"John! You're running late!" That's how Mom wakes me up the next morning, shaking me. "You overslept!"

Frantic knocks on my window make us turn that way. Lyle is on the ladder. "Come on, man! Sunderland will stand us outside!"

"You guys go on ahead, I'll meet you at school!" I shout at him, jumping off the bed. Lyle tells me to rush it as he climbs down and disappears. Mom throws some clothes at me and goes downstairs, and three minutes later I'm out the door with bed hair and a sandwich dangling from my mouth as breakfast.

I check my cellphone and realize I'm running late either way, so I slow down my walking and chew on my sandwich on the way to school, but my momentary peace is cut short as Corrine of all people runs at me, alone, coming from the general direction of MHHS. That is weird, all right, but I woke up five minutes ago. I'm too heavy-eyed to imagine why.

"John! Please, we must hurry!" she says, panting as she reaches me.

"It's fine, Corrine. We're late either way..."

"No, it's not that! Please!" Corrine pulls on my arm, trying to get me to run, but she's already overexerted, and her sprinting is barely faster than our normal walking speed. "They are fighting..." she starts to explain, wheezing, and gives me instructions to go ahead and turn left on the next corner. She never gets to mention who's fighting, so I imagine it's something with Newt. After all, it's the first time he has to go to school without us, and, if that's the case, there's no time to waste, so I follow Corrine's instructions and turn left, and I immediately spot the mob assembled a couple blocks ahead. I swear at least half the school is there. I sprint my way there and wedge myself through the crowd, which makes room for me as they notice who I am. A couple of people pat on my shoulder, and someone says, "We got her, Newbie," and the rest of the crowd cheer and applaud.

In the center of it, Amanda and Scar are rolling on the floor, arms flailing trying to land punches on the other, and I react without thinking, holding Scar from behind and pulling her away from Amanda. Scar thrashes trying to escape my grip, but I'm not letting go.

"LET ME GO! I'M GOING TO KILL THAT BITCH!"

"No, you're not!" I reply as we struggle, but she ain't giving up.

"Which side are you on?! Let go of me, you dumb dung!"

"I'm on our side, Scar, but this isn't the way!"

"She did it!" Scar says, her voice cracking. "I don't know why, but she fucking did it, John!" She turns around in my arms, clutches my shirt and starts crying. "It's always her! Always making me look like the bad one!"

"That's my fucking line!" Amanda replies from her spot. I'm glad she didn't try to get back at Scar while I was holding her. She pushes a few strands of her hair out of her face. "I wish someone could explain to me what the hell I'm being accused of this time!"

"The messages on the high school forum," I tell her, and she frowns in confusion. "Was that your doing?"

"What are you even talking about? What messages?"

Lyle walks in from the crowd, holding a handkerchief to his nose, covered in blood for some reason. Maybe he tried stopping the fight and got hit? He walks to Amanda and takes his phone out of his pocket with his free hand, and shows it to her. Amanda takes the phone and examines it. I imagine he's showing her the same screenshots Newt sent me yesterday.

"This dung has your names in it!" she says, accusatory.

"They're fake accounts," I tell her, and the crowd around us starts complaining about the whole situation. "Potato created the accounts and posted those messages yesterday."

"Wait, Potato...?" Amanda looks even more confused than before, and by now I'm pretty certain she had nothing to do with it. "What does that even mean? Why on earth would he do that?"

"He said it was your idea," Lyle completes, pocketing his phone. "Said you offered him sex for doing it."

"Oh, because that makes so much sense, doesn't it?!" Amanda snaps, looking at both Lyle and me in turns. "Are you even listening to yourself? Me? Offering sex to that lame trash-bag for posting some lame messages targeting ME?!"

"It doesn't make sense for us, either," I say.

Abby frees herself from my grasp. "Well, it did work out for her in the end, huh?" she says, and points a finger at Amanda. "You get away with it entirely, and we're the violent fucks who are stupid enough to believe whatever dung Potato said! It's a win-win for you, isn't it?!"

"You were the one who came at me demanding answers with a fucking fight, Abigail!"

"You planned this all along! You're that lame and shady!"

"Enough!" I say, holding Scar again.

She looks at me over her own shoulder. "So you do believe her dung! You're siding with her, now?!"

"She didn't do it, Abby!"

"Like hell she didn't!" she grunts, pulling herself out of my grasp, then she turns to me. "You're a naïve idiot if you think otherwise!"

"It's like Lyle said yesterday! You just want it to be her fault!"

"Fine! Side with her! I don't fucking care!"

I hold her shoulders and look her straight in the eye. "Listen to me. There's no reason not to believe her, Abby. It doesn't add up, don't you see?"

She glares at me. "You're the one who doesn't see dung, John. But have it your way. Do your own thing. Don't listen to the crazy chick with the scar."

"It's not about listening to you or not!"

"But you're listening to her! And while you're with her, you're not with me!"

"That's not fair, Abigail!"

"Nothing in this world is fair, John! So pick a side, and live with the consequences!"

"Well, if it's an either-or situation..." Lyle says, frowning, and walks to Amanda's side. "I made my choice."

"Oh, what a surprise," Abby replies with a fake pout. "Good for you, Amanda. You got yourself another Potato. After all, you'd do anything to get in her pants, wouldn't you, Lyle?"

"Say whatever you want." Lyle replies, unmoving. He turns to me. "Your turn, John."

"Guys, come on. Drop that dung already. We don't need to fight like this."

"There you go again," Abby says, rolling her eyes. "Wanting to believe that everything can be worked out if we all become friends. Which is rich, considering you keep your friends in the dark about everything you do, like you do with your friends from Celadon Beach or whatever?"

That is a low blow. One I don't condone. "You just want to pick a fight with anyone now, doesn't even matter who."

"Oh, but am I wrong, John? You love to stay in the grey area, pretending everything will be fine if you wish hard enough. Always ambiguous and shady, trying too hard to not get in trouble, but trouble always has a way to find you, and you know why? Because you never pick sides."

"Are you done?" I ask, meeting her eyes.

"I'll make it easy for you, John," she says, walking to me. "You're either with me, or against me. So, which one is it going to be?"

"You're doing this wrong!"

"And, unlike you, I live with the consequences of that," she replies, walking past me. The crowd disperses, making room for her. "Don't bother looking for me later."

"Abby, wait..." I say, trying to hold her arm, but she turns on her heels and throws a punch that grazes my left cheek.

"And don't fucking touch me," she says through gritted teeth. Her eyes are pure outrage as they meet mine. "You think you're the better man, but you're just like Rude."

Then she turns her back to me and storms out.