...And now, I'm just not surprised when people leave. I'm actually more surprised when they stay.

Mae

"We should leave. It's dangerous to be here," I signed to Zach once the Reapers left the bank. I got up and pulled Zach out the front of the bank. The cops showed up and pulled their guns at us.

"Put your hands where I can see them!" A cop yelled. "Get on your knees!" We went on our knees with our hands up and the cops came behind us grabbing our hands.

"It's not us!" Zach yelled. "They already left." They let go of our hands but still held onto our arms.

"We need to question everyone," a cop said. "Why are you trying to run?"

"We need to go," Zach said. "If it's important just talk to us after."

"It'll be quick," another cop spoke and took us off his friend's hands. They wanted to know who they were and how they sounded, how many were there and about their physical appearance. We spoke but we couldn't answer much of their questions because we didn't know anything and because we wouldn't snitch. We got to my car and I dove off.

"I need to speak with Billy," I told Zach. "I don't want to drop you off at home. Just in case the Reapers come and know that you were in the bank."

"I get it," Zach nodded. "I can stay at James' house."

"Don't tell him anything. He told me he knew about the races," I told Zach and he nodded. "He told you and you didn't tell me?" I asked him as I stopped at the light to turn left. "How could you not tell me?"

"He barely told me, I swear. He told me last night and I was gonna talk to you about it but you were already asleep. By the time I woke up this morning, I had already forgot. He said he wasn't mad, he was just hurt you didn't trust him with that kind of secret."

I hated that James thought I didn't trust him. That wasn't it, I just thought it was better for James to not be in this kind of thing. His mother wanted him to stay out of trouble. How was I going to bring him into this kind of thing, without getting him into trouble or getting him into danger? The amount of times I got Zach in trouble... well, I lost count but that just goes to show how many times it really was. I'm extremely fortunate that he's still alive.

"Just call him," I told Zach as the light turned green. I couldn't think about that at the moment. I needed to know if the Reapers were moving in on the Southside and if this was their claim.

"What's up?" James asked when he answered the phone. I heard munching on the other line and slurping. It was the sound he made when he was eating a bowl of cereal.

"What do you think about... Mae?" Zach asked and looked at me. I looked at him and rolled my eyes when he told me to shush. What was he even trying to do? It's not like James was going to say anything different than what he would say to my face.

"I think sometimes when I look her in the eyes... my body does something... something I can't explain," James said, and I was actually starting to get nervous about what he might say. Was there something he would say that he wouldn't say to my face? "It's almost like I want to throw up when I see her face." He started laughing and I relaxed. Nope. Nothing he wouldn't say to my face.

"Yeah, me too," Zach said, and I smacked his arm as I pulled into my house and parked. "What do you think about a Marvel Marathon?"

"I'm so down!" James said, sounding pumped. "Mae, gonna join us or what?"

"No, don't wanna make you throw up," I signed and once Zach translated it, James laughed.

"Just the guys," Zach said. I loved Marvel movies but I really needed clarity. I had too many questions to just sit around and half watch the movies while I thought of every possibility why the Reapers were staking their claims on the Southside. My phone vibrated so I pulled it out. It was a text from James in our group chat.

Ion wanna make Mae feel sum typa way -J

Aww, you wanna hang out with me? -M

Maybe -J

I knew you missed me. -M

Always -J

Who else am I gon make fun of for being UGLY -J

Why are we friends? -M

Cuz u need friens LONER -J

I shook my head, smiling and got off the car with Zach following. "Tell Mae don't leave me on read. Shit pisses me off."

"That's why I'm doing it," I signed to Zach, but he didn't say anything. I looked at him and he stared at me.

"Too lazy," He said and I stood standing.

"I'm not unlocking this door until-," he closed his eyes. I pulled his phone out of his hands, but he was quick to get it back. "Damn."

"Football, baby," he said. "Damn, I hung up on James. Dummy!"

"Shut up!" I told him.

"Had to go and be a bitch," he said and I laughed.

"Fuck you, douche," I laughed and he laughed. We may curse each other out but it's only a joke. We didn't actually fight-fight.

