Getting off the bus with Sidney, I sighed, knowing I'd have to talk or see Tatum.

I didn't know if Stu had made things better with her or not since yesterday, but I knew I would find out soon enough. Yes, I wanted Stu to myself now but not by stealing him from under another girl.

I'd already had an earful from Sidney since she had found out about my fight with her best friend, whining about I shouldn't have provoked Tatum, and I definitely know I shouldn't have hit her as much or as hard as I had, but Sidney didn't even want to listen to my side of the story.

Apparently, Tatum had called Sidney as soon as she got home to tell my sister all about what happened at practice, and then Sidney had barged her way into my room shouting like that was going to help anything.

It's not like I would listen to her anyway.

"Right, if you see Tatum, just apologize," Sidney told me as she held onto my arm as we evaded the media again.

"what?" I asked rhetorically as I turned to Sidney, pissed off. I wasn't going to apologize for what happened, and if Sidney thought she could make me, then she's more stupid than I thought.

"You're not my mother, Sidney, so back off," I growled at her as we walked up to the front entrance where Tatum stood with her arms crossed and poorly applied cover-up,

I tried to fight the smirk that was dying to appear, but I just wasn't strong enough.

The three of us stood silently, looking at each other as the other students whispered around us. Obviously, someone from the squad had loose lips. "Stu and I talked," Tatum started as I stepped closer to her.

"Yeah? Good for you," I mumbled, walking into school with her following me determinedly,

I tensed as I felt her grab my arm and turned with a snarl. "Don't make this round two T because you won't win," I told her honestly as she dropped my arm quickly.

"I'm not, trust me," she whispered, pouting as she touched her face acting as if I had done worse damage than I actually had.

"trust you, Tate? I don't think you've given me grounds to trust you, sweetheart," I hissed as she flinched but didn't move away from me.

"Listen, I'm Sidney's best friend, and you're her sister-" Tatum began, but I interrupted her.

"-Good observation," I cut in as Tatum glared at me crossing her arms with a scowl. My hand twitched at the look on her face and her attitude, but I did nothing.

"What I'm saying is, you stay out of my way, and I'll stay out of yours."

I breathed a laugh and gave her a half-smile. "So just pretend the other doesn't exist when we hang out in the same group, cheer on the same team?" Tatum nodded slowly, obviously hearing how stupid that was.

I thought about it. "Fine," I agreed as I began to walk away before her next words stopped me dead, the tone in them was too happy, and the words themselves were irritating.

"That goes for Stu too."

Freezing, I turned around slowly, "I'm sorry?" I blinked as Tatum started to pick at her nails like she had gained the upper hand.

"He's mine in case you've forgotten; whatever shit he said yesterday doesn't change a thing" I pushed her against the lockers with a glare slamming my hands on the lockers next to her head.

"Well then, you should know he would never stop talking to me just to please you, sweetpea," I grinned as Tatum pushed me away from her, slapping me across the face.

"I warned you not to start this again," I threw my bag on the floor, getting ready for another fight, "but i'm ready if you are" Tatum and I stood toe to toe.

Suddenly Sidney pushed herself in between us as we glared at each other as a crowd grew. "You two need to stop this, please," she begged, her hands moving us both away from each other.

I glanced at my sister, who was looking at each of us desperately. "Whatever, but if she so much as breathes on me," I warned Sid, pointing a finger at Tatum.

"she won't ."Sidney sighs deeply and puts her arms down when neither of us makes a grab for the other.

Bending down, I picked up my bag off the floor with a rough sigh as Sidney lets out a hysterical scream making me jump up, feeling like I needed to protect her.

I looked up to see masked figures from our attack running down the hall. They were wearing the same costumes as the ghost face killer had.

Grabbing my sister's arm, I noticed her terrified expression as I eyed the figures carefully. "It's not him," I tell her comfortingly as she begins to freak out.

The two masked figures begin to laugh, and Sidney sighs, realizing it was just other students being idiots trying to get a rise out of us. This whole thing was like a holiday to them, like Christmas or Halloween.

"Hey, assholes, you better hope I don't find you!" I shout down the hall as the laughing continues.

"This is a mistake. I shouldn't be here, and neither should you," Sidney cries as she shakes like a leaf, but I just wave off her concern and dropped her arm from my grip.

"I want you to meet me here, right after class, okay?" Tatum tells Sidney as I do my best to pretend she doesn't exist.

I turned around only to see Billy appear in the crowd, with Stu lagging behind him. "Oh my god," I say aloud in shock as Tatum spots him too.

"Shit, what is he doing here?" I glared at her annoyed, it was hard to ignore her when she was being an asshole.

"He didn't do anything wrong, Tatum," I hiss as she just eyes at me blankly, doing well pretending like I hadn't said anything to her.

"I bet he's pissed," Sidney whispers, looking guilty, biting her lip.

"if my girlfriend said I was a murderer, I'd be pissed too," I admitted as my sister looked at me sadly.

Tatum patted Sidney's shoulder, sending me a look of hatred. "Just ignore her. You had good reason to think what you did" I rolled my eyes at Tatum before walking over to Billy and Stu, who both smiled at me happily.

"Billy," I exclaimed, wrapping my arms around him. "I tried telling them it wasn't you, but Sid was adamant" I felt Billy hold me back just as tight as I was holding him.

"Don't worry, I'm here now," he stated as I smiled. I'm just happy to have him back.

I looked at his face; he looked pale and tired. "Did they treat you good?" he looked at me with a small smile.

"What do you think" I shook my head, knowing they thought he was a killer and therefore wouldn't treat him right.

I looked at Stu when Billy passed me, obviously to go and talk to Sid. "Did you sort things out with Tatum?" I mumbled as he looked down at me and nodded

"she told me to say away from you," he admitted as I laughed at her attempts to keep the two of us apart. Like that would ever happen. Me, Billy, and Stu would be together forever.

"Funny she told me the same thing," I say dryly, looking over at the blonde who was currently glaring at Billy.

"So, what now?" He asked me, probably wondering where we all stood.

"I'm not sure," I admitted letting my vulnerability peek through. "I wish I knew what to do, but I don't" it wasn't often I didn't have control of my feelings, but when I was around Stu, these things just happened.

"I think we need to let this ride out, and when all the rumors stop, then we'll talk about it," I finalized. I was adamant not to become a popular subject in high school, the man-stealer.

We already had one of those in our family. We didn't need another.

"I don't want to have Tatum breathing down my neck about this for the next year," I tell him, knowing if Stu and I dated now like this, Tatum wouldn't let it go.

Stu looked deep in thought before he grinned at me. "I don't think that'll be a problem."

Frowning at him, confused, I shook my head. "It's Tatum, Stu. She wouldn't give up even if she was six feet under," I joked morbidly, rolling my eyes, thinking about the annoying blonde.

I turned my head and noticed Tatum stood with Sidney and Billy, but her eyes were trained on Stu and me, she didn't trust us, and I knew she never would, but I wasn't about to stay away from my best friend for her.