KIMBERLY Ever since Matt told me about his bucket list being all about me, I just brushed it off and tried to get rid of him, but he wouldn't stop following me around or pushing me to be friends with him. I honestly don't know what the guy's problem is, there's thousands of girls here throwing themselves at his feet but he just won't stop bothering me.The last thing I want is him getting into trouble with Brandon, if he finds out there's a guy onto me, things won't go well.I place my books on my lap as I sit in a chair in the hall. Suddenly, the feeling of being watched starts to crawl on my skin, I search my surroundings and there's no one looking at me, i frown.That's weird.The entire time, I keep feeling a weight on me but I try my best to ignore it.Once the lecture stops, I get up and make my way to the entrance then accidentally bump into someone."Oh crap." I crouch and start to pick up my books when I catch someone mirroring my position and helping me out."Oh my goodne

KIMBERLYI know this is wrong, I shouldn't be doing this, I'm supposed to trust Brandon but with what Jonathan said and how he's been acting lately, I'm sure he's hiding something.I call Lydia and ask for Anna's phone number."Hello?" She picks up on the first ring."Hi Lydia, this is Kimberly.""Oh, hi Kimberly, how've you been doing?" she says with a tired voice.I look at the time and it's 9pm, so that means she must be asleep."Oh my god, I'm so sorry I woke you, I totally forgot about the time.""No, it's fine." There's shuffling in the background. "Is everything okay?""Yeah, yeah, I'm actually planning a surprise for my mom and was wondering if you could give me Anna's number?""Oh, sure, I'll send it to you right away.""Thanks."I hang up.Anna is Brandon's cousin's girlfriend, Brent, who he said he was going to visit in New York. She's one of the most famous event planners in New York.A message from Lydia with her number reaches me and I call her."Hi Anna, it's Kimberly, B

KIMBERLY *Two Years Ago* "Kimberly, thanks for what you did yesterday, I don't know what would have happened to him if you hadn't showed up." "It's okay, Lydia, I'll always be there for Brandon." She smiles sadly and blinks back tears. "Are you okay?" I take a step closer then place my hand on top of her shaking one. She looks up at me and wipes the tears with her other hand. "I got so scared when he refused to open the door,Kim. It took me back to the darkest times of his life." "The darkest times?" "Yes, you see, there was this girl in Bran's life, they literally grew up together, it was obvious they both had a crush on each other since childhood ,but when they grew up,they still refused to admit it. They got into so much trouble, Bran would scare off boys who liked her and she would make other girl's lives miserable." I listen to her attentively as she tells her son's love story. "At fourteen, they finally got together and they were so cute. As they grew older, they fell

BRANDONThe words stumble out of her mouth like glass slicing her throat and tongue, her eyes are dark and stormy, the violet being swallowed by pain, pain I've never seen in her eyes before, pain i regret ever putting there,pain I will make sure i never put there again, i stand and sit on the bed next to her."No."The word comes out pure without any hesitation, because yes, the answer is NO. I am not cheating on her and I never will, not even in my wildest dreams.Her eyes never leave mine, they close and when I try to touch her, she swiftly moves her hand away out of instinct. That's the thing about us, we know when one is in the room even without physically seeing each other, we feel each other.She nods once and I know it's not because she believes me.She stands and walks to the other side of the room as if needing space away from me, while running her fingers through her hair."I want the truth Brandon, tell me the truth."I stand."I'm not cheating on you.""Just stop lying t

KIMBERLEY It's been a while since Brandon and I spoke properly, maybe I should have a talk with him, it's time we sat down and had a proper conversation without the yelling. Since it's a Friday, the girls and i agreed to skip movie night and join the guys at the bar instead.I open messages and type one to Jonathan.Me: Is he going to be there?I nervously wait for his reply which comes after five minutes.Jonathan: Yes, he is.I suck in a deep breath and type another one before I throw the phone on the bed.Me: Don't tell him I asked.We head out and get in Nao's car, the one her boyfriend, Nate, bought for her on her nineteenth birthday.The Lexus engine purs to life and I lean back in the leather seat, thinking about the many ways things can either go right or left tonight.I check my phone and read the message Jonathan sent.Jonathan: No problem, I won't.I need to get everything off my chest, I just need to be calm and get it over with. We enter the bar and it doesn't take us l