"Looked pretty intense," he says, looking at me strangely. So he did see it happen. I think about telling him to mind his own business, but I don't get the impression that Dylan is a gossip. I've only ever seen him with his group of friends and they seem to keep to themselves. They're a little scary, but that's it. When I don't say anything he speaks up. "That guy deserved to get yelled at, right?" He chuckles as he asks. "He did," I nod. "He cheated on me last year and I just don't want him near me." "Damn. I think I've seen him around." "Probably. He plays soccer." He practically snorts. "Soccer?" He presses his lips together and nods. "Sounds like a real winner." I'm over the subject. "Can we not talk about him and focus on finishing this?" We get back to work, but my mind still isn't off Jacob. Most of my time was taken up by soccer games and soccer tournaments when we were together. A few times after the games, instead of partying with his friends, we'd get ice cream and sit on the tailgate of his truck and talk about anything and everything. Sometimes I miss those days. Dylan takes our papers to the front to turn them in after we finish the assignment. "Sorry about bringing up your ex," he says after sitting down again. I wave it off. "Don't worry about it. I'm just..." "Not over him?" he asks. How can I explain what I'm feeling to Dylan Parker? We hardly know each other. "I'm still in the process of getting over him. I'm trying though." When he doesn't say anything, I say, "Sorry if this just got uncomfortable. I'm just thinking out loud." "No worries." He leans forward in his seat. "I can be a great listener," he smirks. I smile and look down at my hands. The tattoo on my wrist is becoming less and less important by the minute. I don't know what to do with it. It's small enough to cover up, but I'm not sure if I want a tattoo right there at all. If I really want to, I could wait and save up to have it removed. "Nice tat," Dylan says, his eyes trained on my wrist. I scoff. "Another reminder of him." He raises his eyebrows. "Matching tattoos? Shit, must've been serious." "I was serious. Him, not so much." Class ends and everyone makes their way out of the classroom. As we're walking out, Dylan continues to walk next to me. "I know a guy who does cover-ups," he says, motioning to the tattoo. "He can get you a pretty little flower over it if you wanted." His tone is teasing. I try not to roll my eyes at the idea of getting a flower over it, but I smile anyway. "I don't know what I want to do with it yet. Thanks though." He nods. "See you on Monday, partner." He winks at me before walking off. I wave and watch him head down the hallway. Dylan is turning out to be a totally different person than I expected, and that's strangely a good thing. Sophie and Seth are walking into class just as I am. We hadn't gotten any time together in class since Mrs. Thomas had separated us into groups. I've been at the computers in the back of the class with the rest of my group showing them how to navigate the program. "Lacey, you always look so put together and nice," Sophie says as we walk into class. "I can barely manage to fix my hair." Her compliment means a lot. Last year I mostly wore leggings and just got lazy with my look. I had no problem with it, but I promised myself I was going to try harder this year. "Thanks, Sophie." They sit with their groups and I trudge over to the computers with Will and Vicky. Jacob saunters in and plops down next to me. Mrs. Thomas tells us to continue doing yesterday's work. My group signs into the computers, and opens the files and the program book. "Hey, Lacey, are you going to the game tonight?" Will asks. He's looking at me around Vicky, who sits quietly as she opens her files. "Probably not. Why?" Casey had mentioned going, but I'm still on the fence about it. Football games are only so much fun. "Just wondering if I'll see you there. My friends don't think I actually know any seniors," he says like it's the most normal thing ever. I remember my freshman days. It did feel nice to know some seniors and have them accept little, freshman me. "Well, if I do go I'll make sure to say hi." Will is sometimes too nosey to tolerate, but I could do him a small favor if I went. "What about you, Jacob? Are you going?" he asks Jacob, who's sitting at his computer silently. Jacob shrugs. "I have other plans." I almost ask him what he has planned, but I decide against it. I don't need him thinking I'm interested in what he's doing, even though I am a little curious. "Vicky?" Will looks at her expectantly. "Oh," she says. "Football games aren't really my thing." Her eyes meet the keyboard. "They aren't really my thing either," I say just to make her feel a little more comfortable.