught sight of Kylo, you felt your eyes well up with tears. Kylo smiled at you when he spotted you, but it faded to a frown when he realized you were on the verge of tears. As you approached him, you wrapped your arms around him, burying your face in his chest as you let out a few sobs. He wrapped his arms around you as well, letting you expel your tears before wiping a few of them away. Once you cried all you could, you walked over to the passenger side, climbing into the car. 

Once Kylo had climbed in and started the ignition, he turned to look at you while backing out of the driveway and into the cul de sac. 

“So, are you gonna tell me what happened?” he asked before beginning the route out of the neighborhood. 

You explained the whole conversation with Poe, trying to hold in anymore tears of mixed rage and sadness so you could properly explain. As you expected, Kylo was furious. His knuckles turned white as they gripped onto the steering wheel.

“What the fuck kind of friend even says that?” he said, teeth grit and voice dangerously soft. 

“I don’t know. I don’t understand why he thought that was an okay thing to say to me,” you said, wiping away the tears threatening to spill. 

“On the bright side, I don’t think anything anyone else will say to you could be any worse,” Kylo said with a small bit of optimism in his voice. You smiled up at him, truly thankful for his patience with you. Kylo was certainly a friend that could never be replaced. 

Upon arriving at school, the two of you sat in the car so you could take some extra time to regain any composure you’d lost on the way here. You knew you had to prepare yourself for the eyes that would be following the two of you, but that was the easy part. The hard part was, and would always be, the whispers. If Poe’s reaction to the news was bad, you were afraid to see the reaction of everyone else at Mos Eisley High. 

Sure enough, the eyes were everywhere. Of course, it didn’t help that Kylo chose to make a spectacle about it by wrapping an arm around your shoulders as he walked with you through the halls. It also didn’t help when, at the part of the hall where the two of you usually departed, Kylo leaned down close to you, placing a kiss on your cheek. Despite the incessant chatter in the halls that had the volume of a dull roar, you knew that everyone had just seen Kylo do it, and you couldn’t help the fierce blush that rose to your cheeks as you waved a goodbye to Kylo before he disappeared within the crowd of gossiping people. 

The whispers, however, weren’t as bad as you had feared. It seemed that a lot more people were sympathetic to you, even though they all seemed to disapprove of your choice in man.

“I just can’t believe she’s in another relationship so soon.”

“Can you blame her? I would be moving on quickly too, if I’d gone through the same thing.”

“I just don’t understand why it’s with him. ”

Kylo’s reputation simply couldn’t be helped. You could live with that, as long as you didn’t get anymore of what you’d gotten yesterday. The more you thought about it, you kind of liked the idea of dating the bad boy of the school. Maybe it was cliche, but it was kind of thrilling, not to mention the whole construct of your “relationship” was as well. Not only was it a pretty devious revenge scheme, but you’d now have a new reputation of your own, instead of the subservient girlfriend you had always been. It was a nice change, and gave you more of an opportunity to explore who you really were. 

Once you’d gotten to math, everything seemed to calm down a little more. There were still whispers, but the amount had decreased, which was something you could honestly work with. You were sure to be the subject of many a lunchroom gossip for a while, but the less you had to hear it, the better it was. As you pulled out your notebook to begin taking notes, you felt your phone buzz from your pocket. You discreetly pulled it out to see a message from Kylo.

Dickhead Dylan won’t stop staring at me. You held in a laugh as you texted back your reply.

Give him an air kiss. This man is so homophobic, his brain might split in half if you do.

What a sight that would be. 

Letting out a soft chuckle, you shoved your phone back into your pocket before continuing with your note taking. So far, the day seemed to be flying by, which you were actually quite thankful for. It was certainly better than last week's feeling of each block being an eternity. 

Though the whispers had followed you all the way to the cafeteria, you were grateful for the break. Heading out to the courtyard, you spotted your lunch group. As always, Sami and Alan were already there, Sami sketching in her sketchbook and Alan doing his normal routine of pushing the food around on his plate. As you sat down, you pulled out the oreos your mom had packed for your lunch and tossed it Alan’s way. His face lit up as he looked at it.

“(y/n), you’re the best,” Alan said before digging into one of the oreos. 

“I try,” you said with a smile. 

“You don’t even have to,” came Kylo’s voice from behind you. You turned around to see him standing behind you, a smirk on his face as he looked down at you. Then, he took his spot beside you, making sure to sit close so that the wandering eyes in the courtyard could witness the two of you together. It was a spectacle to them, and you figured you might as well give them a show. As soon as Kylo settled down beside you, you leaned your head against his shoulder while taking a bite of your sandwich. 

“You two are really the talk of the town,” Sami said, not looking up from her sketchbook. 

“Can’t say I’m surprised. People love getting involved in business that isn’t their own,” Kylo said before biting into an apple. 

“That was the whole point though, wasn’t it?” Sami asked, looking up and glancing back and forth between the two of you.

“She’s right, that is the point. Though, if the soccer players think about it too hard, their brains may implode,” you quipped. Kylo let out a chuckle before taking another bite from his apple. 

“I thought Dylan might have an aneurysm, his blood vessel was popping on his head like some kind of cartoon character,” he remarked. 

“Has anyone seen Phasma today?” Alan suddenly chipped in with a mouth full of oreos. You had only just noticed Phasma’s absence. 

“She went to help Jordan move into her dorm,” Sami answered, looking back down at her sketchbook. Alan nodded at her response, shoving the last oreo into his mouth as he did so. 

Once lunch had ended, you and Kylo continued your routine of holding hands on the way to physics. It was a simple way to be affectionate, and the most comfortable in your opinion. The way Kylo’s hands seemed to dwarf your own just made holding his hand feel so natural. 

The classroom went silent when the two of you walked in. You didn’t bother to look and see if Shawn was already present. Instead, you simply walked over to your seat and pulled your notebook out, ready to take notes the moment Mr. Windu began lecturing. 

The silence in the classroom did not lift after that. The only sounds that really penetrated the blanket of soundlessness were the occasional whispers, but they were too soft for you to make out what exactly they were saying. You decided though that you didn’t really care what they were saying, at least in this class. You didn’t want to overhear whatever nasty thoughts Shawn or Dylan might have about you. 

“Well this is a nice surprise,” Mr. Windu said as he walked in the classroom and over to his desk. Once he began his lecture, you could feel the eyes staring into the back of your head, as if the glance was murderous. Though you hadn’t even looked him in the eye yet, you already knew you had pissed Shawn off. It was as if you could feel the hatred oozing from his body, creating a miasma all over the physics room. It penetrated every crevice, and poisoned the very air.

Good. Now he had even the slightest inkling of understanding what you felt. It gave you satisfaction that he was so angry, you couldn’t lie about that. He deserved it, after all, with what he’d put you through. Though you knew there was no way he would truly ever feel what you had felt, this was good enough. In fact it was wonderful, knowing that you had sent him a silent fuck you, and that you’d given him proof that you would never be with him again.

Throughout class, you tried to do little things you knew would annoy him- not that the way you and Kylo had been acting before wasn’t annoying him already. Every once in a while, you would mess with Kylo’s hand under the table, or put your leg flush against his. It truly proved the advantage of sitting closer towards the front of the class. 

At the end of class, you gathered all of your things, shoving them into your backpack so you could be ready to head out the door as soon as the bell rang. When it did, Kylo stood first, waiting for you before continuing out of the classroom. When you fell in place next to Kylo, he wrapped his arm around your shoulder as the two of you walked to English.

“You could’ve cut the tension in there with a knife,” Kylo remarked. “Thought a dagger might materialize into my back with the way he was staring.”

“No kidding. Do you think he’s mad?” you joked, causing Kylo to laugh. 

“Maybe a little,” he responded as the two of you walked into English. When you first walked in, the first person you saw was Poe. The two of you made eye contact for a brief second before you turned away, taking your seat next to Kylo. You could feel Poe’s gaze linger for a moment before you saw him turn towards the front from your peripherals. It was incredible how the site of him brought back even the smallest portion of your rage. 

Trying to calm yourself down, you pulled out everything you needed for class before leaning back in your seat. You then watched as Sami came in the door, sitting in front of you like usual. 

“Can you believe that Mr. Plo is assigning a five page paper on the party system? It’s the second week of school!” Sami said with exacerbation, placing her backpack on Phasma’s empty seat. 

“That’s bullshit. When’s it due?” Kylo asked.

“Friday! I have to have a five page paper done in less than a week! Sometimes I seriously consider dropping out,” Sami huffed. 

“Can’t say I blame you. I have 3 pages worth of math homework to do, and they’re due tomorrow,” you added. 

“Why is it that now that it’s not the first week, teachers decided it’s okay to give mountains of homework?” She said, pulling out her stuff from her backpack. 

“Because we’re seniors, and they’re ‘preparing us for college,’” Kylo answered. He brought up a good point. All of your teachers had mentioned at one point that they were preparing you for college, the hidden specter in the not so distant future. Though it was exciting to think about graduating, college was definitely a daunting thought. You shook the thought out of your mind, though, as Mr. Skywalker stood from his desk. 

Maybe it was the fact that you were in the same room with all of your old friends, but English seemed to move horrendously slow. Every word that came out of Mr. Skywalker’s mouth seemed to move at half the speed, and the ticking of the clock on the wall almost seemed like it was taunting you, showing you the futility of hoping for time to pass more quickly. 

“Alright, the essay isn’t due for another two weeks, but I’m going to go ahead and hand you the rubric. It would probably be within your best interest to go ahead and start gathering any quotes you want to use, and any outside sources too. I know a lot of your teachers are assigning you a lot of homework, that’s why I’m giving you the rubric this far in advance. Any questions?” Mr. Skywalker looked around the room to confirm that no one had any questions. When the class remained silent, he let out a sigh. “Alright, go ahead and pack up, I’m going to pass these around.” 

Without any further prompting, the whole class moved to put their things away in their respective bags while Mr. Skywalker handed out rubrics to each table. After he’d gotten to yours, you also rushed to put your things away, ready to get home. This day had used up a lot of your energy, and you were ready to lie down for a while. Standing from your desk, you slipped your arm through one of the straps of your backpack, and slung your backpack over your shoulder. Sami and Kylo soon followed, standing and waiting for the crowd to pass by before the three of you made your way out of the school. You made a point of looking down at your phone while your old friends passed by. 

When most of the people left the classroom, the three of you walked out, heading towards the entrance of the school. You all walked side by side, moving past the last remnants of the crowd in the halls, everyone just ready to get home for the day. Once you’d stepped outside of the doors of the school, you let out a sigh as the sun warmed up your whole body with its light. 

“You two drive safe,” Sami said to you and Kylo.

“We’re just going down the road,” Kylo said, rolling his eyes. You let out a small laugh at the sight of him doing so.

“Well, you should still be safe anyways,” Sami said, sticking out her tongue at Kylo playfully before waving goodbye to the two of you and heading for the buses. You waved back at her, and then followed Kylo to his car. 

“Well, that’s day one of our arrangement,” Kylo said with a sigh as soon as the two of you had gotten inside the car. You let out a deep breath you didn’t know you’d been holding in.

“I don’t know if I can handle being around my old friends for a while. I couldn’t even look at any of them earlier,” you confessed to Kylo as he turned the key in the ignition. 

“I’m gonna be honest with you. If they really care about you, they’ll eventually come around. Unless I very openly was treating you like shit, they should learn to respect your decision,” Kylo said as he pulled out of the parking spot. You frowned as you thought about his words. You had thought the same way, but another person confirming it just made it hit home. You didn’t want to lose your friends, you loved them dearly, but if they couldn’t accept your choices, you may just have to take a break from being friends with them, at least until they came around. It wasn’t even just about you “dating” Kylo. It was about your need to discover who you really are, and the fact that they would need to accept whoever it was you decided you truly are. 

Poe had said that the way you were acting wasn’t you, but if you didn’t really know who you were, they definitely didn’t. If they didn’t like the person you became, you feared you would have to leave them behind with all of your memories from before Shawn cheated on you, and from before you became friends with Kylo again. It was a hard thing to think about, so you decided to put it out of mind for now.

“On the brightside, Gran likes you. She says you’re ‘a really sweet girl,’” Kylo said, changing the subject, for which you were thankful.

“Oh, really? Have you told them yet?” you asked, turning to look at Kylo. The afternoon sun hit his eyes just right, making them look amber.

“No, but I was going to tonight. Might as well, I’m sure they’ll hear it from my uncle soon enough,” he said, running a hand through his black hair before letting out a sigh. “It’s telling my mom that’s gonna be a little more difficult.”

“Why’s that?”

“She asks way too many questions. She wants to know every little detail about it, like how I asked, why I wanted to ask, have we gone on any dates yet. It’s just a lot to handle at one time. I’ll let Gran tell her, I’m sure she will almost immediately afterwards,” Kylo responded. You could understand that, especially in this context. You couldn’t blame her, though, it wasn’t like Kylo really talked to her all that much.

“Why don’t you talk to your mom more?”

The question prompted silence, and for a few seconds, the two of you were stewing in your question. You watched as Kylo’s face turned to one of thought as he pondered over how to answer your question. You worried that maybe you’d asked too personal a question, until Kylo began to talk.

“I don’t know. I just don't feel like I can tell her anything. I used to be able to, we used to be really close, but over the years, I guess it became harder to be open. I don’t hate her, like Rey seems to think I do, I just...can’t really talk to her anymore.”

You turned to look forward as you thought about his answer. In a way, it made sense. Most teenage boys felt they couldn’t talk to their parents about things, and you knew for a fact Kylo wasn’t really on speaking terms with his father. It still made you sad, though. You wondered if something like that could really ever be the same.

The rest of the ride home, you changed the subject to more lighthearted conversation. Soon, the heavy conversations of earlier were merely memories in the back of your minds. As Kylo pulled into the driveway, he let out a laugh at a joke you’d made, causing you to laugh as well. When he put the car in park, the two of you both let out sighs.

“Alright, well I’ll see you tomorrow. Try not to drown in your math homework,” Kylo said as he turned off the engine. You smiled and shook your head.

“Try I definitely will, but I can’t make any promises,” you said before stepping out of the car, and heading to your house. 

Once inside, you made your way up the stairs, wanting to go ahead and get your homework out of the way. At almost the exact moment you sat down at your desk in your room, your phone began to ring. Great. With a glance at the screen, you saw that it was Rey, and a chill filled your chest. Though Poe’s response had been disappointing enough, you were more afraid of how Rey would feel. With a deep breath, you picked up the phone and put it to your ear.

“Hello?”

“I was really hoping this was a joke, so I’m asking you now whether it’s real or not,” came Rey’s voice from the other side of the receiver. With a sigh, you rubbed your forehead before answering her.

“Yes, it’s real. Are you gonna lecture me, too?” you asked, already losing your patience.

“Look, I had the sense to wait a day before saying anything to you, and what Poe said was really shitty.”

“At least someone thinks so,” you said, rolling your eyes.

“But he’s not entirely wrong. First of all, you are rushing into a whole new relationship, you have to know how that looks-”

“No, Rey, I don’t know how it looks, why don’t you educate me?”

“C’mon, (y/n), don’t play dumb. There are people who are thinking that you were talking to Kylo before you and Shawn broke up, which in their eyes, makes you no better than him. I know you weren’t, but it doesn’t change the fact that people are thinking that way. On top of that, Ben is shitty. He’s shitty to his parents, and he’s shitty to our grandparents. I have no doubt that in the end, he’ll be shitty to you, too,” Rey combated. You took in a deep breath, because if you didn’t, you would run off at the mouth. Instead, you took a moment to collect your thoughts.

“I’m curious Rey, when was the last time you bothered to talk to your cousin? Like, really talk to him? You don’t even bother to know the person he is before you believe everything that everyone else says. Does he make mistakes, yes, but if you actually talked to him, you might realize that he’s trying to learn from them, but people like you and everyone else in this goddamn town won’t let him. You know what, if all of you are planning to lecture me this week, just tell everyone else not to fucking bother.”

“(y/n), we’re only looking out for you. I think you’re giving Ben too much credit, he spent the summer under house arrest for God’s sake! He’s a loser, and you know it. He isn’t going to go anywhere in his life,” Rey said with finality. 

“You know what, one day I hope you can learn to respect my decisions, even if you don’t like them, but until then, don’t bother to call or text. I don’t need you trying to convince me I don’t know who my own damn boyfriend is,” you said. Without any hesitation afterwards, you hung up the phone. 

You knew it was coming, but that didn’t make it any less disappointing. As tears threatened to be released from your eyes for the second time today, you pulled out your homework and began working, trying to keep yourself distracted from the fact that you may lose your friends over something so stupid.

Chapter Text

After your altercation with Rey, you guessed that she must have said something to everyone else, because no one even bothered to look at you, much less say anything to you. You didn’t show how much it actually bothered you, though, and apparently you were doing a good job at that as well, because no one had asked if you were alright. Of course, that could also be attributed to the fact that you decided not to disclose the information with Kylo, opting to share with Sami instead, who promised she wouldn’t say anything. 

A couple of weeks passed by, and the silence between yourself and your old group of friends was being filled by the laughter-ridden moments with your new friends. As the semester dragged on, August now seemingly fading into September, you were beginning to feel more and more at place with your new friends. 

You had also successfully continued your “relationship” with Kylo. There was no denying, in the eyes of the student body, that the two of you were certainly exclusive. Though the gossip surrounding you two had died down a bit, the ever approaching presence of homecoming was on the horizon, which brought to light a whole slew of questions. Were you and Kylo going? Were you going together? Most importantly, would Shawn go too?

