~

Dad offered to take me to school on Monday morning, and before I could say no, Gray was already up and out the door like he was being chased by a bulldog. Traitor.

Although my dad had given me my space all weekend, which I was grateful for, it still wasn't enough. Two days wasn't enough for me to come to terms with the fact that he's been lying to me all my life. Suddenly, he felt like a total stranger, not the same person I used to tell all my worries. Why couldn't he trust me as I trusted him?

I stare down at my Calculus notebook, pretending to be reviewing a topic that I knew absolutely nothing on.

"Quiz today?" Dad asks, letting his eyes shift to my book before returning to the road.

"Uh...hmm, " I hum with a nod.

An awkward silence fills the car again. The only sounds one could hear were the sound of traffic, car horns, and feet shuffling on the streets of New York. I pull my AirPods out of my bag to place them in my ear, but Dad stops me by placing his right hand on mine just before the AirPods could reach my ear.

"Can you not, I want to talk to you?" He says.

But I don't. "Dad, I'm trying to study for a Quiz, " I sigh exasperatedly, lying with ease.

"It would only take a minute."

"I can't let you ruin my mood before my test," I cross my arms around my chest. I wasn't ready to hear whatever he wanted to say. Just in case he was about to say something like I'm shipping you off to your father next week.

"I ruin your mood?" His voice sounded strained and hurt.

I close my eyes, immediately regretting making him feel that way. "I just don't want to talk about Wendy and whatnot. It's all too much to take in. I just need space." Subconsciously, I knew I wasn't mad at him but the situation. I only took it out on him because there was no one else to be angry at.

Dad nods his head hesitantly and bites the insides of his cheeks. "Space," his voice trails off as I place my Airpods in my ear.

I feel guilty again for cutting him off like that. I knew nothing was his fault, and that he was just as much of a victim as I was. But I just wasn't ready to have that conversation yet.

He drops me off at school, and I get off without saying a word. I walk into the school halls, making my face look as bitchy as possible so no one would try and talk to me. I guess I didn't look ascertaining enough because Fawn drops her hands over my shoulders from behind, grinning brightly.

"I'm so pumped for the Quiz this morning. I stayed up all night, " She rambles happily.

Who in their right mind would be happy to write a test? A calculus test.

"If Pumped is a modest way of saying fucked. Then, Yes. I'm very pumped for the quiz too, " I chuckle and place my books in my locker.

"I mean, I just flipped through the pages also," She shrugs nonchalantly, readjusting the strap of her bag pack.

I chuckle and pat her shoulder. "No need to be modest."

To be honest, I tried solving some problems last night but only lasted fifteen minutes before I got sucked into the world of Big Mouth.

We run into Gray, Aaron, and Zyair on our way to class. Gray gives me a small wink when he sees me, and I wink back subtly.

"Are you guys ready for the test?" Fawn asks them, her bright her flicking with unspoken joy.

Getting good grades really makes her happy, I guess.

Zyair stares at her with a confused expression. "We have a test? When?" He cocks his head and scratches his face. "Oh, fuck. We have a test this morning," He blinks and hits the back of Aaron's head in realization.

"I'm guessing you guys aren't ready either," Fawn pouts her lips, almost as if she was disappointed in the type of friends she keeps.

"I did try to read, but somehow, my laptop tab changed from my notes to the Netflix homepage, and I ended up watching Big mouth instead. Weird."

"To study for a test, we'd need to have the reading materials, " Aaron raises his brow in a matter of fact way.

"Which we don't, " Gray adds.

Zyair visibly relaxes at the fact that he wasn't the only unserious student. "We just need a C, " He shrugs and looks to the guys for backup.

I couldn't help but scoff at them basking in their idiocy. Sometimes I regret not being an athlete when I see how the guys are laid back about their studies, but then I remember I can't run a full lap without stopping ten times due to my fragile heart.

