Hey, Jesse.

A week ago, I had an altercation with Aaron which led to a reunion with my childhood friend.

A week ago, I was reminded of the reason I am no longer Aaron's friend; Georgette Sylvester.

A week ago, I got home to a blue beaten down Chev which belongs to the person I love the most on earth.

Tyler noticed my mood the moment he parked his scooter and immediately understood.

"Well, stop bouncing on your feet and go in. Tell José I said hi."

I gave him a quick peck and ran in; my excitement oozing out every pore.

"Daddy!" The man eating a sandwich on the kitchen island turned to me sheepishly.

"It's not peanut butter sandwich."

I let out a carefree laugh.

"We both know it is. Drop it."

My stern facade lasted only a second before a grin broke out.

His answering grin had me leaping into his arms. We stayed that way for a while before he put me down.

"I missed you." My voice came out all pouty.

"Well aim better next time." Cue the eye roll.

"I see your sense of humor is no better than it was last month." I raised a brow at the heap of sandwiches on the island. "I also see your penchant for pain is still here."

He glanced at the half-eaten sandwich in his hand and gave me another smile.

"It is a miracle! I'm no longer allergic. And before you call bull, know that I have a medical report saying just that."

I gave him a searching look.

He had used the 'I'm no longer allergic' excuse before, but we all caught him when his body reacted badly anyway. This time though, he seemed sincere.

"Wow. I guess God finally decided to give you a break huh? You're free as a bird to eat your favourite food."

He nodded excitedly like a little boy and I laughed going in for a second hug.

My dad. The best thing to ever happen to me. My numero uno.

"I love you my Arcelia."

"I love you too daddy. Now hand me a sandwich."

"So you're saying you are friends with Tyler again and you didn't think to tell me?"

"Come on, Himari, don't look so upset. Here he comes."

She gets up with a huff the moment Tyler appears at our table with his trademark smile.

"Hi Tequila. Hey Himari."

"Hi Tyler." I answer as Himari grumbles about having something to do before performing a vanishing act.

"So, she doesn't like me."

"She's just wary. She feels like her place as my best friend is threatened since we are talking again."

"Well, she's right to feel threatened."

I stop laughing when I realise he is being serious.

"No. I refuse to have that kind of war between two of my favourite people on earth. You'll have to get along."

"We both know José is your only favourite-" His jaw suddenly goes slack, eyes affixed on something behind me.

I swivel in my chair to know the cause of his reaction and groan when I see her.

"I kinda thought you two were no longer friends. Did you bond or something in my absence?"

"I guess one of your evil plans didn't work out quite the way you wanted. Please step back, your perfume is suffocating."

Georgette flips her long hair back, in her signature way. She has always felt too big to emulate mean girls but I think she has got their look down to a tee.

"Can I have a word, Tyler?"

Ignoring my existence is also something Georgette has gotten down to a tee.

"No."

I hold back a gasp at the ice in Tyler's voice and see, to my satisfaction, that Georgette jumps slightly.

"No? But I thought you'd be jumping at the chance..." She trails off at the venomous glares I and Tyler shoot her.

Egotistical much?

"Whatever. Your loss." Her voice cracks at the last word and Tyler's face softens, but before he can do anything stupid, she struts away like a model on the runway.

Two girls immediately flank her at the door: the same wannabes who were with her on the first day of school, Sandra and Annie.

"What happened to your speech about forgiving and forgetting and letting love lead?"

Tyler just shrugs as the bell rings.

"I never denied being a hypocrite. Holding on to the hurt is easier, to be frank. Makes us less vulnerable."

We pack up and leave the cafeteria before the exit gets jammed.

"It's like I'm the new kid again. They won't stop staring." Tyler whispers as we walk by a group of girls who don't bother hiding the fact that they are gawking.

"They see me with you. To those who know our history, that's shocking. Now update me on everything I've missed about the dotty Jonas family. Is Uncle John still married to that bird?"

We take a detour to my locker since I don't carry my books around.

