Chapter 2

When class ended, so did the torture for Bianca. The agonizing hour trying to pay attention to Park's lesson, but actually imagining Jenna breaking her leg in dance class, kept her from going insane. Since Jenna totally demolished the conversation Bianca dreamed of having all semester break with him, she left the classroom like a scurrying mice, trying escape Jax, the hungry cat. Her attempt to avoid him failed though, when his sweet voice called her name.

Bianca contemplated to continue to avoid him, but her feelings got the best of her and she had to turn around to answer him. She couldn't resist because of how cute he sounded when he said her name. Bianca spun around, smiling at Jax hoping everything that happened in class was just a misunderstanding.

"That sweater is adorable," Bianca complimented. Jax looked down to the ground, fumbling with the ends of his sweater. Bianca stared at his raised cheekbone grin with fondness in her eyes. She could gaze at him at him all day, but he finally looked up, ruining her moment.

"Want to talk now?" Jax asked, the grin continuing to show on his face. Bianca blinked, taking her mind back to earth.

"You wanted to talk to me?" she said. Jax scratched the back of his neck.

"No, you wanted to talk to me, remember?" Jax reminded her. "You like someone? Is it someone from Keaton?"

Bianca stared at his brown eyes and his dimples. She wanted to tell him so bad, but she knew Jax's reaction wouldn't be what she had hoped.

"It's no one from Keaton," she lied.

"Oh. Is he cool? I bet he's cool," Jax said. Bianca bit her lip hard, to keep herself from crying in front of Jax.

"Yeah the coolest," she muttered.

Even though Jax hadn't confessed his feelings, walking down the hall with him, standing close, satisfied her fix and all the time she spent thinking of him over the break.

"Hey Bianca, working on the midterm project with you was so fun," Jax said.

"You helped me with my confidence, Jaxon."

"I'm glad I could," he said. "Hey, random question. Why do you like to call me Jaxon, Bianca?" he asked as they walked side by side down the hall. Bianca had her shoulder brushing against his and to her they felt like a couple.

"That's your name isn't it?" she said.

"Yeah, but everyone calls me Jax."

"Well I like Jaxon. It's much cuter," Bianca dared to say, but with confidence. She watched Jax turn to the side to grin, showing his teeth and extenuating his dimples. Wait, so did he like her or not? Why did he just smile like he was blushing at her calling his name cute? This boy gave mixed emotions more well than anyone she knew. Bianca's attention from Jax changed and their conversation halted when he saw Jenna at her locker.

"You go ahead, I don't mind," Bianca said. Jax smiled and ran off to Jenna. Bianca stormed off to her locker and opened the door, only to slam it shut right after.

"Woah," Miles, who came out of nowhere, said to Bianca. "I know you're angry, but you don't have to take it out on your locker."

Bianca eyed him and put a hand on her side. "How do you even know I'm angry Miles," she said.

"Because I know you like Jax, Bianca."

"So?"

"So you're upset because Jax's been spending time with Jenna," Miles said.

Bianca sighed and slumped to the ground against the lockers. Miles slumped with her.

"I thought he liked me miles. I really did," Bianca vented.

"And you're sure of that?" Miles wondered.

"When we were working on the midterm project he confessed his biggest secret to me and he sacrificed that secret for my confidence. That should be enough evidence right there," Bianca explained.

"Jax has a secret?" Miles asked, perking up with interest.

"Mi-les," Bianca complained.

"Sorry, continue."

"Then, he asked to me to the midterm show, glanced at me, and did I mention? He told me his biggest secret!" Bianca pointed out.

"You already told me the last one," Miles said. Bianca rolled her eyes and growled.

"Boys don't tell their biggest secrets to a girl unless they've got a crush on them," she stated. Miles furrowed his eyebrows telling Bianca that he was totally clueless of her love facts.

"Jax told you his secret, big deal," Miles said. Bianca rolled her eyes again.

"Did Jax tell you the secret?"

"No, that's be weird," Miles said.

Bianca's eyes widened and she threw her arms up.

"See!"

Miles shook his head, chuckling.

