We lost our game. It was something like a twenty point difference; the coach was pretty pissed at us. The bus ride back to school was not a pleasant one and all we wanted was to just go home.

Except for me.

I wanted – needed, to talk to Nick. I knew that I wouldn't be able to sleep without telling him that I was wrong and it was my fault that he was hurting. I was feeling helpless because I knew that I wasn't supposed to do this kind of thing.

Become attached to a guy in high school. Especially when you had hopes and dreams for yourself to be great, and well, it's not in the cards to have a boyfriend while doing so. It's just not realistic.

I walked into the school, being hit by the sound of the buzzer immediately as I made my way towards the ticket stand. I flashed my jersey and the guy let me in, for free. Ryan waved at me from the stands and I started my way over to him.

"Hey," he greeted me.

I smiled slightly saying "hey" back before turning to the game which was apparently very close by the nervous looks on the varsity boys faces'.

"How'd your game go?" Ryan asked, yelling above the cheering and buzzer.

"We lost!" I shouted, not looking at him when I spoke. Yeah, I was still pretty mad that we lost. Probably because the coach blamed me for it.

He called it "not staying focused," and of course telling me that I let my team down by not playing my best. Doesn't that just make a perfect end to my great week? Yeah, I thought so too.

"Ah, I'm sorry. You'll get them next time, in the playoffs." I nodded as we both turned our attention back to the game. The clock read that there was only a few seconds until halftime.

I scanned the crowd in search of Nick hoping that maybe he would still be here. With no such luck, I decided I would go down at talk to Greg who I spotted in the front row at halftime to try and see where Nick was.

…

"Where are you going?" Ryan asked as I began to make my way down the bleachers, get stuck in between two people as the bleachers were shoulder to shoulder on each side with people everywhere.

"Going to find Nick!" I yelled as he let go of my arm and allowed me to head towards the floor.

"Hey!"

"How did the game go?"

"Aw you looked really cool in the pep rally today Miles!"

People kept interrupting me on the way down, unsettling my stomach a little and almost convincing me to get out of what I was about to do. I took a deep breath and started to run after Greg, bumping into the mob of people around me on the way.

When I finally reached Greg he was intently speaking with someone that I could not recognize, yet the look on Greg's face said it all. He was shocked.

"Well I doubt Brooke would tell the truth about what happened," his tone annoyed. I quickly hid behind next to the wall so I could still hear what was going on just around the corner.

"I just don't believe it, why would he get so pissed. I mean, why now?" the other person said.

"Nick was pissed. He literally came up to her after the pep rally, pulling her aside, and he told her that he was done taking all her bullshit and letting her have this control over him. He said he was done, he sounded really serious Kelsey."

So the mysterious person was Kelsey. "I just-" she stuttered for a second. "-just doesn't sound like him. He never goes off. And what did Brooke possibly do to him that would make him so pissed? It was her that was hurt the most at the end of that relationship."

I snorted hearing how stupid she sounded. She didn't even know. I bet half the school didn't know the truth. But I did, and I wasn't going to let people keep talking bad about him. I turned the corner and came face to face with this Kelsey.

"Listen up here Ketchup, Kels? Whatever. Nick is a great guy and I don't think that you talking shit about him will make him take back what he said to Brooke or what actually went down in their relationship. It was her pulling all the bullshit."

She looked taken aback by my venomous tone. "Um – excuse me? Do I know you?" she gestured with her hand speaking to me like a fly. Bitch.

"Yeah, I'm kind of your worst nightmare. And it started the second you said shit about Nick." I took a step forward, making myself bigger to get on her level – she had on heels. At a basketball game!

She came at me but Greg stepped in before it got anywhere.

"Miles, let's go," he mumbled, his eyes locking mine. I jumped at her making her flinch before smirking and turning to walk away.

I had to find Nick.

…

I walk away from the school, my face a nice shade of red. Nick stood up to Brooke. I mean, I don't know for sure if it was because of me but I had a good feeling…it was.That made me really giddy and I couldn't even think when I turned the corner and took a seat on the curb pulling my phone out of my pocket.

One new message from Demi.

Where are you.

At school – come get me? I replied quickly.

Be there in ten. Was her instant response.

I shut my phone and took a deep breath. Maybe she would know what to make of this newly found information. I looked around me to see just a few freshman huddled near the door laughing at some stupid joke that probably wasn't funny, they just wanted to seem cool by laughing as a group. To my left there was Ryan, appearing out of nowhere and making his way towards me.

"Hey," I said, shivering a little as it suddenly got colder.

"I saw you leave when I was in line for hot dogs," he said, holding up the hot dogs in his hand. He stuck one out towards me. "Want it?"

I smiled and nodded. "Thanks."

I took a bite while he said "No problem," and did the same.

So we sat there in silence while I waited for my ride, the only sound to be heard was our chewing.

Finally, he spoke up.

"I heard what happened with Nick. What are you going to do?" he licked his lips as he finished the last bit of his hot dog, ketchup reminisce on the corners of his mouth.

"You did?" I questioned.

"Yeah, I was kind of there when it happened actually. It was right after you left, when I pulled you away from him?" I looked at him. I was kind of grateful at the time that he did that, but now I'm kind of mad. I wish I could have seen Nick call her out.

Maybe because then I would know for sure that it was because of me.

"So, what else did he say? Did he talk about me?"

"You're avoiding my question Miles, what are you going to do about him?" he said, ignoring my own question.

I sighed. "I don't know Ryan, I just don't know."

"Well, you better make up your mind before it's too late."

I looked at him, wanting to ask him a million questions. That statement lingered with me as Demi honked the horn pulling me away from my school and Ryan. What did he mean by that?

Before it's too late…

"Hey," Demi greeted me, pulling out of the lot just as I closed my car door.

"Guess what Nick did."

She smiled tentatively. "What did he do?"

I couldn't help but blush once again, believing that he did it for me: Because he loved me. Or something like that…

"He told Brooke, his ex girlfriend, off. He went on about how she no longer has this control over him anymore and she should just move on because he's done letting her screw him over. He basically told her to eff-off, and that he doesn't want anything to do with her. No more Mr. Nice Guy."

Demi turned the car radio down, her lips pressed firmly together.

I sighed. "Go on, say it."

She looked over. "You sure?"

I nodded solemnly.

"Told you so!" she exclaimed, a grin appearing on her face.

"Wait so what does this mean?" I turned in my seat to face her completely, my knee propped up against the armrest.

"He likes you, like he really likes you Miles. I really think you need to stop thinking about yourself for five seconds and give the guy a chance."

That's another thing I love about Demi: She's brutally honest.

"I can't believe this."

"I know! You're actually going to have a boyfriend for more than a month!" her smile got bigger, her voice brighter.

"No, I really can't believe that I didn't push him too far away."

"Miles, all the good ones stay close. No matter how far you try to push them. And this one," her eyes got softer as she glanced over at me. "He's not getting scared off by you anytime soon."

Short n sweet? Okay guys, well its been almost a month. And my spring break is NOW. I will not be able to post at all because i'll be gone and laptopless. haha. = cool word. anyways, please comment on this because its the 3rd to last chapter! So i am in the writing stage of the next chapter and I already have the last one half written but I want it to be perfect. Lots of comments on the next few if you want a sequel. That would be coming out in Fall 2011. :) i love you all! thanks for sticking by me and not giving up on me!

Emily. Whisper hello, i miss you quite terribly.