"He's everywhere."

Jordan thought I was joking and played along. 

"He who must not be named?"

I gave him a blank stare. "I'm serious."

Jordan gasped. "No you're not."

"Jordan be serious."

"I can't." He snickered at his own joke in example.

"Bennett," I complained.

He shrugged, not looking up from his textbook. "It's Jordan. What do you want me to do?"

The table went quiet as no one really had any response to that.

"But I mean c'mon," Jordan said. "Is he really everywhere?"

I stopped for a moment.

"Hey Naomi," he greeted me as he passed by my desk.

"Hey Naomi," he called out when I was at the board answering a question.

"Hey Naomi," he whispered, while he peered over my shoulder as I read.

I'm starting to think I rather have him call me Nomi...

"So what's with this Dominic guy?" Jordan asked. "Childhood friend, blah blah blah. But there isn't anything on him when I looked him up."

"Have you been researching him?" I asked in disbelief.

Jordan laughed at my confusion. "Of course I am. What do you think we did when we first met-" He stopped himself. "I'm not finishing that."

"We are going to have a talk later," I said, pointing my spork at him. "And stop doing that. It's creepy."

"Compared to him being everywhere?" Declan asked. "Makes Jordan look like an angel."

"Is he stalking you?" Bennett asked.

"Already?" Jordan said.

"Well, practically."

Jordan nearly spilled his milk. "Wait what?" He looked at the others. "That was a joke. I was joking."

"He's in practically all of my classes," I told them. "You only have  certain classes with me."

"Isn't that a bit weird?" Bennett asked. "How he conveniently has almost all of your classes?"

My shoulders sagged. "I don't know, sometimes the counselor would put kids in the same classes. It can be a mere coincidence."

"That, or he's a hacker," Jordan said with a laugh.

No one followed.

Jordan's laugh faltered. "No, no, no, no, no, no..."

This continued for some time. We ignored him as he kept repeating the word like a Meghan Trainor song.

"But he hasn't bothered you or anything, did he?" Declan asked, pressing.

I shook my head. "No, just greets me in passing. Though he's my partner for a class or two."

Maybe he's secretly plotting something.
Declan grumbled. "I don't like talking about this anymore."

"Yes," Jordan interjected, in contrast to his "no" mantra. "From now on, Dominic is forbidden from this table."

"Well," a voice muttered. "This must be really awkward then."

The guys didn't even turn to look at him. I saw the same annoyed expressions on their faces. Declan bended his spork to the point that it snapped in two. Bennett roughly turned a page of his textbook that I think I heard a tear. And Jordan silently prayed for someone to give him patience.

Dominic looked amused but didn't comment on it. "May I steal Naomi for a bit?"

"No," they said in unison.

"Wrong question," Dominic said. "Naomi, may I steal you for a bit?"

"That's the same question," Declan said.

"But to the wrong person. I'm not asking for your permission. I'm asking for hers."

Declan tsked and looked away.

"It's not like I'm stealing her forever," Dominic said. "And besides, you guys always get in my way when I try to talk to her."

Jordan sighed. "Fine, let me make a schedule."

"Jordan!"

"What?" Jordan asked. "That's how I usually do things."

"Okay, that's it," I said as I got up from the table. I looked at Dominic. "Let's go then."

"Where are you going?" Bennett asked me.

"Away to separate the four of you. Your combined testosterone levels are polluting the atmosphere."

"Well obviously, it's mostly coming from me," Jordan said.

The table went quiet as no one really had any response to that.

I was about to go when Declan suddenly grabbed my wrist to stop me. Dominic stared at the motion, his eyes furrowed, and looked at me for permission to do something. Declan's grip seemed to tighten at that, or maybe it was my imagination. When Dominic got my answer he slowly nodded and told me he'll be waiting at the hall before walking away.

"What is he to you?"

The voice was almost a whisper. I looked at them, trying to read their faces. I didn't know whom among the three asked it.

"He's no one," I said, my eyes looking at them to say the same thing.

He has to be.

I forced out a warm smile until they couldn't help but smile in return.

