A stack of papers slid towards me.

The neat stack of papers that have been stapled together slid across the coffee table. The coffee table was right between us, me on one side, them on another. For the next few minutes, I just stared at the papers as if I was a teacher looking at an essay a student just turned in. The student was a pretty irresponsible student, with bad attendance and grades. And I knew I shouldn't bother reading this, knowing it would be a fail, but at the same time, I have to take a look because they expect me to, and because it's my job to do it.

I didn't dare look at their eyes, I didn't dare meet their gazes, all I did was stare at the papers. The papers that seemed to stare right back at me. The papers that had something written in a simple font, the title of the stack of papers.

"The Re-Contract of Starbucks," I read aloud to both myself and them.

At the sound of it, they automatically looked away at both me and the contract. My stomach dropped at saying this. A re-contract is a new contract, making a new contract. It didn't take much of a genius to figure out what this means.

Here we are once again. We were in the exact same Starbucks, three weeks ago. We were sitting in the same leather chairs, three weeks ago. We were drinking the same drinks, three weeks ago. And the store was empty just like three weeks ago. It was as if it was only three weeks ago, sitting in a deserted Starbucks that Bennett bribed the manager to do. It was as if it was only three weeks ago, the three offered me a contract. And if was as if it was only three weeks ago, I agreed to that very contract. Maybe it was as if it was three weeks ago, because it really was three weeks ago all of this happened.

Has it really been three weeks ago that I met these three bad boys? The three bad boys that walked the same halls of school, that never gave me a second glance, never talked to me, never bullied me. Until one day I met them one by one, catching their eyes. Has it really been three weeks ago that I signed a contract with them in this very Starbucks, in this very comfy, leather chair? Back then, I didn't know what I was doing. I was just the unpopular nerdy, good girl who's bullied for years. I've been trying to survive all of those years, not knowing if I could handle one more year, just one last year. But that was when a chance of a lifetime came to me, three friends and bodyguards were offered to me. So I did the obvious thing a took it.

I took that chance of a lifetime.

And now it's three weeks later. And so much has happened in those three weeks. So many things happened. So many bruises, insults, and fake promises. Now those same three weeks has come to now. 

I finally found the courage to look at them. I instantly met their eyes, having me know they were staring at me, always been staring at me. Though their eye colors were different of dark brown, bright green and light blue, there was something they had in common. Their eyes had the same sad, tired look. Worn down with dark circles under their eyes, clouded with guilt and shame, the same eyes I saw in Jordan last night. 

Last night.

Just last Friday night I was trapped in an alley, cornered by Raymond's friends only without Raymond. I really thought that would be the end for me. I would be beaten up so badly that I was broken beyond repair. My will to live would be gone, and the bullies would have finally won. But it was then I knew I couldn't take it anymore. I knew I couldn't let them do this to me like they did years before. So for once, instead of cowering in fear, I stood up to a hopeless fight. I knew I wouldn't win, but what really did count was that I stood up for myself for once. I didn't look at anyone for help, or to do nothing, I finally learned that I only have myself.

And the boys.

If it weren't for them, I could be unconscious and half-dead, bruises all over my body, probably in a pool of my own blood. I would have woken up in a forgotten alley. Cold, confused, and scared. But they were there. They were there like knights in shining armor. And like knights saving a princess, like heroes saving a damsel in distress, they fought the dragon or the villain. But the real question was...

Did they win the girl?

Jordan awkwardly cleared his throat. "It's called the re-contract because-"

"Yeah, I know," I said, interrupting him, "I figured."

He flipped the pages until it was the last page of the contract. Jordan then took a pen out of his pocket and placed it neatly next to the paper. I stared at the page, knowing what this was coming to. This felt as if it was one of many books I've read. The one with the cliche story, predictable plot, simple characters. And in this story, I knew what was going to happen next.

"You only need to sign one thing." He told me, his voice so quiet, I could barely hear it. "And then that's it."

I looked up at him and asked a question I already knew the answer to. But I just wanted to hear it, hear it from them. "That's what?"

