I don't like school. Never have, probably never will. The only reason I tried was for my mom. My mom said "it doesn't matter what goes on in High School, because when you are older and rich, those ass holes can kiss the floor you walk on."

I live by that saying. I actually want to get a good education, but that doesn't mean I enjoy it. If you think about school, the whole idea of it is actually amazing, but it is human nature to destroy anything with potential.

I was walking out of the bathroom stall to see Heather, Tracy, and Jackie. They are putting on make up, fluffing their hair, or "fixing" their clothes. Jackie is the first to notice me.

"If it isn't Ava, the one who stole Zach from me." Jackie says while putiting down her eye lash curler and twirling around to face me head on.

"And you are in the way of the sink." I say while pointing at the sink.

"I thought I warned you about Jake." Heather says while glaring at me.

"And I thought I told you it was his decision, not mine, nor yours. When are you ever going to let him go?" I ask with a raised eyebrow.

"When you decide to let him go." Heather responds. "Eventually he is going to get tired of you."

"You already said that, but I agree with you. So why not just wait until he does, that way you get Jake and I don't." I suggest while walking to an available sink. I don't show it but the idea of Jake leaving doesn't settle with me. Especially now, since I told him about my parents

"Ok fine. For now I leave you alone, although I can't promise Jackie though she still pretty pissed as well." Heather says before turning her head to display a sneering Jackie.

"Like I said before you just need to wait. Let the dogs out for a while."

***

I walk into the cafeteria ready for some food. When I am pulled into a chair to see Becca, Jake, Alex, Zach, and Shaun. They are all looking at me like I am sort of prey.

"Why are you guys looking at me like that." I ask. Alex looks smug, Zach looks a little defeated, Shaun looks high, and Becca is... Becca. While Jake kind of looks confused.

What the hell happened while I was gone?

"Do I want to know?" I ask while standing up.

"Eventually yes, for now no ,where you going?" Becca asks.

"To grab some food." I say but before I can turn around Jake stands up.

"I'll come with. I didn't grab mine either." He explains.

"I will come too." I turn around to face Zach.

"But you hate cafeteria food. You said you would never eat it unless you were paid, or to save someone's life." Jake says while folding his arms over his chest.

"It is fine, Zach I can go by myself I am a big girl." I say while beginning to walk away looking at Jake and Zach curiously.

I am barely about to pay when I realize I don't have my money. I look behind me to see a medium sized line, but the impatient type of people who are ready to get their food now. I walk up to the cash register, ready to tell the old lady about my situation.

I slide my tray when she says "2.50", I open my mouth to explain, "Here's the thing-".

"2 dollars, and 50 cents please." She puts out her palm awaiting the money.

"I know that, but have the money I was" I begin but get interrupted again.

"If you don't have the money, you will have to give me your food and starve." This, now mean, old lady says more like spits at me. The line realizes that they might not be getting there food anytime soon, and start getting vocal.

"Yo, girl, you hot an all but get out of the dang line!" The rest of the line murmurs with agreement.

I turn back ready to get put of the line when a hand comes out and hands the mean old lady a 5 dollar bill.

I get out of line and the mean people cheer with joy. I turn around and flip them off. I turn around to see Jake and his food tray balanced on one hand. He is walking back to the table.

What in the world

I speed walk back to the table, ready to talk to Jake. I arrive at the table to see Jake sitting there as if nothing happened. I sit down at my usual place and look at him weirdly.

"Ava, I know I am hot and all, but you don't need to stare like that." Jake says while looking at me with his infamous smirk. I Ignore his comment and ask him, "Why did you pay for my lunch, you already paid for my breakfast."

"Because I woke you up so early." Jake explains.

"Now I have to pay you back." I say, it is only fair.

"Well I know plenty ways that you can pay me back." He says in a suggestive tone.

"Those costs more than 3 dollars." I say while leaning foward.

"Wait what does?" Zach asks while suddenly getting interested in our conversation.

"Nothing!" I say quickly, but Jake has other thoughts in his mind when he says, "A lap dance."

I turn my head to glare at him, "Nothing. How about I pay for White Castle on the way to your place?"

"Deal." Jake agrees while shaking his head up and down in very entertaining way. I just shake my head while chuckling at his childishness.

"Wait, hold up," I turn my attention towards Alex, "What is going on after school? Is there something we should know?"

"Yeah, best friend since forever, is there something you are keeping from me?" Becca says while leaning foward.

