Nick's POV

"So, they broke up?" I ask, walking up next to Katie This was almost too easy.

Katie answers right next to me. "I managed to get him to move out of Aiden's place and in with me."

"I think some time apart will do everyone good," I say.

"But he looks so depressed now. I wish there was something we could do to cheer him up," she laments. Oh well, just need to count off the days until I'll finally be able to have him all to myself.

"Look, there he is now," I point out. Sure enough, he's slowly trudging down the hallways, his eyes to the ground and his books hugged close to his chest.

"Jason, hi!" Katie greets him, rushing over to him with a tight hug. He musters up a small grin when he sees her.

"Hey, Jason," I say.

"Hey," he mutters.

"I heard about what happened between you and Aiden."

"Word travels fast huh," he says sadly. "One minute, he's in my arms dancing with me and the next...he asks me to leave him alone."

"I'm so sorry he treated you that way," I say. "I think you just need some time to cool down while the pain is still fresh. We can go out later tonight."

Jason shakes his head.

"Oh, no. I remember the last time I went out with the two of you," he refuses. "I ended up blackout drunk and Nick tried to kiss me."

"Last time I checked," I say. "You got drunk and kissed me. You probably aren't remembering correctly.

"I...I guess I probably did misremember some things" he stammers.

"Well, in light of what's happened recently...I just wanna say that I'll do everything in my power to make sure you feel better," I say to him. Jason manages a tiny grin, but fades as soon as he looks up down the hall.

We see Aiden pass us in the hallway, talking with Ace.

"Rose says we should go see a basketball game together," Ace says. "She says it'll take our minds off of stuff for a while.

"What time?" Aiden asks nonchalantly. There's not a single hint of remorse in his voice. He doesn't even sound remotely sad. Hmph. I always knew he didn't deserve Jason.

"Looks like someone's already moved on," Katie snorts.

"I'm sure...that there's a reasonable explanation for this," Jay mutters quietly. "They're friends. They hang out all the time. Besides, Ace has a girlfriend whom he's seriously committed to."

"Jace, you don't have to keep making excuses for his behavior," I tell him.

"I'm not-"

"Maybe we'll go to a game and show them what for!" Katie declares.

"But I don't want to-"

"Then it's settled. We'll go to the game tonight."

"Guys-"

"I'll pick everyone up in my car at 6."

"GUYS! They can hear you!" Jason snaps. Apparently, Ace and Aiden weren't out of earshot. Ace gives us a weird look, while Aiden glares at us.

"This isn't over," he mouths.

"I think it is. For you," I mouth back. Aiden rolls his eyes and walks away with Ace.

"Forget about him!" Katie blurts out. "I don't mean to sound harsh, but you can't move on if you constantly have him on your mind."

"But I don't want to move on. He just...it was too much for him dealing with me for so long. He wanted a break."

His blue eyes start to water a litte. Someday, I'll be able to wipe every last tear from his pretty face and hold him tight until he knows everything'll be alright.

"If he wants to make you feel like a burden to him, he doesn't deserve you Jace. Now come on. We'll be late to class if we keep dawdling."

Jason reluctantly drags his feet behind us.

"So, how long do you think he'll be like this?" I ask Katie.

"Well, he's probably going through the seven stages of grief."

"I thought that only applied to death?"

"It works for heartbreak too. Anyway, I think he's still in the shock and denial phase."

"And...when will he no longer be in shock and denial?"

"Time will tell…"

It better tell soon, otherwise my plan is going to be a lot harder. I need to get Jason to warm up to me, and quickly.

"Hey, Nick," Katie says suddenly.

"Yeah?"

"What made you attracted to Jason in the first place?"

Pretty much everything about him. His dazzling eyes, his infectious smile, the tempting sway of his hips when he walks and dances across the stage...

"I've seen him around during performances before I transfered. I guess I fell for him seeing him dance on stage. Of course, I couldn't go talk to him, 'cause of Hearst and their rivalry with Lakeside and all that."

