The rest of the week was a breeze and passed by faster than summer vacation. Forreal, why do vacations always seem like ten minutes while school days felt like an eternity? Today was the big day, and I was so excited I couldn't sleep. I even attempted at making breakfast this morning but only resulted in causing a small fire waking everyone else up.

Note to Lana — Cooking isn't your thing.

Even with the lack of sleep, I had a burst of energy and ran all the way to school, which I realized was a horrible idea because now, I'm sweating and smelly. However, the principal decided to continue torturing me by delaying the revelation of our grades until lunchtime. And the moment the bell rang, I ran straight down to that wall that could potentially change my life forever.

One of the teachers had just finished taping the long sheet of paper on the bulletin board. A handful of students were already scanning the list and cheering among themselves. Cautiously, I pushed my way in front of the students and checked that number one spot.

1. Declan Novak- 100

Wow, perfect score. Not surprised, the boy is a natural genius. Maybe during dinner, I'll grow enough courage to congratulate him. Smiling, I allowed other students in front of me and past the board. From my peripheral vision, I caught a glimpse of the six-foot boy who made my heart accelerate like when I'm on rollercoasters.

Before I could think, my legs reacted and ran up to him.

"Congratulations on being first place." I grinned, clasping my hands together in front of my legs.

"Congratulations to you," he replied.

My eyebrows knitted together. "What?"

"You haven't seen it?" he asked, a disbelief expression on his face. A wonderful improvement from the plain expressions he has always given me.

Shoot! The whole time I was excited to find out my results, but once the paper was in front of me, I thought about Declan first. How could've been so stupid? I rushed back to the list, shoving my ways through my classmates, and read down the list.

100. Lana Hart- 91.5

Holy freaking shihtzus! Not only did I prove everyone who doubted me wrong, but I managed to get a higher score than I expected. Oh, my god this can't be real this must be a dream. How did Lana freaking Hart manage to outdo students who had higher GPAs than me? I deserved two scoops of ice cream today.

"Declan! I'm in the top one-hundred! Oh, my god I'm so happy!" I squealed, with a huge fat grin on my face, and couldn't help but happily stomp my feet. Declan placed his hand out in front of me and I assumed it was for a handshake.

"Thank you!" I beamed, feeling the electricity rush up to my arm when our hands meet. My heart beat erratically in my chest so hard that I thought it might pop out. It only lasted a few seconds before he swatted my hand away.

"I wasn't asking for a handshake," he groaned, "Give me the picture, back."

"Oh," I replied, pulling the adorable photo from my boob pocket. "You mean this?"

"Don't hold that in the air for everyone to see." he hastily grabbed the picture from my hold and shoved it into his pocket. "Now, for the hundredth time, don't talk to me at school." Declan scolded, and started exiting the room.

"Hey, Declan," I said, the smile never leaving my lips, especially when he turned around even with the slightly irritated expression written on his face. "It's important to know what you can do and what you can't do. If you have strength of mind and per..."

"You mean persistence?"

"Mmm?"

"If you have strength of mind and persistence, you will succeed at the end." Declan finished.

"You also knew the rest of Chesterfield's quote," I snickered, nibbling on my bottom lip.

"Of course." he slightly smiled, which ultimately made my cheeks flushed hot, and my stomach was filled with jitterbugs dancing.

"Declan, you're the best! Thank you!" I shouted, animatedly flailing my arms in the air with so much power. I kept spinning around and jumping up and down.

Today was a good day.

Sunshine streamed through the windows, giving a warm, cheerful vibe to help contrast the dark decor. Weirdly, Big Mama's was supposed to be a retro-inspired dinner but seemed more like a Halloween decorated one. Catalina, Meadow, and I ran into this place unexpectedly on a rainy day when it was basically hailing outside. We needed shelter and went into the first place we could find.

Then ninth grade, I invited Ambrose to come with us and it's been our place ever since. The menu was implanted in my brain and most of the waitresses knew us by name. Today, I ordered chicken and waffles with a double scoop rocky road sundae. Catalina and Meadow both ordered a side of pancakes and two hamburgers.

"We are so proud of you," Meadow exclaimed, sipping on her cherry coke.

"Yes, so as a reward we are paying today." Catalina grinned, shaking her wallet in front of my face.

"I'm literally on cloud nine, right now," I exhaled, staring off into the ceiling, imagining the moment when Declan smiled over and over again.

"I'm so honored to be having dinner with the smartest person in our class." Meadow stood up to bow in front of me.

"Yeah, everyone was talking about you, today," Catalina stated.

"That's nothing new," I scoffed.

"True, but it was good things today like how smart you are," Catalina playfully pouted and pinched my chubby cheeks, turning them red.

The waitress--Mandy came to drop off our orders and brought us all the supplies we needed. The aroma of syrup invaded my nose along with the crispy fried chicken, which was calling my name. After drowning the entire dish in syrup, I dug my fork into my waffle and swallowed it before enjoying the taste.

