You know you've read a good book when you turn the page and feel like you've lost a good friend. Similarly, as a reader, I know I've lost a good friend when all I feel like doing is picking up a good book and finishing it...repeating the same process over and over again until every night there is a loss and a similar gain.
-Paul Sweeney

I haven't asked Asher about his breakdown, not once, not a simple question, I didn't even ask him if he was okay today.

Maybe I should, but I don't ask on a regular day.

And I won't treat him any differently, he hasn't changed, the information I have on him has.

Now I may judge people, and harshly at that, but that is one thing I simply refuse to do to a person.

But I am, however, really happy because my science class- -which is just earth studies- -and his science class- -which is advanced chemistry- -to recreate a reaction which is basically what happens when we do some shit in the atmosphere humans aren't supposed to do.

Two chemistry students to one earth studies student.

Can just imagine how happy Link was when he saw we'd be together simply because I claimed his best friend.

So happy in fact, that I had to make him even happier by setting off a make shift stink bomb in the teacher's work sink.

Now our entire school is outside because the smoke made the fire alarms go off, because the bomb went off a little too close to a collection of rather flammable chemicals. 

When Asher saw our screaming class exit the school, me smirking in the very back and pushing a coughing Lincoln in front of me, he realized why I practically forced him to be the one that takes the empty plastic vials out to the trash bin -the one outside as I claimed it 'stank too much to be near my cute nose.' 

So he wouldn't be around the explosion, the smoke, the flames.

Though I was, and had to force myself not to run straight from the room bawling but to grab Link and rush the door.

I plant my ass on the concrete a safe distance away, flinching as flashbacks threaten to take over mind.

"Now this is going to sound controversial, but I think that went really well," I pant, smirking up to Link. "What do you say, Weasley." 

"Went well?" He roars. "You almost killed us!" 

Asher stays silent, knowing I purposely set off the stink bomb like that compared to Link, who had no idea what was happening. 

"Almost but didn't." I sing, brushing myself off as I stand. 

"I'm going to kill her." Lincoln declares, I only wink in reply. 

Surprisingly Gold steps between us when his best friend lunges at me, body stiff and raised to his full height. 

At how intimidating and strong he looks I'm surprised at how anyone can call him weak, his posture screams confidence and it's practically daring Link to make another move.

A dare he is not willing to take.

"Calm down Lincoln, it's not worth it." The nice guy relaxes more, putting his hands in the air. 

"You're right." Link snarls over Asher's shoulder. "She's not."

"Ouch." I pretend to win, dragging a finger down my cheek like I'm crying. "That hurt."

Lincoln walks away.

The golden boy turns to me with a sigh and is soon smiling, but that is gone as soon as it came and he's frowning.

Frowns.

Tsk.

"Your hands are shaking." He observes, I raise a eye brow at him and cross my arms -hiding the tremors under my armpits.

"I'm afraid of everything Gold, and fire tops that list." I tell him with narrowed eyes. "And I just set off flames that I could feel in my bones, it's a miracle I didn't get hurt and it's my fault alone I did it I still hate how it felt. So yes, my hands are shaky, how observational of you. I'm glad you have spacial awareness."

"You hate fire?" Asher asks, looking shocked. "To the point your hands shake. Why do you use the oven every day? We can do every other day, share the pain."

"Are you insane? Of course we're not sharing the pain," I snort. "I'll deal with this all alone, thanks. I just didn't take my medicine yesterday, because we were at Heaven. So things that affect me bad take a physical affect where with the pills it wouldn't."

It's then I see the guilt on his face, the guilt that he couldn't hold it together over a oven's heat and that caused me to skip a day of my medicine, the guilt that now I'm suffering the same way he suffers.

Despite this, I grin. "Don't worry about it Gold, I did this to myself."

"But-"

"I said don't worry."

Sure enough not even a hour later we're back in the classroom, well it's actually my earth studies' room rather than the chemistry one but that's for obvious reasons.

I'm so glad they don't have cameras in classrooms, otherwise I would be screwed and the only people who knew what really happened are me and the two best friend's and none of us are about to snitch.

It's then my crush grabs my wrist, closes my book, stuffs it into my back, slings both our bags over his shoulder and pull us both out to the hall.

"You need stop doing things like that." Gold scolds me, stopping in front of me.

