Thanksgiving break was now over. I had—or tried to have—fun with Kylie and Kenneth while they were in town. But at the same time, I was still adjusting to the Proliator secret. I hadn't talked to the Vega family at all. Or Mickie. When Nik hung out with me and Cheyenne, he acted indifferent, but I still saw a new flicker of light in his eyes that suggested he wasn't as cruel as before, especially when it was a chill day with Kylie, Kenneth, Cheyenne, Nik, and me. Cheyenne would ask about Sebastian and Nik would shoot me a small glance and Kenneth would change the subject and make up some lie. Honestly, I hadn't known where Sebastian was over break. He was either locked in his room, chauffeuring Jem, or just...out. Even when it was all of the family—ours and the Bergens—he was quiet and sent me glares full of resentment.

It was breaking my heart piece by piece.

This morning, I woke up super late and I was rushing around the house to gather my school things because I only had twenty minutes, yet Sebastian was at the front door smirking as if he planned for me not to hear my alarm clock. He left and that's exactly why I was late to advisory. By the time the attendance office's line got to me, it was second period and they just released us to class.

"Where were you?" Cheyenne asked in Journalism.

"I woke up late and didn't have a ride," I answered.

"Sorry," she apologized. "I just sort of assumed you would ride with Sebastian...my bad."

"It's fine," I lied. I sat correctly in my seat and basically fell asleep on the palm of my hand. There was nothing to do in this class. I was slowly going into a numbing sleep that was greatly appreciated—

"Angela!" my teacher yelled. My eyes snapped open and I looked around to see the entire class looking at me.

"Hmm?" I hummed with the least amount of care I could muster. Why would I? My brother was mad at me. I had no boyfriend to text. Cheyenne was busy gossiping. Mickie wasn't here. Dastan...was long gone. Why should I care in a class that held no interest for me anymore!

"Since you lack something to do, how about you can write an article on what you did this Thanksgiving?" my teacher suggested.

"...or I can just sleep here..."

"Or I can send you to the—"

"Can she help us on the school's social network? We're busy updating this month and December's upcoming information on the school's webpage," a nerdy boy named John asked. I rolled my eyes.

"She'd love to," my teacher answered for me. I literally rolled out of my seat and lazily stood up to trudge over to the computer. I logged in and got directions to "change this format" and "add these pictures," but five minutes into it, I realized that tagging the students involved in the Boys Basketball team's new pictures, they added a new player: #1, Dastan Vega.

Why would they add a player a month after tryouts and especially since Dastan didn't go here anymore? I clicked on his name that was also tagged in a trending topic of "RETURNING LETTERMAN RETURNS AFTER FALSE WITHDRAWAL." I already knew he didn't update it very often, but there he was, tagged in pictures of the team practicing and playing a game against a school over break. Suddenly, the screen automatically updated and a new status flashed on the top of his page. He had posted a status on Facebook and I clicked it in order to see it, but of course it was blocked on school computers so I just went on my phone for it. When I saw it, I wanted to cry.

His latest status: Don't let bitches think they can get to you after breaking up with your best friend.

Hayden was his best friend. I was that bitch.

***

I was busy sulking in the bathroom stall as soon as lunch started. I was literally breaking down right now. Not only was I hated by half the girls in school for breaking up with Hayden—even though the heartbreak was shared by the both of us—but I was also despised by my older brother who seemed to not care about the girls' rude words and then had the decency to laugh along with his stupid friends he had clearly heard talking about me being the 'bitch' Dastan mentioned in his status. I hadn't even seen Dastan all day! I was beginning to seriously think that basketball crap was just an old attempt at gaining pride for our school's team.

So when someone knocked on the stall's door, I wasn't quick to respond at all.

"The other stall is open," I muttered to them. I almost immediately heard them start tapping their foot impatiently. She knocked again, this time more urgently. What was her deal? I looked down and saw stylish heels and rolled my eyes.

"If you're here to denounce our friendship now that I'm not with Hayden and know the secret, then just go away—"

"Stop being so dramatic!" Mickie groaned and then just walked off. 

That was too easy. 

I'd assume she'd be the worst girl on my case right now. After all, I had broken Hayden's heart before he had the chance to do it to me with the whole secret thing...and also the fact that I broke the heart of a boy she crushed on for year...even if it was for his own good. They were still close, if not best, friends. 

I wiped my face as I heard the door swing close or opened as Mickie left and probably some girl entered, but when I exited my stall, I was forcibly placed against the nearest wall.

Before I could look to the culprit, he leaned down to my height to gaze at me. I reacted faster by removing his grip and flipping our positions somehow. I knew how I felt about him, but I was so mad at him at the time that I wanted to smack him across the face. I even lifted my hand to do it but paused. He didn't explode into a look of incredulousness. He just reversed our positions once more and looked at me with a shine to his golden eyes and a smile on his face, revealing his perfect teeth. The levels were altering between complimenting his handsome face and mocking me for my confused feelings.

It was bad enough that I was standing here being pressed against the wall because his arms created bars on either side of my head, but I had forgotten that I probably looked like a monster with a stupid recovering puffy face from ugly-crying so long.