"Think you're all bad cause you're a street fighter," Zach said, saying street fighter more sarcastically.

"Yeah, I can kick your ass if you want?" I snapped and he stood tall. I put on a hard face and Zach looked like he wanted to laugh but held it in.

"Do it. See what happens," he treated and I laughed.

"Shits gonna happen. You not gon do nothin'," I told him and he flipped me off. He walked to his room and I laughed. "Yeah! Go get your things."

"Shut up!" He shouted and I laughed.

"Yeah, do as I say," I told him, and I heard him slide open his closet door. "Yeah, get your clothes!" I loved getting him mad, it was hilarious.

"I'ma beat cho ass, watch!" He shouted. I laughed as I texted Billy.

Hey, do you mind if I go over to your place? -M

I set my phone down and gathered an overnight bag just in case. I knew Zach wasn't going to come back tonight, and I didn't want to stay here by myself. I was either going to stay at Billy's again or spend the night at James' house. During this past week, I've been staying at Billy's place. I only came back on Friday because I felt like was overstaying my welcome. My phone dinged so I looked at the notification.

Of course not, come over. -B

I'll be there like in 10. -M

Sounds good. :) -B

I grabbed my duffle bag and walked out of my room. I made sure to lock every window and to make sure no stoves were on. I would get paranoid and think they're on. Better safe than sorry. Zach had everything he was going to need and got in the car. I set the house alarm and locked the door. I only took extra precautions because of what happened today.

When I pulled up to James' house, he came out with no shirt. Just his black shorts. Zach got off and walked into his house to set his things down. "You sure you don't wanna stay over?"

He leaned on the car window and smiled. His perfect straight, white teeth standing out against his darker complexion. He had braces when we were in middle school. His smile was nice. A smile he usually gave to girls he thought were cute.

"And see you in your spidey undies first thing in the morning? No, thanks," I smiled and he laughed.

"I don't own any. I like to sleep naked," he winked and I shook my head, smiling. I heard a cat whistle and James squared his shoulder as he stood up straight.

"That's a nice car," I heard another guy say. James bent down and smiled. "Why don'tchu get outta here."

"I can stay," I teased and he shook his head. He peaked above my car and shook his head when he looked back at me.

James didn't live in the nicest neighborhood. It's why he took football so seriously. He wanted to make it out with his mom and his younger siblings.

He wanted to make it in the NFL so he could buy his mom a house and give her everything she never had. It was very sweet of him. Most people didn't know that side of James, so I found it very fortunate that I did.

Football for him started because his mom wanted him to be apart of a team, not a gang, so she pushed him to play. He ended up loving the game.

"I'll see you later," he said and tapped my car twice. I rolled up the window and drove off. Looking at my rearview mirror, I saw three guys walking up to James but two of which, I've seen talking with James before.

I made it to Billy's and he welcomed me in with a hug. "Daaamn, haven't had a hug since the last time I saw you. Felt like ages ago," he said and I smiled. I smiled because he saw me two days ago. I was greeted by everyone and I felt loved and missed. It was a great feeling. To feel like I was being welcomed back to a family who loved me. "You're not staying the night?" Billy asked.

"I already overstayed my welcome here," I told him and he shook his head. "I was just thinking of spending the night at James' house."

"Ooh, right. Your other friend," he looked down and pouted his lower lip out. I shook my head and knew what he was doing. It was something he did when he wanted his way.

"Well, I did bring an overnight bag with me," I told him and he smiled. I rolled my eyes as I walked out of the bar and got my overnight bag from the car

"Here you can put your things in my room," Billy said and we walked upstairs to his room.

"I kinda wanted to talk to you," I signed to Billy. "I need some help."

"With what?" He nodded and sat down on his bed. He patted the seat next to him so I sat at the corner, one leg folded while the other was hanging off.

"There was a bank heist today-"

"Yeah, I heard about it," he smiled. I wanted to know if he knew about it before the heist was going to happen or after it already did.

