"You looked like a starved street rat." I glanced up at Shay, taking in her curled blonde bangs. I shrugged, pushing my tray toward her to offer up my food.

"I'm just not hungry." I grumbled, "I barely slept all week." I rubbed my forehead as Shay tossed a grape into her mouth. After a minute she pursed her lips and shook her head.

"Jacob or Cam?" She questioned, her green eyes lit with anger.

"Both, actually." I responded. It had been bad enough that I had been stuck in the car with the boys for over an hour, and spent another two running through Wal-Mart, chasing after Cam and threatening to beat him over the head with a loaf of bread.

When we had gotten back to the house, matters had only gotten worse. Cam had pretty much forced me to stay over and have our Sunday night Movie Marathons. Jacob had glanced over at me almost all night, as if he were ready to say something, then would decide against it and went back to talking to Cam or watching the movie.

The worst part of the night was when I dozed off and woke up with my head on Jacob's lap, his arm draped over me. It had taken everything in my power not to stand up and run out of the room, the house even, screaming.

"You want to talk about it?" She questioned, raising an eyebrow. I shook my head, my eyes drifting toward Cam's table. There was a girl sitting beside him, holding her stomach as if she were going to be sick. Considering how bad Cam's flirting tended to be, it wouldn't surprise me if that was the cause.

"That's Alliyah." Shay said, taking in the pretty brunette, "She's pregnant." I blinked in surprise. I recognized her now. She was one of the honor students, one of the students that my mom had met once at an Open House and had suggested I be more like.

She was pregnant?

"My ladies!" An obnoxious and familiar voice said above me before we could continue my conversation about Alliyah. The devil himself fell in the empty spot next to me, Shay beamed at Wes.

"I thought you weren't going to be back for another week." She said, grinning as she stood up and walked around the table to hug him. I was a little shocked by the action. Before Wesley had gone off to some summer camp Shay and him had a fight that I thought for sure was going to end their friendship, as well as mine with them both. He had been called back to the camp this last week and a half to figure out some financial thing and hadn't said a word to either of us since then.

"Well, I figured I'd see my beautiful girls before they get brainwashed by the cruel new Principal." I laughed at that, leaning my head against his shoulder. Mr. Harper had become principal a year ago, and it was no secret that Shay hated having her dad being at school with them constantly, keeping an even closer eye on her then usual.

"You should have heard Blake all week. It was always, Wes this, Wes that. I want Wes. When will Wes be back." Shay exaggerated, making gestures with her hands as she gave me a playful glare. I could feel warmth spread through my already warm cheeks, despite her words being a lie. I felt Wes chuckle under my head, a quiet breathy laugh.

"I missed you too, Skittles." He joked, kissing the top of my head.

Wes and I had always had a strange relationship. We had met in sixth grade after Shay ran into me in the lunch room and we both got drenched in food and milk, then laughed about it for hours. He had asked me out about a year later, telling me how cute and funny I was. I had believed we would be a good couple. With Wes being all seriousness and just this sweet, kind hearted, amazing person, and me being shy and quiet, it seemed like the perfect match.

Well, it would have been if I hadn't had a foul mouthed, over protective, obnoxious best friend who was completely against me dating anyone. Cam had said it was his job to make sure boys didn't break my heart, and that he knew for a fact that Wes was one of those guys. I had ignored his pleads for me to stay away, had dated Wes for a few months before I finally found him with some girl from our History class.

As time went by we grew closer again, but it never went beneath or beyond friends. Once and a while we would flirt harmlessly, other times we would get into fights and wouldn't talk for weeks, maybe months. But somehow we always found our way back to each other. He had this weird way of worming his way back into my life, kind of like Cam.

"I hate that name." I finally replied, ripping myself out of my thoughts.

"What, Skittles? I love it." Shay piped in. I sent her a dirty glare, shaking my head in anger.

"I gave you that name after you offered me skittles during Seven Minutes In Heaven instead of making out with me." Wes replied, nodding as he recalled the memory. I could feel myself blush even more at Wes' words.

"Wesley, my dear. Your precious little Skittles here isn't having a very good week." I saw Wesley's playful and joking attitude fade within seconds, his eyes darting toward Cam sitting a few tables back.

"What'd he do this time?" Wes asked.

"It's not important." I sighed, stabbing at my salad, disinterested in it.

"Blake-" He tried again.

"I said it didn't matter, Wes," I snapped, "Just drop it, please."

***

"Why are you so pissed off?" Cam swung into my house from the tree branch outside, hanging over my balcony. I glanced up from my textbook, giving him an irritated look before dropping my head again.

"Blake, you can't sit here and be pissed at me without a reason why." He snapped out a few seconds later, when he didn't get an answer out of me.

"You told him." I finally said, my voice barely above a whisper.

"Told who? What the hell are you talking about?"

"Jacob, Cam! You told him about my crush on him. How could you?" I saw his eyes flicker for a second before they returned to normal.

"He was asking me about you, Blake." Cam sat down on my bed beside me, "Weird questions, too. He asked if you had a boyfriend yet, and I guess that's when I understood what was going on. I was disgusted. How the hell could my best friend and my brother be in a relationship, there should be some sort of law against it." He shuddered dramatically beside me, his arm nudging mine with a tight smile.

"But you told him anyway." I whispered.

"Of course I did. I know you've liked him for like eight years, Blake. Now is your time to make your move, and I wanted to help you get a little ahead of the game." I sighed in defeat, feeling as if all the anger and betrayal I'd felt all week was ridiculous.

I should have realized that Cam had only said something because it would benefit me, he'd never tell my secrets just for the hell of it.

"It's every man's dream, you know. To have his brother sleeping with his best friend." The sarcasm dripping off of every word that left Cam's mouth brought a smile to my face.

"I bet it is." I replied. He nudged me again before tackling me back on to my bed completely, sending us both into a fit of laughter.

"You're going to break my glasses." I gasped, pushing his hands away when he tried to tickle me.

"You have like a thousand pairs of them, Blake." He responded, a mischievous look in his eyes.

"I have two, Cameron. Now get off." I squirmed until he rolled off of me and on to my comforter beside me.

"I want you to talk to Jake." Cam whispered after a few minutes of comfortable silence.

"I'm not talking to him." I mumbled, bringing my hand up to rub my forehead.

"Why?"

"Because every time I do I make a fool out of myself, Cam. He'll think I'm still some little kid, okay?" He snickered, turning and propping himself up on his elbow. His hazel eyes scanned my face, looking for something that I was sure he probably wouldn't find.

"Blake, just be you. Act like you're talking to Wesley, or me, or just some guy at school. Pretend that it's not Jake for a minute and you'll realize that it's all in your head. Mind over matter, my dear." He reached over and pushed against my temple with an obnoxious laugh.

"I hate it when you're right." I grumbled, moving over so I could lay my head against his chest and stair out my open balcony and into Jake's vacant room. I felt Cam sigh beneath me before he rubbed my arm, as if he were trying to warm me up.

"I know you do." He said, "But you love me anyway."

***AN***

Hope you guys enjoyed! 

I promise the next chapter will be more eventful! 

Let me know what you thought!

~ChasingMadness24