Summary: My boyfriend just cheated on me and now I'm already in love with another guy? Uh, I don't think so. Especially since said guy is the most annoying jerk I've had to deal with for my entire life. Since he's my brother's best friend. Cliche, right? Well, welcome to my life.

Chapter One: The Loser

Her eyes were red. Her hair was messy. Her skin was blotchy. Her clothes were rumpled. Her face was sullen. "That isn't me," I kept telling myself as I stared at the mirror that was on the dresser.

Thinking back, I had no idea why I looked like this. It's not like he cared or anything. If he did care I wouldn't be in this mess. He didn't deserve my tears or my heartache. I felt like a whiny little girl, crying over a stupid boy who stomped on her heart. How pathetic.

"Annie?"

I turned around slowly sniffling and not bothering to wipe off my face. As I had suspected, Jeff was leaning against the doorframe in the entrance to my room, his eyes filled with silent worry. When he took in my broken composure, he immediately rushed into my room and engulfed me in a tight embrace.

With the protective hold of my brother's arms around me, holding me together, I couldn't help but break down yet again. I literally had been completely broken and I wanted to kick something. Instead of unleashing my violent personality on the closest thing to me – which happened to be my brother – I let the tears overflow in a gushing waterfall and drench Jeff's gray T-shirt. He was stroking my hair and telling me everything would be all right. What he didn't know was that he was completely wrong. Nothing was going to be all right. Everything was so messed up.

A minute or an hour could have passed and I wouldn't have known the difference. Jeff never lost patience with me and demanded details; he was just the comforting big brother I always loved. Finally, I sniffled and retracted from his grasp. He kept his hands on my shoulders and looked me in my swollen and red eyes. "What happened, Ann?" His words were tentative and concerned, but I could hear the burning curiosity behind them.

I sighed and shrugged out his hold, walking to my bed and flopping on my back. When I felt the springs move next to me, I knew Jeff had followed me. "Jackson is such a jerk!" I finally declared with great hatred.

Jeff looked down on me with raised eyebrows. "Annabelle Jean, how is that supposed to explain anything when I already knew that?"

I chuckled softly without humor. Jeff had always been telling me how awful my boyfriend was. I never thought he would end up being right once again. I inhaled a deep breath and then launched into my painful retelling of what happened after school a mere two hours ago. Usually Jeff was nice enough to drive me home since I hated driving to school by myself, but instead I decided to surprise Jackson, my boyfriend. It was our one-year anniversary today, so I figured I would hang back after school and spend more time with Jackson. Jackson had a car; I was sure he could give me a ride home. For some reason, I couldn't find him anywhere, so when I found Tate, one of his closest jock friends whose brain was filled with Swiss cheese, he told me Jackson was in the auditorium with Lidia Johnson. Figuring nothing of it, I fled to the auditorium to surprise my boyfriend. Little did I know that I would be getting the surprise.

When I walked into the auditorium, I interrupted the play rehearsal. Jacob Dalton told me he saw my targeted pray flee with Lidia to the makeup room so that's where I headed. When I opened the door to the makeup room, I wanted to throw up. Sure enough I had found my boyfriend, his lips surgically attached to that whore Lidia Johnson. She was also only wearing her bra and skinny jeans.

"What?" Jeff's eyes turned cold, definitely murderous. He was in Protective Big Brother mode, not a pleasant sight for the person he was after. "I knew he was an asshole!" He was now pacing in the middle of my room, shouting at the top of his lungs. "He is not going to get away with this."

I sat up on my bed and crossed my legs beneath me to form a pretzel. I could practically see murder schemes unfolding in his head, certain harmful things that Jeff and his buddies could surely get away with. As much as I greatly appreciated his concern – who wouldn't appreciate someone who was willing to face jail time for you? – I didn't feel like Jeff going to prison today. I wanted to have him around. "Jeff, be reasonable. You can't commit arson and burn down his house with him in it, and I think you're too young to buy a gun. Just, take a breather, please."

