Ava:

My pace quickens as I feel my eyes start to water and threaten to slide down my cheeks. My throat aches with the weight of my unshed tears, and I lock myself into one of the bathroom stalls. He's right, every word is right, and that's what makes it hurt so much more.

"SOS," I text Lexi, my nose starting to run as I fight off a heavy cry. My fingers are shaky as I type, "Meet me in D wing bathroom."

After a couple of minutes, I hear the bathroom door creak open and close. "Ava?" Lexi's voice is gentle, and causes the tsunami of tears that rush down my face.

I open the bathroom door, collapsing into her as I sob quietly in her shoulder. We are no stranger to crying in front of each other, me especially. When my dad left, Lexi was the first person I talked to- the only person who actually cared. It seems so long ago, but Milo's words sting like salt in old wounds.

"What's the matter, babe?" My best friend asks gently, running her fingers through my hair calmingly. The monotonous motion lulls me enough to get me to stop hiccuping every time I try to speak. "What happened?"

After a second to collect myself, I sniffle and swipe away my tears, smudging my makeup in the process. "Milo is such a dick," I snap, but my voice quivers slightly. "H-he's just so mean for no reason."

Lexi pauses, as if thinking about her words carefully, before speaking. "I love you, but not for no reason, Ava... You started this. Well, technically your shitty friends started it. But you're no better than them."

Her words sting, too, but I know hers are from a place of love. Milo wanted me to hurt, his tone and heavy glare said that. "I know," I say quietly, biting my bottom lip. "I said I was sorry so many times. I don't know what else to do..."

My best friend shrugs, pulling out her travel makeup and laying it on the counter. She gets to work helping me with my makeup, reapplying my concealer and mascara. She pulls away when she's done, smiling at her work.

"I think you should just... leave him alone," she says honestly, running her fingers through my hair to fix it. Lex hands me her lip gloss, and I apply it, still sniffling a little. "Clearly he doesn't want to be bothered."

I shake my head sadly. "Not possible anymore," I manage to say, my voice still a little shaky. "We have to work on a project together."

Lexi raises an eyebrow. "In Algebra?" She asks with a surprised laugh, shaking her head. "Mr. Warren is pretty eccentric in his teachings..."

"And we can't work on it at school." I fix my bag over my shoulder, knowing I've already been gone too long. God, I don't want to go back and face Milo. "So I have to see him outside of school also. Kill myself."

Lexi laughs, linking her arm with mine as she walks me back to the class. She gives me a big bear hug, gently kissing my shoulder. "You're going to be fine," she promises gently. "Get in there and show him you're not afraid."

Putting on my bravest face, I take my seat back next to Milo. He turns to me, gnawing on his bottom lip. We stare at each other for a second, neither speaking, just searching each other's eyes.

"I didn't mean-" Milo starts, and when he speaks I realize he bit his lip so hard he's literally bleeding.

I hold up my hand to stop him, shaking my head. "No need. You're right. I'm sorry. Let's just... get this finished, okay?" He watches me as I pull out my notebook and begin to draft out a rough idea of what I want the poster board to look like. "Is this fine?"

Milo looks at it for a second, before grabbing my pencil and erasing half the stuff. I go to protest, but he's quick to resketch it. Whether I want to admit it or not, it's a lot better than I did or could ever do.

"Uh, I think that's more seamless," he mumbles to himself, dragging his gaze back towards the ground. "Sorry, I don't mean to, um, take over or anything..."

I give a weak chuckle, shaking my head. "No, I get it. You're the artist here." An awkward silence befalls us, and we both twitch nervously in our seats. "Uh... We should discuss actually creating the board."

Milo nods, giving me a half-hearted smile that doesn't reach his eyes. "Oh, yeah, we should, huh?" His voice is deep and gravelly, his tone sharp even without the anger. He stumbles over his words, the awkwardness palpable. "I mean... We can... Uh... Why don't we-"

"At the park," I interject, cutting through his faltering attempt at conversation. Milo looks visibly relieved, nodding in agreement. "I guess... I mean, you should probably get my number, huh?"

He gives a jerky nod, his throat working as he swallows hard. Pulling out his phone with a clumsy gesture, he hands it to me. I type in my name and number with a practiced ease, then hand the phone back to him. Milo shoves it into his pocket, his movements quick and disjointed.

"I'll... text you later, I guess," he mumbles softly, his voice barely audible over the bell that rings overhead. "I'll see you in history..."

Though a small gesture in the grand scheme of things, his attempt at connection feels like a tentative bridge between us. I give him a small smile as I pack up my stuff. "Yeah," I say quietly. "See you then."

My heart is still heavy as I head towards lunch, Lexi waiting by the doorway for me. The fluorescent lights above highlight her sharp cheekbones, her full lips pursed as her fingers fly across her phone. She's like a breath of fresh air, and I all but sprint when I see her.

