As soon as I stepped into the hallway, Cheyenne grabbed my arm and tugged me to the right. Students littered the hallways, friends chatted, and the air held a relaxed feeling. My friend wore a smile while butterflies attacked my stomach. She waved to a lot of people, most of who waved back.

Cheyenne halted in front of locker 201, which had been assigned to me. She offered me a tilt of her lips, the aftermath of yesterday's events still evident in her expression. Of course, she wasn't one to hold a grudge. She wasn't upset with me; in fact, we'd been amiably chatting the whole way to school. The problem at hand involved facing her friends.

"Let me know if you need anything," Cheyenne nervously smiled.

"You too," I sighed, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I'm really sorry so much drama happened because of me."

She shrugged off my hand and flapped her own in a dismissive manner. "Connie, please! It's not your fault." She lowered her voice. "Vivi was bound to erupt sometime. Really, her and Luca hated each other way before you came along."

My head bobbed up and down as my stomach twisted into knots. "I really hope everything turns out okay." That was the truth. I hoped Vivi and Cheyenne would remain friends. Two best friends shouldn't unfriend each other over a boy.

Cheyenne's lip twitched as she headed in the opposite direction. I'd learned the lockers of Cheyenne and her friends weren't around mine, so I wished her luck dealing with them. After yanking open my locker, I shoved my heavy bag of supplies into it. Well, I attempted to. Realistically, I struggled to support the weight of the bag while simultaneously attempting to make it fit into my locker.

After blowing some air out of my mouth, I gently lowered the bag to the ground. Then, I proceeded to pull my crumpled schedule out of my pocket. First period was English. So, I searched through my bag for all the items I wouldn't need for English and shoved them in my locker. Annoyance boiled within me, yet I kept pushing in items.

In the end, the items were pilled on top of one another. Apparently, I couldn't organize a locker. I let out out my frustration by slamming my locker as hard as I could. The person rummaging through the locker next to mine jumped nearly a foot in the air.

"Sorry," I muttered, swinging my now light bag over my shoulder.

The person nodded, holding a hand to her heart. I sighed, turning to face a nearly empty hallway. This day was already turning sour, yet I couldn't give up hope. I needed to find a way to reconcile the friendships I helped tear apart.

As I took a left turn, I realized I had no idea where I was going. English was in room 106, but I had no idea where that was located. Sighing in defeat, I glanced around. The hallway stood vacant, save me and a certain blonde running towards me.

"Connie!" Vivi exclaimed, pulling me into a tight hug.

I laughed, hugging her back. Once we pulled away, I noticed her distraught expression.

"Vivi, are you okay?" I whispered.

She shrugged, brushing a strand of hair out of her face. "Ehh, they all hate me. Chey took Meatbag's side, as always."

I shook my head as my lips tugged into a frown. My heart sunk to my feet; so much for an easy fix. "Well, that's not really fair."

Once again, she shrugged. "Well, whatever. At least my brother doesn't hate me. He's staying away from the group as well. He's already in class though." She clapped her hands together. "Oh, right! You probably need help finding your class!"

I nodded, upset that the friends were still split. "Yeah. I have English, room-"

"I have that class!" She giddily shouted. Then, she proceeded to hook her arm around mine.

I let her pull me down the hall to the last classroom on the right. Vivi seemed so full of positive energy and I couldn't possibly put a damper on her mood. So, I let her drag me to the last row right as the tardy bell sounded. She plopped me in a seat next to Joel and she seated herself on my right.

"Hey, again!" Joel greeted.

I opened my mouth to response, but was interrupted by the teacher's voice.

"Hello, class!" The teacher smiled, clapping her hands together. She looked young, maybe in her early twenties. Her pearly whites shone as she smiled, eyes holding a spark. "Now, I heard we have a new student! I don't wish to call you up here and cause you any embarrassment. So, I'll just welcome you from up here! I'm Ms. Henderson!"

Her eyes landed on me and I offered her a small smile. She nodded as if she expected that response. Then, she grabbed a remote to switch on the SmartBoard.

"She's very nice, isn't she?" Joel whispered beside me.

I absentmindedly nodded, fixated on the lesson.

"You see," Vivi whispered as Ms. Henderson pointed to something on the board, "the grade is basically divided into two sections. The couple," she practically spat, "is in the other section. You'll have basically all your classes with us."

I nodded, a smile gracing my face. At least I'd have Vivi and Joel's company while not having to deal with any drama. Well, not in class, anyways. I wasn't sure why they were still being nice to me. Shouldn't they blame this on me? I'd just fix the mess I helped create, then I'd leave them alone. After all, I told Joel they'd be better off without me. I guessed these people just didn't listen.

