I couldn't stop freaking out about what happened. I felt kind of guilty for Tyler kissing me, even though I wasn't the one that kissed him and I didn't kiss him back. But Jack had told me how he wanted me to be his girlfriend, and I technically turned him down because I still didn't trust him after what he had done the last time we had kissed each other...

"Are you okay?"

I blinked, not expecting this voice to ask me if I was alright or not. I stared up at Chloe for a moment, trying to think of what I was supposed to say to her. I had been brooding for the entire lunch period, staring at Tyler from across the dining hall as I thought of what I was going to say to him about how he had kissed me.

Obviously noticing where I was staring, Simon was pretty much brooding next to me as well. He kept his head down as he ate, quickly glancing up at me from time to time to see if I was still staring at Tyler, which I definitely was every time he looked at me.

Why would he just kiss me? It was completely out of the blue and random, and he had barely even spoken to me before! At my old school, no guy even went near me, besides Simon and Henry! Now that I was going to this school, I had Jack and Tyler going after me? What was with that?

But the only time Tyler had ever spoken to me was when he said that he liked the scarf that Henry had knitted for me, and then he only really asked me to use the phone. And then he went off and kissed me like we were going out or something! He didn't even talk to me after he had done so... Even though I did kind of push him out of the house in fear that Terra was going to jump him or something... But it hadn't seemed he liked me whatsoever at all!

"I'm fine," I smiled, my eye twitching ever so slightly. I definitely was not fine...

Chloe didn't look like she believed me, but it wasn't like I blamed her. Though I was pretty good at acting when I was on stage, offstage I was pretty horrible. Simon could tell that I was lying as well, so I just couldn't make eye contact with him.

Stephanie didn't seem to notice that anything was wrong at all. She continued to eat in silence, occasionally stealing glances at Simon every now and then. He didn't notice since he was too busy glaring at his plate.

I continued to bore a hole in the side of Tyler's head, hoping and hoping that he would notice me staring at him. He had to have the feeling that someone was watching him, right? He couldn't have thought that he could have kissed me and everything was going to be perfectly normal... Especially when he had kissed me in front of one of my friends!

The questioning had been endless. Terra thought that I was secretly going out with Tyler, and it took me forever to get her to believe that he had kissed me randomly. Now she thought that he liked me, and since I didn't know the answer to that, I couldn't say that he didn't.

I had a class with Tyler, so I was planning on talking to him then. It would be easier, and I wouldn't have had to deal with any of the other Lost Boys. I knew if Jack was around, he would be jealous. If Eli was there, he would make fun of both Tyler and me, and then if Chris was the one with us, he probably would have just laughed his ass off.

"You keep looking over at the Lost Boys table," Chloe concluded after a few more moments of silence, her eyebrows furrowing as she continued to watch me stare at the side of Tyler's head. "Why do you keep looking over there? Ivy? Ivy, are you listening to me?"

Honestly, I wasn't listening to her. All I could think about was what I was going to say to Tyler. I had a plenty of opportunities to talk to him that day, but he had avoided me like I was the plague or something. But he couldn't get out of class so easily...

"Ivy!" Chloe now shouted, slamming her fist down onto the table, which finally brought my attention back to her. Her eyebrows pinched together, she now bored her eyes right into my forehead. "Listen to me, Ivy!"

"Sorry," I mumbled, finally staring down at my plate of untouched salad. "I was... uh... zoning out, that's all."

"You were staring at the table that all the Lost Boys sit at," Chloe informed me flatly, as if I was too stupid to figure it out myself. She could tell that I was lying, and all I could do was look down at my lap in shame. She probably thought I was staring at Jack or something...

"Sorry," I apologized once more, not looking up from my lap as I twiddled my thumbs. It wasn't my fault that Tyler had kissed me and I didn't know how to react! The only person who kissed me before was Jack, and I liked him too much to be shocked about it.

