cass's pov --- setting: kerrington high cafeteria

"No," Miles said dryly. "I'm not going to talk to Kevin for you."

"Why?" I asked. There was no reason not to. Miles was my best friend. I'd do the same thing for him. If he ever even liked someone. I sighed when he just took a bite out of his green salad wrap and busied himself eating it. Elisa sat silently beside me picking at her sandwich and staring down at it. The silence overtook us. I leaned onto my arm and looked at my half of Elisa's sandwich. I hated lunches like this.

Then I saw Kevin. He smiled at me and my heart started speeding. I waved to him and smiled back. He started coming over but was cut off by Bennett Williams who was walking back to his table. I remembered the only time I ever sort-of talked to Bennett Williams- he was so goodlooking. Rainie Joseph was lucky to have even had a small chance with him. I heard he dumped her.

Kevin kept coming over and sat down across from me when Miles scooted over across from Elisa quickly. "Hey," He said.

"Hi," I said brightly. I never wanted a boyfriend so badly. Miles rolled his eyes the way he does and ignores us the best he can. "What's up?"

"Nothing," He said. "I always thought I had a shitty lunch until now. Do you mind me sitting here?"

"It's completely fine," I said smiling leaning closer to him.

Miles got up in the mad way he does. "I need a knife," He mumbles and walks away. I look at him and then Kevin leans towards me. "What's up with that kid? He's always so pissed off..."

I shake my head. "Miles is so cool," I said. "We're really good friends." I always make it a point that people know how good friends me and Miles are. Everyone really likes him or they just don't get him. He's hard to graps but he's on of the nicest people you will ever meet. I look over and see him walking stiffly away over to the plastic knives and what not. He just is insecure around Kevin, I think.

Elisa stiffens all of a sudden, she's looking up ahead of her and all of a sudden I see Bennett Williams. He's not just walking by mindlessly like he always does- he's like a fucking movie star. Everyone around him is just white noise. He's smiling. Not at one of his friends or someone he knows. "Hey, Elisa," He says waving.

I look at her as Kevin looks behind himself. She touches her neck and smiles a little. "Hi," She says but instantly dives into a rosey shade of pink. He comes over to her.

"Did you get your tickets for Sunday Drive?"

My mind is exploding at amazing rates. Reason number one, Bennett Williams knows and is talking to Elisa. Two, she's answering him which means she knows him- because I've never seen anyone except for her stress the rule "don't talk to strangers." Three, he is talking to her about... drumroll, Sudnay Drive. This is a mirage or something.

She shifts looking over at me, and I'm still staring at her. She's a foot or two away from me. "No," She says- her voice tightening. "They sold out by the time I went to order them."

What show are they even talking about? He raises his eyebrows. "Are you serious?" He asks.

She nods, shrugging one shoulder. "I guess I'll just have to see them next time." She says softly.

He points behind him. "You know how I told you Jonah was ordering me a ticket?" He asked. She nods. What? They talk somewhat normally? Elisa Loren is probably the shiest and half-mute person you'll ever get a first impression of. She's talking to Bennett Williams and not even breaking much of a sweat because of him- more because of me. "Well, he got me one and then my other friend ordered me one too, so I was just going to bring someone, but if you want to go with us I could give it to you... I haven't promised it to anyone yet. I was nervous you didn't get one."

Then all of a sudden she brightens up. "Are you sure?" She asks. "I mean, it's okay with your friends if I go?"

"Jonah's obsessed with you," Bennett Williams says... my mind re-explodes. She knows his friends? What. The. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. She is basically planning a date with the hottest emo kid in the entire district and she's more newvous about me staring at her. I. am. fucking. oh. my god. "I don't think it's going to be a problem. Besides I was going to ask Sean who would have gladly shoved the ticket away anyways."

She smiles a little. "Okay," She says. "Yeah, that sounds great."

He smiles. "Cool," He says. "And I've been listening to the EP over and over again. It's incredible."

She smiles at him still. I look at Kevin who's waiting for me to notice him. I flash a finger quickly up for a minute to listen some more. "I'm in love with it," She says. Then she looks at me. I make eye contact with her. Then I look and see Bennett look at me.

"This is Cass," Elisa says quickly blushing again. "Cass this is Bennett."

Bennett Williams smiles at me. "I think I've met you before, you're friends with Miles right?"

"Yeah," I say in a high-pitched voice. He remembers me? I was practically fainting in his presence. How is Elisan not dead?

"Elisa's told me a lot about you," He says smiling. "It's nice to meet you again."

I smile and nod. "She hasn't said much about you," I say looking over at her quickly. "Nice meeting you again, too."

A kid jumps up next to him. "Hey there," The kid has glasses on and is tall and in a Saves the Day shirt. "How's my friend Eh-lisa?"

"Hi," She says quietly blushing again.

