Author's Note:

Two uploads in a week? WHAT!?

hahahaha I know it's short, but because you get two in a week, just pretend that it's one long chapter, okay? cool, thanks XD

anyways, enjoy and I hope to update for you soon!

"What the hell was that all about?" I demanded as we arrived at the streetlight we waited at outside our houses each morning.

I had unceremoniously dragged a silent Tate all the way back here, him not giving any answers to the questions I didn't know I had. Now that we were here, however, with him looking ready to bolt inside his house and lock the door behind him, I wanted to know.

"What do you mean 'what the hell was that all about?' What the hell is wrong with you?" Tate cried back, ripping his arm from the loose grip I hadn't realised I'd maintained since we stopped walking.

I opened my mouth to respond but faltered. "I helped you."

Tate smiled at that. But it wasn't his nice, I'm-actually-laughing-for-once smile. This was a shit-eating, oh-you-poor-soul kind of smile, and I did not like it one bit. "You actually think you helped me by doing that?" He asked, seemingly almost genuinely surprised as he rubbed a hand over his tired eyes. "Oh, Calypso. You've literally done everything but help me."

Once more, my mouth seemed to open by itself, ready to respond, but my mind drew a blank. Was I really that clueless? Tate seemed to be acting like I'd done the worst possible thing in the history of the entire world. But I'd made them walk away, that was the important thing, wasn't it?

"Come on." Tate sighed, and then he grabbed my arm and pulled me up the path to his house and in the front door.

As my mind began catching up with the what was going on, Tate gently pushed me into one of the stools at the kitchen counter, and before I knew it, had a mug of hot chocolate in my hands.

I blinked down at the steaming, brown drink, the rich aroma already making my mouth water.

"You think that they're just going to go after me now as well don't you?" I asked into the silence. Tate didn't have to use his words to respond, the look on his face as I glanced up at him told me all I needed to know. "I've just made myself a social outcast, haven't I?" I muttered miserably, now fearing the worst.

"Nah." Tate's short response made me look up at him in surprise, frowning as he casually sipped on his drink. He looked to me, watching in silence.

"Well?" I demanded as the awkward moment stretched, both of us just looking at each other.

"Well, what?"

"What do you mean I haven't just made a social outcast of out of myself? That's how it goes, doesn't it?" Maybe it was because I was constantly changing schools, and so had never really found the routine of things in one place, maybe I was just a socially inept idiot, but once again Tate seemed to sigh in pity.

"Sure the jocks will pick on you every chance they get, some of the cheerleaders will probably join in eventually, they're all friends," he began.

"Not helping." I sighed miserably, slumping forward and resting my elbows on the counter top.

"But, now don't take this the wrong way – you're not important enough for anyone else to care." Tate patted my back reassuringly after the words and then downed the rest of his hot chocolate. I couldn't stop the smile that spread across my face or the huff of amusement as I turned to look at him once more.

"That's really not nice. To hype it up like that." I told him, elbowing his side.

"Hey, I had to get you in here somehow. I've been lonely, what with the fabulous three always 'studying'." Tate's tone was light and joking, as were the air quotes around studying, but as I looked into his eyes, I saw a kind of sadness lurking in the dark brown depths of them.

Maybe Tate wasn't as okay as I thought he was.