Tina hadn't prepared for an ambush.

"Uh," She breathed, looking up at Jimmy Junior, who only stared at her blankly as he waited for her response. "Sure."

Jimmy Junior walked toward the empty spot at the end of the lockers, not even bothering to check if Tina was following him. Obviously she was, but it would have been a nice gesture anyway.

"We're friends, right?" Jimmy Junior asked her as she stopped in front of him.

"Uhhhh," Tina squinted, tilting her head to the side a bit in confusion. She wasn't sure where he was going with that question. "Yes?"

"Okay, cool," Jimmy Junior said, with a curt nod and a half-smile. "Just wanted to make sure we were on the same page." He gave her an awkward, half-hearted pat on the shoulder and walked away from her without even saying goodbye. He was already at the end of the hall when Tina had finally processed what had just happened.

That was, by far, the most astonishing way Jimmy Junior had ever ended things between them. He wasn't great at articulating his feelings (because what teenage boy is?) but at least he was usually upfront about wanting to break up.

Unless he didn't think they were actually a couple over the summer, which was even worse. Tina wanted to run after him and get some clarification, but deep down she knew she wouldn't get any of the answers she was looking for. It was probably for the best that she just leave it alone, lest she get answers that she didn't want — answers that left her even more heartbroken and confused than before.

"What a jerk!" Jocelyn exclaimed, slamming her locker shut and startling not only Tina, but everyone in their vicinity.

"Jocelyn—"

"Nuh uh, Tina," Jocelyn shook her head, crossing her arms over her chest indignantly. "Don't you even dare try to justify what he did. That is so fucked up."

"Yeah, Tina," Susmita agreed, leaning up against the lockers, "He's a jerk."

Tina huffed. She knew they were right, but she didn't want to believe it. Jimmy Junior had shown her who he really was, and her whole world had come crashing down in one morning. She'd spent years pining after Jimmy Junior, and she thought one day he'd finally see her and confess his undying love for her. It was very quickly becoming clear that that was never the case, and it had thrown her for a loop.

Tina honestly couldn't remember a time where she wasn't all about Jimmy Junior. She'd been head over heels since the moment she met him back in kindergarten, when he was charming and kind and collected cool dead bugs in his pocket to show her during recess. Now she felt like a dead bug in a pocket, destined to be forgotten about and washed away into oblivion, or whatever brand of washing machine Jimmy Junior had at home.

"Don't sweat him, T. You'll move on to someone new in no time." Jocelyn tried to cheer Tina up, "Maybe we'll find you someone new at the bonfire tonight!"

"I don't know, Jocelyn—"

"Come on, Tina, Everyone will be there."

"Y'all talkin' 'bout the bonfire?"

Jocelyn let out a gasp. "Zeke!"

With a blinding smile, Zeke pulled Jocelyn in for a hug. "Long time no see, Jo! Summer was too long without my best buds!"

Apparently the summer hadn't just been good to Tina. Zeke had grown a few inches, now standing at least a head taller than Tina. His skin was practically glowing, his farmer's tan popping against the red of his tank top that revealed his strong, muscular arms that hadn't been nearly as muscular three months ago.

"Damn, Zeke," Jocelyn said, as Zeke let her go. She squeezed at his bicep. "When did you get so beefy?"

"Workin' construction over the summer with my uncle," Zeke shrugged, trying not to laugh as Susmita poked at his arm, "Just in time for wrasslin' season!"

"Hi, Zeke," Tina greeted, obviously less enthusiastically than her friends. She'd missed Zeke over the summer, but currently, her thoughts were too occupied to be excited.

"Hey, T-Town!" Zeke beamed down at her, before his eyes suddenly blew wide, "Whoa! What happened to you? Who do I gotta beat up?"

Tina's fingers ghosted over the Kuchi Kopi bandaid. "Oh, this? I just fell. No big deal." She punctuated her sentence with a heavy sigh.

"You okay?" Zeke's eyebrows shot up with concern, "You look lower than a bow-legged caterpillar."

Tina eyed him with confusion.

"Sad," Jocelyn translated for her, "He says you look sad."

"Oh," Tina sighed again, "I am sad."

"What happened?"

"I don't wanna talk about it."

"Well," Zeke started, cracking his knuckles, "Ain't nothin' a big ol' Zeke bear hug can't solve! C'mere, girl!"

