A/N: All I have to say is that it is too early to be up on a Saturday morning (8:36am)....

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Putting on make-up before school is something I had done since I was nine. Yeah, I know. A nine year old putting on make-up for school?

Pretty pathetic, but that's what happens with low self esteem and a bitchy mother. 

So getting up this morning and not putting on make-up felt bizarre. It felt as if I was forgetting something when I left the house, but Charlie didn't let me go back and put some on. 

Which was probably a good thing. I didn't really like make-up to start with. 

But it felt as though my make-up was part of my mask, a literal mask if that makes sense. It protected me from people noticing the imperfections on my face, and therefore avoided the comments that followed. 

And I'm not going to lie, I was a bit nervous about not having my physical mask. I hated my freckles. 

"You okay?" Kye asked, changing the CD as we drove along the main road to school. 

"I'm good, Kye," I told him. "Be a normal teenage boy, remember?"

"Oh, yeah. Right," he remembered then started singing Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous by Good Charlotte. 

Yeah, we kind of had an obsession with Good Charlotte.

When I turned into the carpark I saw Max and Hazel getting off Max's bike in his usual corner of the parking lot. 

"See ya, Rylie," Kye called, walking away from the car and probably to his locker. 

It was strange. I never saw him during school except sometime on Wednesday's, because his locker and all his classes were on the other side of the school. But I didn't even see him at lunch. 

Someone pinching my sides took me out of my brainwave and I didn't even need to turn to see who it was. 

"Max!" I squealed, turning around and hitting his arm, frowning. 

"Oh shut up," he smirked, pulling me in for a hug. 

Okay, the lines are really blurring now. But you know what?

I didn't give a shit. 

It was too hard to stay away from Max and in all honesty, I didn't want to. 

Screw the lines. 

"No make-up today?" He asked conversationally as we went to my locker. I looked around to see where Hazel had gone to and I saw her with a guy. 

"Ooh look at Hazel!" I exclaimed, hitting Max's arm with excitement. "She's talking to a guy!"

Max's face instantly became serious. "Where? Who?" He asked, eyebrows furrowed. 

"Oh chill," I laughed, smiling at Hazel when I saw her look over at us. She was clearly worried that Max would walk over so I winked at her while I looked up at her brother. "Come on."

I had to literally drag him away from the carpark by the arm. Needless to say I was still laughing. 

"Maybe we should go back and see who it was," Max said, his voice sounding like it was just a thought that slipped out of his mouth by accident. 

"No," I shook my head firmly, opening my locker. "Give her some space. It could be just a friend."

"I doubt it," he protested, stubborn as anything. 

"Look," I told him, my voice reasonable. "Does she stop you from hanging out with me just because I'm a girl? Does Hazel, or any of your siblings in fact, get you to stop talking to me because I'm a girl?"

"No but it's different," Max whined, pouting.

"How is that different?"

"Because I l-" he stopped himself as if he was going to say something he wasn't supposed to. "It just is."

"What?" I asked, Max walking beside me as I went to double Maths.. 

"No, nothing!" Max backtracked. 

I groaned. "Why do you have to be so confusing?"

"Why do you have to be so confusing?" He shot back in nearly the same tone. 

"Wait, what? How am I-"

"No never mind see you later!" He rushed and turned to speed away, nearly jogging.

I rolled my eyes, but walked into maths. 

It went by painfully slow, the teacher only putting up the most difficult questions for us to solve.

Thankfully I had double English after recess, so I walked to that with excitement. 

I was about to go into the classroom when I saw Max being stopped by the girl who I gave his number to yesterday. 

I was going to walk into English but I just had to watch this. 

"What are we looking at?" Leah whispered in my ear, appearing out of nowhere it seemed. 

I ignored her comment, trying to catch the conversation that ensued down the corridor. 

"Like, what do you mean you're not interested?" The bimbo was asking. I still had no flipping clue what her name was and I didn't actually care.

"Exactly that," Max sighed in frustration. "I'm not interested in you."

"Ugh," the blonde screwed up her face. "Like, who are you interested in then?"

