E - N - J - O - Y!!


T W E N T Y - F O U R


Alex glided off the dance floor with a smile crisp on her lips. She was proud of herself for giving Justin a good night to remember, he was obviously happy she at least danced with him.

But all good things seemed to come to an end lately. As soon as she ranked her eyes around the cafeteria and found Nate and Miley were missing, strangely worry stretched through her veins. She grabbed her purse giving her goodbyes to her friends since it was already past 11 and rushed outside.

Again by instinct, Alex jogged to the field eyes dripping down to see a broken Nate curled up and leaning against the rusty, white shack looking sick with guilt and disgust for himself and shockingly with tears wetting his cheeks. All problems that tore them apart in the past were forgotten as Alex let her purse hit the ground and dropped herself beside Nate. He let her hold him, let someone finally be there and let himself cry.

Nate began to cry of out slight happiness. For what seemed to be years, he wasn't alone. Even after what he had said and the way he treated her, Alex was still there. After a few minutes, he clutched her tighter, both hugging and let the silence comfort them.

Nate sniffled and pulled back with a half-smile. "You're amazing, Alex. I don't deserve a best friend like you."

Her brown eyes glistened with tears at his words. She smiled but said nothing because there was nothing that needed to be said. Nate reached over her to give her another hug before they both stood up and he handed her purse.

"Lemme take you home." Alex said, not a question in any way. If Nate wasn't feeling so crappy, he would have laughed at how she hadn't changed from her in control ways. It was always only Plan A with Alex.

The two walked to the parking lot and climbed in the car, Nate sighing contently as the warm air conditioner graced his frozen flesh. Alex chuckled and drove off, but even after finding Nate and helping him, she still felt like something was wrong.

Pursing her lips she once again went with her instinct. "Hey Nate, do you know what Shane had planned for tonight with Mitchie?"

He glanced at her curiously. "I'm not sure, he didn't really tell me anything, but why?"

Alex shrugged, shaking her head slowly. "I don't know. I'm getting this weird feeling something bad happened." She whispered focusing on the road.

Nate's dark brown eyes moderately stretched wide. "Oh no!"

"What?!" Alex panicked as they reached a red light and whipped her head to the boy beside her, who also began to panic.

Nate groaned running his fingers through his curls as he realized what might have happened. "I think Shane was planning to ask Mitchie out tonight or something like that."

Alex groaned as well knowing what he meant. Mitchie probably freaked! "That's bad! Oh crap if Mitchie . . . Shane's probably pissed!" Alex yelled thinking to herself of what could have happened. She could see Shane just saying a few things that caught her off guard and bam Shane's heart would break.

Alex turned down the street just a few blocks from Nate's house to the grocery store when Nate screamed out startling her. "SHIT!"

"What?!" Alex freaked again but she froze too seeing Shane sitting against the wall of the grocery store with his head in his hands, left knuckle dripping with blood. Mitchie what did you do?! Alex instantly yanked her keys out and the duo dove out the car rushing over to Shane that looked even from a few feet away, choking in misery.

He reopened his blood shot, red eyes seeing Alex and Nate standing in front of them, equal panic and concern smothering their dark eyes. He discharged a heavy sigh and swiped his hand over his damp cheeks self consciously.

Alex frowned and crouched down beside him. "Shane, what happened?"

The 18-year-old laughed without a trace of humor, but this time it sounded like a painful cry to both teenagers. Nate closed his eyes stopping himself from screaming. Mitchie, you promised!

"You want to know what happened?!!" Shane shouted scaring Alex as he jumped up tightening his fists along with his jaw and began pacing. She weakly nodded. "I screwed everything up! I was so STUPID!"

Nate drew out a sigh much like his brother and prepared himself to once again pick up the pieces another girl left behind, but this time Jason wouldn't be able to help.

"Not only did I try to kiss her when she clearly thought the idea was absurd but I told her about the bet, while yelling at her as if she didn't already have a reason to hate me!" Shane cried feeling hot tears bake in his tired eyes again. He couldn't take this. He was ready to just run in the street while a car was speeding by and end the torture.

Alex and Nate both halted, peeking at him frazzled. "Did you say a bet?" Alex grilled feeling her sympathy for the broken man drain away. Nate gawked at his brother not at all surprised.

"Yep, I'm a selfish idiot that agreed to a bet to get Mitchie to sleep with me! I deserve to be hurting like hell right now!" Shane shook his head, feeling disgust for himself build back up again.

Alex's jaw fell open actually shocked he would go so low. "Shane I . . . I can't believe you would do that!" Ignoring Nate's tug on her arm, Alex stood up as well, ready to speak her mind. "I mean I get how brainless your friends are but you've loved Mitchie from day one, you're not heartless! What the fuck were you thinking?! Of course that was going to end badly! I don't blame her for whatever she did!"

"I know, neither do I." He whispered looking away and another tear broke from his eyes.

