Chapter One

Yeah, meet my best friend-myself

Let's get something straight from the get go- I do not, will not, and refuse to associate school with my life. Hell, last time I did that-which I might add was in 1st grade? Yeah, Jared Jenkins-it didn't end very prettily. Poor guy switched schools on me! I mean, I hadn't been that obsessive! Had I? Well, I had only planned on going to the prom with him…

What? Don't give me that look! I was 6!

But wait, there's more than that to this exhibit. Oh, I'm just getting started. You want to hear about the life of the coolest gangster girl around? Yeah, that'd be me. Hottest gangster girl around.

Look, I may not be popular or anything at school, nor do I really wish to. School? As I've said, I don't associate it with my life. Because as soon as I do? Well, bad things happen. I know they would. I've seen it happen before.

I was 12. I had just started hanging around with this super hot guy. Well, he had been hot to me back then. Not anymore. Now I can clearly-oh so clearly-see that he's obviously a killer. I had had this really cool best friend before then. We only hung out at school. I had learned early not to associate school with my social life.

But one day, she decided that well, she wanted to go home with me after school. I said no. In fact, I persistently said no. But she was all like, 'what's gonna happen to little old me'. Well, I hate to break it to you, but Los Angeles? Yeah, not the best place to live when you want your friends coming over, especially when you live near Eagle Rock, back in 1990.

I kinda forgot about something or other that I was supposed to give that hottie I told you about that day. Well, my best friend got caught in the middle of it, and it all went down…

Well, pretty violently. I can't just lie to you and say she got shot in the head and miraculously 5 minutes later she got up perfectly fine. No, hottie pulled out an automatic and in less than a second, my best friend from school was dead. Bit the dust. Finished.

It's amazing how they never figured out who killed her. The police, I mean. I could tell them that it was all the hot guys' fault, but no, that's for me and him to settle. Even though I'm what, 17 now? Yeah, I still remember that.

He's number one on my vendetta list. And by the time I graduate, I swear; I swear to God and this unholy planet, that he will be dead by my hands. No weapons but my hands. I will never let him live for what he did.

I've only got 4 months left to fulfill my promise to give my friend justice.

But I learned from that first mistake of mine. I learned that if you have a sketchy life outside of school, then don't bring it into school. School is a place where you're supposed to be safe. Would you feel like an angel when you saw some geek in the corner of the lunchroom, terrified because your gang is having a shootout in their school?

If you would, then obviously you've got no heart.

I also learned that if you just shut up and don't say a word, people will shirk away from you. Just shut up at school, and they think you're nuts. They don't wanna talk to you because well obviously you're the psycho kid they all bet will be the one who attempts to blow up the school.

Well, you know the type! They're the ones who are quiet. The ones you wouldn't want to suspect. But you know deep down they have a bigger scheme on their minds than reading through that 5th volume of a Tom Clancy book in Science.

They're just waiting for that perfect day for them-the day when somebody pisses them off just enough to make them wanna do something really bad. Something that will get everybody's attention.

Well, yeah, it'd get their attention and all, but funny thing is, the people that they wanted to get the attention of in the first place? Well, wouldn't they be kinda…gone if you blew them up?

I don't know if they would see it that way, but I see it like that. But I'm not like that. No, I do my work; I get good grades-not enough to be noticed though (or so I thought). That would be bad, because then they'd want me for a chess club or something, and then well…friends just kinda happen when you join a club you know-and I am a pleasant enough girl. But oh my god, talk to me and I will snub you. I have no problem with people asking me questions, but heh, just sit down and start talking about the weather? Yeah, you're in a major trap for getting your self-esteem crushed.

Well, just be lucky I'm trying to keep ya'all safe! If I didn't well then ya'all would have been shot up quite a few times by now! In fact, worship me! I would love that! But no, I've pertained myself to be too much of a hostile jerk to have you guys worship me by now.

But this was anacrusis compared to the beginning of March for me. Oh, anacrusis, you ask? Yea, fancy word for 'before a new beginning'. I learned that from some teacher once.

March was…well, interesting is as best as I can put it. We got a new guy at our school 2 years ago, but he was still considered new. He had transferred from Corpus Christi of all places. I mean, come on! Why would his parent's move here of all places? Eagle Rock in the 90's? Yeah, bad place! Shootings nightly! On the news, we were dying right and left over here!

Here's the story behind the new guy. Well, how I met him anyways.

