"Hey, Andrews," Jared Ford, left fielder, called out as he tossed his used towel on the ground. "I heard you dumped Annette."

"Yeah," I nodded as I repacked my bag, "it was pretty brutal."

She started crying before I even finished saying 'I think we should break up.' I told her it wasn't her fault, but she just kept pestering me for an explanation.

"She's telling everyone you were stepping out on her or something." Sure, I admitted that there was someone else. "Julia made all the cheerleaders promise they'd stay away from you...for Annette's sake, I guess."

That's funny. Annette isn't even on the team, and Julia slipped her number into my locker the day after I broke up with Annette.

"Well, there's going to be a lot of broken promises," I shrug with a laugh.

"My man," Jared chuckles and walks over to high-five me.

"Forget those bitches anyway, you know?" Riley Mackett chimes in, and I cringe internally at how harsh he sounds. "There are hotter chicks at other schools."

"What do you know about girls at other schools?" Jared furrowed his eyebrows.

"My cousin goes to South East. I crashed a few parties. Including, a pool party...bikinis...then no bikinis," Riley smirked.

"Bullshit," Jared says skeptically.

Riley scoffed, "I'm serious! Don't believe me? I'll bring you with me."

"Now you're talking," Jared nods, "Evan, you in?"

"I don't know..." I shake my head, "I'm kind of with someone."

"One girl...or a dozen...skinny dipping?"

Riley and Jared both stare at me, waiting for me to change my mind.

"Come on, dude...what do you have to lose?"

Zach.

I promised him no more messing around.

The only reason I still have him is because I swore I wanted only him.

"So?" Riley questioned.

I laugh lightly, "you're right. I...I'm in." They smile and hurdle around me, "hello South East girls."

"Oh good, you're awake," I look into the mirror above my dresser and see Alison tiredly sitting up.

"No," she groaned, "God, tell me we didn't-"

"Save your pleas. I didn't touch you," I shake my head in annoyance. "But- if I hadn't stepped in when I did, your buddies from last night definitely would've done something," I say in disgust, "I don't even want to think about it."

"I don't remember..."

"You wouldn't, side effect of Rohypnol...or GHB...I'm still not sure which one you were slipped."

"What?" She says, clearly a little horrified.

"Yeah, you should really watch who you go out with. I know you're trying to do this whole good girl gone bad thing to take advantage of what people are saying about you, but that doesn't mean you have to be stupid about it," I snap. "Don't worry though, the doctor said you were fine."

"...You took me to the hospital?" Alison responded softly.

"No," I scoffed through laughter, "I called."

"Right," she nodded. "Thanks..."

"I had Harry make you breakfast. You should eat something...he's probably got it on the table for you," I say as I slip a shirt on, buttoning it up while looking at her.

"Trevor...I-"

"Some bread and vitamin water will soak up whatever toxins are in your system," I cut her off.

"You don't have to-"

"I'll have him bring you something clean to wear."

"Would you just let me speak?" Alison says in frustration.

"There's nothing to discuss, Alison," I say as calmly as possible.

She didn't let me speak to her when I wanted to, so why should I give her the satisfaction? I was practically on my knees asking her to let me explain everything...to tell her that I really cared about her and I shouldn't have been so careless before...but she didn't want to hear that, did she?

"You have no right!" Alison huffed as she climbed out of my bed, angrily fixing the covers back.

I chuckled smugly, "no right to what? Stand in my own house? Get dressed in my room?"

"No, to be upset with me!"

"Oh, really now?" I say in surprise. "I carried you out of a club after you irresponsibly left yourself open to complete strangers who wanted to take advantage of you, but I have no right to be upset?"

"I didn't ask for your help, Trevor!" She glared as she approached me.

"You expected me to leave you there? With those guys? Do you know what they would have done to you?" I scowled at her.

"That's my problem, not yours," Alison got closer, still with a cold expression.

"That is my problem!"

"No!" She shoved me, her light but harsh movements not even causing me to stumble.

"Yes!"

"Why?" She tried to shove me again but I caught both of her wrists in my hands.

I held her there, simply gazing at her while she gazed back in this tension-filled calm.

"Because..." I breathed out...but couldn't utter a full response.

We continue to stare at one another, neither of us moving except to breathe...I want to kiss her so badly, but I can't bring myself to do or say anything.

"...exactly," she pulled away from me.

"Jace," Evelyn Astley said flirtatiously as I held her by her waist and guided her into the empty biology lab.

"Evie," I said back as I moved in to kiss her.

"I thought you said we couldn't do this at school," she put her arms around my neck after I sat her on one of the tables.

"I've changed my mind...besides, no one's watching."

"Whatever happened to your girlfriend?" She says with a devious smirk, "where's Heather?"

"I don't have a girlfriend," I kiss her neck, "who's Heather?"

Evie is the exact opposite of Heather, in a way. And when we hit that rough patch in our relationship, I started noticing Evelyn...noticing me.

We played a bit...just teasing each other, but after Heather decided she liked arguing more than touching...I decided I liked Evie.

I went up to the country club her dad owns and ended up screwing her after hours on the golf course. I felt terrible about it, honestly. I told her we could never do it again, though it was great sex. My conscience was so heavy that I sent Heather a dozen roses every day for a week.

She still has no idea what I was apologizing for.

And when I had a case of Italian wine and chocolates delivered to her house a month later...she didn't know I was apologizing for letting Evie ride me poolside at Trevor's hotel. It was never planned...and when I felt like I was really losing Heather, I stopped it for good.

