"Zoe, I need to know that you have no feelings for Asher if I do this."

"I told you I don't. Go ahead and do it. It won't make a difference. I won't care." she says and opens her locker and puts in her stuff and gets out her lunch.

"You sure?"

"Just do it Bay!" she yells and slams her locker shut and walks away.

If you say so.

I walk back to my locker where Asher and Issac are standing. I look down at Issac's wrist and rested on it is the watch I got him. A small smile comes to my face as I feel very proud of the thoughtful gift I got him. I look back up and at Asher.

"OK. Time to find you someone to settle down with."

"Bay.. I don't want to." He protests.

"And I don't want to have to go to school and put up with all of you, but I have to. You can't just keep whoring yourself around and banging everyone on this side of town. You need to settle down."

"Settle down?!" He scoffs. "Do you know who I am?"

"Yes. Asher Stevens, but you can't possibly be happy with having a new girl on your arm every few days. Who could?"

"Uh...let me think for a second. ME"

"Give it a try" Issac says.

"Easy for you to say. You already like B-" Issac cuts Asher off by grabbing him by his throat and pushing him against the locker.

"Utter...another...word and I will break your knee making you miss out on the game next week." he seethes and my eyes widen.

What the hell??!

"Got it!" Asher croaks out. Issac releases his grip on Asher's throat and when he looks at me, I give him my 'you stupid asshole' face. He just shrugs his shoulder with a dorky smile on his face.

"I really don't want to. Bay, I know you mean well, I do, but I like the way I am."

"You like having your STD risks high?" I ask and step back.

He rolls his eyes. " I am safe. I'm not completely reckless and I-"

"Don't need details." Issac says with his pointer finger on his temple.

"It's just the way I am. I don't force girls to get in bed with me. 98% of the time they come to me. Love me or hate me."

"Hate it is." I respond.

"I don't even know why you are trying to get me to settle down. Why are helping me? I thought you hated me after.."

"After you banged my aunt on her birthday. Yeah, I should, but I know that if I try to stop you from yourself then maybe you won't screw up someone else's life like you did mine."

"It was just an aunt Bay"

"Just an aunt? She was important to me. She was like my best friend and someone I could always rely on and trust. Then, you went and banged her, cheating on Zoe, and therefore, ruining both Zoe and I's lives."

"I'm sorry Bay. I apologized to Zoe as well, but she doesn't really talk to me."

"Do you blame her?"

"No." His face drops and he looks at his shoes with sadness in his eyes.

Did Asher ever really care for Zoe?

"OK fine" I say. "You don't want my help in settling down. Fine. Just remember that there is 7 months left of high school. If you want a REAL thing. Do it now." I walk away from the two and into the lunchroom. Zoe is sat at a table by herself in the corner. From any person who doesn't know Zoe, you would think she is fine, but her face is sad. Her eyes have been filled with sadness and confusion since Alaska. I know it's because she isn't at peace with herself regarding the Asher situation.

I turn back around to see Asher and Issac entering the lunchroom. I stride over to the pair and look at Asher who is looking at me dumbfounded.

"Go talk to Zoe." I say and release a deep breath. I hope I am not making a catastrophic mistake by doing this.

"W-Why?"

I turn to Issac. "Can you go? I need to speak with him privately."

"Yeah sure." He says and pats Asher on the back and gives me a quick kiss on the forehead. "I will see you after school"

"Gotcha. See ya then" I respond and he walks away leaving me in silence with Asher. I wish we could do this in a less crowded space, but I still want to keep an eye on Zoe.

"I think you actually really like Zoe."

"Suuurrree." Asher says and scoffs.

"Deny it, but the great Asher Stevens has fallen for my sister. That's why you don't want me to settle you down with anyone."

"That's a cute little conclusion you came up with Bay."

"It is. I'm very proud. I figured you out"

"Really? So, I just like your sister?"

"I see how you look at her.Plus, you banged her aunt and you apologized for it and you are torn up about it. If you were just the same player you have always been for the past 3 years then you wouldn't have apologized. You would go back and do the same thing. You would just videotape it and send it to Zoe for a birthday present."

"You are wrong Bay" Asher says in a raspy voice and looks down at his shoes and avoiding any eye contact with me.

"Am I?"

"What is your angle, huh? Tarnish my reputation? Reveal feelings that I have for your sister that I don't want to feel? You want a confession! Fine. I like her. Too much. She is beautiful, thoughtful, determined, kind, feisty, and incredibly sexy and I can't settle down with her or have her."

"Why the hell not?"

"Because I would ruin her. Look what Sienna did to her just by me and her hanging out. Even if I didn't want to hurt Zoe, I would screw up anyway because I always do. I would never be enough for her and she deserves more than a player who can't change his ways. She deserves it all and I can't give that to her."

"Maybe if you would just give her a chance and have some faith-"

"Oh you are one to talk Bay! You're the one who can't sort out her feelings. You like Issac and he likes you and you are the only one holding the both of you back. I don't know what you are hiding or what's keeping you from being with him, but you need to figure it out. You have no faith in him. You won't even give him a chance and the thing is, he will eventually move on and when he does, you will realize you made a big mistake."

"Asher that is not the same thing as this. You are getting way off topic."

"Oh please Bay. When you confess your feelings for Issac maybe I will act on mines for Zoe. Leave it be. I can't be with your sister and that is for her own good." Asher rants and then walks away from me and to his lunch table. I walk back over to Zoe who is staring at me with a confused expression on her face.

"What did you do?" Zoe asks.

"It doesn't matter. It was just another chat with a coward. Same old, same old." I respond and push away my lunch not feeling hungry anymore.