Harmony High - Sequel

Nike, you have no clue how much agree. Lately I've been so tired of the run-out drama in this storybook, but I still am attached to it after so long. I think we should return to our roots, and built more plot line than 'he's dating her now, and that causes this drama to happen...'

Ace

I think the whole world has gone to hell.

Maybe the world already was hell, and I had this weird inability to see it. That's always a possibility, as I am often seen as a girl too busy making her world to take a glimpse at the 'real one'. Who needs the real one, anyway, when all falsities can be equally as harsh as anything real?

Lacey is leaning against the back of my wall, purple as that streak in my hair my Mother never wanted me to get. I suppose, looking at her stomach that I knew was truly empty, she would know.

I lean next to her, feeling the warmth from her dark skin. I've always liked the shade of her skin, liked how it was colored and mixed, rather than the blankness of my own color.

"Damn it! Ace, I could use some help here!"

After the encounter with Jane's house, I knew Lacey would need video games and mint chocolate chip ice cream to help get her through. Her encounter with Jane was far less violent than what I probably would have come to; Lacey said to that Jane, to quote, "You're a whore, and I can't believe I ever liked you and believed in your worth. My brother thought you were going to get back together; he really likes you, but you obviously don't give a damn. Oh my god, my brother is so going to hear about this." I had immediately signaled my approval that she Draco Malfoyed it, but she didn't even seem to care.

I talked the Animal Care people into telling me how the dog ended up, and drove Lacey to my house for some well-needed down time.

I return the blue toad to the game, jumping on enough heads that Lacey could slide through and collect the star. We keep going at that pace for awhile, Lacey pausing the game every once in awhile to text Emmett. I lean over to see a few of the texts, and Lacey doesn't seem to care.

You shouldn't bother yourself with Jane anymore. She's really messed up.

Yeah, you've mentioned. Are you and Oliver still together?

No. Ace and I are single ladies.

I know, I'll probably just study more. I'm working on getting over it.

Lacey and I finish the level, and I go to scoop us some mint chocolate chip ice cream, pouring sprinkles onto Lacey's. When I get back, she is on the phone.

"Hello?"

I wonder if she can hear whoevers on the other end over the music, but by the time I've gone to turn it down, she's already done.

Lacey makes a face. "Oliver. The jerk calls me and then hangs up." I hand her the bowl of ice cream. "Emmett hasn't texted me back in awhile. I'm a bit worried."

"What's the big deal?" I wave my hand. "It's been twenty minutes. Didn't you say he was going to Taylor's? he probably didn't just want to text and drive."

Lacey is quiet. "He already was," she says.

Though she's been avoiding me, I still know that bad gut feeling when it passes her face, but it makes me uncomfortable enough to avoid it.

"I'm sure everything's fine."

"Yeah, okay." She unpauses the game.

She gets a call one hour later.

"Hi?" The person on the other end says something, and her face pales to the same color of mine. "Oh god. Oh god, oh god..." They say something else. "I'll get Ace to drive me. Love you. Be there soon as possible."

She hangs up, looking at me. That's all that needs saying, and get it the car and drive her to the hospital.

-----------------

Emmett was in a car crash. They would not let me in the room, but Lacey was ushered inside to bawl her eyes out with her parents. I feel uneasy, simply lingering in the hallway, the smell of death clinging to my jacket. I like Emmett, despite not knowing him very well, and knowing that he's in critical condition leaves a sour taste n my mouth.

I am surprised to see that British kid, looking sour as I feel.

"Oliver, right? What brings you here?"

"I found him. Emmett."

"Oh." I tuck my hands into my pockets, trying not to look at him. "I should thank you, for Lacey."

His feet shuffle around at the mention of her name, and I can feel the heartache coming off him, like waves of poison. "Yeah. They tell me it was lucky. They didn't know how much longer he could've lasted."

"Lucky."

"Yeah."

And we two, with nothing to say to each other, lean against the wall to hold it in.

Oliver Hemingway

I was scared.

Just coming into the building made me nervous. I had Emmett in my arms and everyone stared. The nurses dropped the phones they were on and rushed to me, asking me complicated questions. The next thing I knew, Emmett was rushed from me and I was left standing, just standing.

"How long is this going to take?" I huffed out after a few minutes.

Ace looked at me, I felt her look. I looked back and then stared at the floor again. Clearing my throat, I stood silent again.

"You can leave, you know..." she replied.

"I can't leave, Ace." I paused. "I brought him here, I have some sort of responsibility."

"You like to talk with your hands, don't you?" she smiled.

I just then realized, I was waving my hands around as I spoke.

"Force of habit," I smiled back.

Then suddenly, a thought popped into my head. Jane. She had to know. This was Emmett, her Emmett. He is her boy... never mind. He is not her boyfriend. She now has Will. But, she had to still care for him.

"Ace!" Lacey said, breathless.

I looked up and saw her face. Her cheeks were blotched red as tears were still streaming down her face. It's like I wasn't even there. She pulled Ace into a big hug and just stood there, in her arms. Maybe this meant Emmett was okay. Once they pulled away from each other, Lacey looked at the floor and shook her head, Ace just waited for her to say something.

"He's okay," Lacey finally said.

This was the most awkward moment for me. I mean, Lacey didn't even notice me and they were having a private moment, as best friends. I looked over at them for a second and smiled. Just seeing Lacey made something in me all gooey.

"Thank God." Ace breathed out.

Then, as if she felt that I was there, Lacey turned and faced me. Of course she was taken aback. She stared for a moment as I stared back. Clearing my throat, I got ready to explain myself.

"I brought Emmett here," I said.

"You..." she pointed at me. "You helped him? How? You found him in the car?"

"Yeah, I happened to be driving out of Ave's party and I found the car."

She blinked a few times then took a deep breath, as if taking all of this in. What, was it impossible that I had a heart? Or was it weird that I was the one who actually found him in his car?

Since she didn't say anything, I decided to finish this interaction.

"You know what? I just wanted to know that he was okay and since is, I'll be going." I smiled, walking off.

***

Once I got home, I took a shower and fell right asleep, suddenly extremely exhausted. And when I wake up the next morning, all I see is Jane sitting on top of me. Her eyes were filled with disbelief and I already knew what was going on. She was already huffing through her nose.

I swallowed hard, feeling her hands hold down my arms. It didn't feel uncomfortable at all, actually, even though if you were me, you would. This position is not the friendly type. But since I knew her so well, it did not bother me.

"Jane, you never told me you were interested?" I joked, pulling on a smirk.

She blew in my face, causing my to shut my eyes. Her breath smelt of mint, meaning that she herself had just woken up or just got home. Opening my eyes, I saw the tears building behind her eyes, her eyes were shiny. I stared back at her and let her take her time to finally speak. And after a few moments, she finally did.

"You didn't tell me Emmett was in the hospital..." Her voice was quiet and weak.

Her grip loosed on my arms, so I decided to grab hers and pull her down so she could lay on top of me. I pulled her, and she wrapped her arms around my neck, getting comfortable. I wrapped my arms around her back and shut my eyes, feeling her tears slide down my chest. I felt her breathing start to get rapid, so I started to run my hand through her hair, calming her down. She gripped me harder and sobbed, even reaching to the point where she screamed. She started to scream.

"Why," was all she said for a full hour.

