Taylor's POV

Drake led me to the Nurse's office and as we walked down the hall I felt eyes follow us the whole way but Drake was the only thing I was looking at. Drake had originally been holding my hand when we left the greenhouse but now his arm was around my shoulder holding me close while my arm was around his waist. We stopped outside the open door to the Nurse's office. I looked up at Drake and he kissed the side of my head saying goodbye.

"So...I'll see you soon, yeah?" he asked.

"I'll see you soon." I smiled, quickly kissed him goodbye, and walked into the office.

Luckily the Nurse wasn't busy so I sat down and she looked at my hand right away. She told me I bruised my knuckle pretty badly so she gave me some pain medication, a wrist wrap, and an icepack for the swelling and sent me on my way.

I met Drake outside of our next class and he looked down at my hand. I held it up showing him the brace.

"Pretty bad ass." He smiled and pulled me into a kiss.

"Tough enough to take you on." I hit his arm playfully. He clutched his arm feigning an injury and I laughed as I walked into class. He followed behind me laughing too. We took our seats and prepared ourselves for the next hour long class.

"Taylor, perhaps you can answer this question; why did our government chose to separate the Atrians instead of letting them integrate into our society? What's changed that made them think differently?" The teacher asks me. For a second I freak out and my mind goes blank, but then I think of Drake and the time we've spent together. It wasn't all sunshine and rainbows. Drake and I fought constantly in our science class about which race was better, but that was before we spent any real time together and realized that we were actually similar in many small but significant ways.

"I think it's because the government couldn't be sure of their intentions at first. What happened was we were bombarded with the information that another intelligent life form existed when proof landed quite literally in the middle of our town. We weren't sure how to perceive their arrival. It didn't help that the first thing we did was swarm them with soldiers carrying guns, instead of listening to their side of the story." I pause and look around the room. Everyone is looking at me with some degree of disbelief and Drake's face is beaming with what I assume is happiness. The teacher studies me for a minute and then turns back to the board.

"Like Mrs. Taylor said we didn't get the chance to hear the Atrian side of this story so I think it's only fair they get to share their story aloud, if they want. I want all of you to write about what you remember from Arrival day. I want at least two pages and if you can't remember what you were doing get creative and make something up." The teacher dismissed us and I looked back at Drake. It was the end of the day so we would be heading our separate ways. I smiled sadly and he seemed to know what I meant. I piled my books into my arms but Drake took them from me.

"Oh no you don't." he said adding them to his pile in his arms.

"Drake, I bruised my hand, I didn't break it. I'm not an invalid, I can carry my own books," I pouted but was secretly glad he took them because they did hurt my hand.

"I know. You're my badass warrior princess." I smiled at the nick name and we walked out of class. I turned down the hallway to my locker and saw a big group surrounding where my locker should have been. I say should have been because it was demolished. The door was ripped off its hinges and hanging pathetically against the wall and the contents of my locker had been thrown across the hallway. I picked up my Science binder and passed it silently to Drake who took it. I then bent down to pick up the destroyed bouquet of flowers Drake had given me this morning. I felt tears sting my eyes and a silent sob escaped my lips before I could stop it. I looked back at the mangled door and gasped at the message written on my mirror on the door. I turned to run away but Drake caught me and held me close. I didn't know what to say but he seemed to understand that I just needed a moment to cry.

Drake's POV

I smiled at Taylor's answer to the teacher's question. It was a really thoughtful answer to this problem that the government was trying to solve. The humans hadn't given us a chance to explain our crash or our reason for being close enough to their planet to land on it. I smiled wider as the teacher described our next project. Even though it was a long paper it seemed like a good idea to try and figure out what the real problem was with us settling here.

The bell rang and the teacher dismissed us. Taylor turned around in her seat and smiled at me softly. It was the end of the day and myself and the Atrian 7 would be going back to the Sector. I knew that she felt bad about that fact. Taylor started piling books into her arms but I shook my head and took them from her.

"Oh no you don't." I said adding them to my pile of books.

"Drake, I bruised my hand, I didn't break it. I'm not an invalid, I can carry my own books," Taylor pouted but I could tell she was secretly glad. I knew her hand was bothering her a little.

"I know. You're my badass warrior princess." We smiled and walked out of class toward her locker. I froze behind her when I saw the large group of people standing in the hallway.

I looked above everyone and saw what they were all staring at. Taylor's locker was trashed.

