See here's the thing about cute guys. They all have a code. I'm not talking about the 'guy code' that entails never hitting on your best friends little sister or dating his ex. I'm talking about the part of the code that's not so… genuine. The part that proclaims if your best friend's girlfriend comes up to you and demands that you tell her if he was cheating last night, it is your duty to that friend to lie.

I know for a fact that Ryan, Derik, Jon, and even Cole believed very prominently in this rule. Whether it was because they were the one cheating or the one being loyal, they followed it.

So you see I have a right to treat Ryan like the plague every time I see him. It's payback. It's the reason Derik just glares at me from across the cafeteria but never talks to me.

I hate how they are, how they not only think they can get away with their behavior but it's the fact that they are getting away with their behavior that just infuriates me.

I even knew which ones cheated and which ones just covered up for it. And to a point I could understand being there for your buddies over some chick. But maybe I just wanted to be mad. Maybe I thought about what would happen if I really did fall for Ryan's little tricks. Would Cole really betray all of his friends, his stupid little code, for me? I wasn't about to put him in the position to find out.

"Lex, what did I do with that army jacket I left here last week?" He asked casually.

Like everything else Cole does, waking up at six in the morning to go jog for thirty minutes, reappearing at my house to take a fifteen minute shower, and then waking me up in time for him to begin (usually) the ten minute walk to his house and drive back with his car since he only lives two streets away from me, was nothing.

He had already gotten the car.

"Hell if I know." I finally realized he was digging through my hamper and turned to glare at him. "Get out! Cole!" I growled, picking up a CD case and throwing it at his head. He ducked and didn't even look up.

"If you don't stop whining and… huh?"

"Huh what, Cole..." I took a deep breath to calm myself. "Get out." And then whined.

He pulled out a black bra with hot pink lace and raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"Planning on wearing that for someone?" He asked sternly.

I grabbed it out of his hand and flipped him off.

"My mother bought it for me." I said.

"Why?" He asked, his eyes had grown wide and he looked like he wanted to be sick.

"She thought it would make me more feminine." I told him.

He snorted and turned back to the hamper.

"See that's working for you." He said sarcastically.

"Hey." I folded my arms and looked at him. "Apologize."

He looked up and sighed, walking towards me and tucking a piece of haywire hair behind my ear. I still hadn't brushed it yet.

"I'm sorry." He practically whispered, with that lopsided grin plastered across his face.

For a moment I think I forgot to breathe as I stared intently into his eyes. Then he nonchalantly turned back to looking for his jacket and I mumbled a quick excuse about needing a bath.

I was not falling for my best friend. I wasn't.

As soon as I was done with my bath I grabbed a towel and opened the door. Somehow he had actually found his jacket in my clothes because he was now wearing it.

He briefly looked up as I grabbed my clothes and then went back to reading the book I'd finished a day and a half ago.

"So he's a snake thing and she's a bird thing and they have to marry to give their kingdoms peace?" He questioned. I could tell he thought the book was crap.

"Yep."

"And they don't really like each other but… they end up falling in love?"

I murmured yes while grabbing the shirt off the hanger and draping it over my arm.

"Does it have some really pint up attraction, jaw dropping, sex scene?"

I gave him and blank stare and shook my head no.

"What the hell is the point then?" He concluded, throwing the book across my bed.

"He sounds hot." I told him distractedly, tucking a pair of socks into the crease of my arm and closing the drawer.

"He sounds hot." He repeated. "Why can't girls be like guys and just go buy a playgirl?"

I rolled my eyes. "They do." I said before shutting the door. "But the intelligent ones buy the book."

"You wouldn't say that if you read some of the articles in playboy. They are very enlightening."

"Cole, shut up."

I came out hopping on one foot while trying to slide my converse on. By the time I reached the closet I had it securely in place and grabbed for my hoodie, leaving only about an inch or two left over at the top.

"Ready." I concluded.

He nodded before giving me a once over and landing on my head.

"You going to brush your hair today, Lex?"

"Damn it." I walked back in, bagged my brush and came out again.

Most mornings we then go buy breakfast at the café down the street.

This is his usual break up time. He'd been going out with Amber for the last week and a half. Now he was utterly bored and ready to move on to someone less… clingy, I think he put it. Carmen was too bossy, Amber was too clingy, Jessica from three weeks ago who he met at a party had been too… uptight I think and Monica the rocker girl had been too bitchy. He had an excuse for everyone. Not that I cared.

I didn't exactly like these girls anyway; mainly because they hated me.

By the time we got to school I'd done all my homework and brushed my now only slightly damp hair.

"I'll see you later." Cole told me, seeing Amber heading his way and dropping my bag at the feet of my locker.

"Cool." I said back, digging through it and coming out with my IPod.

I flipped through the albums until I landed on Kidney Thieves and turned it on full blast, opened a book and started reading.

