"SO I think I'm getting somewhere with Andrew-"

I fixed Eva with an unimpressed look. "Did he let you copy his homework?"

Eva paused, her mouth open mid-sentence as she caught my eye, but then punctuated it with a defeated sigh. "Well, technically, no but-"

"What did we agree upon? Why do you feel like you need to pursue this, I mean, why would you even give the time of day to someone who wouldn't let you copy his homework?" I asked while crunching on a baby carrot, chin resting in the palm of my hand and my elbow pressed against the lunch table.

The familiar buzz of voices from the lunchroom hummed in the background as we sat at our usual table nestled in the corner of the cafeteria, which was fortunately exactly opposite in the room of where Reese sat but, unfortunately, where Tyler sat too.

My eyes unconsciously glided over in that direction, where I could see Reese talking animatedly about something or another, probably relaying some dumb story, complete with over-dramatic hand gestures and all. Across the room our eyes met, and for a moment I was charged with his familiar amber gaze, but then I quickly looked away.

"Maybe because he's, you know, a decent guy?" Savannah suggested, a soft smile on her face as she stabbed into her salad. Her hair was pulled up and her blue eyes shot a challenge.

"Eva, is he a decent guy?" I entertained, cocking a brow at the tanned girl.

She fidgeted in her seat for a moment, her mouth pursing in thought. "Well, no, he's actually kind of an asshole. And when we were partnered up together, he asked the teacher if he could work alone. But he's a hot asshole," she admitted with a guilty grin.

I flashed a victorious, cheeky grin in Savannah's direction, who merely rolled her eyes at me. "Eva, he sounds terrible, but let me know if the homework thing works out. He's in my data management class and boy, Mrs. Robertson does not play around. She's serious about actually trying to give us a legitimate education like, Mrs. Robertson, please no," I groaned.

Savannah snorted, and I grinned, crunching another baby carrot.

Eva wiped the corner of her mouth with her thumb, her brows furrowing, a frown weighing down her lips. "Well, whatever, it's not like Tyler let's you copy his Geography homework either."

I nodded. "Yes, that's because my love life has already been deemed hopeless and useless, and that's why I'm hoping for better things from you two. What are you bringing to the table, Vannah?"

Given that two-thirds of our little trio was Eva and I, and that Eva and I had one of the most pitiful love lives combined, Savannah was our designated romance friend, or rather the one who brought stories of picnics in the moonlight and adorable Starbucks coffee confessions while we brought avid listening and snacks.

She shrugged, moving around her salad with her fork. "I'm one of you now, it seems. Nothing's happening here."

Eva quickled turned her gaze to me. "Well what's up with Reese, then? You live next to him, does he have a girlfriend? Am I prettier than her? Do you think I could take her, if it came down to a fight?" Eva asked, her chin resting on the heels of her hands and her chocolate brown eyes sparkling.

I sighed. "Well, he's still evil, if that's what you want to know. Still pretty evil. Still pretty terrible."

Despite my words, the heat that used to bloom inside of me was beginning to fade with the thought of his face, that homicidal itch no longer irritating the back of my throat. I didn't want to think of what that meant in the grand scheme of things, and instead shot an innocent smile in Eva's direction.

She rolled her eyes at me. "I know, I know, but again, his face. Have you seen it? It's a nice face."

"And he's been pretty nice to me," Savannah added, thoughtfully popping a cherry tomato in her mouth. "I mean, with the milk, and he's been smiling at me in the halls. You know, I think he's trying to get on my nice side so that you don't want to punch him in the face anymore. He even defended you in class this morning."

My head shot back, eyes bulging in shock as I tried and failed to process the meaning of her words. "Wait, what?"

Eva's interest was piqued too as she leaned in, blinking, waiting for Savannah to elaborate.

The blonde apparently was not understanding of our very understandably surprise, the innocent, soft smile on her face never faltering. "Yeah, it's weird, this morning people were talking about you, you know, like how you used to get sort of angry and the whole Peter Roth thing, I'm not sure why, though. That was so long ago and you've been pretty under the radar since that time Melissa threw those noodles at you."

I felt myself instantly shrink a little at her words, the reasoning behind those people's conversations dawning on me with the most terrible reminder. I hadn't even thought of the fact that people would be talking about the party, and Britta, and punching her in the face. Especially when to Eva and Savannah I was tirelessly writing a 10 page essay and then dying of sushi-induced food poisoning.

A feeling told me that they were going to be a lot less sympathetic when they found I was a lying liar who had totally lied to them.

"Oh, just the Peter thing, then?" I asked, feeling my mouth parch, my nerves ignited.

Savannah nodded, chewing. "Mhmm."

I felt a tinge of relief, and looked to see that Eva didn't seem at all fazed by what the blonde had said either.

"Anyway," Savannah continued, "They were just saying how, well, I mean, as you can guess, they were saying that you're a little, um... crazy. Whatever, it was total crap, they were total assholes anyway. Point is, I was just about to turn around and obviously say something, when Reese beat me to it."

I shot her a look swimming in skepticism. "And you're sure it was Reese? And you sure it wasn't just like a bodily spasm? You know, like he accidentally twitched or something?" I asked, carefully reading her expression with knitted brows. "I would believe bodily spasms over intentional defending of me anyday."

"Oh no, it was definitely on purpose. He told them to shut the fuck up and mind their own business, which is weird because I've never really seen him, I don't know, not all happy and grinning and everything. He always seemed like the person to never get caught up in that sort of thing." Savannah shrugged again, the fabric of her loose, baggy shirt slipping off her shoulder. Her face communicated no shock, no concern, none of the absolute bewilderment that was erupting inside of me.