Ace's POV

"I know heartbreak hurts, but I didn't think Jay would stoop this low so quickly," I say. "Jealousy is an ugly look on everyone."

"I didn't realize he'd be so hurt by it. But I have to stand by my decision. If I take him back now, it'll just be the same old thing," Aiden mumbles. "Of course he went straight back to his friends. I'll be damned if I let them turn Jay against me."

"It's fine to take a break in a relationship sometimes," I tell him. "It gives you a chance to grow outside of your partner and explore other options."

"Other options?" he asks skeptically.

"I don't mean randomly hook-up with strangers. Just, spend some time with people you're familiar with. People that make you happy. Like your friends."

"Like you?"

"Yeah."

"Thanks, I guess."

"No problem, kiddo," I chuckle, giving him a friendly punch in the shoulder.

"You laugh now because you're older than me by mere months, but when you're 30 and I'm still 29, we'll see who'll still be laughing."

"Yeah, me. 'Cause I'll be a successful CEO or a politician...or something." my voice trails off. Those were my old dreams. Now, I'm not sure what I want. And it's freaking me out.

I need to make a decision by college signing day about where I'm headed after graduation. I've been accepted to Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, the university of Chicago, and Cornell University. Thankfully, Rose got into nearly as many schools as I did, so that makes the choosing process a little easier since we've planned to go to the same college.

"Uh, Ace?" Aiden says, waving a hand in front of my face. "You kinda zoned out there for a moment."

"I...I did? Well, sorry about that," I say apologetically. Damn, I thought I stopped doing that.

"Should we still go to the game?" he asks. "Especially since-"

"We aren't going to let the three of them and their nonsense ruin our fun," I state. "Screw all of them."

"Uh, but not Jason, right?"

"Sure…"

Frankly, I had no idea why Jason would even think of spending time with people who obviously don't approve of who he's in a relationship with. Especially since one of them knows their history.

Damn. He didn't deserve anything that's happened to him in the past year. He definitely doesn't deserve to be treated the way Jason did to him when he tried to tell him the truth about his friends. I hope Jay knows what he's getting into, because I won't hesitate to take action if he hurts Aiden.

Ava's POV

Apparently, Patty's apology meant nothing to her, because she's back to her bitchy self when we get to gym class. Nicole lets go of my hand before we open the doors.

"We're not going to have a repeat of last week, are we, Edwards?" the coach demands. I smirk at him and produce a doctor's note. (Thank you, Dr. Brinkwater!)

Instead of getting up in his face like I planned, I say nothing and walk away.

He scoffs, shaking his head and turning away. Uma can barely hide her giggles.

"He looked so mad," she snickers.

"He wants to treat me like a whore, I'll show him how one acts," I say firmly.

"Well, I better get changed. You gonna be ok by yourself?" she asks.

"Yep, bye Um- er, Nicole."

"Bye, Avie." she says with a wink.

"Well, well, well," I hear a familiar voice behind me. I see her slender legs slide in next to me. "If it isn't Miss '16 and Pregnant.'"

"I'm 18, dipshit, get it right. And I guess your apology wasn't sincere at all," I sneer.

"Whatever. I got suspended from the cheerleading squad because of you."

"No one asked you to launch a sneaker at my belly. You deserved it."

Patty scoffs and looks away. In silence, we watch the gym class go on.

"Ugh, this gym stink is making me nauseous," she complains.

"It reeks of body odor all the time. Why is today any different?"

"Just. Shut. Up. You're giving me a headache," she groans. I take a closer look at her, and notice that her face is tinged green. She burps sickly.

"Uh, are you-"

"Don't talk to me!" she snaps before belching again. "Oh god…*URP!* Out of my damn way!"

She pushes past me, her hands over her mouth. I can't help but follow her into the bathroom.

Morning Sickness?

The retching sounds I hear from one of the stalls give me my answer. She jumps when she comes out of the stall.

"My, have the tables turned," I say, smiling wickedly.

"You don't know a damn thing. I just got food poisoning."

"I call bullshit. If you had food poisoning you'd be much worse."