«

Vivi and Joel were basically glued to my side. By that, I mean my only break from them was entering the bathroom after second period. Well, Vivi used the restroom as well, but Joel couldn't enter the girl's bathroom. Now, having friends by my side felt amazing. Yet, I didn't want them to find out what I did to Tasha. I didn't want to get too attached to anyone else. They'd either hurt me, or I'd hurt them.

At lunch, Vivi happily skipped beside me. Joel listened to her babbling before voicing his input. I'd rarely engage with them, but they could be deemed persistent.

"Come on, Connie," Vivi sighed dramatically as she slung open the door to the cafeteria, "Whats your opinion on Trump? Now, be honest!"

Joel rolled his eyes before entering the cafeteria. I followed behind him and Vivi came in last.

Vivi glanced around the packed lunch room, scanning the long white tables. Before I could spot Cheyenne or Luca, she grabbed both her brother and I's arms and dragged us towards a table towards the left side. As we neared the table, I noticed Cheyenne sitting next to Luca. She swatted his arm, a loud laugh escaping her.

Vivi cleared her throat, dropping her arm from Joel's but tightening her grip on mine. I guessed she needed moral support, yet nervousness bubbled inside me as well. My back was rigid and my breathing came out in quite gasps. Vivi didn't seem much better. Her arm slightly shook, yet she set her lips into a straight line. If I wasn't beside her, she would've seemed to exude confidence.

"Hey, Cheyenne," she tightly smiled, offering her a short wave of her free hand.

Cheyenne nodded, her lips wobbling. She opened her mouth to speak, but Luca cut her off.

"Vivi, I don't want anymore trouble," Luca muttered.

Vivi stiffened. "Look, I really want to sit with my friend. I know Joel wants to sit with you."

It looked like Vivi was attempting to make amends, which I planned to do. Not that I could squeak out a coherent sentence at the moment.

"Let her sit, Luc," Cheyenne whispered, her eyes cast down to her tray of food.

"But-"

"Why," I croaked, my voice sounding wobbly to my own ears,"can't you all try and get along? Vivi was just voicing her feelings."

All four of them stared at me. Vivi held a crooked smile, Joel gave me a thumbs up, Cheyenne offered me a genuine smile, and Luca cast me a frown.

"Connie," Luca slowly exhaled, "I really want to like you, but you're opening your mouth when you don't know the situation."

My heart sunk to my feet. I knew they'd hate me eventually. Today was eventually.

"I'm sure your a great person, but you don't know anything about our drama. Can you just stay out of it?" He took a shaky breath, his speech fueled by slight anger and a lot of passion. "I tried to be nice to you, but you just blew up in my face. We don't need another Vivian."

Tears threatened to escape my eyes, but instead I shot Luca a steely glare. I rapidly blinked, anger, sorrow, and guilt flooding my mind. My worst fear had become a reality.

Vivi shook beside me. "Excuse you, Meatbag?" She spat. If looks could kill, he'd be six feet under.

Cheyenne sharply exhaled. "Luca, she's my friend!"

Luca shot her a sympathetic glance. "It's just for right now. Just until we all sort our feelings out."

"Maybe Vivi was right about you," Joel hissed, taking everyone by surprise. "It's not her fault."

"Guys, really," I shakily laughed. "Really, it's fine! Please don't start a fight over me!"

Vivi's grip painfully tightened on my arm. "See, I'm right. You are a Meatbag."

Luca's eyes blazed with anger. Cheyenne seemed conflicted, her eyes shooting from me to her boyfriend.

"Look, I-"

"Who put you in charge?" I was surprised by the snark in my voice.

His mouth opened and closed like a fish before his eyes narrowed. "No one. But-"

"If you want a friendship to work," I gulped, wringing my hands in front of me. "You have to consider everyone's point of view."

His gaze seemed to burn through me. "I do. Now get out."

A dry laugh escaped my lips, anger bubbling within me. "Of the cafeteria? I'm supposed to be here. Now stop taking advantage of these people! All you are is a selfish jerk that wants everything your way."

Cheyenne look at me with a mix of shock and horror written across her face. Luca seemed ready to blow a gasket from the way his face scrunched up and turned beat red. Vivi offered me a toothy grin, seeming proud of my outburst. Joel offered me a closed-lipped smile and mouthed 'thanks.'

Luca opened his mouth to speak, but I beat him to it. "I hope karma bites you in the butt, Meatbag."

I don't think Vivi had ever looked so smug and proud.

__

Thoughts? I'm not sure how I feel about this one. Also, I started a new book, Shattered Heroes. If you'd like, please check it out. Thanks.

A song will come in the next chapter! I didn't want to stretch this out too much. I have chosen the song and it was suggested by one of you. But I'm not saying by who or what the song is until the next chapter.

I still haven't made the characters Wattled accounts. Should I?

(Update: made them!)
helloimconnie
guesswhovivi
cheyisbaee
joeleatspie
lucaaaislif
Casting suggestions wanted!

Peace,

Sarah