^^Pierce's house

Blowing a breath of relief, I got up from my seat with the exam sheets in my hands and walked to Mrs. Peterson, the librarian of our school, who was invigilating me for my last paper.

"I'm done," I extended my answer sheet to her.

She glanced up from her the book she was engrossed in towards me than the clock. "You still have an hour."

"I'm done."

"Want to recheck?"

"Already did." I beamed.

"Alright." She chuckled and took it from me. "Let me review it for you."

"Sure." I watched her skim through the papers.

"Impressive." She placed the sheet aside and plopped her arms on her desk. "You're good to go."

"Thank you." I grabbed my back from the desk.

"How is Mr. Pierce?" She asked with a teasing smile on her face.

Mrs. Peterson saw me studying in the library with Andrew for my makeup exams. At first, it surprised her to see me with a human being other than Chloe, and was even more stunned when Andrew declared to her we were dating.

"He's... Healthy." I answered lamely.

"Healthy?" She laughed. "No wonder he fell for your sweetness."

"Um..." I coughed and adjusted my glasses.

"You two look cute together." She gushed, making me flush. "I can see you two going a long way."

"Hopefully..." I whispered. "I'll leave now."

"Sure." She giggled.

"See you around, Mrs. Peterson," I said, placing my bag strap over my shoulder.

"You know where to find me." She smiled, and I returned it, walking out of the classroom into the hallway.

As always, Andrew was standing outside, playing on his phone to pass the time. Sensing my presence, he glanced up from his phone, and his lips curled into a swooning smile.

"You're early."

"It was easy." I shrugged, and he chuckled.

"What are you expecting?" He asked, putting his phone in his pocket.

"A," I answered, and he smirked, stepping in front of me.

"Oh, you'll get an A." He put his hands on my waist and leaned to my ear. "A for Andrew." He whispered, sending goosebumps down my spine.

My eyes widened when I got what he was saying, and I smacked his arm.

"Pervert," I mumbled as heat crawled up my neck.

"Ouch!" He winced, letting go of me, and I strode away. "You seriously need to learn how to flirt."

"I do not." I grimaced and stopped at my locker.

"Yeah, you do." He gave me an arrogant smile and leaned closer to my face. "It'll be my honor to give you lessons."

"God, Andrew," I grunted and stuff my books in my locker while he burst out laughing. "You're an idiot."

"Have I ever told you how cute you look when you blush?"

"A hundred times," I mumbled as my inside warmth and I closed my locker.

"Still not enough." He beamed and interlaced our fingers as we ambled through the empty corridor. I observed the upcoming prom posters on the walls.

Prom was a month away, and that made me realize the Clichés were about to graduate. It felt like it was yesterday when the new year began and now we were halfway through our term.

"What are your plans for the weekend since now you're free?" Andrew asked, cutting my thoughts.

"Nothing." We descend the stairs and strolled to the parking lot.

Only Andrew's car was parked there because the school was over a long time ago. I glanced up at the sky and saw the grey clouds forming. The rainy season in West Hills has lessened since it was the beginning of April, but still, there were clouds in the sky ready to pour whenever they wanted.

"There's something I want to ask you..." Andrew trailed off when we stopped near his car and cleared his throat. "I told my mom about..." He darted his hand between us.

"Ok..." I tightened the grip on the bag strap and watched as his ears turned red.

"And she wants to meet you again." He blurted, making my eyes broaden. "I-I told her you were busy with your makeup exams and all." He quickly added. "But she insisted and asked to invite you to have dinner with us whenever you're free."

"Oh..." I trailed off, a little surprised.

"That's not exactly the answer." He scratched his head nervously.

"Do you want me to come?" I asked him instead.

"Of course, I want to!" He rushed. "I mean I'm not forcing you-"

"I'd love to come," I answered, making him halt.

"You do?" He grinned.

"I'd love to meet her again, but I'm not sure about Abigail-"

"Don't worry about her." He waved his hand. "She's over Nate a long time ago."

"Good for her." I smiled, which he returned.

"I'll pick you up at six." He said, making me freeze.

