I have a feeling today is going to be a good day. I walk into the school building feeling happy. I'm not smiling, but you can sense that I am happy. I am pushing out all thoughts about my parents out my mind and focusing on my happiness.

Issac says happiness is a choice and I need to choose happiness or else all hope is lost for me. I really want to try at least for today. I reach to my locker and open it. I stuff my bag inside and take out my books. A pair of hands covers my eyes and I quickly elbow the person in their stomach and then spin us around so they crash against the locker with my arm pressed against their throat. I look to find Issac with his hands up with an amused smirk on his face.

"Hello to you too beautiful." he says and I release my arm. "When did you learn to do that?"

"I took some classes when I turned 12. People who sneak up on me or attack me...well lets just say they get something worse than what you just got."

"Hmm" He opens his locker and takes out his books and drops in his bag.

"I'm surprised you didn't come to school with those funny little braids in your head." he says referring to my nighttime braids that I put in to protect my natural curly hair. Usually, I would twist and lock them, but I was lazy yesterday. I punch Issac in the arm and he starts laughing.

My braids are not funny. They are little and cute.

"Jerk." I lean against my locker and watch as Issac gets his stuff out for school. Asher emerges from the hallway, but he is talking to Zoe. He has a pleading look on his face like he is desperate.

It's all a damn act. I hope Zoe remembers that.

Zoe ignores him and brushes him off, but I can tell she is hurting and him talking to her isn't helping. Zoe goes on her side of the hallway and Asher walks over to us. I can feel my face contort into a tight grimace as disgust and annoyance fills me.

"Bay, I'm-" Asher says but gets cut off when I quickly charge towards him ready to scratch more at his face.

Oh and the bruises and a few scratches are still on his face. They are kind of covered up, which is of course expected, it's Asher Stevens.

A set of arms wrap around my waist and hold me back and I growl at Issac for holding me back. He only winks at me dissolving any trace of anger in my body.

"I got to go. Are we still on for the big adventure after school?"

"Yeah." He says with a smile on his face.

"OK. Bye." I say and begin to walk off. I zone out for a minute and begin to think about my dad. The one thing I didn't want to think about. Someone hugging me from behind snaps me out my thoughts and I was readying myself to start to defend myself, but the person says..

"Don't fight me.. again." And I already know it's Issac. I close my eyes and for a minute just rest in his warm and safe arms. And in this moment, everything is fine and perfect.

"You forgot my hug."

"Really?"

"You should be grateful. Few get to experience the love of Issac Evans." he says in a matter of fact tone. I turn around and face him and cross my arms over my chest.

"Who are these other few?" I ask very curiously and pushing down feelings of jealousy.

"Is someone jealous?" Issac says and his smirk grows.

"You can't just answer a question with a question." I say

"Actually..."

"Issa-" I warn but am cut off when a rough shoulder is bumped into me making me stumble and nearly fall with my two left feet. If it weren't for Issac's fast reflexes, I would've fell. I look to my right to see Victoria looking at me giving me a death glare, but a hint of a smirk is on her lips.

I can feel the anger fill me and I want to approach her and give her a piece of my mind. I look at Issac and he is staring at Victoria with such anger that I even feel the anger radiating off of him and I don't want him to feel anger. Something as good, genuine, and golden as Issac Evans needs to be preserved.

I rest my small hands on either side of his face and his eyes quickly snap to mine and away from the devil incarnate. I don't even have to say any words with Issac. That's what I love about our connection. Words don't need to be spoken for him to know exactly what I want him to understand. I can sense the anger dissipating from in him and his demeanor more calm than it was a few seconds ago. His dark storms that were swirling in his eyes disappeared leaving a warm light grey in his eyes. He hands me a small smile and then walks off to his class in the opposite direction and I go to mine feeling very satisfied and happy with myself.

...

Victoria Hughes is a bitch.

The epitome of a self-centered, petty bitch and if it weren't for my wanting to not have big issues with her for Issac's sake, I would've punched her.