Bennett Williams sighs and peels the other kid off of his shoulder. "Sorry," He says. "I'll leave you guys alone. But yeah, we can talk later about the details..."

"About what?" The kid presses. Then he gets excited. Not normal excited. A loud hyper kidn of excited. He slams his hands down on the table. "No! You're coming to Sunday Drive with us?" He holds his hand out for a high-five that Elisa blushes again- because of me, I know- and gives him his high-five. "I told him to ask if you had a ticket, sick, now this is a good crowd."

Elisa smiles a little. "Yeah," She says says. She looks at Bennett. "Yeah, I'll see you later. Um, do you want me to send you what I have done on the project?" What project? The only class we have that would have Bennett Williams involved.... the Shakespeare project. I look at Bennett Williams who is smiling at her.

"Yeah," He says. "Send it tonight, and I'll send you the final copy for you to print out tomorrow."

"Okay," She says.

"You coming to see Bennett play at my house this weekend?" The other kid asks sitting down across from Elisa. Miles seems to have vanished but I look at the kid taking his place across from her. She shakes her head. "I can't." She says. "There's..."

"Come on," Bennett Williams tugs on the kids arm. The kid gets up. And keeps looking at Elisa.

"Shh," He says to Bennett Williams. He looks at Elisa. "I want you at my house," He says pointing at Elisa. "Fuck your boyfriend, Sean and Spinella says his band is complete shit anyways. You've missed him two weeks in a row." The kid points to himself. "Do me a solid, Elisa, come to my party get crazy drunk and make out with me."

Elisa shakes her head- strangely she doesn't blush. "I can't," She says. "I'll try and make it though."

Bennett Williams shakes his head. "If you have to see Nathan, go see his band. It's fine."

The kid points at Bennett Williams. "He'll just shit his pants if you come," He says. "He gets nervous easily. Just promise me you'll stop by for five minutes to hear him cover a Sunday Drive song and then you can leave."

Bennett Williams shakes his head and wraps his hand around the kids arm and pulls him away. "I'm sorry," Bennett Williams says sympathetically to Elisa. "He didn't take his meds today. But, hey, I'll talk to you later."

She smiles. "It's okay," She says. "Um, yeah, talk to you later." At that Bennett Williams drags his hyper friend away and Elisa bunches up her sandwich and bag into a ball and gets up quickly and rushes away from me. I look at Kevin.

"Excuse me," I say.

I follow her to the trash and then into the bathroom. She barely makes it to the stall. I grab her arm. "What was that?" I ask smiling.

She turns around defeated. "Please," She says quietly. "Don't make this a big deal. We just talk in English."

"And out of English," I point out. "You know his friends?"

She crosses her arms. "Please, Cass," She looks at me. What's wrong with me asking about her random weird friendship with The Bennett fucking Williams. "It's not a huge deal. One of his friends introduced themselves to me at Death Cab and then I hung out with him on Halloween-"

I stare at her. "I thought you ditched me to hang out with Nathan?" I said. She winces at the word 'ditched' but I can't say she didn't.

She touched her neck. "He ditched me," She said quietly. "And then Jonah and San were trick-or-treating and they invited me over... so I went."

I stare at her. "How long have you been friends with him?" I ask.

She thinks. "A month and a half," She says quietly. "But please, I don't want to get a hard time about this. And I don't want Nathan to find out."

I stare at her. "Why?" I ask.

She turns suddenly as Rachel Powers comes out of the stall. Her mouth is a tight thin line. It splits into a grin when she sees us. "Oh, hi, Elisa." She says. She goes to wash her hands. Elisa goes silent and looks down.

I don't know where to start asking questions. Elisa- who is in love with Nathan- doesn't want him to know about how she's friends with Bennett Williams. Elisa- perfect, pretty, smart, quiet Elisa- is hiding something from the love of her high school career. Then I start to think she's hiding something else.

"What," She says. "Do you like him or something?"

She gives me a look. "No," She says quickly.

Rachel walks out of the bathroom and heads into the cafeteria. Then Elisa turns to the sink and washes her hands for a minute. I stare at her. I feel like I barely know her. She is gone. She's so different. I hadn't even noticed. I look at her and she dries her hands on the thin paper towels balling them up and throwing them in the trash.

"I don't like him," She repeats to me. I look at her. I can tell. She does. I just know.

"Does he like you?" I ask.

She shakes her head silently. Then I start asking questions. They follow her to the lunch table and she tries to tell me as little as possible. Miles and Kevin are talking. There is an exchanging of looks between Elisa and Miles. "You knew?" I ask Miles.

"Yeah," He says hesitating looking at Elisa.

Kevin looks at Elisa suddenly. It's a weird look. It's the looks I see people give Bennett Williams. I start to get why she doesn't want people to know. I find myself looking at her in a new light all on my own. She's not the person I used to know.

The bell rings and she gets up. This is an Elisa Loren I don't know at all. But she's my best friend no matter what.