My vision abruptly went black when a warm pair of hands covered my eyes, causing me to go blind. I started, sucking in a breath of surprise. Someone let out a low chuckle from behind me. "Guess who?"

Immediately I recognized his voice. "Arden?"

"Bingo."

I paused for a moment, waiting for Arden to pull his hands away from my face. When he didn't, I frowned. "Are you going to remove your hands?"

"When I do, don't look until I tell you to," he responded, pulling his hands away.

"Why?

"Just because."

Bemused, I did as he commanded, keeping my eyes shut. Arden was humming to himself as he proceeded to do whatever he had planned. After a few moments of silence, the sound of something being placed on my desk broke it.

"Okay, done," Arden told me. "Open your eyes and look down."

My eyes snapped open and my gaze dropped to my desk. Lying on top of my planner was a small black box. Arden was grinning at me when I turned back to him, furrowing my eyebrows. "What is it?"

"Open it," he told me excitedly. "It's a gift!"

"A gift?" I echoed in surprise, picking up the small box. "Why?"

Arden waved his hand. "Don't worry about it. Just think of it as an early Christmas present— or are you Jewish?"

"I'm not Jewish," I told him, still holding the closed black box. My fingers drummed on the outside nervously. Why did Arden get me a gift?

"Open it!" Arden repeated urgently. "Come on!"

I smiled at his eagerness. "Okay, okay. You do realize it's weird buying a present for your teacher, right?"

"This is a present between friends. Not pupil and teacher."

When I took off the cover of the box, my eyes widened in surprise. Inside was a silver necklace with a pendant made out of what I assumed to be Emerald— although I hoped it was some knock-off gem. My gaze returned to Arden, who was still grinning like the Cheshire cat.

"You got me a necklace?" I stated in disbelief. "Arden, why—"

Arden cut me off. "I didn't buy it."

"Did you steal it?"

Arden pursed his lips at me. "No. I don't steal things. That was my grandma's."

My mouth dropped open. Immediately I dropped the necklace back into the box and pushed it towards Arden. "I can't take it."

He firmly put his hand on mine, pushing it back. "Yes, you can. And you are. Harley, do I look like the type to wear such a girly necklace?"

"This is your grandma's!" I argued, straightening my arm. "I'm not taking it!"

"Just take it!"

"No!"

"It's rude not to accept a gift!"

"But it's your grandma's—"

Arden gave me a hard look. "Harley, I want you to have it. Please. I won't wear it and I'm afraid I'll lose it."

I gave him a helpless look. "But Arden..."

"It's just a gift, Harley," Arden said in exasperation. "It's not like I'm asking you to marry me. Think of it as... proof of our friendship?" He raised an eyebrow.

I couldn't help a smile from slipping onto my face. "Proof of our friendship, huh?"

"Yep," Arden responded with a grin. "Now you have no choice to take it."

"Guess so."

Arden scooped the black box from my hand, pouring the necklace into his palm. He came back around the desk and stood behind me. "Move your hair," he ordered.

I quickly pulled my hair up and Arden brought the necklace around my neck, clasping it in the back. My hair fell back around my shoulder and I looked down to see the bright green gem lying on my chest. "It's such a pretty color."

"It's the color of your eyes," Arden informed me, moving back to the other side of my desk again. "That's what gave me the idea to give this to you."

"My eyes definitely don't look like this."

"Yes they do."

I shook my head. "Not-uh."

"Harley, we promised not to lie to each other," Arden stated, letting out a sigh.

My heart skipped a beat and I stared at Arden in shock. How did he figure out I was lying to him? My mind raced, thinking of excuses. Would he be okay with the fact that I couldn't tell him because people couldn't know my true age?

"So to keep that promise, I wouldn't lie about your eye color," Arden continued, rolling his eyes at me. "They really are that pretty."

I blinked. So that what's he meant. A breathy chuckle escaped my lips as my heart calmed down. "Whatever you say, Arden."

He beamed at me, taking a seat on the edge of the desk. Guilt washed over me again as I watched his amiable expression. How could I lie to him? He was so honest with me— so honest it didn't seem believable, and yet it was. And now he was giving his late grandma's necklace to me... I didn't deserve it. Arden deserved to know the truth. But I knew I couldn't afford to let anyone else know. There was too much at risk. I'd dug myself into a deep enough hole. I just couldn't tell him.