"I suppose you know from experience," she sneers.

"How long do you think it'll be before you start to show?" I ask, patting her currently slim stomach.

"Screw you," she hisses, slapping my hand away.

"Ooh, definitely feels like a baby or two in there. Is it a girl? I hope it's not a girl. I'd hate for my kids to grow up with a bitch like you."

"SHUT UP! I am NOT pregnant, you…*URP!* Uggh!"

She rushes back into the stall and resumes her regurgitating.

"Y'know, speaking from experience, morning sickness is usually the first signs of pregnancy."

"Get the hell out of here."

"Oh, trust me. I'm not going anywhere. As you've probably heard, what goes around comes around, and I think you got what's coming to you."

"Ok, fine. Maybe I could be pregnant. But at least I'd have a rich baby daddy. I'd be a milf."

"You are seriously deluded. I can't believe you think you have your fairytale life. I'm sure you won't be saying that when that size 0 waistline you've got balloons up until you look like a walking blimp. You won't be saying that when you have to keep replacing your shirts because your boobs keep leaking with the milk you'll have to feed your baby with for years. You definitely won't say that if you'll still have friends by the time everyone finds out. And don't even get me started about school. I don't even know if I'll graduate high school, let alone get to college. My life will never be the same, and neither will yours."

I trail off when I notice her crying. Damn, I think I went a little too far.

"Y-you're such a bitch," she sniffs. "If you weren't pregnant I would've killed you by now."

"If I had my way I wouldn't even be pregnant. A guy forced himself on me, alright? I was raped."

That's the first time I've vocally acknowledged the fact. I leave the bathroom before she has a chance to speak.

Jason's POV

It's been at least eight hours, but the pain is still fresh. Why am I feeling this way? I bet Aiden hasn't even thought of me all day? What if he's already moved on from me? Ok. I need to get a goddamn grip. I am 18 fucking years old. I'm legally and adult, not some 13 year old edgelord. Sooner or later, Aiden will come back, and thing's will go back to normal. Normalish. As normal as they can get.

For now, I just have to endure this basketball game with Nick and Katie.

Nick's been nothing but nice to me all day, making me feel even more confident that I was in the right about him.

"We're here," Nick announces. We all get out of the car and head to the ticket booth.

"How did you get tickets on such short notice?" Katie asks.

"I know a guy," Nick answers cryptically. "Let's go get some snacks."

"I'll get them," Katie offers. "The two of you can go find our seats."

She flounces off, leaving me with Nick. To my surprise, he says nothing as we find our seats

"Oh for the love of…" I hear him grumble. I look up, and Aiden and Ace are seated two rows in front of us. They turn around and notice us. Ace whispers something to Aiden, and he nods. The latter gets up and walks away. Once Aiden is out of earshot, Ace narrows his eyes at the two of us.

"What are you guys doing here?" He demands.

"I'd ask you the same thing, Ace," I retort.

"Well, Aiden was feeling a little down after what happened this morning, so Rose decided a little outing between us guys would cheer him. To me it seems like you're just here to make him jealous."

"I would never do that. We just happened to come to the same game. And since when do you OR Aiden have any interest whatsoever in sports?"

"Rose suggested it, not me."

Aiden comes back with an armload of food.

"I wasn't sure what you wanted, so I got a bunch of random stuff," he says, struggling to hold everything in his arms. Ace reaches out and holds his arms steady, to which Aiden smiles graciously. I ignore the tiny twinge of envy that comes up.

Katie comes back with our food and we settle down. The game starts. I don't think anyone around here is really invested in it though. Nick's on his phone, Katie's staring into space, and Ace and Aiden are too busy talking. Suddenly, I hear a lot of cheering and screaming.

"Look at the screen," Nick points out. The kiss cam is on, and it's focused on...Ace and Aiden?!

The two of them look at each other, then look all around them. Ace rolls his eyes and gives him a small peck on the cheek.

"Are you happy now?" He asks. Aiden blushes and they both laugh at the moment.

