"Marcus."

    I turned to find Sam, Nick, Crystal, and Stacy standing next to my locker. Even though they tried to hide it I could see that they felt bad for me. Usually I would be completely against having a pity party but I was too sad to care.

    "How are you?" Crystal said.

    "I'm..." I looked for the right word to accurately describe how I was feeling. I'm miserable, angry, and sad all at the same time. "I'm fine."

    "No you're not," Nick said calling my bluff. "You have the same depressed look on your face that you've had all week, but I guess I understand since Nia broke up with you."  I wish he would just drink his Red Bull and shut up.

    "What?" Crystal gasped. "You guys broke up!"

    Technically, we are just on a "break", but it sure as hell feels like she broke up with me. "She thinks it would be best if we take a break right now."

    "Oh my God, she told me she wasn't going to do that," she fussed.

    I closed my locker. "She talked to you about it. When?" And why didn't you warn me?

    "We were in the bathroom, and she told me that she was thinking about it, but I thought that she was just saying things because of the Whitney thing," she explained. "I tried to talk her out of it, Marcus, I swear."

    "Thanks," I said. "But she must have heard something after that made her change her mind."

    "So we're not all going to prom together?" Sam asked.

    "Nope," I replied shortly. On Saturday, I'm going to sit in my room and be depressed, maybe let E.J. explain one of those slime videos to me. But what I won't be doing is going to prom and watch Whitney win a fake crown that she doesn't deserve.

    "Marcus, you have to come," Stacy insisted. Her blue hair was pulled back with a small clip in the shape of a paint tube, and purple eyeshadow framed her eyes. "What if Nia comes?"

    "I doubt she will." She doesn't have a dress and I have the tickets, besides she barely wants to be seen in public with me.

    "You never know," Nick said.

    "She's on the newspaper staff. I know a few of them are going to cover it for the paper," Crystal said trying to convince me.

    "She covers the sports section."

    She said, "Just think about it, maybe it'll make you feel better."

    I have thought about it. My stupid tuxedo reminds me of it everytime I walk into my closet. "Whatever," I replied. "I'll see you guys later."

    I got through first period only because I knew Nia would be in Chemistry. Even if we're not together we can still talk, we are friends...I don't even like saying that, but I'll take what I can get. But when I got to Chemistry she wasn't there, which is weird because when we didn't walk to class together she was there before me.

    I thought maybe she was just running late, but lecture started and she still didn't show up. I hope she's okay, it's not like her to skip class, I wonder if she was in first period.

I found Sam after class and I asked him if she was in first period.

    "No, she wasn't there," he said. "I thought maybe she was just running late or something. Was she not in Chemistry?"

    I shook my head. "No, she wasn't there either." The bell rang signaling us to go to class. "Just let me know if you see her okay."

    "Will do," he agreed.

    Stacy might know where she is they're all good friends. I slipped my phone out of my pocket, and texted her, maybe they'd talked.

    Hey, have you seen Nia, she wasn't in first or second period. Have you talked to her?

    Her response was disappointing. No, I haven't sorry.

    I thought about texting Nia myself but I wasn't sure if that was allowed during our "break."

Ugh, I just want to know what she's thinking and if she's okay. I'm aware that people are talking about me and the things they're saying aren't nice in the slightest. I don't care, because I know that all the people here are shallow and would believe anything if it was said by the right person. But Nia doesn't, and she's being hurt by the things that are being said about her. I hate that.

    Lunch was...exhausting.

    My friends talked amongst themselves occasionally trying to bring me into the conversation. Only to see that I wasn't going to be an active member of conversation and giving up. I was fine with it, I didn't feel like talking, and they were talking about prom stuff anyway.

    Nick described my mood as insufferable. To which I responded with a monotone, "Thanks." I could tell he wanted to shake me by the tense look on his face, but he just rolled his eyes and walked away.

    If Nia was going to show up to any of her classes it would be the newspaper. In my heart I knew she wasn't there, but I decided to check anyway. I peeped into the small window of the computer lab trying my best not to draw attention to myself.

    Her desk sat empty next to Thomas' messy one. God, where could she be?    

    "She's not here." I turned to find Thomas standing behind me, his school blazer tossed over his arm and a large McDonald's cup in his hands. I remember when he had hair down to his shoulders and looked like one of the I.T guys that worked at Best Buy. His head was shaved into a buzz cut now, but he still looked like he fixes computers for a living.

    "Oh," I replied. "Do you know why she's not here?" Her and Thomas are friends I guess, maybe she had talked to him.

