My combat boots shuffled against the sticky floor. The leather jacket I borrowed from Jasmine clung to me and every move I made felt stiff. Even the thick eyeliner I had on didn't do anything to put me in my element.

I felt out of place.

Much to my dismay, I needed to speak to Skylar about some business. When I basically begged her to hang out with me, she said she had to work a band gig at a small concert venue. The crowd that went here was her type of people, hence the 'badass' outfit I struggled to put together. If Jasmine didn't dress like this, I would've been screwed.

Since this was the only place Skylar was willing to meet, I made the sacrifice. I had to wait until after the band was done performing. Who the hell had a concert on a Tuesday night anyway?

A peek of her red hair flashed. I perked up and saw her finishing her job. Her hair was tied back into a sleek ponytail. She wore her leather getup, as usual, but she looked much more natural in it compared to me.

When she caught my eye, she nodded toward one of the tables. I went ahead and took a seat. Out of nerves, my fingers drummed against the wood. Seconds later, she slid into the chair across from me.

"What do you want?"

Ah, Skylar. She was always blunt. I sat up straighter, hoping she knew that I meant business tonight. "Is there any way to check if Ben's alive and well?"

It had been a week and a few days since I've heard from Ben. Although I wasn't even sure if he received my letter, let alone if he wanted to talk to me, a small part of me began to worry for him. After all, he abandoned his mission. There were probably consequences for that. Did his boss find out and kill him? I couldn't stomach the thought.

For a moment, satisfaction flashed in her eyes. It was the first non-condescending emotion I ever saw from her. "Why? Do you have feelings for him?" she asked. Ah, it was still not well-intended.

"No." I didn't have to lie. "He was my friend, after all. I've noticed his disappearance. We both know that you all don't have the safest lifestyles. I just wanna make sure everything is okay with him."

She gave me a long look, presumably to gauge my honesty, before her shoulders slumped down. "He's alive. I've been tracking him. He's happily in New York, although I'm not sure why."

New York? He didn't go back to Chicago? A small smile appeared on my lips, wondering if he managed to escape gang life like Dean did.

"Hah, maybe it's fashion week," I lamely replied. I couldn't take her gaze any longer and I looked down at my lap. For a brief moment, I hesitated to tell her but I decided it's best. "He's probably not coming back."

"Bella," Skylar started, forcing my attention back on her pretty face. "Why did you cut off the mic when you went to visit him? What happened between the two of you?"

She knew. Of course she knew. While the boys may be oblivious, she isn't.

Nervously biting my lip, I focused on the chips on the table. "He told me he liked me."

I expected her to gasp or give me a smug look, indicating she was going to tattle on me to Dean, but instead I was met with her knowing look. "I figured. Is he gone for good?"

I nodded, a little confused. "How did you...?"

She gave me a flat look before explaining. "I'm the one hijacking into all of his stuff. Do you think I can't read simple body language? I could tell from all the times you guys were together at the parties."

My brows practically reached my hairline. I had no idea she saw all that. It explained how Dean never found out about it. She probably shooed him away.

I forced a smile toward her. No matter how much I hated this girl, I couldn't help but feel some type of respect for her. She was so badass and knew how to take care of herself, while I was awkward and clumsy and not made for Dean in any way.

"Well, he's not coming back so I guess you don't have to worry anymore."

She gave me a very, very small smile. "I know he was your friend. I'm sorry."

Woah, woah, woah. Huh? Did she just apologize to me? Did hell freeze over? I'm so confused.

Seeing my surprised expression, she reverted back to her normal scowl. "Don't."

I threw up my hands in surrender. "I wasn't going to say anything." Lie.

She threw in an extra hard glare and I slumped back into my seat, forgetting everything I said about being intimidating. Skylar may have hated me but I couldn't help but feel bad for her. The guy she liked wasn't into her. It was purely one-sided. I had a crush on Andrew long enough to understand. Although I would never admit it to her (partly because she wouldn't appreciate it) I felt sorry for her.

"So, he's really gone now, huh?" she asked, breaking the awkward silence looming around us. "It was that easy." I shrugged because what else could I do? I wasn't about to reveal Ben's personal thoughts to her. She realized the conversation wasn't going anywhere so she changed topics. "How're you and Dean?"

My gut wrenched. She was the last person I wanted to talk to about him. "Skylar, we're not friends," I snapped, a moment of self-preservation if you must.

