The cool wind brushed against my face, making tiny droplets of water eventually crash against my skin. The rain wasn't going to spare me, no matter how hard I tried. Half of my t-shirt was already drenched as I stood under the shed of the school guard's room near the main entry gate, waiting for the car from home to arrive.

Remind me to never trust the whether report ever again. They are even better liars than I could ever be.

I glanced at my wrist watch.

Clark was late.

He had already made me miss one of the classes on the very first day to school and if he made me wait for another minute, I was going teach him a good lesson for sure.

I combed my hair, which had grown to be more of a habit lately. However, I was as equally disappointed as horrified when I found my hair damp, sticking to my forehead which probably made me look like a fool.

Things you do for your friends.

Wait, let me reframe it.

Things you do to befriend the person who care about you but is also, not your friend. Yet.

Yes, it was true that I had been standing at the same spot since the past twenty minutes, waiting for Clark, one of our employees back at home to bring me the prints of the assignment that bitch wanted from Char. I would've enjoyed the show if I was her but that was it. Char wasn't me. She  wasn't a sadist.

A fainted honking of a car's horn drew my attention towards the black Audi that had finally arrived, making me roll my eyes, just as Clark stepped out.

"Sir!" Clark, greeted me in excitement. What the hell was he so excited for? "Sir, your papers!"

"Clark-" I closed my eyes and winced as he jumped into a puddle of mud and dirt with a huge smile on his face. "Where is your umbrella?" I asked as he handed me a waterproof zipped up folder. I was actually thankful that he didn't bring them lose.

You see, Clark was the only man in my support staff whom you could and couldn't trust at the same time.

"I forgot it, Sir-uh, Finn." The stern look on my face relaxed when he called me by my name as he offered me a small smile. Clark was almost a decade older than my dad and it would've been totally stupid to have him calling me sir.

He just literally saved me. I couldn't be more thankful.

"Thank you so much, Clark." I said, spitting the anger. "You saved my life."

A smile ambled upon my lips ib response and soon after, he left.

Now, the biggest task was to make it to the other side of the building without getting drenched. I had to run as if I had a bunch of wild dogs chasing after me like they did, when I was eight.

Oh boy, I had a vivid memory of my then slender legs faltering as I ran for my life. However, I successfully made it back to my place but still somehow managed to stumble upon the doormat and fall straight on my face and ended up having a tiny scar on my forehead that I still hate with everything I got. It just ruins the look.

I never realised when, I had subconsciously started to trace a finger on my forehead as if to locate the mark. If another person saw me, they would think that I was drawing some kind of unlock pattern on my head. I shook my head and sprinted.

Thankfully, I saw students coming out of the chemistry lab, with their lab coats on.

Oh no. That wasn't a good sign. I was late.

"ANESTHESIA!" I called out for the obnoxious girl who was headed towards some other direction.

"Anastasia Wilde." She said, giving me a tight smile. "Tell me, what do you want from me?" Her smile was now transformed into a sly smirk, followed by a biting of her bottom lip and I thought I would puke on the spot. It was actually hold of me to hold it back.

"This." I flipped he file once before eventually slapping it against her face, gently enough to not hurt her but blocking her view and I swear, I was so relieved.

"The assignment. Just take it and keep yourself away from my friend."

She arched an eyebrow, taking a step towards me, filling in the considerable gap that I had maintained between us. Reflexively, I took a step backwards.

"I knew, you and I have something."

The audacity of this woman.

"Yeah...." trailed off scratching the back of my head rather awkwardly. "What we have is called a conflict of interest."

She let out a chuckle.

God, I didn't have time to waste. Especially on her. I might be all manned up and all most of the time but, ten minutes under the downpour, and I'm sneezing and quivering like a mad man.

"I'm sure that's not what I meant."

"I don't really care about what you meant, woman."

A smile made its way back to her lips. "Never mind. Thank you for looking after me." She said showing me the file. "You seem like pretty selfless to me. Getting soaked up for my sake."

"Uh, don't worry." I said shoeing her with my hand. "I'm not looking after you. I am looking after my friend which means I am looking out for myself. Sounds pretty selfish to me."

I swear, just when I thought I could bear with her words for a little while, she dared to trace her long frail fingers over my chest. All credits to the falling pearls from the grey sky that the white cotton material of my t-shirt was now soaked and clung to my hard chest. The water made it sheer, almost see through, giving her a good view.

