Once Friday rolled around, I was a little excited for later that day. I would have time to just chill at my place with my friends kind of like old times. It's been a while since the last time all four of us hung out together without my boyfriend present and it was kind of a refreshing change. It especially put a smile on my face because Tony was still being really clingy. Playing into his game and being more affectionate with him made him ease up I found though.

I normally wouldn't change my habits for others, but I just felt like we were going down somewhat of a slippery slope and I didn't want that. Tony needed reassurance obviously and owed at least that to him.

A ringing filled my ears signalling lunch and I was pulled out of my thoughts. I started to pack up and after collecting my belongings, I moved my feet towards the door to - not surprisingly - be greeted by my boyfriend. He took me by the waist and pulled me in for a kiss. I obliged, but pulled back a few seconds later, placing another kiss on his cheek. Smiling at him, I turned my attention in front of me and began walking towards the cafeteria.

For the first time in basically forever, I wasn't the first or second person to get to the lunch table. Most of the group was already sitting there with the exception of Liam who was usually late to the party and my slow brother. Tony let go of my waist to drop his bag down and sit. Following his actions, I slid my backpack off my shoulders and decided to take a seat on Tony's lap. He slinked an arm around my waist once again and I leaned over a bit just so he wouldn't have to awkwardly eat around me.

Some of my friends noticed our arrival and offered a silent greeting while others weren't paying enough attention. As I looked around the table at everyone, it seemed Natalie already finished her lunch and was prowling for everyone else's. The others - oblivious to what Nat was up to - ate their own lunches in silence. Watching the others happily eating made me realize I hadn't actually brought anything for lunch. A scowl made its way onto my features but, not wanting to be a burden, I said nothing about it. It wasn't until a few minutes later that everyone had arrived as Hunter took his place at the table just a bit after Liam. Only then was it that anyone spoke as Riley tried for a conversation.

"So Skylar, is it still a go for the hangout today?"

"What?" Tony interrupted before I could say anything.

I looked at Riley then trailed my gaze to Tony through my peripherals. I noticed an annoyed look trying to form on Tony's face as he waited for an answer. Shifting uncomfortably in Tony's lap, I pursed my lips and stayed quiet, hoping that this wasn't gonna set him off.

"Oh, she didn't tell you?" Riley started as he tilted his head in confusion, furrowing his eyebrows. I looked Riley in the eyes and tried to give him a pleading look telling him to stay quiet.

"Didn't tell me what?"

Waving my hands in front of me and shaking my head slightly so Tony didn't notice, I tried to silently tell Riley not to say anything.  From the side, I could see Damien trying to help too. Obviously, Riley didn't get the hint as he started talking again.

"Skylar said she wanted to hang out today. I just assumed she invited everyone." He shrugged and I mentally facepalmed.

"When were you planning on telling me about this?" Tony asked.

"Um, never?" I squeaked out, turning my head to look at him. "I just wanted to hang out with the gang without you for today. It's no big deal."

"I bet you invited her though, didn't you? You just wanted to get me out of the picture so she'd have a better chance." The whole time he spent pointing at Lynn.

"What the hell Tony? Why are you jumping to conclusions? She's a friend, nothing more and you should know that. There's no way in hell I would date her, much less any other girl. Why do you keep thinking that she's gonna steal me away from you or something?" I said, raising my voice.

At this point, we were both mad and I didn't really care. He was honestly acting stupid and had no reason for this. Tony was getting jealous over nothing and it was pissing me off.

"You know what? I'm just gonna go walk around," he murmured angrily before shoving me off his lap onto the bench and storming off.

An almost appalled look shone on my features as I realized what just happened. I looked at the reactions of everyone else. Riley looked like he didn't want to be there as well as Natalie while Damien was wincing as to say, "that could have gone better." Liam looked unimpressed and last, my gaze cast on Lynn who seemed to have been upset by the whole ordeal.

What I've realized over the weeks I've known Lynn is that she doesn't really like arguments. It probably didn't make her feel any better that she was mentioned in the conversation either.

