Two hours later, I was on my way to the cafeteria from my last class when I passed Addie and her boyfriend, kissing at their locker. The two had always been extra affectionate which made those around them feel awkward and a little bit grossed out.

She had been dating Mark for over a year and had slowly stopped having time for me. We would make plans but then Mark had a different idea and Addie canceled to hang out with him. It was after a while that I stopped hanging out with the two girls after school.

What was the point if they only considered me to be a backup plan until something better came along?

I pretended to make myself busy as I passed by. They didn't even notice me and I didn't care.

I was getting closer to the cafeteria with every step when a familiar voice called my name.

"Hey, Astrid," Delilah called my name and smiled. People often referred to her as the girl version of Kai and Matt. She was popular but a definite troublemaker. Not in a bad way, though. The girl just didn't care what other people thought and knew how to fight her own battles. She was brave and I really admired that about her. But most of all, she was never mean to me.

"Hey there, Delilah," I said with a small, polite smile. Delilah was easily one of the most gorgeous girls in school and everybody wanted to be like her or at least be in her company. A few years ago, I used to have a crush on her which is what made me realize that I was bisexual and didn't really mind who I spent the rest of my life with. Happiness was most important. I didn't have a crush on her anymore, but a part of me was thankful to her for helping me realize that love didn't have to be tied to a specific gender.

"I heard about your accident yesterday," she spoke with a low voice, searching for something in her bag. "I came to make sure you're doing okay and to give you this."

"What is it?" I asked, surprised at the pile of papers she pulled.

"My notes from yesterday. I made an extra copy for you in case you were worried about missing anything," she told me.

I stared at her, taken aback. "I... thank you for being so considerate."

A knot in my stomach threatened to pull itself apart. There was a tug and I felt my eyes become hot, ready to start the waterworks. I didn't expect her to go through all this trouble, especially since we never exchanged more than a few words.

"Don't worry about it," she shrugged me off. "You saved my skin last year when I was in the hospital so this is the least I could do."

"I really appreciate it," I said. More than she knew.

I could see that she was becoming uncomfortable with the mushy-ness so she took a deep breath and grinned. "Well, it was nice seeing you. Have a good day."

Before I could wish her the same, she started to walk away, leaving me alone with the notes she handed me.

Shaking my head, I put the notes in my own bag and walked to the cafeteria to get some lunch. On today's menu were burgers and fries.

As I got my food, Diana called to me and I walked to her table and set down my tray. We ate in silence, her flicking through the pages of a magazine, occasionally showing me pictures and asking my opinion about whether she should buy it or not. Addie didn't show up which wasn't that shocking. What surprised me was that Diana didn't bother sitting with her other friends today.

"So," she started to say once I finished eating and she was done with her magazine. "What's the latest on you and Kai?"

"There's no me and Kai," I said to her, getting irritated for some reason.

"Come on, Addie and I both saw how much fun both of you were having in class. He likes you. At least as a friend."

"I don't want to talk about him," I told her. Kai and I were not friends. He was my classmate and new neighbor. He also destroyed my car. Things were already complicated as it was. I didn't want to get my hopes up especially since he was so popular. I didn't want to end up as yet another joke to all the popular kids.

"You can be so stubborn sometimes," she said. "Would it kill you to have fun for once and not worry about where things lead? If anything, at least you get to score."

"Yeah about a hundred STDs," I muttered to myself and picked up a book I brought to school with me to read. We had a free period because our teacher was sick and the school couldn't get a substitute which meant we were stuck in the cafeteria for another hour or so.

Some time had passed and I got so lost in my book that a tap on my shoulder downright startled me. I looked up to see my brother.

He never wanted to be seen with me in school because it would ruin his reputation. Judging by the look on his face, he found out I came to school with Kai and he was about to have some sort of a fit. I sighed and scooted over so he could sit down at the table when his friends joined us out of nowhere too.

Matt, Nathaniel and Beck sat down without invitation despite Diana's protests. They didn't care. Soon enough, they were all over us and not in a good way.

"So, Astrid," Matt said to me. I hated his attitude. Any time he talked to me, he was rude or just a jerk. "Found a new, less boring way to spend your days?"

