I Know You Well

Scene 1: Addington High

Leo Rylin

I nodded to greet her as I walked up.

She smiled, "Hey."

"Hey." I pressed my lips together. "I tried to call you last night."

"Did you? I must've been out...why'd you call?"

"You were out with...friends? Or like...Adrian?"

Heather smiled again, giggling a little before responding. "Adrian and I aren't a couple."

"Oh. So you date other guys?"

"Is there a reason you're asking?"

"Um..." I nodded, "yeah, there is."

Heather smirked. "Do you want to tell me?"

"You and Danny hang out a lot?"

"...Danny?"

And there it is. She tensed up.

"You know my friend Danny."

"I don't know why you're asking me about him."

"I saw you yesterday—with him. You left together."

Heather looked around like she was hoping someone could cut in before she had to tell me anything. "Have you talked to him?"

"He lied," I answered. "Said he was by himself. He doesn't want me to know what you were doing."

Her arms crossed. "What do you think we were doing?"

I shrugged. "I don't care."

"Good," she glowered as she walked away from me. And it's taking everything in me to let her...

I'll just forget about it. This is really fucked up, but I can't control them...

She's made it halfway down the hall at this point, and I...

Can't do it.

"Heather."

She turned around, annoyed. "Leo."

"You're not...hooking up with him, are you?"

"Are you seriously asking me that?"

"Are you doing that? What else could you be doing with him?"

"What else could I be doing with your best friend?"

"Exactly."

Heather scoffed. "Oh, we are totally hooking up. I'm surprised you could stand to be anywhere near us with all of the sexual tension."

Scene 2: Ladies' Restroom

Alison Sinclair

"I told you I saw her come in here," Brooke nudged Evie.

"Hey, guys."

"You've been avoiding us."

"No, I've been busy."

"With Tony," Brooke pursed her lips with attitude.

"I have a lot going on at the moment, actually."

"I thought we were supposed to get together and come up with another stunt, but we can never seem to catch you."

"At least not alone," Evelyn added.

"About that...I think we should take a break for a while. We don't want to encourage the witch hunt."

"So you're done now? That's it? You get a boyfriend and suddenly all sense of revolution goes out the door?" She scoffed, "Way to sell out."

"We're not going down for this."

"He wouldn't tell," I tried to assure them.

"You better make sure he doesn't."

"Tony wouldn't get me into trouble."

"Not while you're together but god forbid you break up. We see what happens when you two fight. Next time leave us out of it," Brooke shook her head before leaving toward the door again.

"We're still friends," I pleaded.

"Still friends?" Evie laughed. "We never were. You used us to get to a boy."

"I didn't! I just wanted all the labeling to stop. We called out the double standard and it worked. Boys are no better than us, so we shouldn't be chastised if they do the same things."

"But they don't do the same things, Alison. They have more loyalty to their friends."

I give her a defeated sigh but she takes no pity.

I never meant to 'sell out.'

Tony just happened to be the tipping point as well as what restored balance—but this was never about him.

The sound of a stall door unlocking makes my blood still. There was no context to our conversation...they didn't overhear too much...

"Hi, Lisa..." I say in surprise and concern.

"Hi," she replied, impishly.

Scene 3: Madison Street

Leo Rylin

Tapping emits from my window, and I get up to draw the curtains. Zach waved from the other side and I unlocked it.

"What's up?" I asked as he crawled in.

"Bored. Don't wanna be up there." I raised an eyebrow to ask if this is about Evan without having to say it. Zach shook his head. "No one's home."

"I'm bored too."

It's funny having to avoid people around here because it's so hard. Everything's pretty much walking distance so we're always walking the fuck around—and if we do go somewhere, it's probably by train and we can see each other down there.

That's why I stayed home.

"Is this homework?" Zach gestured toward the open textbook on my bed.

"Mhm," I pushed it off. "Boring."

I definitely took for granted doing homework with someone who goes out of their way to make it more interesting for me. Even before...someone and I took breaks to make out...she made sure I wasn't staring at the textbook like a zombie and getting nothing done.

