I walked home, the sky a steel blue color, the white sun rising into the sky. The air was chilled, dying my ears a pinkish color. I made my way home, weeping for the best friend I would never have again. I had made the right decision, hadn't I? I couldn't-wouldn't get hurt again by him. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dad drove me to school that morning. It seemed as if every street was crowded with people holding signs and enthusiastically screaming. It looked like thousands upon thousands of people were clogging the streets, staring at each car like they were searching for someone.

"Dad, is the president here or something?"

"No, I don't think so."

The streets began to get even more clogged as we inched closer towards the school. We finally made it to school after about two hours. It normally took twenty minutes. I rushed in, clutching my books to my chest, my eyes wide as I scurried towards my first class. I plopped down in my seat, apologizing profusely to my teacher.

"I'm so sorry Mr. Heinz, there was just so much traffic."

"Don't worry, Ally. Everyone who is late is excused as it is quite understandable." He made a gestured towards the crowds of people outside the thin, clouded plastic of the school windows. As the teacher spoke, the classroom would be lit every few seconds by the flash of a camera. I watched outside as a limousine pulled up, glimmering in the harsh sunlight, its headlights like narrowed, glinting eyes. The muffled screams outside the window increased by tenfold. The door was opened and a boy came out. His skin looked as if it was coated in glass from the white sunlight. Sculpted cheekbones, puffy pink lips, tousled blonde hair. Oh. My. Goodness. What the fudge? Whatthefudge, whatthefudge, whatthefudge. Are you fudging kidding me right now? What is fudging wrong with life right now? Oh my god. I wiped my forehead with my sleeve, damp with sweat, and let my head rest on my arms, letting my eyes close, sinking into the warm, reddish darkness of my eyelids. Just as I had slowed down my breathing of course I finally had to notice that the desk was sticky with apple juice. I jumped up, tripping, and asked Mr. Heinz if I could go to the bathroom. I made my way to the bathroom, my shoulders slumped, everything with direct sunlight on it looking as if it was steaming. I quickly washed my face and tightened my ponytail. I looked at myself in the mirror. I was wearing a silky, short, dark green skirt, a V-neck white t-shirt tucked into it, black stockings and my scuffed brown heel-boots. A thin gray headband pulled my dark hair back. I washed my face again and applied a layer of clear lip-gloss to my naturally-red lips. I combed my fingers through my soft hair. The blonde at the tips was still there, but had faded slightly. I silently admitted to myself that I was trying not to look my ugliest for Austin. I wanted him to know that I was fine without him, and the first step to doing that was looking like I was fine without him. I probably could avoid running into him anyway. He was probably just saying hi to Dez or something. Or was here for some random charity event for good publicity. We did need new windows. Maybe his car had run out of gas and he was coming in here. Maybe he was just doing a signing here for his new album, She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not. There was no possible way he was here for me. I walked out of the bathroom having calmed myself down. I heard the door at the front of the school swing open, someone's sneakers padding on the wooden floor.

"Ally!"

She looked up. There he was. She felt her stomach flutter. He was wearing a white t-shirt that outlined his extremely defined body and dark jeans. A black leather jacket was thrust over his shoulder carelessly and he held something behind his back. She couldn't let this happen again. She spun around and started walking fast towards her classroom. A warm hand softly spun her back round again. Just his hand seemed to stab every molecule in her body alive.

"Why did you leave me? I woke up and you weren't there. You don't know how much it hurt." His hands were clenched.

"I do know, actually. I can't go through that again. I know you will always leave now. I wont be that stupid girl who gets hurt again." My eyes burned with tears. We stood there in silence for a while. I forced my hands to dangle at my sides, even though what I really wanted to do was hug him, punch him, do something to show him how much I had missed him, how much I had hated him for making me love him with that smile and those eyes and that laugh. The silence was broken by Austin's raw voice,

"All I want is to be best friends again."

I gulped. They could be friends again. I could hug him and go off to my history class happy. But then I hardened my brown eyes again and pulled my shoulders back.

"You ruined our friendship when you left without a word."

Austin pulled out what he had been hiding behind his back. It was the scariest thing I had ever seen. Flowers. Tulips with waxy red petals to be exact. These sweet things are what made me fall in love with him.

"What are those?" I said, my hands quivering. I could feel her anger draining away. That was not a good thing.

"Flowers. You act like there some death threat or something." Because they are. You will be the death of me and my sanity.

"I brought them because I thought they would be a celebration for forgiving each other."

I felt my anger begin to solidify again. Good.

"So you just assumed you could waltz in here and everything would be good again? After having left me, your supposed 'best friend' who you haven't contacted for months, not even one text or one email. You thought we could be sweet little best friends again? It doesn't work that way Austin. Maybe the fame has gotten to your head." And with that I left. Part of me wanted him to wrap his arms around my waist and pull me back to him. Chase after me. But he didn't. I didn't see him for the rest of the day, but I did see the tulips, wrapped in silvery tissue, in the rubbish bin. I couldn't help myself as my fingers plucked a single petal off. I kept it in my pocket for the rest of the day, stroking the petal's silky, bright red flesh. And that's how I imagined the part of my heart that was for Austin to be. Locked away somewhere, a memory that I couldn't help myself from conjuring up but that I wanted to faint away.