Tobi agreed to talk to me at lunch and clear everything out. I was a bit nervous as it had been quite a while since we spoke, with her suddenly becoming BFF's with Taylor and ignoring me. Despite this, I knew she would have an idea about what was going on.

An hour or so after I arrived home John had called me. I decided to ignore it, being weirded out by his behaviour. Plus, he was so angry about his friends that it kind of scared me. I wanted him to cool down first before we spoke.

I felt quite excited as I got ready for school the next morning, I was finally going to get answers. After completing my hygiene routine I decided on an outfit.

I picked out a tight, slightly cropped red shirt with high waisted blue skinny jeans and white converses. I added my blue denim jacket as it was a bit chilly. Since I had half an hour until I had to leave I straightened my hair until it was glossy and pin straight. I put on concealer, highlight and mascara to finish the look.

Satisfied with my appearance, I went downstairs to have a cheeky breakfast before school. I got carried away watching Once Upon A Time while eating my cereal, and it took my mum letting me know I had five minutes before school started for me to sprint out of the house.

After a couple of seconds I stopped running because I realised I wouldn't make it on time. If I was going to be late, I didn't want to look sweaty and flustered. Fifteen minutes later I arrived at my free period class and was thrilled to see a substitute and not my actual teacher.

The substitute let me off so I gladly took my seat next to Maya who was talking to Teresa.

"Hey guys." I greeted, taking a random book out. Maya gave me an unimpressed look.

"Late again, Chloe?" She asked. I just shrugged and gave her a sheepish grin. They resumed their conversation and I realised they were talking about someone, specifically Elijah.

"Maya, I'm telling you, date the guy! He definitely likes you." Teresa said, flicking her long braids over her shoulder. Maya narrowed her eyes.

"If he likes me so much why was he talking about another girl to his boys, huh?" She questioned. I frowned, leaning forward.

"When was this?" I asked.

"This morning," Teresa informed me. "We were all hanging out before class started when Maya overhead Elijah talking about some chick to Brock."

"If you came on time you would have been there." Maya added, and I shoved her playfully.

"Wait, I just had an idea! Chloe could talk to Elijah," Maya proposed. Teresa and I gave her an incredulous look.

"Listen hear me out," She shifted in her seat so she was facing both of us. "Chloe's the closest to the boys out of us three, so Elijah might trust her enough to say if he's interested in me or not." Maya turned her gaze to me. "But you need to ask him in a way where it's not obvious that I want to know, yeah?"

I thought about it for a few seconds before nodding. "Yeah, I can do that." I told them both confidently. For the rest of the period we came up with a plan.

During English, I would intentionally speak about Maya being interested in another guy to Brock and see if Elijah got jealous or bothered. If that didn't work I would corner him afterschool and ask him about her.

When class ended I walked with Cory to English. We made idle conversation as we waited outside the classroom since it wasn't open yet. One of his teammates came, distracting him into another conversation, leading me bored.

I sighed, looking around the hallway when I spotted Brock and Taylor. Brock was lazily getting something out of his locker and Taylor was leaning against one next to him, chatting enthusiastically.  I was too far away to hear what they said but I could see their expressions clearly.

Taylor waited quietly for him to finish, before saying something that must have been scandalous because Brock shot her an offended look and shoved her away. She laughed in response, wrapping her arm around his muscled one.

Brock cringed away but she held on, and they started walking in my direction. I immediately shifted my gaze to something else, choosing to stare at Cory's shoes. They were dirty.

"Hey Clo." Brock greeted as he and Taylor neared me. He untangled himself from her grip, to which she dramatically placed a hand on her heart.

"See you in class, Taylor." Brock said, clearly dismissing her as she stayed standing there. Taylor rolled her eyes, but walked off, not before shooting me a glare.

"What was that about?" I asked, choosing to ignore her glare. Brock sighed, running a hand through his short curls.

"Dunno, she just keeps bothering me!" He exclaimed. "We can't even have a normal conversation because all she talks about is how great and pretty she is, which is true but-" I gave him a bewildered look, causing him to fumble over his words.

