I sat alone in the comfort of my room, staring at the blank wall while thoughts tumbled around in my head.

Zach. Tobias.

If I cared about Zach, I should push him away. I already had. So, it was all good, right? Then why did I feel like a wreck?

Tobias still held me in his clutches, deciding my future by pulling my strings. I let him, and I hated myself for that. But, this wasn't about me, this was about Zach. He didn't deserve to be tangled in my mess. It was only fair to keep him out, even if my heart begged me to reconsider.

A soft knock sounded on my door. "Dylan?" Seb said from outside, waiting for me to give him a sign that I was still here.

"Come in," I replied, even if company was the last thing I wanted.

Sebastian opened the door and peeked inside. I thought he would say something, but instead he gave me a sad smile and walked toward me without a word.

He sat down next to me on the bed and held the silence. It was nice. Sebastian had an eerie knack for understanding when to talk and what to say.

"Is Tyra still downstairs?" I asked.

"Yes, I think she's looking through your fridge."

"Why?"

"Guess she thinks you might want something to eat. Or maybe she's just hungry." He shrugged.

Despite everything, I smiled. It was impossible to stay sad when Sebastian was around. I couldn't have asked for a better friend. Even if we hadn't known each other for long, I treasured the way we settled into a friendship that might as well have been years in the making.

"Seb..." I started, not certain of what I wanted to say.

"Yes?"

"I'm confused," I said.

"Want to talk about it?"

Inhaling a deep breath, I tried to settle my thoughts. Did I want to talk about it? I wasn't sure.

———

The following morning, I woke up with a pounding headache and thought about everything that happened last night. I never told Seb about Zach. It felt like something I wanted to deal with alone. Tyra and Seb left the house as Mom came home, which was followed by hours of discussion. Mom wasn't happy with the news, but I told her about the text messages, the pictures and what I knew about his new position at school. She said she would contact the Principal, but I wasn't sure that would help. Most likely, Tobias would have a card up his sleeve, like always.

One night of restless sleep hadn't helped me to solve the situation with Zach, so when I walked through the hallway toward my locker, I kept my eyes to the floor, hoping I wouldn't see him. It was a coward move, but it was the only option I could stomach.

Seb found me by my locker, giving me another of his comforting smiles. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine," I lied, wearing what must have been a strained smile.

"Sure you are. Let's go to class then," he replied, and I was grateful that he didn't push me to talk about my problems. Talking wouldn't help.

I kept telling myself that Tobias couldn't do anything to me as long as I was around people, which meant that I stuck to Seb's side even if the guy was a tiny guard. He barely reached my shoulder and he was as skinny as they came. Even so, I felt secure by his side for some unknown reason. Perhaps it was his sweet temper. It was impossible to stay agitated when he was around, flashing his small smiles beneath his bangs every other second. He was gentle. It was the best possible way to describe him.

The further we walked in the corridor, the easier it became to keep my smile steady. I didn't want anyone to see that I was less than perfectly fine. I wanted to show Tobias that his presence didn't matter. Of course, I would rather not see him at all.

It worked until I came across Zack, or more like stumbled into him. I almost expected him to lash out the way he normally would, but he didn't say a word. Not one. His gaze said everything, however. I wasn't forgiven. I could have dealt with anger or annoyance, but not indifference.

Seb cleared his throat. "Hi."

Zach's eyes flitted over to Seb, and he gave my friend an almost imperceptible nod.

"Do you guys wanna talk?" Seb continued, fully aware of what he was doing. He was meddling, and for once I felt like strangling him. Of course I wanted to talk to Zach. I wanted to make all our problems go away, and that included Tobias. Life's easy, yeah right. As if anything would help. Talking was useless.

Zach seemed as taken aback as I was. The muscles in his face twitched, but I couldn't tell if it was agitation or confusion marring his otherwise calm features.

"I'm sorry." The words left my lips before I could stop myself.

"For what?"

Seb left us standing there alone, two guys still as statues in the middle of a bustling corridor.

Zach rolled his eyes when I didn't reply.

He began to turn away, but the action snapped me out of my stupidity. I latched my hand on his shoulder. "Don't go. I'm sorry about being an idiot yesterday."

He shook his head, letting the dark strands of hair to wave goodbye. I had to steel myself to stay where I was. This wasn't the time to leave. Not again. The ongoing debate in my mind was still battling over the pros and cons of letting Zach remain in my life, but when he stood so close to me, only one option remained. I couldn't let him go. I was too selfish.

My fingers eased their hold, turning the clutch into a caress. I wanted him to understand, but I wasn't sure how much I could do in public.

"Zach, I'm really sorry."

Just as he was about to say something, the bell rang, stirring up everyone around us. He shook his head again. "Let's talk later."

A tendril of hope curled inside of me at his words. Later. I could deal with that.

I could deal until I realized who taught the first period. My stomach cramped at the thought, and I turned away, heading for the restroom when Tyra caught me.

"Come on, let's get this over with. Don't let the bastard win." Her expression was fierce, allowing no argument whatsoever.

She was right. Squaring my shoulders, I raised my chin and walked inside the classroom, not sparing Tobias a single glance on my way to the chair.

I could do this. He held no power over me. None at all.