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After class was let out, I brought it upon myself to reach Beth before she left and give her that apology that I knew I had to give her. Sure, she was also wrong for throwing Dakota in the mix. But I should've been more adult about it. Flirting with Pierson right in front of her was pretty low of me. Once the apologizing was over, Beth revealed that she felt she crossed the line as well.

"I was in the wrong. Sorry about that. I shouldn't have strung along Dakota. I knew better. And it's not like you've got a thing for Dakota or anything. You're not into him."

"Yeaaah." I said slowly. "I'm not."

Could you blame me if I did find him attractive even after everything that happened? I was one of those people who liked playing with the alluring fire, knowing that it would only burn me if I got too close. I never knew what was good for me. When I was in Maine, I always attracted the wrong kinds of guys. It was almost nature to do the same here.

Beth sighed, relaxing her back against the pale white walls. "Hey, what are you doing a week and a half from now?"

"You mean next Wednesday?"

"Yeah." She nodded.

"I don't know what I'm doing. Probably doing nothing too serious. It's the middle of the week. What's happening then?"

"Well, the results on the soccer try-outs are coming out on Wednesday. It's kind of my Pierson's thing to throw some celebration for getting on the team. It's held at his house."

"He knows he's going to be on the team? That's a little cocky."

"He's the team captain. All he has to do is defend his spot and make sure none of the newcomers are going to take his spot."

"Is he any good?"

"Is he any-any good?!" She echoed my words with a snicker. "He's the best. He's the reason they won so many sports trophies. He was the first freshman to join the varsity team in Crescent High history. Coach Walker heard about what he did in his last school and he always saw him practice against his members at P.E. and he literally recruited him on the team without trying out."

"But isn't that unfair to the guys who tried out and didn't get in?"

We started walking to the exits, moving with the throng of students. "Yeah, of course there were some pissed off students and parents at his sudden decision. But no one was complaining after he made us champions."

He had to be crazy good now if he was able to do that in his freshman year. I wondered what he was capable of as a senior. Beth was dazzled by his skills and his looks. All during our Spanish class, I'd seen many girls-including Beth-who was practically drooling at the sight of him.

Even though I understood and agreed with the appeal, I wasn't in the same trance as those girls were. In the end, that would be the reason to why I could never be with someone like him. I was a pretty jealous person and I didn't like sharing. Pierson didn't look like the kind of guy who held down only one girl at a time.

"What I was trying to say though," Beth said, "is that there's going to be a party at his place. It's a huge house. I think you should go."

I arched a dark brow. "You sure about that? I don't want to be the one who ruins your night."

She laughed. "No, I want you to be there. Besides, I think Pierson will ask you anyway when we get closer and closer to the date of the party. The only reason he invited me was because my brother and him are best friends and he felt obligated to ask me as well."

"Hey, you don't know that for sure." I nudged her. We neared closer to the exit of the school. I saw the silver BMW my step-mother drove around in. I turned to Beth. "I have to go. Evelyn's here already."

"Don't you know how to drive?"

"Yeah, I do. But I don't have a car. For now, Evelyn's been picking me up and dropping me off from school."

Something most people didn't know was that I had unwillingly learned how to drive. After my mom's license got suspended, she practically forced me to learn how to drive. It wasn't until this year that her suspension had been lifted and she was allowed to drive her beat up minivan.

"Wait." Beth's voice stopped me from walking away. "What about the party?"

"Oh, right. Uh, I'll think about it." I said quickly and dashed down the steps. I didn't want to give her a clear answer yet. I had to weight my pros and cons of attending the party and not attending. As much as I did like Beth, I didn't like the person she became when boys were added into the equation. There needed to be some thinking involved before I decided on going.

.....

Tuesday morning, Evelyn wasn't feeling too well. During the drive home yesterday, she appeared to have come down with a cold. She wasn't any better that next morning. Maven and Hunter were already out of the house by the time she told me to take her car to school. I took the keys gingerly without refusing.

Rain had started pouring down on the streets last night and into the morning. Evelyn reminded me to be careful. I waved her words away. I'd lived in Maine my entire life. I could take a little rain; I actually liked the rain and missed it. The rest of the state of California was in hysteria at the sight of this rain though.

Kids shrieked to the front doors of the school without umbrellas. I had gone through my suitcase to retrieve my rain coat, rain boots, and umbrella before I left the house. How could someone not have that at hand?

After pulling into a parking space, I yanked out my umbrella but didn't bother to open it. The rain was coming down in soft waves now. I pushed up the hoodie of my rain coat and made sure to lock the door. I stomped my boots against the carpet inside the school and shook the rain off before I slipped the coat off my shoulders.

"You look like a fisherman." Maven chuckled. "Have you got any fish?"

"No, but I got a bird." I flicked him off.

"Real cute. Why don't you grow up?" Faye scolded me, holding on to Maven's arm. They shuffled further into the school and away from me.

"He started it!" I shouted.

"School hasn't even started yet, and you've already got people insulting you." A voice chimed from behind me. "That's got to be a skill or something."

I spun around. It was Dakota, drenching wet from the rain. His black T-shirt clung to his body, outlining his sculpted chest and abdomen. If I didn't hate him, I would be like one of those puddles around his feet at the sight of his chiseled features from under that soaking shirt.

"Oh, I know you can't be the one talking about insults." I puffed. "You get insulted like it's a freaking pastime around here."

"And do you think I get affected by it? Having a brainless jock make fun of me for a few moments in a day isn't going to hurt me. But you? You're getting insulted by a brainless jock that you happen to be related to. I get to go home and leave these jerks. You live with two of them."

