She slams on her brakes and pulls into the parking lot of an old car dealership that is no longer open. She puts the car in park and points at me. "Casey is not good enough for my brother. I don't know what he sees in her, but I can't stand it. She was a bitch to me when we lived next to her and I'm going to make sure he doesn't get her." "Does Xavier know about this little plan of yours? I bet he won't be too happy to hear that you're trying to keep him from Casey." "My brother can do much better than that bitch." Hearing her call Casey a bitch makes the anger inside me boil over. "Don't you see Dylan doesn't want you? He won't choose you, Xavier will choose Casey over you, and you're going to be the pathetic one standing in the background wondering why no one wants you. It's because you're the bitch." I have no time to react before the back of her hand slaps against my face. It starts stinging instantly and I realize she has a ring on that cut me. "Get out of my car!" she screams at me. "And stay away from Dylan. He's mine." Before she can say anything else, I grab my things and open the door. I slam the door behind me just as she peels out of the parking lot. My face is warm from embarrassment, anger, and the impact of her hand. On my fingers is small trace of blood coming from the cut that she opened with her ring. My eyes sting from the tears that want to come out, but I don't let them. I don't know what to do. Having Dylan in my life has been both a blessing and a curse. He came into my life and made me forget about all the crappy things that have happened to me. But he also comes with extra drama that I don't need. It isn't his fault, but I can't find a solution to it all. I'm too far into town to walk back to school. I'll have to call someone. I don't want to call Casey and I can't call Dylan. I'm not sure if my third option will answer, but it's worth a shot. After I hang up with him, I wait on the sidewalk and try to keep my face covered. I don't know if it's that bad, or just a scratch, but I don't want to draw attention. Soon Anthony's car pulls up beside me and I rush to get in the passenger side. Once inside, I look at him. He whistles. "Do I want to know what happened?" I immediately pull down the visor to look in the mirror. There is a cut the size of a quarter on my face and the blood is already clotting. A faint hint of a bruise is forming around it. "Great," I sink into the seat. What am I going to tell my aunt Jade? "Dylan is going to flip once he sees that," Anthony says. "I guess getting in the same car as Kay wasn't smart." "Kay did that to you?" I nod. "She slapped me when I called her a bitch. Lucky for me she had a ring on." "Damn," he shakes his head. "This isn't going to end well." "Can I get your advice on what to do? Kay clearly doesn't want me and Dylan together and Xavier doesn't want Carlos with Casey. What solution is going to make everyone happy?" I ask him, though I'm sure he doesn't know the answer either. "You can't make everyone happy," he says slowly. "I don't even know what to tell Carlos." "How is he dealing with all of this?" "He doesn't want to piss off Xavier even more, so he's been staying away from Casey. I don't think she likes it." "She's pretty upset," I sigh. "I have no idea what to do." We are both quiet, not knowing what to say in that moment. No solution will please everyone. Someone is going to be hurt. Maybe I should have stayed away from Dylan from the beginning. Or maybe I should have stood my ground against Kay. I pull out my phone and text Dylan to see if he's okay. Kay might've been bluffing, but knowing Dylan there has to be a good reason he's missing school. Anthony and I will make in time for the end of the lunch period. He is still silent and I feel bad for not being around as much and then just expect him to pick me up after I get in trouble. "I'm sorry I've been a bad friend. You didn't have to pick me up," I tell him. "But I do appreciate it." "Don't worry about it, Lacey. I get it," he gives me a warm smile. Dylan still hasn't texted me back and I'm slightly worried. My mind stays on him and I wonder if I should tell Anthony how I'm feeling. Things with Dylan are becoming more and more complicated and I don't know if it's worth it anymore. At a red light, I share my thoughts with him Anthony. "I'm just starting to think things aren't meant to be with Dylan," I say to him. He shakes his head immediately. "I don't think Dylan has ever liked someone as much as he likes you. Not to be a typical wingman, but he's different since you guys met. I probably shouldn't tell you this, but I'm going to anyway," he smirks. "The night me and the guys met you, at Dylan's party, he couldn't take his eyes off you. You walked outside and then it is like we were talking to a wall. It took him a while to go over to you. Probably giving himself a pep talk on the inside. When he introduced you to us, we knew he was definitely into you." The butterflies in my stomach are going crazy. "I fucking can't stand Kay," he lets out a frustrated sigh. "I told Dylan not to get mixed up with her. We all knew Xavier was going to become a problem if he went after her. Of course, this happened before he met you. I don't see what he saw in her." "Why were they only friends with benefits if he liked her?" I ask him. He gives me a look like I should know. "He met you," he rolls his eyes, but smiles. "He definitely has a type though."