Once she managed to calm down, she became silent. And I still held onto her, feeling as if this was what I was supposed to do.

"You know it wouldn't matter that I sobbed for him, right? They wouldn't accept me again. I can't ever be with him again. I miss him so freaking much... and then he gets into this acc-i-dent..." she catches her breath.

I shushed her as I opened my eyes, staring up at the ceiling.

"Are you just saying that because he got into an accident?" I asked.

"Of course not!" was her yell.

But that's not true. She may still love him, but she didn't want to be with him. It was obvious. And since he got into a crash, it makes her feel reliable, responsible for this. So, she wants to be with him. I guess just to make sure he wouldn't die on her or something like that. It would be the same situation if he got a new girlfriend. She doesn't want him, but she doesn't want him to be with anyone else either. She only wants him when he's in danger.

Or maybe I was wrong.

She really does want him. And everything was a mistake? I really wouldn't know. I was in love with two girls. So it makes it all worse.

"Can you kiss me?" Jane asked, looking up at me.

Her face was extremely close, a mere of eight centimeters away from my own. I could see every imperfection on her face, starting from the zit on her cheek. And ending with the beautiful mole on her chin. That made her perfect. And I'm just saying this cause it's true, I am not falling for her in any way. Trust me, this isn't denial. Many would believe otherwise, but honestly, you could find people beautiful without liking them.

"No, Janey." I smiled, moving a piece of her hair behind her ear.

She caught my hand mid way and ran her fingers between mine, looking at what was happening. It felt hot all of a sudden. And I didn't know what to do. Her eyes then came back to look at mine. Just catching her stare made me nervous, so I looked back at our hands.

"You know hands trigger so much emotion..." I said. "And touch, it's so funny." I started to laugh. "Having touch and triggering it makes a person closer to you because you let them touch you, it's an invasion of privacy in which you are okay with." Okay, I was beyond nervous.

Tingles stung at every inch of me. I never got nervous with a girl. Ever. I was always the one that made them nervous. Now, what? Was I the girl? I swallowed hard and did everything to just stare at our hands intertwined, and to not think about the exact distance we are apart and how we could actually kiss.

"Have you ever wondered what it was like to kiss me?" Jane asked, her voice almost steady.

"Yes," I admitted. "I did."

"I have always wanted to kiss you." she said.

"You're just saying that..."

"No, I'm actually telling the truth." now she sounded normal.

I looked back at her, confident everything was back to normal. It was. Phew. She had on a joking smile. I let my breath out and waited for her to speak.

"I'm serious!" she laughed.

"I believe you!" I replied, joining her laughter.

"When I saw you in that bar, all I wanted to do was kiss you. I was like 'Oh, I wanna see how it is to kiss a Brit!'!"

"Are you just saying this so I'd let you kiss me? Because that's clever and won't happen.I will feel bad and actually want to see how it is. But it'd be bad. I'm not the rebound guy. I have a girlfriend. And we just, no. We can't. It's unethical and not right." I tried to explain.

"Dammit," she huffed sarcastically. "But, we should be able to kiss whomever was want, like a trial run. To see who kisses the best?"

I ran my free hand through her hair and smiled, letting us sit in silence for a while. Jane had her hand under my head, so she started to scratch my neck, softly though, like a cooing light good feeling. Shit, she was comfortable.


"Are you okay?" I asked.

"I don't know."

A pause.

"Do you still want to kiss me?"

A smile came on her face as she rubbed her thumb against my hand. She still hand her hand behind my neck, rubbing circles into it. I let my hand fall fall her hair and I put it under her chin, making her face me.

"Then kiss me," I smiled.

"Now, that's a challenge." She giggled.

"Just don't fall in love with me, okay? I'm already taken." I joked.

Shaking her head, she pushed herself up and got close enough for her face to get blurry. I felt her breath touch my face as I let tingles travel my body. I shut my eyes and leaned toward her, feeling her lips touch mine. We didn't kiss yet, we just touched. See, touch is powerful. Just our lips touching felt unreal and uneasy and weird and amazing at the same time.

I then pressed my lips against her and she did the same. Her tongue swam into my mouth as we deepened the kiss, forgetting what was even happening. We were just in the moment. Our tongues danced smoothly as I gripped her body closer to mine. I felt her hands travel through my hair as we kissed. I pulled away, smiling like a little boy. She came out with a grand smile as well.

"So, you're a really good kisser" she breathed out.

"I try, honey." I laughed.

She pulled my hair and landed her lips on mine again, making me fall into that fantasy world in my head. I felt her smile against my lips as we stopped kissing.

"We shouldn't do that." she said.

"Of course not." I said. "But your kisses are so addictive. I can't stop." I joked.

"We shouldn't have kissed, you were right. This would've happened."

"It did happen."

"At least it meant nothing..." she sighed.

Taking in a deep breath, I nodded.

"It meant nothing. Now, since we know we are both amazing kissers, can I go to my girlfriend?"

She flipped herself so she would lay next to me, not on top of me, letting me scoot out of bed and get to the bathroom. The cold air bushed over my bare chest as I opened the door to the bathroom.

"Janey?" I said, leaning against the door.

Looking up from the bed, she smiled.

"You're my best friend, take care of yourself." I said.

"What? Are you leaving?"

"No, no..." I paused. "I'm just saying, be careful. I don't need you hurt."

"Did you fall for me?"

I smiled, shutting the door behind me.

"No,"

"Than why can't you tell me in my face?"

I opened the door again and looked at her, catching her getting comfortable in the bed.

"No, I am not in love with you Janey, I love Kristin."

Spoiler

TRUST ME. This is not a they will fall in love thing, they won't. Oliver let Jane do it only because it was gonna happen anyway. No one needs to know. Jane is not being slutty. I feel like this would actually be a normal thing to wonder, how does this guy kiss? She's in a very bad place. So, don't go crazy about them kissing, it's NOTHING.

Kristin

"I wanna hit her." Avery says quietly. I roll my eyes and turn my head towards her.

"You're so violent." I say to her, tugging on a piece of her hair. She shrugs and takes a piece of her hair between her fingertips.

"I think that I wanna cut it. I've always wanted it shoulder length but...Will always liked it long." She looks down. "There are so many secrets that never come out Kris. Life isn't like gossip girl. There are no season finales where all of the truth and the b.s comes out. I don't think it's fair."Avery stares at the ceiling. I look at her curiously.

"If there weren't any secrets, if we all knew each other's past and everything that came with them, wouldn't that make things boring? I know how you are Avery. You need those secrets, those things to hold over people's heads. We wouldn't get along otherwise." I say with a shrug. She turns to me with a smirk.

"And I thought that it was my sparkling personality all this time." She says sarcastically. I laugh out loud.

"Oh yeah. Definitely that. But what spurred this on? Do you have something to let off of your chest." She seemed to let out a breath.

"Finally. I needed to tell this to you, but I didn't know how to say it. I...I wanna go back to being on top. People are beginning to think that I'm weak, Kris. I mean think about it. The shit that's been going on recently...in the past I never would have let any of that happened. I mean, a druggy whore taking not one, but

Spoiler

two

of my boyfriends? I mean, although I got Leo from that whole conflict, one, it was a bunch of time wasted when I was loving and catering to both of those assholes, and two, those douchebag at school believe that now I'm to weak to be on top. I refuse to be put in second place to some unoriginal generic bitch!" She seemed really fired up. When Avery got like this, all passionate over something, there was no stopping her.

