KENNEDY

Walking through the halls of Pine View high school no longer felt like the daunting experience it was two months ago. Students no longer stare, point or make snarky comments towards me. They are already used to me and my red hair. I became old news slower than I would have liked but I can finally get from point A to point B without being the center of attention.

Jade also got the message, found herself a new boyfriend and stopped bothering me about Wesley. I guess she figured that I am not going anywhere and Wesley will never get back together with her. Her new boyfriend is on the swim team and they look happy together, or at least that's how it seems. Honestly I wish them nothing but the best. I have no hard feelings towards Jade even if she did try to ruin my life here a couple of times.

I finally make it to the guidance counselors office where I have been summoned and knock softly on the door. Miss June calls out for me to enter and I open the door letting myself in. She looks up from the paperwork littered on her desk and smiles at me.

"Ah, my favourite straight A student, welcome. Please have a seat." She invites.

"Are you allowed to have favorites?" I challenge her sitting down.

"I'm allowed to be who I am. So how are you? I haven't seen you in a while." She asks me.

Thank God for that. I am not overly enthusiastic about constantly being sought out by the guidance counselor. Though now that I think about it, it's probably my parents doing and how they keep tabs on me. I don't question her about it because she will probably deny it.

"I'm doing great, looking forward to mid terms." I answer.

"Which you're going to ace as seen from your previous test scores." She replies.

"I do my best."

"I'm glad to hear that. So I don't want to keep you for long but I have a couple of things I would like to discuss with you." She begins.

"I'm all ears."

"Good, first things first. You've been a tutor with the senior tutors program for two months now and all your tutees are doing great. Good job on your part, I knew I could count on you." She praises.

I blush and resist the urge to hide my face behind my hair. Isaiah pointed out that I do that a lot and I am trying to stop. "Thank you."

"No, thank you Kennedy. The school is grateful for your hard work so here is your appreciation." She says handing me an envelope.

I take it from her and inside are a couple of hundred dollar bills.

"What's this for?" I ask staring at the money in disbelief.

"All tutors get paid the same wage, with bonuses if the students do better and you've just earned yourself that." She answers.

"I didn't know we got paid to tutor." I mumble.

"I didn't mention that at the beginning?"

I shake my head. "No you definitely didn't."

"My bad, I'm sorry. Now you get to do something nice for yourself. On behalf of the school, thank you for your hard work." She concludes.

I am still in shock but I put the envelope in my bag tabling it for later. "Was there anything else miss?"

"Yes, it's about your college application. Have you thought about which school you'll be applying to?" She inquires. "If not, I'm sure I can be of guidance. There are a number of top schools where you would fit right in." She decrees taking out a bunch of brochures from her desk.

"I'm going to Yale." I answer quickly.

"An Ivy League, great choice. May I ask why Yale?"

"My family has always gone there so it's the obvious choice for me." I reply.

She doesn't even seem surprised by this because she knows about my family.

"I can understand that but college is a time for one to express themselves and grow as an individual. Have you considered other options?" She challenges.

"Wouldn't make a difference, it's Yale or Yale." I insist.

Miss June sighs and doesn't even try to convince me otherwise. College is college for me. My biggest issue is what I'm going to pursue there because I am definitely not going to become a doctor, take a finance course or study politics like my parents would like. The more I get into my art the more I want to pursue that as a career. Mr and Mrs Foster will have a coronary that's for sure but if I'm forced to go to Yale, the one thing I can do for myself is to pursue something I love.

"If you've made up your mind then I look forward to reading your essay." Miss June relents knowing she can't convince me otherwise.

"I'm working on it." I reply even though I've barely started.

"Glad to hear that. Unless you have something you'd like to talk about that's all I had for today." She concludes.

I shake my head. "No, I'm good."

"Happy to hear that, thank you for coming. My door is always open." She says dismissively.

"Have a good day Miss June." I reply picking up my bag and getting up.

I leave her office and head for the library. I have study hall and I know that Kristie is already there waiting for me.

I find her at our usual table, her nose buried in a book. When I take the seat next to her, she barely lifts her head up to acknowledge me until I poke her with a pencil.

"Ow!" She moans in pain looking up at me with a scowl.

I smile at her rubbing my thumb over where I've poked her. "Hello to you too bookworm."

"Sorry, mid terms." She apologizes setting her book down.

"You'll be fine, you're the smartest person in this school." I encourage.

"Thanks." She answers with a smile.

I take out my books from my tote bag and the letter with the tutoring money falls out. I'd almost forgotten about that.

"Did you know that we get paid to be tutors?" I ask Kristie.

She nods and glanced at me. "Yes, why do you think I do it?"

"To help?" I reply and she looks at me as if I'm the dumbest person she's ever met.

"Oh no honey. I'm in it for the money. I need it because I'm saving up for college." She declares.

"Oh but I didn't know about the money." I explain.

It's not that I am against getting paid, I just wasn't expecting it.

"It's not a fortune but it helps and we can always use an extra buck or two right." Kristie replies.

"Yes right." I nod even though I don't really need the money.