"Want to help me set up for next period?" I said glumly, instead of telling him the truth about everything.

"Sure," Arden responded with a grin, pushing his body out of my chair. "I'm here to help!"

The rest of the day passed in a blur. When seventh period came, I was thrown off guard— Oliver hadn't shown up for sixth period, so I had forgotten to set up. Zak was the first person to enter the room, quickly followed by a loud group of boys. Zak grinned at me, almost skipping to my desk.

"Hey, Ms. Allen!"

"Hi, Zak," I responded, smiling back at him. "What's up?"

Zak shook some of his hair out of his face. "There's no school on Monday," he informed me, "so I was wondering if you wanted to go somewhere and do something? Tucker might come along too."

I raised an eyebrow. "Tucker too?"

"I plan on inviting him," Zak responded with a shrug. "You told us to get along, and we used to be friends... so why not?"

"No, no! That's good! What day is Monday?"

"December second."

For a moment time froze, my heart stopping. It felt like ice water had washed over me. "December... second?" I repeated quietly.

Zak nodded. "Yep."

My mouth went dry. December second? It was already December? How could time have passed so quickly? How had this date sprung up so suddenly? My vision blurred for a moment as it hit me. December second would mark the one-year anniversary of my parents' death...

"So, do you want to do something?" Zak prodded, hovering over me. "I promise it will be fun."

I licked my lips, trying to moisten them. "Um... I..." I hesitated for a moment. Would it be better for me to be alone? Or would it help to be with other people to take my mind off it? No, it wasn't good to be alone. "Sure. Sounds great."

"What sounds great?" Arden peered over Zak's shoulder at me. "Some cake we are making today?"

"No, Zak wants to... Hey Arden, do you want to hang out with me and Zak on Monday?"

Zak's eyes widened in surprise at me. "Wha—"

"Tucker's coming too," I interjected, sending Zak a warning look. "I think it'd be fun for all of us to get together."

"Ms. Allen—"

"That sounds like fun," Arden agreed, although he looked a little confused. "Kind of like old times, huh?" He patted Zak on the shoulder.

Zak flinched under Arden's touch. "Just like old times," he finally muttered, giving me a grumpy look.

I rolled my eyes at him. "Come on. I need to have fun on Monday—"

Suddenly there was a loud shout from the doorway. My eyes snapped towards it and landed on Joey and Joel in an intense shoving match just outside it. Joey grabbed the frame, trying to pull himself in the classroom while Joel yanked him back.

"I beat you fair and square! Let go!" Joey demanded, clinging onto the doorframe as if his life depended on it.

Joel scowled at his twin. "You used dirty tricks!"

"All's fair in racing!"

"No it's not!"

"Yes it is! Now move!"

Joey aimed an elbow at Joel's face, but Joel quickly blocked it with his free hand. Getting up from my desk, I hurried over to break the two of them up. "You guys! No hitting each other!"

Joey and Joel both paused for a moment to stare at me. Then Joey smirked. "You tell us what to do and we might just have to... kill you."

Joel snickered while I flushed.

"Very funny," I snapped, reaching forward and grabbing Joel's arms. "Let go of your brother."

As soon as I pulled Joel's arm off Joey, Joey fell forwards, knocking into me, and knocking me off my feet. I landed flat on my back, smacking my head on the tile.

"Smooth move, teach," Joel commented, stepping over us.

I winced, staring up at the ceiling while my head throbbed in pain. A sharp pain ran through my right hand, making me cry out in pain. Seconds later Oliver appeared in my vision, looking surprised. He looked down and his eyes widened before he stepped back.

"Ow," I complained, quickly yanking my hand away. "You stepped on my hand!"

Oliver gave me a flat look. "Don't just leave it lying on the floor like that then. Planning on getting up?"

"Yes," I replied dryly.

Five hands suddenly entered my vision. Confused, I looked further up to see Arden, Zak, Joel, Joey, and Oliver all holding a hand out to me. My eyes widened slightly as I took the site in. Just two months ago, these five boys were throwing eggs at me. Now they all wanted to help me off the ground? A smile spread across my face as I grinned at the boys.

Oliver suddenly pulled his hand back, stepping over me, and heading to his seat. Arden glanced after Oliver with a frown, pulling his hand back as well. I reached my hand up and Zak, Joey, and Joel all grabbed it, pulling me to my feet in one swift motion.

