Chapter Eight: And Now You're Trying to Tell Me that You're Sorry

Disclaimer: I do not own the titles to these chapters. They come from a song entitled 'Don't Wanna Try' by Frankie J. So if you like the lyrics, check out the song!

"What are you doing here?" Jay asked amused, noticing that Alex had been pretty roughed up.

"They made me come to the principal's office. No biggie. The real question is why are you here? I thought goody-good changed all your bad ways." Alex shot back, smacking on her gum loudly.

"Whatever. I know you were fighting over me." Jay laughed. "It's cute really."

"Get over yourself." Alex shook her head. "Your girl needed to be put in her place."

"And my ex-girlfriend just had to be the one to do it, right?"

"Don't worry about what I do." Alex turned away from him.

"So what are you without me? A bad ass without a cause? A pathetic excuse for a woman." Jay spat out, his anger arising from the fact that he not only didn't have her, but couldn't have her. Alex noticed this and smiled. She wasn't fazed at all by his sudden change in character.

They both put on acts while in school. That was what high school was all about. He played the 'I don't give a fuck' asshole and she played the tomboyish badass. And she loved it when they interacted … the way they said what they were thinking and put it out there without a second thought.

"If you want sex, all you have to do is ask." She joked, waiting for his response. This was semi … amusing. Alex began to think that kicking the crap out of Emma was worth it after all.

"Alex, you know I want you." Jay whispered in her ear, running his tongue down her neck.

"Oh please. I can't believe you're getting tired with goody-good already." Alex shoved him away, although secretly wanting him to choose Alex over Emma. She didn't want to be in another Ellie-Gianni situation, but she hated being alone like this. And a hug part of her still wanted to get Jay back … not just to see if she could do it, because he got her more than most people.

"You know I just want you around."

"For what? To be another conquest? To prove that you can have me?" Alex laughed to herself. "Last night you were all concerned about me and my father and now you're all about the physical? Typical guy."

"Don't tell me you don't want to." Jay pressed, wanting her more and more each time she resisted.

"I'm through with that. Through with you. Do you not remember a couple of months ago when you were cheating on me with Emma, and now it's all gravy?"

"You at least gonna come over to my house tonight? A big party … a lot of people will be there." He ignored her last comment. A chick like Alex could never be taken too seriously.

"Will Emma be there?" Alex wondered, thinking about the opportunity to escape being at home for another night and probably getting drunk and high shitless.

"She doesn't even know." Jay grinned as Ms. H stuck her head out of her office.

"Jay, I'm ready for you."

New Scene

"Why are you being so dramatic?" Jimmy asked as Hazel shrugged. Jimmy had her backed into a corner and there was nothing left to do, but to tell him the truth.

"You know I've been avoiding you the entire day?" She forced herself to smile, even though she was hurting inside. Following Jimmy to his car, she decided that she was going to tell him how she felt. It was going to be hard enough, but Jimmy's driver being in the front seat make her even more uncomfortable.

"So, how do you feel about what happened last night?" He continued.

"I should feel great. It was my idea. I initiated it, but … I can't talk to you about this." Hazel ran from his car, running into Ashley on the way out.

"Haze. What's wrong?" Ashley swooped her out of the parking lot suddenly as Hazel continued to cry. Ashley had never seen her look so .. un-together.

"Jimmy and I had sex last night." She expressed in between gasps.

"And I thought that was supposed to be a good thing." Ashley began, baffled.

"I don't know … it should've been, but I feel so awful Ashley. I'm starting to think that I wasn't ready and that I've made one of the worst decisions of my life." Hazel sighed. "And I'm so sore. All over!" Ashley laughed, despite herself.

"All of that is totally normal. When I lost my virginity to Craig, I questioned us then, but when he proposed to me and kept coming back, I knew it was worth it because what he have is rare and legitimate."

"But I feel so ashamed, like I've let everyone down. I almost feel cheap and dirty. I can't even look at Jimmy the same way. I don't know what I was thinking." She buried her face in Ashley's shoulder.

"Do you love him?"

"Huh?"

"Do you love him Hazel?"

She thought long and hard before deciding to say, "Yeah."

"Then you can make it work."

New Scene

"You're in." Aaron whispered to Manny after the girls were done.

"How do you know?" She smiled, enjoying the distraction away from Craig.

"Because you're hott and we all love you." She flipped his hair behind his face as Manny took in her last moments with him. This was what her youth was supposed to be about—finding fun guys like Aaron to hang out without feeling tied down, like she did with Kiowi, and without feeling burdened and perplexed with Craig.

"We'd like to announce that whatever girls are chosen will have front row seats to the next N' Sync concert in the fall, so good luck." Dani confessed as Manny rolled her eyes. N' Sync was way too polished for her. She was more into LFO. Rich was really …

"Manny. I want to talk to you, alone." Craig added, leading her into an empty room. "Whatever happened to make you, upset I'm sorry."

"You mean for kissing me? Just say it." Manny looked away. "We can't just go on to being friends or whatever after what happened. I'm about to be engaged." She bragged, trying to hype herself up about it, but still puzzled by it all.

"So, we both agree that the kiss meant nothing?" Craig looked deeply to Manny's soul and she knew that he knew what she was really feeling.

"No. We both agree that it meant a lot, but that was the past. Things are way too complicated." She started to walk past him, but paused to look at his sad expression. Manny had it in her no-so-right mind to kiss him right now … but Craig beat her to it.

"Craig … Craig … this is business." She spat out to her and Craig's disappointment.