You knew that Shawn was less than pleased by your new relationship, and it was becoming public knowledge throughout the student body. You’d even heard people in your math class betting on whether or not Kylo and Shawn would get into a fight any time soon, and who would throw the first punch. You liked to think that Kylo would be mature enough to not throw the first punch, but you also knew Shawn cared too much about his face to be the one to throw the first punch, so you weren’t so sure yourself. 

As you sat down, in the cafeteria today as it was too windy to sit outside, you let out a sigh as you pulled out your sandwich. Not even five minutes later, Kylo sat next to you, resting his arm on your shoulder as he got settled into his seat. 

“Can you believe all the hype about homecoming? I don’t think it’s that big of a deal, if I’m being honest,” Sami said from the other side of you, buried in her sketchbook, drawing a variety of flowers. 

“I think that part of your problem is that you won’t have anyone to go with this year,” Alan noted. Sami looked up at him with a frown before going back to her drawing.

“I’d rather take Milo to prom, rather than shitty homecoming,” Sami sneered as she etched into the paper. 

“I feel like homecoming is just a way to keep underclassmen from bitching about not being able to go to prom,” Kylo said, stealing the bag of chips you’d bought from the vending machine earlier. You playfully attempted to slap his hand away, but in the end, you let him take them. He removed his arm from your shoulders as he opened the bag of chips, leaving you feeling a little colder than you had been only seconds ago.

“I think you’re right there. Can you imagine the uproar if underclassmen didn’t get one semi-formal event?” Phasma said from the other side of Kylo. “So, were we planning to go this year, or?”

“Well, (y/n) and I must go,” Kylo said, acting as if it was his solemn duty to ask you to homecoming. “We do have a reputation to uphold afterall. Can’t be Mos Eisley’s most hated/loved couple if we don’t go.”

“Indeed. I would hate for everyone to miss out on my shitty attempts at dancing,” you joked, taking a bite from your sandwich. “Besides, gotta keep the rumor mills flowing. They seem to only find us interesting.”

“That is a little annoying, to be quite honest,” Kylo said, taking one of your napkins to wipe the chip dust from his face. “Tired of hearing people place bets about me. I’m almost tempted to take on the stance of the pacifist, that way no one makes their money.”

“That would only happen if Alvarez also decided to become a pacifist, my good bitch,” Sami said, closing her sketchbook and reaching for the clementine in front of her. 

“True, which, considering he’s just a meathead soccer player, I don’t think it’ll happen any time soon,” Kylo quipped, crumpling up the bag of chips and tossing it into the trash can right next to the table. “Regardless, I feel like he’d send one of his cronies to do his dirty work. I doubt he’d have the balls to punch me himself.”

“If he wasn’t a child, he would just get the fuck over it already,” you added. “We’ve been dating for, what, three weeks now? And he still can’t accept the fact that we’re dating.”

“He’s probably hoping you two will break up soon so he can move back in and prove he was right about Kylo,” Phasma added, leaning against the table. “Men like that always want to be right.” 

You nodded in agreement, thinking over Phasma’s words. You also wondered if Shawn just missed having someone to control. After all, he could have easily started dating the girl from the picture- though you doubted that would be very good for his reputation- so why did he still chase after you? Was the thought of you dating Kylo really that infuriating, or was he hoping that some part of you still wanted to bend to his will?

You shook your head of the thoughts and continued to eat your lunch. Though you were still looking to cause him as much agony as he’d caused you, you were trying not to think too hard about why Shawn acted the way he did. Maybe it was because thinking about him in general still caused you pain, after all it had only been a month after you found out he’d cheated on you, or maybe it was because thinking about him made you realize just how shitty he’d actually been to you. It made you think too much on why no one seemed to notice. 

When the bell rang that signified the end of lunch, you all stood from your spots at the table.

“We’ll see you guys in English,” Sami said as she and Phasma walked off in the opposite direction you and Kylo were going. Alan simply waved as he walked in the same direction as Sami and Phasma, leaving you and Kylo alone to walk to physics. 

“So, I am unable to hold my mother off any longer. She wants you to come to dinner, because apparently Gran told her how ‘unbelievably sweet’ you are,” Kylo said, rolling his eyes. “She wants to know if Saturday night is good for you.”

You smiled at the thought. You remembered Rey talking at length about how sweet of a woman Mrs. Solo is, and based on how Kylo talked about her, she wanted to be involved in Kylo’s life. 

“Of course Saturday is alright. The only problem is, I may have to tell my mom,” you responded. You had chosen to keep your “relationship” a secret from your mom, as she shared the opinions of most of the people in Mos Eisley in regards to Kylo and his behavior. In her eyes, Kylo was not a man fit for a committed relationship. There was also no way in hell you were telling her about the plan either. If you did, she’d probably flip more about that than if you simply told her you were dating Kylo.

“Are you sure you have to tell her now? I mean, I am kind of surprised she hasn’t heard about it already, but if she’s gonna be shitty about it, maybe it’s better to wait,” Kylo remarked as the two of you entered the physics room, heading over to your seats and lost in your conversation.

“I mean, she’s gonna know within the next few weeks if you plan to take me to homecoming,” you pointed out. This caused Kylo’s face to twist in thought as he sat down. 

“I guess that’s true. Will she let you go if she knows you’re going with me?” Kylo inquired.

“I don’t think so. I mean, she really wants me to ‘truly experience senior year.’ I doubt she’d keep me from going to my last homecoming,” you stated, pulling your notebooks from your backpack, flipping to the last page you made physics notes on. Mr. Windu walked into the class, carrying a stack of papers with him, moving to stand in front of the first row of tables.

“Alright class, here is your first study guide of the semester. The test will be on Friday, so I expect you all to be fully prepared, since I’m already giving you the study guide. If you complete the study guide and turn it in with your test, you’ll get bonus points based on how many questions you get right on the study guide,” he said as he grabbed a handful of packets and started sending them down the rows. 

You took notes throughout physics, occasionally sneaking a glance in Kylo’s direction as he doodled in his notebook. Letting out a small sigh, you wished you picked up physics as well as he did. As you continued to take notes, you felt your phone buzz in your pocket. As Mr. Windu looked towards the board, you sneaked a peek at your lock screen to see what the notification was from. You were surprised to see a text from Poe. With a frown, you decided to shove your phone back into your pocket, and look towards the front of the class. 

Just like everyone else, Poe had been ignoring you, and you weren’t entirely sure you were ready to talk to him either. After all, he’d been shitty to you, why should you humor him? 

At the same time, a part of you did miss your old friends. It really felt like, after your row with Rey, that you’d been shunned by them for your choices. You understood that they didn’t understand your reasoning for anything going on, but you’d hoped that they would at least be respectful. Now, it felt like you were being punished for your decisions. Did you really want to open up a message that might make things worse? 

You tried to conceal your stress as you put your things away once Mr. Windu was done with the lecture. Kylo seemed to catch on, though, as he gave you a questioning look. You simply shook your head at him as you placed your backpack in your lap, waiting for the bell to ring. 

“I’ll tell you later,” you assured him.

When the bell rang, you threw your backpack over your shoulder and headed out of the door, ready for English. You were simply ready to be done with the day, it had already been long enough. 

“(y/n)!” It was like the call of Satan himself ringing in your ears. You stopped dead in your tracks in the middle of the crowded hallway as you heard Shawn’s voice, the anger in it obvious. It was almost comical. What could he possibly be angry at you for? Kylo stopped beside you, but he was looking back at Shawn with disdain clear in his eyes. After letting out a sigh, you decided to turn around, staring into the face of someone who now filled you with anger and disgust. It was truly amazing how all of those feelings seemed to stay within you. 

“What, Alvarez?” you snapped, and you could see him flinch ever so slightly at the coldness in your tone. The expression in his face soon contorted into one of rage, and as he stepped closer, you began to notice the crowd forming around the scene about to unfold. You decided to keep your face stone cold as he approached you, only about a foot away from you as he glared at you, eyes seemingly red from rage. It almost made you want to laugh.

“Don’t be like that, just because he’s making you this way. There’s no way you’re actually serious about this prick,” Shawn spat out, causing Kylo to scoff and cross his arms against his chest as he stared down at Shawn. Shawn looked up at Kylo with the same level of disdain.

“He’s not making me do anything, which is more than I can say for you,” you countered, turning Shawn’s focus back on you. His face changed to one of shock.

“I never made you do shit that you didn’t want to do-”

“Oh please. ‘(y/n), don’t wear that, what will people think?’ Or what about ‘you should really be careful who you hang around because that’s going to affect my reputation, too.’ You always tried to control me, and you’ll always try to control whatever poor girl you manage to snag in your traps of pretty words and soft looks. You’re so full of shit, Alvarez, I don’t even understand what I ever saw in you.” Shawn was speechless, which gave you the perfect opportunity to turn around and head towards English.

“Not like I would want a slut like you back, anyways,” he yelled out at you, causing silence to fall over the hall. It seemed like time had stopped as you turned back around to face Shawn. The silence remained as you looked him in the eyes. Then, you did the thing no one expected you to do. You laughed.

It wasn’t a soft laugh either, it was barely short of a cackle. After all, how could someone who cheated on you claim you were a slut? It was horribly comical and ironic.

“You know what, that’s really funny, considering I never once looked at anyone the way I looked at you while we were dating, and you were talking to some bitch from Corellia for a month before you were caught. Maybe think before you call someone a slut, because I think everyone knows who the real slut here is,” you said before walking off in a rush. You weren’t going to be late for class because of one asshole. 

You and Kylo managed to walk in right before the bell rang. As you sat down, you pulled out your things, and also pulled out your phone as well, the message from Poe seemingly weighing you down as you sat down, especially now that he was only a few feet away from you. 

“Why are you two so late? You’re never here after me,” Sami remarked as Phasma sat next to her, nodding. 

“Someone thought it was his time to be bold,” Kylo answered as you were paying attention to your phone. “But (y/n) really put him in his fucking place.” 

Sami looked back at you, and you smiled up at her. 

“I just don’t like being called names when the name actually better suits the accuser,” you simply stated. You turned back to your phone as Kylo began to explain what happened to Sami and Phasma. 

Opening the message, you felt your chest clench a little before you actually read the message.

Hey, can we talk after English? 

A simple request, but you really did have to decide if you had calmed down enough to actually talk to Poe. You decided that nothing could be worse than what you’d just done with Shawn, so you decided to humor him.

Sure. Just meet me right outside the front doors. 

You tried not to watch as Poe checked his phone after you sent the message, especially since Mr. Skywalker was beginning to talk about the rough drafts you’d all turned in last week, and how revisions needed to be made by Friday for your final copy. He walked around the class and passed everyone’s rough drafts back to them. You scanned through yours, taking note of the revisions you needed to make, and then you sneaked a peek at everyone else’s in your group. Sami had done fairly well, Phasma had done amazing, and so had Kylo. 

Mr. Skywalker then began calling individual students up for talks about their rough drafts. You simply sat back in your seat as students were called to his desk one by one to talk.

“Ben, you’re next,” he said, causing Kylo to let out a sigh as he grabbed his rough draft and headed for his uncle’s desk. You frowned as well, missing the natural state of comfort you got from being around Kylo, but you ignored it as you turned to Sami.

“So apparently, I’m having dinner with the Solo’s on Saturday,” you informed her. Sami smirked at you before laughing.

“Oh so it’s serious serious,” she responded, shaking her head. 

“I wish I could tell you I understood their family dynamic, but I have a feeling it’s more on Kylo’s part, he just doesn’t want to admit it,” Phasma added, turning to face you. 

“Yeah, I kinda picked that up already when I asked why he wasn’t close to his parents anymore,” you noted. “I guess I can just try and figure it out for myself.”

In not too long, Kylo returned to his seat. He plopped down into it, making the metal legs creak underneath his weight. You made eye contact with him and tried your hardest not to burst out laughing.

“Sami Martinez,” Mr. Skywalker called out, causing Sami to let out a groan as she walked up to Mr. Skywalker’s desk.

“So, are you gonna tell me what was bothering you earlier?” Kylo asked, leaning in so the two of you couldn’t be heard. You let out a sigh before leaning in as well, explaining the text from Poe, and your apprehension behind agreeing to meet up with him after class. Kylo simply nodded as he listened, and once you finished talking, he leaned over his notebook, picking up his pen and writing in the margins.

Maybe talking to him will be worth it. 

He had a point. Though it hadn’t been too long of a time that you’d had a hiatus with your old friends, it may still be gratifying to talk to at least one of them. The fact that it was Poe did make it better, as you had been friends with Poe since elementary school. After all, you, Poe, and Kylo had all been thick as thieves once. If anyone was going to understand why you’d been so drawn to Kylo, it would be him. You just hoped that would be the narrative of the conversation, instead of another shouting match. You were quite done with being angry at people for today. If he wanted to start a fight, he’d have to try again in the morning. 

Soon, Sami was returning to her desk as well, groaning again as she plopped into her seat. Almost immediately, Mr. Skywalker’s voice rang out in the class.

“Gwen Phasma, come on up,” he called. Phasma went up with no complaint, the normal quick stride in her walk that she always had. 

You tried to remain distracted, but your mind kept wandering to what you and Poe would talk about. It was making you anxious, and you really wanted class to be over so you could get it over with. 

Thankfully, after Phasma, Mr. Skywalker decided it was time to pack. Much to your dismay though, he did say that you would be the first to go tomorrow. At least you would have a clear head by then, and you could actually focus on what was being said to you. 

As usual, the four of you waited for the crowds to disperse before setting off towards the entrance of the school. Once you’d passed the front doors, you noticed Poe standing off to the side, waiting for you.

“I’ll wait for you in the car,” Kylo said before leaning over and placing a kiss on your forehead. You knew it was a part of the act, but your heart did flutter a little at the act of reassurance. It did help soothe your nerves a little. 

With a deep breath, you turned towards Poe, who was rubbing the nape of his neck and giving you a sheepish smile.

“What’s up?” you asked, trying not to sound cold and harsh. You wanted this to be as painless as possible, no matter what. 

“Nothing much. Do you want to sit?” Poe said, indicating to the bench on the edge of the sidewalk. You shrugged, then sat yourself down. Poe sat down next to you, looking towards the ground as he let out a deep breath.

“I just wanted to say that I’m sorry,” he said. You couldn’t lie, you were taken aback. Yeah, you’d hoped that this conversation would go like this, but the things you hoped for rarely ever came to fruition, so this felt like the twilight zone to say the least.

“Look, I said really shitty things because I was shocked and worried. I didn’t think about how they might affect you. Besides, I can see I was wrong to really worry, and I shouldn’t have been so shocked,” he continued. You were smiling until he said the last part.

“How do you mean, you shouldn’t have been so shocked?” you asked.

“I mean, you guys used to be really close. Let’s be real, the only reason you two grew apart is because of Shawn. It was about seventh grade when you started hanging out with Shawn, and when Be- I mean Kylo started to drift away from us. I was pretty sure he liked you then, too,” Poe said, which actually shocked you. You had never considered that Kylo had liked you romantically when you’d been friends in middle school. It almost felt like a shame, considering the relationship the two of you were in was a fake one. 

“Besides, he actually seems to treat you well. He does treat you well, right?” Poe asked, now looking into your eyes with feigned concern. You laughed at the expression on his face before shaking your head.

“Yes, he treats me well. I can’t explain it, but when I’m with Kylo, it really just feels like I’m home. It’s just a level of comfort with someone I’ve never experienced with anyone before,” you said. That was definitely true, especially since Kylo had been your rock since that very first day of school, which almost felt like ages ago. It was strange how the passage of time hadn’t changed the closeness you’d shared once the two of you began talking again. 

“Well, I’m glad. I also respect your decision, even though I didn’t really agree at first,” Poe said, looking out at the parking lot that was becoming barren with each leaving car. You could see Kylo’s Mustang in the distance, and you could also see that he was smoking a cig, his hand popping out of the window to get rid of the ash hanging on the end. 

“I forgive you, Poe,” you said as you reached in to hug him. Poe’s arms wrapped around you as well, and you felt your heart ease at the action. It felt good to have at least one of your friends back.

“Hey, have you talked to Rey about...everything recently?” you asked as you released your embrace, looking into Poe’s dark brown eyes.

“Yeah, she uh,” he paused for a moment as he thought what to say, which consequently made your heart drop. “She’s gonna need some more time to come around. She won’t really admit that anything she said was wrong, besides, she’s stubborn as hell. But, I’m sure with time, she’ll come around.” You frowned as you looked down at the concrete beneath your feet. Rey had been a close friend of yours ever since she’d been adopted by Mr. Skywalker, and the fact that this had torn your friendship apart felt terrible. 

You and Poe shared a goodbye before you headed to the car, where Kylo was patiently waiting, scrolling on his phone. As soon as you climbed in, he put the phone down, bringing the engine to life before turning to look at you.

“So?” he asked, cigarette hanging from his lips. 

“He apologized,” you said happily. Kylo smiled as well as he turned his head to watch while he backed out of his parking spot. 

“I told you talking to him might be worth it,” he said as he drove up to the exit of the parking lot, heading forward into your neighborhood. 

“Yeah, you were right,” you affirmed before staring out of the window, a smile gracing your lips. Now that one thing had gone right today, you felt it would be a lot easier to tackle a much bigger issue: telling your mom that you’re dating Kylo. 

Chapter Text

You took a deep breath, looking between your mom’s car in the driveway, and the front door of your house. She had to know sooner or later, and you’d put it off a little too long. Of course, you weren’t going to tell the whole truth, after all even the half truth would be too much for your mother. Taking another deep breath, you opened the door, and crossed the threshold into your house. 

“Hey, sweetie, how was school today?” she asked almost the moment you closed the front door behind you. Ah yes, the dreaded question that would kickstart your news. You supposed there was no time like the present.

