Monday came around, and I was back to my everyday routine, despite the one thing...person, that was no longer in the picture. As I walked the halls with my two best friends at my side, it seemed like I was missing an extra limb. Although I hadn't told anyone besides Rachel, mostly everyone knew at this point that we'd broken up. I assumed Mason made that clear since Rachel swore to secrecy.

I'd ended up recapping the story to Aly when I visited her after I left Chase's house. She didn't question me when I told her that we broke up for personal reasons. In fact she sided with me, and told me not to fret about it. It was his loss. I didn't tell her that I was the one that ended things with him. As far as she knew it was a mutual understanding. If I'd gone into too many details she'd have surely caught on and demanded a full explanation. And once I started explaining things there was no stopping until the whole truth came out.

As difficult as it was to come to terms with the end of a two-year relationship, I put on a good front. It was necessary in order to keep up with my story. I couldn't talk about missing him, I couldn't reminisce about the good times we had. I could barely bring his name up at all.

It was probably better for me in the long run. Maybe keeping all of the leftover feelings bottled inside would help them fade away sooner.

Or maybe that was just wishful thinking.

I followed Aly and Rachel through  the cafeteria to my old lunch table. It was strange being on this side of the room again. If I looked to the right my eyes would land directly on Mason's table. I made sure to take a seat facing the opposite direction.

"So, since none of us got to hang out over break, what's the big plan for your birthday?" Aly asked, wasting no time.

I'd been so caught up with the past lately that I hadn't given thought to my eighteenth birthday which was exactly a week from now. I've never been one to make it a top priority to throw the biggest most talked about raving parties. I actually wasn't really expecting to do much. Just a simple night out with my group would be more than enough.

But by the hopeful looks on Aly and Rachel's faces, I knew that answer wasn't the one that they were looking for.

Before I could open my mouth, Aly had opened hers again.

"Don't tell me you don't have any plans..." She said, using her best friend ability to read my mind.

"You didn't even give me a chance to answer," I said, popping a fry into my mouth.

"Didn't have to! The fact that you hesitated said it all. We are so going to do something about that."

Rachel nodded her head in agreement. I felt cornered.

"Guys, it's not a big deal. So, what. I'm turning eighteen. It's not like we're legal yet."

Rachel scoffed. "And? That hasn't stopped us before. Remember when Aly turned eighteen?," she said giving me a mental flashback of the night. Two months ago Aly had gone ahead and ordered the three of us fake ID's online and gotten us into a 21 and over club that coincidentally was having its grand opening on the same night as her birthday. The whole memory of that day was cloudy which was more than a hint to tell me that I didn't want to relive it. The next morning my head hurt so bad that pain killers couldn't get rid of the ache.

"No way," I said shaking my head, "Not doing that again."

"Oh come on!" Aly threw her hands on the table. "That was so fun. And as I recall, you had the best time out of all of us. Remember Colgate guy?"

The name stuck a memory to my mind. I couldn't remember much but the picture of a tall brunette with a dazzling picture perfect smile flashed across my vision. His smile is what brought on the nickname after Rachel commented that he looked like he should model for a Colgate toothpaste commercial. It ended up being the name of his contact in my phone which I must have saved at some point that night. Although I could barely recall him, what I do remember is Mason threatening to crack the screen on my face when his name lit up my phone the next day.

I purposely didn't tell him I'd gone out the night before. I was afraid that he would start asking a bunch of questions about what I was wearing and who I was with. Or even worse, that he would show up.

All he knew is that I wasn't feeling well, so he'd gone out and brought over a bottle of Tylenol. My phone buzzed while he was in the room with me. Without thinking anything about it, and certainly not expecting a message from someone I didn't remember I'd met, I asked Mason to grab it for me.

Before I knew what was happening, he was screaming at me. He clenched my phone in his hands so tight, I was sure his knuckles were going to pop. He started cursing, calling me a two-timing whore. I couldn't even get a word in before he'd yanked me up by the arm, and backed me into my wall. My head felt like it had split I could barely see, I was so dizzy. He shoved the text message directly in my face. The words were blurry before my eyes focused.

I had so much fun with you and your friends last night. Good company. We should hang out again sometime ;)

I had barely finished reading the message before he drew the phone back and aimed it at my head. I flinched and snapped my neck in the other direction all while he continued to accuse me of things I didn't do. The phone hit the wall, and I heard the distinct split of glass. My stomach lurched with fear and my head spun. If I hadn't turned away the left side of my face would've taken that hit.

