I fiddle with the sea turtle pendant on my necklace as I halfheartedly listen to my best friend gush about her nauseatingly perfect boyfriend. It's not that I don't care about what she's saying. I totally care. I'm just over the entire day, and her incessant rambling doesn't ease the headache that I can feel lurking just behind my eyelids.

Rainn smiles at me and then her eyes narrow. I raise my brow at her sudden shift. "What?"

"You're not even paying attention," she rightfully accuses me. "I've been going on and on like a fool, while you've been staring into space."

"I'm sorry." I touch her arm as a familiar red Camaro stops alongside us in the student parking lot. "I've had a shitty day. Call me tonight and I promise that you'll have my undivided attention." She doesn't ask what made my day shitty, she never does anymore. She does, however, give me a hug before looking towards the Camaro, a smile already in place. "Go on," I say. "I'll call you later."

With one last glance at me, she practically skips towards the passenger side of the car. "Love you," she calls out before getting in.

Her boyfriend, Jace, nods in my direction as Rainn gets into his car and I force myself to offer him a smile. "Later, B," he says with a smile of his own.

I nod and step back as he peels out of the lot. I hate him for reasons that would make me seem jealous. Probably because I am.

He wasn't a bad guy. As a matter of fact, it begrudges me to say that he was probably made specifically for Rainn. A reasonable friend would've been happy for her. I used to be a reasonable friend, but I traded that in for being miserable instead.

I was over the moon with joy and only had a smidgen of doubt when they'd started dating, but that was before things had changed and not for the better. Our weekends were no longer filled with marathons of our favorite TV shows or spontaneous trips to partake in whatever event was going on in our small town. Now it was a never-ending rerun of the saga that was Jace and Rainn, one that I couldn't unsubscribe from.

I kick dirt as I trudge along the road, deciding to walk home once again instead of calling my older brother for a ride. Rainn used to be my ride to and from school, but ever since the first episode of her love life aired, she'd been ditching her car in favor of riding shotgun in Jace's Camaro. She's never even asked me how I get around without her.

I know that I sound like a sulky kindergartener who'd been forced to give up her favorite blankie, but I can't help feeling like I'm slowly losing my best friend and it's as gradual as it is painful.

A midnight blue Jeep pulls up beside me and I can't decide whether to walk faster or just stop altogether. After a second of being in limbo, I decide to walk faster, and I begin taking longer strides which is unsurprisingly hard to do, as I'm stupidly unfit and can already feel a cramp coming on.

"Blaise," a familiar voice calls out. I speed up, not wanting to face the owner of the voice. "Blaise, stop!"

I comply and scowl when I turn towards the jeep. "What do you want, Luca?"

Luca Donahue, Jace's best friend and my sworn enemy since Freshman year, gives me an exasperated look. "You know what I want."

I resist the urge to roll my eyes and think about just walking away, but I know that he'll come after me and I don't have time to play that game. "No, I don't." I pull my backpack to the front and adjust my hoodie as Luca leans over and opens the door to the passenger side. I shake my head. "I'm fine."

"The hell you are," he says with a frown. When I refuse to get in, his expression softens. "Look, I can't leave you here, especially since we're headed in the same direction. Come on, B, just get in."

"It's Blaise," I correct him. Only my friends called me B. Well, my friends and Jace, because telling him not to, would mean that I'd have to talk to him, so he gets a pass. "And I'd prefer to walk. I want a few minutes to myself." His face falls and I momentarily feel bad. "Thanks for the offer, Luca, but I'm okay." I give him a small smile. "Really, I am."

When it becomes too awkward to just stand there staring at him, I gently shut his door and continue walking. I don't slow my pace until he passes me.

I don't know what it is with him lately, but he won't leave me alone. He's everywhere and its starting to bug me. We'd made it all the way to our senior year without uttering a word to each other and trust me, that's a lot harder to accomplish than it sounds. I mean, besides the fact that he lives next door, our parents are best friends and insist on involving each other's families in every aspect of their lives. It's beyond annoying and a huge inconvenience to my sanity.

We used to be attached at the hip, me and Luca. But when we started high school, we kind of just fell off. I'd tried once to talk to him about it at one of our parents' joint barbeques when we were only just beginning to drift apart, and he'd shut me down, telling me that he'd prefer it if I no longer addressed him in public. My pride had been hurt, but not nearly as much as my heart and I'd vowed that that was the last time that I'd ever speak to him. He'd seemed happy with my decision and besides the one year that he'd dedicated to torturing me, he spent the next three pretending that I didn't exist, and it wasn't until Rainn and Jace started dating that he'd decided that I was suddenly worth his time.

I shake my head at the memories. I'd sooner rip out my belly ring than let him back in my life. There were some bridges that were better left burned and I'd doused those particular ashes with water a long time ago.

I frown when I turn into my driveway and spot Luca perched on my doorstep. I make a special effort to ignore him as I fish my keys out of my bag.

He leaps up and brushes past me when I open the door and I don't even bother to yell at him. Instead, I shut the door and silently climb the stairs. He'll let himself out when he gets bored.

I quickly change out of my jeans and into sweatpants. I pull my curls into a loose ponytail and get started on my homework.

I'm a straight A student and on the honor roll, much to my parents' delight, but it's not because I'm naturally smart or anything. In fact, I'm so far from it, it's laughable. I have to work twice as hard as most of the kids in my classes, just to keep up, but it's worth it seeing those impeccable grades.

I'll never admit it to anyone, but Luca was the reason that I'd started working so hard in the first place and then it was impossible to stop. After he abandoned me, not only did I have to make new friends, I also had to keep myself busy so that I wouldn't think about him. Focusing all my energy on my schoolwork was a way easier fix than dwelling on my broken heart and the boy next door who was responsible for the carnage.