“Really good! I actually got asked to homecoming today,” you said, walking into the living room where your mom was sitting with your dad. You watched as her face lit up, clearly excited for what was an obvious win in her book. Oh, this was going to be painful.

“Really? Who asked you?” She asked, excitement filling her voice, causing your heart to pound from within your chest. Now or never. Now or never, you repeated in your mind as you gave a sheepish smile, rubbing the back of your neck.

“Ben Solo.”

As you’d expected, your mom’s face changed from one of joy to pure shock. It wasn’t an angry shock, after all even she had to admit that someone asking you out after what happened was a good thing, it was simply the person who had asked you. After the shock wore off, her face faded into one of discomfort.

“Honey...are you sure you wanna go to homecoming with him?” she asked, looking to your dad, who simply raised his hands and looked away, abstaining from this conversation. You let out a sigh, your smile turning to a frown. 

“Yes, I’m sure. He’s a nice guy mom, and he is trying to be better. Besides, we were really good friends until seventh grade,” you pointed out. Your mom still had a frown on her face, and she was twiddling her thumbs, trying to think of a response. You knew there was really no way she was going to say no, after all, she was the one who wanted you to live the most fun senior year. There was no way something as trivial as the boy who asked you to homecoming would change that. Though, just because you knew the facts didn’t mean you weren’t anxious about what she was going to say next. 

“Okay,” she finally relented, causing you to let out a breath you’d been holding in. “But I want you to promise that you’re going to be safe, okay?”

“Of course, mom. Besides, we’re going with a group, so there really won’t be any way for us to get into trouble,” you assured her, though you knew your friends were more than capable of finding trouble to be in.

“Okay, that’s good. The dance is next Saturday, right?” your mom asked, and you simply nodded. “Alright. Well, I hope you two will let me take pictures here. Why don’t you ask all your friends to take pictures here?” 

Just like I thought, you mused to yourself. “Yeah, I can see if they’re down!”

Soon, you were retreating to your room, pulling out your phone and dialing Sami’s number. It took two rings before she picked up.

“Hey, what’s up?” she asked from the other end of the line.

“Told my mom about homecoming,” you said, plopping down on your bed, laying back against the headboard and staring up at the ceiling. 

“Oh, sick. What did she say?”

“I can tell she’s not happy about it, but she’s not gonna say no. Also, she wants us all to take pictures here at my place. This’ll probably work out for Kylo too, that way his grandparents can take pictures as well,” you informed her.

“I’m totally cool with that, Mom’s not gonna be here that weekend anyways, so I’ll just get pictures from you to show her. What are you gonna do about getting a dress?” Sami asked.

“Was probably gonna go shopping on Friday for one. Can’t go Saturday because I have dinner with the Solo’s, so that’s gonna take my whole day to mentally prepare for,” you said, frowning as you thought of the idea of sitting down at a table with Kylo’s parents. Sami laughed from the other side of the receiver. 

“Well, if you want, we can go together. After all, you should definitely wear something hot, if Avarez is gonna be there. That shit will drive him up the wall,” Sami responded. You could almost feel the coy in her voice, and you laughed as well. Any excuse to get Shawn heated was good for you, especially after what had happened earlier. 

“It’s gonna be weird, seeing Kylo in a tux,” you pointed out. You’d never really seen him dress formally, he usually just wore his black jeans and leather jacket. To see him dressed up would definitely be new.

“It’s weird, seeing men like Kylo dress formally. Last year, Milo rented this really nice tux for prom, the vest matched my dress and everything. It was wild, but weirdly hot,” Sami said, causing you to shake your head. 

“Alright, well, I’ll see you tomorrow then,” you said, hearing your mom’s voice call you downstairs for dinner.

“See ya!” Sami said before the line went dead. With that, you got up off your bed and headed down for dinner.

***

The rest of the week seemed to pass by quickly, Friday seeming to appear in a flash, and as you settled down beside Kylo in English, you could feel your excitement grow tremendously. You’d never been so excited to buy a homecoming dress, and you honestly felt that it was more about the fact that you’d get to go shopping with Sami and Phasma. 

Phasma would be driving you three to Coruscant, where you’d meet up with Jordan at one of the malls there. Your mom had given you her card and said you could get dinner in the city as well. You’d never gone shopping in Coruscant before, so needless to say, you were excited beyond belief. 

“Calm down, you’re practically bouncing off the walls,” Kylo joked as you quickly pulled out your finished paper for Beowulf. You were so ready to move on to the next book, you practically threw your paper at Mr. Skywalker when he passed by. 

“Alright class, we’re going to be reading Hard Times starting on Monday. So, let’s get into some background, shall we?” Mr. Skywalker said from the front of the class, turning a video on from the projector. You tried not to yawn as the incredibly monotonous British narrator began to talk about Dickens, and the period he wrote in. 

“Can’t fucking stand Dickens,” Kylo said from beside you, causing you to laugh. “He’s only so descriptive because he was getting paid per word.” A fact that the monotonous video would soon bring up. 

You couldn’t really help but drift off a couple of times during class, and you were almost fully asleep when the overhead lights were turned on after the third video. Blinking to help your eyes adjust to the lights, you stretched your arms out, trying to hold back a yawn as you reached over to put all your stuff away. In front of you, Sami was lightly snoring, and was being shaken awake by Phasma, who was trying hard not to laugh. Once Sami was awake, she looked confused, and a little grumpy, as she wiped a small amount of drool from her lip. 

“Alright, I’ll be handing out copies on Monday. Before you leave, don’t forget to drop off your copy of Beowulf in one of these bins. I will hunt you down if you don’t turn it back in,” Mr. Skywalker said as the whole class began shuffling around, fishing for their books in their backpacks and putting all their stuff away. Kylo took all of your copies up to the front, briefly nodding at his uncle as he placed them all in the bin before walking back to your group of desks. As soon as Kylo was back, the bell rang, and the biggest group of students hurried out the door, heading for their cars or however they were planning on getting back home. You slowly stood from your desk and grabbed your backpack, putting your arms through the straps as you waited for everyone else.

As usual, once the crowd had passed, the four of you walked out of the English room, heading towards the entrance of the school.

“It’s gonna be weird, not having you ride home with me today,” Kylo stated, looking down at you. “I’m gonna be so alone.” Kylo started pretending to pout and cry, to which you playfully punched him in the arm, causing him to laugh. He shook his head before running a hand through his black hair.

“I’m sure you’ll be fine, provided you don’t make any stops on the way home,” Phasma quipped as the four of you stepped out of the school, stepping into the September sun. Kylo looked around first, noticed that people were watching, and he drew you close, pressing his lips against your forehead before bringing you in for a hug. You wrapped your arms around him, also conscious of the eyes watching you, before looking up at Kylo, who had that same smirk on his face as always. You smiled at him before the two of you let go.

“Text me when you get home, okay?” he said, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

“I will. See ya later,” you said before turning towards Phasma and Sami, walking towards Phasma’s car. It was a quaint little car, just an old silver toyota, and you tried to keep up as Sami sprinted towards it.

“Shotgun!” she yelled as you and Phasma laughed when Sami reached the passenger door, desperately trying to open the door. Phasma used the key fob and unlocked the door, and Sami climbed in as fast as lightning. You laughed as you climbed in behind her, throwing your backpack on the other side of the back seat of Phasma’s car. Phasma climbed into the driver’s seat and started the car, putting her phone on a mount as she pulled up the directions to the mall Jordan had suggested.

“Thank God we’re getting dresses in the city, I need to get away from this town for a bit,” Sami said, rolling down the window as Phasma pulled out of her parking spot. 

“What about you, Phasma? I can’t imagine you’re the dress type?” you asked from the back.

“Nah, I’m trying to find a tux instead. I saw this cool floral one online and I’m thinking about wearing that, if I can find it. Who wants the aux?” she said. She held up the aux cord and immediately Sami snatched it from her, plugging it into the headphone jack in her phone. She then pulled up a playlist of music you weren’t really familiar with, but it seemed the same style that Kylo listened to. You thought about how funny it was, this was the first time in over a month that you’d been in the car with someone who didn’t have a cassette player. 

The drive to Coruscant was fun. Occasionally, Sami would play a song that the three of you could sing to, and as you watched the suburbs go by as you rode on the interstate. It was interesting to see the landscape change from rows upon rows of houses to the city skyline, skyscrapers rising and putting a feeling of awe in your heart. 

Soon, Phasma was pulling off the interstate, driving along with the city’s traffic towards the mall. Soon, and to Phasma’s relief, the three of you were pulling off into the mall’s parking lot.

“How come no one in the city knows how to drive?” Phasma said with a frown as she pulled into a parking spot.

“Ya know, I’m pretty sure they feel the same way about you,” Sami mused before pulling the aux cord out of her phone. The three of you all got out of the car, and Phasma put her phone up to her ear as she called Jordan. You pulled out your phone and saw a text from Kylo.

You ladies make it to the city okay? Also Gran won’t stop asking me about you today.

You smiled as you read the message, glad that Mrs. Skywalker liked you so much. You quickly typed your response back.

We made it better than we would have if you were driving. I have a feeling you’re a scary interstate driver. Also, tell your Gran I said hi, you responded before putting your phone away.

“What’s the dirt?” Sami asked, catching you smiling at your phone.

“Nothing, just letting Kylo know we got here safely, while also making fun of him. You know, the usual,” you said as you slid your phone into your pocket. Though you’d stopped looking at your phone, the smile still remained.

Sami nodded her head sagely as a car pulled up besides Phasma’s. She couldn’t help but think that if she didn’t know any better, she too would think you and Kylo were dating. Phasma put down her phone as Jordan rolled down the window, smiling at the three of you.

“Hello ladies!” she said before turning off the car and climbing out. When she was out, she ambled over to Phasma, who placed a kiss on her cheek before wrapping an arm around her shoulder. After that, the four of you practically strutted into the mall together, you and Sami following behind Jordan and Phasma.

There was something about going to a fancy mall in the wealthy part of the city that was just different. Of course you’d been to malls before, but to go into a mall with all sorts of designer brands and expensive department stores, it was a little overwhelming. You were in absolute awe as you passed each of the different stores, window shopping all the expensive items and wishing you had money for them. 

Soon, the four of you were heading into a Bloomingdale’s, which was intimidating to say the least. You and Sami exchanged looks as you walked in, knowing the price was going to be a little bit more than you’d anticipated. However, you heaved a sigh as you accepted that this would be a better way to not have the same dress as everyone else.

“(y/n), I think you should wear red or black. It’s very on par with whatever Kylo would want to wear,” Jordan says as you approach the semi-formal dresses. 

“Idk, I think you should wear a midnight blue. It’ll get Kylo to step out of his comfort zone,” Sami added as you all started to search through the racks. You pushed aside bright pink dresses and some weird green shades, but you never really found anything you liked.

“What about you, Sami? I know Milo isn’t gonna have time to come down, so are you coordinating with anyone?” Jordan asked Sami before pulling out a dark green dress, and holding it up to Sami’s figure.

“Yeah, Pat is my ‘date.’ We thought it would be more convenient, since, like you said, Milo is busy being a college student hours away. Also, that’s cute, let me see,” Sami said as she reached for the dress in Jordan’s hand. You laughed as Sami inspected the dress, nodding her head in approval as she examined. She then searched for her size. 

You pushed through a different rack of dresses before coming across a gorgeous blue dress. It had an A-line skirt made of blue tulle with a blue satin interfacing that ended a little above the knees, and a sweetheart neckline with off-shoulder sleeves. The bodice was beaded with small silver beads, making the top of the dress almost look like a night sky. With a smile, you rummaged through the dresses until you found your size. 

“You find something, (y/n)?” Phasma asked as she watched you. You simply nodded before pulling out the dress in your size, and holding it up. 

“Ha, I win. Midnight blue forever,” Sami said, sticking her tongue out at Jordan, who reciprocated. 

“Let’s try them on,” you said excitedly, dragging Sami to the dressing room. The woman at the desk led you to separate fitting rooms, and as soon as you were in, you were undressing, ready to see if you liked the way the dress fit on your body. As soon as you put it on, you knew it was the one. It fit your body amazingly, and made you feel so confident in it. You loved it with every part of your being.

Stepping out of the fitting room, you were greeted by Jordan and Phasma, who both smiled when you stepped out.

“(y/n), that is absolutely gorgeous,” Jordan said.

Soon, Sami was also stepping out of her fitting room. Her dress was very similar to yours in shape, but made all with satin. The forest green color looked gorgeous on her tan skin, and really made the color of her eyes pop.

“I love that,” you told Sami, and Jordan and Phasma both nodded in agreement. 

After you and Sami had decided that you’d found the dresses you wanted, the four of you then moved to find a blazer for Phasma. She ended up settling on a black blazer with a floral pattern on it. You, Jordan, and Sami all agreed that it made her look very sophisticated. Jordan especially loved it, practically fawning over her girlfriend, even after you’d all made your purchases. 

The four of you headed for the food court, where you decided to split up for food. You and Sami decided on chinese food, contently carrying the styrofoam boxes back to the table that you’d all decided to meet at. Taking a seat, you began digging into your food as Phasma and Jordan approached, each with food in hand. As Jordan and Phasma sat down, they too began to dig into their food.

“So,” Jordan started after swallowing a bite, “what’s the tea? What’s been going on at good ole Mos Eisley High?”

“(y/n) finally called out Shawn. It was badass, based on what Kylo told me,” Sami said, looking at you and grinning mischievously. You rolled your eyes before shaking your head.

“It wasn’t that big of a deal. I just wasn’t gonna deal with his bullshit anymore, especially since he tried to call me a slut,” you explained. Jordan had that same look on her face as Sami, and you couldn’t help but laugh.

“Rich, coming from him. Anything else?” Jordan responded.

“Pat’s planning an after party for homecoming,” Phasma added, poking around at her food. “I figured I’d warn you guys that he’s planning to invite Hux.”

Sami’s fork dropped from her hand, and Jordan gasped loudly.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Sami asked, rage dripping from her voice. “I don’t understand why Pat still hangs out with that asshole, especially after all the shit he’s done.”

“I know. Also, was he planning to invite Kylo?” Jordan asked, her attention solely on Phasma. You couldn’t help but keep a keen attention on what she was saying either. After all, you only knew that Hux was the person Kylo’s ex had cheated on him with. You wanted to know more about him, though, to see why else everyone hated him. 

“That’s just the thing,” Phasma began, “he is planning to invite Kylo. When I asked him if he thought that was wise, he said that there would be so many people there, they probably wouldn’t even run into each other. I told him he’s being a dumbass.”

“Yeah, a dumbass is right. If Kylo sees Hux without first being warned that he’s there, Kylo will beat the shit out of him,” Sami said before taking another bite from her food.

“Maybe not. I don’t think Kylo wants little Armitage running off to his cop dad. That’s why he got put on house arrest in the first place,” Jordan remarked, causing you to become confused.

“Kylo told me that he was put on house arrest for vandalism,” you said. Everyone turned and looked at you, all of them heaving a collective sigh.

“Kylo would say something like that. Look, don’t tell him I told you, but Kylo was arrested because Armitage planted drugs on him. Luckily, he’s a minor, and on top of that, his mom has a lot of influence with the judges. They didn’t believe that the drugs had been planted, but they agreed on house arrest after his drug test came back negative,” Jordan explained.

“How did Kylo know the drugs were planted?” you asked.

“Because Armitage was at the park that day, trying to taunt Kylo into fighting him. Kylo told me that he went to the bathroom, but accidentally left his stuff outside, and Armitage must have planted them then. Also, the officer who happened to search Kylo was Brendol Hux not even ten minutes after Armitage had left,” Sami added. “None of us know all the details, so if you really want to know, you should ask Kylo. You should also warn Kylo about Hux coming to Pat’s after party.”

You nodded in agreement before going back to eating your food, thinking. It seemed like Armitage Hux had a personal vendetta against Kylo, and now you wanted to know why. Was it because of Hux and Stella, or was it something deeper? You would ask one of the girls, but this was something you wanted to hear from Kylo himself. You didn’t want to worry about speculation, and what might be truth or lie. 

On the way home, as you watched the city’s skyscrapers fade into the suburbs, you couldn’t help but continue to think, and you knew that you wanted to talk to Kylo as soon as you got home.

Hey, we just left the city. Is it okay if we talk when I get back? You texted, letting out a sigh as you waited for his reply.

Yeah, I have something I need to tell you, too. See ya when you get home, he responded. After that, you felt your shoulders tense up as you wondered what it was that Kylo needed to tell you. Deciding not to worry about it, you continued to look out the window as the three of you inched ever closer to home.

Phasma decided to drop you off first. As she pulled into the cul de sac where you lived, you noticed Kylo leaning against his car, smoking a cig and staring down at his phone. As Phasma slowed down in front of him, he looked up, waving at Phasma and Sami as you stepped out of the car. 

“Thanks for the ride, Phas,” you said as you waved goodbye.

“No problem. We should do it again some time!” She called out before she and Sami waved goodbye, driving away from the two of you. With a sigh, you turned to face Kylo, and you decided to lean against his car beside him. 

“So, what did you want to talk about?” he asked after taking a drag. 

“So, Phasma told me that Pat is throwing a homecoming after party-”

“I would expect no less.”

“And apparently he’s inviting Hux.”

You could almost feel Kylo’s jaw clench from beside you, and as you looked up into his eyes, you could see the fire of rage behind them. He was more contained than you expected, and as you watched him take another drag from his cigarette, you wondered if he were simply waiting to explode. However, when he sighed as he exhaled the smoke, he shook his head.

“Of fucking course. We’ll go, but if he tries to start something, we’re leaving,” he said. “Is that it?”

