Friday roller over, and I knew that today I'm going to the arena, but this day at night. It was usually the opposite, Friday at the day and Thursday at night. But it happens. And I can't control it.

I just left the fourth class and headed over to the cafeteria, where I would meet Alicia there.

"What are you doing tonight?" She asked abruptly before I could even say hi.

"Oh, uh..." I trailed off not knowing what excuse to come up with this time. I hate that. I always love going out with my best friend, and I take every chance I ever get to.

She looked at me pointedly awaiting my answer, or my excuse this time. "I can't." I reply wincing at the answer, "I'm busy with my brothers tonight."

"Is that so?" She asked with an edgy tone as if there was something bothering her. "Because I asked your brother what you're doing today and he said you're crashing at your house, and I heard him murmur 'I hope she gives that lie too'." Now her face was flaming and her eyes so slip I can't see any of the whites.

I think my skull changed into fish-mode because all I could do was open and close my mouth like one.

After a few breaths, Alicia calmed down a little, then asked, "what. Are. You. Doing. Tonight?" Calmly. No anger or madness which scared me, because that means she's seconds away from the edge if I didn't choose the right rope. And because I know her since kindergarten, I said, "it's about Justin." Because I knew she adored Justin.

"Remember how my father owns that stupid boxing arena?" I asked wincing on the inside at the lie and misjudgment, "he's working there, and wants me to come and watch him, but since I refused to waste my Saturday night on stupid hurtful thing, I decided to go and cheer him today at the gym." I said and noticed how her features softened, and then a smile grew on her face, that I didn't expected what's coning.

"Can I come?" She asked immediately.

"No." I said abruptly causing her to master a questioning look. "I-, I mean, you can't." I continued trying to save myself, "I can because I'm his sister, and my father gives me ability to as well, and no one but the boxers and their coaches are allowed in the gym. I'm the first." I said with a sad look. And I know it was sincere, because I oh-so-much wanted to tell her the truth, but her peaceful self won't accept who I am, and I can't change what I've become. I never grew with a female in my life except her, and some teachers and my brothers' girlfriends, but none was permanent.

"Oh," said Alicia disappointed, "it's fine Maia, I understand. But it would've been so hot to watch your Justin sweaty." She said dismissively but then dreamily.

"Uhm," I clears my throat loudly, "he's my brother, no thanks." I said with a tone of disgust, "plus, I'm going to boss him around and take advantage of it and turn him exhausted as a payback." I said rubbing my hands together with an evil smirk on my face.

"Payback for what?" Asked Alicia not knowing what I'm being stupid about.

"Oh," I said remembering the fact that she can't know, "he pulled a prank on me."

She let out a dreamy sigh, "I still wish I could come."

"I wish you did." I replied.

~•~

"Would you look at that. Red Death is here today too!" I heard a voice say behind me as I was punching a bag.

I turned around and jokingly aimed my fist at their face, to be stopped before I did by S.J..

"Easy there. I like my face." He said with a chuckle and a grin on his face.

"Well, I don't." I replied and aimed my other hand, so now both my fists were in his hands. Damn his quick reflex.

All of a sudden, I could feel my legs crumble under me because he flicked his leg to the back of my knees causing me to fall backwards, but never hit the floor because a hand caught me when all I did was close my eyes.

"You need to work on your reflex and balance now." I hear a voice near my ear say. I open my eyes to see that S.J. had caught me with one of his strong hands but kept my feet on the floor.

He started to straighten up taking me with him as well.

"I hate you." I said kidding while punching his chest lightly.

"That's gonna leave a bruise." He said as he rubbed his hand where I hit him with his arm still around my waist.

I laughed at his remark and said, "weenie." While flicking his forehead. He laughed, but his laughter was low, causing me to look at him in fear I did hurt him by mistake.

But when I looked at him, I couldn't help but get lost in his green eyes that looked eerily familiar. Even if I couldn't see most of his face, and nothing of his hair. It still loo-.

"Uuhm!" A voice of someone clearing their throat interrupted my thoughts, casing me to notice the very intimating situation we were standing in. S.J still had his hand around my waist, and apparently, while in my daze, he also got hold of my hand, too.

I looked at the interrupter, to see Jace standing outside the ring we was standing in with the punching bag long forgotten. He had a pointed look on his face that said we'll talk later. to me, but as it seems, S.J. understood nothing, because Jace asked, "hey S.J., you coming to start training?"

