I thought school was bad when Brynn wasn't talking to me. Now it's positively dismal without her here. Everywhere I go I expect her to pop up like it was all just a nasty prank the guys tried to pull on me and I'd get to hold and kiss her again.

"You okay?" Tyler asks.

"Honestly, no not really, but I'll manage," I tell him as we suit up for practice on Tuesday.

"I'm really sorry things didn't work out for you, Finn. I know how much you cared about her."

Cared about her? My mind wants to scoff at this. One I haven't stopped and two I love her.

I lace up my sneaker. "We still talk," I say with a nonchalant shrug of my shoulders.

Tyler looks up surprised. "You're not still thinking you can make this work are you?"

I won't look at him. I already know he thinks it's a dumb idea and that I should just move on. "I just enjoy talking to her, okay? Who knows what the future holds. I sure as hell don't."

As if the Fates wanted to prove my point, Kobi burst into the locker room. "Finn, you best get out here quick." I look up startled. Kobi's already gone out the door he's entered. I give a frown to Tyler and he appears just as confused. I run out onto the court to see Mike dragging Adam into the gymnasium.

I look around for Coach but then remember he left me in charge of practice today because he had a dentist appointment. Shit!

"Mike!" I yell from across the court. "What the hell are you doing?"

Mike lets Adam go and Adam immediately takes a swing at him, which Mike easily dodges. When Mike tries for a clinch, I get in the way, unbelievably putting my body in harm's way to protect Adam. I push Mike back.

"Get out of my way, Finn!"

"Not until you tell me what this is all about."

Adam started to back away but only ended up bumping into the rest of my team.

"He called my girlfriend a liar, " Mike said. "I'm not going to let that little freak get away with that."

"Girlfriend? Jessica?"

"Who the hell else would I be talking about?" Mike barked.

"What did she supposedly lie about?" 

"She's blaming me for what happened to Brynn," Adam says behind me.

I whirled on him. "What you mean what happened to Brynn?"

"Yeah, are you going to tell him," Mike asked, "or will I?"

Adam looked away and he didn't say anything.

"This little pissant is responsible for the letters, the threats! He's the reason Brynn got shoved down those stairs!"

I nearly lose my mind when I hear this. I get in Adam's face. "How could you? She trusts you. She cares about you!" I shove him when he stays silent. "Answer me damn it!"

"Why? You've already made up your mind about me."

Gran's words hit me smack in the face. "ArGGG!" I make some guttural sound in frustration and I throw my hands up in the air. I don't believe I'm about to do this.

I look back at Mike. "What proof do you have that it was him?"

"Jessica told me everything," Mike tells me. "She felt guilty because she wanted you back so bad she promised to help this jackass to break you and Brynn up. That was before she realized that was never going to happen. When I confronted him on this he called Jessica a lying bitch. I'm not going to stand here and let him talk about her like that!"

"I drug him here for him to tell you the TRUTH!" Mike said glaring at Adam.

"That is the truth!" Adam yelled back. "I can't help it if you're blinded by your dick!"

"Son of a..." This time I wasn't quick enough. Mike was like a charging bull he's pretty strong for a little guy. He pushes me aside and tackles Adam to the ground.

Adam's shirt gets untucked and pushed up as they wrestle on the ground. I catch glimpse of something. Mike has him now pinned and pulls his hand back to punch Adam in the face. He doesn't get that chance because I grab his wrist to stop him.

Tyler pulls him off of Adam. I can see Tyler is taking my lead on this and isn't quite sure why by the look on his face but I'm glad he trusts me. Adam sees me looking at him and quickly fixes his shirt. I extend my hand to help him up. He refuses it and gets up on his own.

Tyler is holding Mike back and he's severely pissed off. I storm up to him.

"You trying to get yourself thrown off the team, Brock?!" I say getting in his face, "Because if you put a mark on him," I point to Adam, "you'll be sitting on the bench at game time if you're lucky."

"You can't do that to me!?" Mike said but I could hear the hesitation in his voice.

"I won't have to. You'll have done it to yourself. You think if you get in a fight on school grounds you won't be suspended?" I tap the side of his head. "Where the hell is your brain."

"In his freaking pants."

I shoot a blatant 'Shut the Hell UP!' look at Adam. "Are you trying to get yourself killed? I have a half mind to let him drag you off of school grounds and to hell with you."

Adam glares back at me. "I didn't ask you to protect me!"

"No, you didn't, but I don't believe for one second you would be responsible for something that would physically hurt Brynn."

Adam's face couldn't look more surprised than if I just pulled a monkey out of my butt.

"Yeah, that's right, asshole. I believe you."

"Why?" he asked still stunned by my confession.

"Yeah, why?!" Mike asked in disbelief still being held in check by Tyler.

I walk up to Adam and look him eye to eye. "Because there is no one else in this school who sees Brynn the way I do other than you and if you love her as much as I think you do, as much as you know that I do... there's no way in hell you'd let her get hurt. You'd put yourself on the line for her. Am I right?"

He didn't say a word, just slowly nodded his head yes.

"That's what I thought. That's why I'm standing up for you because Brynn would want me to."

Adam bit his lip and looked down at his shoes. "Not everything Jessica said was a lie."

I swallow hard, if I'm wrong about him so help me God, I will finish the job Mike started, but I wait for him to say more.

"I put those notes in Brynn's locker. I just wanted to scare her off of dating you."

I so want to hurt him right now. 

"I was scared something like what happened to her on those stairs would take place if she didn't and I was right."