Zach hopped onto the mattress and grabbed the TV remote.

He flipped through a couple channels before gasping. "Buffy's on."

Elle was into this.

"What, you like that Angel guy?"

"No," he said, offended, "I like Buffy."

I raised an eyebrow, "I see why."

"Shut up," Zach shook his head and laughed. "I might go out with Oliver."

"I don't think I like Oliver."

"He's great. But you guys wouldn't...be friends with each other."

"I get along with everyone."

"You're too..."

"Too what?"

"You're all too...different."

"What does that mean?"

"You don't have anything in common. You like really stereotypical stuff, you know? You all do."

"And you like us."

"Yeah, well, I'm friendly. I can get along with anyone."

"I'm friendly."

"Eh," he did the so-so motion with his hand.

"What? You think I'm mean?" I asked, but someone knocked on the front door and saved him from explaining.

"I'll get it." Zach jumped up like he couldn't escape this argument fast enough.

"Who is it?" I asked.

"It's Danny..." he said as a warning rather than a revelation. There was an uncomfortable silence where my response was supposed to be—so Zach responded instead. "I'm letting him in."

I stayed in and did homework because of you, and you still show up? What, did my ex-girlfriend warn you? The one you said wasn't worth all the effort I was putting in? The one you only seemed to like after she stopped liking me? The one girl I would say is off limits? Her.

"Hey," Danny spoke when he saw me, and I just nodded. "The fuck is wrong with you?"

"Nothing," I mumbled, keeping my head down.

Zach sighed heavily. "Leo saw you with Heather."

"Alright," he replied.

"Alright?" I glared at him.

"When?"

"You do this a lot?"

"When?"

"The other day. When'd you start?"

"Zach, get out."

"...No," Zach said, cautiously.

"For what? What do you have to say?" I asked, getting more frustrated by the second. We still try not to say bad things around the kid no matter how much he grows up or what he does with who he's with. So what bad things are you doing with Heather?

"The fuck do you think is going on?"

"She won't tell me either so I've got a few guesses."

He eyed me in confusion. "...did you say something to her?"

"Yeah."

A long breath exhaled from his mouth while he pinched the bridge of his nose. "What'd you say?"

"What does it matter what I said-"

"Tell me you did not say you thought I was fucking her." I shrugged and nodded. "I'm in rehab, bozo. She's paying for it."

Fuck.

"...Zach, get out."

Zach shook his head and stared at Danny like he was petrified. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, kid. I'm fine."

"What happened?" My emotions flipped from worry to anger. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"The oxy, I got a little carried away. Don't give me those sad fucking faces," he gestured back and forth from me to Zach, "that's why I didn't tell you."

"How long?"

"October."

"You just go in and leave after?"

"Yeah, it's a program. She stays with me because she doesn't think I should be by myself ."

"How—I thought she hated you." My head hurts trying to wrap my mind around it all.

"She doesn't hate you. If something happened to me I wouldn't care, but you would, and she knows that so...she got me in, I'm handling it. This is done." He brushed me off and turned the tv up to end the conversation. "Apologize to her or I'll have to hear about it for a week."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I've got it."

"But it's me..."

He sighed and gave me a sincere look. "You didn't need to know. No one does." Zach throws himself around Danny like a hug will solve everything. "Get off of me," he said, but Zach doesn't let up.

"I'm sorry," I breathed out.

"For what?"

"This. Asking about her. I feel like shit."

"Yeah, fuck you. I thought you knew me better than that. She's not even my type."

"It sounded crazy but I couldn't come up with another reason you two would be alone with each other...I never would've figured you were in rehab." Why didn't I figure it out? Always too caught up in my own shit—"I knew you were taking too many. I should've said something."

"Shut up. You couldn't have stopped me."

"I'm still sorry."

"Don't worry about it."

"Fuck you," I replied.

"Fuck you."