I wasn't sick, just lazy.

~~~~~~~~~~

"Do you think this bikini makes me look fat?" Fawn asks, her head turned over her shoulder as she stared at her butt in the mirror.

It's Saturday evening, and Fawn was here to pick me up for Lily's pool party. But, she decided to show me her bikini first even though we were running late. And no, we were running fashionably late. We were late, late.

"No, you don't, " I reply, holding up two pieces of bikinis, not sparing her a glance. I didn't need to see her in the bikini to know she didn't look fat in it.

"But, I feel bloated, " She comments again, placing a hand on her already flat tummy.

Seeing her complain about her size, reminded me of Ashley when we were friends.

Ashley was as slim as slim could be, but was always complaining about her size. Her booby size was a constant concern for her. Ashley had boobs before almost all the girls in our class, making her look the most grown, but she hated how fat they made her look. Her words, not mine.

"Do you think yellow looks good on me?" She asks again. I put my bikini on my bed, frustratedly and sigh.

"You look good, Fawn, " I say and walk to stand behind her. I point at her reflection in the mirror. "You look like a badass chick. And I'm not just saying that because we're friends."

Her face lits up at my words, and she tries to cover her blush. "You look like a badbutt chick too, " She grins.

"So, help me pick a color?" I jump to my bed and grab the two bikinis troubling me.

"The red one is sexy and fierce, while the pink is cute and innocent. So, what are you going for?" She asks, wearing her clothes over her bikini.

"Definitely Sexy and fierce, " I nod my head and place the red one into my bag.

After my terrible calculus test results, I realized I need to focus more on my studies to achieve my dream of attending NYU. Well, I did put my all into the rest of my tests but still ended up with lots of Bs and only one A in literature. Not a surprise there.

I bid goodbye to my Dad before walking out of the house with Fawn. We get into her car, and it takes us almost forty minutes to get to Lily's house.

The first thing I notice as we turned the corner to Lily's street is the loud disco music blasting from her house, not caring about the neighbor's eardrums.

Fawn and I walk into the house through the back door. The party is in full swing by the time we get there. There are some students at a corner, competing to see who could chug the most alcohol.

I place my bag next to a chair and sit on the chair. I wasn't planning on getting into the water during this freezing hour.

A loud screech comes from the other end of the pool, grabbing my attention. Thinking someone was drowning, I spring from my seat and sprint towards the person.

Most people stop their activities and turn their attention towards the person screaming in the water.

Amy flaps her hand hysterically and cries, but she wasn't drowning. Her pitch-black hair was sticking to her now red face, which was blotchy from her tears. "Help, my bracelet is missing!"

"Can you guys help me look for it? I had it with me just a few moments ago, " She sniffs, her lower lips shaking as she cries.

I scoff, feeling a bit annoyed. If you heard the way she screamed, you'd honestly think someone was dying.

"People are dying, Kim, " Zyair says in a monotone voice, his arms resting on his knees as he sat and watched Amy.

"It's not like my missing bracelet is going to help save them, " She shoots back, her eyes blazing fire.

Umm..okay. That's a very cool thing to say.

"You can check the filters. All the dirt gather there, " Aaron snorts and leans back on his chair.

Some people chuckle, and Amy flaps her hand angrily, feeling embarrassed and annoyed. Looking at her search for her bracelet alone while the guys made fun of her made me feel for her.

From her reaction, I could tell the bracelet was very important to her. If I lost a valuable bracelet, I'd be pretty upset too. But, I'd show it by sulking and frowning in silence rather than screaming and crying. I guess people do handle grief differently.

She catches my eye and pouts, pleadingly. "Please, Dove. Can you help me?" She turns to Ashley at the other edge. "Ashley? Zoe?"

I groan. Fuck the Ted talk about women helping each other that I listened to this morning. I take off my white dress and dive into the waters smoothly.

The water is a bit chilly, but I soon get accustomed to it. I hear a few splashes after I jump in and look up to see other girls dive into the water too.

