"Are you feeling alright, babe?"

No, not really.

"I feel fine now." I smiled forcefully up at Sean, sidestepping away from him when he made a move to put his arm around me. "Thank you so much for asking."

How this guy couldn't tell how much he annoyed me, I'd never know. I might have been smiling, but it was obviously forced.

"You should have stayed home if you were sick," Cassie sneered, obviously still angry that I left them the way I did the day before. It was a pretty understandable reason, even if it had been fake. "You'd feel much better if you were in bed asleep."

She literally sounded like she wanted to kill me, and it freaked me out just a little.

"Sorry," I apologized, even though it was obviously not sincere. "It won't happen again. If I'm sick, I'll just make sure not to go at all."

This didn't seem to make Cassie any happier. She probably wanted me to go places with them even when I was sick. "Well, I guess you're just going to have to make it up to all of us at lunch today," she finally huffed, her nose in the air and her arms crossed.

"Sorry, no can do," I started, biting on the inside of my lip to stop myself from smiling. "I can't sit with you at lunch today."

"What?" Cassie snapped, her eyes narrowing at me. "What are you talking about?"

"I have other friends, Cassie." I shrugged, trying to act like it was the simplest thing in the world, which it kind of was. But not to Cassie Bale. "It's not like you own me or anything, you know. I can sit with other people."

The look on her face told me that she wanted to say that she owned me, but she knew that it was better not to say anything at all. I let out a sigh and pulled my English book out of my locker, not knowing if I was going to need it for my next class or not.

"It's that Blake Solo kid, isn't it?" Sean asked, suddenly coming back into the conversation. I pursed my lips, but said nothing. This was all that Sean needed. "It is! You're sitting with him?"

"Yeah, so?" I shrugged it off as I looked around for Leslie so we could head off to English together. "He's my friend."

"A friend, huh?" Cassie's eyes were narrowed as she grabbed onto my shoulder and turned me back around so I was now looking right at her and Sean. "Oh, no. He isn't just a friend, Leah. He's more than just a friend and you know it."

I scoffed at her. "Are you kidding me? You're ridiculous."

Her eyebrows furrowed even more. "Am I?"

Finally, Leslie came around the corner to save me. I quickly said goodbye to both Cassie and Sean before bolting toward her, grabbing her arm and spinning her around in the direction of our classroom.

"Tough time with Cassie and Sean?" she asked, obviously amused.

"You could say that," was all I grumbled.

When we got into the classroom, we quickly parted ways so we could make it to our seats before the bell rang. I greeted Blake with a wave, wishing that he would have been able to hear me if I had said hello. But he still had those headphones on.

"Alright," Mrs. Sparks sighed, clapping her hands together to get everyone's attention once the bell had finally rung. She didn't stop clapping until everyone finally shut up. "Today, I have absolutely nothing planned for you because I had to take care of my son all day yesterday because he was sick with the stomach flu. There was literally puke everywhere."

Not an image I would have liked to see...

"So I decided that today would just be a day for you and your partner to work on your song while I come up with a lesson plan for tomorrow," she continued, muttering under her breath afterwards, "Because I'm not going to be able to get it down once I get home..."

Marissa waved her hand around from her seat in the front right corner. Without even being called on, she asked, "Why aren't you taking care of your son right now?"

Mrs. Sparks smiled sweetly, and I was pretty sure I was the only one in the entire class who could tell it was sarcastic. "That's what husbands are for."

The girls in the class giggled, but the guys sure didn't seem to like that answer. Most of them obviously thought that it was the woman's job to take care of the kids, which was a very disgusting way to think.

Mrs. Sparks then clapped again, telling us to hurry up and get to work for the rest of the period. We did as we were told, all of us moving seats if we had to and pushing the desks closer to our partner's.

I glanced over at Leslie, who looked very excited to be working with Derrick, who looked like he was bored out of his mind and couldn't care less. He was slumped down in his chair, his ankle resting on his knee wit his arms crossed. Leslie, however, was sitting up straight and ready to work.

I turned away from them, not about to butt in when I saw Derrick turn toward me and smirk. I was not in the mood to deal with him or any of that clique at that moment.

"So," I started, adjusting myself in my seat as I turned toward Blake. "I'm going to sit with you at lunch today. Is that okay?"

Blake nodded. "That's fine. A—are you and y—your friends okay?"

I scoffed, leaning back in my seat and rolling my eyes. I didn't even know the answer to that question. Were my friends and I okay with each other? Leslie and I were fine and Derrick hadn't done anything absolutely horrible, but then there was Cassie and Sean. I had no idea where I stood with them at the moment.

"I don't know," I answered truthfully, leaning forward in my seat now.