Something flashed in her catty eyes but it disappeared before I could decipher it. "Oh relax B, I never said we were," she brushed it off. "Besides, I know you think I'm the crazy ex."

Because you are.

I plastered on a fake smile because my parents always raised me to be polite. "No, I don't think that." I know that.

She scoffed and dragged her acrylic nail across the cracks in the table. "Well, I am. I was." I raised a questioning brow and she continued. "Sure, I was a little hung up on him, but I found a new distraction."

My head cocked as I analyzed her expression. Was she telling the truth or was this another ploy to get back at Dean?

Noticing my scrutinizing gaze, she shut down, which made me feel bad. "The only reason I told you this was because I doubt Dean would wanna hear my boy problems."

Sighing, I threw out all my logic and pride. "Do I know him?" Why was I doing this? We weren't friends. She was a complete bitch to me.

"Huh?"

"The boy you're dating. Do I know him?"

Her face tinted the slightest shade of pink but the lighting of this shack wasn't the best so I could've misread. "He's not my boyfriend."

Once again, I threw my hands up letting her know I wasn't looking for a fight. "Okay, your distraction then."

"Contrary to popular belief, I don't know everyone you hang out with." Something told me she was lying. Call it intuition or whatever, but my gut didn't feel right. Still, I figured she was embarrassed about it so I let it slide. "Anyways. Just know I'm not after you."

"Okay," I replied nonchalantly even though I didn't believe a single word she said. I knew I had to be extra cautious around her. Seeing as we had no more to discuss, I stood up and wiped my sweaty palms on my jeans. "Well, that's all then."

Without waiting for a reply, I left the dingy venue. Okay, it wasn't that bad, but just not my scene. It was a hard-punk type of crowd and it intimidated me. Skylar fit in perfectly though. It didn't help that it was in a bad part of town. I made sure to park as close to the doors as possible.

After getting in my car and closing the door, I sighed and rested my head on the steering wheel. What happened inside miffed me to no ends. I wasn't sure what I expected tonight, perhaps a simple yes or no. It felt as if she was ready to have a heart-to-heart with me.

No, you idiot. She was evaluating your love life with Dean to see if it was fragile enough to swoop in.

Shaking my head, I laughed. Skylar wouldn't confide in me. She hated me.

