When I arrive at the school next day with Breanna right at my toes, I almost bump into a freshman but she holds me back. Well, at least she didn't push me into someone this time.

"Thanks, I guess?" I look at her over my shoulder and she just shrugs. As we move to our locker, I turn to her completely, "What's your deal with Luke?" I ask and she bites on her lower lip.

"Er.. nothing serious." She shrugs and I frown.

"You brought him to my house, I think it's pretty serious." I tell her as she pulls out her books from the locker.

"We made out at a party and started hanging out thereafter, I don't know what to think of it, or what his intentions are with this whole thing." She says, and I catch the worry in her tone.

She must at least like him to be worried about his intentions and I keep my hand on her shoulder, giving her a reassuring squeeze.

"You know where I keep my baseball bat, we can interrogate him anytime." I tell her with a dead serious look and her face splits into a grin as she laughs lightly.

"How about tonight?" She suggests and I shrug.

"Sure, why the hell not. Although, I might warn you that after this interrogation, his intentions might change." I give her an amused smile.

Honestly though, I do have a baseball bat somewhere in my room or my dad's home office. And if Breanna says the word, we are going to play twenty-questions with Luke.

"Ah! You lost me there. I think I'm going to stick to the normal routine of finding out if he wants to be in my pants or has pure intentions."

"Or if he wants to be in your pants with pure intentions." I shrug and she laughs.

"Yup, that too."

We make our way to the English class and I feel like groaning at the thought of Mr. Warner. As soon as we enter the class, he follows right behind us and I resist the urge to roll my eyes.

"I see you found your spectacles this time, Ms. Brooks." He says and I scrunch up my nose.

Everyone is settled in the class, including Evan whom I didn't meet this morning because he wasn't there at the lockers, and of course we don't come to school together anymore. He never asked me directly to get a ride with Breanna, but it was more or less implied.

"I certainly did, Mr. Warner." I say, touching my frame for more emphasis.

I ignore everyone and take a seat at the back of the class, thankfully finding an empty seat. Evan turns around from the middle of the class and gives me a small wave which I return with a smile. God, his face was beautiful.

Yup, I really need to snap out of it.

The class goes by at the snail's pace and when my eyes are about to droop close, the bell rings and I sigh, getting up to leave the class. Evan and Breanna join me as we wander down the hallway, walking side by side.

"Hey." Evan finally says and I look at him.

"Hey, Ev." I smile at him.

"Mom was wondering if you wanted to have lunch over at our place today." He says and I smile wider, immediately agreeing.

"Definitely."

He nods before disappearing down the hallway to his another class while I follow Breanna to Mrs. Mason's class. Physics. Kill me now. Is there a way to bunk classes at all without getting caught?

When we enter the room I notice Jordan sitting behind my usual seat and frown. We shared this class, and I never noticed it until now. Well, maybe he sat behind my usual seat because he wanted me to notice this.

"Hey, Adrianna!" He greets with his mock salute and I copy his action.

"What's up, Jordie?" I ask, knowing how annoyed he gets when I use that nickname. I learned that within the few hours he spent at my house yesterday.

"Oh, bad morning?" He asks.

"Bad class." I say and on cue, Mrs. Mason enters.

I also notice that Breanna is missing by my side, but I notice that's because Luke is sharing the class with us. He's a junior so he must be academically good to be here in the senior class. I know how Breanna is worried about this whole situation with Luke, because it has been a long time since she started dating someone seriously. No thanks to her ex douche of a boyfriend, named Simon. Gaah! The name itself makes my hand twitch, ready to bash out someone's face.

Even though she isn't on the dating term with Luke yet, I know that she likes him. So, I make up a plan to interrogate the guy on my own, minus the baseball part, I think. Well, we'll see how it goes and in case I need it, I'll find it.

Although Mrs. Mason is like that strict annoying teacher, it doesn't stop Jordan from kicking my chair every two seconds. I finally turn around and throw my rubber at his forehead and smile in victory when it meets the target.

"Ow." He winces and I laugh.

