AMARA

"It's too early to be this loud, Rochelle. Shut the fuck up!"

Rochelle, paying no mind to an exasperated Jaya, only keeps on rapping along to the tune of the song. Loudly. Way too loud for nine o'clock in the morning.

"It's Friday, girl! Lighten up!" she yells out, not leaving the car even after Jaya and I get out of the vehicle.

I just chuckle and open the passenger door so I can haul out the heavy canvas that sits inside. Jaya is already carrying the other one, which is also half complete, while trying to close the car door shut.

Once I'm able to drag out the canvas and lean it against the car, I call out, "Time to get out now, Ro! Bring me my key!" We earn stares from fellow students walking through the parking lot because of just how high the volume of the music is.

Ro finally shuts off the music and hops out the car, still rapping loudly, "I love it when you call me big POPPA! Throw your hands in the air if you-"

I snatch my keys from her hand and mean mug her. "Quiet it down, girl," I hiss out, stuffing my keys in my backpack after locking up the car.

I hike up my bag then pick up the heavy canvas once again. It's Friday, meaning that Jaya will be working on these bad boys for most of the day.

Although none of the three of us have actual classes on Fridays, we tend to do our best work at school so we end up showing up nonetheless. At a later time than the rest of the week, though.

I'm already breathing hard as I walk around my car, clutching the canvas tightly. Jeez, I really need to hit the gym on a regular basic 'cause damn. This canvas is killing me.

"Thanks, girl." Jaya smiles brightly at me as we walk side by side through the parking lot.

It may be Friday and most students might not have actual classes at Hilltop Prep, but the Casual Friday rule that was implement three years ago has made Fridays a hit. The parking lot is filled. Which is why we had to park all the way in the back.

I wave her off. "It's no biggie," I huff out, clearly struggling. At least I'm wearing biker shorts and an oversized T-shirt, so I'm comfortable enough for this manual labor.

"Ugh! They're coming our way," Jaya mutters in disdain.

I'm too focused on not ruining the painting by letting it accidentally hit the ground, so I don't look up at her comment.

"Who?" I ask distractedly. Shit! Did I scratch the bottom of the painting?

"Oh, it's the Sticks!" Ro whisper yells. "And on that note, I'm leaving. Not gonna be a third wheel in this bitch." She blows us both air kisses then saunters away.

My head snaps up, and low and behold, the Sticks are walking straight toward us. All four of them, finally complete with Evan being out jail. My eyes automatically find Jacob's and, I swear, I start sweating.

Holy holiness, he looks foine. Not fine. But foine. There's a difference.

His outfit is simple: a black hoodie that stretches across his chest and dark jeans that are tailored to perfection. There's no way he actually gets his jeans made specifically for him, right?

That's not a thing. At least I don't think so. The shoes on his feet-Air Jordan 1's-complete his casual yet hot as sin look.

Honestly, the guy has always looked good, even in his uniform-I've just always forced myself to look away. But right now? I can look as much as it pleases me because the man is mine.

Not that anyone has to know that. Including Jaya, so I snap my eyes away from him and try to stop the perspiration as he and his friends descend upon us.

Jaya stops and eases the canvas on the concrete floor gently, staring daggers at the guys. But specifically, she's staring at Fin who watches her silently.

I follow her lead, but just as I'm about to rest the piece on the floor, I feel it being dragged away from me.

"I got it, KitKat." Jacob looks down at me with what looks like a mix of heat and adoration.

I smile shyly at him, thankful that I don't have to hold on to that heavy object the whole way to the Art Wing.

"Thank you. I thought I was going to die any second now," I reveal, laughing awkwardly and snorting a bit. Gosh, I'm such a dork.

Jacob's smile softens and he inclines his head, just observing me. I fidget, looking around to make sure that people aren't watching too closely. Of course, this being Hilltop, I catch a couple of eyes observing the Stick Boys interacting with us.

And unsurprisingly, Emily Richards is amongst those people. She's in a circle with her friends and I catch her glancing at Jacob in particular.

As usual, I feel for the girl. She's had it bad for him since freshman year and he hasn't as much as ever looked at her.

