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"You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough." ——Mae West

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Chapter 50
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Today had been...something else.

Every where I turned, eyes were focused in my direction. At first, I thought it was because of my fight with Amber, but once I heard the whispers of my peers, I knew the news of Kade and I's relationship had spread.

'Did you hear? Kade and that new girl—whatsherface—are dating!'

'What the hell was Kade thinking?'

'Just look at her!'

'I'll give them a week...no, a day."

I wondered if Kade was handling this as badly as I was.

I rolled my eyes at myself as I realized it's Kade.

I held the straps of my bag with a tighter grip than before. The bag suffered my wrath as my nails scratched at the tough material. I nibbled on my lip as I made my way to the lunchroom.

Seeing my friends in the lunch line lightened my mood, though. Jax and Maggie waved me over to join them in the lengthy line, but the putrid smell, and dried appearance of day old spaghetti was what stopped me.

I sat at our usual table as I awaited for the three of them to join me. As I felt more eyes weigh on me like concrete, I soon wished that I had at least stood with them in order to avoid the looks.

The lunch line was much longer today, but I noticed how close my friends were getting to the end. Thank god.

I pulled out my English IV book, along with the binder. This was the perfect time to get some extra work done.

I'd already completed half of the assignment in the course, much to my gratitude. I finished it up quickly, before deciding to work on the next page.

I began writing, but something dared my eyes away. The stares from my peers were still high, but the one that caught my eye the most?

Carter.

He sat with a group of his friends, though his eyes were on me. His face was stilled over, so I couldn't read much—

I jumped at the sound of a chair scraping against the cafeteria floor. I guessed that it was Raven, Jax, or Maggie, but once I raised my eyes, I was still very pleased.

I looked at the two drinks in front of me. Kade held two large plastic plates in his hands, before placing them down as well.

My smile grew. "Hi," I said with a breathless voice.

He nodded at me. "How's your day been?"

I smiled as he took a seat to the side of me. "Besides the continuous stares from our peers, it's been great."

Kades' lips pressed together as he nodded. He scooted one of the plates closer to him, before popping it open.

The appetizing scent of french fries overpowered the cafeteria stench. I popped the plate open, my smile widening at the sight of chili cheese fries.

"Thank you," I offered, my eyes jumping between him and the plate with admiration. "You always know the way to my heart. Fries."

Just by looking at him, I could see that his mind was elsewhere. I could guess that it was about something at the cages.

"Hey." I shifted to face him. "Is everything okay?"

His eyes raised to meet mine. The alert in his eyes shifted into something else.

He blinked it away. "Yeah," he nodded his head to confirm it. "Just some stupid shit at the cages."

As I went to speak again, a group of teens walked by our table. Their conversation died to whispers as they passed us, their eyes now the size of saucers.

I squirmed in my seat at the newfound attention. I knew that Kade and I were the most unexpected match in this place, but I still found it ridiculous that we were under a magnifying glass. These idiots were obsessed.

Kade noticed my eyes past him. He turned in his seat. His eyes raised to meet the groups, his angry glare roaring a number of warnings.

"You get five seconds to get your eyes off of her before I rip them from the sockets," he announced, jerking his head at them, and everyone else, as well. "Get me?"

When they stilled, he chuckled, jerking his eyes over the rest. "Anyone else wanna step up?"

I praised the group when they quickly scurried away to drown themselves in someone else's shit. Everyone in the room who had been staring shifted their gazes elsewhere, as well.

Kades' eyes fell back to mine, the cold expression ceasing. I felt my insides warm as his hand crept towards mine.

"Hey," Kade called out, his fingers tracing circles along my wrist. "Don't worry. They're just trying to get under your pretty skin because they have nothing better else to do, you get me?"

I nodded, my smile resting on my lips. "I get you." His words upturned my world. They reminded me that rumors were exactly what they were called. Rumors.

He nodded, studying me over for any insecurities. "If anybody says something else to you, or you're uncomfortable, let me know," Kade told me. "I'll handle it."

I shook my head with a chuckle. "Absolutely not. You're not breaking some poor guys' arm."

Kade snorted. "Don't be dramatic, sweetheart. I'd never." I bobbed my head slowly just before I heard his next words. "I'll go for the nose first, fingers, then his arm."

Just as I directed my glare at him, my friends were placing their trays down. I smiled at them, but only one of the three returned it.

Maggie's scowl was displeasing. "Kimberly, please tell me the rumors aren't true."

"Well, well, well," Jax grinned, taking the seat to my side. "Somebody got busy on her suspension week."