"Are you going to try to stop me? If I have something done to her? I mean, she is your besty." Avery says bitterly. I smile at her.

"Awww you're jealous. How cute." She rolls her eyes while I squeeze her cheek."I won't do anything Avey. She may be a besty, but you're my sis. You know that. And honestly...since all of this has happened...I've been thinking about what I'd do if I was in your position. Avery, I would've raised hell a long time ago. So in a way I support you. But only because I refuse to be a hypocrite." She smiles widely.

"You're the best you know." She says hugging me tightly. I shrug.

"No need to remind me boo." I say petting her hair. "What are you gonna do about Will?" I ask. She laughs.

"Do I really need to do anything, Kris? His life is gonna be shit if he continues seeing Jane. It comes with the territory. And not only that...I...i think that I love Leo. I don't need to worry about that other douche." She rolls her eyes " Just the thought of him disgusts me. I fucking hate cheats. With everything in me. And then there are those people who say that a kiss isn't cheating. God...i'm never getting back with him. He's deleted from my life. He can't come to any of my parties, I'm transferring out of all of the classes we have together, hell, I don't even want him looking at me." I nod. I know Avery. Everything that she's saying, she's gonna hold true to.

"I'm just glad that Leo would never do that to you. I'm even more glad that Oli would never do that to me. You know about my trust issues. I couldn't handle it if he ever did do something like that to me. Even kissing another girl..." I shake my head. I don't even have to say it. Unacceptable. Avery chuckles.

"It's funny. We're willing to get people fired, to fuck up their whole entire lives, but just the thought of cheating, something that's minor for some people, has us cringing. I find it pretty funny." She says smirking.

"I find it annoying. I hate the fact that something this small could cause me so much damage." She nods in agreement.

"I think that I'm gonna hit her tomorrow Kris." Avery says, staring at the ceiling again, and lighting a joint.

"Go for it." I say quietly after taking a puff from it.

William Franco

Jesus
Fucking
Christ

What was I doing here?! Why was I even thinking about being here? It was dark, cold, and gloomy. No weather for an ocean. It should be sunny and burning hot, making me want to jump in. But I had to dive.

In the cold.

Bracing myself, I dipped my toe into the water. Right away, I pulled away, shivering like crazy. I had stripped to my boxers in below zero weather. WHAT WAS WRONG WITH ME. Absolutely everything. Taking a deep breath, I shut my eyes and jumped. Next thing I knew, all this cold water covered my whole body, engulfing me into it's underwater world. Opening my eyes, I saw what I was looking for.

Cassie's urn. I had buried it close enough to the shore, but far enough so no one would see it. I swam to it, it blended in with the rocks around it. Since it was already three in the morning, you couldn't see anything. I had a flashlight though, so I managed.

I swam over, touching it. Looked the same. Felt the same. Water doesn't let anything rot, especially Cassie. She wanted to either be buried next to Elvis Presley or be cremated and spread in a strip club. I wanted her to be safe and not found. The ocean was it.

But I guess it's time to spread her somewhere. Or maybe not. She can stay here forever. She may be found. And that'd suck. Someone would toss this in the trash and I didn't need that. So, in a quick minute, I pulled it away from the rocks and swam to the shore. Getting out of the water, I took in a full breath of air and shook violently.

"Will! Oh my God!"

I looked up and saw Avery running toward me, her eyes running frantic all over me. Managing, I stood up and braced her impact.

"What's wrong with you? It's freezing! Why would you..." then she stopped talking, looking at the urn in my hands.

Swallowing hard, I leaned back down and set the urn on the sand, throwing my clothes back on. Even the clothes were cold from the wind. But, I managed to get dressed and put on my heavy coat, knowing I'd be freezing. In just a moment, I got heated and picked up the urn again.

"Will, who is that?" she was quiet.

I couldn't believe how quickly my heart was beating.

"This is Cassie,"

She stood quiet, just staring at the urn. The wind blew her hair around, making it look really nice. I hated it when she straightened her hair, because it wasn't her natural curls. I loved her all natural. But today, her hair was straight, I guess for the party that was.

"Why... what." she couldn't find any words.

"I put her under the water when she died, or well, got cremated. I felt the need to take her out and spread her somewhere." I said. "Do you want to join me?"

Her eyes darted at mine and I saw her catch her breath. Shit, I caught my breath. The urn suddenly felt heavy in my arms, so I shifted it around once I got comfortable.

"I can't." she spit out.

"I understand." I looked away.

"No," a pause. "It's just... it's your sister. And, I feel like I would intrude."

Out of nowhere, I looked at my car. It was just a few feet away. The book was behind the windshield, visible due to having my headlights on.

"How did you get my book?" I asked, staring at my pickup.

She froze and I looked back at her.

"What book?"

"Let me show you..."

***

She ran her hands over the cover of the book. Her eyes were so focused, I could see she had a million questions going through her head. I sighed, settling the urn in between my legs to keep it safe. Some music was playing through my radio,, I can't even pin point what it was.

"Shit, Will... I don't know." she said.

"It's mine, how did you guys end up having it?!"

"Jesus, it's just a book!"

"It's not just a book, it's my book. I never sold it, someone took it. My sister gave it to me."

Her eyes shot at me, anger filled in them. I wouldn't blame her frustration. But I'm worse. How do the Piest's have my book. How?

"Just because you say your sister gave it to you, doesn't make it special." she hissed.

I was caught aback, freezing.

"No, Will... seriously? You want me to feel guilty or something? You stole this from us. My father's name is on the inside of the book. So if anyone is a robber, it's you." her mouth ran before she could think about what she said. Typical Avery.

I didn't even speak back. All I did is let her talk. What could I do? I wanted to do this alone. She didn't have to freaking follow me. She barely looked at me when she spoke though.

"You know what? You should call Jane. She'd be happy to help you with this mystery and also give you bonus sex. For free! Like a perfect slut of a girlfriend." THERE IT WAS. Finally she got there.

"Avery, get out of here." I ran my hand down my face, frustrated.

"Oh, does it hurt to hear the truth? You invited me to your car."

"I didn't invite you to follow me. Now leave."

She froze, looking at me with her jaw hanging. Her mouth was open so wide, a fly could fly in and out without her noticing.

"Please Avery, leave." I actually started to beg. "I don't need this right now."

"What happened to us? What happened to our undying love, Will? Remember when we got together? We were inseparable. And you promised to never cheat on me."

"I didn't cheat."

"Kissing Jane counts,"

"Get the hell out of here before I get you out of here myself," I hissed.

"No, Will."

I looked up from the steering wheel and saw her shaking. Her eyes were darted at me, her face was still, but the rest of her was frantic. All I could say was she was nervous, scared, and had so much anxiety, it was killing her.

"I don't know what happened. We broke. It was probably my fault because I get bored easily or it was your fault cause you fell in love with another guy. I could see it Ave, you were over me way before I kissed Jane. Leo was the one for you. It's done. And now, I'm going to spread my sister's ashes and I don't need you." I said, steadily.

She didn't say anything. She didn't do anything. What was happening? Was she gonna start sobbing? Was she gonna try to fight? I really didn't need this.

