"Why the long face, Princess?"

"What?" I mumbled over my folded arms that kept my head from hitting the picnic table. Trey sat on the bench beside me, his large back pressed against the wooden frame so he could watch the twins throw a football across the open grass.

Rex left school to go do 'something', which none of the boys apparently knew what that was, and they pushed the subject far away when I asked. Though, I wasn't complaining when they suggested eating outside. The sun was bright, the air was warm for it being October, except for the wind, and Halloween was right around the corner.

So why did I feel like a dark, cold, storm sat heavily on my shoulders?

"You've been sitting like that since we got here, and that mopey pout is bringing me down. What's wrong?" Trey's warm voice didn't hide his concern, and those green eyes were narrowed in that calculating way they usually did. He always seemed to know more than he should.

"Nothing's wrong."

"Did Rex do something again?"

I shook my head against my arms and blinked over at the overflowing parking-lot. His car was long-gone, though I was happy about that for once. The longer it took to tell him Jeslyn Mayne liked him, the longer I could avoid the inevitable, horrible, future.

"Well, something must have happened. You're so mopey its practically streaming off you in waves and absorbing into my skin." He grumbled all gruff like, even though he couldn't hide the slight smile pulling at his lips. I let out a small one of my own, before it slowly fell away.

There was a brief few seconds of silence between us before I voiced the very thing I knew would have me locked up, crying in my room for days. "Jeslyn Mayne talked to me today." I mumbled into my arms, my voice low even though it sounded as sharp as knifes in my ears.

"Really? What did she want?"

I let out a soft sigh and pulled away from the table-top so I could turn and sit like him. Our arms brushed slightly together, and his big man/boy body thankfully kept the chill of the wind off me.

"She wanted... She wants me to tell Rex she likes him." I tried to keep my attention focused on the Dimajios as they ran across the grass before falling to the ground and wrestling for that poor football.

Trey stayed silent for a long minute, even though I felt those green eyes glancing over at me. "Are you going to?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

He shrugged, that always-watching gaze of his flickering back to the twins. "Well, you're obviously dreading it, and you shouldn't do things that make you so sad."

"It would be wrong not to tell him."

This time Trey sighed, and he ran his hand through his hair just like how Rex usually did. "It's not like you owe her anything, Rose. If you don't want to tell him, then don't."

"I don't have a reason not to, and—and maybe he will like her back." I almost choked on those words as I forced them past my lips, especially with how tight that sudden fist around my heart seemed to squeeze.

Trey suddenly let out a hard bark of laughter, one that caught me completely off guard. I jumped and turned wide eyes up at him though he just continued to chuckle. "I doubt he even knows who she is."

"But what if-"

"Rose, stop stressing out about this, seriously. Tell Rex if you want, or don't. I seriously don't think the result will be any different." The laughter had slowly left his voice, but that warm look was back in his eyes. I wasn't really sure what he meant by that, but I did know I would always beat myself up about it if I didn't tell Rex. No matter what happened afterwards.

We sat side by side quietly for a while, both of us just watching the Dimajios still fighting over the football. "You really don't know where Rex is?" I asked softly when lunch was almost over, the crowd of students who also ate outside started heading back into the school before the bell even rang.

Trey shifted uneasily at my side and those bright green eyes refused to look over at mine. He totally knew where Rex was. "He's... on his way back by now."

"That doesn't answer the question." I mumbled and crossed my arms over my chest with a pout as he let out a small sigh.

"Ask him yourself. I'm sure he'll tell you."

Not unless I 'didn't need to know', but I kept that rather snarky comment to myself. The bell finally rang a few minutes later, and the wrestling siblings in front of us finally tore apart.

"Some advice though, Princess." Trey started as he helped me up from the bench and placed my bag in my hands. "Try to get back to that happy self of yours before you see him. If Rex thinks you're upset over something he'll be on my ass about it all day."

"Why would he bother you?" Those bright green eyes rolled as the Dimajios came jogging over to us, the football tucked tightly under Brett's arm. The smug smile on his lips matched the almost vicious pout Denton's was wearing.

"Because you were fine when he left, and you've been with us ever since."

"And he'll blame you guys..."

The sheepish smile he shot my way was answer enough. "I don't really care if he gets pissed at me, but I doubt you want to deal with his anger issues anymore than I do."

I didn't care what version of Rex I had to 'deal' with. Any part of him was better than no part.

I shrugged and clutched tightly at my backpack's straps after I pulled it over my shoulders. "I don't want him mad at you guys. I'll make sure not to seem so... down." I could even hear the depressed tone in my voice. I wasn't fooling anyone.

Trey shot me a small, still worried, smile before nodding towards the school after the twins picked up their own bags. They were completely oblivious to our entire conversation. "Come on, Princess. I'll walk you to class." I shuffled beside him to fifth period uneasily, the nauseous, gross feeling refusing to leave my stomach.

