The boys flanking my side are the reasons I am both hated and envied by the girls at school. My relationship with this group of unique but equally lovable boys has most questioning what exactly we are to each other.

Most think I am sleeping with not only Joey, but the rest of them as well.

No one understands that we could be so close and not be involved romantically. They see me in the jersey and instantly want to tear my eyes out. They see the shirt as a sign of possession that isn't there. But the girls don't know that.

Thanks, Brax.

Each of the guys is different. But each matters. To me.

There's Haden, with his dark hair that's almost black. Because of his quiet nature, people make a.s.sumptions about him that couldn't be further from the truth. But he likes it like that. He's never been one to care what people say about him, and his perceived bad-boy image coupled with his piercing blue eyes catch the attention of most girls. Not that he's interested.

In his trademark black T-shirt and jeans, he looks like the stereotypical stoner-more likely to ditch cla.s.s than to show up at a football game on a Friday night.

But I know Haden, and he has a big heart and gentle spirit. His eyes are soulful and full of secrets. I know he keeps things from the rest of us. And it's this fathomlessness that intimidates everyone else.

Cole strolls up the stairs in his Jane's Addiction concert tee, but I know he's got his school spirit towel with him. He likes to pretend that he's not interested in all the "school c.r.a.p," but he is. He's a school spirit junkie and he'll be chanting cheers louder than anyone in the crowd. Cole knows that the girls are checking him out, but he does a great job of playing aloof.

Then there's Joey: my other half, my platonic soul mate. If I had to pick one of the guys that knows me best, it's Joey. I have confided things to him that no girl would ever share with someone of the opposite s.e.x. I should be embarra.s.sed at the things he knows about me, but I'm not, and that's why I love him so much. No one understands the intensity that lies beneath the b.u.t.ton down oxfords and perfectly pressed jeans. He dresses the part of the school geek, but there's so much more to him than that. Sometimes I believe I'm the only one who sees it. But the rest of our friends aren't that blind.

Cole points to an open spot in the stands and we all make our way to the seats, pushing through the heaving crowd.

The players have already taken to the field. Looking at the scoreboard, I can tell we've already missed two plays.

Not that I care.

If it weren't for Braxton, none of us would be here.

Braxton is the one person in our group that everyone in the school loves. He's a top athlete with model looks and great personality. Most people wonder why he hangs out with the rest of us, but what they don't know about Braxton is that he's not about popularity. I have seen him talk to the homeliest girl in school and give her the same attention he would the prettiest. I think that's the thing I love most about Brax: he's a genuinely nice guy, and that's why people are drawn to him.

As we take our seats, I notice Joey looking around until he spots Bailey. She doesn't notice him right away, but when she does, they smile broadly at each other. He tried to get Bailey to come with us, but she said she was going with her friends.

"Hey, Joey," I call out and wait to get his attention. "Why don't you go sit with her?"

"Maybe after halftime. I told her I'd see her later." He waves and she blows him a kiss.

The announcer calls out Braxton's name and everyone, including us, cheers him on. He never looks at the stands but he knows we're here because we've always made it a point to support each other.

"I guess we know the flavor of the week," a female voice says from behind me, causing several others with her to laugh.

I know they're talking about me. They're always talking about me. It's been this way since I was in seventh grade, but I've made it my mission to ignore it.

"She certainly gets around," another voice chimes in.

Cole is sitting to my left, Haden to my right, and both guys are staring at the field but neither is paying attention to the game. I watch out of my peripheral as Haden's forearm muscles tense and relax while Cole bites his lip. They are intently focused on the words being thrown at me, but keep quiet for the time being.

"She must be good because they all stick around," a guy's voice states in salacious tone that makes me nauseous.

I don't wait for another barb to be hurled my way, even though I know it's coming. I throw my arm around Haden and whisper something in his ear before kissing his cheek then turning to do the same to Cole. I lean forward to see Joey, who is next to Cole, and give him a wink. "I'll get you later, baby."

He shakes his head and laughs. "Why must you stir the pot?"

Haden smiles, proud of my display, and it pushes me on.

I turn to look at the three cla.s.smates who have stopped chattering long enough to watch my little show, jaws hanging open. I shrug my shoulders and answer Joey. "I'm just giving them what they want."

One of the girls, Kasey, looks at me and raises a brow, "And what about Braxton?"

I glance over to Cole, who's listening to everything but is still watching the game. He smirks as if he knows what's coming, and a smile of my own begins to break.

They are gawking at me when I turn and wet my lips before winking at the girls.

"If he wins, we all win," I say huskily.

"Touchdown!" the announcer yells and the crowd jumps to their feet to celebrate. All but the three jerks behind me.

Chapter 2 ~ Finding Misfits.

As senior year at South River High approached, the five of us knew that things would get strained with sports, college applications, and life in general. None of us wanted our odd pairing to be a burden, and it turned out that Sunday evenings were the easiest times to get together. Over the summer it became a staple, and it's now become our weekly hangout.

I look forward to this day all week.

The quarry has served as our escape, though we used to call them cliffs when we were kids. The place seemed much bigger back then, but it serves as the perfect hangout location. We can't drive cars back here because there are no roads, so we either have to hike or ride bikes.

