(song: "Devil May Cry" - The Weeknd)

2 years ago . . .

     I consumed the slices of pepperoni that were on Cassie's pizza during lunch. The first year of high-school, Cassie and I sat at our own table, but everything changed when she caught the eye of Greg Summers. Ever since he noticed how she kept getting prettier each month he started inviting us to sit at his table.

     "I would have invited you two over sooner, but everyone told me that you two were dating," Greg explained.

     "I think what you are trying to say is that you would have invited Cassie to sit over here. I get the feeling you don't want me here at all Greggy," I said with a wide smile.

     Cassie shoved my shoulder to get me to shut up. "Don't listen to him, Greg. Toby likes to joke around, even when no one else is laughing."

     Greg nodded and didn't look bothered one bit. He had no reason to be. He was handsome, popular, rich, healthy and on his way to getting a first date with Cassie. "Well, Toby, let me introduce you to everyone else . . ."

     He pointed to faces that I had seen around school, but never took the time to personally know. "The tall guy over here is Jeremy. The other two there are Allen and Amir. The three girls are Emma, Paige and Kristen."

     All I saw were stereotypical jock types and generic popular girls until my eyes landed on Kristen. I took a double-take between Cassie and Kristen. They both had wild, puffy curls of hair and brown complexions. She smiled at me quickly and lowered her head.

     Cassie carried on a conversation with the table effortlessly. She laughed at all of Greg's jokes and reached to touch his arm when she wanted to tell him something personal. It felt like a slap in the face to watch the two of them interact when it was clear that they must have liked one another. The only other person that the table who was quieter than me was Kristen. She kept fidgeting with her phone or her small container of carrot slices.

     "What, did they run out of pizza?" I joked with her.

     Kristen perked her head up like a frightened rabbit when she realized that I had addressed her. "Oh. No, I'm on a diet."

     "Why? Do you really think its a good idea for you to lose more weight? You're already a stick."

     She looked offended. I really should have learned to think before speaking. Girls are often sensitive about their bodies, I had to keep reminding myself of that fact.

     "Do you think it's a good idea for you to give advice? You're already flunking trigonometry," she countered quietly.

     I laughed, she amused me. "If you're going to counterattack me, at least say it out-loud. How do you know my grades?"

     Kristen pushed up from her seat and looked at me pointedly. "I sit behind you. We have shared at least one class together each school year. Sometimes I'm handed your paper by mistake."

     I never noticed her, maybe because Cassie sat in front of me in most of my classes. "Yeah, sorry. I guess it slipped my mind."

     Kristen shook her head and excused herself from the table. "There are other people in this school, Toby. Try and notice them."

     She left. Jeremy's friends nudged his shoulder and told him to get his woman. He passed out a few fist bumps and went to follow her. Greg broke out into laughter watching him leave.

     "I've never seen Kristen act like that before. She's usually super quiet. I'm pretty sure she hates you," he said after his chuckles died down.

     I sighed and leaned back in my seat. "Yeah, I get that feeling too."

     "Really? I don't," Cassie said thoughtfully. "The impression I got was entirely different. She noticed you long before Greg invited us to this table, I think she was disappointed that you didn't notice her too."

     I could relate. I watched Cassie grip Greg's hand under the table and felt that same disappointment.

I wait in front of the school anxiously looking past each student that arrives. My parents banned me from driving and then contacted Lily. They decided to work together and talk with lawyers to get what protection they could for Cassie. Lily had plans to see Cassie and promised that she would bring her back as soon as it was safe.

     It feels like I have a load lifted from my shoulders and I can focus on dealing with school again.

     An unfamiliar red compact car pulls up and Kristen emerges from it hugging her backpack in front of her. She wears a blue dress and her hair down. She's so beautiful that it literally makes my chest ache. Jane Chapman leans her head out of the car window and says, "I will be here to take you straight to practice after school. Stay away from that boy."

     I keep my distance until her mom leaves, then I join her side.

     "So I see everything went swimmingly with explaining the situation to your mom."

     Kristen seems excited to see me, but manages to contain it into a smile.

     "She blames you."

     "She should. I was the one who dragged you on an insane quest," I say while slipping an arm over her shoulders.

     I feel her arm reach to wrap around my waist and just like that, we've publicly announced whatever we are to the whole school. Eyes stare at us and I overhear a few girls gossiping over the fact that Kristen and I ran away together over the weekend. Damn, our moms must have called other mothers to get clues about where we might have gone.

     We are a regular Bonnie and Clyde now.