"I know you like Jack and all, but it's starting to get gross," Chloe sneered, making a face as she readjusted herself in her seat. I didn't think I would ever understand her animosity toward her cousin. "You're going to bring my lunch back up."

"She's not looking at Jack," Simon finally spoke up, poking at his spaghetti as I pretty much froze next to him. He wasn't going to tell them about Tyler kissing me, was he? "She was staring at the blonde one."

Chloe stared at me for a moment before turning back toward the Lost Boys' table, obviously bewildered. She really must have thought that I was staring at Jack... but he wasn't all that I thought about! I was thinking about how I could kill Tyler for kissing me like that...

"Why would you be staring at Tyler?" Chloe asked me, looking like she was trying to make everything make sense in her brain. "I thought you liked Jack... You do like Jack, right? Or are you cheating on him? Oh, my gosh! I didn't think you were that kind of person, Ivy!"

"I'm not cheating on anybody," I told her flatly, not in the mood to think like that. Jack and I weren't even together... Even though he wanted us to be. But I just couldn't trust him yet... "Jack and I aren't going out. We're just friends and that's all."

I wouldn't really call Jack and me friends. We weren't boyfriend and girlfriend, but we definitely weren't just friends.

"Tyler kissed her the other day," Simon now informed her in that bored tone of his, the tone that I had only been hearing from him lately. What was up with him? And why was he telling Chloe what Tyler did? "Our friend Henry caught them, but Ivy pushed him out of the house before I could see him."

"Shut up, Simon," I growled, pushing myself from my seat and grabbing onto my tray. "I don't even know why Tyler kissed me! What is wrong with you? You've been acting strangely ever since you got here! Before that, even!"

Simon scowled at me, but I didn't let him answer. I didn't want to talk to him anymore, at least for the rest of the day, and I quickly spun on my heel and dumped my tray. I then marched right over to the Lost Boys' table, my chest puffed out defiantly, and waited for everyone sitting there to look right at me.

"Is there something you need?" Courtney asked, her blue eyes narrowing at me. I knew she wanted me to be afraid, but that was definitely the last thing I was. "We were actually having a pretty good lunch period before you showed up and ruined it."

I glared right back at her, almost growling as my scowl grew. I was not in the mood to deal with her right then.

I turned toward Tyler, who looked like he knew it was coming. Screw class. I was going to talk to him right then, whether he liked it or not. I was going to get this whole mess straightened out right now.

I knew Chloe and Simon were watching, but I didn't care. I was mad at Simon for telling Chloe what had happened, and I couldn't remember a time when I had actually been mad at him. We had been friends since before I could even remember... I didn't think there was one time that we had ever fought.

"We need to talk," I scowled at Tyler, which brought surprised faces to everyone at the table, "now."

Tyler looked a little nervous, but no one else seemed to notice it but me. I could tell that he was a good actor, but I could see through him like glass. I could tell that he was faking, even if no one else could.

"Just go back to your loser friends and leave Tyler alone," Courtney spat at me, cutting Tyler off before he could get up or answer me. "You don't deserve to talk to any of us. You're trash compared to us."

I rolled my eyes at her, crossing my arms over my chest uncaringly. This girl sure wanted me to feel bad... Did she want me to get that angry at her? Too bad it wasn't working. "Courtney, you think what you're saying is bother me, but it honestly isn't. I'm not here for you, and I never will be, so you can just shut your mouth and keep quiet for once in your life."

Courtney jumped up from her seat, knocking over her expensive ice tea, causing it to spill all over the table. The people close to it moved away, but Courtney didn't even notice them. "Excuse me, bitch? Do you know who you're talking to?"

"Oh, I know who I'm talking to," I nodded, not afraid of her even though I was sure that she thought I was. "I'm talking to the inconsiderate, spoiled bitch that thinks she's getting to me."

She wasn't angering me, but I was sure angering her. I wanted to smirk, but I had to bite the inside of my cheek to stop myself. Even though it would have pissed her off even more, I kept my mouth under control. I'd smile sometime later...

