Tracey.

My alarm clock croaked out some annoying pop song that my brain couldn't register at the moment. I groaned and slapped it off, laying in bed for a few minutes after doing so. This has to be the hardest part of my day, getting the courage to get out of bed. After a few minutes, I finally dragged myself out, promising my bed that I would make up for lost time tonight.

As I showered, I took the time to think. It's been a while since David requested I introduce he and Cameron. To be totally fair, they've been doing a good job of not running into each other. David decided that he preferred sitting with the jocks, and hasn't moved back to our original table. Bianca seems to go wherever he goes, and Tremaine has been on vacation. So, I've been spending my lunches with Cameron. Not that I'm complaining. He's really good company, especially at a time where I'm questioning where my friends' loyalties lie.

After my shower I stared at my closet, deciding I want to look nice. Or at least presentable. I pulled out a pair of teal skinny jeans, a black tank top, and a white cardigan. With my black ankle boots, the outfit was complete.

Plugging my phone into my speakers, I danced to the music while I dressed. It's a lot harder than it sounds. You try pulling on skinny jeans while simultaneously singing into a hairbrush microphone. By the time I finished, I had no energy to do my hair properly, so I brushed it back into a ponytail.

I went downstairs to make breakfast, and found Brittany downstairs waiting for me. When she saw me, she ran an attached herself to my side, hugging me hard.

"Morning Tracey!" she said excitedly. Are all children morning people?

"Good morning Brit-Brit, what do you want for breakfast?"

"Eg-gos, Eg-gos, Eg-gos," she chanted.

I laughed. "Waffles it is then."

I walked into the kitchen, and I was welcomed by the presence of my father reading a newspaper. It really irked me that mom took him back, just like that.

"Good morning," he said cheerily.

"It was, until I saw you," I muttered.

"Excuse me?"

"I was clear." I said shortly.

"Now, that's no way to talk to your father," he said sternly.

"Maybe not, but I think it's the right way to talk to a man who cheats on his wife."

He put down the newspaper. "Listen, that's none of your business-"

I stopped him. "That's where you're wrong. This is my mother we're talking about it. I may not agree with her decision to take you back, but there's nothing I can do about that right now. But know one thing- I'm watching you. So you better watch your step. The next time I have even an ounce of proof that you're cheating, I will see to it that you never live in this house again. That's a promise."

Leaving the kitchen, I grabbed my bag and fled the house.

I don't understand what's wrong with me when it comes to that man lately. Just being in his presence is enough to turn me into a raging bitch. I'm usually more composed than that, but that man just really pushes my buttons. It's hard to believe that's the man I called my father for sixteen years. It's hard to believe that I once had respect for him. My mom may have forgiven him, but I sure haven't. I don't believe the last time he cheated was his last time, either. He probably still banged that slut on the business trip even after they got into that argument. I wouldn't be surprised.

As I put the keys in the ignition, I realized that I forgot to make Brittany breakfast, and I forgot to eat myself. Oh well. Hopefully that man still has enough sense not to let his child starve. Pulling out of the driveway, I focused on the scenery to get my mind off of things. We were well into Autumn now, and colorful leaves were everywhere. They fell from the trees lazily, floating around in the air before settling on the ground. That calmed me as I made my way to school.

-

When I pulled into the school parking lot, I saw David there waiting for me. I smiled. We've been a tad distant lately, but it was nothing major. We were still good.

He walked up to me as I got out of the car.

"Hey baby," he greeted, kissing me on the cheek.

"Hey!" I gushed. "You didn't have to wait in the cold for me, I would've met you inside."

He chuckled. "It's not that cold out. Plus, it's worth it to see you."

My ears got hot. "You're such a flirt David."

Winking, he said "Only for you."

He wrapped his arm around my waist, and we started walking into to school.

I saw Cameron walking up to us and I smiled, detaching myself from David.

"Hey Tracey!" he said excitedly, wrapping me in a bear hug. He looked at David. "Who's this?"

"Hey," I returned the greeting, "This is David."

He released me and offered his hand to David. He took his hand and shook it briefly.

"So you're Cameron," he said crossly.

"The one and only, glad to hear she talks about me" he smiled. "You're also a friend of Tracey's?"

"No, I'm her boyfriend," he growled. He wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me into him, almost possessively. I scowled. Men.

