I fought back the tears as I stormed away from Bryson and the group of people watching. I wasn't sure if I was upset because I had been used, or because I really had feelings for him. I kept walking as the thoughts swam around in my head.

"Riley?" A voice said, catching me off guard. I turned around to see Tamara staring at me with a smirk on her face.

"Leave me alone, Tamara. You got what you wanted." The smirk instantly got wiped off her face. Did she feel bad?

"Can we just talk? I'm sure that's the last thing you want to hear, but I truly want to explain myself." I chuckled. Tamara wanting to explain herself? As if that would ever happen.

"You have two minutes." She nodded and got closer.

"The night at the party, when you kissed Bryson, it crushed me. I know, everyone thinks we have a fake relationship, but I truly do care about him. I was jealous and stupid, and I came up with this plan. Some how I got him to go along with it." I stared at her as she explained.

"So you actually have a heart?" I said, not thinking before the words came out.

"Yes, Riley, I do have a heart. My heart belongs to Bryson. Even though it was all part of the plan, it killed me to see you guys get close. It seemed to me that he was actually enjoying getting close to you." I rolled my eyes at her.

"Yes, after all this, I'm sure he actually enjoyed getting close to me." Her head dropped a little before saying anything.

"It was a stupid plan, and I'm really sorry for what happened. I didn't think this would happen." I started laughing, and she looked at me confused.

"What did you think would happen then? You know, I don't actually care. I heard what you had to say, and now I'm leaving." I walked away as she called after me, but there was no turning back for me.

~~~~

I collapsed on my bed when I got home. I didn't want to do anything. I laid there, staring at the ceiling when my phone went off. This better not be Bryson. I grabbed my phone out of my pocket, nearly dropping it on my face.

where are you?

home. Swing by?

on my way!

I smiled, knowing that Emmy was probably the only person who could get my mind off of what was going on. Why did it bother me so much? I should have known Bryson was just pretending to like me, but there was something about the way he acted that seemed genuine, not forced. I pushed the thoughts out of my head, still mad about the whole situation. He had a lot to do to prove that he actually enjoyed spending time with me.

~~~~

"You missed it this afternoon," Emmy said, laying across my bed.

"Missed what?" I asked, confused. I had been at school all day.

"Tamara completely ate shit walking to her car. Her heel broke and she practically went face first into the pavement." I bursted out laughing. That girl had it coming to her.

"That must have been after I left." Emmy nodded with an apologetic smile on her face. "What?" I asked, knowing she wanted to say something.

"I know what happened with Bryson and Tamara." I looked at her, not surprised. Everyone probably knew about it. "I'm so mad at him. I can't believe he would do something like that. He was being so nice!" She let out a sigh, sitting up.

"Exactly. That was all part of their plan." I laid back, not really wanting to talk about it.

"Either way, it's not cool. Especially since he did it to my best friend." I sighed, hoping the conversation would change. "Riley, something will be done about this." And that's what I loved about Emmy. She would do anything to keep me safe, and to make sure I was happy. She treated me as if I was family, and that made up for not having one.

~~~~

The next morning, I crawled out of bed, dreading the day to come. I was sure people were going to talk about it, and that's exactly what they did when I walked down the hallway at school. People were looking at me, and whispering to their friends. I wanted to tell them I didn't care, but deep down, I really did.

Heads turned when I walked into calculus. I heard the whispers and all the rumors that were going around. Everyone thought I slept with Bryson, and that's why Tamara came after me, but that wasn't that case. I was the innocent one in all of this.

"Riley," the all too familiar voice said from beside me. I ignored him, pulling out my supplies for class. "Will you please talk to me?" Again, I ignored him, flipping pages in my book to make it look like I was doing something. I heard him sigh. I quickly looked up to see him at his own seat. Thank god. At this point, I couldn't care less if I ever talked to Bryson again.

Class dragged on, and I was anxiously awaiting the bell to ring. I wanted to get away. I could feel his eyes burning into me throughout the entire class, but I brushed it off. When the bell finally rang, I threw all my books into my bag and darted out of the room. When I got to my locker, I took a deep breath as I struggled to open it. A hand touched my shoulder, making me jump. I turned around to see the last person I wanted to deal with.

"We need to talk," he said, quietly. I turned back towards my locker, shoving my books inside. "Please, just let me explain." I closed my locker, turning around.

"I don't want to talk to you." I tried to push past him, but he kept blocking my way. "Bryson, if you don't get-" and before I could finish my sentence, his lips were on mine. I could feel the butterflies in my stomach starting to flutter around. My thinking started to get fuzzy, and I almost kissed him back, but I was quickly drawn back to reality. I pulled away and pushed him as hard as I could. I walked away, ignoring the looks and whispers of my peers around me. Could this day get any worse?

----------------------------------------------

Hello all! I am so sorry I didn't post before I left for vacation. Things got wicked crazy, and I just didn't have the time. But, now I'm back!

How do you guys feel about Bryson? Do you think he has the right to think Riley should forgive him? And what about the kiss!?

Leave your thoughts! I want to know how you feel about the story so far, and is there anything else you would like to see?

Teaser: Bryson's POV, and a major twist!