"Oh, yeah," S.J. finally remembered, and at last disconnected our hands.

Jace started to walk back, but when S.J. went through the ropes he looked back at me winking, causing me to reply back by sticking my tongue out, which caused him to chuckle.

The only thing I did after was return to the poor bag. I think one of the punches tore a small hole in it.

~•~

"Knock, knock." I heard from the door.

I looked over to the open one, to see Jace leaning on the door frame with his arms intertwined.

"Who's there?" I asked continuing our joke. I have no memory of why, but we've been doing it for as long as I could remember. It's like our thing.

"Doctor." He said.

"Doctor who?" I asked confused. That one's new.

"Dr. Who!" He says, confusing me a little. "Dr. Who, the show?" He tried linking.

"Oh, yeah. Lame one." I replied with a snort.

"So what is it?" I said. I know when Jace is truly happy, there's a dimple appearing, but when it's fake, it's never there. And there was no dimple.

"What is it?" He asked confused.

"You're not happy! What's wrong with the world?" I said putting my phone away to focus on him completely.

"What is it between you and S.J.?" He asked abruptly.

I let out a sigh. He's never going to drop this. "There's nothing going on." I said, "and I highly doubt there will be anything. He's jus a friend at the arena. Nothing else."

My brother nodded and said, "good, cuz' I don't want to see you hurt." With a pat on my head.

I quickly kicked his hand away saying, "not the hair, idiot. Not. The hair." With my deadliest glare.

"What about you?" I asked, "find someone special yet?" I said wiggling my eyebrows.

"Actually, yes." He said with a proud look as he sat cross-legged on my bed facing me as if indicating gossip.

I enthusiastically accepted his offer. All throughout his life, he only had one girl during highschool, but they broke up when she knew he's starting a career in boxing and not going to college like her. I remember seeing him sad for so many days that when Mason and I tried cheering him, he gave a fake smile. No dimple was a giveaway.

"Ooh, gossip! I'm all ears." I said with a grin.

A very light blush, almost wasn't existent, appeared on his cheeks as he grinned as well. "I was at the grocery store with Shawn. He was picking things up, and I was dragging the shopping trolley absently as he was talking and gushing about his new work of art, that when u reached a corner I crashed into her, and both out shopping trolleys fell and with them the groceries. And before you say it," he said holding up his hand, "I know it's cliche." Causing me to laugh. That's exactly what I was going to say.

After I was sober again from laughter, he resumed, "we started picking things up together and apologizing as well especially ignoring Shawn's scolding. The funny thing is, while we were at it, there were so many mixed thing that we didn't know which is whose, and many things similar, that were happened to be our own pick. She said her brother picked all the others but was busy signing something so it was luckily written and she had not to buy extra stuff unnecessarily. So I told her that most of ours are unnecessary but because of Shawn and-" he continued talking and gossiping about the event. And like the good sister I am, I listened to him. It felt good seeing him happy about a girl after what I heard him mumble once. After the breakup with his now ex, I remembered the first night going to his room. I was eleven then, and I didn't understand what love means. So when I entered his room and saw him staring at the sealing with water streaks on his cheeks, all I thought about doing was hug him and sleeping next to him, wanting to take away the hurt he felt at that moment. And I remember saying two things while hugging me back before I drifted off to sleep. 'I don't want to fall in love again." And "I'll make sure no one hurts you like I was."

At the memory of the latter, I thought about his attitude around the boys I knew. How he took S.J. away when we were talking in the rind, or when in the time I was twelve he didn't let any boy play with me in the park. And how I never got a boyfriend, because he was the one who scared them off all the time.

"So I asked her out for a date, and now I have no idea what to do, which is why I came to you in the first place." He finally finished out of breath. With a quick movement, he took the water bottle that always occupied my nightstand, and gulped half of it at once.

I looked at him amused for a few moments before I spoke. "A dinner is always perfect. And I suggest you do it in the ring. You don't want to his anything from her. So it better be during the weekdays. And if you want I'll ask dad for you. And help you decorate it." I said as an idea.

"I like it!" He said excitedly, what else do you have?"

"A walk on the beach after the dinner at night too. It's not that far away too." I said.

