The friendship game.

Warnings.

"You guys are what!?" Vanessa chokes on her water and just about everyone else on the table looks at Francis and I in shock. "Dating!?"

"Yeah." Francis nonchalantly admits.

"Did he blackmail you?" She grasps my hand and searches my eyes for the truth. I shook my head and Vanessa had a slightly bitter look, biting her lips. "Francis, I need to talk to you later."

"Why? I have nothing to say to you?"

"I do. So prepare yourself later and you know exactly what I'm going to talk about." Was she going to murder Francis or something? I noticed that Francis quickly darted his away from her and walks over to mess around with the guys.

--------------

Greg quickly grabs a hold of me and pushes me into his car.

"What the heck?" I said with slight rage, clicking in my seat belt.

"I should be the one saying that. Dating Francis Alvarez. Really, Dana?" Greg revs up his car and we reverse out of the parking lot.

"Yeah, really."

"You don't even know the guy!"

"Funny, coming from you." I spat. "What's it to you?"

He bit his lip. "I just don't want you to get into some deep sh*t and my mom blames me for it!"

"You really are a jerk you know that?" Just so he wouldn't get his own ass busted. "It's none of your business, anyway."

"Yeah, you're right." His eyes glower onto the road ahead. "Screw yourself over and we'll see who's right and who isn't."

"What do you know?" I mutter under my breath.

"A hell lot more than you. I've attended this school for a year more than you. Sh*t happens in one year." When he said that, I swallowed fear down. What did he mean? Does he know something about Francis that I don't know about? Couldn't be, right? Greg doesn't even know Francis.

After dinner, I received a text from Jeremias.

I'm at the front of your house. - Jeremias.

I ran out to meet him. "Hey, what's up?"

"Are you really dating my brother?" He gets straight to the point.

"From what I know of, yes. Is there a problem?" Everyone's being really weird today. First, Vanessa, second Francis darting his eyes away from Vanessa, then Greg hinting at something and now Jeremias.

" I see. I just wanted to confirm." His tone was solid. No hint of anything suspicious. "Let me tell you this as a friend. My brother will never be able to love you. So don't hope for anything."

I already knew it was too good to be true. "Are you hiding something from me?"

"That's all I have to say. Good night." Jeremias slammed the door of his car and sped off into the distance.

------------

"Francis?" The breeze blew against my skin. I swung my legs back and forth on the bench at the school garden, looking down.

" 'Sup?" There was definitely a wall built up between Francis and I. Every time I try to overcome the wall, it becomes taller and taller.

"Is there something you aren't telling me that I should know about?" I looked into his eyes.

"Did someone say something to you?" He relaxed himself on the bench.

"No. Just asking." Bull crap, Dana.