Bee had been a freshman when she first started doing set design. It had happened one night after she had stayed for a meeting with her teacher and missed the bus. Instead of moping around, waiting for the late bus, she found the set design team working on the set for the fall play.

She had dove right in, working on sets from then on, in love with the crafting it allowed her to do. She enjoyed getting lost in painting and designing, and it made her heart happy. It was definitely something that was good for her mental health, especially that night.

She sat next to Marnie, who was in the play but taking a break, and she was replaying the kiss in her head as she painted the background for a bedroom. Marnie immediately could tell something was off.

"You're quiet tonight, Bee. What's up?"

Marnie wasn't her friend, but Bee had known her since elementary school, and the two were in student council together. Marnie was popular, but not in a gossip-way. She was cool, and she didn't spread rumors, and Bee was longing to talk to someone about her feelings, and the boys didn't make the cut.

She blew out a sigh as she dipped her brush in more paint. She glanced around to see who was near them before she began speaking. "You know Oakland Stone?"

Marnie giggled as she painted the bedroom wall. "Uh, duh. He's the talk of the school, Bee. I mean, god, he's mega hot."

Bee's cheeks burned. Of course she knew Oakland, because even though he was new, he was popular and hot and girls liked him. Marnie saw this and gasped. "You like him?"

Bee shrugged. "I don't know. It's complicated. So, he's on my baseball team, and like-"

"Oh em gee. Does he look good in the uniforms? I bet he has a stellar bum."

Bee rolled her eyes and laughed. "I don't know, haven't seen the uniforms yet. But, he's my rival, and he hates me. Like, I-want-to-get-you-kicked-off-the-team hate. And tonight he like, rage kissed me in the locker room."

"What?!" Marnie yelled, causing people to look at them. Bee ducked her head sheepishly, wishing Marnie wasn't being so loud. Which, Bee knew was a possibility, since Marnie was loud and dramatic.

"Shhhh." Bee dipped her brush in paint again. "Yeah, and like, now my head's confused. I think he did it to make me confused, so I quit the team, but I don't know... I think I like him."

"What does a rage kiss look like?" Marnie pushed her blonde hair behind her ear, eyeing Bee. "I don't see any hickies."

Bee shook her head. "It looks like him shoving me against the locker with his hand yanking my hair. Or his hand on my throat. Or him biting my lip mid-kiss." Or maybe I did that... yeah, I did that.

Marnie squealed. "Girl. Girl. You totally have his boxers in a twist."

Bee swatted at her. "I do not. And I don't want a repeat. I need to get through this season without catching feelings. Besides, I hate him back. Just...that kiss definitely made me confused..."

Marnie bumped shoulders with her. "First things first Bee, boys don't rage kiss girls they don't have the hots for. Second, I think if he's trying to mess with your head, you mess with his right back. You have good style, you're popular and pretty, so it'll have to be something else... something to make him jealous."

Bee shook her head. "Jealous? Over who?"

"What about Greg?"

"Lark?" Bee's voice was incredible. "Larkin and I are friends. Best friends. Nothing else." It was true - the two of them had been best friends since they were kids playing t-ball. But, now that she thought about it, Larkin did spend a lot of time angry at Oakland for touching her.

"Okay, so not Greg. What about..." Marnie looked around set crew, and then her eyes widened into a smile. "Jefferson?"

Bee made eye contact with Jefferson, like he knew they were talking about him. Jefferson was good looking, probably one of the best looking boys not from Park School, but Bee didn't like him that way.

"I don't know if I want to fake flirt with someone. I feel like that's kinda slimy."

Marnie shrugged. "Okay, how about this? He's kissed you, and now he's probably expecting you to come running to his side now. You could always ignore him."

Which was what Bee tried to all day every day, but that meant it would be easy. She didn't want to talk to him anyway; his personality was absolute garbage.

"Sounds good. I'll try that. I just hate that he's trying to get me kicked from the team. Like, me being there is personally offensive. Sheesh."

Marnie laughed, standing. "I'll see you tomorrow Bee. I gotta go practice lines. Stay golden."

Bee watched Marnie skip towards those in the play, immediately laughing with Jefferson, who was staring at Bee. Probably wondering why they had been talking about him, which Bee hoped he hadn't really listened to, because she didn't want him to know about Oakland.

Which was weird, because it was no secret Oakland was an asshole.

For the rest of set design, she painted room backgrounds until her hands were stained blue, and then she told them she had to go to her Interact meeting. Groaning, she grabbed her bag and headed to her meeting, texting her mom an update. Just finished set design, off to interact. Practice was rough tonight. Pasta for dinner?

Pasta was her comfort food and always had been. When she got bad news, mom made pasta for dinner. When she had a bad day, mom made pasta. In 6th grade when her best friend decided they were no longer friends, mom made pasta for a week.

Tonight was a pasta kind of night.

She opened the door to her interact club meeting, dropping heavily into a chair. Jane was at the front of the room, chatting with someone about volunteering that weekend at the local animal shelter. Bee loved volunteering there, but now that baseball was back in full force, she wasn't sure she would have time.

Jane called the meeting to order and chatted about the newest volunteering opportunities that arose. Most members volunteered at every event, and Bee was one of them, but that night, she wasn't in the mood to spread herself thing at the animal shelter, at the church dinner, and at the town gardens.

Instead, she slumped into her chair, her phone buzzing with an incoming text.

I knew you were a biter

She knew exactly who texted her that, although she didn't have his number in her phone. With narrowed eyes, she texted back. How did you get this number?

A good lay never tells (;

He was spitting her words right back at her, and she felt the anger simmer under her skin. It wasn't enough that he was harassing her in real life, now he was going to do it over text message. Delete this number.

Make me, buzz baby

She turned her phone over, not bothering to answer him. How creative, him calling her buzz. She had heard that before, but not since she was in elementary school and the boys were calling girls names just to make them chase on the playground.

A few moments later, another text came in. You still at school? Just talked with Jefferson and he said u do set design. Didn't know you were a theatre girl

There's a lot u don't know about me. She rolled her eyes at her own text, suddenly wishing she hadn't texted him back. There was no reason to play along with him, especially when he was an asshole.

So tell me all there is to know about Beatrice Williams. Queen of volunteering, lover of bats and balls, busiest senior in existence.

If this was a text from any other boy, Bee would have squealed, because what girl didn't want a boy texting them, asking them to spill their secrets? But, Bee wasn't that girl, and Oakland was not that boy.

UR not need to know. Sorry

How do I become need to know?

She stared at her phone in wonder. Why on earth would Oakland Stone want to be need-to-know? U don't.

She turned her phone off and focused on the rest of the meeting, trying to forget just how good of a kisser Oakland was. He was kissing other girls, sleeping with other girls, and he had an agenda. Bee wouldn't forget that, even if he was a charming boy in texts.