A wise man once said, "All that glitters isn't gold." That man was William Shakespeare, but that's just extra information. I'm sure you're wondering why this is being told in a first person's POV… mine. Well, here's the truth. Dash and I got into an argument and aren't on speaking terms. Why? You're about to find out.

Now, Dash and I have been together since July, although we may have started dating in late May-early June, but THAT'S BESIDE THE POINT. Since then, we've rarely… if EVER… had an argument because we are no longer enemies. Unfortunately, something happened that put us both in this situation. Hey, keep this in mind… it comes back around later on: don't trust the person you call your friend. Now, hold onto that piece of information I just gave you, because while you may think I'm talking about the obvious two—Sam and Tucker—I'm not. In fact, let me stop beating around the bush and ust tell you what happened.


FRIDAY, 2 WEEKS AGO

This was a Friday night football game, and Casper High was winning the entire time. However, this was no ordinary football game. OH NO, THIS was the playoffs and we needed this win to go to the semi-finals. I sat with Paulina because she and I - believe it or not - are close friends now, and we cheered Dash on as he threw the game winning touchdown. Casper High advances to the next round, YES! I sprinted to the field, but before I knew what happened, he picked me up and spun me around. I could tell he was happy to see me.

"Congratulations, Dashi." I really love calling him that. He's like my one and only Prince Charming. He's just so cute, and sweet, and… WAIT. I'M GETTING SIDETRACKED. "Next is the semis."

"Yep. I'm just happy you've been with me throughout this season. I feel like we have what it takes to go all the way to the championships this year." He was grinning from ear to ear. It was a great night for us both: he got the win, and I got to see him do it. We felt like nothing could ruin this vibe we had going on. But we were wrong. Like, we were really fucking wrong.


MONDAY - LAST WEEK

As time passed before the semi-finals match, I started to hear whispers from the other students about Dash. Things like, 'Oh, isn't he dating that one kid?' and 'I heard he's cheating on his partner…' were floating around all morning. Eventually, I had enough and, in the middle of lunch, looked at Dash with the most infuriated look on my face.

"Is it true?"

"Dan-Dan, what are you talking about?" He looked confused and kind of laughed nervously as if he had no idea what I was saying.

"Is it true?" I asked him again, feeling my anger rise.

By this point, one of things could happen to us both. Either I could detonate like a bomb on him in front of everyone, or he just tells me the truth. He continued to look confused and responded the same way. "Danny, what the hell are you talking about?"

"Are you cheating on me?"

It got really silent when I asked him that. Suddenly, it felt like all eyes were on us. Oh, and before I forget, we were all sitting at the table with Valerie, Paulina, and ironically enough, Sam and Tucker. Anyways, the cafeteria was paying attention to only me and Dash. He could tell I was upset, but didn't know what was causing this reaction.

"Am I cheating on you? Danny, I know you still don't 100% trust me after four months, but please tell me you're not slow."

I couldn't believe he actually said that to me! I knew what was coming out of me next, but I had to try to kill it before I said it. So, I replied in an angry tone again. "Slow? Dash, answer my question. Are you cheating on me?"

"Who would I even cheat on you with, Danny? My god, please think for once and tell me who I would go to cheat on you with?" We were now both irate, which is not a good combination.

"Are you? Yes or no?"

"No! Of course I'm not! Why would you think that I am?!" Now, pay attention to this next line.

"Paulina told me you were… and she even told me that you're only using me because you don't even like me." You got this line in your head? Good. Because you're gonna need it to solve the puzzle.

"Oh my- Are you serious right now?!" He laughed incredulously and continued. "You're going to believe her over me? Danny, really?" He was dumbfounded by all of this, but through my own rage, I could see his eyes drifting over to her. Within that split second, even though I couldn't see her face, I saw Dash's eyes light up in fury as they drifted back over to me. She must've done something to make him even more angry. I don't know why, but I got scared at that moment.

"I'm friends with her, so I-"

"DANNY." He interrupted. "Don't be so naive, okay? She's lying to you. I'm friends with her also, but even I know that she cannot be trusted sometimes. She is just playing with you right now."

"Naive? Dash, the only time I was naive was when I decided to trust YOU!"

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! THAT WAS WHEN YOU WERE BEING NAIVE?! Oh, let's not forget the time you WILLINGLY trusted a fucking snake in disguise and he got you almost killed. HERE, in the school. But you want to say you were naive when you decided to trust me?"

With not another word coming from my mouth, I slapped him across the face and stormed out. How dare he bring that up? How would he have felt if I had brought up what triggers him the most? I felt so alone at that moment. I made my way into the hallway and walked to my locker, punching it over and over while I screamed and cried as hard as I ever have. I felt so hurt. What the hell got into my partner to the point where he chose to stoop so low? In the midst of my breakdown, I felt a hand touch my shoulder and immediately turned to see who it was.