Well, that's what I thought it might be for her.

However, I had no words to explain the discomfort I felt under her gaze.

"You should stay away, actually."

"I should but maybe I don't want to." There was no way I could make it through this conversation without hitting her on the face.  I took it as my cue to leave.

"Wait up, Finn." She said and I immediately winced as if someone had thrusted hot iron rods in my back. Before my eyes could fall back on Anastasia, they greeted a pair of warm- brown eyes, staring right back into my blue ones.

Studying the expressions they beheld, that majorly reflected worry than irritation, I gulped. My heart started hammering beneath my chest rather erratically. Damn, what the hell was happening?

I jumped away from the girl who stood near me, still trying to register Char's presence, even if she was nearly ten steps away. I don't know why I didn't want to be seen with Anastasia, especially by Char.

Then she did something that I feared she would.

With a fiery look in her eyes, she made her way towards the two of us. Even though, her white lab coat hung loosely over her frame, it still made her match with my white tee.

Great. I was talking like a schoolgirl now.

"Any trouble here?" She asked, folding her arms. I opened my mouth to say something but stopped midway, realising that she wasn't talking to me.

I frowned.

"No." Anastasia was back with the attitude. "Not until you arrived. We two were having a good time with ourselves."

Char squinted at me, her brown irises alert as I shook me head vigorously as a big no.

"I think you should leave, Evans. You have done enough for today." My fingers were pulled together into a tight fist. For some reason I didn't let a word out of my mouth but responded by gently squeezing her hand. She lifted her gaze off the stupid girl to look at me with skepticism.

She probably hates me even more. She thinks that I was really having a good time with the girl who she baffled with in the morning.

With a hundred negative thoughts in my mind, I looked down at the top of my shoes. Thankfully my jeans wasn't as drenched as my t-shirt and hence was wearable.

"I think you should the hell up, Anastasia and mind you own business than chasing after him like that." My gaze shot up to scan Char's face as she spoke. A smile faltered over my lips once again.

"He's clearly not interested in you and you just can't keep on going and touching people like that without their consent, woman!"

Anastasia muttered something under her breath that we certainly didn't catch.

"And if I see you troubling him one more time, I'll personally chop your fingers before he does!" She was nearly panting for breath. As odd it may sound but my heart warmed up for her even more as she stood up for me.

I think letting my guard down was the best new thing I tried.

The crazy witch disappeared in no time, leaving me and Char alone.

She stood up for you, man and......
......AndKindaLookedHot

I can't admit that I just admitted it.

Oh my god!  That statement was so wrong! I mean it was right but.... But it was so wrong coming out of my mouth. I should've just thanked me instead.

Before I could open my mouth to let out a word of thanks, I sneezed.

"Oh no, princess." Charlotte muttered as I narrowed my eyes at her.

"What?" She asked, "Aren't you a little princess?"

"I am the most manliest man alive, love." I loved the way smugness encurbed me when I was around her and also, I loved calling her love.

She scoffed, bruising my ego. There weren't people around us, maybe because it was the lunch time and everyone was at the canteen or because we were at the chemistry lab and no one was really fond of this place. Well, no one except for Char.

While I was lost in my thoughts, her next move drew my attention towards her. My eyebrows were drawn together, inspecting her actions, as she pulled her coat off her shoulders and eventually off her arms and tossed it over my face.

My lips were curled into an upside down 'U' as I removed the coat from my face to look at her figure.

"Wear it, your highness-" she said mockingly. However, I was sure, she wasn't in a mood to joke. "You're soaked. We can't have you falling ill now, can we?"

"You're talking to me?" The happiness in my voice was audible.

"No, I was talking to Anastasia Wilde."

"She's here?"

"Why? You look excited."

I chuckled.

"She was all over me, though." I teased, trying to catch a glimpse of her expression. "I don't know if it's the Walker genes but oof, I get so tired, you know, with girls throwing themselves at me all the time."

She started at me with a look which said, 'Are you serious?'

"Don't worry, love, this heart beats just for you." I winked as I tapped my chest, just above my heart and it seemed that she was waiting for the wink, just to allow the scarlet embarrassment to crawl over her.