I was at a party with my crew-JJ, Lupe', Duran, Rayshell, Cinna and Bon. Yeah, don't give me that look anymore. Seriously, I tell you once again, I've got a life! It just doesn't associate to my school world. And I do that for the good of the world. So don't go giving me that stern why-don't-you-have-any-friends look.

Okay, the parties I go to? Yeah, not your average high school tipsy party where of course the kids always get a visit from the cops. No, my parties are over 21 parties. How do me and my crew get in? Well, like all other 21 parties that are good, they don't ask for ID. Especially when one of you is paying a house call to a former boyfriend-Rayshell had a good smack for Bobby, her last gutter boyfriend who had started the party-who wanted to get back together with one of us.

The music was adequate. Well, it always is when it's so loud you can't even hear it properly. Especially when it's one of those Tupac discs that no one ever bothered to clean up. You could literally hear the tears on the CD.

I was dressed in one of my many party outfits. I mean, I may not be sociable, but I have one hell of a good fashion sense. I'm always the best dressed at school. It always means guys head straight for me when they see me on the first day of school. But oh no, they turn right back around when I tell them to shove it up there-well, you know.

I had on my Gucci heels and my black army pants and my black army tank top. Of course I would have had a purse to match this gorgeous little number, but hello, this was a party! Where would I put it? Better to leave that at home. But I did have on my gold Donna Karans to protect my eyes from the glaring sunset when we left in Lupe's Camino.

My black curly hair totally accentuated my outfit, as did my perfectly tanned skin. What can I say? I'm a hardcore gangster! I live outside! Plus thank god I'm from Italian descent. Olive skin goes well with tans.

And I'm totally shredding up this guys' living room with my heels, and there's a keg in the corner, which of course means 3 things-there will be unprotected sex after the party tonight, I will be thoroughly drunk when I leave, and I will most definitely be robbed up my Gucci heels. I always do get robbed of my shoes after parties for some reason. It's like, some kid wants to take all my good shoes! What's up with that?

Anyway, my hip bumps someone who is soooo too close to me, and I turn around to glare at whoever it is, and I almost forget to breathe. There is…oh my god, the Greek god of every girl's dreams! He's tall, tan, handsome, and those blue eyes? Oh my god, they are to die for.

Well, I might have just been a little bit drunk by then, but he was hot. I kid you not, this was like the one. He looked at me, and his mouth slowly turned into a grin.

"Hey…you're name's Jimena, right? Aren't you in my Chemistry class?"

Well, that just knocked me off my feet! Let me tell you, I was so surprised to hear that come out of his mouth! Had I just missed seeing him in Chemistry for the past, what, year?

I was out of there so fast you couldn't have laid a hand on me. Making your way out of a party with so many people is a hard thing to do, but I managed.

God, I tell you this as a warning again: Don't associate school with your life! It sucks if you've got better things to do than school!

Chapter Two

Confessions of a broken heart

I would not go back to school. I would not go back to school, I had convinced myself that Monday morning. Just as long as I never went back to school, this would all be just fine.

I rehearsed my illness-of-choice that whole night, finally deciding on anything that would have to do with puking. Even as my alarm clock told me that morning to get my butt out of my bed, I did not move. When my mother shook me and finally told me if I didn't go to school, she wouldn't write a letter for me to excuse myself, I just groaned and fake pain.

Fine, I told her. Like it mattered…So I rolled over and snuggled under the covers and waited until my mom and dad left for work. As soon as they left and you could hear the BMW and the SUV leave the driveway from the safety of our garage-locked and loaded with security to keep our expensive cars away from the thugs of Los Angeles-I was up and watching TV with my bowl of rice krispies in hand. You would seriously not believe what kind of crap they put on TV in the morning at 6:30. Seriously, MTV and VH1 music videos…well, they're the ones nobody wants to watch before 7. And then there are those ugly little infomercials about acne and hair loss products as well from channels 66-99. You know, the ones where you see some famous actor go up and be all courageous, telling the world about their terrible acne problem before they got 'insert stupid brand name here' and their face got miraculously better.

Jeez. I wish I could be on those. Not to demonstrate my early teenager days when I had had a moon crater for a face. Oh no, I would like to demonstrate that all those products don't work. Yeah, you heard me. All you need to get rid of acne is some sunshine and a little fresh air. Preferably air with chemicals and toxins in it. This is why no one in Los Angeles has acne if they walk anywhere. It may cut your life span in half, but oh my god it does wonders for the skin.