Catalina nudged my shoulder. "Move please, I gotta use the potty," she said, shaking her leg.

When I moved out of the booth, it was like a domino effect, causing my backpack to tumble down and spill everything on the checkered floor. Groaning, I kneeled and quickly shoved everything back into my bag. The waffles were calling my name.

"Lana, you forgot this," Meadow said, staring down at the letter Declan's mom gave me.

Oh, yeah, I forgot about that.

Without approval, Meadow opened the letter, and her mouth widened when she pulled out the content inside.

"What is this?" Meadow asked, turning the white paper around.

My mouth dropped to the floor when I saw a picture of Declan and me sleeping on my desk in her hand. Oh my god. When did- How di-d. How didn't either of us hear his mother snapping photos of us? To be fair, we looked adorable in that photo, but now it exposed Declan's biggest rule.

Don't tell anyone about living together.

Catalina hastily snagged the picture from Meadow's grasp. "What is this all about, Lana?"

"Oh, umm... See, it's a funny story." I hesitantly scratched the nape of my neck.

Suddenly, the door opened causing a bell to echo through the dinner and anxious Ambrose yelled, "Lana!"

"Lana!" Ambrose grabbed my shoulders and agitatedly shook my body. "When were you going to tell us that you lived with Declan?"

"What are you talking about?" I asked, trying to keep a poker face.

"Don't play dumb. My buddies and I followed you home yesterday because I was worried about your wellbeing and we all saw Declan enter the house minutes after you," Ambrose explained, and his buddies nodded in agreement.

"I bet you guys were dreaming." I nervously laughed.

"Stop lying, Lana, and explain this photo to us," Meadow demanded, sternly folding her arms.

Ambrose's eyebrows furrowed. "What photo?"

Catalina handed Ambrose the picture, causing his mouth to droop open, and his eyes widened in horror. His face crinkled into a heartbroken expression and he banged his clenched fist against his chest. The guilt exploded through my veins. I lied to my best friends and hurt them in progress for a boy who's barely nice to me.

"You and Declan. Alone. So you have been staying at Declan's house," Ambrose stated.

"I know it looks bad, but it's not what you guys are thinking," I defended, stealing back the picture from Ambrose. "You remember how I said we were staying at my Father's old friend's house well it just so happened to be Declan's father. So until we're able to recuperate enough money for a new house... We plan to stay there."

The guilt that weighed heavier than a thousand tons was now lifted. Ambrose's buddy was rubbing his back as he whined on his shoulder. I could only imagine how I would feel if I saw a photo of Declan with another girl.

"No wonder why you did so well on the final exams. Declan helped you." Meadow connected the dots.

"Oh, that does make a lot of sense," Catalina added, her finger underneath her chin, tapping.

"You guys are so mean. I could've gotten the same grade even without his help." I pouted, sitting back down in front of my meal.

It's always your friends who don't believe in you. No, but seriously, I'm not that dumb... Right? I deserve some credit. Sure, Declan gave me the tools, but I still used my lumpy brain.

"Sure! Yeah, sure. Still, Declan and Lana make a pretty cute couple," Meadow stated.

Cute couple. I felt the heat rise to my cheeks upon hearing that statement. My heart instantly bounced on the walls of my chest, sending my mind into a whirlwind state. A giddy feeling was splurging through my veins as I admired the photo of our two adorable faces sleeping.

"Don't say that," Ambrose dramatically whined, earning attention from the entire diner. "Lana and I would be so much better."

"But that's how it is," Meadow replied.

"You don't have to worry, Ambrose. He always ignores me. He hates me," I sighed, the urge of eating diminishing leaving my plate full.

Suddenly, wet liquid splashed on my face, earning a gasp from my lips.

"Lana! Snap out of it!" Meadow scolded.

"What? I don't want to be with someone so heartless anyway," I responded, sneaking a nibble of Meadow's fries. "Oh, and before I forget, I wasn't supposed to tell anyone about living together so pretty please keep it between us."

"Of course, leave everything in our hands." Catalina winked.

"Did you guys order me anything?" Ambrose asked, his crying rant over faster than it started.

"No, so don't you dare touch my food." Meadow narrowed her eyes.

"Smh. I don't hear you guys complaining when I bring food in for Lana," Ambrose countered, grabbing a fry from Meadow's plate and earning a loud slap.

"Just eat some of mine," I whined, making my voice a higher octave than usual.

"Don't have to tell me twice." Ambrose poked his tongue out before reaching over to my plate.

We spent around three hours at the diner which isn't our longest surprisingly. Once during freshman year, we hid in the diner after receiving our failing final reports. My father scolded me when I finally went home that day-- I lost cell phone privileges for two weeks; it was the longest two weeks of my life.

The whole week was exhausting, and I immediately fell asleep once my body touched my bed. Though I regretted it this morning since I missed out on supper and breakfast was pretty light this morning.