"Ms. Peterson, it really is a distraction. The...incessant tapping of her phone is deterring me from learning." she lies and flips her hair and gives me a quick smirk before turning back to the teacher and complaining. She didn't even pronounce deterring properly. She probably just asked Cartier right next to her. Cartier is the smart one of the group. I will admit I have been texting. I was texting Issac, but so what?

Victoria is on the OTHER SIDE of the classroom. She would only be able to see me text, not hear it. I quickly pocket my phone and look up at the teacher who is glaring at me.

"Miss Stewart! Are these allegations true?"

Stewart

I hate my last name. It belongs to a cowardice man who left his family and disappeared. Stewart belongs to the man who left his son right after he was born. It belongs to the man who broke my heart. Therefore, I hate my last name. It's shameful.

I shyly nod my head and Victoria's smirk grows and I dig my fingernails in my palm feeling my anger fill me so much that I barely feel the pain I am causing myself from stabbing myself in the palm with my fingernails.

It's for Issac.

I take a few deep breaths and I hand Victoria my kindest, sweetest smile and it visibly throws her off.

"Don't let me find you texting in my class again or that phone will be mine permanently." Ms. Peterson says and turns back to the board and continues her lesson.

The class passes by with me contemplating all the ways I can kill Victoria Hughes.

I walk into the hallway and to my next class that I luckily have with Zoe, but unfortunately with Asher. When I walk into the classroom, Zoe is already there and I sit in the seat next to her. When she sees me, she smiles, but I can already see she is burdened with something.

"Asher talked to you today?"

She nods her head and runs her hand through her straight hair.

"He wanted me to forgive him and he apologized for everything. It was apparently a mistake. He didn't know it was our aunt and a bunch of stuff about how he really likes me, but yet still he is always going around banging other girls. I was just stupid to believe that it wasn't a permanent thing and he is giving me attention."

"I'm so sorry Zo."

"It's fine. Really. I am over him and I won't go back." As soon as she says this, Asher Stevens walks into the room and he looks around the room for a minute until his eyes land on Zoe and for a minute, it's like they are looking at each other like they are the only ones in the room. Both of them are mirroring the same expression: sadness and regret. Though Zoe's eyes have hints of anger, but I don't think it is towards him. It's towards herself. They break eye contact and Asher walks to his seat in the back, but he quickly drops a white paper, a note, on Zoe's desk before heading to the back. Zoe looks at it for a moment, debating whether she should open it or not. She takes up the letter and for a minute, I think she is going to open it.

Zoe hold the letter in hand and turns her body to Asher in the back. She rips the letter into pieces. She just keeps ripping and ripping and my heart aches because it's like she has all this pent up anger and she can't let it out. She is letting it out on ripping paper. And that's not enough. I know for sure from experience. Breaking plates is more satisfying, but of course just like ripping paper, it is temporary.

She dumps the ripped shreds on the floor and turns back to the front. She zones out and for the rest of class doesn't talk. After that last class, all the rest of my classes fly by with me thinking about ways to help Zoe, but I always end up with the same conclusion: Giving her space. I go to my locker for my ten minute break, but someone is at my locker waiting for me. It's Brett Cruz.

I walk slowly to my locker, wondering if I should run the opposite direction and forget all about putting my stuff away. Instead, I just walk up to him and I tap his arm. He turns around and looks at me.

Brett Cruz was my crush in like the 6th grade. He was this cute boy who was always nice to me and made me laugh, but I stopped liking him after everything with my dad. I stopped liking everything and everyone. Brett Cruz is the type of guy who would handpick out flowers and give it to you. I heard that he is a really good person. He has about 6'3 with brown hair and a charming smile that will make you transfixed on how beautiful someone could smile.

"Hey."

"Hi" I say awkwardly wondering why all of a sudden Brett Cruz is standing here at my locker. He moves aside so I can get in my locker. I open my locker and put my books in.

"So what's up?" I ask.

"Uh well. I mean I guess I wanted to catch up with you. We haven't talked since middle school and now it's senior year and I really want to catch up with the girl who I used to be really close friends with in junior high. And i figured..why not?"