Kade eyed him in warning as he saw him bump into my shoulder. Jax chuckled, completely ignoring it as he dug into his, well my, plate. I felt my skin darken as Jax sent a knowing wink my way.

Raven snatched a fry from my plate. "Agreed." Her voice was short, and snippy.

Maggies' eyes bulged at the both of them. "Are you guys serious?" They all began to go back and forth.

"Guys," I interrupted.

Three pair of eyes raised to meet mine. Kades' eyes had never left.

I struggled to intake a breath. I was truly about to say it.

I smiled as I felt Kade grip my hand in a support mechanism. I squeezed it as a thank you.

"Yes, we're together, and yes he is my boyfriend," I started. "Anything else in our relationship is our business, and," I swallowed past the thick lump in my throat. "It's really not that big of a deal. People get together everyday. If you don't like it, then...you'll just have to deal with it, I guess."

Maggie's scowl deepened while Jax's and Raven's smile widened. Just as Jax went to speak, something behind me caught his eye. I guessed it was one of his teammates.

He dismissed himself, and we said our goodbyes before he promised a quick return. I doubted it, but chuckled and nodded anyway, watching as he left the table.

"In other words, if you don't like it, then fuck off," Kade added, to my dismay. His eyes were glued on Maggie. "That came from me, directly, too."

She sat up in her chair, eyes squinted. "Well, I don't like it. You're an asshole who doesn't deserve Kimberly." She shook her head, palming her face. "This is a joke. A terrible joke."

"Mags," I tried to calm the situation, but I was void in their anger.

"So is your makeup," Kade shot at her in a deceptively calm voice.

Maggie raised herself, her head tilted. "You wanna say that a little louder, bitch?"

Kade shrugged his shoulders. "You heard me. You look like you were raised right out of the Hot Topic dumpster, before having your makeup professionally done by Michael Myers." Just as he quit talking, he popped a fry in his mouth.

My eyes widened with shock. "Stop it, Kade."

Kade had no care in the world. "She started it."

"That was uncalled for," I hissed at him. "Don't talk to my friends like that, again. Ever." He raised his hands in surrender, an eye roll following.

"Maggie," I looked at her. "I understand that you two don't like each other, but you both are in my life. I'm asking you guys to just at least tolerate each other."

My eyes bounced between the two. "Please," I smiled at them both, but the rage that leaped off of Maggie was hard to tame at this point.

"I'm sorry, but I can't right now," Maggie seethed as she picked up her things from the table. "It's insane."

Raven sighed. "Mags, you're being overdramatic," she tried. "Just hear—"

"What?" she laughed, though it was everything but humorous. "So, we're all going to pretend that this piece of shit never walked over Kimberly? That he never hurt her? That he deserves her?"

Raven tried to reach for her arm, but she nearly smacked her as she jerked it away.

"I'm sorry that I'm not fake to his bullshit," Maggie shook her head before looking at me. "But, I know that my friend would never go towards the bullshit, instead of away from it." With those parting words, she left the lunchroom.

We all sat in silence, staring at the spot she'd just left. Just as she exited, Jax came back in. His eyes wandered after his sister curiously before returning to us. It didn't take much for him to piece the situation together before he spoke up.

"She just needs some time to cool off, right now," he said. As soon as he was sat, he placed his hand on mine. At Kade's raised eyebrow, Jax pulled his hand back with a chuckle.

I nodded, plastering a smile on my face. "Thanks, Jax. Really."

I understood Maggie's skeptism to my relationship with Kade. She came into the picture when things between us were bad, so I'd never had the time to tell her of the good.

But, Kade and I understood the truths about each other, now. Things were different. The past was still there, and even though I hated to visit the memories, they wouldn't just leave at my wish. I knew that the future would hold brighter images than the past, though. And, that was worth it in our relationship. When I was with Kade, I felt my world turn upside down. My smile's were finally genuine. My downs were now ups. We saw things in the other that were blind to the world.

Maggie was my friend, but she wasn't my guardian angel. I knew how to fight my own battles. I might lose over half of them, but I still knew how to fight them. I wasnt a puppet on a string for her to control, and I was done carrying around that reputation.

It was time to take control of my own life, something I should have done long ago, with or without Kade, or Jax, Raven, or Maggie. Just me.

I'd always be open to their concern, but not their opinions. No one ever came behind the scenes of our lives. That made them a bystander.

"Are you okay?" Kade whispered in my ear.

I nodded, turning towards him. I drew in a breath before answering with physical words.

"I'm okay," I said it with a smile. "I'm perfect."

The words were so easy to say because they were finally the truth. Things weren't the best right now, but I knew that it could be worse. That was why I was okay.

I was okay.