Angie stayed home and cried into her pillow for a whole week before finally manning up and facing the truth. She'd been fooled. He'd broken her heart. And that mean, unfair thing she'd said to him was maybe the only thing that touched him. So, in the end, she was glad she'd said it. Maybe he could get a small taste of how she felt. How broken and inappropriate.

She wouldn't let that asshole destroy her life and her faith in humanity. Of course, it wasn't just that. It was the matter of her friends too. Angie wasn't sure how much of what Ross and Lily said was true, but the fact that they knew and kept quiet and were friends with Tom spoke volumes about them. They weren't the type of people she wanted as friends.

In the end, hating him was the only way to survive. And it was so easy when she remembered what he did to other girls, what he'd tried to do to her. If he wanted to bang her, he could've at least been honest about it. Maybe it gave him some sick sense of power or something.

Her parents trusted that she'd had it rough and needed time to heal. Trusted that she knew better when it came to school. They just showered her with love and affection and it was enough to steel her against what was coming. Her trial with Collins, going back to school. Facing the crowd. She could do it.

But, it turned out she couldn't. Not for a whole month at least. She talked to Kay who tried to give her news about the backstabber, but she refused to listen. She never wanted to know anything about Tom ever again. Fortunately, though confused, Kay didn't push and seemed to believe her bullshit story that her mom was sick. And of course she could come back and stay when she was ready.

Angie almost felt bad for lying to Kay, but damn it, she was going to purge Tom out of her life whatever it took. It was the only thing keeping her sane, focused. And hating was so much easier than hurting over what happened, then weeping for her broken heart. Her heart would heal and the hate was already doing a good job at keeping it together.

After a month, she could not longer drag it out. She had to graduate and go on with her life, and for that she actually needed to finish her sophomore year. So on the one month anniversary of the day her heart was broken, she packed her suitcase and headed back to Tucson.

Kay waited for her at the station, asked about her mom, then kept her mouth shut. Angie was grateful, but could feel her friend was a little annoyed.

It was funny and a little ironic how they were both totally heartbroken. Angie finally got how Kay was feeling, why she cried so much. Though she'd make sure neither of them cried again. Life went on and they'd overcome it.

"Angie, look, I don't know what really happened..." Kay faltered as she parked the car in front of her house. "It's not okay, you know."

"You're right. You don't know what happened," Angie said bluntly.

"Don't you want to tell me?"

"No. Because when I wanted to and needed your advice, you were too worked up about Kyle to listen. Now it's late and it's buried and I don't want to talk about it."

Kay sucked air through her teeth and Angie regretted her harsh words, but Kay needed to pull her head out of her ass already.

"Fine," Kay mumbled. "But you should know that Tom--"

"Don't say his name!"

Kay rolled her eyes. "Fine. The Dark Lord gave his full statement for your trial against Collins. He won't be there."

A knot loosened in Angie's chest. She'd been secretly dreading seeing Tom at the trial. But this made everything so much easier.

"Which is more than you deserve seeing as you gave a shit about his," Kay said under her breath.

A jolt of guilt and fear came and went. She hadn't known he already had his trial. Would she have come to help him? Could she help him out after what happened? She pushed those thoughts back. It didn't matter anymore and she hated him anyway. Who cared if he rotted away in jail?

"He's out, isn't he?" she asked, bored.

Kay clicked her tongue, displeased. "Yeah. No thanks to you."

"Good." She got out of the car and went to grab her luggage, hating herself.

Everything she was saying, what she'd unwillingly done, it made her feel like a horrible person. But there was no turning back. She wouldn't return to mopey, pathetic Angie. She couldn't. She'd worked too hard.

Kay was obviously not impressed with her brave front, but said nothing. Because she was a good friend and a good person and she didn't turn into a right bitch just because she was hurting. Except with Danny. Which meant Angie could be the same. Be a good person except when it came to him. Because he didn't deserve it.

Over the next few days, it seemed like avoiding everyone was much easier than she'd hoped for. Tom, if back in school, was  nowhere to be seen. They barely met when they wanted to see each other, so now it was so natural not to.

Angie caught glimpse of Ross and Lily on her first day back. They were cuddled up with that Gina girl, having a laugh. Angie was sure they saw her and it only made them laugh harder. Well, so much for that. It was clear that they weren't her friends.

The betrayal hurt, but she couldn't afford to think about it. Not with so much work to catch up with. Maybe one day she'd sit down and think about what they'd done, what they'd schemed, but not now.

Fortunately, Collins had finally been removed from school, so Angie was back to straight As. The trial also came much faster than she'd expected. Being on the stand had also been easy. After steeling herself, it was a blessing to let it all out, just to make sure that asshole wouldn't hurt anyone ever again. What she found very hard was listening to Tom's testimony. Her lawyer read it out loud to the room, explaining the special circumstances of the other trial which apparently ended with Tom paying a fine but getting no jail.