"Let me, Jaya," Fin tells my friend, his voice calm yet steady.

She rolls her eyes at him, scoffing dramatically. "Thank you, Barton, but I got it."

Finley seems hurt by her rude tone and dismissal, and the fact that she uses his last name obviously signifies that she wants to put distance between them.

I nudge Jaya, glaring at her. "Let him help you, Jayakayia. He's just being nice."

She huffs and puffs, but instead of arguing more, she nods and levels the guy with a stare. "Be careful with it. Please."

He nods, still trying to catch her eyes. "Of course. I wouldn't dare mess up any of your pieces."

She just rolls her eyes again and extends the piece to him, staying as far as possible away from his body as she can. He grabs it, holding it carefully as though it is a precious heirloom, then walks closely behind Jaya as she stalks toward the entrance.

"So something's definitely up with them." I laughs, still watching the two. "You guys know anything?" I question, looking at the three remaining Sticks.

Gage smirks. "Nah, Finley would never tell us shit."

"Yeah, that man is private as fuck." Evan shrugs. "Even more than our buddy Jacob over here."

"But we got him today!" Gage wiggles his eyebrows, looking very proud. "I mean, it wasn't too hard given the fact that he wasn't as mean and brooding."

I snicker and glance at Jacob, appraising him jokingly. "He does look less like a moody devil. So, what's changed?"

"You know, since you let him in-" Jacob shifts the canvas to one hand, punching Gage with his free one.

"That pussy," Evan completes, dodging Jacob's hit meant for him.

I probably resemble a deer caught in the headlights at the moment. They know. His friends know. About us. Having sex.

I'm thankful that neither Jaya and Rochelle are here at this moment because they would kill me. Not necessarily because I had sex with Jacob Withers but because I didn't tell them right after it happened.

I promise, I'm going to tell my friends. Really, I am. It's just been a busy several days and I haven't found the perfect moment yet.

"You told them?" I ask Jacob, wondering exactly how to feel about the situation.

He watches me carefully, probably thinking trying to understand my level of anger. "They guessed right. I wasn't going to."

I sigh deeply, not even really mad that it's out. "Well, nothing we can do now, I guess."

Gage's smirk is almost scary due to how wide it is. "Yeah, the deed's already done. The baby might be coming in nine months-"

Jacob hits him one more time. "Learn to shut the fuck up, Gage. It's time."

"Ow!" Gage yelps, holding on to his arm. "You punch like my grandma. And I don't mean that in a funny way. Grandma Cathy's got some hard ass hands."

I can't help but giggle softly at the man-child that is Gage. Grandma Cathy sounds like a badass. Bless her heart.

"C'mon, sweetheart. Let's go in before I hurt him even more."

I nod at Jacob and start walking, making it a point to ignore the eyes on us. It's no secret that Jacob and I aren't the best of friends and our families despise each other, but shit, can't they just mind their business? For once?

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Evan runs up to me, a sheepish look on hit face. "Amara, thank you." I incline my head, confused by his gratitude. "For being there for Stacey. For still checking in on her. She can't stop singing your praises."

I beam brightly. "She's awesome, it was no problem. And she's not going to get rid of me so easily."

"She'll like that."

I smile again then follow behind Jacob as he starts walking once again.

________

As soon as we turn the corner and the voices fade, he pushes me against the wall with his body, carefully leaning the canvas to my right.

"Didn't get a proper good morning kiss, KitKat. You know how I am about my kisses."

My voice is caught between my throat, sounding croaked when I tell him, "We're out in the open, Jacob. We can't kiss. Not here." I glance around. Sure, we're in a corner, but anyone could be walking down the hallway any minute now.

"It's Friday and this is the Art Wing. No one's here except for Jaya and a couple of other students. We're good." He presses further into me, his face burrowing in my neck.

"Mmm," I let out, because I can't help the blissfully feeling at having his mouth leaving kisses on my skin. "We talked about this, Jacob. If Daniel gets wind of this..."

He sighs deeply, nuzzling into me for a bit longer before begrudgingly moving away from me. "I missed you."