"His sparrow, yes. He saw a parrot in a pet store and said he fell in love. He's presently trying to warm Mrs John up to her new rival."

"I have to meet him. I won't feel complete until I hear one of his sermons on how birds are true human companions."

Uncle John is a queer human but the funniest person one can ever meet.

I daresay I missed Uncle John more than I missed Tyler during our separation. Not that I'll ever admit it to either.

"Mr Jonas, Miss Wilson. Thank you for gracing this humble class with your presence." Mr Jerome states the moment we make it to our next class. I didn't realise we took so long walking.

"Now if you would be so kind to sit down, I would like to continue my class."

Funny enough, the only free seats are at opposite ends of the class and the partner-less students are Georgette and Aaron.

It baffles me how the world works sometimes.

I'm a selfish person though, so I make a beeline for Aaron's desk and plop down, innocently ignoring Tyler's glare.

I chose the lesser evil while he was being a slow poke. Big deal.

"You're a bad friend." Aaron leans in to whisper. "I'm sure Tyler would've gladly smooched me if it meant he could avoid Georgette. He looks stiff as a board right now."

When he realizes I am ignoring him, he sighs and moves away.

About time too. The breath I am holding comes out with a whoosh and I almost convince myself I see it displacing some air molecules.

"Anyway, we will be looking at page four today and I'll be giving an assignment. Consider it my welcome back gift to y'all." Mr Jerome continues, smiling at the collective groan his statement elicits.

"The man is probably a sadist. I mean, who gives assignments the second week of resumption?" When I still show no sign of being invested in the conversation, he switches tactic.

"I bet he was bullied as a kid."

I grind my teeth in annoyance.

He knows bullying is a touchy subject to me.

"If there were people like you in his life then, we can't really blame him. Anyone would end up damaged if they had you in their life at some point."

He doesn't smirk. I hit a very sore spot and I know it, cringing as soon as the words leave my mouth.

I can't take them back though so I do the next best thing: I stare forward and ignore his drilling look.

Ignore your problems until they go away. Nice philosophy to live by, really.

I stifle a gasp when he leans very close to me, his breath smelling like chocolate. He probably hasn't stopped his morning ritual of eating a bar of dark chocolate then.

"Sometimes, I really wish my mum did not raise me well because then I wouldn't feel guilty for wanting to bash your head in."

It's safe to think no words are exchanged between us for the rest of the class.

"So, it's agreed! We are going to Jesse's party tonight. I'll pick you guys up."

"The word 'agree' is to harmonize in opinion, statement, or action; to concur. I don't remember giving my opinion on the matter at hand, Himari."

She gives a noncommittal hum.

"English class ended hours ago. I believe you can leave your grammatics in class and be a dear now that you are home. Tyler agrees with me, don't you Tyler."

He nods. The idiot actually nods.

I open my mouth to point out that grammatics is not a word.

"And before you say anything that would cause me to hit you, I know that grammatics isn't a word. I'm doing what I want you to do; letting loose and having fun even if it means butchering the English language in the process."

My mouth snaps shut. Mind reader much?

"So violent."

Tyler pays for his offhand statement when her fast hand smacks his arm.

I wince at the sound. I have been on the receiving end of her hands of steel. It is not fun.

"Shut it Casanova. So, like I said before, party tonight, Killer. Wear something I'll approve of, or so help me God."

"Not like you ever have problems with what I wear."

"You have awesome fashion sense. You never disappoint."

She stands up from my bed and plays around with my fluffy pillow while squinting out my window.

"But you just said I should wear something-"

"I know what I just said! Don't take everything so serious Tequila." The pillow in her hand meets my face with a plop seconds after Tyler says something I don't quite catch.

"That was for rolling your eyes at me young lady. Thank you Tyler."

I glare at a snickering Tyler. Traitor.

"Oh shush. Bye Himari."

Giving air kisses I refuse to accept, she skips out my room.

"Well she's one feisty ass." Tyler hoots just as she is out of sight.

Bad idea Tyler. But I would not warn him, because why should I?

Where is the fun in that?

