I shook my head and looked back at my work, not really being able to believe Blake's words. That was impossible. Aiden could not possibly be jealous of Joey. I mean, not only because, although Joey was attractive, Aiden was still a lot hotter, but also because there was no reason to be. Sure, Joey had called me pretty, but it's not like Aiden and I were together or anything. We were not even a thing, right?

As my mind drifted far away into my tangled web of thoughts, I realized there was a possible chance maybe he was jealous after all.

Thousands of thoughts flashed through my head and my heart suddenly felt heavy in my chest. I really didn't know how to feel. Guilt and happiness somehow overflowing inside me at the same time. My stomach was in a knot and I realized I couldn't be feeling happy. Feeling happy meant I liked that Aiden was jealous and that meant I liked him. I couldn't like him.

The guilt was evident as well, feeling bad for leading him on. I couldn't deny that. If it wasn't for that phone call interrupting us, I'm certain we would've kissed. We'd had so many moments that confused me more than words could express.

We had this thing going on and even if he made me want to pull my hair out, I didn't hate him. Not one bit. In fact, as much as I hated to admit, I had to say I maybe even enjoyed his presence. I enjoyed it as much as I hated it.

All this analyzing was driving me crazy and I had been biting my lip so hard it started bleeding. This snapped me back to reality and I breathed in again, realizing I had been holding my breath as well.

Aiden seemed to notice my sudden mood change and my eyes desperately searched his, trying to find some kind of revelation.

He frowned at me, but his eyes expressed worry.

"June?" He whispered, as if testing the waters. I seemed to be in some kind of trance, seeming extremely calm to everyone who couldn't actually see what I was feeling inside.

"Yes?" I asked, my expression soft.

"Are you alright?"

I let a closed smile on my face and nodded softly.

"Yeah. I'm okay," I said, and he looked at me for a second, making sure I really was fine. Finally, seeming somewhat convinced, he turned back around to keep on working and I found myself grinning—grinning at the fact he cared about me even when he was annoyed and mad at me.

--

As I stood on the side of the street waiting for a taxi, I felt someone poke my side, making me jump.

"Gotcha," Blake said teasingly and I playfully pushed him.

"You scared me!" I said, a smile on my face.

"I have a request. Would you like to hear it?" He wrapped an arm around my shoulder and began walking to his car, dragging me along with him.

"I think so," I replied, and he nodded, getting his arm off of me and then proceeding to place it on the top of his car.

"You wanna go get something to eat tomorrow at seven o'clock?" He asked, making me raise an eyebrow.

He immediately realized he made it sound like he was asking me on a date and began to laugh.

"Wait no, not-not like that. I meant-" he stuttered, shaking his head and laughing again. "I meant, with Blue," He finished, a shade of pink making its way onto his cheeks.

I smirked and then let out a laugh myself.

"Aw, you're blushing!" I pinched his cheeks and he rolled his eyes playfully.

"Says the one who turns into a tomato every five seconds," He replied, and it was him who smirked this time. I narrowed my eyes at him and nodded.

"Alright, fair enough. But sure, it'd be fun to hang out!" I said, my tone cheerful.

"Okay, sounds good. Do you want a ride?" He offered, and I thought about it for a second.

My eyes drifted off to a certain green-eyed boy making his way out of the building and then shook my head.

"Actually, that's fine. I'll just take a taxi today. Thank you though," I said, and he raised an eyebrow suspiciously but didn't say anything.

"Alright, bye. See ya,"  He said and stepped inside his car. I waited for him to drive off before going back to the sidewalk and getting inside a taxi.

"Where to?" The man asked me.

My mouth curved into a mischievous smile and the craziest thought crossed my mind. I almost didn't say it, but I couldn't help it. Something came over me and I felt like going on a little adventure.

"Follow that car," I said, pointing to Aiden's car and the man raised his eyebrow.

"You know that's technically kind of illegal?" He stated, and I pressed my lips in a straight line. Well, I certainly didn't want to encounter the police again, but there had to be a way.

"I'll give you twenty extra," I tried, placing the bill right in front of his face.

