(present)

I stared at the new cemented bleachers. Beneath it was where the new locker rooms was located - also Coach's office, the gym, and everything else related to our sport.

It finally looked as if the school gave a damn about the football team.

But honestly, it was funded by my family. It was hush money to forget my indiscretion of almost beating someone to death. Whoops.

I sat across the field, on the old metal bleachers reserved for visiting teams. It was lunch time but I ditched the crowded cafeteria. Sometimes, the noise could be too much.

My phone pinged. I took it out of my pocket and swiped it open.

Four messages.

Alfie

Where you at, man? You're missing out the fun. Dickwads from the sissy table doesn't look pleased. It's frickin awesome! Oh, yeah. And I ate your food. It looked lonely :P

Connie

Do you have Halo's number? Btw, Alfie ate all your food.

Frisco

Connie's being too friendly and it's freaking me out. I bet Kurt feed her those happy brownies again.

Kurt

Any idea why Frisco's accusing me of baking brownies?

An amused smile creeped up to my lips.

Underneath that tough bravado, my friends could be such goofs sometimes. In fact, it was all we ever wanted - to have fun and be carefree. Was that so bad? Why did some people have to be dicks and up our asses about it?

A figure from the corner of the bleachers emerged, catching my eye. I watched as she looked around and stopped when her head turned to my direction. For a moment, she looked like she was debating with herself. Then she walked across the field, wearing an army jacket over a gray dress with a book in hand.

I knew instantly who it was and why she was here.

I didn't move from my spot, slightly captivated at how the wind blew her dark hair and how shy her posture grew as she neared. I looked forward to the day when she didn't feel shy with me anymore, like that time when she was drunk.

Halo halted when she was right in front of me.

"Hi," she smiled, waving a hand.

I nodded a little. "Hey."

Raising my copy of Sherlock Holmes, she said, "I finished reading it. I figured I should return it to you, but I couldn't find you in the cafeteria so I went looking for you." She tilted her head and pressed her lips. "That doesn't sound creepy, does it?"

"No, you can stalk me anytime," I teased, starting to smile.

She scoffed. "Wha - I have never - Did I mention that this book is beyond awesome?"

My eyes narrowed at her attempt to change the subject. She looked away, her cheeks flushing light pink. My smile turned to a full blown grin now. I was beginning to understand the meaning behind her words.

My gut tells me she likes me, too.

"Tell me more," I told her quietly.

Her head whipped around. "Tell you what?"

"About the book," I replied, a crooked smile forming on my mouth. I gestured on the empty spot beside me.

She looked unsure for a second. Then, she walked up, sat beside me, and placed the book on her lap. "I'm surprised, actually," she breathed out, her eyes widening in delight. "I didn't expect that ending."

"Me, too," I agreed.

I glanced at the distance between us, ignoring the urge to scoot closer to her warmth because I didn't want to appear like a creep.

"Out of all the suspects, I didn't think it would be -" she stopped, shaking her head. She raised her hands and made a motion of her mind exploding, matched with sound effects.

I covered my mouth with a hand to stifle a laugh. She looked so comical. Seeing my reaction, she groaned and covered her face with her hands.

"Great," she whimpered, with a muffled voice. "You're laughing at me."

With a huge grin on my face, I reached out and removed her hands from her face. My grin instantly vanished. Her big purple eyes stared back at me, while her full bottom lip was pulled out in a pout. Damn. Cute didn't even begin to cover it.

I cleared my throat and shook my head. My heartbeat fucking hiked up all of a sudden. Shit. She caught me off-guard. Again. She made me feel so new to this.

And yet, I liked it.

"You make me laugh," I stated, surprising myself at how true it was.

She sighed. "I get that a lot. I bet I was a professional comedian in my past life."

"No, I don't think that's it."

She looked at me curiously, and waited.

"Maybe it's because you're being too adorkable," I whispered softly, leaning closer and lightly pinching her cheek.

The corner of her lips turned up.

"You're never gonna let that go, are you?"

I grinned. "Nope."

She stared at me for a moment, then laughed and shook her head.

"What?" I asked.

It drives me fucking crazy how I can't easily read her.

"You're not grouchy," she said.

I frowned in confusion.