"Okay, I get it now. But I can't explain why Jax is with Jenna," he said. Bianca thumped her head against the clunky metal lockers. It didn't even hurt her head because all her pain went to her heart.

"Now he's with Jenna?" Bianca's voice cracked.

"Sorry," Miles comforted. Bianca turned her head away from him, leaning her shoulder against the lockers. Miles touched her shoulder.

"Wow, I didn't know you liked Jax that much," Miles said. "He must mean a lot to you."

She pressed her lips together, facing Miles again and revealing tears that ran down her cheeks. Bianca broke her own personal rule and sobbed into Miles' shoulder.

"Jax's a cool dude," Miles said, as he let Bianca soak is favorite grey polo. "I can see why you like him."

Bianca lifted her head up. "But you don't see Miles," she said. "I blew my chance. He asked me to the show and it was the perfect opportunity. But I let it slip away by letting stupid Ivy sit in between us."

Bianca stared at Miles, waiting for something wise and smart to come out of his mouth, but instead she got:

"Sorry," he said. "Again."

And again, Bianca rolled her eyes, making that her signature expression, adding a louder growl.

"Is that all you can say? Sorry?" she complained.

Miles glanced at the dirty tiles, then put on a sheepish grin.

"Sorry," he muttered, before laughing at his own joke. Bianca had nothing else to comment, so she pulled herself off the floor and stood up. She was about ready to strut-no make that sulk out of Keaton.

"Bianca." Miles got up and followed her. "I'm sorr- I mean, if you want, I can tell Jax how you feel about him," he suggested. Bianca paused in the middle of the hall.

"No Miles, that would make everything worse," she said.

"So you don't want him to know you like him?"

"I do, but he'd think I'm trying to steal him away from Jenna," Bianca told him. Miles shrugged his shoulders and move his mouth to one cheek.

"Suit yourself," he said, then turned around, leaving Bianca alone in the hallway. She scrunched her eyebrows and took her bag off her shoulder, then fished for her iphone from a pocket. She pressed the lock screen button and the photo of Jax flickered on. Stupid Jax, with his stupid smile and stupid dimples. Stupid Jenna!

Bianca chucked the phone to the floor, cracking the screen across Jax's cheesy smile. She knelt to the ground to pick it up, instantly regretting her action. She peeled it off the floor, and slowly turned the phone upwards seeing the crack, split across the screen. Bianca squeezed her eyes shut, letting tears seep though her eyelids and dripping onto the phone. She created a puddle on Jax's face with her tears.

Bianca held her cracked iphone as she waited for her mom outside of Keaton after school. She clutched it in her hand, but made sure to not squeeze it too tight or she might slice her hand open. Since she had dashed out of her class quick as she could to avoid Jax, Bianca had to wait a while for her mom.

To pass the time, Bianca played games on her broken phone, but she couldn't help from looking at her lock screen every minute. She felt heartbroken, even though she wasn't rejected verbally. Bianca had the perfect chance to have Jax for herself, but her stupid nerves got the best of her.

"Bee!" Bianca looked up to see her mom's car waiting for her. "Come on," Mrs. Blackwell called. Bianca stood up and shuffled to the car, but she felt a presence behind her; It was the sound of high tops on the concrete, coming closer at a rapid pace.

"Bianca!" the voice she tried to avoid halfway through the school day, called. "Bianca wait!"

Bianca found herself standing yet again close to Jaxon Gardner, making the whole situation even more difficult because her blue eyes met his brown eyes and she never wanted to look away.

"Bianca," Jax said again, presenting to her a bright purple notebook. "You left this in class."

She eyed it and then realized that it was the notebook which contained doodles of his name all over the pages.

"That's not mine," Bianca denied, hoping with every fiber in her body he didn't see inside the notebook.

"It's got your name on it," Jax pointed out, tracing his finger across the bold sharpie print. Bianca snatched the notebook right from his hands, leaving Jax stunned. To avoid any further eye contact or conversation, Bianca clutched the notebook to her side, scurrying to what would drive her away from the torture.

"Aw, he's super cute in person," Mrs. Blackwell cooed as Bianca got into the passengers seat.

