"He just- he complicates me so much it makes me wish we never crossed paths." I sighed sitting at the dinner table with Mae, Kennedy and Layla.

"You don't mean that," Mae pouted to me.

"I do." I told her, "I hate how complicated the little things have to get for me,"

"I told you from the start getting tangled up with Armstrong could be the best or worst decision you ever made," Layla shrugged in a I-told-you-so tone.

"I didn't realise how complicated a boy could be, I thought girls were complicated?"

Kennedy laughed. "That's stereotypical,"

"I know I know, but boys always seemed so simple to me. They were just jerks,"

"And him?"

"He's both! A complicated jerk!" I laughed. I didn't mean the jerk part in a mean way. I meant it in the nicest way I could. But he was a jerk, he was an asshole. But for some reason I couldn't get enough of him.

"I definitely do think he likes you though," Layla said after she stopped laughing. "He seems really interested in you."

"I do agree," Kennedy nodded beside me.

"Well Mike says that he never shuts up about you," Mae spoke up joining in.

"Speaking of," Kennedy mumbled, I glanced around the table for Billie, but only to see she had meant Mike. Mike came up behind Mae and wrapped her into a hug.

"Hi Mike," She grinned bashfully turning around and hugging him.

"Gross," Layla joked, Mae gave her a half look of warning which made me laugh a slight bit.

"Where's Tre and Billie?" I asked Mike.

"They're in line getting food,"

"How come you aren't?" Mae asked him.

He shrugged lightly putting his hands in his pockets. "Not hungry,"

"Have you eaten at all today?" Mae continued to question him, going into mother mode.

"Yeah, I had an apple earlier on this morning,"

"You're not hungry at all?"

"Nope,"

"Hey guys," I heard a voice say behind me. I turned my head around to see Billie smiling down with his crooked grin at me, holding a slice of pizza in his hand. Tre had made his way to Mikes side.

"Hi Billie," I smiled looking up at him.

"Mike you missed it," Billie looked away from me and over at Mike.

Mike drew his eyebrows down for a second. "Missed what?" 

"They actually had pizzas in today!" Tre smiled holding a slice of pizza proudly.

"I thought they hardly ever had pizza in the cafeteria anymore?" I said questionably.

"I didn't think they even did pizzas," Kennedy shrugged.

"They do, not regularly though," Mae said.

"Well me and Tre got one," Billie teased Mike, wafting the pizza slice around stupidly.

"I'll just go in the line and buy one," Mike shrugged obviously.

"No can do dude," Tre laughed. "They're all gone,"

"What!?"

"Yeah, when we got ours there were like- how many?" Billie asked Tre.

"Like three?"

"There were like three slices left, they'll all be gone now dude,"

"Fuck sake," Mike cursed.

"Mike!" Mae said quickly, "Be quiet, the teachers are sat right over there,"

"I don't give a fuck," Mike shrugged nonchalantly, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"Excuse me Mr.Pritchard what was that language I heard?" A teacher asked turning around from another table. I looked over at Mike who suddenly turned insanely red taking his hands back out as he began to stutter for words.

"I- eh- I- it- it was- nothing sir,"

~

"Ah shit, my shoe lace," I cursed looking down at my red converse as I stopped walking, the shoe lace on my left foot had become undone.

Billie stopped walking too beside of me, "Just tie it," He shrugged.

"Can I trust you to hold my ice cream?" I asked him, looking down at the ice cream in my hand.

"What you think I'm gonna eat it?"

"Yes. I do,"

"What- I wouldn't do that!" He smiled innocently, "You can trust me! Here pass it here," he ordered holding out his other hand his ice cream wasn't in to take mine.

"I'm still trying to decide if I should trust you,"

"I won't eat your ice cream,"

"If you even as so lick it I will kill you." I warned passing it to him. He nodded understanding as I bent down to tie my shoe lace.

I quickly tied my shoe lace into a bow before getting back up. I looked over at my ice cream. It didn't seem to of been touched, and it was beginning to melt in Billies hand.

"See," He motioned giving me my ice cream back. "What did I tell you?"

"Alright. I apologise," I laughed, "I thought you would have,"

"Well between you and ice cream," He smiled as we began to walk again, "I like you more,"

"You do?" I asked before licking the parts of the ice cream that began to drip down.

"Course I do, I prefer you way over ice cream,"

"Thanks Beej,"

"Don't you prefer me over ice cream?"