"We can't go back to the start Ave. I liked what we were, a lot actually..." I smiled at the thought. "But we were that, and now we aren't. Trust me, I won't have anybody until I get over you. So you're better off, you have Leo."

"You have Jane," she replied, quietly.

"You can only ever talk about her, right?"

"No... I'm just pointing it out."

"I don't even have her because I don't want her. I was just with her for that moment. Jesus, you can't blame me. We broke and we don't connect, so I went for the next best thing. It didn't work out, so I move on. I don't even like her that much. She's a good friend, but that's it. I don't know why you're so weird about it." I said, truthfully.

"Well you had sex with her."

Taking a deep breath, I started my car again and let the engine rumble. Avery sat there, I don't know what for.

"You aren't denying it." she added.

I looked over at her and gave her a cheeky smile. "Are you going with me, or not?"

Spoiler

THIS IS STILL THE NIGHT OF THE PARTY

Jane Wills

So, I called Will. I left him a voice mail. He didn't answer. I guess he was still sleeping. That really didn't matter. After I called him, I went to the hospital. Hopefully, no one I knew was there. I wanted to be alone with Emmett, even if he was sleeping. I just wanted to see him.

The hospital was buzzing with doctors running around and even some patients taking walks around the place. I reached a nurse's desk and smiled.

"Hi, I'm Jane Wills. I was wondering if I could see Emmett Lopez, he was in here yesterday." I said, looking at one of the nurses.

She was a blonde with her hair in a ponytail and a smile plastered to her face. Her skin was a soft tan that looked great with her green eyes. From behind the counter, I could tell she would be shorter than me.

"Hello," she started. "Let me check the paper work for you. It'll just be a moment."

Just as she spoke, she went to check some binder on the desk. The other nurses, there were three others, they were occupied with stuff. Hospitals are always up no matter what. One of the nurses ran out of the little area and headed straight for a room. My heart raced just watching her, someone was in danger.

"Can you make sure I'd be alone?" I asked her. "Like, no one would be there with him but me. I don't really want to interact with the family... I just want to see him." I said.

She looked up for a moment then back at the binder.

"You can visit him now actually, and Jane, no one is here. They'll be coming in about two hours." she replied.

"I only need five minutes. What's his room?"

"I'll take you,"

**

He was laying on the bed, a few cords attached to his body. A machine was beeping, measuring his heartbeat. There was a bandage on his forehead and chest. I held my breath as the nurse shut the door behind me. The only sound I could hear was my heart racing and his heart beating.

I swallowed hard and walked up to one of the chairs by his bed. Pulling it next to him, I sat down and got comfortable, watching him. Thankfully, he was asleep.

"Emmett," I said quietly, he slightly flinched. Maybe he could still hear me. Or maybe sounds just bothered his sleep? "It's me, Jane. I know... you probably can't hear me anyway, but I'll still talk. It feels right doing that. Everyone talks in the movies..." I paused, trying to stop the tears from running.

"God, what happened? Why did this happen? Did someone steer you off the road or something?" I could hear my voice cracking mid-sentence. I shut my eyes, taking in a deep breath. Calm down.

"I miss you. It's so stupid to say this. I don't deserve you." I opened my eyes. "What am I even doing here?! You don't need to hear me, or shit, see me. You'd hate to see me. If you wake up and see me, you'll get a heart attack. You're way too good and I ruin us every time. Even though I want you, I can't have you because I don't deserve you..." and there it came, my tears.

"I don't deserve you Emmett but I love you. I was so scared when I heard you were in an accident. I just wanted to see you." I sobbed, covering my face with my hands.

Tears escaped and covered my whole face. I sobbed and sobbed, laying my head against his bed. And then, I felt something. His hand covered mine. Looking up, I saw it. His hand was over mine. His fingers wrapped around my small hand, sending tingles down my spine. I held my breath and suddenly, I stopped crying.

Then I thought for a moment. It's him in his sleep. When he wakes up... I had to leave. It was my times up mark. Time to leave, Jane. Time to leave him forever. You ruined it already, no worth fixing it. He did so much to be with you but you broke it. No point anymore.

"I hope he woke up." Lacey said.

Lacey. She was here. I looked behind me and saw that the door was shut. She had to be heading down the hall. Now I really had to disappear. I pulled my hand away, jumping out of my seat. Walking to the door, I looked through the window in it. She was faced the other way, talking to someone. So I could walk the other way. I opened the door and walked as fast as I could the other way.

"Oh, Emmett!" I heard someone say, shutting the door.

I escaped. Thank God.

Oliver Hemingway

"So, Kristin. Wanna go out with me tonight?" I asked into the phone, a smile on my face.

"What makes you so sure I won't reject you?"

"Come on babe, let's go somewhere. Sushi? Italian? American Fast-Food?"

She giggled, making me laugh along. It was so good to have her in my life. I loved her so much. Seriously, Kristin was for me.

"Surprise me Oli, now I gotta go with Avery. She's just come home and... she looks funny. So I gotta investigate."

"Okay Kris, I'll check you later. Tell me what happens with Ave. Love you." I said.

"Love you too,"

And we hung up. I put my phone on the passenger seat and got ready to drive. Suddenly, I was nervous again. Shit, finding Emmett on the side of the road made me driving a little terrifying. I didn't want to find another because then, shit. I started the car and shut off the radio, ready to concentrate on the road.

I hid the pedal and got to driving. I was headed to work. Not gonna be a fun day because it's November and it's started snowing. So, we won't be having a lot of customers because they'll be too scared to drive on these roads. But I am the type who manages. My car had the best tyres. So snow was nothing.

**

Starbucks had only around five people sitting down. I was in the back, grabbing the coffee beans so I could refill the makers. Kyle was with me, carrying another pack.

"You sure you can handle two on one shoulder, Oli?" he asked from behind me.

We walked down the hallway to the counter.

"I always manage, don't but."

Once we reached the counter, I lied the bag on the ground and stretched out feeling each muscle and bone relax. I took the top off one of the makers and opened the bag, holding it up and pouring must of the contents into the maker.

"Hey, your friend wants to talk to you." someone said from next to me.

I turned my head and saw Carol, a tall, petite ginger. She was very pretty, I actually believe she resembled Bonnie Wright, but much taller. She had on the [air of headphones for the drive-thru.

Setting the bag down and closing the maker, I took the headphones off her head gently and cleared my throat.

"Whoever this is, you know our conversations get recorded right? You could SMS me or call me. Not drive-thru it." I laughed.

Carol smiled, waiting for me to finish.

"It's Leo," he said. "Just wanted to say hi..." something was off.

"Anything else, Leo?"

"Do you know where Avery is?"

"I just spoke with Kris, she said she's home."

"Oh, great." It sounded like he was relieved. "Thanks Oliver. You can hand the phones back, I'm ordering."

"Okay, cherrio!"

Before he could reply, I set the phones back on Carol's head and smiled.

"Odd fellow, give him the employee discount." I said.

With a nod, she walked back to her station. I took the bag of coffee beans from the floor and shoved it in the shelf under the counter. I stood back up and smiled at a customer that just walked in. Finding myself at the cash register, I got ready to type in the order.

"Hello, Welcome to Starbucks! How may I help you?" I smiled.

Should we do a Christmas??

