"I don't want to go home," I sighed as I slid into the front passenger seat of Melanie's black 1998 Dodge Neon.

"Are you still pissed off at your mom and Dean?" Melanie asked as she shut her door and started up the car as I fastened my seatbelt.

"Not pissed. I just don't want to talk to them," I replied as Melanie fastened her seatbelt as well. She shot me a look as if to tell me that she knew better than that.

"Yeah, okay, so I'm still a little pissed off at them," I shrugged as she shifted the car into reverse and began to back out of her parking space. "And mom doesn't believe me when I say I'm not going back to Charlie and Barbara's. She thinks the whole thing will just blow over, and maybe it will. But I'm just sick and tired of going there and having her walk all over me like a doormat. Mom thinks I should just tell Barbara whatever she wants to know, but everything is not her business. And I wasn't about to tell her why I was talking to Zac either," I sighed as I looked out the window as Melanie's car sped down the highway.

"Why not?" Melanie asked.

"Everyone gets weird when I mention Cat's name," I said as I leaned my head against the window. "And I didn't really feel like ruining everyone's night even though Barbara successfully ruined mine."

"Have you called Zac yet?" Mel asked as I switched on her radio.

I lifted my head and took a deep breath. "Nope, not yet," I replied.

"When are you going to call?" she asked.

"Maybe this afternoon," I replied. "I don't know. I don't know what to say to him. I'm afraid he's going to ask me about Cat over the phone. And I suppose I could just tell him over the phone, but I'd hate to do that. That seems so … so cold or something. Does that make any sense?" I glanced at Melanie.

"Plenty," she nodded. "And if this guy was really into Cat like you said he seemed to be, then he may not take it well, so I think it would be nice if someone were there in case he needed some comforting," she said. "But my question to you is - are you up to that?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" I frowned.

"I dunno," she shrugged. "You just don't talk about Cat very much. Your mom thinks that you aren't coping with her death."

"How do you know that?" I asked.

"I overheard her talking to my mom," Melanie replied.

I rolled my eyes. "And how exactly am I supposed to be acting?" I questioned. "I know I'm not the same as I used to be in a lot of ways. But my twin sister is dead, and I know she's not coming back. I know that, so how am I not coping?" I glared.

Melanie took a deep breath and shot me a sympathetic smile. "I don't know, Ana," she replied honestly. "I think your mom's just worried because you've been pretty standoffish lately. I can't blame you. And I know I can never understand what it's like for you with Cat gone, but sometimes it just seems like you're shutting everyone out. You haven't talked about it hardly at all, and it's been a year."

"I know I haven't," I sighed. "I just don't really know what to say. I know nothing is ever going to be same for me now Cat's gone. The past year just seems like a complete blur to me. I don't even know where time went. I think about Cat all the time. I have to because every time I look in the mirror, I see her. There are so many thoughts going through my head all the time I can't even make sense of it sometimes. I don't even really know who I am anymore because when Cat was here, I knew who I was. I was Cat's twin and with her around I knew how to act and what to say, and now … I'm just Ana … Cat isn't here to help define who I am anymore, and I'm trying to figure that out now, but it's really hard."

"Ana, believe it or not, Cat didn't make you who you are," Melanie commented. "You've always been your own person. You and Cat always made sure of that. I know it was easier for you to define yourself with Cat around because you could pick out the distinguishing differences in your personalities and likes and dislikes, but that didn't make you who you are."

I stared out the window. I hated to admit it, but Melanie right in a lot of ways. Cat didn't necessarily make me who I was, but she did help me find myself. She always pushed me to try different things and to be more outgoing. I missed that.

I was so shy when I was younger while Cat was always so outgoing and willing to talk to anyone that would listen. As we got older, she helped me break free of the shell I was in and I became less introverted and started to make friends easier, and I was a lot happier. It was all thanks to Cat's pushing, but now she wasn't here to give me the kick in the ass I needed. I had begun to crawl back into my shell and hide from the world once again.

"I hate you, Mel," I sighed as I glanced at her.

"Why do you hate me?" she asked with a frown.

"Because I know you're right," I replied. She smiled slightly and turned back to the road. "When did you get so damn smart anyway?" I asked.

She shrugged and smirked. "I don't know. It just seemed to happen overnight."

I shook my head and chuckled lightly. "I think I'll call Zac when I get home," I commented thoughtfully. "And to answer your question - I'm not sure if I'm up to comforting him if he needs it, but I guess there's only one way to find out."

"You know I'll go with you if you need me to," Melanie offered.

"I know," I nodded.

"I miss her too, Ana," Melanie said softly. "I miss her a lot."

I was quiet for a few minutes. Hearing Melanie's words made me realize how selfish I had been in the last year. Everyone tiptoed around me trying not to upset me by talking about Cat, and I had never even thought to ask Mel how she was handling Cat's death. Cat was her best friend too.