When I left the cafeteria I looked around to find Dominic leaning against the wall beside the door. He was looking at a poorly drawn poster advertising a club at the other side of the wall.

"What are they to you?" He asked without looking at me.

There was a beat.

"They're no one."

There was a long pause before he started chuckling to himself.

"You're lying." He turned his head to me, his eyes not matching the small smile on his face. "There was that cute hesitation. Now tell me. Why are you lying?"

"Is this all you wanted to talk about?"

Dominic came up to me, shaking his head. "Avoiding a question by asking one," he mused. "And no, I just want to talk to you. Without those three stooges."

I didn't have the heart to correct him- especially since I was part of the three stooges.

We began walking down the hall. For a moment I was wondering what was the point of this if we weren't going to even-

"I don't know what to talk about," Dominic confessed.

I turned on my heel to start walking back. Dominic laughed at this and whirled me around.

"I don't know what to talk about," he began, "because there is so much to talk about."

I shook my head at that. "No there isn't."

Dominic looked at me. "Naomi, it's been years. Of course there is. I just don't know where to start."

He suddenly stopped walking and I turned to face him.

"Are we still even friends?" He asked. "I mean, it's been so long so I don't know if even counts. Does it suddenly reset? Are we just strangers now? I-"

"-Don't need to worry about it," I said, stopping him. "Regardless if any of that's true. We are here. And we can continue on, whether we picked up from where we left off or started all over again."

Dominic seemed to cringe at the memory. "Suddenly leaving you like that..."

"It wasn't even your fault," I reasoned. "You were a kid. How can you blame yourself?"

"Do you hate me?"

"Of course I don't."

"Then," he said, his eyes slowly looking away. "Do you hate him?"

I looked and saw at the end of the hall Raymond waiting for us.

"No, I don't."

"You learned not to hesitate this time," was all he said.

Raymond walked up to us, and gave me once over before glaring back at Dominic.

"What is she doing here?" Raymond asked. "I thought it was only the two of us that are going to hang out."

Dominic couldn't help but break into a cocky smile. "How selfish of you Raymond," Dominic mused. "Even years later you still want me all to yourself. What? Are you in love with me?"

Raymond doubled back. "What the-"
I snickered at that.

Dominic looked at me. "I don't know why you're laughing too."

I stopped.

"Why do you want all of us here?" Raymond asked.

"Can't it always be like old times?" Dominic told us, his eyes practically sparkling- which was weird because there's bad lighting in this hall.

"I mean look at us, the three of us back together," Dominic said as he put his arms around each of our shoulders and pulled us close. "It's like we're the... Three Musketeers."

Raymond and I simultaneously tried to free ourselves but Dominic locked us together tighter.

He grinned, the sadist. "What's wrong? Remember our group hugs?"

"If I remember correctly, you chased us and forced us into group hugs," Raymond muttered. "No wonder this feels familiar."

Dominic finally let us go.

I turned to him. "You need to let go of the past," said the hypocrite.

"Is something wrong with the past that made you want to let go of it?"

"Of course not."

"The past made you in the present. You can't just-"

"You did not drag me all the way here for a lecture," Raymond spat. "I'm already in school. What more do you want?"

"What I want," Dominic said, "is for things to be the same again."

Raymond shook his head, smiling. "You're years too late."

"What is with this obsession of forcing the past back onto us?"

"What is yours of trying to fight against it?" Dominic countered. "I just, I can't-"

He couldn't find his words. And I saw he couldn't find anything. He blamed himself, after all of these years.

"Y-you're right," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "But can we at least try... again?"

Raymond and I glanced at each other, neither of us saying word. When we looked back at Dominic, his eyes were trying to read our own.

Dominic sighed and looked at his watch. "And look at that, lunch is almost over and we practically argued the whole time." He frowned. "I have to go somewhere and ask something for yearbook-"

Raymond laughed. "You're in yearbook? You've barely been here for a week."

Dominic shrugged, grinning. "I didn't make my schedule, and they had a spot to fill. Besides, they obviously need some professional help."

