Saturday just felt so far away. I wish I could talk my parents into letting me stay out on weeknights so I can hang with Brynn sooner but I'll just have to settle for school time. At least now I know where her locker is, found that out the hard way. My hand goes to the sutures, at my hairline and I laugh.

Today, I flew through my morning routine somehow I even managed to make it out the door before my Mom made it downstairs. Her coffee cup had a sticky note attached from me so she wouldn't be worried.

As I neared Brynn's stop, I was halted in my tracks as the person I was hoping to see was not there and the last person I expected to see was staring a hole right through me. Slowing my pace, I approached with caution.

"Alex, right?" I say, as I watch him flip his bangs out of face and grimace at me.

"Adam," he corrects me.

"Sorry we weren't actually introduced the other day," I say, holding my hand out to him. "Finn."

Adam looks at my hand like it was something dangerous and not to be touched and says, "Yeah, I know who you are."

Okay, no handshake. "So... do you normally get picked up here?"

He rolls his eyes at me and tilts his head in a way to say, "Don't be stupid!" without actually saying anything at all.

"Okay. No," I say, with a half chuckle. "So, are you planning on saying why you are here? Or am I just suppose to continue to ask you stupid questions until I find the right one?"

"Brynn sent me," he says digging in his pocket of his jacket and pulling out a note. It was an orange fox. I love the fact that she made this for me but somehow how it doesn't have the same effect coming from a small Asian kid who looks like he wishes I would just drop dead.

"Uh, thanks!" I say putting it in my bag. "So, how do you know Brynn?"

He audibly sighs and turns to me. "Look, I'm only here because she asked me to. I'm not here to chit-chat. Okay?"

"Dude, what is your problem? It's a simple question. I'm not lobbying to become your new best friend or anything," I say annoyed. I couldn't imagine how or why Brynn would want to be associated with such a (fill in expletive here).

"Yeah as if?" he says and then he obviously decides something because he shakes his head to a question no one asked and then says, "You know what gets me, is that guys like you already have it all. You got the looks, the athletic skills, the good grades and you were just going around school last month with the hottest girl in our class and it's just not enough. You're never f'n satisfied. Now you're going to mess with Brynn?"

I really couldn't understand how a person can make all the good things I did and apply myself to sound vile but he did a good job. Like, for some reason I ought to be apologizing to him for trying my best and succeeding at it. How dare I, right? Instead I say, "Look, not that it's any of your business but I like Brynn, and I plan to get to know her better. So, if you are friends, you'll need to get use to it. I'm not going anywhere."

"You suck!" he says, and looks down the road like he's somehow mentally willing the bus to come faster.

"Are you always this annoying? You obviously are strangely trying to stand up for Brynn but I'm just telling you dude your anger is misdirected. I'm not a bad guy and Brynn isn't in any trouble."

He actually scoffs at me. Really?

"You can't possibly think this thing, whatever it is that you and Brynn are playing at is going to work?" he says. "And I don't want her hurt. I swear to you if you do, I will find a way to hurt you. You're bigger but I will find away to cut you down. I swear it."

Brynn really needs to reevaluate whom she sends to deliver her letters. This guy is as far from a candy gram as you can get.

I rub my hand over my face and try to reign in my anger. I am a really nice guy but I don't care who you are or how nice you seem, no guy likes being threatened by another guy. It's like an unwritten code that you don't act like this guy unless you are willing to back it up with action, but if he is friends with Brynn it really wouldn't do well for me to introduce his face to the pavement which is exactly what I want to do to him right now.

"Okay, I get it. You feel like you need to say this because you are looking out for Brynn. You're a good friend! Point made, but you are wasting your time and breath, I am not going to hurt Brynn. I like her. A lot. I have no intention of hurting her in anyway," I say, trying to reassure this idiot.

"Yeah, but you will." And he has this lost look to his face. Something that is hard to describe and I suddenly get the idea we may not be talking about Brynn anymore.

"Well little sad clown, lets just agree to disagree on this point," I say, finding I too am now looking down the street mentally willing the bus to hurry the hell up.

"Whatever," he says with a shrug to his slouched shoulders.

We both sigh in relief when we see the friendly yellow and black bus coursing it's way down the street to us.

Ms. Vera pulls up right on time. "After you?" I say the sarcasm not to be missed.

"Like I'd give you my back," he says as the bus doors open.

"Have it your way." I smile at him and skip up the couple of steps. "Good morning, Ms. Vera."

"Mr. Nash. You are screwing up my schedule you know, not being at your designated spot. You too, Mr. Harada and where is Miss Shelby?"

"Her dad is taking her to school today?" Adam says to the bus driver.

"Well, have a seat boys," Ms. Vera says motioning with her thumb for us to move on back and we of course comply taking our assigned seat.

Her dad is taking her to school. It still didn't make any sense why she had Mr. Cheerful deliver the letter to me. I'm certain I could see her before school or during, unless her plan is not to see me today. The letter is burning a hole in my pocket, but it will just have to wait until I get to school.

Once at school I find she isn't at her spot by the tree. Perhaps she's on another errand for my Mom, or some other school project. Her dad was bringing her to school... maybe she wasn't here yet. I scan the schoolyard by the front gate at the line of cars dropping kids off.

Tyler stands next to me and starts looking around too, "What are we looking for?"

"Brynn. She is getting a ride into school today," I say scanning every physical body that is filing through the gates.

"Stood you up already, huh?" he laughs.

I am not amused.

I take the note out of my pocket. Maybe the answers are in here. I really like this letter I almost hate to unfold it knowing I will never get it back into its original shape. She actually used colored paper so that it really looked like a fox. Why a fox? I open it and am just about to read it when I hear Tyler say, "Crazy b coming up fast."

Jessica appears out of nowhere and pulls the letter from my hand. "Who's this from the new girl friend, maybe?"

"Give it back to me, Jess." She holds it away, out of my reach and is trying to read it.

God, I wish she were a guy so I could just knock right into her and forcibly take it back. "Jessica, I'm not kidding. Give it back!" I growl.

"I don't think so," she says, holding it further away from me but thankfully that meant she couldn't read it either. She was totally enjoying her little game and that she found a way to get under my skin.

"I'm NOT going to say it again," I warn taking a menacing step towards her. It may have been the look on my face or fact that I closed the distance between us but she suddenly looked scared and backed up from me right into Tyler's immovable form.

"Yoink," he says and pulls the letter from her hands.

She now looks severely pissed off and I couldn't help laughing in her face as Tyler high fives me. "Aww. Too bad for you," I say to her, and the bell rings.

Her eyes narrow and she looks so angry she could spit. "I will find out, Finn. And I swear when I do, whoever she is...she will wish she never met you." She turns on her heel and storms off.

"We really need to work on your people skills," Tyler chuckles. He hands me back my letter and we head together to the front doors.

I would normally find his statement funny but after my run in with Adam and now Jessica. Adam's warning was ringing loudly in my head. I said Brynn wouldn't get hurt, that I wouldn't hurt her, but just being with me may do just that and that was a thought I really didn't like.