Being invisible, there is one thing I learned, people can only hurt you if you let them inside your world. As long as they're outside, they don't have the power to hurt you.

So over the years, I built these walls around me where only few people can enter, people like my parents and Shawn whom I'm sure will never hurt me even if I give them the power to.

I was happy with my walls. But lately, I started noticing things I haven't noticed before, like how high the walls are now, how they constantly keep expanding endlessly, enveloping my life in a suffocating embrace.

I started feeling concerned. The walls I built are starting to block the light from entering, slowly making my world a little darker, colder, and somewhat... lonelier.

And now I am terrified that the very walls I built to keep people out will be the very same thing that will trap me inside.

***

It took me three days to finally convince myself that Hunter wouldn't kill me on my sleep. I knew it was crazy bordering on paranoia, but it was Hunter we were talking about here; no one really knew what made that guy tick.

My neck still felt stiff for keeping my head low in Physics for three consecutive days so that Hunter wouldn't notice that I was in the same class. I had to pretend that I had throat surgery just so I wouldn't have to answer any of Mr. Charleston's questions, and I also had to wear my hood up all day in order to hide my face, which wasn't that big of a deal except for the fact that it was scorching hot these past few days.

Thank God, it seemed like all of my effort worked because Hunter never gave an indication that he was aware of my existence. Or maybe he was just busy with his one week detention as the result of going all Incredible Hulk on Rush that was why he wasn't able to deal with me yet.

Nevertheless, I started to loosen up a bit so that I could concentrate on more important things, like Kenji's blossoming romance with Queen Sophie. I knew I didn't have the right to feel jealous but all I could think of was that I could have been her if I wasn't such a big coward.

"Sky? Are you still there?" my thoughts were interrupted when I heard Shawn's voice on the other line.

"Yes, I'm sorry. Can you repeat that for me?" I adjusted my cell phone so I could clearly hear what he was saying. I felt guilty for drifting off again and not listening to my one and only friend.

It was Friday, and I decided to go home early after school. I didn't feel like going anywhere, not like I had somewhere to go to. I'd never been invited to any parties. Just some perks of being invisible.

Shawn said he had a date with a girl he met online. He was really excited about it and I felt the same for him. Sadly, the girl turned out to be a creepy thirty year old man in a drag.

Shawn wasn't homophobic but he was still creeped out when he realized that he had been flirting with a gay guy for almost a month.

"I was almost half-inlove with her, I mean, him! How sick is that?"

He sounded so miserable that I wanted to go wherever he was and give him a nice bear hug.

"I think I need to see a shrink or something. She was my dreamgirl, goddammit!"

"I'm so sorry, Shawn. Do you want me to come and get you?" I offered.

I heard him sigh.

"Nah, I'm on my way home now so no need."

"Are you sure? I could borrow mom's car and pick you up in a few minutes?" I insisted.

I wanted to make sure that he was okay. Shawn might be a little weird but he was a wonderful guy. He didn't deserve to be played like that.

"No, honestly, I'm okay. Thank you for being there, Sky." He said sadly.

"Anything for you, dude."

He was quiet for a while until he spoke again.

"I heard about Kenji and Sophie, are you okay?"

I wanted to say yes but I decided to just tell him the truth.

"I don't know. I'm kind of sad and regretful but it's not like I have the slightest chance with him even if Sophie isn't in the picture, right?"

Shawn groaned.

"Come on, stop belittling yourself. You're a wonderful girl, Sky. Kenji is an idiot for not noticing you. His loss."

I had to stifle a laugh when I heard Shawn say that. Ah, my sweet Shawn, always my number one fan.

"Thanks, Shawn. But I should be the one showering you with compliments to make you feel better and not the other way around."

He was quiet for a while.

"If you really want to make me feel better, can you send me your Philosophy paper via e-mail? Please, please?"

I should've known there was a hidden agenda underneath those sweet words.

"No way! We will both get an F if Prof. Mavericks finds out you copied my paper."

