The following Monday, I was sitting in my car with a Bergdorf Goodman coat folded neatly on the passenger seat, the seatbelt restraining it to the chair.

What? If you were carrying a $2,000 coat (I googled it) for a moody boy, you'd want to keep to safe.

Smiling, I decided to cut my vibe time short. Ben needed his jacket back and I wasn't one to push off affairs. Okay, I was, but whatever. Truth was, I was excited to see him. We were officially starting off our new friendship.

Regardless of our rocky past, the olive branch was extended.

And I didn't take friendship lightly. The poor dude had no idea what was coming for him.

A smirk formed on my face as I thought of all the ways I could torture Ben. Of course, it wasn't truly torture. Ben Stark simply hated all things fun. I was going to show him there was more to life than gang mates and drugs. Hell, maybe we could try mini-golf! Ooh, and I could introduce him to my friends! He already got a peek of them during detention.

I'd definitely need to teach him what sarcasm was, too.

A heavy arm slung over my shoulder and I looked up to see Dylan smiling down at me. "Howdy buttercup."

"Buttercup?" I scrunched my nose in disgust.

He dramatically rolled his eyes. "Babycakes?"

"No."

"Princess?"

"Ew, makes me seem stuck up."

"You're killing me... Babydoll?"

"Snookums, you need to try harder," I snickered, stopping in front of the rest of the group. Emma and Will were standing next to each other. Their arms were brushing but neither of them made a move to acknowledge their relationship. "So... Friday night..." I trailed, hoping to see a hint of emotion from either. 

Emma turned pink and it was all I needed to confirm. Will flashed me a lopsided grin. "So Cupid, how was your weekend?"

I beamed at him, reminiscing the way I woke up next to Dean and how he didn't leave my side the entire time we cleaned Dylan's house. "Amazing, I'm so–Hold up! Cupid? Does that mean..." I stared, bewildered.

Emma broke out from her impassive look and smiled. "Yes! We're together again." The girls began squealing like total girly girls. Could you blame us?

"I'm so so so so so happy!" Jaz laughed, pulling Emma into a tight hug. "Seriously, it's long overdue."

I smiled at Will, who returned it. Everything was falling into place. Jaz and Kim were going strong. Emma and Will, true soulmates, were together against all odds. Dylan was finally slapped by a girl. Ben was a friend.

All that was left was my own relationship – one which I didn't know the outcome of. I was beginning to think I was pushing too hard. What if Dean was no longer tempted to fight?

I shook my head to get rid of the thoughts. Thinking negatively wouldn't get me anywhere. I just needed to trust.

Which was harder than I'd like to admit.

My heart warmed at the sight of my friend group being all happy. They all deserved it, even Dylan who could be a complete ass at times. And although I wasn't sure if Emma ever told Will about him, I didn't wanna find out.

Smiling, I slowly slipped away from them.

Hmm, if I was Ben Stark, where would I be?

I pursed my lips, thinking about it. I had no idea where his locker was. The few times I did meet up with him in the morning, he wasn't there. I decided to see if he was still stalking Dean.

Dean was by his own locker, talking to Skylar. I was too focused on finding Ben to really assess their mannerisms. My eyes searched the locker-clad walls. Among the steely blue, there was no dirty blond boy.

My lips bent into a frown. I had no idea where else he could be.

Wait! Skylar might now!

I walked up to the duo, hoping I wasn't intruding. Based on Skylar's grimace, I was.

I sweetly smiled at her. "Hey, Skylar! Do you know where Ben's locker is?"

She blinked at me, probably thrown off by my niceness. Well, maybe if she wasn't a bitch all the time, she'd see this side of me more often.

Her hand went to her hip as she stared. "I thought you were done with the mission."

"I am, I just have something to give him," I responded innocently. I even added a "Please?" for good measure.

"705."

I was so happy, I was almost tempted to throw my hands around her. Almost.

"Thanks." Then I turned to Dean and smiled. "Hey."

"Hi," he smiled back. Skylar cleared her throat and silently demanded his attention again. He rolled his eyes and turned back toward me. "I'll see you in a minute, yeah?"

I nodded and waved before leaving the two alone. As much as Skylar annoyed me, I knew nothing was going on between them. If it was, Dean wouldn't have been honest about their past relationship and chase me around.

Ben's locker came into view quickly. Surprisingly, it was pretty close to Dean's. It sure as hell made his stalking less inconspicuous.

Unfortunately, he wasn't there either. I tried to hide my frustration but it was growing ever so fast. Where was he? I mentally cursed myself for not checking the lot for his car this morning.

Maybe he's running late.

Agreeing with my thoughts, I settled on keeping the jacket in my locker. I could come back before AP Gov and hand it to him in class – if he was here, that is.

