“So I’m having a party this weekend,” said Amelia, jumping up to Jason’s side, interrupting the conversation between Jason and Lucita as they waited for everyone else in the carpool area in front of the school.

“Really, your mom is okay with that?” Lucita stared the girl down. She got a bad feeling from her, especially with her friendship with Jason. It was obvious she liked Jason, and it was also clear to everyone that he and Liz were having problems. The girl and her crush were not helping.

“Her mother is an old-school hippie; she would allow anything.”

“Yup.” Amelia smiled. “She’s going out for the weekend, a romantic weekend with her new boyfriend. So I’m throwing a party. You’re both invited.”

“And Liz and the others, right?” Lucita stared at the girl, watching her face. It pinched together, but only slightly.

“Of course. It’s gonna be awesome!”

“Cool. Yeah, we’ll be there. Lucita, I’ll give you a ride.”

“Cool beans. Thanks for the invite, Amelia.”

“Anytime. Let the others know. Jason has my address, so just pass it around. Later!”  Lucita watched the girl hop on her skateboard and weave around the crowds of people.

“You know that girl has a crush on you, right?” She adjusted her bag on her shoulder and stared at him intently. Something like jealously knawed at her.

Jason eyed her warily. “No, she doesn’t.”

“Look, even Liz notices. What is going on between the two of you anyway?”

“She just… I don’t know. She doesn’t think I love or want to be with her anymore.”

“Well, she shouldn’t. You guys are adorable together. Do you want me to talk to her?”

“No, no I’m good. We’ll work it out.” He paused, giving her a reassuring smile, one Lucita didn’t believe for one minute. “So how Cyrus?”

Lucita groaned inwardly. “He’s fine. Great actually. He asked the girl out, and she said yes. So yeah, he’s moving on.”

“You look like you’re moving on with Francis.”

“Huh, well, I don’t know.”

“He likes you. That’s obvious.”

“Oh shut up.”

“Your blushing,” he teased, poking her cheek. Lucito laughed, smacking his hand away as you teased and poked her.

“What’s going on here?” Lucita looked at Elizabeth. She stood alongside Silvia and Francis, her arms crossed, her nostrils flaring.

“Oh, I was just teasing Lucita about something.”

“Well, what was it?” Lucita didn’t quite like Elizabeth’s tone.

“It was about Cyrus,” spoke Lucita saving his butt. Whatever was bothering Elizabeth was really bothering her. Lucita couldn’t understand it.

“Oh, why?”

“Oh well, he asked out some girl with the most awful name.”

“Tiffany,” jumped in Jason, “and now Lucita is a little paranoid.”

“I’m not paranoid. I just don’t like the similarities.”

“Luci, we should get going before we miss the bus,” stated Francis.

“Shit, he’s right. I gotta go. Jason tell everyone about Amelia’s party. See you guys later.” Lucita headed down the sidewalk, Francis trailing closely behind her.

Francis was suddenly very quiet. Lucita nudged him lightly, smiling as they crossed the street toward the bus stop.

“What’s up?”

“Who is Cyrus?”

“Oh, well, he’s an old friend. We went to middle school together, and now he’s at some private school. Lots of money, super fancy.” She let out an uneasy laugh.

“So you guys are just friends?”

“Yep.” The word tasted bitter in her mouth. Just friends. It wasn’t the whole truth, but Francis didn’t need to know the whole truth. Besides, other than her unrequited love and a stolen kiss, there really wasn’t anything else to say.

Cyrus met Tiffany at this school cafe. The place was full of student baristas who worked as part of the scholarship or work-study program. Tiffany herself worked in the school library, But luckily, it was her day off.

“Thanks for the drink,” she said, sipping her iced tea. This was their second date, and Cyrus took that as a good sign. He had never had a girlfriend before. How did you ask someone to be your girlfriend?

“Anytime.” He cocked his lips upward into a smile and sipped more of his coffee topped with whipped cream.

“So, do you like it here?”

“Yeah, I like it a lot. Some of my friends from back home miss me, and I miss them, but it’s nice here.”

“None of my friends miss me. Of course, I didn’t really have a lot of friends. Too much of a nerd.” She sighed, looking away, and Cyrus felt a pang of pity for her. The look on her face made him just wanna hold her and tell her that everyone she had known was a jerk.

Suddenly, she looked at him with a bright smile on her face. “Why don’t you tell me about your friends, Cyrus.”

“Oh, well, there is Matthew. He’s sort of a dick, but he can be pretty cool. I’ve known him my entire childhood. He’s really my god-brother if that makes sense. Both of our mothers are each other’s madrina. We’ve been through all of it together. He’s always got my back, even when he thinks I’m being stupid.”

