It's been five days since the night that I was badly injured and I was feeling much better health-wise but annoyed at the same time at being cooped up in Colton's place. Annabeth had been coming in after school every day with Colton and Bryan and I have to admit that the few hours that she popped by every day was turning out to be the best part of my day.

After I had gained consciousness that night and seen her crying, it had been awkward and we just avoided the whole conversation around what we meant to each other. I just liked her coming in every day to see me and I stopped myself from thinking further into it. She would spend a few hours with all three of us and have dinner with us before Colton would drop her off home. She never mentioned or asked any questions about what happened or why I was injured that night, and I was grateful for that. Most of the nights all of us would just watch a movie and binge on junk food and she would dress my wounds for me. We never made eye contact during the whole time she would dress my wounds, and she would pretty much avoid touching me as much as possible which I knew was for the best.

Either Coach or Cyrstal would come over to check up on me every two days since they couldn't leave Lilah home alone, and whenever they were here and Annabeth was around they would treat her like they had known her for years. I was quite surprised at how easily she had become a part of the people I knew as family and friends but I was still wary about the consequences of involving her in my life.

I was ready to go back to school the next day and I was looking forward to getting out and about. Coach had also told me that I could start light training from the week after and that was calming me down as well. Right now I was just propped up on the couch without a shirt watching television waiting for the douches to come. I hear the sound of car doors shutting and the sound of Colton saying something and Anna laughing out loud at it. Fuck knows what he was making her laugh about, it was annoying that all of a sudden they were best friends.

I roll my eyes a little jealous of their closeness and continue to look at the television acting all nonchalantly waiting for them to walk in.

"Hey Ryder, we got us some Thai for dinner" Colton's sound boomed through the room. I sit up and stretch slowly looking for Annabeth. Colton raises his eyebrows "I am assuming it's not me you want to see or Bryan, who by the way is with Amelie for tonight..." He walks over and flops himself onto a chair facing me.

I roll my eyes " Whatever Colton'' Colton shakes his head "I swear one day I am going to lock you both up in the room and leave until you guys sort your shit out, I can't take another day of the smoldering looks and the pent up sexual frustration that you guys exude in this room"

"Whos frustrated?"

I hear her perky little angelic voice and I look at her. She was wearing denim shorts and a sequined white tank top which accentuated her breasts and made her legs look long just right to wrap around my waist while I... I clear my throat ridding myself of the dirty thoughts, lately, they were just constant. I see Colton give me a sly look and I look at her walking in setting a bag on the table.

"Colton wants us to have sex" I blurt out and then smirk seeing her drop her phone and then pick it up a light blush on her cheeks " Wha.. why ...Colton, did you say that?" she walks up to him, hands on her hips. Colton just mutters something inaudible and gets up "I am going to take a shower and then we'll have dinner" he stalks off.

Anna turns her gaze back at me "So.." she smiles softly "How are you feeling now?"

This was the first time that we were alone since the night of my beat-up because normally we would have someone else here, either Bryan, Colton, Coach, or Crystal. I could sense her feeling awkward and uncomfortable.

I link my arms behind my head " Much better and you ?" She smiles again. "I'm all good" she walks up to me and checks the bruising on my face which is almost faded apart from a little scar on the edge of my eyebrow that I have got as a souvenir now from the other night. I look at her as she slows bends down to examine the stitches on my abdomen that was almost fully healed and I clench my hands when she gives me a good view of her cleavage while doing this, her plump milky breasts so inviting that I have to stop myself from pulling her onto my lap and playing with them.

All of a sudden her phone rings and she springs up and looks at it, an annoyed look crossing her face. She slumps on the couch next to me her brows furrowed in thought. I look at her questioningly "What's happened?" She tilts her head and looks at me uncertainly "Umm...nothing"

I continue to stare at her "It can't be nothing if you got annoyed by a phone call. C'mon, tell me, sometimes it's better to tell someone" I cleared my throat and continued " I mean we are kinda friends now aren't we? Plus I owe you because you have been looking after me so, it's only right that I offer you my ears" I see her face fall slightly at the word friends but she smiles again "It's nothing, just Dylan ... being annoying" she mumbles. I feel the hair on the back of my neck rising "What the fuck has he done now?"

She shakes her head and looks t me warily with a warning look in her eyes "Nothing, just being too nice and then annoying and then everywhere, and now he and mum are best friends and they gang up on me and want to know everything that happens in my life" she stops

I swallow and scoot a little closer to her trying to push that flicker of rage that was igniting in me to the back of my head. " Are you... I mean are you guys dating or something?"

I try to keep my face normal when I ask her this question although my heart was beating so rapidly I thought I would have a heart attack.

She looks taken aback "No... I told him I wasn't ready for anything...but he invited me and my parents to this dinner thing at their house and we went and my god, it was painful... to listen to my mum fawn over them and act like I was going to marry Dylan... and Dylan and his stupid stories about how he is an overachiever. I had to wear this fucking tight black gown thing like I was going to a social evening at the queen's palace .. .and dad bailed on us so mum was even more upset.. and then she...she " she stops and looks at me sheepishly "I am sorry, that was too much information"

I nod my head at her aware that we were really close and that I could smell her strawberry shampoo and her sweet perfume. It was literally intoxicating. "No, tell me more" I lean forward looking at her.

She just sighs and twists her hands in her lap "It's nothing much Ryder, just my mum has always been really controlling of my life, she wants me to look a certain way, act a certain way, she already has planned who I am supposed to marry and what I should do with my life. Every day I have to put on all this makeup and carefully curated clothes, and run around like her puppet. She decides everything from what I eat to how I should behave. Never once has she asked me what I wanna do with my life, in fact, I can't even remember the last time she hugged me, actually I dont think she ever has. It's always 'Annabeth stop embarrassing me, why you like this and all.."

She paused and then continued a faraway look in her eyes "I mean I like to paint, but she never lets me because it's not an attractive trait, apparently I have to be on the fucking cheerleading squad because that's what boys want. I shouldn't have too good grades because it turns boys off if you are more intelligent than them.. ." She stops and looks at me "I just wanna be free"

I slowly put my arm around her and she leans into me " I am sorry, I probably sound like a whiner"

"Na" I interrupt her "You dont, I remember wondering why you weren't in any of the art classes especially because you said that painting was your hobby in Mr. G's class"

She lifts her head off my shoulder and looks at me in surprise "You remember" I smile at her "Of course I remember every single thing that's happened between you and me and also ... every little thing about you"

And just like that the mood changes. I see her licking her lips nervously and I lean forward, she closes her eyes and lifts her head angling her lips for me, ripe and ready to take. I slowly move in, trying to fight my brain which kept telling me that this was a mistake when I heard a loud slam and we jump apart.

Coach stands there smirking "Why is it that everything I catch you both together, you're on a couch trying to snog" he wags his eyebrows suggestively at me "Are you still going with the argument that she means nothing to you"?.

I groan and lean back sighing. knowing that there was nothing I could tell coach to make him back off.