"At what?" I asked. "Photography or photobombing?"

We all laughed at that. I noticed Dominic smiling wider, getting what he wanted. I didn't think he knew that was the first and practically last that would ever happen.

Raymond and I watched Dominic as he walked away before he turned to wave at us. "Don't kill each other," he called out before turning around the corner.

We couldn't if we tried.

Raymond cursed under his breath. "Why is he here?"

"Why are you asking me?"

He glared at me. "You sure you didn't do something about this?"

I glared back. "Of course not! Do you think I want him here too?"

I bit the inside of my cheek, thinking about all of this. When I realized...

"His timing couldn't have been any perfect."

"Raymond."

"I still can't believe he's back."

"Raymond."

"What are we going to do?"

"Raymond."

He looked at me. "What?"

"He can't know."

Raymond stopped for a moment then gritted his teeth. "I know that."

"I'm serious," I said, gripping his arm in earnest. He looked at my hand then back at me. "He can't know."

He jerked away for me to release his arm.

"I'm surprised you don't want him to. That you won't run to him crying for him to save you again."

"I don't need saving anymore."

"I know," he muttered, looking down and rubbing his wrist.

I glanced away in embarrassment of my sudden action.

"You act as if I want to bring up the past like him," he said quietly. "That's the last thing I want."

Raymond looked down the hall where Dominic walked away. "Why aren't you telling him about what happened between us?"

But he knew the answer.

"It's because of that, isn't it?" he told me and shook his head. "Your pride is getting to you."

I stared at the ground. "Funny. Didn't know I still had one."

He tsked. "You really don't want him to know. You don't want anyone to know. Especially me, but of course, it's too late for that."

"Raymond I-"

"Fine."

My eyes widen. "Will you really?"

"Consider it a..." he paused for a moment. "An apology," he muttered. "I want to forget that chapter of us. Even though every time I look at you I-" His hand went up to his chest where his heart is supposed to be- Maybe he finally found it.

I didn't know what to say. But Raymond did.

"I won't say anything," he told me as he began walking away. "I don't need to. Keep up that act of yours."

Suddenly, he stopped to look over his shoulder. There was a flash of the old Raymond when he smirked at me.

"It doesn't fit you though."

I know this delay in chapter was quite long but bombarding me with demands of updates won't do anything. Honestly, I don't read the messages that ONLY scream update because it's a waste to read when I can be reading the touching and meaningful messages you guys take the time to write for me. I read your messages, your stories. My only wish is that I have more time to devour each message given to me. I truly love you guys.

As much as I want to write the book, I still have school and a life to worry about. Don't think for a second I don't want to write this book. I want to write it every second of the day, and it kills me that I can't. Know that I'm already suffering enough by this fact, and reminding me won't do anything to help. But thank you to those who defend me and telling others exactly this.

Also, I'll try working on shorter chapters so I can update as fast as I can. But I'll be writing with more thought into each chapter- such as this one in which I took out and added many parts to this final product. I want to write to the best of my ability so thank you all for the support and patience (which was what Jordan was ACTUALLY praying about-your patience)

But enough about that boring stuff. Here is some juicy news:

1. I reached 100K followers!
I want to thank you all for your love and support. When I first began Wattpad, I never imagined I would reach this many followers much less one. But once again, thank you all.

2. There will be a LA Wattpad Convention in the summer of 2017 and I'll be a panelist.
There isn't a lot of official plans just yet, but I'll tell you if I get any.

3. I'm in the Writer Awards.
It's a website (www.thewriterawards.com)  in which you can vote for your favorite book of this contest. You're able to vote by Twitter or email. And I hope you're able to take the time to vote.

4. I'm in the Fiction Awards in Wattpad.
I'm in the following categories: Humor, Best Plot, Best Overall Story, and Best Account. Go to the Wattpad account of The Fiction Awards and vote +1 as many times as you want. It's a bit of a find for the name (and kinda disorganized) but it's at the near end of the chapter. Once again, I hope you take the time to vote.