"Jenny, where were you?!" my mom screeches at me when I enter my house. My mouth had stopped bleeding, but I could still feel my cheek swelling up. I'm not sure if I had a black-eye or not.

She runs over to me when she sees my literally fucked up face. It still hurts whenever I try to talk. "Oh my God, Jenny, do you need to go to the hospital? What happened?!" she asks.

"Mom, I just ran into something. I was out, I'm sorry," I totally lie to her. Why have I been lying so much lately?

"I knew that you were clumsy, but I didn't literally mean it that you'd kill yourself one day," she jokes before letting me go up to my room to clean myself up. I wasn't the one that tried to kill myself. It was Shane.

I walk into the bathroom upstairs and wash my face, being careful to not put too much pressure on my left side. But then I look up into the mirror, and I'm horrified at what was staring back at me. My left cheek had a huge bruise on it, and my left eye was swollen, but it wasn't so bad. My mouth had bloodstains on it. I open it to see where the cut was, and I see that it was both my tongue and the inside of my cheek. I still can't believe that it was Nate that did this to me.

XoLAGOHxO

After skipping dinner last night, I had to wake up early to cook myself a big breakfast. Actually, the breakfast was mainly liquids since I couldn't chew without wanting to scream in pain. I don't remember the last time that I drank that much V8. Obviously, Shane wasn't going to pick me up today, so I'm guessing that I have to ride the bus.

I also tried to cover up the bruise this morning with some concealer that my mom had. I didn't own any make-up, and the concealer didn't really do much since my mom's complexion is so much lighter than mine's because she's half French.

I walk out of my house and nearly drop my back pack when I see Jason's Ferrari parked in my driveway. I cautiously walk up and see Nicole and Jason in the front seats, Nate sitting in the back. Jason rolls down his window before yelling, "Jenny, what the fuck happened to your face?!"

I see Nicole jab him in his side before she says, "Don't be rude!" But her expression goes from annoyed to horrified when she takes a look at me. "Jenny, what happened?!"

I take a look at Nate and see him staring in the opposite direction, his fists clenched extremely tight even though they were bandaged up. Maybe it's just me, but I swear I could've seen some pink seeping through. My mouth hurts and I don't feel like talking, so I use hand motions to tell Nicole that I ran into a door.

"Woman, you don't fuck up your face like that by running into a door," she says. Jason looks really confused. I guess he doesn't understand Jenny/Nicole sign language. I reply by shrugging my shoulders.

"So, you gonna get in?" she asks. I shake my head and use my hand motions again to tell her that I'll be riding on the bus.

"Well, if you're gonna go on the bus, I'll go with you," she tells me before getting out of Jason's car. "See you at school, babe," she says to him. He waves to the both of us before heading towards the school.

"Jenny, what happened?" she repeats her question when we start walking to the stop.

"Like I said, I ran into a door," I repeat. Why are we repeating our previous conversation?

"I know when you're lying, now spit out the truth."

"Please, can we just not talk about this right now?" I beg her.

"Did anyone hit you?" she asks.

"Why would you think that?" I become defensive.

"Did. Anyone. Hit. You?" she says in a more serious tone.

"No, of course not," I lie to her. How many lies have I told in the past week?

"I'm not sure what you think, but that bruise looks like the result of a really wicked punch."

"Too bad it isn't," I say before attempting one of my sarcastic smiles. Ouch, all that did was make my face hurt more. Great, so I can't even have a good smile without being in pain. The gossip on the bus is horrible. It's even worse than yesterday.

"Some chick probably slapped her for attempting to kill Shane."

"No, it looks more like a punch, maybe some guy."

"What guy would be obsessed with Shane Grey?"

"The football fanatics and the fags."

I see Nicole stand up to the crowd in the back. "Shut the fuck up! You guys don't know anything! What happened to Shane is none of your fucking business, so leave her out of this!" she yells.

"Well then, why would he do it, huh? He's the most popular guy in school, he's a god to all the girls. There's no other reason why he'd do it unless somebody did it for him," I hear a guy call from the back.

"The reason is his shit, not yours, so back off!" she continues yelling to whoever it was that was talking.

