3 days LATER

Mel's POV
The ruckus caused by those harmful and untrue rumors, had now calmed down as people spoke about the summer bash and the last couple days of finals which decided for some if they failed or passed.

I was then again, at my cornered locker, people watching and making sure a whole group of eyes wouldn't dart towards me at the same time. That's when I saw her, gallivanting over. There was no one beside her, and she was heading straight towards me. Lola waved slightly as I shut my locker and kept walking in the opposite direction. Yet I heard her shoes clacking behind me to catch up.

"Hey wait up", she hollered and I stopped in my tracks, hoping that she wasn't pretending like nothing had happened.

She caught up to me and we continued walking as she began speaking, about her day and her chemistry exam that was the hardest thing she'd ever done. She spoke as if just 3 days ago, she didn't cause a whole scene over a false rumor.

I didn't say a word as we reached the one class we did have together. As we waited in line to be given our tests, and she spoke on and on, not even noticing how I could care less.

"Listen about earlier, we can't end our friendship over this, I mean we all make mistakes but I would never forgive myself if I ended our friendship over your little fling, okay?",the words coming out of her mouth were bizarre. She believed the whole thing, and as if I had something to apologize to her. I didn't even know we still had a friendship going, she hadn't spoken to me in months, expect for when she needed someone, or wanted someone to listen to her. Our friendship had already ended, ever since she ignored me when I broke up with Zeke.

I nodded my head in a sense that it would just be easier to let her win today. Besides maybe it wouldn't be bad to have a friend, even if she wasn't a real friend, more concerned with appearances, and I knew she wanted something. It was obvious.

The teacher handed me the paper, and I took my seat in the far corner facing the window to the garden. The teacher went in to directions as I just imagined a life back at my old school, I was confident and not so naive. I treated my old school, since I moved around so much as if I would never be there the next day. I said the things I wanted to, I did the things I wanted to, I wasn't held down by rules and fake friends.

Now I knew I was held down by fake friends as Lola stood by me as we walked to my locker. Going on and on about the summer bash, "the party that marks your group", came out of her mouth quite often.

"Dallas invited you right?", she asked as we reached my locker, she had immediate plans for these things, she knew I could just say yes and she would finally leave me alone.

Was I tempted? Yes.

Was I cruel? Yes, a hundred times yes.

"You have it, right? I can't believe you got invited, do you know what this means for our group?", she implied, but I couldn't answer her, the muteness cast over me shocked almost.

"Listen I'm all for testing boundaries but with Dallas it's all or nothing and he always goes for all, you may think you're falling in love with him, but trust me everyone feels that way",she warned me of the worst to come. And that was me dating Dallas, he was simply untouchable and I was dramatically in love with him. How could she not see this? I hate Dallas Grant, he's obnoxious, rude, and now he starts and won't stop rumors.

"So I'll see you after school, we should go to the mall before the party, I'm so excited also my mom wouldn't be able to drop us and pick us up could Natalie?", she asked stating it less as a question and something I couldn't object to. But after being ignored for this whole day in anything I said, I figured my answer wouldn't matter as much.

Natalie's POV
"Listen I was thinking maybe we could take a little break from work tonight", I whispered into his ears as I rubbed his back firmly. He relaxed against my touch, leaning into my stomach.

"You're going to stop working tonight?", he asked, looking at me almost as if I had become the workaholic.

"I will, I can do it... you work way more than me anyways", I said and he looked obliterated.

"You work while we eat, even in the middle of the night I've gotten great at writing in the dark", he said making me realize the obvious, I had turned into a severe workaholic. That was something I used to shame Nolan for being and now the tables were reversed, expect there was no shame from Nolan.

"Tonight, no work, just you and me", he turned around to face me and smiled sweetly.

"I'll cook, I was thinking I could make some pizza", he said watching me smile, happily. Something about life was different now, it was something different to argue over what was for dinner, than oh my evil father has escaped again it was something different to finally live in this normal relationship.

"That sounds great", I kissed his cheek happily, and he smiled as he continued working.

"What about Mel?", Nolan asked, knowing we had just gotten off the phone.

"Oh she's hanging out with friends, I guess I'm dropping them to a mall and they're sleeping over at Lola's house", I said relaying the information, Mel had just told me.

"I have to go pick them up", I said kissing him on the cheek, as he continued working.

Melody's POV
The mall was in the distance, as Natalie chatted to the girls sitting next to me. They saw Natalie more as a friend than me, I knew they did.

They knew if they mentioned one word of Dallas or a party of any sorts to Natalie, she wouldn't let us go. So they stayed quiet just making small talk, about school, grades and their parents.

We got out of the car slowly, as the girls didn't wait for me and went on.

"Hey you know you can tell me if somethings going on right?", she asked and I nodded my head, hugging her swiftly.

"Just glad school is over", Mel said and Natalie nodded her head. She knew something was wrong, I could tell in her eyes.

"Have fun, I love you", Natalie said as I ran to catch up with the girls, not that it had mattered.

I listened to them for the next two hours mumble about boys, as she went on and on about Dallas. It was getting tiring listening on and on, but they both deserved each other. Both rotten in different ways. 

They finally decided we should go to the party after they joked about being fashionably late as if anyone was waiting for them.

The girl that had picked us up was sweet and she seemed to be a friend of Lola's who was an upperclassmen who was going.

The party had already started at the lodge when we had arrived, and both Lola and Max had already started drinking.

I caught his eye, as he spoke to a group of friends. I hadn't seen the girl to his right before, his friends from school crowded him. He was quite the popular figure.

