~

They say not to trust strangers. But they forget that betrayal always comes from people we think we know.

~

"Do we have to do this?" Aiden groans and Jared rolls his eyes at how childish Aiden is acting.

Aiden coming over is not an unusual occurrence but Jared having to drag him into the house is. After all, they have hug out in Jared's house millions of times ever since they became friends all those years ago.

Luckily his parents aren't there to witness the argument they had at the front door of the house of whether to go forward with the plan or not.

"Yes, you have to." He firmly states, pushing the mobile towards Aiden. "I rather not spoil another one of my lunch breaks by seeing you drool over your sweetheart." The words are slightly sarcastic and it seems like Aiden notices as he glares at Jared.

Jared stares back until Aiden lets out a sigh.

Jared smirks as Aiden takes the mobile gingerly and stares at the screen.

"Go on, do it."

Aiden throws him another dirty look and Jared's smirk only widens.

He knows that Aiden will end up agreeing with him so he relaxes back into the bean bag he is currently occupying. Aiden sits cross-legged on Jared's bed, an expression of contempt and hesitation alight on his face.

Jared's room is messy and he knows that if he doesn't clean it up soon, he will be getting an earful from his mother.

But she is currently off to a resort for a mini-vacation with her father and he doesn't have to worry about it until the next week when they return.

"Aiden, just call."

The mobile is pressed against Aiden's ear even as his lips twists into a scowl. Jared tilts his head and studies his oldest friend closely.

Most of them wouldn't notice it but Jared does. The dullness of Aiden's usually bright grey eyes, the limpness of his hair and the various other small tell-tale signs of how is truly feeling.

Jared knows that despite his nonchalant attitude, the break up with Lucy did take a toll on his best friend.

"Hello." The unfriendly tone in Aiden's voice snaps Jared out of his musings.

"Put it on loudspeaker." Jared whispers and ignores the glare Aiden shoots him. Despite his irritation, Aiden goes along with what Jared says and turns on the loudspeaker.

"Hey! Love Expert speaking. How can I help you?"

The voice is cheerful and Aiden's scowl grows.

"I don't-"

"My friend here needs help." Jared jumps into the conversation, lifting himself from the beanbag with some effort. Moving closer to Aiden and the mobile in his hand, Jared sits on the bed beside Aiden.

Aiden turns to scowl at him and Jared wonders how and when in the world did his friend turn so grouchy.

"Is that so?" A low hum. "What kind of help does he need?"

"He needs to get over-"

"I need to know how to win back the girl I like."

Now it is Jared's turn to glare.

"If we're doing this then we're going to do this the right way." Aiden hisses, one hand covering the mouthpiece of the mobile.

"Wait, so let me make this clear. You need help to get a girl, not to get over her." The voice, even through the static filled line, is a bit incredulous and Jared can almost imagine the unknown girl raising an eyebrow as she asks this question.

He keeps the scowl fixed on his face as he stares at Aiden.

"Yes. I want to get her back." Aiden's voice is filled with caution.

"Hmmm. Getting back an old lover can be very tricky."

Aiden shoots him a look- See, I can't be helped- and Jared resists the urge to tell him that the plan had been to ask help for getting over her not for getting her back.

"It's fine. If you can't do it, I'll just-"

"Hold up. I never said I can't do it. I just said it will take some time since it is tricky." She cuts in and Jared can see the way Aiden is holding back the urge to groan.

"So will you help him?" Jared questions, silently hoping that she will deny the request.

"Of course. I am the Love Expert afterall! But I do need to know who you are in order to help you."

At that, Jared could see Aiden's hesitation. Jared couldn't blame him. Aiden had garnered a very big reputation amongst their peers as being the resident 'Heartbreaker' or 'Player' and if word got out about him asking for help then it would all go down the drain.

Most of the school already knew about his obsession- Jared refused to use the term Love- with Lucy as Aiden had stopped sleeping around but everyone had dismissed it as a short-term thing.

After all, Aiden isn't someone who can be tied down to one person in the eyes of the other students.

"Don't worry. I assure the highest level of discretion. No one will ever find out about this interaction." Despite the fact that she is anonymous, there is a tone of assurance in her voice that manages to calm Aiden down. Jared watches his friends' face relax as he takes in a deep breath.

"Aiden Whittaker."

There is a pause on the other side of the line and Jared is sure that there will be some sort of unwelcome reaction that will cause Aiden to loose his cool.

What is left of it anyways.

But instead, the girl's voice comes back on, as calm as ever. "So I'm guessing Lucy White is the girl in question?" There is no kind of implication in her voice and Jared relaxes slightly.

"Yeah."

"Fine. I'll get in touch with you tomorrow after thinking about it."

"Hey, wait! Who are you?" Aiden nearly shouts and Jared finds himself curious about the answer too.

A moment of silence.

"That isn't necessary for you to know. I'm willing to help you and I'll find a way to do so."

"But how do I trust you if I don't know who you are?" Aiden questions and Jared had to agree with him.

"How can you be sure of me even if I do tell you who I am? Betrayal can come from anyone, not only strangers." She counters and Jared has the pleasure of seeing the normally sharp tongued Aiden speechless for once.

"I-I-"

"I'm assuring you that I'll try my best to get you together with Lucy. All I ask is for you not to question my methods or my identity." Her voice has gone soft towards the end and Jared looks at Aiden for his reaction.

He is unsurprised to see Aiden frowning and biting his lip.

"Fine." The word is snapped yet it lacks the sharpness that Aiden is probably aiming for.

"Thank you. I will be in touch."

With that, the line cuts off and Aiden keeps the mobile aside.

"Feeling better?"

He expects Aiden to scowl, frown or at least shake his head but instead he continues to stare thoughfully at the wall.

"Aiden?"

It seems to snap Aiden out of his daze. Meeting Jared's eyes he smirks lightly. "If anything happens, you will be blamed."

Jared stares at Aiden for a few moments.

Then he grins.

"Of course. So can we play some video games now? I can order pizza too."

A/N: Suggestions are always welcome :)
New character introduction next chapter.