Schools over now; Ryder wasn't in gym class. They probably sent him home.

I wonder if he's still going to play in the game tonight. I haven't seen James either. After lunch, he said he was going to the nurse; maybe she sent him home also.

All people talked about for the rest of the day was the fight.

I'm worn out, and I wasn't even fighting. I want to go home and sleep.

But I can't, I have to go to another therapy session. I grab my book bag out of my locker and head to Mr. Brooks' room. I almost forgot he told me to come to him after school. When I open the door to his classroom; I spot Ryder sitting at the front desk; Mr. Brooks isn't here yet.

I want to turn around and leave. I don't want to be in the same room as him. But I can't take a seat at the nearest desk, which luckily is the farthest desk from him.

My phone buzzes.

*Hey, I'm stuck on a call; I'll call you an Uber to take you to your session, I'll get you after- Dad

Great. I doubt he's even on a call; he probably just wants to avoid the awkward car ride. The classroom door opens. "You're both here." Mr.Brooks walks into the classroom and grabs a paper off his desk.

It's our first chapter. "This right here. Amazing. Really!" he cheers, " I can see your story going far...really far." he pauses. "I'm a teacher. I can see that you two come from different social statuses; it works wonderfully because that is your modern-day Montague and Capulet family," he says. "The fact that you decided to use your real names, I absolutely love it. I'm interested to see how you will turn it into a love story. I do, though, want it to be different. Remember, your story does not have to end like the real story. However, you see fit is how it will end." he smiles. "It's yours, so make it your story. Remember five chapters by Monday, so four more. That is all. Oh, and you both have an A. "

...

I'm standing outside on the curb waiting for my uber. I really hope James is okay. The look on his face once I helped him up. It was a look I've only seen on my face—nothing, no emotion at all.

It must be hard to fight for your identity every day continuously. The fact that we are in the 21st century and people still have a problem with what other people identify as still ceases to amaze me.

"An A. huh," Ryder says. He comes up right beside me. I don't even look at him. I can't not after what he did. "So when are we going to get the rest done?" He asks.

"I don't know," How am I supposed to work with him for the rest of the year?

"You're mad? Why?" Is he serious right now?

I turn around to face him. "Why?! Um, you just beat my friend up, and for what? because he's gay." I yell.

"I didn't beat him up because he's gay. I don't give a fuck about that," he shouts back.

"Are you sure cause it sure seemed like that's why? You said he wasn't a man. You made fun of him."

"Okay." He laughs as if this is funny. "I know how it sounds, but that is not why I beat him up, yes I did make fun of him, but that's because he had the audacity to question me... Me!" he says, allowing his egotistic side to show. "It wasn't even the fact he tried to say I wasn't a man. It was the fact that he said shit to me; he fucking challenged me in front of everyone.and I couldn't let that go."

"Why not?"

"If I let that go, people would think they could say whatever the hell they want to me."

"People, meaning anyone who isn't an athlete or a cheerleader or rich?" I narrow my eyes at him

"Anyone below me, yes!" He smiles like what he's saying is okay. Can he hear himself right now?

I scoff and shake my head, turning away from him; an unfamiliar black Cadillac is pulling up. Is this my uber? I check my phone, and it still says ten minutes away. The car pulls up right in front of us; the tinted windows roll down. My stomach drops to the floor; I'm seeing things, I have to be.

Why is he here?

I can feel my hands starting to shake. The familiar dark eyes burn into me. I want to speak, but I can't. "What, you're not happy to see me?" Travis says.

"What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to see you," he says. "Did you miss me?" he asks; I don't respond. "Well, I missed you," he adds. "Get in," he says demandingly.

"Who the hell are you?" Ryder asks.

"I'm Travis," he responds quickly, then looks back at me. "Jayda, I don't have all day." He says while tapping his index figure on the steering wheel.

I step, getting ready to open the car door. Ryder steps in front of me. "I can take you home." He says, looking directly at me.

"I'm okay." His hand is still on the car door.

"Let me take you home!"

"Ryder, no!" I say firmly. He steps aside. He presses his lips together in anger. I know he is about to say something hurtful.

"Fine, have fun, fucking him," and there it is. He walks back into the school.

I open the car door and get into the car. "New car?" I ask the blonde-haired boy.

"New boyfriend?" He asks a question with a question.

"He's not my boyfriend." I snap.

"Right." he rolls his eyes.

"What are you doing here, Travis?" I look at his right hand on the steering wheel; he has a cross tattoo on his thumb. It's new. It wasn't there last time I saw him.

"I just wanted to see my girl." He puts his hand on my leg and starts to move it up. I grab his hand.

"Don't touch me." I snap and toss his hand off of me.

"You're seriously not still mad about what happened; look, I'm sorry I told you that."

I turn my head out the window. I can't look at him; every time I look at him, I remember that night. I remember what he did. What he tried to do?

"How did you know I was back?" I ask, changing the subject.

"Kayla saw you at the mall Sunday."

"Oh."

"You wanna come back to my place?" He asks and raises an eyebrow at me.

"No, I'm never going anywhere with you ever again." I snap. "I'm done."

"Fine, you say that now, but soon as you need some drugs or... a gun. You'll come running. You're lucky I'm fucking nice, anybody else, sweetheart I would've made you do some nasty shit to get those drugs, more than just money." I know he would've. I know what he's capable of. "But again, you're lucky I gladly just took your money instead of taking something else." He has the shadiest grin on his face. "Are you going home?" he asks.

"Right like I would tell you where I live. You can drop me off at the diner." The diner is down from the Clinic. I can just walk from there. I unlock my phone and cancel the uber ride.

After about ten minutes of driving, we reach the diner,

"See you around," he says. "And next time maybe be a little nicer, remember our little secret." I knew he was going to bring that up. I'm surprised it took him this long to bring it up. "If you want me to keep it, I'm going to need to be shown a little bit more respect," he rolls the window back up and then pulls off. The car screeches as he drives down the road.

I finally feel like I can breathe. I would've let Ryder take me home; I would rather be with him than Travis any day. But I know what Travis would've done if I refused to get in the car.

Travis has to be the worst thing from my past.

He's a part that I want to rip out, a piece I want to forget completely.

I will never forget that night. The night we... no, I can think about it now. I don't need to be emotional before my session. She'll sense it, and I can't talk about it.

I will never talk about it, not to anyone ever. That is one thing that I will take to my grave.