"Lunch! I'm saved!" I tell Alli as the bell rings, signaling that we are finally free from classes for about thirty minutes.

Alli laughs and follows me to my locker. I place my books inside and pick up my sack lunch. Then, we switch roles because I follow her to her locker so she can put her things up and get her lunch. We walk outside to my favorite spot underneath the tree.

I'm sitting down when someone shoves me, and my face meets the ground. I sit up and spit out the grass that got inside my mouth and glare at Cassandra who's standing behind me. She's smirking at me because she knows I won't do anything.

"How'd that taste?" she asks.

I wipe my mouth and lean against the tree trunk, ignoring her. She kicks my foot and then steps over me, but she manages to somehow step on part of my hand. I yelp, and she gives me one last smirk before sauntering off.

"You okay?" Alli asks me as she sits down across from me.

"Yeah," I reply.

Alli gives me a small smile and hands me a napkin. "I don't believe you, but I guess I'll just have to leave it be."

I give her a small smile and say, "I still don't get it."

"Get what?"

"What does Cassandra have against me? And why are you so open to being friends with me still? Cassandra has power in this school-- she has the power to make the rest of your school year miserable," I tell her.

Alli laughs. "She just thinks she has the power because everyone lets her have it. Maya, nobody knows why she's so horrible to you, and we may never know. That doesn't mean that I'm going to walk away from you. I'm your friend because I know that you're more than just who everyone thinks you are."

"And who is that?" I ask her, curious to know what her answer will be.

She pauses. "You have a tough exterior, but I can tell that you're hurting. I can tell that deep down, all you want is to have a good friend around, and I plan to be that friend."

I sigh and reply, "You're too nice. One day someone is going to use that to their advantage."

She laughs. "I'd rather be too nice than not nice at all."

"Like me?" I question.

She immediately replies, "Nope. You're not mean-- you're just a really big introvert."

I raise my eyebrow and open my lunch. She also opens her lunch, and we quickly eat so we can go back inside to the library. We throw our food away when we finish and walk back inside.

The rest of the school day goes by without much interference from Cassandra, making me happier. But, I know I shouldn't get too excited because she's sneaky, and she'll probably be able to sneak up on me if I'm not on my toes.

After school, Alli and I begin to walk to the path that leads to my uncle's house. We take the path down to the house and around to the kitchen entrance. I unlock the small gate of the fence. I set my stuff inside the kitchen, and she does too. After that, we head down to the beach.

"Maya, what was it like when you had to visit a shrink?" Alli suddenly asks as we sit down in the sand.

I stop at her question and then take a deep breath. "Weird. Well, I was really hesitant about going at first. Then, I gradually started talking more and more. That was a mistake on my part."

"Why?"

"He told almost the entire town about me. Bigger rumors started spreading and stories were blown out of proportion. That's why everyone avoids me like I'm the Plague," I explain.

"That must've been horrible," Alli whispers.

I nod. "It's safe to say that I never went back to him."

I look over at her as she nods in agreement. "I'm not even sure I want to keep going," she says.

I let out a small laugh and tell her, "If you truly need it, keep going. Besides, the guy I went to is long gone. My uncle made sure of that."

Alli smiles. "Thanks. And, would you mind if I told you something about your uncle?"

I hesitate before replying, "I guess."

"I think," she pauses, "he really does care. He ran the guy out of town that shared your deepest thoughts to everyone. He did that for you. How could he not care about you if he did that?"

I sigh. "There's more to the situation, though. There's details that I haven't told anyone, and I don't think I want to."

Alli nods. "I'm fine with that. Just think about it. Is it worth it to let go of this opportunity to mend the relationship?"

I don't respond, and she respects my silence by not saying anything else. We sit for a few minutes just staring out at the ocean. This is why I've been actually enjoying Alli; she knows when to stop.

"Hello, girls," a male voice says from behind us.

Both of us turn our heads and see Nick walking toward us. "Hi," Alli says for both of us.

Nick sits down beside me and asks, "How'd school go?"

"Pretty well!" Alli exclaims cheerfully.

"As good as can be expected," I say after her.

With a twinkle in his eye, he says, "I hear that there was quite a buzz about a certain person that happens to look exactly like me. You wouldn't know anything about him, would you?"

Alli laughs and says, "I might happen to know him."

I, on the other hand, shove him gently and tell him, "You're full of it."

He laughs as Alli slaps me playfully. "No, I just think that everyone thinks I'm cool," he jokes.

I stare at him with my head tilted like I'm studying him, and I reply, "No... I think they think that you're just strange."

He smiles. "And what do you think?"

I pause and turn my attention back to the ocean. For some reason, I don't think that we're joking around anymore, so I don't say anything back. I look down at my lap. When I look up, I see Alli staring at me with a questioning gaze and Nick staring at me expectantly.

What? I mouth to Alli.

She just smiles at me and then stands up, saying, "I have to get to my house, but I'll see you guys later. Bye!"

I don't have the chance to say bye because she's halfway up to the house in just a few seconds. I turn around and catch Nick still staring at me, but he seems to be in his own little world.

I take in his deep blue eyes and messy brown hair. The way he's sitting there staring at me yet not really seeing me makes me wonder what he's thinking. It's just him and his thoughts, so he doesn't hear me call his name for the first couple of times.

When I wave my hand in front of his face and call his name, he jumps and asks, "What?"