"Ha! No way!" I joked.

"What!?"

"Ice cream doesn't annoy me in maths,"

"But ice cream only lasts a certain amount of time before it melts in heat! I don't melt!"

"I know, sucks,"

"Hey!" He laughed as he bumped into me purposely, I stumbled a little laughing before walking steady again.

"Y'know I'm only joking with you, I think the fact that you don't melt in the sun is great,"

"Good, I'm way better than ice cream,"

"I wouldn't say way better,"

"What!"

"I'm joking I'm joking!"

"I also taste better too,"

"Billie!" I laughed embarrassed pushing him with my free hand. "Shut up!"

"I do! It's true!"

"Shut up! You nimrod!"

"Okay okay, I'll stop,"

"Thank you,"

"I'm sure you'll find out for yourself sometime anyway,"

"Billie!"

"I'm sorry! I swear I'm done with that, but I also gotta ask you something," He changed subject as he paused walking in the middle of the sidewalk.

"Sure, whats up?" I asked him confused as I stopped walking beside him too and stared over at him. He looked up at me seeming a little nervous, a little scared.

"Well, tomorrow night. Me, Mike and Tre are preforming for the first time ever at Gilman," He started. "Do y'know where that is?"

"Course I know where Gilman is I love that place!"

"Yeah, well we're preforming there and-"

"-Billie that's awesome!"

"I know," He sighed.

"You do? You don't seem like you do? You don't seem like you do know how awesome this is Billie are you sure y'know?"

He laughed slightly. "I do know,"

"Then why do you seem all nervous?"

"Well, I've never played in front of a large amount of people before." He muttered running his hand through his hair. "Only ever in front of my mom, or friends y'know? Never anywhere where people actually go to listen to music,"

"Billie don't be nervous," I pouted to him, he was looking at the floor. "Your music is awesome, it's totally the stuff they play over at Gilman, you'll fit right in there,"

"You think?" He asked looking at me.

"I mean, no, you'll probably do better then them,"

He laughed slightly, and after he finished laughing the smile on his face remained. "Thanks Echo, that means a lot,"

"Course,"

"But, that wasn't all of it."

"It wasn't?"

"No, you cut me off,"

"Oh," I giggled slightly embarrassed, "I'm sorry, I have a tendency of doing that. I don't even mean to I just have to say my thoughts before I forget them so I end up cutting people off,"

"Nah, I get it."

"You do?"

"Yeah, I guess it's a tendency of ADHD- do you have that too?"

"Yeah," I grinned slightly embarrassed, "Is it obvious?"

"A little bit I won't lie, but that's totally awesome,"

"Is it?"

"Yeah! It means you can keep up with me, I'm pretty hyper and moving about all the time,"

"You got ADHD too?"

"I asked you that," He laughed, "Have you forgot already?"

"Shit you did- I must have," I chuckled, "I mean I guess it should've been obvious to me you have it, you couldn't stop clicking that damn fucking pen in maths the first time I met you,"

"Cute you remember that,"

"I remember that because it made me want to rip the pen out your grip and stab your right hand with it."

"Wow! Calm down there, damn I was right you are feisty... maybe more than I remember,"

"Oh shut up," I rolled my eyes playfully.

"Look at us, we've completely drifted off into another conversation cause you distracted me."

"It wasn't my fault! You didn't stop me either! You brought up the ADHD!"

"Alright alright, it was both of us, but anyway!" He said loudly, "I wanted to know if- well if you can- and if you aren't already doing anything tomorrow night, if.... well if you'll be there."

I looked at him surprised. "At Gilman?"

"Yeah, while I play,"

"You want me to be there?"

"Course I do, I like having you around,"

"Then course I will!" I smiled.

"You will!?" He asked me surprised as I nodded still smiling, realising the ice creams were melting in both of our hands. "Oh shit," He cussed quickly trying to catch the drips by licking them.

I shook my head chuckling. "And you really want me there?" I asked, looking down at mine before copying him.

 "Of course. So you'll be there?"

"I wouldn't be anywhere else,"

He pulled me quick into a tight hug catching me by surprised as I tried to watch my melting ice cream from getting on his shirt. Before he quickly pulling me away embarrassed. "Sorry I didn't mean to hug you,"

"Why are you apologising? It was a nice hug," I shrugged.

"Plenty more where that came from," He winked before he began to carry on walking again. I blinked a few times before quickly catching up with him and walking by his side.