He rolled his eyes but didn't hesitate to snatch the money out of my hand, making me smirk.

"This never happened," He said, shooting me a warning look through the rearview mirror as he began driving, and I laughed.

"You're the best."

We started making our way over to wherever Aiden was headed and I realized we were in the wealthier part of town. I wouldn't be surprised if he lived in one of those million dollar apartments.

Finally, his car parked next to—as expected—one of the apartments there, and I told the driver to stop somewhere where it wouldn't be obvious I was following Aiden. He kindly drove a little further and dropped me off right by the park. I thanked him one last time and then exited the vehicle.

I slowly walked closer to the apartment, watching as Aiden unlocked his door. He seemed to be struggling and, suddenly, the idiot dropped his keys on the floor. He leaned down to pick them up and as he stood back up, he bumped his head against one of the lights on the sides of his door. I giggled at this, watching him as he rubbed his head.

He finally managed to get his door opened and then walked in, forgetting to shut the door behind him.

I frowned at this, wondering if he was actually not going to notice his door was open. I stood there for a few seconds, waiting to see if he'd go back and close it. Thankfully, he went back, shaking his head at himself, and shut it. I let out a short laugh, wondering how someone could be so inattentive and clumsy.

I sat on a bench for about ten minutes, debating whether or not to actually go up and face it. After thinking it through several times, I finally began walking towards his door. I'm not sure why it came over me, but I felt this need to just talk it all out with him.

Talk about what we were, what the kiss meant, why he was so moody earlier, and who the girls were. I hated having all this in the air and felt this was something that needed to stop being avoided.

I walked up to the front door and rang the doorbell before chickening out and walking away.

Shortly after, the door was opened, and to my surprise, it definitely wasn't Aiden. My eyes widened and I gulped down my nervousness, trying to seem more calm.

"May I help you?" The girl asked, and I stood there dumbfounded.

"Uh...no. I-I think I got the wrong address," I lied, obviously not wanting to speak to Aiden if he had a girl over.

I awkwardly looked away, feeling embarrassed for even thinking this was a good idea.

I'm such an idiot.

Of course Aiden doesn't like me. Why did I ever think that? None of it matters anyway.

In exactly one month, I probably won't ever see him again. All of this was pointless. I was getting worked up over nothing. I shouldn't even care about this.

The girl frowned at me, not sure why I seemed so worried. After all, I had just 'gotten the wrong address'.

"Oh, okay. Have a great day!" She said, flashing me a friendly smile.

"You too," I said, flashing her a fake one instead.

Just as I turned around, I heard a male voice speak.

"Who was at the do- June?" He asked, arriving at the door before I could run away.

Crap.

I slowly turned on my heel and let out an awkward chuckle.

"Hi?"

His mouth curved into a smug smile and I drew my lower lip in between my teeth, knowing I had no excuse for this.

"And what exactly are you doing here?" He asked, raising an eyebrow curiously.

I looked at the girl, who was still standing there looking confused. She turned to look at Aiden with a questioning look on her face but he kept his gaze fixed on mine.

"Just passing by the neighborhood," I replied casually, and he laughed.

"Yeah. And casually happened to knock on my door, right?" He said incredulously, and I blinked at him.

"Long story. Anyways, aren't you going to introduce me to your...?" I said, quickly changing the subject, and she smiled.

"Hi. I'm Farah. I'm his girl for the week," She said nonchalantly, not letting Aiden introduce her, and my jaw dropped.

He's tricked them all into thinking it's normal to have a different chick each week? This is unbelieveable.

"You what?" I asked in utter shock, and just as she was about to reply, I interrupted her. "Do you realize what he's doing?! He's with a different girl each week and you're okay with it? FOR GOODNESS' SAKE, HAVE SOME DIGNITY!" I exclaimed, still astonished at the situation.

She looked taken back at my random outburst and Aiden started laughing. Yes, he had the audacity to laugh.

I gave the girl an 'are you serious' look and she just stared at me like I was a psycho.

"Excuse me?" The girl asked, letting out a laugh to cover up the fact she was obviously confused and probably offended at what I'd just told her.