"Did you see Nick and Amber break up this morning, it was intense?" Emma whispered into my ear.

I gave her a half smile and rolled my eyes.

"You mean Amber was intense?" I corrected.

She shrugged and then couldn't help but form a small smile of her own.

"Well… yeah."

"I don't know why she dates him. Everyone knows he's just going to dump them anyway." I reasoned.

"That boy could tell me to my face he was only interested in one thing, and I'd still turn into a puddle of rejected heaven at the sight of his toned eight pack."

Yes she was for real. I had to wonder sometimes how she had not found her way into the 'I hate Alexis because Nick spends too much time with her' club. It was times like this when I felt a tiny bit of disappointment over that fact.

"Em?"

"Huh? Oh sorry, I was just imagining what it would be like to run my tongue-" I cut her off before she could go any farther.

"Em stop!"

"My bad, would you rather I talked about his tongue?"

"No! No tongues, or hands, or God forbid other less pleasant body parts. Just stop."

She crossed her arms and gave me a disapproving look.

"You really need to get laid."

"You really need to quit."

"What a good romp in the sack would do for you."

"Romp?" I questioned.

"Yes." By now she had taken on a British accent and sounded like some snooty Therapist.

"I think you've been reading too many historical romance novels."

"I think you haven't read enough." She countered. "I could get you some…"

"I'm cool."

"Or a man?"

"I'm gay."

"Even better." She leaned towards me and I fell back off the seat I inhabited. She snickered and turned her attention to the teacher.

Once I was back in my seat she leaned over and whispered into my ear.

"I think I'm going to seduce our Chemistry teacher."

"Why?" I asked.

Our Chemistry teacher was noticeably attractive in a nerdy sort of way. But I couldn't see any reason at all for a teenage girl in her prime to want to go after him.

She cocked her head to the side in a manner I regret saying I did occasionally, and in just three words answered my question completely.

"Because I can."

How had I become friends with such a freak?

Let me put it this way.

When I was nine I was playing basketball with the guys (Jon, my cousin Eric, and Cole). Well… like I said, let's put it this way.

"Hey Lexie?" Eric said turning towards me. He was mad because he had gotten put on the team with me.

"Yeah?" I asked.

"Let my score the winning goal, got it?" He commented.

"Okay." I said slowly; like it mattered to me. It seemed I always ended up following Eric around and getting myself into situations that were stupid.

"Good." He said and then turned back towards the court.

We played for a while. I was surprisingly good… okay… Eric was just besting Cole and Jon by himself really but… hey.

I had the ball… I went to shoot… and… it actually went in. I smiled to myself and gave myself a little praise.

I was smiling still when Eric knocked me to the ground.

"I told you I wanted to make the goal." My twelve year old cousin complained (whined).

"I didn't know it was even the last shot." I told him indignantly, in which he just glared and stalked off into the house.

Does that tell you how I and gym go together?

We were playing volleyball since it was the only thing it seemed the coach knew how to play. I was actually pretty good at sports, and though I told everyone who would listen that sport's where moronic I usually had quite a bit of fun in there.

Today the guys didn't have time to amuse the little girl… as they liked to call me. I think Ryan was still sore about the little ego deflator I'd pulled on him yesterday.

I threw the ball at the back of Derik's head and he whirled around, glaring.

"Yes princess?" He retorted, and it only made me want to kill him more.

I smiled a fake smile in return.

"I'm glad I could have your attention. If you and your new friends are done playing sleepover, I'd like to kick your asses now."

"Sleep over?" Ryan questioned. Looking as though he'd never heard a teenage girl insult him in his life. Yeah right, I did it like every day. "We were just talking."

"Maybe you should be playing instead of gossiping about how good the female race looks in gym shorts." I stated. "God knows you need the practice."

Derik looked like he was about to snap and started towards the net, about to duck under it onto my side.

"Not again." Jon groaned, stepping in between us. "Let it go Thompson."

"It's not my fault your little Nicholas gets plenty of action out of you." He countered.

I had to admit, I hadn't heard that one before.

"Good one, now what's your excuse? You've probably had every disease in the book and it hasn't upped your game any."

Ryan took off towards the locker rooms.

When I say me and Derik don't get along I mean it. We don't dislike each other, we don't hate each other, we loathe one another to a point that if one got hit by a car the other would probably throw a party.

"I don't have some bitch on a leash to pin down whenever needed."

Jon could have fun holding Derik back all he wanted because no one was doing the same to me.

That lasted long. Someone's are wrapped its way securely around my waist and picked me up flat off the ground.

"No, you save that position for yourself." Hey, if I wasn't going to get to punch him I might as well get that last remark out, right?

"Sit." Cole demanded, and I obediently did as told.

I almost laughed when I saw he had no shirt or shoes on.

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. I think it was shaking.

"What?"

