I'm standing outside of the school building with Kendall and Alissa waiting for my ride home when I notice Liam heading my way. Instantly, I can feel the stress of my day fading, leaving me with nothing but excitement at the sight of the boy who always brings me butterflies.

"Liam!" I cry with a grin, bounding toward him. I jump into his arms, and he catches me easily. I don't think as I kiss the boy who is now basically my boyfriend without the title, smiling as I pull away.

He sets me back onto the ground gently, peering down at me with a smile that makes my day. "I wasn't expecting that," he admits, grinning.

"I wasn't expecting to see you!" I sound giddy, and I almost hate myself for that.

"I'm just heading to lacrosse workouts," Liam tells me nonchalantly. At the mention of the word lacrosse, my stomach starts to churn. It reminds me that I have stupidly agreed to continue to help Luke with his plan, regardless of the fact that it means going against Liam.

For some reason, at this thought, I hear Ms. Edwards' voice resonating through my mind. Fro love, what would you sacrifice?

I push the thought to the side, trying to ignore the guilt flowing through my veins as I force a smile I know doesn't look real enough, glancing up at Liam as if I'm confused.

"Really?" I ask, sounding disappointed. "I was hoping you and I could do something today."

Instantly, Liam's features twist with regret. I hate myself for what I'm doing in this moment, hardly able to look into Liam's conflicted brown-eyed gaze. I know what he's thinking, no doubt debating with himself what he should. Go to lacrosse workouts like he should, or skip to hang out with me because I suggested so.

"I'm really sorry, Jade," Liam says after a moment. "I just can't miss workouts. I'm trying to place as team captain, and if I don't show up . . ." he trails off, shooting me an apologetic glance.

I try not to come across too disappointed. I mean, I should be happy that Liam isn't skipping because of me. I genuinely like him and want him to be happy in life. And yet I still can't stop disappointment at Liam's decline from surging through my veins, causing my lips to wilt into a frown. I'm sure the feeling is only brought along by the realization that I won't be able to hang out with Liam today . . .

. . . and definitely not because I'm letting Luke down.

I'm not sure why the thought of Luke even comes to my mind. Though the only thing scarier than the thought is knowing deep down that it's slightly true.

I offer Liam a faltering smile as I say, "Oh, that's okay. Another time, then?"

"Of course," Liam reassures me, setting his hand comfortingly on my shoulder. "You know I'll always make time for you. I really am sorry, Jade."

"It's okay. I get it."

"I'll call you later," Liam promises before leaning down and planting a sweet kiss on my cheek.

I offer a smile in response, to which Liam returns as he departs, heading back toward the school. I return my attention to Alissa and Kendall, trying to stop the disappointment I feel in my heart from spreading any further.

Before I have even a moment to comprehend what all just happened with Liam, Alissa shoots me a pointed look. Crossing her arms over her chest as her gazes meets mine, she mumbles, "Spill."

»»----- -----««

When I get home the following day, I don't even have time to change out of my uniform before something completely unexpected happens.

I don't even make it up to my room. I'm standing in the kitchen with Kendall across from me, finishing her homework at the bar. I'm aware that I have homework to get done myself, but am instead procrastinating by eating ice-cream. Kendall rolls her eyes when she notices me doing this, though doesn't comment—which I'm grateful for. I'm definitely not in the mood to fight with her, especially not after being blown off by Liam. Not that he blew me off exactly, considering he had prior commitments. And on top of this, I still haven't been able to stop thinking about Luke, wondering how he must have felt to have Liam show up at lacrosse workouts after all, despite the fact that I gave him my word to help distract Liam from snagging team captain from him.

This thought makes my stomach churn. I push my ice-cream away from me, having suddenly lost my appetite.

As I'm rinsing my spoon off in the sink, the doorbell rings. I glance over at Kendall, who looks back at me in a way that tells me she is also unsure of who the guest could be. I know it's not our parents—Mom is off on a "short" vacation spa (as if she needs one), and Dad doesn't come home from his office until close to midnight nearly ever night, choosing to spend marathon-hours in his penthouse office to do "paperwork".