His eyes nearly bulged from their sockets as he rounded on me. "Are you joking me, Annie? The guy cheated on you. Cheated! And I'd bet it wasn't the first time either!"

I looked at Jeff evenly. I knew he wasn't meaning to sound so harsh to me, so I just brushed it off. When Jeff got worked up or angry, there really was no avoiding his wrath. I had learned that after living with him all sixteen years of my life. "You're right. I'm sure he did, come to think of it. And as always, you were right: Jackson is an idiot from hell. But that doesn't mean I want you to waste your time on him by pummeling him to the ground."

My little speech seemed to calm him down a tad bit, but not by much. There was still a red flush to his face that made me know he was still furious. Maybe I should have waited to tell him until after he ate food; he was always calmer with a full stomach. Jeff looked at me for an immeasurable time before he straightened his shoulders and announced proudly, "I'm calling Bryce."

"Oh, no," I groaned loudly as Jeff trotted out of my room.

This was bad, very bad. Whenever Jeff was mad and then got his best friend involved, things always went bad. One time when I was in eighth grade and Jeff and Bryce were freshmen in high school, my best friend stabbed me in the back by spreading a nasty rumor about me. As time passed I forgot about what the rumor actually was about, but I do remember it was awful and had me locked in my room for a week. But when Jeff found out what happened, he got Bryce and practically mauled Sheila. Because she was so terrified and a teacher had witnessed it, Jeff and Bryce had spent a night in juvy. Needless to say, mom was livid with Jeff and I was horrified that he would go to such extreme lengths just to protect his baby sister. It was appalling.

I ran out of my room and sprinted down the stairs two at a time. But even with my impressive speed Jeff was already on the house phone by the time I reached him. He waved it in my face in a mocking manner and mouthed, "It's ringing." I snatched at it, but with Jeff's six inches he had on me, I couldn't reach the cordless. Instead I satisfied myself with screaming over and over again to hang up or give me the phone, which Jeff prominently laughed at me and gave me a 'hell no.'

"Hey, man," Jeff said after wrapping an arm around my waist and squishing me to his side. "Oh, that's just Annabelle, ignore her." A pause from Jared while Bryce said something and a shin kick from me while struggling to get free. "Ow, Ann. Yeah, come over. We have revenge to acquire." Pause. "I know, it'll be great. See you in a few." After Jeff hung up, he set me free, gave me the phone, and grinned wickedly.

I simply sighed and placed the phone back on its base. "If you need me, annoying brother, I'll be in my room sulking. Tell me when dinner's ready."

When I was halfway up the stairs, already sinking back into my devastated state of mind, Jeff called out to me. "Oh, I'll tell you when Bryce gets here. We can plot our murder scheme."

I turned around and mustered a weak smile of mockery. "Wonderful," I replied sarcastically. I then trudged up to my room and closed the door behind me, clicking the lock in place firmly so Jeff wouldn't be able to get in with his best friend. It was bad enough having my brother see my at my lowest; I didn't need a second person see me break down in front of him.

My entire dresser was covered in picture frames with photos of my friends and I and even more of Jackson and I. When I remembered those were there, I ran over to my dresser and quickly turned those frames down so I couldn't see his pretend smile of joy and his pseudo-arm around my waist. Our whole relationship – for the past year no less – had been a complete lie and I never even suspected anything. How stupid could I have been?

Jackson and I met when we were in junior high. His family had just moved into town since his dad was in the military and then his dad decided to retire here. Jackson and I quickly became good friends, but it wasn't until the beginning of our sophomore year (on October 16th, which happened to be today's date as well) we officially became a couple. I was even beginning to think I loved Jackson too. He was so sweet and kind and I loved that thick blonde hair that swooped to the side in a casual style. His penetrating ice blue eyes always seemed to see into my soul with what I thought was utter love. His hand was always warm in mine and his lips were always eager for whatever I could give him. I just never realized that he wanted more until I saw him with a half-naked Lidia Johnson.

