Unknown: Ready to talk yet?

Monday 1:13 pm

Jace: I don't know. Ready to tell me who the fuck you are yet?

Monday 6:20 pm

Unknown: I think that's a conversation better had in person.

Monday 6:22 pm

Unknown: Your curiosity is going to get the best of you eventually.

Tuesday 10:58 am

Jace: Don't bet on it.

Tuesday 2:44 pm

Unknown: I don't have to bet. You haven't blocked me yet. That's telling enough.

Tuesday 2:47 pm

Jace: Enough with the cryptic shit. What do you want?

Tuesday 3:01 pm

Unknown: I want to help you. A kid like you with so many enemies could use someone like me.

Tuesday 3:05 pm

Jace: No one does anything for free. What's in it for you?

Tuesday 5:23 pm

Unknown: Meeting you, face to face. That's all I want.

Tuesday 5:26 pm

Unknown: Pick any place you'd like, and we can meet there. The entire thing can be on your terms. With one exception. You come alone.

Wednesday 2:15 pm

Unknown: This isn't a game, Jace. It's important we meet. I can help you with the Vipers and the boy from school.

Thursday 1:39 pm

Unknown: I can find your friend's killer.

Thursday 4:23 pm

Unknown: Don't you want your girl back. Alexis, right? What would you be willing to do to help her?

Thursday 4:50 pm

Jace: Don't you dare talk about her.

Thursday 4:55 pm

Unknown: Struck a nerve? Good. Get angry. Use it. You're going to need that fire if you want to protect her, avenge your friend, and earn your freedom.

Thursday 4:58 pm

Jace: You talk a lot of shit for someone too scared to give me a name.

Thursday 5:01 pm

Unknown: Meet me and I'll tell you anything you want.

Thursday 5:05 pm

Jace: Can't. I have better plans to celebrate the New Year than meeting up with some whack job.

Thursday 5:09 pm

Unknow: Enjoy your party tonight but think about what I've said. I'll text you tomorrow.

Thursday 5:12 pm

I don't know how Kwan and Mila stay so calm when every cell of my being feels like it's going to pop like bubble wrap. But to them, this is probably business as usual considering how easily they crafted tonight's plan.

It's the cheer squad's annual New Year's Eve party. The captain, Brandy, always hosts it at her house which's twice the size of normal homes. It's also the first party Jace and I both attended after his return. We didn't come together, we weren't even on speaking terms really, but we left together.

Despite our nearly non-existent relationship, it was a simpler time.

Would I do everything from that moment on again if I knew what I know now?

Yes. No matter how miserable I've been, I'd relive this feeling all over again if it meant I got to experience even a glimmer of what Jace and I had...have. We definitely still have something monumental between us, but he crossed a line on Sunday, and I'm still pissed about it. Filming us like that was a horrible idea. I don't even want to know what could've happened had I not deleted that video, whose hands it could've wound up in.

I shiver just thinking about some creep watching and getting off to the lust-filled words Jace and I exchanged while dry humping against a tree.

Such a terrible idea.

"This it?" Kwan asks from the driver's seat.

I look out the window as we slowly approach Brandy's two-story Colonial. There are a few parking spots still available close by since we're a little early. But even with the small crowd starting to show up, there are already a couple abandoned red cups on the porch and the music inside is thumping loud enough to shake the neighboring houses.

"Yeah, this is it." I nod in the dark of the back seat.

Without another word, Kwan takes one of the last remaining close parking spaces along the side of the street. The three of us get out and group together before taking another step towards the slowly growing party.

"First things first," Kwan says, his dark eyes turning hard with concentration. "Lexi, you find Derek and text me right away. Don't let him out of your sight until I text you back. I'll check his car for the duffle once we know where he's at." He turns his attention on Mila next. "Noona, stay close to Lex. If I can't find the duffle in his car then it has to be inside, and I doubt he'll let Lex stick around when he's ready to make his move. If he insists on leaving her before I can make it back, follow him, from a distance though. Be smart."

We both nod, check the time on our phones like we're some kind of spies in an action movie—thank you Mila for making us binge said genre yesterday—and turn for the house. Kwan heads down the street in search of Derek's Charger while Mila and I cross Brandy's yard with our arms linked.

