AN: Here's the next one! Thanks for all the follows, favorites, and reviews for this story. I really appreciate them!

Disclaimer: I don't own Castle.

Chapter 19

Kate spends the next few days preparing for the upcoming semester. She glances at the school website, noting that only a couple of professors posted assignments, but nothing overwhelming. Her parents more or less agree with the idea; but would rather she wait another two weeks before going off on her own. She wants to return as soon as possible to start moving on as much as she can.

She and Maddie talk on the phone during the day, both of them excited to start school again, even though Maddie's start day is a few months into the year. Kate's proud of her friend, knowing that despite her flighty behavior sometimes, Maddie is a hard worker. She just hopes they don't continue to drift apart like they had been when Kate started college.

On the case end of things, Bracken, to no one's surprise, pled not guilty to all of the charges against him. His accomplice, who goes by the name Dick Coonan, also pled not guilty. Both claim they have no knowledge of any plot to kill her mother or her mother's coworkers. Of course, they also assert that they have no idea who Rick is, at all. Kate's lost count of the amount of times she's rolled her eyes at the television while that particular topic is on the news. Apparently, the District Attorney is moving fairly quickly to process the case, but the trial won't be for another few months. So, Kate's free to complete her first year of college, much to her relief.

A knock at the door has her looking up from her check list.

"Here's the ticket for your flight," her mother says, handing her the ticket. "Are you sure you want to go this soon? Maybe wait another week?"

The young woman shakes her head. "No, Mom, I want to be able to move on. And what better way to do it than start classes and get distracted by boys?" She smirks.

"Okay, okay." Her mother rolls her eyes. "But if you need anything or want to come home..."

"I'll call you, of course." She smiles. Her flight isn't for another two days, but she understands her mother's anxiety. Her father hasn't been as vocal, but she notices the concern in his eyes whenever she talks about heading back to California. But they all know they have to face the music at some point.

She just hopes she's not jumping in too soon.

The flight to California is smooth, with everything going as scheduled. Kate waits at the baggage claim, examining the conveyer belt for her luggage. Every now and then, she glances over her shoulder, getting a feeling someone is watching her. Shaking her head, she grabs her bag once it appears, chalking up her feeling to stupid paranoia. She hails a cab outside on the curb and enters, giving the cabbie the address. The ride is a little long, with Stanford being more or less in the middle of nowhere. She just stares out the window, trying to keep her mind focused on returning back to campus. Each student gets to keep their roommate and dorm room from the prior semester, so there won't be much in terms of adjustment, she hopes. The classes she's taking this semester are still only ones she needs to take in order to obtain her diploma, so no real legal courses, yet.

The cab stops near the gate of the school and she grabs her luggage, heading toward the dormitories. Students bustle around the main quad, some already preparing for upcoming classes, while others are just mainly messing around with their friends. A few toss Kate a wave as she passes and she nods, giving them a small smile. As she moves deeper into campus, her shoulders relax, the tightness in her chest slowly fading, nerves calming. Yes, it was definitely a good idea to return to school.

She arrives at her dorm a few minutes later, hearing the familiar sound of rock music emanating from inside. Ah, yes, Abigail's here.

"Hey, Kate," her roommate greets, turning down the music when the brunette enters. Kate grins, noting that her roommate/friend now has purple hair this week or month. It really depends on the Theatre Art Major's mood. "Long time, no see!"

"Hey, Abby," the brunette responds, dumping her luggage on her side of the room. "How was your break?"

"Eh, alright. Worked on couple of projects for this semester's show, chilled out, hung out with some friends. You?"

The obliviousness in the girl's voice relieves Kate. She wonders if perhaps the news of the past few days only exists within the tri-state area of the world. Also, Maddie's make up tips were just that good that her scar isn't noticeable under all the concealer. That would make things so much easier.

"It was...interesting," she says. "Just hung out with my family and some friends, mainly."

"Cool." Abby nods. "Hey, I'm gonna head down to the café. Wanna come?"

'Nah, I'm going to unpack everything, get myself organized."

"Alright. See you later then!'

Her roommate departs, leaving Kate alone with the noise from the speakers. Sighing, she flips off the CD player and focuses on the task at hand. She still can't get into metal music.

As she works, the background noise of other students can be heard. Normally, it doesn't bother her, but she does catch herself cringing at the occasional bump and thump in the walls, as well as glancing out the window, the feeling of someone's eyes on her lingers. She pushes the reactions to the back of her mind, figuring it's only natural after the experience she had.

Once she finishes unpacking, Kate heads to the dining room, stomach growling. As she peruses the somewhat appetizing menu, an unfamiliar voice addresses her.

"Oh my god, you're that girl," the voice says, "You with the short brown hair and red shirt."

Furrowing her eyebrows, Kate glances away from the board, eyes narrowing at the red head.

"I'm who?" Kate asks.

"That girl who went missing back in the New York, the case with the senator," the girl answers. "My family lives in New York and my mom has been keeping tabs on that story all week. You're Johanna Beckett's daughter, right?" She smiles, her peppy tone bordering on creepy.

Kate bites her lip, feeling a few more stares in her direction. "Um, yeah, that's me."

"That must've quite an ordeal and to go back to school so quickly," the girl states. "I mean, that's so brave." She shakes her head, her red curls going all over the place. "Do you want to sit down and talk about it?"

"No, no thank you. I'm heading back to my room." Kate begins to walk away, but from her peripheral vision, she spots the girl reach out and grasps her arm, jerking her toward the tables.

"Come on, I'm sure it's an interesting story." Kate closes her eyes, pulling her arm back to her side.

"I said no!" She's met with silence from the whole dining room. Everyone's eyes are on her and the red head.

Without waiting for a response, the brunette turns and storms out, fist clenching, her eyes blinking back tears.

Looks like she'll be ordering in pizza tonight.

As she chomps down on yet another slice of extra cheese pizza, Kate sorts through her thoughts.

She understands her reactions are somewhat normal, given the traumatic situation she was in. However, she knows she can't continue on like this, especially if she wants to stay in school and be social.

Perhaps it might be good for her to just wander around campus alone both day and night, just to get used to being alone all hours of the day. She should probably also just try to go as many social things as possible in order to be able to deal with being bumped, shoved, and all the other things that students do when rushing to class. Yeah, that could work.

The sound of Abigail opening the door with her key breaks the brunette out of her musings. She glances up, seeing her roommate dump a bundle of bags on her side of the room.

"I heard about what happened in the cafeteria," Abby says, pulling out a bag of chips and a bottle of soda. "You okay?"

"Could be better," Kate mutters.

"I had a feeling. Do you want to talk about?"

She grimaces. "No, not really."

"I figured as much. However, if you ever want to talk to me, I'm here." Abby tosses her a bag of Cheetos, making Kate grin.

"Thanks."

The two munch on their snacks in silence, both completing assignments for their classes. Once done, the girls change into their pajamas and climb into their respective beds. Kate pauses, deciding to warn Abby about her nightmares.

"I, uh, haven't been sleeping well lately," she starts. "So, I might wake up or move, or something. I just don't want you to worry about it."

Abby purses her lips. "Thanks for the heads up." She goes to turn, but stops, apparently thinking. 'Have you considered seeing a therapist?"

"Um, no, why?"

"It might help you with what you're dealing with now." The Theater Major shrugs. "Helped me think through my own mess and I'm better for it. Just something to keep in mind. Anyway, goodnight."

"'Night," Kate mumbles. She stares into the dark and flinches when she hears a thump from next door.

Yeah, maybe a therapist will do her some good.