"I was there with Zach," I said. He wanted to ask something but decided against it. "I wanted to know if the Reapers were trying to come to the Southside and if that was their way of claiming it or something."

"No, they're not but...," he shook his head as he spoke. "But umm..." he looked hesitant to say anything else.

"Tell me," I signed and he sighed.

"Umm... no. That's not their way," he said firmly but there was something missing. It was a gut feeling I had. Whatever he thought he needed to keep from me, he didn't need to. I could handle anything. I looked at him, but he failed to make eye contact with me. He looked at the window, trying to decide what he was going to say to me or, more accurately, what he was going to lie to me about.

"How do you know?" I asked. "You can't be so sure."

"I am, Kira," he said and it sounded different hearing him say my middle name, but I liked it. I missed it. "I'm a leader, of course, I know things. Besides, I don't think your boyfriend would take too kindly if their rival moved in on their territory."

"Woah, Woah, Woah, I never said he was my boyfriend," I told him and he laughed. I knew he was talking about Damien, but did Billy think Damien was my boyfriend? What even made him come up with that assumption?

"I never even mentioned anyone specifically," he mused and now I was the one looking away, thinking of what I was going to say. "Yeah... it may be the Southside, but I still have some Scorpions over there. The same thing with the Serpents; some go to school here. It's part of the treaty. It's how we get along.

"We coexist. We're more than an alliance. We're friends. Now that Damien moved back, I'm pretty sure I'm gonna be seeing him a lot. They have things we need, and we have things they need," Billy told me.

"Damien did this?" I asked. I thought back to what happened and in a way it made sense. They didn't kill anyone in the lobby. I thought back to that boy and I looked at Billy. "But... they killed someone. A boy not much younger than me."

He shook his head, slowly, but it wasn't to disagree with me. He was in disbelief. "No, Damien doesn't kill people, unless...," he trailed off. I started connecting the pieces together. Has Damien killed before? Was that boy today just collateral damage? Was he in the wrong place at the wrong time? He died for what? "Did you hear a gunshot?"

"No, but they could have used a silencer," I reasoned.

"No, that's not the Reapers' style. They want it loud. They want fear and death. If you didn't hear a gunshot, then no gunshot went off. No one died," Billy spoke. He was convinced Damien didn't kill anyone but how could he be so sure?

"How can you be so sure? You weren't there," I told him. "I've never even heard you talk to Damien. You don't know him."

"You know there are more ways of talking to someone than just face to face or over the phone?" He teased. "We've always stayed in contact. I may not know him as a close friend, but I know his way of leading. I know his style and killing isn't one of them. Besides, they told me they were planning this weeks ago and made sure that no way was this gonna lead back to my crew. We even gave them the idea to use Reaper jackets. Part of revenge for what they did to Max."

"Max? What did they do?" I asked.

"The Reapers messed with his car and left their signature. It's a move we make when we want them to know who did it. They were the only ones who could have really done it, the only ones who had motive to," Billy explained. "Out of the four gangs here, three have an alliance. The Reapers are everyone's rival."

There was a knock on the door, and Jose peeked his head in. Once he saw me, he beamed a bright smile. "You moving in or what? Is this final?"

"No. Just for the night," I told him. I could feel the warmth growing on my cheeks as I felt embarrassed because it must look like I spend so much time here.

"Is everything okay with your brother? You two fight?" He asked and closed the door behind him.

"No, I just wanted to get away for a while," I told him. "Unless you don't want me here... then I can leave." I got up and once I turned around with my back facing him, I smiled. I was just teasing him.

"Don't be dumb! Don't go," he said. I turned around smiling and he shook his head. "I'll getcha back for that. Billy, there's some people here for you," Jose nodded toward the door where the people waited. There was a look in his eyes that held another meaning.

"Alright, let's go," Billy said, nonchalantly. He turned to me. "Stay here. Make yourself at home. If you need it, the drawer 's still cleared for you."

"Thank you," I signed and they both walked out. I opened my bag but stopped when I heard laughing. The person that was here was a friend of Billy. I could tell it wasn't a close friend because he would have introduced me to them. I knew most of his friends, if not all. I opened the door slowly and went down the first couple steps of the stairs and peeked out to the bar to see who was here.