"Leah," Mrs. Sparks suddenly called from the front of the room, causing me to snap my head up in her direction. She waved her hand, signaling me to come over to her desk. I glanced toward Blake, who nodded his head in her direction in a way that told me to go.

I let out a sigh, slipping out of my desk and heading toward her desk. I didn't know what this could have been about, but I was kind of afraid to find out. I was still pretty sure that Mrs. Sparks hated me.

"Yes?" I asked, swallowing once I got to her desk. I could see Derrick watching from the corner of his eye, completely ignoring Leslie as she continued to talk to him.

 "So... I got a call from your mother today," Mrs. Sparks informed me.

I groaned. "Oh, no."

My teacher nodded before continuing. "She told me that she'd very much appreciate it if I removed Blake as your partner and replaced him with someone else."

This was just like my mother. When she didn't like something about the school, she complained. She would call up everyone she could until the problem was fixed. I was known around school by the faculty as "The Whiner" because mostly all of them thought that I was complaining to my mother.

"I didn't ask her to do this," I told her quickly, just so she didn't think that I was the one that was whining.

Mrs. Sparks nodded. "I didn't think so."

"I actually really like Blake," I said, but then realized what I had said when Mrs. Sparks gave me a look. "N—not like that! Like a friend! That's all!"

"Alright, Leah," Mrs. Sparks chucked, nodding once again at me. "I understand what you're saying. I told your mother that I couldn't switch the partners after they've been assigned, and though she was obviously upset by this, she said that it was fine. And I'm glad that you like Blake. That's the reason why I chose you as his partner. I knew you two would be able to become friends quickly."

I shrugged. "Well... Blake's a nice guy."

Mrs. Sparks only nodded again, resting her chin on her entwined fingers. "Yes, he is."

There was something she wasn't telling me. I remembered her saying there was a reason that Blake never spoke, but I wanted to know what it was. Was it the same reason why he was allowed to listen to music even though no one else could? It had to have been, right?

I knew Mrs. Sparks wouldn't have told me if I asked her, so I only nodded and went back to my seat. I glanced over at Leslie and Derrick once again, and he still looked bored out of his mind as Leslie continued to babble on. I really didn't think that they were going to be able to get a good grade on this project if Derrick continued to act rude toward her.

"So... your mom d—doesn't like me?" Blake asked, almost causing me to fall right out of my seat after I had sat back down.

"No!" I almost shouted, biting down on my lip when the group next to us looked at me as if I was insane. I quickly leaned forward so Blake would only be the only one to hear me, but then I remembered that he wouldn't have been able to hear me no matter how close I got, so I sat back up straight.

"It's Cassie's fault," I sighed, shaking my head. "She thinks you're threatening my friendship with her and my chance at going out with Sean. Cassie and my mom are actually really close, closer than I am with my mom, so she calls her whenever she's unhappy with me. And my mom always takes Cassie's side, so... yeah. Blame Cassie."

Blake blinked. "Oh... but what a—about that g—guy that keeps st—staring at you from across the room? D—Derrick?"

I groaned. "He's just... Don't even get me started. He's as annoying as the rest of them."

Blake nodded, not saying anything else now as his music continued to blare from his headphones and into his ears. I didn't find it annoying like I used to; I still thought it was unfair, but it made me curious. There was a reason behind him listening to music...

The class went by quickly with Blake and I just talking, not even caring about the project that we had the rest of the year to work on. My next two classes flew by even quicker, and before I even knew it, it was lunch and I was sitting with Blake.

"I don't get why y—you don't j—just stop hanging out w—with your friends i—if you don't l—like them," Blake informed me as we sat together outside.

"I can't just leave them." I sighed, shaking my head and taking another bite of my sandwich. "I've been friends with Cassie and Leslie since... forever. And I've known Sean since I was in fifth grade. My mother also adores him and my parents are good friends with his."

"That sucks," was what Blake said in response to that. "I'm g—glad my p—parents don't force me into a—anything like that."

I suddenly realized that I didn't really know anything about Blake Solo. He knew so much about me, like how sometimes I couldn't stand my friends, how I didn't like Sean like everyone thought I did, and how my mother was overbearing. But when I tried to think of things I knew about him, I really couldn't think of anything. I knew what his favorite bands were, and how long he hadn't talked for, but other than that, I really didn't know anything about him at all... Including why he hadn't spoken for two years or why he got to listen to music during class while no one else could.

"Leah," a feminine voice said suddenly from above us, almost causing me to groan and squash my sandwich right in my hand, "Blake. I thought I would find the two of you out here!"

"Hi, Cassie," I greeted flatly, not even looking at her as I took another bite out of my sandwich. She just couldn't leave us alone, could she? "I like your shoes."

