"Thank you."

Aubrey let out a huge smile as she watched the lady in front of her walk away after handing her a ticket. She was amazed by how well her grand idea was going and how much tickets she and the other girls had sold.

Her uniform was a fit and rhymed with all the other staffs at the event. It felt really good, so good to be a part of something so huge. She was so proud.

"Thank you." She had sold yet another ticket. She was almost out.

She took a deep breath of satisfaction and made a quick scan around the area. Where was everybody anyway? She was stuck at the entrance gate and was sure she was missing out on all the fun happening inside. She was so jealous but she was excited.

Aubrey loved being out there, selling tickets, it didn't look like it all the time but she was good with people and had a great sense of marketing and customer service for a first timer.

She let her face brighten when she noticed Asher walk to the large gate with two boxes pilled up in his hands, there were a few body guards behind him too, with boxes. Why did he have to do anything with them around anyway?

She felt her cheeks redden as a thought brushed through her head. The thought that that could actually be her only chance to get to walk with him in private without the prince or Harry or her friends around, the chance to actually just be around him.

She puffed air in her checks, convincing herself that that was the right time, the right time to take Paris' advice and man up. She wasn't going to wait on him to notice her anymore, she wasn't going to watch him or be so anxious around him anymore, she was going to make the first move, to get him to notice her.

Own it Bre, you have to own it.

Repeating those words over and over in her head again, Aubrey started to walk to him slowly, counting her steps in her head as she did.

"Hey, Ash," she waved at him, letting her smile brighten the more. "You need help?"

She was referring to one of the boxes as Asher made a quick stop in front of her and so did the rest of the guards behind him. Asher blinked twice, he had to be sure he had heard her right, for some reason, hearing Aubrey talk to him directly without anyone around felt so...strange.

"Uh, he started. I don't think you have to, I've got it." He forced a smile on his face.

"Don't be silly Asher," she chuckled a bit. "You look like you're breaking your back trying to lift both boxes at once, I can help, I'm pretty good at lifting stuff."

"Uh," Asher took a quick scan at the guards behind him like he was trying to seek their validation, he just didn't know what to say and Aubrey knew better than to give him a chance to talk her out of it.

She grabbed a box from him as fast as she could.

"Woah,"

"Easy." Asher had to make sure she was okay.

"It's fine," Aubrey made sure to leave the smile on her face. "I'm fine," she tried to sound convincing. "I just didn't know it was so heavy."

She pursed her lips and exhaled.

"Shall we?"

She turned and started to lead the way like she knew exactly here she was supposed to go while Asher tagged along shortly after a failed attempt to wrap his head around what had just happened.

"There you go."
Aubrey dropped the box on the large table filled with a lot of supplies for the people of Niyagra before everyone else the moment they got to the meet and greet area where a few people were being entertained by a group of dancers while others crowded Aiden's table. At that rate, no one was sure if he was ever going to finish signing all those autographs before the end of the day. The queue was a long one.

"Wow." Aubrey left her eyes on Aiden as she watched him sign on a football. "The prince really does have a lot of fans. I can't believe all these people showed up for him, because of him."

Asher pulled open the carton and turned to where Aiden was seated with Harry somewhere beside him. Aubrey was right, there were quite a number of them.

"Not entirely." He said after a few seconds. "You brought them here." He turned back to the carton and started to pull the pack of bottle water out just as Aubrey slowly traced her gaze to him.

"Your idea basically," Asher tried to avoid eye contact with her. "And the people of Niyagra of course."

Were her ears deceiving her? Did Asher just compliment her?

"The prince's presence might have caught their attention, but none of this would have been possible without you." He raised his gaze to her and forced himself to smile a little. "You should be proud."

He turned back to what he was doing.

It was the first time, the first time anyone had ever complimented her for anything, and it had to be from him, from the boy she had crushed on practically all her life, it was also the first time he had ever smiled at her and it made her heart flutter even more.

Aubrey could feel her cheeks redden.

Asher told her to be proud and for some reason, for some weird reason, her body responded immediately to his words, she was proud, and shy too.