"You heard me. You should be better than to go around with this guy who obviously has no shame in just playing around with girls," I spat bitterly, feeling disgusted at Aiden's shameless behavior.

"June..." Aiden said, finally having the nerve to speak.

"What?" I glowered, my voice darkening.

He grinned even more at this and I was truly shocked. How could he find this situation even remotely humorous?!

"I think you've got this all wrong. Farah is not my girlfriend. She's my...partner," He started, and I scoffed.

"You're unbelievable!" I yelled, and he smirked.

"She works with me as a model for the Earth art project I'm working on for my parent's gallery. All the girls you see me with, they're models. They each represent a part of mother nature," He said.

I felt shivers navigate through my body and a knot formed in my throat as I heard those words. My face felt cold and I was probably pale as a ghost. I felt absolutely sick to my stomach and my mouth was agape, at loss for words. I don't think I had ever felt more embarrassed in my life.

"What?" I asked softly.

"We get together to discuss everything. I like getting to know them before making a final decision," He explained, and my mouth was agape once again.

I'm such an idiot.

I stared at both of them, not being able to cohere any words. I bit the inside of my cheek and my eyes quickly looked everywhere but at them.

Finally, I spoke.

"I...I-I'm so sorry. I didn't..." I whispered, feeling extremely ashamed. "I didn't know. I'm really sorry."

I looked back up, fighting back the tears and let out an apologetic smile.

"I know you didn't. It's okay," He said, but it wasn't. It was not okay at all. I felt like such a horrible person. I completely misjudged him—causing him all this trouble the past weeks for absolutely no valid reason.

I quickly nodded and noticed Farah looked extremely uncomfortable.

"Sorry. I'm sorry," I quickly mumbled again before running away as quickly as I could. I didn't care if they judged me for running off like the wimp that I was, I couldn't bear to be in their presence any longer.

I was drowning in an ocean of shame and guilt, and before I could even do anything, tears started overflowing from my eyes. My vision became blurry and I had to stop myself from running, stopping at the corner of a street.

I quickly pulled out my phone and dialed Blue's number.

"Hello?"

"B-Blue," I started, all choked up. "Please come get me. I'm by the park we visited all the time when we were younger," I told her, wiping tears away from my cheeks.

"What happened? What's wrong? June, are you alright?" She asked worriedly.

"Just- please just come," I croaked, biting my bottom lip to stop myself from crying more.

"I'll be there in ten," She said, and I hung up.

I walked back to the park and sat on a bench again, putting my hoodie on, and then pulling my knees up and stuffing my face in them.

I was such a baby. I shouldn't have even been crying. He's the one who had to deal with my attitude. However, I couldn't help it. I was just so freaking embarrassed. The tears were the type of tears you shed when crying of shame—the type of tears a child would start shedding after their pants are pulled down in public or something. I don't know. I just couldn't help it. I felt terrible.

I suddenly felt a hand on my back and quickly sat up straight again, pretending to be okay. I turned my head and quickly felt my throat tighten when I realized it was him.

I looked away again and stood up. I started to walk again but he quickly grabbed my wrist, causing me to look at him.

"Aiden, let me go,"  I mumbled, my voice raspy from my previous crying episode.

"No. We need to talk, " He stated, his expression softening when he saw my fragile state of being. I looked at him with sad eyes and then shook my head.

"I can't. I completely misjudged you and I'm sorry. You don't have to forgive me. I mean, why would you ever even want to be friends with me? I was a judgemental brat who yelled at you every five seconds. Why did-"

"Stop!" He said, raising his voice and scowling at me in disapproval. "Sure, you're a little feisty, but I've got my flaws too. Heck, I managed to get us in jail. I know you didn't know who the girls were and it's okay. I forgive you, June. We all make mistakes," He said, his tone calmer at the end.

I stood there speechless, once again. How could he be so nice to me? How could he be so easily forgiving after all the things I did and said to him? He always knew how to surprise me.

"I-I don't know what to say. I mean, thank you. But, wow. Sorry, I'm just so embarrassed right now. I feel like such an idiot," I admitted, looking down at my feet.