"You're saying that like you've got something better to come home to." Another person said. Pierson came to view from the left of me, stepping in front of me. I turned and saw Doug and Hunter around him.

"Tell us, Dakota." Doug cooed, "What was your mom doing during her own daughter's funeral she couldn't attend?"

Ugh, did Pierson have to come with a gang of people?

"Stop that," I snapped and stepped forward. "You don't need to bring his mom or sister into this."

"Why not? It's not like we're lying. We're telling the truth." Doug said.

"Honestly. Stop it." I ordered.

"No," Dakota barked. "Go ahead, say whatever the hell you want to say. I'm sure you want to join in, too, Sandra."

I closed my eyes. "My name is not Sandra. It's Silvia." I fluttered my eyes open, inhaling slowly. "I'm not one to throw low blows like that."

"Oh, really? Your brother's seem to do things differently then." He glared up at Hunter from behind Pierson. "You guys get a real kick out of it, don't you?"

Before any of us could add fuel to the fire, Dakota gated off. A sickening feeling washed over me as he walked away. I wasn't one to bring up family members as if it was some game. People back in Maine knew about my mother and brother, and they surely teased me about it. I couldn't feed into the sick cycle of torment by joining in on it.

I started to turn toward Dakota, but a hand clasped around my arm. "What are you doing?" It was Hunter. "He's not worth your time."

I shook him off. "You know I didn't ask for you guys to step up for me. I was fine all on my own. I didn't need you to gang up on him."

"He's bad news, Silvia." Pierson warned. "What we just did was a favor."

"A favor that was unasked for," I seethed.

Sucking up my pride, I followed after him. He was at his locker, jamming things inside of it and seeing how many things he could fit in there without it falling out. He didn't have to turn around in order to know I was there.

"If you have some more insults to throw at me-"

"I'm not here to insult you." I stepped forward. "I think you just jumped to the conclusion that I'm like my family."

"Maybe because I am right."

"But you aren't," I assured him. Why was I even trying with this jerk? All he ever did was snap at me. "If anything, I strive to not be my father or my step-brothers. You don't know the first thing about me. And frankly, I don't know a thing about you."

"It's a small town. I'm sure you could've learned all you needed to know about me by now, doll."

"I'm not talking about gossip." I shook my head. "Everyone has their own personal demons, lurking in their past. That's a given. And I'm definitely the last person to make fun of someone's family."

Slamming his locker shut, he narrowed his eyes as he studied me up and down. "What do you know about demons, princess? You're an Ellington. Your daddy's a big shot lawyer and you live in one of the nicest homes in town. Your grandparents live in Winchester Hills, one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in California. So don't be shocked that I don't believe you've got any demons. Demons aren't in your vocabulary. Spoiled is though."

I tried my best to not laugh in his face, but it was a failed attempt. I couldn't contain myself as I let out a loud, genuine laugh. Was he serious? He was incredibly wrong.

"Yeah, I'm a spoiled little princess all right. That's why I lived with my mom in the run-down parts of Maine, living off government checks and sometimes waking up with nothing in the fridge because she spent all the money on--" I cut myself off, holding back the urge to cry. "I'm so spoiled. My hand-me-down jeans and ratty tennis shoes are just a front to make me look humble."

Oh my God. Why did I say that? Why did I spill that all out?

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

Take it back!

My brain went on overdrive, wishing I could swallow up the words I'd let fall off my tongue. Dakota's hard demeanor melted, his scold dissolved. In its place, confusion settled in as he watched me closely.

"I didn't know that. I'm s-"

"Save me your pity." I boomed and spun back toward the crowd. Getting myself lost in the movement of students, I pushed myself forward and to my first period. Over and over again, I kicked myself for letting so much of myself out while talking to Dakota. I didn't know what it was, but something in me was always provoked when I was around him. The worst part of me was drawn out. He always brought out the worst in me. I was never nice. But then again, he never was either.

. . .

When P.E. came around, Coach Walker tried to convince me to join the team again, but I told him I still needed more time to think about it. I said I'd give him an answer before the beginning of next month.

We were playing basketball inside the gym. It was still raining outside so we couldn't go out in to the field. Coach Walker was a bit more laid back this time and let people sit out if they didn't feel like participating.

The entire time, I could feel eyes on the back of my head. I went to shoot the ball into the hoop, someone was watching me. I went to stop to tie my laces, I could feel someone watching me. I darted a look over my shoulder and saw Dakota, hesitating beside the bleachers.

In Mr. Finley's class, he'd tried to say something to me, but I'd completely muted him out. I was still embarrassed for telling him about the kind of life I lived in Maine. I hadn't even told Beth or Xander about what I'd gone through.

Combing a hand through my dark locks, I exhaled slowly. After playing for more than half an hour, I had worked up a thirst for water. I made my way to the water fountains that were out in the hallway connected to the gym. The hallways were empty and the water fountains were down at the end, tucked into a little corner.

I was a lot thirstier than I thought I would be. When I was done, I raised up to a normal standing position. My body jerked down again, feeling a jolt in my lower back. I fell to my knees, hitting the cold tiled floors as a second blow was sent to the back of my head.

"Get up. It's no fun if you're on the floor." A familiar voice snickered.

I blinked up at the shadowy figure. "Carmen?"

"Get up." A girl beside her barked. It was one of her speechless drones. I guess she finally learned how to speak. "Listen to her."

Using the wall to help me, I got to my feet. "What the hell is up with you? Did you wake up this psychotic or are you making a special effort today?" That was the last thing I said before a kick went into my stomach.

__________

Song: Only Happy When It Rains by Garbage

[Song Above]

Lyrics:

❝I didn't accidentally tell you that.❞

_____ _ _____ _

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