You thought for a moment if you wanted to ask him about his relationship with Hux, but you decided you would ask another time. You didn’t want to upset him more than he already was, so you decided to change the subject.

“Nope. I also wanted to tell you to get a dark blue tie,” you said, smiling up at him. He smiled back at you, but you noticed it didn’t reach his eyes. A part of you regretted telling him about Hux, but you knew it was for the best. “So, what did you wanna tell me ?”

“Oh! Well, I talked to my mom earlier, and so, basically, the whole family is coming over for dinner,” he said, rubbing the nape of his neck and avoiding eye contact with you.

“Okay?” you asked, confused on why this was a bad thing.

“That means Rey is gonna be there, too,” he said in a murmur. Your body filled with cold after you heard that, and you couldn’t help but frown. First of all, this was about to be a very awkward dinner. Secondly, you hadn’t told Kylo about Rey, so you weren’t sure how he knew to warn you.

“Look, it doesn’t take a genius to know that my cousin judges anyone who’s dating me. You didn’t need to tell me that you and Rey had a fallout, I guessed it would happen eventually,” Kylo said, practically reading your mind. “I am curious why you didn’t tell me, though.”

With a sigh, you crossed your arms across your chest. “Because she said some things about you that weren’t okay. I didn’t want to reiterate those words to you because she’s still your family,” you explained. 

“Just because she’s my family doesn’t mean she always thinks highly of me, I accepted that a long time ago. Besides, if she’s thinking less of you because you and I are a thing, then maybe you need a break from her,” Kylo added before dropping the cigarette butt to the ground and stomping it out. He then reached over and picked it up, clenching it in his hand as he let out a sigh. “Look, my grandparents like you, and I’m pretty sure my parents will like you. That’s the goal, after all. I wouldn’t worry about what Rey thinks right now.”

You thought about his words for a moment before letting out yet another sigh. “Yeah, you’re right. Thanks, Kylo,” you said before turning to face him. He turned to face you as well, bringing you in for a hug. As he held you flush against his body, your arms wrapped around his waist, and his around your shoulders, you breathed in his scent, feeling a wave of calm overcome you.

“No problem, (y/n). I’ll see you tomorrow for dinner,” he said before letting you go. Once he did, you smiled up at him before turning around, heading for your house, ready to go to bed after your day of shopping.

Chapter Text

The next day, you decided you weren’t going to bring up Hux again unless that’s what Kylo wanted. So, you spent your day deciding whether or not to panic about dinner with the Solo’s. You had decided to panic.

Yes, you and Kylo were good friends once, and you had spent a lot of time there when you were younger, but you were older now, and both you and Kylo were phenomenally different people. Would they still like you? On top of that, since Rey was going to be there as well, you had to be worried about every single move you made. It would be easier to convince Kylo’s parents that the two of you were actually dating, but Rey was a different story. If you didn’t play your cards right in front of her, she was going to be able to see past you like cellophane. Hopefully, you could pull it off.

The whole day was spent with you pacing your room, or being on your phone as a distraction, until Kylo called. Once he did, you quickly got dressed into a nice blouse and jeans, deciding not to be too fancy. When you got outside, you were glad that you’d decided that. Kylo, like usual, was wearing a black shirt and black jeans, his leather jacket adding the only bit of color, with a K.O.R. patch on the chest pocket. You wondered if you’d ever get a jacket like that, too. 

In the driveway, Kylo gave you a hug as Mr. and Mrs. Skywalker stepped out of the house. Once Kylo let go, Mrs. Skywalker walked over to you, arms open before pulling you into an embrace.

“It’s wonderful to see you again, (y/n). Just so you know, Leia makes absolutely wonderful food. I know it’s been a few years, but just in case you forgot,” she said before letting go of you, holding your hands in hers as she looked you up and down. Her eyes were filled with brightness, but there was a playful look behind them as well. She was certainly still young at heart.

“Well, we’ll be taking Kylo’s car, so you kids can hop in the back,” Mr. Skywalker said, holding up Kylo’s keys. Kylo laughed from behind you, and you had to try your hardest to keep the smile from your face.

“Anakin, don’t be ridiculous. We can just take the sedan,” Mrs. Skywalker started.

“Oh no, I paid for this car, the least my favorite grandson can do is let me drive it,” Mr. Skywalker said with a grin before climbing in the car. Mrs. Skywalker opened the passenger door, and Kylo moved the seat forward so you two could climb in the back. You felt sorry for Kylo, since his legs would undoubtedly have to fold in like paper. He let you get in first though, insisting that he’d better be able to gauge how much room he was gonna have if you were already in the car. Once he had climbed in the backseat, it was an extremely tight fit, the length of Kylo’s legs practically causing him to lean against you. 

The whole ride to dinner, you were filled with anxiety. There was so much pressure to convince so many people that you were in a relationship, it was making your heart pound. Luckily, Kylo was occasionally rubbing circles on the back of your hand with his thumb, which was helping to keep you from fully freaking out. You tried to look out the window to quell your nerves, but it didn’t help that you were pulling into the same rich neighborhood that you’d been in for Jordan’s party. Though the memories from the party warmed a part of you, thinking about the fun you’d had, you couldn’t help but be even more intimidated by the fact that Kylo’s family had money, even though you’d never know it, looking at the way his grandparents lived. 

Pulling up to the house, you had to keep your jaw from dropping. When you were younger, Kylo and his parents had lived in a smaller, quainter house. You knew that his parents were successful, so you don’t know why you expected them to still live in that house, but you definitely weren’t expecting the magnificence of the house in front of you. It was a colonial house, white columns holding up the overhang of the triangular roof. The shutters were a crimson red that stood out against the russet color of the brick that made up the outside of the house. The lawn was perfectly taken care of, with beds of dahlias and chrysanthemums in full bloom, colors of pink and orange adding to the feel of fall. The path leading up to the house from the driveway was cobblestone, and it had a very old-timey feel to it. You weren’t surprised that Kylo would rather live with his grandparents.

You noticed as Mr. Skywalker pulled further into the driveway that there were already three cars parked. The third car you recognized, because you’d ridden in it with Rey plenty of times. The fact that they were already here didn’t help your nerves either. When the car came to a stop behind the familiar green car, you let out a breath before waiting patiently to be let out of the car.

“Anakin, that was ridiculously cramped for those two. Kylo practically squished poor (y/n),” Mrs. Skywalker said as she straightened out her dress, standing beside Kylo as he waited for you to step out of the car. Once you did, Kylo fixed the passenger seat back and closed the door. 

“Oh, come on Padme, they don’t mind.” Mr. Skywalker said as he winked at Kylo, who tried to hide a laugh, though he was unsuccessful. His grandmother gave the two of them dirty looks before linking your arm with hers and marching up to the house.

“Men,” she said with exasperation. “Thankfully, they aren’t our only company for tonight.” Soon, the two of you were at the front door, Kylo and Mr. Skywalker pulling up the rear. You wished you were beside Kylo instead, as your heart pounded within your chest. You worried everyone could hear it as Mrs. Skywalker reached to open the door. She was, however, beat to it. The door swung open and revealed Kylo’s mom, her short stature standing in the door frame, and her eyes twinkling as she smiled at you.

“Oh, (y/n), it’s been too long! Come in!” She took you from her own mother’s arms and brought you into the house, Kylo walking past his grandparents to catch up to you.

“Mom, I’ll show her around the house,” Kylo said, taking a hold of you and bringing you towards him. You almost tripped, but Kylo caught you in a very discreet way, helping you straighten up.

“Oh, alright dear. Don’t forget to say hi to Rey, her and your Uncle Luke are in the living room,” she said before giving Kylo a hug. You guessed that he hadn’t been around recently with how long the hug lasted, and you almost felt as if you were intruding on a moment. Soon, though, she let go of Kylo, letting him lead you to the stairway in the middle of the foyer before catching up with her parents. Once you and Kylo had ascended the stairs, and were out of sight from the adults, you heard them turn silent for a while before hearing Mr. Skywalker speak.

“He just needs a break, Leia. Sometimes, young boys like him do.”

You could almost feel Kylo roll his eyes as he took your hand, leading you to a room at the end of the hall. Once inside, you knew it was his room.

The walls were navy blue, covered with posters of different bands. All of his furniture was dark as well, looking as if it was all made of ebony, but you knew it was only the way the wood was stained. The sheets on his bed were black, and looked undisturbed, as if they’d been made up in expectation, but hadn’t been used yet. The curtains that were hung over the window were also navy blue, blocking out a lot of the light from the sunset. The room would’ve been totally dark if not for the light having been turned on. As you stood in front of the closed door, examining the room, Kylo practically threw himself onto the bed, laying the wrong direction on the bed, and staring at the ceiling.

“I wish they’d stop that,” his deep voice said, breaking the silence. You let out a sigh as you walked over, sitting down on the bed next to him. “Every time I leave the room, they talk about me.”

You sat beside him in silence, unsure whether or not to speak, and what you would say if you did. Sometimes, silence was better, more comforting. You felt that this was probably one of those times, but you still wanted to comfort Kylo, so you reached out and took his hand in yours.

It wasn’t a romantic gesture, rather a silent way of communicating that you were listening. However, your small action seemed to put a crack in the dam of Kylo’s emotions.

“It’s so frustrating. They want me to be this perfect kid, to get all A’s and get into a good college. They want me to fit into the mold that society wants me to fit into, but I just can’t. I’m not that person, I’m not that respectable, well-brought up kid, but I don’t want them to think it’s their fault. I just wish they would listen to me, listen to what I feel or have to say, but they never do.”

He rambled on like that for a few minutes, and as you looked over at him, you noticed that his eyes were beginning to tear up. With a sigh, you laid down beside him, placing your head on his chest, and wrapping your arms around his waist. Kylo responded by wrapping his arm around your shoulder, letting out his own sigh before falling into a comfortable silence.

You could tell that his room was probably a place of great discomfort for him. He didn’t have to explain why, you simply knew that there were memories associated with this room that made him feel vulnerable, and though it was a strange thing to be thankful for, you were glad he’d let you into this part of himself that was hidden from everyone else. You suspected he really didn’t have anyone to vent his frustrations to, so you were sure that just having someone listen was better than anything he’d ever received. 

Without warning, the door was flung open, causing you to jump up off of Kylo. There was a scoff from the doorway, where Rey stood, a disgusted look in her eyes. 

“I don’t even want to know what the two of you were doing,” she said.

“Has anyone ever in your life told you to fuck off?” Kylo said, without moving from his position on the bed. You instantly felt uncomfortable, caught between them.

“Only you, asshole. Dinner’s ready,” Rey said before walking off, leaving the door wide open. With a sigh, Kylo sat up, running a hand through his unruly black hair before standing up. You did the same, and followed him out of the room and down to the dining room. 

The dining room was as opulent as the entire house, the walls a lovely and deep red with white crown moulding. The table sat in the center, long enough to just fit everyone here tonight. At the head of the table was Mr. Skywalker. To his right, Mrs. Skywalker was seated next to him, talking enthusiastically to her son, your teacher Mr. Skywalker. Beside him, Rey was seated, having just gotten settled from being told to retrieve the two of you. At the other end of the table, Mr. Solo sat, with Mrs. Solo sitting to his right, beside Rey. There were two seats between Mrs. Skywalker and Mr. Solo saved for the two of you, with full plates already placed. 

As you approached the table, Kylo walked a little ahead of you, pulling out the seat closest to his father for you. You took the seat, understanding that Kylo didn’t want to sit next to his dad. As soon as you were settled, Kylo sat down beside his grandmother. 

“So, (y/n), how have you been? It’s been a while since we’ve seen you,” Mrs. Solo said as you started biting into your food.

“Pretty well, Mrs. Solo. Enjoying senior year so far,” you answered.

“Oh please dear, call me Leia. Now, how long have you and Ben been dating?” she asked. You looked to Kylo, who seemed to be doing the math in his head.

“Almost two months, I’m pretty sure,” you said. Kylo simply nodded in agreement.

“That’s wonderful! I always hoped the two of you would date some day! You were always very patient with Ben back then, I’m sure you still are,” she said before taking another bite of her food, waiting for your reply.

“Well, he is a bit of a handful, but I keep him in line.”

“Good, that’s just what he needs,” came Mr. Solo’s voice. You could almost feel Kylo roll his eyes.

“Let’s not talk like that tonight,” Mrs. Skywalker said before taking a sip of her wine. “We’re here for you two to meet this lovely girl, or rather, reintroduce yourselves. So, are the two of you planning to go to homecoming?” 

“We weren’t really wanting to go to the football game, but we’re going to the dance with a few friends. (y/n)’s mom wants to take pictures at their place before we go, though,” Kylo responded.

“We were supposed to be taking pictures at Poe’s place,” Rey said under her breath, just loud enough for people to hear.

“I’m sorry, Rey, did you say something?” Kylo said with a smirk, staring his cousin down. She looked up at him, a terrifying fire in her eyes, but a calm expression on her face. Her lips turned upwards into a smile, one so obviously fake, it could’ve been made of plastic.

“I don’t have a problem at all, Ben,” she responded. Kylo furrowed his brows, but didn’t respond. You could already tell that either something was going to go terribly wrong, or it would be pretty close. 

“Well, I’m glad you’re going, Ben! You haven’t been to homecoming before,” Leia added before taking another bite of the food in front of her.

“Well, for once, I’ve found someone worth going with,” Kylo said, looking at you. You knew he was just saying it to appease his parents and hold up the facade, but you couldn’t help the way your heart fluttered at his words. 

The whole table finished their meal, and soon, Leia was pulling out a pie she had made for dessert. So far, Kylo and Rey had gone one without incident, and you were ready to breathe a breath of fresh air in relief, at least, until Mr. Solo said something that opened a can of worms.

“(y/n), you seem to be having a pretty good influence on Ben. This is the longest he’s gone without getting into some kind of trouble,” he said. You could feel Kylo clench his fist from beside you, but you placed a hand over his and simply smiled at Mr. Solo. 

“I certainly hope so,” you said before taking a bite from the piece of cherry pie you’d been given.

“Or maybe he just hasn’t been a bad influence on her yet,” Rey said, a little louder this time.

“ Rey,” her father said from beside her.

For a moment, Kylo was silent as he glared at Rey, and you knew this would be a bloodbath. Watching, you waited for Kylo to say something, but desperately hoping he wouldn’t.

“Can I not breathe without you being such an obtuse bitch about me?” Kylo said finally, his voice ringing through the room, fists clenched at his side.

“ Ben!” Leia said incredulously. Everyone else simply watched in awe, mouths agape.

“Kind of hard when you keep proving me right,” Rey yelled back, standing from the table and glaring right back. 

“What the fuck did I ever do to you?” Kylo yelled, also standing. In your mind, you were going through a roller coaster of emotions. You were embarrassed, as this was your first dinner with Kylo’s parents, and Rey and Kylo were now choosing to argue, but you were also angry that Rey had antagonized him, and that Kylo had fallen for the obvious bait. 

“For starters, you took away my best friend!” 

You looked up at Rey, shocked and angry. You were absolutely speechless. Luckily, Kylo expressed what was on your mind.

“We were friends before you even met her! You met her through me! Is it so awful that maybe we can be happy together?”

Deciding you’d had enough, you stood as well, taking Kylo’s hand and pulling him away from the altercation. Kylo was happy to follow you, his breaths coming out in huffs as he tried to keep himself from losing it. You looked back at Rey for a second, who looked dejected and hurt, but you really couldn’t find it in you to care. 

Kylo, once having broken eye contact with Rey, headed for the front door, opting to cool off in the fall evening air. Once the two of you were outside, Kylo headed for a bench in the garden, sitting down and resting his elbows on his knees as he put his face in his hands, black hair poking out in between his fingers. You were silent as you sat beside him, but you had to admit you were pretty angry yourself. It was ridiculous that Rey felt that only one of them could have you, and you hated feeling like some toy they were being forced to share. 

“I’m sorry,” Kylo said after a few moments of silence, causing you to let out a sigh. 

“I would say it’s fine, but I think we both know it isn’t. You had to know she was antagonizing you,” you responded, looking at him as he raised his head from his hands.

“Yeah, I did. I always fall for it, though. She knows exactly what to say to piss me off.” Kylo let out a sigh before running a hand through his hair. “Besides, it wasn’t fair of either of us to bring you into the argument.”

“Technically, talking about me started the argument,” you offered, taking one of his hands and holding it in yours. Kylo laced his fingers with yours, his large hands dwarfing yours, but the feeling of it being extremely comforting. “Eventually, she’ll come around.”

“Yeah, when we’ve ‘broken up.’ C’mon, she’ll never be happy while we’re together,” Kylo said, looking off into the distance.

“She probably won’t even be satisfied then, because I’ll be damned if I’m losing you as a friend again,” you said. Kylo turned to look at you, a small smile on his face. 

After a few minutes, Mr. and Mrs. Skywalker came out of the house, talking to Leia before heading towards the two of you. They both seemed to have disappointed looks on their faces, but you knew that Mr. Skywalker’s would hurt Kylo the most. As much as Kylo didn’t want to admit it, he still looked up to his grandfather.

“Are you kids ready to go?” the old man said to the two of you. You both nodded in response. “Alright, well let’s get in the car. Kylo, you need to at least text your mother and tell her you’re sorry.” Straight to the point.

Kylo rubbed the nape of his neck as he stood, not making eye contact with his grandfather. “Yes sir,” was all he said before heading towards the car. 

After the dinner, Rey made it a point to make sure she avoided eye contact with you. As much as you wished you were fine with it, it still hurt, especially since she thought Kylo had stolen you away from her. Thinking about that only made you angry though, and so you sought the friendship of Kylo’s friends, or rather, your new friends.