The door was ripped off its hinges and hanging against the wall and the contents of her locker had been thrown across the hallway. Taylor bent down and picked up her science binder and passed it silently to me and I took it not saying anything. Taylor bent down and picked up the bouquet of flowers I had given her that morning. They were stripped of their leaves and petals and were just the ugly stems now. I felt anger building up inside me at whoever did this. I knew it was more about me being who I am than it is about Taylor, but whoever they were they knew I couldn't be deterred by this incident. They went after Taylor and I was really angry now. I heard Taylor gasp and looked at where she was looking. On her locker door where her mirror usually hung, there was a message written in bright red marker.

I guess you really are the whore I thought you were. ~kisses, Zoe.

Taylor turned around and tried to run but I caught her around the waist and held her close. I didn't know what to say but she seemed to understand that I was just going to hold her until she told me to let go.

"Taylor, Drake, you're both wanted in Gloria's office." an SEU guard came and informed them. He looked at the ground and paled a little. I looked down at Taylor and looked into her eyes. She looked scared a little and this was something new to me. I had never seen this side of her before and it was a little unnerving to see her this way. I had always seen her strong and with a gleam in her eye but there was nothing there now.

"We'll be there soon," I said taking Taylor's hand and leading her away from the crowded hall. I pulled her into an empty classroom and shut the door behind us. "Are you ok?" I ask looking into her eyes again hoping to see that spark back. I didn't see it and I knew this really struck her hard. I knew the truth about Zoe but Taylor didn't. She had to learn that her best friend wasn't really her best friend through her destroying her locker and calling her a slut in front of the entire school. I tried to push her hair out of her face so I could see the rest of her face but, it tumbled down around her face. I smiled at how beautiful she looked with her hair down.

"Did you know?" She asks softly while peeking up at me. I pause considering what I should tell her. I could lie to her and spare her the extra heartbreak that I know she can't handle right now. I know that if I tell her now that I knew about Zoe, Taylor will pull even further away from me than she already has started to after seeing her locker destroyed. I knew that wasn't the type of relationship I wanted us to establish though.

"Yes. I knew she wasn't really your friend, but I knew it would hurt you more to know the truth. I didn't know she was going to tell you this way." I admit finally. She looks up at me and her face becomes stealy. Before I can react she slaps me hard across the face. I flinch at the blow, not because she hit me- I was kinda expecting that but because of how much her look of distrust hurt me. She glares at me and says,

"You knew and you didn't tell me because you didn't think I could handle it?"

"It's not that I didn't think you could handle it, I just needed more time to figure out how to tell you," I lie to her anyway despite what I had decided a few minutes ago.

"I can't believe you knew and didn't tell me!" Taylor threw her hands up in the air and started at me. I quickly tried to come up with something to say to her, but I couldn't think of anything.

"We should go talk to Gloria," I say lamely and Taylor scoffs at me and storms off not glancing back to make sure I was coming. I rub my hands over my face to try and clear my head as I follow her to Gloria's office.

I walked into Gloria's office and sat down beside Taylor in the reception area. Taylor glared at me and leaned the opposite direction in her chair away from me and I knew I was in deep shit.

"You can go in now." the receptionist said.

"Ah Taylor, Drake its so great to see you! How's the relationship going?" Gloria greets us and motions for us to sit. We sit in silence and neither of us really answer her question. I'm looking for Taylor to lead the conversation but she doesn't seem to want to talk.

"We're good," I say since Taylor won't talk.

"Ok, well I just wanted to talk to you before Friday," Gloria starts but Taylor cuts her off.

"That won't be necessary. Drake and I aren't going on a date anymore," Taylor said and stood quickly before running from the room.

"Taylor!" I yelled after her. I stood up to try and follow her but I stood so quickly I knocked her chair over with a loud crash. When I put the chair back where it should have been and looked up to follow Taylor, she was gone.

"Drake, what happened? I thought you said things were going well," Gloria said looking at me for an explanation.

"There was an incident today. Taylor's locker was vandalized and I know who's behind it. I kept something from her that I shouldn't have." I said quickly still trying to figure out where Taylor could have disappeared to so quickly.

Gloria dismissed me and I walked out of the office hurrying to catch the bus. I knew I wouldn't find Taylor still at school so I didn't bother looking at her spot in the parking lot. I thought about what had happened to us throughout this day. Too much had happened for me to comprehend and I didn't feel like talking to anyone so I sat in the back and stared out the window. When Teri sat down next to me and tried to talk to me I glared at her and she shut up. I felt bad but I couldn't think of anything beside Taylor.