He stood up and walked closer to me, putting his index finger under my chin and lifting my head up so I was forced to look back up at him.

"Don't be. Now you know the truth. We're good now, right?" He asked quietly, and I felt my stomach dragons wildly flying when I realized how close we were. His eyes bore into mine and,  for a moment, none of us said anything.

"Okay," I finally whispered, not sure what else to say. Also, it was the only word I managed to cohere properly in this state.

He gave me a lopsided grin, satisfied with my answer, and I returned the smile, my peace of mind coming back.

Suddenly, his eyebrows raised and he looked quite amused as his eyes looked behind me. Naturally, I looked back, just to find a desperate Blue running towards me.

"Okay-Ah. I-I'm here! What's wrong? And you! What did you do to her?!" She asked angrily, giving Aiden a deadly glare, her cheeks pink and seeming extremely out of breath.

His eyes widened, probably surprised at how much fury a girl like Blue could hold.

I let out a small laugh and hugged her tight.

"He didn't do anything. I'm okay now. Thanks for coming," I said, smiling at the fact I could always count on my best friend.

She untangled herself from me and gave me a look.

"You had me so worried! I ran over here as fast as I could and now you tell me I did all this for nothing?!" She asked, pushing her messy hair out of her face. She was still breathing heavily and I let out another laugh.

"I'm sorry. I still need you to walk home with me though," I said, smiling at her, and she rolled her eyes playfully.

"Oh, what am I gonna do with you?" She asked, shaking her head.

"You're going to walk me home and make me a banana shake," I replied with a grin, even though I knew it was a rhetorical question.

This time, it was Aiden who laughed, and we both turned to look at him.

"Well, now that it's all settled, I'll see you tomorrow," He said, smiling softly at me. I nodded lightly in reply.

Suddenly, he came closer and hugged me. I felt so small in his embrace, but also felt warm and safe. He was definitely one of those people that give great hugs. Before I knew it, my arms wrapped around his body too and I felt my cheeks heat up.

I wonder if one can get operation to stop oneself from blushing every five seconds.

"I'm glad you don't hate me now, cupcake," He whispered. I let out a short laugh, his breath making my ear tickle when he spoke.

"I still haven't forgotten about that time you hid a deer in my best friend's closet," I whispered back, and he let out an actual laugh.

"I guess I better start thinking of ways to make it up to you, huh?" He asked while I escaped his embrace, putting my hands in my pockets.

"No, I think we're even," I said, the corners of my mouth quirking up.

--

"So they weren't dates?" Blue asked, a huge smile starting to form on her face. I knew telling her all this meant she could officially say Aiden and I were bound to end up together but I didn't care. I couldn't keep this kind of information from my best friend!

"I guess not," I said, shrugging casually and taking a sip of my banana shake.

"I KNEW IT!" She yelled happily, standing up and throwing her fist in the air.

"Oh, I just knew it. He totally likes you. I mean, I watched the way he looked at you and how he hugged you. HE TOTALLY LIKES YOU, OH MY GOSH," She rambled on, freaking out over the fact that her OTP's ship could now 'sail'.

"Blue, we're not going to date. There's no way," I said, rolling my eyes at her excitement.

"Why not? I mean, you're both single and you like each other. I don't see why you can't be together," She reasoned, sitting back down and giving me a look.

"I do not like him like that," I said, earning myself a scoff from her.

"Yeah, and I don't like Blake," She said sarcastically. "Cut that crap, June. You so like him."

I frowned at her confidence in what I was feeling. If I liked Aiden, why wouldn't I tell her so? That's nonsense.

"Just because he's hot and I'm forced to spend time with him does not mean I like him that way," I said defensively, and she let out an incredulous laugh.

"Right. Because you totally just kiss any guy to get him to shut up. June, stop denying your feelings for Aiden. You even said you liked the kiss. Now, c'mon, say it with me, 'I like Aiden.'" She paused after each word at the end as if I were a small child and she was teaching me how to speak.

"I'm not denying anything," I mumbled, placing my glass on the table and crossing my arms over my chest.

