Ah, the beginning of senior year. This is the year to really get your antics out. Be the main character in your life. Be adventurous. Go crazy!

I beamed up at the familiar school, but right away, a pang of guilt hit. Pushing it aside, I leaned back in my car.

The music was blasting, the sun was rising, and I was relaxed.

Until a door opened.

My head popped up and I glared at the source. A pair of hands were defensively thrown up and I relaxed. "I see things haven't changed."

I mumbled an agreement before closing my eyes and leaning against the seat. The car slightly dipped on the right side as he got in, carefully tossing the bags in the back. Then, the door slammed shut. I sent another short glare, earning an apologetic look.

"The rules still apply," I said, not bothering to open my eyes again. He didn't respond, so I took that as silent confirmation. Goodie Bag by Still Woozy came on and I instinctively turned the dial, letting the groovy beat fill the car.

I got one song in before the peace was disturbed.

"-forreal! I just think it's insane," a voice rang as both the back doors flung open. I repeatedly hit the back of my head on the headrest. A hand shot out and forced me to stop my banging.

"Guys, rules," Dylan hissed. I opened my eyes to see his hand pressed against my forehead, giving me no space to move it. Then, I turned around to face my three bestest friends in the entire world.

"I can't even be mad," I mumbled with a smile as soon as I saw all their bright faces. They looked the exact same, even though an entire summer passed.

Another pang hit my chest and I tried to push back the sadness, if only for the next couple of minutes.

"Hi, Ary- I mean Bella," Jaz corrected herself. Yes, Jaz had decided to now call me Bella like everyone else. Why? She claimed it was confusing to everyone around her. They either forgot my name or thought it was okay to call me Ary. I told her I didn't care but she thought it was a big deal, so I shrugged it off.

"Hello, my beautiful friends!" I smiled before turning the volume of the music down. As much as I loved to be deafened in the morning, they didn't appreciate the sentiment. Each one of them grinned back, equally as excited about the school year. Our last year of school.

On the left side, right behind me, sat Will. He looked the same, but bulkier. He was no longer round but rather fit. He was still a part of the wrestling team. I think the break up really got him to glow up.

Then, in the middle as the mediator, was Jasmine. She looked the same too, except for the fact that her hair was now purple. Yes, she ditched her beautiful brown locks for a spontaneous color. It really worked for her, but I think she was easily influenced by her girlfriend, Kim, who had neon pink hair.

On her other side, we had Emma. She was the only other blond in the friend group. Well, the keyword being was. After the breakup, she had a whole personality change. Now, she sat there with jet black hair going down to her waist.

Dylan sat next to me, looking buffer than ever. He still wasn't at bodybuilder level - thank God - but fitter than last year. He was training hard for the football season. After all, he needed to impress the scouts.

And then there was me. I didn't really consider myself to look different either. The only difference was my hair, which now rested right above my shoulders. Even then, it wasn't as dramatic of a change as the other two girls.

"We all have study hall for seventh period, right?" Will asked. We all simultaneously nodded. We had specifically planned this out so we could ditch early if we wanted to. I had a lot more free periods this year, considering I basically finished my requirements. I was just a student assistant for a few periods.

We decided to go in a little early, just for the vibes. The first day was always exciting. Teachers barely assigned work because everyone was switching in and out of classes. Students weren't over their summer high, so excitement buzzed the halls. Plus it was senior year!

Everything was perfect. Almost.

"Wow, I didn't know vibe time was compromisable," Dylan teased from one side of me. I rolled my eyes and made sure Emma was beside him, while Will was on the other side of us. Once I saw there was no chance of them clashing, I relaxed.

"Someone's just eager," Emma teased from Jaz's other side.

I scoffed, denying the absurd accusation. "No. I'm just heading to class like a normal person." I was trying to convince myself just as much, if not more, than the others. Yet, my eyes darted around the hallways, looking for that familiar face.

"Okay, whatever you say," Jaz sang. I glanced over to see her smugly smiling. Then, her eyes widened and she grabbed my hand. Before I could even see, she tugged me in the opposite direction. I turned my head to look, but Dylan automatically blocked my view.

"What?" I asked, genuinely confused.

Dylan's mischievous eyes relaxed me a little. I knew he wouldn't be this happy if they were hiding something bad. Odds were, they were trying to bother me.

Nothing could damper my mood though.

"Dylan... where are Emma and Will," Jaz asked, abruptly stopping in the hall. The two of us looked around and realized they were gone.

"Oh fuck..." he hissed.

Forgetting about their scheme, the three of us ran back in the original direction, pushing annoyed people as we passed.