My own locker came into view and I nearly sighed at the sight of the chipped blue paint. Entering my combination like second nature, I was all ready to put the neatly folded coat in the small space when a paper fell out of nowhere. It wasn't a small paper, but one folded up multiple times. And with the peek of the neat handwriting, I knew exactly who it belonged to.

With my heart pounding, I put the coat on the shelf and unfolded the letter with shaky hands. I leaned in so my arms were supported by the border of the locker and the letter was shielded inside.

' Wilks,

It feels weird writing yet another apology letter, but here we are. This time, I'm apologizing for not saying goodbye.

When you admitted that you knew about my plans all along, a piece of me shattered, even though I already knew. I guess it hurt that we had to meet in undesirable circumstances. It hurt even more when I realized that you befriended me with the means of saving your now ex-boyfriend.

I see the way your eyes light up when you talk about him, even when you're badmouthing him. You clearly love him, and he does too if my stalking has been any good.

I can't say I'm in love with you, but I know I would be given the opportunity. Unfortunately, I'm not a masochist. I can't watch you fall into the arms of my enemy.

So, I'm leaving.

You might be wondering why. Well, it's simple really. The only way to hurt Dean is through you. And oh my sweet Bella, I don't have the heart to do that. Any hurt toward you is a stab in my chest.

I know your friendship is genuine, I promise. I knew it from the moment you attempted to apologize the first day. I was an asshole and refused to be friends because I thought it would distract me from my plan. Little did I know, it ended up as so much more. Although, I can't say I regret meeting you and your bright hazel eyes.

Don't worry your precious blond hair. I'm not going to hurt your boy. That's why I'm leaving. I don't have the will to stay anymore. I will admit I get some satisfaction knowing he was jealous of me all this time.

I'm willing to forgive my enmity for him because someone showed me the real joy of life. Someone came into my life, criticized all my habits, and yet managed to be the most genuine person I knew. I'm forever thankful.

I ask you to do one thing. Keep that tongue sharp. I'll miss your sly remarks every day and I'm honored to have been under your wrath. I just hope I find someone as fiery as you, even though no one can replace the rich girl with the kind heart.

Thank you for putting up with my asshole tendencies. You're the only one who's stayed. I'm sorry you had to meet someone as horrid as me but I can't say I'm sorry for meeting you.

Goodbye,

Stark. '

I stared at the letter for what felt like days. It was only when teardrops started smudging the smooth ink did I snap out of my daze. Still, I couldn't pull away.

Ben was gone.

Ben Stark, my new friend, left me once again.

As I read and reread his words, a weird feeling bubbled in my chest. How had he managed to keep his feelings so hidden? I understood that he liked me, but to the extent of abandoning his entire life's mission? It didn't seem possible in the least.

Coward was my first thought. He was a coward for not facing me in person.

But as I read the passage for the fifth time, I realized it wasn't me who he was scared of. He was afraid of caving into his own feelings. If he saw me here, protesting for him to not leave, he would inevitably stay.

And as much as I hated to admit it, that wouldn't be good for either of us.

He'd get his heart broken by my platonic feelings and I'd get mine when he fulfilled his purpose and got his revenge. It was a toxic situation for both of us, but he was the one who was strong enough to pull away.

The more I thought about it, the more sense it made. How could I be so stupid? Why was I pursuing being his friend? He obviously had more important things to worry about. Who was I to interfere with his longtime revenge?

It's good that he left before either of us got hurt.

"Hey!"

Startled, I shoved the letter into the locker and slammed the door shut. I was met with Dean's confused eyes. The furrow in his brows only increased as he took in my tearstained face.

"What's wrong?"

I cleared my throat and plastered a smile on my face. "Nothing! We just finished reading Animal Farm in class and I was thinking about the ending." Animal Farm? Really? I read that book in tenth grade. The crying part was truthful, I cried like a baby.

Luckily, Dean wasn't here back then so he had no idea that I was lying. English teachers assigned different books for different classes anyway so there was no way to prove I was lying.

His eyes scanned my face for any signs of lies and when he didn't find any, he perked up. "Alrighty then. Anyways, I came here for a reason."

In an attempt to really glue the mask on, I put my hand on my hip and raised a brow. "You need a reason to see me now?" The attitude was a good indicator that everything was fine and dandy, even though it wasn't.

It wasn't fine at all.

"Funny," he sarcastically replied. He ran a hand through his disheveled hair and shifted from foot to foot as if he was nervous. "I think I have a way for us to work."

My interest piqued. Even I didn't have the faintest clue about what I wanted from Dean, so how did he figure it out? "What is it?"

"I think we should start over." When my brows furrowed in confusion, he continued. "You don't trust me, which I totally understand, so what better way to regain that trust than to start everything over? Like we have no memories together."

