An annoying song played on my phone. I groaned, pulling the covers to duck under them, closing my eyes and trying to pretend that the noise wasn't there. It didn't work. It never did, but that was the exact reason I'd put up that song as my alarm to wake up.

Huffing out, I dragged myself out of bed to the desk where I'd left my phone to charge. It was fully charged now, I unplugged it and hopped on the bed again. I checked my email and Facebook feed before answering the couple of messages I had from friends back in California. I also commented a few pictures before I jumped out of bed and got my clothes from my suitcase. Haley was supposed to free some space from her closet, but I had a feeling she was still mad at me and that was her own way of acting out in protest.

Thankfully, I didn't have to fight anyone for the bathroom. That's why I'd set up my alarm earlier today. I took a quick shower and dressed up before putting my contact lenses and applying some makeup. The weather was getting warmer, so I figured a nice denim skirt and a white tank top would be in order.

Ever since I moved to the sunny California, I'd found a newfound love for skirts. I had several in different colors and length. I didn't do the short-short like many girls did, though. I didn't think I could pull them out since I had an average weight and I always thought that those were for super skinny girls.

Brushing my hair, I stepped down to the kitchen. The aroma of coffee had already filled up the house. Dad was sipping from his mug when I came in. "Hello, princess."

My lips instantly tugged up. I was a total Daddy's girl. Both my parents were doting, but I had a slight preference over Dad. Mom's favorites were the twins, although she would never admit it out loud, because they were the little ones. Yet, my father and I had a special connection. We both loved sports, even though I absolutely sucked at playing them, and we used to watch a few games on the TV as my sisters and Mom made a mess in the kitchen baking cookies and such.

I had a complete aversion to the kitchen.

I couldn't cook properly, even if I tried. I loved helping him out in the grill, something that he relished on. I could cut veggies and such. That was my only culinary talent. Then again, we always had the deepest talks whilst he grilled. It was our alone time.

I padded to him and kissed him on the cheek. "Hi Dad."

"Coffee?" he didn't wait for me to answer, as he stood up and grabbed another mug from one of the cabinets.

"Thanks." I sat down on the stool next to him. He'd been reading through some files from work. As he placed the mug on the table, he closed the file before seating next to me.

His brown-dark hair had a few streaks of gray that hadn't been there a year ago. There were also new crinkles around his eyes. "How are you?" He asked as his gaze was soft and condescending.

Meaning that Mom had already talked to him.

There is no way out of this but being honest.

I glanced at my coffee for a moment. "I'm adjusting," I murmured still not gazing at him.

"Are you angry?"

My eyes cut to him. I'm not. I feel cheated. Call me immature, but that was exactly how I felt. "I'm not." I frowned, before hugging the mug with my right hand. I loved the warmness that seeped through it. "I'm disappointed?" I shook my head. "I don't know. I'm being childish," I shrugged.

Dad pursed his lips. "I'm sorry you feel that way." He took a sip of his coffee. "We never said anything because we didn't feel it was important."

I sighed before bringing the mug to my lips. The bitter taste of dark coffee felt like heaven. "Well, I feel like you guys lied to me. So it's a big deal for me." I confessed softly, my voice laced with honesty. "I might be blowing things out of proportion, though." I added after a moment of thick silence.

It was just weird to know that my ex-boyfriend had been spending more time with my own family than I did. It touched a chord in my heart. I glanced towards the kitchen door. You could hear the rest of the family had woken up, my sister's voices were loud as they fought over something.

I shook my head. "Just like Haley." My lips curved up on a slight smirk, knowing full-well that I'd complained about her with Mom.

My father laughed. "Women are too darn complicated," he muttered, shaking his head. "I should know. I live with four!" He wriggled his brows for good measure.

I chuckled with him. Poor Dad. He was right. Still, he was also utterly spoiled for the same reason. He kissed me on the forehead before finishing his coffee and putting it on the sink. "Be patient with your sisters, Farah."

I almost roll my eyes at that. "Yes, Dad." He shook his head, a soft smile curving his lips.

My eyes roamed all over the kitchen as I enjoyed the dark taste of my coffee. Light seeped through the large window in front of the sink. A few speckles of dust danced through as I thought about it all.

Was I making a huge deal out of it?

I probably was. I didn't know what bothered me more, the fact that Chris had spent time with my family or the fact that my family had spent more time with him than me.

Ugh. I didn't want to dwell on the answer.

Every day, there was something that remembered me of him.

Every. Single. Day.

I always thought that it was a normal thing. He had been an important part in my life, being my first boyfriend and all that. That was bound to leave a mark in my life. However, being back in Boston was bringing me down with a lot of feelings that I thought I didn't have anymore. Which was awful since I was bound to see him not just in class, but with my friends too.

I sighed. Just try to ignore him.