Tell him!

You should tell him, now is a good time, a perfect time, you have to tell him.

The voice in her head wasn't entirely wrong. It suddenly felt like everything was working in place up until that moment, everything was leading her to that moment, there had to be a reason, a reason why the tides were in her favor.

She was alone with him, and he had smiled at her, praised her and complimented her.

What if that was the only chance she was ever going to get? What if that was the only chance she was ever going to get to be alone with him, to tell him, to tell him how she exactly felt.

She could see his eyes wander off for a second. Asher was taking quick stares at where Anne-Marie and Noa were standing, distributing fliers and she didn't even know that. It was like his mind wasn't even there anymore, all he could think about was her, Paris. She was all he ever thought about but he just couldn't think about her without remembering how cold she was, how she selfish, how goal driven, how she didn't care about anyone, not even him, the person she had known the longest, the one person that always had her back.

He was supposed to get used to it, her pride, ugly attitude and nonchalance not to talk of her blind devotion to a man that was never going to accept her but when it came to her, he was never used to anything and it hurt him. It hurt him to know how vulnerable he was when it came to her, how vulnerable she made him.

When it came to Paris, everything else was right, even if it meant betraying his best friend and she knew that, she knew exactly how she made him feel but she did it anyway, she enjoyed throwing it in his face like that, she liked playing with his feelings.

"Uh Asher, there's something I've been dying to talk to you about." Aubrey finally got the courage to say after taking a deep breath and tucking her hair behind her ear, fighting within herself to remain calm just as Asher looked back at her.

He could notice how red her cheeks were. Why?

"It's something I've always wanted to tell you for a while now, but I just didn't ever know how or get the courage to" Aubrey was too shy, she was too embarrassed to even look at him. She couldn't believe it! She couldn't believe she was finally doing it, finally facing her fears and taking the bull by its horn just as Anne-Marie had advised her to.

Her entire fingers were so red with the way she kept forcefully wringing them around each other, nervously too.

"It's about-"

"Don't." Asher cut her off immediately before she even said the rest of her sentence. Aubrey froze. It was like he could read through her, like he knew exactly where she was driving at. Aubrey slowly raised her head to look at him while Asher buried his gaze on the ground, he wasn't even sure he knew how to say what he was about to say.

"I know what you're about to say." He told her. "Just don't say it."

"Y-you do?"

Aubrey narrowed her gaze on him. He did? Did he really know what she was about to say? How did he know? Had she made it so obvious?

Asher drew a deep breath and finally raised his face to look at her.

"Aubrey, I can't give you what you're asking, what you want from me, it can't ever happen?"

Aubrey didn't know how but the moment he said those words, she felt energy leave her. She couldn't believe it, she couldn't believe her ears and the amount of tears that were finding its way to her eyes.

"Believe me when I say this Aubrey, you're an amazing person, one of the most amazing and beautiful people I've ever met in my life but I can't like you the way you want, I can't be with you."

Aubrey was barely managing to keep herself together at that point. She was trembling from head to toe from so much shock. She couldn't believe it, she couldn't believe any of it. What did she just listen to? Was she getting dumped before she even started?

Don't give up just yet Bre, don't give up just yet, say what you have to say, you have to.

"Why?" She slowly lifted her face to him. "Why can't we be together?" She said to him. "You said it yourself, I'm amazing, so why can't you like me back? You know that I like you, you've always known, how can I not be the one for you? You can't be with me? That's not a reason-"

"Aubrey-" Asher let out a weak exhale.

"You can't be with me?" She asked him as the tears in her eyes multiplied, blurring her vision. "I like you Asher," her voice broke. "I like you a lot. I've liked you since forever, before I even got to know you. I know your favorite color is blue and your favorite place in the world is the Maldives, I know your favorite food is sushi and the names of all your pets. I know you love the winter and you hate the rain, I read about you and practically lived my life for you, learning the things you loved and the things you don't. I'm your biggest fan, if there's anyone more deserving to be with you it's me so why? Why can't it be me? Why can't you like me back?"

It didn't work like that.

