So I'm back with chapter 15! Sorry that I've been MIA for so long, and for those of you who are still reading this story, thank you! You guys really are my loyal fans. Enjoy the chapter and please don't forget to review. I really want to hear all your opinions. Thank You!

By the time Mara had arrived to school the next day, word about her and Brandon's break up had spread around like a wildfire. Everywhere she went, a chorus of whispers followed. But that wasn't the worst part. It wasn't the obnoxious stares, the hushed whispers, not even the tight lipped smiles. Sara had already warned her that it would happen.

No, the worst part was how Brandon was treating her.

He was ignoring her, refusing to acknowledge her existence. Even when he had walked into class almost thirty minutes late, he didn't even blink an eye her way, choosing to instead sit at the very back with his head down. Even when she tried to get his attention, she was blatantly ignored. And that stung more than any verbal or physical assault ever could. His silence was a firm reminder that there was a rift between them now. And it was all her fault.

Mara sighed and shifted in her seat. Above her, the class clock ticked slowly. The atmosphere in the room was tense, and the only one who seemed to be unaware of it was Mr. Jillian. Time dragged on sluggishly. Every minute felt like an hour and her classmates' fleeting glances between her and Brandon didn't help better her nerves.

Brandon.

Mara swallowed. Even when she tried not to think about him, she could feel his presence behind her. At one point she had even sensed his eyes on her. Feeling silly at the thought, she had twisted around for a reassuring peek and had caught him staring at her. His head was still slumped on the desk, chin propped up by his elbows, but his gaze was hollow. His eyes were a muddy brown, devoided of any emotion, and the look he had cast her way was blank. A feeling of remorse had twisted in her gut at his counter essence and she had quickly turned back in her seat, her heart thudding loudly in her chest.

The school bell rung loudly, jolting Mara out of her trance. Blinking, she quickly looked around the classroom and noticed that almost everyone had already scurried out. Almost. Brandon still sat hunched forward in his seat, making no apparent show of moving any time soon. By this point even Mr. Jillian had left the class room. It was now only her and Brandon left. The second warning bell rang. He still didn't move.

Timidly, she got up and walked over to him. Standing in front of his desk, Mara paused, unsure what to do. Should she call him? Wake him? Tell him that class was over? She reached out, intending to gently shake him awake.

"Don't touch me."

Her hand froze in place at the sound of his voice. Brandon tilted his head up to look at her from between his elbows. Mara's hand dropped to her side. They both stared at each other wordlessly. The final bell rung, indicating that they were both late for their next class.

She swallowed. Her mouth felt like sandpaper. "Brandon, I-"

He stood up, abruptly cutting her off, and grabbed his bag. "I have to go to class."

"But, Brandon-"She started again, desperately trying to catch up with him as he walked to the door. "Wait, I need to talk to you."

He suddenly stopped and turned, causing her to almost crash into him. "What Mara? What do you possibly want to talk to me about now?"

His harsh tone had her inwardly flinching, but she waver. Instead, she reached up and gently touched his face. "I'm sorry." She whispered softly. "I am really sorry about everything. I didn't mean for any of this to happen, Brandon. I didn't mean for you to get hurt. I'm so sorry. Believe me."

Brandon sighed and closed his eyes. "If you're asking for forgiveness, I can't offer you any, Mara."

She shook her head. "I'm not, Brandon. I never was. I just don't want things to be forever strained between us."

He opened his eyes and gave her a rueful smile. "I can't promise you that. But what I can say is that it will take time."

She nodded and took a step back. "That's understandable."

"Yeah," He agreed, running a hand through his dark hair "it is." He glanced back at her, and without warning, pulled her forward into a kiss. Mara's eyes widened in surprise, but before she could react, Brandon had already drawn back.

"I really did like you, Mara." He murmured against the top of her head, wrapping her up in his arm. "A lot. But I guess it's time to let go."

He stepped back, giving her a final heart breaking smile. "Goodbye, Mara."

And then he was gone, leaving her alone in empty class room, with a painful feeling of emptiness in her chest.

She didn't know how long she stood there, replying Brandon's last words over in her mind, but somehow amidst her thinking, her feet had brought her to her locker. And once she looked up at it, she instantly wished she had stayed in the empty classroom. The word 'SLUT' was painted across her locker door in big, bright, red letters. It was fresh too. Blobs of red paint dribbled of the blue door and streaked down to the waxed floor.

Mara numbly stared at the writing. Had it really come to this point where her harassment would lead to vandalization of school property? What would Mr. Sweets think of this, especially since she was the school Representative?

"Wow," a voice commented from beside her. "that's rough."

She nearly jumped two feet in the air. "Eddie!" Mara cried, once she had gotten her heart under normal speed. "What on earth are you doing here?"

"Same thing as you, Ms. Rep." Eddie shrugged, lacing his hands behind his head. "Ditching class. But seriously though, who coulda thought that even this prestigious boarding school could be brought down with high school drama." He peeked a look her way. "You ok?"

"Of course I am." Mara answered automatically, tracing a finger over the letter S. "Why wouldn't I be? It's just pointless harassment. Nothing big."

"Yeah, but still. I've seen it all happen before in Cali. Girls are relentless. Was it because you dumped Brandon?"

"I guess so-" Her finger stopped in mid-trace and she turned to look at Eddie. "What did you say?"

Eddie raised an eyebrow. "Um, I asked if this paint job was done because you dumped Brandon? Why? Did I say something wrong?"

She shook her head. "No, no. You didn't. I thought everyone was under the impression that he broke up with me and not the other way around."

Eddie snorted and shoved his hands in his pockets. "Please. Anyone with a pair of properly functioning eyes would see that he was totally whipped by you."