"Thank you." I stretched, trying to get the ache out of my back. Gently, I touched the back of my head to inspect the damage. A small bump had formed, and it panged when I touched it. "Ow."

Zak chuckled. "Are you okay?"

The bell rang as I nodded. Seconds later Luke rushed in, his black hair covering most of his face. He knocked into me, his eyes widening in surprise. I stumbled back a step, flinging my hands out to steady myself.

"Sorry I'm late," he apologized, reaching his hands out to steady me.

"Take a seat," I ordered, letting a sigh out. "Before I end up dead."

Luke shuffled to his seat, and Joel, Joey, and Zak followed suit. I made my way back to my desk, frowning slightly. Since I didn't prepare anything for the class, I was going to have to let them have a study hall... And to me, that sounded dangerous.

Tyler thrust his hand up into the air. "Ms. Allen? The soccer team has to leave. We're supposed to just check in then head out."

"Oh, um, okay," I responded, pulling out my attendance sheet. "So who needs to leave?" Four hands shot up in the air. I stared at the four boys in surprise. "All of you are leaving?"

Luke nodded. "Yep. Today's the big game."

"Well good luck," I responded, checking off Luke, Tyler, Mason, and Ben.

"Thanks," the group chorused, slinging their backpacks over their shoulder and heading out the door.

"Oh wait," I said, reaching for some papers on my desk. "I'm assigning an essay today— oh don't give me that look, it's easy— so take this outline with you. If you have any questions, email me or save them for class. You have a week."

The boys groaned, but took their papers and left. I stared at the remaining six students. Oliver was glaring at his desktop, Arden was texting on his cell phone, Zak was grinning up at me, Joey was throwing paper balls at Joel, Joel was dodging Joey, and Tucker was staring at me with a frown. I half-smiled back at him.

"So," I started, drumming my fingers on my desk, "as you just heard, I'm assigning your first essay. It's nothing too bad. Just to describe your perfect meal and explain to me how you'd prepare it. Sounds simple, right?"

"I hate essays," Zak complained. "Can I just not do it?"

"It's worth five homeworks, but it's really up to you."

He grimaced. "I'll do it."

I could see Joel debating if it was worth not doing or not. I sighed. "Listen, since almost half the students are gone I'm going to give you this period to work on them. That should give you more than enough time to at least write a few paragraphs."

"Can I go to the library then?" Joel asked, looking excited. "You know, to research and stuff."

Joey shot his brother a glare. "I want to go to the library."

"I asked first."

"I thought it first!"

"You can both go," I interjected, trying not to grin at them. "But if you two get kicked out, don't blame me."

Joey grinned. "We won't get kicked out."

"At least I won't," Joel added, grabbing his backpack off the floor. "See you Tuesday, Ms. Allen."

"Bye guys," I responded, waving as they left. Now I was left with Tucker, Oliver, Zak, and Arden. "What are you guys going to do? We can all go to the library, or we can stay here. It doesn't matter to me."

"I'm going to stay here," Arden informed me, relaxing back into his seat.

Zak nodded. "Me too."

Tucker nodded in agreement when I turned my eyes to him. When I glanced at Oliver, I found him glaring at me. I blinked in surprise, taken aback. He softened his look and quickly turned away from me.

"Oliver, can I talk to you in the hall for a second?" I asked, wanting to know what was wrong, but not in front of the others.

Oliver didn't reply, but he stood up and started toward the door. After giving the other three boys a one-minute finger, I followed after him. He leaned on the wall next to the door, crossing his arms again.

"Where were you last period?" I asked curiously.

"I had to finish a math test," he explained.

"Are you feeling okay?"

Oliver's expression hardened. "I'm fine."

I frowned. "Are you sure?"

"I said I'm fine."

"Okay, okay," I responded, holding up my hands. "I was just making sure..."

Oliver clenched his jaw. "Thanks."

"Yeah..."

An awkward silence settled in. I peered at Oliver, raising my eyebrows. He ignored me, pursing his lips, and staring at the wall opposite the one he was leaning on. After a few moments of this, he sighed. "Kate and Andy spoke to my dad about what happened the other day."

My eyes widened. "What?"

"They got in an argument," he said, rubbing his forehead. "Dad was saying I should be able to see Lily on occasion, and if they didn't let me see her, he'd take legal action."