Now, you may be wondering what the hell was happening in the Wemma (Will and Emma) world. Well, it's a terrible story. One for the books. Comparable to Romeo and Juliet, or Elena and Damon. Sheperd and Grey. Anniston and Pitt. Rachel and Finn.

Yes, it was like that.

Well, the problem was, it just didn't work out. As iconic as the duo once was, they didn't work. We should have seen it coming, but we didn't. Of course, we felt as if our parents got a divorce.

It all started on a sunny Thursday afternoon. They were going through one of their infamous breaks, once again, and took it too hard. Emma was at home, having a girls' night with Jaz and I. We ate, let her cry, watched chick flicks.

Will decided to handle it differently. He and Dylan decided to party. Yes, on a Thursday night. The next thing they knew, they woke up the next morning hungover and half-naked with girls.

Yikes.

Will couldn't lie to her, even though he didn't know exactly what went down. Emma was crushed. This time, he took it too far. She was willing to apologize too! Then he told her the news.

But, like Ross and Rachel, they argued about it. Emma called him a cheater, but he argued that they weren't together at the moment. Technically he was right, but it was still a shitty thing to do. You don't go and sleep with someone else after a petty argument.

Thus, World War Three broke out. Now the two couldn't even sit next to each other without yelling. Because of this, we separated them every second we could. Now that they were together, there was no telling what would happen.

The three of us ran so fast, I'd never run this fast in my entire life. Never.

"Arabella!" someone shouted.

Before I could see the person, Emma and Will flashed in my memory. "Later," I yelled as I kept running. Hopefully, the person wouldn't be offended. This was an emergency situation.

The three of us came to a halt as a small group was forming around something. Dylan, being the tallest, looked over the crowd to see the cause. But we heard before we could see.

"Babe, come on! You can't still hold this against me!"

Emma scoffed. "Typical boys! Why the hell not? You don't even know what you did! While I was out here crying my heart out, you went around fuck-"

We glanced at each other before pushing past the crowd. Dylan was the most muscular, so he led. People automatically parted at the sight of him. Jaz and I trailed behind, using him to cut a clear path.

"Emma," I hissed as soon as we got to the middle. "Don't say something you'll regret."

Dylan grabbed Will by the arm and whispered something in his ear. Whatever he said worked because the wrestler slumped back and nodded.

Emma was feeling particularly feisty. She walked up to Will and pushed him in the chest, provoking him. "Oh, you wanna just end this? Like this?" she said, standing all up in his face. Jaz and I glanced at each other before grabbing her arms and pulling her back.

"Alright, the party's over," I yelled, dismissing the crowd. People began booing and dispersed. A few hung around though, seeing if anything else was going to happen.

Jaz dragged Emma somewhere while I stayed with Will.

"Aye! Wilks! Classic punch, man. It was so badass," someone yelled. Everyone cheered in agreement before chanting my name.

No, I hadn't punched anyone new. They were still referring to my infamous fight with Taylor last year. That's how boring the rest of the year was. Thinking about it made me want to yawn.

I took a dramatic bow before following my friends out. They all rolled their eyes at me. After that scuffle happened, I milked it for way too long. I felt like I was on top of the world.

Hey! It was pretty badass.

We dragged the two to a secluded corner. "What the hell were you thinking?" Jaz yelled, making them flinch. Oh, she was mad, really mad. When she was mad, she was scary.

"Hey guys! What's u-"

"Not now!" we simultaneously snapped.

"You guys are so dumb! Look at Bella. She's so sad. You ruined baby's first day of senior year," Jaz continued. I gave her a bewildered look, in which she returned by jabbing my side.

Right away, I jut out my bottom lip. "She's right. First vibe time was ruined, now our iconic first walk to class." I softened my eyes and hung my head to hide my growing smile. I wasn't as good of an actor as Jaz needed. But, I knew better than to break character in front of her. I'd be next on her hit list.

Emma snorted and we all snapped to her, panic in our eyes. Her eyes widened in fear and she recomposed herself.

"Promise me you won't ruin the best of Bella's experience," Jaz said slowly, as if she were scolding a group of toddlers.

"We won't," they chorused. This was enough for Jaz. Her intimidating glare faded into a happy smile. The rest of us glanced at each other, wondering how she could change emotions that fast.

We all huddled together as we walked to the main hall where we'd all part. "I'm not that much of a baby, right?" I asked.

They all snorted or scoffed. "You definitely are."

"I am?" I asked, looking up at Dylan.

He gave me pitiful smile. "Why do you think I'm friends with you?"

