Thanks so much to MunazzaBangash for the banner on the side! Ahh! I love it so much!

Adena’s POV

“Okay students, I have a funny story for you. Then we will continue with the project today.” Mrs. Bridges stood on front of her desk and leaned up against it. “Okay, My daughter was riding her bike in the big parking lot across the street from us. She was enjoying her time like any other seven year old. She was riding slower when she saw someone she knew driving past. She turned her head and was waving at the driver.”

Mrs. Bridges did an imitation of her daughter. She waved her hand like a lunatic and smiled really wide. A few laughs echoed throughout the room.

“She wasn’t paying attention to where she was going and after the person left, my daughter slammed into a blue van that was parked. She had been too busy paying attention to the person that she wasn’t watching where she was going.” Laughter filled the room, including myself. But Tasha quickly raised her hand.

“Mrs. Bridges, Did your daughter get hurt?”

“No, she was going slow enough to where she didn’t get hurt, but she laughed it off. It was really funny to her.”

“Oh, okay.” she smiled.

“Okay, now that you have had your laugh for the day, it is time to get started. Find your partner and finish the questions from before. Meanwhile, I get to grade.” Mrs. Bridges sighed and sat down at her desk to begin her work. As the students started to move around the room I looked towards Dylan to see he was already looking at me. After an awkward second of eye contact he sent me a smile. I returned it as he grabbed his question paper, got up, walked over, and plopped down in the desk in front of me.

"Heyo!" He smiled.

"Hi," I replied.

"Are you getting bored with this project yet?" He asked.

"No..." I said, giving him an odd look.

"You see I'm not either! I'm having fun with this project but everyone is miserable and it's only the what... second week?"

"Yeah! That's true! I guess they just don't have as awesome of a partner as you do,” he burst into laughter, causing me to smile. "Since you have such an awesome partner, we should start the questions!" I suggested, not wanting to attract attention to ourselves.

"We actually didn't finish the question from yesterday."

"Really?" I said, hoping he had forgotten about it.

"Yeah, we hadn't..." He stopped to look at the paper he had in his hand. "Family!"

"Oh! Okay!" I nodded.

"So go ahead! Tell me about the Serre’s." I nodded, wondering if I should tell him the truth about my family. He had told me about his mother, so he deserved to know the truth.

"Well uh... Not a lot of people know, in fact, I'm pretty sure Grady's the only one who knows… But my real mother left when I was born. She couldn't handle taking care of me and taking care of Quinton. My dad remarried a few years later to my step mom who insists that I call her mom. So now it's my stepmother, my dad, Quinton and I, and then my half siblings Charlotte, Brooklyn and Ryan. But Charlotte’s at college right now."

"Oh." Dylan said with a nod. I'm sure he was at a loss for words; I was too. I was starting to feel a little heartbroken at the moment. I rarely thought about my real mother. But when I did, I always wondered where she was and what she was doing. "I'm sorry," he finally said. "That must really be hard."

"I guess she just didn't really care for us..." I said, not meaning to. I had accidentally thought out loud in that moment and I wanted nothing more than to take it back.

"Adena-" He started but I didn't want to talk about this anymore. All I really wanted was to go home and cope the only way I knew how.

With a razor and my wrist.

"Can we uh... go to the next one?" I asked. He gave me a very sympathetic look and nodded, reading me the next question. “What’s one thing on your bucket list?”

“Hmm… I’ve always wanted to get a tattoo.”

“A tattoo!” He yelled in shocked. “Adena Serre wants a tattoo?”

“What’s so funny about that?” I questioned.

“Nothing! I just can’t see you having one! What would you want?”

“I don’t know! Maybe something with birds?”

“Birds? Why birds?” He wondered.

“There just so… free. They go where they want, do what they want, and it’s just.. interesting to me,” Dylan started to laugh. “What?”

“I didn’t know Adena was so… deep!” I smiled at his comment, moving a piece of hair behind my ear. I noticed Dylan staring at me and all I knew was that I didn't like it. "What about you?"

"Hmm... I've always wanted to go scuba diving," He nodded. I shuttered at the thought and he gave me a questioning glare.

"What?"

"The ocean's just... not for me.”

“What? Deep Adena doesn't like… well, the deep?” I giggled at his comment.

“No, i’m terrified of sharks, not knowing what’s under you, and the darkness of it all.”

"Sharks are so awesome! I don't know what you’re talking about...." I frowned at him; giving him a look.

“Let’s move on.” I said, changing the subject. “Who inspires you the most?” I asked him; all signs of the frown gone.

“Uhmm… If I had to chose, I’d say my mom,” he fell silent soon after. I could tell his mother was a painful subject. I bit my lip. I didn’t know what to say.

“...I’m sorry…” I looked away. “I’m glad she inspires you.” I finished off lamely. He looked at me with a smile filled with sadness and understanding.

“What about you?” I sighed.

“I don’t really know...there is no one that really inspires me I guess…”

“Oh…” he answered as lamely as I answered him. I couldn’t stop the laugh that managed to escape my lips.

“We both messed up on our answers. Ready to move onto next question?” He laughed and nodded. “Okay...um...what do you think of your partner so far?” I asked him; wondering what he truly felt.

“She’s… Interesting.”

“Interesting?” I questioned; he nodded.

“Do tell your answer?” He laughed, leaning forward to listen.

“Interesting.”

“Oh come on! You can’t use what I said!” He protested.

“What, your answer gets to be creepy and mysterious and mine doesn't?”

“Exactly,” Dylan jokingly sneered. The bell suddenly rang and Dylan got up, going back across the room for his stuff. I never truly noticed how time flew by in this class. Mine and Dylan’s conversations always seemed to be so distracting, and I loved it.

I threw my backpack over my shoulder, clutching my science binder to my chest, and walking out the door. I slowly made my way through the hall, trying not to bump into anyone.

“Adena!” Someone called. Thinking it was some kind of prank, I ignored it and kept going. “Adena!” I heard it again. Maybe someone had the same name? “Adena!” The voice said as a hand landed on my shoulder. I stopped walking and turned around to face Dylan. “Are you too embarrassed to be seen with me in the hallway?” He teased; I laughed and shook my head.

“No, I just… didn’t hear you.”

“Ahh! Well, since tomorrow's Saturday, I was wondering if… If maybe you wanted to uh… Hang out?” He stuttered. “I do owe you for not letting me drink and drive.” Shock ran through my body. Dylan was asking me to hang out? I was startled for two reasons:

A. Dylan was asking me to hang out

B. Someone actually wanted to hang out with me.

He gave me a questioning glare and I noticed I was making things awkward by not talking. I was about to open my mouth to say yes when I realized what I was doing. I had already told Dylan some things I hadn’t ever shared with anyone. I feared letting Dylan in anymore and all I knew was that I need to take a step back.

Not only for myself, but for Jackie. If Jackie knew that we were hanging out, i’m more than sure she wouldn’t leave me alone all year. And from the way Dylan ‘protected’ me last time from her words, I didn’t want that to happen again.

“Um...sorry….but I can’t…..I uh….have somewhere to be…”

“Oh.” He said in surprise. “Okay. What about Sunday?”

“I’m sorry, this weekend is no good,” I said, trying to play it off.

“There’s always another time,” he smiled.

“I have to go,” I stated bluntly, leaving immediately.

I can’t keep pushing people out.