"Guys there is something you should know," Jake says while grabbing my hands and cupping them with his, "Ava here is... she is my personal stripper."

"What!?" Yells everyone, but Shaun says, "I knew it!"

I rip back my hands, glare at him, before questioning Shaun. "What in the world, how are you my best friend?"

"Agh ugh uuggghhhh ummmm." Becca says (?), I guess that is one to describe it.

I just roll my eyes and correct myself. "How are you one of my best friends?"

I look over at Becca to see a satisfied smile, and roll my eyes.

"Because I am fabulous as fúck that is why. Girl you are hot. And two guys at this table have already noticed that. I am pretty sure all three of them have noticed you hot." Shaun says, "And you won't stop hanging out with Jake, I mean you told him about your parents! I had to find out on the news. So you trust him, plus he hot too."

I stare in shock at my best friend. "I am not his personal stripper, jesus christ." I am however a stripper.

"I am going to house to -"

"Bump uglies, frickle frackle, be rabbits, intercourse, have his scrotum enter your va-va, bake cookies, have your cookie get baked, listen to music, or the commonly used, to have sėx..." Alex fills in.

"To hang out, and junk out on food." I answer correctly.

"Wait, so no bumping uglies?" Alex says with a slight pout.

"Sadly no, but ask again in one month and you may get a video." Jake offers while putting his hand on Alex's shoulder. Alex visually brightens from the idea.

"Yeah, of an old man jerking off." I supply shutting thay idea down real quick.

"And that ladies and gentlemen is how to get rid of a hard on. Great idea Ava!" Alex says, he looks happy yet disturbed.

"Anyways, you are going to let Ava come to your house?" Zach says getting back to the topic at hand.

"Yeah, she deserves to know. And I trust her, she hasn't given me any reason not to." Jake says looking at me straight in the eyes.

After speaking his lips form a genuine smile. His smile does this weird thing. My heart starts talking like "Mother God, that is one hell of a smile!"

It is contagious and I smile back, which causes his smile to widen, which makes me blush.

"HOLY CRAP YOU ARE BLUSHING! YOU NEVER BLUSH!" Becca sceams a little too loud getting the attention from about the entire school. Shaun smacks his hand over her mouth before she can say anymore things.

"Well get on with your lives!" Alex orders while flipping every one off.

"So Ava this never blushing thing." Jake says while leaning foward.

***

Well shıt, they found out

Apparently every single person, besides Ava knows about my mixed feelings about Ava.

Alex was smug that he found out first. Shaun was protective of Ava, not going to lie if he wasn't gay I wouldn't like him. Becca was happy that she now had, well a guy. Zach, I am pretty sure he likes her. No- no not good. He is my best friend and all but I want her. No, I don't want her, I need her.

Well now I sound like a chick. But god this girl, she isn't afraid to be herself to people. She isn't some girl that wears way too much make up for a guys attention.

Ava, I.. I .. I don't know how I feel aboug her. I just know I can't be just her friend, and the thought of a guy touching her like a- stripper.

SHE. IS. A. STRIPPER.

Did I finally just realize this? Is this- REALLY!? The one girl, I actually want to he with is a stripper.

Well I am just going to put a pin on this til later...

***

I am walking to Ava's last period, when I am stopped by Zach. He looks kind of pained. I feel an argument a rising.

"Hey man, what's wrong?" I ask

"Do you like Ava? Straight out yes or no." Zach bluntly asks.

"I don't know," I admit, "I do know however that I can't be just her friend, and the idea of her being with someone else, I don't like it at all."

"Well figure it out. Because I wamt to be with her as well," I look sharply at him, "But," Zach says while smiling sadly, "I have never seen you act like this about a girl, not since Sara. You have only known Ava about 2-3 weeks now and you are already telling her about your parents, it took you 2-3 months to tell Sara, Ava she is changing you, for the better."

"Ava, she is different from every girl, I just need to be with her." I explain while looking over his shoulder to see Ava talking to Becca. She is laughing at something she said. A strand of her hair falls out, it makes me want to pick it up and fix it. Zach turns around to see what I am looking at. He turns back, "Go get her."

I stay there for a moment and just admire her in all her beauty. The way she laughs, makes me smile. As if realizing someone is watching her she turns and notices me. She says good bye to Becca and comes toward me.

"Well howdy stalker." Ava greets, I just surprise her a hug. I wrap my arms around her neck, and rest my chin on her head. Her body is tense for a minute, before she returns the hug. She wraps her arms around my waist, and puts her cheek against my chest. We stand like that just enjoying each others company.

