The next day at school Ashley was tired. After she got home she'd had dinner with her parents. The arguing had started half way through and it had gone on all night. Eventually she had fallen asleep with the pillow over her head to muffle out the shouting which had been in the early hours of the morning.

She had snoozed her alarm three times and she had been late getting to school.

It was one big screw up and on top of that she was grumpy.

"Why didn't you sleep last night?" Sally asked as they sat in the cafeteria.

"I just couldn't." She wasn't going to reveal to her friends the state of her parents' marriage and the impact it had in the household, especially on her.

And even if she did reveal it what would it help. No one could help her.

Her friends shared a look and she frowned. "What is it?"

There was something up.

Diane seemed reluctant to explain but Sally linked her fingers.

"Jim has been-"

"-spreading rumours," Ashley finished.

"You heard?" Diane asked, her eyes wide.

She nodded. "I did."

"Jim's a real asshole."

There was a vindictiveness in Jim that had been absent in Logan. Jealousy had driven Logan so in some way she could see why had lashed out at her but with Jim it was plain revenge for rebuffing his advances.

"Just like his friend," Ashley muttered under her breath.

Maddox had told her he would sort him out. She had no idea what he was planning to do.

She felt so tired. She leaned her cheek against her hand to keep it up. If she could just sleep a little she knew she would feel so much better.

"I don't know why he thinks he can just do and say what he wants," Diane said, with a deepening frown. "Why if a guys sleeps around he is a stud but if a girls does she is a slut?"

"Life's not fair," Ashley mumbled.

If it were she wouldn't be dealing with constantly fighting parents. Her main goal after graduation wouldn't be moving out.

She hadn't seen much of Maddox but she felt a little more secure after spending the afternoon with him the day before. She blushed, remembering it.

The few times she had seen Maddox he hadn't looked her way. She knew he was only doing it because she was the one holding back but it still made her second guess him.

Her gaze drifted to watch him at his table. The girl who had brought his notes to his house, Marcy, was sitting beside him talking. Jasper and Ross were sitting across from them.

She didn't like how seeing Maddox with the girl made her feel. At any time she could walk over to him pull his lips to hers and make it official in front of the whole school but she didn't. She wasn't sure if it was fear, or the fact she was in the school rumour mill again that made her hesitant to draw attention to herself.

But it wouldn't stay secret for long anyway. It wouldn't be long before people began to piece it together.

Was she just buying some time so when it did finally come to light she would feel more secure in it.

Maddox smiled and Macy tucked a stray hair behind her ear. Anyone with two eyes could see she was taken with him. Did Maddox see how she looked at him? It made Ashley very uncomfortable watching them.

As she looked away her gaze caught Jasper's. He frowned as he took in her momentary unguarded expression. He looked between Maddox and Marcy before looking to her again.

Could he tell she was jealous? Could he see why she was jealous?

She made herself look away. She only had herself to blame. If she wasn't brave enough to be with him out in the open for everyone to judge then she didn't deserve to feel the way she was feeling.

Jealousy was something she hadn't really experienced before Maddox. She had never been jealous of the attention Logan had garnered from the opposite sex. It was only with Maddox it got to her and any interaction with a girl kept the wound open and festering.

She fought the urge to throw caution to the wind and stride across the packed cafeteria to lay claim to the boy who was hers. The possessiveness took her by surprise and she clasped her hands together to fight against it.

The feelings she had for him were so strong, they scared her.

"Have you heard anything back from..." The conversation turned to college applications so Ashley zoned out. It was something that wasn't in her future. Survival was the only thing that mattered, it mattered more than what she was starting to feel for Maddox.

It was hard thought. No matter how much she had tried to fight it, she was beginning to develop real feelings for the bad boy who had found her trying to find thrill. Little had she known he would be all the thrill she would need.

Her eyes drifted back to him. This time he was talking to Jasper and Macy was gone. She felt a little relief that she wouldn't have to see them interact. She didn't doubt Maddox's intentions, she was more concerned about Macy.

What lengths would some girls to go to go get the guy they wanted? Love made people do things they normally wouldn't do.

Her thoughts turned to Logan. Had that driven his retaliation to her? Had he felt so strongly that he had wanted to inflict as much pain as he could? It was something to think about.

Invariably, her line of thought led her to think about the latest asshole causing havoc in her life. Jim. She hadn't seen him. A quick scan around the cafeteria and she found him at Logan's table. He wasn't his usual loud and obnoxious self. Did that mean Maddox had confronted him?

Her eyes drifted back to Maddox. This time he was looking directly at her. Her heart skipped and began to beat erratically. His stare was intense and she swallowed, remembering his hands on her body and what he had made feel. It was addictive and she wanted more, so much more. But could she handle the emotional side of it.

Could she afford to spend time growing closer to him only to have to let him go at the end of the year which was just a couple of months away.

When she was so tired it was difficult to handle the emotional indecision she was struggling with. She just wanted to close her eyes and block everything else, well except Maddox.

A snicker of laughter caught her attention, pulling her gaze from Maddox. Ashley wasn't surprised that the source of the obnoxious noise was none other than Jim, who was looking between Maddox and her with a challenging look. She swallowed before Maddox rose.

He strode over to Jim with intent, stopping just in front of him as Jim stood to face him. She couldn't look away.

A few students quietened as they watched the heated exchange between Maddox and Jim. At least whatever Maddox said to him wiped that goading look from his face. She took some satisfaction in it. Logan and Carson stood to back Jim up she saw Jasper and Ross appear behind Maddox.

It was building up, into something.

She didn't want Maddox to get into trouble again, but she couldn't walk over to them and put an end to the confrontation.

Ross rolled his shoulders, Jasper flexed his hands. They were showing they were prepared to fight to back up their friend.

Logan and Carson had their arms folded watching the exchange.

"Oh," Sally murmured when the commotion finally caught her attention.

"Maddox is going to hit him," Diane whispered under her breath.

But no one made a move to turn the argument into a physical fight. Then Jim said something to Maddox and he grabbed him by the collar. He moved to push him up against the wall. Ross and Jasper blocked his friends from helping him.

Ashley closed her eyes briefly wrestling with the choice to do the right thing or to sit on the sidelines and let it play out without her interference.