“Why are you up so early?”

She’s only wearing her bra and panties as she moves around my room picking up her discarded clothing from the night before. A toothbrush is clenched tightly in her mouth as she alternates between brushing her teeth and picking up clothes.

“Cheerleading practice.”

I roll my eyes at that. Of course. “So. Skip it.” My eyes linger on her ass as she bends down to retrieve her shirt.

She sends me a glare that I just smirk at. “I can’t. You know that.”

“Whatever.”

She disappears into my bathroom and reappears a few minutes later, clothed and without the toothbrush.

“After second period? The bathroom by the chem lab?”

I shrug.

“Don’t tell me you’re skipping? You’ll get suspended again.”

I shrug.

“Whatever. I warned you. I’m going out with Aiden tonight, but I’ll be here before midnight.”

“Fine.” She moves to stand beside my bed and leans down to kiss me.

After a moment, she pulls back and meets my gaze. It lingers, leaving me feeling like she’s searching for something. I’m not entirely sure I know what though. Sometimes, I get the feeling that she’s at least partly in love with me.

It’s those times that I’m glad she’s too dependent on the approval of the boyfriend and the popular crowd to try for a real relationship with me.

=

I’m distantly aware that I’m screaming.

My body goes limp. She crawls back up so she’s lying beside me as I try to catch my breath.

My arms automatically come up around her as she rests half on top of me. She’s just as exhausted as I am.

She places a kiss just behind by ear before drifting off beside me.

I never fall asleep before her.

Sometimes, I worry that she’ll figure me out. The reason I let her stay after we have sex. Call it residual abandonment issues or whatever you want – I just hate being by myself. It’s the reason I get grumpy as hell anytime she can’t stay for whatever reason. Her parents. Aiden. The other cheerbitches.

Sometimes, I wonder ‘Why her?’. I don’t love her – most of the time, I can’t stand her. If we’re not fucking, we’re usually arguing.