I didn't want to exaggerate but Professor Mavericks could make Dolores Umbridge look like a sweet and harmless old granny. She was a monster disguised as a High School teacher. No kidding.

"I won't copy it, I just want to read it to get some inspiration. I'm so heartbroken I can't think about Philosophical shit right now."

I thought about it for a while and decided to just send him the paper. I could always check on his work later if I had to.

"Fine. Just make sure you won't copy it word by word, okay?"

"Thanks, Sky. You're the best."

I got up from bed and grabbed my laptop on the study table.

I was waiting for the systems to finish loading when I heard Shawn speak on the other line.

"You know what's weird, Sky?"

"Um, what?" I said as I entered my e-mail address and password on the log-in page.

"I still think it's a good thing I decided to meet her, err, him. At least now I wouldn't lose any sleep thinking about the 'what ifs'."

I felt like a sadistic hand squeezed my heart so hard it hurts.

Was it possible Shawn could read minds? The 'what ifs' he was talking about was exactly what had been bothering me over the past few days.

I kept on thinking, what if I was brave enough to confess my feelings for Kenji? What if I was even decent enough to finally thank him for saving my life which I was never able to do so? Maybe things would have turned out differently.

I lost my only chance to let Kenji see me, and now I couldn't do anything about it anymore because he already had a girlfriend.

I subconsciously opened the drafts folder of my e-mail account where I kept my not-love-letters to Kenji.

"I'm glad to hear that, Shawn. My mom always says that the only things we regret are the chances we didn't take."

I was so pre-occupied with thoughts of Kenji that I didn't notice opening the latest message I composed that was addressed to him.

"Right, and that's the only thing that stops me from committing Hara Kiri right now." said Shawn, a hint of smile on his voice.

"Hey, Sky, I'm near my stop. I have to hang up now. Please don't forget to send me the paper. Bye!"

"Yeah, I'll send it now, bye."

I pointed my cursor on the send icon and clicked without really thinking.

The next sixty seconds were what I considered an ignorant bliss because for sixty seconds after clicking that cursed send button, I was free from the knowledge that I just completely screwed up my life.

****

"No, no, no..."

I stared on the screen for a full minute in disbelief. I could feel dread slowly spreading through every fiber of my being. I refreshed the page and almost smashed the screen of my laptop when I saw the message I accidentally sent.

Oh. My. Effin. God.

I could not believe what just happened. I just committed the ultimate act of stupidity!

The disbelief was soon replaced by fear and with fear came panic. I could already imagine the shame I had to endure when Kenji read that mortifying not-love-letter. I should probably write my suicide note now because I was sure I'd be dead anyway once Sophie finds out I'd been lusting over her new boyfriend since eight grade.

Oh God, I'd be the most hated girl in school. I might as well put a red dot on my forehead because I'd be the new target of the school bullies. I could kiss my peaceful high school life goodbye.

I abruptly stood up.

"No! please, God? Santa? Tooth Fairy? Kimosabe? Please don't let that happen to me." I prayed. Never in my wildest dreams did I see this coming. Was this really the end of all my happy days?

"No! I wouldn't go down like this. I am Skylar Davies, certified nerd with a straight 4.0 GPA!"

Surely, I could think of a way to get out of this mess, right? Right.

I could deny ever writing that letter. But the fact that it was horrifyingly detailed down to that drowning incident was certainly not working on my "I-did-not-write-that" claim.

And who was I kidding? I knew Sophie was the kind of girlfriend who checks her boyfriend's texts, emails and stuff. I was sure that as soon as Sophie laid her eyes on that blasted e-mail, I would instantly become the school's pariah; no amount of denying would save me. I needed to erase that message before she had the chance to read it. But how?

And that was when the thought of him crossed my mind voluntarily for the first time.

Hunter Cole, computer genius and hacker extra-ordinaire... I needed to see him ASAP!

I glanced at my watch and saw that it was only six thirty in the evening, meaning Kenji was still in football practice. Because of my awesome stalking skills, I knew for a fact that practice would be over at around seven o'clock and he would probably check his e-mail as soon as he got a hold of his phone. I had more or less thirty minutes to prevent that from ever happening.