But apparently he wasn't sweet or kind. His ice blues really were ice just like his cold heart. His blonde hair only amplified the blonde stereotype (even if those stereotypes were meant for girls). His warm hand had probably just been fondling with another girl before he went to see me. And his lips were only asking for sex. Jackson never really cared about me. He only cared about getting into my pants. I was not an object to be used and abused. But, as Jackson had so kindly demonstrated, he obviously felt that he could use and abuse me.

Thinking about Jackson Cole made my head hurt and my eyes sting with fresh tears. I had thought I loved him. I had thought we would be together. I had thought he was more than what people thought he was: a player. I had always stood up for him and gave him the benefit of the doubt. I had gone against my friends and brother when they repeatedly told me to dump his sorry ass before he had the chance to do so. I really felt stupid for never listening to them until it was too late.

I realized I was still standing in front of my dresser clutching onto a picture frame that I hadn't even glanced at. When I pulled it away from my chest, prepared to kick myself for clinging to a picture of The Loser and I, I was relieved to see it wasn't The Loser. It was a picture of Kylee, Genie, and me. The three of us were in matching yellow bikinis in Hampton Beach in California. We took a trip there three summers ago on a combined vacation of three families. That beach was one of my favorite memories of our friendship and I wasn't even sure why. I mean, sure it was a beach, but it was just a normal old beach. Come to think of it, the sand was too hot on your bare feet, the sun was bright and sweltering, making the day feel about a hundred and thirty degrees, and there were no waves. But we made the most of it and had the best time in our lives.

Looking at that picture momentarily stopped the tears from pouring and I smiled genuinely. If only my two best friends could be here right now. That certainly would make me feel a little bit better. And just as I was thinking this, my cell phone chirped. I ran the back of my hand over my cheeks and answered in a weak voice, "Yeah?"

"Oh my gosh, something definitely happened." It was Genie. "I heard from Patrick that something happened at school between Lidia and Jackson, so I just had to call you. What happened?" her words were meshed together, she was talking too quickly. Genie loved to hear gossip, especially gossip straight from the source. This was just too exciting to her yet she was really worried about me at the same time. It was a combination I had grown to deal with.

I walked over to my computer and opened up my music player where all the CDs I had burnt were stored. Picking my rock CD of the awesome-yet-never-hear-of band, 5ive, I turned my computer speakers up to its highest volume. Since my mom were still at work and Jeff was the only other one home, I could easily get away with it. Plus, when he came back to my room with Bryce like he promised, I wouldn't be able to hear him struggle to pry open a locked door. "Oh gosh, that's 5ive. What happened?" Genie knew I only listened to this CD when I was really upset.

So I filled her in on everything in an abbreviated version. I had a feeling I would be telling this story many times; I better find the shortest version now and stick with it. "Oh my goodness! So what did you do when you saw them together? What did Jackson do?"

I hadn't even thought about that part of what happened. Jeff hadn't asked about that because he was too livid to think rationally. Now that I thought about it, I handled myself pretty irrationally myself. "Jack tried to make up excuses to explain why Lidia was in her bra and locked to her lips. He even tried kissing me to show he 'still loves me.' Bull! So, I, uh, kneed him in the crotch."

"Annabelle!" Genie gasped in surprise.

Not even she could have predicted such a reaction from me. Granted, it was completely justified, but Annabelle Matthews never did anything like that. I was the school's "Quiet Pretty Girl" as everyone began calling me. When I was with my two best friends and brother, I was so loud you needed a muzzle to shut me up. But when I was around anyone else, a mouse was louder than I was sometimes. It's just the way I am. I find it helpful when you don't feel like bothering conversing with idiots or drawing attention to yourself. I actually enjoyed having some quiet time with a book curled up under a warm blanket. But kneeing people in the crotch? That practically screamed Anti-Annabelle. Not to mention the other little thing I did to the both of them…

Genie sensed I was hiding something else from her, since she said, "What else did you do, Anna?"