"That would be romantic." He said in a dreamy voice. My big boy has finally found love. "Any other ideas?"

"Think creative, boxer! And leave me alone now." I said with laughter in my voice.

He jumped off the bed saying, "I'll go ask dad for the arena Wednesday night."

"Okay. Good luck." I said but he was already out of the room and didn't hear me.

I went back to my phone. I was doing nothing, just playing some stupid games I downloaded for times like these, where I have absolutely nothing to do. But when I looked at it, I saw that it was late, and decided to go to sleep. I didn't realize how long it took Jace to tell his story and let out his heart. I'm just glad he trusts me enough to tell me of all siblings. Or maybe it's just because I'm the only girl.

I tucked myself under the blanket, and went to sleep after I finished the rest of the water bottle, and plugged my phone.

Before I could sleep, I heard a voice calling me, but I was almost done with, so I didn't answer. Seconds later, I heard my door open, and someone's feet walking over. Knowing that I have other five males in the house, it didn't scare me.

I felt the bed dip from the side, and my father's voice saying, "you're becoming just like your mother more and more everyday, love." as he stroked my hair away from my face. And after I was completely shut, that I didn't hear him going out.

The next morning, the first thing I did was check my phone like I always do. It was Saturday, and I apparently didn't sleep in. I didn't feel like going back to bed, so I eventually got up, and went to the bathroom to take a shower. There was one attached to my room, and two shared by my brothers and father.

I took my time scrubbing my body and enjoying the warm water. After I was done, I did my daily routine and left the room. I checked my phone for the time, and discovered that I spent an entire hour taking a bath. Damn that water was amazing.

But as soon as I saw the time, my phone buzzed in my hand, indicating a new massage. I opened it, and it was from Johnathan:

I laughed at his remark and replied.

And waited for his response. Seconds later, it came:

and then another one did

I got interested. I never met his sister. It would be nice too.

I replied

He replied.

In a quick mood, I picked up some random clothes I saw fitting for the day, fixed my still wet hair in a high pony tail, and went down the stairs.

A minute later, my phone buzzed due to a text:

I left the house in a hurry after I picked a banana and my over-the-shoulder small bag leaving a note on the fridge, knowing that the only one in the house was capable of waking up this early on Saturday was Jace.

I got in Johnathan's car and said, "good morning." with an overly cheered voice.

"Good morning to you too." He said looking at me weirdly.

"Get over it. I get zealous at the mere thought of festivals, and it's still the morning!" I said enthusiastically.

"Yeah." He said dumbfounded looking at me with the corner of his eye.

"You'll see there." I said shutting him up as he started the car.

"Are we meeting them at your house, or there?" I asked after a while whilst messing with the radio until I found a channel I liked.

"We'll meet them there." He said as he took a turn.

Throughout the ride, we kept singing to whatever songs that came, and Johnathan did some horrible vocals during it causing me to cry a river laughing.

Soon enough, the road filled with more cars, and I knew we got closer, until we took a turn most of the cars were already taking, and the riders started showing. The Ferris wheel was seen from afar, as well as the roller coaster that was at the farthest from our sight.

"No tea cups thingy. Don't think about riding it today." I heard Johnathan saying from my side, causing me to crying at the thought of my least favorite ride. It makes me want to puke, but I never do, which in my opinion is much worse.

"You don't have to tell me in the first place." I said looking at him as he luckily found a place to park.

We got out of the car, and after lots of protest, he paid for my ticked. I still didn't like that. He sent a massage to his sister, and asked her where to find her and her 'new boyfriend' even if he hasn't asked her out yet.

We headed to the cotton-candy cart, where I saw a couple standing next to it, the boy looked eerily familiar, and was laughing with his girl and feeding her cotton-candy, and at times aiming to give her but ends eating himself.

Since Johnathan told me that his sister was standing next to the cotton-candy cart, I looked around and saw many girls around it that I didn't notice when we reached it.

"Would you two please stop flirting, there are kids here. PDA please sis!" Johnathan said as we approached the same couple I saw earlier, but stood behind the male's back.

As he turned around and gave a perfect view of his face, only one word came out, "Jace?"

~•~•~

Not like you didn't see it coming.

I hope you liked this chapter. But because my lucky number is four (for so many complicated reasons) I'll make sure chapter 4 is the best yet.

I hope you liked it.

~R!