A/N: Thanks for the get well messages! I'm no longer running a fever and I'm updating both this story and Sentiments & Reason today. Hope you'll enjoy them!

Math book, Math book... Where the Hell is my Math book?

I was about to slam the door to my locker shut - what were the chances that my Math book would magically appear if I opened it again? - when I heard someone clear their throat.

Perhaps slamming the door wouldn't work... Okay, I know it wouldn't work, but it's so tempting...

"Hello?"

Why was I in such a bad mood today?

It had started when I woke up, long before the blasted Math book had performed its disappearing trick on me...

"Redhead?" Someone pulled on my sleeve and I took my head out of the locker to look at them.

"You are Raiden, right?"

The girl before me was pretty, black-haired and familiar... It took me a few seconds to realize it was the same one that Val had been facebook stalking - using my facebook, of course - in hopes of finding something embarrassing she could you against the chick.

The girl giggled and placed a hand on my biceps. I raised an eyebrow and looked first at her hand, then at her face, painted with so much make-up that she was probably breaking our school's dress code.

"You are really cute, you know that?" She murmured, stepping closer, her hip almost touching mine. "What do you say we skip the next class and go somewhere private?"

I narrowed my eyes at her; what was her deal?

I'd never talked to her before. I'd never even talked about her with anyone but Val...

Wait...

Was she the reason Val was texting so much this week?

Was my childhood friend preparing a prank?

Could be. But even if Vallery was, this girl was the reason why Val was texting; I still didn't know who she was messaging.

"Are you always this quiet or are you..."

"Are you flirting with me because you are having some sort of a fight with Val and you think that this is somehow going to piss her off?" I asked and her smile disappeared, replaced by a pout.

"So you want a blow job or not?" Her voice no longer flirty, she was now staring at me with arms crossed over her chest and by the sound coming from the floor, I'd say she was tapping her foot against it.

"No." I slammed my locker shut. Sadly, that act didn't offer me the satisfaction I'd thought it would. "And for future reference, asking a guy if he wants a blow job with a lets-just-get-this-over-with tone is not a turn on."

"Whatever." She rolled her eyeliner circled eyes, swirled on her high-heels and walked away.

"Yeah, whatever," I muttered, turning around only to face another girl, leaning on a nearby locker and looking at me.

"Finding my misfortune amusing, Andy?" I asked as I passed by her on my way to Math class. She pushed herself off the locker and followed me.

"Yep. Pretty much."

When I gave her no comment on that, she went on:

"So, what's up with you today?"

"I'm not in a good mood," I replied, without a pause in the march towards my destination.

"That much I've noticed," she nodded, "but why?"

"I don't know. I lost my Math book."

"That's it? A lost Math book?"

"I was already in a bad mood, then I lost my damn Math book, then I had to suffer through that damn girl's attempt at flirting, which was actually just her using me; not having the time of my life today." I bumped my shoulder against someone, but kept moving with apologizing to them or even glancing their way.

Andy sighed from my left.

"That still doesn't tell me why you were in a bad mood in the first place," she pointed out.

"I don't know and that's only pissing me off more."

Was it just my imagination or were people actually stepping aside when they saw me?

Could they sense how irritated I was?

"Anything stressing you out lately?" Andy kept interrogating.

"What are you? My shrink?" I snorted.

"No, I'm your friend. Occasionally with benefits. But today just your friend. So...?" She left the her question opened.

"I don't know." I slowed down and shrugged. "Val's been... secretive, and sneaky, and busy texting a person who isn't me."

The girl beside me laughed.

"And she can't possibly do something with someone without telling you?"

I picked up my pace with a frown on my face.

"She is my best friend. She is supposed to share. We are supposed to be doing things together."

"Best friends with benefits or...?"

"No!" I felt heat gather in my face. "I've told you before that we aren't like that."

"So you just want to spend more time with her?" She asked weaving between two guys, both of whom turned their heads to check her out.

"Yes."

"As friends?"

"Yes," I replied after only a second of delay.

"And you want to replace the person she's texting because you are jealous of them?"

I stopped so suddenly that a girl - a freshman, by the looks of her - almost bumped into my back. She muttered an apology and hurried to move away.

"I am not jealous," I stressed.

It was Andy's turn to snort.

"Yeah, right, Raiden."

"I am not," I repeated and commenced walking again. "Why am even talking to you about this?"