"I can't believe you accused Heather of hooking up with Danny," Zach added. "What a dick move."

"Shut up."

"Jackass," Danny said, disappointedly at me.

"I know," I groaned. "I have to call her."

"Do it now."

"Leave me alone."

"You want her to have time to sleep on this?"

Nope.

I jumped out of bed and closed the bedroom door behind me so they couldn't hear me begging her to talk to me.

I don't expect her to answer...but if I can get even a sentence to her that would be great...

"Hello, you reached Heather. Leave a message, and I'll get back to you."

"Heather, if you're home, please pick up. I need to talk to you about what I said. I know I-" I hear the phone get picked up on the other line. "Hello?" My heart races in anticipation of her voice...But she hangs up without saying a word.

Shit.

Scene 4: Lickster Records

Matt Jensen

"Elle." I grinned and waved.

Her eyes landed on me but she scowled and kept walking.

I was afraid this would happen.

"Ouch," Stu sucked air through his teeth.

"Can you take over for a second?" I said as I left the register.

"I guess," he sighed since I gave him no choice.

In the back of my mind, I knew there was no way this could work out. If Elle broke up with Leo, Leo would be pissed if I even asked to date her. If Leo broke up with Elle, she'd hate my guts because I'm tight with the guy who broke her heart. It's a lose/lose for me no matter what. I can never win.

Elle is sitting in the lounge writing on a notepad when I walk over.

She rolled her eyes when I sat around the table with her.

"I called your house to check on you, but I couldn't get through. I kept getting the busy signal." I chuckled to lighten the mood. "Claudia, huh?"

"Would you shut up and go away?"

"I don't...I'm not—he shouldn't have broken up with you like that. I don't, like, agree with it or something."

"Oh, you don't agree?" She said, annoyed. "Like you didn't know it would happen."

"He didn't tell me he was planning to end it. I swear."

"But you knew he wasn't as into me as he was with Heather."

"I-"

"You knew he wasn't over her."

"I kinda thought he wasn't. You're right, but I fought with him about it."

"So, what? You didn't tell me."

"I'm sorry."

"Fuck off. Get a new job or change your schedule." She turned her back toward me. "I can't believe I got you hired."

"Okay. I get it."

That only hurts...a lot.

"Yeah? Then why are you still talking?"

"Here. I got these for you." I placed a deck of tarot cards in front of her. "Ma said some people think that they only work if they're given to you by someone else. I didn't want you to take any chances. I know you really like this stuff." She pushed the box of cards away. "Alright. Bye, Elle."

Scene 5: The Helmsley Hotel

Heather Blakely

I told them not to let him up, but I received another call from the front desk stating that he said "please" and stressed the importance of this conversation.

I knew he'd come to me with an apology in hand as soon as he told his asinine theory to Danny—but I don't want to hear it. I can't believe he'd ever think so low of me.

I told them to make him take the stairs all the way up here.

To my dismay, he wasn't out of breath when I opened the door.

"I'm tired of apologizing to you," he announced.

"So don't."

"I'm tired of fighting with you."

"Then stop."

"You stop," Leo argued and then smirked at my annoyed expression. "Sorry about earlier."

"Good." I crossed my arms.

"I'm an asshole."

"Yes."

"I shouldn't have gone about it like that..."

"No."

"I'm sorry," he reiterated.

And my arms uncrossed because something about those words makes me feel soft for a moment. I almost forget how irritated I am with him but, "I forgive you."

"Can't believe you're helping him." Leo seemed completely bewildered at the idea. "He said it's because of me. That true?" My face warmed in embarrassment, so I looked off to the side and shrugged. "Even after everything?" I nodded, reluctantly. Leo took me in his grasp and held me against him. "Thank you."

My arms slowly encircled his body and kept him close. "I didn't want you to lose your friend."

"You hated each other."

"Hate is a strong word..."

"Right, you just pouted at me and said you didn't like him while I tried to kiss you into not being mad anymore."

