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"Isaac-this isn't what you think." I used all of the power I had to remove Carter's hand from my back to walk towards Isaac. "Let go Carter." I whispered after my failed attempts and surprisingly, he listened to me. "Then, what is it like Sophie? I didn't expect you of all people to do that." He shouted. Walking towards him I tried to take hold of his hand but he backed away. "You're jumping on conclusions Isaac! Would you just listen to me?" I cried.

"Listen to what Sophia? That how good was he in bed last night?!" Isaac snapped causing my body to heat up in embarrassment. "God, just shut up! What are you saying. Have a grip on your mouth! You don't know anything!"

"You think I don't have a brain. You think I'm a jellyfish? I've seen you wearing his shirt and him shirtless entering the house from god knows where after the whole day of fucking around-" He was cut off with a slap. "Shut your dirty mouth you mother of a jellyfish!" Carter sounded.

"Carter, jellyfish doesn't have a mouth!" Josh came forward providing us the brand new information. If this was any other situation, I would have laughed but I couldn't when my own friend was objecting my innocence. "Keep your hands to yourself Carter!" Isaac snarled, recovering from the slap as he pulled his sleeve up ready to start a fight.

"Guys, guys! Stop it! Carter just leave!" I gave him a pleading look. "Why do I leave?! He should leave! Why me? Do you like him? Am I a third wheel here?! Answer me Sophia!"

"Okay, fine! fight! Kill each other. Have a nice time doing that. Come with me Josh!" I grabbed Josh's hand and dragged him upstairs with me. "Listen, Sparkle! Wait-"

"Bye Carter!" I shouted on my way and went directly to my room. "Your friends are insane. I though only Isaac was. But Carter is too. He didn't even know jellyfish doesn't have a mouth!" Josh exclaimed as he jumped over my bed.

God!

"Let's sleep Josh." I closed the lights. "But I'm hungry!" He fake cried. "Umm, I feel hungry too. Let's intercom Rebecca."

Rebecca bought vegetables sandwiches for us almost instantly. Josh attacked the tray the moment his eyes landed on it. I took my own sandwich and started to eat. "By the way, mother is always a female. And Isaac is a male. How can he be the mother of jellyfish. If I were there, I'd say father of a jel-wait I'll never say that. Because jellyfish doesn't have a mouth in the first place."

I'll have to listen to this the whole week ahead. Carter, why did you mention the jellyfish?!

**************

Knock!

Knock!

Who is there at this time?

Knock!

Who the hell is ruining my sleep. May god grant them so irritating kids, who never let them sleep!

Knock!

May they get stuck into a dustbin. May there be many rotten eggs inside it. May there be rotten tomatoes in it too. May-

Knock!

May they just die!

Reaching out for the alarm clock, I looked at the time and my eyes became tunnels. Why would someone come to my room at 2:35 Am?

I waited for another knock but when it didn't come I went back to sleep.

Knock!

Someone was disturbing me again. God! The bed was begging me to stay on it. And the blanket was pleading me to not unroll it from my body.

Rubbing my eyes, I debated with my sleep as I stood up from the bed, groaning.

I never expected what I saw, opening the door. I rubbed my eyes twice as I stared at the person standing before me.

"Wh-what are you doing here?" I whispered.

"I'm here to apologise." He said, trying to come inside my room but I blocked him. "Are you in your mind F-Carter?"

"Sparkle, please forgive me. I'm sorry okay? Please?"

"How did you even come inside my house, Fa-Carter?"

"I didn't go back. And I couldn't sleep. Just forgive me and I'll go back."

All I could do was whisper, "still shirtless?"

He nodded a smile coming onto his lips. "Still shirtless."

"Where's Isaac?" I questioned as I looked around. "So this is all about Isaac, isn't it?" Carter muttered, my eyes catching his clenched fists. "No Carter! When I went to my room, you both were here. Is he still here?" I snapped.

"No. He isn't. Only I stayed. Can you please forgive me now?"

"Carter-I-" I started to say but he interrupted me. "Please?"

"Okay, I forgive you. Go outside, now." I pushed him out of the room, as he stumbled back. "Promise?" He asked. "Yeah, promise. Now get lost." I spoke, closing the door.

