Mid-February had brought the day highly anticipated by the seniors. I sat in the shade for a few minutes next to Gina, both wearing matching bathing suits. We had gone to the store together and picked out a black and pink set. The shirt was a crop top while the bottom was underwear. Since I didn't like feeling so exposed, we were able to find a small wrap for my legs. We had books in our hands but kept switching them out after each page. Gina figured it was a good way to monopolize our time. I wasn't sure I fully agreed since I kept confusing the characters, but I didn't care. I could see Matt near the barbecue and felt a sense of happiness dawn on me as he laughed with the guy cooking burgers. He had a drink in his hands and I could see as he was adamantly talking his ear off. A few weeks ago, no one would have been able to say that. I was so happy that Matt was able to feel free. I can see him look at me and he gives me a greeting with the beer he was holding.

"Cannonball," Link yells as he gets into the pool. The pool party was hosted by Grayson, so everyone was here. It was originally hosted by Sienna but when he volunteered, no one objected. I could tell not many people had come to his house because every once in a while I would see someone gawk at the house from the corner of my eye. I could also hear those passing by us whisper to each other, "I can't believe I'm at the Archer estate" or "I can't believe this is the Archer estate." I understood them because I had felt the same way, minus the input of his name.

Grayson had finally come back, after his mother's departure which was soon after he had disappeared for some time. Things felt a bit normal, but we hadn't talked much except for our tutoring session. I understood his fears of him not feeling like he deserved love, but I didn't think it was fair for him to make the decision without me nor could I change his mind. So, I was left accepting a decision I didn't make. He also never told any of us what happened when he disappeared. None of us pried, even though I was dying to know. However, he acted as if it never happened. As if we never happened. If he was going to pretend like that, well so was I.

I come back from my thoughts, as the water from Link's cannonball sprays on us. Gina with her quick temper yells, "Watch what you're doing dumbass."

I laugh at her and stand up. "I'll go get us a towel," I tell her. I start walking inside and grab two towels, and start making my way when I run into the pair of devils. They stare at me with arms crossed and fake smiles on their faces. Sienna wore a purple one-piece with pieces of fabric surrounding the edges and on the top a bow. Lynett wore a simple crop top and shorts. Both of them had their sunglasses in their hair, showing me their hatred-filled eyes.

I muster up my own fake smile. "Can I help you?" I say sassily.

Sienna doesn't seem to like my tone as she rolls her eyes. "We only came to say, congrats." I raise my eyebrow, waiting for her to elaborate. She shares a laugh with Lynett before saying, "Seems like you finally understood that you can't stand by him like I can." I give her a blank face and she continues, "So I wanted to extend an olive branch. Provided you still keep your distance of course." She scrunches up her nose in a quick action before extending her hand.

I was getting really annoyed by them now. Seems like me almost slapping Lynett hadn't sent a message. So this time I wanted to fight fire with fire. I scoff at her action and smirk as I lean on the kitchen aisle near me. "You know, Sienna. You keep saying that I don't want you as an enemy but, nothing you've done has really hurt me. Those pictures you have of me, spread them. They won't affect me, especially since I know it's just your own feelings of inadequacy trying to have some form of control as you lose the guy you care about to me." I'm not sure how the mean words come but I can see as they make Sienna's face falter.

"Listen-" she says, regaining her senses.

"No, I don't want to," I tell her. "You keep saying I don't want you as an enemy but you drew that line and well, now I do." I lean close to her, "Watch as I solidify it because this time- I do care about Grayson and won't let you have him without a fight."

I push past the pair of devils and throw the towels in my hand on the nearest chair. With my eyes on him, I enter the cool water. I walk slowly and seductively. I can feel everyone's eyes on me. Guys wanted to be with me, while girls wanted to be me. I knew I was average, but at this moment I felt like more. I felt like I had never felt before; hot, sexy, and wanted. I never imagined myself being like this. The wind blowing in my hair acted more to the illusion, making me stand up straighter and prouder. I know I may have been average looking, but at this moment, I wasn't and I liked that.

I make my way towards him, he's smoking in the corner without a care in the world when his eyes lock with mine. He doesn't say anything, and neither do I. I go and place one leg over the side of his, straddling him. I place my hand on either side of his shoulders, interlocking them behind. He blows the cloud of smoke he was holding onto my face but again, doesn't question me, just stares at me with narrow eyes. I lean in and attach my lips to his. He stays frozen for a second but begins moving his lips against mine instinctively, sending tingles throughout my whole body. Just like the first time we had kissed, everything faded away for a moment.

However, I was doing this for revenge and as soon as I spotted my target, I looked over his shoulder and watched as Sierra's dark gaze locked with mine. If looks could kill, I bet she would have done it long ago. But they couldn't, so all she could do was watch me. I felt a bit bad for Grayson but I also believed he owed me in helping me get a win from them. I had never done anything and I hoped with this, she finally understood that I wasn't backing down from her petty fight.

My eyes finally shift to Grayson who still has narrow eyes on me as he moves his lips, but doesn't pull away. I finally detach myself and go to move my legs when he holds them in place. The abrupt action sends shock waves through my body as I stare at him like a lamb in the wolf's grip. He pulls my legs forward and I'm falling back into him.

"If you really want her to regret messing with you, let's do it better," he whispers in my ear. I gulp.

