"Fucking give it to me!" Zeke holds Isaac by the collar as he shouts in his face.

I was getting my chemistry books from my locker when I heard him shouting round the corner. So now i'm eavesdropping. I hate doing that and I want to shout at Zeke for holding Isaac the way he is, but if they see me he won't tell me whatever it is he wants.

I wish he'd get help with his temper. He never handles things the right way, like right now, for example. It's a good thing though that Isaac and Cole know that he doesn't mean any harm, it's just who he is.

"No, man, you'll regret it." Isaac tries to take Zeke's hands off him but fails. Some other people are watching, wondering what's going on.

"I don't care. I need it."

"Fuck off," Isaac again tries to push Zeke away, which only results in Zeke slamming Isaac's back against the wall.

"You want me to beat you until you give me it?"

Oh God. He wouldn't do that? Would he?

"Go ahead."

Zeke just looks at him before pressing his lips together and letting him go. "Fuck you."

He takes off walking down the corridor towards where I'm standing, taking his phone out. As soon as he comes around the corner, I walk straight into him.

Accidentally.

Kind of.

His phone drops from his hands from the impact. Crap. I lean down to pick it up. It's not smashed, thankfully, but I notice on his screen are texts messages.

From Aubrey.

"What was that all about?" I ask, pretending not to have seen the messages as I hand him his phone.

"What?"

"I heard you yelling at Isaac."

"Oh," he looks away. "It's nothing."

I don't push it because I know he won't tell me. "You excited for chemistry?"

"I am buzzing with anticipation," he says sarcastically.

The bell rings and I take a step, ready to go to class but notice Zeke is still in his spot. "You coming?"

He glances behind him in the direction he was headed before I ran into him. "I, um. In a minute."

"You'll be late," I frown.

For a moment he just looks at me, contemplating whether or not to go. "Fine," he sighs.

We walk into class together and I follow Zeke to the back, but stop in my tracks at the sight of Mason.

Sitting in the second row, he's looking right back at me as I stare at him, my jaw dropped. His jaw is covered in bruises, his lip swollen and cuts on his nose and forehead.

Zeke has stopped too, watching me. Mason's eyes avert to him and I immediately know why.

"What. The. Fuck," I hiss at him.

Without responding, he takes my arm and pulls me to the back row and we both take our seats. "It's not that bad."

"It's not that bad? Really? When did you do that?"

"Doesn't matter," he looks away.

"Yes it does," I grab his face and pull it to look at me. He looks shocked and a little pissed off. He doesn't let many people treat him like that.

"It was at the party, alright? After you fell asleep." He rolls his eyes and turns away again.

"Everyone quiet," Mr. Kennedy walks into the class. "Turn to page twenty-eight in your books and continue with the questions."

"Why would you do that?" I ask quietly as I'm opening my book.

"He's a dick. That's why."

"I told you not to do this. I don't want you getting in trouble because of me."

"It wasn't for you," he snaps.

"Zeke. Marnie; quiet please," Mr. Kennedy says and I ignore the hurt I feel from what Zeke said. I didn't want him to do it for me, but he did anyway but it wasn't because Mason cheated on me. It was just because Zeke doesn't like him.

I don't say anything else to him because i'm scared Mr. Kennedy will get mad. I notice Zeke is shaking is leg. I still haven't figured out why he does that.

"If it pains you so much to see your precious Mason like that, then why don't you just sit with him? You can sit right in front of me and let him purposely touch you up just to piss me off," he mumbles the last part.

"I don't like him that way anymore. How could you even say that?"

"Quiet," Mr. Kennedy calls.

"You obviously do. Enough to use me and almost fucking have sex with me just to get over him," his voice his loud and Mason could probably hear what he just said. My cheeks heat up and people look at us.

The thing is though, I kissed Zeke because I knew Mason was watching, but I didn't do what happened after that because of Mason. It was because I got a taste of Zeke, and I liked it. I liked it a lot.

"Zeke," Mr. Kennedy shouts. "Stand outside. Now."

"It was her," he scoffs.

Gee, thanks.

"Marnie, you can join him then. I will talk to you both in a moment."

"It wasn't me," I argue. "He just likes to act like everything's my fault."

"And she likes to use people but never sees what's wrong with it."

