When mum got home from work, I told her what happened with Hunter. To say she was surprised is a bit of an understatement. She had no idea I was even interested in him romantically at all.

Maybe I should become an actress when I finish school, seems like I've been doing a great job acting like Hunter is just a nothing more.

Mum then cuddled up with me on the couch and let me have a good cry on her shoulder before we watched Miranda for the rest of the evening, by this stage I was in desperate need of a good side-splitting laugh and I can always rely on Miranda to deliver.

Mum was still really pissed about the wine though and decided it was only fair that I work at the cafe for the rest of the holidays, which of course I didn't mind because it kept me busy. Well, during the day anyway. The nights would sometimes get a bit lonely.

Hunter tried to come by once, about a week after I told him I loved him. Mum told him to give me some time and that I wasn't up to seeing him just yet.

Which is what I told him in the first place, he hasn't been back or tried to contact me since.

I also called Sienna and filled her in, she and Emily are the only other people that know what really happened. Our other friends just think Hunter and I had a massive fight about something and that we aren't speaking at the moment, or so Sienna tells me.

Now here we are, two weeks since my friendship with my best friend changed forever, the holidays are over and it's the first day, of my last year of high school.

I'm dreading it!

We have all the same friends, we will more than likely have some classes together and worst of all, I have to see Emily and Hunter together every damn day.

I want to crawl under my covers and only come out when the year is over and it's time for everyone to head off to Uni.

But I know I have to face everyone eventually, so I may as well toughen up and get this over with.

I have a quick shower and put on my uniform, a navy blue knee length skirt and a light blue polo, finished off with a hideous pair of blue roman sandals.

I avoid my usual morning ritual of walking to school along the beach in case I bump into Hunter. Actually, it was our morning ritual. He's probably already replaced me with Emily anyway.

I leave a little early because I need to go by the school office to get my new schedule after they stuffed up two of my classes.

When I go to open the office door I drop my phone on the ground, just as I bend down to pick it up, smack! My head collides with someone else's.

"What the!" I say as I rub my forehead, that bloody hurt!

"I'm so sorry, I was just heading out and saw you drop your phone and was going to pick it up for you."

I look up into a pair of gorgeous blue eyes, wow!

"Hey Maddie, you ok?" He asks when I don't say anything.

Ahe? This gorgeous, tall, blue-eyed creature knows my name.

I stare blankly at him trying to figure out if I know him, he does seem familiar.

"You don't recognize me do you?"

"Um...should I?"

"It's me, Skylar."

"As in Skylar Tate."

"One in the very same."

"OMG! You look so different."

Last time I saw Skylar was just before the end of school last year and I'm sure he was like thirty centimetres shorter and his hair was down to his elbows.

I always thought he was a bit of a sex, drugs and rock'n roll type of guy, though I don't really know him that well. Now he's so tall, not so pale and weedy looking anymore and his dark brown hair is short and sexy.

Damn! He looks good.

"Yeah I kinda got sick of the long hair, the amount of time I spent brushing it, agh. So anyway I decided to chop it all off. Its only been a couple of weeks so it still feels really weird."

"It looks really good on you, I like it," I say smiling at him.

"Thanks, you're looking really good yourself, I spose lots of days surfing in the sun will do that though." He winks at me.

"Speaking of warm summer days, how was your holidays?" He asks.

"Um, yeah.....ok."

"Don't sound too enthusiastic," he says with a laugh then stops abruptly when he notices my serious face.

"Oh shit, sorry I didn't mean to laugh. That bad huh?"

"It wasn't all bad, Christmas and New Year's was good, but then went downhill pretty quickly after that. Anyway, I better go get my class schedule sorted."

This is getting awkward fast.

"Oh yeah, don't let me keep you. I'm sure I'll see you around."

"You can count on it." I smile at him.

"Look forward it." he smiles back.

Once I've sorted my schedule I notice it's almost time for my first class. I head across the courtyard, which is a big open space in the middle of the school where a lot of the students gather before school and at lunch. My group usually hang out off to the side, where there's some bench seats under a big evergreen tree.

I look that way as I walk past and I see a Jenna, Sienna, Lukas and Hunter laughing together.

Hunter and I make eye contact, I quickly look away and start walking faster.

The bell rings when I'm almost at my first class.

I walk through the doors into C block, there's four classrooms in this block and I have history at the end of the corridor, it begins to clear as I'm almost at my class.

Suddenly I'm grabbed by the arm and shoved into a cleaning cupboard next to the girls' toilets.

"What the hell!"

I turn to see Hunter standing right in front of me in this extremely small space. Good thing I'm not claustrophobic.

"Sorry, but I had to see you, to talk to you. I just want to make sure you're ok."

"We're going to be late for class."

"Please Maddie, I can't stand this. I miss you so much."

I sigh and look down at the mop and bucket next my feet.

"I'm fine, I'm just embarrassed and I'm not ready to be around you and Emily at the moment. I can't promise anything but just give me some time and.....I don't know....maybe...."

I don't really know what to say, can we be friends again? I don't want to lose him forever, but for now...I don't know.

He puts his finger under my chin and lifts my head to look at him.

"I'm really sorry how everything has turned out Maddie, I didn't want to hurt you, you mean so much to me."

His words hit me hard. I can feel the tears wanting to break the surface, I close my eye's trying to hold them back. I don't want to cry anymore, I'm so sick of crying!

Then I feel something soft touch my lips, my eye's pop open.

Hunter is kissing me!

His lips are soft from his lip balm and his breath is minty fresh, he pulls my body close to his.

I open my mouth for him and he deepens the kiss, his tongue goes exploring and my knees go weak.

I've wanted this for so long and it's everything I imagined it to be. His hands are caressing my jaw, I try pulling him closer and we stumble against the bucket that's by my feet, breaking us apart.

"Fuck! I'm so sorry Maddie, I never should have done that! I don't know what I was thinking, I'm with Emily and I love her. Shit, that never should have happened, I'm sorry!"

He turns to open the door and just like that he's gone.

I stand alone in the cupboard completely stunned, then what just happened finally hits me and I crumple to the floor.

The tears finally breaking free.