"Get the fuck away from her."

Jordan and I both look at Zeke, standing there with his fists clenched, and a death glare focussed on Jordan.

"Look who decided to show up," Jordan smirks but doesn't move.

"I said get away from her," Zeke steps towards us and pushes Jordan back.

Jordan stumbles backwards and his smirk drops. He takes a step towards him, ready to throw a punch but before he can, Zeke grabs him by the collar and slams him against the wall.

"You better stay the fuck away from her. I can still go to the cops, you know."

What?

Jordan pushes Zeke back with ease. "I don't think you should be sayin' shit like that, 'cause I can still go along with what I said."

"Don't even think about it."

"Then keep your mouth shut, and don't fuck with me." Jordan takes one more look at me and walks away, hitting Zeke with his shoulder on the way past.

Zeke turns around slowly and looks down my body, making me feel hot. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine. I don't need you to stick up for me."

"Would you have rather I didn't come out here and just let him-" he cuts himself short and presses his lips together.

"I could have handled it," I roll my eyes. I totally could have fought him off.

"You could at least say thank you."

"Thank you? You've been an asshole these past few weeks for no reason, so don't start acting like my fucking protector now."

He raises his eyebrows. "Are you legitimately mad at me?"

What the frickety frack?

"Of course I'm mad at you, you asshole," I raise my voice and start walking back to the gym hall.

"Why?" He catches up and walks beside me.

"Why are you even talking to me? Is it because we're alone and I won't ruin your rep?"

He laughs. "You did not just fucking say that. You think I care about my reputation? That wasn't the reason I wasn't talking to you."

"So what was the reason?" I stop at the door of the gym hall before going in.

He looks around as he thinks of an excuse. "I just thought it'd be better for us."

I can't even be bothered with this. It's so weird that we're even talking right now. I'm annoyed that he's here acting like I have no reason to be mad at him, as if i'll love him when he decided he wants to talk to me, and be fine when he acts like I don't exist.

"Well then let's just continue to pretend not to know each other, okay?"

He furrows his eyebrows and watches me with a confused expression. I know he's confused about why I said that, but he's also confused with himself. I can tell he's trying to work out what's going on in his own mind, because he's always so oblivious to his own thoughts and feelings.

"I-" He runs a hand through his hair. "I don't want to do that anymore."

"Why? What's changed?"

"I have missed you," he says awkwardly as he looks around and puts his hands in his gym shorts' pockets.

It feels good to hear him say that – I've missed him like hell. But I'm not gonna let a guy treat me like that. I'm not like his other girls he can pick up then drop whenever he feels like it.

"Suck it," I say before walking into the hall.

+++

"Look who it is," Zoey rolls her eyes and I turn my attention to who she's referring to. Standing in the lunch line is Zeke and Aubrey.

"I wonder what's going on with them," I say my thoughts aloud.

"You don't wanna know," Zoey shakes her head and eats her pasta.

"Do you know?"

"Of course I do."

"Tell me."

"Don't worry about it – I thought you were over him?" She says with a suspicious smirk.

"Zoe, just tell me."

"Okay, fine," she sighs. "Aubrey gives him cigarettes and weed and shit in return for sex."

I feel the world fall on my shoulders when she says this. How could he? He promised me. He wouldn't.

I need to get it through my head that when Zeke called off our friendship, he wouldn't have stuck to his promises. Especially since not smoking has been hard for him.

Looking over at them, I see Aubrey put her arms around his torso and press her body against him. Zeke winces and pushes her back, obviously still in pain. I want to slap her for being so inconsiderate and hurting him like that.

But of course, I need to remember that I hate him.

It looks as if they get into an argument because Aubrey flips her hair and walks away from him. I meet her eye on her way back to her table, and her face lights up as she heads in our direction.

Oh God.

"Oh hey, Marnie. I just wanted to make sure you're okay after Zeke rejected you," she twirls a strand of hair around her finger and pouts mockingly.

"Go suck a dick," Zoey scoffs.

"I will. It'll be Zeke's," she looks at me as she says this.

"Grossss, dude," Cole screws up his face as he sits down at the table with his food. "Zeke wouldn't even go for you in your dreams."

"Don't even talk to me, Cole. It's embarrassing considering you've went so low to date her," she says with a disgusted expression, looking at Zoey.

"Bitch at least I don't make up lies about fucking people," Cole throws back, putting his arm around Zoey.

"Stop pretending you know shit."

"I know all the shit. And i'll expose yo ass if you don't get the fuck outa my sight."

She scowls and flips her hair, walking away, but as she's passing my seat she kneels down and speaks quietly. "Since you enjoy watching Zeke and I do our business so much, how about you come to his place tonight and watch? You could even take notes," she giggles and walks away.