"You did, huh?" I remove a lint from his sweater and fix the strings. "Didn't we see each other yesterday?"

"Seeing you across class is not the same thing. Especially when you make it a point to ignore me." He squeezes my waist.

I cup his face and smile softly. "I'm sorry for that. But Kelvin was there."

I can tell he's irritated by the fact that we have to hide our affection, so I pout at him, wanting to wipe the look off his face.

"Don't be mad, Jacob," I plead, still holding his face. "I don't like it either, but I don't want my family-"

He stops me just as my voice cracks, capturing my lips in a deep kiss. I instantly relax, feeling the worry leave me. Suddenly, it's just the two of us. And in this world with only him and I, no one else matters.

We haven't truly had time for each other in the last couple of days and I know it has been hard for him. Hell, it has been hard for me, too.

Things have picked up this week for N&B and lacrosse, plus, it seems that teachers have decided to hound us with special assignments, projects, and pop quizzes even though we're only in the second week of the semester.

Even for Life Skills on Wednesday, which Jacob and I share, Mr. Vaughan actually got serious and lectured. And when the man teaches, he does not tolerate anything but our undivided attention.

So finally kissing Jacob after a while of not getting a proper kiss is nothing short of delightful.

"Fuck, how I've missed this beautiful mouth of yours." We detach from the kiss but stay close together. "My parents are still out of town and there'll be no little pest meddling. Sleep over tonight. I need you on my bed."

I laugh and shake my head. "As awesome as that sounds, my mom is still up my ass about lying. She didn't tell my dad or Daniel but she still grounded me for three weeks."

"Three weeks?" Jacob asks, eyebrows raised in surprise.

I laugh once again. "Yes, three weeks. I'm a good kid. I've never really been grounded before. So the woman is going way overboard." I roll my eyes at the whole situation.

Being grounded isn't the worst, honestly. I enjoy going out with my friends, don't get me wrong, but there's nothing like home to me. My room is my sanctuary.

"I've been given strict orders to go back home as soon I'm done with school or N&B. I think she's hired a spy somehow. Because she seems to know when I'm home and when I'm not."

He smiles and moves away from me to grab the canvas once again. "Well, guess I'll have to come to you then, Rapunzel."

We starts walking toward class 228B-where Jaya will be painting for the day-and I spend several seconds wondering what the hell he means.

"Like, you're coming to my house? Is that what you mean?"

He nods, his eyes focused on the numbers written above each classroom door. A few other students pass by us, but they all seem way too preoccupied on their sculptures, paintings, and sketches to pay us any mind.

"Um, I'm not sure that would be a good idea..."

"Why not?" he asks casually. "Your parents are at work and Daniel is always out. You're usually in your room by yourself."

I narrow my eyes at him, moving to make way for a guy pushing a life sized sculpture on a wooden cart down the hall. "How do you even know all that?"

I'm certain I notice a flare of panic on his face at my question, but it's gone before I can confirm if it was real or I was just imagining things.

"I gathered that your parents work a lot by the things you've told me about them. Also, Daniel and I may not be best friends, but I know him. He isn't a home body."

"True that. Daniel loves being out of the house."

We stop in front of the correct classroom, and he holds my arm before I can open the door. I look up at him in question.

"I'll be there after school, Amara. It's decided." His free hand moves to my touch my stomach where he rubs me gently. "I know our little guy misses his father," he tells me lowly.

I suck my teeth and slap his hands away. "Why the baby gotta be a boy, though?" It doesn't really matter what gender he wants the baby to be since I'm not even pregnant, but I ask anyways.

He smirks. "Withers men tend to give birth to sons. Not that I'm against having a little girl." He shrugs. "I bet she would be an handful, though," he muses, seeming to actually imagine what having a girl would be like.

I shake my head, choosing not to even acknowledge his words. Instead, I just open the door to get away from this nonsensical conversation.

You better believe I took that day after pill after leaving Jacob's house on Tuesday and promptly got on birth control yesterday.

Because getting pregnant in high school?With Jacob Withers' baby of all people?! As Iyanla Vanzant once said, Not on my watch.