"I think I should just leave too." With that, Lynn stood up, head down and moved away from the table.

She looked up briefly to glance at everyone before walking the opposite way of Tony. I just sat there, my emotions a little more sad than angry at this point. What was I supposed to do in that situation? Two people were upset now and I didn't know if it should even have been my job to go calm either of them down.

"Well?" Riley prompted. "Go after one of them."

I stood from the bench and looked back and forth between the different ways the two exited, biting my lip. I groaned making my choice and started to speed in the direction.

"We're still hanging out!" I groaned out before I fully left the table.

*Why am I responsible for doing this? Tony's the one who decided to be irrational, I shouldn't even be in this situation,* I grumbled mentally as I searched for my boyfriend.

I first decided to go to his locker to see if he possibly went there but didn't see him. I thought about it for a while then realized the place I was bound to find him.

Walking into the gym, I could hear the sound of a ball bouncing before I could see it. Standing around where the half point line is, Tony was dribbling a basketball and trying to shoot it. Basketball wasn't really Tony's forte but he was decent. The ball fell a little flat from its target and my boyfriend walked over to retrieve the ball again. He usually came in here to cool down, said sports were calming to him.

"Tony?" I spoke up as he bent down to pick up the object.

Placing his hands on the ball, he picked it up before looking at me, a slight grimace appearing his handsome features.

"What?"

"Look, Tony, it's not like I was trying to upset you. You need to realize that I have a life outside of being your girlfriend and I've been neglecting my friends because I've been spending time with you." I looked straight into his eyes saying this. "I just wanted to spend the night playing video games and eating junk food without you. Plain and simple. Whatever stupid, deceitful thing you think I'm trying to do, I'm not so you can lay off of Lynn, alright? Hell, I didn't even invite her because I knew you'd be a baby about it. And what did I get? This crap," I ranted.

Tony pressed his hand to his forehead and sighed heavily. "Is this what you came to tell me? That I'm being a stupid baby? Thanks, really appreciate it. I know what I've been seeing Skylar, and I'm trying to make a point that you're my girlfriend. I'm not letting anyone, especially that girl come waltzing in to flirt with you."

"I've told you before, she wasn't flirting. Get that through your head. We're friends, it's harmless alright?"

"If you're not gonna listen to me, I guess you'll just have to find out the hard way. I'm just trying to protect what's mine."

I didn't let him speak after that. I had sat and endured this change in his behaviour for more than a week and it was getting tiring. I couldn't even walk out of the washroom anymore without him waiting outside to come and wrap his arms around my waist. I was used to us having a lenient relationship and now it's like I can't even have any space to be just me anymore.

It's been almost an entire week since I went to Lynn and Liam's house. A week since Lynn gave me that advice yet I thought I could handle him. I thought it would just work itself out or it wouldn't be that bad but I was finally gonna say something about it. He was gonna get a piece of my mind.

I clenched my fists as these thoughts all flashed in my mind and I decided to speak up.

Continuing with the conversation I said, "Oh, what's yours. I'm sorry, I didn't realize I had become like property that you could just own. Choose your words more carefully next time why don't you? And while you're at it, you could tone down your jealousy too. I get you're 'protecting what's yours' or whatever," I say, air quotes. "But it's starting to get on my nerves having you smothering me all the time. We were fine! We were good then you started acting like if you weren't with me constantly someone was gonna steal me! Can we just go back to how things were or is that too much for you to be able to do? Do you need to teach those people that I'm yours some more? I love you, Tony, don't get me wrong but the way you're acting about this isn't making me want to be around you right now. Find some other way to outlet your jealousy because I'd rather not have my space be its main target."

I crossed my arms over my chest and stared pointedly at Tony.

"You know what? Fine, I'll give you space. I'll give you all the space you need. In fact, don't talk to me for the next week. I'd rather not have to deal with that stupid attitude of yours right now. And while you're at it," he mocked. "Why don't you fix that stubborn close-mindedness of yours. It would be a lot easier to have our conversations not turn into arguments if you actually listened to people for a change."