And even if it wasn't flowery or sappy, it made her cry. Because despite the clinical words and blunt statements, he sounded like he trusted her and he was asking other people to trust her as well. And it hurt.

But it was over. Collins was eventually found guilty and removed from the school. Unfortunately, her Fs were deemed fair and not removed. Which brought Angie back to the original problem. She was dead.

"After everything that happened, you're honestly getting hung up about some Fs?" Kay asked as Angie sat at her kitchen table, her head buried under her arms.

"College. How will I go to college?" she mumbled from underneath them.

"You have two more years of high school to go. We'll figure it out by the time you get there." Kay continued washing the dishes, throwing her fleeting looks over her shoulder.

"What?" Angie asked even if she had an idea  what was about to come out of her friend's mouth.

"I'm just wondering." Kay turned to face her, crossing her arms over her chest. "What the hell happened with you and Voldemort? First you wouldn't shut up about him and now he's persona non grata."

An electric current zapped Angie's heart and it took her a few seconds to pull herself back together. Unfortunately, Kay used those seconds to speak some more.

"What he did for you with Collins was really sweet. I saw him, talked to him when he got arrested again and he was so confused, so--"

"No, Kay, stop." She couldn't. Couldn't face that he'd been in jail again and she'd failed to be there, that she was the bad guy. "I can't handle it. Just trust me. I have my reasons to hate him. I have to hate him. I need it or else I'm going to fall apart again."

Kay exhaled long and loud. For a moment she seemed to want to speak, but she shrugged and turned away. "Okay, Angie. I'm your best friend and I trust you. I only pray to God that you're not making a mistake."

Angie nodded, even if Kay couldn't see her. She secretly hoped the very same thing.

🌴🌴🌴

Tom had managed not to die. The jury found him guilty of assault, but given the circumstances, they thought he just deserved a warning. The judge gave him a fine so his dance competition money went there. The school took no further measures against him, especially after Collins was convicted.

So he was okay. Mostly. He had a criminal record which pretty much killed his chances of a full scholarship. And that seemed to make Mizrelle unreasonably happy.

"It's great," she said as they walked down the street. "A criminal record is massive street cred. And hitting a teacher? Obvious problem with authority. Don't forget to mention it when you apply."

"I'm not sure I'll be applying any time soon, Mizrelle," he mumbled, dropping her luggage next to the bus stop.

She laughed. It seemed like everyone was laughing at him. Especially God. He must be having a blast.

"Oh, we will meet again, little orphan dude, I'm sure of it. By ze way, you looked tres hot behind bars. All you need is a tattoo and piercings and you'll be irresistible."

Tom smiled, though it hurt his face. He wasn't used to smiling anymore. Hadn't had much reason for joy in the past months. But it was bitter irony that even Mizrelle visited him in jail.

Don't think about her. Don't go there.

He was done. The moment she'd screwed his trial, he'd decided that it was truly over. He didn't care about reasons or possible misunderstandings. Who did that? How selfish was she? So he was done. No more thinking about her, except maybe to throw a malevolent thought her way. And it was so easy. He threw thousands of those per day.

It was so much easier to hate than to suffer. Did she deserve it? Yup, as far as he was concerned, she did. For building him up just to tear him down. For using him. For giving him bliss just to take it away.

He didn't even know if she'd come back, neither did he care. Life was so much easier without her in it. He could pretend he never even met her. And after months of no contact, he hoped he'd never see her again.

The bus pulled in front of them and Mizrelle grabbed her bags. "Well, au revoir, cherie. If you're ever in Paris, look me up."

Yeah, like he'd ever go to Paris. "Bye, Mizrelle. Thanks for making my life a little more interesting while it lasted."

She winked at him and pressed a kiss on his cheek, leaving behind a massive dark lipstick stain.

Tom waved, fighting the impulse to wipe his cheek. He'd politely wait until the buss was gone.

After it turned the corner,  he sighed and headed back to the orphanage. Another few weeks and school was done. Another few months and they'll be kicked out. Where the hell were they supposed to sleep? That was a real problem. Not what's-her-face. Not his petty jealousy or Ross's annoying grinning face.

At least Jimmy was there waiting for him. After his trial, things changed.  His brother opened up again and it seemed that all the bad blood over Bella was history. And Tom couldn't be happier. He couldn't wait to see Jimmy and talk to him about some normal, harmless stuff. So he opened the door to his room with some enthusiasm, only to find that Jimmy was not alone.

A strange middle aged man with a black moustache, dressed in a tweed suit, sat on the only chair, while Jimmy sat on the bed, his back against the wall, a
frown on his face and his arms crossed over his chest.

Tom's blood froze in his veins. Had Jimmy been caught illegally sleeping in the room and the guy was there to punish them?

"Bullshit," Jimmy said.

"I assure you, it's not--" the man started.

"I'm not sure what you want from me, but you're not going to get it by lying."