The week before homecoming was busy and full of excitement. With spirit week in full swing, it was nice to watch everyone dress up for each of the days, ending on Friday with Mos Eisley spirit day. You decided to opt out of the festivities this year, but Sami had gone all out. Each day she was in a more eccentric costume than the next, which was very different from her usual aesthetic. It was extraordinarily amusing on Friday when she was covered in red and gold for the school colors. 

“Wow, I never knew you had this kind of school spirit,” Kylo had mused at lunch that day. Sami stuck out her tongue at him.

“Sorry I didn’t want to be a stick in the mud for senior year. Besides, it’s a good week! I turned in my application for the Coruscant Institute of Art!” she replied before taking a bite out of her cafeteria chicken strip.

“Wow, congrats! I hope you get in!” you said, leaning against Kylo’s shoulder, decidedly not hungry at the moment. 

“Me too! Mom’s on board and everything, so if I get in, that’s where I’m going!” She said excitedly.

“That’s so great, Sami!” Alan said.

“At least you know what you want to do. I’ve got no fucking clue,” Kylo said with a sigh. 

“Why don’t you write? Isn’t that what you’ve always wanted to do?” Phasma said from the other side of Alan.

“You write?” you asked, looking up at Kylo. He was blushing slightly, but was obviously trying to hide it.

“Yeah, a little. I mostly journal, but I’ve wanted to write books for a long time,” he said, scratching the nape of his neck. 

“I think you should do that, then. I bet you’d be a great writer.”

Unbeknownst to either of you, across the table, Sami had pulled out her phone, sending a message to Phasma.

If I didn’t know any better, I’d think they were actually dating.

Yeah, no kidding, was Phasma’s reply. 

At the end of the day, the homecoming plans were set into motion. It had been decided on Tuesday that Phasma and Sami were going to stay the night with you Friday night so that you could all get ready for the dance together, and so that everyone would be there for pictures before heading for the school. It was exciting for you, considering it would be your first sleepover with your new friends.

“Alright, Kylo, I’m gonna follow you, so don’t drive too crazy,” Phasma said as the four of you stepped out of the front school doors.

“Trust me, there’s no way I can with all the traffic going into our neighborhood. Can’t believe you guys all get to spend the night together and leave little ole me wondering what you’re up to all night,” Kylo said with a fake pout, causing you to playfully shove him away.

“My mom would kill me if I brought you in the house, much less my room. We’ll call you in the middle of the night to keep you entertained,” you said. Kylo laughed as Phasma and Sami split off, heading for Phasma’s car. Like usual, you tossed your stuff into the car while Kylo discreetly lit a cigarette before climbing into the car himself. Once he did so, he rolled the window down and exhaled, the cloud of smoke flying away on the wind.

“Hope you ladies have fun tonight,” Kylo said as he backed out of his parking spot. 

“I hope so, too. It’s the first time since the summer that I’ve had a sleepover,” you responded, a pang in your chest as you thought about the last time you, Rey, and Rose all had a sleepover at Rose’s place. It was sad to think that it would probably be the last time you would ever have fun with Rey like that. 

“Well, I’m sure the three of you will have a great time,” Kylo assured before taking another drag. 

Like usual, the traffic to get out of the school was awful, but soon Kylo was pulling into your neighborhood, Phasma and Sami close behind. Kylo, naturally, pulled into the driveway when he arrived at his grandparents’ place. Phasma parked in the cul-de-sac, on the spot of the curb between your house and the Skywalker house. Soon, you were climbing out of the mustang, making sure to grab your backpack too, and waving a goodbye to Kylo before walking over to Phasma and Sami, who were climbing out of the car. You looked back at Kylo once more, who was finishing up his cigarette, making eye contact with him. He winked at you and you simply shook your head before leading Phasma and Sami to your house. 

Once inside, you were practically bombarded by your mother, who was desperate to learn all about the new friends you’d made. Though Phasma was dressed in her normal all-black androgynous attire, Sami’s spirit wear made your mom a lot more open to talking to both of them. You almost wondered if Sami had thought that through. 

“Well, I’ll order you ladies a pizza! If there’s anything you need, don’t hesitate to ask!” your mom said with a smile as the three of you headed up the stairs. 

“Thank you so much, Mrs. (y/l/n)!” Sami replied before turning around and following you into your room. Once in your room, everyone dropped their things, and you let out a sigh as you plopped onto the bed. 

“Is she always like that?” Phasma asked once Sami had closed the door behind her. 

“No. She just started being like that after what happened with Shawn. She’s just glad I’m hanging out with people again, even if they aren’t my old friends,” you responded, flipping over to lay on your stomach and pulling out your phone, scrolling through instagram. 

“Speaking of your old friends, neither of you said how dinner went,” Sami said, taking the seat at your desk. She looked out the window, surveying the cul-de-sac. 

“Practically a disaster,” you said with a sigh. “Rey antagonized Kylo, and Kylo fell for it. Then, Rey had the nerve to say Kylo ‘stole’ me from her.” Phasma scoffed, sitting on your bed now as well.

“That’s gross. If either of them were open to the idea, you could be friends with both,” Phasma added.

“I know. It’s just the fact that Rey can’t stand the fact that I would date Kylo. It would be easier if she knew we’re just friends, but she doesn’t.”

“Are you really just friends, though?” Sami asked, causing a stunned silence to fall over you. You could feel your face heating up against your will, and you couldn’t hide the shock that had hit you, like a freight train going through the middle of nowhere. 

“What do you mean?” you asked, hoping that Sami had some other thoughts in mind, and not what you felt she was going to say.

“I mean, without prompting, the two of you act like a couple anyways. Is there any way that you might have feelings for Kylo?” Sami asked, turning your desk chair to face you. 

“No! I mean, he’s one of my best friends, I can trust him with anything, but I don’t feel anything romantic for him,” you insisted, feeling an intense heat under the stares of your two friends. After a few seconds, Sami simply shrugged, deciding to drop the subject.

“As long as you’re sure,” she said before reaching to turn on your TV. You turned on Netflix and started a show, but as you sat there watching, your mind couldn’t help but wander. 

Was it possible that you did have feelings for Kylo? No, you couldn’t possibly, he was like a brother to you. Of course, any time he looked at you a certain way, your heart did flutter, and you couldn’t deny that you liked the way it felt when you held his hand, or when he kissed your cheek. No, you didn’t have any feelings for him, and even if you did, there was no way he had feelings for you. 

Chapter Text

In the morning you were awoken to the smell of pancakes from the kitchen. Almost as soon as you smelt it, Phasma and Sami began to stir as well, Sami sniffing the air before letting out a sigh. 

“Oh hell yes. I haven’t had pancakes in forever,” she said before sitting up and stretching before throwing off the blanket and jumping off the bed. Phasma groaned but followed suit and soon the three of you were bounding down the stairs.

The day was spent talking, gossiping, and contemplating until it was time to get ready, which was about an hour and a half before the agreed upon time to meet at your house. As you washed your face, ready to apply the makeup you had planned, you were thinking about the conversation last night. You tried your damndest to keep it out of mind, but you couldn’t help it. Any time you weren’t talking to Sami or Phasma, your mind began to wander to Kylo again. You couldn’t help it, especially now that, since Sami brought it up, you were looking at the interactions between the two of you with a new lens. 

No, you were overthinking all the looks and touches and close moments, the look in his golden eyes when he smiled at you, amused by something you said. And besides, it was too soon after Shawn for you to actually consider being in a real relationship. You decided to put it out of mind as you focused on your makeup. As you went back into your room, you sat next to Sami, who was focused as she applied a light amount of blush to her cheeks. You pulled forward your vanity mirror and began work on your own face. 

When all was said and done, you had settled on a classic smokey eye, using a deep shade of blue that matched perfectly with your dress. You also settled on a dark nude lipstick. You slipped on your dress and made some final touches before turning to the others. Sami was also sliding into her green dress, dark hair curled beautifully, and Phasma looked very sophisticated in her blazer. The three of you headed for the bathroom, where you took a selfie in the mirror before heading down the stairs, where the boys were beginning to show up. 

Your mom had invited them in, though she was a little hesitant around Kylo. Thankfully, though, Kylo was simply sitting at the counter, eating a cookie from a batch your mom had made, not making too much trouble. 

The thoughts from earlier came rushing back to your mind when you first laid eyes on him. He was wearing a black shirt and black pants, with a midnight blue vest over the shirt, and a matching bowtie. He actually had his hair half-up into a small bun, which was somehow perfectly done, probably with help from his grandmother. The hair out of his face made his features seemed more refined, and he looked really cleaned up. You had to keep yourself from staring too hard.

Pat and Alan were both dressed nicer than you’d ever seen them, not that you’d seen much of Pat. Regardless, they were both in black as well, but Alan was wearing a red cummerbund that was a little too big for him- you wondered to yourself if it had belonged to Milo- and a matching red bowtie. Pat was almost matching with Sami, except he was wearing a sea green vest instead of the dark green Sami was wearing. The color went well with his eyes, though. 

As the three of you walked into the kitchen, you plopped the bag you had ready for staying at Sami’s after Pat’s party. 

“Alright, well, since the girls are here, we can go ahead and start taking some pictures!” Your mom said enthusiastically, grabbing the camera from the living room and ushering all six of you outside and onto the front lawn. 

Outside, your mom arranged all six of you as the Skywalkers and Mr. Kenobi watched from their front porch, occasionally laughing as they watched the slew of awkward teenagers try to pose for a nice picture. Your mom had set you and Kylo in the middle, Kylo wrapping his arm around your shoulder, and you wrapping your arm around his waist. To the right of Kylo was Sami and Alan, and to the left of you, Pat and Phasma. You all gave your best smiles as your mom proceeded to take picture after picture until Mrs. Skywalker came in, ignoring the groan from Kylo as she decided to take pictures herself. When the older women were satisfied, the group diverged, each settling into their respective rides. 

Everyone else headed for Phasma’s car, as there was way more space in there, but you headed for Kylo’s car, ready to make a spectacle at homecoming with your very handsome date. As you climbed in the car, tossing your bag of clothes into the back, you smiled at Kylo, who gave you a wink in response.

Once Kylo started the car, your mom began waving goodbye to you.

“Have fun! Text me when you get to Sami’s house!”

“Will do!” you replied as Kylo pulled out of the Skywalker’s driveway, and began driving towards the school. 

“Your makeup looks good,” Kylo said as he looked forward at the road. You felt your heart flutter, but you responded in a nonchalant way.

“You don’t look too bad yourself. How come you never wear your hair like that?”

“Too much work. Besides, I look too much like a model citizen this way,” Kylo joked, causing you to laugh.

“Oh we can’t have that, can we?”

The parking lot to the school was packed full of the different cars of students. As Kylo pulled into a parking space, Phasma pulled into the one beside it, and soon all of you were climbing out of the cars, straightening yourselves out and making sure you were all presentable.

“Hope you guys don’t mind leaving early to set up for the real party. My dealer gave me some good shit this time,” Pat said as the six of you headed for the entrance to the school, which was decorated with a balloon arch. 

“I don’t care. I’d rather help you set up than be here for too long,” Kylo responded, taking your hand in his. You tried to ignore the warmth on your cheeks. Shaking your head slightly, you willed those thoughts to leave your brain. 

“Good man. Besides, I know Sami can get crazy with streamers,” Pat said as your group waited in line to buy your tickets.

“Oh hell yeah. Give me some streamers and I’ll make it gorgeous,” Sami responded enthusiastically. You simply laughed as you and Kylo got to the table. Kylo paid for both of your tickets, insisting that you didn’t need to pay him back.

Once all of you had gotten your tickets, you all headed for the gym, where the dance was being held. In the hallway, people standing by idly for their friends gave you and Kylo looks, some admiring Kylo, some giving you disapproving stares. You ignored them, simply standing closer to Kylo, your shoulders almost touching as you strutted the hallway down to the gym. 

Once past the doors of the gym, you could feel the countless eyes on you and Kylo as the two of you led your group into the gym. You scanned the room to see who all was there when your eyes locked with Poe’s, who ran up to you, Finn in tow.

“(y/n), you look great! The two of you coordinated really well!” Poe said as he went in for a hug. You smiled and hugged him back, feeling a warmth in your heart knowing that at least not all of your old friends had given up on you. Once Poe let go, Finn brought you in for an embrace as well.

“Thanks! You guys came with Rey and them, right?” You asked the boys once Finn had let you go.

“Yeah, but Rey is dancing with the other girls. We should be getting back, though,” Poe said. He then turned to Kylo, holding out his hand. Kylo hesitated for a moment, but took it and gave Poe a shake, smiling warmly at Poe, and Poe smiled up at Kylo. You felt your chest explode with warmth and delight. Never did you think you’d see the day.

Soon, Poe and Finn were returning to the dance floor, causing Sami to come up beside you and pull you away to start dancing as well. Taken by surprise, you grabbed onto Kylo’s wrist, allowing Sami to force you into the giant group of dancing high-schoolers. You could feel the bass in your chest as you approached the speakers set up on either side of the DJ, and you decided to let go and let your body sway to the music. Grabbing Kylo’s hands, you all but forced him to move along with you, refusing to let him simply stand there in his awkward way. He was a little stiff at first, but after a while, he lightened up and let loose, allowing the music to move his body in sync with your own.

From the corner of your eye you could see Sami trying to get Alan and Pat to dance, but instead opting to dance with Phasma, who gave no fucks about who was watching her dance. You laughed as you continued to sway, and after what felt like forever, but was only an hour, you pulled Kylo along with you to get a drink. 

“Tired already?” Kylo quipped as you pulled out a dollar at the table for a water bottle. You unscrewed the cap, gulping down the ice cold water before turning to face Kylo. 

“Just a little hot. You want some?” You said as you offered the bottle to Kylo.

“Damn right you are,” he said before taking the water bottle from you, narrowly avoiding your playful swat at him. Kylo finished up the last of the water before tossing the bottle into the trash, and the two of you headed back to find your friends. 

Your time at the actual dance was short, mostly because the six of you wanted to help set up for Pat’s party, but also Sami was beginning to complain about her shoes.

“You shouldn’t have worn heels to a dance, dumbass,” Phasma said to Sami, who turned her nose away once Phasma said that.

So, your group was leaving, climbing into their respective cars to get to Pat’s house. As you climbed into Kylo’s car, you pulled off your own shoes and rolled down the window, letting the cold air blow softly onto your face as Kylo followed behind Phasma. 

Pat lived in the same neighborhood as Jordan, which wasn’t all that surprising to you. As Kylo pulled into the driveway, you noted how Pat’s house had the same kind of opulence as Jordan’s had as well. This told you that there was probably going to be a good number of people at this party. 

“Alright, Sami is in charge of streamers. Sami, choose your team members,” Pat said as he unlocked the front door, turning on the lights to the large foyer. 

“Phas and (y/n),” Sami replied almost instantly.

“Alright, then me, Kylo, and Alan will set up the drinks,” Pat said before tossing a bag of streamers that was hanging on the rail post of the stairs. Sami then ran off into the living room, beckoning for you and Phasma to follow her.

It took about twenty minutes to get the streamers set up, and as soon as the three of you were done, someone rang the doorbell. After that, streams of people seemed to pour into the large house, filling every single space in the house. Pat had hooked up some music to the speaker system in the living room, and had moved all the furniture to give people an opportunity to dance more than they already had. 

“C’mon, let’s get drinks!” Sami said, and you followed her into the kitchen, where people were pouring themselves drinks into red solo cups. You rolled your eyes at the simplicity of it. Sami looked through the various bottles and decided to settle on Fireball, pouring each of you a shot. As she did so, you quickly texted a message to your mom, telling her that you were all at Sami’s now.

“To senior year,” she started, raising her glass. “May this year be full of memories, and may all of them be great!” After Sami’s toast, you all clinked shot glasses before dumping them down your throats. The alcohol burned as it slid down your throat, and the cinnamon taste was invigorating, clearing your sinuses with its strength. 

It didn’t take long after your shot for Sami to make you a mixed drink, a graciously strong margarita, or a Phasma said, tequila with a drop of triple sec. You took a sip from it and tried not to gag at its strength, but very clearly failing as Phasma began to laugh hysterically. After that, the three of you headed to the living room, where you each began to dance to, in your opinion, the much better selection of music than had been at homecoming. 

After two more of Sami’s margarita’s, each one tasting better than the last, you wandered out to the back deck to get some fresh air, needing a space to breath that wasn’t filled with the smell of liquor and weed. As soon as you stepped outside, the cool air hit your face, and you leaned against the railing of the deck, overlooking the backyard as you stood in thought. Your tipsy mind wandered back to your possible feelings for Kylo. You simply couldn’t help it, if you didn’t have anything else to think about, you thought about him. 

You couldn’t lie, he looked good tonight, you would even go so far as to call him hot, though you shook that thought out of your mind. It didn’t stop you from thinking about how nice it was to dance with him though, to have his body sway with yours in sync with the rhythm of the music. It also didn’t help that his golden eyes would make eye contact with yours every once. Each time, it had struck like lightning straight to your heart. Groaning, you rubbed your face, trying to quell the blush on your cheeks. At least you’d be able to blame it on the alcohol.

“There you are,” came a familiar baritone voice, causing you to whip around, almost falling in the process. Kylo laughed as he approached you, though he was a little less smooth in his motions than usual. “Been lookin for ya.”

“You alright?” you asked as you noted the weird uppity tone to his voice. 

“Yeah, just a lil tipsy. We finished a bottle of vodka before people started getting here,” Kylo admitted as he leaned his back against the railing of the deck. 

“A whole bottle between the three of you?” you asked, incredulous.