Cameron's face fell. "Oh. Sorry for the misunderstanding. I'll see you later Tracey, yeah?" He walked away quickly.

When he was gone, I pushed myself off of David. "And what the hell was that?"

He shrugged. "Nothing. I just wanted him to know who I was."

"Yeah? Well next time you want to go all cave man, don't. I'm not your property, and I don't need you scaring off my friends," I fumed. I started walking into the building without him.

"Come on babe, don't be like that!" he called after me, but I held a hand up to let him know that I was done with the conversation.

I caught up with Cameron at his locker. He glanced at me, but then looked back at his locker and concentrated on getting his books as if it was the most difficult thing in the world.

Sighing, I walked next to him. "Hey, Cam? I'm really sorry about David going all ass on you. He's a meathead, sometimes he doesn't think before he speaks. Don't let it get to you."

He closed his locker and looked at me solemnly. "It's not just him. Your friend Bianca seems to hate me too. What did I do?"

"Nothing! Don't worry about them. You're a great guy Cam, I don't know what's wrong with them, but don't let it get to you. I'm sure if they took the time to get to know you, we could all be good friends."

He chuckled, displaying his dimples and white teeth. "Yeah, right. They're not what's important to me. I would love for your friends to like me, but they just don't. What's important is if you like me. Do you like me?"

"Of course I do. As I said before, you're a great guy."

The bell rang, and he kissed me on the cheek. "Good. Remember that."

He walked to class, leaving me staring after him. I held my hand to my cheek, my ears burning. What was that all about? I couldn't help but feel like his last words had a hidden meaning that I didn't quite understand.

Composing myself, I made my way to class. David and Cameron were both seated, a seat between them. Obviously that seat was meant for me. I closed my eyes for a moment, composing myself, before I slid into the seat they reserved. This is going to be a long day.

-

After school, I mentally squealed at finally being released from that prison. The day was just as miserable as I predicted, the tension between David and Cameron was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Why are men so territorial? I'm not an object!

I was walking to my car when I saw someone that made me stop short in my tracks. There was a guy leaning against the hood of my car. He was about 6'2" with mocha brown skin and a smile that could brighten anyone's day. He was big and toned, and always looked clean and crisp.

It was my best friend Tremaine.

"TREY!" I screeched, running and latching myself onto him, trapping him in a fierce hug.

He laughed. "Hey gorgeous. Missed me?"

I detached myself from him. "Shut up. When did you get back?"

"A few hours ago."

"And you came to school, why?" I raised an eyebrow.

He rubbed the back of his neck, giving me a sympathetic smile. "How about we go somewhere and talk?"

I frowned. If Trey couldn't tell me what he was doing here, it has to be something serious. What happened?

-

We ended up at Subway. After getting our food, we found seats and sat down.

"So, you wanna stop being cryptic and tell me what this is about?"

He cleared his throat. "Well, David has been blowing up my phone the whole time while I was gone. I also got a couple of texts from Bianca."

"About what?" I asked, confused.

He didn't respond for a moment. "Who the hell is Cameron?"

I sighed. "He recently moved to town. His first day her, Mr. Long asked me to show him around so he wouldn't get lost. After having to spend the whole day with him, I found out he was a pretty cool guy. So, we're friends now." I explained.

"Aww, you replaced me so quickly?" he teased.

I smirked. "You know nobody could replace your goofy self."

"I know," he said confidently. "So why does everyone have a problem with the guy?"

I threw my hands up in the air. "That's the million dollar question! They barely know him, but for some reason they just don't like him. I don't understand."

Trey thought about something for a moment, then shook his head. "You don't... you don't have feelings for the guy, do you?"

My eyes widened. "Are you insane? Of course not!"

He laughed nervously. "I feel so stupid for asking that, but I promised David I would."

I nodded, understanding. It kind of pisses me off that David has my best friend doing his dirty work, but whatever.

After a brief silence, Trey spoke again. "Hey, do me a favor. If you do end up falling for this guy, just be honest, okay? I don't want anybody getting hurt."

"Of course." I didn't really know what else to say. Him saying that made me feel like he knew me better than I knew myself. It's almost as if he's expecting me to do something I shouldn't.

*Song for this chapter is Diary by Alicia Keys because Trey is someone that Tracey can really confide in :)