So around 7:45 I'm lazing about, contemplating on taking a shower in the good bathroom on the third floor-okay, so my parents are rich. Not my fault! Besides, nobody needs to know that…what I tell my friends out of school is that they were once gang members and got the house like that-when the phone rang. I picked it up, of course, and said, "Hello?"

"Your mother tells me you didn't go to school today?" I should have known she would have told him. He was, after all, my dad. Sometimes though, I highly doubted that.

"I uh…well, I don't feel good." I mumbled into the receiver. I had really hoped on finding a better way to explain my sudden illness, but that was all I had come up with.

There was a pause on the other end of the line. I waited, my cortisal rising in my blood. I was tensing up for the punch. Finally he sighed.

"You're going to be late for your second class if you don't get a move on right now."

"Dad, I'm not going—" I started to protest, but was interrupted with, "We'll talk about this when I get home." That was it. He hung up, just like that. Well, let me tell you, I was just a little bit peeved! I had had all weekend to plan my escape of school out, and he knocked it down with only a few words.

I hung up the phone and exhaled. I should have gone to school, but the 10 minutes of looking at the kitchen clock after his call made myself stay put. I didn't want to go back, because I knew something bad would happen if I did. I can't tell you how I knew, but I could just feel it!

And so I decided, despite my dad, I would take a shower and head out with my crew for the day, and hopefully not get done with any business before 10 PM. That was my curfew, although…well, I found ways past it. Plus my friends did not need to know I had a curfew. I just told them I was into all that new karma crap and had to get a full 10 hours of sleep every night.

They had believed it so far.

I showered and found a different pair of heels-miraculously my Gucci's hadn't been stolen that night! But that was possibly because I had left quickly after the party-and some different army capris, along with a different halter top.

I left my hair wet-the sun would dry it for me-and was just about ready to go when the phone rang again. I nonchalantly picked it up, because wouldn't my dad think I was at school by now?

"Lo?" I asked, using my cute gangster girl voice.

"How come you're still home?" My dad asked impatiently.

"Uh, because I'm not ready yet. I told you, I'm sick." I replied, trying my best to keep a brave face about this. "It's gonna take me longer to get there than 30 minutes."

"I'm arranging for my assistant to pick you up in a half hour. You better be ready by then."

"Dad, I am not going to school today." I replied, my tone flat and expressionless.

"You said you were getting ready," He insisted, and I swear, even over the phone I could see that one vein in his neck standing out. "When I called, so unless you're sneaking out with one of your stupid friends, there's no reason to be getting ready, am I correct?" He inhaled. "Anton will be picking you up in 30 minutes. Be ready. You come home right after school. We have some business to attend to." He hung up again, and this time I felt my nerves snapping and twisting, everything going crazy inside me.

He meant business. I would be in some pretty bad shape by the time I got home after school if I went, though.

If only people knew what pains I went through to keep our schools safe, I reminded myself as I traipsed down the stairs and out the door, where Lupe, JJ, Duran and Rayshell were waiting for me in his Camino.

"Hey," Rayshell said to me as I slid in the back seat with her and JJ, "You skipping your precious school today? Whoa, I never thought I'd see the day, Lupe!" Lupe laughed and backed out of our driveway.

"Yeah, little miss rich bitch skipping school? There must be a special occasion for this." I smirked.

"Naw," I told them as I slipped on my Donna Karan sunglasses. "Just got up today and didn't feel like it."

"Hah," JJ laughed, "You always feel like school though. We try to get you to skip so many times and all it takes is an ok from you?" He asked jokingly. I smiled and nodded my head, taking in a deep breath of the Los Angeles air.

"Yeah, seriously though, I didn't feel like it. Haven't felt like it in a while."

But I was really feeling sick by then. My stomach might have won its own gymnastic competition if someone had watched it, it was turning so much. I couldn't believe this.

I should have gone to school. I really, really should have gone to school.

That's all I was thinking as Lupe drove the Camino around town all day. Driving around involved various stops along the loop for us-I know the route because we do this route almost every Saturday.

