One of those 'popular' and 'cute' girls sidled up to Gregor. Again.

"Hey, Greg." She said, flashing him a smile and twirling her hair around her fingers.

"Hey." Gregor didn't understand why they even bothered. He was probably the quietest boy in the entire school, and he never made an effort to make friends. He didn't want friends. Life in the Underland had taught him what happened when you got to close to people. He avoided it as much as possible, but that didn't stop lots of the girls from trying.

"So, I was thinking, I'm going to a party this Friday, and I don't have a date. You wanna-"

"Sorry, busy." Gregor lied. He lied a lot these days. Years. Ever since moving to Virginia, actually.

"Oh." The hurt look that appeared on her face made Gregor feel a bit bad, but he really couldn't go with her.

The first time Gregor had even tried to go out with someone, he immediately thought about her. He called her to cancel, didn't even suggest doing it another time. He spent that night on his bed, looking at his picture of her, wondering if she was doing the same.

Gregor shook himself out of the memory. He couldn't afford to think of her. Not now, not ever.

She's probably moved on, anyway. He told himself. So you do that too. But he knew he would never do that. It wasn't just letting go of her, it was letting go of the whole Underland. And he couldn't do that. Boots–Margaret, now–had already forgotten most of their adventures there, only knowing through stories. Lizzie remembered, and so did their dad, but their mom tried to forget. She forbid talking about that place, but they all told stories to Boots for bedtime. More than once she's had nightmares because of it.

"What the hell, man?" Gregor's one 'friend,' or the closest one he had to one, Sam, pulled Gregor out of his thoughts.

"What?" Gregor snapped out of it.

"You just turned down Katie. She's hot, popular, nice, and not trashy. Why did you turn her down?"

"You know I don't go out, Sam." Gregor sighed. He just wanted to leave. He wanted to leave school, wanted to leave 'home,' wanted to leave Virginia, wanted to escape to the Underland. But that was no longer an option.

"Why not? Dude, we're graduating next year, and you haven't dated once."

"I have…" Gregor tried to steel himself from the lecture he knew he would get.

"You definitely have not!" Sam looked frustrated. "That one time you almost went out with Rachel, that doesn't count. You need to get out there. I'm your only friend, and I know about you as much as the next person."

"So?"

"So you need to stop being so secretive and isolated! Get out there! Make friends, talk to people, don't push people away!"

"You don't know what happens to my friends!" Gregor bellowed, standing up and clenching his fists. He regretted it immediately. All these years, and he had stopped trying to control his temper. Avoiding incidents was all he could do.

"I am your friend, Gregor? I've been your friend since the eighth grade! Nothing has happened to me!" Sam stood up as well. "Gregor, whatever happened back in NYC, it's not gonna happen here."

"You don't understand." Gregor looked down, ashamed. He slowly sat back down.

"Yeah, because you shut me out, like everyone else. How can Margaret and Lizzie even tolerate you at home?"

"I don't shut them out." Gregor mumbled.

"Then why do you shut the rest of us out?"

"Because…" Gregor seemed to be talking to himself now. "Because my heart's too full… Ares is too big… I can't hold anyone else in there… There's no more space…"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Gregor's head snapped up as he realized that he had spoken outloud.

"Nothing. I just… There are only so many people I can look out for."

"Look, I get that you had a lot on your hands back in New York, but it's different here. And you'll be going to college soon. Your sisters can take care of themselves. Your parents are fine. Why do you still push everyone away?"

"I gotta go." Gregor got up, leaving his 'friend.'

He spent the rest of the day trying to erase the memory of his best friend lying dead beside him, wishing he were dead as well.

Wow, this was supposed to be about Luxa/Gregor… I'm near tears. Review/PM me if you hated the ending to the last book! I can't believe Suzanne Collins would do that to us! ;(