Carter.

8.

As soon as Grayson and I walk through the doors to outside I feel better. Fresh air and warm sunlight is so amazing.

"So are you and Rebecca friends?" Grayson asks as we walk up the bleachers.

"Who?" I hope that answers his question.

"The girl we literally just talked to in the hallway?" Idiot, boys are idiots. I shake my head a little at his question.

"If I was friends with her wouldn't I have talked to her?" I deadpan as we sit down, near the middle of the bleachers.

"Why did she act like y'all are friends?" Poor stupid boy.

"Why did she threaten me in bathroom? These are questions we may never have the answers to." I say shrugging while grabbing celery out of my bag.

"She did what?" He completely stops getting his lunch out to face me square on.

"She told me to watch my back in the bathroom." I shrug, what could that girl even do? Nothing worse than anything that my own mother puts me through.

"Why?" He puts his hand on my upper thigh, I don't flinch for the first time ever. I think he noticed too. My stomach immediately starts to flip over, butterflies flying around like they're flying a fucking marathon.

"Well, she thinks I'm screwing you and she's apparently not okay with that idea." I don't really think this is that important but Grayson seems to think so. I'm much more focused on the warmth his hand on my thigh is bring to my face. I hope I'm not blushing enough to see through my concealer.

"I'll talk to her." He seems so protective, I like it?

"No, there is no need to even talk to her. What would she even do?"

"She shouldn't talk to you like that, she doesn't even know you. And plus I can do whatever I want with whoever I want." Why did my heart stop when he said that? I don't like the idea of him with anyone else. But he's not mine, and never will be. "And we fucking pretend dating in like 6th or 7th grade, it was stupid dare from my friend Turner. She's been annoying enough for me to deal with, you shouldn't have to deal with her too. "

"You don't really know me either..." I say looking down and picking at my celery.

"That's why I'm eating lunch with you. So tell me everything that makes up Carter Mason." He grabs his food which makes him remove his hand from my thigh and I'm kinda sad about it.

"You go first." I don't really know what to say about myself... like the whole dead dad thing is too deep but it's sort of my life now.

"Ok, well my favorite color is red, definitely a dog person, I have an older sister and a slightly younger brother. Umm I love football and baseball, I want to be an engineer. I enjoy nature and traveling." I could listen to him talk forever. His deep voice still sends chills down my back. "My favorite thing to do is sleep, I'm a vegetarian, I could work on cars all day. And I really like this girl named Carter, ohh and I like potatoes a lot." He smirks when he says the fact about me. My stomach explodes in butterflies.

"Wow, I should have been taking notes." I joke with him. I feel a little like my old self around him. I feel the breath of life slowly coming back into my body with each joke.

"Ha-ha very funny" He rolls his eyes, rude. At least he likes sarcasm too right?

"Do your siblings go here?" I don't really know anything about him either I guess.

"No, they are my half siblings on my dad's side so they live in Texas. I go to visit my dad is every summer for basically the whole summer and I hang out with them then."