I scoff and look away from Brett. Victoria really stooped so low to get Brett Cruz to try to get me away from Issac.

"Oh I see what's going on. Victoria told you to come to me and do all of this, really? I never knew you were this low Brett." I say and close my locker with my lunch in my hand.

"No Bay, Victoria didn't. I really just want to catch up. I don't even hang around her. She is all about drama and she screams insecurity."

"And why should I believe you?"

He sucks in his bottom lip and bites it. I can sense that he is thinking for a minute. "I don't know what to say to make you believe me, but I guess you will just have to take the chance. All I am asking for is me. you. and the best coffee in town. Please?"

Footsteps behind me get closer and I turn around to see Issac. He is looking between me and Brett with his eyebrows creased together. When he reaches us, his eyes are focused on me. "Hey" he says.

"Hi" I say with a smile on my face. I look back towards Brett and say, "I will think about it. Okay?"

"OK." he says and breaks out into a smile. He walks away with a slight pep in his step and I turn around and look at Issac.

"How was your day?" "What was that about? We both say at the same time and I nervously laugh wondering when the atmosphere got so tense.

"That was Brett Cruz. How was your day?"

"Fine. What did he want?" he asks with determination in his eyes.

"Nothing." I say and look down at my feet

"I know when you are lying Bay, what did he want? Was he bothering you?"

"Did he look like he was bothering me Issac?"

"Was he?"

"No! He just wanted to go out for coffee to catch up, since we haven't talked since middle school."

"Don't you think maybe i don't know 4 years later and he is all of a sudden interested in you. That's kind of fishy."

"You know saying something is fishy is ironic coming from someone who hates fish."

"Bay.."

"Stewart" I say in a singsong voice. I bust out into a smile and Issac's lips twitch upwards just for a minute.

"Issac. I am of course skeptical too. I have thought the same thing. I haven't even said yes yet, but if I do, coffee won't hurt anyone Issac."

Issac gives in and sighs. "I just don't want to see you get hurt in any way by this."

"Thank you for being my overprotective best friend, but I can protect myself and fight if I need to, just ask your best friend." I say with a smirk on my face.

A smile breaks out on his face. "You are lucky you are adorable. Let me walk you to your table in lunch."

"So your escorting me to lunch too?" I ask and begin walking inside the cafeteria with Issac right next to me.

"Is that an issue?" he asks with a charming smile on his face.

"Not at all." I say with a smile of my own on my face. The skin on my arm prickles and I already know without looking up at the people in the cafeteria that a lot of people are staring at us.

We reach to my table and Zoe is smiling up at me.

"Hey Zoe." Issac says. I sit down across from Zoe, but oddly, Issac sits down next to me.

"You're staying?"

"Oh uh-if you want."

"Great. So uh Zoe how are you?" Issac asks.

"Fine." she says and stabs her fork into her salad and chews on the leaf.

He nods his head and looks at me. I open up my fruit parfait and am about to eat it, but then I realize Issac has no food.

"Where is your lunch?" I ask.

"Oh I don't eat lunch at school. I eat breakfast and then eat a whole bunch of stuff when I get home."

"I thought athletes were supposed to not skip meals."

"I make up for it with the amount of stuff I eat."

"OK. Do you want my parfait?"

"No. You eat. Don't give up your food for me." He says and then gets a ping from his phone. He looks down at it and then back up to me.

"I gotta go back to my original table."

"Nothing good ever last long right?"

"We are the exception Bay, remember that." He says and kisses my cheek and gets up and walks away. Zoe's eyes are wide and her mouth wide open. I lower my head knowing I am probably blushing.

"You guys are dating?" Zoe gasps.

"WHAT? No"

"Well it sure looks like it." she accuses.

"Issac is my best friend boy. He is not boyfriend Zoe."

She breaks out into a coughing fit and she coughs out, "Yet".

Biiitttcchhh

I hand her my 'go fuck yourself' look and continue eating my parfait.

She starts grinning and I still have my scowl on my face.

Talk about two different types of people.