Fortunately it's in the back of our neighborhood and none of us have to go more than a mile to get to the location.

"You're late," I hear Joey's voice call as I move through the bushes.

"You're the only one here. You're early," I argue.

He laughs and walks over to help me over the scratchy brush. We walk into the open s.p.a.ce and he crosses his arms over his chest to study me.

Joey has that cute, nerd thing working for him-borderline hipster, minus the douchey stench of wannabe cool. He worked out with Braxton over the summer to impress Bailey, and I have to admit he looks pretty good. As he stands in his khaki shorts and white T-shirt that fits snug on his biceps, his appeal is apparent. I'm glad he never got contacts, because his black-rimmed frames fit the Joey I've known almost all of my life.

"What was with you Friday night?" he finally asks, and I feel my cheeks flush.

"Me?"

"You."

"I don't know what you're talking about," I lie, since Friday night is still fresh in my memory.

"Public displays of affection," he laughs.

"PDA, Joey. It's called PDA. And what, I can't kiss my friends on the cheeks?"

"Who kissed what, where?" Braxton asks as he emerges from the bushes.

"Lai." He points at me. "Kasey, Samantha, and Cooper were talking about her, so she decided to make things better for herself by-"

"Kissing all of us," Cole finishes for him as he hops off his mountain bike.

"What the h.e.l.l, Lai?" Braxton looks at me with wide eyes.

"You heard him. I just gave them something to talk about."

"Yeah, more to say about you," Cole scoffs.

"What was she supposed to do?" Haden asks, causing all of us to turn in his direction. "The way I see it, they'll say something whether she defends herself or not. I'm glad you stood up for yourself. As unconventional as it may have been."

"Thank you, Haden," I answer sweetly with a smile. "At least he gets it. Why are you on my case?"

Braxton walks over and puts his arm over my shoulder. "You know we don't like people talking about you."

"I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself. Right?" The four exchange looks between themselves before finally looking at me. "Need I remind you, I have kicked all of your a.s.ses at some point in our twelve years together."

"One time, Nixon. You took me down one time when we were ten," Cole bellows.

"Yeah, she got you good," Joey starts teasing him.

"What? I was sick," Cole protests with narrowed eyes.

"Sick?" Joey quips. "The only thing you were sick from was the beating you took from Nixon the Vixen here when she busted your lip for grabbing her a.s.s."

"Hey now." Cole throws his hands up defensively. "I saw some guy do it on TV and the chick loved it."

"Yeah, well, I'm sure this chick would bust your lip again if you tried it," I scowl.

The five of us walk over to the pile of rocks on the other side of the pond. We attempted a rock fort some time back, but after one day of shuffling the things around, we gave up. It was too much work and there were so many other things we wanted to do. They have stayed where we left them and now serve as our makeshift seating area.

"So anything new and exciting going on?" I ask of no one in particular.

"Coach got on my case for the fumble at the game," Braxton says. "He keeps talking about the college scouts, but at this point I'm just trying to get through the semester. It's been almost a month and I can barely keep up."

"Dude, what do you need help with?" Joey, our resident geek, asks. By the end of our senior year, he'll go into college as a soph.o.m.ore.

"All of it?" Braxton answers as though it's a question.

"What day is the best for tutoring?" Joey asks.

"I guess Mondays," he shrugs.

"All right, I have one other person I tutor on Mondays. Why don't you come over at six and you can stick around for dinner. I'm sure Mom won't mind."

"Thanks, man. I appreciate it."

These are seriously the best group of guys I know.

"What about you, Joe?" Cole asks. "How are things with Bailey?"

"Not too bad. I think I might be able to talk her into movie night next week but she's afraid of y'all."

"Us?" Cole repeats. "Who would be afraid of us?"

Joey doesn't answer and I know what the implication is. He's mentioned a few times the way Bailey seems to shy away when my name is brought up.

"I think what Joey isn't saying is that she doesn't know what to think of me."

That's always been the hurdle for these guys, and a reason that when they are involved, I tend to stay away. I never want their girlfriends to feel that I'm a threat, because I'm not. I really want my guys to be happy.

"It's not that," Joey argues. "She just doesn't understand how we all fit together."

"No one understands," Cole shouts. "That's the beauty of it: we're misfits."

"Always have been," Braxton agrees.

"Everything okay, Searle?" Braxton asks of Haden, who is quieter than normal.

Haden runs his hand through his hair and looks out in the distance. He finally turns to face us and I can tell something is weighing on him.

"Yeah," he starts. "Things are fine. Just some things have come up lately that are, well-pretty big."

"Spill it." I jump up and down like the girl I never show them I am.

"You know how I spent the whole summer interning with Stefon, the artist?"

We all nod and wait for him to continue.

"Well, it turns out that his publicist really liked my work. He let me hang out and work after hours and decided to show her my work."

"That's cool, Searle." Joey smiles. "What does that mean?"

"It means that he's got a show in three weeks and he wants me to show my art in one of the rooms for up-and-comers."

"Are you serious?" I beam and he nods. I've seen some Haden's art and it's truly beautiful.

"Where is it? Do we gotta get dressed up?" Braxton asks.

Haden's smile fades and he looks uncomfortable. "Look, I appreciate that y'all want to be there, but-"

"You don't want us there," Cole finishes for him.