“Nah, just me and Pat. Alan’s been warned off vodka by Milo,” he said, looking down at you. Though it was dark outside, Kylo’s eyes had a certain glimmer to them, and you couldn’t help but feel mesmerized. It had your heart beating heavily in your chest.

“You’re gonna get alcohol poisoning that way, y’know,” you said, letting out a laugh to relieve some of the ache in your chest. 

“Well you don’t seem much better, what did Sami make this time, some horrible whiskey and beer combination?” he said, smirking at you. You playfully and weakly punched at his arm, causing him to laugh.

“No, it was a couple of margs. At least, that’s what Sami said they were,” you told him.

“Sami’s gonna give us all alcohol poisoning,” Kylo mused before letting out a sigh. “Wanna go dance?”

Your heart pounded as you simply gave a nod, and soon Kylo was dragging you back into the house, pushing through the crowd of people to get to the small makeshift dance floor in the living room. 

If you thought dancing at homecoming was intense, dancing drunk like this with Kylo was almost painful. He was a lot more comfortable this time, the alcohol melting away his inhibitions as he placed his hands on your hips, and let you lead him with the sway of the music. You had your arms around his neck, bringing you dangerously close to his chest, his warmth radiating off of him, no doubt aided by the intense amounts of alcohol. Dancing with Kylo like this was electric, and as you looked into his eyes, you could feel your heart begin to pound faster. Whether or not it was love or lust, you didn’t care, you just loved the intensity of it.

The rest of the night, you were practically attached to Kylo at the hip. After he decided he was thirsty again, he pulled you to the kitchen with him, where he poured you both a drink, opting to make screwdrivers for the two of you. You gulped down the drink, not caring about the burning of the alcohol as your thirst was quenched 

“Hey, Kylo, Pat’s looking for you, he just rolled a joint,” Alan’s voice said from the entryway of the kitchen. Kylo simply nodded in response, bringing you along to find Pat.

Pat had hidden away in his room with a couple of people you didn’t recognize. As Kylo walked in, he took a seat on Pat’s bed, sitting you on his lap as Pat lit the joint. The joint was passed around the circle twice before it was finished. With each hit you took, you let the sweet yet herbal taste swirl around your mouth before passing it to Kylo, who always took small drags before passing it back to Pat, who was sitting beside him. Soon, Pat was rolling another joint, talking about what felt like nonsense to your ears as you took your drags each time the joint was passed back to you. After the second joint, you decided you were thirsty again, and so you left your spot on Kylo’s lap and headed back downstairs in the kitchen.

Unsurprisingly, Sami was in the kitchen, pouring herself another drink, but nearly spilling it when she saw you, letting out a loud gasp.

“There you are! I guess you’ve been with loverboy, huh?” she said very loudly, causing you to shush her, taking the drink from her hand and gulping some down. Once again, you had to keep yourself from gagging at the intensity of the alcohol. 

“Maybe. And maybe you shouldn’t be drinking anymore. I think this is just straight alcohol,” you said, laughing.

“No! Phas is driving us home anyways, she only had the one shot. Besides, Mom’s out of town, I can drink as much as I please, I-uh oh.”

You turned to see what had gotten Sami’s attention, and all you saw was a girl about your age, maybe older, wearing a crop top and some short shorts. Her hair was a deep red, one that was definitely not her natural color, and her skin was extraordinarily pale. She looked familiar, but you couldn’t quite place where you’d seen her before. Your being cross-faded really didn’t help either.

“Who is that?” you asked Sami before Sami grabbed your wrist, pulling you into the bathroom with her, closing the door and locking it. You were confused by her actions, but decided to go with it anyways. Once Sami closed the top to the toilet, she sat down and let out a sigh.

“Where’s Kylo?” she asked, the tone in her voice much more serious. 

“Smoking with Pat in his room, why?”

Sami let out another sigh before looking up at you.

“That’s Stella, his ex.” 

Realization dawned on you, but you were still stumped on one thing.

“She looks familiar, have I met her before? I know Kylo never showed me a picture of her.” Sami looked deep in thought before her face turned to a frown.

“I never got around to telling you, but Stella is the girl from the picture.”

You turned around just in time to throw up in the sink. Your stomach felt like it had dropped all the way to the floor, and you couldn’t stop yourself from heaving in the sink. Sami quickly jumped up with some toilet paper in hand, wiping away at the corners of your mouth once you stopped. You felt dizzy, like the world was spinning, and you felt yourself sink to the floor. You weren’t sure how to feel, or even how to process what you’d just been told. 

“I’m sorry,” Sami said, sitting down beside you. “I should have told you earlier, but it’s definitely her in the picture.”

“It’s okay. My reaction would probably be a little better if I weren’t piss drunk,” you said with a laugh. 

“Even so, I can imagine that’s a lot to process. I don’t get why she’s here, I don’t think Pat would have invited her,” Sami said, scratching at the top of her head. 

“I mean, he invited Hux, who we have yet to see, so is it really above him?” you offered.

“No, it isn’t. I often wonder why Milo and Kylo even hang out with Pat. He can be really shitty sometimes. Maybe it’s just for the weed.” You laughed, but then you turned to Sami, a more serious look on your face.

“How did Kylo meet Stella?”

Sami let out a sigh before running a hand through her dark hair. 

“I used to go to Corellia High, but I got mixed up with the wrong crowd, so my mom moved us to Mos Eisley my sophomore year. Stella was one of my friends in Corellia, we practically grew up together. I didn’t realize what kind of person she was becoming, and I didn’t realize that it was her my mom didn’t really want me seeing anymore, so we kept hanging out. Well, when I met Milo and everyone else, I introduced them to Stella. From the get go, Stella had her eyes on Kylo. She really wanted to corrupt him further, and kind of test his loyalty to her. I knew she was really just toying with him, but I hoped maybe he could ground her. Instead, she made him become a lot more unstable. Kylo’s issues were already pretty bad, according to Milo, but Stella made them worse. She always told him shit like his parents didn’t care about him, that he had to take care of himself, and that she was the only one who really loved him. At one point, the two of them would always blow us all off to be with each other. 

“Well, at one point, I tried to sit down with Kylo, to tell him that Stella wasn’t really good for him, and he lost it at me. It was the only time I’ve ever seen Milo and Kylo physically fight before. Milo punched Kylo, and Stella used it as proof that the only one who cared for him was her. At this point they were dating for about a year. Well, Jordan was at a party in Corellia, and that’s where she saw Stella all over Hux. Kinda like what that person did for you, Jordan snapped a pic and sent it to all of us. It broke Kylo. It was the only thing that got him to snap out of the trance she’d put him in, but it broke him. That first two weeks after, we were really worried about Kylo’s safety, but thankfully he just stayed home. He apologized to all of us for how he’d acted while he was with her, and he had Milo help him break up with her. Naturally, she didn’t like that, so she started to blame me for meddling into her business. She called me a jealous bitch, and that was the last time I talked to her. As for Kylo, it took awhile for him to really open up to any of us again. He trusted us, but not fully yet, after all, she had convinced him that we didn’t care about him. It wasn’t until right before he got arrested that he really opened up like before.”

You took in all of Sami’s words, processing the story, your heart aching for Kylo. Though there were definitely things you could understand about Kylo’s own story, at least Shawn had never convinced you that your friends and family didn’t care about you.

You were about to say something when there was a pounding on the bathroom door.

“Sami, (y/n), are you guys in here?” came Alan’s voice, muffled by the door.

“Yeah, what’s up?” Sami called.

“You gotta take Kylo to your place. He’s belligerent, and he’s about to start a fight with Hux,” Alan responded. You looked at Sami before the two of you helped each other out, stepping out of the bathroom and following Alan to the foyer, where everyone had fallen silent. At the door, you could see a man close in height to Kylo standing there with his arms crossed over his chest, a smug look on his face. You could already tell by looking at him that you didn’t like him. Across from him, and closer to the three of you was Kylo, feet spread apart and shoulders hunched like he was ready to fight.

“I’ve had enough of your shit, Armitage. Why don’t you run back to piggy daddy and tell on mean old Kylo again?” Kylo yelled, his voice filled with hostility. You felt yourself sobering up as you pushed past people to get to Kylo. As you reached him, you also realized that Stella was hanging on Hux’s arm.

“Kylo, there’s no need to be that way,” she said, but in her eyes you could tell she was enjoying the chaos and the attention.

“You shut the fuck up! Don’t fucking talk to me!” Kylo practically spat at her. It was then that you placed a hand on Kylo’s shoulder, causing the tension in his shoulders to fall away. He turned to look at you, relief in his eyes.

“Come on, let’s go,” you said softly, taking his hand into yours. He simply nodded before being led towards the door by you, Sami following behind, and Phasma appearing behind her. You were almost out the door without incident when you heard a scoff from Hux as you passed by him.

“Of course. Run away so that Mommy can fix everything for you again.”

It happened in a flash, but Kylo let go of your hand and swung on Hux, leaving his nose bleeding.

“Oops, my hand slipped,” was all Kylo said before he threw the door open and headed outside. 

The ride to Sami’s house was quiet, the faint sound of the radio playing being the only thing to distract from the tension in the air as Phasma kept her eyes on the road, and Sami did the same. In the back seat of Phasma’s car, you sat upright, and Kylo laid his head on your lap. Trying to help calm him, you ran your fingers through his slick hair that had been nice and neat only hours ago.

Sami’s house was a quaint little house, not unlike your own home, though maybe a tad bigger. It had a very homey feel to it, as you stepped through the front door, looking at the quaint little way the house was decorated.

“My mom’s really basic. Anyways, Kylo, you’re sleeping on the couch. Let me get you some water and some blankets. (y/n), do you want to stay down here with him, or sleep in my room with me and Phas?” Sami said as soon as everyone was inside. You held onto your bag of clothes, thinking for a moment before replying.

“I’ll stay down here and keep an eye on him,” you told her. She simply nodded, heading to the kitchen and coming back with two glasses on water. She handed one to you, and one to Kylo. You gladly gulped down the water, grateful for a drink that wasn’t alcohol. Kylo sipped on it a little, but kept it in his hands, waiting on Sami to bring blankets. When Sami went upstairs the first time, Phasma followed, momentarily leaving the two of you alone.

“You can sleep on the couch,” Kylo said before taking another sip of his water.

“No, it’s fine, I’ll just make a little pallet on the floor,” you insisted, but Kylo shook his head.

“I want you to take the couch.” With a shrug, you simply nodded.

Sami came back soon with an immense pile of blankets and some pillows.

“Okay, this is a pull out couch, there should be room for both of you,” Sami said, giving you a look that you tried to ignore. Sami pulled out the couch and set up the pillows for the two of you.

“Goodnight,” she said before disappearing upstairs. You settled into the mattress, pulling a generous amount of blankets over yourself. Kylo also climbed on, laying a little too close to you, but you didn’t mind. Once the two of you were settled, you were looking into each others eyes. Kylo’s were an ocean filled with emotion, but they were no less beautiful in your eyes.

“(y/n)? Thanks for being there for my dumb ass,” Kylo said softly. You simply gave him a small smile before letting out a sigh.

“I’ll always be there for you.”

With that, Kylo reached a hand forward, caressing your face gently before leaning in and placing a gentle kiss on your lips.

Chapter Text

In the morning, the smell of coffee filled your senses, but you kept your eyes closed, remaining close to the source of warmth beside you, at least, until that source of warmth began to stir, and climbed off the mattress of the pull out couch. You then begrudgingly opened your eyes to see Kylo stretching and yawning before heading into the kitchen.

"Morning sleepyhead. Feeling better?" You heard Sami say. You sat up yourself, rubbing your eyes before letting out your own yawn.

"My head hurts as all fuck. I'll take a coffee, though," you heard Kylo say before the sound of pouring coffee brought silence between the two of them. That was when you decided to stand up. 

"Good morning (Y/N). Are you in the mood for waffles?" Sami asked as she spotted you heading into the kitchen. You examined the homey little kitchen, your eyes lightly passing over Kylo who was drinking his coffee black. You looked away quickly though, remembering last night.

It wasn't but five minutes after Kylo had kissed you that the two of you had fallen asleep. You had snuggled in perfectly to Kylo's chest, and he'd had his arms wrapped around you all night. It felt amazing in the moment, but now that you were well rested and sober, you wondered if it had simply been an impulse of Kylo's drunken mind. So, in order to keep yourself from hurting, you decided not to bring it up until Kylo did. 

"You didn't ask me if I wanted waffles," Kylo said with a frown before turning to look at you. "Morning." He was smiling at you, but it had that awkward quality to it. 

"Because you'll probably throw it back up. (y/n) didn't have nearly as much as you to drink. Also, Phasma just went to get your car, she said she was gonna get Pat to help her." 

"That's nice. I'm thankful for Phasma, but I don't know that I'll be talking to Pat for a while," Kylo admitted before taking another sip of his coffee. You could definitely understand where he was coming from. After all, his ex probably wouldn't have shown up without Hux, and Pat had invited Hux, knowing his and Kylo's history. It was honestly a pretty shitty move. 

"Can't say I blame you. I told him it was a bad idea to invite that ginger bastard. He doesn't want to ever listen to anyone, though," Sami said, drinking her own coffee. You stepped forward and poured yourself a cup, opting for a little milk and sugar before taking a sip, savoring its warmth. The caffeine felt replenishing to your body. 

"So, waffles?"

"Yeah, I can definitely go for some waffles right now," you responded with a smile. Sami then smiled and got to work making the waffles, pulling out a waffle press and mixing the waffle mix. 

"Can one of you put the pull out couch back in?" Sami asked as she mixed. 

"Yeah," you and Kylo both said in sync, looking at each other, but then both looking away. Sami looked between the two of you suspiciously. 

"We'll both do it," you said, placing your mug on the island before heading back to the living room, Kylo following behind you. Once in the living room, you pulled off all the blankets and pillows from the pull out couch, and placed them on the loveseat. Kylo then began folding in the bed, placing the couch cushions once he was finished. 

"Hey, can we talk outside?" Kylo said softly once the two of you were done folding the blankets.

"Yeah," you responded, following him out the door. 

Once outside, Kylo looked anywhere but your face, as if he was trying to find the right words to say. Your heart was pounding so furiously in your chest, you were worried that Kylo could hear it, and you were afraid of your rapid heartbeat breaking the silence.

"So, um, about last night, when I...kissed you. I was so drunk, and I couldn't stop myself, I'm sorry. I promise it didn't really mean anything, though," Kylo said, and your heart stopped.

For a moment, you were frozen in time, breathless, ready for tears to burst out your eyes at any moment, but you composed yourself. No, you weren't going to be like that right now, and you had to remember that you weren't interested in Kylo like that, you couldn't be, especially since he apparently wasn't interested in you. 

"Oh, it's no problem, I was really drunk, too. Besides, you had a rough night," you said, trying to play it off.

"That doesn't mean it was good of me to do. I just wanted to say I'm sorry," Kylo explained. You shook your head, giving him a smile.

"Really, there's no need to be. I get it," you said, trying to ignore the aching in your heart. You instead smiled up at him, and he gave you a half-smile back. The two of you looked away when you heard cars pulling into the driveway, Phasma driving Kylo’s car, and Alan driving Phasma’s car.

The rest of the morning was spent enjoying the waffles Sami made, but you couldn’t deny the sadness that had settled like a dark veil over your heart, giving everything the slightest touch of gray. Sami definitely noticed, as she gave you a look, as if to silently ask, Are you ok? You had simply shook your head.

I’ll tell you later, you mouthed to her when Kylo wasn’t looking, too busy in his conversation with Phasma. 

After breakfast, Kylo stretched out before letting out a yawn. “I’m gonna go ahead and head home, (y/n), do you want a ride?” He asked you, turning to look at you.

“No, Phas is gonna take me home later. I’m gonna hang out here for a while,” you responded, only keeping eye contact with him for the necessary amount of time before he turned away, looking at Alan expectantly. Alan nodded before standing up, standing beside Kylo. 

“Well, I’ll see you guys later,” Kylo said. Alan waved goodbye to all of you before following Kylo out of the house. When the door shut, you let out a shaky sigh.

“Ok, so what’s wrong?” Sami asked, her and Phasma both turning to face you from their spots on the couch. As soon as Sami asked, tears began to prick at your eyes. You quickly tried to wipe them away before beginning to explain. 

In his car, Kylo kept tapping on his steering wheel, and it was beginning to annoy Alan.

“Alan, I have a question for you,” Kylo said, making Alan groan internally. Kylo was always annoying to deal with when he was antsy like this, and Alan wasn’t sure he wanted to indulge in whatever question Kylo had, but he was stuck in the car with him for at least another ten minutes, so he might as well.

“What?”

“Now, be honest. Do you think (y/n) likes me? Not as a friend, but as...more,” Kylo said, a blush rising to his cheeks.

Alan had to keep himself from scoffing. Even if it wasn’t obvious to the two of you, it was obvious to everyone else how the two of you really felt for each other. The fact that Kylo even had to ask was a little ridiculous, but he humored his friend.

“It seems pretty obvious to me that she does, but have you tried asking her yourself?” Alan said, looking out the window.

Kylo was silent for a moment as he pulled up to a red light. Then, he turned to Alan again.

“Wanna go see Milo?”

“He said he didn’t mean it?” Sami asked incredulously. You nodded, trying your hardest not to cry.

“He blamed it on the fact that he was drunk, but when we kissed it felt...good. I’d never even felt that way kissing Shawn,” you explained, the aching in your heart just increasing the more you talked about it.

“There’s no way he didn’t mean it. From my experience, drunk people are the most honest,” Phasma said with authority. 

“I don’t know. He seemed to really regret it,” you said, rubbing the back of your neck.