"I am joking. There's no way to react like that. You look funny and terrible at the the same time."

Her expressions drained at my insensitive remark. And just like that, the blush disappeared.

I didn't realy have to say that.

"But seriously, Char, Anesthesia Wilde? If she thinks she had me there, she's out of her mind."

As soon as I said those words, followed by a light chuckle that escaped my lips, I saw her eyes lit up in bewilderment as if she was amused by the little rhyme.

"What?" I asked. "I know I'm one hell of a poet." She rolled her eyes I'm disbelief. However, that wasn't a lie.

I just hoped I get to show my works to her one day.

I am willing to do that, already?

"Besides, she would be that last person I'd go for. I was aiming at someone else to sprinkle my charm at. You know, small, maybe five two or something, a hot-headed girl who can't handle aerated cold drinks and-"

"Give up already." She said glaring at me. "It won't work on me."

"Why not?"

"Here's a secret. I'm Walker-proof."

I grinned. "At least, I got you to talking."

"It doesn't mean that you're forgiven, Walker." Her words had me. The smile on my face evaporated in an instant.

"I understand." Despite the unsettling impact her words had on my chest, I gave her a small smile. "It's not that easy but it's not impossible either."

She shook her head as she let the coat fall over my shoulders, pulling it together by its lapels.

Oh look how roles have reversed.

"Because now I know you still care about me and no matter how cruel this world has may turned out to be, I highly doubt that there's a single soul who can go on life long without the person they care about."

I don't even know how I managed to say something like that in one breath, having her so close near me.

"I want to be friends with the girl who's my knight shining white lab coat." I grinned.

No doubt there was confidence in my voice, but from inside I feared that she might hear my heart thumping under my chest.

"A friend?" She asked in surprise as she stepped back. It wasn't that I disliked our proximity. It was nothing like having Anastasia close.

Never in my life I had imagined I'd use these words for my arch-enemy, Charlotte Evans.

"A friend. And I swear I won't stop trying."

She didn't look at me and for a moment it terrified me. What if I said something that I shouldn't have? but I thought it was okay to pour your heart out in front of someone you trust.

And I wanted to trust her with everything I had.

Making my heart sink, she approached the exit. My eyes followed her, making her way back. She halted making my heart do a backflip for the second time now.

"What if it took you years?"

I chuckled and shook my head, staring right at her back. "Make it an eternity, love, but this time I am not giving up."

*****

I was shutting the door of my locker in disappointment, with Char's coat still hanging over my frame.

Of course, how would I have any spare clothes in it when it was my very first day here?

I couldn't go to class like that.

Lightly punching the door, I grunted. Just then something came flying on my face, covering my eyes and blacking my view.

I removed the pieces from my face and realised that it was a pair of the schoo P.E uniform.

"Wear that, scum bag. I don't want you lying on your bed, sneezing." I lifted my gaze to meet Jaxon Hayes standing in his might in front of me.

"Jax?"

He walked away.

Why was he behaving like that?

"Hey, Jax!" Clenching his uniform, making sure I don't choke him in process, I ran after him. "Jaxon Hayes!"

"What Walker?" He barked, still not facing me. "I don't want any stain on my clothes. Make sure you return them clean."

I gritted my jaw tighter.

"Hey-" The amplitude of my voice raised. I clenched his leather jacket from behind, bringing him to an immediate halt. He glared me as if he'd kill me in a flash.

"Not my collar, asshole." He spat.

"I won't....." I growled, "I won't leave you until you listen to me!"

The words left my mouth and everything that followed soon after, passed in a blink. Long before I could assess our position, Jaxon's elbow came flying, straight into my stomach.

Grunting in pain, I grimaced, being slammed against the lockers as his arm pinned me against the walls.

"Stay the hell away from me, Walker."

It wasn't like I was choking or anything. I just couldn't see Jaxon like that. Heck, I had never seen him like that.

He loosened his grip and marched away, stomping over my ego. I stood up straight and rushed after him, grabbing him by his collars for the second time now and thew a punch on his jaw.

"Why are you being a jerk?" I spat as he detached himself from me. There weren't many people around us, next to none. We couldn't be in trouble unless a teacher or any staff member saw us.

"Because that's what a bigger jerk like you deserves!"