Liar. Zeke doesn't have sex at his house.

"She makes me want to puke all over her designer shoes," Zoey comments.

"Babe, it would be so fuckin' hot if you got into a cat fight with her," Cole states.

"I don't need to fight her – I just need an eraser to rub out her fake eyebrows."

I tune them out and look for Zeke. I find him walking across the cafeteria with a sandwich in his hand, and he walks out. I wonder where he's going, and why he's not sitting in here today.

Isaac comes in at the same time as he's leaving, and Zeke tells him something, to which Isaac nods and makes his way over to our table.

He sits beside me. "How can you eat while watching that?"

I look in front of me at Cole and Zoey with their tongues down each other's throats. "I didn't even notice," I shrug.

Isaac turns around and looks at something, then turns back and sighs. The direction he was looking in was at Jordan's table but I can't figure out what's bothering him.

"Where did Zeke go?"

"He just, uh, he's just around," he looks away awkwardly.

I'm getting sick of all the secrets. What's so bad about telling me where he went?

By the end of the day, i'm relieved to be leaving hell and all the assholes in it. The air is chilled as winter approaches, so at least now I can have a reason to wear oversized sweatshirts and sweatpants.

Zoey's car is in my sights just as someone grabs me from behind. They clasp a hand over my mouth to stop me from screaming but I scream into their palm anyway, and they pull me in between two cars.

I continue to scream and struggle out of their arms, trying to remember any sort of self defence I have learned from the karate classes I took when I was nine years old. The only thing I can think of is to elbow them in the stomach, but I can't because my body is held against them. Then I think of something.

"Ah!" The manly voice shouts after I bite down on their hand. "Marnie, what the fuck!"

Wait a minute...

He lets me go and I turn around, my suspicions being answered about the all too familiar voice.

"Zeke, what is wrong with you?" I yell and pick up my bag that fell from the Zeke attack.

He looks at his hand that I bit. "I always wanted you to bite me, but not like that."

"Why did you do that?"

"Well it's not like you would have came with me any other way."

"That doesn't mean you can try and kidnap me!"

"I don't see how it doesn't."

I give him a death glare and start to walk away, but as I suspected, he grabs me and pulls me back.

"What do you want?" I ask, impatient.

"You to stop being mad."

"Really? You can't just expect me to act like it didn't happen. Do you remember what you said to me? It hurt, asshole."

"Yes, I remember – and I am," he pauses and takes a deep breath. "I am apologetic."

I roll my eyes at his pathetic attempt at an apology. "I don't understand why you suddenly cut me off."

He sighs. "Look, it's not what you think."

"What is it then?"

"It's... Complicated."

"What, do you have a girlfriend and she didn't want you being friends with me or something?"

He grimaces. "No, what the fuck? You really get creative with your excuses for me."

"Just tell me and stop lying."

"I don't lie – I just don't tell you."

"Well fricking tell me."

He runs a hand through his hair. "I can't. Can we just forget about it?"

"Forget about it? Sure, let me just pretend that i've not been feeling like shit for weeks because of what you said."

His expression softens. "Marnie-"

"No," I cut him off and hold a finger up to his face. "Don't Marnie me. Why don't you just go sleep with Aubrey or something?"

"Why would I fucking sleep with her?"

"Apparently you've been sleeping with her in return for cigarettes."

"Nerd, I have not smoked since I promised you I would stop. And I have not been screwing Aubrey either."

"I don't believe you."

He tugs on his hair with both hands and steps back from me. "You are supposed to trust me."

"Well I don't."

"Don't say that," he steps closer again. "Nerd, I am not attracted to Aubrey in any way. When you walked into the restroom that day, I was getting cigarettes from her, but I did not smoke them. I'm glad you came in because it made me realise how stupid I was being."

I don't say anything because i'm still trying to work out whether to believe him or not. His eyes are telling me that he's telling the truth, but after what he's been like, I feel like I shouldn't believe anything he says. But I do.

"I'm gonna go." If i'm around him for too long, I'll start to get weaker and forgive him.

"I will drive you home."

"No."

"Marnie-"

"Zeke," I say sternly. He's not the only one that can do that.

He seems to understand that I am done with his crap right now, so he stays quiet and let's me walk away.

+++

you guys should listen to the song up there ^ it's perffff for Zarnie. it is called "tell me why" by taylor swift but i had to get a cover of it bc i couldn't find taylor's audio on youtube – it was all just live performances.

also "all too well" is good for this. basically all country taylor's songs are perf for this. I wish she'd make another country album :(

i literally don't even like taylor i just love her old songs 😂

teaser: zeke comes clean and there is a lot of... touching

ly

-e