I loved Heather, I really did.

You can't call it cheating if it didn't feel like we were together. I mean, come on...coming to my game to do arts and crafts with swine like Leo Rylin instead of watching me? She didn't act like my girlfriend.

"Jace," Evie said breathlessly, "someone could come in."

"I locked the door," I mumbled against her skin.

"You're doing me right here? On the lab table?" She says seductively.

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" I smirk, letting my fingers trace up her legs and under her skirt to pull down her panties. She nodded eagerly and hurried to undo the buttons on my pants. "Tsk...not yet," I inhaled sharply, "first you have to ask nicely."

Evie playfully rolled her eyes, "Jace..."

"Do it," I eyed her slyly.

She threw her head back and groaned before giving in, "okay fine." She stared into my eyes and batted her eyelashes at me, "Jace, will you please make me cum?"

"So polite...come here," I pulled her closer to me, her legs on either side of me as I brought my pants down enough for her to grab hold of me, stroking until I was hard enough...

"Condom?" She asked in between kisses.

"Pocket..." I muttered as I tangled my hand in her hair.

I felt her reaching in to grab it, seconds later? I saw the gleam of the foil packet, but before she could begin to tear it open...we heard the doorknob turning...and when whoever realized it was locked...we heard knocking.

Evelyn sighed, "someone must've reserved the lab."

I huffed and clenched my jaw, "of course, they did." They're lucky we hadn't gotten further...they would've had to find a janitor because there's no way I would open that door. "Maybe the locker room is empty," I suggest.

"Okay," she nodded.

I fasten up my pants and then help her off the table, slipping her underwear into my pocket instead of giving them back.

I let her walk ahead of me to open the door, and I shake my head in annoyance at the group of underclassmen who interrupted.

"Welcome, you impatient losers," I say as I brush past them to leave.

"Jace!" Evie nudges me with a smile. "You're mean when you're horny."

I reach over and pinch her ass, "that's how we got together, isn't it?"

"...and that is Hooke's law," Ms. Chang explained, "and remember, the variable K is the spring constant and X is the displacement," she puts down the chalk.

"Any questions?" I sigh and close my notebook, ready to leave the class. "Yes, Leonardo?"

My breath stills and I look directly at the board in order to resist the urge to face him.

"Is it too late to change project partners?"

"Well...yes, is there something wrong with your current arrangement?"

"Can I work alone, then?"

She sighed, "come see me after class. We'll discuss the conditions of an independent project."

"Thanks."

I roll my eyes and begin to repack my bag as I await dismissal. Time moves so much slower when you're somewhere you don't want to be, but I tried not to look too hurried when the shorthand on the clock finally struck twelve and Ms. Chang allowed us to leave.

I didn't rush in hopes of hearing her conversation with Leo. Unfortunately, she waited for the class to be empty and then she shut the door.

I can't imagine what excuse he's going to give her for not wanting to work with me anymore. I can't imagine how she'll respond considering I'm meant to be tutoring him, her orders, and yet, I've canceled our last two sessions and planned to cancel the next one as well.

It's become less about that night and more about not knowing how to face things now. I've waited too long to be able to apologize and ask that we pretend it never happened...

Though nothing did happen.

"You have to tell Chang that you want to work alone too or she's not going to let me," Leo says suddenly, coming up next to me at my locker and causing me to flinch.

I sigh as I catch my breath, "I don't want to." I close my locker and begin walking away.

"You're kidding, right?" Leo scoffs as he chases after me.

"There's nothing to kid about. We've already started, I don't want to start over. It's due in two weeks."

"Yeah, well, how do you plan to finish a project with me while also avoiding and ignoring me?" He says harshly and I frown a bit.

"...I'm not."

"What's your problem with me? I didn't do anything to you." His tone doesn't soften.

"I know— it's just..." I don't know how to respond. I've never done well with confrontation, "nothing," I shake my head.

Leo looks at me disappointedly, "Nothing, huh? Yeah, that's exactly what it seems like."

I huff and finally turn to face him completely, "Leo I'm...embarrassed, okay? Don't you get that?"

"No," he shrugs, "I don't, because you won't even talk to me."

"I didn't want to talk! I woke up humiliated at the thought of how I was...what I did...what I said. There was already too much talking."

"Why? You were fine, you drank too much. It was a party, no one thought anything of it."

What he means is he didn't think anything of it.

"Well, I did."

"Heather," he sighs, "are you really going to let something so stupid mess everything up?"

"No, that's why I want to keep working together-"

"I mean us...our friendship or whatever," he rolled his eyes at 'friendship,' as if it were a made-up word.

"You still want to be friends with me?" I ask in surprise.

"Yeah...drama queen... I kinda do," he teases.

I cringe, "ugh...I definitely prefer butterfly." Though I still don't know what prompted the nickname...I've come to like it.

"Me too," he nods with a smile.

"Okay...I'll see you later then?"

"Your place or mine?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Yours," another thing I prefer.

He nods again and I begin to back away from him at the sound of the second bell.

That was so much easier than I thought it would be...

I don't give Leo enough credit for somehow always finding a way to make me feel...safe, I guess.

"One more thing..." he stops me, "...were you embarrassed because you wanted to kiss me or because I didn't kiss you?"

Don't you think I've asked myself that?

And honestly, Leo, "I don't know."