"The contract is void, cancelled, never existed." Declan said through gritted teeth, his fists clenched as if he wanted to punch something, anything.

"You don't have anything to do with us," Bennett said, not looking at me, "And we don't have anything to do... with you." The last part he had to force out.

"It's quite simple really," Bennett whispered quietly.

Declan let out a sigh. "You won't be our good girl."

"And we won't be your bad boys," Jordan finished, wearing a frown that looks so unnatural on him compared to his usual smile.

I was quiet for a moment. I remember them saying words just like them, when they first offered me the contract, offering me to be their good girl and offering them to be my bad boys. But now those very words, so similar yet so different were being said to me once again. I bit my quivering lip, my hands turning to fists that my nails were digging into my palm, and I took a deep breath.

"I see."

I did understand it, but just because I understand it doesn't mean I want to. Even after breaking their promise to me like that, I was willing to forgive them. But they already went ahead and made a re-contract, so the agreement never existed. They were so guilty at what they did, they thought I hate them as much as they hate themselves. They thought I'm disgusted at how they betrayed me, that they I didn't want anything to do with them anymore, that I wanted the agreement to be canceled, and never see their faces ever again.

And the scary thing is, they're right.

But also they're wrong.

Yes, what they did was... probably unforgivable. I don't know if unforgivable is too much of a weak word or a strong one. Both times they've underestimated my life, thinking that it's so easy to protect me and save me when I needed them most, like it's one of those TV shows where the hero always, and I mean always, saves the day. But the one moment they looked away, thinking that not being their won't make any difference, leaving me defenseless for that one moment, I'm already gone. And for a while, my feelings of this had been torn. I'm sad, mad, betrayed, underestimated, confused, belittled, scared and so many other things.

Even though they did this twice, I don't know why I'm willing to forgive them. Maybe it's because I finally realized that even though it's an accomplishment surviving this long by myself, I can't take any longer, I can't handle the weight of all of the bullying by myself, I need help. I need them. Not only as my bodyguards, though they've done an awful job at that. But also as friends, somebody to be there when I need them the most. They may be terrible bodyguards, but good friends. And I think I need that more than anything.

But I don't know how to tell them that. I don't know how to tell them that I need them, I need them as friends more than bodyguards. And I doubt that would change anything though. They're probably glad this weight holding them down is gone. They're probably glad they don't have to worry about some weak-willed, unpopular girl anymore. They're even probably counting down the minutes until I can finally sign my name so they could leave me behind. So I had to sign it. Not for me, but for them. I can't let them watch me every second of their lives, giving them a burden that's not theirs. I can't. I need to let them go.

I picked up the pen from the coffee table. An average pen weighed about two grams. But for some reason, the pen felt heavy in my hand. My hand was trembling as it held the pen, my palms were sweating, my fingers were numb as if it wanted the pen to fall out of my hand. Just sign Naomi Lorraine on the line at the bottom of the page, I told myself. Just sign and go. Just sign and forget.

The pen hovered over the page. The point touched the paper and it began to move. The ink appeared on the page, making out a line, then a letter. Then another and another. This felt like an eternity, what felt like years were only mere seconds. I could feel their eyes on my hand as it wrote my name in neat handwriting. But their eyes couldn't take it anymore and were off the paper. Bennett finally looked away and stared at his own hands. Jordan covered his eyes over his hand. And Declan shut his eyes, letting out a shaky breath.

"Stop."

I halted from signing the last letter of my name, the letter E in Lorraine. I was one second, one letter away of signing myself away. The pen fell from my hand, dropping onto the table with a small clatter. I looked up at the three of them to see who was the one who said it.

It was Declan who said it.

Bennett, Jordan, and I stared at him. The silence hung in the air like a thick fog. Declan never liked being in the spotlight, when all eyes are on him. I could see the pressure just being looked at, being preferred to be invisible. But besides that, I could see that it wasn't just the pressure. His teeth were gritted, his eyebrows furrowed, his fists were clenched. He stared at the ground, giving it a hard glare as if it did something to him. The poor ground.