I pushed him back and huffed. "And yet you believed my opinion of him changed so much that we were kissing?"

Leo scratched the back of his neck. "I thought you might be doing a little more than that." My eyes narrowed and he nodded in understanding. "It was a dumb thought, but I was scared. That would've killed me. I can deal with the other lame guys you're with but not Danny or any of my friends."

I find that cute...

Even though it went without saying. Our jealousy is equal in that sense.

"None of them?" I teased. "Jordan isn't available, then?"

"He's not, and that's not funny."

I shrugged with an impish smile. "It is to me."

"Yeah, because you like messing with me."

"And? What are you going to do about it?"

"Don't test me, butterfly," he smirked, and exhilaration was introduced to my whirlpool of emotions. No response was granted, but he chuckled anyway—as if he knew his tone alone would leave me sheepish. "So...you and Danny talk?"

"No, we sit in silence and watch as life passes by."

"When did you become so sarcastic?"

I playfully rolled my eyes. "Yes, we talk. It would be weird not to."

"It's weird regardless. What do you talk about?"

"Ask me what you want to know," I lilted.

"...Do you talk about me?"

"Of course."

"Bad stuff?"

"It comes up," I admitted. "But mostly good stuff because he loves you and I used to."

"I feel...left out."

"That's adorable."

"Shut up," he stifled his laugh and shyly avoided eye contact, only confirming what I said.

Leo tilts his head curiously while looking down at my leg.

"What are you..." I begin to ask but he moves closer and closer and I can no longer form words. His fingers trail up my leg, slowly lifting my skirt. And all I can think about is how his finger feels dragging against my skin. It's so slight, I know this, but my body remembers him and everything in me is drawn toward the familiarity.

Leo rubs his thumb over the fading, black letters. "Who?"

"Trevor," I respond, and he cocks an eyebrow at me. "No. Long story."

"You can't get with him either."

"Don't tell me what to do." He licks his thumb and starts rubbing away the marker. "Leo."

"I don't like this," he said, still trying to wipe the initials away.

"Too bad. It doesn't come off that easily."

Leo grabbed the marker that was set on the end table last night

"Come here."

"...I won't allow you to scribble on me."

"I'm not gonna."

"Then what?"

"Get on the couch," he directed.

"No." I stepped back. Leo raised an eyebrow, and before I could say more, I was lifted over his shoulder and carried over to the sofa. "Oh, my god," I complained though my giggling didn't give him reason to stop. His hands grabbed onto my bare thighs as he pulled me over to him. He held my leg with one arm and used his teeth to pull the cap off the marker. His fingertips were pressing into my inner thigh giving me that screaming feeling again. I thank God he can't tell that his hands feel this intense on me—that my breathing is so heavy that I've chosen to hold my breath instead. Why does it feel like this?

"Better," he said, releasing me and revealing the letters L.R. in fresh, black sharpie where Trevor's used to be.

"Why?" I sighed, amused and exhausted.

"Because it is." He held out his hand to help me off of the chair he laid me on. "Are you still mad about...today?"

"A little."

He nodded. "Give me another hug before I go."

And without hesitation, I do. I'm glad this has returned to how we are with one another. "Goodbye," I say, slightly muffled by his embrace.

He gives me one last squeeze before letting me go. "See you at school."

I smiled and waved, watching as he pressed the elevator button and it opened up for him.

When the doors closed. I began to walk back to the living room but the elevator dinged and the doors parted to show Leo was still there.

"When are you leaving?" He asked me.

"A few weeks."

"Don't...I'm not ready to never see you again."

"You'll see me." I offered up a smile.

"We haven't gotten close enough again for you to care to make sure we keep in touch. This could be it. You didn't give me enough time to get you to forgive me for all the bullshit and make you like me."

"I like you."

"Stay."

"I can't."

"Why not?" He frowned. "It's still yours. Stay. I'll help you redecorate."

"With what? Posters of cartoons and supermodels?" I joked.

"Think about it, at least."

"Okay."

"I really hate missing you."