"Why is it such a big deal if you do like him?" She asked, her tone annoyed. Yet, she seemed genuinely concerned as to why I had such a hard time admitting I had any feelings for him.

I stayed quiet for a second, all my memories of junior year invading my mind. I was only sixteen, but it sure had a great effect on me. I had fallen head over heels for Miles Reed, a beautiful boy with brown hair and big brown eyes. He reminded me of an adorable puppy. Everything about him infatuated me.

I remember seeing him for the first time in the library in our sophomore year. He had picked the same book as me and found it quite fascinating seeing a girl grab a book about a zombie apocalypse.

As we checked the books out and he stood behind me in line, he couldn't help but point out how cool he thought it was for me to like that kind of book. Ever since then, we continued to talk. At the beginning, it was mostly just small talk. We would discuss our similar interest on the zombie books and every once in a while, we would say hey in the lunchroom.

However, Blue being Blue, decided to go sit at his table one day. I was hesitant about it but like usual, ended up having no choice. After that day, our friendship just grew stronger and, eventually, we got really close. We had this great friendship; it was so innocent, really. We would get together and do the simplest of things. He loved coming over and having me teach him how to paint, or he would sneak in through my window and show me all the poems he'd written.

Eventually, just like in most best boy-girl friendships, I caught myself falling for that beautiful brown-eyed boy. I had always thought he was a cute guy, but in case you hadn't noticed by now, I'm not the type to just fall for the looks of a guy. I'd come to accept all his imperfections and couldn't really imagine myself ever living a life he wasn't a part of. And I don't even mean that in a romantic way. He had just really become a big part of my life.

He was that guy that even your dad approves of. Heck, there were days where it was my dad who used to invite him over. It was like he was part of the family. He was my best friend, and sometimes, even Blue would get jealous at how close we'd become. It was kind of funny.

Sometimes, it felt as if our reality was better than movies.

Finally, one day, he confessed to having feelings for me. He was so incredibly nervous, saying he was so scared he'd mess up our friendship because of it. I remember laughing at his reaction but didn't hesitate to admit the feeling was mutual. That day, we became a couple. It felt so natural—we didn't even make it awkward. Things were the same between us; we still acted like best friends, except now we were more. I loved every bit of it.

Suddenly, everything changed on that night of our junior year. It was Prom weekend and everybody was stoked about it. Obviously, someone decided to throw a party and Miles and I attended it.

That was one thing about him, he was a party boy. He loved people and he loved having fun. However, he wasn't the type to get completely wasted every time because, like I said, he really did enjoy just having fun. He went to parties to dance and play games, not to get drunk and hook up with girls he didn't know. I really liked that about him.

On that night, we left the place really late. It was about two in the morning and he hadn't had much to drink at all, while I was practically about to pass out. It had been a stressful week for me and I used that as an excuse to get wasted. He drove me home and kissed me goodnight. He had promised to come back the next morning to help me with my hangover, knowing my mother would not even bother checking to see how I was doing, and my dad being on a work trip. He was being so kind and gentle to me and, although I was in such a bad condition, I remember my heart fluttering at all the things he told me. It was one of the few things I really remember from that night. After that, he drove back home.

The next morning, I received news from my mother, telling me someone had been drunk driving and crashed into Miles' car, killing him. I remember my heart sinking into my chest, and crying more than I ever had. It was an unbearable pain. It couldn't even be put into words. It was the kind of pain that never really goes away. I remember wishing I could go back in time and been sober, just to have been able to appreciate my last night with him.

I didn't go to Prom that day.

We attended his funeral the next day and I didn't believe that it was really happening. I couldn't believe I would never see him again. I wouldn't ever hear one of his poems again, I wouldn't have him complain about how it was unfair he couldn't paint as well as I could, or have him sneak into my room at midnight just to tell me about a dream he had. It absolutely tore me apart.

It didn't make me feel any better knowing the guy who killed him was some drunk idiot who went to our school and survived. I wanted to yell at the whole world, but I didn't. I just stood in silence and wished I could've had just one more moment with him.