I dunno, think it's tad late, and Emmett's in the hospital.

Lacey

I sit by my brother's bed, feeling the surrealist painting.

My parents, the both of them still a mess, have gone out to get coffee to begin another round of crying and praying, incense and chanting in at least three languages. I clutch my brother's hand, still cold, though it feels as though it has recently been touched. I think to Jane, slipping away through the hallways, unnoticed by my own parents, baring more weight than usual.

Though the room around me feels like white canvas, some unkindly god painting and splattering colors in an unsuspecting pattern, I am the simple enigma; I have two thoughts.

My brother has his beating heart, and his face seems peaceful. They've already done what they could, bandages up a small slit on his forehead and the broken ribs.

I do not want to, but I stare at the wall and think of Oliver. The name leaves a complex burning in my stomach; I should have thanked him harder, for he saved my brother much pain, and maybe even his life. I should have hugged the life out of him, and I swear that I will.

Slowly, I take my phone out of my pocket. Ace was at home, by now, likely sleeping, or maybe running. She had been good enough to me already. Oliver, Oliver had already moved on. I could trust in the fact that he would not linger over his help, and especially not linger over me.

I dial the number, and Jane picks up on the second ring. "Hello?"

"Jane."

"Oh. Oh, Lacey."

I'm afraid she's going to hang up, so I talk quickly. "Listen, Emmett was in an accident, and I don't know if you knew, but he loves you a lot. I'm really, really sorry I called you a whore. I'm just pissed off about my own life, and I thought Emmett deserves to be with the girl he wants, and I hated hearing about the break-up, but that doesn't make you a whore for moving on."

Jane doesn't speak for awhile. "I heard what happened. Oliver is my roomie, so I know." This explains a lot. "You shouldn't be sorry, Lacey. I am a whore. I was angry about the break-up, and I just... hell, I don't know." There's another long, static-filled pause. "How is he?"

I pretend like I didn't know she had been here. "He hasn't woken up yet, and he's pretty well damaged. He'll be okay, though. A few broken limbs. We're a tad worried about a brain injury, though."

Jane, far more intelligent than anyone gives her credit for, hears the worry in my voice. "What part of his brain, Lacey, do you know?"

Despite forgiving her for the most part, my words are not completely kind. "They say his memory might suffer, but we don't really know yet."

"Mm."

"Will you try again, Jane? Try to be good for him?"

There is no reply from the other end. She's hung up on me.

When I put down the phone, I am surprised to see Emmett's brown eye's blinking at me.

"Emmett!" I restrain myself from hugging him, kissing him instead on the cheek. "Oh, thank goodness!"

"Am.... I ok...ay?"

I can tell t hurts for him to think and speak. "You're fine, Emmett. You were in a car crash, but you're okay now."

"Good. Who... were you... on phone... with?"

"It's just Jane. She was making sure you were okay."

"...Jane?"

My heart turns cold, but my parents walk in, and begin chattering on seeing him. The frost I feel does not go away.

Jane Wills

I had a feeling my luck was always slipping and that Lacey had indeed seen me. But, I guess that's alright. She's not angry with me.

Shit. I'd be angry with me. First I blow her brother's heart then come back and ask for forgiveness?! Well, I wasn't essentially asking for any forgiveness... I was just trying to tell him I was a bad idea. Saving me at that party. Walking me to class. Letting me kiss him and get away with it. It was all a mistake. For him. I did not deserve him at all. I was the biggest whore.

"Lizzie, sweetie..." My mother was standing at my bedroom door. I felt the fright she was feeling, it was inconceivable.

"Mom," I let it out harshly. "Please,"

There was a pause. I knew exactly what she was doing. She had to be leaning against the door with her head in her hands as she was shaking. I was a tough kid.

"What's going on with you honey? You were on such a good path!"

"A whore doesn't stop being one! My old habits just don't go away! And that sucks! I wanna be the person I wanna be!!" I yelled, letting tears escape my eyes.

"Oh baby... I know it's tough."

Shutting my eyes, I collapsed onto my bed, letting my body sink into the comforter. Suddenly, I felt heavy and oh so sick. It was time. Shit, I was becoming the depressed suicidal girl I never wanted to be. It was time to die.

I ruined everything I loved about my life and about me. It's time to die.

I don't need pity. I don't want pity.

"Help me," I whispered. "I don't want any pity, I don't want any help... but I wanna be okay. Lacey asked me to try again. I can't try again. I'm horrible, I can't be the girl I want to be because I already am the girl I am. And I suck. I'm gonna kill myself. I'm gonna fucking kill myself!"

That's when my mother slammed the door open, tears already all over her face. She ran to my bed and sat next to me, pulling me up into the biggest hug she could ever give me. I let her. My head fell onto her shoulder and I started to cry.

"I'm pitiful." I hissed.

"Baby, you have to live. You cannot kill yourself. You deserve to live. You can become the girl you want to be. You will become the girl you need to be. Becuase baby, you gotta live. Are you gonna waste God's gift?" she was trying.

"What gift am I? I'm a mistake."

"No, Jane Elizabeth, you aren't. You are amazing. Everyone has made mistakes in the past, some more than others. You are perfect, baby. You are much better than you were before. Harmony is a new school and helped you see your real self. It is hard to change, but you can do it because you want to. You are not a whore, you are not a slut, you are not a bitch. You are Jane."

She was patting my hair, trying to soother me.

"Which happens to be all of that. The definition of Jane is that." I spit out through sobs.

"No, and you know that. You are so much better than what you put yourself as. You were good. Always were. As a kid, a pre-teen, even teenager. That other school and Drake ruined you. Your crowd ruined you. And now you are coming back, and you love it. I love it. You need to come back baby because then you'll be happy. Cause now, you aren't. You will be okay. You won't kill yourself. You will do it. And you deserve Emmett. You really do." Sometimes my mother was right.

My heart lifted as I squeezed her closer, letting some happy tears drip down my cheeks. She was freaking right. I was better than I have always been. I'm finally becoming me again. And this me, this real me... oh, it needed Emmett. Emmett helped me be me.

"I missed me," I laughed, pulling away from her.

"So did I," she smiled back.

"Now, Oliver just made some British dinner, come and join us. It's good to have a boy like him around sometimes." she winked.

"It better be good."

**

Oliver had the table set and a smile on his face. Seems like he was happy again. Kristin must have agreed to go out with him tonight. Man did they make a good couple. But shit, sometimes I imagine him with Lacey. She was good with him. They made such an unexpected couple, it worked.

I sat down at the table and pulled out my phone, dialing up Lacey.

"No phones, dinner time!" My mom said, grabbing her utensils.

"I gotta make this," I smiled.

"Just because you were sad, doesn't make me nicer..." she laughed.

"Whatever Ma, this is important."

After the first few rings, she finally picked up. I felt my heart race as I took a deep breath, ready to speak to her.

"Jane?" she asked.

"Yeah, it's me." I hope I sounded better.

"Hey, what's up?" she was being careful for some reason.

"Oh, I'm better. Um, I was thinking about what you said... and I will try to be better because, gosh, I really love him. I made a mistake, and I really regret it."

"Oh, Jane. I know it was a mistake, stuff happens. I really liked you and thought what happened was just... not normal."

"Trust me, it wasn't." there was a pause with her being quiet. "Is he awake?"

