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Somehow, even Geometry class felt better. The lights were brighter, the room was warmer, and the math looked less stupid. Still, I was so happy to get out of that class because it was one step closer to seeing him. When I walked out into the hall I was looking for him, but he was probably on the other side of the school. So, I didn't really expect to see him, but a girl could still hope.

"Hey Daya," I was so focused on looking for Banks that I didn't even notice that Brian was approaching me.

"Brian, hi," I said as we walked beside each other in a bit of an awkward way. There was dead silence between us for a few seconds past comfortable.

"Were you alright yesterday?" He said as he put both of his hands in his pockets.

"Yeah, I had to get home. I'm sorry for walking out on you guys."

His shoulder brushed against my mine, "Everything got a little weird when you and Pipes left." I knew I needed to tell him the same thing I told Jay and tried to tell Banks. Or maybe I didn't. He has Michy now possibly and we had one in depth conversation. It's not like we were supposed to betrothed or something.

Still, I decided to say, "Brian, this may be coming way out of the left field for you, but I'm not..." I couldn't do it. Awkwardness was wrangled throughout me and it wasn't just going to shake off.

He stopped by what I assumed to be his class and said, "I know what you're getting at Day. When shit goes down, I can always count on having good friends around. That's cool with me. I'm actually trying to get something going with Michy so.... I'll see you around," he moved to go into his class.

I stopped him, "Thank you.... for not being as weird as I am about all this."

"Of course I'm not mad. We're good."

I breathed out, "My guardian angel."

"Only part time now," he joked before he ducked into his class. Whew, I felt relieved that part of this was over.

Being with Banks brought me to a different universe and made me completely forget about what happened with Liv. Until it dawned on me that her tippy tappy high heeled boots were still there. I walked into World History and sat in my seat with a flop. My feelings needed to be shared instead of holding everything in forever.

Well, I guess I'm still trying to figure out how I feel exactly. I was lost in my thoughts when Olivia walked in the class and over to my seat. I didn't notice her until her cackle rammed into my ears with like a car wreck.

"Daya, from pervert to thot. I never expected that." She flipped my hair away from my neck in a mocking way. I guess Banks wasn't joking and not only is it there, it's noticeable. Still, I tried to play this smart and beat the queen in her own court.

"Liv, what are you talking about? Is that curling iron seeping into your head and killing the few brain cells you have?"

She huffed, "Ugh, I saw you this morning with Banks."

She peered behind her at the hype up crew that followed her around. "We all did. It seems like you're always going after my sloppy seconds."

She flicked my neck with two of her fingers. I immediately pushed her away and put my hair back over my shoulder in a standoffish move.

"Stay away from me. I did what you wanted. I'm doing what you wanted." A sly smile rode her face as she moved in closer to me. "And you better keep it that way. I wonder how Banks would feel if knew that you get off on watching your friends bone." She squinted her eyes at me before she walked away from my desk and towards hers.

"Liv," I said as she turned back around.

"What? Are you trying to get a second peek?" She and her friends guffawed like my pain was the most joyous event for them to watch.

"I hope you and Jay are truly happy together. I'm not standing in your way." The look in her expression almost seemed like she didn't fully understand what I meant so I continued.

"I concede."

The rest of that class was a flaming hot mess to say the least, but that definitely wasn't all I was going to get from Liv. Drama follows her as she destroys everything in her mist.

At the end of class I received a text stating 'Meet me in the hall,' - Banks

Just seeing his name brought a smile to my face in an otherwise mundane time.
However, it was concerning that Liv called him her sloppy seconds. Like, what does that even mean? I knew I should ask him but I wanted to talk about it person or just try to buy some time to bask in the way I felt in his presence.

'Wyd,' that's such a stupid thing to write. No one ever gives an interesting answer to it. Yet I still sent it.

'Thinking about you,' he replied. I can't stop the compulsory reaction I have when I think about him.

'Does everyone get that text?'

'Oh yeah, I hit my mom up with that one all the time.' I laughed out loud in front of the class garnering a dissatisfactory look from my teacher.

'She must love that. Or is extremely creeped out.'

'I don't actually text her that. Unless I'm feeling emo. Wyd.' I knew he was joking, but it's cute that he wants to clarify that he isn't a creep.

'Thinking about you.'

I bolted out of class for an entirely different reason today, I had someone to meet. Only then I realized that I had no clue where he was.

'Where did you want to meet?' I got no answer in the two seconds I stared at my phone, and I headed to my third block class, hoping he would just find me. I had only been to school three days this week and I was already tired of doing school work.

"Daya," I heard from behind me and when I turned around, he was right there. "Banks, hey," I said as people eased by us.

