*Library closed*

"What?! Closed?!"

I stared at the home made paper sign that was taped to the inside of the library's door. I sighed deeply, resting my forehead against the glass doorframe. Great! Where the hell am I suppose to go now? The library had been the one place where I had been hanging out at during lunch since the school year started, that was almost two months ago now.

I know, I know, you're probably thinking.. Geeze, Hail. It's not a big deal, just go have lunch with your friends! Right?

Well you see I don't have many friends here. Okay, I'm lying, I have no friends. I just wasn't a people person. I was always that weird, awkward, dorky girl that did not know how to socialize, it honestly gave me bad anxiety. Pathetic, I know.

I did have one friend at this school, one. My best friend Carmen. She and I had met in grade school when her and her family moved here, we've basically been best friends ever since, we had that sandbox friendship. Sadly that all changed over this past summer. Carmen's parents got divorced at the end of the school year, and her mom basically had full custody of her so they moved away to the other side of the city, which meant that Carmen had to change schools.

It sucked, it really did. This was going to be our last school year, we were seniors now, it was suppose to be the best one yet, and now we had to spend the year separately. I had no doubt in my mind that Carmen would make friends really fast, she was the type of person that everyone liked. She was funny, smart, caring and not to mention beautiful. Carmen came from a Hispanic family, she automatically had that natural beauty and curves.

However, before Carmen did move away we made sure to spend most of the summer together, and when the day finally did come I happen to stay a week at her new place because my dad was away with work, and he didn't feel comfortable with me staying alone.

It didn't really hit me just how lonely I was here until the first day of school. Carmen and I always had lunch by the girls locker room, but seeing how I was now a party of one, it easily got taken over by a group of people. By the third day of school I decided to have lunch in the library, I had some work that I needed to work on anyways, after that day i found the library to be my safe zone. I didn't feel so alone in here.

The library was always open for any student to come in and catch up on some work, whether it was during class hours or in between breaks. It was usually Mrs. Jones, myself and a handful of nerdy students in here. Mrs. Jones knew my friend situation, so when she wasn't able to be in the library she usually left me the key hiding somewhere, but I couldn't find it anywhere this time. I wonder where the hell she could be, I hoped everything was alright.

I sighed and turned back around, heading towards the locker area, I suddenly wasn't feeling very hungry anymore. I would put my lunch bag away, find a nice tree with some shade, and read until classes started again. Actually, no. I wasn't going to let something like this ruin my day, ruin my appetite.

I walked over to the nearest tree behind the library and plopped my tushie down onto the grass. I reached into my bag and pulled out my book that I was currently reading, it was Dying to forget by Trish Marie Dawson.

My mom had been sick for quite some time when I was younger, I guess she finally got tired of fighting five years ago. After she had passed away I needed something to distract me from the pain and sadness, and well seeing how Carmen was my only friend and we couldn't be together all the time, I got addicted to reading books. Reading actually became one of my biggest passions. I loved getting lost in all the stories, it was like a small escape from reality, and everything was fine, even if it was just for a little while. My dad had bought me this book for my birthday, along with four others. My whole left side wall in my room was practically covered in books.

I was about two chapters in, and halfway through my pb&j when a delicate voice pulls me out of my reading.

"Hi, Hailey!"

I looked up from my book to find a curly headed brunette standing in front of me. I recognized her from a few of my classes, her name was Madison.

"Hi, Madison!" I greeted her back.

"Hey, what are you doing all by yourself under this tree?"

I mark my place in my book, close it up and wave it at my classmate. "Just trying to catch up on some reading," I smiled.

"Sounds relaxing," she says. "By any chance did you take any notes in world history yesterday? I left early for an appointment and missed class."

"Yeah, no I did, but they're in my locker right now. I could get them before lunch ends and give them to you after school or something?" I offer.

"Oh, I don't mind walking with you. Plus I have a free period next, and it'll give me something to do."

"Oh, okay, sure." I shove my book back into my bag and sling it over my shoulder. I stuff my half eaten sandwich into the brown paper bag, and stand up from my spot.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but were those banana slices in your sandwhich?"

We start walking towards the lockers and I giggle softly, "yeah, my mom use to make them that way for me when I was smaller."

"Ugh," she rolls her eyes playfully, "my older brother Tommy eats them that same exact way! I personally don't like bananas.."

I gasp, "what? How?"

"I don't know," she scrunches up her nose while smiling at the same time. "It's a texture thing for me."

"Ew, like oatmeal for me, it just feels so weird."

