The rest of the class goes by and at the end I waste no time bolting to my truck.

"Slow down Speed Racer damn!" Layne hurries to catch me, "I said I was sorry."

"Are you pleased with yourself?" I turn, clearly irritated.

"Are you mad at me?" she responds, undignified.

Wren was out of line, yes, but not that out of line. Of course Layne and I are dating, but still Wren and I were something a kin to friends, and Layne didn't get to decide how our friendship panned out.

"I just don't think you should've said that to Wren," I say.

"So you're taking her side?" she questions, "And I'd watch the next thing you say, Kaylie Jane Parker."

I open my mouth to respond, then close it, realizing it'll be a long car ride home if I say what I'm feeling, "You know what-- Forget I said anything."

"No, no--- Elaborate." We both get into the car and I start it, the engine almost drowning out my girlfriend. Almost. "ENLIGHTEN ME PLEASEEEEEE!"

"I had the situation with Wren handled is all!" I reply, the lower my voice, "And you just came in an wrecked her."

"Nononono-- You were entertaining her, not handling her. I handled her."

"You could've done it nicer is all," I sigh, "I want a girlfriend not a guard dog."

"Excuse me?" she runs a frustrated hand through her hair, "YOU could've said something when she called YOUR girlfriend a country bumpkin," Layne retorts, "Or were you too busy lost in her eyes?"

You saw that? "I don't know what you wanted me to do," I relent, "It put me in a tough spot. You know I don't like fights."

She softens, then hardens again, "Don't do that."

"Do what?" I raise an eyebrow.

"You're using subliminals to remind me why I like you and it's making it hard to hate you," she scowls, "Stop it."

"Baby I'm sorry," I apologize, although not entirely sure what for.

"Accepted," she uncrosses her arms, "And you're right, I guess I was a little off today. But that's only because Wren wants you still."

"Still? Um, last I check she didn't want me at all," I joke. Layne exhales and takes my hand, interlacing our fingers, "You're so stupid sometimes it's cute but so damn annoying..."

"I know I'm the worst," we arrive at a stop light, "You should punish me with kisses."

She rolls her eyes and kisses me briefly, pulling away far too soon for my taste. I groan as the light turns green and we continue on.

When we stop at Layne's house I kill the engine but do not unlock the door for her. She gives me an annoyed look, "You expect to make out with me now?"

"Actually, I have some rules of my own," I reply, "Rule one-- you cannot spazz on anymore of my friends. Other people touch me, Layne and you can't just go off on everyone. Rule two--- you've lost unsolicited PDA privileges after today. Rule three--- I don't know I'm saving it in case you get outta pocket again."

She pouts holding back any protests, as I did with her, "Okay. Deal."

I smile, happy this didn't turn into another fight, "Now I expect to make out with you."

"You're the worst," she smiles, letting me know she's not serious.

"Yeah, I know," she leans in and we meet in the middle, our lips locking. Suddenly Layne jumps away, hoping out of the car.

"Wait--!" I grab her wrist, "What's wrong?"

"In simplest terms-- you've got your annoying aunt? Well I've got mine."

I look up at the front door, where a severe looking woman with blond hair is glaring at me. I release Layne almost immediately, the woman eyes feeling invasive, like she knows something about me that I don't.

Layne's bolts into the house, squeezing past her aunt. Her aunt continues to stare at me as I pull out the driveway, still feeling mildly unnerved. I glance at the clock, seeing the time. Fuck.

I rush back to the school running into the building just in time to make it to detention.

"Well well if it isn't goody good Parker," one of the detention regulars teases me as I take a seat.

I didn't see myself as a goody good now, but freshman year me? I used to come to detention for fun because it was a quiet place to study.

"Ha ha," I reply, "You know what---"

"It's now 3:30 and I want silence!" Dr. Harvey, now in detention monitor mood, enters the room. I take a seat in the furthest corner and put my head down. If I'm going to be in here, at least I can catch up on some sleep.

Its not ten minutes later when I feel a presence over me, "Ms. Parker? What are you working on?"

I don't lift my head, "I'm working on my science project on melatonin production."

I get a couple of laughs from people who get the joke. Dr. Harvey must not.

"I need you to get out homework to work on or I'm not going to count this detention for you."

"I don't have homework," I reply, "And if I did, my backpack is in my car."

"I'm not going to repeat myself, KJ," I feel her walk away, "And since you're behaving like a preschooler, you have until I get to ten."