Zeke snaked his arms around Tina and pulled her up off the ground with ease, wrapping her up in a bone crushing hug. Tina couldn't help but crack a smile. Zeke's hugs always felt like a warm, comfortable weighted blanket, but that smile slowly turned into a frown as she found herself wishing that Jimmy Junior was the one giving her a big ol' bear hug.

Zeke put her down and cocked an eyebrow, still smiling, "Well? Did it work?"

"Sorry, Zeke," Tina apologized, with a small shake of her head, "I'm too distraught."

"That's alright, girl," Zeke waved his hand, "We all feel like the last pea at pea-time sometimes."

"Yeah, sure," Tina agreed, with a slow nod. She couldn't imagine Zeke ever feeling like the last pea at pea-time.

"Whatever's got ya down shouldn't keep you from the bonfire, T-Town," Zeke told her, "I'd miss ya too much if you weren't there!"

Jocelyn looked between Tina and Zeke, her eyebrows raising slowly as she peeked over at Susmita, who also seemed to be in on whatever secret scheme Jocelyn was cooking up.

Tina missed this, of course, still wrapped up in the Jimmy Junior hug fantasy.

Zeke was looking at her so hopefully that even though Tina would much rather go home, lock herself in her room, and cry to Taylor Swift all night, she ended up telling him yes, she would be there.

"Attagirl!" Zeke clapped his hands together excitedly. "I'll even save ya a seat and a s'more."

"Sounds good," Tina faked a smile as the bell rang, signaling for everyone to get to class.

Zeke consulted his schedule (a crumpled up piece of paper that had gone through the wash at least twice since he got it last week at enrollment) and started walking to his first class, greeting friends new and old as he made his way down the hall. He came to a stop in front of room 102, double checking that he was in the right place before stepping into the room.

In the back corner of the classroom was Jimmy Junior, standing beside an empty desk and huddled up with other members of the football team. With a huge grin on his face, Zeke dropped his backpack on top of the desk beside Jimmy Junior's and wasted no time tackling his best friend and pulling him into a headlock.

"Missed ya, J-Ju!" Zeke grunted, as Jimmy Junior tried to wriggle out of his grip.

"Zeke, stop, let go," Jimmy Junior groaned, pulling and pushing at Zeke's arms. He'd gotten a lot stronger over the summer and Jimmy Junior was struggling to breathe.

"Just let it happen, bud," Zeke's grin grew wider as he tried to push Jimmy Junior to the ground.

"Zeke, I'm serious, dude. You're embarrassing me."

Zeke paused, his eyebrows furrowing at what Jimmy Junior had said. Embarrassing him? That was new.

Zeke let Jimmy Junior go, trying to keep his face from falling. "Sorry, J-Ju. Uh, guess I don't know my own strength anymore."

"Yeah." Jimmy Junior said, straightening his letterman jacket out in frustration.

Zeke, still smiling despite how confused he was by the sudden change in Jimmy Junior's behavior, only leaned against the wall as Jimmy Junior continued his conversation with his other friends.

"Yo, JJ," One of them piped up, crossing his arms over his chest, "Who was that girl you were talking to earlier, out by the lockers?"

"Who's JJ?" Zeke raised an eyebrow.

Jimmy Junior looked at him like he was stupid. "I'm JJ, dude."

"Right," Zeke chuckled, as if he had just had a minor brain fart, "My bad."

Jimmy Junior looked back at his friend. "Who, Tina?" He asked, giving a half-hearted shrug, "She's just a friend."

"Say hwat?" Zeke exclaimed, not catching on to the look Jimmy Junior was giving him, "Since when?"

"Since forever, Zeke," Jimmy Junior responded pointedly, scowling at him.

Who was this JJ character and what had he done with Jimmy Junior? When did he and Tina break up, and why was he saying Tina was just a friend? When had Tina ever been just a friend to Jimmy Junior?

The second bell rang (much to the relief of Jimmy Junior, who looked like he was having a hard time keeping his 'cool guy' shtick going) and Zeke moved his backpack to the floor, taking a seat. Their teacher introduced herself as Mrs. Miller, but that was the last thing Zeke heard before he propped his head up on his hand and got lost in his own thoughts.