"You having fun, babe?"

Taking a sip from my bottle of water, I look beside me and meet Derek's clouded gaze. He and the rest of the football douche patrol have been hitting the drinks hard for the past hour. Keg stands, shots, and now they're playing beer pong. My stomach twists just thinking about the various forms of alcohol mixing in their guts. They're gonna be sick and end up with hangovers from hell tomorrow.

Derek raises his brows, reminding me that he's just asked a question.

"Oh, yeah. Lots of fun." I nod, resisting the urge to roll my eyes.

About as fun as laying on a bed of nails.

I bite my lip to hold that thought back. So far, Derek hasn't been enough of an asshole for me to openly complain tonight. If I didn't know any better, I'd actually say he's having a good time and enjoying my silent company.

His hand slithers around my waist and pulls me closer to him. The intimacy in his touch makes my skin crawl and sends all my internal alarms to blare in my ears.

Whipping my head around, I look for Kwan and Mila. Kwan didn't have much luck finding the duffle in Derek's car so, when he finally joined the party, he grabbed Mila to help him canvas the house. But that was half an hour ago.

"Listen," Derek says in my ear, doing his best to add that raspy quality to his voice that could make a girl melt if done right. Though he misses the mark entirely for me, sounding more hoarse than alluring. "I know if you had your choice, you'd be here with someone else right now. But I wouldn't pick anyone else to have at my side. I'm happy we're here together."

I choke back a disgusted sound, continuing to scour the crowd for backup. Hell, at this point, I'd even take Marcel or Ava. They may not know what's going on with me but they would be able to read me better than anyone and know I need some help. But they're most likely coming with the Guardians tonight. So, until they get here, my options are limited.

"Lex." Derek softly grabs my chin between his fingers and forces me to face him, his eyes locking with mine. "We could have fun together."

My lips thin as I clamp my mouth shut. Derek's tried this angle before—the "let's make this real" angle—and he still hasn't gotten the hint. It doesn't matter that we were a kind-of-sort-of thing before Jace showed up. Nothing will make what he's done to me in the past few weeks right.

"We have a connection. You're just fighting it because you're obsessed with him. But if you gave this a real chance, I could make you happy," he says softly, missing how my nose scrunches up at his description of my feelings for Jace.

With a slow simmer in my veins, I shake my head. "Not possible."

"Come one, Lexi. Things could be so easy between us."

"How much have you had to drink?" I ask, pulling away from his hold. "Or did you just hit your head?"

His brows knit together as all signs of the smooth talker from seconds ago disappears. A spark of anger and pain flash in his eyes but it's too late. I've already opened my mouth and now the words can't seem to stop.

"Easy? Really, Derek? There's nothing easy about us, and there's no way in hell you could ever make me happy. You're a monster with mommy issues and a god complex the size of the moon. You've done nothing but hurt me and those I care about and you want me to give you a real chance?" I scoff dramatically. "Please tell me you're not that dumb."

Before I can dig my grave deeper, he grabs my arm and yanks me back to his side. The only people close enough to see the roughness of his actions are his friends and they couldn't care less what their heroic leader does with his supposed girlfriend.

"I was the one giving you a chance," he sneers. "But don't mistake my kindness for stupidity, babe. If you think you're hurting now, just wait. I've got more tricks and connections than you could ever imagine, and by the time I'm done with you and your friends, you'll be begging me to make things easy on you."

I don't know if it's his anger or the alcohol that causes him to slip, but I focus on that one word and hold onto it with everything I have, ignoring the rest of his threatening rant.

Raising an eyebrow, I tilt my head to the side. "Connections?"

Derek's face pales and his dark eyes widen.

"What kind of connections do you have? Huh, Derek?"

He opens and closes his mouth repeatedly, struggling to find the words like a fish gasping for air, but he's quickly saved by the ping of his phone. Letting go of my arm, Derek slips his phone from his pocket and looks at the screen. He quickly taps on it a few times before pocketing it again and turning his attention back to me.

"You're lucky I have something important to do," he jeers.