I sat throughout that entire class tapping my pen against my desk anxiously. My head was torn in so many ways all I wanted to do was lay my forehead against the cool desktop and go to sleep. I wanted to see Rex, like I always did. We haven't spent a lunch separate since the time we skipped school and went to that diner. I was actually having a Rex Turner withdrawal.

But another part of me, a part that I never wanted to ever have to deal with, wanted to stay as far away from him as possible. I didn't want to tell him about Jeslyn, I didn't want to lose him. But we were just friends, and it shouldn't matter who liked him or who he liked in return.

That horrible, stormy feeling wasn't going to go away anytime soon, and I had a scary thought that it never would. Yeah, we were just friends, but that didn't change the fact I was practically in love with the guy. Seeing him with someone else, especially someone as beautiful as her, would kill me.

I had to tell him though, it would be wrong not to. Trey was right that I didn't owe anything to Jeslyn, but I would feel guilty about it for the rest of my life.

When fifth period finally ended, I gathered up my stuff in a weird, groggy-like state. My mind was so busy hollowing itself out with a soup spoon that I paid not attention to anything around me. I didn't even wait for one of the boys outside to walk me to class like I always did, and when Denton caught up to me with worry in those blue eyes, I could only blink over at him.

"You alright, Buttercup? You seem out of it." The way-too-enthusiastic-for-his-own-good Dimajio asked when we pulled to a stop outside my sixth period class.

"What? Oh, yeah, Den. I'm good."

His handsome boyish face lit up at that and he shot me one large, hundred-watt smile and a small wave before hurrying off to his own class. "See you later!" He called over his shoulder before disappearing down the stairs. I walked into class and sat down in my seat before praying to whatever God was out there that Rex didn't come back to school that day.

"I'm surprised." That dark, deep, tummy turning voice of his basically rolled off those beautiful lips as we sat underneath our tree during sixth period break.

"At what?" I mumbled over my knees that I had clutched tightly to my chest. My arms were wrapped firmly around them like I could keep my heart from ripping out of my chest to get to him that way.

"You haven't asked where I was during lunch yet." Rex knew something was wrong, if those chestnut eyes practically staring holes into my shoulder were anything to go by.

"Where were you during lunch?"

His soft, dark chuckle brought those butterflies to life in my stomach, but those eyes didn't waiver from their steel gaze. Rex was leaning back causally against the tree as I sat hunched forward in a tight ball—like a terrified armadillo. Those strong, hard fingers of his just barely brushed the end of the jacket I was wearing—his jacket.

"I asked for that one." He laughed softly again as I swayed with the cool October breeze. The air had grown a good five degrees colder since lunch, and I wasn't sure if it was the chill seeping into my skin that made my body ache, or the grip around my heart.

Everything was worse now too, now I could actually see Jeslyn shooting occasional glances at us from across the field. Why hadn't I realized she was in this break with us? It just made me want to curl up under my covers and never come out.

"I talked to Jeslyn Mayne today." I finally blurted out, the pent-up energy from holding it in for so long made the words hurt as they flew off my tongue. I completely forgot about what we were originally talking about.

"Who's that?"

I had to choke down the slap of relief that whipped through my chest at his nonchalant response. I pulled away from my knees and leaned back against the tree so our arms brushed together.

"Jeslyn Mayne. She's pretty popular, in a bunch of clubs and sports, and stuffs."

Rex scoffed and ran that hand through his dark hair before popping that minty gum of his between his lips. "I don't do 'popular', Rose. And why would you want to talk to her anyway?" He grumbled as those chestnut eyes closed and he leaned his head back against the tree. "The people in this place fucking suck."

I had to press my lips firmly together to keep a small smile from pulling at them. Even though I was one of those 'people', so was Jeslyn. Then I wanted to hit my head against the tree for being happy at the thought. Just because I didn't want him to like her didn't make her a bad person. Not everyone here sucked... just Jason.

"She talked to me first, at my locker." Movement caught the corner of my eye and I lifted my head to glance across the grassy field. My eyes looked over just in time to see Jeslyn shoot one of those glances at us again, though this time she even shot me an encouraging smile and waved.

The grip around my heart squeezed tighter.

"Alright, and? What did she want?" He grumbled around the gum he kept blowing bubbles with, those strong arms reaching up to rest behind his beautiful head against the tree.

My arms wrapped tighter around my knees, and I tore my eyes from the beautiful icy blue of hers. I let out a deep, almost shaky breath. It's alright, Rose. You will be okay. No matter what, a little bit of Rex is better than no Rex. Just get it over with.

"She likes you." The grip around my heart turned so icy it hurt to breathe. "And wanted me to see if you would be interested... in her." The fact that my voice didn't waiver until the end of that was one of the proudest moments in my life.

"Hm, oh yeah?" Rex didn't miss a beat, and I'm not sure if I was relieved at how nonchalant he sounded, or even more upset. The feeling in my chest was pulling me in about a bazillion different ways.

