Okay, you caught me but its not because I think you'll poach him—you'd never break the friend code—but because I want him to myself for a little longer. I've never felt this way about a guy, Freddy, like EVER. He gives me these feelings deep inside my chest. All I want is for him to like him. I tried talking to him and got tongue-tied. Me! The girl who can't shut up. It's ridiculous and absolutely fabulous at the same time. He has me in knots, and I don't ever want to be untied. -Georgie aka Alexx

PS. Are my jeans fixed? I'd LOVE to wear them for the auditions on Sunday. I just know your patch will bring me good luck. :)

Alex's foot tapped to the beat as Take Me or Leave Me, a RENT song, played in her earbuds. It was a favorite, so she turned up the volume before taking a bite of her lunch—crackers and cheese. Well, mostly cheese with a side of crackers but who was going to bust her—the cracker police?

The lights were off in Mrs. Trentworth's empty classroom giving it an eery vibe. Alex kind of dug it. It felt like her private sanctuary, especially since the windows were closed, muffling the lunchtime chaos outside. She'd been eating in the classroom ever since Mrs. Trentworth found her sitting cross-legged on a concrete planter, trying to balance her notebook on one leg and her lunch on the other.

Of course, she lied and said she was working on a school project, not friendship notebook, but it kind of felt like a project. Every time she put pen to paper, she came up blank because she didn't know how to respond to the brutal honesty in Alexx's last entry. It was a side of her best friend she'd never seen before, and she didn't want to come off cavalier or respond in a way that hurt her.

Alex couldn't afford to lose her best friend. She'd always been shy. Her mom complained when Alex was young, she would hide behind her legs anytime a person approached, even if they were family or a friend. That's why she was grateful when Alexx talked to her in middle school. She'd been terrified that first day, dragging her feet that her mom physically lifted her in the car, but once Alexx said hi, the fear trapped in her chest evaporated.

That's just the kind of person Alexx was. She made people feel at ease without even knowing she was doing it. Alex envied her. She'd heard more than once from her cousins that she was too closed, too hard to get to know.

"It's near impossible trying to get anything out of you," Jenna, her cousin, said last Christmas. "We want more than an ' I'm fine.' We want ALEX."

That had been a slap in the face because she'd been trying—really trying—but they didn't seem to notice or care. Her mom held her that night as she silently cried and promised herself she'd find a way to be better.

But how could she be better when her best wasn't good enough? She wished whatever magic sauce Alexx had would rub off on her. Then maybe she wouldn't be spending lunch alone like a loser.

Her earbud was ripped away. A voice whispered, "Who are you hiding from?"

A shriek left her lips as Alex threw her pen in the air and stumbled off the stool. She looked up to see Ravi standing above her. The shadows draped over his face, exaggerating his sharp angles to create a striking work of art. She knew he was gorgeous, but in this lighting, he made her heart pound.

"You okay?" he asked, extending a hand.

Embarrassed by her thoughts, she knocked it away and stood up by herself. "A little warning would have been nice. You scared the crap out of me." She took her time brushing the dust off her jeans so she could regain her equilibrium or least find a piece of it. "What are you doing here?"

He held up a book she hadn't noticed. "Returning this." It was The Catcher in the Rye. Mrs. Trentworth kept a small collection of books in the back of her classroom. Anyone could take them as long as they returned it.

She raised a brow and sat back down. "A little light reading between classes?"

Looking away, he tugged on the collar of his shirt. "I like reading."

His self-consciousness brought a smile to her face. "Do you only read the classics or are you into fun stuff like fantasy or mystery?"

He frowned, looking so serious, she thought he might rupture a vein. "Classics are fun."

"If you say so." Did he know every time he frowned, small dimples formed in his cheeks? She wondered if they appeared when he smiled as well. And she meant really smiled, not that fake half-smile he did in class.

"So why are you hiding in here?" he asked. He walked to the shelves in the back and slid the book into an empty space.

"To get away from classics, but they seem to follow me like a bad smell."

"Hardy-har well, if you wanted to get away you hid in the wrong classroom. You should give them a shot. You might find one you like."

Her stomach fluttered as he rounded the table and sat on the stool next to hers. "Thanks, but unless it's for class, I'll stick to what I know." He was so close she could feel the heat radiating from his body.