"Why the fuck… why… what happened?" He finally got out straight.

"He called me and I quote, 'a bitch on a leash to pin down whenever needed' unquote." I smiled one of those fake smiles and flipped Derik off across the court.

"And what did you do?"

"What is that supposed to mean?" I looked up. "This is my fault?"

"It usually is." He said softly.

"I told him to play because he could surely use the practice."

"That's all?"

"Then he said…" I ran off and looked away. "Your right I started it."

"Then go say sorry."

"But…" I looked up.

"Why is it so hard to say sorry Lex? You just said you started it."

I looked towards Derik with disgust before returning my eyes to Cole's icy gray ones.

"Fine." I said. He kept looking at me. "What, now?"

"Yes."

I took a really deep breath and gave him a narrow look before marching my way towards the asshole. Of course he followed me.

I saw his fists tighten in anger and he looked away from me.

"I'm…" I got out. "I'm… sorry."

His head snapped up to me and he gave me a disbelieving look before letting the frown relax.

"Whatever."

"I didn't mean to start anything, and if I offended you I shouldn't have." I said through clenched teeth, looking at the bleacher behind him instead of into his eyes.

"Good." Jon said casually. "Now you can man up and apologize for treating her like shit."

I glared at him.

"Jon?" I warned. "Don't."

"What it's the truth? I think I remember you insulting his game and then him saying something about you giving Nick…" I covered his mouth with my hand.

"Giving Nick a hard time." I finished for him.

He dug my hand off his mouth.

"Why is it such a problem to tell him?"

"Please Jon just don't." I begged, yes begged.

He rolled his eyes and mumbled something about stupid girls.

"Fine, I won't."

"Then he said something about you getting plenty of action out of her." Ryan said quickly from behind us and took off towards the outdoor track field.

Weren't they supposed to defend their friends?

Jon gave me an innocent look and shrugged. So I decided to just take off after Ryan instead of stick around. He wasn't that fast… I'd seen him on the football field.

"Wait Lex!" Cole called.

I turned to yell I had to go before opening the door and letting it close behind me.

When had everything became so… complicated?

"Ryan, I'm going to kill you!"

I almost missed the confrontation taking place on the other side of the large glass window. Derik said something to Cole and Cole actually… punched him?

Ryan jogged back to my side and watched with me. Never once, I'm sure, thinking about going back into the gym to help out his friend. Poor Jon was standing in the middle of the two probably giving them some lecture about maturity that they weren't hearing. Finally Derik had enough and pushed Jon out of the way… only to get pummeled to the ground by the captain of the football team, idiot.

"Um…" Ryan started.

"That's bad." I finished for him. I turned my head to the side and Ryan gave me a weird look. "Should he be hitting him that hard?"

He turned back.

"No, not really." He shook his head.

"Thought so."

The gym teacher finally showed up and he, Jon, and a couple other guys pulled the two psychos' away from each other. Just for good measure my moronic best friend had to flip off Derik once again before being pulled out of the gym.

"Hm?" I shrugged.

"Hm… that's all you got to say? That was your fault."

I raised my eyebrows at him and put a hand of my hip.

"How so?"

"That was over you."

"I blame that on testosterone. They just have too much. Why can't they be more like you? Instead of using up your anger, you push it down until it turns into estrogen. It even makes you dress better." I told him, waving towards his matching gym clothes and blinking.

He shook his head and grumbled something under his breath as he headed back in.

I tried to pretend everything was normal between me and Cole, I really did. But something had been building and I didn't know how long before it would erupt.

"Want pizza?" He asked, his head lying in my lap as he watched TV and I dabbed at the busted lip and bruised jaw he sported. He flinched when I touched the bruise but didn't comment; instead just turning the channel.

"Pizza sounds good." I returned.

"Pizza it is." He gave me a questioning look and I realized I was running my hand through his hair. Someone shoot me.

"Sorry." I rolled my eyes. "It's just so soft. You haven't been letting Ryan talk you into using his sisters shampoo again have you? Just because he does it doesn't mean you have too." I told him sternly.

He let out a dramatic sigh and continued to look straight into my eyes.

"About my friend Lexi? You need to stop this." He turned back to the TV briefly to mute it before sitting up and facing me cross-legged. "I know that thing today with Derik wasn't your fault, but you weren't totally innocent either. I can't do stuff like that, okay?"

I nodded and he continued.

"And Ryan Lex, he doesn't do anything to you and yet you are always on his case. You don't talk to any of the girl friends that I have, you hate my guy friends. What am I supposed to do, huh?" He ran his hand down the side of my cheek and I thought, not that. "You can't put up a guard with everyone."

I forced my eyes to look down at my clasped hands instead of into his.

"I got it." I whispered.

"Good." He leapt off the couch and grabbed the phone.

But it wasn't. I was falling for my best friend while he was thinking about… pizza.