"Wait... Tonight?" I asked, bewildered.

"Yup." He chuckled lightly. "Mom, can't wait to meet you."

~•~ • ~•~ • ~•~

"You look so pretty!" Chloe gushed when I walked into my room.

Blushing, I ducked my head and observed my white three-layered flower lace dress. It had full sleeves and a round neck and the length reached my knees. The dress was semi-formal for a dinner.

"I knew this dress was made for you the moment I saw it." Chloe sighed, admiring the dress.

"Thank you for helping me out."

When Andrew drop me off, I told my mom about having dinner with Andrew's parents. She was ecstatic would be an understatement. She told me I needed to go shopping and buy a dress. We were ready to leave our house, but mom got a call from her hospital. It was an emergency, and she had to leave.

She began apologizing, and I stopped her, saying it wasn't a big deal, then called Chloe my savior.

"Therefore, I'm here." She winked and patted my bed. "Now sit. I'll do your make-up." I did as she told me and closed my eyes.

"I'm so delighted for you and Andrew." She began puffing powder on my face. "First, I doubted his intention because of his... You know the reputation."

"So was I." I giggled.

"But I'm glad he isn't like that with you." She smiled when she was done.

"And I'm glad that things got better with you and Louis."

It shocked yesterday everyone when they got to know Louis's condition and it scared me thinking about what might happen, but I was so happy to see the Clichés laughing together as if nothing happened. Louis's fear of getting treated differently vanished.

Chloe was really upset and angry about it but when we left them alone, they had a heart-to-heart talk.

"I was super duper mad at Louis. Like how could he hide such a thing from me?" She sighed and opened the mascara lid. "It's something I should have known from the start."

"Hmm..." I bit my lip, feeling guilty for not telling her.

"When he told me his reasons, I understood him. Now I planning to help him get through this so we can live happily ever after." She gave me a cheeky grin.

"I'm sure you will." I gave her a tight smile.

"Now shush, and let me do my magic."

She put some mascara on my lashes and then blush on my cheeks. She picked a baby pink lipstick, and I applied it to my lips. I let my waist-length hair open and parted them from the middle.

"These match perfectly with your outfit!" Chloe gave me her black laced heels, and I wore them. "You look gorgeous!" She wiggled her brows. "I'm sure Andrew will fall on his knees when he'll see you."

I blushed at that and my body went stiff when I heard a honk.

"He's here," I mumbled quickly, getting my glasses and wearing them.

"Let's go!" Chloe squealed in excitement.

I heard my heart drumming in my ears as I descend the stairs and saw Andrew shaking my dad's hand. The smile on his face was all it took to make my knees go weak. He was wearing a black jacket over a white shirt with the same shoes and grey pants.

The sound of heels clicking brought their attention to me. Andrew's eyes wandered over me from top to bottom, making me gulp, and stopped at the last step. His eyes locked with mine and we stared at each other for I don't know how long, but whatever was going on broke when I heard a camera click.

I snapped my head from where the voice came from and saw Chloe sheepishly smiling with her phone in her hands.

"Your mom told me to take a picture of you two."

"Have fun and say hello to your parents from us," Dad said to Andrew with a smile and Chloe folded her arms.

"That's it?" Her face scrunched.

"Am I supposed to say something else?" Dad scratched his head in confusion.

"Yeah," Chloe said in a duh tone. "You are supposed to threaten the guy who is taking your daughter out and warned him to bring her back before ten and also if he even thought of touching her, you'll cut his hands and feed them to the lions in the public zoo."

With our jaws dropped, we gaped at her.

"What?" Chloe shrugged. "That's what my dad said to Louis."

"I think we should get going," Andrew whispered.

"Definitely," I agreed and scurried out with him.

"Bye!" Chloe waved furiously. "And bring her back before midnight!" I chuckled, shaking my head

Andrew rolled his eyes at her and opened the passenger door for me. I thanked him, sitting inside. He softly closed the door and ran towards the driver's seat. Igniting the engine, he drove from my driveway towards his house.

"Hi." He said, getting on the road, making me laugh.