What I never understood was why do we still have to go to school after our final exams? What's the point of learning new lessons when it was irrelevant. Where else would I need to who competed in World War I; nowhere, that's where. Besides, my compelling argument I still had to endure through another month of school.

Catalina and Meadow were running late, leaving me to awkwardly organize my items on the desk. Should Wanda my unicorn pouch sit on the right side or the left side of the desk? Both good choices.

"Lana Hart!"

My body jolted from the desk, causing little old Wanda to tumble down to the ground. When I craned my neck in the direction of the voice yelling my name, I found a distressed Declan marching towards me.

My stomach churned with deeply rooted uneasiness. "What happened?"

"Come with me," he demanded, latching onto my wrist and dragging me with him. If I wasn't so confused, I might have been able to enjoy his burning touch on mine.

Apparently, something interesting was happening in the main hallway since there was a crowd of students; probably a fight. Declan held tightly even though he was insane for thinking I would tear my arm away from him.

"What happened to your rule about talking to you in school?" I bravely raised my eyebrow.

With no warning, he propelled me into the crowd of students staring at a bullet board. Holy freaking Christmas balls. The board was decorated with multi-colored streamers and most important-- photos of Declan and me, sleeping. If I totally weren't enraged with anger, I would be in love with those pictures.

Stop it, Lana. Who in the heck would do this? I only showed the pictures to my best friends; surely they wouldn't betray my trust like this. Declan was going to murder me. Maybe I jump in front of a bus and do the job for him. From the corner of my eye, I saw the two ringleaders of this big fat mess.

"They are in love! Declan and Lana are in love! So everyone back away from him," Catalina announced, handing out flyers for everyone to see.

"Admire the beautiful photos showcasing their love," Meadow added.

Why am I not surprised? Declan's eyes were dark, bitterly staring at my two friends spreading rumors. Goddammit, I love them so much. A lump was stuck in my throat along with my mind being empty.

"Umm... Cata and Meadow ar-," I stammered.

"What the hell is wrong with you and your friends!" he spat, soaring up the stairs.

His harsh tone caused my half-smile to completely disappear from my lips. For some reason, I couldn't allow it to end this way and followed behind him.

"Declan," I called out.

He stopped on the staircase but refused to face me.

"I'm sorry," I muttered. Declan continued up the stairs, but I grabbed his jacket before he got too far. "I'm truly sorry, Declan."

"Since you wrote the love letter to me... the rumors probably don't bother you, but it really boils my blood. Pst, as if I'll date you. Why don't you go find someone else to agitate and stop screwing with my life?" he snarled.

My heart dropped to the bottom of the ocean; drowning and struggling to breathe. As I sucked in a sharp breath, a warm wet feeling rolled down my flushed cheeks. When my hand touched my cheeks, it traced back to my eyes.

I was crying.

Why am I crying?

It's been almost a month since he turned me down. So why does my heart hurt? I thought nothing could top the pain I felt when he rejected me, but surely I was proven wrong. His harsh words were daggers to my heart and now I'm left bleeding, to fend for myself.

Why couldn't I let go?

Why do my feelings run so deep?

After school, I came up with an excuse so I could spend the rest of the afternoon alone. The sun was setting-- a mixture of pink, orange, and purple hues. The whole scene was Instagram worthy, but my entire body was numb. I had no motivation to move a single muscle and wanted to enjoy the sound of the peaceful breeze gushing through my hair.

The shooting star continued to fail me.

Once the mixture of colors was replaced with the blanket of darkness and glimmering sparkles of light, I left. Luckily, the park wasn't too far from the house and I managed to make it home without a scratch.

Quietly, I unlocked the door, hoping to not grab anyone's attention.

"Lana? Is it you?" Declan's mother immediately came in my direction. "Oh, honey, you're late. I was so worried about you," she caressed my head, giving me a sense of security.

"Oh, yeah. I'm sorry, I didn't call like usual; it completely left my mind," I answered.

"That's alright, dinner is about to be ready." she softly smiled.

"I'm not really hungry," I said.

"Oh okay, come down if you need anything," she responded, a smile never leaving her face.

The first thing I did when I reached my room went straight to my drawer on my desk. And there it was; my hidden secret.

My love letter.

I haven't stared at it for weeks. The letter brought up pent-up feelings I tried shoving deep down to the ground. This was the first love letter I ever wrote in my life, and probably the last. The letter I spent so many hours on was never going to be read by him. He's been treating me nothing but horribly, yet my heart yearned to be close to him.

Why?

Why am I like this?

Who else is extremely mad at Meadow and Catalina? Say I if you're fuming! I sure was lol!

Send love to Lana! She needs it badly right now :(! She's crying herself to sleep :(...

Thank you guys for reading this chapter and I hoped you enjoyed the craziness of it all!! I love all of your comments and thank you for leaving votes <3!!

Love you guys!!!