"Been awake..."

"Can I see him?"

No x-mas then

Avery

Life is perfect. The best. As soon as I came home from that confrontation with Will, Leo had noticed that something was up. Instead of prying, he immediately began cooking dinner for us and we ended the night cuddled in each others arms. In the morning he woke me up early not telling me what he had planned, and before I knew it we were in the deep country part of Connecticut, waiting in line to go ice skating in this humongo frozen lake. Finally we've paid and are skating as fluidly as walking, hand in hand.

"What are you thinking about V?" Leo asks looking down at me after a few of silent skating. I look up at him with a bright smile.

"How perfect you are." I say, squeezing his hand with my own mittened one. He rolls his eyes, but I can still see his cheeks, which are already pink from the cold, get pinker.

"You know that I'm nowhere near perfect. I just do what I can for you. You deserve it." He says quietly. I squeeze his hand again.

"I don't, ya know. I don't really deserve it. I've been a bitch in the past." I say quietly. Leo let's go of my hand and puts his arm around my shoulders.

"V, what happens in the past, has already happened. If you dwell on it, you'll continue to be that person. But you're not. I know that Avery. Because who you are now, the complaining, scheming, manipulating, happy, joyful, funny, crazy girl that I've fallen in love with...is you." I feel like crying. I feel like laughing. And partying. And just staying with my Leo.

"I love you." I say, my voice cracking. He kisses me on my cheek.

"I love you more." He says entwining our hands now.

"Where did you learn to skate so well?" I ask him. He shrugs.

"Switzerland. I just happened to end up there in the midst of moving from foster home to foster home." He says. His eyes look a bit darker than before.

"Bad place?" I ask, skating a tad closer to him. All he does is nod.

"Do you still miss Will, Avery?" Leo asks, attempting to change the subject I guess. I consider it.

"I wish that I could lie. That I could say no. But I do sometimes. I mean...i could never be with him again. That's a definite. And I've given up on helping or approaching him like yesterday. So now it's just empty memories and feelings. So yeah. Sometimes I miss him, but all I have to do when I begin missing him is to picture him with Jane." I shrug " That usually reminds me of how much I hate him. And her."

"I'm going to be all of your teachers this Monday. I'm gonna need you to be good V." Leo says teasing. I nibble on his cheek.

"And what if I'm not?" I ask flirtatiously. He winks at me.

"I'll have to spank you then." I roll my eyes and rip my hand from his.

" Only if you can catch me baby!" I yell out before skating away from him.

Too much other stuff going on, at least for my characters. Maybe we can have one in early January anyway?

Lacey

I told her she could come.

I try to ignore that feeling of ice that had settled deep in into the realms of my metaphorical heart. I had decided that I liked Jane when it was my brother who brought things out from her, and the rest of the world deserved to see that too. I remember when they were comfortable enough in their relationship for Jane to come over, and we would all sit together and watch Doctor Who, and Jane would laugh just when I did.

"Is she coming?" My Mom asks, putting her hand on my arm.

"Yeah."

My Dad looks over at my Mom. He's shorter than her by a bit, which has always bugged me. "Karon, are you sure that's a good idea?" My Dad does not like Jane, especially not after finding out about her druggy-slash-whorish past. He wants us to have good lives, which I understand, but thinks Jane might prevent that.

My Mother, thankfully, disagrees. She thinks anybody and everybody deserves a chance. "Joseph. I think it will be good for both of them."

My father nods. We are just outside of Emmett's room, waiting for the doctor to finish his check-up on Emmett. The doctor walks out of his room, his face that off the medical's profession; straight-laced, never letting very much emotion through.

"Emmett will be perfectly fine. His ribs will heal with a few check-ups, and same goes for his arm."

My Mother and Father smile at each other, but I don't look away from the doctor's face. "There's more though, isn't there?"

"Emmett suffered some brain injury. Nothing too serious, won't effect his IQ, but he will have some memory problems for awhile. I can't determine if it will wear off, but it's possible a permanent part will be damaged."

My parents do not look as solemn as they should. "Thank you, doctor. "

The man nods, walking away. The ice in my metaphorical heart sees to have hit the Titanic. I don't say anything else to my parents, who go happily inside to chat up Emmett before Jane arrives, but I linger in the hallway for fifteen minutes, waiting.

Jane smiles at me. She looks like a wreck, but she smiles for me. I still believe that she's a whore, but that doesn't make her a terrible person; that makes her the girl my brother loves to change.

"Hi."

"Hi."

I'm blocking the door, because I can't let her get in until I gather up enough courage to tell her. "Jane. Before you go in... well, the doctor just told us- and I mean the medical doctor not the alien Doctor- he told us..." I take a deep breathe. "He had some brain damage. I don't know what he remember or... well, who."

Jane looks surprised, but nods. I can only hope she's ready, and step aside. Jane walks in, and I follow her.


-----------------------------

Emmett

Everything was still fuzzy.

I don't really remember what was going on, only that I was in a hospital and something bad had happened, but everything was going to be okay Emmett, it really was.

People kept coming to visit me, a blur of unimportant faces. I'd suddenly gotten popular with broken ribs. I didn't remember all their names, but I felt like I should. It felt wrong, somehow, not to know.

I think I was in a car crash. That was the last thing I remember, being in a car and texting Lacey, and suddenly I'm waking up to my sister's face in this unfamiliar place. Everything was so blurry and fuzzy, like even my brain was rebelling against the changes to my being.

My whole body hurt, though, and I just listened to my parents because it helped me forget the pain.

Lacey walks in, with another girl. I feel like I should know her too. She felt important, like my body and my mind were willing me to slam our bodies together, but I can hardly remember her name. J.. J... I wonder if I have amnesia, but thinking too hard hurts. J.... J... It has to be in their somewhere! Oh, God, my head ached.

"Hi Emm."

"Hi."

"Are you feeling better?"

She seems concerned. "Better as a guy with three broken ribs, a broken arm, and a killer headache can be."

She laughs, and I realize that she is pretty. I feel like I know the long hair, the slope of her nose, the odd little mole. I also like that she laughed. "I was really worried, you know. After our falling out, I felt like there were things to be amended, and I was so worried I wouldn't get the chance."

"I'm... sorry... I can't really remember. What did we have a falling out about?"

Her face falls, but she seems to make up her mind about something with a small glance at Lacey. "It was so small. We had a disagreement about who the better Doctor was, David Tennant or Matt Smith. It ended up a bit more than a debate, and I left your house in such a terrible mood."

"Right! Of course," I lie. "I said Smith, and you're a total Tennant girl," this was me guessing, but it sounded right.

She smiles a sad smile. "I'm really glad you're okay, Emmett. I don't know what I'd do if you were terribly hurt."

"I don't know what I'd do either." Her name comes back with me on the wave of that sad smile. "I'm glad you care, Jane."

She reaches for my hand, but then draws it back, cautious. "Yeah, me too."

I mean something to her, and I can't shake the feeling that she is important to me. I... just can't remember what.

I, for some reason, can still remember Doctor Who. I feel like Amy Pond, who doesn't know who Rory is, besides that he is so, so important. I picture Jane in a Roman's helmet, and I smile to myself.

"We should talk, once I'm out of here, I mean."

Jane smiles. "Always, Emmett. I'll be seeing you."

