Mouth sighed as he shifted to his right to get a better look out the window. Class had just started and it was early morning, although it felt like much later. It was the last place on earth he wanted to be, stuffed in that room with all his classmates listening to the boring teacher go on and on about a bunch of nothing. Sighing, he rested his head on his arm as he tapped a pencil against the desk. He should have just skipped that day but it would have been unheard of. Good guys like Mouth McFadden didn't skip school.

His eyes aimlessly floated around the room. He was surrounded by the usual suspects. Nathan Scott. In a surprise move, they had actually become friends over the last two years. Nathan had turned out to be a decent guy and in perhaps the biggest surprise ever to occur at Tree Hill High, he and River Court original, tutor girl, Haley James had gotten married. Mouth had even deejayed their first wedding reception. They had all toasted the happy couple but few had high expectations for a marriage between two 16 years olds. True enough, their love had been tested but the pair, affectionately nicknamed, Naley, had beaten the odds. They were happier than ever and expecting their first child, a son. As the teacher lectured, Mouth saw Haley make a silly face at Nathan and he smiled back at her. The love was so evident in their eyes and although Mouth was happy for them, he was slightly envious. Those two had discovered their soul mates while still in high school. Would true love ever find him?

Looking over he saw Rachel Gatina. Briefly their eyes met but Mouth quickly looked away. Those beautiful eyes of hers had hypnotized him too many times already. He had fallen for her practically the first time he saw her. And as gorgeous as she was, who could blame him? The two had become real friends although Mouth was keenly aware the friendship initiated by Rachel had been mainly just another way to get at her then rival, Brooke Davis. But he didn't care. In time, the two had gotten to know each and they genuinely liked each other. Then the event happened that would change all their lives forever. It started out a day like any other day but ended a day like no other. It was the day Jimmy Edwards decided to bring a gun to school. In the library Peyton Sawyer lay dying with a gunshot wound to her leg that had caused a massive and steady loss of blood. Lucas had risked life and limb to come back and save her. Save her he did.

Across the way in the Tutoring Center, were Haley, Nathan, Mouth, Rachel, Abby Brown, Marcus Cardoza, and Skills Taylor huddled together in fear of their former friend. No one would ever understand the feelings and emotions in that room unless they had been there. Rachel had held Mouth as he sobbed and in the days that followed, she had shared with him a dangerous secret. It was she that had unleashed the school's time capsule. It was the result of her prank that had set the events in motion that would lead Jimmy to do what he did. Mouth had guarded that secret and a special bond had formed. But not special enough. She cared for him and she trusted him but she did not want him, not in the way a woman was supposed to want a man.

"You okay, dude?" Lucas mouthed from two rows over.

Mouth looked up and gave him a half nod, quickly putting his head back down. Lucas and Peyton exchanged worried glances but Mouth chose to ignore them. They were another one of those happy, popular, so in love couples. That was seeming to go around school. In fact, he had been a member of that group up until a few days prior when Gigi had crushed his heart and stomped his dreams. Shaking it off, he looked over at Bevin and Brooke. They looked back and instantly he felt better. A new bond had been formed and it was a strong one.

"Okay class," the teacher continued. "Finishing what we were discussing. Love poems…"

Mouth rolled his eyes. He wanted to throw up. Love poems? Love poems! How stupid! How corny! Who was responsible for choosing curriculum? It was English class for God's sake. Weren't they supposed to be studying prepositions and adverbs and all that stuff? Anything but poetry, he thought as he buried his head further in his hands. It was all Gigi's fault. She had done this to him, she had broken his heart. And just like with Erica, he was mad at the world because of it. It was like time had stopped for him but for everyone else, the world would spin madly on, even for Gigi. Day after day, she walked down those halls giggling with her friends seemingly without a care in the world, as if nothing had happened. And that made Mouth want to scream! He'd never get over her getting over him.

"…E.E. Cummings is the poet of the day, gang. Let's start off with one of my favorites. I Carry Your Heart With Me is on the second page of your handout. Can I please get a volunteer reader?"

There was a murmur of dread across the classroom as the teacher chuckled.

"Too big to read aloud, eh?" he posed.

"Yes," they resounded in unison.

"Nonsense. Reading out loud lets you actually hear the words and it puts it in a whole new perspective. Work with me, guys. Come on. Anyone? Don't everyone all volunteer at once. Okay…how about you, Mouth?"

He looked up and frowned.

"Why me?"

"Why not? Besides, you look like you could use a nice wake up call."

Rolling his eyes, he began to huff the words.