She shrugged. "You've been kind of a grouch since . . ." she trailed off, eyes wandering to the new bleachers.

I took a breath and looked up at the sky, my amusement gone.

Odd thing was, I didn't feel as heavy as I normally would've when I thought back to the fire incident. It didn't hurt as much. I brought my blue eyes back to her purple ones. She made me feel lighter, more free.

Halo's like a breath of fresh air. I don't know how she does it, but I want more.

"I'm sorry," she whispered regretfully. "I shouldn't have said anything."

"It's cool," I assured her.

"But I mean," she paused, biting her lip and looking down on her lap, "we barely know each other and already I acted like we're friends."

I didn't want her to feel that way.

"Let's change that - at the party after the game." I let that sink in, before adding, "I wanna be friends." No, I don't. I want more than that.But hey, we gotta start somewhere.

Her eyes lit up at my last words. "We'll play twenty questions?"

I looked at her funny, trying not to laugh.

Her jaw dropped after seeing my reaction. "It's a solid game!" she defended.

I humored her. "Fine, we'll play that." I'd get to ask questions about her that had been bugging me since the second we've met. "How 'bout it?"

"Okay," she beamed.

"Good," I murmured, returning her smile.

"I meant what I said about you being a grouch, though."

I burst out laughing.

"It's true!" she laughed. "You should see yourself. You look like the Grinch, except you're not green and wrinkly."

"That sounds like a pickle," I chuckled, shaking my head.

"Pickle tastes sour," she pointed out.

"Sour and cream is good, though."

"Then, you need some cream in your life."

I gazed at her.

I think I found it.

"You need to loosen up," she sighed, her eyes staring off to a distance. "Like you used to," she added in a mumble.

I didn't think she meant for me to hear that last part. Man, I'd do fucking anything to get in her head and know what she was thinking.

She raised her head when the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch time. I didn't fail to notice the disappointment in her eyes, causing for me to smile a little. So she liked spending time with me. Glad to know the feeling was mutual.

"I better get to class," she told me, standing up.

I got to my feet, and offered, "I'll walk you."

She glanced at me in surprise. "Oh, no. You don't have to. I don't want you to get late for your next class."

I only grinned, waiting for her to get it. When she did, she let out a laugh.

"Of course," she said, rolling her eyes. "Not that you care."

Exactly.

We walked to the main building together in silence - the peaceful kind. But then people started looking and whispering, obviously curious who the girl beside me was. They couldn't mind their own goddamn business.

I glanced at Halo, who looked uncomfortable at the sudden attention. She wasn't like Snow who was used to the spotlight. Sure, Snow was a bit nerdy but she was still popular by association. She usually just ignored the attention.

Halo was different.

"Why don't we start those twenty questions?" I suggested.

"Yes, good idea!" she quickly agreed, looking relieved.

"I'll start." I thought for a second. "What's your favorite food?"

"Nachos," she replied, without a beat. "What's yours?"

"Nuh-uh." I shook my head. "No repeats. Get creative, dork."

She scoffed in disbelief, making me grin wider. She was expressing herself a bit more, which meant she was getting comfortable with me now.

"Challenge accepted," she declared dramatically, her eyes playfully turning to slits. "What's your favorite drink?"

"Wow," I snorted. "That totally blew me away."

"I know," she sighed seriously. "I amaze myself, too."

I chuckled. "My answer's Coke."

"Dark and explosive," she described thoughtfully. She turned to me, and added, "Like you."

"Because I'm the bomb?" I joked.

At that, she laughed out loud. I didn't even realize I was staring at her as we walked down the hallway. She looked so wholehearted, it was a bit contagious.

When I looked away, there was a smile plastered on my face.

"Okay, your turn," she said excitedly.

"Favorite sport?"

She bit her lip. I noticed it was a habit of hers. She normally did it when she wanted to avoid a particular subject.

"To do or to watch?" she asked, making sure.

My eyebrows raised. "You don't just watch?"

"I like to run," she replied sheepishly.

I was impressed. It definitely explained her toned body.

"And to watch?"

"It's not really a favorite," she answered carefully, her eyes narrowing. "But I know a lot about this sport more than anything else so . . ."

I waited for her to continue. She sneaked a sideways glance at me, and caught me staring. She hung her head and sighed.

