I forced myself to get out of bed Monday morning.

I wasn't going to let Jayden hurt me even more than he already has. He was corrupting me, he had stayed in the back of my mind all weekend, forcing my to feel weak and like I was nothing. Which, of course, resulted in me binge watching Netflix and crying.

Once I was finally able to drag myself out of my bedroom and into the kitchen, I was beyond surprised to find Mrs. Duncan and Max having coffee with my mom.

"Goodmorning, Quinn. You look lovely." My mom said, glancing up at me over her coffee mug. I only let out a quiet groan in response.

I looked horrible. My hair was still a nest of tangles, my face was probably filthy, I was wearing nothing but a thin long t-shirt and underwear that I was pretty sure Max could see through my shirt.

"What? I said you look. . ."

"Don't." I moaned, rubbing my face so Max couldn't see how embarrassed I was.

"Quinn, it's okay. Max is a sweet boy, he won't judge you." I almost snapped at my mom, but decided against it. I didn't want to embarrass her, then we would just look ridiculous.

"Your mother says you've offered to start giving Max rides to school." Mrs. Duncan said, smiling brightly over her son's head at me. I could feel my mouth starting to open as Max smirked.

"You said what?" I growled, finally whirling on my mom. She was running a hand through her blonde curls, trying to act oblivious to my glaring.

"Go take a shower and get ready for school, Quinn. Max is waiting for you." I gave them all one last glance before walking back to my room with my head bowed.

It was bad enough that my family had to see me hurting over Jayden, I didn't need Max seeing it too. He would only laugh in my face, would joke around and make me into the joke of the school.

"Moaning and groaning about it is not going to make things any better." I heard Austin say in the hall behind me. I turned around slowly, raising an eyebrow. He was shirtless, smiling, and looked as if he didn't have a care in the world as he brushed his teeth.

"Whatever. You aren't the one that has to drive him." Austin shrugged, scratching his head so his blonde hair was messier then it already was.

"Look, sis. Do you really think I want you riding in a car every day with him? Mom might think he's changed and he's a perfect angel now. But he's still a teenage guy and you're still a teenage girl that definitely isn't ugly." I rolled my eyes at his comment.

"Yeah, sure. Like you even. . ."

"I care, Quinn. More than you think. But there's nothing either of us can do about it. Now go take a shower, I can smell you from over here." I chucked a pillow at him, before stalking toward my bathroom and slamming the door shut behind me.

***

"Don't say a word, or I will beat you over the head with my text book." I growled, waving it in Max's face before I tossed in in the back seat. He snickered but didn't say a word as I started the car and backed out of the driveway.

"So how was your late night run?" He asked, both of his eyebrows cocked. I gripped the steering wheel and ignored him.

"Oh come on, don't ignore me. I saw you come home in tears. Was it that douche of a boyfriend again?" I couldn't help but glance sideways at him in surprise. How would he know that I had been upset over Jayden before?

"That really isn't any of your business." I snapped, avoiding his eyes. He stayed quiet for a couple minutes, and for a second I actually thought he'd keep his mouth shut. If only I could have been that lucky.

"You don't have to be so snappy, you know. I'm not the one that messed around on you. Like three times, if you want to be exact." He muttered, taking me by surprise again. How the hell did he know that Jayden had cheated on me three times?

"When I want your opinion on my love life, I'll let you know." I finally said, trying to keep my composure. I could feel his eyes burning into the side of my face as I drove. It seemed like hours before we actually pulled up to the school. I could feel my heart skip a beat when my eyes met familiar hazel ones. Jayden was perched on the wall beside the entrance of the school, some slut hanging off his arm.

"Stop looking." Max whispered, "He'll know that he's affecting you." I nodded, taking his advice. I parked the car and shut the engine of slowly, listening to it purr then cough.

"All right, how am I supposed to get you in that wheelchair?" I asked him, unbuckling my seatbelt. He shook his head, his green eyes hardening.