First we head on over to Duran's house. He lives in one of those adorable little pueblo houses, although I think if I ever told him his house was cute, he might start something with me. But we go there, and there are usually some doped out kids standing outside, waiting for Duran to give them some crack, which, of course thanks to my genius thinking-and saving us probably a lot of trouble-isn't really crack. Nope, it's sugar. I guess they have the same effect. Or maybe it's just how those kids perceive it. Anyway, my genius thinking was partly credited to this guy I had been seeing when I was 14. He had been selling sugar to kids, and apparently many people did in fact substitute it for crack. And these kids actually bought it!

I don't know about you, but if I had to get high all the time like that, I would like the feeling of knowing I was safe still. So maybe these kids know. I don't know. Maybe they just want to impress their friends?

Ever since 3rd grade, we learned that peer pressure was bad, and drugs were death traps, and to Just Say No. But you know, some people; they just don't listen. It makes you want to shove a Just Say No book in their face and scream at them that they're killing themselves.

But I also think that sometimes they know exactly what they're doing to themselves. I sometimes even go so far as to think maybe they do all that crap to get to where they're heading quicker.

Anyway. Then once those kids leave, we head over to the closest Johnny Rockets and get something to eat.

Being currently 'an item' with Duran at the moment-it's not like it's the most serious relationship ever. Believe me, our little group has traded off boyfriends and girlfriends for as long as I can remember which was about 7th grade when I met Lupe and his awesome Camino-Duran paid for me while I acted like the cutest girlfriend possible next to him. This involved a lot of head-resting-on-shoulder and neck-nuzzling.

Duran wasn't one of those guys who messed around. He was a serious type-you know, the guy who would bust your jaw before even asking you what you just did to his girlfriend. Personally, this didn't bother me, because it never had happened to me.

After getting a bite to eat, we ended up somewhere different than our usual route. Unfortunately for me, this new route involved going by my house.

And really, really unfortunately, my dad had come home at some point between me leaving and coming back. He caught sight of Lupe's El Camino speeding down our street, and I know he knew I was in there. Up until that point, my heart had stopped all its nervous fluttering. But now well, it was going again like it was on speed.

"Yo, Jimmi, who at your flat?" Duran asked as he turned around to look at me. I looked at him behind my Donna Karans and shrugged as if it was nothing. Thank god I was good at hiding how I felt, or else I would have been a nervous wreck.

"Oh, my dad. I guess he didn't take the news too well." I tossed my dark curls to the side as if him being home didn't bother me. "Where we going anyway, D?" I asked suspiciously.

"My house." Rayshell told me as they pulled up a driveway just a few houses away from me. Oh my god, I swear my heart was gonna burst. Why? Why did Rayshell have to live so close to me?

Thank god she went to a different school though.

Rayshell had a pool and lots of rooms, so it was easy to get lost. But that was just the beginning of the cool part. Duran, ever the hot boyfriend, waited for me as I got out and we walked up towards the door together. I couldn't help looking behind my shoulder towards my house.

Everyone knew where my house was. Nobody went in it though. Seriously, you can't just go into just anybody's house anymore. Or well, that's how I explained it to myself.

Once inside, Duran and I went up to one of the many bedrooms and had one hell of a make out session. Before you could have asked me to describe what that felt like, he had his hand down my halter top.

We would have gone farther, but the doorbell chimed downstairs. As a crucial rule for gangs and crews, you always gotta be ready for whatever happens. In other words, Be Prepared. Hey, 20,000 boy scouts can't be wrong, can they?

But Duran was off me just a moment later, running a hand down to his side where I knew he had a crowbar. Hey, I'm not gonna lie. We were a tough crew. Even I had a crowbar! I didn't use it as much though. I preferred to kick and punch and literally tear these people apart.

I straightened my top and we left the bedroom, slowly making our way to the top of the stairs.

Down at the door my dad was conversing politely with Rayshell, who had done her best to act like you know, a regular teenager girl-all bubbly and cute.

"Uh, yeah, I'm not sure where she is exactly in the house, but Jimena's around somewhere." She told my dad in her cheerleader voice. Suddenly she turned and shrieked my name through the house. I almost covered my ears. I was thinking of just hiding out here for the rest of my life, but my dad was not going to be satisfied unless I came down-right then.

So I innocently pounded down the stairs with Duran right behind me-as using as it sounds, I liked to think of Duran as my bodyguard just in case sometimes-and pretended like I didn't even know my dad had been there. I acted as surprised as I could to cover up my frightened-little-puppy look and slightly waved a hand at him.

