Since I was on mom-duty and barely had any drinks the night before, I woke up super early. Well, early compared to my hungover friends. Every other productive citizen living in this house woke up at a decent hour.

It wasn't hard to forget about Dean slumbering in my room. He even took the liberty of appearing in my dreams.

Stupid asshole.

I tiptoed through my room as I rushed to get ready. I didn't want him to wake up and see me. Honestly, as awful as it sounded, I wanted him to sneak out like this was a one-night stand. It was better that way.

I made sure to get dressed in my cutest outfit and put on a face full of makeup. I refused to let him know how broken I was over him or how I cried when I woke up and realized my dream wasn't real.

Pathetic, really.

After I looked drop-dead gorgeous – humble, I know – I went downstairs to the kitchen. Much to my surprise, Dylan was sitting at the counter.

He let out a low whistle when he saw me. "Damn girl, you single?"

Yes actually, thanks for reminding me.

I rolled my eyes as I went to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of juice. "What're you doing here?"

"Ah, I spent the night at Andrew's so I thought I'd pop on over. I'm sure Jaz and Kim are gonna be hella hungover and you shouldn't have to deal with that alone."

I raised a perfectly filled brow as I sipped on my juice. "Who said I'm dealing with them? They better be out of here as soon as their eyes snap open."

He chuckled and eyed my outfit. I was wearing my favorite two-piece outfit. It was a blue, striped skirt with cute buttons lining it, finished with a bow belt. The top was matching the pattern of the skirt and landed right above my belly button, showing a sliver of my mid-drift.

"So, what's with the fit?" Before I could answer, realization dawned on his features. "Is Dean still here?"

"Unless you saw him sneak out, yeah," I sighed, taking a seat next to him. He gently nudged my shoulder and I returned the action. My eyes skimmed over his face and noticed how exhausted he was. "Jesus Dyl, did you actually sleep last night?"

I knew asking was a mistake when a smirk overtook his features. "Well, actually, I was up all night with this blond–"

"Okay," I put up my hands, silencing him. "I seriously don't wanna know."

He laughed and shrugged an arm around my shoulder, pulling me into his side. "Ah Bella, you are the one who asked."

"And I regret it," I grimaced. "Ugh, I hope those lovebirds wake up soon."

"Breakfast?" Dylan wiggled his brows like he said suggested the dirtiest thing in the world.

A wry laugh left my lips. "If you think I'm cooking for you..."

"Cereal it is," he dramatically sighed and got up to make himself a bowl.

"There are meds in that cabinet if you need it." I pointed to our medicine cabinet.

He whipped his head around and grimaced. "I know where it is, thank you very much."

Of course, he did. He knew this house better than I did. Just implying he didn't really pushed his buttons, hence making me do it more.

"Where are your parents?" he asked, settling next to me with a bowl of frosted flakes. I grimaced thinking about how pissed Justin would be when he saw Dylan eating all of his favorite breakfast food.

"Work," I replied, even though he knew the answer. "Dad had to stop by the firm so he's not home, if that was what you're wondering."

The sound of the front door open and closing echoed through the house, followed by heavy footsteps. I gave Dylan a nasty look for his lack of locking the door, which he returned with a sheepish one.

"Hey Bella," Drew chirped as he sauntered in like he owned the place.

"Drew, not that your company isn't appreciated, but why are you here?" I asked as he looked around the kitchen. "You live one house over."

He laughed and walked closer. His smile faltered as he drank in my appearance. Something flashed in those sky blue eyes of his, but then he regained his smile. "You look pretty."

Damn, two for two? I must've looked better than I thought.

Seconds later, heavy footsteps echoed down the stairs. I stiffened, thinking it was Dean, but considerably relaxed when it was just Jasmine.

Ignoring all of our presences, she grumpily mumbled as she walked right over to the fridge and pulled out some orange juice. She drank straight from the bottle, making all of our faces scrunch in disgust. I didn't have the heart to tell her Justin did the same thing, therefore she was indirectly kissing him. The poor kitchen didn't deserve the aftermath of her knowing.

We all silently gawked at her savage actions. She acted like she wasn't in the room with three other people. She kept scratching her right buttcheek and mumbling something about a strap-on.

It wasn't until Kim came down and smacked a wet kiss on her lips did she realize she had an audience.

The pink-headed girl seemed energetic. She rushed over to me and froze in her spot as she drunk up my outfit. "Shit girl, you look good today! If you weren't straight, I'd def tap that."

I laughed while Jaz scowled in the back. "Excuse me, your girlfriend is right here." But then my best friend raked over my body and grinned. "I take it back, I would too."

For some reason, their compliments made me blush. I hid behind my wavy blond locks as everyone just stared at me.

