There was absolutely no need for lunch breaks and cafeterias, which were nothing more than a source of social awkwardness and opportunities for people like Hannah to develop and show off her hard-earned social status.

I started to pick up the apple off my tray, but she took my arm and wrapped it around her shoulders. She was speaking to Sophie, her best friend. Something about a sale on bags. Tuning her out, I decided that leaving the apple would be better than having to deal with the future conversation of how it was important that we show a level of togetherness in public settings. Hannah—on the outside—was every guy’s wet dream. Perfectly straight brown hair, perfect blue eyes, perfect legs, perfect skin, perfect cheerleader body. She may have even been the perfect girlfriend, she just wasn’t perfect for me.

I looked around the cafeteria and settled my gaze on a girl sitting alone at a table in the corner of the room. Our eyes locked, and I smiled at her.

She blushed and looked away.

This was my life. Everyone either had me on a pedestal or was afraid of me. Why? My hot girlfriend and the ability to shoot a ball through a metal hoop? Granted, I worked hard for the second one. The first, not so much.

The loner girl stood up and made her way to the exit. As I watched her leave, my gaze caught on a figure through the windows, sitting underneath a tree. I squinted, trying to get a better look.

It couldn’t be.

She sat cross-legged, with her hair up. Her head was lowered, and it appeared that she was looking down at something in her hand. A scraping sound snapped me out of my daze. I didn’t realize it was my chair being pushed back until I was almost standing.

“So you’ll come with us tonight, right?” Hannah’s voice sounded far away.

My eyes focused on the blonde girl sitting outside. Her head started bopping up and down. She must’ve been listening to music. I found myself smiling as I watched her.

“Babe!” Hannah tried to get my attention.

I blinked, trying to switch focus. Turning to her, I asked, “What?” It came out harsher than I’d intended.

Her eyes widened, and I knew I was going to pay for that later. “Will you drive us to the mall after school?”

I squared my shoulders and took a step back. The chair behind me fell and hit the floor with a loud clank. “What, Hannah? No. I’m working!”

“Babe,” she pleaded. All eyes were on us. I must’ve been louder than I thought.

“Hannah, I can’t.”

I chanced a glimpse out the window. She was standing now, lifting her backpack onto her shoulders. Her head was still lowered.

I needed to see if it was her.

A hand on my wrist pulled me back to my surroundings.

“Babe,” Hannah said again.

I looked out the window. She was leaving.

I shook my hand out of Hannah’s grasp and gathered my shit. “Fuck.”

And then I walked out of the room and chased after her.

Abby.

By the time I got out to the tree, she was nowhere to be seen. I searched the parking lot, the hallways, and the library. Nothing.

The moment I’d left the cafeteria, my phone had started blowing up with texts from Hannah. I didn’t even bother to read them. I already knew what they’d say. The worst part was that I didn’t even know if it was Abby. It could have been any number of blonde girls who walked these halls on a daily basis. Maybe I just wanted so badly to see her that I’d imagined it. I shook my head back and forth in disbelief. What the hell was it with this girl that had made me so crazy?

I texted Hannah right after I’d given up looking for Abby and apologized. I told her I hadn’t gotten much sleep the night before and that I’d call her after work. I probably needed to blow off some steam, and if there was one thing Hannah was perfect for, that was it.

She was at my locker, waiting for me before the end-of-lunch bell rang.

“Just so you know, I forgive you, but you should get some more sleep.” She pouted, pressing my body against the lockers with hers and moving my hand to her hip. Licking her lips and searching my face, she added, “I worry about you.” She said it loud enough so that the random people walking by in the hallway could hear.

This was Hannah. All show. Then she leaned in closer, squashing her large breasts against my chest. I looked down at the tight tank that barely covered them. And then I mentally compared her tits to Abby’s. I started to get hard. “Fuck,” I groaned. I shouldn’t be having these thoughts while my girlfriend was trying to seduce me.

Hannah must’ve taken my reaction the wrong way, because by the time I managed to pull my mind away from Abby’s breasts, her mouth was on my neck. My fingers instinctively curled around her tiny waist, drawing her closer. I waited for the moment her lips brushed mine before moving in and tasting her.

“Come over tonight?” Her voice was husky and laced with desire.

Will walked up behind Hannah, just as I pushed her away, along with any lustful thoughts. “I’m working.”

“After?” She ran her finger down my shirt and into the band of my shorts.

“I’ll call you.”

Her lips curled. “I’ll see you later.” She took a step back and winked. “Run over to my place. We can shower together.”

With a smirk on his face, Will watched her walk away. “Run over so we can shower together,” he mimicked, pretending to brush hair over his shoulder. The guy was an ass, but he was funny enough and he made the long-ass school days more bearable. I turned to my locker and ignored him. “By the way,” he said, his voice back to normal. “Good job on the whole flaking to get-a-tattoo thing. We waited over an hour for you.” I kept ignoring him. Then I felt his hands rub harshly on my shoulders. “So who was she?” he asked, chuckling suggestively. This kid would not let up.