"Hey, you look as great as the last time I saw you." He leaned down and whispered over the hustle and bustle of the hall.

"Um yeah, you do too." I looked up at his tall frame and I wanted to ask about Liv but I didn't want her to ruin this too.

"My class is upstairs," I said to him. "I don't mind walking with you."

"Have you talked to any of your friends today?" I also forgot until that moment that possibly the nicest person I've ever met is infuriated with me, aka Celia.

"I haven't talked to any of them besides Serrano. Is that your sly why of asking me if they're still pissed at you?"

Our hands naturally found each other as we walked side by side. "I think Celia and Piper are avoiding me. Last night, I sent her an apology text and she didn't answer."

"Probably because you apologized for doing something you're still doing." He squeezed my hand and gave me a knowing look. I hadn't even thought about it like that.

"Would you be mad?" He looked at me quizzically, "You know, if Brian or Mark started talking to Celia, romantically." A thoughtful look crossed his face like a car over train tracks.

"It would be a little weird, especially with Serrano, but at least she'd be off my back all the time."

Curiously, I inquired, "Why don't you like her? She's pretty and sweet. Some might even consider her the closest you could get to perfect."

He scoffed, "I played Dig Dug with you, then I held your hand and she flipped out. We've been broken up for longer than we dated, and she acts like I belong to her. I know she's sweet, that's why we're still friends, but she is a class five clinger."

The hall was clearing out and he put his arm around my shoulder. "Plus, I like you."

We were nearing my classroom, but I never wanted this to end.

"This is me," I stopped in front of my door. I turned to face him, swiftly kissed his cheek, and dashed into the room. 

The third block passed by quickly to my pleasure. In a previous time, fourth was always my favorite. Now, I feel indifferent toward it and the person who was in it with me. To my dismay, Jay was already in there when I walked in as if he was waiting for me.

"Daya," the teacher hadn't walked in yet, so I had no protection or convenient distractions to avoid this moment.

"Hi, again," I said avoiding eye contact with the hazel eyes that once filled my heart with so much love.

"I'm going to talk to Liv, I promise," Jay said it as if it mattered anymore.

"She's your girlfriend, you're supposed to talk and make all your promises to her."

He visibly cringed at the word girlfriend. "I'm letting her win. You two can have each other."

He sat down in the chair beside me. "Do I even have a shot of making things right between us?"

He's been all I've had for so many years, it's hard to deny him anything. "I want there to be, but so much damage has been done."

He leaned closer to me, "And I want to fix that." He pushed a strand of chocolate hair behind my ear.

"Give me some time. I can," he paused. "What's on your neck?" Dang, it.

"Nothing don't look at it," I pushed my hair back over that spot.

"Is that a hickey? Did Banks give you a hickey?" I could see jealousy evenly spread through his body. My face turned completely red and I hid under my hair.

"Could you stop saying that so loudly?" A few people had trickled in by that time.

Suddenly, it clicked in my mind what he just said to me. "Wait, are you serious right now?" I could have broken my neck with how abruptly I shifted my head.

"You slept with someone else," I whisper yelled at him. "You're such a hypocrite to judge me for this or to be upset, Jay." Our teacher walked in as we stared at each other and breathed imperceptibly. I stomped away from him and to my surprise he actually sat beside me like he did before she came into his life.

In between the times our teacher turned around to write on the board, Jay would whisper things to me that he kept regurgitating.

"I'm sorry. We can move past this. I won't let you throw this away." Are among some of the things he kept saying and even though I tried to tune him out my ears wouldn't let me.

When class ended, he stopped me before I could run pass him. I wanted to keep going so I can see Banks at lunch, but I had a difficult conversation coming with him to. Plus this was Jay. This was eleven years of friendship standing in front me and something compelled me to stay.

"Daya, you know how I feel about you," Jay spoke calmly.

"I know what you tell me, but how can I believe you? You tell me one thing and you tell Liv something else. For some reason, she is fighting like hell to keep you. With that kind of determination, she'll succeed or murder me if she doesn't. I can't compete with her and frankly.... I don't want to anymore. Let me move on. I gave you that chance, so give me that."

He closed the gap that separated us and his hand graced my cheek with my consent.

"I'm so sorry. Let me make this up to you," he said to me.

Without thinking, I wrapped my arms around him in a warm embrace. For some reason he just made sense to me and I wanted him to keep every promise he has ever made to me. But can I believe him? I felt his muscles relax as his arms found my waist and I felt myself relax as well. My stomach fluttered, and the room was spinning like we were in a tornado. It felt like it could last forever, like it should last forever, yet I released him.

"Can we sit together at lunch? I have a lot of stuff to say," he asked with despair laced in his voice.

