"Okay, you're dismissed. Grab a study sheet from off of my desk before you leave."

Everyone sighs in relief, closing their textbooks and making their way out of the classroom.

I repack slowly, tossing everything on my desk into one part of my bag. I'm not in a rush to go anywhere. Wherever I stand feels out of place.

I sling the bag over my shoulder and drag my feet across the ground in the direction of the teacher's desk.

He makes study sheets that ask questions rather than answer them.

"See you Monday, Alison."

I look up instinctively, "see you Monday, Mr. Faust."

"I'm really holding out hope that this C-streak you're on is only temporary." I glance at him again but don't respond, though I also feel that I'm no longer allowed to leave. "Your participation level has dropped as well. I'm a little concerned. Is there something going on?" Mr. Faust asks kindly, and I shake my head. "Alison, I'm more likely to empathize and give you the necessary help required if you're honest. Are you going to count on dismissiveness to get you through the semester?"

"I'm sorry...I've been unmotivated."

"That's understandable, exams are approaching quickly, mental exhaustion is starting to take its toll more than ever." I nod and keep my head down. "Here's what I can do," Mr. Faust says as he circles around his desk looking for something. He grabs a pack of referral passes, "I can send you down to the guidance counselor during your elective time and you-"

"I don't need to talk to anyone. I'm fine, thank you."

He sighs in defeat and puts down the passes and his pen.

"I disagree but...I'll trust your judgment. Have a great rest of the day. Take some time to get well."

"Goodbye, Mr. Faust."

He waves me off and watches as I walk away.

"Oh— and Alison?"

I turn back to face him. "Yes?"

"I'm not a counselor, but I'm here if you change your mind." He taps his ear twice, "two ears, I'm a great listener. I promise."

I laugh to myself and give him a smile, "I believe you."

"I'm glad."

It's funny how easily words like "I'm here for you," make someone breathe better.

I can't wait to leave class...usually, and just moments ago I was desperate for him to take notice of something else and let me go— but now...

"Mr. Faust-" I pause before stepping out of the doorframe. "Can I...spend my study hall in here?"

"Sure," he nods. "I don't see why not."

"Thank you," I sigh in relief and start to close the door back. "I'll really study-"

"Actually— could you just leave the door open?"

"Oh, sorry..." A feeling of awkwardness enters the atmosphere.

"It's no worry— it gets a bit stuffy in here when the door is closed."

The real reason probably has something to do with rules and conduct, but he's trying to spare me the discomfort.

I go to one of the desks in the front row and lay out my notebook.

I probably won't study. I wonder if he'd mind if I simply laid my head down and drug my pen across the paper in patterns that put my mind at ease.

I look up at him as if he can read my thoughts, and coincidentally, I catch his eye.

Mr. Faust's lips turn up in a small smile, and I glance back down at my notebook.

"Let me know if you need help with anything."

"Of course, Mr. Faust."

"What the fuck do I wear?" Leo asks while holding a tie up to his shirt.

"Rent a tux," Matt suggests.

"Should I?"

"No, you'll look like an idiot if no one else is wearing one," Danny scoffs.

"So, I should ask her what her dad is going to wear?"

Matt laughs hysterically at Leo. "Why do you care? Just show up, give a toast, and tell them you're banging their daughter."

"No. None of you have met the parents before?" Leo questions, "Not even you, Danny?"

"Val doesn't have parents. She has a sister, and I met her while wearing something that probably looks just like this," he motions toward his clothes.

"I've met a few parents," Matt nods, "but never on purpose, and at one point I wasn't wearing anything...they didn't like me."

"Zach?" Leo turns to me.

"Eh, I don't think Zach is there yet," Matt responds for me.

Leo narrows his eyes and gives him a suspicious look, "no?"

"I'm just saying."

"What do you know?" Leo asks.

"What do you know?" Matt replies.

"...I've never met anyone's parents, but when anyone has met my mom— they were wearing jeans, so I can't help you."

"Fucking hell," Leo throws the tie on his bed before laying there as well. "Her parents already don't want me around. Not only am I a welfare kid, but I've made some pretty bad impressions."

"How?" I say out of guilty curiosity.

"Showing up late and staying in Heather's room until after midnight, making a mess in their kitchen and letting them walk in on me almost taking her clothes off, getting caught the next morning in just a towel. I don't blame them for not liking me."

