"So uh- I'm gonna get home for tonight and uh I'll see you around." I awkwardly scratched the back of my neck as she led me out the door. I stayed for a little bit and once it stopped storming, she was quick to point it out and tell me to leave. "Bye Ryder." she nodded before I said bye and she closed the door. Did I want to leave? No. Did she make me anyway? Yes. "I have no idea what it is that you do to me." I sighed while I spoke to myself as I opened my front door and walked up and into my room with a smile playing on my lips. After around 30 minutes, I passed out and went to bed.

x-X-x The next morning.

I woke up my alarm which I quickly shut off before pulling myself out of bed and into my bathroom to freshen up. When I stepped out of the bathroom, I decided to go down to grab some coffee when I saw Grace sitting on my couch. Without Ethan. Now, you see, Grace and I have a bittersweet relationship so I have absolutely no idea as to what she's doing here. "Grace? What are you doing here?" I asked as my eyebrows furrowed in confusion while I stood by the kitchen counter where she walked up to me.

"I need to speak to you." she said shortly and very vaguely. Well, that helps.

"Look if this is about Mia then-" I started but she cut me off.

"I'm not here for Mia. I'm here for Ethan." she sighed as she folded her arms across her chest. "Look, I'm not very fond of you either so just help me out and I'll be gone in no time." she huffed. "How can I help?" I breathed as I walked into my kitchen and began making my coffee while she sat at the bar stool. "I really like Ethan and I'm starting to develop feelings for him but so far, he hasn't asked me out and I don't know if I should just wait till he does or ask him out myself." she presented her problem to me. Well, now what the fuck am I supposed to do? He just told me yesterday that he's planning on asking her out but the idiot never told me when. If he would have then I could have told her to wait until then.

"So you're here to take my advice on relationships, when I've just screwed up my own?" I asked, changing the subject to throw her off of it. "Mia kept acting dumb and clueless every time I brought Ethan up and Harper and Daniel aren't exactly here so I turned to my last option, you." she said with a sickly sweet and bitter smile on her face. "I am surprised I am a candidate in your list of people you take advice from." I smirked, making her groan in frustration.

"Well until now, you weren't a candidate which is exactly why I never ask for your help." she said as if it were obvious. "You do still want my help right? I don't think being mean to me is gonna help with that." I shook my head as I poured my coffee into a mug.

"Look, can you just tell me if he ever talks about me to you." she huffed demandingly.

"Bad talk or good talk?" I asked, pushing her buttons.

"Ryder, just tell me if Ethan ever talks about me the way you talk about Mia. Like you're in love." she pleaded, now getting frustrated of my shit. "I don't talk about her like I'm in love." I denied. You know what they say about denial. Most people would rather deny a hard truth than face it. Wait, is that what they say?

"Sure, and I'm Angelina Jolie. Just answer me so I can get out of here." she tapped her foot impatiently. "He doesn't shut up about you. Talks about you like that all the time. I'm sure he'll ask you out soon anyway. Just wait for a little bit." I shrugged. With that, she thanked me very sarcastically and walked to the door. She turned to face me before walking out and said, "Wanna know what gives it away? That you love her?" she asked and paused but continued to tell me anyway when I didn't say anything. "You look at her like she's your whole world." she smirked teasingly before saying, "And she misses you like hell. Just like you miss her." she finished before leaving and then driving away.

After 15 minutes or so, I heard screaming and laughing coming from outside, curious as to who it was and what was going on, I went outside and saw Mia and Jeremy having a water fight with the hose and some water balloons. "Oh my god, you're so dead!" she narrowed her eyes down to slits after he threw a water balloon at her which hit her back since she turned around to protect her face. She was wearing a sports bra along with some shorts and I did not like him seeing her in it. I've always been very defensive and protective over her and her pushing my buttons like this, really doesn't help. "You can try." Jeremy smirked at her challengingly, but immediately earning a shocked expression when she threw a water balloon at him which hit his forehead. That's my girl. Damnit, she isn't mine anymore.

"You're going down." he warned her.

"Oh it's on like Donkey Kong." she accepted his threat and challenged openly before grabbing three water balloons and running around in her front yard and driveway, with Jeremy chasing her. He caught up to her even though she threw two water balloons at him which hit him in the chest. That bitch was shirtless too.

He caught up to her and grabbed her by her waist from behind, pulling her into his chest, making me clench my jaw and hands into fists. Oh how badly I wanna punch him right now.

"Got ya." he smirked in victory, before she turned to face him and smile sweetly, before using her last water balloon, smashing it on his head. They just stood like that for a minute. God they looked like one of those sickly sweet and cliche couples. Is that what Mia and I looked like?

"You look really pretty." he complimented her hesitantly. Why was he hesitant? If I was with her over there, I would have said it loud and clear. She deserves to know how gorgeous she is and she needs to be reminded every now and then because she forgets it. A lot. "No I don't." she nervously laughed as he pulled her closer. No he didn't. "You do." he repeated. I can't express with words how much this guy gets on my nerves on a daily basis. Lately especially.

"I really don't." she shook her head before he started leaning in.

No he did not! He did not just start leaning in and suggest a kiss. See, I need time to get her away from him to get her back and normally that would be easier because she would need time to get to know him, but they've known each other, not as long as Mia and I have but still a year or two, which means they already know quite a lot about each other. Just as they were about to kiss, I slammed the door shut, hoping that the loud bang prevented them from kissing and as I saw from my window in the living room, it clearly did since she pushed him away, creating a bigger distance between them.

"I am not letting him take her from me." I muttered to myself.

"She's mine."

"It really is on like Donkey Kong."