I needed to find Hunter.

I quickly grabbed my blue cookie monster hoodie and stomped downstairs, giving my mom a good shock.

"Honey, where are you going? It's almost dinner!" She asked as I reached the front door.

"Just have to see someone, be right back!" I shouted before she could say anything else.

I jogged towards Hunter's house which thankfully, was just a few blocks away from ours. I had always hated being in the same neighborhood as him, I never thought that a day would come when I would consider it a blessing in disguise.

I prayed he was at home and not setting somebody's house on fire or whatever it was he liked to do in his spare time. I finally reached the Cole house (That was how everyone calls Hunter's house). They didn't have a gate, just rows of neatly trimmed bushes that divided their lot to the next one.

I was relieved when I saw Hunter's Chevy at the garage, but I didn't get my hopes up. For all I knew, Hunter could be somewhere out there vandalizing some local establishments. You just never knew with a guy like Hunter Cole.

I stepped on their front porch, took a deep breath and pressed the door bell. Thousands of horrifying scenarios were running through my mind courtesy of my ever-reliable, scumbag brain.

What if Hunter wasn't at home? What if he was at home but didn't want to help me? What if a miracle occurred and he actually agreed to help me but it was too late because Kenji had already read my letter and shown it to Sophie? What if Sophie and her minions were already on their way to kill me?

I was seriously considering banging my head on the wall out of sheer frustration when the door finally opened, revealing a sweaty and a very shirt-less Hunter Cole.

I was speechless for about ten seconds as my eyes got assaulted by his rock hard abs. It wasn't like I developed an instant crush on him at that moment even though his six packs were on full display... It was just, that was the exact moment when I finally realized that Hunter was indeed breathtakingly beautiful in the very sense of that word.

Maybe because that was the first time I allowed myself to really look at his face closely. And boy, was he sight to behold! We were so close that I could see the intricate facets of his irises, like a luminous amethyst and silver mosaic, surrounded by thick eyelashes. He had the most fascinating set of eyes I had ever seen in real life. How come I didn't notice that before?

My eyes traveled down to his aristocratic nose, and to his full luscious lips which were now curved in a mischievous lopsided smile. Dayum!

"You forgot to make a booty call." He said, looking at me as if I was a mildly interesting television show. He wasn't even shocked to see me there.

I felt like someone splashed me with a pail of ice cold water. I instantly remembered why I was there and why I should stop drooling over Hunter's hot bod. He was my last attempt to save my reputation. Or rather, lack of it.

Must. Stop. Gawking. At. His. Abs.

"My name is Skylar, and I need your help." I said breathlessly, deliberately ignoring his perverted greeting.

He gave me an amused look before opening the door a little wider, gesturing for me to come inside.

"I know who you are, Davies." He said before stepping back inside, leaving me standing there like an idiot.

I noticed he had this massive mechanical dragon tattoo covering almost the entire skin of his back and I subconsciously wondered if the principal was informed about that.

I hesitated before following him inside the house. I almost had a visual overload when I saw their home interior. It was so colorful, it looked like someone got obsessed with the color-wheel and said, "Fuck color coodination! I'll just put everything here!"

Surprisingly though, once my eyes adjusted to all the fuchsia, lime, orange and hundreds of other shocking colors, I realized the house actually looked really homey and cozy. The walls were covered with beautiful abstract paintings, band posters, postcards and probably millions of photographs.

There was a large sofa covered with a cute yellow and green patched quill on the corner, and a couple of bean bags here and there. Sitting on the oak center table was a swan figurine made from magazine papers. Different wood sculptures decorated every corner of the house.

Come to think of it, most of the things inside their house looked hand-made, from the artistic clay vases up to the mini-chandelier made from old wine bottles hanging in the middle of the living room.

I remembered Shawn telling me that both of Hunter's parents were artists. Their creativity was overflowing in this house. The only things that they might had probably spent a fortune with were the gigantic plasma TV on the wall and the state of the art sound system.