I reach out to grab his arm and demand answers as he turns away, but he effortlessly shakes me off before plowing into the sea of drunken teen bodies. Though with him gone, I'm no longer tied down to the area of the dining room that's been commandeered by the football team.

The second I step out of the room, Kwan and Mila appear in front of me like they've been conjured out of thin air.

"Dude is lucky he left when he did. I was two seconds away from kicking his head off his shoulders," Mila says, crossing her arms over her black sparkly halter top.

Kwan grunts in agreement, his alert eyes taking in everything around us.

I shrug, not willing to admit how relieved I am to hear they were watching. "He was just being an asshole. He wouldn't dare do something extreme with so many people around. But we should follow him. He said he has 'important business' to tend to."

"We got an idea of where he's going," Kwan says confidently. "Couldn't find the duffle but there's still one room we haven't checked and that's 'cause the door is locked."

"The master bedroom," Mila adds.

I nod. "Great, let's go."

I turn for the first-floor master on autopilot but don't get even a step ahead before Kwan lightly grabs my arm and pulls me back.

"Not so fast, Agent Speedy," he says as I face him. "We can't just waltz in there and listening from the hall won't work, it's too loud out here."

"Then what?" I ask with a shrug.

A mischievous smile pulls at his mouth, a sight that I've discovered is rare from my future stepbrother. Kwan doesn't let his guard down enough to smile very often and though this isn't a boyish happy kind of look, it still makes him look his age for once.

Tugging me towards the front door with Mila following close behind, Kwan declares, "We're gonna break-in."

I don't have a chance to ask what he means before we're walking outside and rounding the side of the house.

How do you break into a party that's already open to everyone?

My silent question is quickly answered when we reach a window flooded with darkness. The lights are off and the shadows of the crowding trees along this part of the property don't help to reveal the room inside. But something tells me it's not the master bedroom. If Derek has business there, the lights would be on and we'd be able to see him.

"What is this?" I ask, starring into the void beyond the glass.

Kwan approaches the window. "The en suite bathroom. It's far enough away from the party for us to avoid the noise while also getting us practically inside the bedroom. If we're quiet, he won't know we're here and we can sneak back out as soon as he's done."

"Unless he needs to take a piss," Mila adds.

Ignoring her, Kwan tests the window, his body tensing like he's expecting resistance. Instead, the frame gives without much effort allowing him to push it all the way open.

Mila shakes her head. "Rich people are too trusting."

A shadow of emotions falls over Kwan's face. "That's 'cause they think they're untouchable."

I wish I had more time to decipher what he means by that, or why he feels that way, but before I know it we're already shimmying through the window.

Kwan's goes first and turns on the light as I ungracefully land on my ass after him. Mila's entrance behind me is better, like a gymnastics-trained burglar in glitter. She even helps me up from the cold tiled floor with ease. That is, until my black flats slip out for under me and I fall back on my ass, pulling Mila down with me.

The two of us struggle to stifle our giggles. I don't know if it's the nerves of spying on Derek mixed with the hilarity of being sprawled across the tiles with Mila in my lap, but the urge to laugh is nearly all-consuming. It's like there's an energy in my body that's equal parts nervous and excited.

This could be my ticket out or my ultimate downfall.

Kwan shoots us a warning look and holds his finger to his lips, but even he seems entertained. His eyes lighting up with adventure as he shakes his head at our ridiculous position.

It doesn't take long for the show to start though. Just as Mila and I get to our feet and smooth out our outfits, we hear the sound of a nearby door opening and closing. The three of us quietly crowd behind the bathroom door, our faces shifting into similar masks of serious concentration.

"So, where's it at?" a familiar voice asks from the next room, but I can't place my finger on who it is.

Where have I heard that voice before?

"Right here," Derek answers, making my stomach twist with worry and excitement that we got this right. "Stashed it before the party and convinced Brandy to give me the key to the room."

"How'd you pull that off? Ain't this her parents' room?"

"I promised her some good dick at the end of the night," Derek says in a cocky tone that makes me want to gag.

And to think he was talking about giving us a 'chance" just moments ago.

I roll my eyes. I'll never want to be with him but it makes me feel bad for the next girl that does. Derek's a pig and nothing and no one will ever change that.

