"Ew. What the hell is he doing here?" Caden groaned at my presence. I rolled my eyes at how overt he was, but chose to ignore it. Caden was the type of guy to freak out over literally anything. He was loud and obnoxious, and I never understood the point of having a guy like him around. To be fair, I didn't exactly know him all that well, it just seemed that he based his opinions entirely off of what Sam told him.

Sam quirked a brow at me as well. "What could my best friend, Sawyer, possibly want?"

I bit back a remark at the two blonde haired boys, and instead asked, "Does he know?"

Sam's fake smile practically dropped instantly, and he threw his head back with a heavy sigh. "Can't we just pretend that that shit doesn't exist while we're in school?"

I shook my head. "Unfortunately, we can't."

Caden looked between the two of us for a long moment, clearly trying to understand what we were talking about. I thought he knew, given the fact that he was there with Dennis and Brian on Friday. Although, he probably didn't know about my involvement.

"What are you guys talking about now?" He perked up. "You're supposed to be enemies, or are you secret friends? Do you guys secretly love each other? Or maybe your hatred runs so deep that you spend time with one another just for the sake of hurting yourselves. Oh! You could be secret agents that are being forced to work together by your underground company-"

"Alright, cut the fantasies off." Sam spoke firmly, clearly disgusted by the shit spewing out of Caden's mouth. I silently shuddered at his words. Did he really think that we could secretly love each other? No way in hell. Or heaven. Or anywhere.

He closed his mouth, but appeared more like a lost puppy than a person when doing so. "Sorry..." He trailed off.

Sam sighed again, but this time it was clearly a product of how weirdly childlike his friend was. He was so childlike, or puppy-like, that even I felt the need to enable him. I didn't. But I was damn close to giving in.

"It's fine, Cade." Sam said, lightly patting his back.

"Then how come I'm left out of your conversation?" He pouted, but then just as soon became all bubbly again. "Unless I was right about you two being secret agents and-"

"No." We both cut him off with annoyed looks. He got the memo, still appearing neglected.

"He's talking about the ordeal." Sam let him know, but Caden didn't seem to immediately understand, so Sam added, "On Friday."

Another moment went by where Caden seemed to be processing this new information, trying to find a place in his mind for it. Then suddenly, his whole posture shot up as he let out a loud, "Oh!"

I jumped slightly at the quick shift. Sam looked oddly amused at me, but he didn't comment on it. I then assumed that he had actually told Caden after all. "Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that I found this." I muttered.

My tone was much more serious now as I held a small piece of paper in between my fingers, fidgeting with it while waiting for their responses. Well, waiting for Sam's - not Caden's, given the fact that I hardly even knew the guy. Not that I particularly knew Sam, but did believe that I knew enough.

"Where?" He breathed, all traces of any humor suddenly long gone. We were all quiet as we stared at it.

"On my doorstep, on the fucking welcome mat." I laughed dryly, handing it to him. Sam simply stared at it for a few moments. Then finally, he swallowed hard and began unfolding it.

I watched as his face went from tentative, to concentrated, to slightly freaked out. His hazel eyes glanced down at brown ones and he let out a frustrated groan.

"You're not fucking with me, right?" He asked, a skeptical look in his eyes.

I furrowed my brow. "Do you seriously have so little faith in me?"

In that time, Caden had taken the note from Sam's hands, and was beginning to read it out loud. "Sleeping with an oversized shirt and blue boxers. You look like a kitten in your sleep. Signed, the black car."

"Well, were you wearing an oversized shirt and blue boxers?" Sam inquired.

I rolled my eyes, an annoyed expression on my face. The last thing I wanted was to discuss my boxers with Sam and Caden. "Why do you think that I'm fucking losing it?"

"Well they did kind of compliment you." Caden piped in.

I opened my mouth to scold him, but Sam was already talking. It seemed that neither of them were taking this as serious as they should have been. "You do kind of look like a kitten when you sleep." He snorted.