“He sounds cool. It’s really cool that you have that type of friendship.”

“Yep. And then there’s Lucita.”

“A girl?” Cyrus almost wanted to cut out his own tongue. Why was he bringing up Lucita?

He laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. “Yeah, she’s sort of like a tomboy, except not really. She can be pretty girly sometimes. She’s also got this gothic emo edge that makes her stand out. We went to middle school together, and it’s funny. I could not stand this girl and all, and then once she wasn’t there anymore, she messaged me on social media, and I realized, wow, I actually missed her. Our friendship is strange, to say the least. She’s just a pretty cool chick. She’s crazy, insanely dorky nose always in the book, but she’s really fun to be around. You would probably like her.”

“She sounds nice.” She paused, staring at him intently. “Is there something going on between the two of you?”

“Oh no, no, no, no, no, definitely not. Full transparency, she does have a crush on me, but I do not reciprocate those feelings. We are just friends.”

“Okay.”

Cyrus swallowed hard. How had the topic gotten so far from him? He noticed Tiffany staring at him intently and swirling her straw in her drink.

“Tiffany,” he began rubbing the palms of his hands on his legs nervously. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Of course.”

“Are we just friends?”

Her lip quirked upward. “I don’t know, Cyrus, are we?”

“I don’t know. I mean, I would like to be more than that.”

He watched her smile slightly, biting her lower lip. “Are you asking me to be your girlfriend, Cyrus?”

“Is that something you would be interested in?”

“Very much so.” She grinned at him, and he grinned back, reaching to hold her hand. Nope, ahead of an awkward moment, he thought sarcastically.

Tiffany twirled herself into her room, ignoring her roommate, and sat on her bed, staring at her skeptically, taking a hit from her bong.

“What has you so happy?”

“Cyrus asked me to be his girlfriend.”

“Cool, so when will you kick him to the curb?”

Tiffany sat up, leaning back on her arms. “I don’t know, I kinda like him.”

“Seriously? What about your evil plan to get back at that girl?”

“I can get back at her and be happy, can’t I?”

“Well, yeah, but Ryan guy has been asking about you. Every other girl thinks he’s a cutie.”

Tiffany shrugged. “Yeah, he is, but Cyrus is too, and he’s also smart and caring and not full of himself like Ryan seems to be with his stupid leather jacket. Ryan is like a walking cliché.”

Caroline laughed. “For someone uninterested, you sure have much to say about him.”

“It’s not that funny.”

“I kinda think so.”

“That’s because you’re high as a kite.”

“Very true. Come on, take a hit.”

“You know I can’t. I’m on academic probation, considering why my parents told the staff.”

“One hit won’t get you in trouble.”

“It would be my luck that I would get caught.”

Caroline shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

Tiffany grabbed her bag, tired of the sight of Caroline’s face. “I’ll be in the library.”

“Party pooper.”

“Keep partying. You’ll have more fun without me.”

Caroline waved her away. “Go then. I’ll just call my boyfriend.”

“Don’t forget to put something on the door,” she mumbled, grabbing her sweatshirt and slipping into her blue uniform-issued flats. She hated that she had a pothead for a roommate. It was all she needed. She had to be good and stay under the radar, and if her roommate was caught, she would be guilty by association in her parents’ eyes. All she wanted was to go home, not be here. It wasn’t fair. None of it was fair. It was all Blake, Jason, Vee, Becca, and Lucita. It all came back to her.

But now Tiffany had something she wanted.

Throwing open the stairwell door, she slammed into a body.

“Hey, watch it.”

“Oh, sorry.” Ryan stared down at her, leather jacket slung over his shoulder. “Ryan, hey.” She hated how attractive he was, how her heart fluttered a bit.

“Gotta get your head out of the clouds, Tiff. Where are you off to?”

“Library. Caroline is high as a kite, so I need to not be where she is.”

“Cool. So, hey, I’m sneaking off campus to go to a party this weekend. Wanna come?”

“Can I bring my boyfriend?” It surprised her how happy calling Cyrus her boyfriend made her.

“Seriously, you’re dating that Cyrus guy? You could do so much better.”

“Oh really? And who, in your opinion, is better?”

“Me.”

Tiffany rolled her eyes and shoved past him. “Maybe if you didn’t have your head up your ass.”

“You’ll come around,” he said, trailing after her.

“Not interested, Ryan.”

“Sure.”

“Goodbye, Ryan.” Tiffany picked up the pace, eager to leave him behind. Cyrus was better; right now, she needed good, not some cliché wannabe-bad-boy-with-big-brown eyes.