After that, I was never really the same. A part of me had somehow matured. Miles was a big part of my old self, and when he was gone, part of me was too. I didn't really flirt or try talking to guys anymore. Doing that made me feel like I was betraying him, apart from the fact my heart couldn't really get over him. No one made me feel like he did, and I didn't want anyone else to make me feel like that. I missed and wanted only him.

I don't think I could ever really get over that. That's why I had such a hard time getting close to Aiden. I liked him. I like his spontaneous side and I enjoyed spending time with him. I was scared of those feelings. They brought back memories of Miles and I had a hard time letting something like that back in. I didn't want to lose it all over again. I didn't think I could take it.

"Miles," I whispered, so quietly I could barely hear it.

Her face softened as it all dawned on her.

"Oh, June. I-I'm sorry. I didn't know you still..." She said quietly, her eyes saddening at the memory.

Despite the fact she acted like she was jealous of Miles' and I's friendship, Blue had become really close to him too. She had also been devastated about it.

"I'm scared," I admitted, fighting back my tears. I didn't want to cry again. I'd been crying more than usual lately and it was really bugging me. I felt so weak.

She knew I wasn't done speaking, so she just sat there, sadness clouding her features as she waited patiently for me to say everything that was on my mind.

I never really talked much about Miles after the accident. Everyone knew how sensitive I was about the subject, and every time I tried to do it, I'd just end up sobbing. I hated thinking about it so I just avoided it and pretended I had already gotten over it. Well, not completely over it, but I made everyone think I was finally okay enough to get by without falling apart every time I heard his name. Blue knew how I felt, but I had also managed to fool her into thinking I was pretty much over it already. I didn't blame her for not expecting that to be the reason I was scared to fall for Aiden.

"I know it's been three years since it happened, but I haven't liked anyone else since. I don't know, it's like my heart is just finally starting to recover from that and I'm not sure if I'm prepared to make myself vulnerable again. If I get close to him, I don't know if I could bear getting my heart broken a second time. I like him and it scares me," I said, and felt a huge weight lifted off my shoulders. It was like all of this had all been in the back of my mind and I needed to say it outloud. It felt good.

She sat there for a moment, deep in thought, probably thinking hard about what the right thing to say was.

"You know, I totally understand why you're scared, but you can't live your whole life afraid of love. You've turned down every guy that's hit on you in the past three years and I can see something different about you when you're with Aiden," She started, and then paused again, once again, in deep thought.

"You have that same connection. Of course, you express it in a different way, but I can see you enjoy being around him. He makes you feel the same way Miles did when he did all those crazy things. Aiden's a good guy. I can tell he really likes you and I think, not only him but you too, deserve a chance at love. We both know Miles would want you to find someone who makes you happy," She said, trying to make sure every word sounded sweet. She knew how fragile I was right now and I could tell she didn't want to hurt me but also knew I needed to hear the truth.

I breathed in and then let out a sigh.

"I guess you're right," I said, looking down at my hands. "Maybe Aiden isn't too bad after all."

She looked surprised at how fast I had accepted the truth, but then she smiled.

I was glad to have someone who had always been there for me. Blue knew everything there was to know about me. She was there during the hardest times of my life and I was beyond thankful for that. I don't think anyone else could ever understand me like she does.

"Give it time but also give it a chance," She advised me wisely and I hugged her.

She was right. I couldn't just deny my feelings forever. I was going to give Aiden a chance if he ever wanted one.

All I needed was time.

--

A/N:
PICTURE OF MILES AT THE TOP (:

Now, Plotwist??!?! What did you think? At least June FINALLY admitted her feelings for Aiden officially. It was about time geez. Anyways, yeah, Miles was a plowist. Who even saw that coming? I know I didn't. This was kind of edited but when I have time, I'm actually going to edit the whole thing because there is a lottttt to be fixed!

Also, for anybody who has stuck around, thank you very much. I really appreciate those of you who take your time to comment & read this. It means a lot, really (: So with that said, have a happy week! Goodbyeee!

IF YOU LIKED IT PLS DONT FORGET TO COMMENT & VOTE! xx