"Things like musicals?" He laid an elbow on the table and faced her. The impact of his gaze left her breathless. "You know Les Miserables was adapted from a book."

She blinked. "How did you know I like musicals?"

He motioned to her phone which where RENT was displayed in big, bold letters.

She flushed. "Right. Plus, you're cousins with Keya. I bet plays are all she talks about. You're living with her, right?" From what she gathered, he'd transferred to Terra Linda High this year and pretty much kept to himself. No one knew where he came from or why he was staying with Keya. "Where were you before here?"

The air was suddenly sucked out of the room as Ravi's eyes hardened until they were glittering chips of ice. "If I had known this was an interrogation, I would have brought my notes. Was this the plan? Get as much out of me so you can tell the masses? Become a hero for cracking, Ravi Malik?" He wielded his tone like a whip, lashing out with such force, it robbed her of her breath.

Forcing air back into her lungs, she jumped to her feet began packing. "Don't assume you know me, just like I don't know you, which is why I was asking but trust me, after this little display, I won't be trying again."

Her fingers trembled with anger. The sheer arrogance of him. Yeah, maybe she had overstepped, but he could have turned her down nicely. And to assume she'd tell people? He may look like a piece of art, but inside, he was a mess.

The ice surrounding him cracked and fell away. "Wait," he said. He rubbed his eyes with the palm of his hands and sighed. "Don't leave."

The regret in his voice made her stop. "You're being an ass. Again."

"I know. I come by it naturally."

The flippant answer pissed her off. Her sincerity deserved more. "Well, congratulations," she said, stuffing her notebook into her bag and then pulling it over her shoulder. "I hope it makes you happy since it's the only thing that will keep you company." She turned to go, but he touched her arm.

"I'm sorry," he said softly. "I shouldn't have gone off on you like that. In my defense, it's a touchy subject."

Her shoulders stiffened as she clenched her bag. "I get not wanting to talk about things, but then say it's a line you don't want crossed. To go off on someone who has no idea of the minefield they're walking into is unfair and frankly, super selfish."

"You're right," he said, his tone apologetic. "I hate that I turned a good moment into an argument. Can we start over?" He held out a hand, the one with the gold bead bracelet. "Ravi Malik, occasional ass."

She studied him for a moment, refusing to take his hand until they got one thing clear. "Don't let it happen again, Ravi Malik, occasional ass. I'm a pushover but not that big of a pushover."

He gave a solemn nod. "Deal."

When she shook his hand, she was surprised by the calluses on his fingers. Where did he get those? And what did he do to earn that many? Well, one thing was for certain. Ravi Malik kept getting more and more interesting.

She looked up at him sharply when she tried to pull away, but he held on.

"You have to introduce yourself," he said.

"Are you serious? You know my name."

He squeezed her hand, a playful look in his eye. "I won't let go till you tell me."

A reluctant smile curved her mouth. "I'm Alex Canterbury, not to be confused with Alexx Lorde, my best friend."

"Does that happen a lot—getting mixed up?"

"More than you think."

"I believe it," he murmured.

She held up their hands, which were still linked. "Well?"

"If I let you go, will you stay?"

The question had blood rushing to her ears. "D-Don't you have somewhere else to be?"

"Well, I did just grab a Tolstoy from the library..."

"Oh my god, you need saving." She rushed back to her stool and forced him into his. "No more talk of books. Promise?"

"I promise nothing. Books are the pillars of—"

She tugged her hand free and covered his mouth. She tried to ignore the way his lips brushed her palm in the softest of touches but she couldn't. Not when he kept talking.

Unreal. The guy lived like a hermit in class, and suddenly, he wouldn't shut up.

She gave him the evil eye. "Listen, Ravi. There are terms to this friendship. Number one. No being an ass. Number two. No being an ass." His eyes narrowed, and she had to hold in a chuckle. She hadn't had this much fun in....well, a long freaking time. "I know, but I thought it worth repeating. Your track record isn't that great. And number three. No lectures on how great classical books are unless that book is Pride and Prejudice in which case I totally agree. Elizabeth rocks and Mr. Darcy is a prince."

His eyes widened in alarm at the last bit, and he began struggling, making nondistinguishable noises, but she held on like a trooper. "Nod your head if you agree." She forced him to nod. Smiling brightly, she said in a chipper tone, "Excellent! I'm so happy we had this chat."

