"Do you want to know what a little birds told me last night?" Dustin asks as we get on our way to school.

"What is that?" I smile. I've always enjoyed talking to Dustin, he always makes me laugh and feel cared for. Especially, the past week since Armando's. It's already Thursday and I haven't cried much since the incident last Friday.

"Your birthday is in a week," he grins over at me, his straight, white teeth practically shining.

"Oh," I laugh.

"Oh?" He mocks with a smile. "Why didn't you tell me?"

I shrug. "Not sure. I guess it just didn't come up."

I honestly don't know why I didn't tell Dustin about my birthday being in a week. Our conversation has always been light and very fun, I've never felt the need to tell him about this piece of information.

"Well," he nods. "I want to take you out or something. Would you be up for that?"

Like a date?

"Sure," I agree. "But Brittni and I are going to the spa early in the day so we'll have to plan it after that."

"Sounds good."

I smile.

•••

My feet carry me through the swerving traffic of students so I can get to the parking lot, but it never works that way. Dustin can't take me home today, so Brittni said she would and that's where I'm heading, but of course everyone wants to get out of the school at the bell as well.

It doesn't take longer than five minutes for me to make it outside into the sunny, yet cold air and start heading towards my best friends car. I don't seem to have the best of luck today, though, for I end up running into somebody. That's what I get for looking at my phone while walking. The one time!

"I'm so sorr-"

"Nikki." My eyes immediately snap up to the persons face, my heart beating erratically in my chest at the close proximity. The husky sound to his voice gets me every time. I'm captivated by his dazzling hazel eyes, the way they seem brighter in the bright sun.

I start shaking my head, thinking this has to be some type of dream. My feet move me backwards, away from the man that has broken my heart.

"Nikki," he calls out, his voice soft.

I shake my head even more. "No."

"I want to talk," he says with pleading eyes.

Don't give in.

"You had your chance to talk," I choke out. "A week ago."

He bows his head in shame, one of his hands running through his soft hair. I look away. I need to get away some how, make my way to Brittni who is probably wondering where I am.

"I fucked up that night." His words make my heart sink. Especially, when he raises his head and looks up at me with intense eyes. "I said fucked up shit to you and it was all a lie-"

"Don't," I warn, my eyes fixating into a glare.

How dare he come to me six days after the entire incident and say if was a lie? Does he think I'm that stupid?

"Don't freaking tell me it was a lie when everyone knows it wasn't," I scowl at him. The sadness I had felt not to long ago is replaced with anger. Anger towards him for leaving me and for saying fucked up shit. Anger for him coming to me after six days and claiming it's all a lie. I'm just angry. "You meant every single word you said that night. I know you did."

Or at least that's what I tell myself to lessen the pain. There will always be pain, though. It's just something you have to cope with.

He bites his lip, running his hand through his hair again. "You have every right to think that, Nikki, but it's not true."

I barely notice the two steps he takes to stand in front of me. Usually, I'd be craving for him to touch me by now, but all I feel is the red hot rage swimming in my veins.

"Then why say it?" I say through gritted teeth. I don't believe him. "Then why make up such lies just to get rid of me? Why not just say we're done?"

I get choked up at the last words knowing I still love this man. It doesn't go away in the span of two weeks. I wish it would, then maybe I wouldn't be so upset all the time. Because I'll always think back to the events and realize what we've lost.

"I wanted you to have better," his voice raises just a bit. "I knew that everything with your brother and me fighting was taking a toll on you so I wanted you to have better."

A lump forms in my throat, my eyes becoming blurry with tears. I just want to be angry, but why is it that I cry every single time?

"You're lying," I croak. "You're always lying."

"No," he shakes his head, his body height towering over me. "No I'm not lying, baby."

"Don't call me that," I sniffle. "I'm not yours anymore to call that. I'm sure Angelique will love it, though."

An amused look takes over in his eyes and I nearly kick him where the sun doesn't shine just for it. Why the hell would he be entertained at a time like that?

I realize it's not amusement that he's feeling, I can tell when he bitterly smiles. "You believed that shit?"

