"caring was the problem"

An obnoxiously pounding from her dorm room door stirred Simon from his deep sleep. He cracked an eye open, groggy with the sleep he should have been getting. Closing his eyes once again, he pulled his blankets up over his head, hoping that the knocking would stop, but it didn't. It continued persistently, never letting up.

"Stop knocking on the fucking door!" Kendall, his roommate, called out.

The knocking ceased for only a moment before an equally upset voice called from the other side. "Shut the fuck up, Kendall! I need to talk to Simon."

Hearing Saya's voice, Simon groaned and sat up sluggishly.

He looked toward Kendall and saw the blond boy glaring at him through the darkness. "It's always your friends," the other boy said before burying his face into his pillow.

"I'm coming," Simon said, his voice thick with sleep. The knocking didn't start back up.

Simon stood from his bed and opened the door before stepping into the hall. He wiped at his eyes, trying to wake himself up more. When he pulled his hands away, he saw an urgency in Saya's eyes he hadn't seen since Vegas a month ago. "What the hell is going on?" he asked.

"She's back."

Simon was suddenly wide-awake. He didn't need her to elaborate on who she was talking about. "What do you mean?!" he started to yell before realizing it was five o'clock in the morning and they were standing in a hallway of sleeping teenagers that would kill them without a thought for waking them. "What do you mean Andi's back?" he asked this time in a hushed tone.

"I was in the Graveyard and I saw a car pull up," Saya started to explain. "There was a guy in the driver's seat, three girls in the back, and then Andi got out of the passenger side. Her hair was shorter and it was dark but it was her. I'm sure of it. I think they're all in with Lin now."

Simon ran a hand through his disheveled hair. A hollow feeling had grown within him over the past month, but now, it seemed like it could possibly be whole once again. That was the pull the blonde girl had over him.

After the conversation he and Billy had in the cemetery, Marcus's thoughts were racing as he sat at a table alone in the cafeteria. Maria had all but jumped him after his shower this morning when he was getting ready. She's been his girlfriend for a month now and she was beautiful and a good person, yet he just couldn't bring himself to take it to the next level with her. Why was he so reluctant to take the plunge and sleep with Maria? They had almost done so in Vegas, so why was it such a big deal now? But, every time the topic came up, he just froze.

It wasn't like he was a virgin. His first time had been with Andi at Shabnam's party months ago. He had been so insecure that night, not understanding how someone like her could've wanted to be with him. But, he had gotten used to the idea that she wanted him, and it healed some of that insecurity. So, that wasn't the problem here.

No, he knew what it was. Pure, unbridled guilt. He had fucked up big time in Vegas and hadn't been able to set things right since. Maybe if Andi had returned from Vegas instead of going AWOL, Marcus would've been able to get some closure. He could've apologized and tried to win back the trust he knows he destroyed. He could've moved on, with or without her. But, instead, she disappeared off the face of the earth and he was left drowning in the guilt of a situation he created for himself.

As much as he liked Maria, their relationship was built on chaos. The foundation formed from the ashes of their friendship with Andi and her toxic relationship with Chico. The walls comprised of anger, betrayal, and fear. It had been a rollercoaster ever since it started. As much as he tried to help the Latina, her mood swings were inconsolable. Everyone from their ragtag group had commented on it in one way or another.

The truth was that he and Andi had been more than friends, even if they never made anything official. They had both known that there was something between them since the party and until Vegas, he had never dreamed of doing anything to jeopardize that. In fact, he had put in a serious effort to reassure her that he wouldn't betray her trust, yet he did the exact opposite.

He was a piece of shit, no doubt.

It all came down to one fact though. Marcus was still hung up on Andi and that wasn't fair to anyone. So, he had subconsciously vowed not to have sex with Maria until he was completely over Andi.

Marcus remembered getting back to King's Dominion after Vegas and the blonde was nowhere to be found. He had tried to get up the courage to ask Simon about it, but every time he got within five feet of the guy, Simon would glare at him until he backed off. The Arguello boy didn't exactly feel like getting his ass kicked twice in one week.

Eventually, he was able to get something out of Saya. He had just wanted to know if Andi was all right. Saya was also upset with him after everything that had gone down. However, she tried to play peacekeeper among friends, so she told him the bare minimum. Andi was fine and that was that.

Marcus was pulled from his thoughts when he realized how eerily silent the cafeteria had grown around him. When he looked up, he saw that everyone's eyes were drawn to the cafeteria doors where five people were walking in. That's when he saw the same blonde that he didn't know if he'd ever see again.

Her hair was shorter, about shoulder length now instead of the long length that once reached the small of her back. The blunt tips of her platinum blonde locks were dip-dyed pink and pin-straight. She walked through the mass of students with the same confidence she always had. Her face was devoid of any emotion, indifferent and unbothered by the attention she was receiving. It wasn't surprising. She made it obvious before that she had never cared about anyone's opinion and it seemed like that remained the same.

Andi walked into the cafeteria with four strangers trailing behind her. New students based on their uniforms; Rats. A tall, redhead had her arms linked with an equally tall Asian girl. They were complete opposites; the redhead perky and chatty while the dark-haired girl was silent as she listened attentively to the redhead's ramblings. There was another girl with the group, her dark skin and braids standing out among the five of them. She was on the smaller side, closer in height to Andi, with a wolfish grin pulling at her lips. Lastly, there was a tall boy with curly brown hair. His eyes surveyed the room, examining the rest of the student body and his surroundings.