"Hey, honey," my mom says from the doorway and I look up from my calculus homework. I'd been so engrossed in my work that I hadn't heard her come up the stairs.

"Hey." I push my books and papers to the side and pat my bed. "What's up?" I ask when she sits beside me.

She kisses my head and pulls me close. My parents are very affectionate, and it usually bothers me that they are always hugging and kissing me, but lately I find myself being a lot more receptive. I figure that it has something to do with the fact that this is my last year living at home and since I've applied to colleges on the other side of the country, I'm already missing them. "We're very proud of you, B," she whispers into my hair. "You're our pride and joy. Don't tell your brother."

I smile. She'd probably just left Finn's room and told him the exact same thing. "I won't," I whisper back.

She kisses my head one last time and then releases me. "Your father is almost done with dinner," she says when she's at the door. "Finish up and come on down."

"Yes, ma'am."

When the door closes behind her, I open my calculus book and continue my homework. It only takes me another half hour to get everything done and then I'm packing everything back into my backpack.

I take the stairs two at a time, managing not to fall and make my way into the kitchen where my dad is stirring something that smells delicious. "Hey, old man," I greet him.

"Who are you calling old?" he asks with a playful smile. He turns around to face me with a spoon in his hand. "Tell me what you think." He holds the spoon out and I take it from him.

I try not to grin when I realize that he's making my favorite dish— bacon gouda mac and cheese. "It's phenomenal." I hand the spoon back to him and he does a little dance, making me laugh.

"Please set the table, dear," my mom instructs as she enters the kitchen. "And we'll need an extra plate. We have a guest tonight."

"Sure," I say and involuntarily stiffen as the hairs on the back of my neck stands to attention. I turn around just as Finn walks into the kitchen, followed closely by Luca who's sporting a sheepish smile. That asshole. I thought that he was done eating all our food whenever his parents were out of town.

I'm silent throughout dinner while my family carries on as though my silence was normal. It had everything to do with the fact that Luca had opted to sit beside me and was trying his hardest to include me in his conversation.

"B," my mom says, her voice stern. "Luca is asking you a question."

I look at her in surprise and when she sighs, I grit my teeth and turn to him without so much as a smile. "What?"

My parents should have gotten used to me and Luca not acknowledging each other over the years, so the fact that my mother is practically forcing me to talk to him, is concerning.

Luca has the nerve to smile. "I was just asking if you're all packed for Saturday."

My mind is blank and I wrinkle my forehead. "What's Saturday?"

"Our senior trip?"

Ugh. I'd tried my hardest to forget that I'd signed up for that and I'd successfully done just that until asshole number one brought it up. "Yeah," I lie. "I'm good to go."

It wasn't even going to be that special a trip. We were just driving three towns over and spending the week doing touristy stuff. I'd wanted our trip to be abroad, but not everyone had agreed with me. It was put to a vote and they'd decided that we were going to be staying local and saving a shit ton of money. I guess in the end it was the right decision, because now we could afford to stay in a luxury hotel and I could still pretend that it was the Hilton in Venice if I wanted to.

"You know, you could pretend that you don't hate me," Luca whispers in my ear.

I ignore him and stab my mac and cheese. I'm not even enjoying my favorite meal and it's all Luca's fault. Asshole.

"Do you need a ride to school tomorrow?" he asks, louder this time.

I glare at him, wanting to stick my fork in his neck. "No."

He smiles. "So, what? You're just gonna walk?"

"Walk?" my parents ask at the same time and I grip my fork.

"It's fine," I tell them. "I enjoy the exercise."

Finn snorts and I shoot him a glare. "You could've asked me, you know."

"It's fine, Finn." Truth is, I've thought about asking him every time I had to make the 45-minute walk to school but wigged out each time. He usually sleeps in late whenever he chooses to come home from wherever it is that he spends most of his free time when he's not working. And besides, most days I get a ride from Nera, one of my other friends and only walk when she has an early morning at school.

"I don't mind giving you a ride," Luca says.

"That sounds wonderful." My mother smiles at me, and I have to refrain from glaring at her.

"Well, I mind." I pick up my plate and empty glass and stand. "And I'd appreciate it if we didn't have this conversation again."

It's not often that I get angry, so my family leaves me alone as I do the dishes. I'm scraping leftovers into the trash and grumbling to myself about what a flea Luca is when he walks into the kitchen. I ignore him and head to the sink where I begin to wash my shit up.

"I'm sorry," he says quietly. "I shouldn't have butted in."

I know that he expects me to answer him, but I don't feel like. We've done enough talking in the last couple of hours to last us two lifetimes and I don't want to extend it.

"B, I'm sorry."

I don't correct him since that would mean talking to him. I dry the plates that I've just washed and put them away, ignoring Luca who still hasn't left.

"Can you at least let me bring you home tomorrow?" The desperation in his voice makes me turn to face him.

My breath catches in my throat when I realize just how close he's standing, and I put my hand on his chest to push him away. His fingers curl around mine as he steps back, and I snatch my hand away, hating the way that my heart beat just a little faster.

"Please, B."

I shake my head. I'd rather walk everyday than subject myself to an awkward ride to school with all of Luca's failed attempts at conversation. It wasn't happening.

He looks crestfallen, but he nods. "Okay."

I almost chuckle at the irony. I'd worn that same look on my face so many times throughout the years and maybe, just maybe, it was his turn to feel the pain that I'd felt all those years ago as I'd watched him replace me with Jace and their other friends, who also went out of their way to make me feel invisible.

Fucking assholes.