All four girls returned back to school on Monday. Other than a couple of claw marks Jensen didn't have a scratch on her. Cassie was perfectly fine too. Darcy looked like a crash victim. I was surprised that she got the same punishment as the other girls. Apparently, the school claimed she incited the fight with her words and actions and that was good enough to give her the suspension.

I felt like it had more to do with Mrs. Stone wanting to give everyone a week to chill the fuck out. Darcy was skittish to say the least. Our coaches sat with their faces to the wall so that we could change but so that we knew we couldn't get away with fighting again and it encouraged us to keep our mouths shut in the locker room. They also ran us... hard. They had waited for all the girls to be back before instilling the team punishment. Something about not letting teammates fight.

How in the hell were we supposed to stop an all out cat fight like that one? We weren't the adults.

Still, there was a divide now with the team. The coaches underestimated girl pettiness. The upperclassmen were on Jensen's side and the younger girls either sided with Darcy or thought the whole thing was stupid. I was on team stupid if I was being honest. I didn't condone what Jensen and Cassie did. Especially since it involved Tyler's sister. If it had just been Darcy, I might have felt differently but I still had love for Miri. We hadn't been close this year because of who she chose to hang out with but last year wasn't completely lost on me.

I was doing my best to be Switzerland. Jensen waited until I was on my way to second period before she started talking about Ari.

"So you gave him my number huh?"

She was smiling so I assumed she hadn't minded. "He wanted to check in on you."

"He's actually a really good listener. Declan always loved to talk about himself. It's been refreshing to talk to someone who actually cares about what I have to say."

"I thought you and Declan were solid. I'm still trying to process what the fuck I saw at the party."

"I will gladly catch you up at lunch. I didn't want to have this whole conversation via text."

"That I can understand."

She gave me a hug and I headed into Colewood's. Nina was talking to Tyler about why he couldn't play at her Halloween party this weekend.

"Sorry, Nina, not this time. I want to enjoy a party for once. And you already have Reggie deejaying, you don't need me."

"But everyone loves when you play."

"I love hanging out with my girl and having a night with just us being teenagers at a party."

"I second that." I smiled and sat down. I hadn't asked Tyler not to play but I was all for not having to lose him to set up, playing, and tear down. That always took up half the event. While I supported him fully, it was nice to get one party alone with him.

Nina pouted but let it go.

I was excited for the party. I was going to be a cop and Tyler was going to be an inmate. It was what the Halloween store had in stock that didn't creep me out and wouldn't get me grounded. I texted Jensen to meet me at Tyler's truck so we could ride to Chew Chew's together.

Elle and I were walking out to the lot so she could meet Aaron. She nudged me and nodded in the direction of the lot. I looked around and saw what she saw. Ari was standing next to Jensen in the lot. I recognized his stance. He was standing a lot more confidently than he would have a few weeks ago. It was how he used to stand around me. I liked seeing this side of Ari coming back.

Jensen was giggling at some joke Ari was making. I walked up and cleared my throat. "Well hello, party people."

Jensen laughed, "Lord, I don't know if I can take another party with this group."

Ari's smile faded slightly, "Does that mean you won't be there this weekend?"

"Hanging out with all of Declan's friends and family after I made an ass out of myself last weekend, doesn't sound like a great time to me."

"What about a scary movie marathon at Ari's? Y'all could hang out with us while we get ready for the party and then stay in and have fun watching movies?"

Jensen looked back at Ari, "Would you want to skip the party?"

"In a fucking heartbeat."

We all laughed. Tyler showed up then and unlocked his truck. He looked at me, "So how's studying for the G1 exam going?"

I rolled my eyes. My dad had gotten me all of the study materials for me to take my G1 license. It was the equivalent of my learner's permit. "This shit is such bullshit. I can't even drive myself to school with that license. I've been doing the online coursework and I have to start the in person driving part here soon. It'll still be eight months after I pass my test before I can drive alone."

Tyler tousled my hair, "Welcome to driving. I got mine at sixteen on the dot and was onto the G2 in eight months later. I already have my full G. Your boy needed to get himself to and from gigs."

"But you can't even be the one in the car with me."

"True, sorry, I don't have enough drive time under my belt."

"It's stupid. Driving is stupid. I'm going to be walking forever."

Elle laughed as she headed to Aaron's car, "Just be a Passenger Princess like me!"

I rolled my eyes and looked at Ari. "Where are you at with that anyways?"

"G2. I'm eligible already to get my full G. My parents want me to wait until Christmas Break so I can practice a little more."

"I predict a job in your future then. Unless your folks are going to pay for you some wheels?"

He laughed, "Nope. Brenna bought her car, Jake was the oldest and golden child. They bought him his truck so he could take us to school and 'focus on hockey'. Elle and I are pretty much screwed on getting our own ride. They are talking about giving us my Dad's old car to share and him getting a new one. But that thing is older than I am and I'm afraid to drive it further than the driveway."