“That doesn’t make any sense. You might not see it, but Kylo is definitely into you. He looks at you the same way Milo looks at Sami,” Phasma said.

“I don’t know about that…”

“Oh come on, you guys act like you’re a real couple. Even we can barely tell the difference anymore, and we knew about Kylo’s plan from the beginning,” Sami started. “He probably only said that because he thought you didn’t feel the same way about him. Kylo is a very emotional person, but he does everything he can to keep himself from hurting again. It doesn’t make him any less of a fool.”

“Here’s my advice. When you get home tonight, talk to him, and tell him how you feel,” Phasma offered.

“But I don’t want to ruin the friendship we have. Being friends with him again has been amazing, I don’t want to risk that on the chance that he doesn’t feel for me romantically,” you said, laying back on the couch and looking to the ceiling. That was your biggest fear of all. If you could accept your feelings for Kylo and actually manage to talk to him about it, and he didn’t reciprocate your feelings, would he even want to continue being friends with you? 

“I think I fucked up,” Kylo said, plopping down on the couch inside Milo’s dorm room. He’d somehow managed to get a room to himself, something Kylo was grateful for right now. Alan plopped down beside Kylo, biting into a brownie his brother had given him. 

“What did you do this time? Nothing illegal I hope,” Milo said, seated at his desk. 

“No, it’s about (y/n),” Kylo said, running a hand through his black hair. 

“Did you finally tell her?”

“I did the fucking opposite.”

Milo sat there for a while and pondered before grabbing a pillow from his bed and throwing it directly at Kylo. It hit Kylo directly in the face, then fell onto his lap, leaving him with a look of exasperation towards Milo.

“First off, you’re an idiot. What exactly happened?”

“Last night I was crossfaded as fuck, and so I stayed over at Sami’s last night. Well, she decided to stay with me and so I...kissed her.”

There was silence over the room, as Kylo hadn’t even told Alan yet during the hours-long drive. Milo looked as if he was deep in thought. 

“Is that it? Seems like you let her know how you feel.”

“That’s the problem. This morning I told her I didn’t mean it like that.” Kylo felt stupid even just repeating it. He should have told you, should have brought you close and let you know exactly how he felt, but he didn’t, and now he was paying for it. 

“Wow, you really are a fucking idiot. Why’d you say that?” Milo said, standing up to grab a t-shirt and cover the smoke detector. Once he’d done that, he sat back down, cigarette in hand. 

“Because I thought it might be too soon for her, but as soon as I said it, the look in her eyes said otherwise, even though she tried to hide it.” Kylo couldn’t pretend to be oblivious to the hurt in your eyes as soon as he said his kiss didn’t mean anything. He felt horrible for making you feel that way, but he also couldn’t deny how terrified he was. 

He knew you were nothing like Stella, you were kind and considerate, but you also let him be himself. It didn’t prevent the fear in his heart about entering another relationship, though. He didn’t doubt that you would be an amazing girlfriend, but he was afraid of failing as a partner. Kylo knew he was a fucked up person, and that there was no fixing him at this point. He just hoped that you wouldn’t mind all the broken pieces. 

When Phasma drove you home that night, you noticed Kylo’s car wasn’t parked in the driveway. You felt worry settle into your stomach, but you ignored it as you climbed out of Phasma’s car. 

“Talk to him when he gets home,” Phasma said sternly.

“No promises,” you said. Phasma rolled her eyes in response before driving away. You then proceeded to walk into your house, making a beeline for your room to avoid any questions from your mom. You were at least glad that you’d decided to take a shower at Sami’s house, or you would’ve smelled like stale weed and alcohol. 

As soon as you got to your room, you were about to pull up your messages with Kylo when you saw headlights. Rushing to the window, you watched as Kylo’s car pulled into the driveway next door. Once the headlights were turned off, you watched as Kylo stepped out of the car, running a hand through his disheveled hair. You watched until he stepped into his grandparents’ home. 

With a sigh, you moved away from the window and then ambled over to your bed. Picking up your phone, you noticed you had just received a message from Kylo. 

Feel like skipping tomorrow?

You felt your stomach churn, but not necessarily in a bad way. You’d never skipped school before without being sick, so it made you nervous, but you were definitely open to try. 

Why not, was your reply.

In the morning, you got ready for school as usual before coming down the stairs to grab your lunch and meet up with Kylo. Once you were outside, the chill of the September morning seemed to be sent through your bones as you trudged across the grass to Kylo’s car, your shoes becoming slightly damp from the morning dew. 

“Morning,” Kylo said, smoking a cigarette as he waited for you. He was wearing his leather jacket, and you could see his box of cigarettes poking out from the front pocket. 

“Morning,” you started, smiling up at him. That aching in your chest was still present as you looked at him, though. “So, where are we heading today?”

“Well,” Kylo said, “I figured we could get some Waffle House, and then we can maybe go to Endor?” He offered as he opened up the driver’s door. You opened up the passenger door and climbed into the car, throwing your backpack into the back seat. Kylo settled into the driver’s seat, closing the door behind him and turning the key in the ignition.

“Yeah, that sounds good,” you responded as Kylo pulled out of the driveway. Soon, the two of you were out of the neighborhood, and heading to downtown Mos Eisley. Within minutes, the two of you were pulling into the Waffle House parking lot. 

When you walked into the Waffle House, the cold air hit you hard, and you instantly felt like you were freezing. You tried your hardest not to shiver, though, as the two of you walked over to one of the two-person booths. 

“You cold?” Kylo asked the moment you sat down. At that point, you had your arms wrapped around yourself to keep yourself warm.

“Just a little,” you admitted. After you said that, Kylo, without hesitation, removed his jacket and passed it to you over the table. You gratefully took it and pulled your arms through it, the inside still warm from Kylo’s body heat. 

“So, are you glad you’re here and not at Mos Eisley Hell School?” Kylo asked, leaning back in the booth. 

“Definitely. Any day I can go without having to hear someone gossiping about me is a good day,” you said. 

The waitress soon came up and took your drink orders while putting down your silverware. Kylo ordered a black coffee, and you decided to go with a coffee as well, but actually asked for cream. 

“So, what prompted you to want to skip today?” you asked, interlacing your fingers and placing them on the table. 

“I thought it might be nice to not go to school today. Besides, I wanted to spend the day with my best friend,” he responded. Your heart should have soared, but instead it sank. Maybe he did only see you as a friend after all. 

“You, of course, had to have a reason to accept, no?” he asked, breaking you from your thoughts.

“I just didn’t feel like going to school. Also, I’ve never skipped school without being sick before, so this is definitely a new experience for me,” you admitte. Kylo took a sip of his coffee and hummed sagely. 

“I thought so. My prescription is to have some fun for at least your senior year.”

“Well, I’ve already started having more fun since hanging around you and your lot, so I guess you could say I’m taking my prescription responsibly,” you said with a smirk as the waitress walked back over to you. You ordered some eggs, and Kylo ordered a waffle.

“That’s good that we’ve allowed you to walk on the wild side, which reminds me, we need to go to a thrift store today,” Kylo said.

“A thrift store, why?”

“So we can get you a leather jacket! You’re part of the crew now, and it’s about to start getting cold, as it’s almost October. Sami will do the embroidery, she did it for all of ours,” he said enthusiastically. This time your heart did warm up. You were so thankful to have become such good friends with everyone in such a short amount of time, and so glad they accepted you immediately. 

“Or I can just steal yours,” you teased, pulling the jacket closed, causing Kylo to frown. 

“I quite like mine, thank you, but if I must,” he responded dramatically. You started laughing as the waitress laid your food in front of you. The two of you dug into your food, Kylo offering you a bit of his waffle, which you gladly took. Once you’d finished up your food and coffee, you were about to pull out your wallet, but Kylo held up his hand, shaking his head.

“I got it,” he insisted, and you knew there was no point arguing with him, so you waited for him to pay the check before the two of you headed out. Soon, the two of you were headed for Endor. 

The ride there was peaceful as always, as you watched the trees become thicker, and the amount of cars on the road become sparse. You tried your hardest to keep your eyes on the scenery, but every once in a while, you’d glance over at Kylo, watching his face as he focused on the road ahead, tapping his fingers along to the music he was playing. You felt your breath leave your lungs the more you thought about how beautiful he really was, but you had to subtly shake those thoughts from your mind. You were just friends, you had to remind yourself. You couldn’t risk that, no matter how you felt. 

Soon, the two of you were pulling up to the booth. Kylo rolled down his window, pulling out the five dollar bill to pay for parking. 

“Ah, hello again you two. Shouldn’t you be in school?” Mr. Antilles said with a grin on his face. 

“Senior skip day. We decided some time out in nature would be good for us,” Kylo said with a matching grin. Mr. Antilles simply shook his head before taking Kylo’s dollar, and then handed him the dashboard paper for his daily parking. Kylo then smiled and waved as he proceeded into the parking lot. Once he was parked, he cut off the engine, then stepped out of the car, you following in his lead.

Like last time, you let Kylo, even though you knew exactly where you were going this time. It was nice to let Kylo lead you away, to watch as he ambled through the ferns and other brush on the barely visible path. It almost felt like something from a dream, especially now that some of the trees were starting to show the early signs of fall, their leaves yellowing slightly, a few littering the ground and creating a satisfying crunch each time they were stepped on. Soon, the two of you were at the boulder, and Kylo heaved himself on, staring out at the gorge. You sat down beside him, breathing in the fresh air as you looked at the treetops, admiring the mix of green, yellow, orange, and red. Something about this place always gave you an immense sense of calm.

“Hey, (y/n)?” Kylo said from beside you. You turned to look at him, and he was looking down at his hands. “What I said yesterday? I was lying.”

You felt your hold body freeze. “What do you mean?” Surely he couldn’t mean what you were thinking? 

“When I told you that kiss didn’t mean anything to me. It meant so much, and I wish I had just told you outright that it did, but I was scared,” he admitted. You felt your heart begin to beat faster, and tears began to gather at your eyes, but not from sadness “I was worried you’d only want to be friends, especially after Shawn, but I saw the look in your eyes, and then I wasn’t sure.”

You couldn’t help yourself as you wrapped your arms around Kylo, practically sobbing onto his shoulder in relief. Kylo was shocked for a moment, but then he wrapped his arms around you as well, though he was laughing instead of crying. 

“I guess that means you don’t want to just be friends?”

“No, you fucking idiot,” you said before letting go of him, and then grabbing his face in your hands, bringing him in for a kiss. When you did, Kylo slipped his arm around your waist, pulling you in closer, then resting his hand on the small of your back. Every moment of his lips on yours made your heart feel like it was soaring in the sky and over the gorge, and you never wanted to come down again. 

Once the two of you pulled away from each other, you looked into each other’s eyes, and you were mesmerized as you saw the glossy sheen of tears over Kylo’s beautiful brown eyes. You ran a hand through his hair before coming in again to hug him, wrapping your arms around his waist, taking in his warmth. 

“I was so afraid you just wanted to be friends, too,” you admitted, sniffling from your tears. 

“So we’re both idiots?”

“Yeah, we are.”

The two of you held each other as if, if either of you let go, the other would disappear forever. You were so lost in the moment, the only thing to break it was the buzzing of your phone in the jacket pocket. With a sigh, you pulled away from Kylo, and then pulled your phone out.

Where are the two of you? Sami had sent. 

We decided to skip today, Details to come later, you responded. 

“Sami?” Kylo asked, looking down at his phone. “She texted me, too. I’m supposed to be in class with her right now.” You chuckled, and then the two of you settled into a comfortable silence. You laced your fingers in between Kylo’s, and then laid your head against his shoulder, staring out to the scenery.

“So, I guess you’re officially my girlfriend now?” Kylo asked, resting his head atop yours. 

“Yeah, I guess I am,” you responded, unable to hide your grin. 

After a while more at Endor, the two of you decided to go ahead and go to the thrift store, and then grab some lunch. Now that the two of you were official, a heaviness seemed to lift from the air. You felt free, as if allowing yourself to be interested in Kylo was the catalyst to finally letting yourself do whatever the hell you wanted. You’d allowed yourself to be so caught up in what everyone else wanted, and now that you were doing things for yourself, you felt free, like a bird floating on a summer breeze. It was probably the best feeling of your life.

When you got to the car, Kylo turned up the music loud, singing along and encouraging you to do the same. You couldn’t keep down your laughter as you watched him enthusiastically sing along to the music.

The thrift store Kylo took you to was in downtown Mos Eisley, in a shopping district. Around it were a couple of cafes, and a nice little bookstore as well, all quaint little stores. This time of day, there were only a few cars passing by, but you imagined it would be busier once school let out. Kylo pulled into the public parking, and then paid to park for thirty minutes, and then the two of you headed to the thrift store, your fingers entwined. Now that the sun was shining, and it was closer to noon, you were getting a little warm in Kylo’s jacket, but you were hesitant to take it off, mostly because you didn’t want to carry it, but also because you enjoyed wearing Kylo’s things. 

When the two of you entered the store, you looked around, in awe of the different vintage clothes on display. Kylo took you out of your trance, though, as he tugged on your hand, pulling you towards the jackets. 

“Ok, black is traditional, but if you want to get a flight jacket, I won’t judge,” Kylo teased, causing you to push him gently. 

“Black works fine, thank you,” you said as you skimmed, trying to find a jacket in your size. It didn’t take long before you were pulling one off the rack, showing it to Kylo. He smiled and nodded, bringing you over to the cash register, where he paid for the jacket. You insisted on paying for it yourself, but Kylo refused.

“The person who tells about the jacket buys the jacket. For example, I bought Milo’s, and he bought mine, because we first thought of the jackets. Then, Milo bought Sami’s, and then he bought Alan’s, and I bought Phasma’s. It’s tradition, one that you’re a part of now,” he said, handing some cash to the cashier. You smiled as she handed you the paper bag with the jacket inside. 

As you walked out the thrift store, you were about to head towards the car when Kylo stopped you, pulling you back and bringing you in front of the window to the thrift store. You looked at Kylo, who was facing you, as if purposely trying to face away from something. When you made eye contact, he pointed to something behind him. As you tried to subtly look around him, you noticed why he’d stopped.

Sitting at one of the cafe tables was Pat, and he was sitting with Shawn and Stella. 

Chapter Text

Kylo was silent, the only sound coming from him was the tapping of his fingers on the steering wheel. You weren’t really sure what to say either. After seeing Pat with Shawn and Stella, the two of you didn’t stay any longer, sneaking away to the car, where you were now sitting in silence. 

You wanted to say something, but no matter what, you came up short, soaking in the silence as you tried to think of something, anything to say. However, after a while of thinking up nothing, you pulled out your phone and texted Sami, telling her about the whole situation. You felt she was the only person who could provide anything within reason to say. 

Excuse me, what the fuck? Was her response. You quickly typed away at your phone.

I know, it’s hard to believe, and I wouldn’t if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, you responded, letting out a sigh as you turned off your screen.

“Kylo?” you asked, finally breaking the silence. 

“Hold on, I’m thinking,” was all he said before pulling his own phone from his jacket, bringing up Milo’s name in his contacts. The phone rang for a few seconds before you could faintly here Milo’s voice through the receiver, deepened by the microphone in his own phone.

“Hey man, what’s up?”

“Is there any reason that you know of that Pat would be hanging with both mine and (y/n)’s exes?” Kylo said, trying to keep his cool. You held onto his hand and he gave you a grateful look before continuing to stare out the window. 

“Yo, what the fuck? I knew something was off about that kid, I told you,” was Milo’s response.

“Yeah, yeah, you told me, I know, but I didn’t think he’d be talking to my ex and my girlfriend’s ex, who conveniently hates me,” Kylo said with a huff.

“Yeah no fuck that- wait a minute, did you call her your girlfriend? You finally told her?”

“That’s neither here nor there, Milo, I’ll tell you later.”

“Yeah, no, I get it man. Yeah, fuck Pat, let me handle him.”

“You sure? I can handle him myself man, and honestly I’d like to fuck him up,” Kylo responded, his knuckles turning white from the way he was clenching his fist. 

“You don’t need to fuck him up, he’s friends with Hux, whose piggy daddy would love throwing you in jail for aggravated assault. No, let me handle Pat, that’ll be best for everyone,” Milo said with finality. Kylo was silent for a moment before letting out his own sigh, slackening his fist and closing his eyes. 

“You’re right. Just make sure he knows not to fuck with any of us anymore. I don’t want that poser anywhere near me,” Kylo said, his voice calming down. 

“Don’t worry about it man, when I’m done with him, he won’t even look your way,” Milo assured Kylo.

“Alright, well, I’m trusting you with this, man. I’ll talk to you later,” Kylo said with another sigh.

“Talk to you later, man,” Milo said before the line went dead. Kylo groaned, running a hand through his messy black hair before turning to look at you. Your eyes locked with his brown ones, and you tried to give him a smile, but it came out as more of a grimace. Kylo let out a chuckle before shaking his head. 

“C’mon, let’s head to my grandparents place. Granpa won’t snitch on us for skipping,” he said before letting out a sigh. You simply nodded as he turned the key in the ignition, the car roaring to life on his command. 

Within the hour, the two of you were pulling up to the driveway at the Skywalker house. You quickly stole a glance over to your own driveway before letting out a sigh of relief. Your driveway was empty, so there was no way that your parents would catch you in the act of skipping.

You climbed out of Kylo’s car, opting to leave your backpack and stuff inside as you followed behind him into the house. You were surprised that no one seemed to be home, and honestly, you were relieved. As much as you liked Mr. Skywalker, you didn’t really want to deal with any questions right now. 

