Writers Note: I am so happy because not only have I finally started the parts in the story I've been wanting to write for a long time, but it has been a year since I first came up with the idea for this story. On April 15, 2017, the plot for A Bullet in Time came to me and I knew...I just knew, that I would definitely be writing it. I was so inspired and I am really happy you people get to read it and enjoy it. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I hope you enjoy.

...

Junior Year

It was happening again.

The stares returned and once again Matías and Anthony weren't speaking to each other. The last time they were like this was the beginning of their junior year which was four months ago, almost five. Matías didn't feel guilty like he did this time, but four months back he felt angry and shy about it. This time he didn't care. Not anymore. He couldn't please anyone. He had finally accepted that he was just a weak, fragile student who didn't deserve the bad things that came his way.

As Anthony walked through the school halls, he heard the whispers, he saw the stares, he felt the judgment...and he put up with it. He was drowned with guilt and hate towards himself and towards Matías. He expressed how much he didn't like Matías idea, but yet he went and told the police the same lie. Just then he realized he was just as responsible for the hate, he himself deserved.

In the mornings, he got to school just in time before the bell rang and he walked straight to class. Normally he would walk Matías' to his but that came to an end. He was the first one in class and he was glad for it because that meant he didn't have to walk in front of everybody.

–

"Was it a fight?" asked Mrs. Wilson, the school's vice principal, as she heard about the incident the following week. She spoke with Mr. Hyde as she ran multiple hands through her hair.

"There was an argument between the two that occurred in the bathroom. I guess Anthony - the student - must've said something to James that made him react the way he did."

"Which was completely violent, to begin with. This is the last thing we need right now," she said as she picked up a paper from the floor and placed it on her desk. "We're still hardly recovering from the charges made last year."

"I know," he said. The school came under fire when it was reported that a high school student was killed by another student that attended the same school. It was even worse when they discovered a teacher was the student's accomplice.

"Was there at least a 'wet floor' sign?" she asked with her full attention aimed at him. When the police arrived, they informed the teachers that the bathroom had water all over the floors and that it was possible that James lost his balance because he slipped after he was pushed.

Once Hyde shook his head no, she sighed in disappointment.

"We could get sued," she explained.

"If the parents decide on that."

"What makes you think they won't?" she asked. "He's in a coma and it happened on school grounds."

"We have attorneys."

Mrs. Wilson scoffed. "No one needs to be punished for this. Instead, we will need to improve safety precautions in this school. And that's a decision I am willing to make alone."

–

Since Riley, Matías and Maya didn't have any plans, they decided to spend their lunch together. They were all sad because of something and the other's knew it, they just didn't want to speak about it. Every since Maya and Seth broke up, she has been feeling like her friendship with both Riley and Matías was drifting apart. She wanted it to stay unbroken because they were her memories and childhood all wrapped up in one.

"How are you?" Riley finally asked once she noticed the silence between them. She rubbed his shoulder to reassurance and she wanted him to know that she was there for him.

"I'm okay," he responded. He needed time alone to cry and admit that he was the reason his friendship with Anthony didn't last. He couldn't understand why he felt so terrible about losing him. He convinced himself that it was the guilt that made him sad, but he wasn't sure that was it. It didn't hurt him, though, what he did was wrong but he did it to save his friend. "I don't know what to say about James, though."

"I just can't believe this happened," Maya admitted. "I mean...when does that ever happen here?"

"This school is a terrible place," Riley spoke as she looked at the building behind them, the sun shining on her face prevented her from doing so.

"Is Anthony okay?"

He turned to look at Maya because she had asked that question. He didn't know what lie to tell them but then he realized he couldn't tell them the entire truth, but he could tell them bits of it. "We're not...we're not friends anymore."

"What?" they both asked in unison.

"Why not?" Riley asked. "What happened?" She was surprised because they were really good friends.

"We just decided that...people grow apart."

"It didn't have to do with his fight with James, did it?" the brunette asked and she scooted closer to him. "Matías if you stopped being friends with him because you saw him get angry that shouldn't be a big deal..."

"That's not it, Riley. I not mad at what he did nor am I sad about it...I'm just...I realized that we are different. Different people, we live different lives. I'm glad we had what he had...but my friendship lies with you two. And no one else."

They leaned their heads on his shoulders for a split second to show him that they felt the same way. If only their jovial mood lasted then that would've been perfect for them but like all good things...they come to an end.

"If it isn't Ms. Blowjob, the stupid blonde who fell for a player, and the only witness to the biggest fight in Abigail Adam's High School history all in one place."

Riley could feel her own eyeballs roll so far back that she felt her stare could kill. "What do you want, Tori."

"Oh, nothing. I don't need anything from you guys...I just wanted to congratulate you guys for finally deserving the names you guys deserve." She blew them a kiss and turned her back on them.

"Well, she's still a bitch."

–

Lucas was walking in the hallway when he noticed Anthony. He had just opened his locker and taken his stuff out. He looked upset and sad but he still wanted to talk to him. "Hey, Anthony. Wait up."

Anthony turned around and saw that Lucas had called to him. "Hey, what's up?"

"Nothing much," he spoke as he readjusted the backpack straps on his shoulders. "What class do you have?"

"Math," he answered.

He nodded. "Are you okay?"

Anthony clenched his jaw because he couldn't believe he was being asked that. As soon as he heard the words roll out of Lucas' mouth, he swore he could have cried then and there. He wanted so much to be asked that. And when he heard it, it made him feel sad but good. "Fine," he said as if it didn't bug him much but it did.

"Good," Lucas nodded. He knew Anthony would. "Listen I was thinking of doing something with Riley later on today if she says yes, do you want to come?"