"Just stop."

I opened my mouth to say something, but nothing came out. I didn't know what to say, didn't know what to do. He looked at me, but not with a glare, his eyes went soft at the sight of me.

"I-I don't want you to do this," he said quietly. "I don't want you to sign the paper."

Jordan hissed, "What the hell are you-?" 

"Shut up," Declan barked back, making Jordan shut up. "Let me say it!"

Declan looked back at me. "I don't want you to sign the paper. None of us do. So just don't do it." He said, smiling hopefully, as if this was going to make everything better. "We'll make it up to you. So, so much better. We'll do anything. Just please don't sign it, Naomi. Please don't-"

"Declan," Bennett said, having Declan stop mid-sentence. He looked at Declan with a long stare, making him pale and shift his eyes. "You know better than that. We can't force Naomi to not sign. If she wants to sign, then let her sign."

"But-"

"But nothing," Bennett said, making it clear.

"Fine," Declan said. "But let me just say this." He looked at me once more. "What we did Naomi... I get it if you don't want anything to do with us. I get if you hate us and never want to see us ever again. But... just give us another chance. Please Naomi, just give us another chance."

"But I thought you wanted me to sign it," I said quietly, unsure of any of this.

"What made you think we did?" Jordan asked, a bit too harsh, then giving me an unsure, apologetic smile with reddened ears.

"I thought..." I said. "I thought that you wanted me to sign it, so I wouldn't have to be a burden to you guys anymore. You don't have to worry about me, once I sign the contract, you don't have to save me every minute you take your eyes off me. You didn't know how hard this life would be when you first made the contract. And now that you do know, you don't want to anything to do with it. Anything to do with me. As soon as I sign this, you'll pretend you never knew me, that I never existed. And even if I didn't want to sign this contract, I had to, for you guys."

"We don't want you to sign it, Naomi." Jordan said. "That's the last thing we want you to do. The moment I held that pen, I wanted to snap it in half, not letting you sign your name."

"We thought you wanted this, Naomi," Bennett told me. "We thought that you hated us so much for not protecting you from them. That you don't want to ever see us again, that you don't want anything to do with us. We thought that because even we don't forgive ourselves. So we, well Jordan, made this contract to void the previous contract. So you really don't have to do anything with us. You don't need us. You don't need useless bodyguards and even more useless friends."

"No," I said, shaking my head. "I mean yes, you really are pretty useless bodyguards." They shrugged pathetically, accepting the fact that made me chuckle. "But you're not useless friends. I never had friends before-" I paused for a moment, that wasn't true. I had one friend, a very long time ago. "I mean, you were the first people who are willing to be stand next to me, even though your popularity status is dropping every minute, every second you're seen with me. You're the first people willing to talk to me besides calling me names, insults, and having me cough up my homework as your own. You're the first people to stand up for me. You're the first to look at me as a person-" I looked at Bennett "-the first to make me laugh for real-" I smiled at Jordan "-and the first to punch the living daylights out of someone." I said as I glanced at Declan who was grinning proudly, I laughed when I said this.

"And I need you guys. Not as bodyguards, screw the bodyguard thing, who even needs bodyguards? I want you guys as friends. No, not want, need. I need you guys to be there for me, to stand up for me, to just be you."

I looked at them, each one of them. "Can I trust you guys on that one thing? On this one simple request? Can you promise me this? Or will you turn your backs to me the first chance you get again?"

"We won't," Bennett said.

"We never will," Jordan said.

"Never again," Declan said.

"Then," I said, picking up the contract off the coffee table. "I don't think we'll be needing this anymore." I tore the contract in half and threw it on top of the table again. "Ever."

Jordan cleared his throat awkwardly. "Hey Naomi?"

"Yeah Jordan?"

"I know you ripped the contract is half  to make things more dramatic and all," he began, nervously rubbing his neck. "But I worked pretty hard on writing that. It took a while, having to come up all of that up, especially how depressing it made me feel. And it's a waste of all that ink and paper so-"

"Hey Jordan?" I asked.