"And he's an emotionless idiot who beats up people when he's bored," I glare at him. Our conversation is going on loudly as the entire class watches. I don't even care because he's annoying me so much.

"Only people who deserve it."

"Your friend doesn't deserve it when he's always the one there for you."

"You think he's there for me? Not when i'm going fucking insane from cigarette cravings and he takes them all every time-"

"Enough!" Mr. Kennedy interrupts. "Both of you get out now!"

Zeke never told me he was having problems with stopping smoking. He stands up and walks out of the class and I follow, meeting Mason's eye on the way out. I close the door behind me and stare at Zeke as he leans against the wall and takes his phone from his pocket.

"You said you weren't addicted," I say in a calm voice.

He looks up from his phone and looks at me with an unreadable expression. "I'm not, it's just hard adjusting to not doing it."

"Why didn't you tell me you were struggling?"

"Why would I? Just so you can think I am pathetic and call me a druggy along with your shithead boyfriend?" He snaps and starts walking down the corridor.

"He's not my boyfriend," I say harshly. "Stop fricking acting like i'm fricking in love with him or something!" I feel like kicking the lockers or something. He makes me so mad.

He stops and turns around, shouting at me from a few metres away. "You obviously are – or at least you're stupid enough to think you are."

"I am not," I stomp my foot like a little kid. How could he say things like this after what Mason did?

"That's what I thought at first after what he said. But after what you did – using me and shit, it must be fucking true."

"What do you mean? What did he say?"

Zeke scowls, "It doesn't matter. I don't fucking care about any of this," he spins and walks away again.

I want you to care.

"Where are you going?" I call after him.

"Away from here."

I'm left standing outside in confusion for a couple of minutes. What did Mason say to him? Is that why he's mad, because Mason said things to him that were obviously stupid bullshit? Or is it because I used him? Or both?

Mr. Kennedy emerges from the class, "Where's Zeke?"

"He went to the bathroom," I say, not wanting to tell Mr. K. that Zeke angrily stormed off.

"Would you please go get him? I trust you won't do anything silly."

I nod and start walking away.

"Marnie," Kennedy says, bringing me to a halt. "He's trouble. Don't get involved with the trouble."

I search the corridors for Zeke with Mr. Kennedy's words in my head. I'm not in any trouble, it was just an argument; a one time thing. Well, maybe not. We argue a lot, and yeah he has made me start swearing and going to parties and jumping off of cliffs and thinking very very non-innocent thoughts of him, but that's nothing. Everything's fine. It's same old me.

Shit, maybe I am in trouble.

I go to the guys bathroom and call Zeke's name. Excitement fills me as I hear someone coming out, but instead it's a guy with classes and a bowl cut, looking at me weird.

"Is Zeke Blakely in there?" I ask him. He shakes his head and shuffles off.

Where could he be? I've searched every corridor on this level. Mr. Kennedy thought I was just getting him from the bathroom and i've been searching for him for at least ten minutes.

I decide to check the girls bathroom. Maybe he'd be crazy enough to hide in there, thinking no one would look for him there.

My suspicions are answered when I walk in and find him standing there. Not just him though; Aubrey is kneeling on the ground in front of him, unzipping his pants.

Thank the lord I didn't come in at any later point. Whatever's left of my innocence would fly out the window.

Aubrey smiles when she sees me and I feel sick. She doesn't move but Zeke steps back and fixes himself. I feel a horrible pain in my stomach from seeing him here, with Aubrey of all people. He said they weren't sleeping together anymore, yet they've been texting and now I see them here about to do... that.

"Uhh... Mr. Kennedy wants you to come back," my face feels hot and I can barely get the words out. Right now, all I want to do is slam Aubrey's head against the wall and tell Zeke he's an asshole. It sucks, this feeling. I don't understand why it's hurting so much. I almost feel betrayed that he'd do this with Aubrey when he knows I don't get on with her. But I can't say that, because I dated Mason when I knew Zeke didn't like him.

I understand how much it sucks now.

He nods once, looking at the ground, and I walk out of the bathroom, ignoring Aubrey's amused face.

+++

This is not good. Mr. K. gave Zeke and I detention, so now I need to go to detention for my first ever time and sit in an awkward silence with Zeke, whom I haven't spoken to all day.

There are only 4 other people in the room: a guy with tattoos, piercings and white messy hair, a senior I recognise, and two other people sitting in the back row making out. I sit in the front row, feeling uncomfortable and out of place.