"Isn't that a little advance for a preschooler? I didn't learn to count that high until kindergarten."

"Nine," she replies.

"Fine," I sit up and look around for something to do. The small library classroom we're in is thread bare, aside from the desks we're seated at.

"Eight."

"Psst!"

I turn to see Harrison, not only a JOINT regular but a detention regular, offering me a couple pieces of paper and a pencil.

"Seven."

I accept them, and get to work, sketching mindlessly. Dr. Harvey stops counting, apparently satisfied. I'm an okay artist, but not good enough that I could do anything with it. Skill, I play around, sketching the roughest rendering of my girlfriend. It looks like shit, and I try to hide that fact by stylizing her name at the bottom boarder.

Detention comes to an end and its like I can't leave fast enough. I ball of my shit drawings and toss them in the recycling, borderline running to my car. I check my phone, which I hadn't been able to do in the last hour.

NAPKIN GIRL: where did u go?

Shit. I type out a quick response: nowhere important. what's up?

NAPKIN GIRL: rescue meeeeeeee

Me: omw

***

I find myself at Layne's every night leading up to Ms. Cassie's funeral. She didn't like being alone at night and I couldn't take being under the watchful eye of my father's wife. With her aunt seemingly everywhere, her door was always open, and our clothes were always on.

"I'm leaving for the night," we're in the kitchen studying when her aunt gets ready to leave. Her eyes fix on me, cold and unwelcoming. "Tell Dillion to let me know when he gets home, okay?"

"Yes ma'am," Layne nods, grabbing my hand for her aunt to see.

"Good night," she nods.

"Night, Aunt Saf," Layne responds, equally as cold.

As soon as the door closes Layne stands up, pulling me with her, "Come on."

She drags me to her room, pushing me onto the bed and kissing me. When her hands start unbuttoning my shirt I finally react, "Layne?"

"Ssshhh," she kisses me, "Please don't say anything."

I oblige, saying not anything more. I don't mention how tomorrow we're burying her mother. How recently she's treated me more like a warm body than a girlfriend. How her aunt needs to stop staring at me like I'm a murderer before I knock her teeth in.

So I kiss her back. If a warm body is what she needs from me, than who am I to deny her?

***

"Kaylie Jane~~~"

"Yes, Crazy Bag?" I turn, Wren directly behind me. She smiles innocently, which tells me her next actions will be anything but. My eyes search hers, trying to see exactly how fucked up I'm about to be.

"Crazy Bag?" She pouts, almost convincingly hurt, "Why would you call me that?"

"Because you're bat shit nutty? No offense to bats, shits, and nuts everywhere," I turn back around, only for her to grab my shoulder and turn me back around, resting her hands on my chest, "Have you ever tried "baby"? "Darling"? Something sweet?

"I've thought about it," I find myself answering honestly, "Then I remind myself that Crazy Bag is so much fucking suited for you, a bag of crazy."

"What if I kissed you?" She steps closer, leaving very little space between us, "Would I be crazy then?"

****

I jump awake, the memory still fresh and raw in my memory, even though it was so long ago. The way her lips felt. The smell of her perfume. It's all still there, like this incident was yesterday. Also there is when she bit my tongue, screamed, and filed an harassment claim on me to Graves. The betrayed. The pain. The grief of when most of the class aside from Nik and Lori turned on me, believing her over me.

Its all still there. And it all still hurts.

"Baby what's wrong?" Layne taps my face, "Did you have a nightmare?"

"I think so..." My voice shakes slightly. Is it a nightmare of it really happened?

"What happened in it?" She questions, concern in her voice.

"I--- I can't remember," I lie, shoving the memory back into the dark parts of my mind, hoping it'll stay there. Not that it's worked before.

Layne searches my eyes, but if she detects any untruths she keeps it to herself, "Okay."

We lie in silence, the weight of the day falling over us. Today we were burying Ms. Cassie.

"Do you want to get up?" Layne asks.

"I'm fine here with you," I reply. She smiles and nuzzles closer to me, before falling back to sleep. Lucky her.

My phone buzzes with a text from Beck: School?

Unnerved at my dream, I shift slowly out of her arms, only for her to grab my wrist, "Where are you going?" Her voice is laden with sleep, and comes out groggy.

"I have to take Beck to school. I'll be back," I kiss her forehead and she releases me, smiling, "Better."