No wonder Tina had been so upset when he saw her. Jimmy Junior had broken her heart once again. He should have known. The only times he had ever seen Tina so blue was when she was having problems with Jimmy Junior.

It wasn't fair. Tina was so nice, and so cool, and so pretty. Zeke couldn't fathom why anyone would treat Tina less than she deserved. Tina deserved to be treated like a queen.

Zeke had felt that way since he met her in kindergarten, when she was tiny and talkative and always had a smile on her face. He remembered collecting cool rocks and pretty flowers on the playground for her, but she'd always been more interested in the dead bugs Jimmy Junior kept in his pocket.

Zeke had always been in Jimmy Junior's shadow, trying twice as hard and receiving half as much of the attention Jimmy Junior garnered. This was true in most aspects — sports, popularity, grades, and most of all, the heart of Tina Belcher.

Zeke had harbored a crush on Tina for years and he thought he'd been pretty forthcoming about it. Hell, he'd even told Tina that he knew they were meant to be married once in the heat of a moment. Obviously over the years he had taken a step back, deciding his friendship with Jimmy Junior was more important. That's what he'd say if anyone asked, anyway. The real reason was that he knew, deep down, that he'd probably never have a chance. He, too, knew what it was like when feelings for someone were all-consuming. For Tina, it was Jimmy Junior.

For Zeke, it was Tina.

Zeke kept his distance with Jimmy Junior, (or JJ now, he supposed) who was flocked by all of his cool new friends, for the rest of the morning. Not too distant, but just distant enough that Jimmy Junior wouldn't be embarrassed by him. As soon as lunch rolled around, Zeke wrestled with the thought of who he would sit with, his choice only confirmed when he watched all of Jimmy Junior's football buds take up all of the chairs at their usual table.

Honestly, he was kind of relieved. Things had changed so much while he was gone, and obviously not for the better.

Zeke scanned the cafeteria for Jocelyn, Susmita, and Tina, smiling a genuine smile for the first time since his weird encounter with Jimmy Junior earlier that morning when he spotted them. Jocelyn caught his eye, waving frantically for him to come join them.

"Hey, party people!" He greeted, dropping his lunch tray onto the table. "How's y'all's first day?"

"So good," Jocelyn was the first to answer. She flipped her hair over her shoulder. "This year is gonna be a breeze."

"Oh, for sure," Susmita agreed, nodding along, "Half of my classes are basically blow off classes."

Tina was the only one who stayed silent, her gaze somewhere far away. When Zeke followed her eyes, he found Tammy with her hand on Jimmy Junior's shoulder, tossing her head back and laughing at something he was saying.

"Lemme see your schedule, T-Bird," Zeke said, in order to distract her, "Wanna see if we've got any classes together this afternoon."

Tina took several moments to peel her eyes away from Jimmy Junior and Tammy, before fishing her schedule out of her binder. She slid it across the table towards Zeke.

Zeke scanned the small print of the schedule, his eyes lighting up. "Would ya look at that? Looks like we've got chemistry together!"

"You don't say," Jocelyn murmured, eyeing Susmita again and slowly slurping at what was left of her extra large iced caramel latte from earlier that morning.

Zeke elbowed Jocelyn lightly, who only feigned confusion with a quiet, "What? You said it."

Jocelyn was the only one who knew about Zeke's crush on Tina. While Zeke considered Jimmy Junior his best friend, Jocelyn was a very close second. She probably knew more about Zeke than anyone else did, and vice versa. They'd gotten really close somewhere in the middle of freshman year, shortly after Jocelyn and Tina became good friends. Both Zeke and Jocelyn had felt a bit like outcasts in their respective friend groups and were both drawn to each other at social events when everyone else was too busy getting sloppily drunk or being generally messy for fun. Zeke would never have guessed that under Jocelyn's mean girl exterior was an actual genuinely sweet person with a heart of gold. Once she was away from Tammy, she was kind and thoughtful and smart, which, no offense to Jocelyn, came as a bit of a surprise. But playing second fiddle to Tammy meant Jocelyn was never allowed to be smarter, or prettier, or funnier, or cooler than Tammy. It had taken a lot of courage from Jocelyn to finally ditch her, and Zeke was glad she did. He might have missed out on a really good friendship had she not.

"Cool," was all Tina said in response.

Zeke's chest clenched and his smile faltered. He hated seeing Tina like this.