"I'm not here to have a relationship with you. Ever." Running in the opposite direction, Manny ended smack dab face to face with Kiowi. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see you." He hugged her tightly as Manny tried not to look at Craig as he walked past both of them.

New Scene

"So, what did she give you?" Jay wondered, waiting until Alex had come out of the principal's office.

"A warning. Emma apologized to me and we got off easy." She responded nonchalantly.

"That's it? Principal H suspended me." Jay complained. "Didn't you apologize?"

"That chick owes me. I could've killed her ass. You too." Alex shook her head. "You're lucky I'm over it." She lied. Just thinking about Jay and Emma made her want to kill something … or someone. But, she was coping with it and this party would be a good way for her to forget for one night.

"Like I care. You couldn't stop coming over if you wanted."

"And you couldn't stop caring if you wanted." She shot back. "It's so obvious that you still care Jason. How cute?" Alex stalked off.

"Party at my house!"

"I need my work uniform!"

New Scene

"W-What are you doing here honey?" Manny felt herself being hugged tightly by Kiowi.

"I missed you. I told you that."

"But what about your exams?" She questioned, concerned.

"Screw 'em. I'd rather be with you." He picked her up suddenly, carrying her out of the room.

"But … But, I made the cut. I'm going to be practicing and touring with the guys all the time." She tried to explain, her heart still beating fast from the anticipation of kissing Craig and the arrival of Kiowi.

"We still have tonight." Kiowi promised.

"You want to hang out at my hotel and play jacks? Now exactly my idea of fun." Manny shot back, as Kiowi put her down, taken aback.

"I know last time I was here, things were less than perfect, but … I have a surprise for you." He admitted.

"Oh! What is it?" She asked, getting excited for the first time since he was here.

"Something special." Kiowi kissed her softly, handing her a small gray box.

"I know you're not proposing." Manny began in disbelief.

"Not yet." Kiowi whispered as Manny opened the box. "It's a promise ring."

"Okay. Cute." She shut the box suddenly, feeling bad about her conflicting feelings for Craig.

"That's it?"

"No, it's just that--"

"If you're worried about tonight, don't. I'm willing to do anything for you Manny." Kiowi began. "I know I'm going to spend the rest of my life with you."

"What do you mean about tonight?"

"This ring binds us in marriage, but just not legally."

"But, I respect the fact that you want to wait until we're married." Manny protested.

"I want to do this." Kiowi reassured her with a kiss as Craig looked on from a corner jealously. Now he was back in another love triangle and had no idea how to handle it.

New Scene

"I'm here." Alex announced as Jay took a sip from his beer.

"I thought you were a no show."

"You know I love to party." She took the beer from him, taking a few swallows before it was all done.

"Hey, are you okay?" Jay asked. Alex's faced looked a little bruised and she never used to drink like that. She always had a couple of shots, but was more into getting high than anything else.

"I'm cool." She grabbed another beer and started working on that one.

"Hey. Hey!" Jay tried to get her attention. "I invited you here to talk."

"No can do. Oww!" Alex hollered, rushing onto a crowd of guys and dancing around them. Jay shrugged and tried to ignore it for a while, but after she had spent most of the night with them, he decided to see what she was up to.

"Coming through!" He yelled, looking for Alex. Some guys pointed to a room upstairs with a smirk as Jay ran up the stairs. "Alex!" He called, opening room door after room door until seeing three guys and Alex in the room. It was evident that they had been taking advantage of her, and that she had no idea what was going on.

"Hey assholes. Get out!" Jay forcefully thrusted each guy out of the room, before rushing to Alex's side. "You okay?"

"I'm cool. Where'd the guys go?"

"Out." Jay spat angrily.

"If you chased them away … you can go to." She smiled as Jay ignored her, picking her up and taking her out of the room. They got as far as the top of the steps before Alex tried to take a sip out of an empty beer bottle. "Damn it."

"You don't need anymore." Jay rolled his eyes.

"Don't you … Don't you … tell me … what I need." Alex finally got out of Jay's grasp, breaking the beer bottle on the stair railway.

"Come on Alex, tell me what's wrong." Jay sighed, trying to get to her before she made a scene.

"You don't care!" She yelled at the top of her lungs, getting everyone's attention. "I loved you, and you don't care!" Alex started fighting with him. "I should kill you right now, I should."

"Stop being dramatic and tell me why you have that bruise on your face!" Jay demanded, forgetting about his nonchalant attitude and actually showing … heart.

"No … no … you did this me." Alex laughed. "I don't even know why … it doesn't matter. I'll be dead anyway." She held the sharp ends of the beer bottle towards her throat.

"Alex. Stop it!"

"Alex, Stop it!" She imitated him, laughing and crying at the same time. "Now you care! Now you care!" Alex continued to scream as she and Jay struggled over the broken bottle, resulting in numerous cuts on both of them.

Jay had forgotten how strong Alex was and decided against fighting with her anymore. "You want to die. Fine. Do it! Do it!" He yelled, pushing her lightly against the wall.

"Don't touch me. Don't …" Her voice trailed off as the bottle fell from her hand, and she in turn fell to the ground with a smile on her face.

"Alex … Alex." Jay tried to get her to wake up. "Alex!"

"I love you … no … I don't." She tried to sit up, with the eerie smile still on her face. Erupting in a fit of laughter, Jay held onto her tightly before Alex loss consciousness.

(A/N: This story has the second most hits out of all my stories, so that means someone is interested. Don't just read, review too … write a few sentences about what you liked, disliked, think will happen, or want to happen. I spend a lot of time writing, so show your appreciation! And thanks to those who actually reviewed … Much love –NL)