"Yeah Naomi?" He said.

"Shut up."

"Okay."

All four of us burst out laughing. It was then I realized, I forgot how good it was to laugh. I forgot how much I miss them. Their idiot, hilarious selves, doing everything they can to make me laugh or even just smile. I never realized how much I missed just hearing their laughter, hearing us laugh together. Their awkward ways, their jokes and pranks with each other, their friendship and how they opened the doors wide enough for me and only me to go in and join their little world.  

There are no more worries of the world crumbling around us, all that's got our attention is just inhabitants of the small world that secludes us from the real world. Only the laughter that echoed on the walls, as we sipped our drinks through our straws, caught up with each other, and just be there for each other.

And I hope I'd never have to forget what this feels like.

Ever.

Hey, I'm so glad to be back and post this new chapter. I was tearing up as I wrote this chapter, and had to listen to emotional and inspirational rock n' roll music to get in the mood. How did you guys enjoy this? Do you agree the fact that their together? Do you forgive the guys? Should Naomi really have forgive them and gave them a second chance? Or do you not care and just want me to post the next chapter already. 

Well then.

I posted a prologue for this book. I know, I'm awesome. I already knew there would be an epilogue for this book, but I didn't realize I could have made a prologue until now. You guys will like the prologue. I swear. Just pressed that long bar up there that makes you go to the different chapters of the book and pressed on prologue. I hope you enjoyed both this chapter and the prologue. And how do you like the new cover? It's going to be the official cover, I'm sure of it. Be sure to comment and vote, and I'll be back to you soon.

Oh, and before I forget. I just watched Godzilla which was pretty awesome. Well, from what I watched. I was with my friends and kept on chucking popcorn at them and making stupid comments. I don't know if they'd want me to go to the movies again. Also, I've watching this thing called the Young Blood Chronicles by Fall Out Boy, pretty brilliant. It's about how everyone wants the band Fall Out Boy to change their genre, and the 11 episodes with each episode a new song of their album, is an interpretation of how everyone wants them to change, and they don't want to. You have to watch it, it's like a whole music video show, with 11 episodes, Foxes and Elton John is in it.

Hope you guys enjoyed the story so far once again. And I want to thank all of you for reading this far and supporting me, getting me to update and all of that. I love talking with you guys, replying your comments and seeing your view and opinions of the story. I hope this won't end.

I was reading comments and saw this one from Anchoredlove.

“… Even though they did this twice, I don’t know why I’m willing to forgive them. Maybe it’s because I finally realized that even though it’s an accomplishment surviving this long by myself, I can’t take it any longer, I can’t handle the weight of all of my bully by myself, I need help. I need them. Not only as my bodyguards, though they’ve done an awful job at that. But also as friends, somebody to be there when I need them the most. They may be terrible bodyguards, but good friends. And I think I need that more than anything else.”

Anchoredlove said: "Well? If you're someone who has lost hope in something, and suddenly someone(in this case some people because there are 3 of them) who came up to you WILLINGLY offering to be your friend, your protector. At first you'll feel like... Is this real? But at the same time you start to unknowingly trust them, trust that they are going to protect you. Even when you warned them that they will get to you, they don't take it as seriously because they are not YOU. Sure, IMO I don't blame the boys because humans err and it's common for us not to be able to fully comprehend others when they tell us things, more often than not, bad things. We'll think, nah it couldn't be as bad. But truth is, we dk... Until it happens to us. So I get where she's coming from. And she has always been hurt. How would you feel if you're lost and all, and suddenly you've got hope and assurance. But that hope and assurance treat your words lightly? And that even with that hope and assurance you're still hurt the exact same way at the end of the day. :( I dk. I can understand where you're coming from, but to say Naomi is selfish is definitely way out of the box. :/ sorry for my incessant long rambling, but yeah... :/"

I’m just happy she said this. So I’m just giving her a shoutout for this great rant, I don’t care how long it is, because it’s true. Thank you for this Anchoredlove. I want to dedicate that chapter to you, chapter seventeen. 

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