"Well that's weird," I murmured, shifting my gaze to my hands.

"So what you're saying that he's not only hot, but also in everyone's opinion but Stella's, not a total asshole? Well, fuck Andrew then. Stells, listen I'm going to be living in your closet from now on and is your window opposite to his window? Because I'm definitely exploiting that if it does. I'm bringing over all my cute bras," she said, her voice fading off dreamily as her eyes fell into the distance, clouded with fantasies I wanted no part of, especially in my room.

"First of all," I looked to Eva, "I think his bathroom is across from my room, so no. Second," I returned my questioning eyes to Savannah, "What is this whole you suddenly knowing what Reese is like and what's out of character for him? When did this happen? When was this development?"

The blonde tapped her plastic fork against her lip in thought, eyes lifting to the ceiling. "He's just been sort of around lately, don't you think?"

I felt a strange sensation in the pit of my stomach, and sighed. "Trust me, more than you know."

Unexpectedly I caught Eva's eye, who was no longer looking off to the distance in wild fantasy but intently fixated on me. My spine instantly straightened and I pushed any readable emotions down, down, down my throat and plastered a believable smile on top of it.

Other than fiery hatred, there was nothing that I had felt for Reese, not even a dash of something resembling- gag- a friendship, or anything equally or even more ridiculous, and I didn't want to be questioned on it either. Especially not by Eva, whose interrogation techniques leaned more towards the guerilla.

"And how tragic that is, for all of us, to have to endure that terrible fate that is Reese Powers' presence," I said, blinking with a smile.

Savannah nodded, chewing. "Well, you really have been doing better though. I mean think of it, last year this time you almost threw your text book at Bailey Riddings head for insisting that leopard and cheetah print were the same thing."

I instantly darkened at the memory. "I think that's more indicative of how the public school system has failed our generation than of my temper, honestly. They're really not the same thing."

Savannah's glossed lips curved into a soft smile, and she tugged her shirt back up over her shoulder. Just as Eva was about to add to this, the bell echoed through the room and cut her off, leaving me to my much-appreciated escape.

I hastily collected all my books and shoved my tupperware container of baby carrots into my bag. "Well! Off to class! Going to go stare at Ty-Ty's head until he loves me!"

Savannah's and Eva's eyes both widened as the words left my mouth, and I tilted my head to the side as they both stared behind me with rigid smiles. "Uh, guys?"

"Hey Tyler," Savannah finally broke, waving slightly.

At his name, I instantly paled. My mouth became desert-like as the raging blush corrupted my cheeks, heating to the temperature of the sun and then some. With my face ablaze and only utter mortification streaming through my veins, I willed myself to turn around, only to find, as I had expected, Tyler standing behind me.

"Hey Tyler. I was just speaking of... of Mr. Tyver. He just- he just really, um, he gets me going. I'm sorry. I disgust myself." I nodded, only the floor able to hold my gaze of pure shame, as I forced the words out of my mouth. "I am so sorry."

Tyler only laughed, scratching the back of his head. "No problem. I just came here to ask you something."

"Well, we're off," Eva chimed, causing me to turn and see her eyebrows rising in suggestion as she pushed Savannah down the isle. "Have fun, kids!"

This did not help the utter embarrassment that was shredding any fragment of dignity I had salvaged all these years, and I had a moment of silence for ever thinking it had a chance.

"Anyway, yeah," Tyler said, bringing me back to his direction. "Reese said we're double-ing and that you needed someone to go to the mall with you to find an outfit since you don't have anything. I needed to pick up some dress shirts anyway, so I can go with you, if you want. I'm free on Saturday, if that works?"

I blinked, trying to piece his words together in my mind to make a sensible thought, but finding it a fruitless battle. My smile never faltered. "Double what?"

"The double date! You know, with Reese, Savannah, you and I. We're the buffers, right? Isn't that the only way Savannah said she would go?" The look on his face was so innocent, so unaware of how terribly mixed up he was in this terrible mess I had so terribly dragged him into. I almost felt bad. But then I saw his face, and that jawline, and suddenly, not as bad.

I blinked again, my smile never cracking. "Yes. That- that double date. I see. That one. With Savannah. And Reese. On a date." I nodded.

"Right," he said, nodding along with me. "So you're okay with Saturday?"

There was a strange brew of emotions stirring in my stomach, murder and sunshine tangling within each other inside the mess that was my person, and made me want to cry and laugh and punch something and kind of throw up, honestly. I did none of those things, though, and maintained the non-homicidal and pleasant smile that I had pinned onto my mouth.

"Saturday's perfect."

I didn't know whether I wanted to cheer in the air or throw a chair, but was slightly inclined to the latter when I caught Reese's eye across the room, who merely grinned and waved.

Someone was going to get his eyelids chopped off.

***

Ta-da! Early updates from my favourite peeps (that's you)

So I hope you enjoy! I honestly thought I knew where this story was going before I started this chapter, and then the double-date thing just appeared and I was like REESE WHO SAID YOU COULD DO THIS THING WITHOUT MY PERMISSION? damn you, Reese.

AND AS ALWAYS YOUR VOTES/COMMENTS/LOVE MEAN EVERYTHING TO ME so thank you so, so much for supporting me, and I'm a total slut for feedback so if you want into my heart you know the way. c: