"To hide feelings when you are near crying is the secret of dignity."

― Dejan Stojanovic

Isabell watched me closely. Stepping out of her car she smiled and shook her head. "So, where'd you guys go?"

"To an-" I stopped and thought about what Jasper had told me.. "Some boxing match."

Isabell laughed and locked her doors. "A fücking boxing match? What the fück?"

I rolled my eyes and fished out my keys to the house. "It was actually fun."

Yeah watching some guy beat the living crap out of a poor old man was completely 'fun'.

"Who the fück are you Goober?" I opened the door to my house and invited Bell in. Once we entered the smell of my mothers' favorite salsa hit my nose.

"Do I smell what I think I smell?" She asked.

My mothers' favorite salsa was also Bell's favorite. Every time she came over my mother would make it just for her.

"Your mom made fücking salsa!" Bell yelled. She quickly walked into the kitchen; I followed close behind her to see my mother standing over the stove with a ladle in her hand. Ricky was sitting on the island eating a banana.

"Ry!" He called out once he saw me. My mother dropped the ladle and glared at Ricky. As she reached over to pick it up she stopped in mid-pose and looked in our direction.

"Isabell. Its so- you look so wonderful. All grown up." My mother walked over and embraced Bell in a tight hug.

Bell smiled and flipped her hair back. "Well, I try." She smirked.

They began to rant on about something. I got tired of listening so I wondered over to Ricky and picked him up placing him in my lap. "Can I have some?"

He opened his mouth and took out a piece he had already been chewing.

"Ew, no thank you." I scrunched up my nose and shook my head. Ricky laughed and went back to chewing.

"Ah, is this the little guy you were telling me about?" Bell suddenly appeared in front of me and smiled picking up Ricky and placing him in her arms. "Hi, my names Bell. What's your name?"

Ricky lowered his head and mumbled, "Ricky."

"Well, Ricky. Its so nice to meet you." She turned to me and smiled. "He's so freaking cute!"

"Yeah, I-"

"Who wants salsa?" My mother asked cutting me off.

**

Isabell and I were sitting talking in on my windowsill. My mother and Clara, Isabell's mom were downstairs gossiping.

"How many friends do you have at the school?"

Isabell rolled her eyes and took a bite out of my snicker. "Friends? Most of those girls at that school are a bunch of bîtches. Stuck up and rude. I don't fück with half of them."

"Language, Bell. Please."

"I'm sorry, but I'm telling the truth."

"Well, how about anyone your interested in? Boyfriends?"

Isabell blushed and looked away. "Um," She paused. "There is this one guy."

My eyes widen and sat up on my knees. "Spill,"

"Okay, so we've been talking for some time now. He's really amazing, and I really like him.." I had a felling there was more.

"But?"

"But, he hasn't asked me out yet." She said. "He's like this rebel type. He says he doesn't 'do girlfriends' but yet when I bring up another guy he gets all possessive."

"He clearly likes you."

Bell groaned and laid down on her back. "I don't know. Im sick of fücking waiting!" She said. "He should be fücking lucky to have someone like me, I have guys waiting in a line for me. Yet I want him. Is it that hard to understand that?"

"Who's this guy?"

He hesitated and sat up looking at me. "Thayer."

My heart nearly dropped in my lap once I hear the name. She can't be talking about the Thayer I ran into twice today, could she? Cold hearted, Dark haired, tattoos Thayer could she?

"Why do you look like you've seen a ghost?" Bell frowned.

"H-His name is Thayer?"

"Yeah, he hangs out with that creepy guy in our class." She shrugged. "I don't know why, they're nothing alike."

I had a feeling she didn't know the kind of programs he attended and set up for.

"Jasper." I mumbled.

"Hm?"

"Jasper. Tatted guy in our class," I said. "His name is Jasper."

"I don't fücking care. He's weird." She said.

"And quite frankly, I don't listen to rumors anyway. Ignore them.."

"..You should too."

Jaspers words ringed in my head over and over again. Maybe he isn't all that 'weird' like Bell makes him to be..

"Don't judge a book by its cover."

"That's just it," She said. "Jasper is like a book that has fallen in between the cracks; Its never seen and always hidden."

"I want to make him my friend." I said even though it was a little off topic.

Bell stopped and eyed me, wide eye. "Your kidding right?"

I shook my head.

"Goober, this isn't fücking fifth grade. You can't just befriend someone like him, its impossible."

From what I've learned these past couple years, is that nothing is impossible. Nothing.

"I don't think so." I said.

"Befriend him if you want to, Goober. I still think its a bad idea."

"Why? What's so weird about him?"

"People talk,"

I rolled my eyes and groaned. "Have he actually done something 'weird'?"

"No, but-"

"Then you have no right to call him weird just because of his appearance or the fact he's an outcast."

Isabell frowned and eyed him. "You like him or something?"

"What? No." I said. "I just don't like the fact people judge others based on what they 'hear'."

"Okay, whatever." She rolled her eyes.

"While we're on the topic of guys.." She said wiggling her eyebrows. "Winter Ball is coming up."

Great.

"And?"

"Are you planning on going with anyone?"

"Bell, I just got here."

She bucked her eyes, "And?"

"And, I don't think going to the Winter Ball with everyone still getting used to me-"

"Fück them. It's our senior year. I've been going through High School without you. We have to make this year count." Isabell begged.

I don't this is going to be a good idea. I mean I don't even know any guys that are willing to go with me.

"I dare you."

I looked up and eyed Isabell. She had a smirk on her face and her arms were crossed tightly across her chest. "Your kidding right?"

"Nope." She said. "And it gets better, Goober." I opened my mouth to say something but was interrupted, "You have to ask Jasper."

"What! We just had a conversation about how you thought he was weird now you expect me to go to the dance with him? Are you crazy?"

She nodded. "Little bit."

"No, I-I can't. He probably isn't-"

"What happened to 'I want to make him my friend?'"

No.

"T-That's completely different. You're talking about a Winter Ball."

"You're asking him," She said so sure of herself.