"Say something!" I finally yelled out of frustration. His polite smile turned into an evil smirk.

"Your life is going to be hell if we give this a shot," he hissed before capturing my lips with his.  When the initial shock subdued, my body wanted more. I acted without even thinking and idiotically trusted that instinct until he pulled away from me. Green eyes galore, he searched my face for a second, pecked my lips one more time and fled. 

"Your life is going to be hell if we give this a shot." His words matched the hateful status on Facebook, but didn't match the opposite feelings he left me in that innocent kiss. I could only think that he was playing games or didn't know what he wanted or was back to trying to manipulate another situation. 

I stormed out of the bathroom and into the hallway, only to see Dastan with his arm over Mickie's shoulders as they walked away and nonchalantly talked. Right now, I didn't care. I sped up to catch up with them and grabbed Dastan's shoulder to pull him away from Mickie. I planned to generate enough strength to throw him into the lockers, but of course he used his speed and strength to not let that happen.

"What the hell was that for!?" I yelled at him.

"What was what for?" he scoffed pathetically.

"That. That back there! Or hell, what you posted this morning? I don't care. Pick one!" I clarified in a raised voice even though I'm sure some students started looking at us. His face and body composure read that he was angry, but his medium brown eyes told a different story. Mickie's hand grabbed his forearm and my eyes zeroed in on it with a glare. I think I even growled.

"What the f*ck do you think I would do with you when I have her?" he nearly spat in my face. It didn't hurt nearly as much as when he grabbed Mickie's hand and pulled her into him. Even though it was manipulative and less than what he actually could've done with her right now, it still hurt. The tears that had dried on my cheeks had been hydrated once more and I turned to bolt out of there.

But I made contact into a breathing wall. Sebastian.

His arms wrapped around me instinctively, but then as soon as he wiped a falling tear from my eye, he was moving me out of his way. He had provoked enough strength in anger that he tore Dastan and Mickie apart to slam him against the lockers.

"I'm sick and tired of you with my sister!" he yelled.

"I'm not with your sister—"

"But you want to be, so stop bullying her like an asshole or some little kid on the playground who doesn't know how to process his feelings when we both know that's not the case!" Sebastian screamed before cocking his first back to punch him quickly but of course Dastan caught it.

"Stop it," Dastan hissed so low that no one further than me could hear it.

"No, you stop it!" Sebastian retorted before trying to fight him, but he knew by now that he couldn't stand a chance. Dastan started muttering something to him that I was out of range for but now Nik was pulling him back. He grabbed Sebastian's chest as Sebastian lunged at Dastan like a junkyard dog. "You're not doing the right thing! Neither of you! Make your decision and don't only make it for your goddamn self when it involves her—"

"If it's what she wants--"

"It's not!" Sebastian denied and I felt my stomach turn because it wasn't true. Even right now when I was left in the dark about whatever new plot Dastan had thought up, at least I was involved in it. I could only hope he was trying to set our public image up as something to deter everyone away from us having any kind of relationship if anyone elver linked his life to the Proliator's. Dastan's decisions were selfish but Nik was right in his justification for pulling the boys apart. "You're being a narcissistic, douchebag coward—"

His list went on and on as he broke from Nik's grasp and tackled Dastan to the ground. He didn't get very many hits, as expected, but Dastan didn't even take any as defense. When a crowd started to form and Hayden came running up, he glanced at the two fighting boys—mainly just one—and helped Nik with pulling them apart. By now, there were students coming out of their classrooms and Mateo, being one of them, took one look at the scene and understood everything from dozens of kids' point of views.

I could only stand there paralyzed. Nik was restraining Sebastian (who had a crazy look in his eyes out of protection for me) which at least gave me hope that he didn't actually hate me. Hayden had pulled Dastan up and stood between him and Sebastian. Mickie was nagging a finger at Dastan for instigating this in the first place. They had caused quite a scene and they were both being escorted away by an administrator, but I was still in place.

Why was this happening?

When I got to this school, Dastan ignored me in public and treated me like a friend elsewhere. While, on the other side of life, I was falling for the Proliator, even though he was stubborn and heroic with a certain charm. I fell for the Proliator for a reason that his other million admirers don't know of. I loved him. I guess when I found out it was secretly Dastan, I loved him even more. I had thought about it and accepted that he had a right to his own secret and I appreciated that he went to such lengths to pursue me with that addition.

But now? I felt heartbroken...more than seeing Kenneth happy with Jaime...and more than knowing that mine and Hayden's relationship was ingenuine. I had no idea why the hell he was treating me even more rotten. I rather have him ignore me like before than to put on this performative show. 

I had wanted him to focus on himself once more and not revolve around me as a response to him wondering how to "keep" me, but I had meant to go back to before. Not center the world around himself even more and make my life a rollercoaster with only one confrontation. He had gone from pouring his heart out to me desperately, to...seemingly hating every fiber of my being when I had did nothing but benefit him.

And this was still all assumptions because he still failed to communicate with me transparently. What did he want from me?