She gets up, and walks away.

Leo Westings

"I love what you've done to your hair V." I say to her as soon as she comes home from her hair stylist. She runs her hand through the shorter, lighter curly mess on her head and smiles.

"I thought that it was time for a change. Although long hair is fun, short hair is even better. And I think that shoulder length fits my face more, no?" She asks, sitting on my lap. I nuzzle into her neck and take a big whiff of her unique Avery smell. Its like vanilla mixed with fruits, a sultry, yet sweet smell that I swear I could just not get enough of.

"Oh, by the way, mom and dad will be back home later today.I said that we could have a cute little family dinner, and that you'd cook. Do you mind?" She asks, looking up at me with her huge green eyes, and pouting out her bottom lip. I chuckle and peck her nose.

"Of course not, love. What do you want me to cook?" I ask her, my arm encircling around her waist.

"Definitely not anymore italian food." She says, patting her flat stomach. I roll my eyes and she continues. "I was thinking something french and healthy. Maybe some ratatouille and then some profiteroles and èclairs for dessert. With chocolate on the side please." She says leaning against me. I sigh.

"V...I haven't made any of that in so long." I say, leaning back away from her. She frowns and leans even closer to me.

"Baby...I got the house keeper to get the ingredients. It's all right." She says. I raise my eyebrows at her, and she sighs. "The housekeeper lives in the west wing and only comes out to clean when she knows that the place is empty." I nod, and she climbs off of me.

"Okay...i'll cook." She claps her hands excitedly. "But-" she stops clapping "You owe me later." I say with a wink. She widens her eyes.

"Come on Lee-Lee not that. Thats always so embarrassing..." She complains, but I hold up my hand.

"Thats the only way i'm doing it." I say, dead set on my prize. She sighs.

"Okay...but just know that i'm gonna hate it the whole time." She mutters. I chuckle.

"And." She looks up, surprised that theres more. "Every time you lose, you have to take off an article of clothing." She stamps her foot.

"But i'll be naked within thirty minutes!" She complains. I wink as I begin walking to the kitchen.

"Thats the point, babe."

Two Hours Later

"Nobody invited you guys..." I grumble at all of the uninvited guests.

"Oh stop being so sour! We're family, cuz!" Kristin say jubilantly as she and Oliver sit down, across from Dylan and Alosha, whom are next to Avery. And i'm left sitting at the head. I sigh.

"Thank god this can't get any worse." I mutter to myself. And then I hear the main door open.

"Ave! Baby we're home!" My future parents in law call out.

"Mommy! Daddy!" Avery says, and runs to the older but still attractive pair coming into the dining room.

"Uncle! Auntie!" Both Dylan and Kristin call out at the same time.

"Auntie Donna! Oh my goodness you haven't aged a day!" Alosha gushes, and gets up to join the group. Oliver waves from his seat, while I get up from my seat and plaster on a smile.

"Oh Leo! You look handsome as always!" Donna, Avery's mother gushes, hugging me tightly to her soft and curvaceous body. Well, now it's a definite where V got her curves. Her skin tone is between Avery's who has a light caramel, and Alosha who has a dark chocolate shade, Donna has a nice radiant copper color,that makes her hazel-green eyes stand out. Her hair falls down to her waist and she wears it in a thick fish tail braid. She smells of chanel number 5 and papaya, and her face looks almost exactly like Averys, from the dimples, down to the rosebud like lips encasing perfectly straight white teeth.

"Its nice to see you Donna. How was your traveling?" I ask.

"Oh it was great! I love visiting the family over in Jamaica and Puerto Rico! And than Adriaan surprised me with that three week long stay at this luxurious resort in Costa Rica." She places a hand on her chest, showing off her ruby ring. Yes, I meant ruby. Avery explained to me earlier that instead of a diamond ring, which was way to common for her father, he bought his wife a 5 mil. dollar ruby ring, encased in pure gold. "It was extravagant but I swear, even after all of these years, i'm still not used to all of this money being thrown around." She shakes her head, but then hugs me close again. "I need to talk to you later about what you came to me about." She pulls away with a flourish and a glistening smile. "But for now lets enjoy this beautiful dinner you've made for us."

"Ah Leo." Adriaan, Averys father, says happily, yet quietly. He's the strong and silent type in that marriage. While Donna jumps around, from one charity to another, Adriaan stands as the funds and the love for his wife. "How are you enjoying our humble abode? I hope that everything has fit into your liking." He says, tenderly.

"Oh its been wonderful here. Thank you so much for extending your kindness onto me." I say with a bright smile. He nods once, and begins to walk away, but then turns back and hugs me tightly.

"I'm glad." He says quietly as he pulls away to go sit at the opposite head of the table. The two of them have grown to be like parents to me. They've helped me, along with Dylan, to get that helping aide teacher position at Harmony High. They've extended their home and love to me. Hell, they've even opened up a bank account for me, with a more than generous starter fund. And I know what your thinking. That they did it just because Avery asked for it. But no, actually she only asked for them to let me live here for a couple of days, not knowing that after meeting me, they'd insist on adding in all of the previously mentioned things. They're literally my family now. Even if I tried to leave, they'd keep in contact anywhere I went. I don't know why exactly...but they love me.

"So Leo...what have you prepared for us today?" Adriaan asks, after i've sat down.

"Well...after Kristin, Dylan, Alosha, and Oliver intruded themselves upon what was supposed to be a private dinner," I say and glare at each of them for a second " I was forced to make a full feast. So help yourself to choucroute garnie, rillettes, chicken fricassee with tarragon, ratatouille,pork chops au poivre, coq au vin, orange-cardamom madeleines, vanilla crème brûlée, and profiteroles and èclairs with white chocolate mousse on the side." They all stare with wide eyes at the meal that took so much effort out of me.

"I'll be taking my plate now." Adriaan says quietly from his place, and then proceeds to take healthy portions of each dish. As the head of the family and...well owner of the home Avery, Dylan, Kristin, Donna, Alosha, and I all know not to reach for a thing before he takes his first bite. We all stare at him intently and wait for his opinion. Adriaan takes his bite and then looks up at me with wide eyes.

"Leo ,my boy, this is delicious! I haven't had a french meal this good since..." He looks up considering and then turns to Donna.

"We went to France and had that one meal about two or three months ago." She says, beginning to take her plate as Adriaan nods.

"Yes! This is absolutely brilliant. Thank you Leo." Adriaan says and nods at me. It feels as if my hear swells with pride and I smile brightly at him.

"Thank you Adriaan." I say, and then the conversation begins, shifting from one person to the next. We discuss when Dylan and Alosha will be getting married, how Adriaan and Donna's travels have been, Kristin and Averys grades in school, Olivers grilling by Adriaan to make sure that he's an appropriate boyfriend for his darling niece and then it shifts over to me.

"So mom, Leo's best douche friend will be coming by and spening a weekend over here and I am sooooo not looking forward to that shit." Avery explained to me that the second she turned sixteen she felt free to let everything loose around her parents, and because they're so laid back they can both comfortably listen to how much she wants to punch Jane in the face and how drunk she got at the last party she went to.

"You mean Chayton? But he's just wonderful!" I say sarcastically.

"Who the hell else would I be speaking of! Chaytons such a dick face!" Avery cries out.

