Groggy and sleep-deprived, Tawny trudged through the hallway of Ivoree Gates with Maddie to their first class of the day.

"Are you okay?" asked a concerned Maddie. "I've seen zombies in horror flicks that look more sprightly than you right now."

"Rough night...." Tawny said, before breaking into a massive yawn. "Couldn't sleep."

"Apparently..." frowned Maddie. "I just want to make sure you'll be ready for today's Chemistry Quiz. You're my partner and I don't want a test tube to explode in my face..."

"Wait...that was TODAY?" Tawny yelled, startling a couple passersby.

"Uh...yeah," said Maddie. "You sure you're okay? Maybe Professor Lynch will give us an extra day if you're not feeling well..."

But Tawny wasn't listening. She was angry; she was fed up cowing to every whim and demand brought down upon her by Dylan. She was tired of the nasty comments by Elaine and her wicked bunch.

Most importantly, she was tired of being afraid in her own school. As bad a public opinion may have been about Tawny, she wasn't going to let Ivoree Gates swallow her whole, chew her up and spit her out. She was a Matthews!

A few feet ahead, Tawny spotted a Dylan-tante opening her own locker.

Tawny stormed over to the girl, nearly giving her a heart attack with her presence.

"What?!" said the Dylan-tante, annoyed.

"Are you on the clock?" Tawny asked. "With Dylan?"

The Dylan-tante gestured to her maid uniform she was wearing. "Yeah. Obviously."

Tawny pointed a threatening finger at the Dylan-tante. "You tell that pompous blowhard Dylan that he's going to FAIL Professor McCurdy's English class because I refuse to help him anymore!"

"Um...okay," said the Dylan-tante slightly confused.

"Good!" said Tawny, and continued on her way.

Maddie caught up with Tawny. "What did you say to her?"

"I told her I'm not doing Dylan's dirty work anymore," replied Tawny. "I'm tired of living in fear. I'd rather fail the assignment than work with him and be treated like a piece of garbage."

Maddie slapped Tawny on the back. "Good for you, girl! He's going to be so mad...."

"Yeah, but what's the worst that could happen?" said Tawny, as they entered the classroom for first-period Chemistry

---

Tawny was about to find out the wrath of Dylan.

She was deep in thought trying to remember the exact measurements to add to an Erlenmeyer flask when the door burst open and a red-faced Dylan entered.

"Mr. Mattthews!" exclaimed the Chemistry Professor, Mrs. Lynch. "You can't just barge in here! We're in the middle of a chemistry quiz!"

"Shove it, Sandra," said Dylan, mortifying the professor even more. He then pointed directly at a stunned Tawny. "YOU. How dare you!"

"How dare I what?" Tawny said defiantly.

Practically vibrating with rage, Dylan walked over to the professor's desk and pulled the nearby fire alarm, triggering the bell to ring loudly throughout the school.

"Class dismissed!" he yelled. "Everyone, out!"

Unsure what else to do, Professor Lynch gathered the rest of the students and escorted them out of the classroom to follow fire drill protocol. Maddie resisted, but in the end, even she was ushered out. Lynch closed the door behind her, giving Dylan and Tawny some privacy.

"You can't just bow out!" yelled Dylan over the fire alarm. "This is a GROUP project. If you do then we'll BOTH fail!"

"I know that!" replied Tawny, also yelling to be heard over the alarm. "But I'm sick and tired of being kidnapped anytime you want something from me!"

"This could all have been solved if you just took the money and let me partner with Grady!" Dylan yelled back.

"I told you: you can't buy me off with cash!" yelled Tawny. "I came to this school to learn, so if we're going to do this project, we're doing it my way!"

"YOUR way?!" yelled, Dylan, as if the phrase was a foreign concept to him.

"No more going to your house - if we're doing this, we're doing it right, with zero distractions. We'll meet every day after school in the library until we get the project done!"

"I hate the library!" yelled Dylan.

"Well, I'm not taking no for an answer!" said Tawny. "Either we do this in the library, or you can explain to your Dad why you got an F in English Literature!"

"You're a stubborn brat!" yelled Dylan.

"What's that?" yelled Tawny. "I can't hear you over the bell!"

"I SAID YOU'RE A STUBBORN BRAT!" Dylan practically, screamed, just as the bell finally subsided. The space was silent for several seconds as the two teens glowered at each other.

Finally, Dylan spoke. "Fine," he spat with all the contempt he could muster. "We'll do things your way. But we're starting tonight. Immediately after last class. I'll meet you at the entrance of the library. Don't be late."

And with that he spun around and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him so hard it didn't actually shut.

Tawny watched as the rest of the school - who were filing back in after realizing the fire drill was a false alarm - gawked as the angry Dylan stomped down the hall.

"WHERE ARE MY MAIDS?!" he bellowed, and a few Dylan-tantes who were in the hall followed after him, practically running to keep up with his pace.