Andi led them to an empty table in the center of the room and they all sat down, except for the blonde who remained standing as she spoke to them.

A bang came from Marcus's right as Billy slammed himself into the seat across from him. "Looks like the lone wolf found a pack," the green-haired boy said, looking equally as shocked as Marcus felt seeing the Broughton girl again. "I can't believe she's back. I was beginning to think she was gone for good."

"Yeah, me too," Marcus said, trying to decipher how he felt about seeing her again.

Just then, Simon and Saya entered the cafeteria. The Londoner made a beeline straight for his best friend. "Andi!" he called out, pulling her attention away from her new clique and to him.

The blonde girl looked up, her expression even like a mask not giving away any emotion. Simon strode up to her, Saya trailing behind. Once he stopped in front of her, he wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug.

Marcus watched him whisper something to her, but she didn't react at all. She didn't even return the embrace. After a few seconds, she pulled away from the taller boy, said something to him, and turned away to head for the doors. As she turned, her icy blue eyes met his and they hardened.

This was not the same girl that he knew from a month ago. She had changed and he couldn't help but feel that it was all his fault. Her obvious disdain for him was just another reminder of how different things were.

"Dude, she fucking hates you now," Billy muttered, seeing the exchange. The green-haired boy glanced over his shoulder at the Soto Vatos table. "Maria doesn't look to happy either."

Marcus glanced toward his girlfriend. Billy was right. Maria looked somewhere between pissed and terrified. With everything that happened in Vegas, an angry Andi could mean hell for the rest of them. She had seen Maria kill Chico and now she had effectively cut herself off from everyone. No one knew where her mind was at and if Andi told anyone what happened, then everyone could end up dead.

Without another thought, Marcus stood from his seat and followed the blonde girl out of the cafeteria, ignoring the glares from Simon and Maria and the curious stares of the four new students.

When he got into the hallway, it was empty. Not a single wandering student around. Andi couldn't have possibly gotten that far unless she sprinted as soon as she exited the lunchroom.

"What the hell do you want, Marcus?" Andi said from behind him, causing him to jump and face her. Her voice was hollow, as emotionless as her expression. The Arguello boy found it kind of unsettling. Even when she hated him after they first met, there was always a fire in the blonde girl's eyes. It was what drew him to her in the first place. He couldn't help but just stare at her, shocked that she was actually there in front of him.

"Marcus!" she snapped, knocking him out of his stunned state. "What. Do. You. Want?"

"Sorry," he muttered. "I just—I can't believe you came back. I didn't think you would."

Andi shrugged. "Yeah, I'm back. No big deal."

"I just—after everything—," he paused, taking a deep breath. He was finally speaking to her after wanting closure all this time, yet the words failed to come to him. Every time he went to say something, he stopped himself because his words were weak and didn't express how he really felt. He didn't think any words could.

She raised an eyebrow at him as he struggled, her arms crossed over her chest.

Marcus sighed. "I know I fucked up. I'm so sorry," he settled on. It wasn't some grand apology. However, it was a condensed version of everything he was thinking. The Arguello boy figured he would only upset her more if he rambled.

She gave him a wry smile, full of thinly veiled loathing and bitter resentment. "That's okay, Marcus. If it wasn't for you, I would've never learned a valuable lesson. That none of you were worth it."

Her words cut deeper than he expected; her tongue sharper than Saya's katana.

"Don't say that," he almost pleaded with her. "We were your friends. We cared about you and you cared about us. You kept Chico from murdering me in the streets. You wouldn't have done that if you didn't care."

"Caring was the problem!" she exclaimed, anger lighting up in her eyes. Finally, a sign of emotion present in her expression. "I cared and then I got hurt. So I don't care anymore. Fuck you and fuck having friends. Friends are only there for you until they're not."

Andi went to walk away but Marcus reached out to grab her arm.

It was a mistake as she whipped back toward him, twisting his arm behind his back and slamming him into the lockers. "Tell me I'm wrong, Marcus," she hissed at him.

He winced at his twisted arm, but his own anger flared as his cheek pressed against the cool metal of the lockers. "Then what about your new friends, huh?" He paused. "Be pissed at me! That's fine!" he argued. "But, Simon doesn't deserve this. He had nothing to do with what happened between us!"

She let out a humorless laugh, "Ha, those people aren't my friends. I'm their leader. Friends have only ever let me down. I don't have friends. Not even Simon. Not anymore."

Andi pushed away from him and walked down the hall. Marcus huffed as he pushed off the wall and watched her walk away. With a final aggravated groan, he smacked the lockers and went back to the cafeteria.

Well, that went infinity worse than what he expected. But, he should've never gotten his hopes up.

Sorry this is a shorter chapter. But, at least it's something!

Andi is a stubborn person. Every time she lets someone in, it ends up biting her in the ass. So, unfortunately for the likes of Saya and Simon, she has also cut them off to try to protect herself. But, don't worry, Andi will be back on her bullshit soon enough.

I kept Marcus and Maria's relationship because I thought it was an important foundation for a lot of paranoia and uneasiness among the group after Vegas. It's like the one big secret that they're all in on. But, I did add in some drama with everyone being concerned that Andi could spill the tea after their falling out. I'm curious about what you all think about the relationship dynamics.

Next chapter, we'll be back with Andi and have some more interaction with our new players. There will also be more Abaddon in the future because he is not going down without a fight.