We pulled into the parking lot of Chew Chew's and piled out. Tyler wrapped his arm around me and squeezed, "You're basically an only child now for your dad. I bet he comes through for your birthday."

"I don't care if it is a hunk of junk. I just want something I can practice in."

"Well you can always practice in a parking lot with me."

"You really take those rules seriously about who can and can't drive?"

"If I get busted with you behind the wheel, we can both have our licenses suspended. I don't play that game."

Talk of the Halloween party plans continued when we went inside. I could hear Laura and Nina going over last minute details and the guest list. Darcy's name piqued my ears.

"You aren't seriously letting her in are you?"

Jensen was at my back, waiting for the answer too.

Laura looked apologetic, "See that's what we've been discussing. Miri and Declan have both come to bat for her."

"Declan. Declan wants her there?" Jensen whispered behind me.

"What do you think, Alex?"

"I think wherever that girl goes, trouble follows."

Laura nodded, "See Nina, I'm not the only one."

Tyler walked up with our burgers behind me, "I vote no one below grade eleven at the party, period."

Nina rolled her eyes, "Good luck getting Reece not to complain about that. It's at our house and Ryan's in grade ten."

Tyler shrugged, "So what if his boyfriend is grade ten. I'm sick of all the drama those brats keep bringing around. Miri, Ryan, poor Danny by association, all of them. Let them stay on the top floor with the adults. They need adult supervision anyways and I'm tired of us all having to be it."

Laura raised an eyebrow, "That could work. Use what happened at the Leighton's party as leverage. They can still come to the house but the basement is off limits."

I looked back at Jensen, "I wish you were coming now, I'd love for you to see Darci's face when they won't let her in."

Jensen still looked sad, "I don't think I can stomach seeing Declan and her there together."

I understood that feeling. It had been nauseating for me to see Darcy and Ari together for months. I didn't mind seeing him with Jensen though. I wondered why that was. I knew it was mostly because I loved Jensen and knew she was the kind of girl who could make Ari happy and Ari needed that. He might have messed things up with me but he deserved happiness. Darcy was misery incarnate.

Ari looked uncomfortable with everything though right now. He didn't look comfortable in his own skin anymore. I missed that. When we first met, he exuberated confidence. I wanted that back for him.

He was quietly eating on his French fries. I nudged him under the table and he looked up at me.

I whispered, "You okay?"

Ari shrugged and looked back down before looking back up and trying to look interested in the conversation being had. I had just watched him put on a mask for the world and it hurt. He shouldn't have to force himself to look happy.

I noticed Jensen look and give him a smile. It made Ari relax a minuscule amount. She leaned into his side. That was an obvious cue for him to wrap his arm around her shoulder or at least around the back of her chair.

Ari never had that issue with me.

Why did I care? Why was I meddling? I needed to mind my own business. But I couldn't help it. I wanted these two to be as happy as I was. They were two sweet individuals with their own flaws. Jensen really needed to make sure she worked on her recent anger issues. I was hoping that the last week was just a fluke. Ari had his own anger issues he had worked through in the past. At their cores though, both were very mild manner, intelligent individuals who liked to make people happy and more at ease.

Jensen had been a flawless partner to Declan as far as I could tell. That made me want to find out more about what had been going on behind the scenes. I waited until Ari went to the bathroom and Tyler had taken the hint to give us a minute.

"So, what's been going on with you? The golden gloves you've developed recently and what the hell happened with Declan?"

Jensen put her head in her hands, "I am still so mortified by slapping Ari. Alex, you know that's not me. I would never try and hurt someone."

"Other than Darcy."

She smirked, "Even that was a one time issue. There had been a lot building up to that."

"Such as?"

"Declan has been trying to get me to sleep with him for a few months now. It's not my thing. Then a month ago he just let it drop. He started acting like everything was fine again. He even started getting more romantic and sweet. I thought he had just taken the hint. He started hiding who he was texting though. He added a screen protector on his phone to make sure I couldn't see when I was next to him. He said he just liked his privacy."

"Did you think he was cheating?"

"I called him out two weeks ago. Asked him point blank."

"What'd he say?"

"He called me crazy, threatened to break up with me if I didn't stop acting so 'paranoid'."

"What a fucking dick."

"Tell me about it. I was just seeing red at the party. I went to go and find my purse and it was at the same table Ari was sitting at. Seeing him made me think of Darcy and I just exploded."

"Did you tell him that?"

"Oh, yeah, we have talked a lot about it. He has had his fair share of fights too. He actually gave me a book his counselor gave him for anger management."

She wasn't wrong there. He had beaten the hell out of Tyler last year. In fact Halloween marked a year since it had happened. I didn't blame him for wanting to skip the party this year.

"Just chill out with the fighting. Especially with Tyler's sister."

"I know that was hard for you. I'm sorry, Alex."

I walked around and gave her a hug. "Trust me, I have wanted to bitch slap Darcy for a long time, but we have to be better than that."

She hugged me back, "Ugh, stupid grade ten."

We laughed and headed towards the parking lot where the boys were waiting.