My heart dropped. I stopped peeking and pressed my body against the wall. My heart was racing as I saw who was here. I peeked again and I was right. Billy stood in front of the bar and in front of him was Damien. On Damien's right side was Max and on his left was Ryder. Bennett stood a couple of feet in the back of Damien.

It wasn't a tense or defensive stance, they were all relaxed. It looked like they were used to it so it didn't seem uncomfortable to them. This must have been the way they always stood. Billy had a similar stance but there were only two. Josh was standing on Billy's left side while Jose stood on his right.

I looked back at Damien and he was laughing as they were all making jokes. His smile reached his eyes, they made his eyes small while the dimples on his cheeks went deeper the harder he smiled. I never really took in all their features while they stood next to each other.

Their heights were relatively similar. The tallest was Bennett but Bennett's face looked younger, not by much but his features were more baby-like, despite his body being more muscular than the other three.

Ryder's face was more defined, giving him an edgier look. When he concentrated on someone talking, his thick eyebrows furrowed and he had a mean look. His smile was bright but not brighter than Max's. Max easily held the brightest smile.

Max's whole aura just screamed happiness. Everything about him was lighter than the other three. He made more jokes and laughed a lot more. Everything someone said, he was either smiling or laughing. He seemed to be the type of person who enjoyed being happy. He clung to his happiness as if it was oxygen, never letting it slip away no matter the topic the guys decided to talk about.

Damien was different yet very similar to the others. He smiled but some of his smiles weren't perfected enough to show his happiness. Almost as if he just smiled out of reflex rather than because it was funny. He suppressed his expressions more than the others did. When someone spoke of something angry, he stayed calm while the others showed their anger. He kept things more bottled up, only allowing certain emotions out.

Damien rolled up his sleeves and I saw a long scar on his left forearm. It triggered the memories from when he saw my scars. It's been a week since I've seen Damien.

When I was in his bathroom, I knew he saw my scars. I ran so I didn't have to face the questions or the judgments from him. I would have stayed and explained it to him, but I thought it was better if I ran rather than being there when he did.

I came to Billy's, trying to avoid Damien and the rejection that followed. I left everything behind except Lexi. I told Zach where I was going but I never told him why. I was scared to face Damien. I don't know what he'll say. If he'll even say anything to me.

It felt like every time things were going good between us, something had to go wrong. It's like I couldn't be happy. That every time I was happy, something had to balance out and make me sad again.

I should face Damien and talk to him. Let him decide if he still wanted to be my friend or not. I knew what the outcome was going to be, but it was that one what if. The 'what if he didn't care about my secrets and still wanted to be my friend' that gave me the smallest bit of hope. I wasn't sure if he wanted to talk to me, and I didn't want to reach out when we were just starting to be friends. What if I was just overthinking everything?

He might not even want to talk to me, and It's not like I actually spoke to him. He could just be tired of me and want some other girl. Not that he wanted me but... I was scared of rejection. Overall, I was scared of every outcome that could come because I knew they couldn't be good.

I was just starting to trust him. I didn't think I could ever trust someone like I trusted Zach. But then again, Damien wasn't Zach. I didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing. I just wanted to tell him all my secrets but at the same time, I didn't. Rejection was a scary thing but so was everything else in life.

"Are you guys staying long? Want a drink?" Billy asked.

"Yeah, we'll take one," Damien said. I peeked out and Billy started walking to the bar. He looked up and his eyes narrowed when he saw me. He looked up to his room, wanting me to go back but I didn't.

"I'll take a water," Bennett said at the same time max said, "I'll take a soda." They took their seats at the bar while Billy poured their drinks for them. My phone pinged, and the guys looked my way. I went back, leaning against the wall. I heard footsteps approaching me so I started to retreat and quietly went back up the stairs.

"Billy's gonna kick your ass when he's done," I heard Josh's voice chuckle behind me before I was able to make it back into the room. I turned slowly while I was only three steps away from being into Billy's room. So close yet so far away.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I told him and he laughed.

