𝐦𝐲 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥 | 𝐚𝐝𝐚𝐦 𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐬

"welcome to eden hall"

"What are you guys whispering about?" Rowan Pierce asked her two best friends, Brendan and Alex -- her eyebrows raising with suspicion as she placed her book down onto her lap.

"Nothing." They both immediately replied, snapping their heads in her direction, yet avoiding eye contact at all costs.

"Mhm."

The boys glanced back and forth for a few moments. Rowan pretended not to notice.

"Ro, we were just wondering..."

"Didn't know you guys could do that."

They didn't laugh. Rowan didn't put her book down, using it as a shield for her face

"We were just wondering about Tighe Parker." Alex said barely above a whisper.

"Well don't."

"Rowan, we know what's going on." Brendan announced.

"Nothing is going on." She replied, standing up. "I have to go."

"Sit down." Alex Larson sternly said.

With a quiet sigh, she did.

As the three sat across from each other, they saw her wall falter for just a moment, possibly caught off guard by the abrupt conversation. "Are you okay?"

Before she could let the lie roll off her tongue, she thought for a moment -- this was the first time in weeks anyone had asked her this -- and at these words, she broke down. "No, not really."

"I'm going to kill that asshole." Brendan sneered, harshly walking towards the door, but stopped once Rowan grabbed his arm.

"No! You can't. You have to pretend you don't know. I don't want anyone getting hurt over this. Not because of me."

"But you're getting hurt, Rowan! And what kind of friends would we be if we looked away from this? You don't deserve to be treated like this." Alex exclaimed.

"And you don't deserve to pay the price because of what's happening to me. Adam doesn't either."

"Rowan, you can't expect us not to t-"

"I do. You can not, no matter what, tell Adam about this. You have to promise me this one thing, please."

"Why?"

"Because things will only get a million times worse if you do. Please."

The two boys exchanged looks once again, ones that said: we can't actually agree to this, can we?  "Okay."

"Thank you." She breathed, feeling like she hasn't taken a real breath in her entire life.

"He has one week to get his shit together and stop, or I swear Rowan, I'm going to beat his ass." Brendan promised.

And this was one promise he was sure going to keep.

"What do you think Ralph Macchio is doing right now?" Connie Moreau wondered aloud.

Julie Gaffney and Rowan looked at each other, not sure if that was a question that she wanted answered or not.

"I'm more interested to know what Danielle Fishel is doing right now." Julie laughed, continuing to flip through Teen People Magazine, Causing Rowan to laugh even harder.

It had been ages since the three girls had spent a single moment together like this. Taking every valuable second with no hockey or boy talk. Even though, they all knew that wouldn't last long due to the subject of Ralph Macchio.