I snorted out loud, shaking my head at myself. Ha! Like that's easy!

One thing was for sure, I didn't want to be angry with my family, especially my sisters. With that thought in mind, I made them lunch again. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, because that was as far as my cooking skills went.

When both my sisters walked inside the kitchen, I smiled at them. "I made you lunch!" I said, lifting the small packaged sandwiches from the counter.

"Peanut-butter?" asked Haley, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes. Riley thanked me before walking to the fridge to get something for breakfast.

I bit my lip. "I'm sorry I acted out yesterday. I didn't know that you were close to Chris." Just saying it, made my stomach churn uneasily. "And I'm sorry for taking your room, too. This is sort of like a peace offering, Hals." I smirked and raised a palm before she protested. "Haley."

She was tall for an eleven-year-old. Her frame was petite. Riley's too. Something that I always envied from them both. They always said that my eyes were blue like the ocean, and complained that they didn't have them, but I wished I could eat whatever and still look as lean as them. I had Mom's eyes but my father's complexion. Which is as bad as it sounds. Honestly, they got the best trait.

Hayley's light cinnamon eyes softened. "I'm sorry I called you a bitch." She murmured averting her eyes and taking her sandwich.

I paced to her. Passing an arm around her shoulders, I squeezed it lightly. "It's okay. I'll just add that no one does PB sandwiches like I do!" She rolled her eyes but a light chuckle left her lips.

Riley stood in front of us, holding a half-eaten peach in her hand. "We did miss you, Farah."

"I know, little munchkins. I'm so awesome that I'm missed," I laughed as they both groaned at the same time. I did bring out a smile on their faces, though.

I didn't see much of Mom since when I climbed upstairs, she was stepping down. I did know that she wanted to talk to me. She told me with that fixed look she gave me as we passed next to each other.

Gladly, I still had to brush my teeth and get ready for school. I grabbed my backpack with my camera, wondering what will Michael say to me at my theme subject. I knew it was extremely generic, but I didn't know what to choose. As soon as I came back from my coffee date with my friends, I'd sent him an email with my theme, animals.

I know, lame.

However, since I figured Caitlin had said men, it could work.

Or we could both get our butt-kicked.

I'd find soon enough.

The ride to school was much pleasant than yesterday's. Haley was not moody and we even compromised on a radio station that we all liked. After dropping them off, I parked Mom's van next to the coffee shop, glad to see that I was still early. Grabbing my backpack, I walked inside the shop to get a warm drink.

A bell chimed over my head as I pushed open the door. The heavenly smell of fresh coffee greeted me. It was a small venue, but it looked sleek and modern. There weren't more than five tables and only half of them were occupied. I stepped to the long counter stacked with espresso and frothing machines, my eyes sliding to the glass case next to the register, where there was a large selection of muffins and sandwiches. Too bad I already had breakfast.

One of the baristas was grinding coffee, and I had to raise my voice to order a double-shot espresso. There were still twenty minutes to class, so I had time to drink my coffee in calm. With the warm beverage in my hand, I made my way through the trendy light-wooden tables and mismatched white chairs towards the closest table by the window.

I noticed the brown-haired boy on the next table reading a book, but my stomach sank as I did a double-take on the guy because he looked a lot like Chris. Like too much.

Freaking awesome.

I stared at him in daze. Chris doesn't like to read. He used to tease me to no end for always having my nose inside a book, but he never liked reading. I'd already set my drink on the table but I was pretty certain that the guy was indeed him.

Fuck.

Should I move?

I couldn't back out of the table now because it would be quite obvious that I wanted to avoid him. Then again, we had class in less than half an hour and I was bound to see him. Trying not to make much noise, I placed my backpack on one of the chairs, taking a seat on the table next to him.

He looked up from his book, and our eyes locked for a second. Bewilderment flashed through his eyes as he took me all in. His short-wavy hair was neatly combed and the red jersey he was wearing was glowing under the sunlight.

"Hi," I murmured awkwardly, swallowing hard, while a wavering smile played on my lips. Say something! Say something! "Stephen King, huh?" I said, gesturing to the book he was holding open with both hands. He was reading Revival, one of King's latest works. I hadn't read it yet because I wasn't a huge fan of horror.

His eyes casted down at it. "Yes. He's good." He folded the top corner of the page and closed it.

My heart raced as I nodded. "He's the best."

"Have you read this?" He asked before tucking the book inside his backpack.

I shook my head. "Not Revival." My cheeks felt warm as I blushed. "I've been reading chick lit lately," I admitted, pressing my lips in a tight line.

Wow, that sounds pathetic.

His lips tugged up. "That's all you've ever read, Farah."

"Is not!" I huffed, crossing my arms, quite offended at his statement. His cackles resounded through the coffee shop as he laughed at me. I didn't know if I should puff out my chest, show him the finger or laugh with him.

