Sorry for not posting anything since last Saturday. It's been a crazy week and, I had no time to finish up the new chapters. But, they're finally done and I'm posting two as usual. Keep reading, commenting, etc. :) Enjoy!

Now that it was the second week of school, the homework was piled on and, the lessons grew harder each day. The excitement and newness that was brought with the first week had started to fade. Students filled the overcrowded hallway, grumbling to their friends about their classes. Amongst those complaining was Hollis, who walked between Lydia and Allison.

"I hate algebra," she said with a sigh. "I'm already confused and lost in that class. How is that even possible?"

"You'll be fine," Lydia told her confidently. "You just need to study."

"Easy for you to say," Hollis mumbled, shooting a playful glare in her direction.

"If it makes you feel any better, I'm lost, too," Allison told her. "I have Jacobs for my class and, he thinks that we're all mathematicians. He doesn't even bother explaining anything half the time. When anyone asks a question, he gets mad and says that we should know it all by now."

"Math sucks." Hollis made a face, wrinkling her nose.

"Definitely." Allison nodded in agreement, her eyes briefly scanning the hallway. "Oh, uhm, I think I see Scott." She turned back to them, a smile plastered on her face. "I'll catch up with you guys at lunch." With a quick wave, she moved away from them and disappeared down the hall.

"They're cute," Hollis commented, following Allison with her eyes.

Lydia shrugged, indifferent to her words. "I suppose. I still think she could do better."

Rolling her eyes, she linked her arm with Lydia. "Come on, let's go before we're late."

They reached the classroom minutes later and, as Hollis walked in, dread filled her. With a frown, she took a seat beside Lydia then pulled out her notebook. She flipped to the notes from the previous class where she was greeted with the alien writing of letters and numbers. She wrinkled her nose at the equations, wondering how she would ever understand this.

"Lyd, I think I'll need your notes again. None of this makes any sense," she said, tearing her eyes away from the pages.

Lydia nodded, a soft laugh escaping her lips. "Sure. I can't let my best friend fail, now can I?"

"Thanks," she said with a smile.

The math teacher entered just then, the door closing behind him loudly. The class quieted down, save for a few students oblivious to the fact that class had started. Immediately, math problems were assigned and everyone fell into a quiet rhythm of working them out.

Hollis stared in confusion at the equation for what felt like hours. It wasn't until she heard her name being called that she looked up.

"To the board, Hollis. Solve that equation," Mr. Fields said, indicating to one of the three problems that were written.

With a side glance at Lydia, she stood up and stepped to the board. On either side of her, two students worked diligently. Clearing her throat, she picked up the chalk. Her hand hovered above the board as she struggled to make sense of it. Ignoring the scraping of chalk on either side of her, she started to write.

I hope this is right, she thought. She finished after the other two, and waited as Mr. Fields looked over her answer.

"You're nowhere near close," he said with a sigh. "Take a seat."

Hollis went back to her seat in time to hear Lydia, Scott and another student being called. She tried to figure out what she did wrong with her problem but her attention was soon drawn to Lydia talking to Scott. She watched their interaction and could just make out Lydia's dissatisfied face as well as Scott's confused one.

As quickly as the exchange happened, it was over. Lydia walked back to her seat and, Hollis stared at her questioningly. Just when she opened her mouth to speak, Mr. Fields continued on with the lesson. The minutes ticked by, feeling more like hours as the class dragged on. She stared at the board as he solved problems with ease, all the while getting more confused than ever.

Finally, the bell rang and Hollis felt the weight of the class lift from her shoulders. Once she gathered her things, she raced towards Lydia, who waited by the door.

She held out a notebook to her. "My notes."

Hollis smiled gratefully, taking it from her hand. "You're a lifesaver," she told her.

Lydia shrugged, a smug smile taking place on her face. "I know," she said with a laugh.

Hollis laughed along with her. "So, why were you giving Scott a hard time in there?"

Lydia looked at her, surprised. "You didn't hear?"

"Hear what?"

"That he decided not to play in the upcoming game."

Hollis raised an eyebrow. "He's not? Why?" She questioned, making her way through the groups of people crowding the hall.

"Because it's Scott," Lydia answered, exasperated. "First he makes first line, then he brutally injures my boyfriend and now he decides that he won't play. Like I said, Allison could do so much better."

Hollis rolled her eyes at her answer, ignoring Lydia's tone. "I'm sure he has a good reason. I don't know... I just didn't think he wouldn't play. I mean, he really wanted to be first line."

"You always give people the benefit of the doubt, Hollis," Lydia said with a shake of her head. "But I don't think there's any real explanation this time."

Hollis frowned, briefly seeing Scott out of the corner of her eye. Once he disappeared around the corner, she turned her attention back to her friend. "I can't believe that," she said. "Something must have happened."

[- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -]

The next few classes went by fairly quickly. When her second to last class before lunch finished, she went in search of her friends. She found Lydia and Allison as they walked out of a classroom, followed by a boy from the lacrosse team. From where she stood, it appeared that Lydia was introducing him to Allison. On the other side of the hallway, she noticed Scott watching the introduction take place.

What is she up to? Hollis thought as she quickened her pace towards her. Grabbing onto Lydia's hand, she pulled her aside and away from Allison.

"What are you doing?" She questioned, narrowing her eyes.

Lydia looked at her, an innocent expression on her face. "Nothing. Why?"

Hollis gave her a look then gestured towards Allison and the lacrosse player. "What's up with that? Don't tell me you're trying to set her up again."

"What do you mean again?" Lydia asked. Seeing the look on her face, she sighed. "Look, I just want Allison to keep her options open."

"She doesn't need options, Lyd. She's with Scott, or did you forget?"

"I didn't forget. I just think that..."

"She can do better. Yeah, I know," Hollis said, finishing her sentence. Tilting her head to the side, she surveyed the redhead. "This doesn't have anything to do with Scott possibly not playing in the game, does it?"

Lydia shrugged casually. "Maybe. But," she said, looking over her shoulder at Allison and the lacrosse player, "You have to admit they'd be perfect together." She turned back to Hollis with a smile on her face. "Kind of like you and Carter."

Her smile faded at the mention of Carter and their so-called perfect relationship. "Yeah, about that…." She moved a few strands of hair out of her face, avoiding Lydia's gaze. "Carter and I broke up."

"What? When did that happen?"

"Yesterday. After last period. He apologized and we talked but I broke up with him."

"And I'm finding out about this now?" Lydia asked, her eyebrow raised.

"I know, I'm sorry, Lydia. I wanted to tell you but I had a lot going on and...I guess I forgot."

Her eyes narrowed, Lydia studied Hollis. "Fine. I forgive you for not telling me sooner." A concerned smile soon found its way onto her face and, Lydia placed a hand on her arm. "Are you ok? Do you want to talk about it?"

"Honestly, I'm fine," Hollis answered. "I'm relieved that it ended, actually. Lately all we did was fight and…," she shrugged. "We haven't been ok for a long time."

She stayed quiet then nodded. "Well, it's about time."

"Yeah, I-," Hollis paused, confused at Lydia's words. "Wait, I thought you wanted me and Carter to be together. What happened to this whole 'you guys are perfect for each other' thing?"

"Oh, please, Hollis. I'm not blind. I knew that something was wrong with you two. I didn't say anything because I know you don't like being told what to do," Lydia said. "Besides, it was a decision you had to make on your own. I'm glad you made the right one. Although it did take you a while."

She opened her mouth to argue but stopped when she realized that Lydia was right. She wouldn't have listened to her even if she had been telling her to do the right thing. With a small laugh, Hollis nodded. "You're right. I guess I wouldn't have listened."

"What else is new?" Lydia asked, laughing. "Anyway, I need to stop by my locker before next period. Want to walk with me?"

"Yeah, sure." Hollis looked over her shoulder to see if Allison was still there but found Scott standing alone. "Actually, I'll catch up with you later."

Raising an eyebrow, Lydia shrugged. "Alright. See you at lunch."

Hollis closed the distance between herself and Scott. As she stopped by his side, she noticed that his attention was focused elsewhere. Following his gaze, she didn't see anything save for groups of students walking the halls.

"Hey. Everything ok?"

Scott slowly turned his attention to her then nodded. "Yeah, uh, everything's ok," he answered. "So, I saw Lydia was introducing her to everyone," he said, a flicker of concern showing on his face.

"Yeah, but it's nothing you should worry about," Hollis said reassuringly. "You know that Allison likes you. Lydia's just being Lydia."

Somewhat relieved, he smiled at her. "I-I guess you're right."

She smiled back, readjusting the strap of her bag. "So are you really not playing in the upcoming game?" Hollis asked once a few seconds passed. Seeing the look he gave her, she continued quickly. "Don't worry. I won't go all Lydia on you. I'm just asking."

Scott shrugged with a look of uncertainty. "I don't know. I mean, I want to but I-I...can't?"

"What do you mean you can't?" She asked, tilting her head to the side. "This doesn't have to do with Jackson, does it? Because he injured himself when he rammed into you. I mean, yeah, he'll hold a grudge because it's Jackson but –"

"It doesn't have to do with him. Well, not really," he interjected, shaking his head. "It's...well, it's a long story, Hollis. Just trust me, ok?" Scott asked with a pleading look.

"Alright, I trust you. I'm just a bit confused."

"Trust me, so am I."

The bell rang, signaling the start of class. The last remaining students ducked into their classes, which left only Hollis and Scott.

"We should get to class," Hollis said. "But think about playing, ok? You worked hard to get first line. Don't just throw it away."

With a smile, Scott nodded. "I will, thanks."