"So you're trying to say you terrorized Brynn... to what exactly? Keep her... SAFE!"

He cringes at my words and the look on my face but then fires back with, "You don't get it. Just dating you made her a target. She was back to being seen and they were gunning for her. Jessica was gunning for her."

Mike struggled against Tyler to get at Adam. "You lie! You freaking liar! YOU put the notes in Brynn's locker. You're the one who got Brynn roughed up; Jessica paid you to do it. How Brynn got hurt, that was all you!!!"

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "Jessica paid someone to hurt Brynn?! What the hell is wrong with her?"

"She did it for you! Not that you cared! You never cared about her!"

"Who the hell can care about someone who is that cold, callous and conniving?! Well, other than YOU?"

I look at Adam. "She paid you?"

Adam shook his head no. "She didn't pay me anything. I hated you enough to do it for free but I swear to you Finn, I only put the letters in her locker. I just wanted to warn her. I wanted her to stay away from you. I would never hurt, Brynn. EVER!"

Adam looked back at Mike. The hate Adam felt was so visible in his face, his entire body stance. "Jessica is the liar. She's obviously paid the kid off and wants me to take the blame. She's a sick, twisted...

"THAT'S IT!" Mike breaks free of Tyler, he makes a wild swing but once again I put myself in harm's way and catch a right hook across my jaw. The pain exploded in my skull.

Adam sees me get hit and suddenly comes off with this high kick that lands Mike flat out on the floor.

Unfortunately, it was at that exact moment my Mom comes in to check in our progress. "Finn how much longer... What the HELL is going on here?"

She comes up to me and grabs hold of my face. I feel it swelling already.

"Jesus! If someone doesn't answer me, I swear the lot of you will be serving Saturday detention until the end of the year!"

"I got into a fight with Adam. Mike tried to step in and got hurt. I provoked it," I lie.

My entire team and Adam are looking at me like the shot to my head had somehow knocked out my brain.

However, I know Mike needs this championship game and the scholarship that's banking on it. I've already made my decision about what I want to do with my life, and it's not playing pro-ball. I got my grades to fall back on to get me my scholarships to where I want to go.

Mike couldn't protest because Adam had knocked the wind out of him so he was still trying to catch his breath.

Adam just stayed silent, cautiously looking at my mom probably wondering what would happen next. "You," she says to Tyler get him up and get this practice going you have 30 more minutes before I close up the school."

"You and You!" she says pointing to Adam and I. In my office! NOW! Adam looks at me imploringly and I just shake my head at him as we follow my mom to her office.

I point to him, then Mom and make a little hand puppet talking while shaking my head no. He frowns at me confused and I point to myself, talking hand puppet and to my mom and it seems to gets that I'm asking him to let me do the talking because he nods in assent and I'm grateful.

"SIT DOWN!" my mom says and Adam and I take the seats in front of her desk and she takes her position behind it.

"What the hell are thinking? Fighting on school grounds?! Have you lost your mind?"

"I'm sorry," I say lamely.

"Sorry? SORRY! Sorry doesn't cut it, Mr. Nash. Do you have any idea what the penalty is for fighting?"

"Suspension?" I say.

"1 week from school with another week probation and I can't say whether or not this will stop you from playing in the championship game. That will rely greatly on the parent's reaction to what happened today!"

Adam looks at me suddenly panicked. I look back at my mom. "This is my fault entirely. I provoked this fight. Adam was only defending himself and Mike got caught in the crossfire."

"Is this true Mr. Harada?" I look at him hoping to God he's going to comply.

He stares at me for a moment and shakes his head yes.

"An incident report will need to be written up. Parents and Guardians will need to be contacted. You, Mr. Harada, will be given detention for the rest of this week. But because of Finn's confession, you will get off with a warning. You may go."

Adam stood up, approached the door and then stopped. "Mrs. Nash?"

"Yes, Mr. Harada."

"Do you have to contact my guardians? I promise this will never happen again."

"It's school policy, Mr. Harada. So yes, I must contact your guardians."

Adam just nodded slowly, opened the door and stepped on through.

Once the door shut my mom turned off the Principle and turned on the Mom.

She pulls a first aid kit from her desk and cracks an instant ice pack. She comes to the other side of the desk and hands it to me. I take it from her hand and hold it against my face.

"I'm so disappointed, Finn. Fighting? Over Brynn? What were you thinking?"

She pulls over the kit, grabs an antiseptic towelette, rips it open and then reaches over to dab it at the corner of my mouth. It stings like hell. I must be cut but I'm grateful I didn't realize I was bleeding.

"I am sorry, Mom. He just said something that got under my skin and with Brynn gone, I guess I'm hypersensitive about the subject. I just reacted. I didn't think."

My Mom frowns at me. "It just doesn't sound like you, Finn. I swear lately I just feel like I don't know you anymore and I've been around you, your whole life. No one is supposed to know you better than me."

I hate seeing the sadness in her eyes like she's lost something precious to her and doesn't know how to find it.

I stand up and put down the ice pack. "What are you doing?" my mom asks. "You have to keep this on your face if you want that swelling to go down."

I pull her into a hug. "I'm really, really sorry Mom. You're not losing me. I promise. You do know me, things have just been...complicated lately."

I pull away and she gently touches my face. I know she hates seeing me hurt. "You know you are most likely going to be suspended from the team?"

"I know."

"And you lied anyway?"

"What?" I say looking down at her.

"You don't really take me for that much of an idiot do you?"