She grins at me, drinking in my appearance. "Okay, looks like you didn't cry anymore, so we'll take that as a win," she jokes, nudging me. "Come one, let's go get shitty cafeteria pizza."

With a laugh, I follow her through the line, but end up getting a salad and an apple. Lexi looks down at my tray in obvious disgust, clicking her tongue. I roll my eyes as I say, "You know I can't eat pizza when I have practice tonight."

"You can't eat pizza, like, ever," she grumbles, but there's playfulness in her tone. She grabs two slices of pizza, and fries, and a chocolate milk. If that was me, I would gain ten pounds just from having it on my plate. "When was the last time you had a real, gross meal?"

I ponder for a second, snapping my fingers and pointing at her. "Your parents made burgers, remember?" I remind, tapping my temple like I just solved a major puzzle.

"The burger that you only ate half of?" Lexi deadpans as we pay for our lunch and sit down at our normal table. We exchange quick hello to the other girls, before carrying on with our conversation. "You didn't even have a bun, you heathen!"

Riley from across the table shakes her head. "Please, we can barely throw her as it is!" The rest of the squad laughs, and I try not to take their words personally. I know they're just looking out for the betterment of the team. "Don't encourage her to eat more."

"What do you survive off of?" Lexi's voice cuts through the air, colder than I've ever heard it. Her jaw tightens, and there's a dangerous glint in her eyes. "Besides cock and the sadness of other people?"

I look at her in shock, my mouth agape as she goes off. "Lexi," I say, ready to talk her off the ledge. "That's enough."

Riley laughs shrilly, the other girls following suit like a pack of blood thirsty hyenas, each more vicious than the next. "Ava, why do you even hang with this loser?" She rolls her eyes, chewing on a celery stick. "I mean, seriously, she's such a miserable bitch. She doesn't want us to make fun of people, she doesn't like when we hold you accountable. I mean, is she really even your friend if she doesn't care about your wellbeing?"

Lexi stands suddenly, slamming her hands on the table with a thunderous BANG, and rolls up her sleeve. Theater kid or not, that girl is always ready to scrap- especially for me. "You wanna go, bitch?" Lexi asks loudly, standing on the chair to get the high ground.

Riley stands up too, the tension thickening. I'm already on my feet, grabbing Lexi's hand and trying to pull her back down. "Lex, come on," I beg quietly, before turning my attention to the petite brunette. If this was a cartoon, her face would be tomato red, and smoke would be spouting from her ears. "Riley, seriously, cut it out. Don't talk about Lexi like that."

Riley laughs snidely, shaking her head as she balls her fists at her side. "Don't be dumb, Ava. I mean, everyone knows you can stand to lose a few pounds. Right, girls?"

The squad mutters vague agreements, indifferent shrugs passing between them. This isn't the first time they've torn down someone on the cheer squad- but it's usually when they haze the newbies, not a veteran cheerleader.

Suddenly, the chaos draws the attention of the teachers, and they rush over, ordering Lexi down from the chair. "Lexi, get down or you're going straight to the principal's office!" One of them warns, their voice stern but tense.

Lexi's eyes stay locked on Riley for another beat, cold yet fiery, before she finally hops off the chair, still gripping my hand. She glares at Riley one last time, a silent promise hanging between them.

My best friend doesn't say a word as she snatches her stuff off the ground, her face set in a hard, quiet rage as she moves away from the mob of angry cheerleaders. Riley raises an eyebrow as I collect my own bag. "You're really going to choose her over us?" She asks with a surprised laugh. I don't say anything, just push my chair in with my head bowed down. Riley laughs again as I walk away. "See you history, Ava!" She draws out my name, saying it in a taunting, sing-songy way. It sends shivers down my spine, and I can only imagine what's coming for me.

I follow Lexi to a new table, this one tucked far away from the other girls. She doesn't look up at me as I sit down, her body trembling in anger. I don't say anything either, just wrap my arms around her and hug her tightly. We stay this way for a long while, as if trying to hold the other together, before Lexis untangles herself from my arms.

"Thanks," I say quietly, taking her hand in mine and giving it a reassuring squeeze. "Don't listen to them, okay? I love you so much, it's not even funny. Are you a loser? I mean, Lex, you're a theater nerd, what do you expect?" She gives me a dirty look, but I laugh and pull her in for another hug. "You're my loser, though. Don't you forget that."

After a second, we release each other from the hug. "I was going to punch that twat in the face," Lexi manages to say after a second, and then she bursts out laughing, the sound full and unrestrained. We clutch our sides, leaning into each other as tears start to form in both of our eyes.