I rested my chin against my knees and chocked down the hard mass of feelings clogging my throat. "Yeah."

"I'm gonna pass on that, tell her thanks though if she talks to you again."

My head whipped to the side at his words, but those chestnut eyes were still closed, and he was still leaning back against the tree without a care in the world. I didn't want to give into the relief sparking in my chest. Rex didn't even know who Jeslyn was. When he found out how beautiful she is he would change his mind.

"She's really pretty. Everyone's been trying to date her since, like, middle school."

"Don't care."

That relief was growing, but I wasn't dumb enough to trust it. "But she's-"

"Rose." That nonchalant tone disappeared on an irritated sigh, as those dark eyes finally opened to lock on mine. "Look, if I wanted to date the girl, I would be. But I'm not, and I don't want to." Chestnut gaze still locked on mine, he leaned away from the tree so his hand could nudge gently under my chin.

"And stop worrying about playing match-maker, especially for some chick who probably doesn't even know your name."

I smiled at that, despite the harshness behind his words. "She was nice to me, but she did call me Lily."

The corner of Rex's lips twitched. "Exactly. You don't have to talk to people if you don't want to, regardless of how important you think they are."

When he says it, it sounds so easy—like I can do all the things I'm afraid of if he was just with me for each one. Not that talking to people is super-duper scary or anything, but still.

"Can we stop talking about this now? I was in such a good mood before." He grumbled and rubbed that strong hand of his down his handsome face.

"Okay." That was fine by me. The icy grip was completely gone, and I felt like doing cartwheels across the field in relief.

He didn't want anything to do with Jeslyn from the sound of it—but that doesn't change the fact he didn't feel that way about me either. I shook off that brief, dark thought and shot him as wide a smile as I could muster. He was still my friend, that was all I cared about.

"Good, now come here. I'm fucking cold and you have my jacket." The strong arms suddenly wrapping around my torso and dragging me backwards had a gasp tearing from my lips. Heat hotter than the sun stained my cheeks.

Rex pulled me almost completely into his chest, strong arms wrapped tightly around my waist as he rested his forehead against my shoulder. "Mm, much better. You're so warm, Roza." My eyes were glued wide open, my breathing trying to turn to ragged gasps of surprise as Rex basically snuggled me against him.

"R-Rex..."

"Sh, I'm trying to take a nap." His arms tightened further around my waist, and his dark hair brushed softly against my neck. I kept my mouth shut but let my fingers curl gently into the sleeves of his hoodie that were wrapped firmly around me.

He held me like that for the rest of the break.

"Did you fix it?"

"Yeah, I fixed it."

"You sure? 'Cause she was really upset at lunch."

"Yes, I'm fucking sure. It's none of your business anyway." God, he was so fucking annoying. Always sticking his big ass fucking nose where it didn't belong.

"When she's that fucking upset it becomes my business." I could feel his fucking eyes glaring holes into the back of my head, and it took all I had not to start swinging. We swore we would stop fighting... for that fucking girl.

"If you went with her to her locker like I fucking said the bitch never would have talked to her in the first place." I wasn't necessarily angry—for once, but that didn't stop the urge to hit something whenever they talked about her like I was the biggest thing she should have been afraid of.

She should have, I knew that. I've told her that, but it didn't change the fact that I really fucking hated it. I would never hurt her, but she would get hurt because of me.

"Rose is a big girl, if she wants to walk to her locker by herself, she can."

I tapped the unopened pack of cigarettes against the porches railing almost viciously. I haven't had one in nearly three weeks, and it was seriously fucking with my head. Gum was literally the shittiest substitute. But I just fucking knew if Rosalyn smelled the smoke on me she would give me those big ass, sad, Bambi eyes and I would lose my shit.

"You were supposed to be watching her."

The ignorant fuck finally stepped away to lean heavily against the porches rail beside me, his eyes flickering from my face to the house down the street—completely ignoring the cigarettes clutched in a death grip in my hand.

"And you're not supposed to be seeing that fucker either."

"That really isn't any of your fucking business."

The jack ass let out a hard sigh and rubbed that huge hand of his over his eyes. "You know I'm just worried about you." That hard bite of anger in his voice had completely disappeared, and I hated the sad worry that replaced it.

"Don't."

"Rex-"

"I swear to fucking God Trey, I will leave and you will never see me again."

I didn't miss the smirk that suddenly pulled at his lips despite the dim light of porch. It only made that sliver of anger in me grow. "The fuck you smiling at?"

"That threat doesn't work anymore, dude."

"It's not a threat."

"Oh really?" He turned then, that smirk turning into a cocky, arrogant, smile that was about to be punched off his face in three seconds. "You won't leave. Not anymore."

My jaw ticked, and that sliver of anger was growing faster and faster. "And what makes you think that?" His freaky bright eyes flickered away from mine and down to the house I had been starting at for the past hour.

"Because you've got a new addiction, and I know how you are when it comes to insane habits. You'll never leave her."