"What makes you think you've even got a shot now?" Danny says with his usual optimism.

"I don't know, but I've got to let them say their piece and then try to convince them I'm a good guy, and Heather's safe with me."

"You're not getting married, I don't see what the big deal is," Matt shrugs.

"Let's change the subject, I'm nervous enough."

"We can talk about my date with Kat," Matt says deviously, "I just bought a new box of condoms."

"You know, it's going to be hilarious if that's not what she has planned," Danny says.

"We're going to be alone. Of course, that's what she has planned."

"So everyone's busy this weekend?" Leo questions.

"I'm probably free Saturday," Matt clarifies.

"I think I have something to do that morning, but I'm all good after," I chime in. Aaron is going to be at work early on Saturday. I might bring him coffee or something and then check on Evan. It sounds crazy in my head, but I can't imagine how he feels right now, and I'm just checking as a decent human being.

"Why? Do you want to meet up again to talk about how you bombed with your girlfriend's parents?" Danny teases.

"You know what? Shut up," Leo shakes his head and tries to keep from laughing. "I don't want to hang out with you guys. I'm going to find new friends."

"No, we should though. My parents are leaving this weekend, and I don't want to be alone," Matt says.

"Scared of the dark, Matty?" Danny smiles.

"The horror movie enthusiast," Leo laughs.

"I'm not scared, there's just nothing to do by myself. Either one of you come over, or I'm staying the night here."

"You can sleepover my house, Peyton's having her friends stay over so it's only fair," I propose.

"Crash their slumber party?" Matt gasps and stares at me with sugar rush eyes.

"I didn't mean to crash it...but I don't care."

"Come on," he says to Danny and Leo, hoping they're on the same page he is.

"How many girls are going to be there?" Leo asks.

"There's usually just two or three."

"I don't know..." Leo presses his lips into a line.

"What's the problem?" Matt asks in disappointment.

"I think it just seems kind of bad if I'm sleeping over at a house with a bunch of chicks, I don't know."

"Who cares? It's not one of those junior high 'spin the bottle' parties. We're just hanging out."

"I wouldn't like it if she did it," he admits.

"I thought we already knew that you're insecure." Leo stares unimpressed at a smiling Matt before a pillow swings through the air and knocks the joy out of his face. "And violent!" Matt adds as he snatches the pillow away. "Just ask her."

"Alright, I'll ask," Leo gives in annoyedly. Maybe he doesn't want to because of another reason, and Heather is just an excuse.

Maybe he doesn't trust himself around Peyton the way Danny can't trust himself around Kat. Maybe I shouldn't trust myself around Evan?

"Invite her," I say almost too eagerly.

"No, no girlfriends." Matt looks over at me, "...or anyone else."

Leo furrows his eyebrows at him, "what do you know?"

"What do you know?"

"How's your food?"

"It's good," Elizabeth shrugs.

"Are you sure?" She's barely touched it.

"Yeah."

"What's wrong with it?"

She rolls her eyes at me. "I asked for no sauce because I can't stand the taste of rum-flavored-"

"Excuse me," I snap my fingers twice and get the attention of the nearest waiter.

"Sir," a man approaches the table.

"Her food needs to go back. No sauce, she wants no sauce," I gesture toward the plate.

"Right away," he nods and takes it from in front of her.

"Thank you," she says guiltily.

"My pleasure."

"Ethan," she sighs, "I didn't want you to do that. They work so hard."

"And it's their pleasure," I nod.

"I'm not a child, by the way. I can speak for myself."

"What's your point?"

"You make me feel small." I look empathetically at her. I never meant to belittle her or anything- "Not in that way," she quickly adds.

"Oh," I sigh in relief, "keep explaining."

"It's like...you drain the power out of everyone in the room, and I don't think you can help it."

"You think I drain you?"

"No, you just have a way of making people submissive."

"Really?"

"Not necessarily me, though. You'll throttle anyone else, but let me choose when I want to listen to you or ignore you."

"Because it's you," I admit.

"But even in the beginning-"

"I took a liking to you early on, Elizabeth. I thought you knew this." She looks at me as if she wants me to go on. "You see, you're right about the power dynamic I have with most people. It's simply how I grew up. Both of my parents are incredibly successful people, and with that comes power. Weakness or neutrality was never an option for me."