     Jeremy stays by his group of friends looking furious. I decide to add gasoline to both his rage and the rumors by kissing the top of Kristen's head. It works. Jeremy shoves one of his friends from his side and storms away fuming. Greg doesn't seem to be among his crew, or anywhere for that matter.

     "Toby?" Kristen's voice disrupts my thoughts.

     "Yeah?" I lean against the locker beside hers and watch her put away text books.

     "What are we?" She asks without making eye contact. She keeps herself busy to avoid me catching on to her embarrassment. "I mean, are we dating? Are you my . . . boyfriend?"

     I stick my head close inside her locker door and beckon her with my finger to do the same. She joins me and bites her lip. My fingers find the center of her lower back and I draw her into a kiss.

     I kiss her like there aren't a bunch of people walking past us. She lifts up her notebook to give us a little more privacy and we both laugh at first and then deepen our kiss. I don't care who sees us or what they say. When we come up for air I remain close to her.

     "We're two sides of the same coin, we're molecules colliding, we're the sun and the moon. How can you ask me to contain everything that makes us us into a simple label?" I ask her as my heart still beats like crazy.

     Kristen presses herself against me and breathes with relief. "I didn't think that you would choose me."

     "We really need to work on your self-esteem levels. Everyone at school either adores or envies you. You could have your choice of anyone here."

     She shakes her head. "No, it could have only been you, Toby. Only you. You're my first kiss, did you know that?"

     "That's pitiful because I've only kissed you twice." I tilt her face back up to mine. "I'll fix that right now."

     Kristen laughs and pushes me back from her. "We have class."

     I groan and want nothing more than to keep my face attached to her face via lip-lock. "If all I get is one kiss from you per school day I'm seriously going to lose it. I need to see you on more private terms."

     "Some day, Toby."

     "So Friday then?"

     She smiles and I smile. We hold hands and I walk her to class. I try to get through the day and count down the minutes until I can see Kristen. The teacher tries her best to keep our attention focused to the information she writes onto the white board, but she's interrupted by the student counselor peeking into the classroom.

     "Tobias Yates?" He asks.

     I reluctantly lift my head up from my desk. "Yeah?"

     "Come to my office after class please . . . " he requests.

     I nod. Everyone in the classroom whispers to each other and the teacher works to silence them. After class ends I head out into the hallway and spot Kristen. She's distressed and on her way to the office just like me.

     The inside of the office has a few red plastic chairs to sit on while waiting. The teachers lounge is right beside the row of seats and the very last chair is occupied by Kristen. I take a seat beside her and our hands instantly link together.

     "Any idea what this might be about?" She asks nervously.

     "Yeah, I think it's got to be about Cassie." It's a pretty solid guess. We are the only two people called to the counselors office and I can't imagine they'd call us in for briefly kissing by the lockers.

     "Tobias?" Mr. Findlay stands in the doorway of his student counselor office. "Can you come in?"

     I pat Kristen's hand and try to tell her to be strong with just my eyes. She nods like she's telepathically received my message.

     Mr. Findlay waits until I am in his office and then he soundly closes the door. "Have a seat, Tobias."

     I settle into the seat in front of his desk and he joins me in his office chair. Mr. Findlay is a large Scotsman with a fuzzy, dark beard and thick eyebrows. He uses those eyebrows to study me.

     "You were close to Cassie Learner, correct?" He asks.

     "Yes, what is this about?"

     "Did she appear to be exhibiting any kind of strange behavior before she disappeared?"

     "You mean, before she ran away," I clarify, but I don't like where this conversation is going. "Look, I already answered stuff like this before."

     Mr. Findlay takes a sip of his coffee and clears his throat. "We've been told that you are acting out of the ordinary. The Summers have stated that you harassed their son Greg. Mrs. Livingston said that you behaved inappropriately around her. Your grades are getting worse and apparently you fled town to chase after a former student and dragged along Mrs. Chapman's daughter with you."

     "Half of what you've just said isn't even true." I protest.

     "Nevertheless, we've been advised by both the Summers and the Chapman's to look into your recent behavior. I have no choice, but to contact your parents about this."

     "Seems more like you're trying to help them. And I get it, they seem like valid sources of information, unlike me."

     Mr. Findlay leans forward on his desk and tries to give me his best sympathetic expression. "I'm not picking sides; I'm trying to help you here, Tobias. You have a faculty member and two parents who have voiced their complaints against you."

     "So what does this mean?"

     "It means that as long as you attend this school you need to keep your distance from Greg Summers and Kristen Chapman. . ."