I rolled my eyes and rubbed my forehead anxiously. "Jaxon, you are my best friend, man. Can you just stop being an asshole and-"

"-And start being your sidekick all over gain, Finn?" He sounded hurt. "So that you disappear once again and scare the hell out of me? Because I don't think I'm your friend! You din't tell me where you were or where did you go."

"Jaxon please-"

"What now?" He looked irritated. I noticed that I might've hurt him more than I actually intended because I caught him rubbing his jaw, just where I punched him.

"You think it's a joke? You come back after three months and don't see your so called best friend for another, and you expect him to take you back?"

"Jax, you're the only family I have left!" I cried. "Please don't do this. I can't have you not talking to me."

He scoffed, looking away in disbelief. "That's what you do to your family, right? You never look back to see how they are with or without you. Because you turn your back towards your family-"

"Jax-"

"And you don't care if they are spending days and nights searching for you-"

"Jaxon!"

"Or, it's just in you, Walker, the guy who doesn't even look back at own fucking father-"

"JAXON, SHUT UP!" My voice reverberated for a few seconds before there was silence between us all over again. I wanted, looking straight at the guy who stood in front of me.

"I am sorry I- I didn't mean it."

"I know." I said quietly. I knew he didn't mean it. It was all out of rage.

Do I sound the same when I'm angry? Because I say a lot worse things and this one surely hurt a lot.

"I know you didn't mean it." I repeated with a small, sad smile. "And you shouldn't be the one apologizing." I raised my arms, seeking his permission to take him into an embrace.

He stared at me for a fraction of second before mumbling something under his breath and accepted my offer. "Oh, I hate myself for this."

The vibrations produced by the sound of my laugh could be sensed over his shoulders as  I wrapped my arms around him.

"I should've punched you harder."

"Really?" I asked in amusement.

"Of course." He replied, slapping my back twice. "You are a horrible person, Finn Walker, and I am worse than you. I thought I'd never forgive you-"

"But we're brothers, right?" I said, breaking the hug.

"Right." He said with a grin. "But what you did was horrible, Finn. I sent Anthony after you to London when-"

"Wait, you sent Anthony to find me?" My voice ecoed confusion. Anthony was late Mr. Hayes's most trusted employee who was looking after all their business and workstations for Jaxon.

"He couldn't have found me!"

"I know." Jax said. "He couldn't."

We fell silent for a while.

"I am sorry, Jaxon."

"I don't think you've said this word in your entire life, as many times as you have, in the past ten minutes."

"I haven't."

He chuckled.

"It's okay, Finn." He said, placing an arm over my shoulder. "You know I was going to visit you....the day Char came to your place."

I fell silent again. I never wanted to think of the day. I had told her horrible things and that too, for just looking after me.

"I know what you said to her, Finn. I know of every single thing you said to her." He looked  more worried than angry. "And all the time she was just happy that you're back. Safe at home. Now tell me is that any way to treat someone who cares for you?"

"I know, Jax." I said, "I know and I am a fucking idiot for disrespecting her like that since the moment I stepped back in Rockville. You know me, Jax. I am not good with emotions or...maybe, telling someone how I feel! I know it doesn't give me an excuse to mistreat someone but-ugh! I'm an idiot! A big fat idiot!"

"I know what you're thinking Finn." He said. "And that's why I suggest you prevent the hurting part."

Blinking a couple of times, I asked. "What do you mean?"

"I am asking you to stay away from her."
I pushed his hand away from my shoulder. My eyebrows were drawn together in confusion.

"What are you saying, man?"

"I am saying that you shouldn't probably talk to her anymore-"

"Just shut up, alright?" I told him. "I was thinking of all the ways I could come across to have her back, as a friend-"

"Friend?" He guffawed, sarcastically. "Finn Walker doesn't do friends."

"Finn Walker can change that, for Charlotte Evans."

He laughter exhausted as he studied my face to examine my seriousness and find the catch. But there was no catch.

I wanted a friend. And I wanted that friend to be her. What was so wrong in that?

"You are in love with her, aren't you?" He deadpanned, making me roll my eyes.

"No!"

"Yes, you are. You want to be good to her."

Whatever he was saying was getting onto my nerves as he was muttering mere trash.

"You realise, being good is not a bad thing. I'm always good to you. It doesn't mean I'm in love with you too!"

