I wipe my sweaty palms on my jeans, and check if my make up is okay for the hundredth time- using anything as an excuse not to go into school.

"You can do this Sophie, you can do this." I prep talk to myself, gathering my things. With one last look around my car- the only place to offer me comfort at school- I open the door and climb out.

The warm Miami breeze sticks to my skin and I can already feel my self working up a sweat.

I look around the parking lot, the students that are hanging around already looking at me with intense stares and others snickering and whispering. I expected this. I really did, but it doesn't make it any better.

I hold my head up high and continue walking, pretending like it doesn't bother me. Been friends with the Elite for so long taught me how to pretend- it was almost a second nature.

The further I walk along the hallway, the more the snickers, stares and whispers grow. When I finally reach my locker, I pack my books and arrange everything the way I like it. I stand almost expecting my usual visitors- Chris, or Kelcy to come talk to me or Courtney to come complain about something I've done- to come. But they don't. I close my locker, making sure I don't make a noise so there isn't anymore of a reason for the students to stare at me.

As I turn to walk to class, I see somebody leaning on the locker beside mine I jump out of fright. I slap a hand over my heart and scowl.

"Don't do that Alex," I groan. He chuckles, making me weak at me knees.

"Enjoying the attention?" He asks, looking at the students that stare at us.

I huff in frustration, "No."

He looks back at me, "It'll get better, c'mon. Better not be late for class." He shrugs.

I smile tightly, "Yeah."

He nods his head in the direction of our class and we walk side by side. Some people give me looks of disbelief, envy or even pride while others simply gawk. I don't blame them though. This is probably the juiciest gossip they've gotten all year.

When we finally reach English, we push the door open and immediately the students who are in class hush to a whisper, watching mine and Alex's every move.

I guess it's a big thing to see Sophie Cooper with Alex Rosewood.

I walk pass Kelcy, James and Chis who give me the dirtiest looks I have ever seen and I fidget with my dress under their gazes.

I take a seat next to Nina who gives me a hello along with the rest of the Rebels. "Seems like they're really hating on you." She says, jutting her chin out in the direction of the Elite. I give her a small nod.

Throughout English, the stares and whispers don't stop. Niether does the hostility the Elite have towards me, but I get through the lesson.

To think I once called those people my friends frightens me.

Throughout all my classes, I was never alone, whether it was Alex or Nina with me, or even Cole or Martin. Finally third period rings signaling lunch and I sigh in relief. Maths was numbing.

I walk in the direction of my locker. "Where are you going Cooper?" Alex asks trailing behind me. "You should move into your locker since you're always here."

I roll my eyes at him, and quickly pack again. "Finished yet?" He asks.

"One second..." I say searching for the Rascals I bought. I stick my tongue out of my mouth in concentration trying to find it in my dark locker. I stretch my hand out right to the back feeling the surface for a packet. I'm sure I put them in here.

Finally, my hand touches the smooth packet and I grin as I retrieve it.

I close my locker and turn to Alex and hand him the packet. He looks down at it and takes it with a raised eyebrow. "And this?"

"It's just a little something to say thank you for everything." I grin before shrugging. "C'mon, I'm hungry."

While I drag him he gives me a cheeky grin, "I'm honored that you gave me Rascals. What did I do to deserve such a thing?"

I roll my eyes at him, "Just shut up and take them."

As we near the door I slow down my pace, my nerves kicking in again. All of the Elite will be there- Courtney, Megan, Logan, all of them. And I have to walk in like there's nothing wrong. Like nothing has happened. I can act, but I don't know to what level, to what extent. And this is definitely pushing it because does hurt, even just a little, to have to leave them behind.

"Sophie?" I look at Alex who stares at me with concern. "Are you okay?" He asks.

I nod at him, "Yeah, just... a little nervous." We've stopped completely now, standing right in front of the doors of the cafeteria. He gives me a small smile, grabbing both of my shoulders gently, forcing me to look at him.

"Fuck what they think Sophie. It's your life. Not theirs. Just give it some time, everyone else will get over it eventually." he says. I nod, agreeing with what he's saying- it is my life. Not theirs. It doesn't matter what they think. And yeah, it will take time.

"Ready?" He asks. I nod, moving my hair behind my ear. He pulls me towards the cafeteria and before I know it, the door has being pushed open and we've walked through.