Leah grabbed my arm and dragged me into the classroom. "Come on, we're going to be late."

"HEY! I was listening to that!" I exclaimed, being way too loud in our nearly full classroom. 

Oops. 

"You have no right to listen to that," Leah told me. I guess she was being reasonable, but I really wanted to know who Max was interested in.

Wait a second. 

Why would Leah drag me away at that specific point? "Leah, do you know who Max likes?"

"What? No, why would I know that?" She asked, her face in a cool mask. 

"I don't know," I shrugged, not sure if she was lying or not. "I just thought you might know..."

"Oh Rylie," she shook her head with a bit of a smile. "You really have fallen, haven't you?"

"Oh go to Hell," I joked, rolling my eyes just as the teacher began to introduce the double period. 

"Today we are going to do some creative writing! You are going to all be given a picture of someone and you have to walk around in their shoes for a day, writing an internal monologue. So, what are they thinking throughout the day as they go through life? I'd like you to finish that by the end of class today." She intructed and I was extremely excited. I loved creative writing and I just hoped I got a good picture. 

When the teacher had reached my desk, she seemed to be contemplating which one to give me. She smiled as she handed me a piece of paper with a homeless man on it.

He was lying on the ground on his side, and looked about fourty. 

I immediately had an idea so I got to work, finishing just after the bell rang for lunch. 

I read over it one last time, before handing it up to the teacher. 

I packed up my things and walked to the door. "Rylie, could you wait a moment please?" The teacher called out to me. 

Shit, had I done something wrong? Was it that bad? Do I need to write it again?

"Sure," I said hesitantly, walking back to her desk. 

"Don't worry, you're not in trouble. I just wanted to tell you that it is incredible," she smiled. I think she wanted to say something else but stopped herself. "That's all."

I laughed nervously. "I didn't think it was very good, but thank you."

She dismissed me with a weird smile on her face, something that looked slightly mischevious?

I quickly dismissed that idea as ridiculous and walked to my locker, throwing my books in my locker and walking to the cafeteria.

"Oh man, you are so screwed," I heard Nate laugh at the same time Tessa said, "Awh, that's so cute!"

It seemed they were talking to Max. 

What?

I sat in between Olly and Chase. "What are you talking about?" I asked, trying to keep my tone casual. 

"Oh, nothing," Isaac brushed off, avoiding my gaze. 

So was everyone else actually. Either that, or they suddenly found the whitewash roof and walls of the cafeteria fascinating. 

"Guys, come on," I groaned, pouting involuntarily. "I'm always the one in the dark."

Olly wrote on his notepad and slid it in front of me. 

Yeah but that's ur fault. Ur kinda unobservant.

"Really?" I asked him, biting my lip. 

He nodded his head with a smirk.

I swear I was always confused in this group. And okay, maybe it was my fault because I was just so unobservant but I didn't mean to! I just didn't notice things like other people do.

"Wait, we're all staying at yours on Saturday after the party, right?" Leah asked in clarification. 

"Yup," Max popped the 'p' sound, taking a bite of his apple. 

Oooh I want an apple. 

"Sorry man but I can't come," Chase frowned. 

"Yeah me neither," August said. "Sorry."

"And I'm going to be late," Seth added. "Sorry."

"Nah that's okay guys. It was short notice anyway," he smiled, but I was seriously distracted by the apple Max was holding. 

Eh, screw it. 

I leaned over the table and snatched the apple out of Max's hand, taking a bite of it as I sat down, a smirk twisting it's way onto my mouth. 

"Hey! What was that for?" Max asked, but he was laughing so it was okay. 

"Hmm," I thought about it for a moment, trying to make something up. "For being confusing!"

"Well you gave my number to a fake as bimbo. Who, by the way, has been texting me all day and scarring my poor, innocent mind!" He protested, and everyone burst laughing. 

I nearly choked on a piece of apple. 

But Max got his phone out of his pocket, unlocking it and handing it over the table to me. While I was reaching for the phone he picked the apple back out of my hand with a grin. 

I rolled my eyes but started scrolling through the messages. 