"Thank you Sparkle." Hearing his voice from distance, I chuckled to myself as I closed the door. Sighing, I went to bed and wrapped the blanket around me, a single thought running through my mind.

Has he really changed?

I couldn't really sleep that night. I kept thinking of how Carter has been nice to me lately and that why I was feeling all those things that I'm not supposed to feel. That, how strange was him coming to me at night to apologise when he didn't do something that bad. Feeling of him, trying to protect me and in process fighting with his childhood best friend couldn't just settle. Him, being my worst bully and changing so suddenly to my bestest friend seemed something I would never get comfortable with.

But it felt good. These all things created a strange feeling of satisfaction and pleasure in the heart. When I shouldn't feel this. When I should be careful because this could just be an act. When I should be worried of what's going to come next. I should be watchful and not let Carter play any kind of his evil tricks on me because this could also be a new way of torturing me, bullying me, humiliating me, betraying me, breaking me. And breaking anything again, after it has been joint together from destruction, destroys it even more. His sudden sweetness was alarming but comforting. Though I kept doubting his acts but his eyes showed only one thing. genuineness. Sincerity was all I sensed when he smiled.

As I wondered I realised how much, I myself have changed in this year. My likes, dislikes, hobbies, everything everything changed.

I no more like to spend time in the library......

I'm more confident then I ever was........

I'm starting to eat more.......

I like my hair down........

I use makeup......

I do not complete my homework........

I'm starting to be proud of myself.......

I'm starting to feel happy.....

*************

"Why did you stop all of a sudden?" Lia stoped in her tracks, turning around, and raised her eye brows at me. I gulped as I motioned forward in the direction Jack was standing, talking to his friends. "Are you scared of that sissy." She shouted, her hands on her hips, bringing everyone's attention towards us including jackass Jack and his jackass friends.

Seeing them coming towards us was not good at all and so I started to drag Lia out of the corridor but she pushed me and stood firmly there glaring at an advancing Jack. "Hey hot stuff!"

"Get off my way, jerk stuff!" Lisa snapped as she pulled me ahead along with her but Jack stopped us. "Feisty, I like it."

"Everyone likes me. Now get off my way. I've learnt karate when I was young. I'm a black belt holder." Lia warned. "Uhh, I'm so scared- guys she can kick me. Can you believe it-" he started. Lia handed her books to be and pulled her sleeves up before kicking Jack. There!

"Ahhhhhh!" His scream echoed in the corridor as he ran somewhere, his friends following him. "Wow Lisa! You were awesome." I clapped. "I know that. Now, you need to be that awesome too. Don't ever be scared of that coward!"

The day went on and I stayed by Lia's side. Jack's voice from earlier continuously rang into my head: tell you friends to keep their hands with themselves.

I couldn't help but be worried about the circumstances of Lia's actions. I was scared of what would happen if any of his friends caught me. It's not always that Carter would come to rescue me. I felt sad too, for the fact that chances of reconciling Carter and Jack were now no more.

Isaac didn't show up in lunch and Lia went to the library in search of Isaac, leaving me alone in the cafeteria. I tried to cling to her but she refused to take me along with her. It was, as if she was aware of the reason, I was sticking to her the whole day. Believe me when I say she is the worst friend ever.

I decided to eat silently and prayed to not see Jackass Jack today. But have my prayers ever been answered?

A sudden, loud, slam of someone's hand onto the table made me flinch and I fell off my chair. Jack was standing above me with his never-going glare as she breathed hard. He looked as if he was about to bite me. I stood up with trembling feet and saw Lia standing at the gate watching all of this. She seemed to be pulling an angry Isaac back towards her as she mouthed, 'fight!'

"It was Lia. W-why don't you ask her? I'm not accountable for her actions." I adjusted my glasses on my nose as I spoke, my eyes catching a thumbs up Lia gave me. I sighed as I looked back at Jack whose face could be mistaken as a tomato.

"Who taught you to argue with me?" He barked at me making me stumble back onto my chair. "I-I know some k-karate tricks too." I stood up from the chair and tried to make eye contact with him. Immediately, his hand went down to guard his private part and his friends giggled on which they received Jack's death glare. "She's cute!" A guy spoke which I recognised as an Asian.

