"I feel like I haven't seen you in forever." I tell Creed. I have successfully avoided mentioning Cayden yesterday and today as well. Every time the topic comes up, I start babbling in an attempt to divert their attention to anything else.

"Aw, did you miss me?" Creed teases. I just poke my tongue out at him. Creed is like my annoying older brother and it feels good to have a brother figure like Creed. It gets lonely as the only child. I consider Belle and Jason to be my parents away from my parents. Jason is reserved and cool, like my dad and Belle is crazy, like my mom. I guess opposites do attract.

"So, did you find your flavour of the week?" I ask Creed, leaning against some locker. Creed blushes and mumbles a no while taking books out of his locker.

"Are you blushing?" I ask, completely stunned. Creed is so arrogant all the time. I can't believe he's blushing.

"No, you're blushing." Creed turns away from me and walks as fast as he can. I have to sprint to catch up to him.

"Oh my God, you are blushing! Creed Estanuel Andrews is blushing. I need to take a picture." I take my phone out and he just growls at me and holds my phone.

"I regret telling you my middle name." He says. I raise my eyebrow at him.

"Tell me, Creed. I won't tell anyone, I swear." I'm practically begging now.

"Stop bugging me or I'll tell Cayden you like him." My mouth drops open. I didn't know that Creed knew.

"I don't like-"I start but Creed interrupts me.

"Don't even bother. I'm not deaf nor am I stupid, unlike Jason."

I sigh in relief. So, Jason doesn't know. "I don't like him now. He's a jackass." Creed just smirks at me in response. The bell rings signalling the beginning of school and I reluctantly walk towards class. I can't focus during class because my conversation with Creed is consuming my thoughts.

During lunch break, I see Cayden and Brandon sitting at our table.

"Hey." I say, taking my seat next to Belle, who's looking at Brandon's tuna sandwich with lust in her eyes. I roll my eyes at her, but Brandon looks genuinely terrified.

"Do you want a bite?" Brandon asks Belle who's holding Jason's shirt so tight, that her knuckles are white. "I can't, but thanks for the offer." Belle offers a weak smile.

Creed sits next to me and gives me a wide grin.

"Hey, Shae. Hi, Cayden." He greets only the two of us. It's obvious to me that he's teasing me with Cayden because he's a horrible person but I still didn't tell Belle that Creed knew.

"Hi, Creed. Remember us?" Belle asks him, looking really irritated. "How can I forget you, Belle?" He says, taking her hand and kissing it. If it were any guy other than Creed, Jason would have knocked his lights out.

"So, have you guys started preparing for the exams? We have it in two weeks. Shae, you really need to work on your physics and Creed, how are you failing English? You speak English!" Jason says, throwing his arms around Belle, protectively. I just sigh in response because Jason's dad side was taking over now.

"I don't know what these teachers want from me, man. They expect a 50 page essay from a five line poem. It's so frustrating!" Creed says, pulling his hair in frustration.

At that moment the bell rings and all of us head towards our different classes. I have only English common with Jason, Creed and Belle but I have Biology and History common with Cayden.

Brandon, Cayden and I walk towards our bio class. Brandon is telling me about his plans for the two week vacation that we'll have after our exams and Cayden is just awkwardly lagging behind us.

We reach the class early and Brandon and I sit at our usual seats but, to my surprise, Cayden sits right behind me instead of at the back of the class. I throw him a questioning look and he just shrugs. July joins us soon and takes the seat behind Brandon and next to Cayden, looking confused and flustered at the same time. The three of us engage in conversation with Cayden just staring at us with a weird look on his face.

All of a sudden, Cayden clears his throat and all of us turn our attention towards him. He's fidgeting with the pen he's holding, looking really nervous.

"Uh, I just wanted to say that I," He takes a deep breath and continues, "- I'm so sorry that I didn't help you guys during the project. I want you to know that I'll do anything to make it up to you guys." Cayden finally says, his blue eyes shimmering with sincerity.

July gives a small smile in response and Brandon nods his head.

"It's cool, bro." Brandon says and the guys clasp each other's hands and just like that, the issue is resolved.

Cayden looks at me and gives me a genuine smile and I feel my heart flutter a bit but then I remind myself that my heart had no business fluttering around, thinking about how gorgeous this human specimen, sitting in front of me, was.

After that, Cayden joins our little conversation. Soon, the rest of the students arrive followed by Mr. Miller.

Mr. Miller goes on and on about the human digestive system but the last thing I'm thinking about is enzymes.

__________________________

"I'm so glad it's over." I tell Belle as we make our way outside the school. My exams are done and although, they could have gone waaaaaay better, I'm ecstatic. The past three weeks were engulfed in exams and last minute submissions. I barely saw any of my friends except for when they picked me up and dropped me. I spent most of my lunch breaks in the library trying to make sense of Physics.

"I know! I can't wait to go to Jason's house. Can you believe it? All of us living under the same roof for two weeks. It's going to be so much fun!" Belle is on cloud nine. Jason's parents had to go to Germany for a medical seminar and then they decided to go on a European tour. So, Jason came up with the amazing idea of having a two week sleepover, after all of us swore to our parents that we wouldn't do anything stupid. Belle's parents needed a lot more cajoling than mine and Creed's. Creed's parents pretty much let his son do anything he wants.

I laugh in response. It's going to be two weeks of no restrictions and total freedom. It's every teenager's living dream.

"You know what makes it even better?" Belle asks me with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"Uh-oh, I don't like that look on your face. That look means something bad is going to happen to me." I scrunch my face at her.

"Jason invited Cayden and Fillip." Belle says, flashing me a wide smile.

"What?" I ask her, completely shocked, "Why? Why? Why? Why would he do that?"