"I'll get it," I assure Kendall, who is staring at me expectantly, as if waiting for me to do so because she can't possibly be bothered to get up.

I make my way into the living room, crossing the threshold into the foyer. I open the front door cautiously, even though I know my neighborhood is perfectly safe. I'm more surprised than I should be to find Luke standing at my doorstep. I mean, Luke and I are not friends in the slightest. Sure, we have mutual friends and sit at the same lunch table and all. But the two of us almost never talk, unless we're having a meeting about Luke's bat-shit crazy plan. Besides that, we don't see much of each other, especially not since I admitted having feelings for Liam. Not to mention, today isn't one of our scheduled meetings, so Luke really has no reason to be here.

I don't know why, but my heart races slightly at the sight of Luke before me. I take in his appearance, studying his perfect hair and icy eyes, noting that he isn't wearing his uniform. He's dressed in black exercise shorts and a dark gray t-shirt, and I realize that he must have just returned home after lacrosse workouts. Where he no doubt ran into Liam, because I failed my task.

I'm definitely in for it.

"Uh, h-hi," I somehow mange to stutter, my shaking voice giving away the fact that I'm nervous.

"I need to talk to you," Luke says in a measured tone, as if he has calculated exactly how much emphasis to put on each word to keep his emotion out of his voice. I dread not being able to read him, but Luke is an expert on hiding what he's feeling. His expression remains neutral, eyes guarded, stance causal. It's as if I'm staring at a statue, unable to figure out exactly what I'm looking at no matter how hard I try to.

"O-okay," I agree, wondering why I'm so nervous. Maybe the feeling is brought on because I have a suspicion that Luke is upset with me. Or maybe it's because Luke Bradford has always had some strange sort of effect on me. "Uh, come in."

Luke brushes past me wordlessly, entering my house as if it's natural for him to come over here, wanting to talk to me.

"We can go up to my room," I tell him, surprised by how steady I'm able to keep my voice. I can't help noting how unlike myself I'm acting all of a sudden. It's not like me to be so put off at the sight of a boy, especially a boy I can't stand. I've always been rather quick on my feet, but in this moment I feel as if I've been knocked off of my feet. "Follow me."

I lead Luke through the living room, passing the kitchen on our way to the staircase. Kendall glances up as we pass by, quickly turning her attention back to her homework. The scene she's just taken in must register a second later than usual, because my sister does a double-take at the sight of Luke, eyes wide.

"Hi, Luke!" she cries much too loudly, twirling a strand of blond hair around her finger. To me, it looks like she's trying to pull out a know. I get the feeling this is not my sister's intended effect.

"Uh, hey." Luke seems confused as he glances at Kendall, which has me stifling laughter. I sense that he has once again forgotten my sister's name, which I find hilarious. Kendall must come to the same conclusion, because her expression quickly becomes crestfallen.

Apparently, Luke is in no mood to linger for conversation with my sister. He turns his back on her to follow me up the staircase without a second glance. Reaching my room, I allow Luke to enter before me, closing the door softly as I follow after him.

I feel awkward in my own room, unsure of what to do. I choose to take a seat at my desk, crossing my legs as I turn in the chair to face Luke, who stands across from me, meeting my gaze seemingly without much thought.

After a moment, I clear my throat. "So. You wanted to talk?"

Luke nods, though remains silence. This silence of his rattles me for some reason, because if there is one thing I know about Luke, it's that he loves to hear himself talk.

"If you're here because you saw Liam at lacrosse workouts, you better not start fussing at me." I'm not sure when I found my voice, but I'm glad I do. I'm myself again as I glare up at Luke defiantly, suddenly angry. Angry with him for showing up here out of the blue. Angry with Liam for not being convincing enough to get him to skip workouts. Angry with Luke for asking me to help him out with his stupid little plan, and angry with myself for agreeing to it.

Angry with myself for not being able to tell Luke no, for whatever reason.