The buzz of the cafeteria dies down and all eyes settle on us, the silence suffocating me. Everyone looks between me, the Elite and the Rebels, waiting for something to unfold. I scan the cafeteria until finally, my eyes land on the table.

They all look at me with such spiteful and hostile glares I almost shiver. I look at Courtney who holds no emotion, her face as blank as a paper. I turn to Kelcy who has a scowl on her face and then to Ashleigh who shakes her head and finally to Chris.

His eyes hold so much disappointment it makes my heart hurt with guilt. His mouth is set in a grim line and when our eyes meet he holds it for a while before looking away.

I never loved Chris like that- certainly not- but he was like a brother to me. Although he didn't really know me, he still made time to try, even though I didn't show him who I was- I couldn't.

It's difficult to describe the relationship I have- well, had- with Chris. We didn't truly know each other yet our relationship worked out fine. We believed what we wanted about each other and went through with that idea. In the end, it was a relationship based off of lies and pretence- yet it was so perfectly crafted we didn't notice, nor did we mind.

My heart aches in my chest.

He's not worth it Sophie.

Alex tugs at my hand, bringing me out of my reverie of thoughts. I continue walking confidently, pretending like nothing's bothering me in an attempt to seem strong and calm.

Even though the Elite hurt me and I hated been with them, it's not easy walking away from the only thing you've ever known. Finally we reach the Rebels table and I take a seat next to Martin with a relieved sigh.

"Hey, seems like you need a drink." Martin teases in an attempt to lighten the mood. All I  give him though is a tight smile.

Slowly the students go back to what they were doing, the Elite as well, even though they lookbin my direction every once in a while. The fact that Courtney didn't say anything surprised me. It made me suspicious, even.

Since when did Courtney Smith shrug off such situations? But then again, maybe she didn't care. Maybe she thought it wasn't worth it. I wasn't worth it.

The guilt and anger doesn't dissipate though, and in this very moment I want to scream and yell and sob. Why do I have to feel guilty? I did nothing wrong...   That only further angers me. And anger is never a good thing- it makes you do stupid things.

I run a hand over my face, and sigh quietly. I wish it didn't have to be like this....

The rest of lunch passes by uneventfully, if you minus the tension.

I know it'll get better, but I hope that it'll get better soon.

Really soon...

****

It's being a week since I've joined the Rebels and nothing has happened. Absolutely nothing. The Elite have been treating me as if I am invisible- a complete nobody. And as I much as I'm happy about that, I'm not sure wheter I should be happy or just plain worried.

Courtney has made no effort to try and confront me and the others don't even spare me a glance. I've met up with the Rebels once this past week before I finished off my art project, which took me forever. But If going to bed at midnight every night would earn me an A then so be it. It took me long, but I'm chuffed with the results.

I secure the three models in the backseat of my car, making sure they won't move around when I drive, since they're supposed to be in by today.

It rained over the weekend leaving Monday overcast, gloomy and depressing. It's not everyday we have weather like this in Miami though, so I can't really complain.

"Let me know how the presentation goes." My mom orders as I close the door of my car.

"I will. I love you," I say, pecking her cheek.

I climb into my car,  grateful for the warmth and head to school wanting to finally hand in my work and stop stressing about it because it's been giving me grey hairs lately.

When I finally reach the big beige building, I park my car and climb out before grabbing my project. I purposely made them not too big or heavy so that it'll be easier to carry although they're still a bit bulky for my skinny arms.

Since its cold and cloudy outside, with the parking lot covered in random puddles, most students are inside and I'm grateful for that so that they can't see me struggle to pick my things up. After I've secured my bag on my shoulder and the models in my hands, I begin my walk to the front doors. I watch the ground to mind any puddles not wanting to have an accident and damage my work. As I'm about to cross the last part of the parking lot to reach the steps to the entrance of the school, I notice a huge puddle in front of me and I stop, trying to figure a way to get around it. I'm about to walk between cars to get to another dry section and cross over when the sound of an engine alerts me and everything happens in slow motion. I see a black Lamborghini drive up the road- a very familiar car-  at an unnecessary speed and I look back to the puddle. The realization hits me square in the face and I desperately hope it won't turn out the way I'm expecting it to.

"No!" I shout automatically but by then it's too late. The muddy water is splashed all over me and my models, ruining them all together. The paper maché absorbs the dirty water and becomes soggy, causing the models to start looking mutated.