"You don't need to help me. Just grab the damn chair from the trunk and bring it around the car." He snapped, his teeth gritted. I stared for a minute before climbing out of the car and popping the trunk with the keys.

"There you are! I heard what happened, Quinn! Are you okay?" Kacey was by my side before I could even blink, her moss colored eyes narrowed. I nodded, prying the wheelchair from where it was stuck between the spare tire and a box of old clothes.

"I'm fine. It was bound to happen, Kace." I replied, watching as she slowly took in what I was doing. Everything seemed to register in her head when I shut the trunk and she could see who was sitting in the car.

"Why the hell is Max the Ass in your car? Quinn?" She grabbed my shoulder's, shaking me as if I were asleep, "You aren't seriously going through with this are you? You want to help that jerk?" She sounded angry, irritated. Her cheeks had begun to grow red and her eyes were dark as she glared at the back of Max's head.

"Look, Kacey. I love you, you know that. We're best friends. That's why you need to trust me when I say that there is at least some good in this guy. He has to have some feelings, you know." I wrapped my arms around myself as I spoke, shaking my head a little. She took a step back, her hands clenching to fists.

"You know I hate him, Quinn! I thought you did too! Jesus, what the hell changed your mind so quickly? Is it because perfect little golden boy actually showed some interest in you when no one else would? Is it because you want to know what it feels like to be touched by him?" She grabbed my wrist roughly and pointed in my face as if she were lecturing me.

"I don't know what the hell happened to my best friend. I knew that I was already starting to lose you every time you would forgive that low life loser. But you've taken it to a whole new level. Now you want to be with the guy that we've hated for the last two years. If you want to get laid I'll find you someone, Quinn. Just not him." I could feel anger starting to spread through my body, feel my cheeks and neck starting to grow warm.

"What happened to me? What about you, Kacey? All you do is flaunt yourself, to let men and boys use you so you can get what you want. Do you know what we call those kinds of people? Whores! You are a fucking whore, Kacey." I threw my hand over my mouth the second I realized what I had said. Kacey drew her hand away before slapping me as hard as she could.

"I'm the whore?" She cried, tears starting to escape her eyes, "Why don't you just go fuck around with Max and all his little friends. They'd love you." Then she ran off, her heels clicking against the black top the only sound I could hear.

I could feel my chest starting to tighten as tears left my own eyes. I pushed the wheelchair to the passengers side, not saying a word when Max looked up at me.

"Quinn. . ." He trailed off when I wiped the tears from my throbbing cheek. I gestured for him to sit in the wheelchair, hoping that he got the hint that I didn't want to talk. After a minute he let out a hiss of pain as he put all his weight on his hands. I wiped my cheeks again as he slipped into the chair, still hissing under his breath.

"I'm good." He whispered.

"Quinn, if you. . ."

"I don't want to talk about it. Just leave me alone, okay?" I grabbed our backpacks from the back before slinging them over my shoulder and pushing Max away from the car.

I swear that every pair of eyes outside were on us as I struggled to keep the chair from rolling back on me.

"You're heavy." I grunted, gripping the handles. He chuckled, glancing at me over his shoulder in amusement.

"Sweetheart, I don't need your help anymore." I sighed in relief and pulled away from him and the chair.

"Thanks for the ride." I nodded, handing him his backpack. I started to walk toward the entrance, but stopped dead in my tracks when he called after me.

"And Quinn?" I let out a shaky breath and turned to face him. His green eyes were glistening in the bright light of the sun.

"Yeah?" I responded, waiting for him to go on. He stared at me for a second longer, almost as if he were analyzing me like a science project.

"They aren't worth it," He said, "They aren't worth your tears. Don't let them think they are."

***AN***

Hope you guys enjoyed. I know it's a filler chapter, but I hope it was enjoyable anyway.

Let me know what you thought!

~ChasingMadness24