Of all the people in the world, Aubrey was supposed to know that it didn't work like that but at that point, she was just too heartbroken to care about anything else.

"Is it because of what I did back at the hospital?"

"What?"

"Because I spat water on your face?"

"What? Of course not, no-"

"Then what is it?" She asked him. "Tell me because I'm losing my mind as it is." She stomped her feet this time.

Asher exhaled.

How was he going to say this? How was he possibly going to say anything else without hurting her?

"It's because I like someone else." He said finally. Aubrey chocked back on the rest of her words. "I can't like you because I already like someone, I can't give you my heart because it already belongs to someone else."

That was the best he could do, to tell her the truth, the truth no one ever dared to imagine. He wasn't much of a liar anyway.

"Who is it?" Aubrey asked him. "Who is she?" At this point she was going all in, pretty persistent too. "How is she a better option than me? Is she prettier than me?"

Aubrey held her breath when she realized how stupid she had sounded.

"Even if she's prettier than me, so what if she's prettier or smarter than me? how can she like you better than I do? It has to be a lie, you have to be lying. It's a lie because I know you, because I know you don't have any friends. The prince and Harry, Noa, me and Paris, we are your only friends. You don't like me, you said so yourself-"

"Bre-"

"And it obviously can't be Noa, she's with Veronica,"

"Bre that's enough-"

"And as for Paris, she's more like your sister. It can't be her, no, it's not her. You both might have known each other while growing up, you might have spent more time with her all your life, studied all there is to know about her even more than Noa and I but she's with the Prince, you'd never do that to the prince, she'd never leave the prince for you, even though you look after her and she tells you everything, even if you tell her everything and spend time together with her a lot-"

her voice started to fade away when she started to listen to herself in her head. For some reason as she went slow, so many things were starting to become clearer, she barely even trusted the truth in the words she said anymore. It was a coincidence, the way she always caught him staring at her, and the way he always stood up for her, the way he was ready to jump into that pool at school for her, it had to be a coincidence. It wasn't true, it couldn't be true. It wasn't Paris, it couldn't be her. Paris knew exactly how she felt for Asher, she'd never do that to her no matter how cold and rude she was towards her all the time.

"Paris, are you okay?

Everyone turned at the sound of Noa's loud voice, everyone except from Aubrey who just stood there, trying to wrap her head around what she just heard. Aiden froze and turned to see how Noa bent over to grab Anne-Marie so she didn't fall. She had gotten so drowsy all of a sudden.

Aubrey was barely done talking when Asher ran past her towards Anne-Marie's direction as fast as she could.

Aubrey didn't know how but her legs managed to move finally, until she found herself staggering to look at them where they stood. She watched how Asher grabbed on to Anne-Marie's arm, trying to get her to stand properly while she tried to convince them all that she was okay, the look of fear in his eyes, the worry in his composure, it was just like the other day at the pool and then it hit her. Aubrey gasped silently in shock as a drop of tear fell from her eyes and then another.

It all made sense now, everything made sense now. It was her, it had to be Paris.

"I'm fine." Anne-Marie tried to convince Asher and Noa not to worry so much about her. She had just felt drowsy for a short while, that was all. Why were they trying to cause a scene?

"Are you sure?" Asher had a tone of worry laced in his voice as he grabbed on gently to her arm.

Anne-Marie placed her hand over his and slowly turned to him. Even as hard as it was, she managed to force saliva down her dry throat. Her insides were burning up and her lips looked so pale, so did her entire face. Her vision was blurry and she was barely managing to even keep her eyes open at that rate but she did. She managed to force a tiny smile on her face as she raised her eyes to Asher, she nodded.

"Oh my goodness, Paris, you have a fever," Noa placed a hand over her forehead. "Oh my," she turned to Asher who raised his eyes to meet hers immediately, "she's burning hot."

Aiden dropped his pen slowly, turning to the scene, giving Anne-Marie all of his attention. Why? What was wrong with her?

He watched how Asher placed his hand over her head to check for a temperature. He turned to Anne-Marie with his eyes widened when he got one.

"I think you should see a doctor."

