My fight with Asher Stevens is buzzing around the school the next day. It was inevitable because drama spreads like wildfire at Eastside High. As I walk down the hallway, people are giving me looks, some of fear and others of amusement.

When I reach to my locker, I open it up and stuff in my bags and dig around for my stupid books for stupid math class.

"Bay!" A voice yells and I look to my right to see Zoe stomping over to me, anger radiating off of her. People around her move aside with fear and confusion written on their faces.

"Why would you do that to him!" she yells at me and shows me a video of me kicking Asher's ass yesterday at the party.

"Because I can and he hurt you Zoe."

"I can fight my own damn battles. You aren't my mother! Don't you trust that I could handle this on my own?"

"I do trust you, I just trust me more and to be completely honest, wallowing in your sadness was just getting me more and more angry at Asher."

"You are so full of it Bay!" She fumes and walks away.

I turn back toward my locker and take out my books and close it. Right when I close my locker, I see Asher standing at his locker, watching me. He has a few bruises on his face. Most are covered up with concealer, but the slightly purple bruise under his eye satisfies me.

I lift my arm and ready myself to punch him again in his face, but someone latches onto my elbow and stops me from connecting my fist with Asher's nose. I turn around to meet Brett Cruz who is holding my arm.

"I don't think punching a kid on school premises will win you an honorary award, firecracker."

I drop my arm and look back at Asher who is taking books out of his locker.

"I didn't need your help."

"I can beg to differ. My guess is you were aiming at his nose weren't you?"

"So what if I was? Why do you care?"

"Oh no I don't care about the fact that you were trying to punch an asshole. I care that it's at school and you would probably be suspended."

"So what if I was suspended?"

"I wouldn't be able to see that pretty face of yours." He says and sends me a wink.

My cheeks feel like the inside of a furnace as they turn beet red.

"Add adorable to the list of things about you."

"Brett.."

"I want to take you out." He blurts out.

"What?" I murmured.

"I want to take you out, maybe to a dinner or a movie, I don't know."

"I-" I nervously laugh. "I am not really looking to date...anyone right now. I-"

"That's fine. It could just be a friend thing. It doesn't have to be a date."

"A friend taking a friend out. Nothing more?"

"Yes."

"OK fine." I say a flick a piece of my hair behind my shoulder.

"Really?"

"It's the least I could do since you prevented me from letting my anger get me suspended."

"What did Asher do to you anyway?"

"He messed with the wrong person." I tell him being as discreet as possible.

"Remind me not to mess with you." Brett says and chuckles.

"I definitely will." The bell rings indicating class will be starting. "So when is our friend-date?"

"Friday at 7 good?"

"Yeah." I say with a smile on my face. "See ya then" I walk away and in the direction of my class.

"Hey Stewart!" Brett yells from behind me. I turn back and look back at Brett. His tall height has him sticking out of the crowd and makes it quite easy to find him among the large crowd of students. He jogs over to me and stops right in front of me.

"I don't have your number."

I bite down a smile that wants to come to my face and take a sharpie from out my binder and gently grab Brett's hand. I scrawl my number on Brett's palm and then cover the sharpie back.

"Now you do." I tell him and walk away and to class.

...

I never really thought about it until now.

If my father was dead, would my conscience be clearer?

At least, in this case, he didn't voluntarily want to leave me. Fate would've just...took him from me, but he didn't want to die. In 3rd period, our teacher was talking about how we should appreciate our parents and we should be grateful for them and happy that they're alive and stuff. I have no idea how this topic even came up, but it did and it has left my conscience boggled.

"My man!"

Issac and another lacrosse player, Joey Mendez, exchange in the bro hug with smiles on their faces. I walk over to the two and stand in front of my locker.

"What's all the commotion over here about?" I ask quite curious to why Joey is making so much noise.

"My man Issac Evans snagged himself a British girl." Joey says and slaps Issac's back.

"You asked out Mackenzie?" I ask Issac.

"And she said yes" He responds with a smile on his face.

"I am so happy for you. She is a smart girl."

"So Bay..." Joey says and looks at me. He moves closer and licks his lips in I'm guessing what's meant to be in a seductive way, but it is not working.

