"I heard about her, she's bad for you."
"Like you were any better."
"She's going to ruin you."
"Then let her."
Blake Gunner always looked for the bad in people, to know that he's not the only one. Yet to also see if they can defeat the bad like he t...
It didn't feel right to go to the diner after the first day of court. Yet it was the closest place we all agreed. Silently we walked inside and took separate tables. Somehow, they kept us all together. Jennifer, Melissa and I sat at a circular table and scanned through the menus. Blake, Aidan, Carter, Levi, and Ethan took a booth while Axel, Keene, Clarissa, and Tamia sat in a corner booth.
The diner was quiet for once, especially our table. Melissa didn't plan to come to visit so soon. She had the opportunity to meet great fashion designers over the winter break but caught the first flight here when she heard they arrested Nick. I didn't think she was quiet because of that. It's the fact that Nick wasn't in the courtroom today. That he took the plea deal. There's a chance in her that Lana, Benny, and Liam will have less time than Nick if they're not guilty.
"Tomorrow's your day, huh?" Jennifer broke the silence after the waiter placed our food down. I shifted uneasily in my seat and nodded. She rested a hand on my thigh with a smile. "Don't worry, I have a beautiful Salvatore Ferragamo pantsuit you can borrow. I only wore it once. You'll give them a statement once you step onto that witness stand."
"Speaking about tomorrow, could you come earlier?"
"Why's that?" Jennifer tilted her head and slurped on her drink. "Aren't you staying by me tonight?"
"I thought about it and I want to go home tonight to tell my mom. Hopefully, she can come with tomorrow, you know? Just so she can get out of the house."
Jennifer nodded in that cool and understanding way. That's what I liked about her, even though we went through different things, somehow, we still understood each other in a way that nobody else could.
"Jen, can I crash at your place tonight?" Melissa set her phone down on the table and moved it as far as she could. "I can't deal with my parents asking me so many questions. To make it even worse, Nick's family is with them. How can I look at his sisters, ever again?"
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"Sure thing, my door is always open." Jennifer made us smile again, but it only lasted a few seconds. We looked at the gaps between us and I don't know about them, but it only sunk in how things have changed. Lana's absence made me feel guilty whenever I spoke about regular things. What was she up to right now? Was her dinner as good as ours? Did she even have dinner?
"Hey, Aidan." I looked opposite us where Blake and Carter sat on their phones. Ethan sat behind Aidan but when our eyes met, he quickly turned away. Another thing I felt guilty about. I didn't mean to lead him on even though I used to have a crush on him.
Ethan was friendly and kind to everyone and I guess I used that to my advantage when Marcus cheated on me. We hung out a lot last summer, but it shortened the closer I got to Jennifer. I thought nothing of it because he'd gone to Australia. When he came back for Thanksgiving, Jennifer and I were already a couple. From there we entirely drew apart. Yet I knew he always had my back. Ethan Baxter was there to drive me everywhere when my mother had the car. He filled Marcus' shoes when I had to look for my mother in the early hours of the morning. I hoped I being with Jennifer didn't deter our friendship. Aidan turned and smiled at us. Jennifer held a sympathetic look and tilted her head. "How's Tiffany doing? Do you speak to her a lot?"