"No." Anne-Marie stretched her hand to him. That was enough hospitals. "No, I don't have to, I'm fine, I promise." She tried to sound convincing enough like they were supposed to buy it.

"Is it her?"

Silence.

They all froze when they heard the tiny voice in front of them. Anne-Marie managed to pull her face up to where Aubrey was standing, looking devastated with her eyes glued to Anne-Marie's hand on top of Asher. Anne-Marie slowly pulled Asher's hand off hers the moment she noticed how Aubrey had tears in her eyes.

"Bre, thank God you're here." Noa had never been so relieved to see her. "I think we should take Paris back to the bus, help me please."

Aubrey didn't move, she didn't blink or move a muscle, she just stood there, staring into blank space.

"It's her isn't it?" She finally raised her head to Asher who in turn was just as shocked as everyone else.

"Bre," he started to hurry to her as soon as he could. He grabbed her hand as she raised her head to his, tears blurring her vision again.

"I'm wrong aren't I? She's not the one, she can't be the one you talked about."

"Let's talk somewhere else." He turned and tried to pull her away but she pulled her hand away from his immediately. That was it, that was the answer she needed.

Aubrey scoffed.
She couldn't believe it. She couldn't believe any of it. Aubrey flickered her tongue down her teeth.

What was this? What was this she just found out?

Hurt, that's how she felt, then angry and disgusted.
She frowned the moment she raised her head towards Anne-Marie and their eyes met.

"Bre," Asher tried to call her back the moment she walked past him. He couldn't. There was nothing he could do about it. Aubrey wasn't going to stop, she wasn't going to stop until she looked Anne-Marie straight in the eye and heard her explain what just happened.

"Bre." Anne-Marie found the strength to stand again, narrowing her gaze on Aubrey so she could have a better look at her. She could see how Aubrey's face was masked by her tears as she came to a stop in front of her. Aubrey drew a deep breath and drew a deep breath.

"Bre, you okay?" Noa could see it too.

"Asher doesn't like me." Aubrey told Anne-Marie immediately, cutting Noa off. "He said he's not attracted to me at all, told me himself."

"What?" Noa asked her, so surprised. "He said that to you?" She slowly raised her head to Asher who just stood behind them, not exactly knowing what to say.

Aubrey studied Anne-Marie's expression. She noticed how her news didn't come off to her as a surprise. Anne-Marie exhaled.

"Did you know about this?" Aubrey asked her, surprised herself. Noa slowly turned to Anne-Marie, not quite sure she understood what she had just listened to. Anne-Marie wanted to say something, she didn't have to, her facial expression told Aubrey everything she needed to know. Aubrey scoffed. She couldn't believe it but she went on. If Anne-Marie knew about what she just said, she could know about what she was about to say too.

"He said it's because he likes someone else." She went on.

Asher rolled his eyes.

"Do you know who that is?"

Silence

What was going on?

"This doesn't look good," Harry said in a whisper from where he stood. He was right, the environment was too heated already, Anne-Marie could feel it too. Aubrey knew, Aubrey knew about Paris and Asher and at that point, she was just being cornered.

"Bre," she took a step to Aubrey "Bre, I can explain-"

"So it's true?" Aubrey said, at that point, she wasn't surprised anymore. "You do know."

"Aubrey it's not what you think-"

"What I think?" Aubrey snapped at her. "What I think? What exactly do I think Paris? That you're a liar? A manipulator? That you're a stuck up bitch?"

"Woah," Harry said just as mothers started to have their hands over the ears of their children while some pulled them away,

"Because that's all I think."

"Can someone please explain to me what the hell is going on?" Noa was right in the middle of the entire confusion and she didn't even know what to do. She didn't understand a thing.

Asher grabbed Aubrey's hand.

"Come with me."

Aubrey grabbed her hand back, turning to Anne-Marie again.

"You knew." She told her. "All these while you knew and you let me do it anyway, you encouraged me to act on my feelings, you told me to tell him how I really felt and got mad at me for not being able when you knew. Why?"