He acts all tough and shit, while here he is, yelping because I threw a rubber at his forehead.

"Mr. Woods and Ms. Brooks, is there something entertaining that you would want to share with the class?" I hear Mrs. Mason's voice and internally freak out.

I already had a detention a couple of weeks back by Mr. Warner, I cannot afford to have another one. Especially when I know that my father will be informed. I turn in my seat and look at the front, facing a very pissed off Mrs. Mason.

"Sorry Mrs. Mason, I was just passing on the eraser to him." I shrug with an apologetic look and when she looks at Jordan actually holding up an eraser, she nods and looks away, and I let out a breath of relief.

The next few classes go uneventful. When the bell for lunch break rings, I make my way to the cafeteria but that is before I catch the sight of familiar blonde curls. I immediately call out for him and he turns around to face me, his face scrunched up in confusion.

"What's up, Adrianna?" He asks and I realise how these new people in my life use my full name, and how it slightly sounds weird. It's a long name.

"Is there any way we could talk alone for five minutes? That's all I need." I tell him and he hesitates for a second but nods nonetheless.

"C'mon, follow me." He says and I nod, following him to the front yard of the college. He stops by a tree and turns around to face me. "Alright, what's up?" He asks and I cross my arms across my chest.

"Do you like Breanna?" I ask, straight forward, because I don't like to play around with words.

His eyes shoot up and then he gives out a nervous smile, "I guess?"

"Beep! Wrong answer, Luke!" I say, practically shouting at his face and he takes a step back.

"Alright woman! God." He whispers, running a hand through his hair and then meets my eyes, "I do, I like her."

"Like her-like her? Or like her enough to fuck her and stay behind to develop a relationship?" I ask and he looks terrified of me.

Good, he should be terrified.

"Umm.."

"Am I making you uncomfortable, Luke?" I ask and he sighs, as if we just found some common ground.

"Yeah, you are." He says and I give him the bitchiest smile I can muster up.

"Good, that was the intention. Now that we are clear about my intentions, what are yours with my best friend?" I ask.

Does he look terrified?

Yes.

Should Breanna know about this?

Yes.

Should I be doing this?

Yes.

Will Breanna forgive me for scaring away her boy toy?

HELL NO.

"Look, I met her at the party last weekend, and we had a few drinks before we made out. But even before that, while we were talking, we clicked, alright? I like her, and to answer your question, I am not going date her just so I can.. you know?" He says, his words sincere and he sounds a little nervous.

Any other guy in his place would have been annoyed with me right now, because let's be honest, they haven't been on a single date yet and here he finds the best friend of girl he's planning to date, trying to scare the wits out of him. I am the best best friend Breanna could have asked for.

"Oh, you are a virgin?" I ask, because the only thing I could focus on was how he trailed off at the end.

His cheeks turn red and I mentally smack myself for being so blunt. I shouldn't have asked that, because I know how uncomfortable I would be if someone asked me that question.

"Okay then. Now that we have out of the way, I am sorry about this. It's just I care about Breanna." I tell him, changing the topic and realising that I could have gone about this the other way.

He nods, giving me a smile and easing the awkwardness, "This is what best friends are for, right?"

"Right." I say and start to backtrack towards the cafeteria, him walking by my side before I look at him again, "And by the way, in case you hurt her, I have a baseball bat underneath my bed and my hands have been itching to have some practice."

He gives me a nervous glance and I smile at him, making him laugh as he shakes his head. When we reach the cafeteria, I spot Breanna, Evan and Rose at our usual table and I motion for Luke to follow me, well aware that he would want to spend time with Breanna.

When I reach the table, Evan is the first one to speak up, "Where were you?" He asks and I frown at him, and then my eyes roam around the cafeteria, and when I notice Chris isn't there, I look back at Evan, well aware of the agitation behind his question.

"Around." I shrug, trying to tease him a little more and he scowls at me.

"Were you with him?" He asks and I scrunch up my nose at him.