He was going to have to try harder.

As soon as Tina exited Huxley High with Jocelyn and Gene at the end of the day, a wave of relief washed over her. At least she wouldn't have to be in the same vicinity as Jimmy Junior for a few hours.

Pushing aside her heartbreak, Tina looked over at Gene as they walked through the parking lot. "How was your first day, Gene?"

"Great!" Gene grinned, "The food here is way better than the food at Wagstaff, and I didn't even know that was possible!"

"Sorry I wasn't able to show you around today," Tina apologized, "I was really excited to be your cool older sister guide."

"Ain't no thang, T," Gene waved his hand dismissively. "A sophomore named Seth showed me around. He's got the same last name as Jocelyn. Small world, huh?"

"Gene, that's my brother," Jocelyn couldn't help but laugh, "You met my brother."

"I knew those pouty lips looked familiar!" Gene exclaimed, before looking down at his hands and twiddling his thumbs. "Is he… going to be riding with us?"

Jocelyn shook her head. "He's got soccer practice." She said, clocking the disappointment on Gene's face. Interesting. "He'll be at the bonfire tonight, though."

Gene's eyes lit up again, but he coughed to try to hide his excitement.

Across the parking lot, Zeke was standing on the side bars of his tall truck, waving frantically at Tina, Gene, and Jocelyn.

"See y'all at the bonfire tonight!" He beamed, his gaze lingering on Tina for a couple extra seconds before he slipped into his truck.

Tina felt good enough to wave back at him, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

"There's my little high schoolers!" Linda greeted the three teens as they entered the restaurant to let Linda and Bob know they were home, "So, how was it?"

"Good," chimed the three teens in unison.

"How's your head, Tina Bean-a?"

"Better, thanks," Tina answered, forcing a smile. She'd momentarily forgotten about the stupid Kuchi Kopi bandaid. She'd have to remember to switch it out for a normal bandaid before the bonfire. If she was going to try to catch the attention of someone new, (not that she really wanted to, but she knew Jocelyn and Susmita would most likely be pushing her to do so) she didn't want the Kuchi Kopi bandaid to be the thing that did it.

"Do you girls need help getting ready for the bonfire tonight? You know I love a good makeover," Linda sing-songed, earning a laugh from Jocelyn.

"I think we'll be okay, Mrs. Belcher," Jocelyn told her.

"Oh, alright," Linda waved her hand. "How about you, Gene?"

"I thought you'd never ask! It's imperative that I dress to impress tonight!" Gene exclaimed, slamming his hands down on the counter dramatically. He looked down at his fingers, before holding his hands up to show Linda his chipped green nail polish, "And I need a manicure, stat!"

"Alriiight, that's what I like to hear!" Linda clapped her hands together before reaching behind her back to untie her apron, "Bobby, I'm taking off early."

"Lin, no, the dinner rush starts in an hour," Bob tried to reason with her, but Linda was already too busy asking Gene what color he was thinking this time.

"S'okay, Dad," Louise called from the back booth, pulling Lettuce's jowls gently and then letting them flop back into place, drool dripping onto the plastic of the booth seats. "Lettuce and I will stay with you." She offered, "But only because I don't want to be roped into makeovers." (She added this as an afterthought, not wanting it to seem like she actually wanted to be there despite the fact that she was always up for spending more time with her dad, even if it meant she'd have to work in order to do it.)

Bob huffed a heavy sigh. "Okay, yeah, that's fine."

"Okay, everybody upstairs!" Linda clapped her hands, "Let's get this party started!"

Jocelyn let out a whoop as she followed Linda out of the restaurant, and Tina followed suit with much less enthusiasm. Tina looked across the street at Jimmy Pesto's, catching a glance of Jimmy Junior behind the glass of the window, his thumbs moving a mile a minute as he sent text after text. Tina pulled her phone out of her pocket, watching for several moments before coming to terms with the fact that he was definitely not trying to reach out to her. She sighed, her eyes downcast, only snapping her head back up when Jocelyn waved her hand in Tina's face.

"Come on, T," She gave Tina a kind smile. "We're gonna get you to forget all about Jimmy Junior tonight."

Jocelyn placed a gentle hand on Tina's back and led her toward the door.

Well, Tina thought as she walked past Jocelyn into her apartment, Here goes nothing.