I gulped and closed my eyes, feeling the effects of a headache worming its way into my head and piercing my temples with severe pangs of pain. "Well, you know how the janitors use the makeup room as a storage closet when there isn't a school play going on?" Genie "uh huh"-ed me and I continued ashamedly. "Uh, so, there was a mop and bucket of dirty water next to me by the door. So when Lidia was helping Jackson get up after I kneed him, I poured the bucket of dirty water on the two of them and…I kind of took Lidia's blouse. So she couldn't leave the school without people seeing her in her bra."

There was a stunned silent on the other end of the phone as Genie tried to believe what I was telling her. I swear, when I found my boyfriend and that whore cheating on me on our anniversary, there was a moment when Jeff's spirit took over my body. I had been filled with pure rage and hatred, two feelings I hadn't experienced since eighth grade when Sheila spread that awful rumor. And even then I had blamed it on myself. This time I knew without a shadow of a doubt that Jackson was the only one at fault here. Had I felt stupid for letting this happen without even knowing about it? Hell yes. Did I feel responsible for what happened? No way.

"I cannot believe you, Anna," she said slowly. It sounded as if she were still reeling from my information. I didn't blame her; I still didn't believe myself.

Instinctively I reached to the volume knob on the speakers and tried to turn it up higher only it was already at its highest volume. "I swear I'm spending too much time with Jeff."

She burst out laughing then and I smiled to myself. Just when I thought Genie was about to go into cardiac arrest she came back around and was now the Genie I knew since elementary school and loved. She abruptly cut off her laughter and asked seriously, "Are you okay?"

I was about to open my mouth and say, "Yes, of course I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?" But then I remembered who I was talking to. I had known Genie since we were in the same kindergarten class together. We didn't become best friends then, but we were sill pretty good friends. Even if I told her that I was fine, she would be able to tell otherwise. Best friends just know stuff like that. "No, I'm not," I sighed heavily.

If she had been sitting next to me, her arms would have been around me in a tight yet comforting hug. But she wasn't so she settled for, "I'm so sorry, Anna. I can't believe he would do that to you. And you were so excited about your anniversary. Jackson's an idiot."

"I'd like to refer to him as The Loser now," I clarified for her.

She giggled shortly and then repeated herself, "The Loser is a real loser. I'm so sorry." And the best part about all of this was that she hadn't said, 'We told you so.' She never laughed at me and told me I should have seen this coming. Genie and Kylee and Jeff and even Bryce had all warned me this would happen. They all told me The Loser was, well, a loser. But I never listened because I thought I knew him better than this, I thought I loved him, I thought he loved me.

"Me too," I mumbled while another tear slipped down my cheek. Stop crying you stupid girl! I scolded myself. The Loser did not deserve my tears at all. He didn't deserve anything from me.

Just then my door burst open with a heavily swing, banging against the wall. When I looked at the entrance, Jeff was sprawled on the floor face first. Bryce was standing on the other side of my doorway in the hall, looking straight at me with a 'what can I say?' expression on his face, obviously referring to his best friend and my brother. "How did you…?" I began to protest, my voice barely above a whisper, when I realized my music was still blasting. I turned it down quickly and mumbled to Genie, "I gotta go."

She tried to protest but when I muttered Jeff's name, she knew better than to keep him waiting and let me go. "How the hell did you get in here, Jeffery?" I snapped once my cell phone was safely out of smashing distance.

He scrambled to his feet and rubbed his palms where he had caught himself only too late before smashing onto the floor. "I have a key," he muttered to himself, not even realizing he slipped up and told me the wrong answer. Bryce seemed to notice Jeff's mistake because he smacked him on his shoulder and shook his head disappointedly at him.

