Colton’s face held a blank expression as we stared at each other in silence. My gaze slipped further down his face to where a large purple bruise had started to form on his jaw line, and it took all my restraint not to smile.

“What are you doing here?”

My words came out shaky, rather than the strong confident tone I had tried to convey. I couldn’t help it, any time Colton was around I either didn’t know what to say or do.

“My jacket,” he said in a bored tone, leaning against the door frame.

“You’re wha-“

He interrupted. “You still have my jacket, and I want it back.”

His words were harsh just like earlier at school. Glaring daggers at him, I took a step forward. “You have a lot of nerve coming here.”

“Like I said, I just want my jacket.”

Taking in a deep breath, I took a step back into the house. I wouldn’t allow him the satisfaction of getting to me, he just wasn’t worth it. Without another word, I slammed the door shut and made my way upstairs. Colton’s jacket was slung across my chair, and as I picked it up I tried not to remember how comfortable I had felt in it. His smell still lingered on the heavy material.

“Sutton you’re going to miss the start of the movie get down here!” Vee called from downstairs as I took my last step.

“Be right there,” I shouted back.

I grabbed the handle to the front door and opened it. Colton stood exactly where I had left him, his hands in his pocket. At the sight of his jacket, a smile spread across his face. He reached up to take it, but I pulled my hand back out of his reach.

“Hey what the hell!”

“I never said I was going to give it to you. Who knows, maybe I’ll give it to Mark; he’s really into fashion and whatnot. It’s kind of a shabby thing; he could do some great work on it.”

My voice dripped with sarcasm. Colton must not have been expecting me to be so reluctant to give him his things back.

“That’s my lucky jacket!” he exclaimed, standing up straighter.

I laughed. “And now it’s mine.”

Without another word, I slammed the door shut and turned around. Opening the front hall closest, I tossed the jacket in.

“What took you so long?” Mark asked as I stepped into the family room.

A pile of blankets were thrown across the floor, and about a dozen pillows lay everywhere. Mark sat on the left and Vee on the right, leaving me to claim the spot in the middle. Three bowls of freshly made popcorn sat next to Vee, who ate out of all of them. Along with her ice cream, a tub of frosting and three cokes was a family sized bag of Cheetos.

“Vee I think we could feed Africa with all that food,” I commented, stepping over her carefully. “But to answer your question there was some guy at the door looking for my dad.”

Mark nodded and held up the remote. “You two ready for some Superhero action?”

“Let me guess, The Avengers.”

He nodded. “Nothing’s better.”

With a click of the remote, the movie started and I snuggled down into my blankets. But sadly enough, even the amazing Robert Downey Jr. couldn’t take my thoughts off of Colton. What I had said about him at the party was wrong, and I regretted it but I didn’t deserve how Colton treated me. He had gone too far talking about Mark and Melody, and he knew it was a touchy topic.

Either Colton was a real sensitive guy, or he really didn’t care. After today, I didn’t know which one it was.

**

“So I take it things with your parents didn’t go so good.”

Mark’s voice brought me back to reality. We were sitting at the lunch table, me starring at my tray absent mindedly while Mark tore apart his five course meal. Vee was buried in a book that was due next hour, so there was no way communication with her was possible.

I nodded my head, finally addressing Mark’s question.

To say it didn’t go good was an understatement. Mark and Vee went home super early in the morning, and my mother and father caught me right before leaving for school…

“Sutton, we’re home!”

I cringed at the sound of my father’s voice. Although my hand was already on the door handle, and the idea of escaping to school sounded great, I had to face them. Why not get it over with fast?

Sighing, I stepped away from the garage door and walked into the kitchen just as my parents appeared from the hallway.

“Hi.”

“That’s all you have to say?”

Shockingly, the words came from my mother’s mouth. Her skin was looking better than it had when I saw her last, and she was actually wearing makeup and a cute outfit. My father placed his hand on her shoulder as if he were reassuring her.

“I think you owe us an apology.”