As Kylo opened the door to the empty house, you let a sigh escape from your chest. What a day it had been. You and Kylo confessed your feelings for each other, and now you both had to worry about your exes hanging around each other, and with Pat as well. You couldn’t help but feel some deep foreboding in the pit of your stomach. They were definitely planning something, and you wanted to know what. 

“C’mon, I’m gonna take a nap, I think,” Kylo said, pulling you out of your thoughts as you watched him head for the stairs. Without hesitation, you followed him up the stairs, examining the pictures hanging on the walls going up the stairs. You smiled as you looked at the different memories of the Skywalker family, forever captured on these photos. 

The upper floor of the Skywalker home was not very large, but you couldn’t say you were surprised. This was a quaint little neighborhood, not at all like the Solo house in the richer part of town. Though the grandeur of a house like that was always impressive, you preferred this more modest home. It felt more cozy, and easier to live in. 

Kylo led you to his bedroom, which was very similar to the one at his parents house, though considerably smaller. The walls were painted a dark blue, but were covered by various posters across the wall. Accompanying the posters, on the wall above the desk, was a corkboard. As you walked closer, you took a look at all the pictures and things pinned onto it. There were lots of pictures of the Knights of Ren. One was clearly from homecoming the year before, as Milo and Jordan were both in the picture as well, their smiling faces matching those of everyone else. As you looked at the photo longer, though, you tried not to frown as you noticed that there was a part of the picture that had been cut off on the end. At the edge of the picture, you could only see a portion of a shoulder, which you assumed belonged to Kylo, as he was the only person missing in the picture. 

“Stella’s in that photo. That’s why it’s cut like that,” was all Kylo said as he plopped onto the bed, pulling out his phone and typing away on it as he lay on his back. You walked over to the bed, covered in a black duvet, and set yourself down beside Kylo, who moved closer to the wall so that you’d have room to lay down as well. You hesitated for a moment, your heart pumping a little faster as you considered laying down. Then, with a silent but shaky breath, you laid down next to Kylo. 

His body was warm, which you should have expected as much, but it still made your cheeks flush. You stared up at the ceiling, unsure of what to do with yourself as Kylo continued to scroll on his phone. After a few moments, he let out a sigh before laying the phone on the bed next to him, and turning to face you. 

“We can’t really catch a break, can we?” Kylo mumbled as he looked into your eyes. Adjusting yourself to face him, you simply sighed.

“Seems that way, doesn’t it? But hey, they’re not gonna fuck with what we have, okay?” you said to him, taking his hand in yours. Kylo hummed his response and then closed his eyes, intertwining his fingers in yours. 

“I just need a nap. I’ll set an alarm,” he said as he opened his eyes again, letting go of your hand to grab his phone and set an alarm. After setting his phone back down, Kylo scooted closer to you, pulling you into him and wrapping his arms around you. It made you feel so safe, to be tucked away in his arms, and you couldn’t help yourself as you scooted even closer to him, resting your cheek against his chest. It didn’t take long for the two of you to fall into a blissful and peaceful slumber.

A few weeks had passed and you still couldn’t quite get over the euphoria of being in an official relationship with Kylo. Being with Kylo felt as simple as breathing, and every moment you spent together felt effortless. You didn’t have to try so hard for Kylo, because he already wanted you the way you truly were, and not some facade that you’d created in order to fit everyone’s ideas of who you should be.

Unfortunately, the joy and happiness of being with Kylo couldn’t erase everything else going on. Three weeks had passed, but you couldn’t help but feel the pit in your stomach that Pat was up to something, and that Shawn and Stella were involved. 

Milo’s conversation with Pat had not gone well, which was also evident in the fact that Pat had sent a long, rather crude voicemail to Kylo. From what Milo said, Pat had all but threatened everyone in the group, but especially you and Kylo. He’d said some choice words in his voicemail that almost made Kylo drive to Pat’s house and deal with him personally. Fortunately, you were there to keep Kylo in check. 

Apart from that, you were still receiving the deathly looks from Shawn in physics. Every day you could feel his glare burning into the back of your head, but you never looked back. You wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of bothering you, but you were also afraid to see the look in his eyes. You couldn’t rationalize the fear, all you knew was that it was there. 

As the last of September’s heat faded and welcomed in the chilly winds of October, you found yourself adorning your new leather jacket that Sami had embroidered. As you walked down the hall in the late October afternoon, you kept stealing glances of both the KOR stitched onto the front pocket, and Kylo’s hand in yours. They were both sights you knew you would never be tired of. As the two of you settled into the lunch table, you pulled out your lunch, letting go of Kylo’s hand and already missing its warmth.

“Alright guys, I’m gonna do it,” Sami stated with finality.

“Do what?” Alan asked from beside her, biting into the banana he was eating. 

“Apply to Hosnian State’s art program! I’ve talked a lot to Mr. Jones, and he thinks my portfolio should be good enough to earn me some scholarship,” Sami said, beaming up at everyone at the table.

“Sami, that’s amazing! I’m sure you’ll get in, and get a scholarship,” you said as you smiled back at her, her excitement infectious. 

“You can also probably cut costs by living with Milo. The two of you could find a nice little apartment, but make sure it has space for all of us to come visit,” Kylo added with a smirk. Sami simply shook her head at him. 

“You know what, Kylo, that’s a grand idea. What about all of you, you know that most of the colleges nearby have their applications due by the end of December,” Sami pointed out, causing a groan to come from you, Kylo, and Phasma.

“I don’t even know what I want to major in, let alone where I want to go,” you said, putting your face in your hands. 

“I think I’ve settled on a major, but I still don’t know about location either. Part of me wants to go to HSU just to get the fuck away from Mos Eisley,” Kylo commented, resting his elbows on the table.

“I think I’m gonna go to Coruscant Central. The only problem is I have no idea what to major in,” Phasma added, running a hand through her blonde hair. 

“Well, we’ve at least got time to figure that out. As long as we figure out where to go, we should be fine,” you added before taking a bite out of a muffin. 

Thinking about college was definitely a source of stress for you. While there were plenty of things you were good at, you weren’t sure if you had passion enough for a subject to actually pursue a degree in it. Admittedly, though, you couldn’t deny that you shared Kylo’s sentiment about going to HSU. It would be nice to get away from Mos Eisley for once, and actually experience life outside of the prying eyes of your mother. You had the grades to get into HSU, maybe you would just start undecided.

You shook college from your mind after lunch, though. As you walked down the hall, your hand in Kylo’s, you couldn’t help but get the feeling that you were being watched. You looked around the hallway, trying to pinpoint the feeling when you spotted him. 

Leaning against one of the lockers ahead of you was Pat. You had expected the look on his face to be angry, one of contempt, but instead, he was smiling at you with an almost evil grin. You felt a chill run up your spine as the two of you made eye contact. You quickly turned away from him, but it didn’t stop you from noticing him turning away as well, walking towards the end of the hall. Whatever he had planned, you didn’t like it. 

As the two of you stepped into the Physics lab, you tried to keep your eyes away from Shawn’s spot in the classroom. You had a sinking feeling that if Pat was planning something, Shawn would be involved. After all, they looked pretty chummy when you and Kylo caught them together. The thought of them conspiring together was terrifying, and it chilled you to the bone.

Throughout class, you couldn’t help but feel dread, even though you were constantly trying your hardest to ignore it. Everything should be perfect now, after all, you and Kylo were dating for real this time, and even though your relationship with Rey had yet to be repaired, you were still friends with Poe and Finn, and you had all your new friends. By any stretch of the imagination, your senior year was going great, especially considering how it had started. You really had nothing to worry about, and yet here you were, stewing in your anxiety. 

Occasionally, you’d steal glances over at Kylo, trying to read his expression, but you never caught on that he might be feeling the same as you, or that he even suspected that you were feeling a certain way. No, he was just looking up at the board, taking notes, and then occasionally would draw on your notes, which were currently just a blank page with Kylo’s doodles all over them. 

You were thankful when the bell rang, and you began to gather your stuff to get ready to go to English. As you were packing up, your eyes scanned the room, and for a brief second, they made contact with Shawn’s. Much to your surprise, though, they didn’t have that cold, plotting look that Pat’s had earlier. Instead, it was the same angry expression he always gave you when he looked at you. It felt weird to say it, but you were relieved that it was only his anger you were looking into. With a sigh, you stood from your chair, waiting for Kylo to finish packing up before the two of you headed off for your last class of the day. 

Walking into English was always a little comforting, especially seeing Phasma and Sami waiting for the two of you. As you looked across the room, you also made eye contact with Poe and Finn, who both smiled and waved at you. You waved back, and made a mental note that you would need to hang out with them sometime soon. 

As you sat down, you let out a sigh, and Sami and Phasma both turned around in their desks to face the two of you.

“So, how was physics?” Phasma asked.

“The usual. Mr. Windu is having us do a take home lab with our respective partners, and it’s due next week,” Kylo said with nonchalance as he pulled out his copy of Hard Times. You tried not to look shell-shocked when he said it, as you’d spent your entire time in physics hanging on the edges of panic.

“Can’t wait for this semester to be over. What’s the plan for Halloween this year?” Sami said, leaning her elbow against your desk as she looked between the three of you. 

“Haven’t really thought that far ahead. I know I don’t wanna do another party, and also we have no place to do a party,” Kylo said as he brought his hand to his chin in thought. 

“How about we just come to my place and watch some movies or something? My mom’s gonna be gone on a business trip, so I’ll have the whole house to myself,” Sami offered.

“That sounds great actually. Should we still dress up, or should we just be normal?” you asked, kind of excited about the idea of spending the night with your new friends. In the past, you had spent Halloween in a very similar manner with your old friends, but you had a feeling that your new friends would probably want to watch more macabre movies than your old friends would. While you loved the fun Halloween classics, a scary movie did you good every once in a while. 

“Obviously you’ll come dressed up. I’ll be really disappointed if the two of you don’t come in a couple’s costume. Be Frankenstein and his bride or something,” Sami suggested, causing you to laugh, and for Kylo to let out a dramatic sigh.

“Wow Sami, I can’t believe you understand me so well, a being who did not ask to be created and is thus suffering in this corporeal form,” Kylo said wistfully, causing you and Phasma to laugh.

“Don’t be such a drama queen, Kylo,” Sami said as Mr. Skywalker stood up, drawing the attention of the class.

Your inability to focus followed you into English. It probably didn’t help that you found Hard Times incredibly dull, it just made it all the easier to shift your focus from the lesson, and onto your worries. 

Chill, take a deep breath, you thought to yourself as you inhaled deeply, and then exhaled. You needed to stop letting your worry consume you, especially now that you had something to look forward to. Halloween with your friends would be fun.

Then, without warning, an idea hit you. You pulled out your phone and started typing away.

Hey, do you wanna hang out tonight?

It didn’t take long for Poe to answer back.

Yeah! My place or yours? He responded.

Mine is good! I think my mom will appreciate me having some of my other friends over. 

Lol ok. After school work alright with you?

Yeah. See ya then!!

Now you had something else to look forward to, hanging out with an older friend. 

At the end of the day, you packed away your copy of Hard Times and let out a sigh. Once you were done packing up your bag, you leaned back, being greeted by the warmth of Kylo’s arm, which was resting on the back of your chair. 

“You two are gross,” Sami said, sticking out her tongue at the two of you. You laughed as Kylo shook his head.

“I don’t wanna hear shit from you, Sami. You and Milo are all over each other whenever you have the opportunity,” Kylo quipped back, causing Sami to frown, and Phasma to laugh. 

“Whatever,” Sami responded with a pout just as the bell rang. The four of you stood from your seats and headed out the classroom, ready to be away from the school for the rest of the day. 

“Do you wanna have dinner with my grandparents tonight?” Kylo asked as the two of you followed behind Phasma and Sami, who were chatting away.

“I can’t. I asked Poe if he wanted to come over, and he said yeah,” you responded. Kylo frowned for a moment, his bottom lip sticking out slightly in the most adorable way, but his frown soon turned to a smile. 

“Good. I’m glad you’re hanging out with him, seeing as it’s been a while,” he responded. “Just because you have new friends doesn’t mean you should forget about your old ones.”

“I think some of my old ones would rather eat dirt than talk to me right now,” you said with a sigh. You hadn’t so much as made eye contact with Rey ever since you had dinner at the Solo house, and even if the two of you were open to talking, you weren’t sure what to say. You definitely felt you were owed an apology, but that didn’t mean you were completely innocent in the situation, or its outcomes. If you’d been smart, you would have just sat her down and explained firmly that she wasn’t losing your friendship simply because you were dating her cousin. 

“Rey will come around eventually. I mean, I doubt she’ll ever be happy with the fact that we’re dating, but I think if she values your friendship enough, she’ll be able to overlook it for you,” Kylo said, helping to reassure that anxious part of you that feared your friendship would never recover. 

You grabbed Kylo’s hand and laced your fingers between his, smiling up at him. He gave you a half-smile back before leaning down and placing a soft kiss on your cheek. 

When Kylo pulled into the driveway of his grandparents home, you already saw Poe’s car parked on the curb between your driveway and the Skywalker driveway. With a final quick kiss from Kylo, you grabbed your stuff and walked over to Poe’s car, where he was sitting in the driver’s seat, staring at his phone.

As you approached, you tapped on the window, causing him to jump before looking over at you, his brows furrowed in feigned anger. You couldn’t help but laugh as you stepped back so that Poe could climb out of his car. Poe gave you a hug before the two of you walked towards your house. You looked back at Kylo one last time, who gave a wave to the two of you. To your surprise, Poe waved back to him.

Once inside your house, you passed by your parents talking in the living room, who gave you a shocked look when they saw Poe.

“Hey, Mr. and Mrs. (y/l/n)! How you guys been?” Poe said as your parents approached. 

“Really well, thank you! It’s been a while since we’ve seen you, Poe,” your mom said, giving you a look that made you wanna groan. 

“I’ve been kinda busy recently, but I had a free afternoon today! Just came to hang out with (y/n) for a bit,” he responded, as quick as ever with coming up for a reason for his absence that didn’t give your parents any hints to the argument you’d had, or your own neglect of your old friends. 

After your parents were satisfied, the two of you retreated to your room. With a sigh, you threw your stuff on the ground and threw yourself on your bed. Poe plopped himself onto your desk chair and let out his own sigh.

“So, what has been going on with you?” Poe asked, leaning back in the chair as he turned to face you.

“Don’t even get me started. Life has been so crazy recently, I feel like I’m getting whiplash from it all,” you said from your bed, staring up at the ceiling.

“I mean, they all seem like they live crazy lives,” Poe commented as he watched you.

“I guess. I mean, it’s mostly been crazy because of the drama. I never thought Kylo would have so much drama surrounding him, but I guess I was wrong,” you said. Poe perked up with curiosity, a grin forming on his face. This was a part of the reason you loved Poe. He was easy to tell anything to, especially since you knew he’d take your secrets to the grave. 

However, there were a lot of things involved in the drama that revolved around your former plan with Kylo, and you weren’t sure what Poe’s reaction to that would be. For a moment, you thought on it, trying not to look into Poe’s eyes as you weighed the pros and cons of telling him everything.

“Okay, so a lot of what’s happened might not make sense if you don’t know something very important, I just need you to promise me you won’t get mad when I tell you,” you said, twiddling your fingers and looking down at your lap as you waited for a response. 

“Sure, what is it?” Poe asked, leaning forward.

“I uh….mayhavebeenpretendingtodateKyloupuntilrecentlytogetbackatShawn,” you said very quickly. For a moment, Poe’s face was confused, but after he was able to discern what you said, his face shifted into one of realization.

“Oh my god, (y/n)! Wait, what do you mean up until recently?”

“Well, a few weeks ago, Kylo and I decided to become ‘official’ official, so now we’re actually dating. We just weren’t in the beginning.” You were still avoiding eye contact with Poe, but you could tell that the look on his face was incredulous.

“You should have just told me in the beginning! I get why you didn’t tell Rey, she would have shot the idea down immediately, but me? I would have supported you,” Poe said, causing you to look up at him.

“You would have?”

“Yeah. What better way to get back at Shawn than to date the person he hates the most.”

“But you’re not upset that me and Kylo are actually dating now?”

You waited as Poe thought for a moment, his fingers rubbing at his chin, and nose slightly scrunched as he thought about what to say. 

“No. When we talked that one day, I could tell that you really liked him, and I trust that you know how to pick a good partner, especially after Shawn. I was worried that you were maybe dating Kylo because he was the opposite of Shawn, and that you didn’t really feel anything for him. Also, I wasn’t really sure about Kylo’s intentions either. When I realized you genuinely liked him, that was enough for me,” he explained. Without warning, you pulled him in for a hug, squeezing tight as Poe laughed.

“Now, tell me all the drama,” he said once you let go.

And so you did, ready to share the craziness of the past couple of months with someone who hadn’t experienced it for themselves. It felt so good to explain to someone everything that had happened, and to get so many of your opinions off your chest. Poe was an amazing listener as well, engaging in the conversation and asking questions along the way each of which you provided answers. 

It felt good to tell one of your old friends about all the things that had happened with your new friends.

When you finished talking, you watched as Poe absorbed all the information you’d given him.

“So you’re worried Pat is gonna plan something?” he asked after a moment of silence. 

“Exactly. I don’t know why, but the way he looked at me today was so unnerving. He’s definitely got something up his sleeve,” you responded back.

“Well, I have a couple of classes with Pat. I can try to see if I can get him to talk?” Poe offered.

“No, I doubt he’d tell you anything. It looks like I’m just gonna have to wait and see what it is,” you said with a sigh. 

Though you were worried about Pat, and whatever it was he had planned, you still felt tremendously lighter than you had before telling Poe everything. Now, if you could only get Rey to be so compliant, maybe you could work your way with everyone else as well.