Without another word, his lips are back on me and I can feel his tongue graze my lips before they enter my mouth. I find myself moving higher, so there would be less space between us. His hand pushes my back as the other stays on my thigh, making small circles. I move my lips from his and kiss his cheek before nibbling on his ear. We were both causing a scene that I was afraid to open my eyes to, but I do so anyway.

I can see Sienna clutching a foam cup with a giant hole in the middle that her hand had caused, liquid spilling out of it. I could see Link and Gina with agape mouths as they stared at us. I could see Matt holding hands with the boy he was talking to, both giving us thumbs up. I saw a lot of my classmates giving me annoyed looks, but the one who caught my attention was the one who looked at me heartbroken. I quickly pull myself away from Grayson and begin to walk toward him. He sees me and walks toward the house.

"Abacus," I yell as I approach him. I'm not sure but I felt like I needed to explain.

"You don't have to explain anything to me, Amelia," he tells me, "we broke up."

I hug myself, "then why does it feel like I fucked up?"

He gives me somber eyes before he sighs and places his hands on my shoulder. "You didn't. It just hurt a little because I did care about you."

"I cared about you too," I told him, clutching my arms.

"I know, but you moved on really quick," he says with his sad eyes. 

"We're not together," I say as if it was supposed to make things better. It just made me look and feel worse.

He smiles at me and says, "I wish the best for both of you." I watch him walk away and stand there for a moment with a sad smile. Even now, he was still a good person to me.

"Are you regretting breaking up with him for me?" He says in a husky tone.

I turn to look at him. He's already crouched down and looking at me, our noses pressing against each other. "No," I say and sidestep him.

"Good," he says before grabbing my wrist and flipping me around.

My breath hitches, but I speak clearly, "I'm not in the mood to be toyed with." I had good reason to feel like he was playing with me. A few days ago he had rejected me and now he was all over me.

His eyes look dead serious that they make me back against the wall. I'm not sure if he was mad about me using him to make Sienna mad or if it was something else. He bites his bottom lip as he closes the distance between us, pinning me to the wall. He places his lips on my ear and whispers, "I'm not playing."

"What does that mean?" I ask him. He was so damn frustrating and I needed clarity.

He looks at me and says the words I didn't expect to hear. "I want you, Amelia." He kisses me with a force that knocks the breath out of me. I pull back a bit and put my hands on his face.

Breathing heavily I say, "I need you to be very clear right now."

He gives me his smirk and I internally kick myself for how sexy he was. Fuck, I groan. "Let me see if I can make it clearer." He grabs my hands and places them above my head, keeping them together with one hand. He uses his other to guide it down my face and down my neck, right above my chest. I look at his hungry eyes as he looks at me. "I was intrigued by you long before you were with me. When I saw you at the principal's office and felt a tug at the fact that I had met you again. My memory of you wasn't fuzzy but yours was non-existent. So I figured to let it go, I didn't want to bring you down but you just kept getting better and better the more we hung out. Watching you with Abacus was torture, but I accepted it. Those moments we had, it took everything for me to pry myself away from wanting to kiss every inch on your body." My face heats up at the confession. "I tried to leave you alone, but you made it so damn impossible. I can't keep myself away from you Amelia, I don't want to." He looked up at me, "I know you were trying to get back at Sienna but the moment you kissed me again, I wanted to throw everything to hell and not care." His eyes look at me with fear as he says, "If you think you would be willing to be with me through my fuck ups?"

I can't help but find his insecurity endearing and smile. "Grayson, I didn't do that just to get under her skin, that was a plus, but for everyone to see that you're mine. I'm not sharing," I tell him with a coy smile. How could he think I would ever give him up?

Grayson doesn't say more but continues his kisses along my neck all the way down to my cleavage. I groan as he begins sucking on my collarbone and his other hand guided through my waist. The passion at the moment made me feel so many mixed emotions that clawed through my skin. His touch burned everywhere he put his lips on, encasing me in what felt like a fiery pit. My insides felt like a tsunami as they erupted in a whirlwind of ecstasy.

I was losing myself fast with every passing moment, and giving into the temptation. I grab his face to look at me, oh how I could lose myself forever in those eyes. He brings his hands down my waist and hovers right above the bathing suit underwear. My heart gave a hard thumb and I knew I wasn't ready for things to go further, so before we got carried away I quickly breathed out. "Stop."

All hands drop to his side and I begin to fan myself, feeling flushed. I could see the pink in his cheeks and his pink plump lips that made me want to keep kissing them. I finally got the time to appreciate his sculpted body. He was wearing black swim trunks, and nothing else. His stomach was on display that I wanted to reach out and run my hand on them. Control yourself for a moment, Amelia, I tell myself.

"What's wrong?" he says. He looked so cute I couldn't help but melt.

I clear my throat. "I'm not ready for sexual relationships, Grayson." I stand firm as I say, "If that doesn't work for you then-"

He doesn't let me finish my question because he's already picking me up and pinning me against the wall again. I stare down at him as he smiles. "This, between us," he signals at us, "isn't just about physical for me. I love you, Amelia Lockheart." The words had been said and they never felt better than coming from his mouth. I move his hair away with a smile and lean down to kiss him. I didn't expect to be with him at this moment, or for things to turn out this way. I figured maybe another time, but I was so fucking glad this was happening right now.

"I love you, Grayson Archer." 

>>>>>

Ahhhh, I'm screaming. How are you guys doing? 

This chapter was so long but I hope it was worth the wait ;) 

Let me know your thoughts and please don't forget to comment, vote, and share. 

Love, 

Phoenix <3