My jaw dropped in disbelief and I froze, gaping at him as he kept walking. The rest of my friends continued walking too, leaving me in the dust.

"Asshole," I muttered before cracking my knuckles. My eyes landed on the target: Dylan's back. The plan was to run up and tackle him down. I bounced a little on my heels before getting a running start straight to piggyback town.

"Oof," I winced, suddenly sprawled on the floor.

"What the hell?" someone muttered. I looked down with wide eyes, realizing I not only bumped into someone, but they also broke my fall.

My jaw dropped as I quickly climbed off of him. But, I just had to keep embarrassing myself.

"Fuck!"

I covered my mouth as I finally stood up, carefully this time. My knee may or may not have skimmed his manhood as I got up. His poor balls.

"I'm so sorry!" I exclaimed, holding out a hand for the kid.

He gave me a flat look before curling up on the ground. "I think I'm just gonna-"

"Yup," I awkwardly squeaked, withdrawing my outstretched hand. "I'm so sorry," I repeated before scurrying away from one of the most mortifying experiences of my life.

Dylan was snickering when I walked past. I grabbed his arm and forced him to walk with me. It wasn't until I got to the safety of class did I finally groan. A few heads turned toward me, but then stopped paying attention.

"Real smooth. You knock over a kid and kick him in the balls?" Dylan burst out laughing. "I should have recorded that."

"That was meant for you," I glared, lifting my knee a little. He flinched and took a step back as the smirk on his face faded. "Ugh, I feel awful."

He put a heavy arm around my shoulder. "Don't worry about it. If anything, you have a new enemy. Might have to meet him in the parking lot after school." I gave him an unimpressed look. "My God, that poor kid," he laughed again.

I rolled my eyes and walked into the room, him trailing behind. For the first time in years, Dylan and I had a class together. Ironically, it was English.

Unironically, Mr. Cullen wasn't our teacher.

We sat at desks next to each other and continued our conversation, much to my dismay. "Who was he anyway?"

I gave him an incredulous look. "I don't know! I was too busy running into him and kicking him where the sun doesn't shine to notice," I snapped. He nonchalantly shrugged. "Hey, wait. Where'd the others go?"

He chuckled. "Don't worry, they saw the whole thing. They just decided to leave before everyone realized you were friends with them. Also, they had a lot of second-hand embarrassment." I rolled my eyes. He proudly puffed out his chest and pointed to himself. "See, I was loyal. Doesn't that count for something?"

"It would, if you didn't tell me you were friends with me because of my babyish looks," I snapped, turning to face forward. He sang something under his breath but I didn't even care to find out. All I could do was mask my embarrassment and hope word didn't spread around.

For my second period, I was a student assistant to my favorite teacher. Yes, you guessed it, Mr. Cullen. There was no way I was about to get rid of him. He promised to write me letters of recommendation for colleges when I volunteered for him after school. I didn't need them until this year, so it was important to maintain my relationship.

Unfortunately, we didn't get to start our assignments until tomorrow. Today we had an orientation on how to do our jobs, as well as get our badges so we wouldn't be considered skipping.

So, I didn't get to see him today. Bummer.

Third period was gross, another math class. This year, I was taking AP Stats. I gave up on calculus. It just wasn't meant for me. Even though I passed the class, I didn't pass the AP exam. Disappointing, really.

My face lit up as I saw Emma sitting at one of the desks. I quickly joined her, but soon regretted it.

"Whatcha eat for breakfast?" she innocently asked.

"Cereal... Why?"

"Oh, nothing. I just heard you got a mouthful of balls this morning so I was confirming," she smirked, making my jaw drop. I flicked her forehead. She rubbed the injured spot but never wiped that stupid smirk off her face. "Oh! Have you seen-"

"Settle down," the teacher interrupted. We both rolled our eyes and faced forward, listening to the syllabus. Surprisingly, it took the entire class, so we had no free time.

Bummer. Note the sarcasm this time.

"Let's go to lunch," Emma sighed. I followed her out and gave her a questioning look. "Oh, it's just that I feel like I overreacted this morning."

"Ya think?" I asked, lighting poking her head. She swatted my hand away and continued to glare at the ground. I decided to be her eyes. I linked my arm with her and navigated her through the students so she didn't have to lose the staring contest between her and the floor.

"Ouch," she mumbled as I accidentally made her walk into a trashcan.

"Sorry," I snickered.

She looked up and narrowed her eyes at me. "Someone's feeling violent today. I mean, first that poor kid's balls, now me? When will the bullying end?"

I groaned, realizing I walked right into that one.

Just like Emma walked into the trashcan. Mwahaha.

