Playing the Players Game

You have got to be kidding me!

Every school year started off the same with a welcome back assembly held in the gym for all grades. The principal always gives a speech new teachers and staff are introduced and then they go over typical expectations and school year events such as prom and graduation and winter breaks etc.
         I made my way to a seat with Stace  and Bella along side everyone else who is in the gym all seated and chatting quietly waiting for the principal to finally start talking before we go get our schedules and start our day of "this is what I did this summer" in every class. 
Just as the principal walked up the mic and started to speak the gym doors flew open and in walked a smiling Tyler and an equally happy Amanda hand in hand clothes wrinkled and rushed to put back on in a clear attempt to squash the rumors and prove them true.
"Are you fucking kidding me?" I mumbled under my breath. "What are they rabbits? For fucks same we literally JUST got to school" I rolled my eyes and heard Stacy snicker next to me.
            "Oh you're just jealous it wasn't you" she smiled elbowing my ribs and I couldn't help but roll my eyes until I caught on to what she meant.
"Hey that was ONE time" I shot back and tried to hide my smile. Of course I was labeled a good girl because I did sports and had killer grades and followed the rules most of the time but that didn't mean I didn't have my fun. The three of us went to parties and events and we all drank sometimes just not as frequently as some others in our grade. Of course I'm pretty sure that out of the three of us only Stacy is still a virgin thanks to Bella sorta getting around and me being in a two year relationship for 9th and 10th grade that I thought at the time was love.
"Yeah one time that the football coach caught you" Bella giggled referring to the embarrassing time that me and my at the time boyfriend got caught making out behind the bleachers in the gym before we each went to practice. I groaned and rolled my eyes again.
         Just as I was about to answer I got a weird chill and turned just in time to see Tyler and Amanda making their way up the bleachers. They stopped and turned sitting directly in font of us. GREAT.
"Wasn't there another time....." Stacy smirked either unaware or just not caring about who had sat directly in front of us. Oh please shut up I begged in my head.
"OMG YES!" Bella shouted almost too loudly and Tyler and Amanda flinched in front of us a bit.
      "The like second day of highschool......" Stacy paused for a second wiggling her eye brows at me. "You still never told us who the guy was by the way...." I sunk a little in my seat trying to hold in my embarrassment. Talking about a hook up I had in the school wasn't exactly something I wanted Tyler or Amanda for that fact over hearing.
"Well. I didn't think it was important" I answered calmly hoping they'd get the hint with how uninterested I was in the conversation. Honestly why wasn't the principal actually talking yet? Or was he? I could never tell and everyone always talked through assembly's anyways.
"What our best friend gets detention day TWO of freshman year for making out with a junior in the bathroom and it's not important for us to know?" She faked hurt and I sunk down a little further hoping to escape the conversation. I could see Amanda smirking and I was just hoping it was due to something Tyler had said. However when I glanced at him it was clear he was also eavesdropping on our conversation and infact had not said anything at all.
"It was Max" Amanda cut in smirking at me as if she knew exactly what she had just done. Tyler sat up at the mention of max and I could tell that he was fully interested in the conversation. Great just what I needed. Day one and already I had managed to get involved in drama I didn't want. I could only imagine the rumors that would fly, no one would care that it was 3 years later.
      "HOLD ON. Max HARWELL.... as in your brothers BEST FRIEND max?!? The one who was on the football team, the really fucking hot one who always hangs out with you, the one who comes and stays the night at your house ALL of the time?!" Bella whisper shouted her eyes starring widely. . I could have sworn I saw Tyler flinch and frown for a second but before I could actually decide or get a good look Stacy was elbowing me. OUCH. I forgot how sharp her elbows were.
"Yeah him.... it's whatever really, it's not really a big deal. I was upset in the hallway after some uh news and he had pulled me into the bathroom to talk. One thing lead to another and before I knew it we were mid whatever when a teacher knocked and walked in catching us." I shrugged trying to pretend I wasn't beyond pissed. Of course Amanda knew who it was. She had been one of the only students in the hall when the teacher was yelling at us and telling us we had detention.  She had also been one of my best friends at the time. One who knew my secrets and kept them. Not anymore clearly
"Well that's what happens. You get your first kiss then BAM you become a SLUT" Amanda spoke smirking at me again. Before I could even get a word out and back Stacy shook her head no. And sadly she was right. I knew that was a battle I wouldn't win. At least not her. She'd call out claiming I said or did something and all of the teachers and students would believe her. Because that's exactly what happened when we stopped being friends. I glared for a second while Amanda smirked knowing she had won this one.             Thankfully before anything else could be said or done the teachers dismissed us to our first classes. Amanda and Tyler got up quickly heading off to who knows where follows by their little posse who had been sat up a few rows behind us and I cursed them for not saving space for the two of them to join.
"YES ENGLISH WITH MISS SMITH" I smirked looking down at my schedule on my phone. Miss Smith taught junior and senior English and was by far my favorite teacher.  I was pumped to have her again for English especially first thing in the morning. She never cared if we were late or came in with coffee (even though it was against school rules) she always said we were young and life happened but as long as we got the work done and got decent grades she would understand.  I left to head to first period waving goodbye to the girls letting them know I'd probably see them at lunch. Just as I was turning the corner to my English class I walked smack dab into a hard chest stumbling a bit and let out a sigh of relief what they caught me. Glancing up I recognized the smiling face starring down at me.
"Chris!" I yelled tackling him in a hug. Yeah he annoyed me like no other but it was certainly nice to see his familiar face especially after the hell morning that had just happened .
"Hey short stuff" he laughed returning my embrace. Anyone else may have struggled to recognize Chris he looked TOTALLY different then last year when he left. He had grown taller over the summer, his glasses replaced Ed by contacts, his frail arms replaced with muscles and a tan. He draped his arm around my shoulders laughing as we entered the class room. "Miss Edwards you're late day one? And here I was hoping you changed" Miss Smith joked sending a wink my way and I shrugged. "Please take a seat" I glanced around the room and of course there were only two open seats left and they weren't next to each other. Chris made his way to the one in the first row shooting me a frown as I made my way towards the back row. After a few seconds I looked up.
"Are you fucking kidding me...." I mumbled when I registered that I was stuck sitting next to the grade A asshole. Tyler hearing my mumble glance up and smirked at me giving me a look that once upon a time I probably would have laugh at or fluttered over instead I sighed and smiled tightly and obviously fake at him. Sure we used to be friends but now Tyler and I HATED each other with a burning passion. I would rather sit next to Amanda than him and that was saying something. At least it was only for today and tomorrow I could sit somewhere new. Of course immediately after these thoughts Miss Smith spoke up.
"Well class look to your left and right and say hi because these will be your neighbors year round." There were a few whoops and hollers around me as people were excited to be next to their friends but I just let out a groan. Why me?