Alex stopped and her empathy for him came flooding back. She knew Shane did things without thinking. He never meant to hurt Mitchie. Sighing she glanced at Nate who was off in his own world. She would call Miley, but who knows what was going on with her.

Alex was alone in this with two broken boys.


Mitchie couldn't tell you what she was doing, because she didn't know. She was still in shock from what happened just minutes ago. Why had Shane done this? Was that all it was from the beginning, a lie?!

Her heart was broken. Her head was spinning. If he "never cared" why did he want to kiss her so badly, and then get pissed off when she rejected it? Mitchie didn't understand anything at that moment, she just kept running.

Her legs were begging for mercy, so when she reached her sudden destination, she collapsed on the front lawn. Mitchie knew what she was about to do was wrong, but in all honesty, she couldn't figure out up from down at the time.

After catching her breath, she stood up and strolled to the front door, ringing the bell and prepared herself. Shane's going to hate me . . .

The door sprung open revealing a handsome 18-year-old guy with shaggy blonde locks, striking baby blue eyes and a huge smile. "Mitchie, what a pleasant surprise."

His smile dropped at the pain that choked her eyes. He immediately frowned and pulled her into the house and in for a hug. That's all she needed, someone to hold her because he wouldn't.


+Next Morning+

Sunlight poked through the unshielded window of Chad Dylan Cooper's bedroom. Mitchie unwilling fluttered her eyes open, rubbing them and rolling over to find a warm body beside her. The previous night's events flushed her thoughts and her heart sunk.

She didn't want to think about him anymore, but it would be impossible when her heart couldn't let him go, even if it was broken. From the motion, Chad awoke and sat up giving her a comforting smile that she needed.

"Hey Mitchie, you ok?"

"Yeah a lot better, thank you so much for letting me stay the night, Chad." She smiled and gave him a quick squeeze before standing up and stretching.

Mitchie knew Shane would kill her once he found out she spent the night at one of his enemies' houses, but Chad was one of her good friends that cared unlike him supposedly.

"Do you need a ride to school?"

Mitchie smirked, mirroring Shane's flawlessly. "Well I can't walk . . . "

Chad chuckled. "Ok, do you mind if we go on my Harley?"

A motorcycle? Mitchie deviously grinned knowing how insane that would drive him. Shane told her he would take her on a ride once he got his over the summer, it being her first time on a motorcycle.

You snooze you lose, Shanie-kins Mitchie thought and nodded.


The purr of a motorcycle had Shane scowl in the school's parking lot. Only one person at Silver Palm's had one, a sleek black Harley he envied. But when Chad smoothly rode in, stopping right beside Alex's car where he was standing with his brother, his heart wrenched.

Mitchie smiled with a strangle sparkle in her almond eyes that no one could recognize. She removed the helmet, shaking out her dark curls and slowly sliding her hands from around Chad's waist as Shane, Nate, and mostly Alex watched in astonishment.

She hopped off the bike, heels of her leather boots clanking the pavement. Chad removed his helmet as well and handed Mitchie her book bag with a wink that threw Shane over the edge.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" He seethed feeling the jealousy burn through his body. Alex hissed his name but he ignored her, stomping closer to the heartbreaker's pretty face.

Mitchie scoffed. "Thanking my friend for a ride. What are you doing, Shane?" She spoke his name with sarcastic sweetness that cut him deeper than she would ever know.

His fists trembled. "You know, you're really unbelievable, Mitchie."

She raised her brows stepping closer. "Excuse me? I'm unbelievable? Then what would you call the crap you pulled on me?!"

Shane paused, exhaling and running his fingers through his hair. "I'm sorry." He breathed staring back into her eyes for the first time before she broke their moment.

Mitchie held back her shiver. "Those two words didn't seem to mean anything to you last night, Shane so what makes you think they mean a damn thing to me now?"

Alex sighed pondering whether or not to stop this. Mitchie was her best friend now, who had been there for her these past 5 months without a question. She hated seeing her hurt, and Shane wasn't the only one who was shattered.

Chad frowned, protectively placing a hand on Mitchie's arm and stepping in front of her where he wasn't wanted. Shane gritted his teeth wanting nothing more than to rip his arm out and fling it across the parking lot.

"Step off, Gray."

Sensing the fight about to explode, Nate and Alex grasped Shane's arms and held him back as Mitchie did with Chad. She tugged him away from the others, thanking him for the ride and agreed to hang out during lunch.

"See you later." Mitchie whispered with her eyes discretely and longingly on a pair of gold ones. She reached on her tippy toes, a flashback of that time after she caught him in the closet and in the hallway, and kissed Chad's cheek.

Alex could feel Shane's whole body tense under her grip and looked at his eyes full of desperation and fear. Fear of losing the only thing that meant something to him. "Shane, let's go." She whispered and with one last wistful glance at Mitchie, he spun on his heel ripping out of their grip and stomped off.