Afterwards, he shoved it into my hand, the fractured pieces pinching my fingers. I was amazed that the screen still lit up. It still functioned although there was a weblike crack going down the center.

"Delete him." he'd said. I bit my lip as I navigated to the contact screen on my phone, trying desperately to ignore the tiny shards pricking my thumb. I found his name, and swiped left, sending his number to the trash.

Later on is when the apologies came in, along with the promise to pay for a screen replacement.

Now, I stared at my plate of fries, feeling sick to my stomach at the memory. Rachel and Aly were still staring at me, but the mischievous gleams in their eyes had been replaced with worry.

"Are you okay?" Rachel asked after if stayed silent for a good two minutes.

"I don't want a party," I said. "We'll do something else. It will be just as fun, if not even better. I promise."

They looked at each other before nodding at me.

"Yeah cool," Rachel said.

Aly smiled. "Whatever you want."

***

By the end of the day, I had just put two puzzle pieces together and discovered a problem that hadn't even crossed my mind. As the halls filtered out around me, I looked to my left to see that Chase was still at his locker. Thank God.

I'd just now realized that I didn't have a ride to work. It was probably my own fault for depending on Mason so damn much.

I seriously needed to get a car. The good part was that I was only a few paychecks away. Not enough for anything luxurious but surely enough for something to get me places. For now, though, I had to keep begging my friends to play chauffeur.

"Hey," I said, approaching him. I almost felt bad for asking. I'd barely seen him all day, and the first thing I was about to do was ask for a favor.

He closed his locker and looked down at me. "Hey," he said with a smile. I smiled back. At least he was looking better than a few days ago. I could tell that the stress about his mom had taken a toll on him, but from his relaxed demeanor today, you could barely notice.

"Can you do me a favor?" I asked falling into step beside him.

"Depends on the favor."

"I need a ride to work. Sorry to throw this on you last minute, I just sort of forgot that I don't have any other way to get there."

He clicked his tongue and sighed dramatically. "I guess I can spare you this time."

I smiled to myself and walked ahead of him to his truck. He hit the locks, and I pulled the door open, calling over it as I hoisted myself up to step in. "I'll pay for your gas I promise."

He waved his hand as he approached the car, before climbing  in next to me.

"Don't worry about it," he said closing the door. Happy with myself, I placed my backpack on the floor and pulled on my seatbelt. As he backed out of the parking space, I relaxed in my seat. It had been a while since I'd been in his car and I didn't realize how much I missed it since now. Chase drove a little fast, but I wasn't scared with him. It was a comfortable speed, smooth and to the tune of his music. He tapped his hand on the steering wheel to the rhythm of the chorus.

"Why didn't you tell me that you and Mason broke up?" He suddenly asked out of nowhere.

I blinked a few times and turned to face him, but his eyes were on the road. I shouldn't have been shocked that he knew. He was bound to find out sometime, I just wish I'd have been the one to tell him.

"How'd you find out?"

"Guys talk too, ya know."

I sat forward, and planned my words carefully in my head. There was no point in trying to lie to Chase. That's why I'd desperately tried so hard to avoid this conversation.

"I don't know," I answered. "I didn't really want to talk about it."

And that part was true. I didn't want to tell anyone. Not just him. But then, it started to suffocate me. I could only hold back for so long before I could no longer breathe.

"You didn't think you could talk to me?"

I caught a hint of hurt in his voice.

"I was going to tell you, but...it was just too hard."

"What was so hard about it?" He frowned. "You know you can tell me anything."

"Of course I know that I just-", I took a deep breath, realizing that I'd raised my voice. "I just, didn't know what to say. I didn't want you to do anything..."

He glanced at me for a moment, before looking back at the road. "Like what? I wouldn't do anything without a reason."

I laid my head back against the seat, and closed my eyes. I did not want to talk about this right now.

"Is there a reason?" He asked, voice growing colder.

"No! Chase no." I said a little too loudly. He was glaring at the mirror now. Oh god, had a let on too much?
"There's no reason."

I watched the veins in his hand disappear, as he loosened his grip around the wheel. We rode on silence for the next few minutes before he released a breath of air.

"Look, I'm not asking for you to tell me what went down," he said. The edge in his voice was gone. "I just want to know if you're okay."