This time it was Mara who perked up an eyebrow. "Whipped?"

Eddie grinned. "Heh, never mind. I forgot that you Brits don't know any American slang. What I meant was that he was totally head over heels for you. And judging from how the whole morning he's been dragging his feet around like a zombie, he was not too happy with the break up. Meaning…" He playfully flicked her nose. "You dumped him. Didn't know you were such a heart breaker, Ms. Rep. The world better watch out for a goody-two shoe heart breaker."

Mara glared and touched the tip of her nose. "You are mistaken. I am not a heart breaker."

His brown eyes lit up with mischief. "Oh? So you admit that you're a goody-two shoe then? I knew it!"

"I am not!" Mara protested. "I was at the party, remember? I thought we cleared that assumption of me being a goody two shoe?"

Eddie's eyebrows crunched together in confusion. "You were at the party?" He asked. "Friday's party?"

Mara stared. "Yes. I was with Brandon? In a black dress? We even danced a little…"

"Oh!" He cried. "That hot chick was you? I was so wasted that I didn't even realize who was who. Everything was hazy. And you said we danced and and…oh." His eyes widened. "Shit."

"Yes." Mara crossed her arms and shot him a blank look. "Shit is the appropriate word for the situation." She answered dryly.

"Fuck." Eddie murmured, running a hand through his untruly hair. "No wonder you seem to hate me, Mara. I acted like a total ass. I'm sorry. I was so wasted that I had no idea what the hell I was doing."

She sighed and uncrossed her arms. "I don't hate you, Eddie. You're just…difficult at times."

"Oh?" A grin stretched across his face and his eyes danced with mischievous. "Now I'm difficult eh, Ms. Rep? I guess it's just my bad boy charm."

Mara scoffed. "Please, it's highly unattractive. Bad boys are so overdone. It's saddening."

"And is that the reason why you dumped the golden good boy of our school and ditched class? For someone who hates the typical 'bad boy/girl' scenario, you're sure acting like a good girl gone bad." Eddie mused.

And just like that, Mara's playful mood fizzed out and realization came thundering down on her. Hard. Eddie was right, what was she doing? Cutting class, lying, ripping hearts? Who was she turning into? Really? She had gone to a party, gotten drunk and cheated on her boyfriend. Not once, but twice! She had even used him to make someone else jealous, strung him along, and crushed his heart.

Brandon's last words came floating back. 'I really did like you, Mara…' She closed her eyes. And what was worse, was that she never even liked Brandon in the first place. It was all a ploy that had somehow become a reality just so she could fire back at Jerome. Jerome. It could always lead back to Jerome. It was always him from the start. The tainted boy who had smudged her essence with his ink filled hands.

And now she too was tainted. No, she was worse. She was ugly. She had somehow let her ugly side resurface once again. It had sublimely creeped out from the locked up abyss and had slithered its way back into her life.

Mara staggered forward and grabbed the locker for support. "I-I need to go."

Eddie's smile dropped. "Hey, are you ok? Mara, you're turning pale." He reached out to steady her, but she swatted his hand away.

"I'm fine." She snapped, pushing off the locker. "I just need to go." She turned around and began to walk.

"And where will you go?" She heard Eddie call after her.

"Where ever my feet take me." She murmured to herself. "Somewhere I find peace."

And so she walked. Endlessly around the empty hallways of the school. The chipped blue walls greeted her and the eerie silence of the school calmed her nerves. But even despite the quietness around her, inside her head, turmoil brewed.

Thoughts crashed together in colors of red and orange, of different feelings and emotions. She felt like she was being torn in to. Her Ethos and Logos were split down the middle, or maybe they were smashed together. Stitched up all wrong like something out of Frankenstein's Monster.

She was too dazed in thought to notice a figure lurking about. It was only when she was suddenly whirled around and not too gently pushed into a nearby locker, that she finally realized that she was not alone. She glared up at her captor, fully intent on snapping at him, until she saw who it was. Her protest died on her lips.

Jerome loomed above her, looking down, and caging her between his arms. An aura of instability crackled around him.

"Why?" He asked quietly. His exterior mimicked calm, but Mara knew better. His eyes were livid. Irises of stormy blue jumped and swirled with grey, creating a thundering shade of murky sapphire. "Why didn't you tell me you broke up with Conroy?"

"Because," she answered evenly, ignoring the sudden flutter of butterflies in the pit of her stomach. "it doesn't concern you, Jerome."

He smiled and all traces of civilness vanished. The person that stood before her was none other than the wolf in sheep's clothing. He leaned down. "Oh, I think it does, little Mara." He was so close. So close that she could feel his breath on her lips. And oh, how her body ached for him. She wanted nothing else but to reach up, and sink her fingers in his soft hair, and pull him down to her level until their lips touched.

But she wouldn't do that. Couldn't. Not after what she had done to Brandon. It wouldn't be right.

"No, Jerome," She whispered, reaching out and touching his face with her red inked fingers, "it doesn't. You had no part in our relationship. Our breakup had nothing to do with you." She slid her fingers down, streaking his cheek and jaw with her presence. Marking him as her own. "So stop asking and get off."

He leaned into her touch, and she felt a tiny shudder go through him. "You're lying, Mara." He answered, staring at her with half lidded eyes. "Your break up had everything to do with me. I'm done beating around the bush. You want me." He leaned down and pressed his lips to neck. "As much as I want you. Stop fighting and give in. We belong together."

She choked out a laugh. She really was terrible, wasn't she? Tears brimmed her vision. "Yes, yes we do. Two dysfunctional people as one."

And she reached up and kissed him.

Hope you like it. Please review and I will post more chapters up. Thank You!