"Mel … if you ever want to talk about Cat, you can talk me," I finally offered. "I know you've kept a lot of her feelings about it hidden for my sake, but you don't have to do that anymore."

Melanie looked at me and gave me a weak smile. "Thanks, An."

By the time we arrived at my house, I was feeling a little bit better. It had been a long time since I'd opened up and really talked about Cat, and I felt like I had a bit of weight lifted off of my shoulders.

We walked into the house and Mel threw her keys down on the table by the doorway. "I'm going to go take this stuff upstairs," I said as I held up my bags.

"I'm gonna go see if you guys have any food," Melanie replied as she headed for the kitchen.

"But we just ate lunch!" I called after her.

"So what?" she called over her shoulder.

I shook my head and laughed as I hurried upstairs. I threw my bags on the bed before I went back downstairs and joined Mel in the kitchen.

"Find anything to eat?" I asked.

She held up a container of yogurt as she grabbed a spoon out of one of the drawers. "I hope nobody had his or her heart set on eating this," she commented as she pulled the foil off the top and began to chow down. "It's the last one."

"It's beyond me how you can eat so much and not gain any weight," I commented.

"I have a high metabolism," she shrugged.

"One of these days it's gonna catch up with you," I replied as I took a bottle of water out of the refrigerator.

"I don't know why you're worried about me," Melanie replied. "We're the same size."

"Yeah, but I actually have to watch what I eat!" I exclaimed.

Mel rolled her eyes as she threw her yogurt container away and went back over to the refrigerator and began to look for something else to eat as Dean walked into the kitchen.

"Hey, girls," he said as he sat his briefcase down on the table and took off his suit jacket.

"What are you doing home from work so early?" I asked.

"My last two clients cancelled, so I took the rest of the afternoon off," he replied. "I thought I could get dinner started for your mother."

"Oh, cool," I nodded.

"What are you fixing for dinner?" Melanie asked with interest.

I laughed at her. "Mel, you're such a pig!" I commented before I turned to Dean. "Mel ate a salad and cheeseburger and fries at lunch, and as soon as we got here, she started eating again. She ate mom's last container of yogurt too."

"Melanie, doesn't your mother feed you?" Dean grinned.

She held her hands up innocently and shut the refrigerator door. "Fine, I'll lay off the food," she said in defeat.

"So, how was the mall?" Dean asked.

"Busy!" Melanie replied. "We had to wait in line for so long just to pay for our stuff."

"Yeah, it was pretty bad," I added.

"Did you get everything you needed for your trip to your uncle's?" Dean asked.

"I think so," I replied "At least I hope so. I don't want to go back to the mall anytime soon."

"Ditto," Melanie agreed.

"Well, I think Mel and I are gonna go up to my room if you need us," I commented as I stood up.

"Okay," Dean nodded as Melanie and I left the kitchen and headed upstairs to my room.

"So, you're on speaking terms with Dean again, I see," she commented as she fell back on my bed as I slid into the chair in front of my computer with a sigh. "I thought you said you were still pissed at him and your mom."

"Yeah, I am," I nodded. "But he bought me some candy and a movie and begged for my forgiveness, so he's sort of forgiven. Besides, I'm not sure he cares much for Barbara either."

"You're parents sure do use bribery as a means for forgiveness a lot, don't they?" Melanie laughed.

I nodded with a grin. "Lucky for me, huh?"

"Pft, yeah, I wish my parents would use a little bribery on me every once in a while," she smiled.

"Yeah, well, I think my mom and Dean felt bad about not standing up for me when Barbara was badgering me," I commented. "Dean more so than my mom."

"Well, they should feel bad!" Melanie said. "Barbara is like … the evil step grandma from hell."

"Yeah, just be glad she's not your step grandma!" I replied.

"Oh, believe me, I am," Melanie laughed. "I got a good deal with Grandma Liv and Grandpa Cam."

yep I smiled and nodded in agreement. My mom's parents were the best grandparents in the world. Grandma Liv was one of the most amazing people I ever met. She was so kind and loving. Cat and I could sit and talk to her for hours, and Grandpa Cam was the sweetest man in the world. He was a veterinarian and loved animals. In fact, after their four children moved out of the house, my grandparents bought a large plot of land and had a house and a barn built. Over the years they accumulated several animals - including horses, sheep, a few dogs, and several cats. My grandparents absolutely loved living on their little farm away from the world. I loved going to visit them.

"So, are you going to call Zac?" Melanie asked curiously.

I sighed. I knew she wasn't going to leave me alone until I called him, so I simply nodded and dug around my desk until I found his phone number. I picked up my phone and held it between my ear and shoulder as I dialed the number.

As I waited for someone to answer, I realized I had no idea what I was going to say and I began to panic. I was about to hang up the phone when a guy answered the phone. "Hello?"