"Banks, I'll be with him. And you should be with Liv." It hurt to say, but I had to make some decisions for myself and let him go, even if just for a little while. I patted his arm for what I thought would be one last time and tried to walk away before he stopped me again.

"Day, I get it. You're mad at me and you want to make me jealous or something so you go ahead and do this with Banks of all people. I get it, really. But you barely know the guy. And we both know his reputation."

I interrupted him, "Excuse you."

"You're trying to prove a point to me. That you could get any guy you want, even a guy who everyone knows just wants to get in your pants. You've never even had a real boyfriend before and now you're throwing yourself at him in front of everyone to show that you can, to get a rise out of me. But, I'm not upset with you. You've proved your point."

I was completely floored by what he said just said to me that even though I wanted him to stop speaking I let him continue out of shock.

"What are you talking about?"

"I was with Liv and we both saw you with him this morning. There's no way you would choose a guy like that over me. You have to be doing this as payback for me being with her. You practically said it earlier."

In that moment, I couldn't handle hearing that anymore and rage showered me. "I'm not with him to spite you! Everything that I do is not about you! This happened...," I removed my hair from covering my neck so he could see it.

"Because I freaking wanted him too and I wasn't thinking about you for a second during it! My life doesn't revolve around you anymore! This was my choice! I'm offended that you would insinuate otherwise!"

"Daya," he tried to say but I wouldn't let up.

"No! No! Do you even hear how douchey you sound! He's treated me better in the past two days than you have in the last four months you prick!"

He tried to interject but I said, "No! You don't get to say anything else to me ever! You do not get to talk to me that way! If you want another chance, you're doing the worst job," I cawed before I wrathfully treaded away.

I was consumed with an anger that could only be quenched by lunch and hopefully Banks. But there's a big possibility that I'll be having a argument with him to and Celia. I was probably going to argue with every person I saw that day.

Furthermore, I got my food and my body naturally drifted toward the table I sat at yesterday. Everyone was there except Banks. Conveniently for him. The table fell silent as I walked over with my eyes fixated on Celia.

I wanted to clear the air, "Celia, I'm sorry for what happened yesterday," I blurted out. Her look could stop grown men in their tracks and turn them to dust.

"It's Banks, you know his eyes are hypnotizing," I joked even though it failed to lighten her sour expression.

"You knew. You knew with excruciating detail how I felt about him, yet you swooped in and took him from me." Lined all over her voice was a hurt that consumed all reason behind them.

Piper stood up nimbly, "Cece! You can't keep doing this anymore. He. Does. Not. Like. You! There I said it!" Piper sat back down with a huff.

"What?" She whispered. The rest of the table nodded their heads in agreement.

"You all knew," Celia asked like she was genuinely surprised.

"He dumped you, Ce. A while ago. You knew too," Mark continued eating after his remarks.

Stunned, stunned is the word that I would use to convey her expression towards us.

"I feel like there is still a chance," tears impended to commence in her eyes.
"And as long as I feel that way, everyone should respect that, including her," she prolonged her finger in my path.

"Celia, I told you that I don't want to start dating anyone. I still mean that. Is there an attraction there? Yes. But, I'm not going to start anything with him. Especially if it upsets you this much."

Her appearance unstiffened somewhat, but her voice was utterly stationary. "Do you promise?"

All eyes were on me when I said, "Yes, I promise."

Tension engulfed the entire table. Brian looked between Celia and me before saying, "Are you serious?" We both turned to him like a bomb was just dropped.

My person turned into a avalanche of tension and nerves, spinning around each other until further notice.

"Celia, you can't stop him from dating other people. You just met her yesterday and now you want to tell her who she can and can't date. He's a person, not an object that you can store in your closet so no one else can get to him. If it's not her, it's another girl."

Brian had the rational course of thought, but with matters of the heart, rationality goes out the window. Mark turned around and my eyes followed his.

With impeccable timing, Banks headed toward the table we sat at. Celia groaned before standing up and walking away with a fire under her feet.

"Cece," Piper said as she stood up with the purpose to go after her. Innately, I stood up as well. Celia purposely knocked her shoulder against his arm as she shoved her way past him.

As I started in their direction, Banks stopped me by holding one of my shoulders with his open hand, the other was holding his plate.

"What was that all about?" He asked me as unease seeped into my pores.

"You," I said shyly.

"Talk to me about it," his expression metamorphosed from bewilderment to robustness.

*Happy 30th part you guys!! Tell me if these 3,000 word chapters are too much because I can cut them up a little bit.

Does Dayson have a chance or is there too much damage? I'm still shook that he would say that to her even though I wrote it.

What are your thoughts on the Celia situation?

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