The other guy grunts but doesn't ask for more details before the sound of a zipper fills the next room. Kwan motions for me and Mila to step back and as we move, he very carefully cracks open the bathroom door. Making no sound at all, he pulls out his cellphone and holds it up, and starts filming through the tiny gap.

I crane my head, trying to see the image he's capturing but I'm too far back and quickly give up. If I move around too much, I risk making a sound and blowing our cover. So I resign myself to simply listening as I huddle next to Mila.

"It's all there?" the familiar male voice asks, annoying me once again that I can't figure out who it is.

Derek scoffs. "Of course, it is. This isn't my first time, asshole."

There's a brisk sound, like feet quickly shuffling against soft carpet. Someone grunts soon after and Kwan's eyebrows shoot up under the thick black strands of hair covering his forehead.

"Don't get smart with me, you little shit," the other guy says. "Remember your fucking place."

"And you remember who's older here," Derek fires back trying to sound tough but missing the mark as his voice comes out high pitched and straining.

The guy chuckles. "Age don't mean shit. You'd do good to keep that in mind."

Another grunt sounds with an "umpf" before there's another, smaller scuffle and a noise like bedsprings squeaking under sudden pressure.

"Now stop fuckin' around. Count the shit out. My guys got customers waitin'," the guy says.

Derek and the other guy go silent for a while, the only sound is plastic crinkling. Without being able to see them from my position, the seconds passing feel like forever and my foot starts to fall asleep from the pressure of squatting. Needing to move, I slowly try to stretch my legs out and adjust to where I can sit on my ass. But the second I shift my footing; my black flats betray me once again.

My foot slips out from under me and smacks against the door, shutting it in front of Kwan's camera with a solid thud.

"What the fuck was that?" Derek's guest asks.

The three of us don't bother to listen for more. We get to our feet, but we don't have time to all make it out the window. While Mila grabs my hand and pulls me into the tub-shower combo, Kwan simply drops back to the ground like a rag doll and hugs the toilet just before the door opens.

"Aye, who're you?" the unknown dude asks.

I can't see anything from behind the shower curtain but the sound of Kwan's fake gagging echoes through the tiles.

"Did you hear me?" the guy says. "Who are you and what the hell are you doing in here?"

Kwan doesn't say anything, making my anxiety build like lava in a volcano. My hands are shaking, and my breathing speeds up like I can't suck in enough air.

What the hell is he doing?

Before I can think better of it, I pull back the shower curtain just a fraction and peak out, my face pinching with confusion at the drop of a dime.

Oh shit.

No wonder I recognized his voice. Though to be fair, I've only really come face to face with the guy twice, but still. He was at my birthday party, he crashed on the couch after and helped us clean up the next day. He also stood by our sides when we faced off with Derek and his band of idiots after I recorded Derek's confession.

Kellin, or as he once asked me to call him, Kell stands just inside the bathroom with his hand still holding the doorknob. His bleach blonde locks are spiked like the last two times I saw him but his eyes are different. The humorous flirty look in his pale blue eyes has been replaced with something colder, darker as he looks down at Kwan.

"You gonna answer me?" Kell asks, stepping forward.

Kwan gags again before spitting in the toilet and looking over his shoulder at the young guy staring him down. "Aye, man," he slurs with a dopey smile. "What time is it?"

Kell's eyes narrow to pinpoints. "Almost ten. What are you doing in here?"

"Just, enjoying the party. Ya know?" Kwan acts like he's trying to get up only to be struck by fake dizziness and falls back down. With another smile that could probably melt hearts, he points at Kell. "I might've had too much to drink." He chuckles at himself before his eyes shoot open wide and he quickly turns for the toilet again with another stomach-dropping gag.

Kell relaxes and shakes his head, already taking a step back towards the door. "Alright, take it easy I guess."

Kwan throws his hand in the air, giving Kell a thumbs up while keeping his head in the toilet bowl. And then just like that, Kell's gone, shutting the door behind him. Mila grabs the other side of the shower curtain but stops when Kwan holds up a hand, freezing both of us like statues.

