Miranda 

After Asher's little meltdown, the bell rang and Hunter walked me to our next class. I was quiet the whole way there because I knew deep down, Asher was right. 

Fairy tales don't exist

If they did, I would have got my Happily Ever After a long time ago. 

"Hey" Hunter nudged my shoulder with his "Don't worry about what your friend said. I'm sure his intent wasn't to upset you" 

"I know, its just..." I sighed and rubbed my temples "What he said was true and I have a hard time accepting that" 

"We all have a hard time accepting things we don't necessarily like" a smile played on his lips "You just have to ignore for now and clear your head. If you don't, you'll be stress out all day"

I sighed again "You're right. I'm just a dweller" 

He raised an eyebrow, his hazel eyes sparking with amusement "A what?" 

"A dweller. A person who worries too much about something" I smiled "When did you get so wise Yoda?" 

He laughed and opened the door to our classroom, ushering me inside "My mom spouts all this stuff to me whenever I freak out about things" 

He paused and then smiled "I guess you can say I'm a dweller too" 

I laughed and elbowed his side "Yay!! At least I'm not alone"  

He rolled his eyes "Speaking of Moms, mine wants to have you over for dinner" 

I plopped in my seat and turned to him with wide eyes "Why?" 

He gave me a amused look "Because she wants to meet the girl who's helping her son bring his grade up" 

I gave him a dubious look "Bring your grade up? Hell, you have a better one than mine" 

He smiled sheepishly "That's not entirely true" 

"Huh?" I stared at him "Your the one who's always giving me the answers to the worksheets we have to do. How can you not have a better grade than me?" 

The crest of his cheeks turned pink "Before you came..." he cleared his throat "I wasn't always this chatty and didn't really participate in my classes" 

My mouth dropped opened "Why?" the words tumbled out before I could stop them 

He shrugged "I don't see the point in participating in meaningless classes that don't teach you about the real world. I mean, education is important but for people like me, we don't really have a say in what we become" 

"People like you?" I said in confusion 

He avoided eye contact "Don't pretend you don't know Mira. It's okay. I won't get offended" 

I looked at him like he was crazy "Uh.. Hunter, I honestly have no idea what you're talking about" 

He gave me a look "I'm poor Miranda. It's expected that as soon as I finish High School, I have to get a full-time job at some place that pays me enough so that my family could survive. I have no choice. I don't get to go to college like you do or even like my cousin" he lowered his voice "I'm the man of the house and have to provide for my mother and son" 

"Being poor doesn't matter" I argued "You do have a choice. There's scholarships and financial aid that can help you better yourself and your family" 

I touched his shoulder "Hunter, I haven't known you for a long time but from what I can tell, you're a really smart guy. Don't waste your talents on a meaning less job. You'll regret it later. Promise me you'll at least think about going to college" I held up my pinkie 

He sighed, sounding defeated before engulfing my small pinkie in his large one "I'll promise on one condition" 

I looked at him warily "What is it?" 

"You'll have dinner with me" 

"I was already going to agree to have dinner with you and your Mom" 

He shook his head "No, not dinner with my Mother. With me. Just the two of us"