"Since Issac is off the market and I am a very handsome guy, you know what I'm saying, I can treat you like a princess, girl. Go out with me."

My eyebrows shoot up in surprise. I mean, I knew Joey had kind of a thing for me. I would always find him staring at my ass or my boobs when he thinks I am not looking, but there is only one lacrosse player I may have feelings for.

I move closer to Joey so I am close up to his face so that our lips were mere inches apart. I look into his blue eyes that have freckles of gold in his eyes. Joey is a very attractive guy and he has beautiful eyes, but I have never felt that spark with him and I never will.

"I need to be treated like a queen to give myself to someone. Although you are very cute and you have adorable eyes, this" I use my finger to motion between us both. "Just won't happen Joey."

I move away from him and open my locker to put my books inside.

"Well aren't you a ray of pitch black." Joey mumbles. I shoot him a wink and continue digging around for my books.

"And you say you weren't a heart breaker." Issac says with amusement dancing in his eyes and he shakes his head.

I shrug my shoulders and close my locker once I take out my lunch.

"You used to be so quiet and hot. Not that you aren't now, but I always thought-"

"First off, I'm not a cup of tea, so I am not exactly hot." I say quoting Issac and from my peripheral, he has a small smile on his face from the use of his words. "Second off, don't just judge me based off of my voluntary silence, no one plans a murder out loud." I say to him and leave after giving Joey one last wink.

"Are we still friends at least?!!?!" He yells over the loud noise in the hallway.

"Of course." I say with a smile on my face and walk into the lunchroom. I walk straight to the table I sit with Zoe at. She is eating a garden salad with her green drink. I have the same lunch just with water, no green drink. It has always been important to mom that we eat healthy and keep our figure. Apparently, when she was our age, she was overweight. She didn't look overweight, but she was and it tormented her conscience, so she tries to keep us away from that.

That's the one good thing that's consistent with her.

"I got asked out." I blurt out while Zoe is drinking her green drink. Zoe chokes on her drink and she coughs for a good few minutes.

"Did Issac break up with Mackenzie, they just started dating today."

"You knew?"

"Yeah, just found out. He asked her out at the party yesterday that you went to to fight Asher you dumbfounded fool."

"Eh. I had fun."

"OK. So if it wasn't Issac, who asked you out?" she asks completely ignoring my last statement.

"Brett did, but it is a friend date not a date date."

"A date is a date. There is no going around bushes and shit." she says and gives me her 'bitch...what?' face.

"I don't want to date anyone right now, you know that. I'm not going to go and date Brett. I'm not in the mindset to and I don't want to."

"No. You are right, you don't want to date Brett. It's someone else in particular that you would prefer to date right now, but you can't have it right now." Zoe whispers.

"Zoe, not right now."

"Whatever" she says and sips on her green drink.

...

There are times in your life when you really realize that, as Zoe says, 'You done fucked up'

That is now. School has concluded for the day and I am standing outside in the school lot waiting for Zoe. The lot is, as usual, crowded with the student population who are either waiting for a ride or begging someone for a ride. Even though it is crowded by about 250 students in the lot, I could still find Issac in the crowd. He is standing by his black Maserati talking to someone with a dopey smile on his face. When the students around him clear, I could see he is talking to Mackenzie. I didn't care as much about that. I mean, why would I?

What happens afterwards is what catches my attention.

Issac leans down so that his lips are close to Mackenzie's. One more centimeter and their lips will connect. Mackenzie says something with a smile on her face and a beet red blush on her cheeks. Issac smiles along with her and he moves in and kisses her. Mackenzie has to stand on her tippy toes in order to meet Issac. My eyes sting as I watch the scene in front of me. I can feel tears behind my eyes wanting to flow out, but I keep it in and put on my poker face. I feel like I was stabbed in the heart and the person turned the knife increasing the pain. It's hard watching him kiss another girl, move on with another girl when you shared your first kiss with the guy you have strong feelings for not too long ago.

Issac pulls away from her and she leans down with a smile on her face. Issac hold his hand out for her and she takes it. He leads her into his car and he jogs over to the other side and gets in. He zooms off the school parking lot and down the street and disappearing in the afternoon fog.

"Hey, you ready?" Zoe asks breathlessly like she was running.

"Yeah." I mutter and start on the trek back home.