I feel guilty that I'm still hiding my true self from my friends. Isaiah knows now, it was impossible hiding it from him after he saw me with my family during Astrid's birthday dinner. Inviting him to our house was a big step but I'm glad I did it. After we sat and talked, he understood why I had to keep my life a secret. He didn't judge me or start treating me any different which I'm grateful for. He also agreed to keep it between us until I am ready for everyone else to know. I will tell them, just not now.

"So where are you applying to?" I ask Kristie recalling her mentioning that she's a tutor to save up for college.

"Honestly everywhere but mostly the famous eight. I want to be the first one in my family to go to college and make it better by making it an Ivy league." She answers.

"You have the grades so I can definitely see that happening." I reply.

"Really?"

"Yes really. Kristie you are so smart you make the rest of us look like dum-dums." I praise.

She grins and tosses her braids back in a sassy way. "Thank you."

Both of us burst out laughing but are quickly shushed by other students.

"What about you?" She asks once we've stopped laughing.

"I'm leaning towards Yale, my sister went there and she loved it." I explain because if I say my whole family from generations back she will have a lot of questions that I am not ready to answer yet.

"It is a great school." She replies.

"I know." I grin.

Kristie and I dive into our books after that though we resume the college talk when we settle down in the cafeteria for lunch. We're discussing her essay when the boys join us.

"What are you guys talking about?" Baron asks taking his place next to Kristie after kissing her.

She lights up like the fourth of July and melts into his embrace.

"College applications." I answer since he's rendered his genius girlfriend incapable of forming words.

Isaiah slips in next to me with Wesley squeezing in between Kristie and I forcing us to shuffle over so we can make space for him. He's such a baby seeing as the bench on the other side of the table is empty.

"Hi." Isaiah whispers smiling at me.

"Hi." I reply with a slight blush.

"You okay?" He asks.

"Yes, you?"

"Much better now that I'm here." He declares and I nearly combust into flames.

I thinks it's safe to say that my crush on this guy has not waned one bit.

"Miss June and I had a meeting yesterday and we decided that Johns Hopkins is the best choice for me." Baron informs us getting back to the topic at hand saving me from Isaiah and his cuteness.

He's right, John Hopkins has the best medical program so if he can get in, he's guaranteed a future in medicine.

"Of course you are. I think I'm more of a Harvard girl." Kristie replies.

"You'd look good in their crimson." Baron concurs.

"I know I would." She giggles kissing his jaw. Before they can making out in front of us which they have done on multiple occasions Wesley coughs out loud dramatically and they pull apart.

"Kennedy is going to Yale." Kristie announces to draw the attention away from her.

"Really?" Isaiah asks.

"Yes." I nod looking at him.

"Nice choice."

"Thanks."

"I'm a Princeton man myself." He declares.

Looks like he's set on going to an Ivy league as well.

"They have a great basketball program and academic program so I get two for two." He explains.

I didn't know that Isaiah wants to play basketball past high school. The only one who's vocal about going pro is Wesley even though they are all great players.

"What course?" I ask him.

"I am still deciding on that." He replies.

"Me too.What about you Wesley?" I ask the sneaky bastard who is busy eating my food.

He looks at me sheepishly and pushes my lunch box back towards me his mouth stuffed with food. He swallows before replying. "If I make the cut, my first choice is UCLA. They have the all-time greatest college basketball program."

"You'll make the cut. You've been doing great and we've more than adequately prepared for the midterms." I encourage him.

"You're right, I'm just nervous." He mumbles.

I bump my shoulder with his and smile at him. "It's okay to be nervous but also have faith in yourself and in me. I'm a pretty great tutor."

He laughs and bumps my shoulder back."Yes you are, thanks princess."

"Anytime."

I see him eyeing my food so I push my lunch box back to him which he hungrily accepts. I guess I'm stuck eating his cafeteria food. It's not so bad but I should remember to start packing for two because this has become a daily habit.

"You know what I've just realized." Kristie announces a moment later.

"What?" We all ask in unison.

"None of us are going to the same college. We'll be scattered all over the country." She replies sadly.

"Damn, you're right. The band is going to break up." Wesley comments pushing his food aside as if he's lost his appetite.

It hits us all like a pile of bricks that soon enough we'll each go own separate ways. The thought of us losing contact when we all leave for college breaks my heart more than I thought possible yet its still many months away. These guys have become my family and I wouldn't want to lose the bond that we have.

"It's going to be fine guys, we all knew it was going to happen sooner rather than later." Kristie encourages even though it's clear she's also bummed by the idea.

"True." Baron agrees hugging her tighter.

"But we still have until next fall to be together so let's make the most of it. We'll never be high school seniors ever again." Kristie suggests.

We all hum our agreements and start talking about all the upcoming senior events that we can bond over. Halloween is right around the corner but my family doesn't celebrate it and the school doesn't seem to have plans. The basketball team also has a game that weekend, not sure who they are playing but I know that making plans with them isn't guaranteed.

Wesley taps my arms to get my attention so I turn to him. " Can I please talk to you?"

"Sure, what about?"

"Privately." He replies looking around the table filled with our friends and his teammates.