"Don't tell me you have the type of parents who never let you cry," she masks her concern with light laughter.

"No," I chuckle, "they're more of the ones with overly high expectations. I've been in clubs, team sports, committees, groups, everything you can think of since I was 10."

"I'm guessing they were proud."

"Of course," I nod, "and if I ever failed at something, they weren't mad and they didn't say they were disappointed...but I could feel it. They'd treat me a little differently. 'This is my son, he's a corporate genius,' and then 'this is Ethan, he's working on it.' I compensated for quitting lacrosse and losing an internship by opening up an entire club."

"Look at you, the mean man has feelings and slight childhood trauma," Elizabeth jokingly pouts.

"You want to get into why you don't speak to any of your family?"

"Maybe next time."

"Okay," I lean back in my chair, "then let's talk about the other night."

"Okay."

I smirk, "what exactly do you want from me?"

"I could ask you the same."

"Why do you stay if you think I'm so mean?"

"Why are you nicer to me than your other employees?"

"Because I don't want you to quit."

"Then stop being an asshole."

"It's the only thing you respond to...though your response is always more snark."

She shrugs, "I don't like taking orders from people."

"Because you've always taken care of yourself," I nod.

"Exactly."

"But you listen when I make you listen."

"Do I have a choice?" She challenges.

"Always."

"Hm," she swirls her wine around in the glass.

"You want to know what I think?" I lean forward and clasp my hands together on the table.

"Please," she replies sarcastically.

"You like feeling submissive."

"I just said I don't like taking-"

"Orders. I heard you, but you only ignore them to the point of me getting mad at you— to have some control over me in exchange...control over how much you get in trouble." Elizabeth stays silent, but her face says it all. "I'm right, aren't I? You like the shift from being completely responsible for everything to finally being able to say 'no' and 'fuck you' to whatever authority— that being myself and then having me scold you like some annoying catholic school principal who's no longer allowed to use the ruler on students."

"Is that what you want to do?" She raises her eyebrows. "Use the ruler on me?"

"Would that work?"

She said nothing.

My my my. You're the most interesting woman I've ever encountered.

I smile slyly at her, and she eyes me heatedly.

There's something unspoken going on at this table, and if any more tension fills this room, the walls will begin to crack. I mean— I can practically feel the vibration from the amount of energy her body is giving off.

Or is it just me...

She says nothing.

"So," I speak up, never breaking eye contact. "What do you want to do, Elizabeth?"

"Say goodnight after dinner. And then see you tomorrow."

I sit at the edge of her bed taking off my boots.

"Daniel?"

"Hey, baby," I look behind me where Val is laying under blankets. "I didn't mean to wake you?"

"Where've you been all this time?" She asks groggily.

"I was at Leo's, prepping him for some dinner with Heather's parents."

"They sound like they're getting serious."

"I think it's been serious. Once Leo is invested...you know?" I say rhetorically. "But don't get Cherry riled up over it, okay?"

"It's fine, Cherry's onto someone else."

"Anyone I know?" It can't still be Caleb.

"AJ."

Who the hell set that dumpster fire-

"Stop letting her hook up with my friends if she's going to get all crazy."

"She's not," Val says defensively, "and it's not even just him, she's dating around and he's the only one you know."

"I don't understand the whole 'dating around' thing. Matt's dating around," I lay down next to her. "He's got a date with Kat tomorrow night."

She rolls over to face me, "so?"

I shrug, "I think we should all hang out. We can double or something."

"You want to tag along on their date?"

"No, why's it got to be like that? Can't it just be a group thing? Four wheels is an entire car."

"Dates aren't for friends, Daniel. You don't bring friends on our dates."

"Then it's okay because you're not friends with them. If we all hang out, you'll get to know them better and won't be so upset if I'm with them."

"So, this is for me?" She says disbelievingly.

"Yes, anything for you."

"Then thank you, but no, thank you," she rolls back around and seems to get further away from me in bed.

"Yeah, okay. It was a dumb idea," I say apologetically, "that's on me."

"Danny?"

"Hm?"

"I've always liked Matt, you know that. He makes me laugh," Val assures.

"I know."

"I was never upset when you hung out with him."