"Who was it?" Derek asks.

"Just some dude, drunk off his ass. Let's get out of here. I got money to make."

We wait a few seconds until the bedroom door opens and closes once again.

"That was close," Mila whispers, jumping out of the tub and smacking Kwan on the arm. "You could've gotten busted."

"And then I would've done what I had to, but lucky us, those idiots too drunk or high to notice anything wrong," Kwan fires back, getting up from the floor. "Besides, it's not my fault Secret Agent Clutz kicked the door." He smiles playfully at me before pointing at the window. "Now, let's just go before they remember they had this room secured before they came in."

I wouldn't be surprised if they don't remember till tomorrow. Kell's eyes looked bloodshot when he walked in and I've seen Derek throw back drink after drink earlier. They're both in for a huge hangover, and maybe then they'll realize, if they can even remember.

We make it out of the window faster than we did coming in and walk around the side of the house. The idea of going home is appealing but this is the last party before Kwan and Mila leave in two days. Plus, I already dragged them home early from the last one at the bonfires. They deserve to have some fun, especially after spending their holiday break helping me with my shit.

And I can't leave without seeing Jace.

I shouldn't be thinking about that right now. Jace pulled a crazy stunt at the park and I have the right to be upset about it. Yet, all I want is to see him. He wasn't here when we left to spy on Derek, but it's been a while since then.

When we walk back through the front doors of the cheer captain's house, I search the crowd for any signs of a familiar tempting body covered in ink and midnight blue eyes topped with dark brown hair. I should feel lighter right now—we caught Derek red-handed, on video for crying out loud—but as it becomes clear that the guardians haven't shown up yet, cold disappointment slithers through my veins.

"Hey, let's go check what we got really quick," Kwan says to me and Mila as he holds up his phone and nods forward.

We follow his lead to a dark corner of the crowded kitchen and huddle together, peering at the phone in Kwan's hands. The volume is turned all the way down so even if someone notices us, they won't know what we're watching. Not that it matters, we heard everything for ourselves anyway. I just want to see what we have against him.

Kwan presses play the image of Derek and Kell appears right away. Derek's standing at the end of the bed but steps to the side, allowing Kell to peek inside the same duffle bag we saw the Vipers hand him over a week ago. The blonde kid—who can't be older than fifteen regardless of his height—grabs a small plastic baggy that's been stuffed with green herb and twisted tightly. He looks back at Derek and asks something that makes Derek's face contort with contempt as he fires back. Then in the blink of an eye, Kell has Derek by the collar of his shirt, practically lifting him off the ground as he sneers his reply. Derek strains to say something in return which only makes Kell laugh.

With a shove from Kell, Derek falls on the bed next to the duffle bag, knocking it over and spilling the contents in the process. Just like the bag Kell held minutes ago, many more now cover the plum duvet but not all of them contain weed. Some of the bags have pills or small amounts of white powder too.

Kell waves towards the large drug stash and says something that gets Derek moving. Over the next couple minutes Derek counts and separators the baggies, putting them in different larger Ziploc bags. One for weed, one for pills, and one for powder. He's nearly done when the door closes in front of the camera and the video cuts off.

"We got him," I whisper in awe as Kwan puts his phone away.

I'm free.

Relief hits me for the first time since leaving the bathroom. Like a huge weight has been lifted off my chest and I can breathe easier. Each breath I take feels light and airy, and I know that no matter how upset I am with Jace, I have to find him. Tonight.

Mila shoots me a smile from beside her brother. "Now you can do to him what he's been doing to you. Threaten to turn this over to the cops unless he lets you go."

"And you'll turn him in if he releases his video too," Kwan adds in a threatening tone as if he's speaking to Derek himself. When he pulls his eyes away from the screen, his face relaxes back to normal. "I'll send you a copy of the video when we get home."

"Sounds good," I nod, unable to hold back the smile slowly filling my face.

That smile grows wider when a ruckus from the front door fills my ears. This crowd only reacts that way for a few people and most of them happen to be Guardians. Girls will dive through the masses to reach the boys from the West Side and guys hoping to score cool points will try to slide in with offers of drinks or weed. It wasn't like this at first but since they've been staking their claim on FHS, it's the new normal.