We'd stopped at a red light, and his eyes were looking directly at me. I couldn't avoid his gaze if I tried.

I swallowed. "I'm fine."

Even after the light changed he looked at me, though he didn't question my answer. He stayed like that until a car horn sounded from behind us. I released a breath in silence as he turned into the mall's complex. He pulled around back, in front of the doors to the bookstore.

I grabbed my bag from off the floor, and unlatched the door.

"Give me a call when you're done," he said. I nodded as I pulled the strap around my shoulder.

"Thanks Chase."

"No problem," he said, before I closed the door. I heard him drive off as I entered the store. It wasn't until I'd rounded the corner to the bathroom that I really allowed myself to be at peace. I pulled my uniform out of the back and tugged off my school clothes. That was when I noticed my hands were shaking. I will never underestimate the power that Chase has to see right through me. It's like he can tell exactly what I'm thinking without me even opening my mouth.

His reaction to that conversation alone tells me what I always knew. There's no way he could ever find out  what Mason did to me. I couldn't let that happen. Because Mason's blood would be on my hands. It would be my fault.

I buttoned my black slacks, and combed my fingers through my hair before securing it into a ponytail.

With one final breath, I exited the bathroom and joined Jennie at the front desk.

"Long day?" She asked upon seeing me.

"Is it that obvious?" I asked, smoothing back my hair self-consciously.

"You just seem a little winded," she said giving me a once over. "Don't worry. It's been a slow day here. You can take it easy."

She shot me a smile before grabbing the stack of books beside her and heading to the back room.

Her words proved to be right as the next few hours continued with very little customers. The ones who did shop were lucky because they got a bunch of after Christmas deals. As soon as my shift was up, I might look around myself.

I was in the process of checking out the Lord of the Rings series for a customer when the bell jingled above the door. I tore off the receipt for the lady to sign, and glanced over to see who'd walked in. I shouldn't have.

Mason looked up at the same time that I saw him. My eyes stayed on him even after he turned away and started up the nonfiction aisle. I held my breath.

"Miss?"

Why the hell was he here? Why did this keep happening? Him showing up every place I went.

"Miss?"

"Huh?" I looked back at the customer in front of me. She was staring at me with her eyebrows raised over her cat-eye glasses. Her hand was held out.

"My change?"

"Sorry." I scooped my hand into the register and counted out three dollar bills and fifty cents. Or did she hand me a twenty?

It was too late to remember, because once I handed her the change, she took the bag and left.

Where was he? The nonfiction aisle was empty. I scanned the room the best I could from where I stood. I couldn't see over the shelves. He could be anywhere.

"Kay."

I jumped at the sound of my name. Jennie stood behind me, a worried expression on her face. "Woah there jumpy. Are you alright?"

I gave the room one more three-sixty before nodding my head. She didn't look like she believed me.

"Why don't you head home. You've only got about ten minutes left on the clock. I'll close for you."

"Are you sure?"

She smiled, revealing a row of braces on her bottom teeth. "Definite."

I thanked her, and grabbed my bag from the floor, nearly tripping over my own feet. I just wanted to get out of there. Thankfully, Chase was already waiting outside. I texted him half an hour ago.

I was right in front of the door, when I saw him. He was standing right behind me, I'd caught his reflection in the glass.

"What do you want?" I asked, turning to face him. He looked shock that I'd addressed him like that. I saw that he had a book in his hands. An Edgar Allen Poe biography.

"Nothing," he looked flustered. "I was just buying a copy of this for English class."

"Why here?"

He tucked the book underneath his arm. "Because I wanted to see you."

"Why?" I demanded. I felt a knot forming in my throat.

"I just want to talk."

"Mason, I have nothing to say to you."

"Well how about you listen? I can give you a ride home, I know you need one."

"Actually I don't." I didn't know why I was telling him this. I just wanted him to leave me alone. "Chase is taking me home. He's out there waiting for me."

He flinched. I know that bothered him but, he tried to play it off. "Okay. Well, my offer still stands. I don't mind taking you to work until you get your car."

He still didn't understand. I couldn't make myself any clearer that I didn't want anything to do with him.

"That's nice to hear, but I won't be needing it."

With that said, I pushed the door open, and left him standing there. The headlights to Chase's truck were shining directly on me. Without another thought, I walked forward.