It had been five days since the truth about FEC came out and rumors around school were running rampant. If she thought being stared at by Avery, Wyatt and the others was bad, it was nothing compared to this. Anywhere she went she was faced with scrutinizing looks, not to so quiet whispers and an insane amount of questions. There were stupid questions too, like "Are you a part of cult?", "Why didn't you steal from my house?" or her personal favorite, "Can I join?"

It wouldn't have been so bad if the others were there, but since they were suspended for ten days, she had to bare the brunt of it alone. The funny thing was her popularity seemed to have increased exponentially. Now that she was known as a "criminal," she was more interesting to the high school population. She had countless of offers to hang out after school and she was up to her ears in party invitations. The whole thing was so absurd it was laughable.

And she would have laughed, if she hadn't felt so alone. Without Avery and the others, she was lost. No one understood what she was going through except them. She'd joined FEC as a coping mechanism, but ended up forging a bond, one deeper than she initially realized. She missed them all, even Wyatt and his grumpy demands.

Lunch was the worst. It only magnified her feeling of isolation. Multiple students asked her to join them, but she knew the offer wasn't intended for friendship. No, they wanted her at their table so they could ask questions and show her off like a freak at the circus. She declined all invites and instead ate her lunch at the table FEC usually occupied. It was awkward to sit there by herself and be gawked at, but she stuck it out.

Today, however, she brought headphones and a book to keep her occupied. Popping in the earbuds, Madison took a bite of her sandwich and started reading. A few minutes in and she felt a shadow loom above her. Assuming it was another person coming to ask her more questions, she suppressed the urge to roll her eyes and instead kept reading. She hoped they would take the hint and leave, but they didn't.

Without looking up, she said, "To answer your question, no, FEC isn't a cult. We don't pray to a pagan god or offer up virgin girls as sacrifices. And before you ask, no, there's no blood involved either. Nor are we a Wiccan coven putting hexes on those we steal from so if you're here to ask for some sort of curse for ex, well sorry, but you're fresh out of luck."

A deep chuckle rumbled behind her. "Damn. And I so wanted to place a curse on my arch enemy."

She looked up from her book to see Zach Brewer towering over her in all his glory. "What do you want?" she asked suspiciously.

"Well, hello to you too, Pots." He patted the top of her head and looked at her expectantly. When she didn't respond in kind, he went on. "Happy to see you in such a perky mood. And since you asked, I'm doing fine today as well. Is this seat open?" He pointed to the chair across from her.

"No."

"Good, don't mind if I do." He slid into it and folded his hands, resting them on the table. "So how are things going?" he asked in a singsong voice.

Since it was obvious he wasn't going to leave anytime soon, she closed her book and asked, "How do you think?"

"Based on what I heard it sounds like you've had an interesting week."

"That's an understatement," she muttered. She cocked her head to the side and studied him, searching for a hidden agenda. Unfortunately, his face gave nothing away. "Are you here for a piece of the action?"

His eyebrow rose at the implication.

She flushed and hurried to correct herself. "You know what I mean. Are you here to get a piece of gossip about the FEC?"

"No actually, I'm not."

"Are you here to invite me to one of your parties?"

"Well, I don't know. I guess it depends if you're going to steal anything or not. I would preferably like to keep all my belongings by the end of the night."

Glowering, she replied, "Hardy har har. Everyone thinks they're a comedian nowadays."

He gave an arrogant shrug and then pretended to brush his shoulders. "I like to think I'm a pretty funny guy."

 "So if you didn't come for any of that, then why are you here?"

"Maybe I just needed a place to sit and prop my feet up for awhile." To drive home his point, he pulled out the chair next to him and planted his shoes on it. At her skeptical look, he added, "Hey! Do you know how much abuse my body gets at practice every day? Trust me, it needs the break."

"And you couldn't have done this over there?" She jerked her head toward the bleachers where the football players usually hung out.

He put his hands behind his head and stretched out. "And miss out on such a warm and welcoming environment?" Her derisive scowl made him laugh. "See? Why would I want blatant admiration when I can have scathing looks instead?"

She pushed her lunch aside. "Seriously, why are you here?" Maybe he wanted a favor in return for what he did at the Homecoming dance. Or maybe he was bored and wanted to mess with her.

"Pots, I'm hurt. Maybe I just wanted to see again."

"Stop calling me that. And you're not my type," she said flatly.

"Ouch," he retorted. He clutched a hand over his heart and threw his head back pretending to die.

"And I have a feeling I'm not your type either." He treated her more like a younger sister than someone romantically interested. So why he was over here was a complete mystery to her. Zach Brewer wasn't known for being nice just for the sake of it.

"You're not," he said cheerfully, swiping the chocolate pudding off her tray.

"You're annoying me."

He peeled off the top and took a bite. "You'd be surprised to know I annoy a lot of people."

"Based on our interactions, not really that surprised."

He ignored her comment and settled back in his chair, propping his feet up again. "So why are you sitting here all alone?"

"You know why. Hell, the whole school knows why."

"I mean why aren't you sitting with that guy you were at the dance with? You two looked pretty tight. Shouldn't he be here keeping you company?"

She felt a twinge of pain at the thought of Carson and how happy they were at the dance. They'd talked a little during journalism class and he sent her occasional texts, but it wasn't the same. Their interactions were more subdued and the flirty nature of the relationship was virtually non-existent. "We're just...friends."

He reared back and cringed. "That doesn't sound good. Is it because of the whole felony thing?"

She narrowed her eyes. "I'm not a felon."

He shrugged and waved the spoon in the air. "You say tomato..."

"Let's just say it's complicated."

He leaned in a little and whispered, "Do you want to make him jealous? He's looking over here."

"He is?" Her head popped up as she tried to find him in the crowd. "Where?"

Zach let out a curse and rolled his eyes to the sky. "Lord, give me patience with this clueless female." He looked back at her and hissed, "Would you stop doing that? You look like a chicken with its head cut off."

"I do not," she insisted.

"Fine, don't believe me. But you'll never get him by sitting here feeling sorry for yourself. Aren't you the one who told me to get off my ass and do something about my problems?"

"Yes, but this is different. I asked him and he said he wanted space to figure things out."

He set the empty pudding cup down and looked her in the eye. "Listen, Pots. There's a difference between giving him some room to breathe and being in another room of the house."

"Huh?"

"Give him some space, but don't leave entirely."

"I get it. Out of sight, out of mind kind of thing, right?"

"Exactly. Be where he is. Force him to see you, think about you. Don't hide away in the corner."

She nodded, thinking about his advice. "Thanks. I'll do that."

"Happy to help."

"Now I owe you double."  

"Nah," he said, shaking his head. "This one's on the house. Well, I better get back to my friends. My feet are properly rested now."

As he stood up, she told him, "You never did answer my question. Why did you come over?"

He pursed his lips and cast his eyes out to the quad. "You looked...lonely. I thought you could use a friend."

Taken back, she blinked.

"Plus, you're advice at the dance really helped me. I've been struggling with some things recently and I needed that kick in the pants to get me out of my slump." He gave her a gorgeous smile. "So consider us even."

"You know, you're not as self-centered as your reputation makes you out to be. You really do have a heart."

"Maybe I do, but if you tell anyone, I'll deny it all." As he started to walk away, he looked over his shoulder and added, "Good luck getting your guy. And remember, don't give up."

****