"Why, yes, I was with Luke. Thanks for asking." I say and at that, I get Breanna's full attention. She's looking at me wide-eyed and then turns to her unofficial boyfriend.

"Please tell me she didn't scar you for life." She says, her voice almost pleading and I hold in a laugh.

Luke looks at me over her shoulder and shakes his head, "No, but she definitely left an impression." He smirks, making me roll my eyes.

"God, did she mention her baseball bat?" She asks him and this time, I burst out laughing, and Evan seems to catch on because he laughs with me.

Luke joins me in and looks at Breanna, "Yeah, that might have come up in the conversation."

Breanna turns to me with almost awe in her expression, and that was not something I was expecting. I expected her to be pissed but she just wraps her arms around me.

"God, I love you woman." She pecks my cheek and I laugh.

"Oh, it's like you two weren't kidding after all." I hear a voice behind my voice and turn around to look at Jordan who's standing behind us.

I ignore him for the moment being and concentrate on Breanna, "Why the sudden love?" I ask.

She shrugs, "He stick around after whatever shit you said to him, that's a good sign." I notice the way her hand meets Luke's underneath the table and give her a genuine smile.

Someone smacks my head from behind and I scowl at Jordan, "What the hell was that for?" I ask and he glares at me.

"For almost getting us detention." He says and I roll my eyes.

"What's he on about?" Evan asks, eating his fries.

"Mrs. Mason almost gave us detention today, thanks to him." I point towards Jordan who now takes a seat beside me.

"Hey, you are the one who threw that awful eraser at me." He scowls and I can't help but be amused.

"You are the one who kept kicking my chair." I say.

He's about to respond but his mouth falls open as he stares behind me and I frown. When I look at everyone around the table, everyone's eyes are fixed behind me which makes me turn around. When I do, I really wish I had been ignorant, avoidant enough that she would have disappeared after awhile.

"You Adrianna?" She asks and it hurts my pride that she has to ask for confirmation, but then again, I am not popular or anything. Just your average high school girl.

"Yup. How can I help you?" I ask, trying to keep my nerves in check.

"Cait, don't do this." I hear Jordan say and she looks at him for a second and frowns.

"Really, Jordan? You too? I thought you were above than settling for a girl like her." She snaps at him and I frown.

I might have only known Jordan personally for a day, but I liked the fact that he stuck up for me, also because after the hours he spent at my house yesterday and our usual bickering session, I was starting to considering him a friend.

"I am not settling for anything, Caitlyn. I am just saying that don't buy into the rumours." He says, now standing up to meet her height, because the girl is wearing five-inch heels.

How the hell does she walk in that? I am sure I would have tripped without even doing anything if that was my footwear. I blink at Jordan and her and shake my head, standing up as well.

"What's the matter?" I ask Caitlyn, trying to play innocent even though I am way too well aware why she's here.

"You been fucking Chris?" She asks, and I am not surprised by her blunt approach.

I can be a smartass about this or just tell the girl truth. I would have taken the former approach but I know it doesn't feel good to be cheated on, so I tell her the truth without playing around.

"No, Caitlyn. I am not having sex with Jones, never have, never will." I tell her and her blue eyes pierce at me.

"You're lying. Everyone saw you guys leave the party together." She says and before I can even comprehend what's happening, I feel something soaking the upper part of my t-shirt and something sticky rolling down my face.

Fuck! The bitch dumped food on me. I am pretty sure that by this time the whole cafeteria is watching the show, or even recording it. It's high school drama at the purest. She bends forward, picks up the ketchup bottle and squishes it in my hair and I cringe.

"You must have a really bad taste if you have your spaghetti with ketchup." I say, sarcasm lacing my voice and Jordan snickers besides me.

"You're a smartass, no wonder he seems interested in you." She smirks and that's it. I don't think I can tolerate standing this close to her.