"You guys make it seem like I never put in effort," I awkwardly laughed.

Dylan grinned. "Bellz, you look like a whole new person."

"Are you saying I'm not naturally beautiful?"

"You are," Andrew answered – a little too quickly – on behalf of my best guy friend. When he realized he said that out loud, his cheeks turned a very light shade of pink.

Not wanting to embarrass him any further, I pretended to ignore his newfound shyness. With a pat on the shoulder, I flashed him an appreciative smile. "Thanks, Drew. See? I'm naturally pretty."

"Whipped," Dylan mumbled under his breath so only I could hear. I bit back a giggle.

Kim stole the juice out of Jaz's hand and took a large swig.

Another person indirectly kissing Justin.

"So – not that you don't have the right to – but why are you so dolled up?" Kim asked.

I grimaced and pointed in the general area of the stairs. "My ex is upstairs sleeping in my bed."

Sympathy flashed across her features. "Aw, I'm sorry."

At the same time, Andrew and Jasmine barked, "Dean's here?"

I pursed my lips and nodded. "Don't ask why. And before you comment, I slept in the guest room."

I didn't miss the proud smile lingering on Andrew's face.

"Wait, that fucker's sleeping in your room?" Dylan asked, seething with anger. His protective side was coming out.

"Yeah," I grimaced, then turned to Jasmine with a sweet smile. "So can you go check if he's still here?" I bat my lashes for an extra effect.

Her eyes narrowed into paper-thin slits. "Why me?"

"Because you're the only one I trust to not kill him." It was true. Jasmine and Dean had a weird relationship. Even though she always took my side in arguments, I could tell she had a soft spot for him.

"Fine," she grumbled as she pushed past me.

I snickered at her retreating figure and looked back at Dylan. He had a creepy smile on his face and I really didn't want to know what he's planning. As long as it didn't involve me, I was fine.

Everyone scrambled around the kitchen, trying to find some type of breakfast. I settled for cereal and a fruit salad, which soon became communal.

Jasmine skipped back into the kitchen looking especially happy.

"Someone's chipper," Kim grinned, wrapping her arm around Jaz's waist and planting a kiss on her cheek. Jaz whispered something in her ear, making her eyes widen a fraction.

I threw a grape at the couple. "Can you guys refrain from dirty talking in my kitchen?"

Normally Jaz would turn a bright red, but her good mood overshadowed everything else. Instead, she grinned like the Cheshire cat. It was really offputting.

"So, is he gone?" I asked, nodding to the general area of the stairs.

"Nope," Jaz replied, popping the 'p'.

I inwardly groaned and scooped another spoonful of soggy cereal in my mouth. Why couldn't he just leave? Now would be the perfect time considering we were all in the kitchen. It was a clean bolt to the front door, and none of us would even notice.

"Ah, nice of you to finally join us, sleepyhead."

I furrowed my brows and looked up at Jasmine, but her gaze was behind me. I stiffened, realizing there was only one person she could've been talking to. Her gaze flickered to me and a mischievous look twinkled in her eyes.

Oh, she so planned this! That little skank!

Dylan narrowed his eyes at her and clenched his jaw. When he went to stand up, I put a hand on his bicep to stop him. He gave me a concerned look but relaxed on the barstool.

I focused on my bowl of milk and played with the spoon. I could hear him shuffling around the kitchen, but refused to look at him. It didn't stop my heart from pounding against my ribcage.

Why did he make me so nervous?

The box of Honey Nut Cheerios appeared in front of me and I gave a thankful smile to Dylan before pouring some more in. He leaned in and whispered, "He can't keep his eyes off of you."

On the inside, I felt smug and a little exhilarated, but also a nervous wreck. I tried to keep composed but my sweaty hands said a different story.

Ugh, why was I acting like this? I swear it wasn't this bad when I was around Andrew, so why Dean?

Of course I knew the answer. My relationship with Dean made my feelings for Andrew seem like childsplay. There was no spark between us, not to mention I didn't love him the way I loved Dean.

"Jeez Dean, you look like hell," Jaz scoffed. I wanted to look up at his face but I was scared he'd catch me staring. Instead, I played with my food, drowning the loops of cereal and watching them resurface.

"Well so do you," my ex retorted with a snort.

"Yeah, but she was up all night getting some action," Kim smugly replied. My eyes shot up to see Jasmine's horrified expression. I couldn't help but snicker. She deserved it.

"Fuck you," Jaz hissed, looking directly at me. My playful gaze morphed into a glare as I remembered what she did. Couldn't she just tell Dean to fuck off instead of inviting him for breakfast?

"Aw Jaz, don't mind Bella. She's just jealous she's the only one in this room that didn't get some action last night," Dylan teased, slinging his heavy arm around me. I redirected my glare to him but he didn't falter a bit.