I simultaneously gagged and shuddered. "I can't decide if seeing that on the note, or hearing that come out of your mouth, makes me feel more sick."

"I said it too!" Caden added, but we both ignored him.

"Okay, fine. I'll admit that this is all kinds of fucked up." Sam agreed, dropping any sign of a joke. Though there still seemed to be something vague in his expression that I couldn't really pinpoint.

I nodded nervously, trying to figure out what that may mean for me. Sam was biting his lip again, which I was starting to notice he did a lot. So much in fact, that there was a constant itty-bitty scab on the corner of his lip. I never noticed that before.

Why was I suddenly paying attention to shit like that?

"Do you have anywhere to be?" He asked me after a pause. "Or are you home alone again tonight?"

I pursed my lips. "The latter."

Sam nodded with a heavy sigh.

"That's a fancy word." Caden laughed like it was actually funny. I never realized just how childish he was. It really felt like we had an infant in our presence. If he went more than ten seconds without the attention on him, then he had to somehow weasel his way into the conversation. I couldn't decide if that was an annoying or endearing quality.

Thankfully, Sam noticed how out of place Caden's two-cents was becoming. "Cade?"

"Yessum?" He got a giddy look on his face.

"I'm pretty sure Brian is lonely right now." Sam began, clearly knowing exactly how to deal with the situation. "He's by his car having a smoke."

Caden pouted suddenly. "I thought he was going to stop smoking."

"Maybe you should scold him for it." Sam kept going. Although, anyone with eyes would have noticed the confused look on his face. Something told me that Brian did not tell Sam about his plan to quit smoking.

The shorter boy nodded, a now determined look on his face. "No friend of mine is going to get cancer."

And with that, he was already heading away from the courtyard and towards the parking lot.

"He's like a child." I voiced my thoughts.

Sam nodded profusely, laughing slightly. "Tell me about it!" But then, as if he remembered who he was talking to, he forced himself to drop the smile. "Look, this shit is serious."

My eyes followed the slip of paper as he waved it around. "I know, which is why I'm kind of freaking out." I pursed my lips.

"You need to find some place to go. My house is always open, if you want to just ride home with me." As much as I expected him to gag, or have a disgusted look on his face, he instead kept a serious - almost guilty - tone. I wondered if he blamed himself for my involvement. He shouldn't though, because I was the one naïve enough to think that I could help.

I paused for a moment, thinking it over. Millie would probably want me at her house, but that could have ended up involving her. I could never bring myself to do that. "Millie," I began, "She's going to want me to explain it to her. I can't, though. She cannot be involved."

"What have you been telling her all morning? It's already lunchtime, so there has to be something." I cringed and looked at the ground. Sam stared at me expectantly.

"Um, about that." I mumbled, not wanting to admit it. "I may have just been... avoiding her all morning."

Sam raised his eyebrows and shook his head to himself. "Do you have a death wish? And doesn't she drive you to school or something?"

"I walked, which was risky given the current situation. But I'm already risking my life just by being me, so I don't think it really matters how much I piss her off."

"That girl never shuts up though, I think she'd probably kill you before those guys do." Sam snorted.

I frowned. "You have no right talking shit about her. Besides, like you're one to talk, you hang out with Caden."

Based off of the sudden dark expression capturing his face, I struck a vital nerve. "Fine, you don't so much as speak Cade's name, and I won't speak Millie's."

I nodded, still slightly pissed off at him. Sometimes I just wanted to punch the shit out of him. Oh, wait. That was all the time.

"Anyway." He muttered. "Just tell her that she can't be involved. If she's not going to accept that, then that's her own problem."

I nodded. "Okay, I guess."

"So are you going to go to my house after school? Because I'd like to prepare myself for having to deal with your annoying ass." Sam asked.