"He's not a dick face babe. He's just confident." I say, and she rolls her eyes.

"Whats he like?" Kristin asks, now interested.

"Well we grew up together, switching from foster home to foster home. Although we weren't at the same ones the whole time, we coincidentally ended up at many of the same one at the same time. We've kept contact ever since." She nods and then Avery cuts in.

"He's an asshole, but still, I must admit, he's quite a yummy one. He has the body of a greek god and the face of a male model. Although," Avery turns to me with a mischievous smile "He's got nothin on my Lee-Lee. But still," she turns back to Kristin "Hes a total hottie. And he's mixed with half native american, half french and italian. So he's got it all. And a decent education." I roll my eyes.

"Avery we both went to the same, worldly renowned college. How does that equal up to decent?" I ask. She rolls her eyes.

"His douchey-ness takes away from that, so it equals up just fine." She practically snarls. I wink at her.

"I love it when you growl. Care to hiss at me a little just to make me purr?" I make sure to lick my upper lip and she quietly sinks back into eating her meal as her face becomes redder, and redder.

"So!" Donna cuts in, the table seeming to have gone silent. " Lets start dessert!"

Avery

"Aren't you coming up?" I ask Leo, as he cleans up the dishes from the table. He shakes his head and shoots a smile at me.

"It hasn't been a true feast until the chef cleans up the mess." He says.

"Can I help?" I ask him, feeling pretty shifty at the moment. I mean, I made him make this whole meal for my family last second, in the midst of his studying up for Harmony High (he wants to know what to expect when he begins working there). Leo rolls his eyes with a kind smile on his face.

"V you haven't cleaned a day in your life, and I'm not gonna let your first time be with one of my messes. Alright? " I nod, and run over to him and give him a quick peck on his cheek.

"I love you. Thank you for everything. Your literally the best." When I turn to go upstairs, he tugs on my hand and suddenly I'm in his arms.

"There's no reason to thank me V. Your family has extended their home, funds, and love to me. Even though I probably really don't deserve it. You guys...well you've given me a sense of family that I've never had before. I can't think you, your parents, or Kristin and Dylan enough. Even Alosha has helped with to make me feel warm and at home. I love you all. But-" he turns me around to face him and I hold my breath. Bad things always follow a but. He takes a deep intake of breath and I continue to hold mine. "But...I love you the most. And..." his face is getting so pink! I've already released my intake of breath and am now just waiting."I...I...i want to marry you V." He says quietly. For a second I'm pretty sure that I heard him wrong. But this look of pure love on his face tell me that I heard him perfectly. Say something smart! Romantic! Something that won't make you sound like a complete idiotic-

"Me?" I ask, and suddenly I feel like face palming myself. He rolls his eyes and smiles down at me.

"Yes, you, Avery Sapphire Piest. The only girl that i'll ever want. The girl that's gonna strip for me after every beating she'll take on Mortal Kombat. The girl that always thinks that sheeva will help her win, and doesn't realize that subzero is the best player in the entire game. That girl. Who complains that Victoria Secret should be shut down because of their used underwear return policy. The girl who's probably wearing some sexy, lacy lingerie under This innocent little flow dress. Yep, that's the girl I want to marry." I place a hand on the back of his neck and slowly bring his face towards mine. And then I kiss him more tenderly than any other guy in my life.

"I do!" I yell out after we finish. He laughs and puts a finger to my lips.

"We're not gonna get married now. Not until you're 18. But for now..." he pulls a beautiful ring out. It's silver with one large topaz diamond in the center. "Here is our promise to marry each other. A promise to live a long and Happy life together." He puts the ring on my finger, and kisses me sweetly. And then he looks back at the messy table and rolls his eyes.

"I'll just let the house maid do it." And then he grabs my hand and tugs me upstairs to get my ass handed to me in Mortal Kombat.

Avery

"Ave!" A girl from the cheerleading squad calls out. I roll my eyes and turn to the tiny brunette backup flyer we have.

"Whatsup Samantha?" I ask her staring at my bright electric blue nails. Out of my peripheral I can see her smiling a mischievous smile at me.

"I heard from the grapevine that, that über hot new student aide in Mr.Dylans is your boyfriend." She says in a teasing voice. I roll my eyes.

"Um yeah. He is." The girls eyebrows shoot up.

"Seriously! I thought that it was just a rumor!" I shake my head.

"Nope. We're dating." I say, and begin walking to the quad to gossip and drink my starbucks. The girl falls into pace with me.

"Wait...but isn't that against the law?" She asks incredulously, her brown eyes wide. With none other but admiration for her cheerleading captain. I roll my eyes for the fiftieth time.

"Scientifically, yes, it is. But one, i'm an A student, dedicated to none other than her schoolwork. Two, Leo is only a student-aide, not a full blown teacher. And three, the biggest one you see, if Leo was to get fired, or I were to get expelled, this shitty school would lose...oh I don't know...83% of the funding they are receiving to keep this place from falling down. If my parents stop donating, this place would be transported right back to the third century." Oh god. She looks like she's practically worshipping me now. Ick.

"Oh! Bra- I mean Jasmine! Hey!" I call out to my besty, thanking god for her wonderful intervention. I scuttle over to her, and away from Samantha, as quickly as my miu miu bowtie heels can take me.

"Oh hey! Whatsup!" Jasmine says, surprised at my sudden appearing I guess. I shrug.

"Nothin much.Just excited at this wonderful day!" I say happily. She looks at me strangely.

"Its raining." She says bluntly and I roll my eyes.

"So? Does that mean that it can't still be a wonderful day?" She puts her thumb under her chin and looks as if she's considering something.

"What else is going on?" She asks curiously. I grin widely.

"I get to see my wonderful almost fiance everyday! I 'm engaged!" Her eyes bug out.

"But wait how-" I cut her off.

"Well, I mean, almost engaged. He won't propose to me until I turn 18. Oh he's so wonderful Jaz! I mean he's sweet, and sexy, and wonderful, and a little bit nerdy, and-" Now she cuts me off.

"Your parents are seriously okay with this?" I nod my head excitedly.

"Thats the best part! They're 100% behind any decisions we make! Isn't that wonderful?" I ask, practically hopping. She nods and smiles sincerely.

"Honestly, i'm just happy that you're happy Ave. Its been awhile since i've seen you so...pumped." She says smiling wider.

"Would you like to be a bridesmaid?" I ask her, knowing already that she'll say yes. For a second she pales.

"Avery...how am I supposed to do that? I mean how will I do this? Who would I go as? Knowing you, there'll be so many cameras there. It'll be put on more than a few websites. And you'll be inviting students from here too? If I go as Bradley, our classmates will recognize Jasmine as being Bradley. If I go as Jasmine, atleast one of the paparrazzi will recognize me as Bradley. I...I don't think that i'll be able to go." She says looking down. I can feel myself getting upset. So upset that my stomach feels as if its churning.

"But...Jaz-" Suddenly hot, bitter bile is filing my throat and about to make itself out of my mouth. I quickly look around the quad, and finally find a trash can. I sprint to it, and just begin an endless stream of vomit. When I finish, My throat burning I back away from the trash to realize that Jasmine had been behind me holding my hair back. When I shake her off she looks at me with wide eyes.

"Are you alright?" She asks, quietly.

"I'm fine." I say, and roughly push past her.