Chapter 3: Friend.

Three years ago.

Jace's POV.

We won the game Friday night.

I actually played like I was playing for the last time, cause news flash, I was.

I broke the bad news to my teammates after the game while we were celebrating in the locker room, the room turned terribly quiet, almost as though someone had died.

I swear I saw Coach Eric drop a tear and so did my best friend Diego while every one else just looked sad.

I got home that night and I thought about telling my family too but I walked in and found them all sitting together and laughing while watching a family sitcom, it looked like they were having a good time, I didn't wanna make it about me.

That was Friday, today is Monday and I still haven't told them.

Kevin, AKA the guy that fucked my ex girlfriend felt like coming up to me and saying shit about me not playing football anymore, I immediately printed my fist in his stupid face, he fell to the floor and I climbed on top of him, fisted his stupidly expensive shirt and I punched him till his face was smeared with blood and my knuckles gave out.

That dumb reaction landed me in this office.

The principal's office.

Mr Kelton has his fingers entwined on his desk as he stares at me with a narrowed gaze, he has that tired look on his face and I bet he doesn't even know what to do with me at this point.

I've been in this office about five times since the school year began but the man always shrugs it off because he used to bang my Mom, he claims it's because I'm good at football but I don't think he knows that I know.

"One week suspension." Is what he says in a serious tone. "And I'm calling your Mom." He informs me.

The first thing that comes to mind is; don't call my Mom, you creepy fuck, she's a married woman, but I don't actually say that. Regardless of everything, he's still my principal, he has the right to call my Mom.

Besides, I like that he suggested calling her and not telling her to come over.

"Fair." I sigh, at least it's not expulsion.

"You can go." He looks at the door behind me, I bring myself to my feet and his eyes raise with me, "Are you acting out because you're not playing anymore? Should I tell your mom to get you some help?" He sounds concerned.

"Some help?" I ask, feeling a little confused.

"Therapist? Psychologist?"

Go fuck yourself.

"No, I'm good, thanks though." I showcase a fake smile, leaping out of the chair and getting out of his office as fast as I can.

The hallways are almost empty, it's kinda crazy how people run out of this place the second that bell goes off.

I shove my hands in my pocket and I head towards the school exit, I push the doors open and I find Diego leaning against the railing, smoking a joint.

"Finally, does it take a century to expell someone?" We both descend the steps. 

"Fuck off, I didn't get expelled." I hiss, snatching his joint and bringing it to my lips.

"Of course you didn't," He sighs disappointedly, "Ready for the race at the valley tonight?" He questions.

I inhale the smoke, letting it relax my insides before exhaling through my nose.

Shit weed.

"Yeah, just gotta clean my bike first." I pass the joint back to him.

"Oh, so now he thinks of cleaning it." He sarcastically rolls his eyes at me.

He's always reminding me to clean it, it's always so muddy.

"It's my bike, I can clean it whenever I like, fool, what's your problem?" I say to him but he has his attention focused somewhere else.

"Hot girl alert." He whispers, slapping my chest repeatedly while looking to our front, I follow his gaze and it lands on someone who's pulling off pink.

"Who. Is. That." I stare at the blonde beauty leaning against a pink BMW i8.

"She's Luke Richardson's sister." Matt joins in from behind us, also staring at the girl as he makes slurp noises while drinking his smoothie.

I scoff, "Luke Richardson has a sister?"

"Yep, she got kicked out of Hawthorne academy for doing coke with a bunch of boys in the boy's bathroom and letting them take turns on her." Matt whispers with excitement, I playfully slap the back of his head for finding that exciting.

I look back at the blonde from head to toe as she pops gum and scrolls on her phone.

"She looks like that girl who covered teen vogue last year." I turn my head to look at them, Matt nods while Diego squints his eyes.

"She is, that also means she's expensive, I don't think anyone from this shit hole is convincing her into a gangbang in this lifetime or the next one." Says Matt.

"I don't do gangbangs but watch me earn myself a date in two weeks." I say, sounding determined.

"Oh, we will." Diego laughs like I'm not gonna be able to pull it off.

"Speaking of dates, my Daisy awaits, good luck, bro." Matt slaps my shoulder and runs back to the school.

Diego and I both stare at the girl as we walk passed her, she senses us staring at her, her eyes avert from her phone and she looks at us walking by.

"Hey, there." I lift my chin in greeting, she stares me down.

"You're cute and all but no." She shakes her head, Diego snorts a laugh and I smile at her for the honesty, then I look to my front.

It's a start.

I can actually see a little bit of Luke Richardson in her, like her, he was also an asshole, he was rich as fuck, he got all the girls, he drove a very expensive car and I hated, just hated the things girls said about him, and that wasn't the worst part, the worst part was when he won over Reign Miller's heart, the girl who did not believe in relationships, she wanted nothing to do with dating and the motherfucker made her fall for him, I mean come on! Leave some of the fun for the rest of us.

Glad he graduated.

There's someone kneeling in front of Diego's car, they're picking up a whole mess of books and papers that they seemed to have dropped on the ground, the papers fly with the wind and she crawls all over the place trying to catch them.