He broke away from his friends heading towards where I had situated myself near the bar.

"I'm surprised you came?", he spoke over the loud music, the smell of alcohol lingered over his breath but it was so light. But the smell of cigarettes was frequent against him, I hated that smell. I backed against the wall as I felt the memories coming back in again.

"You invited me, I wouldn't want to hurt your fragile ego if I didn't come", I retorted back, wishing I could get the smell away. It was intoxicating, not in the good way. As he got closer it was now all I could smell, all I was drowning in.

"Trust me my ego wouldn't be bruised if you didn't come", he said, getting closer and closer into my atmosphere. Invading the very wall I had put up surrounding me.

"Want a drink?", he asked me, as he leaned across the table and grabbed a red solo cup.

"I don't drink", I said abruptly as I heard the sound of the cup being put back in place and he leaned away.

"Me either", he said breathlessly, even though I could smell the tinge of alcohol along his breath.

His elbow pushed me up against the wall, and his face aligned with mine, the smell was strong, paralyzing me in every inch of my existence.

I flinched against the air, breathing heavy and hard. The room looked dizzy and as I took a deep breathe the cigarettes picked up heavily. Dallas leaned in further, as I saw Daniel in the back room, rushing towards me. My face had panic written over it as I pushed his hand down and made a run for outside.

"What was that about?", his hand pulled me back, worry crossed his face. I pulled my hand free.

"If you think I'm going to sleep with you, you've got the wrong idea", I said abruptly as I turned to walk the other way towards the front of the house through the forest.

"Who said anything about me sleeping with you?", he said, following me even though he probably knew I was going the wrong way.

"You were leaning into me and pushing me up against a wall, do I really need to say more?", I asked him and he seemed to push the thought out of his mind and he continued walking behind me. 

He was silent, but all I could hear was the rustling twigs and leaves as I walked and he stayed behind.

"Does that work, the whole doey eyes and 5 minutes of your attention?", I asked him, knowing that was exactly how he did it. He let them know he was interested, he wanted them to know they mattered, and then he would get what he wanted.

"You think that's how I am?", he asked, but I couldn't see his eyes as I looked back. His floppy and fluffy hair covered his eyes, but as I looked back he looked into the trees we had walked through.

"That's what everybody thinks", I tried telling him, but he seemed stuck in that daze and I soon saw light nearing the end of the trees and branches.

"And what do you think?", he asked, peering into my thoughts.

"I don't know any better or worse", I said as we stopped at the end of the clearing, seeing the people still getting out of their cars and running towards the party.

I pulled my phone out of my pocket and started looking up cab services to take me home. I knew Natalie would ground me if she knew I was here, I would call Avery but she's definitely obligated to tell.

"What are you doing?", he asked as I searched through my phone, waiting.

"I'm calling a cab to pick me up", I told him, knowing he really didn't need to know. And why did he care? He should be enjoying the party he's hosting after all.

"I can drive you my cars right there", he offered, and I felt the change in his tone as he pointed to the garage. We were done each other's throats before but now he was offering to drive me home in the middle of his own party.

"I can get a ride myself, thanks", I pushed him off, knowing he was only trying to be nice.

"You really can't accept help from anyone, can you?", he asked me annoyed by my ignorance to his offer. I felt the guilty bile rise in my stomach as I gulped it down.

"No I can't, I need to get home, please just go back inside and enjoy the party", I ordered him too, I knew he would leave after the final straw, I had no energy to fight with him, to argue.

"I'm not leaving you out here, there's sickos at this party and everywhere which is why I'll drive you home", he offered, but I couldn't accept his offer, knowing he was a sicko along with the rest of people here.

"You're one of those sickos, Dallas", I told him and he smirked with his hazel eyes sparkling in the wind.

"I'm trying to be nice, but no of course miss Prissy Princess doesn't take any help from anyone", he mocked me harshly, and his eyes became sterner.

"I'm right not to take help from you, if you went out driving now you could get us both killed", I told him, and he seemed to ignore my comment. He stood there smirking proud.

"When are you ever going to be nice to anyone?", he asked, staring deeply into me, as if he had seen this multiple times. I mean I knew I was raunchy and difficult, but I couldn't have been that rude. My smirk of victory faded and his returned, gladder and prouder.

"I've got you thinking now, huh", he asked, laughing up a storm.

"Just go back into the party, I don't need your help, I never have", I told him strongly, to make sure he understood my words as clear as can be.

"Of course you don't", he turned in a circle, looking up at the stars that highlighted the sky. He was so childish, and drunk too.

"You know I'm tired of you, you're an ass-", I spoke sternly, this time getting in his face as he pulled me back into the bushes. The police siren was loud and frightening as Dallas turned and watched the roar. There were multiple cars that swarmed the area and then I could see no longer, because of the swatting hand that grabbed me.

Natalie's POV
"I'm worried", I whispered to Nolan, as I checked my phone, not a single text had been sent to Melody.

"I'm going to call Lola's mom", I said worrying myself up a storm. As Nolan pulled me back on the couch.

"Remember we have to trust her, she's probably having a good time", he tried assuring me as I heard the ding of the oven.

"No more stressing let's eat", he said, letting me whiff the fresh pizza he pulled out of the oven.

i have no clue what I'm doing with this story there's another part to this which is so weird idk this is how I cope driving stories out against their end mark. I've been having a rough time lately with life in general, Most of you know I've been trying to get out of a not so great household, and that's why I don't post as often. I'm out this week, staying at a friends I'll be going back but still I feel better, a lot better and so I felt like posting and writing for the first time in forever.

thank you for your patience