Madison comes to a full stop, placing a hand over her chest. "How dare you? I love oatmeal!!"

We both start giggling and continue our way. Madison asks me about the book I was reading along the way, and if it was any good. Next thing you know were standing in front of my locker and I'm talking her ears off, explaining the book to her. I realize that I'm talking way too much and hand over the notes to her.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to blab so much, I get way to invested in books sometimes."

"Girl, no, you're fine! I wish I was that passionate about reading. It sounds super interesting! Sadly my attention span for reading is pretty short. I can barely do my homework without getting distracted." We both end up chuckling at this, "we should hangout sometime, Hailey. You're pretty awesome."

I smile, "yeah, that would be pretty cool."

"Okay, well I'll see you in history! We'll plan something then!"

"Okay.. yeah, sounds good."

Before Madison gets any chance to walk away she takes a step back, as we hear two angry male voices shouting at each other. I look over to where she's looking at and of course I see two guys arguing with each other, getting in one another's face a couple feet away from us. They're actually getting pretty dangerously close with every second that passes by. 

I recognized one of the two guys that were arguing. Isaac Matteo, he was in my grade, a senior. I personally didn't know him, nor did I ever want to, but you'd have to be living under a rock not to know who he was.

Isaac Matteo was every girl's dream, he was insanely tall to begin with. My father was a tall man standing at 6'1 feet, and I'm sure Isaac easily wins him over by a couple of inches. He had strong, muscular arms that went perfectly well with his lean body. Jet black hair that was normally slicked back, and shaved at the sides, but as of right now he had a few loose strands that were falling into his face. Isaac was no doubt the definition of handsome, and I was sure that he knew that.

But Isaac Matteo wasn't your ordinary senior. No.. it was no secret that he was indeed the son of the great mob boss himself. Everyone and I do mean everyone, including some of the staff at this school knew his family's background, but even then every girl still wanted to be with that bad boy himself, everyone minus one.

I mean don't get me wrong, Isaac was beautiful to look at, but we come from two totally opposite worlds. My father for starters, he's a detective in the city of New York, so I of course grew up knowing who it was okay to hang around with, and who to avoid. The Matteo family being one of them. But Isaac wasn't the only kid in this school who affiliated with the mafia though, there was a good handful of kids that lived the "mob" life, of course half of them were Isaac's buddies, or enemies in this case.

My attention gets brought back to earth, to the two fools in front of me. Now that they were extremely near by, I recognized the second pretty face. His name was Cris, another popular guy in school, and just like Isaac himself, Cris to had beautiful olive skin as well. I don't know what it was, but something about all these Italian kids were just beautiful to look at. Even the girls, God the girls, they were drop dead gorgeous with their long dark hair, and slim curvy bodies.

I managed to drag my attention back onto the guys and overheard Cris telling Isaac some pretty nasty things, when next thing I know he's shoving him back some but it doesn't seem to phase Isaac. All Isaac is really doing is smirking and chuckling to himself.

"Quit fucking around, Roxwell.. Either you're gonna hit me or.. get the fuck out of my face." Isaac growls dangerously low.

Something switches in Cris's eyes in that very second and he's suddenly furious. He shoves Isaac one last time, a little harshly might I add. One second he's being pushed into me, and the next Im finding myself falling ass first to the hard floor. I hear a couple of the other students around us gasp, but my attention is still focused on the two idiots that are now physically fighting in front of me.

"Oh my God, Hailey! Are you okay?"

I nod but just as I'm about to reach for Madison's hand so she can help me up, Principal Batam and another one of the teachers are pulling the guys apart.

"You, you, and you!!" He points at Isaac, Cris, then lastly at myself. "My office, NOW!"

I grab ahold of Madison's hand as she pulls me back up to my feet, "but Mr. Batam, she had nothing to do with with this!" She desperately tries to plead my case. 

Principal Batam turns back around, a steely glare on his face, "you can gladly join the trio if you'd like, Miss Carmack."

I grab my bag off of the floor and sling it over my right shoulder, "Madison, it's fine, really. The both of us don't need to be in trouble for nothing."

She nods her head and digs into her own bag, pulling out a small sticky note pad and pen, she writes something onto the yellow paper and hands it over to me when she's done. "Text me." She says. "Let me know what happens, I'll be your back up if you need it!"

I giggle softly shoving her number into the back pocket of my jeans, "okay," I nod my head. After our goodbyes I turn around to make my way up to the main office, before I get into anymore useless trouble...