"God, you're so pathetic." I say and she stares at me, "You're living upto the standards of being a bitch, Caitlyn. But let me remind you, like I said, I am not fucking your boyfriend. I am pretty sure he told you about that, and rather than trusting him, you came to dump the poor food on the girl who actually helped him when he was drunk. So, even if you didn't lose him earlier, I am not sure how he'll stay in a relationship which is bubbling with nothing but doubt and shame." I finish before leaving the cafeteria, not waiting for her to respond.

I hear the voices of my friends behind me and when I reach the doors of cafeteria, Chris is standing there, pretty much stunned and I ignore him before walking off. Breanna and Evan know better than coming to look for me when I am fuming with rage so I am surprised when I hear footsteps behind me. However, I ignore them as I go into the girl's washroom.

When I see my reflection, I immediately let out a frustrated sigh and I pull out tissues and start cleaning up my hair. I'm almost at the verge of tears because of how angry I feel but my temper only increases when the door to the washroom opens and Chris steps in.

He looks at me from head to toe and guilt immediately takes over his features. We stare at each other for a while and I am glad he doesn't speak up, because I am afraid that I'll say something I don't mean and won't be able to take it back.

"I am—"

"Shut it." I cut him off before he can complete his sentence.

I actually wish that Evan would burst in here and hold me, to tell me that being angry would do me no good. But I keep staring at the doors and still, it's just Chris and me alone. Why didn't Evan follow me? Maybe he wanted to give me a minute to calm down but it's been five and he's still not here. God! I am pathetic. I try to remind myself how it feels to be in his embrace as I close my eyes and try to even out my temper and my breathing.

When I open my eyes, Chris is standing just a step away from me and when I meet his eyes, I have to suck in a breath as I see the intensity behind them. There are too many emotions right there, and I cannot point out a single one.

"Come." He says and motions towards the sink counter.

I sigh but take a seat and he pulls out paper towels before putting them under water and bringing it to my face. His touch is soft and gentle as he cleans me up and I want to sigh at the feeling of his hand on my face. Why does that happen? Why do I feel like this every time we touch? I look at his eyes and it immediately takes me back to Caitlyn and I let out a shaky breath.

"I didn't sign up for this.." I begin and look down at my lap, "I was okay with name-calling and rumours, but I didn't sign up to be food trash can and public humiliation." I tell him, my voice at the edge and I know Chris notices it.

He pulls out as much food from my hair as he can and sighs, "I know you didn't, it's all my fault." He says and I push away at his chest.

"It's your girlfriend's fault!" I yell at him and he winces at my actions.

"I am sorry." He apologises and for a second, I want to believe him.

For a second, I want to forget that he's the supposed bad boy of the school, the one who does graffiti on school walls, the one who flirts with girls regardless of his relationship status, the one who is the basketball champion of this little town, and I want to forget all the stupid arguments we've had and want to believe that he's apologising sincerely. But it's hard to trust the word 'sorry' so easily when I am sitting on a bathroom counter with spaghetti and ketchup filled here, all thanks to him.

I look away from his piercing gaze and his finger meets my chin as he forces me to look at him. "I never thought she would do this to you, and if I did, I would have warned you and not let you walk into this blinded." He says, and a part of me is aware that he's telling the truth.

"Forget about it, what's done cannot be undone." I whisper but he still looks at me with so much intensity behind his eyes.

"Well, I liked how you put her in place." He says, cracking a small smile and I laugh, a few tears finally spilling and his thumb strokes my cheek.

"I've heard that I am good at it."

"I'll take you home, alright?" He says.

I nod, and his thumb is still stroking my cheek when the washroom door bursts open and Evan enters. He immediately stops in his tracks when he sees how close Chris and I are, and I want Chris to step back but he doesn't. Come to think of it, why should he? We weren't doing anything wrong and stepping away would only make us look guilty of something that is definitely not there.

I expect Evan to yell at me, but I am taken by surprise when worry covers his face and he steps forward, making Chris step back and Evan wraps me in his arms. I breathe into his scent and tears start rolling off as his hands run through my back.

"Shh.. I know you're mad, An." He starts and sighs, his lips pressing into my hair, "C'mon, you put her back in her place really well and I am really afraid to get into an