"Oh, hey dad. Um, yeah, threw up at home, and well, my friends came around because I called Rayshell and she said she had some Tylenol because then I got this really bad headache…anyway, I was just on my way to school. I just had to borrow some notes from Dur-I mean, from Tim." I cleared my throat. Thankfully, Rayshell and Duran had enough sense-and seen enough things-in them to just nod their heads like this was so true. Duran would usually cringe at the use of his real name, but he knew this was my dad-you use your real name when you're talking about your friends to your parents. It's just common sense.

My dad seemed convinced, but I knew he wasn't fooled. He was never fooled. He just kept on smiling like he was just your typical parent, just here to make sure you were okay, and totally oblivious to their child's life.

"Jimena, I'm glad to know you are okay. When I called again, and when Anton came back in distress, I was very worried." That's my dad. Right, my father, the all-holy priest. Hah. If the pope ever talked to him, he would make sure my dad would be barred from even thinking of becoming a priest.

"I'll take you back to school now. Thank you Rayshell, for helping my darling. Sometimes she just comes down with the oddest things." For just a tiny second, you could see that terrible little scheme forming in my dad's head.

I could have cried and screamed 'he'll beat me!' and made Duran beat him up, but I'm not sure that would be the best thing to do in such a situation. I had to be brave, so I sucked up my pride and nodded my head. I turned to Duran.

"I'll see you later, k Tim? Call me tonight?" I asked. Duran nodded his head. You could literally see through his confused look that he was trying to figure out why I would give in so easily. He of all people knew that I wasn't one to give in very easily.

"No problem." He leaned down from his 6'4 frame and was going to kiss me, but I ducked and jerked my head towards my dad knowingly. But Duran just grinned and kissed my forehead instead. Of course I pretty much knew that Duran wasn't my 'one true love', but his forehead kisses were what I would always remember of him.

Then to my dad, Duran said, "See ya later Mister B." My dad escorted me out of the house and as soon as the door shut, I braced myself.

Moments like these didn't happen very often, but when they did…well, let's just say I had real reasons to not go to school for a few days afterwards.

As soon as that door shut, he raised his hand and sent it smacking across my face. He hit so hard, I felt my head react and snap backwards and to the side.

Then before I could even recover and think up a good defense, he threw me down to the pavement on my back, knocking the wind out of me. I would have screamed but well, I couldn't. That required oxygen.

"Don't you ever! Don't you ever…do that…again!" My dad told me as he yanked me up by one wrist and almost pulled my arm out of its socket. And then we went home.

Where this little argument would not end.

It would never end. It had never ended since the first time.

I probably should have told you quite a while ago that me and my dad…

I'm scared of him, simply put. He is the only reason why I won't do bad in school, or get myself into real trouble. Because I'm more scared of his consequences than anybody else's.

And by that night, I would have a black eye. The right side of my face would be swollen and red. I would have bruises and red marks on my shoulders and arms and my back.

The catch is-when people are in this situation? Yeah, no one will say anything. Because you know why? It's because they're that afraid. They may look like the most capable person in the world to go rat someone out to the cops, but they will not. Like, me? My god, you think I'd whip out my crowbar and beat him. But it's the oddest thing when it's against your family-you just can't. No one can. Why? It's simple.

They are scared out of their wits to no end.

Chapter Three

And then there were two

So by now you should really assume that I am the coolest, most hip girl around, right? Well, you should, because you know it's true.

Anyway, I don't recover as well as some people think people do. It took me a week to make myself look normal again from my dad's argument. Thank god my mom forbid me to go to school for the rest of the week. She was, you know, the classic good girl as a teenager. She was homecoming queen and a cheerleader, which makes me feel very inadequate against her, but it pays off when I look so messed up that she forbids me to go anywhere.

When she came home that night to make dinner-she likes to flatter herself by making our home a 'classic' home and making dinner for us-she almost passed out just looking at me. I am a quick learner though, especially from last time. I just told her I had fallen down the stairs that morning, what with my illness and all.

She buys things like that.

My sister came home and sat down farther away from my mom than me, but still, even from everything my sister had done for me, I still envied her. In fact, I really wished she weren't my sister most times.

She didn't even ask what had happened to me, and I had planned on telling her everything. That's what sisters did, right?

Well, all that happened during dinner that night was my parents completely ignored me-totally fine by me though-and asked her how things were at college and how proud of her they were.