I try grip my models better to wipe them down but instead drop them into the puddle due to my wet hands. The frustration that rises within me boils over and I let out a sob before dropping to my knees and leaving my backpack on the ground beside me.

"No, no, no!" I cry, trying to pick them up and somehow save them before I hear a menacing laugh to which I look up to see the culprits- Courtney and Megan.

"Sorry Sophie, I didn't see you there." She says sarcastically.

"Bullshit!" I yell at her while I struggle to stand up. I can't believe this. All my hard work. It took weeks for me to work on this. To complete it. And now it's completely and utterly ruined. Not even close to how it once looked.

"Now, now. No need to get so hostile Sophie." Courtney scolds me with a hand on her hip.

I scoff, "You really are fake aren't you?"

She laughs, "It was an honest mistake and plus all we did was wet you. Nothing much," she shruggs it off.

I seethe will anger and have the urge to punch her. "And my Art assignment! Which costs nearly half of my grade, Courtney!" I shout, my hands flying in different directions due to my frustration.

An evil smile takes over her and Megan's face. "Oops." Megan says.

"Now you have to work on another one," Courtney pouts.
"Oh," She drags. "But you cant... It's due today."

"You are pathetic." I spit, trying to keep the tears that well in my eyes at bay.

"Not as pathetic as you for leaving us for the Rebels." She hisses back, her eyes hardening like rock.

My heart drops. I should've known. She wouldn't let it slide.

"Enjoy," She chirps and walks away, Megan trailing close behind her.

I watch their retreating figures until they're no longer visible, tears leaking out of my eyes silently. I look down at my assignment in the muddy water and my back pack laying on the ground and then... I let the tears fall without any attempt at stopping them.

I bend down again; my knees dirty, my raincoat muddy and my hair soaked with the water from the puddle that was splashed at me. As I pick them up, my body continues to rack with sobs. My project... I'm failing art. No doubt.

I hear footsteps coming closer and I don't bother to look up. I don't care who sees me like this. I just don't care right now.

All I did was move to the Rebels and Courtney does this!?

"Sophie?" I immediately look up at the sound of his voice, my eyes puffy and red from crying.

"Alex," I sob out, wiping at my eyes. He bends down to my level  and lifts my chin up for me to look at him. His eyebrows are creased in worry and his eyes slide over me, checking for any indication of what just occurred.

"What happened?" He looks at my assignment in the muddy water and then back at me.

"Courtney. And Megan." Is all I croak and he tenses. However, soon enough he's on the ground, cradling me while I sob some more into his warm embrace.

His eyes widen as he stares at the models, "Your art project..." he trails off.

I nod, "It's ruined. Completely and utterly ruined." I sob again.

"Hey, hey." He says gently, "we'll figure it out. I'm sure Miss- whatever-her-name-is will understand. You have proof you did it."

I nod trying to convince and reassure myself. I doubt she'd understand. He stands up and sticks his hand out for me to take which I do.  He helps me pick my models up in silence and then we walk towards the entrance, my tear stains slowly drying up. Students that crowd the hallway stare at me shamelessly, eyeing me up and down in disgust.

We reach my art class and Alex stops. "I think you need to talk to her."
He hands me the project that's not even in one piece anymore as the paper is peeling off, falling onto the surface they're constructed on.
I nod and grab the smooth doorknob before pushing the door open.

As soon as Miss Anderson sees me her eyes widen, "Sophie, what on Earth happened?"

I sigh, "I'm sorry Miss Anderson, but my assignment was ruined a few minutes ago. One of the students drove past and hit a puddle..." I hold up my models as proof and she purses her lips.

She nods in understanding and sighs. "I'm not allowed to give you any more time Sophie," A few more sobs threaten to escape me as she says that. "But given the circumstances and the fact that you're a dedicated and good student, I'll make an exception. You have one week to complete it." She says gently.

I would grin if I had the energy, so I settle with a small, appreciative smile. "Thank you miss. You don't know how much I appreciate it."

She smiles, "Don't worry, now go fix yourself up before class starts."

I leave the class after I chuck my models into the nearest bin, and Alex gets up from where he was leaning on the wall to face me.

"So?"

"She said she'd give me a week to do it."

He grins, "See, I told you it'll be alright." I give him a small smile and nod.

"What's wrong?" He asks with a frown while searching my face. "You got an extension. Isn't that what you wanted?"

