Thank you to Alexandria M, caz21, Jenny, 'Guest' and justkimmy for reviewing :)

The past month and a half has seen Dean and I become a lot closer. We've become best friends and we've also become inseparable. Of course kids at school began to believe that we were now a couple, even though that wasn't true. We denied the rumors even though a part of me wondered if denying them was what I really wanted to do.

I don't know what it was about him, but I was just attracted to him. I've been able to see a different side of Dean since we met and it's a part that only I know of. A part of him that nobody else gets to see because they don't bother to sit and care enough to know anything about Dean.

"How come you're taking so many AP classes?" Dean asked as we went to get something to eat for dinner. We haven't eaten much in the last few days, in an effort to save some money. The only thing that we've been able to eat has been breakfast and lunch from school, which wasn't much but it was something to help us get through to the next day.

"I wanna be a doctor or a scientist." I replied. "Which also explains why I've taken so many math and science courses. But it's also because I can't afford it so I'm trying to see if I can get a scholarship, so I try to keep my gpa up thinking that it'll help out. Are you gonna go to college?"

Dean thought for a moment. "I don't know if college is for me. I eventually wanna open up my own gym or a wrestling school with one of my friends who's been wrestling for years. I don't know if I have the grades for a scholarship. I can't afford college right now, even if I wanted to go."

"I'm sure you'll think of something." I told him softly. "As long as it's something you'll love."

When we got to the pizzeria, we saw Roman sitting at one of the tables, looking through his phone and an untouched pizza in front of him.

"I'll go order." I told Dean as he nodded and walked over to Roman who greeted him immediately.

O.O

"Who's got your attention on the other side of that phone?" I asked Roman as I sat across from him.

"A girl I met over the weekend. Boy, what a good weekend that was." He responded.

I smirked and shook my head, knowing what he had meant. "I was thinking about something though. Is the college application deadline over yet?"

Roman thought for a moment. "I don't think so. We have another few weeks before it is though. Why?"

"Nothing, I was just wondering." I told him, still thinking. "Do you need to take the SATs?"

"A lot of colleges want to see your SAT scores, so it's best if you just take it in case you apply for a school that wants it." Roman said. "There's an SAT exam coming up soon but next week is the last week to apply for it. After that, you're gonna have to wait until the next date available."

"I see." I nodded. "What about the PSATs?"

Roman looked at me. "What about it?"

"Do you know anything about it?" I asked him.

He shook his head. "Not really. I just know that you can get a merit scholarship from taking that test but I think that the scores are used to determine eligibility and qualification for the National Merit Scholarship Program."

"What do you have to do for that scholarship?" I asked.

"What scholarship?" Asked Leah when she came back with our pizzas and sodas. "Hi Roman."

"Hey, Leah." He replied with a smile.

I moved over a bit and let her sit next to me as she put some napkins on the table. "The National Merit Scholarship."

"You have to become a Semifinalist." She replied. "Once you are, you have to fulfill the requirements to advance to Finalist standing. As a Semifinalist, you have to submit a detailed scholarship application which includes essays and information about extracurricular achievements, awards and leadership positions. You also have to have a really really good academic record, be endorsed and recommended by a school official and earn SAT scores that confirm your qualifying test performance."

"Damn." Said Roman. "Sounds difficult."

Leah shrugged. "After that, from what I understand, only a few thousand meet Finalist requirements. By the conclusion of it all, a select group of Finalists are chosen to recieve the scholarship. My only concern for that, is that I don't have enough extracurricular activities and I had to have taken the PSATs my junior year, at least that's what I'm being told is recommended. We're already seniors."

"Try anyways and see what happens." Said Roman. "You never know. Either way, your grades are good enough for one."

I suddenly became quiet, feeling left out of the conversation. Even though Roman was the star of the football team, he still got good grades and had a B average in school. Leah was a straight A student and taking almost all AP courses. My academic achievements aren't the best, but I did try as much as I could in school.

After we finished eating, we talked for a while longer before going our seperate ways. I just wanted to get away for a while and be alone.

O.O

"Dean, wait up." I said as I quickly walked to catch up to him. He didn't slow down, nor did he even look over at me to see if I was walking beside him like he always did. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." He replied quickly. "I'm absolutely fine."

I scoffed. "No, you're not. You won't even look at me."

He stopped and turned to face me. "You and Roman start talking about grades and college and school and whatnot, but what about me? I don't even know if I have the grades to get into a community college, but the two of you are bound to get into some of the best four year colleges in the country. You for your grades and Roman for his football. I'm always left feeling left out because I don't have the grades to be bragging about it like the two of you. I don't do any sports other than wrestling and yet, I'm not on the wrestling team in school because I just can't right now with the situation that we're in."

"Dean, I wasn't trying to make you feel bad." I told him. "I'm really sorry. I didn't know you felt like that."

"I want to feel like I belong for once." Said Dean as he continued. "I want to have something that I could be proud of and something to look forward to. But I don't because I have to make sure that I finish raising myself so that I can begin to focus on what I want to become in life because I don't have it as planned out as you do."

"But..." I started to say before he interrupted me.

He sighed. "Leah, if you want to be around people that are like you - and by that, I mean people who are extremely smart and talented - than maybe you should go back home to New York. You have more friends there and that's your home. Go back to the rest of your family there. I'm sure you'll do better there than what you would here with me."