"Oh, I know you were," I say when we've managed to stop laughing. I peek behind my shoulder, to the table where the girls are, and see them glaring at us. It looks straight out of a movie, their arms all crossed in synchrony. "I think they're going to sacrifice me tonight. I don't know if I should go."

Lexi softly slaps me on the face, just enough to snap me from my spiral. "That's exactly what they want," she says, grabbing my shoulders and giving them a firm shake. "They want to get in your head and make you quit. Don't let them. You're a goddamn good cheerleader. So, tonight, go and show them that. If it helps, I can watch from the bleachers and distract their hatred."

I laugh, but think about it for a second, tapping my chin. "That's... not a bad idea, honestly."

By the time lunch ends, I'm still mulling it over as we walk to history class. For a brief, uninvited moment, my heart flutters when I realize Milo will be there. I mentally slap myself, physically shaking my head to get rid of the thought. No. Absolutely not.

As if the universe is playing a cruel joke, Milo and I reach the doorway at the exact same time. We lock eyes, and for a painfully awkward moment, neither of us knows what to say. It's like we've forgotten how to form words.

Lexi rolls her eyes, waving at Milo. "Hello, Milo," she says sweetly, before grabbing my arm and pulling me into the classroom. When we're sitting at our seats, she exhales slowly, shaking her head. "You would think you've kissed in real life by how awful that interaction was."

I smack her arm, my face going red. Lexi is a lot of things- quiet is not one of them. I try to shush her before she can say anything else, my heart stuttering in my chest, and I'm positive the blush on my cheeks is impossible to miss.

Before she can roast me further, Riley, Kaylee, and Bella make their grand entrance. I swear, I see a gust of wind dramatically blow their skirts just as they step into the room, glaring at us like we're the villains of the story. If this were a movie, it would be in slow motion, the whole scene dripping with palpable tension.

"It's the fucking Heathers," Lexi whispers, her eyes wide in faux horror. I laugh, only understanding the reference from the many times she's searched "Heather's Slime Tutorial" on Youtube.

The girls sit in different seats than normal, claiming the table in front of Milo. Riley turns around in her chair and talks to him, glancing between him and I with a grin. I watch as Milo peeks at me through the fringe of his hair, but he doesn't say anything, putting his head down.

Lexi and I try our best to ignore the girls, but their whispers nearly drive me mad. After almost half an hour of it, I hear Milo suddenly snap.

"Oh, my fucking god, will you shut up?"

Everyone turns to look at him, and Milo shrinks down to make himself as small as possible. He fiddles with the zipper on his jacket nervously, moving it up and down like an anxious tick. Riley laughs in surprise, her eyebrows shooting up. "What did you say?"

Mrs. Thompson quickly goes towards them, insisting they both calm down, and urging Milo not to use profanity. Milo barely listens, leaning up a little towards Riley to spit, "Shut up, you anorexic bitch."

"Milo!" Mrs. Thompson snaps, grabbing Milo's arm. He winces, his face contorting in pain as he snatches his wrist back. Milo stands abruptly, slinging his bag over his shoulder. Mrs. Thompson follows him out of the classroom, and I hear her say something about going to the principal's before the door closes behind them.

Lexi looks at me in shock, her mouth agape. The class murmurs to themselves, besides Riley who is fuming and calling him things like "Casper ass bitch" and "shrimp-dicked asshole," her voice laced in bitterness.

"Well, safe to say if anything happens, you will not be the first to get shot anymore," Lexi half-heartedly jokes, still stunned at the display Milo just put on. "I mean, you've been bumped down at least three spaces."

I laugh slightly, trying to piece together why Milo would do that. I mean he was defending Lexi and I, right? Sure, Riley and her posse are fucking annoying, but they were clearly talking about us. Am I just secretly wishing he was sticking up for us, or was he just sick of the incessant chatter?

Lexi snaps in front of my face, giving me a soft smile. "Earth to planet Ava, do you copy?" I blink my eyes, nodding as I refocus. "I don't think I've heard him ever speak without being spoken to before. I mean, talk about crazy! Maybe your dream manifested that; like he felt that kiss cosmically, and just had to stick up for you."

Lexi wraps her arms around her body, and blows dramatic kisses in the air, smacking her lips loudly. I giggle, shaking my head at her.

Mrs. Thompson returns shortly after, but Milo is nowhere to be found. She gives us a lecture about kindness, her voice tired as if she's said this a thousand times before. Riley, in a complete 180, sits there pouting, nodding along like the perfect victim, playing it up for the class's sympathy. The hypocrisy makes my skin crawl, but I keep quiet.

When we're dismissed for the day, Lexi and I quickly leave before the other girls. I hear them whisper "Losers" as we pass, but I let it roll off me, knowing there will be plenty more of that at cheer practice later. I just hope I can keep my head above the drama long enough to get through it.