Despite really not wanting to, I nodded again, and began to walk away without another word. I was learning that it was actually possible to have a conversation with Sam, but not for too long or else we both just inevitably get really pissed off.

He better not talk about Millie like that ever again.

I scowled as I entered the school, passing by some idle people. It didn't even occur to me until just then, but people were watching my interaction with Sam. I could still feel eyes on me. To be fair, it didn't make sense for Sam and I to have a mostly calm conversation after we've always hated one another. So to the average bystander, it probably looked really weird.

But oh, well. I honestly didn't care right then, I had much bigger things to worry about. Like some insane druggies watching me while I slept. I shuddered at the mere thought.

When I turned the corner leading towards where my locker was, I stopped at the sight that awaited me.

Down the hall, I could see Millie and Dennis talking.

Millie was stood with some books in her hand, her face tilted up to look at him. He was smug and laidback like always, one hand tucked loosely inside his pocket, the other itching the back of his head.

And was that blush on Millie's face?

I quickly regained my composure and stormed down the hallway to where they stood. The closer I got to Millie, the more I could sense the gross-cutesy-blushy tension. The closer I got to Dennis, the more I could sense the teenage-horndog-fuckboy tension. He wanted in her pants, and I wasn't going to let him.

"And-" Dennis was saying as I walked up behind Millie and grabbed her by the shoulders.

She jumped slightly, but almost immediately let her surprise fall into a scowl. To be honest, I wasn't sure if it was because I ignored her all morning, interrupted the flirting, or the fact that I had been refusing to tell her what was going on.

Wait a second! How the hell did she know it was me without even turning around?

Oh, lord have mercy...

"Hi, Sawyer." She said through gritted teeth, drawling my name out like I was about to be murdered. I probably was going to be murdered, if I was being honest.

Dennis was just staring down at us quizzically, clearly wondering what the hell I did to piss her off so much. Even he looked a little bit frightened.

I stuck my tongue out at him and raised my brow. "You going to leave or not?"

He blinked a few times, glancing at Millie. She had her eyes trained on the floor and her jaw was tense. I was fairly certain that she was trying to set fire to the ground.

"I don't know if I should..." He trailed off. I wasn't sure if he said that because of my potential death, or her potential guilt from causing it. Either way, apart of me didn't really want him to leave either.

Then I remembered who I was talking about.

"Fuck off." I said, keeping a straight face. It was way harder than I thought to not piss myself at the idea of being left alone with Millie. She probably wouldn't actually kill me. Probably.

Dennis took another look at the two of us, before seemingly deciding that trying to screw my best friend wasn't worth what was about to go down. I waited until he was out of earshot to make my next move.

I decided to go the we're-totally-cool-and-there-are-no-hard-feelings-at-all route, and stay slightly playful. "What the hell is going on with you two?" I shook her shoulders gently.

"Take your hands off my shoulders, or I will bite them off." She said slowly.

Mayday! Mayday! Abort mission! Abort mission! Send in the backup!

I did just as she said, and carefully removed my hands. I could already feel the sweat forming on my pale skin. Her tone reminded me of that time when I accidentally knocked a kid off of the jungle-gym and my dad spent hours lecturing me after. I broke the poor kid's arm, so it was definitely warranted. Didn't make it any less scary, though.

Silently, and incredibly slowly, she turned herself around to face me.

I swear her eyes were shrouded in black, and had a red glint like an anime character.

"Um." I laughed nervously. "How was your morning?"

She stood there silently, watching me like a chickenhawk would watch a chicken. Millie I had been friends for an incredibly long time, so I knew her extremely well. She had a lot of reasons as to why she was so protective over me, and even a tad bit clingy.

Her parents weren't all there, and her sister was off to college. Millie never had any real friends other than me, and when she attempted to get more, they always turned out to be worthless pricks. I knew that she never meant to harm me, but she had this horrible habit of becoming defensive whenever she was scared that someone may leave her behind. I could see the signs building up around me, and I knew that she was reading them all the wrong way.