It's an odd request but I oblige nonetheless. "Of course."

I excuse myself from the table and follow him as he leads me towards the windows away from the middle of the crowded hall. I feel eyes on my back and I turn to see Isaiah giving us an odd confused look. I'm just as confused as he is but I'll be getting my answers soon enough.

"Is everything okay Wes?" I ask him once we're far enough away from everyone.

He looks nervous from the way he keeps rubbing the back of his neck and shuffling from foot to foot. I know this isn't about our tutoring sessions otherwise he wouldn't have asked me to step aside so we can talk.

"Wes..." I prompt when he doesn't say anything.

"Yeah I'm okay, it's just all that college talk has made me realize that we're running out of time and won't be at Pine View forever." He starts.

"True." I agree wondering where the conversation is headed.

"Yeah so before I lose my chance I have something to tell you." He says looking down at me to meet my eyes.

"Okay ..." I say in wait and ... nothing.

He just stares at me without saying anything.

"Fuck this is harder than I thought." He mutters looking away a moment later.

"Wesley what is it?" I ask beginning to panic a bit.

I've never seen Wesley so nervous before. He is always so sure of himself, playful and assertive so this side of him scares me a bit.

He takes a deep breath and finally looks back at my eyes. "Okay here goes nothing ...I like you Kennedy."

"I like you too." I reply with a smile without even having to think about it.

"No not like that. I like you, like you." He repeats and it takes a moment for me to connect the dots.

When I do, my eyes widen in surprise. "Oh..."

It's the wrong answer but it's honestly all I have to say to him since he has caught me off guard. My thoughts turn into mush as I try to think of something to tell him that won't break his heart into a million pieces but come back blank.

"Yes and its been eating at me for weeks and I couldn't go another day without telling you." He adds looking so hopeful yet I know that I cannot return his feelings.

"Oh Wes..." I whisper looking at him apologetically.

His face falls when he hears my tone because he knows exactly what is about to happen.

"You like someone else don't you?" He asks looking so crest fallen it breaks my heart.

I am honored that a guy as great as Wesley deems me worthy of his feelings but it's sad that I cannot reciprocate.

"Kinda." I confess.

"Is it Iz?" He asks and we both turn to look at our table.

All our friends are looking at us and they quickly look away when they see that we've caught them staring.

"Wes..." I mumble when he catches me looking at Isaiah for a moment longer.

"It is, isn't it?" He insists.

I don't say anything because I don't want to hurt him any further but my silence is enough to answer his question. I do like Isaiah but at the moment I wish I didn't if it'd spare Wesley the hurt look on his face.

"I knew it but I still had to confirm and tell you. You miss a hundred percent of the shots you don't take right?" He mumbles his voice low and broken.

I've done this. I've hurt him and there is nothing I can say to make it better but I try.

"I'm sorry." I apologize.

He shakes his head at me. "Don't be. He likes you too and you'd make the perfect couple."

I can tell that its killing him to say those words out loud to me.

"Are you sure you're okay?" I ask him.

He smiles sadly and shakes his head. His eyes that are always filled with laughter and happiness are sad and gloomy. "No but I will be."

"Are we okay? I don't want things to be awkward between us." I inquire.

Isaiah and I were able to stay friends after confessing our feelings for each other but that only because we were at the same level. With Wesley it's different because his feelings are unrequited.

"Impossible, you'll always be my princess." He says holding my shoulders.

I smile because even though I know he's hurting, there is still hope for us to be friends even after I've turned him down.

"Good because you're stuck with me." I decree and wrap my arms around his waist for a hug.

He hesitates for a moment but he hugs me back and we just stay like that for one long moment. Hurting Wesley is that last thing I want to do but the heart wants what it wants and mine wants his best friend even though I'm not dating him either.

We pull away and I lean up on my tiptoes to kiss his cheek but accidentally get his mouth instead when he turns his head at the last moment. We freeze in place and he's the first one to pull away.

"God I am so sorry. Please don't think that I planned that." He apologizes looking mortified.

I laugh and cup his cheek to make him stop." Calm down Wesley. I know it was an accident. You're good."

"Really?"

"Yes, it's okay." I assure him.

"Okay thanks but I need a moment." He says stepping back.

"We're good right?" I ask just to be sure.

"Always princess." He says giving me one of his charming smiles before turning around and walking out of the cafeteria.

I take a moment to myself wishing I can follow him but knowing that he needs the space and respecting that. I make my way back to the table alone and everyone tries to look busy even though its obvious they were looking at us.

"Is everything okay?" Isaiah asks breaking the silence first.

"Yes, Wes just needs a minute." I reply.

Nobody asks what that conversation was all about because if they are smart enough to add two plus two then they'll figure it out for themselves.

"Are you okay?" Isaiah whispers giving me a concerned look.

"No but I will be." I answer.

He nods at me and squeezes my arm comfortingly. I didn't want to hurt Wesley and I feel really guilty since I didn't even see the signs but I like someone else and I can't help that. All I can hope for is that our friendship will not be ruined by this. I cannot lose him as a friend, I don't want to so I hope that we can move past this and not let it ruin the good thing we have at the moment.