(Edited)

"What's going on with you?" Emily asked, pulling me to the side. "You've been everywhere but here."

I sighed and slumped down against the lockers. I patted the space next to me on the floor for Emily to join me. I laid my head on her shoulder and sighed again.

"Talk to me?" Emily asked.

"Michael," I mumbled.

Emily brushed some of my hair out of my face. "I thought you guys were good. On Friday when you called me, you sounded so happy."

"I was." I pouted. Emily's face was getting irritated by my lack of answers. "And then when we spent the weekend together, he was different, held back."

"Why?"

I groaned. "I don't know." I buried my face into my hands. "Maybe he regrets asking me out."

Emily's face looked puzzled. "Why would he regret it? He's been talking about asking you out for the past two weeks." She exclaimed loudly, throwing her arms in the air. "Even when he was angry with you, he still wanted to ask you out."

I glared at Emily. "How am I supposed to know? Do you think if I knew, I would be asking you?"

Emily rolled her eyes. "Ok, calm down, jeez!" She turned her body, so she was facing me. With a determined look in her eyes, she asked. "Let's go through his behaviour step by step."

I suppressed a moan and complied. "Ok, Michael was fine on Friday, nothing in his behaviour changed."

Emily scratched her chin. "When did you notice a change?"

I smirked. "Doesn't this feel like a police investigation to you?"

Emily glared. "Don't change the subject and answer the question." She said, but I could see a small smile through the cracks.

I thought back to the weekend, really thought. Michael was fine when I arrived and for a while when we were hanging out. He was happy and flirty, and things only changed...

"When he received a message!" I told her loudly.

Emily, who sat patiently waiting for my answer, got startled by my loud proclamation. I chuckled and received a slap on the arm.

"What the hell was that for?" She glared.

"I thought you wanted an answer!" I shrugged with a smile.

She opened her mouth to scold me but decided against it. "Ok, now explain what you meant."

The bell rung, indicating that our second class had started, but Emily and I couldn't be bothered. I stared at the kids running past us trying to make it on time but obviously were failing.

"We were watching a movie, and Michael was his usual playful self." I looked away from the shoes passing by and over at Emily to see if she was following. "Then he got a message, and he went rigid. After he read the message, he was silent and angry, and every time I asked him what was wrong, he would brush it off."

"Maybe he found something out and wasn't ready to talk about it!" Emily suggested.

I shook my head. "That's what I thought, but since he received that message, he has been distant."

"Distant, how?"

I bit my cheek. "Distant in the sense that he only talks to me when I initiate the conversation. Or when he's next to me he's usually all touchy-feely with me, but nothing."

Emily started to smile suggestively, and I scolded her with my eyes. "You miss his touch, do you?" She wiggled her eyebrows up and down, creepily.

I blushed but slapped her anyway. "I'm being serious!"

"Ah honey, I know. I'm just trying to make you feel better." She pulled me into a hug and started petting my head like a dog.

I rolled my eyes but stayed put on her shoulder. "What's this I hear about a new student?"

"I don't know, honestly, but I heard she was in this school a few years ago." Emily shrugged absentmindedly.

***

I was sitting on our usual bench in the lunchroom, waiting for my friends. I had so many things going through my mind. I had to confront Michael about what was going on, but I was frightened that he would only push me away. We had only been going out for a few days, and I didn't want to push my boundaries.

On top of it all, I was freaking out because I was meeting with Jonathan and Mary tomorrow and we're telling Jason and Mason that I'm their sister. I couldn't get a break, and everything was suffocating me.

Michael was the first to arrive at our table, and the anger on his face scared me. His face was red with rage; it went from his cheeks all onto his ears and down his neck.

I stood up when he arrived at the table. "Hey, are you okay?" I asked him and placed my hand on his arm.

He brushed me off. "I'm fine."

If it wasn't for the bench seat, I would have staggered back. "Michael..."

"I said I was fine, just drop it!" He raised his voice.

My entire body froze, and I clenched my fists. I was about to respond, but our friends arrived. I looked him dead in the eyes and made sure my face wore all the emotions he just caused to go through me.

Michael's face softened and filled with regret, he was about to reach out to me, but I moved away and sat next to Emily. Emily gave me a questioning look, and I waved it off. The entire table was quiet for a while; everyone just doing their own thing. Jason kept looking between Michael and me with a confused look on his but kept quiet.

"We're meeting our sister tomorrow," Mason said out of nowhere, interrupting the silence.

Michael's head snapped up towards my direction, and I met his stare. I felt incredibly guilty sitting here, pretending not to know who their sister was. When in fact I was sitting right here in front of them.

