It was the early hours of the morning. Too late to go back to sleep and too early to wake up, but I still forced myself out of bed. I took a cold shower, hopelessly trying to wash away the sick feeling of that nightmare. I scrubbed extra hard where I remembered the feel of Joey's body and turned my skin from a tanned glow to a deep shade of pink. I skipped breakfast and went to school early that morning, too. Telling myself that if I got some extra studying done at the library, thoughts of Joey and my dad would evaporate. The truth was I hadn't had those dreams in a long time... and having them after a long time? Well, it freaked the ever loving crap right out of me. Gabriela met me for coffee in the morning and then we were headed to our first class - calculus. On my way there, I spotted Sam, leaning casually against his locker. He glanced at me briefly, held eye contact, then dropped his gaze back to his phone. He continued texted like nothing happened. This is nothing. And maybe this was for the best. I wanted him to ignore me even more after experiencing that weird moment with him in the alleyway. I was tipsy and while I remembered the better part of that evening, I wanted to bury the rest of it. So did Sam, apparently. Because he never said anything to me as I entered my lecture wordlessly. * * * Hunter Warren was so into Gabriela. And it was so obvious. For the better part of our Calculus lecture, his eyes stayed glued to her. Even when Mrs. Georgina taught us about derivatives. To her credit, Gabby never once looked at him. I was sure she was hyper-aware of his stare. She wasn't immune. How could she be immune to someone who looked like him? In an hour and a half, I concluded that there was some kind of awkward tension between them. And definitely some serious sexual tension. Hunter Warren had all but undressed Gabby with his heated gaze. The only problem? Hunter Warren seemed to have a very possessive and clingy girlfriend. One that Gabriela was apparently very aware of. I didn't know if I pitied him or labelled him as the lowest possible scum for pinning after two girls at the same time. His girlfriend was also Rachel, the same girl who'd tried to stir up unnecessary drama between Sam and I. Yeah, definitely pitied him. * * * "Josh is going to study with us." At Layla's timid admission, Gabby and I exchanged a sour look. "Why?" Gabby full-out asked rudely as she flipped the page of her biology textbook. "Study time is girls time." This was the only time of the day where we had matching free-periods and we usually spent them "trying" to study together. Josh was completely irrelevant, but I didn't say a word. I kept my thoughts to myself. I chose to focus on the theorem of derivatives in front of me. "Well," Layla hushed softly, because we were still in a library. "We're official now, and I want him to meet my friends." My pen slipped between my fingers and clattered loudly against the table. I was quick to conceal any emotions on my face. I couldn't even congratulate her. Please, let him be good to her. Please, please let him treat my best friend good, God. Apparently, neither could Gabriela. She sneered, "Jesus, couldn't you have found a better place to drop such a bomb, Lay?" "There will never be a better time," Layla snapped defensively. "And what's up your ass, why are you acting so pissy, anyway?" Gabby's nostril's flared just as Layla's jaw worked angrily. "It's fucking nothing." And her face turned completely red. But I know her nothing was something, and that something was Hunter Warren and the look of pure yearning he'd given her when she shot him down outside the classroom after he tried talking to her. There was obviously more to it, but I wasn't going to push it. She was already this flustered and affected. Layla suddenly pushed back her chair and got up, slapping her hands loudly on the table and hunching forward. "That's obviously not nothing - " And then I snapped. "Layla." I warned her, then I faced Gabriela. Maybe it was because of my shitty morning. Maybe it was because I was tired of hearing them bickering like children. "Gabby. Stop it, you two. You guys are creating an unnecessary scene. Solve your problems elsewhere but not in here where the entire populace of Northwind will witness your little showdown. You're not little kids anymore, so stop acting like it." They looked at me wide-eyed, mouths gaping. "Wow. You haven't gone all commander on us in so long," Gabby murmured almost in an awe-like voice. "That was kind of hot." "Yeah, just like a sexy and vicious dominatrix," Layla's eyes glimmered as her humour returned. "Fuck you guys," I mumbled, mortified at myself as a blush drifted over my face. They always teased me about being a dominatrix because of an embarrassing ex-boyfriend who'd once gifted me a kinky whip as a joke and my thigh-high leather boots. "I hate both of you." Gabby fake coughed and sent me a shit-eating grin. "There's a thin line between love and hate." I was just glad I diffused the situation between the both of them, even though now they were making fun of me good-naturedly. A raven haired girl snagged my attention, watching me with a calculated expression by the bookshelves. She was leaning against the frames on my right, obscured from Layla and Gabby's view. Something about her icy gaze had chills snaking up my spine. Especially when she haughtily brushed her long strands back her shoulders with a flick, and continued walking deeper into an aisle. I didn't like it. It confused me. I had never seen this girl before. Or, if I did, I didn't remember her very well.