He nodded, "That would be great"

"I'll see you then."

Anthony continued to walk but Lucas slowed down. He liked that their friendship came naturally, there was never anything awkward between them. He reached into his backpack and pulled out a letter that he had written for Riley the day before. He knew his feelings for her and he's known them for a while, he just needed to courage to tell her. He realized that he was so much better at writing down his feelings than saying them aloud. So he wrote them in a letter he would be slipping into Riley's locker.

As he examined the thing, he smiled because he knew he would win her over. He just wanted to see her reaction.

He looked both ways to make sure she was nowhere in sight and when she wasn't, he slipped the letter in.

–

Little did Lucas know that Geb was watching him from the opposite side of the hallway. He was curious as to what he slipped in so he waited for the bell to ring so that he could see. Waiting took forever but it finally came and when it did, he watched as everybody walked to their classes. He walked towards Riley's locker and entered her combination, he knew it because she once told him so that he could get her books. It took him a while to get over the memory but as the locker opened and he took out the letter, he felt a wave of anger wash all over him.

He felt like ripping the paper in half. He decided he wanted to know what it was about. He slipped it in through his pockets and he closed the locker before getting to class.

–

"Hey, do you have a minute?" Josh asked as he walked into the room where Missy was in. She looked at him and she was surprised to be seeing him. They hadn't spoken to each other and she wasn't sure if they were arguing or if they were mad at each other. She removed her backpack so that he could sit down next to her.

When he saw this, he knew she wanted to talk. "The reason I've been so against you trying to solve this...case...is because I don't want you to get hurt, Missy."

She turned to him, "Josh, my protection shouldn't be your concern. And I'm already hurt. Okay? I have been for months now," she placed her hand on his cheek, "Josh, I will always be okay."

He took her hand in his, "I don't want us to be mad at each other anymore."

She nodded, "I don't either. I want us to be safe, to be all right..." she looked at him. He had a small smile. "And we can only do that if we are friends."

"What?" he asked. His smile left him and he didn't know if he heard her right.

"I realized something. Josh, I don't want to be in a relationship. What I want...is to find this person because I know in my heart that Bayard did not kill Lauren. It's not fair that I continue to do this to you."

He didn't know what to say. He never expected that someone would break up with him at school. He looked at her and she had a different stare, a different feeling. She wasn't his Missy anymore.

"I survived the death of my friend. I survived the heartbreak of finding out that she was killed by our friend. And I'll survive this."

She grabbed on to her backpack and stared at Josh once more before kissing his cheek and walking out.

He thought that he would be heartbroken, but he didn't feel that way. He was sad and bummed, but it was enough so that he could go on with his day.

–

Acacia had to stay after school in order to catch up on work. She had been falling behind because when she got home, she went straight to her piano and completely forgot that she had homework to do. As she finished answering the questions on her paper, she closed the large science book and returned it back to its place. She left the paper on the teacher's desk and then walked out.

She placed all of her stuff in her backpack and sighed. She was going to need to spend at least four hours completing everything she missed. Couldn't teachers understand that she was auditioning for one of the highest music schools in the state? She was so angry with them and she wished that they could know. That they would take it easy on her but she knew they wouldn't.

It also didn't help that her brother was now hardly speaking to her. They had such a great relationship but ever since her parents got the call from the police and told them about the incident, they have been distant. At first, her parents thought that he had caused the fight but they were relieved to hear that he was just a witness.

Matías spend most of his time in his room and he only walked out when he needed to use the bathroom or to eat. Besides that, he wished to be alone.

As she rounded the hall, she was stopped by what she had seen. She saw two people standing really close to each other. Wrapped in each other's arms, kissing and smiling as if they were madly in love. She was surprised to be seeing this especially since the two people looked like they were in her grade.

But then something in her felt as if it had slowly disappeared. She felt this way because she had seen the face of the guy that was kissing the girl.

It was Kaden.

She placed her hand over her heart because it felt like she had physically been stabbed. He looked happy and his feelings for her were clear. She hated that he had moved on so fast, but she found a way to turn that hate into music.

Acacia walked away with tears in her eyes. She knew her parents were waiting outside so she wiped the tears away fast and put on a smile as she got onto the car.

"Hi, honey. ¿Cóme te fue la escuela?"

"Bien," she answered. She decided to lie to them because if she told them the truth then her parents would think differently of Kaden. She didn't want that.

–

Maya ate dinner with her mom and with Shawn. They were seated at the dining table and talking about their days. A while ago, Maya didn't like the fact that her mom was going to remarry.

Now, as she stared at them, she didn't want any of it to change. She lived in a perfect world when she was with them. They laughed and hugged, joked and loved each other. They were her happy place. "Honey, while we're in Cabo, you're gonna be sleeping with Riley. Her parents will be home by then."

"Why can't I just stay here?" she asked and looked at them.

"We decided that it's not safe," Shawn told her. "Your mother and I are still uneasy about leaving you alone considering the fact that you were being tormented with for weeks."

"Okay," she learned to accept the fact that her parents were difficult to convince. At times she wanted to argue so much but she knew they wanted what's best for her.

"Honey, we want you to know that we love you. And that you can tell us anything. We love you."

"I love you too," she told them and both Shawn and Katy took her hands.

A while ago, she thought she was never going have a happy family. Now, as they continued to eat, she knew her family was more than fixed.

It was unbreakbale.

–

Writers Note: Today (as I am writing this) it is March 25, 2018. A day after March On Washington. I am so incredibly inspired and amazed by what happened. It is so incredible to see people stand up and speak up, to see the next generation making change and setting a legacy that we all knew was possible. Guys it is so important to speak up, to love and to be safe.

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