When she released him, he folded his arms over his chest and mumbled something under his breath that sounded a whole lot like, "Pride and Prejudice sucks," but chose to ignore it for the sake of their newfound friendship. An olive branch of sorts.

"So who are you hiding from that you wanna hang out with me?" she asked, settling into her seat. She pulled out her container of cheese and began eating again.

"Everyone," he muttered, eyeing her food.

"Well, that's inclusive." She nudged the container over to him, and he picked up a slice, examining it like it was brimming with pesticides.

"This is your lunch?"

She opened her bag of crackers and set it in front of him. "Beggars can't be choosers."

They munched on her lunch and talked about movies they'd recently seen. Since she couldn't afford to go to that many movies, she didn't have much to add, but she liked watching him talk. The topic of movies naturally moved to film adaptations and then books which she didn't mind because they were fun books like the Percy Jackson series or The Hate U Give or Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.

He grew more and more animated as he chatted, and she realized he too, hid a part of himself from the outside world. She wondered why he decided to let her, of all people, in. Could he recognize a kindred spirit?

When the bell rang, Ravi offered to walk her to her locker, but she made up an excuse. It that felt too much, too soon.

As she made the trek to her locker, she realized it was the first lunch in a week she hadn't checked the time every few minutes. Either she was getting used to not being around Alexx, or she liked hanging out with Ravi. Maybe it was both?

"Alex!"

She looked around.

"Alex, wait up!" Keya flagged her down, running down the hall to catch up. "I wanted to ask you something."

She shifted her books to the other arm. "Sure." She hoped this wasn't about Ravi. They obviously had a rocky relationship, and she didn't want to get caught in the middle of it. Talk about awkward.

"You might already know, but this year the high school drama club raised enough money to put on our own play."

"I heard something about that." More like Alexx squirreled out the information after Keya's no-show at the Playhouse meeting.

Once she knew, Alexx went on and on about how stupid it was to have a high school play when the community already had one set up. Not only were they draining precious resources such as donors but they'd lose audience members who didn't want to shell out the money for two high school plays.

Keya smirked. "I bet you have. Look, I know you and Alexx are best friends but have you thought of joining our club? We could use the help."

"Oh, well..." This was the last topic she thought Keya would bring up. "I mean, I'm not an actress..."

"No, no. Not for acting, unless you want, but I was thinking of costumes. Obviously, we're not as well funded as the Playhouse—it took us over a year of fundraisers and begging the school board to get enough money—but I think you could make some amazing outfits. You have such a flair."

"It sounds awesome, but I already committed to Playhouse—"

"They have Wendy, and I know how she treats you. You deserve to be more than a lowly assistant who fixes minor issues. You have the talent, Alex. I see it every day in your outfits. If you join us, you would have free rein."

The idea tempted her—more than she thought possible.

To be the lead designer of a play...

She'd get to pick and choose which color schemes and patterns belonged. She'd get to design from scratch and watch as others wore HER outfits, not just the button she fixed. "What's the play?" The words were out of her mouth before she even realized.

"Guys and Dolls."

Crap. Alex loved that musical. It had everything from illegal crap games, to gangsters, to a showgirl dreaming of the straight and narrow, and a missionary falling in love with a gambler.

But Alexx...

"I can't."

"I get that you don't want to go against Alexx. Shoot, even Ravi is—" Keya sighed. "Never mind. You don't want to hear about my idiot cousin."

Yes, yes, she did, but she held her tongue. Whatever problems Ravi had were none of her business. They were friends. Sort of. And that was it. Period. End of discussion.

Keya continued, her face lit up with passion—the same way Ravi's had about books. "What I'm saying is I respect loyalty, but this isn't about the Alexx Lorde show. This is about you, Alex Canterbury, and what you want and how you can shine."

Alex lifted a brow. "Quite the speech. You ever think of running for class president?"

A pleased look entered Keya's gaze. "It may have crossed my mind, but the drama club takes up all my time."

She liked Keya, despite her little jabs at Alexx because goodness knows, Alexx returned it in spades, but she couldn't betray her best friend like that. "Listen—"

"Nope. Not listening." Keya handed her a flyer. "Here. This is when and where we meet. Sleep on it. And while you're deciding think if the roles were reversed, would Alexx be as considerate? Or would she jump at the chance to join?"