I sat there dumbly for a second. "Hello?" he asked again.

"Is ... is Zac there?" I managed to ask as I glanced at Melanie who gave me a reassuring smile.

"Yeah, hang on," he replied. I heard him yell into the distance. "Zac! There's a girl on the phone for you!"

A few seconds later I heard a couple of voices in the background, but I couldn't make out what they were saying, and then finally someone picked up the phone. "Hello?" I recognized Zac's voice immediately.

"Um … hi, Zac?" I said nervously.

"Yeah?" he replied uncertainly.

"This is Ana," I began.

"Oh, hey, Ana," he replied. I could tell that he was smiling. "What's up?" he asked.

"Not too much," I replied. "What about you?"

"Eh, just helping my cousin paint the fence out front," he replied.

"Oh, fun," I commented.

"Not really," he laughed. "I've got paint in my hair and it's so hot out today."

"Aww, poor baby," I grinned.

"Yeah, poor me," he laughed.

We were both quiet for a second. I wasn't quite sure what to say next.

"I wasn't sure you were going to call," he commented.

"Yeah, I'm sorry about taking so long," I replied. 'So long?' I thought. 'It's only been a couple of days since I met him.' "It's okay," he replied.

"Yeah … so I know you were asking about Cat …" I began. I looked over at Melanie again and she nodded and mouthed for me to keep talking. "I … uh … I'm going to be in town next week. I'm staying with my cousin, so I thought maybe we could get together one day and talk … about Cat, I mean."

"Okay," he said slowly. "When do you want to meet up?"

"Well … there's this diner near the lake … it's called Cleo's …" I began.

"Oh, I know where that's at," he commented.

"Would you want to meet there on say … Sunday?" I asked.

"Sure," he agreed. "What time?"

"Uh … noon?" I suggested.

"Okay, works for me," he agreed.

"Okay," I smiled. "Then I'll see you Sunday. Now I'll let you get back to painting that fence."

He laughed. "Oh, great," he commented. "I'll see you later, Ana."

"Bye," I said before I hung up the phone and turned back to Melanie as I let out a huge sigh.

Melanie grinned at me. "That wasn't so bad, was it?" she asked.

"No, I guess not," I replied with a laugh. "But I didn't know what to say to him!"

"Well, you sure sounded like you were flirting with him!" she exclaimed.

My jaw dropped and I stared blankly as Melanie for a moment. "I was not flirting!" I exclaimed.

"Anastasia McGrew, I know flirting when I hear it!" Melanie argued. "And you were, in fact, flirting."

I rolled my eyes. "Shut up, Mel," I replied as my phone rang, causing us both to jump. We looked at each other and laughed. I picked up the phone and tried to hold back my laughter as I answered. "Hello?"

"Stacie!" My laughter quickly died away and the expression on my face grew serious as soon as I heard his voice. Only one person called me Stacie.

I swallowed hard, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Melanie look at me with concern.

"Hi … dad," I finally managed.

"How are you doing, Sunshine?" he asked.

"I'm okay," I replied softly. I was silently wracking my brain for a reason for my dad to be calling me. I hadn't spoken to him in months, and he usually only called on special occasions or when something bad happened. "Why are you calling me?" I asked.

"What? I can't just call out of the blue to talk to my daughter?" he asked with a laugh.

I was silent for a moment. Since there was no special occasion to speak of and as far as I knew, nothing bad had happened to anyone, there was only one more reason for him to be calling. "What do you want?" I finally asked.

He sighed into the phone. I was clearly right. He wanted something.

"I'm going to Nana McGrew's on Monday and I wanted to you to come with me," he replied.

I was silent for a moment. I talked to Nana McGrew, my father's mother, every few weeks. She always made sure to call to check up on me. However, the last time we spoke, she hadn't mentioned anything about my father coming for a visit. In fact, she hadn't spoke to him for a while either and wasn't entirely sure of his whereabouts.

"Why?" I finally asked.

"Because I haven't seen you for a while, Sunshine," he replied. "I miss you. I thought we could spend the day together and catch up on what's going on. And I know you haven't visited Nana for a while … I just thought it would be nice to get together."

"I'm going to Uncle Alden's next week," I commented.

"Alden doesn't live that far away," my dad commented. "I could come pick you up and bring you back."

I wanted to scream. I hated how my father would just call out of the blue like this and expect me to drop everything. It wasn't fair. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. As much as I didn't want to see my father, I knew it would be nice to see Nana McGrew again.

"Fine," I replied. I hated it, but I always gave in when he called like this. "What time will you be there to pick me up?"

"I'll come around eleven," he replied. "That way we'll get back in time for lunch."

"Okay," I sighed. "I've gotta go. I'll see you Monday."

"Bye, Sunshine. I love you," he said.

And I hung up.