Authors Note:

I am blown away with how many alerts I got on the first night after I uploaded this. I came in expecting nothing. Thank you to everyone who reviewed. I read all of them and will continue to read all of them. I also wanted to say that I have started school again so my goal is to get a chapter uploaded every Sunday or every 5-7 days depending on how my work load is. Again, thank you! Please keep reviewing, I enjoy every single one them and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Fifty Shades Trilogy.

I reach my locker with the normal glares and stares from the returners and the newbies. The typical overreactions and constant jealousy just never stops, does it? Putting in my combination, I sense a figure coming behind me. "I can't get it open," I slap the locker door with my binder as frustration begins to hit me.

"You need to calm down Phebs. It's only the first day." I feel Skylers hands rest on my shoulder as he gently massages my tension away.

"That's the thing. It's only the first day and people are already on top of me. Not to mention the stupid freshman boys who think they own the hallways." I turn to my green eyed best friend.

"Will it make you feel better if I told you I purposely stuck my foot out when one of them was walking by with a rolling backpack and tripped right on his face," Skyler smirked.

"That wasn't nice. He couldn't gotten hurt and if any of the staff saw you, you would have gotten detention or even house suspension for a day." I try my hardest to keep my face serious but with Skyler grinning from ear to ear, I couldn't help but smile. "A rolling backpack?"

"My thoughts exactly," He reaches behind me to put in the combination and it unlocks in one shot.

"How the hell do you do that?!" I turn around to look at the awaiting empty locker. I narrow my eyes as I turn back to Skyler. "You need to stop." I stubbornly express. The stupid grin on his face is bothering me.

"What am I doing?" Skyler puts his hands up innocently. For the amount of love I have for this boy, he is so annoying. "What's bothering you Phoebe?" Uh oh. Phoebe is only heard from Skyler when he's serious. There's no way out of this one.

"Why do you assume something is wrong?" I lied. It still amazes me how much he knows about me. I mean, I know I shouldn't be but it still gets me every time. It's as if he can see right into me, making me feel exposed.

"Don't even try to pull that on me. Do you know who you're talking to?" He did have a point. Even if I tried, I would just get more stuck in my own pool of lies.

"Do you want to go?" I watch as confusion flushes around his face.

"Go? Go as in me go? Or go to class? Or go out of school?" He truly did look confused. Which does he think it is? Does it look like I want to go to class? And what have I said to him to make him think I want him gone? This is so frustrating!

"More and more you are proving that you are only book smart." I shut my locker and lean against our locker. "I don't want to be here, Skyler, and you know that." I whine.

"Phoebe, your dad will kill us if he finds out that you ditched class and I actually let you do it." This was going to be harder than I expected. I needed to get out. I needed to be away from all this. The people, the stares, the whispers. It's been 4 months since I was last in school and coming back has been no different from leaving in the first place.

"Skyler, please, just one day. I'm begging you! I need my best friend right now. She really needs you." Grab his hand and pull him closer. "Please. For me." I whisper.

I can tell Skyler was in an internal battle. I can see the temptation. He knows this is what I want to do. Get away. He also knows the reason I want to do this. It's to get away. Away from everything that is called reality.

"Running away from your problems aren't going to solve them. If you're not here in school dealing with what the people are doing, things will never change. I hate to see you like this, Phebs, but I'm not going to help you ignore what needs to be attended to. You need to be here." He wanted to leave. He didn't want to be here either. He knew people were talking about him too. He knew they were talking about us and trying to figure out what happened over the summer between us.

The annoyance that can come up when your best friend is the opposite gender. You can never just be with each other without people always assuming that one day you'll get together. Or that every time we say we're just bet friends, it's us "being in denial". This is where the problem lies. The idiotism student have on other peoples' lives. It's plain old stupid and a waste of time.

"I haven't been in school for 4 months and neither have you. I know your listening to them too. I know what their saying." I look around to spot eyes and ears on us. I step closer to Skyler and keep my voice low.

"Don't," He pleads but I stop him before he can continue.

"I know it's bothering you too. I know you just as well as you know me."

"It doesn't matter what their saying. I know the truth. You know the truth. As long as we know the truth, that's all that matters." I squeezed his hand one more time in plead. He has to say yes. And even if he didn't, I'm still going. I can't be here right now, not like this. Skyler took a deep breath and let it out with tension release. "Let's go."

I smile at winning this war. I knew I could get around him. It wasn't easy but doable. I honestly didn't care what my parents will do when they find out that I left school. Nor do I care about the consequences I will get for it. I have to get away. For my own sake. Mom and Dad don't now what's going on. It kills me not to be open to them, especially my mom, but I just don't have the heart to tell them that I'm suffering. I don't even think Skyler has figured it out yet. In a way, I'm grateful he hasn't confronted me about it but on the other hand, I wish he did, just so I know that someone has noticed.

I climbed into my car as Skyler starts his up. He pulls out first and I follow. I have no idea where he's going but all I do is play tailgate. I hear my phone ring through the car system. His name appears on. "Where to?"

"Your house first so we can drop off your car and after that, anywhere you want to be." Anywhere I wanted to be…. That's a very good question.

"Sounds good." I simply reply. I hit the end button and feel a little pool of water gathering gin my eyes.

Why is this happening to me? Why aren't I happy? Why am I suffering?