"You'll regret this Sophia, you'll regret this." He hissed as he turned around and started to go out but I went after him. Lia looked at me like I had gone crazy but I assured her that I'll be fine.

I went after him and stopped him when I was sure no one was around us. "Jack-wait." I called out causing him to turn around. "What now? You bitch! My friend isn't talking to me because of you! Only god knows what tricks did you play on him. Get lost you unlucky shit!" Jack spat at me and tears pooled my eyes as I heard him call me an unlucky shit.

"Jack, just tell me, what have I ever done to you? What have I ever done for you to treat me this way?What's my mistake. What's my fault if I was born unlucky."

"I didn't get to choose my luck Jack. What had I done for you to throw me in the pool in seventh grade? What did I do in grade eight to get your punches on my already bruised ribs? What did I do to deserve you cutting my hair in year five? What did I do so bad that you punished me this way?" I pointed to my head, referring to my neon green hair. I couldn't control my tears as I remembered all the tortures he had done to me.

"Why did you leave grass hoppers in my hair Jack? Why did you throw me in the rubbish cart when we were fourteen, Jack? Why? Why did you lock me in-"

"Stop, Sophia. Just.....stop it. Can I-can I hug you?" He asked causing my eyes to become wide. "I'm such an idiot to ask that." Saying this, he engulfed me in a hug. "I'm sorry Sophia, I'm so sorry. Guilt is eating me Sophia. Please forgive me, Sophia. Please? Don't cry please?"

He pulled away. I opened my mouth and closed it again because I couldn't process the words. Guilt was spread over his features and his eyes begged for forgiveness. "I did a lot of bad stuff to you Sophia. And I hate myself for this. I really hate myself for this Sophia and I regret whatever I have done to you in the past years." He sighed.

"Are you really Jack?" I blinked twice. He chuckled. "Yeah, I'm really Jack and I want you to forgive me."

I wiped my tears. "I have a condition." I told him. "Condition, huh? Don't make it difficult please?"

"It's easy, you have to make up with Carter." I shrugged my shoulders. "This, is not easy at all!" He sounded. "I mean, if I'll talk to him first, he'll never stop teasing me about it."

"Please? I don't like when you both are fighting. Carter is really hurt and he feels betrayed. Don't you want to be friends with him again? Everyone in the school miss your friendship. Carter is not Carter without Jack and Jack is not Jack without Carter." I tried to explain him.

"Okay." He said after hesitating. How many surprises will this week bring to me?

"You're agreeing? Really?"

"Yeah, I'm agreeing." He smiled at me. "You're cute, you know that? And I was wondering why Carter likes you. He's always been a sucke-"

"Okay, Jack. I gotta go, Lia will kill me." I sped out of there and towards the cafeteria before I could here any stuff that would ruin my power of thinking and there'll be that one thing running through my head. But guess it was too late because I didn't need to be a genius to understand what jack was about to say.

I found Lia and Isaac busy in talking as I made my way towards the table and they sealed their mouths that instant. Suspicion was killing me. "Huh? What were you talking about Lia?" I asked Lia but actually the question was directed towards both of them. I just didn't want to talk to Isaac because of what he thinks about me and what he did last night. "Just random stuff." Isaac shrugged his shoulders, the lie rolling out of his mouth smoothly. "Lia, I think I was talking to you."

"Seems like shit got down between you too." Lia whispered licking the sauce off her finger. "What happened?" She asked her gaze flicking from me to Isaac. "She came back to her home wearing Carter's shirt while that snake was shirtless after having s-"

"Please Isaac! Why do you want me to hate you even more than I already do?!" I snapped at him. "Really? I want the details!" Lia chirped in still swallowing all she had in her mouth. "Jeez! Guys this never happened!" I cried, completely frustrated. "I'm sorry Soph. I'm just trying to protect you. Carter's not good. He's just playing it Sophia. I don't want him to hurt you."

"Isaac, we didn't hook up okay? I swear. If you bring that up once more I'll never talk to you."

"I won't bring that up. Promise. Do you still hate me? I said I was sorry." He said, as he looked at me through his glasses. "No I don't. Its okay." Giving him a reassuring smile, I started munching on my food. Lia lent close to me as she whispered in my ear, "Sophia, you gotta tell me what happened with Jack."

'Later,' I mouthed.

***********

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