Jake's alarm didn't go off. Well actually that was a lie. It had. He had just ignored it. And now he was running late. 

He waved a sleazy goodbye to Rowan, Callum and Penney in the kitchen and was almost out the door when he heard a voice.

"Yo!"

He turned to see his little sister and quickly turned back around to rub his eyes. They were still a bit red and puffy from last night.

Jake didn't even knwo what had happened or why he had gone off on one because Cegs hadn't pissed him off.

"YO!" He turned around smiling as she walked closer. He fidgeted a little and he thought she might know. Her eyes scanned him.

"You didn't tell me."

"Tell you..." Jake panicked in his head.

"About breaking up with Cassie...?" Isabel laughed a little and Jake let out a right of relief. He leaned against the second hand car and chuckled.

"Oh yeah, right...i just...didn't think..." He stuttered. 

"So...what happened between you two?" Isabel frowned. Jake was acting really strange. He was a strange person any but he was acting way stranger.

"Oh nothing bad..." Jake didn't have a reason why he broke up with Cassie. He just wanted to. He just had an urge to.

Which, now when he thought on it, was terrible. They had been going out for almost 2 years and all of a sudden this.

"You know just...me being a senior...her being a junior...college...all ...that...shit..." He shrugged, slowing getting tired of the subject.

"Ok..."Isabel nodded unconvinced "Well, that's sad..." 

"Yeah...yeah, i guess..." Jake hunched his shoulders and an awkward silence grew which had never happened between Isabel and Jake.

"Hey Elliot!" Cegs came strolling into their driveway and stopped when he saw Jake. Jake rolled his eyes and within in two seconds hoped into his car.

"Bye Bel!"

"Don't be stupid!" Isabel yelled at her brother, waiting for him to respond but instead he she gave her another half-heart wave and drove off. "What was that all about?"

"Oh...you know...." Cegs tried thinking of an excuse quick enough but with Isabel's green eyes looming he caved. "We kind of... fought... last night..."

"What? About what?"

"The game...i think..." Cegs unsure of the reason why Jake had started a fight. "You ready?" Changing the subject completely.

"Yeah but hang on..." Cegs jumped in his truck and Isabel followed. "Did you start the fight? Of did Jake?"

"He started but i..." Cegs trailed off, realising what he was about to say. Again. "Finished it...just like Pax would say..." and he swerved out of the driveway.

Isabel watched hos face and eyes and sighed sadly. "Forget i said anything about Pax. You're nothing like him." But Cegs was'nt convinced.

"Hey man! Fun night last night. Who knew the star quarterback was into shit like that?" Kevin Wallace, a teammate from last night, came waltzing over.

"Yeah well, it was a one time thing..." Jake grumbled, feeling a bit pissed at himself for caving in. He had always promised himself he wasn't gonna do things like that.

"Really? Cause there're plenty more where that came from!" And he winked, walking off in a different direction.

"I don't know why you're hurrying" Isabel swung her bag over her shoulder and hurried after a very fast Cegs.

"Cause i wanna get to...class..." Cegs lied. She always knew when he was lying.

"No, you wanna find one of your rallies girls for the homework due in English." Isabel teased and he elbowed her hard. "Or is it to see Mrs. Evans?"

"That women is in love with me..."

Isabel was in dis-belief "Hey, you never told me about the party last night...i mean after you and Jake's little tiff..." Cegs definitely knew it wasn't a little tiff.

"Aaahhh, nothin' happened..." Cegs waved her off, feeling guilty.He tried to pull her from bumping into a group nearby. But he wasn't fast enough and she bumped into a very tall dude.

"HEY! Watch it West Quinn." He snarled at Isabel. Isabel was about to say something before Cegs stepped in between them.

"She wasn't looking where she was going, that's all." Cegs tried joking.

"Yeah, well maybe you should tell your girl to stop acting like an idiot and watch where she's fucking going!" He snapped. Cegs attitude changed quickly.

"Chace, lets go!" Isabel ordered him. She could see his hands ball into fists and his eyes flare. "Chace, just leave, ok?"

"Listen to your whore of a girlfriend, Chace"

These words angered Chace more and he made himself taller. "You wanna repeat that?"

He just smirked.

"Chace, let it go. Its fine, ok? Lets leave."

"Apologise"

"Nope"

"I said apologise to my friend here" Cegs was just as tall as the guy but this guy looked like he had seen death and killed it.

The dude had a crew and Cegs had just pissed him off. They all stood up, knuckles cracked and eyes narrowed.

"You wanna say that again West Quinn" The dude got really close to Cegs. Isabel was tugging at Cegs shirt but he wasn't listening.

"APOLOGISE."

"First CD you ever bought?"