Courtney stepped out from behind the table, obviously ready to jump me. I rolled my eyes, hardly believing that she actually thought she could take me. She definitely misunderstood how strong I was if she thought she could win a fight against me...

But then again, she could have won since I couldn't fight her. If I did, Eli was going to kick me out of the school. If she attacked me, I was going to have to stand there and take it...

"You have no right to talk to me that way," Courtney spat at me again, coming closer and closer until she was right in my face. I would have taken a step back, but a table was stopping me. I hated being this close to her... "You're just a piece of trash! You're a poor girl who thinks she has a chance with one of us! You think you can just come over here and talk to us? No one can do that! Not even the kids that have money!"

I blinked, unamused by what she was saying. She thought she was angering me, but I couldn't have cared less. This was actually very boring... I yawned, patting my hand over my open mouth for extra effect, and Courtney finally lunged at me.

I side-stepped away, easily dodging her attack so she went flying into a nearby table. Everyone sitting at the Lost Boys' table watched in shock as Courtney slowly got back up, getting ready to jump at me again. Now we had everyone in the dining hall's attention, but I couldn't have cared less anymore. I wasn't going to do anything to her anyway. And if I had my way, she wasn't going to do anything to me either.

Courtney lunged right at me again, but I easily moved out of the way so she ran into a trash can now. I heard giggles go throughout the dining hall, and all I could do was finally grin at her. All of this just angered Courtney even more...

Courtney was on the ground, and now I was standing over her lazily. She really thought that she could win a fight against me? I didn't even have to do anything and she was already beat up!

"I'm not scared, Courtney," I smiled sweetly at her as she breathed heavily, still lying on her side on the dining hall ground. "I'm not scared of you, I'm not scared of The Lost Boys, and I'm not scared of anything you have to throw at me. I'm not leaving this school whether you like it or not."

Courtney snarled, suddenly swinging her leg at the back of my knees. Before I could jump, she connected and I went slamming onto the ground, the wind being knocked right out of me as my head smashed against the hard floor, causing me to groan loudly.

I couldn't breathe for a few moments, and my head spun as I saw both Eli and Jack jump up from their seats at the table. I clutched onto my head, biting the inside of my cheek to stop myself from crying. I never cried in a fight before... I couldn't cry now!

But I hadn't ever had an injury like this in a fight before. My head felt like it was splitting open, and I could have sworn that I was falling in and out of consciousness. Everything was getting blurrier and blurrier...

"See, bitch?" Courtney shouted, kicking me in the side as hard as she couldn't. Honestly, it didn't really hurt. It just caught me so off guard that I let out a whimper. "That's what you get when you mess with me!"

Out of my blurry vision, I could see her raise her foot once again. I squeezed my eyes shut, getting ready for the impact, but felt nothing while I heard, "Courtney, stop it."

I cracked my eyes open, expecting to see Jack standing over me while he told Courtney to stop. But when I looked up, even though my vision was still kind of blurry, Jack was not the person I saw. Who I saw was Eli, a menacing look set on his face. But much to my surprise, it wasn't directed to me. It was directed to Courtney.

"But, Eli," Courtney whined, clutching onto his arm tightly, almost making me sick to my stomach. "That bitch started it! She always starts it!"

Eli didn't say anything, but he shook his arm out of Courtney's grasp, much to her surprise. He grabbed onto my shoulder rather roughly, pulling away when he noticed how rough he had been. He then slowly slipped his arm under my shoulder blades, slipping his other one under the back of my knees to pick me up bridal style.

"Eli, where are you taking her?" I heard Jack asked, finally moving from his seat so he was now beside the two of us. I kept my eyes shut, not wanting to strain them any longer. My vision was still blurry...

"To the nurse's office," he informed his friend gruffly, readjusting me in his arms before starting off toward the door. The dining hall remained silent, and Eli didn't turn around as he addressed his three friends, "Lost Boys meeting in the hall after I drop her off."