Okay, I admit it. I love her and all, but I really hate her! She's the one who's done all the stupid things in our family-well, as far as my parents know-and yet they prize her instead of me! She was the one who got C's and B's and always had a bad boyfriend, and crashed her car! I get straight A's, I don't have boyfriends-as far as they know-and I have never crashed a car, mainly because they wouldn't let me get one because of her mistake!

Honestly! I'm like, always trying to please them, but it's never enough because obviously they are more proud of her.

I tell them I aced my tests, get on the honor roll, am thinking of attending Harvard, and all they do is say, 'that's great honey'. But no, Lauren comes home from college-from a 'warm body' college might I add-and says she passed a test for once. They flip out! They're all like, 'let's propose a toast!', and oh my god!

What do I have to do around here for them to be proud of me?! Dress up like a drag-queen and smoke and act like a total bitch? Well, that's what Lauren is…not exactly that, but hey, don't ruin my rant when I'm in the moment.

Well, the rest of the week went by quickly, unfortunately. But the good part was that I didn't have to go to school. I guess good things always come out of bad things.

The week of rest gave me enough time to make a plan of action, in case you know, the Hot Greek Guy at The Party just sauntered up to me in chemistry the next Monday. Personally, all it really meant was it gave me enough time to reenact how quickly I could flip him off if he talked to me.

But really, really unfortunately, during Sunday night dinner, when I had just began to think that everything was cool between me and my dad again, he picked up his fork and calmly poked something leafy and green into his mouth, saying,

"College is coming up soon. Take a sport-the colleges eat that type of stuff up."

"Sports?!" I asked, nearly choking on whatever it was that happened to be our salad for the night. "What, my grades aren't enough for these people?" I wondered out loud.

"Pick a sport of a club. I suggest you take Tennis, since you took all those expensive tennis lessons in elementary school." He calmly began to chew on his steak.

"Tennis?" I ask, once again about to choke. "Tennis?" I repeated. Oh my god, I could just imagine running around in those stupid little skirts.

Tennis, anyone?

Well, that's how I ended up on the Tennis team. Actually, it's not so bad, considering the frilly little skirts and all. I kind of like smacking balls at other people. And most of the time I get the ball to sizzle right through the net. Apparently that's not the right way to play though.

Not my fault though that I'm a good hitter. Sheesh, maybe I should try out for fast pitch too.

Anyway, I'll explain all the tennis stuff later.

On Monday morning, I got a ride via Lupe, since I kind of missed my bus. Lupe complained a ton on the phone as I complained to him that the bus systems weren't reliable anymore, but he got himself out of his flat with the bribe of letting him come to my Tennis games-if I made it-to see me jump around in those skirts. As long as he didn't associate himself with me though. He tried to bring that up, but I ignored him with his comments.

So I dragged my newly acquired tennis bag-tryouts were after school-to school with me, and it followed me through all my classes.

Surprisingly Monday wasn't a bad day for me. Well, at least I thought it was all going perfectly, until Chemistry came up. Having just finished lunch outside in my pencil skirt and white polo-I had assumed I wouldn't have time to change all the way after school for tryouts, so I wore the required top just for the whole day-and winding up getting catcalls from guys who didn't know any better yet, I had been having a nice day. Really, the sun was out and shining and it was a cool 70 degrees.

But oh no, right after lunch? Yeah, I got chemistry. The same chemistry I apparently had with Mr. Greek God from The Party.

So you could pretty much say I was flipping out before class. I wouldn't call it a heart attack just yet, but it was close!

I might as well say it now, but I'm a private school kind of girl. We had uniforms until about 7th grade, when some smartass in Pasadena proposed that the girls were in more danger with those kinds of skirts than jeans.

Well, I could see their point now, what with my black curls and my grey eyes and my gorgeous Baywatch tan.

In private schools though, we have computers. That's right, computers. Seriously, they've only been public for what, a decade and we've got about a hundred of them at school! I seriously hate them. We had to take a typing class last year because it would help us 'later in life', but I cannot see how.

But computers mean chemistry is harder because now they make us do stuff on the computer with the class. God, it's so awful, slaving over a hot hard drive and trying to figure out how anybody can put calculations on the damn thing!

Anyway, chemistry wasn't such a bad class for me miraculously. I had done a pretty good job hiding myself from anybody who looked in the least like Greek God Guy.