With that, Tony aggressively chucked the ball at the ground and pushed past me as the bell rang. I let out a loud, angered groan and rushed to class, my feet slamming hard on the floor with each frustrated step.

As I stepped into class, I saw neither Lynn nor Liam. Letting that concern slide for the time being, I took my seat, my lips pursed into a hard line and my eyebrows tightly knit together. I was in no mood to be in class, especially math. At least if nothing else, I knew I wasn't going to be bothered in class. After the late bell rang, attendance was taken and my two friends from this class still hadn't shown up. My anger had subsided mostly at that point and I was starting to feel more curious as to where those two went off to than anything else.

I looked down at the pencil free handout I was given and realized in my state I was never gonna get any of this work done. A low, irritated growl rumbled through my throat and my hand shot up.

As the teacher's attention turned to me, I asked if I could go to the washroom. She nodded, allowing me to go and I got up from my seat, having little to no intention on actually visiting the school's washroom. Maneuvering around the not-so-orderly desks, I walked out the door. Without a clue where to go, I began to wander aimlessly around the school looking for a certain pair of step-siblings.

It's been a while since Lynn and Liam started hanging around me and my other friends and in that time I had learned those two had a very close bond. If I were to go looking for them I know they'd most likely be together. That at least cut out the washrooms. My feet continued dragging me aground the fairly small school as I kept an eye out.

Not even ten minutes of aimless wandering later, I found the two huddled beside a garbage can. Lynn looked really upset, her mouth forming a shaky frown and her eyes looking slightly red and puffy as if she had been crying. Liam sat beside Lynn, comforting her as she curled up into his chest.

The sight was kind of painful as I slowly approached them, not wanting to ruin their sweet moment. Although they looked somewhat peaceful in their state, I felt the need to speak up.

"Lynn?" I called softly, unsure if I would set her off at all.

The two siblings glanced up at me, a small hurt expression running across Lynn's face before she buried it back in Liam's chest. Liam tried to hide the frown willing itself to come out on his features but I could see it. I gave the two a saddened yet questioning look as I spoke up once more.

"Will she be okay?"

"I dunno, do you even care? That big mouth of yours seems not to," Liam replied, the frown he was trying to hide finally surfacing.

"I don't think I understand," I said as I knelt in front of the two.

"Oh you don't, don't you? This isn't the first time you've spoken up when you shouldn't have. I haven't known you for very long Skylar, but I can tell that you really don't know when to keep your mouth shut. 'I sure as hell wouldn't date her' doesn't sound like something you'd say with someone in the room. Even if it isn't going to happen, you still could've at least been nicer about it."

"It's not like I meant anything bad by it. It's not that hard to understand that I'm just not gay and it's getting on my nerves that people are trying to associate me with them," I say, attempting to defend myself.

"Can you just, stop trying to pretend you're all innocent in all these things? Sure, sometimes people open up conversations that don't need to happen, but you don't need to egg them on with your own stupid comments you know. And really, all that stuff that was said, you didn't even invite either of us to this hangout. It's really not making it seem like you even want to be friends with us. If it weren't for the fact that your friends are so cool and Lynn's seemed to take a liking to you for some reason, I don't think I'd be able to tolerate you anymore."

My mouth hung open at the words Liam was saying. Not only had I made Tony angry at me, but I had also upset Lynn and gotten Liam mad at me too. Was I really such a bad person? I mean, I didn't think I was all that bad. My other friends didn't seem to mind what I said that much. Sure we had our disagreements but they always came around eventually, so what was Liam's problem?

"Look, Liam, I didn't mean to upset anyone. I hope you guys won't be too hurt by this. I really do want to be friends and the thing with what's happening today? I wanted it to be like before. I wanted to just hang out with my old friends for the day. Plus I knew Tony would have even more of a fit and I didn't want that. Hopefully, you guys can find it in your hearts to forget about the whole thing."

With that, I lifted myself off the ground and walked back to class murmuring that I'd see them both later.

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I'll probably start doing updates once a month or something. I'm not sure but I've started procrastinating a lot more on this story along with a lot of the other things I wanna be doing.

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