- Mia White -

As I finished making the brownies, I heard the door open. I smiled when I felt familiar arms wrap around my waist. These little actions that Ace does give me hope that he actually might have feelings for me, but I somethings doubt it.

I mean, we're really close best friends. He could just be doing this in a friendly matter. "Have you and Jacob made peace yet?" I asked, cutting the brownies into squares.

"Nope. The only reason why we're not trying to kill each other is because we were on our phones the entire time," he answered, pulling me closer to his chest.

I blushed, and glad that he couldn't see because I covered my face with my hair. He continued to hug me until I told him to tell Jacob that the brownies were ready. He groaned, but went to tell him anyways while I went to the freezer grab the ice-cream. Brownies with ice-cream are my absolute favourite.

Jacob walked into the kitchen with Ace trailing behind him. "It smells so good!" Jacob exclaimed, grabbing a small plate and a few pieces of the brownies. I'm glad that he likes them. He thanked me for the dessert as he made his way back to the living room.

Ace and I grabbed some just as we heard the door open. I heard Mrs King's voice, and two unfamiliar ones that I assumed were Jacob's parents. They walked into the kitchen, and when Mrs King saw me, she embraced me in a tight hug.

"Mia! It's so nice to see you again. I haven't seen you in forever!"

"Mom, you saw her three days ago," Ace pointed out, and she scoffed.

"And you made your famous brownies!"

Mrs King treated me like I was her very own daughter. She was like a second mom. When my mom was busy with work, she made sure that I was well and that nothing bad happened to me. She usually tells Ace to take care of me, even if I tell her I can take care of myself, but she insisted.

"Everyone needed someone to take care of them," she said.

I was soon introduced to Mr and Mrs Daniels. They were very nice, and gave me compliments on my looks as well as the brownies I made, but I brushed them off. Sometimes, I don't like it when people compliment me, because it makes me feel like I have to compliment them back.

My mom texted me that I should head home soon, so I said my goodbyes to all of them. Ace offered to walk me home, and I didn't argue because even if I say no, he'll just do it anyways. We walked in comfortable silence, just enjoying one another's company. I love how I didn't have to fill every silence with Ace.

"Are you feeling better?" I asked as we neared my house.

"A bit," he replied. "You know, if you didn't come over, I would've murdered him."

"Ace, you don't even know him."

"I know he's a pain in the ass," he muttered, and I slapped his arm.

"Why do you hate him so much. He didn't even do anything."

Ace didn't answer but simply grab my hand. My heart beat faster and I tried my best to ignore. I really want to say that I like him, but I'm scared of rejection.

He walked me all the way until we stood at the front door. "I'll see you tomorrow," he said before kissing my forehead. I opened my door and watched him walk away before closing it.

Stupid heart.

The rest of the week went by in a flash, and we were back to reality. It's not that I hated school, I actually enjoyed it. What annoyed me were those few people who you really dislike are there and you have to see them. And I'm talking about Mindy.

Mindy Summer, also known as the head cheerleader, and 'it' girl in the school. Funny enough, she has long blonde hair and sharp blue eyes that guys fall in love with. I have to admit, she's beautiful, but her personality sucks. The good part was, she doesn't cake her face with too much makeup. She still wears a lot though.

I don't know why but ever since she laid eyes on me, she's had this hatred towards me. I didn't do anything to offend her, so I didn't know why. Was it because I was best friends with Ace? Probably. But it's not my fault.

And get this, I have biology with her for first semester. Ace wasn't here today because he was in trouble with his mom, but he'll be coming once lunch starts. Across the room, I heard Mindy whine that she straightened her hair for nothing because Ace wasn't here.

I rolled my eyes and continued to scroll through my phone when a shadow appeared. I inwardly groaned, knowing it was Mindy.

"Hey loser," she said, smirking down at me. "Where's my boyfriend?"

"Which one?" I asked.

She examined her claws, ignoring my comment. "Ace should be here by now. Why isn't he?" Her eyes narrowed at me but I gave her a blank expression.

"He's home," I answered simply. "And, he's not your boyfriend."

Mindy leaned closer to me, her eyes as cold as ice. "He will be once you're out of the picture," she hissed before walking back to her seats. Her friends glared at me but I turned away. When I'm out of the picture? What is she going to do? Kill me?

The bell rang, and the teacher walked in. He started talking about what we were expecting to learn about this year and handed a sheet of paper we have to fill out. It was a short quiz to see how much we remember from last year. I answered each one and handed it to him in a matter of minutes. I only remembered a few things, but it wasn't like this was for marks anyways.

Everyone seemed to be having trouble, so when everyone finished, it was already time for second period.

"Bonjour, Mia."

"Bonjour, Miss Greenwich," I replied.

French was one of the subjects I have a hard time in, but Miss Greenwich was my favourite teacher. She's funny, and one of the kindest teachers here. Although she can be very scary when she's mad. Though the years I've been in high school, Miss Greenwich was a teacher I can rely on. She helped me with not only increasing my French vocabulary, but she helped with math and science as well.

Sarah was in my class, and luckily for the both of us, we sat beside each other.

Eventually, I made it through all the morning classes until it was time for lunch. I just got out of my Geography class when I saw Ace. He had a bored expression on his face, and I knew why. Mindy was awfully close to him as she twirled her hair and placed her free hand on his chest. A strange and heavy feeling built inside me, and I couldn't deny it.

I was jealous.

And I shouldn't be. I have no right to feel this way. I'm not his girlfriend or anything. Before any of them had a chance to spot me, I slipped away with the crowd and walked to my locker. I grabbed the books I didn't need from my bag and put it in my locker.

I heard my name being called, and I was too deep into my thoughts that I almost didn't hear it. Turning around, I saw Jacob walking towards me with his usual smile.

Why is he so happy all the time?

"Hey, want to grab some lunch with me?" He asked, leaning against the locker beside mine. I didn't know if I should say yes because I was planning to go with Ace, but maybe I could be friends with Jacob. I know that Ace doesn't like him, but it doesn't mean that I don't have to agree with him.

"Sure."

He grinned at my answer and we walked outside the school doors. He said that McDonald's was nearby and he wanted to have some so we decided to go there.

Jacob is actually really nice. He said that he was from New York, and that he's glad to be away from the busy streets. He also mentioned that he dreamed to build a successful business when he grows up.

When we ordered our food, we sat near the window because it was the only spot left. There were a few kids from school here, but they didn't seem to notice us, except for a few who stopped and said hello.

"How long are you staying at Ace's house?" I asked, taking a french-fry and plopping it into my mouth. Jacob shrugged, and said until his parents found a place to stay. For some reason, I felt like there was more to it, but decided not to question him.

Suddenly, Jacob's eyes went wide, and it looked like he was scared.

"Jacob, what's wrong?" I asked.

"Looks like he found us," I heard him mumbled.

Turning behind me, I saw Ace, and he looked really pissed off.

Shoot.

••• - ••• - •••