"Um...Green day...i don't remember the name of it..." Callum thought, making Penney laugh. They were laying in the garden with Rowan in between them.

"Ok, first...um..."

"Hey, why don't i get to ask the question?" Callum questioned "You're first album?"

"Quorn."

"Of course it was!" Penney hit him hard in the back. "Of course it was!" Penney pushed him over as he rolled over with laughter.

She jumped on top of him and refused him to move. Rowan clapped in enjoyment of it all and the garden was filled with laughter for the first time in a long time.

"You can't hit your Boss! I'm your boss, you can't hit me!"

"You're a jerk. You're such a jerk, you know that?" Penney now got on top of him, saddling him. Callum was still laughing as Penney pinned his hands down.

He stopped laughing and looked up at the scary girl with piercings that didn't look so scary any more. He pushed hair away from her eyes and she leaned in closer.

"Can i kiss you, Boss?" And her lips came in contact with his.

Jake arrived home late and heard Callum and Penney out in the garden. He pressed the button of the house phone and 5 messages came from Clare. Jake knew he should probably call her, but he had other stuff to deal with.

"Isabel, you ho-" He stopped as he found Isabel sitting on the sofa with Cegs beside her. He hadn't seen him since last night.

Cegs had a bruised face and cuts everywhere Isabel was holding a pack of frozen peas to his face while Cegs was trying to take it from her. Bickering like they always do.

"What happened to you?" Jake croaked. Isabel had a sharp mark on her cheek and her fist was bruised.

"We go-" Isabel started but Cegs cut her off.

"Nothing" He barked at Jake.

Isabel's eyes darted from brother to Cegs and she couldn't figure it out.

"You ok?" Jake looked at Isabel and she nodded sadly. "Ok, well, good..." He gave one more look to Cegs and jogged up stairs.

Jake tossed his ball up in the air for the hundredth time and was thinking about it. If he found what Cegs was the reason Isabel was hurt...things wouldn't go down well.

Jake didn't really remember what had happened n the party. He knew him and Cegs had fought. He knew he had smoked a joint. He also didn't knwo why he wasn't made at Cegs right now.

The old Jake would of pounced on Cegs for getting Isabel's hurt. He would of questioned Isabel until she broke to tell him what happened but it was all about the joint.

The joint made him not care and he had smoked three already. It was truly amazing how he could change so quick. He tried getting more from a friend of his but instead he got some new medicine.

It was white and dusty. It looked like every drug seen in those don't-do-drugs-kids videos, he had seen in school every year.

But he was fighting with his best friend. His sister had left. His other sister wouldn't talk to him. His brother was gonna bang the nanny. And his parents were dead.

So he snorted.

"You ok firecracker?" Cegs glanced at Isabel one more time as they walked out. He had tried to take most of the punched but Isabel didn't walk away.

"You're the one that took the punches"

"You're the one that threw the punches"

She leaned against the doorway and smiled. "Thank you for defending my honour"

"Oh don't get mushy on me Elliot. I just like starting fights!" He was lying, which she could see clearly but she left it alone.

"Good luck in detention"

"Have fun with Jake" And he drove off in his blue battered truck.

Cegs took a seat in the back where he normally sat for night detention. It was a new sort of punishment the school had made up but luckily for Cegs, Mrs. Evans was taking this class of one.

"Surprised to see you here Cegs"

"Well, i try to be constantly in your life Mrs. Evans!" Cegs teased as she walked closer to him. She was a very young teacher. Straight out of college. And she was hot.

"What happened to your face Cegs? Did you get in a fight? Was it over a girl?" She was asking a lot of questions and Cegs wasn't used to her paying all this attention to him.

"Um...it was over a girl but no-"

"I think its hot when i guy fights for a girl." Cegs thought that that was weird that she has said that but she was still continuing to walk closer to him.

"Would you fight a guy for me Cegs?" She had reached his desk and sat on it, her legs brushing up against him, her shirt too short to be sitting this way.

"Um, Mrs. Evans..."

"Its Ms. Evans, Cegs. I'm single..." She smiled, leaning closer and closer to Cegs. Cegs had only dreamt about it but now that it was happening, he knew something was wrong.

"What are you doing?"

Her hand stroked his cheek and travelled down his neck until she reached the top button on his shirt. She messed around with it while Cegs watched with uncertainty.

"I see they way you look at me in class Cegs." She unbuttoned the first button. "And i want you to know it's ok..." Her hand stroked his chest as she reached the second button.

"Uh, Ms. Evans, i don't th-" Cegs tried getting up but she pushed him back down with a whole lot of force.

"Its ok Cegs, this can happen" And she proceeded to unbutton all his shirt as he sat un-comfortable and a little bit scared, though he'd never admit that.