"If you're gonna pull me from class to the hall, to the hall where we're very alone, every time I misbehave I may just act worse, just to get more attention from you," I admit, smirking up to Asher. 

He just shakes his head, looking exasperated. "Will me giving you more attention will stop you from setting things on fire, playing with chemicals and stink-bombing the classroom?" I nod my head violently at this, practically bouncing in my spot. "Fine. How many attention?" 

I tilt my head, "How much are you willing to give?" 

"Will a hug and a smile be okay?" He asks, not skipping a beat. 

My jaw almost drops, but I manage to control myself. 

I do not, however, control my spastic heart. 

"Yeah, yeah should be fine." I stammer. "Then a hug and a smile it is."

"Weasley." I whine, standing up to be able to reach him across the table. "Pay attention to me."

"Any shorter and you'd fade from existence." Link insults me, snorting slightly. 

I gape at him, glaring daggers in his direction as that's the thing that he finally says after two days of ignoring me over a stupid stink bomb. "Why does everyone point out how short I am?" I ask. "Why can't they point out my ugly face or-" 

"You're gorgeous." Lincoln interrupts me, making both mine and Asher's head to snap over to him. "But that doesn't change my opinion on you. I still hate you." 

"I love me too, Weasley." I sit back down, putting my cheek on my palm as I lazily gaze at him.

"What are you, twelve?" He rolls his eyes. 

I smirk since I can tell my starring has a affect on him. "On a scale on to ten? Yes." I pause, seeing a familiar brown head of hair slam the doors open, so I pull out a book and say, "Bye." 

Scrambling up with a wink they both watch me as I leave, face stuck in between two pages, desperately trying to escape the lunch room before Mason spots me.

Dude doesn't know when to stop.

Take a hint bro, you can't handle all this.

His class is still in my class, much to Link's delight.

The chemistry students work in the back, but since my class has had free periods all week and will contonue to have them until the sub is gone I get to do whatever I want.

And I just choose to use the valuable time to silently steal from Lincoln.

So far I have gotten his wallet, phone, land yard, beanie, safety goggles and my latest theft: his ear buds.

I giggle softly from my spot on the bench next to Asher, who looks up at the deranged sound of a dying walrus.

"Why are you -Blue!" He hisses, eyes widening in disbelief as I ignore him and continue to tangle the white cords in the most infuriating way possible.

I plan on giving this all back before he notices, just with small changes that is sure to anger him.

For instance I folded all his dollar bills  in different ways, moved his change from the left side zipper to the smaller right one. I rearranged his cards and flipped his ID upside down.

He picture...well it could have been better but there is no denying he's attractive.

I want to stab myself just for thinking that.

For his phone- -since he doesn't have a password- -I took screenshots of his home screens and other screens then customized his wall paper so it looks exactly the same and he just won't be able to open his apps.

Evil, I know.

For his land yard I switched the position of every single key and flipped his school ID around so he'd struggle in the lunch line.

With his beanie there was nothing much I could do, except turn it inside out and pour baking soda that was in a cabinet into the hat. I simply retied the safety goggles so every time he puts them on they'd fall off but nothing would appear off.

Messing with him is fun, and very fun at that, and even if he won't admit it I know he enjoys our banter.

With a finger on my lips to silence Gold I slip behind Link, putting his phone and wallet back in his pockets, resting his hat on the edge of the table, his land yard on his backpack and the goggles beside his hand just as he reaches for it.

I twist out of his sight, quickly squishing myself into Asher's side.

"Ew." Link instantly replies, seeing my cheek against his rapidly blinking best friend's. "Y'all gross."

I smirk, him having noticed nothing wrong.

"What? He owes me a hug." I shrug, flashing my teeth at Asher to get my point across.

With a sigh the nice guy plays along and wraps his arms around my waist to pull my into a hug.

I grin at Link, who looks away in disgust.

"You should be worse at that," My crush whispers in my ear, making me shiver. "For everyone's sake."

"What the fuck!" Lincoln exclaims, hands flailing around as the beanie he usually wears fine everyday exploded in a puff of white around his head the second before his goggles managed to fall off.

His eyes were completely protected, and so was his nose, so he can breath and see.

He just looks like the very angry, white version of Papa Smurf.

"How unfortunate." I snicker, but then I notice the chemical's the goggles knocked over.

And they spilled right onto Asher's arms.

Thats not safe at all!

Goggles.

Tsk.