My bedroom door swung open, but I made no move to sit up and look at the intruder. The bed dipped from weight and the blankets were ripped off my body. A cold chill settled over my skin. I felt miserable.

Jaz was staring down at me with a hardened expression. "You have five seconds to explain why you cock-blocked my night before I kill you."

I blankly stared at her before pulling the blanket back up to cover my face. Seconds later, she pulled it down again, her expression softening a bit.

"I saw something bad, something very bad," I said, looking past her head and up at the ceiling. I felt like a zombie. "I don't know what to do." I took her moment of shock to grab the blanket and burrito myself in it, laying on my side.

She could no longer pull it away, so instead she sat on my bed. "On a scale of bug bite to Perez Hilton, how bad?"

"World war 3," I replied, my voice muffled by my pillow.

"Shit," she whispered under her breath before scooting closer. "Should I call the others?"

I shot up, nearly knocking her in the face. "No! Don't do that."

"Why?" she warily asked, eyeing me with suspicion.

"Who do you think the war will be between?" I pointed out. Her face contorted into realization and her shoulders sagged in defeat. "So that's why I had to leave."

Instead of asking me what I saw, she only adjusted herself so she was sitting next to me. I brought my head down to her shoulder, resting it there.

"I'm sorry I ruined your night," I sighed. It wasn't my intention at all.

"No, it's okay. I can tell your night was worse."

I gasped and playfully nudged her. "Are you saying that I look ugly?"

"Like a train wreck," she laughed, nudging me back. "That and your mom was worried that you didn't come down for breakfast."

My eyes flickered to the clock in my room and I realized it was almost noon. "Oh, wow," I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "Where's Kim?"

"She's at home nursing a terrible headache," she wistfully sighed, as if she was feeling her girlfriend's pain. I couldn't help but grin at how cute they were. "I should get back soon. I told her I was going out to get soup."

"I'll be fine, don't worry about me," I smiled. It took a surprising amount of energy.

She got off the bed and hesitantly looked at me. "About the soup..."

"Take some from the pantry," I laughed, shaking my head.

She appreciatively smiled. "Thanks! I'll text you later, okay?"

I nodded and watched her leave, closing the door behind her. I was once again alone in my cacoon of sadness. 

Instead of wrapping myself into a burrito, I decided to get out of bed and bring some light into the room. I opened my curtains, immediately being blinded.

Once my eyes adjusted, I saw Andrew in his own backyard, tossing around a ball. I smiled at the sight, thinking about all the times I used to stalk him from up here. I sure was creepy.

Shaking my head, I took a hot shower and forced myself to put on clothes instead of just pajamas. I was feeling like shit, and that too without the drinking.

Ironic.

When I was finally dressed in a pair of denim shorts and a black crop top, I went downstairs and was greeted by Ryder. I hadn't kept him in my room last night so this was the first time I was seeing him in a while.

"Hey bubs," I cooed, smushing his face between my palms. He followed me out into the backyard and ran around in the grass.

He did his business and followed me to the gate. As soon as I swung it open, he ran into Andrew's unfenced yard.

Drew, who didn't expect us, yelped in surprise as the dog attacked him with kisses. He laughed and began petting him before setting his sights on me. "Hey Bella, fancy seeing you here."

"Hi Drew," I smiled. He gestured for me to follow and took a seat on one of the benches he had in his backyard. I took a seat next to him and watched as Ryder explored the new territory. "I'm sorry about the game."

He waved a dismissive hand. "Ah, you win some, you lose some, right? Besides, I don't think our captain was in the right mindset."

"Drew... have you forgiven him?" I asked softly, scared of his answer.

He looked at me with intense emotion, almost as if he was scared of my reaction. "Yeah. At least for what he said about me. I know he was angry and just spit it out. That doesn't excuse what he said to everyone else though, especially you. I don't expect you to do the same."

I nodded and stared ahead at the trees. "Do you think he was telling the truth?"

His silence was my answer. He did.

"Bella, I-"

I cut him off. "It's okay. I just... I'm trying to justify someone forgiving him so easily. It wasn't the words he said, but the way he said it. I understand he was mad, but it didn't give him the right to lash out on us."

"Did something happen?" His voice was laced with concern. His hand inched toward mine on the bench until our pinkies brushed.

I turned to him with a pained expression. "You're the only one I can tell this to without getting anyone else involved," I said. He nodded, silently telling me he would keep this between us. "Last night, at the party, I saw Dylan and Emma making out – sober."

"Holy shit."

"Not only does that imply this has been going on for weeks, but I feel so betrayed by the both of them. I always told Dylan not to hook up with her because it would ruin our dynamic. When Will finds out about this..." I shuddered, thinking of the consequences. "And I'm so hurt Emma didn't even tell me about it. She pretended that she was just as hurt by his words, then snuck around with him behind our backs."

This time his hand moved on top of mine, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "That's terrible, I'm so sorry you found out that way."