Noise. Noise was all that filled Shane's ears. The hum of a thousand voices buzzing through the cafeteria, the clank of forks and knifes, the laughter bouncing against the walls, the rhythm of sneakers and heels against the tile floors, all noise.

Shane walked, not thinking, not feeling, just moving. Barely. He sat himself down next to Justin, the table he hadn't sat at in such a long time. It was all so foreign to him. He felt uncomfortable as they laughed at words he could barely hear. He felt so out of place.

At the doors of the building, Mitchie was feeling in a haze. Her eyes flew from face to face, eyes to eyes, as if just entering the school for the first time though she had been here for almost half a year. Her heart was thumping so hard she could feel it against her skin. Could she trust anyone? Would they lie to her too?

She peered over at the boy beside her that seemed so far away as he had his arm around her back, guiding her to her old unpopular table. She sat down next to Miley not even noticing her there. Mitchie felt separated from everything like she was on her own planet watching the world live.

With colorless eyes, she found Shane at his old table as well. Without a second guess, he looked just as lost as she felt.

Miley looked over at her best friend finally stepping away from her painful thoughts to focus on how hurt she looked. It twisted the girl's heart to just look at Mitchie's eyes. They were so sad. Instinctively, she looked at the jerks' table finding Shane sitting there instead of with Mitchie, her, Nate, and Alex and it all came pouring into her brain.

It was over.

The peace Mitchie had brought to the group of friends was gone. Whatever happened last night had killed it all, burned it until there was nothing left to hold except ashes. Miley felt like she couldn't even trust Alex anymore!

But she stayed silent. Silent and unmoving. Miley returned to her emotionless state just like Shane and Mitchie and leaned her head against the cool, smooth surface of the table and covered her head with her arms.

Why wouldn't the noise stop?

Alex stalked into the room with Nate beside her. He didn't know what to do, how to react to everything, so he followed Alex, the only thing he could hold onto that wasn't broken.

Her dark eyes looked to Shane sitting there like he was cold, alone, and confused in the middle of nowhere next to his supposed best friend Justin with his supposed friends. It was like their laughter couldn't even be heard to him. Shane was lost.

Then there was Mitchie that stared at her water bottle like there was nothing else in the room. Her red nails held the sides of it, tapping the plastic with an empty expression that sucked on her heart by just looking at her. It was like Shane had reached inside of her, tearing out her heart, threw on the ground, and walked away. Mitchie was empty.

Alex turned her eyes to Miley with her head ducked into the table and shielded with her hands. Even without being able to see her eyes or face, Alex knew Nate screwed up. Miley was broken.

Neither of them got food, just sat at their own table that seemed disconnected from everyone else. Nate licked his lips. "Alex,"

The 16-year-old looked up with her eyes, keeping her head bowed and he continued. "Do you remember at Lillie's party when I went to the bathroom and you watched me do 'something'?"

Her cheeks flushed. He has seen her? Alex numbly nodded waiting as Nate cleared his throat and turned to search through his book bag producing a little injection needle that would have made her flinch. Alex didn't move.

"I've had diabetes since I was 14. I'm not as bad as you think I am. I don't do drugs, I don't drink away my problems like Shane, and I only cut myself last night." Nate declared not expecting a response.

And he didn't get one. Alex looked away for – who knows how long it was. But she looked back and leaned over to give him a hug that sent a calming wave down his spine. He needed that; He needed her.

Alex pulled back a few inches, keeping their eyes locked. "What happened with Miley?"

Nate felt his heart throb, stomach rolling with guilt, and in monotone he answered. "I had to lie to her Alex. She doesn't need someone as messed up as me in her life, not in that way. I love her, but this is the way things have to be. She'll get over it, move on, and be happy with someone who can keep her happy."

"No one can make her happier than you."

Nate let the silence speak but Alex wasn't done. She agreed he was a mess and sure, they would have to really work to make it, but they would make it. "How can you just look the other way knowing no one can love her as much as you?"

"I'll close my eyes."


Anyone else getting like depressed reading this? LOL but the weird thing is it's easy to write this stuff, it kinda flows for me. Don't worry only about one more chapter of this sad Smitchie stuff and next chapter Niley will get their happiness!

Now I hope you guys understand what Shane is feeling right now, you know, lost? Like Nate explained, Mitchie saved him from everything and without her he doesn't know what to do. He was so addicted to her, smiles, laughing, jokes, and her just being there by his side, to guide him and now he's confused.

For Mitchie she obviously feels betrayed and still shocked. I know it was an accident that Shane slipped, but it still really hurt her especially the way he told her, by yelling and laughing at her. So they both were shattered.

Miley is pretty simple. Nate just broke her heart but it was worse because she knows he was lying to her. But Nate will fix things, I promise!

Questions:

Do you like Chad and should Mitchie be with him?

How do you feel about everyone?

How should Nate fix things or should he let Miley go?

As always, thank you for you awesome reviews. =)