Instead of socialising like a normal human being, my weekend was dreadfully spent catching up on missed assignments and homework. I hardly had time to leave my room, and only stopped for a break when my eyes burned in protest from constant staring at my computer screen.

I had never longed for Monday as much as I had during those treacherous two days.

The smell of freshly made pancakes taunted me as I crept suspiciously down the stairs. The savoury aroma tempted my stomach, causing it to gargle in anticipation. I rounded the corner and into the dining room and was greeted with a sight that sent shock waves of joy throughout my body.

A smile immediately blossomed onto my face as my eyes zeroed in on a fine arrangement of home-made delicacies that were both aesthetically and aromatically pleasing. A poached egg, breakfast sausage and home-made hash-browns were gloriously sandwiched between two fluffy pancakes and doused in maple syrup. The breakfast platter was accompanied by a steaming mug of what smelled like my favourite brew of hazelnut coffee.

The whole situation seemed fishy.

Walking towards the food, I cocked an eyebrow at my father, who sat at the head of the table. He sported a pink and yellow polka-dotted apron that I had decorated when I was eight years old over his work attire. I sat cautiously as I observed the sheepish grin on my father's face, making the situation even more suspicious.

"Morning honey," he began, as he fidgeted with the fraying strands of the apron.

"Good morning," I replied sceptically.

"I thought you should have a proper breakfast for a change, don't you think?"

"Uh huh," I replied warily, "Shouldn't you be at work?"

"Why don't you eat your breakfast before it gets cold?"

Dad was acting very sketchy, but I could not deny the rumbling of my stomach. I slowly savoured the food, ensuring to keep a steady eye on my father as he pretended to read the morning newspaper.

The coffee was still too hot for my liking, so I pushed my now empty plate aside and narrowed my eyes towards my father, urging him for an explanation of his weird behaviour.

"You seemed so busy over the weekend, I didn't want to disturb you," he started, "I already talked to your mom about it but I didn't get the chance to talk to you."

"Dad, what's going on?"

"I got offered a spot on the morning segment of Wake Up Today." His words tumbled out of his mouth so quickly that it took me a moment to decipher them. 'Wake Up Today' was one of the few local morning talk-shows that were broadcasted over the radio, so naturally, I was ecstatic.

"Oh my gosh daddy that's so great!" I gushed, throwing my arms around his neck. "Why were you so nervous? This is amazing!"

"Well it's the morning segment, which means that I won't be home when you wake up anymore."

"I hardly even see you before I leave for school," I countered. "What difference will it make?"

"So you're fine with this?"

"Of course I'm fine with this dad! I know you've always wanted to branch out with your career, and this is the perfect opportunity."

"Phew," he jokingly wiped his forehead. "I wouldn't have bothered with the food if I knew you'd take it so well," he said with a chuckle.

"Ha ha you're hilarious," I drawled sarcastically.

"Anyways, I have to get to school." I doubled checked my assignments and draped my bag over my shoulder, "Thanks so much for the breakfast dad," I leaned over and gave him a kiss on his forehead, "Even though there was way too much syrup," I teased.

****

From the time I entered the school, I spotted Lauren leaning on my locker with a look of worry etched onto her face.

"Hey G can I borrow your phone?"

"Uh, sure. Why?" I pulled my phone out of my handbag and cautiously handed it over to Lauren. She entered the simple four digit code that she had helped me set as my password like it was the back of her hand.

"I can't seem to find mines," she mumbled, not bothering to look up from the screen as she tapped away. She placed the phone to her ear and I suspected that she was calling her phone to see if she had left it anywhere nearby.

After a few moments she returned the phone to my hands with a brief look of relief flashing across her face.

"So, did you find it?" I asked in confusion.

"Uh, no. I think I left it at home." She responded with a wave of dismissal. "Hey, how about we grab lunch off campus today?"

I scrunched my eyebrows in confusion, slightly concerned about the swift change of topic. "I thought you liked the cafeteria food?" I asked, bewildered.

"I do," she hastily corrected, "It's just that I'm not in the mood to face Breanna today."

"Oh." I had had little time to dwell upon the events of the last time I had been face to face with my two best friends. A part of me felt ashamed that I did not pay as much attention to Breanna's outburst as I should have, yet another part of me was still enraged by her comments about Jared.

The thought of Jared left a bitter taste in my mouth and a sting in my heart. I remembered the day following our break up when I was still hung up on the idea that Jared was playing a cruel joke on me. I had wished with all my might that it had simply been a dare from one of his rowdy best friends and had hoped for all the so-called magic that the monumental 11:11 had possessed.

Later I came to realise, that wishing on eyelashes and many similar mundane rituals, could not interfere with what was supposed to be my reality. And in the midst of my unforgiving tears, I brought myself out of the denial stage of our breakup, solely wishing that I'd be able to stealthily avoid the happy couple.

My eyes drifted over Lauren's shoulder, to where the boy who had once brought me immense joy stood laughing at something one of his teammates had said. His eyes still crinkled at the corners, and he had yet to get a haircut, his unruly curly blond hair growing ever so slightly past his ears. His general appearance seemed exactly the way I remembered it, yet I found myself longing for a person I hardly recognized.

"They're neighbours you know," Lauren's melodic voice snapped me out of my trance as she followed my line of sight.

"What?" I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion at Lauren's remark.

"Jared and his girlfriend- Julie, they're neighbours."

"Oh."

"They got partnered up in chemistry a while back, but I didn't think much of it. I guess I should've pieced it together sooner," Lauren looked at me, and I sensed that she was remembering Breanna's accusation.

I was no longer in the mood for the conversation, and truth be told I was not sure exactly how I felt about this new piece of information.