Maybe that's for the best.

~~~

When Wednesday came around, I was in for a big shock. I mean, earth-shattering shock.

After our blissful night in the hotel, Dean and I were good. Everything was out in the air and we held no more grudges. It felt like an impossible task but I truly felt like everything was well.

As per my request, we kept the interactions minimal at school. The last thing I wanted was to let a smug Jasmine know we were back together. It was dumb, I know, but I didn't want her to throw an 'I told you so' in my face.

But damn I should've known Dean was too damn prideful for that.

"So yeah, normally I don't go for chicks like this, but damn it was hot! She was all controlling and I was like her puppet," Dylan rambled on with a mouthful of food. "I feel like I've seen her before though. At first, I thought it's because we've fucked before, but I think I'd remember a girl like that."

"Dylan," Jasmine groaned. "We don't need to hear about your conquest during lunch."

Now usually I'd agree with her, but this was a little different. Propping my elbows on the table, I leaned forward so I could watch Dylan closely. "I disagree. You met this girl at your party two weeks ago. Normally you'd hump and dump but you haven't shut up about her."

"I need you guys to help me find her!" he exclaimed.

"Okay, well since you recognize her, the odds are she goes to our school," I started.

Emma pulled away from Will's side for a second. "What does she look like?" Right away, she was back in her boyfriend's arms. Although, we all seemed intrigued. Who was this mystery girl who kept his attention for more than a night?

Dylan's grin was comparable to the Chesire Cat's. "Totally smoking."

Will smacked the back of his head since he was on the same side of the table, whereas Jasmine and I were opposite to him.

"Okay, okay, damn!" Dylan raised his hands defensively. "She was totally badass. She wore a lot of leather and these insanely high boots that took forever to take off. Oh! And she was a redhead."

My eyes closed and I clutched the table, desperately trying to control my breathing.

He couldn't be talking about her... right?

No! There's no way.

There are plenty of redheads in our school. I'm sure plenty of them wore leather head to toe.

"Holy shit! She's right there! And she's coming our way!"

I couldn't bear to turn around. I couldn't even find my annoyance toward Dean when he sauntered up to our table and kissed my cheek before sitting down. I couldn't bring my head up when the seat next to Dylan was taken.

Holy fucking shit.

Slowly, my eyes rose to see the one and only Skylar sitting at our table. What's worse was Dylan's arm slinging around her shoulder in a smug way. He gave us a look, silently beaming.

Still, I needed verbal confirmation. "No way. Her?"

Beside me, Jasmine was a gaping mess. "Dylan Woods, I never thought you were as daft as you are. It truly blows my mind that we're friends with you."

"Uh, what're we talking about?" Dean asked beside me but we were too engrossed in the situation to respond.

Dylan blinked at us. "Am I missing something?"

I was half tempted to lie and say Skylar was the human form of STDs or that she was absolutely psychotic – which wasn't that much of a reach – but it wouldn't work because she'd obviously hear me. Telling the truth felt just as awkward, seeing that Dean and I were both here too.

But Jasmine apparently didn't get the memo. "That's who–"

I jabbed her in the ribs before she could spill. None of us needed to talk about the awkward fact that she was in love with my boyfriend, she hated my guts, I hated her, and my boyfriend felt nothing for her. It would be even more awkward if Jasmine brought up the fact that he left me for Skylar, even though that wasn't the case. No one knew that.

Jasmine and I were stuck in a staring contest. She glared at me for the unnecessary violence and I silently communicated with my eyes, hoping she'd get the message. I had a hunch that she did, but she was always the instigator when it came to me.

From behind me, Dean rested his chin on my shoulder and faced Jaz. "Will one of you please tell me what's going on?"

It only took Jasmine nanoseconds to make the connection. Her eyes flickered from mine, to Dean's, to the way he casually had his chin in the crook of my shoulder. As soon as her chocolate eyes lit up, I whipped my head to face Dylan and Skylar again.

Suddenly, their scandalous affair sounded more appealing than hearing an 'I told you so'.

Deciding that Dylan was being too dense, I decided to question the redhead instead. "You! He's your boyf–"

"Distraction," Skylar correction.

"He's your distraction?" I nearly shrieked. The idea was appalling. Dylan didn't go for girls like her! He went for ditzy blonds that were vanilla as my birthday cake! He didn't go for assertive girls that resembled a dominatrix!

And Skylar! She went for bad boys like Dean. She craved danger! She didn't go for preppy boys like Dylan. If that were the case, her and Reece would've been a happy couple.

Skylar shrugged as if we were debating about the perfect temperate for a visit to the beach. "He's less of a pussy than the other guys here."

Dylan smirked and tightened his hold around her. "I must say, that was one exciting night."

Gag. Gag. Gross. Gag.

"Dylan," Emma groaned, hiding her face in Will's neck. The boy seemed intrigued but didn't dare ask while his girlfriend was sitting in his lap. It was a risk to his future babies.

Dylan, the slowpoke, narrowed his eyes at me. Suddenly all topic of Skylar had disappeared. His gaze flickered between Dean and me. He gave me a silent look, one that I would read too well. 'Why didn't you tell me you were back together?'

Jasmine beat him to it. "Are you guys dating again?" She triumphantly smirked before we could answer. The bugger wanted me to admit it! Disgusting!

"Yup!" Dean answered, putting his arm around my shoulder. Apparently, he didn't get the hint to keep his mouth shut.

I sent a glare toward her that was so icy it could reverse the effects of global warming. She innocently stared back at me, the corners of her lips twitching to smirk. Still, she kept a straight face.

