It was another long day at school. I saw the kid named Kellan that had bothered me the day before, and he cowered at my glare. What a pussy.

I also saw Cameryn and Payton for the first time. They were sitting with a few kids that I didn't know, but I knew Seth, who was sitting with them.

"Hey baby," Seth greeted, taking me by the waist and pulling me down. "How are you doing?"

"Good," I replied with a smile.

"Hey, I heard you can get us some good smokes," one of the boys said.

"Depends on what "good smokes" are," I replied. "Are you talking weed or cigarettes?"
"Both."

"Leslie," Seth warned.

"I can get you the smokes, but I can't sell weed anymore."

"Why not?"

"Because this ass hole is gonna send me back to juvie if I do," I growled.

"Leslie," Seth repeated.

"Shut up, Seth." I was so upset. I wanted the money; I wanted the feeling that weed gave me; I wanted to help Sue. I got up and walked away.

"Leslie!" Seth called, following after me. "Leslie, come back here!"

"Leave me alone!" I called back.

Suddenly, he was right in front of me, and caught me with ease. I almost screamed; I was so startled.

"Leslie, what's wrong?" Seth asked. When I didn't respond he gave me a little shake.

"Just let me have one blunt," I begged.

"I can't let you do that."
"Why the fuck not?"

"Because you'll give me no choice but to send you to juvie. Plus, you're addicted, and it's time to break this habit."

"Please…" My eyes welled with tears.

"No."

"I hate you," I spat.

He shook me harder. "Don't you ever say that again!"
"I do! I fucking hate you!"
"Good." He let go of me with a little push. "Have fun without me."
Quickly, I realized what a mistake I made. I wanted to call after him, but I couldn't. Seth was the best thing that ever happened to me, and he just walked away. I was going to make him pay.

Kellan was sitting two tables away from Seth, so immediately I went to him. Kellan seemed surprised to see me, but welcomed me with open arms.

"Wanna hookup?" I whispered in his ear. I could feel Seth glaring at me.

"Are you sure your girlfriend won't get mad?" he whispered back, pulling me on his lap.

Before I could say another word, Cameryn appeared right in front of me. She pulled me off of Kellan and off to the side.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" she asked as she pulled me away.

"I'm making Seth jealous," I growled. "What's it to you?"

"You're making a huge mistake, and as an older woman, I need to tell you that. Kellan is a player, has a bunch of STDs, and won't use condoms. You could get pregnant, or get AIDS or something like that."

"I really don't care. My life already sucks, and if I get pregnant, and then smoke a blunt, Seth'll send me to juvie, and I'll get special treatment because I'm pregnant."

"Leslie, don't be unreasonable. Seth loves you very much."
"No he doesn't. If he loved me he would let me smoke a blunt."

"Are you kidding me? If he didn't love you he would let you smoke a blunt. He cares about you; drugs are dangerous. You know that, he knows that, and he's trying to break your habit."

"I don't care."

"Fine, go to juvie. I'm done here."

She walked away, and so did I. I walked over to the curb of the parking lot, and then walked all the way back to the house. Sue was at work, so I didn't have to worry about her knowing I ditched. She would probably find out anyways, but I didn't care. I pulled out a cigarette and lit it. I needed a smoke break. Usually, I smoked all the time, but I couldn't remember the last time I smoked a cigarette. Seth made life so easy that I didn't need to smoke, but when he left, I needed the smoke.

When I was done with my second cigarette, I went upstairs and lay down on my bed. I put my iPod in and listened to Paramore. They were one of my favorite bands, and they always calmed me down.

I decided I needed another cigarette, so I walked outside. Just as I did so, Seth walked up to the house. We shared a glare, and then he walked inside. I smoked cigarettes until Sue came home.

"Leslie, I got a call from school," Sue warned. "We need to have a talk."
"I know; I skipped. And I really don't give a fuck."

"Leslie! Don't use that language ever around me!"

"I'll use whatever language I want." I puffed my cigarette right in her face. She took the cigarette, threw it on the ground, and stepped on it.

"Leslie, there is no excuse for this behavior. Go to your room. You're grounded."

"Fine." I spat on the ground and ran up to my room. I hated my life here; it was nothing more than a hellhole. I hated the people, the places, and my general life. There was nothing more that I wanted than to go back to juvie in California. It was so much more fun to wear prison orange, sit in a room, and play cards with a bunch of butch girls that could probably beat the shit out of me. Why was my life so terrible? Seth was the only thing I had, and he denied me the one thing I wanted. How could he do that to me? But he couldn't tell me what to do. No one could tell me what to do. I would smoke some weed if I wanted without anybody sending me to juvie. All I had to do was be secretive about it.

(Seth's POV)
Sue came into my room and sat down on my bed.

"I'm having trouble with Leslie," she whispered. "She skipped school today."
"I know."

"And you didn't try to stop her?"

"She said she hated me. I wasn't about to make her hate me more by stopping her."
"Well, you should've. She's not just my responsibility; she's the whole family's responsibility, especially yours, since you imprinted on her."

"She said she hates me."
"Go and talk to her please."
"She doesn't want to talk to me." I leaned forward. "God, I can't believe she said she hates me."
"I'm sure she didn't mean it." Sue put her hand on mine. "I'm sure she loves you. Why did she say she hates you?"

"Because I wouldn't let her have a blunt."

"Well, you did the right thing. I promise you, it'll pay off in time. Just don't worry about it now and go talk to her."

"Fine, but if she gets mad at me I'm blaming you."
"Okay, fair enough."

"I love you, Mom."

"Love you too Seth. Now go talk to her."

"Okay Mom. I'll be back."

A few hours later there was a knock at my door. I ignored it, figuring it was Leah or Sue, and continued to listen to music. Then, the door opened; Seth walked in and sat on my bed. I turned on my side and ignored him, turning my music up louder.

But Seth took the headphones out of my iPod, so I threw them to the side.

"What do you want?" I growled.

"We need to talk," he said, putting his hand on my leg. "Seriously."

I removed his hand. "I don't want to talk to you."

"You need to. Leslie, you love me, and God dammit, I love you too."

I stopped. "You-you love me?"

"Yeah, I do, and I know you love me too."

"I-I do," I whispered.

"Then why did you say you hated me?" he asked. "That hurt me Leslie. No one has ever said that to me in my life."

"Because I was angry, and when I'm angry, I say things I don't mean. I'm sorry."

"And then you skipped school," he continued. "You know that's going to get you back in juvie."

"I really don't care anymore."

"What do you mean, you don't care?"

"I just don't care about life. And sometimes, I'd rather be locked in juvie than be here."
"Why don't you like it here?"
"Because it's not home; it's not the place I want to be. It's not where I made my first friends or had my first smoke or anything like that."

"But you have me," he whispered, taking me in his arms and holding me to his chest. "And I'll never leave you."

I nodded. "Okay."
"Then you'll stay?"
"Yes."

"Please be happy. For me?"
I smiled. "Only for you."

"Good." He kissed me. "Maybe I'll talk to Sue about ungrounding you."

"Thanks."

"I love you, Leslie."

"I love you too, Seth."

He kissed my forehead. "That's my girl."

And with that he went downstairs.