"Actually," Luke pauses to cross his arms over his chest, expression devoid of emotion, "that is why I'm here."

My blood turns hot in my veins, igniting a fire within me. I rise from my chair and saunter up to Luke, unable to stand the sight of him before me. My nails unconsciously dig into my palms, a habit of mine when I'm mad.

Then I lose it.

"Seriously, Luke? Do you not realize how much you're asking of me? Do you not understand exactly what it is you want me to do to Liam—a boy I care about? Because I think it's about time you take your—"

"I'm done," Luke blurts, abruptly cutting me off. I don't even have time to register what he's just said before he is speaking again. "The plan? I'm calling it off. You don't know how hard it is for me to admit, but you were right, Jade. I was acting crazy and selfish, thinking I could use you to get what I want. If I don't become captain of the lacrosse team, that's my own fault. I should have never dragged you into this. I'm . . . sorry."

I can't seem to comprehend a steady train of thought. I merely stand here like an idiot, gaping up at Luke, stunned into silence. I know there is no way in hell Luke Bradford just apologized. To me.

"I . . ." I trail off, unsure of what to even say. I meant, how do I respond to what Luke has just said? Part of me feels relieved that he has seemingly come to his senses, and I want to voice that. Another part of me, however, is simply angry with Luke for ever asking me to sabotage someone else's life in the first place.

"So . . . That's just . . . it, then?" The question is the only sentence I can manage to make out.

Luke glances down at me, skillfully keeping his expression neutral. He nods as our gazes meet, his expression slowly changing. It's as if he's momentarily forgotten to keep his guard up, and it crumbles before me. There's a strange light gleaming in Luke's eyes that's almost . . . dark. His lips curl downward into a slight frown. In this instant, he looks as angry and confused as I feel.

"Besides," Luke's tone is a measured, cold sneer, "wouldn't want to get in the middle of yours and Liam's budding relationship."

Clearly, Luke doesn't understand that now is not the right time to start something with me.

"Oh, please." I cross my arms over my chest, mirroring his stance as I narrow my eyes. Hit with a sudden revelation, anger flares within me once again as I take a step closer to Luke. "You're messing with me, aren't you?" I hiss, glaring up at him coolly. "You're saying that our agreement is off so that you can distract me. And then you're going to do something majorly destructive, aren't you? What's your plan, Pretty Boy? Are you going to feed Liam lies about me to get him to leave me? Spread some nasty rumors? Make it seem like I—"

"Jade!" The genuine shock in Luke's tone is what stops me short. Once again, he seems to have forgotten to put up his walls, because I'm easily able to read his expression. He seems . . . well, if I didn't know any better, I'd say that Luke seems offended.

"You really think I would do something like that to you?" Luke isn't just insulted anymore. I notice a fire dancing in his typically icy blue eyes, and I know that I have overstepped some sort of boundary. "You think that little of me, Jade?"

I swallow hard, suddenly embarrassed. And slightly guilty, as well. I know in this moment—and he'd never admit to it—I hurt Luke. And I'm not exactly proud of it.

"I don't know," I say crossly, attempting to defend myself. "I mean, you don't like Liam, and you were willing to mess with him before, so I guess I just—"

"Assumed that I hate him so much I'd destroy your relationship, because I'm just that terrible of a person," Luke finishes for me, a hard gleam in his eyes.

"How am I supposed to know your intentions?" I question, trying to justify what I said previously. "I mean, you don't exactly like me, either. Isn't ruining my happiness with Liam, like, your motivation for breathing? Don't tell me it's not tempting to you, taking down both of your enemies with one stone."

"Wow, Jade," Luke scoffs, angrily running a hand through his hair. "You sure know how to make a guy feel good about himself. If you seriously think that I'm that intent on ruining your life, I'm not even going to try and convince you otherwise. Believe what you want to believe. I'm leaving."

With that, Luke turns his back on me. Only, I'm not done with him just yet. I'm too frustrated to let him walk away, and I feel the need to take out my anger on him.