"I just... I can't tell anyone from the group. If Jaz knows, she'll confront Emma. And I can't bear to tell Will... I can't even look him in the eye. Drew, I'm so scared. This is so fucked up." I groaned as I put my elbows on my knees and cradled my head.

"Hey, it's okay. I promise I won't tell anyone, okay?" he assured, making me nod. "What are you going to do now?"

"I don't know," I sighed, looking up at him. "What do you think I should do?"

He lightly chuckled and moved his hand, running it through his hair, which was damp from sweat. "I'm afraid you're gonna have to figure this out all on your own. What I will tell you is to cool down first. Don't make rash decisions, you saw what it did to Dylan. You have the right to be mad. Hell, I'd be pissed!"

"I am."

"Exactly. Now I know you won't let them get off easy, so make sure they work for that apology, like I did," he grinned. "But don't hold a grudge in your heart or else you'd lose two very good friends who made a mistake."

I nodded and got up, with him following my lead. Ryder was already waiting for me at the gate.

I turned to Andrew and wrapped my arms around him. He tensed at first but hugged me back. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

I pulled away and waved before heading back to my side of the house. Although I still had no idea what to do about the entire situation, he helped me cool down a little. At least now I wouldn't act on a whim and burn their houses down.

But I was still upset.

"Hey kiddo, why do you look like you're going on a murdering spree?" my dad asked, making me jump. I didn't notice him at first. He was sitting at the dining table, reading a newspaper. "Let me rephrase that. Do you need help with your murdering spree? Because I'm a lawyer, I know how to cover up tracks."

"Dad," I playfully warned, taking a seat next to him. "I appreciate the offer, but I'll need a raincheck."

"Is everything okay?" He put down the paper and looked at me through his reading glasses. Sometimes I thought he only read the paper to seem like a stereotypical dad. I mean, who even read it anymore? Most things were online.

I sighed. "No, but they will be. I'm just not having the best week."

"Hm... this sounds like a movie marathon type of day," he mischievously grinned. When I didn't make a move to race him to the freezer, his smile faltered. "Oh, sweetheart. What's wrong?"

"Sorry, I'm just not feeling it," I said, disappointed in myself for not being able to fake my happiness.

"Oh... okay."

"Another day though," I gave him a small smile, which he returned.

"Sure."

I left his disappointed self in the kitchen while I went upstairs. I shelled up in my room for the rest of the day, only leaving to grab snacks and food. I eventually changed back into my pjs and just laid there.

It wasn't until hours later of uninterrupted silence did I realize my phone was still off from last night. I turned it on and scrolled through the hundreds of notifications I got from Emma and Dylan. I skimmed through the important ones.

Jaz: You owe me

Dean: Where'd you go?

Jaz: Dean is leaving with that other chick

Will: Why aren't you giving us a ride? :(

Jaz: Ugh you owe me BIG TIME

I backtracked to the second message Jaz sent me. The only person she could have been talking about was Skylar.

Oh no.

I brushed off the jealously in my gut and locked my phone, aggressively shoving it under my pillow. Now all I could think about was Dean and Skylar. Did he really leave with her? He wasn't even going to tell me about it? Was he with her now? Was he ever going to tell me about it?

My muffled ringtone sounded from under the pillow. I slid it back out to see an unexpected call from Reece. Disappointment hit me as I wished it was Dean, but I picked it up anyway.

"Hey Reece."

"Bella? You don't sound happy to hear me," he softly chuckled.

I shook my head, then realized he couldn't see me. "Nah, it's not you."

"So you're not happy?" he quietly asked. "What happened?"

"Nothing, just had the perfect ending to the perfect week," I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm. "Enough about me. Why'd you call?"

"Right!" he exclaimed once he realized he was the one who initiated the conversation. "I got a bunch of calls from like different people last night saying you disappeared."

"And you only called now?" I asked, amused. I didn't remember seeing his name among all the notifications.

"Eh, you're a big girl. You can figure it out yourself."

I made a face. "Gee, thanks. I'll keep that in mind if I ever get kidnapped."

He laughed in amusement. "How was the party last night? Why'd you escape?"

"Oh, you know, had to get away."

The line went quiet for a second. "You saw Skylar, didn't you?"

"In the flesh," I bitterly replied. "Doesn't help that Dean left with her last night."

"I mean, you did kinda ditch him."

"Not true! I made sure everyone had a ride home," I defended myself. "Besides, I saw the way they were hanging out. I barely saw him and if I did, she was around."

Reece let out a long sigh on the line. "Bella, look. Skylar and Dean have a long and complicated history, okay? It makes sense that they'd hang out." From his words, I couldn't tell if this history was romantic or not.

And I was too scared to ask.

"Either way, he could have told me he was leaving with her. I would have preferred to hear it from him instead of Jaz."

"Listen, I'm not defending him–"

"Yes you are."

"–but, I think you should be level-headed when you see him. Be ready in ten minutes, I'm taking you somewhere."

"No."

"Bella, you're ruining it," he whined, putting a smile on my face. "Please?"