I snorted. “I think you owe me a thank you.”

They both gapped at me like I was crazy.

“If I hadn’t of said anything, you,” I said pointing at my mom, “would be sulking around like some lifeless zombie, and you,” I added, looking to my father, “would be acting as if it were another perfect day in Suburgatory!”

“Sutton Lee Bran, don’t you raise your voice at us. We are you parents, and you owe us an apology, especially to your mother!”

I glared at the both of them, feeling madder and madder by the second. I didn’t need any of this; I had too much to think about as it was. Turning around, I grabbed my keys off the counter. “I’m staying and Vee’s house tonight, so don’t expect me home.”

“Maybe they will disown me,” I offered to Mark after telling him what happened.

He laughed. “I think they’d rather punish you themselves.”

Suddenly, a thought came to mind and I grabbed one of Vee’s earphones. She looked up from her book quickly. “Can I stay over tonight?” I asked.

She sighed. “No, sorry my prego sister is going through one of her hormone stages. The last person we brought over left wounded. My mom said I can’t have anyone over until the baby is here.”

Dread filled me at the thought of going home tonight.

“You can stay at my place,” Mark suggesting casually.

He took a huge bite of his sub, mayonnaise poured out one side of his mouth. Nodding my head, I smiled up at him. “Thanks, I really appreciate it.”

Mark shrugged his shoulders like it was no big deal. I watched as his eyes traveled behind me to the opposite side of the lunch room. Slowly, the muscles in his arms tensed and I turned around to see what was bothering him.

Colton sat across the lunch room in his normal spot. He sent us over an evil smirk before peering back down at his book.

“Don’t let him get to you,” I said calmly, turning back around to face Mark.

“I’d like to punch that smirk right off his face.”

“Trust me, I would too. Be the bigger person, then he won’t have anything to smirk about.”

I thought back to how disappointed Colton looked when he barged in on me telling Mark that I didn’t think of him as a friend. Although I felt for him in the moment, it was getting harder and harder to have any sympathy towards Colton Jones.

Maybe the rumors about him were true. Maybe he didn’t care about anyone but himself.

The bell rang above us, and I rose out of my seat lunch tray in hand. “Good luck with the devil next hour,” Vee said as she closed her book.

Rolling my eyes, I waved Mark goodbye and made my way towards the media studies room. With every step, my heart started beating faster and faster. To say I was nervous about sitting next to Colton all hour was an understatement.

I got to class before him and took my regular seat in the back. Seconds after the bell rang, Colton came strolling in. I watched as he walked through the aisles and sat down in the seat to the right of me. Not once did he even look up or acknowledge me.

“Alright class,” the teacher called out, “today I’d like you to work with your partners on the project due at the end of the year. Remember, make this good and take your time. It will act as your final exam.”

Internally groaning, I turned to face Colton. He was buried in his book like he hadn’t even heard a word the teacher said. Maybe he didn’t.

“I didn’t know you could actually read,” I said sarcastically.

He looked up from his book blankly. After a few moments of tension filled staring, he turned back to his paperback and continued to read.

“Great work,” I muttered under my breath while turning back to face the front of the class. Everyone else chattered away about their projects.

“Okay you know what Colton, I know you don’t like me but we have to get this project done!”

This time, he shut his book and turned to face me. “Don’t like you? Yeah I generally don’t like people who take my things and get their big “brother” to try and fight me. Oh, and I definitely don’t like people who act like my friend and then—“

He stopped at the last part, his cheeks going a little red. “I thought you didn’t care about me Colton? I thought you could care less about what happened at the party.”

My words were ice cold.

“I don’t!”

“Then why were you so mad at me the other day? Why did act like some little teenage boy who got rejected? You care about me Colton Jones, whether you want to admit it or not.”

Hello all my very lovely fans. Please remember to vote and comment.

 Anyone watch Pretty Litte Liars or Twisted? 

WHAT THE HELLLLL!!! They always leave me confused, even more confused than the last episode!