The plan had been to go around to Maddox's house after school. She had messaged him when she got home after school but he hadn't replied. It had been twenty minutes. She paced and with her phone in her hand, trying to figure out if she had gotten it wrong.

She was debating whether to call him, or not. Did he expect her just to go around there? She wrestled with what her next action would be.

She stopped pacing and searched for his contact to call him. Would it come off as too clingy? After the way he had treated her at school, she wasn't sure it would be welcome. It was so confusing. She was ready to distance herself from this.

If she couldn't handle it day to day how on earth was she supposed to handle anything developing between them. She was constantly in a state of doubt and he seemed to do nothing from his side to reassure her in any way.

Doubt gave way to annoyance and then the anger set it and with it the courage to call him. It rang and rang. She began to paced and when it finally switched over to voicemail she ended the call.

She was so frustrated she had the urge to throw her phone. The intensity of the feeling he awoke in her was scary. Alarmed, she dropped the phone on her bed and backed away from it.

The doorbell went.

She frowned. She wasn't expecting anyone.

The anger stayed with her as she hurried downstairs to yank the front door opened.

There stood Maddox with his hands in his pockets of his jeans.

"What..I" She was speechless.

"We need to talk." His expression was unwelcoming and it made her take a faltering step back.

The intensity of the emotions she was feeling rushed back. "Right. That's why you didn't reply to my message or pick up my phone call."

She wanted to shut the door but his foot wedged in the opening making it impossible to close it.

"I don't want to talk to you," she said, giving up on trying to close the door on him and taking another step back.

Her hands were shaking.

He entered the house and closed the door. "I wanted to have this conversation in person, face to face."

She felt vulnerable, something she hated.

"I don't understand any of this." She waved her hand between them. "The last time I spoke to you we decided to hang out. I don't know how we got to this."

He sighed and raked a hand through his hair.

"You have completely ignored me at school and today you wouldn't answer my message or call."

His dark eyes studied her, like he could see deeper than what she projected to the rest of the world. To a part of herself that only he could see.

"I don't know what I did wrong." She shrugged, feeling the anger dissipate to confusion.

"You were the one who wasn't ready to let everyone know we were together, it wasn't me who wanted to keep it a secret, remember? I did what you wanted. You don't get to turn it around on me."

She pressed her lips into a tight line. He was right but it had still made her feel like it had been one-sided.

"What about the fact that you ignored my call and text message?"

"I saw and heard a couple of things today that didn't sit well with me." His jaw tensed.

She frowned. "What?" She hadn't done anything to illicit this kind of reaction.

"I'm not blind Rae. I saw you with Carson." His eyes sparked with fiery and then she began to understand.

"You're jealous," she murmured, watching him in fascination.

"Is that why you did it? I don't play games Rae."

She shook her head.

"I saw the two of you together. I don't share Rae. We are either exclusive or we're nothing."

"Stop." She put her hand up to him. "I had a five minute conversation with the guy. He had asked me out before we decided to hang out. I'd been meaning to let him down but I hadn't gotten the chance until he asked to talk to me today."

His jaw was still tense, like he was still working through his anger despite her innocent explanation.

"I don't know what more you want me to say Mad. There's nothing going on." Was he really that jealous of something she felt was nothing. "Are you going to get jealous every time I talk to some guy?"

"I don't like to see you with guys who look at you the way he does," he admitted, tersely.

"What are you talking about?"

"It doesn't take much to see Carson has a thing for you."

Well she hadn't seen it. She dropped her arms to her side. "And how did I look at him?" She knew there was zero attraction from her side.

He remained silent as he studied her.

"Why didn't you tell me about Jim?"

"What about him?" She crossed her arms again. "Did you send Jasper to ask me about it?"

When he failed to deny it she felt annoyed.

"I knew this was a bad idea," she admitted, shaking her head. She was having second thoughts about being with him.

"You still haven't answered my question?" His voice was hard.

"We weren't anything when the incident with Jim happened. He was being an asshole and saying things that weren't true. I doubt he'll do it again, not in my presence anyway." She was tired. This whole thing with Maddox had her tied up in knots for most of the last two days.

"If you know someone was spreading lies about you, why wouldn't you say anything Rae?" he asked, his voice softened. "Especially with what happened with Logan."

"I don't need you to fight my battles for me. I can do it on my own." Did he think she was going to run to him about every little that happened to her?

"You still don't get it, do you?" He moved closer and she held her ground, holding his gaze.

"I saw how you took care of Logan. You can't go around beating up everyone," she finally admitted. "Besides I handled it."

"Yeah," he scoffed. "You handled it so well he is still telling everyone who will listen how good you are in bed."

"What?" Dread creeped in. It was the whole Logan incident, all over again.

He nodded. "Yeah, that drink you tipped into his lap really scared him."

She was at a loss for words. This couldn't be happening again.

"You don't get it Rae. All it takes is a rumour, the guy doesn't even have to have any proof."

She put her hand to her chest as the horror played across her face. "I didn't...think.."

"I don't want you to go through the whole Logan thing again. If you had trusted me with this when it happened I could have closed it down before it had a chance to spread. But it's too late now."

Notes shoved into her locker and the snickering around her as she walked the halls. She couldn't go through that again.

"But I haven't had any notes..." Her mind was racing.

"I don't know," He rolled his shoulders. "Maybe they're too scared to approach you about this directly. But that doesn't mean it isn't spreading like wildfire through the school."

That didn't surprise her, she had seen the ferocity in the way he had dealt with Logan. She wouldn't be in a rush to cross him. But even having seen that hadn't stopped Jim from lying about her. Had it been to get back at her because she had tipped the drink on him? Had her rash actions caused this.

She shrugged. "There's nothing I can do about it now." What was done was done, and she would have to face the consequences, even if it hurt.

"I'll deal with this," he vowed and she shook her head.

"I don't want you getting into trouble over this. It's not worth it."

"You are worth it." Her heart did a somersault and his eyes held hers. His words winded her.

He moved closer and took her hand in his. "I'll deal with Jim. But you have to promise to let me in. This has no chance of working if you can't."

She swallowed, feeling the impact of his closeness. "I'm trying," she whispered.

"I need you to be honest about how you're feeling as well," he murmured.

His eyes made it impossible for her to look away or break the connection they had.

"You've been ignoring me and it's made me insecure. I don't like it Mad."

He brushed his thumb against her hand. She felt like she was opening up and letting him see what no one else had before.

"Trust me, the last thing I want to do is ignore you."