"Danny? Are you okay?"

Well, holy shit. It's Sam! She's got some balls coming up to me and asking me this as if we're still close, but I need someone to calm me down before I break my locker.

"No. I heard that Dash was cheating on me, and we got into an argument at lunch… in front of everyone…"

"I saw. Who told you that?" She sounded concerned for me. I honestly wanted her to be.

"Paulina." I answered bitterly.

Sam knows me better than anyone in Casper High, and as much as I don't want to admit it, I miss seeing her outside of school. "That shallow wannabe Barbie told you that Dash is cheating? And you believe her?"

"I don't fucking know, Sam! I really don't."

"Danny, I know you like the back of my hand. You believe her."

"No I don't!" I answered quickly. Wait… that sounds defensive.

"If that's true, then why are you listening to anything that imitation Regina George is saying to you?"

"We're friends."

"Danny… oh, sweet and innocent Danny. She's not your friend. She's only pretending! And before you spaz out and say I'm lying, listen to this."

She played a voice recording of Paulina telling her (against her better judgment from the sound of her voice) that she was only being friends with me to try and get to… Dash.

Paulina was actively being nice to me while plotting to try and steal my boyfriend! Not only that, but she came up with the rumor of Dash cheating on me and spread it all over the school! I looked at Sam through a haze of red, blinked profusely, and spoke quietly to her. "So… she started the rumor? She tried to get us to break up? Why would she even do that?"

"Because that's just who she is, Danny. Look, I know we aren't as close as we used to be, but trust me when I tell you that she's lying to you. I bet you MONEY that she sat there at lunch and just watched you and Dash argue with the biggest shit-eating grin on her face. Think about that."

So THAT'S why Dash looked like he was seeing red. She was probably smiling. I'm shocked that she actually tried to steal him from me! She planned this all out. I can't believe she would do that… and I trusted her. As my thoughts continued to flow, the aforementioned Barbie girl walked up to me. The look of "sympathy" wasn't fooling me.

"You all right, Danny?"

This girl… "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine."

I know, I know. I should've been honest, but do you remember what I said about not trusting the person you call your friend, as well as the line about this girl that's in front of me? Well, here's the final piece you need to know that she caused all of this. Listen.

"I'm sorry that you had that argument with Dash. He must've felt so guilty when he got called out. I even told your little friend Sam that this would happen."

The voice recording. The plotting. All a part of her master plan to try and take Dash away from me. SO, I cocked my head and narrowed my eyes on her. "Interesting. You know, Sam actually just came up to me before you did, and informed me of that. She also told me that you were the one who started this rumor."

"Danny, I would never-"

"Cut the shit, Paulina. Dash was right when he said not to trust what you say sometimes. I bet you were sitting there next to me, smiling like a Cheshire cat as you watched us argue. I expected better from you, but now I know not to tell you anything else. I need some space from you for a while."

I walked away from her, and made my way to the locker room for gym class. Of course, Dash was already in there. It had become a routine for us to head to the locker rooms early so we could get changed before everyone else. I didn't look at him for the first few seconds, but that all changed when I heard my name.

"What is it?"

"Do you honestly think I'm cheating on you?"

I'm telling myself not to say yes, not to punch him. Most importantly, I'm telling myself to relax before I answer. As I walk over to Dash, a range of emotions flow through my heart until I stop in front of him.

"I don't know right now, Dash. I really don't know."

He didn't say anything. He just picked me up and slammed me back first against the lockers, eyes burning in… sadness? Heartbreak? No, I know this look. This is the look I used to see every morning before we started talking. His eyes are burning… in anger. FUCK. How the hell did I get into this situation? I stared at him anxiously, waiting for his next move. He was still quiet, and with one hand movement, I felt my face turn red and it began to sting. He hit me with a furious slap and I dropped to the ground. When I looked back up, he was gone. It was clear that this would not be resolved anytime soon.


PRESENT DAY - SEMIFINALS GAME

Here we are, semifinals day. I don't know what to expect from him tonight. And I'm sure he doesn't know what to expect from me either. As I watch him play, he looks shaken up and thrown off his game. We're losing by six, and it's five seconds until halftime. He throws a pass to a player, and it looks to be a touchdown, but the refs rule it a turnover. The buzzer goes off for halftime, which is thankfully fifteen minutes, and I see number One take off his helmet in frustration before heading off the field. That's Dash. The coach tried to talk to him, but he didn't want to listen and kept going. I knew something was up, and that's when I made the decision to leave my seat and go to the locker room.

