Calvin sat in his room at home Friday night, thoughts swarming through his head as a lit cigarette was held between his fingers and his MacBook sat in his lap.

He stared the blank word document and took a drag of his cigarette, the blinking line taunting him as he tried to figure out what his essay was going to be based on. He began to cut down his intake of weed, and even though nicotine was addictive and didn't calm him down as much, he opted for cigarettes.

For the latest events, he needed to be completely sober and attentive, just in case anyone was in trouble. Everyone, except Free has been slightly lowering their drug and alcohol intake and taking school a bit more seriously, even though it was a little too late.

It was late November, and the end of the semester was early January. It wasn't enough to try and pick up their grades for college applications and Calvin was so swamped with essays that he almost felt like giving up.

He clicked back to the Common Application page with a groan, and read over the requirements for New York University. He knew he was the best when it came to grades after Oakley so he had a slight shot at getting into a good enough school.

He was the best test taker and analyzer, so when it came to that part of his grade, he excelled. Attendance and homework wise...not so much.

"Fucking shit," he muttered to himself, his eyes wide when he realized he had to write four essays alone for just one school.

I really should've listened to the guidance counselor when she recommended essay writing classes, Calvin thought with annoyance. But Free wanted to go out on a road trip the Saturday it was scheduled last month.

Free. Her name triggered a calm anger in his veins and he took another puff to relax himself.

She had a way of dragging the rest of the Cannibals down when they finally seemed to flourish. The day before midterms two weeks ago, she wanted to go to Paradiso even when the group repeatedly said no.

All through the night she called each of them, wondering when they would get there as if she was deaf to the word no.

Calvin sighed and crushed his cigarette on the ashtray. He needed help, and he needed it now.

Picking up his phone, he dialed a number.

"Hello?" Lennon's soft voice came through the phone and internally he sighed with relief, knowing that she sounded safe.

"Hey, it's Calvin," he replied, pinching his bottom lip between his two fingers in nervousness.

"I have caller ID, you know," she said with a laugh. "I know who you are."

He laughed with her, realizing how stupid he must've sound. "Right. Listen, I need a favor from you."

-----

"You're applying to NYU?" Lennon asked, leaning on his desk next to him to peer at the laptop screen.

"Yeah, I want to get as far away from this place as possible," he explained, running his hands through his dark brown locks.

"I'm applying there for the same reason," she admitted, crossing her arms in from of her chest.

There was an awkward pause, and Calvin cleared his throat. "Uh, how is everything at home?"

"It's okay, I guess. My mom's boyfriend hasn't been home in days for some reason," she said, shrugging her shoulders like it was no big deal.

"Wait, it's your mom's boyfriend?" He asked in disbelief, his eyes wide. "Why don't you just tell your mom what's-"

She cut him off with a laugh. "You think I haven't tried it? My mom is too drugged up to even notice what he does to herself, let alone me."

"You don't have any other relatives to help you out?" Calvin said, almost frustrated with himself for not being able to do something.

"Well, there's my brother, but he's already rich and married off with some bimbo down in Texas," Lennon admitted, sitting down on his bed and tucking her legs to her chest. "And he hasn't bothered to contact me for two years. He was so eager to get the hell up outta Compton that he forgot about his own sister."

"I'm sure that wasn't the case," Calvin tried to reassure her, but she shook her head.

"I know it was, and I don't need false hope of him ever coming back," she spat, rolling her eyes and hiding her cheeks between her knees.

He didn't mean to reopen her wounds, and he felt guilty for that. "I'm sorry for bringing it up. I shouldn't have."

She shrugged her shoulders; an apathetic gesture that she found herself doing too often. "It's not your fault, you were just concerned. Although, your main concern should be tackling these college essays."

He laughed, the tension in the air instantly evaporated. "Believe me, I need all the help I can get."

-----

"When you write your essays, you need to tell a story or an experience," Lennon stressed, exasperated. "But you can't tell a college about the time you bought laced weed from group of guys who looked like the mafia!"

"Why not?" He whined, while she crumpled the essay he spent half an hour writing. "That taught me to never trust shady guys with a weird accent and funny looking mustaches."

Lennon sighed, before sitting on the bed and putting her face in her hands. "Calvin, can you take this serious? This essay is one of your only chances to leave this shithole, and you think it's a joke?"

He stiffened, before making his way over to her. "Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you upset."

Lennon didn't respond, she just sat and stared at the floor until he saw drops start to form on her light blue jeans.

"Oh shit, please don't cry," he pleaded, running his hands through his hair. "Fuck, I'm not good when it comes to people crying."

She let out a watery laugh, and she sniffed a little. "Me too."

He sat next to her on the bed, and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "I must be a really shit friend if all I do to you is make you upset."

"It's not even your fault so don't beat yourself up about it," she reassured him, leaning into his chest. "It's none of our faults."

Calvin was about to respond but the door to his room barged open.

"Calvin, it's a fucking Friday-" Free barged into his room, dressed up and ready to go to a party. "Wow, so much for a one night stand, eh?"

"What the hell are you doing here?" He asked her, not even bothering to let go of Lennon. At this point he didn't care about what assumptions she might make from this.

"So this is what you're throwing out four years friendship away for?" She inquired, walking further into the room with her arm crossed over her chest. "For her?"

"Farrah, get the fuck out of my house," he hissed, trying not to yell in Lennon's ear.

"Why do you keep calling me Farrah?" She asked him in a quieter voice. "Only you guys get to call me Free."

"Well, we're not friends anymore," he stated harshly, his voice lacking emotion. "So I'm going to call you what everyone else calls you, Farrah."

"I can't believe you're doing this," she said in disbelief. "Over some little slut-"

Suddenly, Calvin's vintage alarm clock went flying into the air and crashing into Free's head.

"Fuck!" She yelled, stumbling back while holding her forehead in pain.

"Don't call me, or anyone else a slut," Lennon seethed, her hands now shaking in angry as she stood up.

"Did you just throw a clock at me, bitch?" Free asked, clenching her fist as if to fight Lennon.

"Get out, Farrah," Calvin repeated, nudging Lennon on the bed behind him. "I don't want you here."

"So you wouldn't mind if I sent this picture of you two in your bed to Harvey, now would you?" She pulled her phone out of her pocket and showed him a photo of the intimate looking position him and Lennon were in just a few minutes ago.

"Go ahead," he told her nonchalantly. "Do it. I don't give a fuck."

Her eyes widened and she gave him one last glance. "You can't be for-"

"Get the hell out of my house," Calvin told her calmly before turning toward Lennon. "Anyway..."

Free backed out the room at last, and he could hear the pouncing of her worn out converse against the wood flooring at his house.

"You didn't have to do that," Lennon murmured. "She seemed really affected and hurt."

Calvin shook his head. "You're too nice, Len. She's been bitchy even since we've became friends but it only escalated when we started talking to you."

She glanced down at her hands. "I'm sorry I ruined your friendship. But I'm not sure what I did to make her hate me so much."

"Believe me," Calvin stated, glaring at the door Free just left through. "I have an idea why."

----
a/n: ayyyyyyye it's like 2 am and I just finished this and I wanted to upload this so I did

PLEASE VOTE AND COMMENT ESPECIALLY COMMENT. I LOVE COMMENTS BECAUSE I LOVE HEARING YOUR OPINIONS!

all the love, rachel.