Ally has detention for a week, and Sam is mad at us. Ally ended up breaking his nose, and all I did was sit on the bench and laugh. I know, it was mean, but he deserved it nonetheless. I got two days of detention, because I watched quietly, and let someone else who saw it deal with it. Ally feels guilty but proud of herself. She's the quiet one, always staying out of trouble, and always smiles even in the darkest moments. Sam is the mom of the group, I guess I should say dad, but whatever, he's the one who keeps us out of trouble. Then there's me, the reckless rebel. The girl who always gets into trouble. We're pretty similar in age, but Sam is the oldest, and I'm the youngest.My dad wants Sam to be his kid, not me, I'm too.. "reckless" according to him. More memories of Tash are coming back, and it makes me sad, remembering the friendship we had, then lost because of a school rivalry. I remember every single book we read, the sleepovers we had. We had a sleepover list, first, we'd have a dance party, then some karaoke in my brand new karaoke machine. Then we'd do our fingernails, and put temporary dye in our hair. I guess it was a normal childhood. The one I should have. Now I’m angry at the school for making me come here, for making me lose something I had, no, I do love. I sit on my bed and open an envelope that my father sent me. There are photos, five to be exact, one of me and my father, I look about three in that, and I’m putting a crown on my father’s head made out of flowers. I smile at the memory and look at the other photos, and I gasp at the last one. It’s a picture of me, and a redhead girl with two missing front teeth. It’s me and Natasha when we were small. I sigh, and smile slightly, putting it on my desk. As I slide it there I see a reflection in my mirror that makes me gasp; It’s Sam talking to someone in a familiar uniform... The SSA uniform. I run over to my window and open it, and listen, “Yes, I’ve been watching her, she’s a real rebel.” The man responds, “Good, we’ll take her tonight, the red-head has been asking for her.” I gasp and they look up. Sam sees me and his face transforms into a horrified expression. He bids farewell to the man and runs into the front door. I feel tears spring into my eyes, and I run to meet him. When I hear the familiar hyperventilating breathes I stopped. “How dare you? How dare you go talk to them. Report me? You are an a-” He cuts me off and shivers before speaking. “I didn’t have a choice. Leigha Hall made me. She said she needed to know you were ok..” He said sighing, “I think she’s planning to kill you….” he muttered and I slumped against the wall, going limp. “No.... no, Tash..” I whimpered closing my eyes. He looked at me confused, “Who is Tash..?” I moaned and plopped onto the floor, covering my face. He sat down by me and sighed. “You knew her, didn’t you?” I nodded and took a deep breath, fighting the tears, and memories. “Natasha Moore was her name.. We were best friends, d-did everything together... I met her in the f-first grade, and we were b-best friends till the fifth grade. I got my e-email the day before she did, a week after my 11th b-birthday. The cover story is a gifted school program, and very I was e-excited. Tash got her’s the next day, and we learned we were g-going to be separated. I knew about the rivalry, but I assumed it was for… for competition, and I didn’t say anything… but it was when my d-dad got the email that I knew I’d have to fight her one day… I cut her off, trying to separate myself from her but it was impossible. Our friendship was so s-strong that I could be away. We spent the last week together, crying a lot, but I still didn’t bring her to the fact we’d be e-e-enemies… On the last day, I wrote her a letter, explaining everything. How I knew it wasn’t a gifted school, the rivalry… everything.” I wiped my eyes, as tears dribbled down my cheek, and Sam looked at me, sorrow in his eyes. “I’m sorry Stel, I didn’t know..” I gasped slightly, as he called me by my “human” nickname. He hugged me and I sobbed into his shoulder, his hands warm around me. I looked at him, as more tears sprang to my eyes. “W-why did you betray us like that…?” I asked him, using my sleeve to mop up my eyes. He sighed and rubbed his eyes. “I hated you because you are so…. So free, so independent. Grace, I was in love with you, I think. I couldn’t stand the idea of you getting sent away, and so I yelled, I tried to make you stop sneaking out, but it was no use, I couldn’t- can’t control you.” He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and leaned in. “Sam! No! No, no, no!” I pushed him away and stood up. “You can’t play with me like that! Those are my feelings!” I let tears dribble down my face and I shake my head. “You are an a-” Ally runs up to us, breathing hard. “A kid told me you were” Gasp. “Fighting, and I got here as fast as I could” She gasped again, and bent over. “I was in the Food House-” She looked up at my teary face and then looked over at Sam. “What did you do? What did you do to her?” She asked putting her arms around me and glaring at him. He stuttered, and his voice faltered. “Nothing- I didn’t do anything…” He muttered and reached his hand out. “No! Don’t touch me! Don’t touch me, and leave me alone! Go to Hell!” I yell and tear away from Ally. I take a hateful glance at Sam then sprint across the hall, turning the corner to get to my dorm. 

I reached my dorm and lock it behind me. Ally can wait. I collapsed on my bed and began to sob. Tash, where are you? Why are you trying to kill me?! I thought we were best friends! We were, I know we were… please. Don’t hurt me, or anyone I love. I cry until I have no tears left, and then I reach out to my nightstand and pull out the photo of me and Tash. Did you send Sam to kill me? Are you going to kill me, after all, we’ve been through…? I close my eyes and think about Tash. Her soft red curls, the beautiful freckles scattered across her face, the bright green eyes that met mine when we were excited. Her sadness when I ditched her at prom for Henry Lewis who tried to “get with me”. I remember her pale skin couldn’t stay in the sun too long or it would burn, so we made huge hats out of umbrellas so that we could play in the fields her dad owned for countless hours. I remember she was there when I had my first kiss with Jacob Newton. In the ice cream shop, I had fallen and broken my knee and they were both with me, and Jacob leaned down to kiss me and tell me it was ok. I remember laughing about how I threw up right after it, and how Jacob never spoke to me after that. I remember Tash’s first kiss. It was for a musical and she was Juliet, and at the end, she had to have a full make-out session with Jordan Banks, who played Romeo. We were so young when we got our letters, only 10, but we had already been through so much. Tash had been there for my parent’s divorce, she let me ruin her silk pajamas with my salty tears. I wake up and it’s sunny, Ally is sleeping next to me, and I see the door is broken in two. I forgot to unlock it. I got out of bed and put a different shirt on then walked out into the hallway.