"How do you have a key?" I asked while walking over to him and snatching the key from his hand while he was caught off guard.

"Now you've done it," Bryce announced with a roll of the eyes.

Jeff avoided my eyes by gazing at the wall over my hand. I punched him weakly in the chest, something that only made me remember my justified violent outburst toward The Loser and his Bimbo. "So I have a copy, so what? It's for emergencies only, this being one of them."

"What?" I shrieked.

Bryce leaned in toward Jeff and whispered loud enough for me to hear, "I think she's losing it."

Ignoring him, I had a temper tantrum. "First my boyfriend cheats on me and I lose my temper, injuring his penis and dumping dirty water on the two of them. Then I find out that my own brother has a key to my room for 'emergencies only.' Bullshit, Jeff! You've been spying on me, haven't you? I bet you've read my diaries too! You have, haven't you! Ugh!"

Okay, so there seriously was something wrong with me. I think getting cheated on tweaked something in my brain that triggered an aggressive hormone or something. Because this definitely was not me. I mean, what the heck happened to the "Quiet Pretty Girl"?

"You injured his penis?" Bryce asked incredulously.

"What about dirty water?" Jeff chimed in.

"Did Little Annie finally get a backbone?" Bryce threw in for effect.

I turned and stomped over to my brother's best friend, poking my finger at his perfectly toned chest. "I told you never to call me that!"

Jeff pushed me away from Bryce and held me at his side. "God, Annabelle, I call you that all the time. What's with you?"

I seethed out his grip and stalked over to my computer desk, clicking on another button in order to plan the Simple Plan CD that I had burned onto my computer. I turned the volume knob and the music came pouring out of the speakers in angry beats of drums and slashing of guitar cords. Jeff yelped in pain behind me, something about ruptured eardrums or something sissy like that and ran over to where I was to turn the music back down. "Annabelle!" he shouted in my ear to bring me back to reality. That seemed to do the trick.

I shook my head slightly and blinked up at my brother. "Jeff…" I mumbled. Not another breakdown. But obviously I was breaking down once again. Tears were leaking and I felt like such a pansy. Like he had before, Jeff wrapped his arms around me and patiently waited out the next storm. I was aware that Bryce was in the background, groaning about female emotions being so annoying, but I ignored him. I knew Jeff would let him have it later about being disrespectful, so I didn't have to worry about anything anymore. Well, except my reputation…

"I'm so stupid," I muttered into Jeff's chest. When I pulled my head back, I noticed there were two dark gray circles on the front of his shirt, one from my first crying fit and the other from this one. Great.

Jeff gripped my arms and told me firmly, "You are not stupid. Jackson is – "

"The Loser," I corrected him. I never wanted to hear the name 'Jackson' ever again.

"Huh?" he blinked at me in confusion. He probably thought I was calling him a loser and not the actual Loser.

But when I opened my mouth to elaborate, Bryce did it for me. "What Annie over there is saying is that she doesn't want you to refer to him by his real name. His new baptized name to Annie is The Loser."

"Don't call me Annie!" I screamed at him.

He smirked at me but otherwise remained silent. Jeff shook his head and glanced back at his friend, "Dude, don't push your luck." Ha! I'm his sister therefore he likes me better. In your face, Bryce. Jeff then turned back to me and said, "Annie, you're not stupid. The Loser is the stupid one here. Trust me, he won't get away with this. Oh, and by the way, we'll talk about the penis thing."

I smiled in spite of the situation and nuzzled back into Jeff's chest. Whenever anything felt wrong in the world, I could always count on my big brother to make me feel better. He was always there for me, even when he thought I was being the moronic one. "Family sticks together no matter what, Annie. We're blood, therefore you'll always be my favorite," he had once told me. And I had never let him forget that.

"Now," he began, bringing me out of my reverie, "let's get this plan cracking."

A/N: So, how was it? I was just fiddling with this one day and decided to post it. Should I continue? Let me know by reviewing. Thanks!