I wake up, knowing immediately I want to fall back asleep. I don't want to face the realities of last night, and consider how to handle all of the dilemmas. "Ugh." I smack my face with a pillow, unhappily accepting the inevitability of today's problem solving.

    "Breakfast!" Luke shouts from downstairs. Oh, great. I forgot I'm living with him. There's another problem. God, it's only six thirty in the morning and already I am going to have to discuss the very uncomfortable happenings of last night with Luke.

    "Coming!" I lamentably blow a strand of hair from in front of my face, and stand, barely voluntarily.

    I button the flannel I wore last night around my waste, as a shirt. No one will notice. Quickly, I slide into the leggings I wore when Luke took me in, and run downstairs. "I smell trouble," I murmur, as I slide onto my stool. "Ooh, and bacon." piggishly, I sniff the air, wanting to absorb every bit of the scent. There are no words to describe how in love with bacon I am. I should capitalize the 'b' in bacon, because it is the name of something truly special. Food will always love me. And I will always love food.

    "You smelled right," he plops a piping hot plate of eggs and bacon in front of me.

    "So I did smell bacon and trouble?" I ask, not sure if I want to hear the answer.

    "Why would you smell trouble?" he laughs, shoving his binder into his backpack.

    "Sorry, were you roofied or something? Do you not remember?" I look around the room, suspiciously.

"Remember what?" he raises an eyebrow as he zips his backpack shut.

"But---" I try.

"I saw a good movie last night, if that's what you were wondering." he winks at me. I know that wink. The just go with it wink.

"Oh..." I purse my lips. Part of me wants to know what he had to say last night. Part of me wanted him to tell me this morning. As much as I wish he'd forget what happened, he can't. I want him to acknowledge it and just tell me straight up he doesn't feel the same way. I should've known better. I told him a few times apparently that I have feelings for him, each was returned with denial and ignorance. "Okay."

---------------------------------------------------------------

"Khloe?" I beg, hoping three different efforts at a greeting will be enough for an acknowledgement.

"What?" she moans, finally replying.

    "We need to talk about last night," I purse my lips.

    "What's to discuss?" she turns around, slinging her backpack over her shoulder.

    "Well, quite a few things actually." I begin my debrief.

    "No, we actually do not." she picks up her pace, steam pouring from her ears.

    "Khloe, please."I beseech, grabbing her wrist, and forcing her to face me.

    "Fine." she sighs, irritably.

    "I can't feel the same way about you, that you feel about me," I start my harangue.

    "I know." Khloe takes a deep breath. "It was a stupid, drunken act. I'm sorry."

    "Don't apologize for something you can't control," I interrupt.

    "I'm apologizing for acting on it, not feeling it." she corrects me, tempestuously.

    "It's cool," I absolve, hastily.

    "I like Ava anyways, I want to be with her, not you." she continues, dragging on a list of excuses.

    "Wait you were drunk?" I gasp, taken aback by the good girl Khloe admitting to intoxication.

    "Yeah, yeah, get out your giggles now." she rolls her eyes.

    "Hey, looks like you got someone to ask to the dance then." I grin, wrapping a cordial arm around her shoulder.

    "Yeah, I guess so." she blushes.

    "Best friends forever, right?" I smile, looking at her.

    "Best friends forever." she nods, as we make our way to class.

-------------------------------------------

    "Adriann, you gotta listen to this." Ar grabs my attention from the glop that I think is mashed potatoes on my breaking tray.

    "Ugh, fine." I grab the earbud he is offering to me, and stick it into my right ear. "What is this crap?" I ask.

    "Anna Clendening," he whimpers, sniffling, as he raises a forkful of 'mashed potatoes' to his mouth.

    "Ar, don't do it!" I caution, praying he won't take a bite.

    "I have nothing left," he frowns. "You don't like Anna Clendening."

    "It's not worth it, Ar." I cry.

    For a moment, the two of us are completely silent, and then we double over laughing, drawing the attention of many fellow cafeterians.

    "Seriously though, those will kill ya." I warn.

    "I know, Silly." he giggles.

    "Good," I wipe fake sweat from my forehead.

    "Hey Butch," the normally empty area on our bench is suddenly occupied by the one and only, Queen Shaye Bassle.

    "Hi there, Line Forgetter," I greet.

    "That was a really bad comeback, Adriann." Ari whispers in my ear.

    "Are you gonna eat that?" I ask Shaye, pointing to her mashed potatoes.

    "Probably not," she squints at me.

    "Alright good." I smirk. Shaye turns in seat.

    "Bella, come sit with me!" she yells across the cafeteria to one of her minions.

    Quickly, while Shaye is turned around, I pick up her tray, and plop it upside down on her head. I return to a casual position, as she slowly turns around, a look of pure villainy plastered on her face.

    "Oh, I wouldn't frown like that, I heard it will give you wrinkles." I chuckle, and stand up to leave.

    "Oh. My. God. You little punk. You're going to pay for what you just did!" she screams, as I stand up triumphantly, leaving the cafeteria.

    "Are you stupid or something?" Ari asks, exasperated approaching me from behind as I leave earshot of the cafeteria.

    "She deserved it," I fold my arms, annoyedly.

    "And you're going to deserve a huge punishment," he lectures. "You heard when Ratface said one more thing and he'll have to expel you, right?"

    "How do you even know about that?" I roll my eyes.

    "He posted a Facebook life event." he brushes aside my question with a very brief answer.

    "Relax, she was turned around and no one bothers to look at us, there isn't even any proof it was me." I remark.

    "Beside the fact that only you and I were sitting with her?" he peeves.

    "Oh yeah." I purse my lips.

    "Adriann, office, now." Ratface calls from the end of the hall.

    "Shit." I drop my head in defeat.

    "Excuse me, Mr. Jackson, it wasn't Adriann who did it, it was me." Ari runs down the hall to catch up to a steaming Mr. Jackson. Ar glances at me, giving me the you owe me, Adriann look.

    "Both of you, in my office." I can't believe Ar just took the blame for me. A spot on his perfectly clean record. A black mark he can never erase. What would I do without that boy.