Dylan shakes his head. "Let's get out of here." The three of us exit the building together, not talking. My mind is still trying to process what happened in there. I've never seen Jacob fight anyone. Could he take on Dylan? Part of me doubts it. The familiar red car is sitting in front of the main building. In the driver's side, I can see Kay sitting there with a smile on her face. Dylan's eyes scanned over me and Anthony. "I'll see you guys later." Anthony waves as Dylan gets into the car with Kay. Almost as soon as he shuts the door, the car takes off. I wonder how Dylan really feels about Kay. Friends with benefits never works out, so I wonder if he'll end up developing feelings for her. "Is it really just a friends-with-benefits thing?" I ask Anthony before I can stop myself. I don't mean for it to come out, but my curiosity gets the best of me. Dylan and Kay are spending more time together than I originally thought. Anthony smirks and shoves his hands into his front pockets. "Jealous much?" "How many times do I have to say Dylan and I are friends? I'm just curious about her." "Well, Dylan clearly told you they aren't dating." I practically snort. "You know just as well as I do that a friends-with-benefits situation never works out. Feelings happen." He's quiet for a second. "She'll probably be the one to let feelings happen." "Why don't you guys like her?" I want more information and asking directly seems to be my best bet since I don't get anything from being vague. He doesn't say anything again. "Dylan just has his priorities fucked." Anthony's unclear answers are getting me nowhere. What does that even mean? What is Dylan not prioritizing? "What's going on with you two?" he asks suddenly. He says it like we're hiding something. "What do you mean?" "If he's not with Kay, he's usually with you, which is a majority of the time." I think about the times Dylan and I have hung out. I guess he's right. Dylan and I have only known each other for two weeks, but it feels like so much longer. "He's just trying to help me get over Jacob." He raises a brow. "Not like that." I don't even think Dylan would ever like me anyhow. His type is definitely not me, judging by the looks of Kay. "You two are weird," he shakes his head as we reach my car. "Don't worry about Dylan. Kay is just a distraction." "From?" "A lot of things," he says hesitantly. "I gotta get out of here. I'll see you sometime this week maybe." Anthony is very cryptic. He's like Dylan in that way. Never giving full explanations of things, keeping secrets. I guess I have to be in the group longer to be let in on everything. I want to know more about them. To outsiders they seem to be the type of guys who go to underground fights or are involved in dangerous gang-related situations. I don't get that vibe from them, but I could be wrong. My curiosity is peaking again. When I met Casey in the third grade, I thought she was weirdly outspoken. She told everyone when she had to pee, she talked about bugs that she'd seen outside her house, and she wore jean overalls constantly. In the fifth grade, a boy she liked told her she acted too much like a boy and said she even dressed like one. When middle school started, Casey had completely changed her look. Gone were the overall days and in were the sparkly skirts and curled hair. The jean overall days are where some of my favorite memories rest in peace. Once I learned to accept her weird tendencies, we became inseparable. I was upset when she changed her look just because a boy gave his unsolicited opinion about her. It makes me upset at any time she feels heartbroken over some lame boy. She finally talked to Tyler about the mishap at Dylan's party. It turns out that Tyler only invited her to the party to make his ex-girlfriend jealous. He was buzzed when he tried making a move on his ex, with Casey watching the whole thing. He explained that he didn't like her more than a friend, and that's when the chaos started. She's leaning against the wall between her bedroom and bathroom as she tells me what they talked about. "I mean, I get the whole 'I'm trying to win my ex back' thing, but don't hurt another girl in the process, you know?" Casey says as she crosses her arms. "He's clearly not worth your time," I tell her, making myself comfortable on her bed. It's Friday night and we don't know what to do other than talk about what's going on in our lives. I already explained what happened with Jacob. Thankfully, hasn't spoken to me in class. I find myself thinking about what he said me about fighting my own battles. In this case, it makes sense. I completely lost my self-control. When he and I were together, there was no reason for me to fight my own battles because I never made choices for myself. It was always him who decided things. In the end, he still chose to cheat on me and I was forced to end the relationship. "Well, we can either stay here, watch Disney movies, and cry, or we can go out, do something, and still cry," Casey says. "You're staying over either way, right?" I nod. "We can stay in, but I'm getting the feeling you don't want to." She grins. "Do you know of any parties going on tonight?" I give her a deadpan look. She knows better than to ask me about parties. I'm the last person to know. "Right," she says. "Well, I'm going to pee, so you think about some options and I'll do the same." She closes the bathroom door behind her. There's only so much to do in town. We could get ice cream, but we always do that. My phone buzzes next to me and an unsaved number pops up on my screen. It's a local number so I answer. "Hello?" "What are you doing right at this very moment?" I know that voice. "Anthony? I don't remember giving you my number." What is he calling me for? "I stole it from Dylan the other day and I'm glad I did." "Why?" "There's a rumor going around that someone from the record label is coming back to see Derrick and Jared play tonight." I sit up against Casey's headboard. "No way." "What did you say?" Casey asks from the bathroom. Ignoring her, I listen to Anthony. "Yeah, so we're trying to get them more support than usual for their show and Reece told me to call you." Dylan didn't want to call me? Maybe he isn't there. "I'm at Casey's right now," I say just as she's coming out of the bathroom. She sits in front of me on the bed and gives me a quizzical look. "Bring her. The more the merrier."