"Dean–" The shrill bell cut off my thoughts.

He smiled and began walking backward. "Just think about it!"

And he was gone.

~~~

I did think about it. For the whole, stupid day.

At first, the idea seemed stupid. I mean, how could I just forget everything and restart? We went through a lot, more than the normal couple. It wasn't like I could brain dump everything. After all, tossing the bad memories meant tossing the good ones too.

Then it got to the point where it seemed like the easy way out. Obviously, neither of us could think of a plausible way to get out of the constant cycle we were always in, so the option was to simply break it. Wasn't that too easy though? Were we just avoiding the problem altogether? They always said ignorance is bliss –  a motto I lived by. I just wasn't sure if it was good to use it in this situation.

Later on, I remembered what a dumb idea it was and pushed it out of my head. Except, I rather think about that than Ben's sudden disappearance.

So, by the end of the day, I concluded that Dean was on to something. His idea totally made sense. After all, when couples started dating, the trust wasn't automatically there. It took time.

I was willing to take the time if he was. There was nothing left to do. I had nothing else for me, except maybe finding Dylan a real girlfriend. But that in itself would happen when pigs could fly.

There's not much I could do. What else was there? I couldn't think of another situation that would earn his trust back. It was unfair of me to even imply it. Whatever happened, it should happen naturally.

So, throwing caution to the wind, I agreed.

Walking with quick feet, I ended up in front of the library. Dean told me he was staying here after school for some project. Apparently, it was a group project but Dean was still Dean, meaning he hated basically all human interaction. He convinced his teacher to let him do it alone, but that also meant picking up the slack. It was a miracle he got along with my friends.

He was hunched over a table, scribbling on a lined paper. His eyes flickered to the textbook in front of him and he frowned in concentration before moving back to the paper. His brown strands fell into his eyes but he made no movement to move it away. My hand itched to do it for him.

Focus!

Hitching my backpack up my shoulder, I stood next to the open seat in front of him. "Hey, is this seat taken?"

A smile etched on his face as he noticed me. "Nope."

I sat down, his eyes on my every move. After my backpack leaned against the leg of the chair, I stuck out my hand. "Hi, my name's Arabella."

He cocked his head in confusion. "What're you..." Realization dawned upon his features. He shook my hand, albeit a little amused. "Dean."

"Nice to meet you, Dean." It felt a little silly doing this if I'm being honest.

"Likewise." He crossed his arms across his chest and leaned back in the cheap wooden chairs with his signature smirk. "Say, do you wanna go on a date with me?"

Bemused, I couldn't help but stare. "Isn't that a little blunt?"

"Not at all," he replied charismatically. Everything he did was drawing me in more, like the way he casually carried himself or how he managed to seem so confident. "In fact, I think I know a place. A diner. Rumor has it, the owners have a handsome son."

I rolled my eyes but played along nonetheless. "Hm, maybe I'll see him then."

"Maybe you will," he nonchalantly replied. "He'll supposedly be there after school."

"Bummer," I dramatically sighed. "I got caught up with a cute guy in the library so I might not be able to make it."

His smirk morphed into a smile. "You're staying?"

"Yeah! Unless, uh, you don't want me to," I awkwardly said. An embarrassed blush crept up my neck. What if he didn't want me to stay? After all, he was busy.

"Of course, babe. Always."

Ignoring the way my stomach was doing cartwheels, I raised my brows. "Babe? You do realize this entire thing means we start from square one."

His brows furrowed.

"That's right, buddy, I mean straight from wooing. No kisses or anything," I explained. Deep down, I knew I'd say yes if he asked me to freaking marry him right now, but he didn't need to know that. Besides, this could be fun. We were doing normal for once. "And you'll have to meet my parents eventually."

He paled as if he saw a ghost. I snickered, knowing he dreaded meeting my dad. He never did, not once.

I mockingly put up my hands. "I'm just saying... if it's too much to handle, it's not too late to back out." Although I was teasing, a big part of me dreaded him seriously considering. I was still amazed at how he put up with me through all my shit. Maybe one more push could end it all.

How tragic that would be.

Then, in a very Dean-ish style, he smirked and arrogantly leaned forward on the table. "Never."

~~~

Since Dean had to finish his work, I forced him to stay and finish up. We didn't end up going on our date but I didn't mind.

As soon as I got home, I went straight into my room and locked it, letting only Ryder keep me company. I snuggled into my bed as I pulled out Ben's coat and letter.

My hands traced over the letters and I allowed myself to be sad. If there's one thing I learned, it was that keeping emotions bottled up would make me burst. So, I let my tears fall. I made sure the letter remained intact and silently sobbed into my hands.