"That's good though, right?" I asked. "You'd get to see her!"

"Seeing her would be good," Oliver agreed, "but there's no way my dad would win any case he could bring up against them. He gave her up. That's it. If Andy and Kate don't want me to see her, that's fine."

"But she's your sister..."

Oliver's face tightened, in what I assumed as pain. "Yes, but she doesn't know that. Their argument was bad. Andy wants to talk to me today after school."

I tilted my head to the side. "Why...?"

"They don't want a legal mess, I guess. I doubt our talk will change anything though. I'm the big bad wolf after all," he scoffed, crossing his arms.

Frowning, I mimicked his posture. "I don't get it. You're a great guy, Oliver. They should feel lucky for Lily to have an older brother like you. Sure you're a little rough around the edges, but other than that, you're really genuine."

The corners of Oliver's mouth twitched. "Have you been composing that speech for a while?"

"N-no," I stammered, feeling a faint blush stain my cheeks. "I just... that's how I feel."

Oliver smiled at me. That breath-taking, real smile. "Well, while it warms the cockles of my heart that you feel that way about me, I don't think Andy does."

"So show him!"

"I'm not that good at expressing myself," he countered, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I don't want to think about this. If I don't handle it well, I could lose Lily for good."

I shook my head. "No way! You'll be great! She loves you! Just remember that!"

"Aren't you optimistic?" he muttered.

I tried to hide my smile, but failed miserably. He sighed again, and we fell back into silence. But this time, a comfortable one.

"Oliver, do you want to hang out on Monday?" I blurted randomly. "Tucker, Zak, and Arden are coming too."

Oliver's eyes widened and he stared down at me in surprise. I blushed, scratching the back of my head. What was I doing? Oliver and Arden wouldn't get along. But it seemed sort of rude to have his three old friends together without him.

"No."

"What? Why not?"

"I don't like Arden," Oliver told me in a hard tone. "There's nothing more to it."

"Why don't you like him?" I demanded, frowning at him. "You said yourself he's a good guy. What did he do to you?"

He glared at me. "He didn't do anything."

"Then why aren't you friends anymore?"

"People change, Harley."

"Some for the worst, huh?"

Oliver gave me a flat look. "Guess so."

Immediately I felt guilty. I let out a quiet sigh. "I'm sorry, Oliver. I didn't mean that."

"Whatever."

I grabbed his arm, forcing him to look at me. "Really."

"It's fine," he told me, shrugging my hand off.

"Elliot's coming," I told him desperately. "He'll want you to come. And I'll need someone to help me look after him. The other three don't really know him."

His eyes met mine again, and I saw them soften slightly.

A smile began to grow on my face. "So that means you'll go?"

"Only because I'm worried about Elliot," Oliver muttered, turning away from me again. "And only because of that."

I grinned at him. Whatever he said, I was glad he was going. Having the four of them together was definitely something I needed. There was no doubt that they would keep my mind of my parents' deaths. "Want to bake some cookies for us then?" I asked, nudging his side with my elbow.

"No," he growled, gently pushing me away from him. "I'm going back in."

I followed Oliver as he went back into the classroom. Tucker, Arden, and Zak had five desks pushed together and were setting up some sort of board game. Arden's attention turned to me and he grinned, gesturing for me to go to him.

"We're playing Scattergories," he informed me. "Want to play with us?"

"Where did you find that?"

Zak turned to smirk at me. "Secret."

"What about your essays?" I asked. "You're really supposed to be working on them..."

"Come one, one day of play won't hurt anyone right?" Zak said, pouting.

I hesitated. "Fine. On one condition. None of you hand in your essay late."

"Deal!"

I laughed. Zak was right; one day of play wouldn't hurt. Plus, Scattergories was something we could all do together. "Alright, I'll play. Oliver?"

He snorted. "No."

"Come on, Oliver, it's funner with more people," Arden protested, turning to frown at his ex-best friend.

Oliver pursed his lips at him. "Funner isn't a word."

"It is in my dictionary."

"Is stupid not included in it?"

I sent him a glare. "Oliver."

Oliver sighed, coming over to the group of desks. "Fine. But just this once."

Tucker gave Oliver a wary look before turning to me. I cocked my head to the side, grinning widely.

"Let the games begin!" Zak announced, pulling out the cards. "We'll start with list two. The letter is S..."