If I miss journalism, that means there will be more work on my plate. If I don't skip, I'll have to deal with Jacob. Everyone shoots up to leave when the bell rings. Dylan and I walk out of class together and he waits for me to give him an answer. "Well?" "Hold on," I say. I peeked inside Mrs. Thomas' classroom from a distance. Jacob is already sitting in his spot along with Will and Vicky. Dylan peers in also. "You wanna see him?" he asks. "No. Let's go." Seeing Jacob will only make things worse for me. I can't see him without replaying the kiss in my mind and I want to forget it ever happened. I don't know if I can trust him again, and that's the only thing that's stopping me from being with him again. A smile forms on Dylan's face and he motions for us to go. "We gotta hurry." We're speed walking towards the exit and Dylan slows. "Fuck," he mutters. "What's wrong?" If we're in a hurry then we need to leave right now. "I got dropped off this morning. I can't drive us." I have the feeling that girl dropped him off. I yank my keys out of my bag and flash them in front of him. "I can. Now let's get going." "You better be an impeccable driver. I don't want to die a teenager," he says as we approach my car. "I guess you'll find out." While driving, I notice Dylan looking around my car. "Glad to see you're not one of those people who has random shit in their cars." "I don't like clutter." I wish my life is as organized as my car. That would make things a whole lot easier. Dylan is silent the rest of the way to Raven's. I wonder what's on his mind. Is he thinking about that girl? Should I ask about her? Only a couple of cars are in the parking lot at Raven's as I park in the front. "Are Derrick and Jared playing?" I ask as we near the entrance. "Yeah, but a little bit later. Maybe you'll get to see them," Dylan says as he opens the door and holds it open for me. "After you." Inside I immediately see Reece, Carlos, and Anthony sitting at a nearby table. We make our way over and the boys all smile when we're close enough. "Look who decided to join in," Anthony says, opening his arms. "I think this calls for a hug." I go in for the hug and Anthony lifts me off the ground. I can't stop myself from laughing as he puts me down. "What was that for?" I ask him. "You've officially joined our group," he says, looking at the guys with a look I can't decipher. "I give her 'til the end of the night," Carlos smirks. "Well, if you don't fucking scare her off," Anthony rolls his eyes. Dylan is shaking his head as he sits next to me. "All of you are going to scare her off." "I'm surprised you haven't yet," Anthony says, shoving his shoulder then looking at me. "How can you stand him?" "He has his moments," I smile at Dylan. A smile plays at his lips and he doesn't meet my eyes. Reece squeezes Dylan's cheek. "Aw, what a sweetheart," he says with a high-pitched voice. "Oh, fuck off," Dylan pushes Reece's hand away though he's smiling. "Are Derrick and Jared in the back?" Reece nods. "I think they're rehearsing." Dylan stands up. "I'll be right back," he tells me. As soon as he disappears behind the door, Carlos speaks up. "Dylan's in a better fucking mood." "It's because Lacey's here," Reece smirks as the others snicker. There's no way I put Dylan in a better mood. "Dylan's mood has nothing to do with me. Maybe it's someone else." I only say it to see if they know about that girl. Maybe I can get something out of them. Anthony scoffs. "I highly doubt it." Just when I think I'm not going to get any juicy information, Carlos says, "What if he hooked up with that one chick?" The conversation takes an interesting turn. I grab my phone to make it seem like I'm uninterested, but I'm all ears. "I hope not," Carlos says. "Fuck her." "Maybe he already did," Anthony scowls and I can't help but wonder what's so bad about this girl. It isn't quite where I want the conversation to go. I'd rather not hear about Dylan's activities outside of school. "You guys are gross," I tell them. Anthony smirks and nudges my shoulder. "Jealous much?" "Not at all," I cross my arms. Whatever Dylan does with that girl is his business, and we don't need to make assumptions about what they do together. Even if I'm slightly curious about who she is. "Who's jealous?" Dylan asks, sitting back down. Anthony just gives me a look and ignores Dylan. The guys start talking about bands that have played at Raven's in the past. Somewhere along the conversation, Dylan starts checking his phone constantly and is clearly texting someone, but I try not to be too nosey. The afternoon grows old, and more people show up. A band starts to play, but they don't seem well-rehearsed. They look about our age, maybe younger. "When are Derrick and Jared going on?" I ask Dylan.