"Relax. Why are you spying? He's not gonna kill your precious boyfriend," Josh mocked. I started signing but he turned around without seeing what I was going to say.

*~*

I pulled up in my driveway and got my bag out of the car. I walked in and it was quiet. Zach must've been asleep still. I went to my room and put my stuff down. I needed a shower. I was too tense from being at Billy's. There was some tension there and me being there, made me feel like I was in the way. They all assured me I wasn't, but I couldn't help feel like they wanted to spare my feelings.

I got into the shower and the hot water relaxed every muscle in my body. I stood with my eyes closed and started to feel sleepy again, despite me just waking up. I finished up and got out. I got dressed in my grey shorts and my white crop top that said 'love'. I only wore this when I'm home because it showed my scar on both my thighs and no one was going to see me. I didn't have scars on my stomach or my lower back so okay to wear something like inside the house.

I walked into the kitchen and started cooking some pancakes and bacon. In the process of frying the bacon, Zach walked in like a zombie.

"You're back?" He asked groggily. He gave me a hug then kissed my forehead. Sometimes, it made me feel like he was a lot older than he was. It made him feel like he was older by a few years. "Missed you, munchkin." I smiled and hugged him back.

"I know I feel like we haven't been spending time together," I told him and he agreed.

"You're always with Billy," he said. He still wasn't a big fan of Billy after everything that happened. I remembered seeing the anguish in Zach's eyes as he watched me scream in pain. I shivered and shook the thought from my head. I sighed while rubbing circles with my left hand on my temple.

"You have a race today," he said and my eyes opened wide.

"I do?!"

He laughed and grabbed a piece of bacon. "Yeah, you forgot?" I nodded my head. "Well, it's a good thing I'm your boss."

I rolled my eyes at him. "Boss my ass," I served Zach then served myself. We both liked eating at the table so we moved to the table and sat down before eating.

"Damien's been by," I looked at him and I was shocked. I couldn't help but smile.

"He did?" I asked and Zach nodded. "What did he want?"

"He wanted to know if you were home and if you were okay. He looked worried. You never did tell me what happened. You only said you needed a break." I nodded and explained what had happened. That I'm worried and scared of what he'll say.

"I don't think Damien's like that," Zach said while he ate. He thought about it and nodded like he was right. Everyone seemed to think Damien was a good guy but how could everyone be so sure?

"And what makes you so sure?" He looked away, at his now empty plate. "Zach?" He had a look in his eyes that I couldn't quite read. Did he know something I didn't? He couldn't have. He's known Damien as long as I have.

"Just call it brother intuition," I eyed him suspiciously but gave up. He breathed a sigh of relief so I looked at him suspiciously again. "Jesus, Mae, what's with the interrogation?" He got up and went to the sink to put his dishes in.

"What's with you being suspicious?"

"Don't answer my question with another question," I decided to give him a hard time since he was being difficult. What I was about to do, I knew he got annoyed with. It always got on his nerves.

"I am?" I smiled innocently at him.

"Yes, you're doing it right now."

"Right now?" I played dumb.

"Mae, stop!"

"Stop what?"

"Stop what you're doing!"

"What am I doing?" He looked mad and frustrated so I laughed and he shook his head. "Sorry, I couldn't help it?" He groaned and walked out, leaving me laughing. It was good to be with Zach. Got to love annoying your sibling.

I looked at the time and it was ten in the morning. I went to my room and wrote in my journal. Usually, I wrote how I felt and what I thought. I got my pen and my journal then flipped to the back where I was at and wrote.

Dear journal,

I'm scared of rejection. Of what Damien will think. I've grown to trust him. More than I'd like to admit. I don't feel comfortable talking with him, yet. But if I spend more time with him, I will. I want to talk with him but like always, I'm scared and the echoes never go away.

I push people away to spare my feeling. I know that's selfish because I'm not thinking about them, but I've been hurt before. By him.

He's basically asking me to trust him when I'm still coughing up water from the last time he let me drown.

Am I a fool to want to trust him again?