"Go get 'em," Mila says with a wicked grin, nodding towards the ocean of bodies accumulating near the front entrance and spilling into the kitchen.

Kwan nods with a small, more reserved smile as he nudges me with his elbow. "Noona's right. You're a free woman with this video in our hands. Go take back your life."

"But..." I look at the crowd and then back at them. "What about you two?"

"Don't worry about us. We're gonna go have some fun," Mila replies, already eyeing up the keg.

Kwan's eyes are wandering too but on the girls in the room instead of the drinks. "Yeah, don't wait up, sis." He flashes me a confident smile that surprises me for a second.

Oh, yeah, he's gonna be a heartbreaker when they move down here.

Before I can answer either of them, they disappear in different directions, leaving me to chuckle at their sudden switch from secret agents to regular teens. But my laughter dies as the Guardians enter the kitchen with their fan club trailing behind them.

Marcel is the first one I notice. He's still wearing the boot on his injured leg, but he seems to be walking better in it as he talks animatedly with Wilder. Then there's Roman and Eddie, the Ramirez brothers, and the newest prospects to the Guardians. Roman has a possessive arm around Ava's waist while she talks to Raegan, another prospect and the little sister of Travis. Travis strolls in behind them with some random girl hanging all over him, followed by Kade and Josie who are close without touching. Their dynamic is also hot and cold and from the tension radiating off them, they haven't decided which side they're on tonight.

The whole group is like this tightly connected web of friends, moving as one, barely noticing those around them like they're in their own little universe. It's amazing, touching even, but it also causes a sharp stab of pain in the center of my chest and longing much like the one I've felt for Jace over these last few weeks. They're a family, and I was once a part of it.

Then I let Derek take over my life.

Okay, maybe "let" isn't exactly the right word. Throughout this whole thing, I've felt helpless and trapped. I didn't have many choices and did what I thought I had to. But I'm so done with that now. I have my own video, my own leverage now, and I'm getting my life back.

Holding my head high, I walk towards the group submerged in their own stuff like a woman on a mission. Marcel and Ava both see me first but instead of appearing happy to see me, their eyes widen with worry at the same exact time that the blue-eyed boy I'd been waiting to see enters the room.

If I thought it hurt to see everyone else—my friends—so happy without me, that's nothing compared to the knife that's been plunged into my heart now. 

💘____________________________________💘

Hey, loves, happy update day! I know I'm like a week late, having completely missed last Saturday, but as I've said on my profile earlier in the week, I've been swamped. Between some book club stuff and sick kids, I just wasn't able to keep schedule last week. BUT I've been writing a lot this week and am happy to be giving you all a double update today/night. 

So, before moving right on over to the next chapter, let me know what you think of this one!

Who do you think is texting Jace and what in the world could they want? Do you think Derek has genuine feelings for Lexi? What did you think of their plan to spy on him? Were you surprised by what he's doing? Were you surprised Kell was involved? Do you think the video they got will be enough? and finally, what is Lexi seeing that's so painful at the end?

You can leave your thoughts in the comments and if you like what you read, please hit that star button! I look forward to hearing from all of you!

P.S. DME reached 30k reads! I'm once again left feeling completely in awe. You lovelies are so awesome and I'm very happy you all seem to be enjoying the read. Thank you for your continued patience, love, and support!

P.S.S. Dating My Ex won third place teen fic in the Punk Rock Awards! The judge's exact words were "This author is fantastic at taking super-popular tropes, such as the bad boy, gang-leader, high school sweethearts, and in this sequel, fake-dating, and turning them into a compelling story with emotional depth. The characters are well-fleshed out and realistic, although they strike me as more grown-up and emotionally mature than the average teen. The high stakes of life, death and betrayal make for a fast-paced story that will keep the reader turning the pages. Chapters are longer than average for YA, but since the story is dual POV, this could easily be fixed by giving each POV a chapter of its own. Congratulations on a really strong entry!"

Really proud of this and I have to thank all of you for getting me this far and being so supportive! None of this would be possible without all of you!

And of course, no teaser for chapter 17 since I am posting it right......now!