I give him a smile and teasing look. "You were staring at me, lost in thought. Were you liking what you saw?"

He sighs and runs his fingers though his hair and gives me a forced smile. "I never thought you were a conceited one. And sorry, I was just thinking about a deadline I have coming up soon."

"Deadline?" I ask.

He nods. "Yeah, for my song. The single I turned into your uncle wasn't as good as I thought it was. Now, I have to come up with another song, and I can't come up with one. All the other songs I have lined up aren't good enough to be my new single."

"Do you have time to write another one?"

He sighs again. "I do. Well, the old me would have time. Right now, I don't have any inspiration, making my song writing skills not so good at the moment."

"Then go find some inspiration," I order him.

He looks at me with a raised eyebrow. "What?" he asks confusedly.

I roll my eyes. "Nick, you have the world at your fingertips. You have everything you need to find inspiration. You just have to want to go looking for the inspiration. It won't always just come to you."

"Since when did you become the advice giver around here?" he teases.

I sigh. "This isn't about me. It's about you and your music. You've made me step outside my comfort zone. Now, it's your turn."

"What are you saying?"

"Go. Go find inspiration, and stop having a pity party. Do something that the normal you would never do," I explain.

"Where is all this advice coming from, Maya? This isn't like you at all," he says.

I give him a small smile. "As hard as it is to admit, I've been listening to your words these last few months. I'm taking a page out of your book and throwing it in your face. Take your own advice."

"And what is that? I don't remember telling you all of this," he tells me with a challenging look.

I give him a smug smile. "Just last week, you told me to go after what I want and to not give up."

He gives a defeated sigh. "Is it too late to go back and change what I said?"

"Nope. Now, get up and stop moping around. Go find your inspiration and come back to me when you have a song," I tell him as I stand up and begin to walk back toward the house.

"You're telling me that I have to leave you alone until I have a song?" he asks me.

I keep walking and call over my shoulder, "Yep!"

"You're serious?"

"Yep! See you later," I say before walking up to the deck and opening one of the french doors.

I turn around and see Nick standing up from his spot. He begins to walk toward his house. I can see that his head is down, and I know that he is thinking.

"Maya," a voice says from behind me, making me jump.

I turn around and see my uncle standing behind me. "Yes?" I ask.

"Please decide whether or not you're coming inside and close the door," he says softly.

I sigh and step inside, closing the door behind me. I walk past my uncle and toward the kitchen. I see Emma standing at the stove. I quietly walk past her to the back kitchen where I left my backpack. I pick it up and get my phone out. I turn on my phone to see a series of messages from an unknown number.

I begin to read them and immediately know who they're from. The person essentially sent messages to me telling me that if I didn't start acting like the loser I am, they'll put me in my place. I sigh and save the number under Cassandra's contact before turning my phone off and walking back into the main kitchen.

"Hey Maya, dinner's almost ready. We're having it early because your uncle needs to go to a meeting," Emma greets me cheerfully.

I nod at her and hurry to the stairs and up to my room. I toss my backpack on my bed. I begin to walk to walk back out of my room, but I catch a glimpse of myself in my full length mirror and stop.

I walk over to the mirror and stare at my reflection. I look at my dull dark brown hair and brown eyes against my olive skin. I place my hands on my waist, allowing me to see my actual figure; an average waist with my little larger than average hips. My thighs are bigger than I would like, along with my calves.

"Maya! Dinner's ready!" Emma's voice calls.

I take my hands off of my waist and reply, "Coming!"

I stare at my reflection for a few more minutes before sighing and walking downstairs. I walk into the dining room to see the table already set. Emma is setting down a bowl of mashed potatoes on the table, and my uncle isn't anywhere in sight.

"Where is he?" I ask, referring to my uncle.

She looks at me with a smile. "He said he was coming, but I might need to send you to find him. Will you do that for me while I get the green beans?"

I sigh but stand up and go to his office. I don't bother to knock. When I walk inside, his desk chair is turned around, so I can't see him. Though, I can still hear him. It sounds like he's talking to someone on the phone, and it sounds like it's an important conversation.

"That can't happen. You know as well as I do that that will never end well. Keep it from happening," he says almost angrily.

For some reason, I feel like I walked in on a conversation that I shouldn't hear, so I clear my throat. My uncle immediately spins around and looks at me with a concerned look.

"I have to go," he quickly tells the person on the phone. He hangs up and asks me, "Did you hear a lot?"

I can tell he's worried, so I find myself reassuring him. "I just walked in, so I didn't hear anything accept for something about keeping something from happening."

A relieved expression comes onto his face, but he changes the subject with a steady voice. "So, did you need something?"

I shake my head. "Emma asked me to come and get you because dinner's ready."

"She made dinner already? I told her to not worry about feeding me before I go to my meeting," he says to himself.

I raise my eyebrow. "Well, she didn't listen because the food is on the table as we speak."

Before he can reply, Emma walks in and says, "It's all ready you two slowpokes."

My uncle stands up and walks over to her. "I told you that you shouldn't make an early dinner," he tells her.

She gives him a smile. "You wouldn't have eaten otherwise. Plus, you just said I shouldn't."

He chuckles at her point and just walks out in the direction of the dining room. Emma follows him, and I follow her. As Emma catches up, I see my uncle reach for her hand, take it, and gently squeeze it before quickly letting it go.

I raise my eyebrows. It looks like I have some investigating I'm going to have to do.