    "She said she wasn't feeling well," he told me scrutinizing me from behind his thick framed glasses. "But," he went on, "if I had to guess the real reason she's not here is because she's humiliated by that Instagram post your ex-girlfriend put up yesterday."

    I flushed embarrassed. "I didn't mean for this to happen."  I didn't lead Whitney on. I broke up with her and made it clear that we were no longer together. "This isn't my fault."

    He rolled his eyes, "I'm aware. I thought you would be smart enough not to mess up again after getting caught kissing Whitney, but here we are," he motioned around him. "Nia's hurt again."

    "I--I--I didn't mean to hurt her," I stammered. I can't believe she told him about Monday. I didn't know they were that close. "Nia means the world to me." I said truthfully.

    "She's too good for you," he said bluntly. "Honestly, she deserves better." I was shocked by what he said, not that it wasn't true, because Nia deserves more than this petty drama, but that he had the nerve to say it.

    "You like her," I said realizing why he was so angry with me.

    "Yes," he admitted, not even attempting to lie. "I do like her."

    "Did you tell her to break up with me?" Everything was starting to make sense Crystal talks her out of breaking up with me, and then she breaks up with me anyway.

    "No, you dingus!" Thomas said taken aback. "I'm the one that talked her out of dumping you earlier on in the week. Don't be so naive, Nia's not so easily swayed. She can make her own decisions. I didn't even know she had broken up with you."

     I shook my head. "I'm sorry, she thinks we should take a break for awhile."

    "Ah," he nodded, understanding. "Can you blame her? The things people are saying about her are....."

    "Horrible, I know." The word slut was being thrown around alot, and probably some worse things too.

    "Look you need to fix it or leave her alone."

    "Why are you giving me advice?" If he likes her so much shouldn't he be glad that she broke up with me. He should be trying to get to her himself.

    He shrugged, drinking from his cup. "I like her, but she likes you. Even if she broke up with you, she still likes you, and she's sad that she's not with you.  I'd rather her be happy than be with me." He rolled his eyes. "And it's the right thing to do, I guess."

    I chuckled. "Well, thanks."

    "Your welcome," he said walking past me to open the computer lab door. "Don't mess up again, though. I might not be here to give you anymore advice."

    "I won't," I promised. Once this is squared away Nia and I's relationship will be, and stay, drama free.

The last thing I wanted to do was go to football practice but I knew Coach would kill me, that week long suspension has already put me behind the rest of the team, I can't afford to miss anymore days.

    On my way out to the field, I saw Whitney and Jackie laughing next to some lockers by the back exit leading to the football field. Her laugh made my stomach turn.  My mom always told me that it was bad luck to wish ill will on someone else; but I couldn't help it, it's what she deserves.

    I need, well she needs, to fix this.

    "Hi, Marcus," she smiled as she saw me coming. "You can go inside now, Jackie."

I was equal parts sad and disgusted as I watched the girl scurry away like a servant. It was sickening.

    "How are you? Are you having a good day?" she asked like we were old friends or something.

    "No, I am not having a good day." Furthest thing from it actually.

    She hummed pursing her glossy lips together. "That's too bad. I'm having a fantastic day.  How's Nia doing?"

    I glared at her. "I don't know."

    "Oh, she's smarter than I thought she was," she smirked. "She must have dumped you."

    "She didn't dump me."

    "Of course she did. How desperate do you have to be to stay with a cheater?"

    "But I never cheated on you," I said. " And you know that."

    "Do I?" she shrugged. "According to the internet, I just found out that you were cheating on me a few days ago." I could feel myself getting more angry, but I kept myself in check.

    "You need to take the post down," I said patiently.

    "I don't need to do anything," she laughed.

    "You're not going to get away with this. This is a lie, Whitney." 

    "But can't you see, I've already gotten away with it," she said cockily. "Tell Nia not to worry though, I'm sure people will start ignoring her again soon. But she should probably forget about having a social life outside of that gothic loser, but people will leave her alone."

    I can't believe she gets some type of sick joy out of this. Her hazel eyes were lit up like a kid on Christmas.  "I'm not going to let you do this."

    "Oh, please, Marcus. What are you going to do?" Her laughter echoed in the hallway. "Are you going to glare at me until you feel better. Or maybe you'll sit around pouting like you always do when you're angry." I clenched my jaw in an attempt not to say something I would regret later on.

She sighed, "But save a dance for me on Saturday. And don't forget crowning's at eleven."

    If that's how she wants to play it, fine. Contrary to what she thinks, I'm not going to take this lying down. Whitney's a liar, and I'm going to make sure everyone knows it.