"C'mon, you know how close those guys are and I just suggested to Jason that it would be a good idea to expand our friend circle." Belle smiles widely at me.

"I'm going to kill you." I tell her, tightening my hands into fists. Belle looks alarmed.

"Kill me? I thought you would be happy." She pouts at me, "I'm making one of your crush fantasies come true." Belle is referring to the million fantasies I had conjured up in my head about how Cayden and I would have a meet-cute and eventually start dating.

"That was before I found out that he was... like that." I say, unable to think of a polite way to say what I really think about him.

"I really don't understand this. You act like he killed your puppy and then peed all over your puppy's grave." Belle wonders out loud.

"Wow, I really don't understand how your brain works." I tell her honestly. She sees right through my poor attempt to change the topic and looks at me, expectantly.

"Even I don't get why I feel the way I do about him, okay? I guess that I just built him up so much in my head that the real Cayden looks like an asshole compared to the Cayden in my mind." I look at Belle, waiting for her reaction.

"That definitely makes-" Belle is interrupted by Jason who wraps her from behind and kisses her neck. Belle giggles in response and my heart aches looking at them.

I want something that pure and intense. I want what Belle and Jason have, what my mom and dad have but I'm as close to getting that as I am close to going to Mars.

"Hey, losers." Creed says, joining us and I'm glad because no matter how much I love Belle and Jason, I still feel like the third wheel when I'm with them.

"Did you hear?" He asks me, "Cayden and Filip will be staying at us." Creed smiles mischievously at me.

"I hope you don't mind, Shae. I know things have been rough between you and Cayden but Belle told me that you guys sorted it out." Jason says.

I scrunch my face in thought. Did Cayden and I sort it out? I mean, I never fought with him or snapped at him after he apologized but then I didn't exactly talk to him either.

"Yeah, I guess we did sort it out." I say, thoughtfully.

"So," Creed says, interrupting me, "I was thinking that I'll drop you at your homes now and then pick you guys up again at around 5. Sounds good?"

All of us nod in response and get into Creed's car. Creed drops Belle and Jason at her house first. After 15 minutes, we reach my house.

"Be ready by five or I'll ditch your sorry ass." Creed says, as he leans over me to open my door.

"Creed the ditcher." I tease him before getting out of the car. I hear Creed say 'Don't I know it?' before driving away.

I enter my house and I'm greeted by the smell of cookies. I walk into the kitchen and find my mom feeding a cookie to my dad. I hate it when couples act so... couply.

"Ahem!" I clear my throat loudly to announce them of my presence. My mom gives me a wide smile when she sees me and my dad looks kind of embarrassed. My relationship with my dad is strained at best. I don't even know why. He has been nothing but an amazing father but I still don't feel that strong a connection as I feel with mom.

"I thought you were going to stay at Jason's house for the vacation." My dad asks me.

"I am. I just have to pack and then I'll be gone by 5." I say as I put the cookie in my mouth.

Mmm, chocochip.

"Great!" My mom says and I give her a hurt look even though that's the last thing I'm feeling.

"C'mon, your dad and I need time alone." My mom says, turning to my dad and grinning madly, "Can you imagine two weeks without her?"

"I'm still here." I remind her and she dismisses me with a wave of her hands.
"It's nice to feel loved." I deadpan but my mom and dad are lost in their own world.

I grab 5 cookies and head to my room. I drop my bag on the floor and head towards my closet. I pull out a medium-sized hand bag and start packing. I pack a swimsuit because Jason has a pool and no one can separate me from water. I also pack enough clothes and underwear for two weeks, and then I realize that I don't have cute pyjamas. I stare at my SpongeBob long t-shirt and realize that I don't even have normal pyjamas.

I groan in frustration. I can't let Cayden see me wearing SpongeBob or my dolphin pyjamas but I know that I can't do anything about it. So, with a heavy heart, I pack the pyjamas that will make me the butt of all jokes for approximately thousand years. This is going to be fun.

By 5, I'm all set to go and I say goodbye to my parents and wait for Creed outside my house. He pulls up in front my house after half an hour.

"Wow, you're on time." I say, getting into the car.

"Sorry, I didn't finish packing. Something kept distracting me." Belle says, winking at Jason playfully.

I sit at the back of the car along with Jason and give him a dirty look. He just grins in response. Soon, we reach Jason's house and get all of our bags out of the car.

Even though I've been to Jason's house a million times, I still can't get over the fact that it's so beautiful. Actually, on second thought, it's more like a mansion. It's a two storied Victorian house which seems only a little creepy. We tease Jason a lot saying that he lives amongst ghosts. Jason might seem like a tough guy but he's honestly a wimp.

We enter the house and Jason leads me to one of the guest rooms where Belle and I will sleep. Mostly, it's where I'll sleep because I'm sure Belle will sneak into Jason's room when she thinks that everyone is asleep. Creed, Cayden and Filip have to share the other guest room since Jason doesn't want anyone in his room (for obvious reasons) and no one wants to sleep in Jason's parents room (because that's too weird.)

My room and Cayden's room is right opposite to each other and I shudder at the thought of seeing him again. All of us settle down in our rooms and then go downstairs to the living room to watch some TV.

At around 8 'o' clock, the doorbell rings and my heart starts beating furiously. Jason gets up to open the door and I immediately hear Cayden and Filip cheering and talking excitedly. They enter the living room and Cayden freezes when he notices me. For a couple of seconds, Cayden stares intently at me, his face unreadable and then his face breaks into a mischievous grin.

"Things just got way more interesting." He says, winking at me.

These two weeks are going to be the death of me.

Hey, guys. Phew, that was a long chapter but there was just so much that I had to tell. Hope you liked it. :D
P.S: The picture above is of Creed.