I switch my weight between feet. I don't understand what he's saying, but the way he tells me has my cheeks tinting red. He always makes me feel so stupid.

"That was all for you." I'm about to punch him. "I thought if you thought I moved on, so would you. I wanted you to find someone better than a fucked up person like me, Nikki."

A certain emotion was running through me now, it's mixed with anger and humiliation.

"So you lied about being with Angelique so I'd feel like shit?" I question, my teeth clenching. "You wanted to make me cry myself to sleep? You wanted me to wonder what was wrong with me?"

"No," he clenches his jaw, anger swirling in him now. "Those were not my intentions. I already told you that. I wanted you to find someone else-"

"So you're fine if Dustin and I are together?" Holy crap. Why did I just say that? That's not true, so why did I freaking tell him that? Because you want to make him jealous. Frick.

"What did you just say?" He growls, his eyes darkening to a shade I've never seen before.

"I asked if you're fine with Dustin and I are going out?" I try to keep up the confident attitude and it seems to work fine with the way Colten has his fists clenched along with his jaw.

"You aren't dating him." He says it so matter-of-fact that I want to slap his face with all the force I have.

"Jokes on you," I smirk. "Because I am."

His body is in front of mine in a matter of two seconds. His hand holds the back of my neck and the other one plants on my hip. I nearly lose all the breath I have in my lungs.

"Are you fucking him?" I can tell he doesn't want to know the answer and the same time he does.

I want to play his game a bit. I already lied about one thing, why not the next? Maybe he'll feel a sliver of how I was feeling the past two weeks. Pay backs a bitch.

"That's none of your business, Colten Mathews," I say with a straight face, his so close to mine.

I see his jaw clench harder than before, the anger in his eyes frightening and amusing at the same time. It's weird how he thinks he can tell me who I can see when I can't do the same for him.

I'm left cold when he takes a step back, a smirk on his plump lips.

"Well," he says. "I guess we're even because I spent my days fucking Angelique."

I know what he's doing, but it doesn't change the fact that he's probably not lying. It's been two weeks, he's bound to have found another girl to shove his dick into. I want to vomit.

"You know what?" I scoff, tears clouding my vision. "Fuck you. Fuck. You."

I bite my lip, walking the same way I came to find a loop hole to Brittni's car. Before I even make it far, though, Colten grabs on to my arm, swinging me around to face him. His lips are on mine before I can see his face.

Every fiber in my body wants to give into the crave and kiss him back, but I know I shouldn't. I can't. Not after everything that happened. There is no 'us' anymore. He ruined if as well as me.

"Kiss me, goddammit," he growls against my lips, his hands pressing into my hips and pulling me closer.

"Stop," I whisper, pushing him away. His eyes are lost when I have the guts to look up at him. "I don't want this anymore. I don't want you anymore. We're done. We both knew it wasn't going to last, right?"

"Nikki." My heart breaks when I hear his desperation, and then the tears in his eyes. He crying? "Please. I need you. I didn't sleep with Angelique, fuck, I didn't even really kiss her. It's always been you. It'll always be you."

I shake my head, the tears sliding down my cheeks as I do so.

"It's over," I tell him. "We tried, but it's not possible. I tried so hard to make everything work, and now we know that it never will. It's time to stop fighting."

"No it's not," his voice cracks as does my heart. "I love you, I won't stop. I'll never stop, Nikki."

I smile sadly, tears still streaming down my face, but I wipe them away. It's time to stop crying. "I know, Colten, but just know that I'm done."

And I walk away, I leave Colten behind and see him in my peripheral vision looking distraught. I see him pace in a circle once, tugging at his hair while a lone tears slides down his cheek.

I take deep breathes and see Brittni's car. I run towards it, seeing Brittni leaning against the back. My arms wrap around her as soon as I get there, not that she minds as she wraps her arms right back.

"What happened?" She asks as I cry. I don't answer, just shake my head.

The worst part of it all is when we're driving away. I faintly see Colten on his knees in the middle of the empty parking lot.

Shouldn't have looked.

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