Andrew cleared his throat. "Guys, lay off of her."

"Oh right, Drew here didn't get any either," Dylan snickered, looking at him. "Man, I can't believe I got more girls at your house than you."

I loudly groaned and covered my face. Dylan was purposefully throwing this in his face. He knew Drew lost his playerish ways when he confessed that he liked me. Since then, he's been waiting for me or something, even though I encouraged him to move on.

"Can you guys just shut up?" I groaned.

Dylan completely disregarded me. "My man just needs to get laid. Then he'll see the light." Drew scoffed and I imagined him flipping the bird.

"That's rich considering you all indirectly fucked the same girl," I snapped, sending both of them a glare. Taylor's smug face flashed in my mind and I bit back an annoyed groan. That girl would be the death of me.

Dylan's hand withdrew from my shoulder as he covered his horrified face and made fake gagging noises. "That's so fucked up!"

"Bella, too far," Andrew shuddered.

"Wait, Bella, I saw you with a hot piece of ass last night," Kim gasped suddenly, changing the topic of the conversation.

"Who?" I furrowed my brows.

"I don't know! But you guys were in the backyard."

My eyes widened and I suppressed another groan. Fuck, she saw me with Ben.

"Oooh, who?" Jasmine grinned, taking a bite of her banana. Kim hoisted herself on the counter and swung her short legs back and forth.

When I didn't answer, Kim did. "He was cute. He had dirty blond hair and looked snobbish, but the rich kind."

Fuck!!!

Jasmine's jaw dropped to the floor. "No way. No freaking way!"

"What?" Dylan asked, leaning forward on the counter.

Did they have to do this with Dean in the room?

"Nothing," I interrupted.

They, of course, ignored me. "That sounds like a particular hottie from our class," Jaz sang, dangerously stalking toward me. "One that Bella has been begging to forgi–"

Once she was close enough, I clamped my hand on her mouth. "We'll talk about this later," I said quietly. Her eyes lit up and she eagerly nodded, prying my hand off. I made sure to flick her nose as an annoyed gesture.

Dylan looked at our little exchange with curious eyes. I subtly shook my head and he narrowed his eyes. 'Later,' he mouthed.

"Wait, I wanna know," Kim whined from across the kitchen.

I rolled my eyes. "Don't worry, I'm sure Jaz will spill all of our secrets."

My friend sheepishly smiled before heading back to her girlfriend and whispering something in her ear. They were always so secretive.

"Okay guys, we should wrap it up. Bella needs to leave for her date soon," Dylan clapped his hands, getting everyone's attention.

My head whipped to him with a curious stare. "Date?"

His eyes mischievously twinked. "Yes, date. Why else would you be all dressed up?"

What game was this boy playing?

When I blankly stared at him, his face fell. "You know, your date with Andrew here."

"Right, I forgot that was today," Jasmine tittered, adding fuel to the fire.

I wanted to kill them both.

Andrew seemed to catch on because he put his arm around me and pulled me in. "Obviously babe. Come on, you don't have to be shy."

Correction: I wanted to kill all three of them.

It was obvious why they were doing this. Ironically, all of them had different reasons. Jasmine wanted to get Dean jealous. I knew that because that's just how her mind worked. Jealousy was always her favorite route. Dylan was doing this to mess with Andrew, simply because he knew of his feelings for me. And Drew was helping me out because that's what he always did.

And maybe he felt like he had an advantage in this situation. He never liked Dean anyway.

I pursed my lips and refused to look at my ex. I really didn't wanna know what he was thinking right now.

"Dylan, Jaz, a word?" I asked in a sickly sweet voice. Both of their faces mirrored horror as I dragged them into the living room. As soon as everyone else was out of easrshot, I hissed, "What the hell is your guys' problem?"

My hands raked through my hair, loosening my waves.

"You." I pointed an accusing finger toward Jaz. "Why'd you call him down here?"

She casually shrugged but straightened up when she saw my death glare. "I just figured you'd want him to see you so dressed up. Why else would you get all pretty?"

"No, that was in case he saw me! That doesn't mean I wanted him to have breakfast with us like old times," I groaned and turned to Dylan. "And you! What the hell?"

"What?" Dylan's eyes looked anywhere but at me.

"Don't 'what' me," I replied through gritted teeth. "You know how I feel about using Andrew. Stop. Rubbing. His. Feelings. In. His. Face."

"Relax Bella, he was fine. Didn't you see how he was playing along?" He sighed, putting a hand on my shoulder.

I shrugged it off and glared. "It doesn't matter! He's a nice dude, obviously he would."

"Okay, but the look on Dean's face was so worth it!" Jasmine squealed, clapping her hands excitedly. Dylan nodded in agreement.