"What are you saying?" I asked him as tears began to form and fall down my face. After the bond that we have formed since we met, he was really doing this right now?

"Go back home to New York, Leah." He replied. "That's what I'm saying."

"What did I ever do wrong to you?" I asked him, with my temper rising. "If you had a problem with me, you should have came up to me and told me rather than doing this! We're together all the time and you couldn't talk to me about it?"

Dean groaned and walked before quickly stopping and turning around. "Leah, just let me go back to the way that I used to be before I met you. Before you came around, I was an asshole to everybody and I was a loner. I liked being a loner for a while there."

"I go back to New York, then I'll be going back to NOTHING!" I exclaimed. "I literally have no family left. My real father died when I was five and my mother doesn't want me around! I go back home, you really think any of my old friends would help me?"

He stayed quiet, putting his hands in his pockets before I continued. "I'll give you a hint...they won't and you know why, Dean? Since my dad died, I've been to eleven different schools so what friends am I'm going to have?"

Dean looked down and said nothing. "If you really want me to leave, then I hope that the excuse you gave me was legit. Don't think that I know nothing about the nights you leave, saying that you're going go hang out with Roman, when in reality you want to get off so you go fuck some random girl and have her give you a blowjob so that you can get off. A girl that you may never even see again. I know when somebody's lying to me, Dean. If you didn't want to hang out with me, you could have just said it instead of trying to comfort me with the whole wanting to hang out with Roman bullshit."

He looked at me surprised and with guilt in his eyes. "Leah...I wasn't having sex with anyone. I really was with Roman."

"Don't even try, Dean because I don't want to hear it." I told him, in a snappy tone. "I'll get my things together when we get back to school, and I'll be gone by tomorrow at the earliest. I'll find somewhere else to go. You don't have to worry about me anymore."

O.O

I watched her walk away in the direction of the school without looking back. I went after her, trying to catch up but she wouldn't have it. Leah was extremely upset and I didn't mean for this argument to go downhill as fast as it did and for it to get as bad as it did.

"Leah!" I exclaimed, following her. "Just listen to me!"

She quickened her pace until she began to run after we saw the school in the distance. We snuck in the way we usually did and made our way to the girls locker room. We always made sure to clean up in a way that nobody would ever notice that someone was there over night, much less a guy.

As the night went on, I gave up trying to get her attention and watched as she packed her things. Leah wouldn't listen to me and anything that I would say. I fell into a gaze and left to stand out in the hallway. When I came back into the locker room, Leah had already fallen asleep in her sleeping bag. Looking around, I saw that she indeed had everything of hers packed up except for her toothbrush and a few other things. Looking down, I slipped into my sleeping bag and tried to go to sleep.

"Leah," I whispered as if she would hear me. "I want you to stay."

The next day...

I woke up and saw that Leah's things were already gone. I went to the shower and saw that her shampoo, her soaps, everything was gone including Leah herself. Going back to where I was sleeping, I saw a note on the bench.

'I'm sorry for everything bad that I have caused you since we met. I hope you can find someone who doesn't give you as much trouble as I did. And I hope that you'll go to New York someday and see why I loved it so much. I'll see you around, Dean.. -Leah'

I crumbled up the paper and threw it, before punching a locker. I was angry at myself for probably being part of the reason for why she left. But I was angry at her because I saw it as somebody else leaving me. I was done. Maybe Leah and I weren't meant to be in each other's lives for long. I was legitamitely saddened by this and I don't let things get to me that easily.

A few hours later...

"Leah left, but then again, you didn't stop her from leaving either." Roman said as we walked around the mall.

"She wouldn't listen to me." I insisted. "And what was I supposed to say?"

"Then you should have tried harder." Roman replied. I stayed quiet, thinking about what he had said. "You care about her, whether you wanna admit it or not. Why are you letting that scare you?"

I made a face and shook my head. "I'm not. I'm perfectly fine. I don't need her if she's going to just up and leave. I'll be fine."

Roman sighed and shook his head. "Whatever you say man. If saying that is going to get you to believe that, then good luck because I don't believe it myself when you say that and I've known you for years."

"Well, believe it buddy." I told him. "Besides, she thinks I was lying to her about the times where I said I was going to spend some time with you."

"What does she think you were doing?" Roman asked.

I stayed quiet for a moment. "Leah thinks that I was having sex with random girls and that I lied to her about being with you."

"You really were with me, but you were also too busy in the guest room with girls." He replied. "Besides, how does she know that when I didn't say anything to her about it?"

"Nobody else knew, right?" I asked him.

Roman shook his head. "I didn't tell anybody. The girls don't go to our school so I doubt they said anything to anyone that we know."

"It was only three times." I announced. "The rest of the times, it just me and you hanging out."

"Then talk to Leah when you see her." Roman said.

I'll be fine. I know I will. I'll see Leah at school on Monday morning like I always do and we'll talk it out and move on from it. I know we will.

If only I can tell myself that enough times to believe it.

A/N: Do you think Dean may have overdone it a bit in that argument or did he have a right to react and say the things that he did? Where could Leah possibly go? Will she stay in Cincinatti and avoid Dean or will she leave the state all together? Do you think Dean's just putting on a front about how he feels about Leah leaving?