"Millie?" I finally sputtered, not able to take that look anymore. "Come on, please say something."

Well, I couldn't say that I didn't ask for it.

"Oh, so you want me to say something? I find that really funny, because you are the one who won't say anything. Clearly some crazy shit went down on Friday and I've been missing the entire thing. And this morning? I waited at your house for six minutes, wondering where the hell you were, only to have your mom come out and tell me that you left early! I've been trying to remain patient, but you told me that you would fill me in on Monday. It's Monday by the way! Why haven't I gotten an explanation? I haven't even gotten an excuse! And then you have the nerve to come over here and ruin the only good thing that's happened to me all day!"

I blinked. It was obvious that she was harboring some negative emotions towards me, but I could handle that. Millie's biggest fear was being left behind. It made sense for her to be so frustrated. That was how she usually masked the fear-

Wait, did she just say that flirting with Dennis was the best part of her day?

"Since when do you like Dennis?" I asked without thinking.

She just stared at me for a few seconds. Finally, she sighed loudly, throwing her head back and clenching her fists. It seemed that she was refraining from hitting something. Or me. "You have some big fucking balls."

I furrowed my brow. What the hell did that mean? I just asked if she liked Dennis. That didn't have anything to do with my balls.

When Millie noticed my confusion, she said, "Sawyer, did you miss everything else I said? Do you have a fucking crush on me or something? Because if all you could focus on in that entire thing was the fact that I said I enjoyed talking to another guy, then we've got a problem."

"No, I don't like you." I murmured, annoyed that she would even accuse me of that. We both knew that we were like siblings. Liking each other was absolutely forbidden. "I just spent all day mentally preparing myself for that lecture, but what I wasn't prepared for was you and Dennis talking."

"What does it matter then?" She said, clearly on the verge of leaving me there. Maybe it would be a good thing for her to blow off some steam, but I also knew that it could potentially make things worse.

"I don't want you to get with him." I answered matter-of-factly.

She huffed. "Well, too bad because you aren't my dad."

"I can be your brother though, and I do not approve." I stood my ground.

"But you're not actually my brother, and I can do whatever I want." Millie then refocused herself. "Now quit dancing around the subject. Tell me what's been going on."

Here came the part that I had been dreading. "About that..."

"I'm waiting." She hissed.

"Um, well, I kind of can't tell you." I squeaked out, nearly shitting myself when her face somehow got even more menacing. "It's kind of really serious, like you-could-get-hurt serous, and I can't get you involved. I really don't want to get you into trouble all because Sam is a moron."

"Are you not the one who weaseled yourself into Sam's business, though?" She said, not buying my bullshit.

If only she knew that it wasn't even bullshit.

"That's beside the point! Millie, I really want to tell you, but I can't." I pleaded. The bell rung at that exact moment, leaving me panicking.

"You have until I drive you home to come up with a better explanation." Millie decided, looking ready to squash me. By the expression on her face, I could see that she was secretly worried. She wanted to know what was going on, because she wanted to make sure that nothing would happen to me. But even then, I knew that I couldn't tell her. I had no way of knowing how much those guys knew about me, so I simply couldn't risk her involvement.

That was the part where I really started to forget how to breathe. "Actually..."

"What now?" She frowned.

"I don't need a ride today." I chuckled nervously, trying to convince myself that everything would be okay.

"And why is that?" Millie asked, her voice slightly lower than normal.

"Well, um, because of the situation, I kind of have to go to..." I didn't want to say it. Talking about it with Sam was easier than admitting it to Millie "...Sam's house."

As soon as it was out, Millie was already storming down the hall. I was trying to catch up to her, but it took only a few seconds for her to be dragged away by the crowd of students heading off to various classes. I knew that Millie just desperately wanted to protect herself, but by doing so, she was going to end up hurting me in the process.

Note to self: Cry.

•O•O•