For a minute my argument went to the wind. I started thinking about Dean and wished I saw how he looked. Maybe it would make me feel a little better knowing he was hurting just as bad.

"No," I shook my head. "Still, it's my business so let me do it on my own terms."

"Fine," Dylan grumbled.

We walked back to the kitchen. Before I could step inside, Dylan's hand reached out and stopped me. He nodded to the scene in front of him and I turned my head to see what the commotion was about.

Since he couldn't see me, my eyes drifted to Dean. He really did look terrible. Now that he was sober, he looked worse. His bloodshot eyes and dark circles remained, but all trances of tranquility were drained from his face. His hair was messy, as if he ran his hands through it a million times.

"Cullen," Andrew curtly nodded, finally acknowledging my ex's presence.

"Boyce," Dean replied, his voice filled with venom. "You enjoy hanging around girls who've rejected you a million times?"

Instead of looking embarrassed, Drew smirked. "Same goes for you, no?"

"Stay the hell away from her."

A humorless laugh escaped from Andrew. "Right. I don't think you have the authority to tell me what to do now that you've kicked her to the curb."

Well geez, Andrew. Way to make me seem miserable.

"I didn't–" Dean's fists clenched and jaw ticked. I could see the anger slowly rising within. Any more jabs and Andrew's nose was sure to be a goner.

Before it could go on any longer, I dragged Dylan back into the kitchen and smiled as if I didn't witness the battle of testosterone.

Taking a deep breath, I faced the boys. "You really do look terrible, eat an aspirin." I went to the medicine cabinet and fished out the bottle, then placed it in front of Dean.

I didn't allow myself to waver. I needed to pretend I was okay, even if I wasn't. I needed to face him sometime, and now seemed like the best time to start.

"Thanks," Dean said softly, a stark contrast to the hard voice he had earlier. His jaw loosened and anger was lost in his eyes.

My heart wrenched. With a small smile, I nodded to show I was unaffected. His eyes raked my face, probably to look for some sign of sadness. Before he could delve deeper, I turned away.

"Dylan, you need some too," I forced a laugh and tossed him the pill bottle. He immaturely stuck his tongue out at me and swallowed the pills dry.

True talent.

"Okay, I think we should all go now," Dylan said as he dramatically stretched his arms over his head. "After all, Bella needs to get ready for her special evening."

I should've brushed him off or even denied the idea, but instead I got annoyed for all the wrong reasons. "You dick! I am ready!"

His eyes scanned over my outfit and disgust took over his features. "Hm, really? You could try a little harder.

My jaw dropped from disbelief. He just told me I looked hot this morning and now this? That little bastard!

"Dylan, get out before I personally hand your ass to you on a silver platter," I sweetly replied.

His face drained of any color.

"Uh yeah, let's go before she goes all psycho on our ass," Jasmine laughed, but shut up when I gave her a deadly glare. She grabbed her girlfriend's arm and began nudging her to the door.

"Don't forget about tonight," I called after her, reminding her of our sleepover. I hoped she was scared, she should be.

Everyone slowly piled out except Andrew, who opted to stay in the kitchen. I followed them to the door. It was the polite thing to do, you know considering I was the host and all. It totally wasn't to terrorize my friends or anything.

They all collectively called out their goodbyes as they left. Dean came to a slow halt at the door and turned to me.

Please leave.

"Uh," he sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. I crossed my arms, urging him to hurry up. "Thanks for last night. I didn't have anywhere to stay."

"I know," I smiled grimly. "Just... you can't keep coming over here when you're drunk."

"I know," he sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Thank you."

I only nodded in response. He frowned but didn't say anything else. With an awkward wave, he left.

Since when did things get so awkward between us?

I closed the door and squeezed my eyes shut as I rested my forehead against the stained glass.

"Rough morning?"

I jumped and turned to see a sheepish Drew.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

I waved a dismissive hand, then smiled appreciatively. "Hey, thanks for covering my ass back there," I said, referring to him pretending to take me on a date.

His bright blue eyes lit up and he shook his head. "Anything for you."

Ugh, why couldn't I like a guy like him? Someone who was safe, who wouldn't keep abandoning me when things got hard or difficult.

He was, in theory, the perfect guy. He was sporty, always had time for me, lived right next door, and always had my back. Why wasn't that enough for me? It used to be.

"Okay, I have to head back and clean up the wreck at my house," he chuckled and pointed his thumb in the general direction of his house.

Before I could stop myself, I said, "I'll help."

His face lit up. "Seriously?"

"It's the least I could do," I nonchalantly shrugged. "Besides, I owe you a date."

And I might've regretted this later, but the wide smile on his face made me feel a little better for now.