When I stepped foot in the must-filled room, I could hear someone shouting in anger. Then, getting closer, I heard my name. It had to have been Dash. Entering the shower area, I saw number One seated on the bench, helmet off, and head in his hands. He was clearly frustrated and in his head about me. To be honest, so was I. We haven't talked in almost two weeks.

"Hey, can we talk?" I asked quietly, hoping he didn't notice my anxious voice.

He looked up and saw me standing there, but didn't move. "What the hell do you want, Danny? Like, honestly? We're already losing, and the last thing I need is for you to say anything to me."

"Dash, I don't care. Something's obviously messing with you, and it's affecting your game. Seriously, as my partner, tell me what's wrong?"

He stood up and looked me in my eyes. It felt like he was staring into my soul. "Now you want to call me your damn partner. After a girl who has proven she can't be trusted got in your head about us, you want to call me your boyfriend. That's fucked up, Danny. And you know it."

"What's fucked up is the fact that you won't even tell me what is bothering you." I argued back, sensing that this conversation wouldn't end well.

"YOU ARE, DANNY. I haven't been able to focus on this game at all since last week. And it's your fault."

"My fault? My fault, Dash? You fucking slapped me right here in this locker room with no explanation whatsoever. YOU DID. And it hurt, Dash. You've never put your hands on me before…"

"You slapped me first though, Danny. Did you forget that?"

"Why are you trying to turn this on me? I'm not trying to argue with you right now, but I want you to tell me what's wrong."

"Danny, you listened to a girl that thinks she's the most beautiful person in the school. She manipulated you and—"

I finally grew tired of this. "Look at this." I interrupted, showing him the ring on my finger. "Look at yours. We made a promise to each other that we would never let anyone fuck our relationship up. We did, though. We let a wannabe Barbie almost break us up. I'm… I'm sorry, okay? I shouldn't have slapped you. I was so angry that my actions came from just that: anger."

I could see his eyes clearly for the first time in almost two weeks. Those beautiful, baby blue eyes. I missed them. "I accept, but I… I'm sorry too, Danny. I didn't mean to hurt you like that."

"Dash, I know you weren't cheating on me. You never would. I just let her get into my head. Now I know not to trust anything she says. But seriously… I missed you."

"I missed you, too… Dan-Dan."

I hugged him tightly and I could feel him hug me even tighter. We've had a rough few weeks, but here we are, still strong. You know, I'll be damned if I let this situation, or anyone, get in the way of our relationship. No one ever said a relationship comes without issues, but as individuals and as a unit, you have to learn how to grow from your mistakes. That's the only way to progress through life. We let each other go, and as we looked into each other's eyes, he smiled that same 'Prince Charming'-esque smile at me. I couldn't help but smile back. At the end of the day, he's still mine and I'm still his.

"Dan-Dan?"

"Yes, Dashi?"

He rested one hand on my face, and his other arm was wrapped around my waist. Pulling me in close to him, he stroked my face where the scar once was. It felt smooth, comforting, and I could only feel at peace. Then, like he's done so many times, he pressed our lips together in a tender, soft kiss. This man could have just ruined his entire football career just for an anxiety-ridden ghost boy like me, but I wouldn't care at all because we still got each other. He pulled himself back lightly, flashing his smile again.

"We good, baby boy?" He asked.

"Like a field goal." I laughed before checking my watch. "We should back out there, the game is about to start again."

He grabbed his helmet, and we bolted out the door and to the field. When we arrived, the coach looked at us both zeroing in on number One.

"Baxter, what the hell has got into you? You…" He saw me standing there, and looked back at Dash's face. Dash looked fearless, confident, and ready. "You go out there, and win this game. Alright?" The coach replied. He turned to me. "You get to him before me?"

"I had to, sir. I had to…" I just sighed calmly.

The rest of the game went well. I was able to see it all happen while standing on the side of the field. Dash threw touchdown after touchdown after touchdown. He looked like he got his confidence back, along with extra energy. The game had soon become a blowout by twenty-eight points. The game winning play? Dash ran it in for a touchdown at the buzzer. I jumped so high in the air, I could've been a cheerleader. The players soon returned to their sides, and as Dash walked up to the coach, the coach simply sidestepped and let him come straight to me. I wrapped my arms around him in a warm hug, congratulating him on the final placement. He looked at me with those baby blue eyes that shimmered in the bright lights.

"I really needed that talk at halftime. It was the difference between the team winning because of me, and them losing because of me."

I smiled. "Sometimes, you have to talk to the one you're closest with in order to move on. Nothing and no one means more to me than you."

"I could say the same thing about you. Together, we're unbreakable. No one can break us up."

"Damn right, Dashi. That's because we're unbreakable and unstoppable."

He kissed me again confidently. "You got that right, Dan-Dan."