He then kicked the door open, making his way out into the hallway with me still in his arms. I would have loved to ask him why he was doing this, but I didn't dare open my lips to speak. I had gotten into a fight, even though I tried my best not to, and he was probably going to try to expel me now.

"Goodness!" I heard one of the office aids cry when we emerged inside. "What happened to her, Mr. Hunter?"

"She fell and hit her head," Eli informed her, and I couldn't help but furrow my eyebrows as my eyes stayed closed. Why was he lying to her? If he said that I had gotten into a fight, I would have gotten in trouble! But he lied and said that I only fell...

"Well, bring her right through there, and the nurse will be with her soon," the office aid ordered quickly, opening the door for him as he carried me inside. "Please, stay with her until the nurse gets here. Just in case anything happens, I don't want her being alone with that injury."

How bad was my injury? Sure, my head hurt like hell, and I hadn't opened my eyes yet to see how my vision was, but it couldn't' have been anything that serious, right?

"E--Eli..." I stuttered, keeping my eyes shut just in case I opened them to see I couldn't see anything at all. My throat kind of hurt as well, and I found it kind of difficult to speak. "Eli..."

"Don't talk," he ordered, a little more gruffly than I wished he would have.

I reached up to touch the back of my head, my eyes snapping open and widening when I felt a sting. I could still see, but my vision wasn't the best that it could have been. I looked down at my hand, almost shouting when I saw blood on my hand.

"You probably need stitches," Eli informed me lazily, leaning back in the chair that he was sitting in. "It probably isn't serious or anything, so there's no reason to scream."

I let out a groan, placing a hand on my forehead as I tried to get the pain to go away. Stitches? I didn't think I had ever had stitches before... But I couldn't really remember right then. "How great..." I couldn't help but grumble in embarrassment. This was all Courtney's fault...

"You fought pretty well," Eli commented after about a minute of silence. "I didn't think you were going to get a scratch until the last second. Congratulations."

"Why are you congratulating me?" I asked, trying my best to sit up, but found myself being forced back down as Eli pushed on my shoulder. "Aren't you going to get me expelled for fighting? That's what you said you're going to do ever since the first time I got here."

Eli shrugged, looking bored once again as he leaned back in his seat once again. "You're entertaining."

I blinked. "Excuse me?"

"You're entertaining," he repeated slowly, as if I was too stupid to get it the first time. Which I guessed I kind of was right then... "If you didn't go here, I'd lose my source of entertainment."

What was he trying to say? Was he saying that he was no longer going to try to expel me? I sure hoped that that was what he was saying... If he wasn't, I was going to feel ten times worse because it would mean that I just got expelled from Neverland Academy...

"So... I'm not getting expelled?" I asked, rubbing my forehead now as I continued to lie down. "I can stay and you're not going to try to expel me?"

Eli grinned at me. "I guess you can stay... for now. Until you're not entertaining anymore, at least."

I couldn't help but smile, happy that I wasn't going to have to deal with him anymore. Sure, I still had to talk to Tyler, but that could wait until later that day or even the next day. I guessed that I shouldn't have been that angry over him kissing me anyway... It wasn't like it was my first kiss or anything.

"Thank you," I found myself saying before I could stop myself, and I bit the inside of my cheek to stop myself from saying anything more. Eli blinked, his smirk wiping right off his face. I didn't say anything more, and I closed my eyes again and tried my best to relax.

It was all because of the head injury, that was all. It was all because of the head injury... Why would I thank Eli Hunter after everything he did? Even if he wasn't going to expel me now, he still did horrible things to me...

So I shouldn't have been saying thank you.

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I totally forgot about NaNoWriMo! Dx I have a new story to write, but I was saving it for Watty Awards 2012 and I just started all these new things... So I don't know if I should write it yet. D:

Knowing me, I'll probably write it, so look out for it. I'm actually really excited for this story, and I've been waiting to write it forever.

Please, COMMENT, VOTE, and FAN! :)