They were all I could see, since I wasn't looking up at her face.

"I just wanted to say that we all miss you over at our table," Cassie stated, ignoring my compliment and Blake as she continued to stare down at me. "We all really want you to come and sit with us now."

"Sorry, I can't," I rejected, eating the last piece of my sandwich before wiping my hands off on my napkin. "Blake and I are actually having a great time. Maybe I'll sit with you tomorrow."

Cassie looked outraged. "Maybe?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Maybe."

"I need to talk to you for a second," she snapped, grabbing onto my arm and pulling me up from the table before I could even protest. I glanced toward Blake, shooting him an apologetic look, but he only waved me away.

She took me only a few yards away, far enough away that Blake couldn't hear or see what we were saying. I stood there, waiting for her to speak, but she said nothing. She just glared at me.

"Well?" I asked after thirty seconds went by. "Are you going to say anything?"

"How could you do this?" she nearly shrieked, causing me to take a step back so she wouldn't be screaming right in my face. "That guy is just... ugh! No good! He's at the bottom of the high school food chain, Leah. We are at the top. At least, we would be at the top if you'd just date Sean!"

"I don't like Sean!" I told her for the thousandth time. "Get that through your head!"

"You like Blake, don't you?" Cassie gasped, holding a hand over her mouth in disgust. "You can't like Blake Solo, Leah! It just isn't right!"

I didn't like Blake in that way, and I was sick and tired of hearing Cassie accuse me of it. So instead of denying it like I always did, I shouted, "Yes! I do!"

She looked completely shocked. She hadn't been expecting me to admit it. It was a complete lie, but she didn't know this. And right then, I wanted to piss her off so much that I didn't even care what I had to do.

So I turned around, storming back toward Blake without even saying anything else to Cassie. She continued to stand there, completely flabbergasted as she tried to fathom what I had just told her. She had been my best friend for twelve years. She should have been able to tell when I was lying.

I saw Sean and Derrick emerge from the cafeteria, a few of their jock football friends with them, and they spotted me instantly. When Blake saw me, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"You alright?" he asked me, obviously noticing that I wasn't happy from the little meeting that I had just had with Cassie.

"Go along with this," was all I said back to him, not even answering his question as I grabbed onto the collar of his shirt.

He looked at me, confused. "Go along w—with what?"

I pulled him forward, pressing my lips to his. I knew that Sean and Derrick were watching, and I heard Cassie shriek, so I knew that she was watching as well.

"Sorry," I apologized once I pulled away, out of breath even though we barely even did anything at all.

Blake stared at me. "I—it's fine."

The bell rang, signaling that lunch was over. It was perfect timing, because I was actually kind of afraid that Sean would come over and try to beat Blake up.

"Come on," I said, grabbing onto his hand and pulling him out of his seat. "Let's go."

"W—we don't have fifth period t—together though," Blake informed me.

"Then I'll walk you to class."

"I—isn't the guy supposed to do that f—for the girl?"

"I just really don't want to deal with my friends right now," I muttered, continuing to hold his hand as we headed away from them. "I can be late for gym and the teacher's won't even notice, so I'll just walk you to your class so I don't have to deal with them."

Blake said nothing, and he led me to his class instead of the other way around. I was surprised when I saw that he had a guitar class with Mr. Davidson, and I wondered how he did anything in there with his headphones on.

"You must really like music," I blinked, our fingers still entwined as we stood outside his classroom.

He shrugged. "Yeah. I do."

I nodded, removing my hand from his and smiling at him weakly. "Sorry again, for kissing you like that. I don't know what came over me. I just knew that it was going to get my friends angry, and I wasn't thinking, so I just—"

"Leah, it's f—fine," Blake assured me, placing a hand on my shoulder and smiling at me as well. "I didn't mind. It w—was actually k—kind of fun seeing Sean Bakersfield so pissed off l—like that."

I giggled, pushing a piece of my hair behind my ear. "I know, right?"

Blake and I both laughed and quickly said our goodbyes so he wouldn't be late. The bell rang when I wasn't even halfway to the locker room, but I wasn't worried. None of the teachers would have known that I was late because everyone was changing.

I let out a sigh when I entered the locker room, feeling a little better about being late when I saw that there were girls who weren't even dressed yet. There'd be no way for anyone to tell that I came in after the bell rang.

When I passed by a mirror, I stopped dead in my tracks. I looked at my reflection and my eyes widened. My cheeks were bright red, brighter than they had ever been before. How long had they been that way?

This was weird. I didn't have any kind of reason to be blushing. Right?

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Now why do you think Leah's blushing? ;)

I just realized that Blake looks really evil in the picture on the side... He's not supposed to. xD

Please COMMENT, VOTE, and FAN! :D