"She's the only one that he's been hanging out with lately," another guy says.

Nicole sits down next to me and shakes my shoulders. "Stand up for yourself!" she angrily whispers.

I can't hold back the tears anymore. They were right, they were so right. He did it all because of me. Maybe I wasn't the complete reason, but it was me that pushed him over the edge. "Nicole, you have no idea how right they are," I choke through my sobs.

"What are you talking about?" she asks, worry etched in her tone.

"I can't tell you right now, right here."

"Tell me when you're ready, okay?" she asks before hugging me.

"Everything just sucks right now," I mumble.

"It'll only be temporary," she promises. Nicole, I really hope you're right about that.

And after getting off the bus, my biggest problem is facing Nate in homeroom. I can't face him after what he did to me. Sure, he hugged me afterwards, but the punch hadn't fully registered in my mind. But as I'm walking to my locker and avoiding the stares and gossip, every glance on a reflective object brings me a flashback of that dreadful moment.

"Ahh!" I scream as someone pulls me into a supply closet. I feel a hand cover my mouth.

"Make a sound and you'll regret it," I hear a deep voice tell me. It's so dark in this supply closet, I can't see who he is.

I hear the person use his other hand to try and find the light switch. Imagine my shock when I see that it's Jason.

"Why'd you just pull me into a supply closet?" I ask him.

"It's for your own safety. I heard that Brian and Paul are planning revenge on you, and they're gonna do something today," he whispers.

"So, you pulled me into a closet?" I continue asking.

"I heard it had something to do with guns," he says with suspense in his voice.

"Well, you know the kids here, they gossip about anything and everything," I say, waving my hand as in to indicate that it's no big deal.

"You're obviously hurt enough. I don't know if I can handle you getting hurt again."

"Jason, don't worry about me, I'll be fine. I mean, I can't just hide out in a closet all day!" I exclaim.

"Shh! You don't want anybody hearing you. You're not fine, okay? You were obviously hit yesterday because that's one hell of a bruise, and the person who hurts my girlfriend's best friend will be sorry," he threatens.

"Like I said to Nicole, I just ran into a door," I lie. If I were to bang my head each time I've lied this past week, I'd lose so many brain cells that I'd suffer premature Alzheimer's. Well, not literally. That's no joking matter.

"I'm not stupid. I can sense when somebody's been abused. Was it your mom?" he asks. No, my mom would never do that!

"No, of course not, she doesn't do anything like that!" I defend her.

"Who was it then?" he keeps pushing for the answer. No, I won't give it to him. I refuse to. I hear the bell ring, signaling that we're both late to homeroom.

"I'm not lying! I really did run into a door!" I'm repeating this so much that I myself am starting to believe it. But maybe that's for the best. I'd do anything to erase that horrid memory.

"Please, just tell me the truth," he starts begging.

"That is the truth," I keep saying. There's an awkward silence that lasts for about thirty seconds before he starts speaking.

"It was Nate, wasn't it?" he assumes.

"No, Nate would never do something like that!" I get defensive.

"It was him. I can't believe it," he seethes. Jason seems like he's getting angry, too.

"Why would you think that it's him?" I ask, very curious now.

"He's always had anger issues. Ever since he was a little kid," he says.

"But why would he? He seems so shy and sweet."

"I blame it on neglect from our parents. They were never home," he explains.

"That would explain a lot," I say before I could stop myself.

"So I'm right, it was him," he grits out before his eyes got dark.

"Please, don't tell anybody," I quietly beg him. I don't want people to think of Nate like that.

"I can't promise you that. But what else would that explain?" he asks.

"It would explain why he always gets jealous whenever I mention Shane around him, and the fact that he punched a hole in his wall."

"He did WHAT to his wall?!" he screeches.

"Hey, shush! He got mad when Brian and Paul dropped me, and when we were in his room, he punched a hole in the wall," I explain, reminiscing on that memory.

"That would explain why his hands have been messed up this past week," he ponders.

"Wait, what was the excuse that he made up then?" I ask.

"That he slipped and scratched it on the concrete," he replies.

"Wait, Jason, did you know how he bloodied his hands up yesterday?"