I submerge myself into the blue water and look past the asses and feet, in search of Amy's bracelet. After a few seconds of zero oxygen, I bring my head up to breathe.

A pair of dark blue eyes stare back at me in amusement, crouching at the edge of the pool. "Cute, " Gray comments.

I use my one hand to wipe the water from my face while the other rests on the edge of the slab. "Help us?" I nod with a gesture towards the pool, ignoring the fact that he just called me cute.

A small smirk plays at the edge of his lips, and he shakes his head in a cute manner. "You all look good with your 'we are each other's knights in shining armor.' He comments, gesturing towards the pool of girls in the water.

I roll my eyes and submerge myself in the water again. I struggle to keep my eyes open due to the chlorine sting, my legs flapping as I swim around the edge. Due to my desperate need for oxygen, I come up from the water with a gasp.

Gray is standing in front of me again, smiling as he stares down at me. I realize I probably look like a wet fish, spluttering for air in an unflattering way.

"Why are you here again?" I roll my eyes.

"Magnetic attraction?" He raises a questioning brow.

I chuckle lowly and make a mental note to swim to the center of the pool. "Found it, " Fawn beams, holding up a bracelet.

Amy flaps towards her and grabs the bracelet hastily. We watch as she inspects it and throws her hand up like it's a medal. "It's the one, " She grins and gives Fawn a huge hug.

I turn back to Gray, and he stretches his hands out for me to hold. I wanted to swat his hand away, but instead, I grab it and pull him into the water.

I grin as he lands with a splash. I get out of the pool but stop when I heard spluttering behind me. I turn and see Gray pretending to be drowning.

I run a hand through my wet hair and stare at him, a bored expression on my face. Did he think I was going to fall for that?

"Fuck-Cr-Cramp, " He stutters, striving to stay afloat with his arms.

My eyes widen when the realization kicks in. I use my last strength and try to help Gray, but his heavy bodyweight kept dragging me down.

I had used most of my energy while searching for Amy's bracelet and was too weak to carry Gray. Everyone else seems engrossed in their fun, and no one notices us.

The pool was way too deep to stand, and I had to get Gray to the other side. Panic and fear overcome my body as I struggle to hold him up by the waist.

He was dying, and my strength wasn't enough to save him. I already blame myself for ruining my father's youth because he had to take care of a child that wasn't even his.

Now I pushed Gray, and if he dies, it will all be my fault. I search the crowd for a familiar face, my eyes now blurry with tears. I see Zyair but didn't even have the strength to scream for help. "Help, " I whisper, feeling the tears beginning to stream down my face.

By now, Gray was no longer kicking and screaming for air. I refused to look at his face, afraid of what I might see.

"Don't you guys thinking we've had enough drama for one day?" Zyair raises a disgusted eyebrow.

What?

I turn to stare at Gray, and a smirking jerk stares back at me. Was he fucking kidding me?

"Why did you do that? I really- I re-, " I begin to choke on my tears, annoyed he would play with me like that.

I really thought he was dying.

Gray brows furrow in concern, and he holds my face up with his palms. "Hey, Hey. I'm sorry."

My lower lips jut out angrily, and I bite my lips to stop myself from crying more. "I didn't mean to scare you like that?" Gray apologizes, his face was now a mask of hurt and regret.

I wrap my hands around the curve of his neck and kiss him softly. "Don't ever scare me like that, " I murmur against his lips.

He nods his head and tightens his grip around my waist before deepening our kiss. My eye catches something before I close it, but I flip it off and let myself melt in Gray's embrace.

His arms roam up and down my back, tracing my spine with his fingertips, pulling me closer until there was no space left between us, as he bit on my lower lips teasingly. I could hear the increased pace of his heartbeat.

When we pull away for air, my suspicions are confirmed.

His gaze directed towards me had a look of hurt and betrayal. His vein pulses in his neck as his lips curled upwards. At that moment, I realize I've hurt him, and for a split second, I regret it.

"Luca."

••••••••••

QOTD- What food have you never eaten but would really like to try?

>>Mine is Tofu and Enoki mushroom. And yes, I do watch too many mukbang videos.