"Out of all the high school tragedies that I've seen so far, this right here is the most tragic one." Says Diego in a dramatic tone as he claps his hands like he's impressed by the scene.

When we reach the person, Diego stops to pick up a paper while I continue walking to the passenger seat, I look over my shoulder as he stands over the girl and extends the paper to her.

She looks up at him and her eyes widen a little, my eyes widen a lot.

I'll be damned.

"Hey, I know you." I walk back, her eyes shift to me and unlike last time, she keeps eye contact.

"You do?" Diego questions me in a suspicious tone.

"I do." I squat in front of her, helping pick up her things. "You ran off on me Friday night, I looked for you everywhere." I lie, I didn't look for her everywhere, maybe I did glance at the crowd once or twice while I was playing but that was it.

"I.. I had.. homework." She stutters, taking the papers from my hand and standing up. "Thanks, bye." She tries to run away again.

"You got a car?" I grasp her arm, she holds her papers in one hand against her chest then she yanks her arm out of my grasp.

Shit, I gotta stop doing that.

"Relax, pretty blue eyes, he wasn't trying anything." Diego chuckles at her reaction.

I glance at Diego, he shakes his head no.

Yes.

"Do you wanna a ride?" I ask her anyway.

She shakes her head, dropping her gaze to the ground.

"C'mon, Liv, we're all friends here, don't be like that." I say, trying to convince her.

She stays quiet, looking at her papers, looking behind her, looking at Diego then me.

"Okay," She mutters in a low tone.

"Okay?" Diego sounds surprised, she nods.

"Okay then." I look at Diego, he shakes his head at me then unlocks his car and Olivia walks towards it.

"So how exactly do you know this girl?" He asks me as I watch her open the back door and settle inside.

"Met her on Friday, cute, isn't she?" I smile at him.

"Oh, Jace, some of these decisions will come and bite you back in the ass one of these days, I just know it." He pats my shoulder before striding to the driver side door and getting in, I also get in and for some reason, Diego and I exchange a glance.

I know he doesn't like this.

The drive is so full of awkward silence, I wanna ask Olivia a lot of questions but I don't think I wanna ask them while Diego listens. I mean, Diego and I have been best friends since we were toddlers, he's the kind of friend that would take and shoot a bullet for you, we've kept a lot of secrets for each other and I'm grateful but there are just some things that you wouldn't want to share with anyone, not even your best friend.

"So Vanessa-"

"Olivia." I correct him.

"Olivia." He states, "Where do you live?"

"Falton."

"That's where Diego lives."

"Weird, I know all the kids from my neighborhood, I've never seen you before." He looks at her through the rearview.

"I literally live across the street from your house." She says.

"Really?" I look back at her, she nods.

"No one lives in the house across the street from mine, the car in the driveway hasn't moved in forever." Says Diego in a matter-of-fact tone.

"It's my Dad's, he's in Europe so, yeah." She responds.

"Then why don't you drive it?" He questions.

"I hate driving, it's... Strange." She says honestly.

I breathe out a little laugh.

"You're strange." Diego mutters underneath his tone, I send him a playful glare and he shrugs, standing by his statement.

He stops the car in my driveway and I spot my Mom pacing back and forth on the house porch while talking on the phone.

"Oh oh, Mama is angry." Diego states the obvious.

"Shit." I sigh.

Diego let's the car window down and peeks his head out.

"Hey, Mrs Rodriguez." He waves at her, she walks down the steps.

"Get out of the car, all of you." She demands.

"Fuck me." I open the door.

We all get out of the car, including Olivia.

"Suspension? For hitting someone? Seriously?" She's pissed, "I thought we talked about this." She flies her hands in the air.

"It just got out of control." I defend, shrugging.

"Why did you hit this boy in the first place?" She asks.

"I was defending my...." I glance at Olivia, "...friend from being bullied," I point at Olivia.

"What friend?" She looks at Olivia then me.

"Her," I look at Olivia again, she looks scared and surprised.

"Are you sure, i've never seen her before in my life." She points out, folding her hands against her chest.

"You don't know all my friends." I tell her.

My mother narrows her eyes, suspiciously looking at the three of us.

"Okay then, come over for dinner tonight, you seem special." She literally demands Olivia, I widen my eyes.

"No, Ma, she and I have this study thing tonight." I lie, her dramatic eye roll tells me she doesn't believe me.

"Dinner," She points at Olivia and walks back inside the house.

"If I were you, Lana, I'd be smart not to show up for this dinner, it's a trap." Diego says to Olivia.

"Olivia, fucker, I won't correct you again." I grit out at him before facing Olivia, "You really don't have to." I shake my head.

"No, I want to." She assures me.

Okay?

"Look at you digging your own grave and shit, looove to see the end of it." Diego smirks, getting back in the car.

Asshole.

"Sorry about him." I utter, the corners of her red lips lift a little.

"It's okay." She whispers, "See you tonight." She's full on smiling at me now. 

I just stare at her cause I can't seem to get the words out.

She gives me a little wave before getting back in the car.

"See you tonight," I respond as Diego backs out of the driveway.