I don't know how she got a pillow but I know something for sure and it's something Tyler immediately learns: Himari has some real upper body strength, so that pillow hits him hard.

"Note to self. Don't ever compliment Himari when she's near." Tyler groans, getting up from the floor.

"And don't forget it." I quip, releasing a huge yawn. "I better sleep now because Himari will rip my hair out if I'm not at my best at that party."

"Okay, I'll head out then. Don't swallow yourself while I'm gone. Geez, did you invent yawning?"

A second yawn manages to convince me throwing a pillow at him is not worth it.

Well, hello there, Morpheus.

~•●•~

"No. I will not send you a pic of my willy, now stop asking! No... No, it's not tiny. No, I'm gonna hang up now. Bye Chi- Chi- yeah I love- bye! It's not tiny!!"

Himari and I resort to biting our lips in vain attempts to stop laughing.

Chicago is Tyler's crazy cousin who apparently always manages to drunk dial him instead of her ex boyfriend who bears the same name.

Tyler says he changed his name on her contact list once to 'Cousin T' but she still managed to call him the next time she got drunk.

She's a horny drunk too which makes it all the more hilarious.

Oh, the Jonas family and their weird, weird ways.

"Shut up guys. Let's just go inside."

It's harder to hold our laughter in when Tyler is so obviously embarrassed about it. I decide to try for him though.

"Why? We are dying to see your big willy Tyler. Don't deny us this one thing." It seems, however that Himari has other plans.

I can't. I burst out laughing.

"Shut it! Or I swear I'll leave you guys to fend for yourselves tonight. I can just see tomorrow's headline. Two teenage girls drunk off their asses crash into Bermuda triangle and.. and die of laughter!"

I walk past him with a snicker, making sure to pat his back sympathetically. The alcove is beautiful and lets me watch the party before I am spotted. It makes it really easy to know where to head to once inside.

"Listening to you hurts my brain, DD. Now killer, my fun friend, let us approach the table that has been calling our names!"

The stares begin the moment Himari and I step into the large parlour, now a makeshift dancefloor.

Used to it, we shrug them off and beeline to the glorious table: a buffet. Jesse decided to go all out then. I just hope I don't run into him tonight.

"There's Jesse. Hey Jesse, nice party!!"

I should probably rethink my choice of friends.

"Himari! We went through this before! I want to avoid him."

She looks at me the way one would a crazy alien babbling Cantonese, and laughs.

"It's his party and he specifically asked for you. You were definitely going to meet at some point. You can't avoid him forever just cause you smashed and dashed. Teaches you to be more careful when you pick your victims. He's coming over. Smile!"

Groaning, I turn around to face our company.

"Hey Himari. Hey Tequila." His voice inflects as he says my name and I feel my lips go taut.

Don't be awkward, Jesse.

"Yo Jesse, nice party. Bye." I stare at Himari's retreating figure mouth agape until cold fingers touch my chin.

"You might want to close your mouth and not look like swallowing gallons of paint would be a better alternative to talking to me."

My mouth snaps shut as I access him. He doesn't look bad.

He is adorned in a black wife beater with crazy jeans, and completes the look with a grey beanie.

His shaggy brown hair must have slipped out at some point and I find my hands itching to touch them again. He doesn't look bad at all.

He doesn't look angry either; he actually looks amused.

"I'm sorry, it's just, I always have one night stands with people I know I'll never see again. Not saying our time together was a mistake, though in some way it was, it's just a bit awkward that I know you. Somehow, I mean I don't know you, know you, I just know... you." Oh Tequila.

Someone kill me now, please. And to think I was hoping he wouldn't be awkward.

His grin is huge and mischievous.

"Enjoy the party, Tequila. I'll definitely see you later."

Amidst my mortification, my body shivers in anticipation.

Bad Tequila. Bad girl, you don't do one person twice.

Not even if he looks too good to be true and the memory of your night together gives you the good kind of goosebumps.

I slip away with only a can. So much for aiming for the buffet table.

Himari must pay.