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Once I removed myself from Sterling's car, and closed the door behind me without another glance backwards— I forgot all about him.

Maybe, when I first met him, that would have seemed impossible to do. Even though he was in my mind for the worst reasons possible, I couldn't deny he had a habit of taking up temporary residence in there.

But now, it was different. My mind was busy. There now was no room.

So, like I said, I forgot all about Sterling as I walked down the bright halls. I forgot about him as I entered into the classroom, and sat down at my seat.

I forgot about him until he sat down right beside me.

"What are you doing?" I said, louder than I probably should have because people turned around to look at us.

But I was too busy looking at Sterling to care. I was staring at him and he was staring right back at me. There were no smiles or knowing glances between us. Empty, blank faces staring at each other. Maybe he knew what was going on with intentions, but I surely didn't.

"I'm sitting down," Sterling told me, like he thought that would explain anything, "for class." He gestured to the front of the room like I was an idiot who has forgotten why I was sitting here myself.

"You don't sit here," I reminded him. Not that I had to.

"We don't have assigned seating," Sterling shrugged, taking out two pens from his backpack, offering me one. "Need one?"

I felt my eyes drift down to the red pen he held in front of me, only for a second before I looked back up. "We're not friends."

Sterling's face was still blank as he observed my words, as if he found them boring. "Here's the thing, Dahlia, you kind of blew that whole I hate Sterling thing last night, for the both of us."

"What?" I said quickly, confusion taking over me. "Listen, whatever I said last night I didn't mean. I've never been drunk before so I don't think anything I did or say can be used against me."

I saw Sterling's eyes narrow as I spoke, and I wasn't sure at which part. "No," he said after a second or two of pause. "That's not that I meant. Daisy called when we were together. Don't you remember?"

"No," I said honestly.

I've heard people talk about black outs before. I wasn't sure what I was expecting. A part of me always thought they were exaggerating. Or, maybe like my memory would be just filled with black, like the name infers. It wasn't like that, though. It was like my memories had been erased entirely, or maybe they had just never been formed.

"She called when you were in my car, asking if I knew where you were," Sterling told me, and it was obviously, news to me. "I told her I was with you. She asked what we were doing..."

He trailed off, rolling his lips together.

"And what did you say?" I asked, partially curious and partially knowing I didn't want to hear it.

"I told her we went to get pie," he said blankly, and he finally took his eyes away from my face.

I remained still, letting a breath flow through my nose. Pie?

"I hate pie," I muttered. Not that it had any relevance to what he was saying.

"And then when she asked when you'd be home, you hit me," Sterling looked back to me, raising his eyebrows like he wanted answers that statement. However, I kept quiet.

"You said you'd jump out of my car if I tried to take you home, which is how you ended up passing out on my couch," Sterling continued when I had nothing to say. "And Daisy knows that she's the only one who I let come over."

I still said nothing, absorbing what he was saying. I remembered hearing something similar my first night in Sapphire Cove. None of us have even been over to his house, not even the guys.

"So, as far as your sisters concerned, and probably every one else now too, we are friends," Sterling informed me. "Unless you want to tell her the truth."

I felt my mouth purse together at his words, and I knew, that he knew— that was the last thing I wanted to do. I let a sigh out, as our teacher finally came into view as the front of the room. At least I didn't have to find anything else to say to Sterling.

The teacher began talking, and I might have missed it if Sterling wasn't so close to me, but I heard the words he spoke under his breath.

"I hate pie, too."

When the class was over, I stood first. I was pretty sure I knew how this was going to go— Sterling insisting that he had to drive me home. But, I had to try. At least.

"I can walk," I muttered quickly, not pausing to see or hear any reaction he might have.

Instead I started walking towards the hall, efficiently and without seeming like I was trying to rush. I was surprised when I made it through the classroom doors without hearing his response. So I kept walking faster and faster, my footsteps speeding up the further away from the classroom I got.

I thought I got away. Guess I thought wrong.

"Dahlia," I heard Sterling call after me, it sounded like he was jogging in my direction. And although I didn't turn back to look, my feet still slowed.

"Just wait," he called next, but he sounded closer than he had before. And surprisingly, I did.

Against my will or even my own thoughts, my body slowed even further until I came to a halt. I turned back, exasperation running through me as I looked at him.

He didn't say anything else immediately. He waited until he had finally caught up to me. He looked just as exasperated as I felt.

"What?" I asked him, making my voice sound sharp as though I wanted him to recoil.

"Well, like I told you before our class, everyone thinks we're friends now. We might as well fake it until we make it," he said, slightly out of breath from the way he had run after me.

"I don't want to be friends," I said, rather bluntly. "And you know what, I don't think you want to be friends, either."

Sterling looked shocked, like he had thought he was fooling me about his own annoyance of my presence. He seemed to think for a second, likely whether to try and lie about it or not.

"Well," he said slowly, shrugging. "Like I said. Fake it till we make it."

"Why do you care?" I asked him the same question I had been asking him for the last twenty-four hours.

"I don't know," he said, which was not what I was expecting. "Maybe, to me, it looks like you could use a friend."

And I guess I was so stunned by his answer, that I didn't say anything.

"So, will you let me give you a ride?" He asked me, and he looked as surprised as I felt when my head nodded yes.


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