"Well, it can't be from punching you," he reasons.

"Okay, this is dramatic. I was with Shane at the hospital, and he told me that what hurt the most was unrequited love. Then I told him that it wasn't unrequited, and I heard somebody running after that. Shane told me that it was Nate and to go run after him. I find him outside in the wooded area about five minutes later, and he's cursing and punching a tree like there's no tomorrow. I grab his hands so he doesn't mess them anymore, he calls me a bitch, then punches my face in," I uncomfortably admit.

"What was that about unrequited love?" is all that he asks.

"I know it's really fast and all, and that I'm really young, but I'm so confused! I mean, I know it sounds slutty and all, but I really like Nate, but I also really like Shane at the same time. And they both have so many good qualities about them, yet they also have their flaws. Now that I know that they both like me, it's so complicated. And yesterday morning in the hospital, Shane said that he loved me. But then he got knocked out by the pain killers, so he never said if it was a sisterly love, or it was like, IN love."

"And what did Nate do to express his feelings for you?" Jason asks.

"He kissed me last week after that family party," I openly tell somebody for the first time.

"I can't help you. I don't know how to get you out of this."

"I know, nobody can help me," I say before letting out a frustrated groan.

"But what happens when you actually pick someone?" he continues with his questions.

"If I pick Nate, he might, I don't know. Shane said he attempted to do that because of unrequited love. Nate has serious anger manage issues, so I don't know what's going to happen. Why do I have to go through this?" I sob, trying to hold back the building tears.

"Right now, we should be happy that Shane's alive," he says to lighten things up, if that's possible.

"I just want everything to go back to three weeks ago, when I was getting ready for high school knowing that it'd be an uneventful year. Anything to not go through all this. Anything for neither Nate nor Shane to feel that pain," I admit. I miss the good ol' days so much.

"But some good has come out of it," Jason continues being his perky self, forcing a smile.

"What good, huh?" I ask using my sarcastic tone.

"You've made Nicole happy," he says, his smile getting bigger.

"Yeah, I guess I have," I realize before attempting to smile, too. "Ouch!" I say when the smile hurts my cheek.

"Must've been some punch to have hurt your smile," he jokes.

"I can't eat either. There's cuts on my tongue and the inside of my cheek. It's no joking matter!" I yell. He sounds so rude right now.

"I never said that it was. Point is, you can't show your face in this school unless you want to end up where Shane is."

"But I don't want to end up where Shane is," I whine.

"Exactly, which is why you need to stay here," he nonchalantly says.

"I can't stay in here all day!" I complain. Who would want to stay in a supply closet all day just to save some time in the hospital? Wait, I worded that wrong..

"I'll bring you some fruit juice during my lunch period," he tries reasoning.

"You're fucking kidding me. I doubt that Brian and Paul would bring guns to school just because I got them suspended," I protest.

"That, and ruined their chances of college football," he reminds me.

"Geez, thanks for reminding me that," I sarcastically say.

"You know, I'll report them to the principal, saying that I heard they brought weapons," he suggests.

"Then when they get taken away, I can randomly pop up again!" I say, extremely excited now.

"And I could fake a teacher's pass for you!" he continues suggesting.

"Wait, what if the office knows you faked it or something?" I start doubting.

"Maybe we should just explain to them the situation, since it's technically not your fault."

"They gave me and Nate detention yesterday even though Shane had attempted to commit suicide," I counter his previous suggestion.

"We'll give it a try anyways. Another detention won't really hurt," he brushes off like it's nothing.

"I guess my safety's more important than whether or not I get detention," I mumble, defeated.

"Besides, if you get detention, I'll join you!" he squeals.

"Oh, joy. Seriously, I'm very enthusiastic right now."

XoLAGOHxO

Oh God, after Jason and I went to the main office and explained everything to the administrators, they actually let us get back to class! Apparently, Brian and Paul will be "discreetly" pulled from their classes so that the students won't get suspicious. Something about getting them when they're in the hallways between periods. As of right now, I was safe about to move the school.