I pretended not to hear him and tried to concentrate on reading. My hands were starting to feel tingly and cold.

"You're stuck in books like your life depends on it. Maybe if you stopped being such a nerd and made attempts at conversation, people would actually like you."

"Can I punch him?" Diana asked me, getting slightly angry.

I shrugged, not saying anything. What was there to say?

"Ever thought of getting a boyfriend? Oh right, nobody wants to even look at you."

"Stop trying to provoke her. You're clearly bad at it," Connor pointed out.

"I don't need you defending me," I turned to Connor though I was glad he chose to do it. I tried not to let Matt's words have an effect on me but what he said was a low blow.

Everything was shit. My life was shit but I was going to grit my teeth and get through this day. At least until I got home.

"Is there a reason behind your visit?" Diana asked them.

"Oh, just hanging out. Catching up with you. Things like that," Beck said before anyone else could speak. Connor's stare was intense and I couldn't shake it off. I wanted to get out of here and away from them. I knew my brother was mad, curious even. But I didn't want to go through his inquisition. I decided to turn the tables around.

"Isn't hanging out with me an embarrassment? Am I not a loser enough for you to stay away? I suppose it's your lucky day. I'll just do you a favor and leave."

Diana sent me a strange look and I guess she knew I was in one of my moods now. The mood that was close to breaking down. I chose to ignore her.

"Don't be so dramatic," Connor said, grabbing my arm and pulling me down again next to him. 

"We were just playing."

"I'm not in the mood for your games," I snapped.

"Alright, sorry," he said, this time looking down at his hands. I sighed, looking anywhere but at the boys.

"So, free period," Nathaniel spoke, clapping his hands together, trying to clear the air of awkwardness.

Before he could say anything, Matt shouted at the football team to join their tables with ours and join us for the next hour. I wanted to run away and my anxiety made me fidget in my seat.

I put the book in my purse, gave the rest of the food on my plate to Connor who had the appetite of a dinosaur and stood up to leave. I was intercepted by Kai who had a perky blonde walking by his side. I ignored him deliberately. Diana caught me just in time to ask me to hand her some of my notes for her to study so I searched in my bag for them as Kai approached us.

"There's no place for two," Matt said, clearly hinting that he should get rid of the girl. Kai waved her off and while she looked hurt, but not that surprised. She still gave him a kiss.

"Bye, baby. See ya later," she winked at him. After her departure, Kai plopped down on a free chair next to Diana. I was standing across the table and reached to hand her the notes which she took from me with a grateful smile.

"Are you leaving already? Don't like hanging out with the cool people?" He asked, but his tone didn't seem to be mocking at all.

"She doesn't like hanging out with any kind of people," Matt supplied.

"Why don't you let the girl speak, Jackson. You like to hear yourself talk or is it a birth defect for you to be unable to keep your mouth shut?" Hunter Riley asked Matt who simply rolled his eyes. Hunter was one of Kai's friends. Needless to say, Kai's group wasn't a big fan of my brother's friends.

"Come on, Bailey. Sit back down and keep us company. I promise we'll be good," Kai told me.

Connor snorted which made another one of Kai's friends speak up. "What's your problem, man? She's your sister. Just chill out," Mason Zachary said. He was Kai's best friend.

"You can sit here," Chester Kane, another one of his friends said to me. Why were they being nice to me? What did they want from me? I didn't like this.

"It's fine, I have things to do anyway," I said, trying to brush off the attention as I turned to look at Diana. "Give those back to me when you're done."

She nodded and I was just planning on walking away when Connor bothered to ask me a question.

"You need a ride home?" He asked. I was too smart to think he was offering.

"No thanks, I'll manage," I said, not wanting his help since it always came with a price.

"What, you're going to walk home?" Matt raised an eyebrow and laughed.

"Let us drive you," Nathaniel offered.

"I have plans," I said in an attempt to tell them I wasn't interested. I didn't want to be stuck in a car with them.

Connor laughed, "Plans? You?"

"Yes," I snapped, this time getting loud. "Is that so hard to believe or are you just a self-absorbed asshole?"

Taken aback by my temper, Connor shut up but Matt wouldn't believe me.

"Oh yeah? With whom then?" He asked.

Suddenly, a voice said, "With me."

It was Kai.