"Cheat on me," Tears spill onto my cheeks. "After my parents died." His mouth gapes open, like he doesn't know what to say. "Lacey, I told you I wasn't thinking—" "You sure as hell weren't thinking. Come up with a new excuse because I'm tired of hearing that one. While I was trying to cope with the fact that I will never see my parents again, you were fucking Lauren at that party," I wipe my eyes as I say it. "And you want me to take you back? Don't you see why I can't do that?" He steps closer to me. "Listen, Lace—" "Don't touch me," I back away. "Don't you dare touch me. I'm sick of all the shit you've put me through. I'm done with you. I don't want you in my life." Jacob's face is unreadable, but he bows his head and turns away from me. He stalks off into a different hallway and I let out a long sigh. Down the hall, I can see Dylan leaning against the wall by the cafeteria doors with his arms crossed. I suspect he's seen most, if not all, of my outburst on Jacob. I can't talk to him though. Not yet. I go in the other direction and walk straight into the bathroom. ~ Casey is sitting on my bed with me, processing what I've just told her. Saturday nights with her are usually our nights to complain and cry with each other. I couldn't keep the kiss with Dylan a secret and I hadn't told her about my episode with Jacob. What I told Jacob came from pent up frustration and sadness. I don't feel bad about telling him off, but he was the unlucky soul I unloaded my emotions on. I hold my head in my hands, afraid to look at her. "Just say something already," I say after finishing my stories. "I can't believe you and Dylan kissed," she clasps her hands together. "I feel like that should make everything right in the world." "It's so confusing," I shake my head. "I don't know how he feels about me, and I don't know how I feel about him. I think we just got caught up in the moment." I omitted the part about the lights in Dylan's room because that's truly a secret he only wants certain people to know about. I feel lucky to know about them and I'm not about to ruin his trust in me. She tilts her head. "Clearly, there are feelings there. I think it's hard for you to start liking someone after getting out of a long relationship, but I think you're getting there." "I don't think Dylan wants anything serious. Him and Kay didn't even last and they weren't really dating," I point out. I don't want to involve myself with someone unless I know for sure they're going into the relationship with good intentions. "Or maybe he dumped her because he likes you." That just doesn't seem likely. She lies on her stomach and looks at me. "You blew up on Jacob for many reasons. The main reasons being you're sick of him, you miss your parents, and you might like Dylan. All of those emotions building up were bound to come out somehow, someway." If my mom were alive I would ask her for advice. She always knew the right things to say. "Is it weird that things don't feel officially done with Jacob? Like, yes, I blew up on him, but I still feel like there are things that have been left unsaid." "Maybe," she turns over onto her back. "Coming out of a relationship isn't easy, but I think now you're taking steps in the right direction." Then she sighs. "I can't get over you and Dylan. I never thought about this before really meeting him, but you two would actually make a great pair." I frown. "What makes you say that?" "I don't know," she says. "You two just seem to fit together." "Like you and Carlos?" I can't help but ask. She hasn't said anything about him, but I'm dying to know if there's chemistry there. "I don't know what you're talking about," she says, avoiding my eyes. "Oh, c'mon," I groan. "We've been talking about my boy drama this whole time. Tell me some of yours." She smirks. "There's nothing to talk about because there is no boy drama in my life." Denial, of course. "Yeah, sure," I say, letting the sarcasm drip. "Let's watch a movie," she says, standing up from my bed and clearly changing the subject. She picks up my laptop from my shelf. "I need some Netflix in my life right now. I drop the Carlos conversation and let her choose a movie. She choses a Keira Knightly film and we sit in silence as we watch it. She's lying on her stomach with her head on her arms and I'm leaning against my headboard. I'm hardly watching the movie. Being in my own head is the better option for the moment. My phone buzzes in my hand, so I quickly glance at it. My heart skips a beat when I read Dylan's name. Ethan and his friends have taken over the house. I'm going mad. Trying not to laugh, I text him back. You're the oldest. Take control. I imagine Dylan being tied up by Ethan and his ten-year-old friends as they take over the household and cause havoc. Now that would be a sight to see. He texts back within the minute. I have a feeling you've never been around five little brats at the same time. Before I can type back a response, another message from him pops up. Are we good? It's a vague question. Is he talking about the kiss? I'm not sure what else he could be talking about. I mean, he saw me blow up on Jacob and he hasn't talked to me in class, but that doesn't mean we're on bad terms or anything. I just don't know what terms we were on exactly. My reply is short and sweet.