Okay, so I admit I actually don't even remember what he really looked like, but if I saw him again, I would know it was him. Well, part of that was due to Jim Beam and Coronas, but not like I need to even think about that party anymore.

But I made sure to keep my back turned to any tanned hotties in the class.

In fact, the class was almost interesting. Um, well, as interesting as chemistry can get. I was finishing up on some of the work I had missed last week as the bell tolled for 6th class.

I would have had a perfect day, but Teachers always ruin perfect days, don't they? Come on, you know it's true!

"Miss Bourdo, I really enjoyed your view on that last essay I assigned you. Remind me to give you all the work you missed tomorrow." My teacher told me. "I don't want to burden you right now with more work than you probably already have."

I cringed, knowing other people were still in the room. A colorful string of words went through my head and I stiffly turned around to her.

"Oh, um, yeah. Thanks." I mumbled as I shoved my stuff into my messenger back and hauled my tennis bag up on my shoulder. I made a little waving motion and made a bee line for the door.

Teachers! I swear, they ruin your lives, if not intentionally! I mean, you always got to say something back to them or else they'll get all offended and then they won't ever look at you again like a person!

Why couldn't I have chosen the latter?

"Why Jimena," Teacher kept talking, so, in an effort to be polite, I wheeled myself around and hoped-no prayed to god that Greek God Boy wasn't actually in my chemistry class, "you must have had the best essay in class! Have you considered it possible that you might be candidate for valedictorian this year?"

I pretended like I hadn't considered this for just a moment, and then shook my head so that my curls flew furiously.

"Uh no, I actually haven't!" I told her in my most cheerful cheerleader voice. "I didn't even know I was top in our class!" I said sunnily, like being considered valedictorian had just brightened my day. "But thank you for letting me know! I'll get right down to the office to pick up some forms for that!"

And with that, I didn't even care if she was going to ask me anything else. I just wanted out of there and into the anonymity of the student body. I pushed my way out of there in a flurry and had made it down a set of stairs when the first feeling of being free and perfectly okay kicked in. Smiling to myself, I repositioned my tennis bag on my shoulder and strode in comfort towards my next class.

Had Greek God Boy actually been in my class? I don't know. Hell, I didn't want to know! I didn't care! I was safe! Home free!

But my day just came to a crashing halt after that. Of course. You know, I should have heeded what my horoscope had said this morning! It told me, "watch out, people you rather dislike will be bumping into you all day, causing many awkward moments. Eat lots of Fish tonight."

Well, maybe the fish part didn't help, but the other part had certainly come true.

I was only about 20 feet away from my chemistry class's door, when somebody called me out.

"Jimena! Hey, you remember me?" So much for my plan of action. I cringed, but kept on walking, as if I hadn't heard that. Still, I remembered that voice, even if I had been in a drunken state. I would always remember that voice.

"Hey, Bourdo! That's your name, isn't it?" Some guy called to me from behind. Laughing. He was actually amused by this!

In the background somebody had a radio playing 'Love Shack', which was so not helping my situation. I just ignored whoever it was and kept walking, sure I would not like the ending results if I did turn around.

"Hey." He said softer now.

Now see, very unfortunately for me, I had just missed the door to my next class. So I kind of had to turn around. God, why don't they space classes out? Like, in miles? I would have not minded a mile trip to Pre-Calc!

Grumbling incoherently, I spun around and headed straight for my classroom, not bothering to look up. Why doesn't it ever work out when you want to avoid people? It's like, confrontation is inevitable.

But oh no, he was just standing there, in front of the door. Like, 'hey this must be your class because obviously only crazy girls like you walk past them when a hottie like me says hi'.

Why, I asked the gods? Man, I should have just dropped my books and pleaded with the gods to give me just one good day! One! Was it too much to ask for a sweet girl like me?

Mr. Hot Greek God Boy, just standing there all nonchalantly, like he did this everyday. Like this was a normal thing for him to do.

Oh my god! He must have been insane! Who held on to knowing somebody for so long? Seriously, I met him, what, once? And even then I looked like a drunk hooker! And yet, even after a week, he still knew me? Honestly! He must have been insane!

Stupid hormones though. You know what my body told my brain? Yeah, it told me to smile and look cute! And as much as I tried to stop, I smiled! I looked cute!

I felt extremely vulnerable, let me tell you. I felt like if I smiled one more dang time, he was just going to flirt and kiss me and all hell would break loose and I swear to god he would end up dead on my front porch, courtesy of either Duran or somebody else.