Hy bae. Wot u up 2?

Y rn't u answering?

Come on, I knw u wont me.

Bae, if you answer I wll

"Ahh!" I let go of his phone but Olly caught it just before it hit the table, then handed it back to Max. "What the hell? Who sends something like that?" I exclaimed, screwing my face up. 

"See? She scarred my innocent brain. Thanks to you!"

"Hey what can I say? I was mad at you! The first time she asked I gave her the number to the pizza shop. Be grateful that it hasn't been going on for longer!"

"What does the text say?" Seth asked, eager to read it. 

So that's how the phone got circled around the entire table. Leah and Tessa quickly passed on the phone - probably at the same point I had nearly dropped it - but the boys were howling with laughter. 

The bell rang just after Isaac had read the text, so he handed the phone back to Max and we headed to the assembly hall. 

Once a week our school would have an assembly to celebrate something or other. Mostly it was people's work or achievements but sometimes people came in and talked to us, like football players or motivational speakers. 

Our principle was really about celebrating our achievements though, which is what the assembly today turned out to be. 

Everyone was seated in their year levels within half an hour - we had a big school - and the principle celebrated the achievements of the lower level students. Mostly for sport, but some were pieces of writing that the writer had to read, and some were pictures from the photography students or dances from the dance students. 

"Now this next piece of writing was done just today by one of our senior students. She won't be reading it so we will have her teacher to read it. Can you please welcome Mrs Anderson to the stage."

Hold up, that was my English teacher. 

We had written our pieces of writing today. 

But no, surely it wouldn't be mine. 

"This piece was written from the point of view of the a homeless man. It is an internal monologue for this man, and it was all based off this picture," Mrs Anderson introduced, gesturing to the projector screen which showed the photo that I had been staring at all through English today. 

Oh dear God no.

"So here it goes." Mrs Anderson paused, then began to read my writing.

*REMOVED FOR THE PURPOSE OF SUBMISSION*

When she finished, the crowd erupted into applause and I covered my face with my hands. 

"Are you okay?" Max whispered from beside me, pulling a hand away from my face. 

I nodded but sighed at the same time, hoping he wouldn't hear it. 

"Wait," Max paused, realisation seeped into his tone. "Was that yours?" 

I nodded and he smiled at me, almost proud. "That was fucking amazing."

My cheeks flushed but it would be too dark for him to see. Well I hoped it was at least. 

It was the last of the achievements and it was now time to go home.

"I didn't know you could write," Max told me as he walked me to my locker, already having his bag with him. 

"I can't, not really," I told him, slinging my bag over my shoulder and closing my locker again. 

"Rylie, that was incredible," he told me. "You can't say you can't write."

I shrugged. "It was just lucky I guess."

"Ugh you don't get how talented you are," he rolled his eyes that matched his little sister's, who was standing by Max's bike. 

"Hey Hazel," I smiled at her, but she didn't even get the chance to respond. 

"Who was that boy you were talking to this morning?" Max cut in, full on protective mode switched on.

"He's my fiance and we're running away and getting married in Vegas tomorrow," Hazel's voice dripped sarcasm as she eyed off her brother with annoyance. 

I think Max was about to have a heart attack. 

Hazel and I burst laughing. 

"Oh good Lord. It's not even funny to joke about that," Max let out his breath but I couldn't catch mine. I was laughing too much. 

"Calm down," I reminded him, rolling my eyes in unison with Hazel. 

"Yeah jeez Max," Hazel shook her head dissaprovingly. "He's just a friend."

"Really?" Max asked, narrowing his eyes at her. 

Hazel just sighed. "No, he's my boyfriend. So what?"

This time, she was serious. A small chuckle escaped my lips. 

I could tell Max was about to respond so I cut in this time. "Well firstly, Hazel. Congrats," I smiled at her and she shot me an appreciative look. "And Max, really. Lay off. It doesn't affect you in any way and she's free to make her own choices. So chill out, will you?" I asked, wrapping my arms around his neck as a goodbye. 

"Gotta go. Good luck with that Hazel," I smirked then turned on my heel and left.