The buzz about my face just grew throughout the day. I hid in the bathroom for lunch. I couldn't eat anything anyways. But now I'm heading to my first class of the day with Nate. Maybe it won't be so bad. Wait, what am I thinking? He just punched me yesterday, accident or not. That isn't something that you get over that easily. I understand that it was blind anger, but it hurts. Mentally and physically.

I sit down in my assigned seat, an empty one between me and Nate. It's like tension was radiating off of Shane's empty seat. I try my best to use my long hair to cover my view from Nate. After role is taken, Mr. Edwards says that he has to announce something.

"Uhm, there'll be a class project this week, too, with the same group as last project's. Look, I know that you're supposed to be independent workers, but I really have nothing planned the first month," he says, making most of the class laugh.

He gives us a worksheet explaining the project. We're supposed to make a 3-D model of a plane with rays going through it. How am I going to do that? Wait, he just said the same partners as the last project! That means that I'm working with Nate. Mr. Edwards, why do you have to be an inexperienced teacher who doesn't know shit about teaching your fucking subject?!

"Oh, you guys can spend the rest of the period discussing brainstorms with your partner. I'll call you up to tell you your grade for the last project," he says before calling up the first group.

I have to get this conversation over with. I need to clear the air with Nate. I just have to before I explode! I immediately go and grab Shane's chair, then pull it up to Nate's desk.

"We really need to talk," I bluntly state.

"There's nothing to talk about," he whispers.

"Yes, there is," I glare him down.

"Do you know what you put me through?" he continues whispering, his eyes going dark.

"I won't know until you tell me," I say, my voice getting lower so other people wouldn't hear.

"You don't know how tortured I am every time I'm around you," he says, his voice getting scarier. "You don't know what it's like to have Shane talking about you everyday, saying how amazing you are. You have no idea what it's like to watch the girl you're falling for fall for someone else. You don't know the pain I feel, knowing that we can never become anything other than just friends."

"But I don't just like Shane," I try telling him.

"I saw what happened yesterday. I heard what you said to him," he accuses me.

"Has it ever occurred to you that I like you, too?" I ask.

"Why would you when you could have Shane, the guy who doesn't have anger issues," he states, more than questioning.

"I feel your pain. I don't know who to choose. Remember, Shane did what he did because of that kiss," I remind him.

"I would do the same thing if he kissed you, you know."

"Please, don't say that. I don't want you guys hurting yourself over me. I mean, look at your hands," I say before gently grabbing them. "They're bandaged, and they've been bleeding so much lately. I don't want anyone experiencing any form of pain thanks to me."

"But I caused you pain, too," he says before touching my injured cheek. I wince away from his touch. "See, I can't even touch you without hurting you."

"Nate, Shane and Jenny!" Mr. Edwards calls out. We both get up to see what our grade is. "Congratulations, guys! You got a 110 on it since the house was so big. Amazing job, let's hope this project will be just as good!" he perkily says. Nate and I give him a tight-lipped smile before sitting down.

"Nate, you don't always hurt me," I continue our previous conversation.

"I can't stand it when you get hurt," he shakes his head, his hair covering his eyes. When he looks back at me, they're red.

"I can't stand it when you get hurt, either. I can't stand it when anyone I'm close to gets hurt."

"No, but I physically hurt you. Aren't you worried about me hitting you again?" he asks, his voice getting strained.

"I trust you to not do that anymore," I try my best to comfort him.

"But why would you?" he asks, a tear slipping from an eye.

"To tell you the truth, I don't know," I reply.

"Can you ever forgive me?"

"I forgave you before it was even over," I say, attempting to smile. It's starting to hurt less, so I smile anyways through the pain.

A/N - Jenny's not the type to really hold grudges. When she really loves someone, regardless of what kind of love, she always manages to easily forgive them. She tries to place herself in their shoes. God, I sound so sappy.

My mom's being a bitch, saying that since the library books are overdue, I can't touch the computer tomorrow. God, I even reminded her! But no, it's all my fault. Psh, whatever. I can't reply to mail in Computer class anymore since they blocked fan fiction. I just discovered today! Grr, it's like they're taking away my fun when I have free time in that class. At least I can check my mail, just not reply to private messages and reviews. So, REVIEW AND I WILL READ IT!