I pull back, a little and so does Ava. "What was that for?" Ava asks with a raised eyebrow. I cup her face with my hands and use my right thumb to lower her eyebrow. I kiss her forhead, and linger for a moment and reply, "No reason."

***

We are in my car enjoying the aroma of the burgers and french fries. I am pulling up the hill, when Ava starts to get curious. Since we live in New York this is probably the only hill here, and even then it is quite the drive.

"Uhh Jake are you trying to kill me?" Ava asks in a whisper of a voice.

Well might as well have a little fun, "Yes."

"Woah dude! I thought we had some kind of connection. You know everything! Don't do this to me! I have a life! I know I have teased you and all but-" Ava starts to ramble.

"Jesus Christ woman! Shut up! I am not going to kill you." I chuckle while shifting gears. "My house is up here."

"Woah really!?" Ava asks with some excitement.

"No I am going to push you off the cliff." I say with a straight face.

"WOAH DUDE NOT COOL!" Ava shouts, while barely putting on her seatbelt.

I laugh at her, while pulling on to my driveway. I put the cark into park, get out, and open Ava's door to help her out.

"Woah." Is what I expected her to say, but no she said, "How do you get wifi?"

"Out of all the things you could have asked you asked that." I say, but it comes out more of a question.

"What's wrong with my question?" Ava pouts.

SHE IS POUTING. Oh god I am screwed.

"Nothing is wrong with it, but it isn't something any girl would normally say." I answer.

"You should know by now that I am just not 'any girl' and far past the definition of 'normal'." Ava explains while getting her stuff, and our food.

"Very true, well welcome to my house." I greet while spreading my arms out.

"Yours?" Ava asks.

"Yeah I'll explain when we are done eating." I say.

***

We eat in my room, and afterwards I show her around.

"And this is the roof." We are now on the roof, with the sun setting, and a light breeze gently hitting us.

"Wow this is quite the view." Ava says while leaning against the rail, and leaning foward. I join her and stare out to the city.

"Eh you get used to it after a while." I say with a shrug and a smirk.

"Well for us mundane, this is an amazing view." Ava says, while having on this care free smile that rarely shows up on her perfect face.

"So Jake, what's your story?" Ava asks with a smirk.

"Why do I have a feeling that's from a book?" I ask while shaking my head, chuckling.

"Don't ruin the moment." She shushes me. I laugh a little before I tell my story.

"Business, that was, is all the matters to my parents. They met when they went to some big fancy Uni. They never wanted children, they told me and my brother," I take a deep breath before I continue, "My brother James, he was amazing he was older than me by a year. He was expected to inherent the family company, but he wanted to do something else. He wanted to travel the world with his boyfriend."

"Boyfriend?" Ava asks curiously.

"Yeah James and Dylan. James was gay. They were serious, I am sure they were going to get married." I sigh.

"He only ever told me, what he was. But one day my dad found out. He was mortified. He kicked James out when he was 16. He moved in with Dylan, we didn't think much of it. I was pissed at my parents, I never talked to them. It was pretty easy considering they were never home. But then Dylan got in a car accident, it was bad. He was in a coma for a month before they took him off life support. Then he died, it hit James so hard. His heart broke.

"As if that wasn't worse, someone at school found out what James was and bullied him. Not just the usual pushing, they would push him in front of moving traffic. Until one day it was just too much." I see my vision get blurry, I feel tiny arms wrap their way around my waist, and a head in the center of my chest. I let out a tiny sob before I take a deep breath and continue.

"He hung himself. In his old room, and I- I," I break down, I put my head on her shoulder and cry. She rubs circles on my waist. "I was the one who found him."

"I should have known. All the signs were there, I could ha-" I am interuppted by Ava.

"Don't, you know there was nothing you could have done. James did it because he wasn't happy here. James is probably up there looking down at you with the love of his life. Be happy for him that he is finally happy." Ava says right next to my ear.

"You're right," I stand straight up, and wipe my tears, "Thanks, I haven't really told that many people about my brother."

"Don't worry about it. You were there for me," Ava says while pushing back my hair, "Looks like we're both pretty fucked up."

I can't help but chuckle. "But right now standing here with you, my life doesn't seem so fucked up." I admit, and look at her.

She is staring out into the sunset, with the edge of her lips curled up. And in that moment I have never seen a girl, just as beautiful as her. And in that moment I know I don't like her. I can't like her. Because I am in love with her.

Well shit