After stuttering messily he just decided to keep quiet, causing me to giggle. Finally, Mrs Valencia arrived and opened the classroom, letting us inside. I walked to my seat with Brock hot on my tail.

When everyone was settled I realised John hadn't arrived, causing me to sigh. I wanted to talk to him about his weird behaviour yesterday.

Around fifteen minutes into the lesson, the class was just causally talking while doing the work Mrs Valencia set. I decided it was a good opportunity to execute the plan.

I turned to Brock who was doodling in his book. "Um, guess what Maya told me the other day?" I asked loudly. He turned to me, uninterested.

"What?"

"She was at the store, and then one of the workers came up to her and started flirting with her." I said, slyly glancing at Elijah. He was just passing around a paper ball with Melissa, so I realised he didn't hear me.

I glanced at Mrs Valencia who was unbothered with the state of the class, just doing online shopping on her computer.

"I'll be right back." I told Brock, who simply shrugged and went back to doodling. I moved towards Taylor who was texting on her phone, ignoring Melissa and Elijah messing around next to her.

"Hey, want to swap seats?" I asked politely. She looked up at me.

"Where do you sit?" She asked blankly. I nodded towards where Brock was and her face lit up mischievously. In a matter of five seconds she'd gathered her stuff and breezed past me towards Brock who looked alarmed as she sat next to him.

He shot me a glare as I sat down in Taylor's seat and I just blew him a kiss. We both knew he would thank me for it later.

"What's up, Chloe?" Elijah greeted as he caught the paper ball mid air. I shot him a smile, glancing at Cory who was unmoving with his head on the desk.

"Is he alright?" I asked and Elijah looked at Cory as if remembering he was there.

"Yeah, Coach has been overworking him because of the upcoming matches." He explained and I nodded in understanding, leaning over to pat Cory's shoulder sympathetically.

"So, I need you guys' advice on something on behalf of Maya." I told Melissa and Elijah. They both nodded encouragingly.

"So Maya was at the store a couple of days ago, when she noticed one of the cashiers was kind of cute," I started, internally jumping with joy when Elijah frowned.

"So as she was paying for her items he asked for her number..." I noticed Cory had woken up and was frowning at me as well. "And of course she gave it, cos he's cute!"

"She just gave her number to a stranger?" Elijah asked disbelievingly.

"Well, they're not strangers now cos they met up again." I replied and Elijah gasped with an offended look. I held in my laughter and Melissa gave me a knowing look.

"Well, how old is he?" Elijah asked again.

"College student." I said, fanning myself. Melissa giggled at my dramatics.

"That's so cool; you know what they say about older guys..." She trailed off as Elijah and Cory shot her a confused look.

"Well, what do 'they' say?" Cory demanded after a minute of awkward silence. Me and Melissa just gave each other a look again and burst out laughing.

"If you know, you know." Is all I told them, before carrying on with my elaborate tale. "So Maya's unsure if she should pursue things with the guy as he's going to start living at his college dorms... What do you guys think?"

Cory and Elijah glanced at each other. "No." They said simultaneously.

I burst out laughing, leaning forward and covering my face with my hands. Teresa and Maya would freak if they saw how jealous Elijah was.

"Well, I think she should," Melissa started, ignoring a venomous glare from Elijah. "Cos he's older he's most likely mature and focused on her."

"He's a pervert for hitting on high school girls, if you ask me." Cory retorted, and Elijah nodded in agreement.

"His age isn't an important factor," I dismissed. "It's the fact that he's made it clear he interested in her. Maya likes guys who are direct about how they feel about her... not ones that beat around the bush." I said, looking at Elijah pointedly.

"Anyway, thanks for the advice guys, I'll be off." I finished airily, before walking back to my seat.

"Couple times over." I said dryly as I observed Brock and Taylor who were playing a game of hangman, both seemingly enjoying themselves.

"I'm quite comfortable here, thanks." Taylor replied, leaning back in my seat and giving me a challenging look. I raised an eyebrow.

"I didn't ask if you're comfortable, Taylor." I explained slowly. "I indirectly asked you to move, but since you didn't seem to understand it, get out of my seat."

The look she gave me may have intimidated me two years ago, but with what I'd been through she was as scary as a feather. I stared back at her blankly.

