The day was soon over and Caitie made her way to detention. Once again blamed for something she was not responsible for.

"I can't believe Carlson gave us detention for a week!" Caitie yelled as she took a seat next to Jamie.

"Yeah, aren't you use to it by now?" Jamie replied quietly. His concentration appeared to be elsewhere.

"Sadly, sort of. But that doesn't justify anything!" Caitie looked at her best friend seated next to her. He looked somewhat sad. "Hey Jamie, what's wrong?"

Jamie glanced at Caitie and quickly looked away. "Nothing. I just have stuff on my mind."

"Okay, remember I'm here if you want to talk about it." Caitie smiled reassuringly. She took out her favorite novel, "Catcher in the Rye" and started to read the weathered pages.

'You're the one on my mind' Jamie thought to himself. He absent-mindedly started to drum his fingers on the desk and stared out the window. Jamie just couldn't really fathom why Caitie would be interested in someone like Jason. In fact, he is the epitome of all that is bad with the high school hierarchy. Caitie even professed her hatred for 'jocks' in the past. Jamie wondered what changed. She became pretty close friends with the squad, but that was an exception. They were good people. He couldn't resist the unrelenting thoughts passing through his head. Jamie let his curiosity get the better of him when he turned to Caitie and started to speak.

"So, what's the deal with you and Mr. Jock?"

Caitie put down her book and looked at Jamie. "What do you mean?"

"It's just that, he's like, so not your type." Jamie continued to incessantly drum his fingers on the desk.

"Type? Now, really, what IS my type?" Caitie glared at Jamie intensely with her hazel eyes. She tucked a piece of hair that has fallen out of her barrette behind her ears. It was a habit she only indulged in when she was arguing about something.

Jamie couldn't read Caitie's expression. 'Was she being sarcastic or was she seriously offended?'

"I don't know, it's just that it's Jason Leon. He makes even Tyler look like a bad boy misfit." Jamie tried to keep his tone light although various emotions were quickly rising within.

"Listen, I know I might not be perfect like Val, but it is possible that someone might find me interesting. He just asked me out for coffee out of the blue. I had nothing better to do so I went. What's the big deal?" Caitie practically spat out her last comments producing a jarring effect on the recipient.

Jamie took a moment before he could form a response. "Caitie, I'm sorry if I sounded . . . negative in any way. Of course you're a great person to be around. In fact you're my person of choice. It's just that, I'm worried about you. I don't want you getting hurt again."

He was referring to a certain incident regarding Brett. The point was certainly received by Caitie.

"That . . . that was a while ago. I'm okay now."

Jamie nodded understandingly yet did not completely believe her. "I know."

Caitie picked up her book and turned to the page where she left off. She continued silently reading and ignored the looks Jamie was sending her way. In a way she was touched that he was worried about her, but she was adamant in proving to herself she could get over what had happened. The thought that a guy like Brett could cause such an emotional impact on her life made her cringe.

Nothing left to say at the moment, the two sat in their seats listening to the clock ticking . . . anxiously awaiting the end of detention.