"Because," she fell into pace with me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders, "I'm awesome and I'm going to give you some advice."

"What kind of advice?" I asked slowly.

"The simple to follow one." She smiled. "If you want to get Val back as a friend or whatever..."

I opened my mouth to say there was no whatever option with me and Val, not in the sense she was putting in whatever anyway, but she didn't give me the chance.

"Shut up and listen," she insisted. "If you want to get Val back, just think of what she likes doing and do it with her. Either that, or help her solve a problem."

"Huh," I muttered.

"See? Easy to follow, right?" She grinned at me.

"I suppose we could use a bonding experience..."

"Atta boy!" She slapped me lightly on the back. "Now all you have to do is figure out what Val wants. Maybe help her defeat her sworn enemy?"

"You mean the black-haired girl who offered me oral?"

"Yep, her." She nodded. "Unless you can think of someone who annoyed Vallery even more."

The image of a brown fluffy suit flashed through my head.

"You know what?" I grinned as well. "I just might."

"You okay?" Hunter murmured in my ear before kissing my shoulder.

I sighed and leaned all my weight onto him. It felt so good being in his arms with my bare back against his bare chest, his inner thighs brushing against my outer ones.

"Was I too rough on you?"

A chuckle escaped me.

"No." I turned my head sideways and pecked him on the lips. "You were perfect," I muttered, lifting the sheet higher over my torso.

"Then what's bothering you?" He asked, his hand brushing gently the sensitive skin of my inner wrist.

I turned my head away from him, facing the wall, and sighed again.

"I'm thinking..." I began just as he started to say 'Is it...'

"You go first," he insisted.

"No, you." This time I turned my whole body sideway, laying my cheek against his chest. "Please."

"Is it something to do with Val?" He asked.

"No, nothing to do with her." My eyebrows furrowed. "Although apparently she has a new friend and she hasn't told me anything about them. I heard about it from Raiden."

Hunter was now stroking up and down my arm, from wrist to elbow.

"But it's not that," I went on. "I have to tell dad something and I don't know how to do it. It will be even harder to tell mom about it."

"Anything I can help with?"

"It's actually about you."

His hand halted. I rose to a sitting position, still between his opened legs, this time facing him.

"I don't know how to tell them I'll be moving in with you when you find an apartment."

He barked a laughter, then covered his mouth, cool grey eyes shining warmly at me.

"You... You sure?"

I nodded.

He pulled me towards him and kissed me. Slow. Deep. Like I was the only person for him in this world and he didn't ever want to let go of me. Like all of my problems would magically disappear as long as he kept kissing me.

"I know it will be better if you tell your mom on your own," he began when he released my mouth from its pleasant captivity, "but do you want me to be there when you tell your dad?"

"I don't know. I don't know how to tell them, if you should be there or not, if I should tell dad first, then mom, or both of them together... If Val should be there or not." I heaved yet another sign and touched my forehead to his chest. "Val will be supportive so we can tell her right away." I smiled. "Actually, I think she'll be excited about it, planning a visit before we even move out. Dad and mom though... Especially mom..."

I squeezed the cool white sheet in my hand.

"You think that could make her condition worse?"

"Yes," I whispered. "But I want to move in with you. Even though I'm not sure I can. What if they don't let me? I'm seventeen, my parents still have a say in this."

He wrapped his arms in a tight, warm embrace around me, tucking my head underneath his chin.

"We'll figure something out."

"How can you be sure?" I asked.

"Because we both want it." He kissed my forehead then put his chin back on top of my head. "And I'll do whatever it takes to give you what you want, Natty."

A/N: So what did you think of the new chapter?

Did you expect Andy to give Raiden advice about Val?

Do you think she's trying to help out her friend - occasionally with benefits - or does she have some sinister motive?

And what are your thoughts on Nat telling his parents he will be moving in with Hunter?

How do you think George and Lydia will take that?

Thanks for reading, have a great time wattpading and please support this chapter with a VOTE if you enjoyed it!

PS: Did you read the character interview with Kennedy from the Dogs, Bats & Monkeys series yet?

It's part of my Wattpad Block Party post, along with some tips on character creation. Don't forget to enter my Block Party Giveaway before the end of February!

The links to the post and giveaway are available in the first comment and in the About on my Wattpad profile. The link to the post is also available here, as an external link.