Eventually, she stood up, roughly bumping my shoulder as she stalked back to her seat. I shook my head, sitting down.

"That girl gets on my last nerves." I mumbled, arranging my pencil case and books. Brock glanced at me.

"Uh, same." He replied, and I decided to not mention how much fun he seemed to be having.

We continued to do our work, with Brock actually doing it and me ignoring the glances Elijah kept giving me. I was glad that Elijah was clearly jealous, and hoped this was the push he needed to ask Maya out.

But I couldn't help but worry about John, what reason would he have for being absent-

The classroom door slamming open brought me out of my thoughts and everyone looked to see who had entered. My heart skipped a beat when I saw John there looking perfectly normal with his usual aloof expression.

Mrs Valencia shot him a smile, gesturing him to approach her desk. I watched as she spoke to him for a minute or so, before pointing him to his desk which was in front of mine.

I decided to wait until after class to speak to him privately, so for the rest of class I actually completed my work. When everyone was leaving the class I waited next to the door for him to walk out.

When John finally came out he immediately spotted me and shot me a grin. "Hey, Clo." He said, wrapping an arm around my waist to give me a side hug.

"Hey." I replied, a bit confused. Were we just going to ignore what happened yesterday?

He gave me a once-over, his gaze leaving a trail of tingles as it travelled down my body. "You look nice." John said when he was done examining me. It was a simple compliment but it still caused butterflies to flutter in my stomach.

"Thanks," I grinned, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. I gave him a quick one over. "Um, I would say the same to you, but lying is a sin." I said in an apologetic tone.

John simply rolled his eyes and shoved me into the nearest locker, making me laugh and shove him back. This carried on for a while until were scolded by a teacher.

I decided to ask him what had been bothering me. "So, where'd you go yesterday? You seemed pretty angry."  I asked, watching him closely and observing the content look on his face waver slightly.

"Uh, no where important. Don't worry about it." He replied firmly, putting an arm around my shoulders.

I wasn't too disappointed, as I knew I would get answers from Tobi afterschool.

"Want to hang out afterschool?" John suggested as we approached my class. I gave him a tight-lipped smile.

"No thanks. See you later." I replied shortly, shrugging off his arm and entering my classroom, ignoring the guilt that followed after seeing the hurt expression on his face

*****

"So, what happened with Elijah?" Teresa asked eagerly as I sat down with my lunch. Maya looked at me with the same expectancy.

"You could at least let me take a bite of my food first." I teased as I got comfortable. Teresa shot me a deadpan look.

"The food isn't running," She retorted. "Now spill!"

I sighed. "Alright, I have good news. He's totally into you." I said and Teresa squealed.

"I knew it!" She practically shouted, gaining some people's attention. We giggled as we shushed her.

I made eye contact with Elijah who was watching us a table away with the same brooding face he'd been wearing since English.

"Don't look," I told Maya who was sitting opposite me so her back was to him. "But Elijah's glaring at you."

She smiled at that, almost immediately turning around to shoot him a cheeky grin and wave. I face-palmed.

Elijah's frown deepened at that, and then he started talking to Cory who was watching us curiously as well.

"So, you're going to wait for him to speak to you, right?" I asked, popping a fry into my mouth. Teresa nodded approvingly.

Maya shrugged, flipping her straightened hair over her shoulder. "Dunno. Should I?"

"Definitely." Teresa chimed in. "If he's interested he'll approach you and ask about his competition. By the way, what exactly did you tell him about the guy?" Teresa asked me.

"Oh, you know. College, super hot and works in a grocery store." I said, waving a hand. "You guys have gone out once or twice and he seems nice but because he lives at his college you're not sure if you should pursue things." I summarised.

Maya giggled. "I'm actually deeping this, and I feel like such a weirdo. I'm proper making up a guy to get the guy that I like jealous."

I shrugged. "Well, it worked- oh, he's coming!" I whispered when I saw Elijah stand up and head towards us.

Maya cursed quietly and quickly brought out her lip gloss, applying a coat just as Elijah arrived.