Ignoring his laugh, I blew over my paper cup. "Are you still into sci-fi?" I gazed at him for a moment. He nodded, a bit more serious now. My stomach fluttered as for whatever reason, but I had the urge to keep talking. "I just finished a story about aliens who land in a lagoon. It was pretty awesome, because it had several points of view. Three people were chosen to make contact with them, trying to save the world from an upcoming invasion. I can't remember the title, though. I just know that a woman wrote it."

To be honest, I'd never been into science fiction before. Yet, a few months ago, I was strolling through the shelves in Barnes and Noble and my eyes stopped at the section. I grabbed a book and started to read the first few pages. The plot had been thrilling from the start. I got it, along with a few more titles.

His green eyes stared at me for the longest of moments. "I read it. It's good." I followed the movement of his lips, remembering how soft and passionate they could kiss.

Holy crap, why am I thinking about this?

My stomach clenched and I looked away, completely bemused at my awry thoughts. My pulse was already on edge as I thought back to that day in the bookshop. I'd stopped at the sci-fi section because it reminded me of him. Something compelled me to take that book and read something that Chris was always pinning after. Darn.

Clearing my throat, my frown creased. "It's weird to talk with you about books," I trailed softly before taking a sip of my coffee.

"Yeah." Awkward silence settled between us. "So, you like your coffee black now?"

My eyes cut to his. I'd used to drink coffee with milk because it was too bitter, but ever since my aunt gave me a speech about how dairy products make you sick and all that mambo, I started drinking it black to avoid the lecture that would surely come from her if I didn't. At the end, I'd gotten used to it. "Yes."

He bobbed his head, rolling his jaw, deep in thought. Taking out his phone from his backpack, he checked the time. "We should go." He put it away before standing up, and grabbing his backpack in the process. He waited for me to do the same and I couldn't stop my heart from racing like crazy just by being close to him. Argh. Stupid heart. "What theme did you choose?" he asked as we stepped outside the coffee venue.

I'm not telling you! "A unique theme."

His lips tugged up on that playful smile that always managed to make my heart skip a beat. "I bet it's pretty lame," he murmured confidently as we crossed the street, "something totally generic like animals or something like that."

Good grief. I need to change my stupid subject.

I put the best joker face I could muster. "You'll never guess, Chris."

Why didn't I think things through? I need a cool theme!

We arrived at the same meeting place from yesterday. Chris eyed me out of the corner of his eyes but I was pretty sure that there was a big-ass smirk playing on his face. He even feigned a cough once, trying to suppress his laugh.

He can see right through me.

With a pinched expression on my face, I ignored him and went over to greet Caitlin, who was talking with one of the other boys.

"Hi," I beamed at her, thankful for taking a break from Chris. My heart could handle so much. Her long curly hair was tied up in a low ponytail. Her brown eyes glinted excitedly as she saw me. She passed an arm around mine, pulling me close to her. "Tyrell, this is Farah. She comes from Berkeley University." I felt Chris' heated stare on me. I glanced briefly at him. He looked away immediately, but I did notice the frown on his face.

What is his problem?

"Nice to meet you." Tyrell spoke with a sly tone. His eyes raked over my body, making me feel uneasy. He leaned closer to kiss me on the cheek and I couldn't help but back off.

Caitlin laughed. "Tyrell, don't be such a dog with Farah." He chuckled too, but I didn't find it funny.

Pursing my lips, I noticed that Michael was here too. "Good morning people!" He was holding a tablet on his right hand. "I got your emails, but I just need to have a word with a few of you." His eyes turned to me. Freaking awesome. He's going to tell me my theme sucks. "We can start practicing today at the park, so I'll be around if you have questions." He glanced at me. "Can I talk to you?"

Grimacing, I stepped to him. Totally ignoring Chris' steady stare. "Yes?"

Michael raised an eyebrow. "I got your email but could you choose a more specific subject?"

My shoulders sagged. "I can't think of anything," I murmured quite embarrassed at my lack of imagination. Gosh. And I want to be a writer.

With intent eyes, he studied me for a moment. "What are you most passionate about?"

"Books?" I scrunched up my nose. A bunch of book pictures didn't sound too exciting to me.

An easy smile perched on his lips. "Why don't you do something that has to do with books?" I blinked at him, clearly confused. "You could take pictures from a thought or a quote from your favorite book. Try to put those words you love into pictures." Wow. I could totally understand why he was a big-shot in the industry. The guy is good. Like really good. I would have never come up with an idea like this. I stared at him in awe.

"That sounds awesome," I mumbled, admiration laced with my tone.

His grin widened. "Great. Now, get to it." He patted me on the back before he turned around to talk to someone else.

I didn't move from my spot as I thought it through.

Well, shit.

That was much easier said than done, right?