Did she let him go? Or did the four winds blow him away? Oh, does she even know, she's the girl with the red balloon?

-The Girl with the Red Balloon by the Civil Wars

I sit in silence, sipping at a vanilla milk shake and staring at my reflection in the glass window. I can't meet Al's eyes, in fear that he will somehow see the truth in them, that I can't like the new British boy with the dark curly hair in that way.

My heart has already chosen a different path; one of dark blue eyes and climbing Ferris wheels and glances from across a classroom.

I love Tobias.

"So, um." Al clears his throat uncomfortably. "What do you like to do?"

I have to think about it for a moment. I can't exactly say I like to send myself to the hospital, like I used to do, and I don't do much these days.

"Well," I say. "I do marching band. It's okay, I guess. But I don't really get out much."

He grins, and somehow it looks scary, reflected in that thin glass window. But none of that matters, because I can see right out into the street, and a rusty truck just like Tobias's is driving past. I catch a look at the license plate as it trundles past, and I gasp.

The license plate reads: FOUR

It's him.

I almost spill my milk shake. Al looks at me in concern. "Are you okay?" He asks. "Do you need to go home?"

I swallow and manage to nod. "Yeah, I'm fine," I get out. "I should probably go home after this, though. I think I'm coming down with something."

If a case of Tobias Eaton on the brain counts as 'coming down with something.'

We finish our food, pay for it, and walk out to Al's shiny yellow Ford mustang. I don't like Al's car. It's too shiny and new and smells like rubber and cologne. Or maybe it's just because it isn't Tobias's car.

I am in a daze the entire ride back to my house.

After I wave goodbye to my 'boyfriend', plastering a fake smile on my face and turning my head when he leans into kiss me so that his lips graze my cheek, I race up to my room and fall onto the bed, wincing as something hard digs into my back.

I roll over, pull whatever it is out from under my bed, and stare in confusion. In my hand is a book I've never seen before, with a glossy cover and a library sticker. The title is Romeo and Juliet.

There is a yellow sticky note in the corner, and I rip it off the plastic protecting the book.

Beatrice,

One of your friends stopped by while you were out and said to give this to you. Thought you might find it interesting. There's pizza in the fridge for dinner, I'm at the university taking a math class and won't be home until late.

-Caleb

It has to have been Christina. This isn't typical Christina behavior, though- she's never been one for books. And why Romeo and Juliet of all the books she could pick? Caleb calls it a 'classic', and Christina is more into New teen romance books such as Twilight and Pretty Little Liars.

All I can think is that she must be trying to tell me something.

I shrug, settle into my bed, and begin to read.

Sorry this was short and filler-y but I figured I owed you a chapter. I've been busy with my new story, Intransigent (my version of Allegiant please read) and marching band stuff... and trying to make sense of my indoor drumline music, which looks like it's been written in another language (I'm a clarinetist, not a vibraphone player. Wtf?)

Anyway. That ends my apology. Thanks for reading and reviewing!