"Maya, can I speak to you?" He asked as he stood with his hands tucked into the pockets of his grey sweatpants. His expression is one of indifference but his clenched jaw gives him away.

Maya looked up at him, acting surprised. "Sure." She replied casually, before following him out of the cafeteria.

Teresa and I decided to move to where Elijah was sitting, and made conversation with Brock, Cory and Benji as we waited for Maya and Elijah to return.

A couple of seconds before the bell rang, signalling the end of lunch, they both entered the cafeteria. Upon further inspection Maya had a dreamy look on her face and her lips were clear of any shine, and Elijah a satisfied and content look. His arm was also comfortably around her shoulder.

Teresa and I high-fived at the same time Brock and Cory did. Benji just looked at us, confused.

*****

The day seemed to slow down after lunch. All I was looking forward to was seeing Tobi and getting the answers to my questions.

I had barely seen her throughout the day, causing me to text her several times as I walked into the school library. After a couple of seconds she replied, assuring me she was on her way.

Soon enough I saw her approaching the table I was sat on. She gave me an amused look.

"Hey, are you actually reading that?" Tobi questioned. I glanced at the book I was holding upside down and scoffed.

"Who comes to a library and doesn't read?" I asked indignantly. Tobi nodded at something behind me, and I turned around to see a couple making out.

I made a face, extremely grossed out. "Get a room!" I yelled, before gathering my things and running out behind a giggling Tobi.

Soon our laughter calmed down to a comfortable silence as we walked towards the school exit.

"So, how have you been?" I asked politely. She thought for a moment, absentmindedly playing with a braid.

"I've been okay, thanks for asking. You?"

"Fine."

It was a bit awkward after that.

When we reached the familiar pathway that I would walk from my house I spoke up. "So, I have a few questions regarding John, as you know. I've come to you because somehow you know everything about people."

Tobi cracked a smile at that. "True. Shoot."

"What's the deal with him and Maisie? I've heard he ended things but he still acts weird whenever she's brought up." I asked.

"I guess you could say they were more friends with benefits than girlfriend and boyfriend. When they were together it was always on and off," Tobi started. "You'd think they'd ended things then next thing you know they're making out in a janitors closet or something."

I frowned at that. Would they eventually get back together then? That thought didn't sit well with me.

"But I think they've ended things for good." Tobi continued. "John seems to have his eye on someone else."

My mind immediately flashed back to that time after detention I caught him kissing a girl in the janitors closet.

I'd heard muffled sounds coming from the nearby janitor's closet and walked towards it curiously.

Maybe someone was stuck inside?

It's happened to me before, so I sympathised with the person and twisted the knob to see a guy and a girl aggressively making out, both half naked.

"Wow, OKAY!" I exclaimed, immediately turning away and they stopped groping each other. I looked back at them to see the girl staring at me with an embarrassed look on her face and- John?

My poor, innocent eyes.

I wondered where that girl was now.

"Okay." I shrugged, satisfied with the answer. "Also, since she's dating Cyrus I doubt he'd appreciate her treating."

Tobi paused in her steps, turning to me with a bewildered expression.

"Sorry, did you just say Cyrus?" She asked. I frowned, nodding.

"Yeah, I met him and his friend Ian the other day. Shady pair they are." I replied. She carried on walking, but with a spooked expression.

"They're bad news, Chloe." Tobi told me.

"Why? Who exactly are they? All I know is they're apparently John's friends."

Tobi sighed, biting her lip. "Okay, let me summarise. After you left and school started, John started acting weird. We assumed it was because he missed you so let it go. A couple months later he started acting weird again, skipping class, going to gym a lot, and became a bit of a  'womanizer'."

"He also started hanging with a different crowd. He still spoke to the guys, Brock, Cory, etc. but not as much. He would be constantly seen after school with Cyrus and Ian."

"They got expelled from this school in freshman year, after being exposed as drug dealers and for gang activity. But they would still hang around after school to wait for their friends. I guess that's how John clicked with them, after taking on this bad boy persona. They've been friends ever since, even though the guys advised him to ditch them." Tobi finished.

It was a lot of information to take in.

"Him and Maisie started doing their on and off business about a year ago." She added.

"And he broke up