"Hi."

"How are you?"

"I'm good. How about you, sir?"

"I'm perfectly fine." He turned his head towards me and winked. "Are you ready for your lessons?"

"Andrew..." I groaned, ducking my head and hiding my red face behind the curtains of my hair while he burst out laughing. "Stop teasing me."

"No." I narrowed my eyes at him and he gave me a cheeky grin. "I love to see your cute reactions."

"One day, the table will turn." I warmed him and that make him chuckle.

"Oh, I'm waiting for that day." He grinned and extended his right hand. "By the way..." He clasped my hand in his big, warm hands. "You look stunning."

"You too." I stuttered, that internally slapped myself.

"I look stunning?" He raised his brows, looking ahead with an amused grin on his face.

"What I mean is that you look... Smart." I responded.

"Smart? I'll live with that." He chuckled, turning towards his street and parked his car in the driveway of his enormous house.

The exterior of the house was breath taken. Cream-painted walls and brown roofs with balconies gave the house a little Italian look. It wasn't as big as Ben's, but it was four times the size of mine. When the first time I was here, I paid little attention to his house because I was a little hangover and was busy planning my escape without getting caught. Which was a total fail.

"Ready?" He asked, opening the door on my side.

"Y-yes." My voice cracked a little, and I stepped out of his car.

My heart furiously pounded in my chest as I strode with Andrew towards the front gate. He opened the door and gestured for me to go ahead. The last time I was here was awkward. I'm not sure if I gave the right impression to Andrew's parents. I can't even imagine what they might think of the girl who was caught fleeing from their house first thing in the morning after spending the night in their son's room.

"Don't worry," Andrew said as if sensing my anxiety and gave an assuring smile. "It's going to be fine."

Nodding my head, I took a deep breath and interlaced my shaking hands. Andrew placed his hand on my back lightly and I stepped inside.

Here goes nothing.

~•~ • ~•~ • ~•~

"Woof!" was the first thing we heard when we stepped inside my house.

"AJ!" I chuckled when he came running toward me.

That's what I thought.

Instead, he passed me and leaped at Lillian.

"H-Hi AJ!" Lillian giggled as he tried to lick her. "It's good to see you too!"

"He likes you more than me." I huffed, crossing my arms.

"Jealous?" Lillian teased and moved her head left and right to avoid AJ's tongue. She looked so tiny in front of him. If I didn't know better, it would have looked like he was attacking her.

"Alright, buddy, you can lick her later," I said, taking him off and Lillian froze, making me smirk. "Someone's got a dirty mind."

"What-No. I was-ugh." She groaned as her pale cheeks turned rosy and I couldn't help but chuckle.

"Andrew?" My mom's voice came before she came out of the living and grinned when she saw us. "Lillian!"

"Good evening Mrs. Pierce." Lillian extended her hand in front.

"Come here." Mom yanked her into a crushing hug. "It's so good to meet you again!"

"You too." She mumbled as my mom let her go.

"You look adorable!" Mom observed her dress.

"Thank you," Lillian mumbled, adjusting her glasses.

"Wow..." I raised my brows. "Even I never got that much love."

"Because you're a bad boy." Mom huffed and grabbed Lillian's hand. "Why are you still standing here? Come inside." She narrowed her eyes at me. "Where are the manners I taught you? Don't keep the guests waiting at the door."

Without waiting for my reply, she dragged Lillian inside, who was hiding her giggles while I watched them with my jaw drop.

"Woof!" AJ barked beside me.

"I know right." I turned towards AJ, who was sitting beside me. "Women."

Shaking my head, I went inside the living room and leaned my left shoulder toward the doorframe. Mom introduced Lillian to Dad and Abigail and there wasn't any need since they knew her.

Abigail, to my surprise, was nice to her. She shook her hand with a smile on my face and I watched her carefully to see if she was planning something in her mischievous tiny brain, but she did nothing.

"I'll go set the table," Mom announced and gestured for Lillian to sit. "You have a seat, dear. It'll take only a couple of minutes."

"I'll help you." Lillian offered.