"Yeah, that's right but you are not good to someone, except me, until you want something in return."

"Don't think that low of me, Jax." Irritation was visible in my tone, knowing how right he and my dad were.

They knew I turned out to be a really bad person. I needed to change that.

"Jax, I really respect her for standing up for me and-"

"Finn, do you feel obligated? "

"Okay, I do! So what?"

Several mixed emotions reflected in his eyes. Shock and disbelief were the only ones I could make out.

"Friendship is never an obligation!" He cried. "It's about looking after someone by keeping your ego aside. It's about caring for someone. It's about being sad when you're friend is low and sometimes it's about suppressing your pain and sacrificing your happiness to bring a smile on their face. Do you think you can do that, Finn?"

I took every bit of his words, piece by piece, assessing them, analysing them, remembering the day when the delusional world around me shattered and I got to know how much my own father hated how I grew up to be.

And I didn't want to be that guy anymore. Not for Charlotte for sure.

So the nod of my head that came soon after Jaxon's words was my response.

"Yes. I am pretty much willing to do that."

His eyes softened and lips curled up into a gentle smile. "I'm helping you on this one then."

And I grinned back.

"Hey, Finn! Jaxon!" We turned towards the voice that just called for us, making Jaxon eventually sigh. It took me longer than expected to realise that it was Blake Vector who was approaching the two of us with a huge smile on his face too, as if he had won over the world.

"What now?" Jaxon growled. "Finn, this is Blake pain in my arse Vector."

I knew who Blake Vector was but my friend, Jax, here didn't know that I knew him.

Blake looked at me and I shot him back an apologetic look that he probably found funny.

"Do, who's gonna tell him? Me or you?" Funnily enough, Blake added.

I sighed.

"Jax, I know him. He's a friend of mine."

"Oh, come on, man. Give it a rest. You've been hiding so many things from me. Maybe next time when I learn something about you, it would be you coming out of the closet-"

"Don't mind him."

"Trust me, I never do." Blake laughed it off. In a minute long conversation the three of us had, I realised how different I was from the great Blake Vector, standing here. He was a nice guy, away from all the trouble.

And then, there's me.

"Anyway, I have a good news that would be probably bad for our friend, Jaxon here-" Jaxon's ears stood up in attention. "And I need your help."

I was perplexed.

"I finally asked Cherry out on a date." Vector said with his cheeks turning a shade of pink.

And it felt like something within me dropped to the pit of my stomach.

"You poor excuse of a human-" Jaxon shrieked, "She turned you down, didn't she? I'm proud of my sis-"

"Actually, she didn't." Blake's voice was full of confidence and pride.

"And I want you both to help me out, planning a great evening, since you're the only guys I can really rely upon at the moment."

Jaxon was fretting. I knew that when he sideways glanced at me.

I didn't know what I was expecting from her. Of course she wouldn't turn the opportunity of going out with her best friend.

My throat was dry, certainly unprepared to swallow the news.

But it wasn't like I liked/loved her. Heck, I didn't even know her as well as Blake did. I wanted her to see me as her friend.

Did I want something more?
Certainly not.

Was I sad?
Certainly not.

After all, as Jax said, being friends was all about seeing them happy and I wanted her to be happy.

"I don't know about, Jax-" turning to Blake, with a big smile dancing over my face, I said, "-But I'm going to do my best to make this date memorable for you guys."

A/N

Heyyy Everyone :)

I updated yesterday. I'm updating again today. It was a really long chapter to write and took me 7 hours with Wattpad glitching and all. I swear it hates me.

Anyway, I really enjoyed writing this one even if it isn't the best and a little over dramatic.

Now it's time for some questions.

1. Does anyone ship Anastasia and Finn?

2. Should Char forgive Finn already? Is she overreacting?

3. Any views on Finn's Knight In Shining Lab Coat?

4. What was your favorite and least favorite part from this chapter?

5. Do you think Finn and Chad's friendship is ever happening?

6. Was Jax insensitive with Finn or he said those things because he knows Finn better?

7. Any comments on Blake Vector? He finally asked Charlotte out! Anyone excited?

8. I promise this is the last one. Finn is going to help Blake. How many of you think that he'll personally ruin/sabotage their date?

Thank you so much for reading. Loads of love to you all :)