"Emma, I swear I will apologize the next time I see him," I groaned, hoping she'd stop teasing me. I was mortified as is. She didn't need to add fuel to the fire.

She mumbled a sarcastic "mhm" before leading me to our friends. To my surprise, our table had a lot more jocks sitting with us than I expected.

"Move," Dylan snapped to two boys. They quickly nodded and grabbed their stuff, freeing space for Emma and I.

I warily glanced at her, then Dylan who no longer sported that intimidating look he had seconds ago. "Okay... this is weird," I said as we sat down. Emma agreed, looking at all the boys who were staring at us. "Dyl, what's this?" I gestured around the table.

"What?" he asked innocently. "Oh. Well, you see, I'm the captain now so I have to sit at the jock table. You guys are in my territory now," he smirked, giving us a mischievous look. I've seen that look more times than I can count. It's beginning to worry me.

I stood up. "Okay, no. Sorry, can't do this." I went to walk away but Emma desperately grabbed my arm, giving me puppy dog eyes. Sighing in defeat, I sat back down. On cue, Jaz and Will came by, wearing the same confused looks we had.

Dylan snapped for two other kids to leave, and they did. Poor kids.

Dylan being captain was too dangerous...

"Uh, Bella?" Dylan said, grabbing my attention. When I looked up, he was looking at someone behind me. So were Will and Jaz, who sat next to him.

Finally.

I turned around with a big grin, but the disappointment coursed right through me.

Oh.

"What, not excited to see me? I'm disappointed, Bella," Andrew sighed. Yes, that Andrew. Asshole Andrew, who later revealed he had a crush on me since he moved next door. The same Andrew that I also had a crush on – keyword being had.

I forced a smile and scooted over for him to sit on the other side of me.

You may be wondering, why is he here?

Welp, I spent most of the summer with him. What did you expect? We were neighbors and I felt bad about the whole thing. I eventually accepted his apology, but emphasized we'd stay friends. Nothing more.

"I'm starting to think I wasn't who you were expecting," he muttered when he noticed my sad expression.

"Obviously. She was expecting-"

I jabbed my elbow in Emma's side, warning her to not finish her sentence.

"Violent," she mumbled under her breath.

She was right. I have been... jittery for a while. I figured my friends got used to it, but I guess not.

"No, you're fine, Drew," I smiled at him before looking back at Jaz and Dylan. He put his finger in his mouth, pretending to gag. She just raised her brows in amusement. Of course, those sadists enjoyed my misery.

Drew took that as an invitation to continue. "I, uh, heard about this morning."

I banged my head against the lunch table and kept it there. "Which part?"

"All of it?" he nervously squeaked. I let out a loud, frustrated groan. They finally took the hint and stopped talking about it.

The lunch bell rang, dismissing us. "Don't mind her. She's just upset because she hasn't seen-"

I shot Jaz a harsh glare. She narrowed her eyes at me but shut up for once. My glares hadn't been working on her lately, so this was a nice change.

As we walked out of the cafeteria, I realized how much we did change, on the inside. Jasmine was now the scary one of the group, Dylan was way cockier, Will was more optimistic, Emma was more angsty, and I was more... babyish? Angry and violent, that's for sure. But Dylan had a point. Everyone began treating me like I was a little child they had to protect. Even Emma had more power than me!

Sweet little Emma!

"Poor baby, it's okay. You'll be okay," Jaz cooed, pinching my cheek. And I didn't even bother moving her hand.

I was giving in.

Suddenly her eyes widened, similar to this morning. Her hand went from my cheek to my arm and she grabbed Will with her other hand. Before I knew it, we were running in the opposite direction.

By the time we reached our government class, the long way, I was bending over and huffing. "Jeez, Jaz. Give a girl a break," I panted. I noticed neither of them looked as winded as me. Both were giving me ridiculous looks though. Self-conscious, I straightened out, no matter how much my lungs protested. "What were we running from?"

"I saw someone I knew. Bad blood, had to get away as soon as possible," she hastily explained.

I nodded and held my sides. "Can we at least go inside? My lungs are dying," I admitted. Will disapprovingly shook his head as he opened the door for us. I mimicked him and walked past, going straight for a desk in the back.

Will and Jaz followed, sitting on either side of me. Let's face it, I'm the life of the party. The glue of the group. Without me, they'd be nothing...

Right?

~

Welcome, welcome! This chapter is slightly uneventful (but important). Actually, I split it into three because it was way too long. Next ones will be coming soon!

Please point out typos if you see any! I'm suuuper tired but I wanted to squeeze some chapters out.