I had to remind myself that I was all hot and heavy with Duran still before I managed to muster enough lip strength to bring my smile to a scowl. But not quickly enough, because my Greek God looked down at me from at least 6 foot 4 and smiled back.

"Hey Jimena. I haven't seen you around for a while. That party last week? It was cool to see someone there I knew from school, ya know? Those parties are so sketchy, and you never know when you might need to know someone in the crowd." As he explained this to me, I began to get the feeling that people were listening in on this and going, 'Jimena Bourdo goes to parties?' And of course, they would tell their friends this, and all of a sudden I would be a much talked about subject by the end of the day.

Why? Why couldn't I have just clocked him right then and there? I mean, everything would have gone so much smoother if I had. But no, I couldn't manage to hit him because of all the things I was carrying. So I politely excused myself.

"I honestly have no idea what you're talking about." I replied. I'm pretty sure somebody nearby gasped at the fact that I had just politely talked to somebody. Well, I wouldn't be very polite for long. "Excuse me; I have to get to class now." I said in an extremely hostile voice. I actually hadn't meant for it to be hostile, but it was the closest thing he was gonna get to being polite.

There was one of those 'oooo' sounds coming from somebody around us, and then somebody said, "Dang, she whipped him good…" and I let a smirk slowly surface on my face. That would show him.

But oh no. Mr. Greek God wasn't about to let down on anything! He just smirked back and leaned his elbow on my door. I was really hoping someone would fling the door open soon. That would have been hilarious! You know it would have!

"Ah, don't worry. We got a few more minutes. So what happened back there? Why'd you just run off like that? You were the one all on me, if I remember correctly."

He had better have thanked god I didn't smack him or something, because I would have if I didn't have all this stuff to drag around with me.

"Look!" I told him impatiently. "Don't play with me, all right? You know full well I take it that I was drunk! And you were probably drunk too!" I pointed at his chest accusingly. "So don't get all cute with me, all right? Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna be late for class." Mr. Greek God didn't even move. He just kept on smiling at me, which was quite frankly, unnerving. He just shook his head and I could see his black hair sort of moving with his head. His hair wasn't long enough to be shaggy, but it wasn't short enough to be called short.

"Jimena. You're cool, you know that?"

"Yeah," I snapped, already thinking of something to add to that about him, but he started talking again. "We should hang out some time. You know, get to know each other a little better. By the way, I'm Jesse. Jesse Villehuarez." The way he rolled his last name off his tongue, it sounded not at all awkward to say. All I know was that he was a hot guy, who apparently wasn't Greek in the slightest. More like…Spanish. Hot, still. He leaned in closer to my face, and then his smile slowly faded away.

One of hands reached to my face and it ran down the side of my face by my eye. I would have had no idea what he was doing had it not hurt, but oh man, it still hurt.

The fact that I had been smacked there smarted, and I almost dropped my tennis bag! But instead I flinched and took a step backwards, hitting the wall. With my free hand, I managed to smack his hand away.

"Don't." I said as clearly and as coldly as I could muster without screaming it. Jesse straightened up and cleared his throat, obviously getting the vibe I was giving off.

"Don't you ever…" I began again, but I couldn't really get any farther than that, because well, why couldn't he touch me? He hadn't done a damn thing to make me hate him-yet! I just didn't like him because he was an endangerment to me now! Finally I figured out something to say.

"Just…don't." I managed to get out. Yeah, it was pathetic I couldn't say anything else, but it was all I had that didn't sound like I was whining!

Jesse took a few steps backwards, and then looked behind his shoulder for a second.

"Look…" He said quietly, but I could still hear him as the bell started to toll. "Just…just think about it all right? I think you're a cool person. I don't know why you haven't got any friends." With that, he turned around and started off down the corridor.

I exhaled and looked at my tennis bag.

I only had one class left. They could miss me for another day. It might get me in trouble, but I'd be back for tennis at least.

I headed right away from there, not really sure what I was feeling. All I knew was that I had just gotten myself into trouble. It wasn't intentional. Oh no, it really wasn't intentional. Jesse had come to me, given me a reason to be scared for my life. To be scared for his own.

I really hoped for the sake of his own life that he wouldn't act all stupid and want to come home with me one day.

If Duran didn't kill him first, I was sure somebody else would get to him