"Fine," I huffed. He cheered on the other line before hanging up. I stared at my phone, wondering why I gave in so easily. It didn't matter. I rushed to get ready, throwing on the same outfit I had earlier.

Around fifteen minutes later, I ran down the stairs. My parents gave me curious looks as I left. "I'm going out, I'll be back later," I rushed before leaving the house.

As expected, Reece was waiting for me in the car. I knew if he came inside, he wouldn't be leaving. My parents enjoyed his company a lot.

"You need to work on being more punctual," he teased as I sat inside.

"You can't expect me to be ready within ten minutes," I laughed, buckling in.

He began driving to an unknown destination and I didn't ask where. I knew my questions would remain unanswered, so I compliantly sat. In all honesty, I was glad to be getting out of the house. No doubt I'd go insane with my overthinking skills.

Much to my surprise, he pulled up to a familiar cafe. He smirked as he watched my reaction. "Is this where..."

"Where we had our date?" he finished in a teasing tone. "Yeah, I'm surprised you remember."

In junior year, before I knew all the drama surrounding Dean, Reece and I had a small date here, after he tutored me in calculus. I had only agreed as a way to get information out of him. At the same time, he made me so nervous.

It's silly to think that now considering he was a close friend now.

"Come on, the coffee's not gonna be here forever," he teased. Even though it was nearing the evening, I didn't protest the caffeine. I was always in the mood for an iced coffee.

The white cafe was welcoming even though it was modern. I was used to the cute, rustic ones. This one had gold accents spread around and metal tables instead of wood.

We placed our orders and sat at the same table as before. Reece looked troubled. "What's on your mind?" I asked.

He looked a little surprised that I even noticed. "Nothing... I'm just reminiscing."

I nodded in understanding and looked around. It wasn't nearly as busy now, which was reasonable. It was a little late for coffee.

The waitress set our drinks down and left us alone. I ordered my usual vanilla iced coffee, while Reece got a hot drink. He sighed and leaned back, cupping his hands around the mug. "Look, Dean is a great guy..."

"You don't have to," I started.

"I know," he reassuringly smiled, "but I want to. Dean is great, ya know? He was a troubled kid, but he really proved himself. He fought his way to the top. He never focused on anything but the gang. He let it consume him."

I took a sip of my sweet coffee, letting him continue.

"Me on the other hand... I went out partying almost every night. I hooked up with a lot of girls. I went out all night. Dean never truly got to do that, and I always called him crazy for it. I mean, he had the power, why wouldn't he want to use it? I mean, he did later, but that's a whole other story."

Dylan's face flashed through my mind. It sounded oddly similar to him.

"Anyway, he was still a good person deep down. Even when I paid women to give him a lap dance or something, he'd respectfully turn him down. Sure, he's had his experience in women, but he always set boundaries."

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked, genuinely curious. A bit annoyed, too. The last thing I wanted to hear about was my boyfriend's sexual experiences before me.

He sighed and took another sip of his drink before setting it down. "Because he wouldn't cheat. I know him, he wouldn't."

I slowly nodded. "I didn't think he did."

"But you contemplated it," he stated, raising a challenging brow. I nodded in defeat, not being able to defend myself. It was true, my mind had wandered there. "It makes sense, Bella. You heard him leave with another girl. Of course that's where your head would be at."

I wanted to tell him it wasn't Dean that I didn't trust, but rather Skylar. I held back though, unsure of their relationship. The last thing I wanted to do was offend him.

"I know," I whispered, looking down at the table.

"I know you're dying to know the history between those two, but it's not my story to tell," he continued.

I hid my disappointment, but he had a point. Dean would have to tell me in his own time. Hopefully.

"He really likes you, you know. I can tell."

"You flatter me," I chuckled, trying to ease out of the tense conversation.

He didn't lighten up. I could tell he wanted to say something else, but hesitated. In the end, he decided to hold back.

I looked up at him with curious eyes. "You said you've never settled down. Was there not a single girl who caught your eye?"

"There's one," he mumbled before bringing the mug to his lips. He averted his gaze, letting me know he didn't want to elaborate.

"I'm sorry about the game. Tough loss," I said, reattempting to change the topic of conversation.

His lips played a small smile. "Yeah... that was rough."

"How'd Coach take it?"

"Rough, but Dylan deserves it."

My heart sunk as I thought about Dylan being punished. It was clear he wasn't giving it his all last night, not to mention it was his first game as captain.

I pushed the sad thoughts away. "Well, it's whatever. At least we can only go up from here."

"That's good logic," he grinned holding up his mug. I clanked my glass to it. "Cheers."

"Cheers."

We stayed until the cafe closed, then Reece drove me home. My knee was bouncing the entire ride and he couldn't hide his amusement. When I got home, I had to do an entire workout in our home gym in order to exhaust myself a little.

After hitting the showers and having a small dinner with the family, I went upstairs and laid in bed again.

The only thing I could think about was Dylan and how I missed his advice. If he were here right now, he'd know what to do.

God I missed him.