"So you're not even going to try and deny it?" I spit. "You're many things Luke Bradford, and none of them are good. But at least you're not a liar."

Luke hesitates a few feet away from my bedroom door. He stiffens, visibly upset. He turns around to face me slowly, jaw clenched tightly.

"So are you gonna admit it?" I persist, wondering why I feel the need to keep arguing. I should just let him leave. The sooner I can be rid of him, the better.

So why do I feel like I need to keep talking to get him to stay?

"Admit what?" His voice sounds strained.

"That you're trying to get between me and Liam," I state. "That all of this was some sort of ploy to distract me. I wouldn't put it past you."

"I said I was sorry, Jade." Luke's voice cracks when he says my name, something I might find funny under different circumstances. Now, however, it only makes me realize how much effort it's taking him to keep his voice steady.

"And I'm sure you were being genuine." I roll my eyes to prove I mean the opposite. "I know you, Luke. You can't stand to see me happy. It's probably driving you crazy that I'm happy with Liam, of all people. Is it really so shocking to you that I think you're up to something?"

"I'm not." I'm expecting more of a denial, for Luke to put up more of a fight. I mean, that's practically all I can ever count on Luke for: a fight. I suppose that's why I'm surprised when he says only those two simple words, choosing not to elaborate.

For some reason, this only further irritates me.

"Why won't you just admit it?" I cry. "You hate Liam. You hate me! So it's only natural to—"

"What makes you so sure that I hate you?" Luke counters, his question causing me to momentarily falter.

A bitter laugh escapes my lips. "Are you serious? Hm. Let's see. I wonder what would make me think such a thing?"

"Would you just stop, Jade? What's your point here?"

I step toward Luke, eyes narrowed. "My point is that I want to know why you can't stand me so much. I mean, you've hardly been able to stay in the same room as me from the moment we met. I just don't get it. Why are you so determined to dislike me?"

And that's when I finally realize that it's not the whole situation with Liam that has gotten me so worked up. I'm not angry at Luke because I seriously fear he's come up with some crazy plan to break Liam and I up. No, I'm upset with Luke because he doesn't like me. And for some reason, this thought alone refuses to stop driving me insane.

Luke remains silent for a passing moment. He looks down at me as if I have sprouted three heads, like there is something blatantly obvious that I'm just too blind to see. His voice is surprisingly low when he murmurs, "You just don't get it, do you?"

"Get what?" I question in frustration. "I don't get why everything always has to be so complicated with you, Luke. I asked you a simple question. Why do you hate me so much?"

Once again, Luke merely stands wordlessly before me as if he doesn't understand English.

"You drive me crazy, Luke Bradford," I mumble out of irritation. "I just don't get you. Was that your goal? To drive me insane? If so, you win. I'm done. You have managed to drive me absolutely insane, with the mind games and the fighting and the—"

"Do you really want to know why I can't stand you, Jade?" Luke cuts me off before I can go on. "Why I don't like being around you? Why I've tried to stay away from you since we first met?"

I release a cry of exasperation. "Yes! What do you think I've been standing here asking you? How many times do I have to—"

It happens in a blur. One second, Luke stands a few feet before me, and the next he's directly in front of me. And then he's even closer, captivating me completely. I'm suddenly hyper-aware of everything. I feel his hands as they reach up and cup my face in his grasp, tilting my head toward his. Then he pulls me toward him roughly, closer and closer until our lips meet in a frenzied kiss.

It's as if something deep within me suddenly breaks loose. An aching feeling fills my chest, something close to need. My eyelids flutter closed, the rest of my body moving on auto-pilot.

My lips move rhythmically against Luke's, rough and needy and something deeper . . . a sort of burning passion I've never felt before. My hands absentmindedly move to Luke's hair, running through the silky blond strands, tugging gently.

I'm all too aware of Luke's hands as they slowly trail the outline of my figure, resting on my waist and pulling me closer. And then lower, cupping my ass and squeezing gently, causing a low moan to escape my lips. Luke uses this as an excuse to slip his tongue into my mouth, kissing me more forcefully than before.