Hunter walked towards the sofa and grabbed his shirt. I saw a gym mat and barbells on the floor. That explained the shirtlessness.

"So how can I help you, girl who ruined my favorite t-shirt?"

He asked when he was fully-clothed, his purple eyes gleamed with curiosity.

I frowned, not liking the fact that he remembered me.

"I need you to hack Kenji Yamamoto's e-mail account and delete the message I accidentally sent him ASAP." I said, going straight to the point.

He cocked his head to the side and looked at me quizzically.

"And what will I get in return in exchange for helping you?" He asked.

He pulled a tiny jar of nutella out of the pocket of his board shorts, pulled out a spoon in the other pocket and started eating, like keeping a jar of nutella in your pocket was the most normal thing to do. God, that was freaking awesome.

I got so distracted by the way he was licking the Nutella off of the spoon that I wasn't able to think of a decent offer.

"Err, I don't know. Anything?"

I fought a grimace. Anything didn't sound like something I could do. I decided I would just cross the bridge when I get there.

Hunter continued savoring his Nutella like he was Kronos and he had all the time in the world. I wanted to snatch the jar and throw it at his face.

"Can you stop licking that spoon and go hack Kenji's account already? We're running out of time!" I cried, getting more and more nervous every second.

Hunter chuckled.

"Impatient, are we?"

He put down the Nutella jar on the table and gave me a look so intense it made my knees go weak.

After what felt like forever, Hunter finally said,

"Okay. I'll help you."

I almost hugged him. Maybe he wasn't really as bad as I thought; I was such a judgmental bitch.

"Thank you!"

I was about to breathe a sigh of relief when he wagged his index finger in front of me and gave me a cunning smile that made me nervous for an entirely different reason. He was up to something and I had a feeling I wouldn't like it.

"I have one condition."

"Oh, Great." I grumbled which made him chuckle again.

He looked so sexy when he did that.

"You do realize hacking someone else's e-mail account is against the law, right? I can go to jail because of that." He said, trying to look innocent but the gleam in his eyes was saying, law my ass!

"So what? You do that all the time." I argued.

He shook his head.

"Wrong. As a matter of fact, I have more important things to do than hack some brat's e-mail account. Contrary to popular belief, I do respect other people's privacy."

I didn't expect that. Who would've thought Hunter knew the word respect and privacy?

"Fine, what's your condition then?" I gave in. No use arguing about this. So many precious time had already been wasted.

"Don't worry, it's quite easy. I might even be doing you a favor."

"Sure, sure, alright. What is it? You seriously need to delete that message soon, like right now." I said, feeling as jittery as someone having a diarrhea in the middle of a long road trip with no toilet in sight.

"Relax. Remember who you're talking with. I can hack Yamamoto's e-mail account even with my eyes closed." He said confidently.

He stepped closer to me.

"So here's my condition, in exchange for my help, you will have to be my new buddy. You will have the honor of assisting me in the execution of all the splendid pranks I've been planning for the whole year."

He grinned at me as if he really believed I'd jump out of happiness for being offered to be his partner-in-crime.

Like hell would I agree to that preposterous suggestion! Agreeing to be Hunter Cole's buddy was like setting a damned spotlight on myself. Wasn't avoiding that very scenario the point in all of this?

BUT... if I did not agree, I would suffer in the hands of Sophie Vanderbilt and her equally scary friends. They would roast me alive if they found out my undying like for Kenji.

You knew you had a bad day when you had to choose between your two least favorite people at school.

I guessed I just had to choose the lesser of the two evils. Joy.

"Fine," I said, feeling dejected. "I agree to be your buddy, I'll help you with the best of my knowledge and abilities while ignoring the rational part of me that says it's definitely a bad idea. So if you could already hack Kenji's e-mail account and delete my message right now, that would be great."

"Consider it done. But first, let's shake hands to seal our deal."

He was kidding, right? I thought cheesy gestures like that only happened in movies?

He offered me his hand and I had no choice but to accept it. I didn't expect the sudden surge of electricity I felt when our skins touched. Weird, I'd never felt like that before.