Finley's P.O.V

My alarm went off at three am, playing Neon Trees' Everybody Talks. I groaned and rolled over, switching it off and happening to glance at the time when I noticed that it was only three am, and I had a good three more hours of sleep. I spent the next three hours trying to sleep until the time on my clock finally clicked to six in the morning, and I rolled out of bed.

Too lazy to take a shower, I simply put my hair up in a ponytail and pulled on jeans, half asleep as I jumped around, wiggling and trying to get my skinny jeans over my butt. Finally, they were on and I was exhausted, tempting to just fall over and fall asleep again. I grabbed the first shirt I saw, a gray shirt with a dream-catcher on it and I thought, this is a sign from the universe. I should go back to bed and dream.

Just as I was sitting down on my bed, my mother called up the stairs, "Finley, come on, you're going to be late!"

Glancing at my clock, I saw that I had half-an-hour until I had to leave for school. Stupid parents, thinking that you really needed more time than you actually did.

I dragged myself downstairs, simply hovering around my kitchen, unwilling to eat anything, as breakfast was overrated. So what if it was claimed to be the most important meal of the day? So what if my health teacher told me that a good breakfast helped your brain jump-start on the day? Who cares? No teenager I know, that's for sure.

"Honey, aren't you going to eat?" Mom asked.

"Not hungry," I grunted, messing around with a mug, debating if I had time for hot chocolate.

"But you need to eat breakfast!" she trilled from behind me.

I closed my eyes and internally groaned before turning around to face my mother. "Mom, I don't eat breakfast. I'm not hungry," I explained, trying to make her understand that I wasn't about to eat anything any time soon.

"Well, did you make your lunch?" Mom eyed me. "And make a sandwich?"

"Mom, I barely have any time to eat lunch anymore," I explained, for what felt like the hundredth time. "I don't have time to each a sandwich, and even if I made one, I'd probably just eat my apple." Or steal Eli's chips from the vending machine, I added in my head, although I think if I said that aloud my mother would smack me upside the head.

Luckily for me, I saw that I had to leave by the time Mom tried to come up with an argument. I quickly kissed her on the cheek. "Gotta go, bye, see you later!" I called, as I was already in the garage and slipping my black Toms on.

Breathing a sigh of relief once I was in my car, I was ready to just go back to bed, and I hadn't even been at school yet. Mom was just so clingy, and making sure that I was absolutely ready for school, even though I had been getting myself ready since middle school, and that was seven years ago.

Pulling into the lot of the great (i.e. old and decrepit) Dr. Pennington High School, I set my sights on the part of the building where my locker was located and sighed deeply, more than ready to just turn my car around and go back home.

...

I hitched my backpack over my shoulder, glad that school was finally over. I got to see Eli, and that was always a bonus to my day.

Humming a random tune under my breath, I rounded the corner and stopped short, my backpack almost falling to the floor.

Eli was kissing a girl.

I had no idea who she was and they were kissing pretty enthusiastically, her hands in his hair and his wrapped around her tightly. I blinked several times, trying to delude myself into thinking that I was having a very, very bad dream.

I bit my lip hard, almost drawing blood as they continued to kiss. Of course. He was Eli Sanders, the school's resident bad boy. Why wouldn't he have a girlfriend, or at least a girl toy? Sadly, I had hoped that it was me. Apparently not.

I couldn't take it anymore and I ran off, skidding around corners, trying to find an empty and unlocked classroom. Seeing an open door, I ran into the room, finding the nearest wall and I sank down against it, shaking violently and breathing heavily, but not quite having an anxiety attack. This was only the beginning o a full-blown freak-out. I could feel the tears gather in my eyes as I thought of Eli. He kissed another girl. I could feel my heart break a little more as I started to cry. I now know why they call it a crush- you only end up crushed. But I thought Eli was different. He was a bad boy that wasn't really bad and he could calm me down. Even worse- I thought he cared. I thought he actually liked me, from being nervous to meet my parents to climbing a roof when he was sick to visit me.

I really started to panic now, sobbing uncontrollably and I buried my face in my arms and cried.

"Aw, Finley," someone whispered.

My head snapped up, praying that it was him, but it was only Allie. How long had I been crying here?

"W-What are you d-doing here?" I questioned, trying to stop crying.

Allie held up her phone. "Butt-dial," she explained. "I heard you crying on the phone, so I decided to come visit my rival high school."

"Y-You went to Belluse?" I asked in surprise. I totally had her pegged at being from New York or London, or something exotic like that.

Allie smiled slyly. "Yeah, and I actually quite hate this school, so yeah... what's wrong, Fin?"

"D-Don't call me t-that," I stammered. "Only Eli g-gets to."

"Sorry," Allie whispered and sat down next to me. "How 'bout I call you Lee?"

"L-Lee?" I croaked.

"Yeah, like, instead of your full name, Finley, I use the back half of your name, hence, Lee," Allie explained.

"O-Okay," I said uncertainly.

"Okay, Lee, what's wrong?" Allie asked.

I started crying again, I thought of Eli and that other girl. "E-E-Eli," I stuttered.

Allie's eyes flashed. "What did he do?"

I almost giggled at the sight of her balling her fists and standing up. Allie was a sweetheart, now a fighter. Eli was like twice her size.

"He kissed another g-girl," I said quietly. "And it s-sucks, you know. I thought h-he actually liked m-me."

Allie sat back down and wrapped an arm around my shoulder. "He does like you, I can tell. He'd be silly not to."

I do chuckle at that. "Why's that? I m-mean, look at me, I'm a m-mess."

"Ah," Allie said, raising a finger. "But you are a very nice, pretty mess. And if I was a lesbian or even bisexual, I'd definitely go for you."

I wasn't sure whether or not to be gratified or concerned about that comment, so I just said, "Thanks."

"No problem," Allie said cheerfully. She's so sweet, but she also doesn't really sensor her thoughts (enter-dick comments) and I think that was why my brother is so attracted to her. Hell, even I was attracted to her a little.

"But it hurts, you know," I said, wiping my eyes, a little cried out.

Allie nodded. "Let me tell you a story," I nodded and she continued. "In college, I have a hard time making friends or getting boyfriends. I was too rude or too shy. So when Luke wouldn't leave me alone, I was surprised. Boys like him don't like girls like me but I'm glad. I really love him," she confessed, looking at her hands.

I smiled. "That's great, he really loves you too, you know." At her disbelieving glance, I went on to explain further. "Like, he's the bad boy that's only weakness is the nerdy girl, like in romance books. It's cute."

Allie smiled wryly. "Luke isn't any more of a bad boy than your Eli is. Talk to him. Maybe it's different then what you saw."

With that, Allie patted my shoulder and left me with her words lingering in my mind.

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So yeah, instead of weekly updates, they're turning into every other week updates, but in my defense, I am in high school, and I do have a life outside Wattpad, as surprising as it seems. Speaking of that life, I just saw the movie When The Game Stands Tall, (shitty title for an amazing movie) and it was amazing. I looooove those old-timey true story football movies, and it was like that but Alexander Ludwig was in it and it made me debate my sports life and you should all see it, like, right now.

on another note, tomorrow is my birthday! That's right, tomorrow, 11/11/14, i officially turn 15 (now you all know how old i am) and yay!!! Imma party it up! jk, i already got some of my presents and I got Sam Smith's album and The Fault In Our Stars movie and Just Dance 2015. Sue me, but I love that game and will continue to play it until i can't anymore. Anyway, that's it, hope you enjoy the chapter even though it's kind of short and this author's note is really long, and that's it, bye!

Love ya!

-T A Y L O R