"What did you do?" The tattooed boy asks from two seats along.

"Disrupted the class," I say, shyly. That's what Mr. Kennedy said, anyway.

He snorts. "Badass."

The pain in the pit of my stomach still hasn't passed since I saw Zeke and Aubrey, and when he walks into the room, it feels one hundred times worse.

He signs in, and when he looks up, our eyes lock. I look down at my hands, feeling tension between us.

I feel him walk past my desk and to the back of the class. I'm surprised he didn't say anything to me – our arguments aren't usually dragged on. Or maybe he's embarrassed about what I saw? He's hard to understand.

"What's your name?" The tattooed guy asks.

"Marnie,"

"I'm Brandon," he gets up from his desk and sits in the one next to me, and holds his hand out for me to shake. I stare at it warily; no one does that, and he definitely doesn't seem like the kind of guy to. He laughs and pulls his hand back. "You one of those germ freaks or something?"

"Not really."

"You scared Blakely will see and beat the shit outa me?" He smirks.

What? Where did that come from?

"No," I grimace at him. "He's not my body guard."

"I saw him beating up the Mason kid. People said he did it for you. True or false?"

"False."

"You guys have fucked. True or false?"

"These aren't the kind of questions you'd expect from a stranger."

He leans his elbow on the desk and rests his head on his palm. "You didn't answer my question."

"False. He's just my friend."

"Hmm, guess I shouldn't tell you 'bout the other rumours then."

I don't think I want to know. "Are you a senior?" I ask, changing the subject.

"Yep."

"Cool."

"Yep."

There is silence between us for a couple of minutes. "Why does he not care that people are talking and there's a couple making babies in the back?" I ask, nodding towards Mr. Gimbers, sitting at the desk on the computer.

"Too busy watchin' lesbian porn."

"Really?" My eyes widen.

He nods. "I caught him once when I came in late. There was some hot shit goin' on."

"Gross," I whisper. For the rest of detention, Brandon and I talk and laugh at Mr. Gimber's facial expressions as he watches his screen, until finally detention is over.

I pick up my bag and throw it over my shoulder, when I feel someone touch my arm. I know exactly who it is from the sweet tingling feeling I get.

"Hello," Zeke smiles, awkwardly.

I look into his eyes and freeze my movements. I didn't expect him to talk to me. We've been here for an hour and he didn't say anything, but now here he is acting like i'm an old friend he saw in the street for the first time in twenty years.

He breaks the eye contact and clears his throat. "I was wondering if you needed a ride home?"

I was going to walk home, and a car ride with Zeke and his insane driving doesn't sound too great right now. "No thanks."

"Why not?" He furrows his eyebrows in confusion.

"I'm driving her home," Brandon cuts in.

Zeke's jaw tenses as he looks at him. Brandon's face turns into a smirk. "No you are not."

"I am. Ain't that right, babe?" Brandon winks at me.

Zekes hands shove into Brandon's chest and he falls onto his seat, yet he doesn't seem affected by this. In fact, he's laughing. It sort of annoys me that he's getting amusement out of making Zeke mad.

"Do not fucking call her that," Zeke spits.

"You should leave the girl alone, dude. She isn't interested."

"Do you want my fist in your fucking face?"

Brandon stands up and gets close to Zeke. He's just as tall as him. "Do it, do it. I dare yah," he looks excited.

"Don't," I put my arm in between the two boys.

"Why are you never on my side?" Zeke asks me in an angry tone, completely different to the one he was just speaking to me in.

I am on his side though. I don't want him getting into fights that will land him in trouble. Of course he only sees it as me defending the other person though.

"Aw, you want her to give you a hug?" Brandon pouts, mockingly, earning him another push. He lands in his seat again, laughing.

"Zeke, stop it," I pull his arm, "You can drive me home." He's like a little kid who throws a tantrum every time he doesn't get what he wants.

He looks at me with eyes I don't recognise. "Offers off the table," he says before walking away.

+++

ouchhhhh is it the satan time of the month for you, zeke?

teaser: brandon spills the beans on zeke

btw i'm sorry my updates are slacking a little, but i have exams rn and my dad gets so pissed when he sees me on my phone while i'm supposed to be studying. im trying though so please don't be mad ♡ ly

- e