Why would he lie? As I walk down the hallway to the cafeteria, that's all I can ask myself. Why would Mr.Shepard lie?

What was his purpose of telling me my work wasn't good if he really thought it was good?

Ms.Rodriguez sent him an email before I left. She said if he doesn't respond before five, then she would give him a call. She seems more upset about the situation than I am. I was probably as upset as her initially, but I have made peace with the situation; I've made peace with everything.

She's calling him to see if maybe there was a mistake or something. Even if there was, it wouldn't change anything. If he were to tell Mrs. Rodriguez that it was a mistake and that I do have a chance at NYU, I wouldn't go.

Would I?

Ugh, this is what I'm talking about. This freaking universe! It took the only thing I cared about away, just to possibly give it back to me a month later. What am I supposed to do? What the fuck does it want me to do?

Nevermind, I know what I'm supposed to do. The freaking universe has played me too many times. It's pulled me back and forth all my life.

I feel like a puppet on a string, being moved and directed by my master.

It's controlled me and controlled what I've done for so long. Too long.

How am I supposed to know my fate if it keeps changing?

I open the cafeteria door, and as always, that overwhelming feeling comes over me. I scan the cafeteria and spot Violet and everyone at our usual table. I walk over to them.

"Hey! There you are," she says.

"Hey." I greet all of them and take a seat across from her and Liam. I sit in the middle between James and Thomas.

They go back into their conversation. "You okay?" Thomas whispers to me.

I turn my head to him, "I'm fine." I lie. I'm not fine, of course, I'm far from fine. But I can't tell him the truth. He wouldn't understand.

"So, how did the whole project thing with Jessica go?" James asks me.

"Uhm, it went fine." I pick at my nails from under the table. I actually need to find her. I wonder if she found something we can do?

"Ugh, you really have to work with her?" Violet says bitterly.

"Uh yeah, I do. What's wrong with working with her?" I narrow my eyes.

"People are talking." James answers for her.

"Okay, I don't care,"

"You don't care?" Violet questions. "Jayda, people already talk about you, and now they are talking about you, even more, making up even more rumors," she says.

"You don't care that people are making rumors?" James asks.

"No, I don't. Because that's all they are, rumors."

"Are they?" Violet questions. Is she really starting to believe the things she's heard about me?

There no need to even respond to her question; I stand up from the table and grab my books. I walk across the cafeteria to the table Jessica is at. I can feel everyone watching me as I walk across the room. I don't care, though. I sit right in front of her. "Hey."

"Uh, hey." she looks around, trying to see if people are looking at us. They are. "What are you doing over here?" she asks me.

"I wanted to sit with you."

"You don't have to, Jayda," she says.

"I know," She gives me a small smile and pulls her hoodie off of her head.

"Did you find a project we can do?" she asks.

"Uh, no. Did you?"

She shakes her head.

I take a deep breath. "Well, what's something that you like to do? I know some people are just recording themselves doing things they like to do, and then they do some type of PowerPoint slide on it,"

"Uhm." She starts to mess with the silver ring on her finger. She twists it back and forth. "I don't know; I don't really do much," she says. "Well, nothing that's exciting enough to do a slideshow on."

"What about your cheerleading?" I could just record her doing that, and then we do a slideshow on different techniques and the history of cheerleading.

"I don't cheer anymore,"

I know that. "Okay, that doesn't matter, but we could always-"

"No," she snaps, cutting me off. "I don't want to do anything involving that!" her facial expression is stern and serious. Her whole body language has changed just by mentioning cheerleading. She starts to fidget with the bracelet on her wrist.

"Okay," I look down at the table.

When I look up, I see Matt and Zach walking over to us. "Now, this is something that I never, ever fucking pictured," Matt says loudly. "Could you picture this, Zach?" he turns to him and asks.

"I could, just not in this setting," he says.

My leg starts to shake. I bawl my fist tightly. I can feel my nails digging into my palms. Fifty percent of me wants to punch them in the face right now. The other fifty percent wants just to run away and cry. Matt eyes Jessica up and down; she quickly looks away. I can see her body shaking just a little. I don't like the way he is looking at her.

"Leave us the hell alone."

"You shut the fuck up," Matt says to me. I'm taken back by his words.

"I wouldn't say shit like that to her; you know the bitch is crazy," Zach says. He looks me up and down.

"What did you just say?" I narrow my eyes, and without thinking, I stand up from the table. What am I doing?

Matt steps forward. "Are you deaf? He said you're a crazy bitch!" he repeats his words.

I start to move closer to him. Jessica stands from the table and grabs my arm. "Let's just go," she says.

"Wait a fucking second, is this like a thing," Matt says; he looks at me and then Jessica. What is he talking about? "Wow, I guess it's true. Jayda and Jessica lesbians. Wait, no," he puts his hand out. "You have to be bi because both of you fucked me."

When he says the words, something in me snaps. I take the milk carton off of the table and throw it directly at him. The carton explodes all over the place. The cafeteria goes silent. All eyes are on us. I can't believe I did that. Even Zach looks shocked; his mouth is wide open but laced with a smile. Matt wipes the milk from his eyes, then looks at me; I can see the rage in his eyes. And then, in slow motion, he moves closer to me. Of course, my body stiffens, I can't move, I won't run. He's going to do it. He's actually going to hit me. Zach doesn't even intervene. He just stands there.

The slow-motion stops, and a huge figure lunges at Matt, punching him straight in the face. Matt moves back. I can't believe what I'm seeing right now. Ryder, he just hit his best friend. Matt punches him back. Ryder then tackles him to the ground. A crowd is forming now, and like always, no one does nothing. Apart of me wants to just stand here and let Ryder beat him up. He deserves it. But I can't. I push through the crowd and make it to the front of the circle. They're rolling on the ground. Throwing blows at each other. I don't know what to do. I'm scared to stop it; they're huge. I'm sure I would get hurt in the process of trying. Ryder is on top of him, now hitting him repeatedly in the face. There is blood everywhere. It doesn't even look like Matts trying anymore.

I spot Ashely on the other side of the circle. "Ryder, Ryder!" she calls him. He isn't even listening, and I'm sure it's not because of all the screaming...cheering students. He's gone. I've never seen him like this before. Zach pushes through the circle and rushes over, trying to get Ryder off Matt, but Ryder pushes him back. Another boy on the football team and Zach both try this time. They grab him from both sides and lift him off.

"Get the hell off of me," Ryder yells to both of them. They let him go. Zach rushes to Matt's side and helps him up off the floor. Matt slowly gets up; his shirt and face are covered in blood. I look back at Ryder. His lip is bleeding, and his chest is moving up and down rapidly, his thick black eyebrows are scrunched together, his hands are by his side, still bawled into a tight fist.

Ashely walks over to him. She reaches her hand up to touch his face before she can though he grabs it tightly. "Don't fucking touch me," he growls and then throws her hand down.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" Matt yells. He moves forward, and so does Ryder.

No, not again. Before I can get between them, Mr.Brooks appears through the crowd and does so. He holds out his arms, separating them, keeping them apart.

"Mr.Adams, go to my room," he instructs him. Ryder glances at me for a quick second and then turns around to walk away.

What the hell just happened?