"It's not your fault," I managed to say, and I slammed the door of my locker shut, the sound ricocheting off the walls.

****

Physical Education was supposed to be filled with sweat and the sounds of the horribly unfit students gasping for air however today, it was not. We were supposed to be playing volleyball, and I had already planned on releasing some of my pent up emotions, particularly because both Jared and his girlfriend were in this class.

Coach Hudson had called in sick, and as a result, we were all currently due to be spending the double period copying theory notes. So naturally, all forty six of us were currently lounging and entertaining ourselves within our respected social circles.

Lauren and I sat on the bleachers, her trying her hardest to ignore Breanna and her squad who were practicing their dance moves for their upcoming competition, while I glared heatedly at Jared and Julie who, for the life of her, couldn't hit the volleyball over the net, as Jared had been trying to teach her for the past twenty or so minutes.

I scoffed as she completely missed the ball for the third time in a row, and Lauren chucked softly beside me at my childish behaviour.

"Do you think they could be any more obvious?" I gestured to a group down below as they unconsciously pointed between Breanna and us. "I mean jeez. The argument wasn't even that big of a deal," I said as I remembered the plethora inquisitive looks I had been receiving today, a significant lot more than the usual.

Lauren did not reply right away, but she tossed me a fleeting smile as she focused her gaze back out to our classmates. Glancing around, I noticed Mr Radford's assistant in her signature grey pencil skirt and blazer, her eyes hurriedly scanning the crowd of students.

Assuring Lauren that I would meet up with her for lunch, I carefully ran down the stairs, thankful for the required trainers that were on my feet. "Would you like some help?"

Her eyes lit up in recognition as she spotted me, and a look of relief crossed her face and she closed the distance.

"Actually, Mr Radford has requested to see you."

"But why? I haven't done anything wrong, have I?" I asked, slightly panicked.

"No not at all. Truth be told, I stopped asking questions a long time ago," she said, huffing a breath.

I hurriedly changed into my school uniform and followed Mr Radford's assistant slash secretary, Tiana, to the dreaded Helan Common Room. She gestured for me to enter The Headmaster's chambers as she ventured off behind her desk to answer a phone call, and I admired the way she instantly dove into her 'professional mode.'

Cautiously, I pushed the heavy, cherry oak double doors and walked into the seemingly empty office. I made myself comfortable on the same plush chair as I had twice before, hardly bothered by the unusual décor of the room. It seemed as though I had developed a habit into entering The Headmaster's chambers, and I was significantly less intimidated by it.

Not long after I sat down, did I notice the presumably eleven foot tall grand bookcase swing open and a casual Finn strolled out tapping away at a sleek Iphone similar to my own. The heavy shelf slammed shut and I was left gawking at the scene that looked as though it were taken straight out of a movie.

"Miss Holden, why are your feet on my desk?"

"Did you just come out of the bookshelf?" I spluttered.

"Don't tell me you've never seen that before," he said incredulously, as if real life people had secret rooms. Finn took one look at my awestruck face and had gotten his answer.

"Can I go in?" I asked excitedly.

"How about no," he drawled un-amused, "And get your feet off my desk."

"Sorry to burst your bubble Radford Junior, but this isn't your desk," I added cheekily as I removed my feet from the clearly antique and very expensive looking desk, careful not to give away any free sneak peeks of my lady parts.

Finn sat behind the desk, as if assuming his father's role, and mimicked his habit of neatly folding his arms and placing them onto the surface while leaning forward slightly. My eyes drifted upwards, where the framed portrait of our school's founder hung, and despite the age gap, his grandson had inherited his undeniably striking features.

It was all a bit too unnerving for my liking.

"So when is your dad going to get here?"

"He's in a meeting, why?" he asked, curiosity written across his features.

"Didn't he call me down here?" I asked suddenly perplexed.

"Oh no that was me," he stated simply. "Listen, I did call you down here for a reason but I need to know,-" he paused, his voice dropping to a whisper, as if he was threading on unknown territory, "-Did you read the article?"

"What are you talking about?" I asked muddled.

"I thought so," he mumbled to himself with a shake of his head. He dropped his shoulders and leaned back into the chair, running a hand through his neatly styled hair. "Look, there's something you need to see on Radford Prep," he stated tentatively.

"What does our school's website have to do with this?"

"Just, see for yourself," he rasped, as if he was forcing himself to continue. He pulled out his mobile from earlier and tapped away once again at the screen before begrudgingly handing it over. My brain was sent into overdrive as my eyes hastily scanned the contents of the page. I completely disregarded the fact that this particular portion of the site was hidden from the members of staff, and that my cell phone, as long as every other member of the student body was supposed to be alerted of the update. But the longer I stared at the screen, the more the words melded into a mess of black smudges and white swirls, tell-tale signs of my vision being morphed by a shallow pooling of tears.

****

Author's Note:

Surprise lovelies! Another chapter for you guys (not proofread or edited at this point in time, as per usual)

So, i would love to hear your thoughts. This is where the plot begins (sort of i guess) and I'm excited to write the following chapters because I feel as though we're finally progressing.

I'm going to begin going back to the previous chapters and begin editing quite soon, and i'd love to hear your thoughts on what you think needs to be improved or changed. 

Ps. This chapter is dedicated to the lovely More_Nike_ because she has been supporting TGR from the beginning and her comments never fail to make me smile. In fact, her last comment made me so happy that I was inspired to write this chapter for you guys- so I'd like to say a massive thank you to her!

Pps. Did you enjoy this chapter? comment your answer below as well as your reason because I love hearing from you guys!

much love, gabrielle x