I didn't mind that he left. Anyone could understand why. If he stayed, he'd hurt Dean, which would hurt me. Him leaving was a win-win situation.

So why didn't it feel like it?

Because I felt betrayed. I wasn't stupid nor naive (no matter how much I proved I was). This was for the best. In fact, I should've seen it coming as soon as he said he knew about my involvement. I never thought he'd kill Dean. Arrest him? Sure. But kill? Nah.

I just wish he told me. There were so many things I wanted to say and so many things I wanted to do. I wanted to tease him a little more, to see him blush one last time.

The sadness hit me in a huge wave. I threw my head back onto the tower of soft pillows and let out a sob. "What about the damn jacket?" Ryder cocked his head at me before gently placing it on my stomach. He didn't care that his brain was having a mini earthquake as my cries shook my entire body.

That damn coat.

It then hit me that his disappearance after the party was planned. That whole time he knew that it was the last time he'd see me.

He left me with this damn coat on purpose!

It explained why he seemed pretty adamant about letting me know I was off the hook. Originally I found it weird how he didn't seem the least bit agitated, but it was probably because he didn't want either of us to hold grudges.

The damn bastard wanted to get out scot-free.

It pissed me off a lot. He could've let me say goodbye. I didn't fare well with his disappearance acts, he knew this.

I sat up and bit my lip, looking around my room. Something could be useful in getting out my frustrations.

My eyes zoomed in on to my desk, then the letter in my lap.

An idea came to me just then and I found myself rushing to my desk. My hands began to write flow naturally.

' Stark,

I would like to start off by saying I am incredibly pissed at you. You're lucky you aren't here or else you'd be sporting a black eye right now. I throw a mean punch, just ask Taylor.

But I understand. You did what you had to do. It's hard to resent you when I know your reasoning. Don't worry your pretty little (or should I say big) head about me. I'm not that mad. No promises if I ever see you again...

So this letter isn't a goodbye nor an apology, but rather something to remember me by. The feeling is mutual, Ben Stark, I will never forget you. How could I? You were the cause of some of my most mortifying moments.

But it's not only the awkward encounters that I'll remember. As much of an ass that you were, you were also incredibly sweet. The sweet words and gestures you directed toward me in such a short amount of time will never be forgotten. My one regret is not spending more time with you to see that cute side of you.

Are you blushing now? Aww, I wish I could see.

You were different with me. You were shy yet outspoken. You were rude yet incredibly sweet. It was a little surprising to see Ben Stark be nice to me. I swear, you almost sent me into cardiac arrest the night you crowned me.

And it was a little humbling for you to talk to me like that. My worst enemies didn't dare to speak like that to me. I needed it a little.

You would've been proud of me if you stuck around at the party. Remember my neighbor that was supposedly in love with me? Well, he showed his true colors that night. I dumped beer all over him! How badass! It felt exhilarating. I just wish you were there cheering me on. I needed my number 1 hype man by my side.

I'll miss you, Stark, more than you think. You were the most difficult person I had ever encountered in my life. Something was seriously wrong with me because I wanted to be your friend, even though I knew you were here to sabotage Dean. That's fucked up, right?

Thank you for not killing me when I annoyed the shit out of you. Seriously appreciate it.

I'm a tad bit upset that I didn't get to see your extensive car collection or closet. That's probably my biggest regret.

Kidding! Kind of...

Anyways, my hand is beginning to cramp so I'll cut to the sappy stuff.

Don't ever settle for a girl, okay? Especially someone like Taylor. You deserve someone who can help you. That means you better socialize, no matter where you are. Most girls don't bump into your life like I did. But, if you're desperate, stand in the middle of a busy hall and maybe you'll get lucky.

I'm sorry we didn't talk more about our issues, because we both were loaded with them. You'll be happy to know that almost all of mine are solved now. I know your life is much more complicated than mine but please let people in. It's amazing when you do.

I want to thank you for your selflessness. You made a big choice, one I wouldn't make. It shows you're the stronger one of us two. I should be a little offended considering how easy the choice was but I'll let slide. Seriously though, you are an incredible person to even consider this. Words cannot explain how much admiration I hold for you. I'll be forever indebted to you.

I know the whole purpose of you leaving was to cut me out, but I won't ever feel that way. If you ever want someone to talk to, I'm always here. ###-###-####. Text me sometime. It'll be good to hear from you.

I'm not saying goodbye because I believe fate will push us together one day.

So, see you later,

Wilks.

P.S- What the hell do I do with this damn coat?! It's making me feel guilty with its richness. It costs more than a month's worth of food! Damn you for burdening me with it. '

Feeling much lighter, I stamped the envelope and sent it to Ben's old address, only hoping he received it.

If he didn't, it wasn't meant to be.