"That's just cruel," Katie chides. "He says he wants a break so he can go and kiss another man. Shameful."

"It was just a casual kiss on the cheek, dude. I'm sure it wasn't anything serious."

"Sure, you say that now, but wait until they start having more 'casual' kisses and see where that leads you."

"Hey, Aiden is not a cheater," I growl.

"Let's just watch the game," she says in exasperation.

At this point, absolutely no one is paying attention. Somewhere along the line, Aiden leaves to use the restroom. Then the cheering starts up again.

"Oh my God!" Katie gasps. "Look!"

I look up at the screen, and Nick and I were on it! He turns to me.

"Nick...I can't...Aiden...he-"

"If it's ok for him to kiss someone else because you're not together at the moment, why not you?"

"It just feels wrong, like I'm being unfaithful to him."

"Come on, just this once. He won't even be here to witness it."

But Ace will…

All around us, the crowd is chanting, "Kiss! Kiss!"

"Fine. But just a kiss on the cheek," I say. I lean in...when suddenly he turns and our lips meet! He cups my cheek and runs his hands through my hair. I'd hate to admit it, but Nick's a really good kisser. I'm trying hard not to melt from Nick's passion. It is only when Nick pulls away that I notice Ace glaring at me in disapproval...and Aiden.

Once the game ends, Ace corners me. He storms up to me, grabs the collar of my shirt and pushes me against the wall. Nick and Katie are at the concession stands trying to get snacks for the road and are too far away to hear or see us.

"Jason, what the hell is wrong with you?"

"I didn't know he was going to do that!"

"I can't believe you let him kiss you on the lips!"

"You kissed Aiden," I retort.

"On the cheek. We're just friends, and you and I both know it would have never gotten further than that. Why didn't you push him off?"

"I don't know, I was shocked when he did it. What could I have done?"

Ace shakes his head.

"He's heartbroken, Jason."

"How is it my fault?" I snap. "He broke up with me, remember?"

"Because you weren't listening to him. He loves you, and all you do is ignore and belittle his concerns."

"I wasn't trying to belittle him, I just wanted proof before I believe him randomly accusing my friends."

Ace scoffs. "Mark my words, you'll regret this."

With that he turns to catch up with Aiden at the door. I catch a glimpse of Aiden's face as he leaves. I can tell he's trying hard not to break down.

Nick and Katie come over to me with snacks in their hands.

"Hey, what's wrong, Jace?" Katie asks.

"I...I messed up with Aiden," I admit shamefully.

"What, because of the kiss? Ah, he'll get over it. He dumped you, remember?" Nick says. "He left you when you needed him most, and you're worrying about his feelings? Please. Come on, Jace. I'll take you home."

Aiden's POV

"I know it hurts kiddo, I won't hold it against you if you just want to let it out-"

"I'm fine," I sniff. "I gotta get over it."

"Wanna stop by Rose's place for a bit? It might make you feel a little better.

"Yeah…" I sigh shakily. It would probably pain me even more to go straight home to my room knowing Jason wouldn't be there.

"Hey," Ace says suddenly, placing a hand on my shoulder. "You're gonna be fine, I promise. Forget Jason, I'm sure you'll find someone new."

"I don't want someone new, I want him."

"But I thought you broke up with him."

"Because I was mad and upset with him at the time...I just wanted him to listen to me for once and now…"

I can't find any other way to interpret that scene I walked in on. Jason's back was to me, his neck angled in such a way that it's plain to see he's making out with Nick. I didn't see him trying to push Nick off or anything...I really don't want Ace to see me start crying, so I just turn my head away from his view.

"I was concerned this would happen."

"I don't know what I was expecting, really. I break up with him and he goes straight into Nick's arms less than a day later. Just like...like…"

"Jessica." We say at the same time. I remember Rose broke up with me and Jessica swooped in and claimed me as her boyfriend. That was a hell of 2 years of my life.

"...you don't think...?"

"No. Maybe I'm just being paranoid," I say sadly. "I could be wrong about Nick."