So this is how you play your games, huh?

When? When did he push a button? Why was her face so flustered, her dark brown eyes looking at him like a caged cat?

Yes, her eyes looked like those of a cat. Always wild and exciting. Now, they looked like ready to run away any second.

Kyle bit his tongue, knowing he pushed too far. He was talkative, and everyone around him liked him almost immediately. His personality was always cheerful; an easygoing guy that could mingle in every group of people.

But he still managed to make her put that face. He wondered, for a second, if she hated him.

Kyle dropped his gaze, swallowing the knot that formed in his throat. The sudden feeling of suffocation strangely new to him rushing the next words out.

"Sorry."

He looked around him trying to find an anchor before the wave of guilt hit him and washed him away. He could only find his backpack, though, quickly grabbing it.

Cassidy remained quiet, her harsh words starting to feel sour in her mouth.

Before anyone could say something else, Kyle's body moved on its own. Getting on his feet and walking away.

At first, Cassidy thought that making him leave would be a great idea. Now that he did, she couldn't stop feeling betrayed by her racing heart.

She sighed, shaking her head and dropping her body on the floor once more.

Ready to ignore the uncomfortable feeling his lost expression made when he left.

And she did for a while.

Isabelle arrived before the bell rang, her love story being the only thing keeping her from thinking about what happened.

The red-head didn't go into details, but was smiling more than usual as she told her about Allen. How sweet she found him, and how his troubled expression made her heart flutter.

Cassidy couldn't stop feeling worried about her best friend. She could see she was falling hard for him. The guy known to not date the girls he fucks.

As always, her rational side place Isabelle down on earth.

"I know, Cass." Isabelle said with a side smile. "Trust me, OK?"

"I trust you!" Cassidy looked offended for a second. "I don't trust him." She practically spelled the word.

Isabelle laughed. "I'll make you change your mind." She winked, turning Cassidy's scowl into a smile.

She knew Isabelle was stubborn, but seeing her being so confident somehow eased Cassidy's mind.

It was not something she could meddle in, and she had to accept it. This was Isabelle's journey, and the best she could do, was just support her.

Of course, always staying true to her own feelings.

Both of them kept talking until it was almost time for the first class of the day, when they finally walked towards the classroom; where a bunch of whispers and nosy people waited for them.

Noticing the weird atmosphere, they watched around. Finding a couple of male figures standing next to the door.

Cassidy's gaze couldn't stop from landing on the guy behind Allen. Their eyes making eye contact right away. She cursed the moment she felt that sting of self awareness, turning her gate towards Isabelle to dissimulate.

Watching the red-head's shy smile, she pushed her a little; motioning her to walk towards the guy that has obviously been waiting for her.

Once they were right in front of them, Allen spoke.

"Hey."

Isabelle looked up. "Hi."

Cassidy had to restrain herself from rolling her eyes. After all that has happened, they were still being shy with the other. Perhaps she was overreacting. The only way she had to pretend Kyle's vibrant green eyes weren't there.

His figure in the background begging her to look at him.

Was it guilt? Was it the feeling of making a mistake that made them fight against the need of looking at each other?

Because that's what they were doing. Fighting it.

Their presence becoming too impossible to ignore.

Isabelle and Allen's awkward silence was not helping them avoid each other's presence at all.

"What he's trying to say…" Kyle started talking, a smirk on his face as he threw an arm over Allen's shoulders, "...is that he wants to have lunch with you."

Allen looked at him with a dead expression.

But Kyle's playful expression didn't falter. His eyes were on Isabelle.

The urge to look at Cassidy kick in again. It was the obvious thing to do, he thought. What he would do if what happened almost an hour back didn't happen.

So he had to.

And so, he did.

He ignored how his stomach turned when their eyes met, widening his smile.

"We'll wait for you in the cafeteria."

He only waited for Isabelle's shy nod to turn around, making his way past Allen after patting his shoulder; the last one following right after, eyeing Isabelle once more.

Cassidy and Isabelle didn't have time to mention what happened when the teacher had already arrived. It was fine by Cassidy, though, as she was still too stunned to say anything.

Kyle's relaxed and flirty gestures threw her off.

Wasn't he mad at her? Was he pretending? Did that mean they had to see each other again in a few hours?

She felt she wasn't ready, for some reason, as she was not one to feel so flustered around guys.

For God's sake, she's even dated college guys, for-five years older than her, without batting her eyelashes.

Now, she couldn't even hear the teacher's lecture because of the many scenarios running in the back of her mind. Her stomach turned, confirming how nervous she felt.

And again, she's never felt nervous about meeting a guy before.

Not even after running her mouth like she did today.

She's never apologized for that, nor she felt alluded when they got mad at her.

But now? It felt different. It felt, for the first time, like she really overreacted. Was it because Kyle was Allen's best friend? And she didn't want things to be awkward, since Isabelle was really into the guy?

She didn't know the answer, but it felt like crap.

And even though she begged for the time to slow down a bit, the three hours left for lunch passed in a blink. She found herself walking in automatic alongside Isabelle, how looked excited and nervous at the same time.

Her brain felt numb, like if it couldn't process where she was heading. Her only thoughts keeping her stressing out revolving around how envious she felt of Isabelle, in a way.

When she finally gained consciousness, she was already sitting in the table.

Cassidy bit her lips when the pair of friends arrives and sat down with them, her eyes glued to the table. She busied her hands with a juice box, the one she drank every day, trying to avoid the person in front of her.

She heard Isabelle's voice from afar, quickly turning her gaze to her right.

"Hmm?" She hummed, clearly lost about what her best friend was saying.

"I was saying your mom was in the hotel industry as well…"

"Oh, yeah. She works at The Gerriott as a Networking manager." She glanced at Allen, who was obviously the one waiting for the answer to that question.

He nodded, averting his gaze to Isabelle right away.

But the red-head remained looking at her.

"Are you OK? You seem like you have a lot on your mind."

"Yeah, I'm just—"

"It's fine, you can tell them." Kyle interrupted, smiling playfully. "You know? That it's my fault"

He winked.

"What—" Cassidy muttered.

"You didn't strike me as the shy type." Kyle said, a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

Cassidy's lips twitched at his choice of words, something inside of her igniting at the sudden challenge. So this is how things are gonna be? She thought, a wicked smile spreading across her face.