Riiiiiiiiinnngggggg! As soon as the bell sounded Kyle sprinted like a gazelle out of their New York School building. The sulky teenager quickly hid behind a row of shrubs in some hippie's yard to tuck his legs underneath him and sob. Salty tears ran down his face and he choked back a loud scream. "Why? Why me?" He wondered aloud. His puffy eyes searched the clear sky in search of an answer, as if it held one anyway.

*Earlier that day*

"Strider fuck off. I need to ask Teresa something."

"Oh no Vantas. I see how it is. YOU want to ask her to prom!" The surly one swallowed hard.

"… So?" Kyle's voice strained to sound steady, yet Dave saw right through that.

"Fine, let's just see what happens. We'll both ask her at the same time!"

"What? No way you ass." Dave raised his blonde eyebrows above his aviators.

"Oh, so you're afraid that she'll turn you down for me!" Kyle sounded a low, intense growl.

"Fine then, game on Strider. You'll regret this. And I will laugh and cackle in your sad, ironic FACE!" The cool, dirty blonde merely smiled back in response, completely confident in his suave abilities. Both of them then silently slid over to the captain cheerleader. Her back was turned to them, for she was talking to Veronica, the top honor roll student.

"You first, Vantas." Dave spat at the dark-hooded, messy headed student. After gathering his guts and giving Strider a dirty look, he approached the schoolgirl.

"Um… Teresa? Hi." Kyle spluttered out. The figure of Teresa spun around; a black skirt twirled around her perfect legs and came to a stop just above her knees. Kyle looked from her teal Converse to her face. Her bangs curled around her forehead, and her hair reached just above her slim shoulders. But the prettiest thing about her was her eyes, or so Kyle thought. Irises so pastel, pink were outlined in crimson and shaded with vermillion. Her deep, eyelashes were long and slim, it was as if nothing was flawed in her. He was so stunned by her appearance, his moment to ask the most popular girl to prom slipped from his fingers.

"I know." Teresa cut him off with a blunt wave of her hand. "All guys like you want me to go to prom with you. I'm waiting for 'that one guy' to ask me. I'm sorry, Kyle." And with that, she left him alone, her voice fading into nothingness along with all his hope of winning her over.

At the last moment, Kyle came to his senses and snapped out of his daze.

"Teresa! Wait!" Kyle blurted suddenly, "I want to know who it is, and I don't care if it hurts me. Just tell me who that 'one guy' is!" Kyle pleaded with her.

But that girl said nothing. She merely sighed and whispered those dreaded words that shattered his heart in a second.

"Dave Strider." She looked about and sighed dreamily. "He's just so cool and funny, even though he can be such a ladies man." She stressed the word 'such' as if it was important, but at that time, it didn't really matter anymore. The second he heard that name, that horrible, ironically cool, and idiot guy name, Dave Strider. How Kyle hated him so. His fury was white-hot, barely containable, the kind where you just want to make them bungee jump without a cord, or skydive without a parachute. That feeling of hatred where you just wish and wish that they had never existed in your world was what he had experienced his whole life. Hatred that seemed to freeze time for what seemed like an eternity, but was brought back by that voice.

"Wondering why, eh? Well, just so you know, it's because you never stood a chance."

Never stood a chance.

Never stood a chance.

Never stood a chance…

What could he mean…?

Dave smirked triumphantly at the back of Kyle's hoodie as he fled the school, coughing dry sobs all the way down the halls.