"Don't," I warned as threateningly as I could.

"Whatever do you mean?" She smiled sweetly before turning to Dylan with an outstretched hand. He begrudgingly eyed it as she wiggled her fingers. "Come on Dyl, we haven't got all day, do we?"

My eyes widened as I watched the business deal in front of me. Dylan pulled out his wallet and slapped a crisp twenty-dollar bill into her palm. She smiled contentedly and pocketed the money.

Those idiots bet on me, didn't they?

Dean mockingly winced beside me. "Dylan, man, you didn't think we'd work? I thought we were passed this."

I jabbed him in the side, making him wince for real.

"Oh, the bet wasn't to see if you'd get back together," Jasmine smirked, "it was to see how fast Bella would cave."

Ouch! It was one thing to bet on my relationship, but to bet on my weakness? Now that hurt!

Annoyed, I grabbed my bag and stood up. "You know what? You guys suck."

"But you love us," Jaz sang as I dramatically stormed away from the table. I wasn't that mad but it was better than hearing her say the four words she's been dying to say and it sure as hell was better than seeing my best friend and Skylar getting cozy.

What has my life become?

As I walked out of the cafeteria, my eyes met the jerkiest jock I ever had the pleasure of knowing. Andrew Boyce was always going to remain a mystery to me. Everything he ever said, he ever did, contradicted in every sense possible.

First he was nice, then he turned out to be an ass, then he was nice again, then he was back to being a jerk. I didn't know whether he was lying to protect his pride or telling the truth when he confessed he was playing me like a fiddle. With all the personality changes I've witnessed, I didn't have the faintest of clues.

His ocean blue eyes were no longer hypnotizing. I had no trouble looking away. In fact, I would've rather stared at paint drying than his confusing eyes.

Whether he was lying or telling the truth, I was done with him. Forever.

A warm hand slid into mine as I reached the empty hallway and I didn't even need to look to see who it was.

"You rather deal with me then hang out with your friends?" And by friends, I meant Skylar specifically. He may not have liked her, but they were friends – and as much as I hated to admit it, they had an unbreakable bond.

Dean softly tugged at our hands, making me stop. "It's always you." Using his free hand, he tucked a stray hair behind my ear.

Cue the butterflies.

I was transfixed on his face. His emerald eyes were captivating. His soft lips tugged up into a smirk yet he looked at me like I was the only thing in the world.

"And you look hot when you're mad. I couldn't leave you alone, could I?"

His words should've made me smack him but I couldn't. Not when he looked like he wanted to eat me.

My breath hitched.

Taking a step forward, he gently pushed me back until I was flush against the lockers. His eyes never left mine. A shiver involuntarily raked up my spine and my legs turned into jello.

One hand snaked up my waist while the other went up to my face. Taking his index finger, he traced from my cheek down to my jaw, leaving a trail of fire in its wake. My heart was pounding against my ribcage. The dynamic switch between five minutes ago and now was weird... but nice?

Hot, more like it.

Dean's slender fingers took hold of a blond strand twirled it around. "So Arabella..."

"Yes?" I managed to breathe out. My voice sounded shaky and I wanted to smack myself for sounding so vulnerable but I couldn't help it. I didn't remember Dean being this hot.

He parted his precious lips to say something but the bell cut him off. Seconds later, the hall was flooding with students.

His eyes mischievously glinted and before I knew it, he was tugging me through the halls of Westcreek High.

And I let him!

He stopped in front of a door, looked both ways, then swiftly entered the room, pulling me in.

Darkness was the first thing I saw. The smell of chemicals wafted up my nose and realization hit me before the light could illuminate the room.

"A janitor's closet? Could you get any more cliche?" I hissed. Thank god the old Bella was coming back. At least she was sensible.

Finally, a light flickered on and shed a glow on everything inside. The shelves were filled with different types of cleaning supplies and there was a mop bucket nestled in the corner.

So romantic.

Dean smirked, holding me by the waist. "Privacy, my love."

I smiled and shrugged, happy to be in his company. I didn't mind skipping Government or any class for that matter, as long as I was with Dean.

Sappy? Yes.

True? Completely.

My arms wrapped around his neck and I took the opportunity to meet his lips. He paused, stunned for a second, before kissing back. Before I knew it, he was taking charge.

My back met with the smooth wooden door with a thud. My hands slid down to his chest and felt the hard muscle beneath his shirt. He tensed under my hands and pushed up more against me. A moan left my lips as he forced my mouth open, followed by his own.

One of his hands left my waist and I heard the distinct click of the door being locked. Then he held me by the back of my head, forcing me even closer to him. It was like we couldn't get enough of each other.

He kissed the corner of my mouth before slowly trailing down to my jaw, then my neck. My eyes rolled to the back of my head as my very core warmed with the toe-curling kisses.

If he kissed like this, imagine the–

"Dean?" I gasped as he gently nibbled at my earlobe. He grunted in response. "What do you think about Skylar and Dylan?"

Ladies and gentlemen, that's how you ruin a moment!

Frowning, he pulled away. "Babe, I don't think that makes the best conversation right now."

He had a point but it had been bugging me since I saw the two together. "Do you think she's doing this to get back at you?"

"Arabella," he groaned. "Later, yeah?"

I shrugged and clamped my lips shut, that is until he kissed me so fervently. Whatever concerns I had with our best friends left out the window and I was back on that passion high I had missed so much.

God, I loved kissing him.

"Oh, Dean?" I mumbled against his lips. "You're coming over for dinner on Friday."

I never saw a boy pale so fast.