Gabe Saporta, You Make Me Wanna Lose Control.

The shock had worn off as soon as someone unexpected popped up in the hallways.

“Hey!” Kennedy called. I needed to find a nickname for him; his name was just too long. “I’ve been looking for you.” He walked to me, smiling.

I shook my head to clear it and tore my eyes away from the couple. I turned my eyes to Kennedy and did my best to smile at him.

“Hi.” I said weakly.

“Are you alright?” He asked, his lips turning down into a frown.

A deep sensation bubbled in my stomach. I felt sick to my bones; I wanted to erase that image of Gabe and that whore out of my mind. I didn’t want to feel this way, like my heart had been ripped open.

I blinked a few times; why was the world blurring before me? “No.” I blurted out. “I’m not alright.”

I turned around and made a sprint towards the door, wanting nothing more but to get out in the fresh air. As the door opened, my senses felt sharpened by the cold but I still had the sensation that something was churning in my stomach.

I put a hand to my stomach and doubled over, spilling my guts out on the pavement.

“Whoa.” Kennedy came up behind me, holding my hair away from my face. “Holy shit. That was just disgusting.”

I took a few steps away from the contents of my stomach and wiped my mouth. I grimaced at the bitter, metallic taste in my mouth. “Damn, that was just…terrible.”

“Are you sure you want to perform tonight?” Kennedy asked.

“Yeah.” I shook my head to clear it. “Yeah, I have to, Kenn.”

“Is that a nickname for me?” He smirked, shaking some of his brown hair out of his eyes.

I half smiled. “Maybe.”

“I like it.” He took a few steps closer to me, looking down into my blue eyes. His eyes were so deep and kind, I thought I was lost in them.

“I’d like to brush my teeth before you kiss me, you know.” I whispered. My lips dangerously close to his, and I was getting more and more tempted by the second..

“I think you may be on to something.” He winked at me. “Go on up to your bus, I’ll wait here.”

I smiled at him again and took a few steps back. I took in his appearance; red and white flannel shirt, washed out, ripped, blue skinny jeans, and worn out converse. He looked hot.

“I’ll be right back.” I told him, before racing over to my bus.

As I climbed on it and desperately brushed my teeth—three times, just to make sure—put on a double coat of my extra glossy lip-gloss and retouched my make-up a few times, I was only thinking about Kennedy.

I didn’t have room in my mind to think about Gabe and my reaction with his fooling around. Maybe Vicky was right; he was a player and I was just fooling myself into thinking that that kiss had actually meant something. Maybe now, I could just stay away from him and avoid the heartbreak Vicky had said would be in store for me if I got together with Gabe.

I was being smart by choosing to stay with Kennedy. He was the safety net; the guy who I could rely on to never hurt me, because he was a sweetheart. I’ve had my time with ‘bad boys’, I know what they’re like. I want nothing to do with them.

I was going to stay far away from Gabe and close to Kennedy.