"There is no need for that-"

"Please, I insist."

Mom watched her for a second, then beamed. "Alright then, come on."

They walked to the kitchen next to the living room while I took a seat on the couch beside Abigail.

"She looks pretty," Abigail murmured without looking up from her drawing.

"She is." I beamed.

"And sweet too." I hummed. "But she's stupid."

"Excuse me?" I raised my brows at her.

"She's stupid because she's dating you." She smirked, peeking at me. My dad almost laughed but covered it with a cough.

I squinted my eyes at him, then darted it back to Abigail. "And why is that?"

"She could be with someone more... Sensible than you."

"I'll show you sensible." I launched tickling, making her squirm.

"A-Andrew! S-stop!" She burst out giggling.

"Not until you say whose the best." I grinned and continued.

"D-daddy!" she asked for help.

"Stop, Andrew," Dad mumbled, typing something on his computer. "You'll make her pee."

"Woof!" AJ came and barked, jumping as he watched us.

"Say it and I'll stop."

"F-fine." I halted, and she took deep breaths to call her down. "Austin is the best brother!" She screamed and before I could start again, she hopped and sprinted.

"I'll get you!" I ran after her as she kept giggling and entered the kitchen.

"Mom! Help me!" She screamed, hiding behind her.

"Careful." She held the dish in her hands up. I ignored her and moved behind her, but Abigail saw me and ran to Lillian.

"Lillian, stop him!"

"Andrew." Lillian sternly said, making me pause.

"What?" I looked at her, oblivious.

"Will you kid stop it?" We turned to mom. She had her hands on her hips with narrowed eyes, and I almost chuckled.

It's always funny to see her in that apron.

"She started it!"

"He started it!" We both said simultaneously and glared at each other.

"Now it's ending. Abigail, go get your father. Dinner is ready." Mom said.

Abigail stuck her tongue at me and ran to get dad. I rolled my eyes at her and saw Lillian looking at me in amusement.

"After you, my lady." I bowed and motioned to the dining table.

She giggled and followed me. I took a seat out and helped her settle, then sat to her right. Mom sat opposite me with Abigail to her right and dad on the head of the table on her left.

"Let's pray to God and thanked him for the food." Mom said.

I closed my eyes with everyone else, then peeked through my left eye to see Lillian with her eyes closed. Taking it as my chance, I observed her beautiful face.

Her brown hair was falling over her face, and she tucked them slowly behind her ear. My eyes went from her long lashes to her cute button nose, then her cheeks, and stopped at her pink lips.

I felt eyes on me and I glanced ahead to see Abigail watching me with a smug smile on her face.

'Pervert.' She mouthed.

'Pray for your life.'

'Moron.'

'Sister.' I smirked, and she glared at me.

"Amen." Mom said, getting us out of our staring contest. "Let's began."

I looked at the dining table, and it was filled with various dishes. Lillian stared at everything in confusion about what to pick first. Smiling, I picked the pasta and served her.

"Thank you." She whispered, and I winked at her.

After a few minutes of peacefully eating. Mom asked Lillian how high school was going. Lillian told her about her makeup exams and how I help her with them at which my family was shocked. The chat got from one topic to another until it stopped with our siblings.

"My brother Luke is majoring in drama," Lillian answered, taking a sip of her drink.

"Really?" Dad asked, surprised.

"Yes." Lillian proudly beamed. "He loves acting and wants to become a Hollywood star one day."

"Interesting," Dad mumbled, making me snort. "Why didn't he choose something more... Realistic like you?"

I knew where this was going. Yesterday, dad and I fought over it, and here it was again.

"In the real world, not everyone wants to be a lawyer, doctor, or engineer," I said, stuffing my mouth with creamy cheesecake.

"In real-world, these are the professions that are secure." Dad retorted.

"There is this thing called risk."

"Risk won't feed your stomach."

"Have you ever heard higher the risk higher the return?"

"If you take a risk that is bound to be your downfall, it is a foolish move."

"Oh, of course, only bad could happen to those who dream."

"I'm trying to help you see what's good for you."