Stupid me. Stupid tears. Stupid Asher. Stupid Ben. Stupid feelings. I pat my pockets for my keys, I need to leave this stupid place. My search comes up empty and my feet grind to a halt. Come on.I march in the direction I came from, speedwalking to the small gate. The first place I check is the bleacher. Nothing. I pat my pockets again, refusing to believe I have lost my key. It was here with me. How do I get home? It’s getting late. My phone is in the car. I look up to the sky and groan. This is all Ben’s fault. I start the sad journey to my car, head cast down, arms wrapped around myself. I don’t know the first thing about picking locks. I don’t even have a bobby pin. The early November chill air hits me, the tip of my nose reddens as I shuffle to my car. I bump into someone, almost falling down for the second time today and my head snaps up. “Watch where you are going,” I bark, ready to punch sense into the idi

I can’t stop thinking of Olivia. Chill air blows in through the opened window, I wrap an arm around myself as Abigail darts a murderous glance at me for the umpteenth time. If she’s so mad Ben chose to be with me, why can’t she take it up with him? Same with Olivia. If she wants me to stay away from Ben so badly, why can’t she tell him that? What happened to girl power? Why must we girls hate each other? “Then X gives you five.” Mr Sam’s voice jolts me out of my reverie. He scribbles on the board, rambles some more about X. I don’t think anyone is paying attention since he has repeated the same thing twice. A paper plane hits my temple, I narrow my eyes at the sender and Ben winks. My cheeks turn a shade darker. How did I land him? Ben motions for me to pick the plane at my feet. I delay for a nanosecond to get a reaction from him. He clasps his hands and juts his lower lip.A

I was late for class but the moments with Ben were worth it. I step out of the school building as the last bell of the day rings, head bent over my phone. My annoyance fizzles out at Let’s name on my screen. I want to be mad at him for taking this long to reply me but I want to hear from a male. He doesn’t know Ben, so he might be more objective. I throw my bag on the backseat and slide up front to wait for Ben.Let: Asking him out doesn’t make you desperate. Me: Maybe but I am not asking him out. My best friend says it’s the man’s job and I agree with her. I even asked him what we were and he didn’t give me a definite answer. I don’t want to push him away.Let: Baby steps. Let him do it at his own pace. If he doesn’t like you, he won’t be kissing you that much. Boys don’t kiss just any girl. I know I don’t. Take this time to get to know him, kay? What if you find out he dips his fry in his

I don’t wear the clip. It remains in my pocket.  “Why do you keep touching your pocket like that?” Maria screams. She’s so loud, thanks to her earbuds. To avoid further yelling, I retract my hand from my pocket. She inserts one earbud into my ear and her melodic voice envelopes me. I press my fingers against it to prevent it from falling off. “Sorry for taking you away from loverboy,” she offers at my glum look, “but this is important.” I respond with a wicked laughter that earns me the look. The look that says something is going on but I don’t want to find out. “What do you think?”  We halt at my locker and she releases the second earbud to me. I can barely hear her above the cover of the song blasting in my ears. I tap my foot to the floor in tune to the beat, her voice is insanely good. “It is the song I want to use for AGT.” America’s Got Talent. She believes the shorter version sounds cooler. Kind of. “I need to send it today.”

I walk out. On him, our relationship, our future. I don’t look back, I continue walking.The cold hits me once I’m outside. Tears well up my eyes and everything I said comes rushing back. We are done. I did it. Hot tears stream down my cheeks and blind my vision, my heart thuds so hard I am convinced it will jump out of my chest. The door slams shut behind me, someone barges out and curses. I have a feeling who that is and my heart wants it to be him but I am too much of a coward to turn and find out. I don’t want a confrontation.“We are done when I say we are done.” Ben's shoes appear in my line of view, I can’t meet his gaze so I count the pebbles littered at our feet and kick some of them into the gutter. His hand comes under my jaw but I duck my face. He groans again but my head remains down. “And I am not done, Gracie.” What is he saying? Didn’t he get the memo? We are done. I raise m