"It's basketball," she mumbled, no more than a whisper.

I nodded as casually as I could. I hated to admit it, but it stung a little. Did she watch the school games? Did she cheer them on? Did she get sad whenever the hell they lost, which was all the time?

"This is me."

I stopped walking and looked around. Students filed into their rooms, but not before glancing our way with curiosity ebbed on their faces.

"Here's your Sherlock Holmes," said Halo, handing me the book. She looked uneasy as she stood by the doorway to her class. The teacher hadn't arrived yet.

"See you around," I muttered.

With that, I turned to leave.

"Wait."

I stopped in my tracks and looked over my shoulder to her.

"I still have a question left," she mentioned, "to make us even."

She was right. I got to ask two questions, while she only had one.

"Shoot," I nodded, facing her again.

"Do you hate that I like that sport?"

"No," I told her. "I have nothing against the game."

She didn't look convinced.

"Then, why do you look like the Grinch again?" she accused.

"I'm coming up with a plan," I admitted. When she looked lost, I added lightly, "I'll make you realize the error of your ways."

Amusement filled her eyes, and a smile slowly creeped its way to her lips.

"I wouldn't be too confident," she sang, her playfulness coming back. "Pops made me love basketball."

"Yeah?" I dared, flashing her a lopsided grin. "By tomorrow night, you'll fall in love with football." I winked at her. "Later, dork."

As soon as I turned around, my good mood evaporated into thin air. It went fucking ninja on me and poofed.

I watched Scout and Finn as they head my way, eyes trained on me. But then Scout's eyes switched to something behind me. I followed their direction and saw Halo just about entering her room. When she went out of sight, I turned back to my front. Scout still had his eyes behind me. I didn't like the recognition I saw in them.

I cleared my throat, forcing him to look at me.

That's right. Keep your eyes on me, shithead.

"What the hell did you do, Oz?" demanded Scout, looking ready to pounce.

I knew immediately what this was about. It really wasn't rocket science. All it took was common sense, something that wasn't so 'common' anymore. I wondered how he found out.

"What are you saying, man?" I frowned, feigning innocence.

He glowered, breathing heavily. "You made Jay quit the team, didn't you?"

Huh. From the sound of it, Lawley didn't rat us out. It sounded more like Scout made his own assumption based on his gut instinct. He wasn't that bad of a leader, after all.

Still a fucking idiot, though.

"Who?"

"Jay Lawley," he hissed, with gritted teeth.

"Never heard of him," I lied, shrugging.

"Stop being a dick," seethed his sidekick, Finn.

I smirked at him. "At least, I have a dick."

"He didn't do anything to you!" snapped Scout, taking a step closer and poking me hard on the chest.

I pushed down the urge to punch him in the face.

"Why the fuck are you blaming me?"

"Who else could it be?"

"Him, dufus," I pressed, getting sick of this. They sucked ass at accusing people. I was damn bored already. "He quit the team, not me."

"You made him do it," he persisted.

I cocked my head. "Why would I do that?"

He shook his head, rubbing his face in aggravation. "I don't know why you're doing this, Oz. But you're ruining an innocent life," he deadpanned. "Are you aware of that? Don't you feel any kind of remorse?"

Memories from the day of the fire flashed in my mind; running to the building; Adam almost dying; their taunts; and the phone call.

I stepped closer, and whispered so low that only he could hear, "For someone innocent, he sure didn't ask why we were seeking revenge."

From the corner of my eye, I saw his jaw clench.

"Think about that," I told him, pulling away. I shot both of them a vicious look, before leaving them to stand there.

As I walked away, I rubbed the back of my neck with a hand. The dickwads always managed to ruin my fucking day. Sighing, I raised my other hand and realized I was holding the book Halo returned. I stared at it for moment.

At least, I had something to look forward to tomorrow.

I pulled out my phone and sent out a mass text to the crew.

Me

Make sure there's nachos at the party tomorrow.

_____________

I don't know about you, but I think Halo's been crushing on Oz. Haha!

I'm not too sure about this chappie, so please do tell me what you think about it. Oh, and in case you didn't know, I made a trailer for Cruel Me. ;)

I think the acoustic version of the song You Make It Real by James Morrison goes perfect with this chapterrr. <3