"Ava, what's wrong?" Kyla asked as I sniffed on the phone.

I had asked my dad to pick me up since he was on his way home already and now, I was sitting in my room trying to fight off tears.

"He doesn't love me, Kyla," I said, swallowing to get rid of the lump in my throat. "All of that. Everything he did for me, it was all lies just so that he could get his ex-girlfriend back."

"No," she gushed from the other end. "Did he explicitly say that to you?"

"His face did and he tried to explain things but I just didn't want to hear anything he had to say," I answered.

"That jackass," she muttered, making me laugh sarcastically. More at my stupidity than at what she said. "So that's it then?"

"That's it," I confirmed. "We're over."

"Ava, maybe you should've heard him out," she said.

"I told you I didn't want to hear anything he had to say," I snapped.

I heard silence in return and looked up at the ceiling, blinking a few times to prevent myself from crying.

"It all makes sense now, doesn't it?" I said. "Why he suddenly asked me out on Valentine's Day and why he was persistent on taking me to the dance...so that she could see us together. Even on the trip, he was extra flirty when she was around like at the deck when I'd injured my foot and the volleyball match, he freaking carried me to my room just so that he could put a show on for her."

"I guess," Kyla mumbled, not convinced.

"I should've known better," I said, feeling a tear roll down my cheek. "I knew my judgement about him was spot on right from the start. I don't know what changed along the way."

"He is quite charming," she responded.

"I'm done with this," I said. "I'm done with him."

The next morning, as I walked down the stairs, I felt my thoughts wandering back to Seth and oddly enough, I felt this actual ache in my heart. It was something I'd never experienced before. I barely got any sleep last night. Every few minutes, I would get hit by some random memory with Seth or something that he had said to me or something we'd done together. It's like my brain refused to stop harassing me with these memories.

"You're up early," mom said as I walked aimlessly toward the kitchen.

I blinked and my eyes zoned in on my mom as I gave her a weak smile. Her forehead wrinkled slightly but she didn't say anything. Once she handed me my bowl of cereal, I quietly sat on the table eating it.

"Ava," mom spoke up.

"Yes?"

"Is everything okay?" she asked, placing her hand on mine as she tilted her head to get a better look at me.

I nodded, refusing to speak.

She paused before saying, "You look..."

"Everything's great mom," I responded, forcing a smile on my face.

"Well, you know if you ever want to talk," she said, "I'm right here."

"I know," I whispered.

*

"Oh, Ava," Kian said, giving me an apologetic smile and pulling me in for a bone-crushing hug. "He was simply not the one, okay?"

I nodded, feeling a lump rise in my throat. Crying in the middle of the school hallway was one thing I did want to do.

"He's an asshole," Kian said. "Karma will get to him eventually, don't you worry."

A dry chuckle left my throat as I hugged him back. "Thank you."

He pulled away, his hands still clutching my shoulders and peered at me.

"You've been crying," he observed. My gaze lowered to the floor. "Look, Ava, don't waste your tears on him. It's really not worth it. He's really not worth it. This is just a heartbreak and you'll be over it before you even know it."

I nodded, licking my lips. "I hope so."

"I know so," he said over the shrill sound of the school bell.

"Have you seen Kyla?" I asked in attempt to change the subject.

"I think she had to see some teacher this morning," he answered, sounding unsure. "I remember her mentioning it."

I gave him a nod and then, made my way to the girl's toilet. I needed some time to myself to recompose myself. To my relief, a group of girls left the toilet just as I made my way in to find it empty. I gripped the sides of the washbasin and let my head hang low as I took deep breaths.

I just wish that everything was back to the way it was before I met Seth. I didn't have any conflicting feelings and nor was I heartbroken. I was just living the life of a normal teenager. But of course a boy had to walk into my life and ruin it.

Why me? I still don't understand why he had to choose me of all the possible girls who would faint if he just looked at them. Wouldn't it have been so much easier? Was it because I was a challenge? Did he enjoy that? Sick.

The lump that had just managed to subside began rising again. Squeezing my eyes shut, I inhaled deeply and stood up straight. Staring at my pale reflection in the mirror, I forced a smile on my face and dabbed the sides of my eyes. Swallowing and keeping the smile plastered on my face, I walked out of the toilet and into the empty hallway.

I turned right and instantly stopped in my tracks. My gaze was fixated on Seth who was frantically searching through his locker for something. I wanted to turn around and walked away but my feet rooted on the ground refused to move.

He found what he wanted and his shoulders relaxed as he pulled it out and turned to face my direction. His eyes met mine and all my thoughts evaporated. I wanted to run across the hallway and hug him and have him tell me that everything that happened yesterday was a lie and it was some kind of a dumb joke. I wanted him to kiss me and lift me off my feet and tell me that he loves me.

Instead, we simply stood there.

After what seemed like an eternity, he moved and walked towards me, breaking the connection between us. Instantly, I turned around and decided to go in the opposite direction.

"Ava, wait!" he called out, making me stop in my tracks.

With every footstep, I felt my breathing quicken. I felt his hand on my shoulder and then, he spun me around to face him. He was breathing hard, too and his eyes watched my face with an intensity I had never seen before.

"Ava," he breathed and reached down to hold my wrist.

"What do you want, Seth?" I snapped, trying to wriggle my wrist out of his hold. "Let me go. I'm late for my class."

"Ava, do you remember when I told you that I never intentionally wanted to hurt you?" he asked, ignoring my demands. "I still stand by that. I meant what I said. I never wanted to intentionally hurt you, Ava."

"It doesn't matter, Seth," I said, averting my gaze from him. "I'm over it. I'm over what happened between us."

Sadly, both of us knew that I was lying.

"Is that so?" he asked, tightening his grip on my wrist. He took a step closer which just made me take a step back. That, however, didn't stop him from taking another step towards me and before I knew it, I was pinned against the wall.

"Look me in the eyes and tell me you're over us," he demanded, tilting his head to catch my eye.

"Seth, let me go," I said, trying to move but he just took another step towards me.

"Tell me that you don't love me anymore, Ava," he said. My eyes shot up to meet his fierce ones. "Tell me, Ava."

My eyes lowered to my feet again. "I don't," I mumbled.

"You don't?" he asked through his gritted teeth. He leaned closer to me and brought his lips closer to mine. I felt the rise and fall of my chest quicken. "If you don't love me, this shouldn't affect you, right?"

I didn't reply but my eyes were focused on the proximity between our lips. In the blink of an eye, his lips pressed on mine and my body seemed to have lost its ability to function as I kissed him back. I barely felt his lips on mine before he pulled away roughly.

"Why did you kiss me back, Ava?" he demanded. "Why are you breathing faster? If you don't love me, why did you kiss me back?"

"I-I-"

I didn't know what to say.

"Exactly," he concluded and stepped back. "You love me, Ava, whether you want to admit it or not."

"I don't, Seth!" I exclaimed, looking at him with sudden anger. "I don't, especially not after what you did. How can you even assume that I still love you after what you did? You used me, Seth. And I'm never going to be able to forgive you for that."

All the confidence and passion drained from his face and a fragile and vulnerable Seth stood in front of me. I almost wanted to reach out for him but I didn't. Instead, I turned on my heel and walked away.

A/N- Well, that was intense, wasn't it? Who are you with on this one? Seth or Ava?

Do you guys hate me yet? Lol I refuse to apologise for this xD 

Anyway, I am in a hurry so please leave a vote and a comment! Don't be a silent reader, I like to know what you think about the book. Oh and do share it with your friends and followers! I would really appreciate it. 

Love you guyss <3