Behind the Bad Boy

4.

"I'm sorry!" Cole says, cowering away from Mason.

"I told you." He hisses. "Stop."

"I didn't do anything!"

"Bullshit!"

This guy is so different from the one that I met on the beach.

Cole looks terrible. I've just walked into the school on Monday and everyone is staring at the scene.

"I thought she was single! I didn't know you were with her!"

"I'm not!" He snarls. Mason looks like he's about to hit him. "But she's off limits. If anyone lays a finger on her, you'll never see the light of day."

He left Stella's leash in my Mom's car...

"I can touch who I want!" Cole says.

Mason starts raising his fist.

"Mason!" I blurt. He freezes, his entire body gets tense, and he whips around to face me.

"What?" He asks. There's a bitterness to his tone, and a niceness.

"I-you left Stella's leash..." I trail off, pulling the pink dog leash from my backpack.

His eyes lock on it like radars and I see what looks like relief cross his face, but only for a split second. He drops his fist and walks over to me, snatching the leash from my hands.

He looks at Cole. "If you look at her or say a word to her or breathe in her direction or wave at her or do anything that has anything to do with her once more, I will ruin you." He pauses. "That goes for every single person in this building unless you are one hundred percent gay!" He says. He pauses. "Any woman better be fucking straight as a board." He looks at Cole again. "Fuck off." He points in the opposite direction of me and him.

He listens immediately.

"Let's go people! Nothing to see here!" he yells. "Remember what I said!"

Everyone rushes off to their own business and Mason turns to me.

"Thanks." He mumbles.

I nod shyly.

Who's the girl?

"Who's the girl?" I blurt.

"None of your fucking business."

He snarls.

"Get the stick out of your ass." I snap. I turn around and stomp off.

"I can't be friends with you anymore." Alyssa says.

"Ha ha, very funny. How's Ethan?"

She gulps. "I'm serious." She whispers. She looks like she's going to cry. "I'm sorry." She walks away.

I stare after her in shock.

What does she mean, she can't be friends with me?

Why can't Alyssa be friends with me.

"Alyssa!" I yell after her.

She breaks into a run. People give me looks of pity.

Cole doesn't even look at me. Megan doesn't either.

What the hell just happened? I just lost my best friend? Everyone won't look at me?

I never normally cry, but I just lost Alyssa.

I feel tears slip down my cheeks. Everyone is silencing. Alyssa stops at her locker and I see her look at me.

Tears are pouring down her cheeks too.