I nod, "Yes it is. But the amount of work I put into those models took weeks Alex. I can't do it in one week."

I run a hand over my face and sigh.

"Then I'll help you..." He says.
I raise an eyebrow at him. "I'll come after work to your place... If that's okay with you...?" He responds seriously.

I smile softly. What did I do to deserve Alex? Before I know what I'm doing, I wrap my arms around his neck and hug him tightly. He tenses underneath me but soon relaxes and wraps his arms around my waist.

Our bodies fit perfectly together, making me feel like maybe they belong together. I inhale his scent, "Thank you so much Alex."

He laughs lightly, his chest vibrating under mine. "Only for you..."

And that ladies and gentlemen is how Alex made my heart stop beating.

****

"You alright with sitting in the cafeteria? If you don't want to we don't have-"

"No." I cut Alex off, "That way they'll think they beat me. I'll be alright."

He studies my face before he nods. Luckily Nina had an extra pair of jeans and a hoodie in her locker so I'm no longer in wet and muddy clothes. I put my hair up into a high pony, hoping it hides the dirtyness away. I could've gone home, I really could've, but then the Elite would've thought I was still mourning over the loss of my beautiful project and although I am, it's not to the point where I'd go home and give them that satisfaction.

However, I do want to go home and take a shower since I feel disgusting. Before I go to Sunny Smiles I'll definitely do that.

"You done tyding up your house?" He teases.

"It's my locker idiot. And yes, I am done. Lets go and get the worst part over with." I say.

He chuckles, "That's the spirit."

As we make our way through the doors of the cafeteria, the Elite smirk at me and then scowl at the way I'm dressed.

Thays right, its because of you I look like this.

I roll my eyes before I make eye contact with Courtney. My insides coil with anger and a look of disgust takes over my face. I scoff and continue down to the Rebels table.

"Well you're looking better..." Christina comments.

"Don't get me started." I mutter, taking out my salad. I stab a piece of cucumber aggressively before chewing on it in frustration. They all eye me awkwardly and I freeze, my lettuce on the fork mid air. "What?"

"Why are you still eating salads?" Martin asks.

I laugh lightly, "Because I actually genuinely enjoy salads. Way better than greasy food to me."

Cole chokes, "You mean, you're saying salads are better than burgers?"

I nod, "Yep."

He puts his hand over his heart, "I don't think we can be friends."

I kick him under the table, causing him to wince, "What was that for?"

I shrug, "Maybe 'cause you're been ridiculous." I shove a forkful of salad into my mouth.

"Are you guys just going to sit here and watch her abuse me like this?" He asks the others rhetorically. They all shrug.

"You ate my last slice of pizza so yeah. You kinda deserve it." Martin chimes in.

Cole rolls his eyes, "Move on

bro. That was, like, yesterday."
"That was ten minutes ago." Martin corrects him.

"Yesterday, today, same difference." Cole shrugs, making Martin rolls his eyes.

I laugh, forgetting what just happened for half a second. How is it possible that these people can make me laugh after such an insufferable morning?

I feel Alex move closer to my ear, his breath tickling my kneck. "You know..." He starts, his voice low so that only I can hear it, "Even after such a bad morning, you still look as hot as ever."

I almost choke on a piece of feta cheese and my eyes widen as I  feel the heat rush to my cheeks. I hear Alex laugh beside me but I my mind has gone numb.

Alex just called me hot!?

"Sophie. Sophie?" Nina asks.

I look at her with dazed eyes, "Mmh?"

"You look like a tomato." Martin says.

I blush further.

"Alex was being his usual self and said something, am I right?" Cole adds.

I sigh and put my head on the desk. "Why did I have to be such a bright blusher?" I mumble, making everyone laugh.

"Because then it would be one less thing to turn a guy on." Alex smirks. I elbow him in the rib and he lets out an 'umph' sound which I laugh at.

"I'm going to deck you if you don't watch it." I threaten.

"Ooh, feisty... Just the way I like 'em"

And with that I kick him under the table.

I'm finally done with exams!
Whoop whoop!

I really hope you enjoyed this chapter guys :)
Remember, updates will now be every Saturday! If theres's ever a Saturday I can't update, I'll let you know on my message board so make sure you follow me to receive the notification.

Quick Q: How would you have reacted to what Courtney and Megan did to Sophie?

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