The reason I'm scared is not only rejection. It's the fact that I'm finally trusting someone. It's been years since I trusted someone. Over ten years since I've spoken to anyone that wasn't my brother or Mitch.

What if he finds out my secrets and leaves, Again? I can't deal with that kind of pain. But I still think 'what if he doesn't? What if he's there for the long run? But then again what if he isn't? Why would he be?'

I'm so conflicted. I don't know what to do.

Yours truly,
               Mae

I looked at the clock and it was ten-thirty in the morning. I grabbed my laptop and went through Netflix. I chose 'The Chosen'. I was halfway through the movie, and I started closing my eyes despite it being a good movie.

I heard banging on the front door which woke me up. The laptop was still on my lap, so I closed it and got up. I started going to my safe when I heard his name.

"Damien, what are you doing here?" I didn't get my gun after all instead, I walk out. I was standing in the hallway when I saw him looking at me. He looked worried but relieved. I didn't realize that I walked to him until I was in front of him.

"I've been so worried about you," Damien told me and you could hear the concern in his voice. He moved forward but held himself back. He walked closer until there was little space between us. "Hey," he spoke softly and it was adorable.

"I'll let you guys talk," Zach said to us before he walked out.

"Hey," I signed. He mimicked the sign and I smiled. I liked that he was learning. I liked that it looked like he wanted to learn. I couldn't help but smile.

"Beautiful," he signed and I knew my face was betraying me, turning a shade of crimson red. "Did I get it right?" He looked nervous and I nodded.

"Are you learning?" I asked.

"Learning," he signed and said at the same time. "Are you asking me if I'm learning?" I nodded and he did too.

"That's nice of you," I told him. He looked confused and I smiled again. I guess he only knew some words.

"Are you okay?" He asked, putting his left hand on my shoulder. I wasn't used to the contact from another person so I didn't move. He rubbed my shoulder, soothingly with his warm hand. I looked down. No one besides Zach comforted me. It was a lot to know that a stranger would comfort me without even really knowing me. The action made him feel like he was a good person. Genuine. "Can I hug you?" He asked softly. I wasn't able to look at him, but I nodded while looking down and walking closer to him.

I wrapped my arms around his waist and he pulled me into a hug. This hug was tight like if he let me go I would disappear. I held him the same way because it actually felt like if I did let go he would disappear.

He put his head in the crook of my neck and I felt him smile. It was sort of weird hugging him but it also felt nice. He felt warm like a heater. I could smell his cologne, it was masculine. It wasn't strong but just enough to enjoy the smell. I didn't know how long we were hugging but it felt like it wasn't enough. He pulled away and looked at me.

"You don't know how worried I've been," He whispered. I smiled at him because he genuinely seemed concerned. He cared but a part of me couldn't understand why that was. Why did he care? Did that mean he wasn't scared? He grabbed my hands and interlocked both of them with his.

It felt like he was moving too fast. I felt nervous. I'd never held hands with a guy before. I looked at him and he smiled. He looked at my lips and I panicked. I pulled away and took a step back. He looked worried, but I signed to him and he relaxed. I realized he wouldn't have understood what I signed so I pulled my phone out.

Sorry. I sort of need my hands for talking.

I hated lying to him but I got scared. I sort of regretted letting now. "No, I get it. I'm sorry." He apologized and I felt more guilty. I shook my head and grabbed his hand, leading to my room. "Umm... w-where are we going?" There was panic in his voice but I didn't understand why. I walked into my room but he stopped walking in.

What's wrong?

"I probably shouldn't be in here," he said. "Your brother might get mad." There was a sort of panic in his eyes as he hesitated by the door but I couldn't understand why.

He doesn't care. We'll hang out in here.

"Okay," he said and walked in. "Is it my turn to look around?" He asked. I smiled and nodded, remembering the time he let me look around.

I was nervous because he remembered that day. Were we going to talk about that day or were we just going to forget? The first place he looked was my queen-sized bed. Then his eyes wandered to my desk.