"Mom, you're weird," Bianca said.

"So did you tell him?" Mrs. Blackwell asked, ignoring her remark.

Bianca folded her arms and glared out the car window, hoping her mom could interpret her emotions so they wouldn't discuss it anymore. Knowing her mom though, she would pry it out eventually just like when she pried out Bianca's feelings for her co-star Hunter in the past. Yes, Bianca did have some interest in him because after all she did spend hours everyday with him for her show Chase and Chance, and those hours never felt like work. Sure, Hunter had gorgeous hair, pretty cute dimples (but not as cute as Jax's) and he made filming enjoyable, but their relationship wasn't even a real relationship. They never spent any time together outside of work aside from events and press interviews. They never even went on an actual, official proper date. Looking back, Bianca realized everything was one huge lie, all for publicity and the sake of a show that lost huge ratings towards the end of the first season. What made Bianca the most upset was the fact that her mom cared more about a relationship that was forced by the industry and by the parents than her actual feelings for a boy from Keaton.

"Bianca, honey?" Mrs. Blackwell said to her sulking daughter. "You didn't answer me. Does Jaxon like you?"

"No, I like Hunter now," Bianca said, knowing that would give her a reaction.

"Really?" Mrs. Blackwell said, straightening her back and gripped the steering wheel tighter.

Bianca laughed, but not because she was happy or something was funny, but because she was right. Her mom did have the exact reaction she guessed. The laugh had some sadness seeping through.

"I knew you still liked him," Mrs. Blackwell cheered.

Bianca gritted her teeth.

"Mom, can't you tell I'm lying?" Bianca said.

"So you don't like Hunter?" Her mom looked at her for a second, enough for Bianca to catch her hopeful grin.

"Mom, he better not be at home."

"Okay," Mrs. Blackwell said, eyeing the road. "But he is," she muttered.

Bianca slammed her head back on the seat. "Oh my gosh mom," she cried, gripping her fingers on her scalp.

"Bee, he likes you a lot," Mrs. Blackwell brought up again.

"That doesn't mean you can invite him over to our house without asking me!"

"If I would have asked you first, you would have said no."

"Exactly mom," Bianca said. "I would have said no, because I. Don't. Like. Him."

Bianca huffed, and faced the car window, choosing not to speak to her mother until the ride home. Surprisingly, her mom didn't say another word or asked another question, until the car was in the driveway, and they entered the house.

"Bianca!" Hunter cheered and engulfed her in a hug at the door, but Bianca kept her arms to her side making it an awkward hug. He pulled back, giving her that dimpled smile that instantly flashed Jax into her mind.

"Bianca, I'm so glad to see you," Hunter told her. "You look beautiful."

Bianca smiled, but because she had been thinking Jax's cute laugh that was sort of a giggle with a smirk.

"Bee, you two should sit on the couch and catch up," Mrs. Blackwell suggested, guiding the two towards the living room. Bianca placed herself on the opposite end of Hunter, but he scooted closer till they were as close as Jax and Bianca had been walking down the hall. Hunter licked his lips, making Bianca avoid eye contact and she looked around the room. She drummed her fingers on her knee, wishing an earthquake would happen to get her out of the horrific situation.

"So how's Keaton?" Hunter asked.

"Awesome. The classes are fun, the people are great," she said.

"Not as great as you," Hunter said, moving his hand to her face, but she whipped hers out to push it off.

"Hunter stop!" Bianca shouted, springing back to the end of the couch.

"Someone's in a sour mood," he said. "Come on, you like me don't you?"

"Sorry, no," Bianca admitted. She panicked, trying to find an excuse to get out of the situation. "I have a boyfriend."

"No way you have a boyfriend that's not me. Who is it?"

"His name is Jaxon Gardner," she told him.

"That sounds like a name of a DJ or something," Hunter scoffed.

Bianca grinned and widened her eyes. "It does doesn't it?"

She smirked, and sprung off the couch, to her bedroom upstairs. She flopped on her back on the bed, and she smiled at the ceiling.

Bianca: one. Mom and Hunter: zero.