The man sighed defeated. "You know, not all of it is a lie. There is a jungle, there are unexplored temples and there is an expedition which you have a spot on. Maybe it's not exactly a study camp. It's more like a secret mission."

"A secret mission?" Tom asked in disbelief.

Jimmy and the man both turned to him surprised. Jimmy's face quickly became worried, but the man seemed thrilled with his interference.

"You must be Tom. Great to meet you!"

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" Tom closed the door behind him and walked to Jimmy.

"I'm Herrison James and I work for an intergovernmental agency." The man pulled out a card and handed it to Jimmy. Tom read it, too. It just said Herrison James, Counter Intelligence International. No job title, no phone number, no nothing. It did have a fancy eagle sigil at the top which made it seem a little believable.

"Let me guess," Jimmy said, still looking at the card. "If we Google you, we won't find you."

"No, you will not." Herrison James pulled two Manila folders out of his briefcase and handed one to each of them. "You have some information on the agency inside. Not much, mind you. Also on our mission. You are free to chose whether you want to come or not. If you will say yes, you will receive your advance in the following days."

"Our advance?" Tom asked, opening his folder and rummaging through it. Just a lot of papers.

James smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "It's a dangerous mission. Which means the pay is a reflection of that. You get ten thousand for a start so you can get supplies and what else you might need. The rest, after we achieve our goal. You have my number on the back of the card." And with those famous last words, he let himself out.

Tom stared at Jimmy, still trying to process what had just happened. Did that guy want to make them secret agents? This was too unreal, too good to be true.

"Well," Jimmy said with a frown. "At least that's our accommodation problem solved."

"Wait, you bought his bullshit?" Tom asked, shocked.

"Not necessarily, but if he really gives us ten grand each, I'm willing to hear him out."

Good point. Very good point. "So we're really going to do this?"

"If the folder doesn't tell us to kill someone, then why not? It's not like we have anything more lucrative to do for the summer."

Tom grinned and for the first time in months felt like he was alive again.

🌴🌴🌴

Angie folded her apron and put it inside her backpack with the rest of her uniform. She was exhausted, but since the graveyard shifts were the only available ones, she couldn't complain. She was lucky she could get her job back.

Months. It had been months since she was back on track. Back to working and studio though she wasn't sure what for. Back to being boring old Angie. She hated boring old Angie and it strangely felt like something was missing in her life. Or someone who made everything interesting, dangerous...painful. At least her hatred was keeping her warm.

She stepped into the diner, wondering if she should actually have breakfast before heading for school. As soon as she was in the open, and middle-aged guy in a tweed suit waved her over. Damn, she was off her shift, but she couldn't exactly say no to costumers. Plus, a tip could by breakfast.  So she walked over, a pleasant smile on her face.

"Good morning and welcome to Earl's. What can I get you?"

"Angela Jones?" he asked instead, a smile rising the corners of his black moustache.

"Yes," she answered warily.

"Please sit down. Can I get you some breakfast?"

Angie watched him through narrowed eyes. Usually, she would've backed out and refused his company, but her time with Tom had led to one good thing. She wasn't so suspicious around strangers anymore, because she wasn't the center of the universe. Not everyone was out to get her. Not even this man who offered her breakfast.

So she sat down and accepted. As soon as he'd placed the order, she bluntly asked what she wanted to know. "Who are you and what do you want?"

"I'm professor Harris and I'm here to offer you and your friend, Kay, spots on my research team. Be warned, it won't be easy. We will be searching for unexplored Mayan temples in a jungle and it could get ugly. But the financial compensation will match the amount of work you must put in."

Angie just stared. Jungles, temples, teams and financial compensation. It sounded weirdly attractive.

"There is, of course, a humanitarian side involved." Then professor took out a Manila folder and handed it to her. "Your advance will be ten grand to get you started, and the rest once we return from the expedition."

He eyes widened. "Ten thousand?" She was being totally rude and obvious again, but that much money could solve a lot of her problems. And if it was only the advance, she actually had a chance to go to college.

"Yes. All I ask is for you to listen to what I have to say and give me your answer. You are of course free to say no."

Angie nodded, but she doubted she'd say no. This was exactly what she needed. Something hard to face, a humanitarian side to feel less like a shit person and money. There was no way she wouldn't get over Tom by the end of the thing.

So she nodded and listened.

🔱🔱🔱

Well, this is it. The final chapter. You already know that this isn't over. The fun is just starting.

Regarding this chapter, seeing as it's the last, I want to know how it made you feel. Also, if you feel like there are things that I've left unresolved.

Was it believable that they'd both start hating each other out of self preservation? Do you feel it was justified? Too much drama?

Thanks so much for reading and don't forget to vote and comment.

Also, sorry that this might be a bit unedited. I tried to prune it of mistakes, but my phone is an asshole and I was too stoked to get the final chapter out.