I went to sit down on my bed while he moved to my book collection. I had a few books but most of them I never read. I always said I was going to get to them but I never did. I patted the right side of the bed but he was still looking around my room at my books then chuckled. Hey, I couldn't help it if I was a hopeless romantic. He looked at the corner of my room and saw my piano. That was something Mitch never broke. I used to think it was because he knew it was my mother's.

There were times when I played one of her songs and he didn't hit me. I think it relaxed him. That was the only thing I had of hers. She taught me but after she left, I taught myself.

"I didn't know you played," Damien said and opened the lid and pressed a few keys. It was quick but it was nice. "I guess there's a lot I don't know about you," he turned to me so I patted the bed again.

He glanced at the bed then at me with an unsure look so I nodded, reassuring him. He walked over to me and took his shoes off. He sat on top of the covers instead of being like me and laying underneath. I looked at him and he smiled at me.

"You know this is the first girl's bedroom I've been in?" I raised my eyebrows at him and he chuckled. "Seriously. So you better not take advantage of me." That would explain why he was nervous to walk in here. I sort of liked that he's never been in a girl's bedroom before. It made me feel less nervous about what he'd expect to happen.

I laughed at him and his smile grew bigger. He looked over at my nightstand and grabbed my phone then handed it to me. I gave him a confused look so he explained.

"I wanna have a conversation with you. I want to know some things about you if that's okay?" I nodded hesitantly and he smiled. "You can text me and I'll reply out loud," I nodded again and opened the messaging app.

What do you wanna know? -M

"Well, with you everything," he smiled nervously and I looked down smiling. "But for now little details," I nodded so he continued, "When's your birthday?"

December 1. What about you? -M

"Mine was in the summer, August seventeenth."

You're a Leo. -M

"Do you believe in that stuff?" He asked and I shrugged.

I like to read about it. It's interesting. From the way you asked, I assume you don't like it? -M

"It's not that I don't like it but I just don't read about it," he said and I nodded understanding.

Next question. -M

"What's a pet peeve you have?"

When someone's smacking their food or when they slurp their drink. What about you? -M

"When someone takes a long time to reply but they were the ones to text you first," he said and I laughed.

I completely know what you mean. It irks me too. - M

"What's something weird about you?" I laughed at his question but thought about it.

I have to pop my fingers and my neck. Lol. What about you? What's got you being a weirdo? -M

"Umm... I don't know. I can quote any movie, does that count?" I nodded "Actually, Ryder can too but don't ask Bennett. Trust me," he chuckled and I looked at him while he spoke, and I mean I really looked at him.

When he spoke about his friends, the smile that danced across his lips, full of happiness reached his eyes. It wasn't like the other times I saw him smile. This one made his dimples go on full display. It made him look cuter. When he talked about Ryder and Bennett, his eyes lit up. It was easy to tell they were his best friends.

He looked happy talking about them and all the things they bickered about. He went on and on and kept smiling like they were the funniest people he's ever meant and to him, they probably were. He looked at me and kept smiling.

"Are you done checking me out?" He laughed but I look away to hide the blush. Why am I always blushing around him? It has to be annoying for him. "You're so beautiful," he whispered.

I looked away, hiding from him. That compliment played with heart like if I was riding a rollercoaster and we were dropping. Hearing it from him made a hundred thoughts flood my mind.

"Thank you," I told him. That's all I could think of telling him. I look at him and he smiled.

"Do you wanna watch a movie?" He said and I nodded. I set my laptop on him so he opened it to 'The Chosen'. I gasped when I saw Kian killing someone. "Can I choose a movie?" I nodded again, so he existed out of the movie and chose another one.

He chose a movie I'd never seen before so we started watching it. I felt him look over to me but I didn't make a move to look at him as I continued to look down at the movie.

He whispered something but I pretended I didn't hear it.

"Mae, how did you get that scar on your leg?"

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A/N: I hope you're enjoying reading my story.

Don't forget to vote and comment. ❤️

What's your favorite song? Top three if you can't choose.

*Mine right now are:

Yes Girl (Bea Miller)

Gasoline (Halsey)

& Like That (Bea Miller)*