The next day I made sure I got to my math class early in hopes of seeing him again for a while before the queen B showed up.

To my surprise, when I walked in a full 10 minutes early, Garrett was already seated in his desk. We exchanged smiles and I went to have a seat in my desk next to him.

"Good morning." He greeted me.

"It's morning." I replied. "I don't know about the good part."

He smiled his easy smile and rolled his eyes. "Was your old school really all that much better than here?" He asked.

I had to stop myself from laughing in his face. Of course my old school was better. Any school on the planet is probably better than this place. "Have you ever noticed that the classrooms all smell like moldy cheese?"

"You're impossible." He laughed.

I shrugged my shoulders and propped my converse covered feet on the desk in front of mine. "Why are you here so early?" I asked.

His facial expression changed ever so slightly. "I just needed to get out of my house." He told me.

"I totally understand that." I explained. "My mom and dad drive me crazy. I get out of there as soon as I wake up, and avoid them like the plague when I get home."

Garrett looked over to me and his eyes seemed sad. "I wish it were that easy for me." He muttered. "There is no hiding from them at my house."

"I'm sorry." Something about the way he spoke and the look he had told me that his life is probably not as charmed as people around here think. Having money and looks doesn't automatically lead to being happy, despite what people think. "You can come hide at my house anytime you want. I could use the distraction."

The sadness seemed to leave him instantly. "I'm sure Carrianne would love that." He smiled. "That alone would almost be worth doing it. I may take you up on that one day." He glanced over to me while I pulled out my notebook and pencil. "Can you draw people?" He asked suddenly.

I chewed on the tip of the eraser. "I bet I could draw you." I said cockily. "I'm actually only any good at drawing people. Anything else is just practice."

"Where did you come from?" He asked with his eyes narrowed oddly.

"Um, well when two people who love each other very much and get married..." I couldn't finish for my laughing at my own joke.

Garrett's perfect blue eyes seemed to dance. "You know what I mean loser."

"Santa Barbra, California." I answered seriously.

Garrett tapped his pen on his desk. "Were all the people there like you?"

I looked at him confused. "What do you mean? Were they awesome like I am?"

He laughed nervously. "I guess that was an odd question."

"A little." I agreed and then changed the subject. "Where did you come from? You know, after the whole two people in love part."

"Here." He said.

"I heard you had just moved here a few years ago."

He nodded his head once then cleared his throat. "Oh yeah, right I moved here from Kentucky."

"What the heck was in Kentucky?" I joked.

"Not much." He replied quickly.

I guess whatever is in Kentucky he doesn't want to talk about it. There was a moment of weird silence and then my phone buzzed on my leg.

It was a text from my best friend back home, Josh.

You replaced me yet?

I laughed out loud at the message. It was just such a Josh thing to say. He and I had been best buds since preschool. Everyone always thought we would end up dating, but everyone else didn't know that Josh isn't exactly into my type. And by my type, I mean girls at all.

"Boyfriend?" Garrett asked looking at me sideways.

"No way." I snorted. "Here," I said raising the phone up and turning in my seat. "Take a picture with me real quick."

Garrett leaned in and smiled and I took the photo and immediately went to send it to Josh, telling him that I had found his replacement easily.

It was all fun and games until I heard the clacking of heels coming our way.

I reluctantly turned my eyes to see who was coming and sure enough it was Natasha.

All I could think was 'If looks could kill.' She sashayed over to her seat and sat down. We were now the only three people in the room. She must have showed up early to make sure Garrett and I had no time to chit chat. She looked pissed. "Aren't you two just a couple of early birds?" She said as she put her purse on the desk and searched through it until she found her lip gloss. "I didn't expect to see you so early Garrett." She slowly applied globs of gloss to her annoyingly pouty lips.

"I'm always early to class Natasha." He said to her heatedly.

"Oh save the bull." She snapped. "We both know why you're early." She looked to Garrett to reply and then got more annoyed when he didn't. "Maybe I should talk to Dalton." She whispered.

That got the reaction she wanted. Garrett flung his fist down on his desk and his face was red. "You better stop talking." He said through gritted teeth. "Now."

The teacher walked in and first looked surprised there were already students, but then shocked to see Natasha and Garrett in the middle of an argument.

"Oh what are you going to do if I don't?" Natasha taunted him.

"Ms. Bekham." The teacher said in a disapproving voice. "I think I have had about enough of you and Mr. McDuffie quarreling in my class. Please move to the other side of the room for the remainder of the year.

"But, I..." She started to protest but the teacher's face was not one that looked like it would change its mind. Natasha gathered her things then moved to the opposite side of the room from us, giving me a vicious glare on her way.

Once she wasn't near us anymore Garrett seemed to calm down a bit. I smacked him on the arm and tried to get him to smile but he just kept his eyes forward for the rest of the class time and then disappeared when the bell rang.

When lunchtime came around I decided to skip the terrible food and just went right to sit at the table with Brittany and Lucas like I had done the day before. Again, before I even got situated the little blonde girl, who I now know her name is Kaitlyn, started asking me questions. "What happened with you and Natasha this morning?"

"How do you even know anything about that? No one else was in the room with us." I asked shaking my head.

"Kaitlyn is like the queen of gossip." Brittany chimed in. "Nothing happens around here that she doesn't know about."

"Natasha is in my gym class with Carrianne and I always eavesdrop on their conversations." Kaitlyn explained. "Now what happened?"

"Literally nothing." I told her. "She got pissed when she saw Garrett and me talking and the teacher moved her to the other side of the room for fighting with Garrett two days in a row."

Kaitlyn looked disappointed that I didn't have anything juicier than that to spill. Brittany though, she looked worried. I nudged her in the side with my elbow. "What's up with you?" I asked.

Brittany sucked her bottom lip into her mouth and looked around the room. "You should really try not to ruffle any feathers with Natasha and Carrianne." She whispered so only I could hear her. "Garrett too, you should just steer clear of them all."

"Why?" I demanded.

I saw Carrianne come in through the back door with Natasha and Garrett in tow. Brittany saw them too and she turned her face away from mine. "Just steer clear Cade." She said under her breath.

Carrianne was shooting icy daggers from her eyes to mine as she walked to have a seat at the furthest back table. Garrett glanced over his shoulder to see me, but then he quickly looked away right after.

"Who is Dalton?" I blurted to the people at the table.

Everyone exchanged confused glances. "I don't know anyone named Dalton that goes here." Lucas said. "Why?"

"It's just something I heard Natasha say to Garrett."

Kaitlyn peeked over her shoulder to where Garrett was. "Dalton is Garrett's big brother. The one he lives with." She whispered quickly.

"Why are all of you whispering everything?" I asked annoyed.

Brittany grabbed my arm and led me out of the lunchroom. Once the doors were closed behind us she turned to face me. "Look," She said. "I like you a lot, and I want to be your friend, but you've got to stop talking about them. You might be just fine with having two girls like them ticked off at you and trying to make your life hell, but the rest of us don't want that." She told me agitatedly. Brittany looked nervous again as she glanced around. "Cade, there is something off about them. Everyone here knows it so we stay out of their way. You don't want to mess with them. Bad things have happened to people who do."

"What the heck do you mean 'bad things'?" I confronted her.

"I'm not talking about this anymore." She said as she turned and walked back into the cafeteria.

What on earth could she possibly be talking about? She could have at least elaborated a little, not just leave it like that to where I have to just imagine what she means. Why is everyone so afraid of them? They are just mean girls. Also, why was Natasha threatening to talk to Garrett's brother?

I will never get used to the whack job people here.