The Lake House [ Justin Bieber ]

twenty two.

Graduation was just around the corner. It was a rude awakening that the end of childhood was coming and the future was getting ready to hit without warning.

Ana had no idea what she was going to do after graduation. Her life was set in New York; she was going to go to Columbia. She was going to live in a loft downtown and drink coffee on rainy Sunday mornings and live the perfect life she was destined to have.

But destiny had other plans. She would not go back to New York, even if her life depended on it. Her life there was long over. She had finally accepted it.

After dinner, Dad and Lisa were exhausted from work so Ana offered to do the dishes. She did them by hand, to distract herself. Carrying the dirty plates to the sink, Ana glanced out of the window and into the darkness. Her eyes stopped, and she cocked her head to the side.

Justin stood at the end of the dock, shirtless and basketball shorts hung low on his hips. Ana caught a glimpse of his forearm, littered with ink, as he scratched at the back of his head, staring off at nothing. His hair was wet, sticking up everywhere.

Longing ached deep inside of Ana.

"This looks familiar." Her dad was suddenly behind her.

She jumped, "What?" She asked innocently, turning the faucet on.

Paul just shook his head, "Move over, I want to help."

They scrubbed the dishes in silence for a little bit, Ana washing and Paul drying. A few times, he would dip his hands under the water, trying to splash her.

"So what do you plan on doing? Are you moving out or...?" Paul put the last dish in the cabinet, leaning against the counter to face his daughter.

"I already told Lisa I'd babysit Oliver this summer. But I'll find a night job, waiting tables or something for cash. I might take some classes at Community in the fall but who knows. I just don't think a career is something for me." Ana picked at a piece of her nail.

Paul frowned. "I'm not forcing you to go to college, Ana, you know that. But you're smart and I don't want you to waste it."

She smiled weakly. "Is a year off from school really that painful?"

"No," Paul stared at the emptiness in Ana's eyes. "Maybe not."

"I'm really tired, Dad, so I think I'm going to take a shower and go to bed. I had a long day." Ana sighed, kissing Paul on the cheek.

"Okay, good night sweetheart." He said, giving her a comforting smile. He turned to the sink to dry his hands. Looking out of the window, he saw Justin facing up, staring at most likely Ana's window. He heaved a physical sigh, shaking his head and going into his own house.

Thursday night found Ana in the same position. She lay out on her bed, just feeling sad. She couldn't even pinpoint exactly what she was sad about anymore. It all streamed together in a mush of loneliness, growing up and Justin.

Tomorrow was his last day and she didn't know how to feel about that. She was relieved, on one hand, that after nine years, Justin was finally escaping his Uncle's grasp. Maybe this new family would be good for him. Justin would be safe and this fresh start could put him in a new state of mind.

But on the other hand, she selfishly didn't want him to leave. She couldn't call him hers anymore but that hope, which was the little bit of hope she still had that they could be JustinandAna again, was still in her.

He was leaving, and Ana had the urge to do something, but knowing that there was nothing she could do was frustrating.

Finally, after endless hours of lying in bed, at one in the morning Ana rolled out of bed. Grabbing a pencil and ripping a piece of paper from one of her notebooks, she sat on the floor of her room.