"I carry your heart with me (I carry it in my heart). I'm never without it (anywhere I go you go my dear; and whatever is done by only me is your doing, my darling). I fear no fate (for you are my fate, my sweet). I want no world (for beautiful you are my world, my true) and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant and whatever a sun will always sing to you. Here is the deepest secret nobody knows (here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide) and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart. I carry your heart(I carry it in my heart)."

"Very good. Now what do you think that means? What do you think the author was trying to say?"

"I don't know," Mouth shrugged, annoyed.

"Of course you do. Think about it. There are no right or wrong answers here, Mouth. It's simply your opinion, what you think, what you feel. Go for it. Give it a shot."

Normally he paid attention in school and actively participated in class discussions but with the week Mouth was having, he could care less about E.E. Cummings or his stupid poetry.

"You really want to know what I think?"

"The floor is yours…"

"Fine. First of all, I think it's dumb. Second of all, I think it's pointless."

"Okay. Why do you feel that way?"

He shrugged.

"Obviously the guy is talking about a girl and he is obsessed with that girl. Everything is his world revolves around her and you know what? She probably doesn't even give a crap. That's right. This guy, and he's probably a good and decent guy, cares so much about her and he's ready to give her everything and I bet it doesn't even matter to her."

There was a collective gasp as everyone looked at each other. The outburst was so unlike Mouth but everyone had heard about the breakup with Gigi. It was plain to see he was hurting but it was also plain to see he was mad as all hell.

"Very well. Anyone else beg to differ?"

"I do," a hand raised from the front.

Mouth recognized her immediately. She was in the Media Club with him and she had founded that club about virgins, Clean Teens. They knew of each other but had barely exchanged two sentences all year.

"Take it away, Miss Simon."

She cleared her throat, looking thoughtful as she carefully chose each word.

"You use the word obsessed but you use it in a bad way, like the guy is a psycho or something. I don't agree. He just has so much love for this woman and it's kind of sweet. You think that the girl doesn't care how he feels but what if they are together, like a couple but he's the one in the relationship with the stronger feelings. Maybe he's more into her than she's into him but it still doesn't mean that she doesn't care."

"Okay, Shelly…"

"No," Mouth interrupted the teacher. "Is that supposed to make it okay?"

Shelly, surprised, looked right at him.

"Are you talking to me?"

"Yeah, I'm talking to you. Let's take your scenario. He isn't chasing after her all obsessed. They are together but he feels more for her than she feels for him. That's okay?"

"It's not for me to say. It's not really right or wrong, it's just the way it is. It's how they feel. The writer can't help that he feels so strong and loving towards her just like she can't help that she doesn't necessarily return those feelings for him. It doesn't make her a bad person and it doesn't make him one either."

"That's a load of crap," he laughed sarcastically.

"Why is that?" Shelly challenged.

"Because it's all overrated."

"What is?"

"All of it. Love. Relationships. And just for the record, it's not okay to have a one sided relationship."

"I didn't say…"

"It's not okay when one person feels more strongly than the other. When that person puts their heart and their soul and their effort and all their hopes and dreams into that other person and the relationship and their significant other isn't on the same page. It's not okay, in fact, it's pretty damned unfair."

His voice had raised a few octaves and his face was red with anger. It was clear an innocent and insightful group discussion had escalated into something more and it had nothing to do with a famous poem.

"Okay, guys. Let's calm down. Thank you Mouth and Shelly. If we could just move on…"

"Let's," Mouth said coldly.

The awkwardness and tension inside the room was so tangible you could cut it with a knife.

"Alrighty, then. If you will look on your handouts…"

Shelly couldn't believe it. She knew of Mouth McFadden and what she did know was a quiet, nice, almost geekish sort of guy. Now, whatever the reason for his outburst, she couldn't help but feel his hostility had been directed towards her. She felt angry almost. She hadn't done anything wrong, she had just answered a question.

"Whatever, Mr. Sensitivity," she mumbled a little too loudly underneath her breath.

"Are you talking to me?" Mouth demanded.

Shelly gave him a smart alecky smile.

"Maybe. Maybe not. But if the shoe fits…"

"Settle down, class," the teacher tried to regain control. "That's enough."

"Yeah, it is," Mouth seethed.

"Mouth…"

"I'm out of here," he stood, grabbing his book bag before storming out of the class.

There was a hush over the stunned class members.

"Back to the handouts, guys", the teacher cleared his throat. "Wow, who knew Cummings would cause such an uproar?"

Nathan, Haley, Lucas, Peyton, Rachel, Brooke and Bevin couldn't believe it either.

"Yeah," Brooke sighed. "Who knew?"