Ashton took a bite of his cupcake that some junior girl brought him and asked. "What do you guys think she'll be like?"

Mason shrugged. "Who knows 13 years is a long time."

"Maybe she hasn't changed much," Emily said, being naïve. She had no idea.

"Do you guys remember that time when we were playing outside climbing trees?" Jason asked. "She was so stubborn; she wouldn't listen to anyone." He turned towards Kate, Emily and I. "We told her not to climb up after us, but she did anyway, and she fell off and cut her arm open."

I couldn't remember any of this, so I continued to listen.

"We were running around, freaking out about how much she was bleeding, but no, she took her jersey off and wrapped her arm and continued climbing like nothing happened." Jason laughed.

I looked at all the boy's faces, and they were shining with pure happiness, even Michael, who was angry, looked better.

I loathed not remembering anything.

"I think this will be good for you guys!" Kate spoke up.

Mason shrugged. He looked the most doubtful between the two.

"What do you think?" Jason asked, looking at me.

My eyes widened, pointing at myself. "Me?"

Jason shook his head and chuckled.

My eyes met Michael's expecting once. "Uhm I..."

"Well look at this the entire gang is here!" A voice said, interrupting the excuse I was going to give.

All four of the boys, heads snapped towards the girl standing at our table. Michael's eyes slit venomously, and something in me stirred.

"Elizabeth!" Mason and Ashton gasped.

"What the hell!" Jason exclaimed loudly.

My heart stopped. Elizabeth, as in Michael's ex-girlfriend. I clenched my fist underneath the table to stop myself from punching her in the face. Everyone's attention moved towards Michael to see his reaction, but he sat still angrily glaring at her, no surprise on his face. He knew she was here, that's why he has been in such a bad mood.

"It's great to see that you all are still friends," Elizabeth said. "But it looks like you've received new members." Elizabeth's eyes looked at us three girls and stopped by me. Her stare would be intimidating if I wasn't the type of person I was.

Elizabeth was intimidatingly beautiful. She was a tall, slender brunette and had every single guy falling over her. Now I knew why Michael fell for her; she was majestic.

"You must be the Autumn I've heard about!" Elizabeth smiled menacingly.

I was about to respond when Michael sneered at her. "Don't start!"

She gasped and placed her hand on her chest. "I'm only introducing myself to your friend." She explained, putting some emphasis on friend.

I kept a straight face. "It's nice to meet you!"

She smirked. "I would say the pleasure is all mine, but I've heard you're sleeping around with my boyfriend so, rather not."

I wanted to leap over the table to punch her, but Emily held my arm. I was about to defend myself and tell her that her so-called boyfriend was now mine, but Jason got there before me.

"She's Michael's girl-" Jason started to say but stopped because Michael placed his hand on his arm in a warning manner.

"Leave Elli!" Michael commanded. Elizabeth rolled her eyes and shot me a dirty glare before walking away.

The table was quiet nobody said anything until Jason couldn't hold it in anymore.

"What the hell! How could you sit there so calmly like she didn't just come back?" Jason yelled at Michael.

How indeed? Then things started to add up; why he had been in such a horrible mood, why he wasn't surprised when she stopped in front of us.

"Because he knew she was back," I said, voicing my thoughts. "Isn't that right, Michael?" I slowly stood up and looked at Michael.

His face was void of emotions. He just stared at me.

"Now everything makes sense. Why you would snap at me every time I asked you what was wrong. Why suddenly everything is somewhat different between us." I said.

Michael opened and closed his mouth like a fish out of water.

"You knew Elizabeth was coming back and didn't think about warning Autumn, who by the way, is your girlfriend!" Mason asked astounded. Michael said nothing.

Jason looked at Michael like he grew two heads. "Why wouldn't you tell her, you know how manipulative Elizabeth is?"

Michael clenched his jaw, getting angrier and angrier, but he had no right.

"Probably for the same reason why he didn't defend me." I shook my head and moved away from my seat.

Ashton scrunched his nose. "Where are you going?"

I gave him a forced smile and looked Michael straight in the eyes when I answered. "I'm going to go sleep around with somebody elses boyfriend!" With that said, I walked away from them, from the cafeteria and the school.

"What the hell man?" Ashton asked.

Michael smacked his fists into the table. "Shut up!"

I stopped in my tracks and took a deep breath. Who knew my relationship with Michael would end so soon. It barely even started. I was just glad I still had my friends to relay on; maybe not Jason and Mason after tomorrow.

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