"Aubrey?" Anne-Marie took a step to her. "Aubrey, I promise you, if you can just give me a chance to explain things to you-"

"Are you happy?" She asked her. "I bet it felt good didn't it? I bet you rolled on your belly laughing as hard as you could. I bet you enjoyed every moment you got making a complete fool out of me as always. You had your fill didn't you?"

"No." Anne-Marie shook her head "Aubrey of course not-"

"Once again, the amazing, beautiful and perfect Paris Vutron steps on someone to prove her point, very typical. Go on," Aubrey chuckled. "Laugh, laugh to your full, I know you're dying to, go ahead."

"Aubrey," Noa called her. "Aubrey what has come over you."

"Come with me." Asher grabbed Aubrey's hands again and yet again, she pulled it from him.

"You know, " Aubrey went on. "I was hurt, all those while, when you said mean things to me, when you stepped on me, when you called me stupid for doing things wrong and even when I did something right but you didn't like, when you called me ugly for growing my hair blonde, I was hurt and humiliated but not like this. It's Paris, it's always going to be Paris. If I want to be friends with her, I just had to take it, that was how I felt. I did everything you wanted, I took everything you did, how can you do this to me? You knew! You knew exactly what this meant to me, you knew how it was going to end, you knew how he felt and you let me do it anyway, just like always, you fed on my pain, the one thing that matters to me the most for your entertainment-"

"That's not true Aubrey-"

"You also want to know something?"Aubrey sniffed. "For once I was happy, I was happy when you got back. You listened to me, for once, I thought you actually had my back, that you didn't think I was stupid or silly anymore. I knew that you had changed so much and even when I had no reasons to, I was happy because I thought you were going to become a better person, I had faith in you but I was wrong. You can never change Paris Vutron, you're evil, and pathetic and I wish you had died."

Anne-Marie held her breath.

"I wish you had died in that accident."

"Aubrey that's enough!"

"You deserve friends, you don't deserve anything and I hope you never get the chance to be happy." She drew a sharp breath, a drop of tear falling from her eyes. Her lips trembling with the weight of the words she was about to say next.

" I hate you."

The moment she said those words, it felt like a huge brick was lifted from her chest, it took all the resentment away and left no regrets. She felt alive, like she could say it again.

Anne-Marie clenched on hard to her shirt as she squeezed it, drops of tears were starting to fall from her face.

Asher pulled Aubrey by her hand, tightening his grip on her so she didn't pull it out of his hold again. He started to pull her away from the scene as fast as he could.

"I hate you Paris Vutron!"

"What the hell was that?"
The whispers in the crowd got worse.

Anne-Marie couldn't take it. She was hurt. Hearing everything Aubrey said wasn't supposed to hurt her so much but how come it did? Why did she feel that way? She hit on to her chest like she was trying to force air in, taking deep breaths as fast as she could.

Second hand embarrassment and sadness

That was what she felt and her heart was too weak for all of them.

"That was wild." Harry said to Aiden. "I've never seen Aubrey Bolton this upset before, let alone yell at Paris, she adores her. This is really crazy."
Aiden let his frown stay as he watched Anne-Marie carefully, his hands folded in a fist.

"Pee are you okay?" Noa couldn't help but notice how Anne-Marie was letting it all out, her tears, every hurt she felt even before the incident, she was letting it all out and struggling to breathe too. She kept squeezing the neck of her top and bending over.

"Paris?"

Anne-Marie could stop the tears that fell from her face. She tried to speak but all her senses had failed her, Aubrey's words had bore a hole in her heart and for some reason she felt so sad and guilty for what happened. Like it was all her fault.

Her legs were starting to fail her, her visuals too.

"Paris?!" Noa yelled the moment she fell into her hands. Aiden got up immediately and hurried to them while Anne-Marie tried to keep her eyes open.

"Paris!" Aiden grabbed her immediately, both hands on both her arms, shaking her gently. "Hey, open your eyes." He kept shaking her. "Paris!"

Anne-Marie could fight it anymore. Their voices were slowly turning to echoes and Aiden's voice was the last she heard before she fell into his embrace.

She fainted.