I slam the locker shut. Thank god it's Friday. I have so much study to do. I turn to walk to my next class when Aisling steps in front of me. Aisling is my best friend. She moved here two years ago from Ireland. She sat next to me in homeroom on her first day, midway through freshman year. We've been best friends ever since. Sometimes I wonder how; we're complete opposites. She loves parties & drinking. I don't. I hate it in fact. It's not that I don't drink. I do, on occasion. She also doesn't take school very seriously. She does enough to get by and pass her exams but that's it. Whereas I will hours studying everyday in order to get straight A's. We might be so very different but I'd be lost without her. She's the first person I came out to. And she gave me the courage to come out to my parents and the rest of our friends.

"So, there's this really cool party tonight at Rick's," Aisling informs me with a big grin on her face. "Wanna go?"

"Not particularly, Aisling." I frown. I really don't want to go to a party.

"Awh, C'mon Magnus, it'll be great craic." I'm still getting used to Aisling's Irish slang. I remember the first time I heard her say craic. I thought she meant the drugs. We still laugh about it today.

"I have so much study to do." I have a test next week in calculus and I'm starting to really struggle.

"You need to take a break, it'll only be for a few hours." Aisling looks at me with pleading eyes.

"Aisling!" I moan.

"Please, I need you as my back up." Great! Now she's trying to guilt trip me into going.

"Fag." One of the guys from the football team pushes me into the lockers. I almost fall over but manage to stay on my feet.

I can hear him and his girlfriend laugh as the walk away.

Aisling holds onto to me to steady me. "JERK!" She shouts after him.

"Aisling, it's fine. Just leave it." I warn her.

"It's not fine. Alec is such a pig." The bell rings.

"We should get to class," I tell Aisling.

"You'll come to the party though, right?" Aisling calls after me as I walk off.

"Fine," I shout back to her, if it'll stop her nagging me."