A/N: I'm BAAAAAAAAAAAACCCCCCCCCCKKKKKKKKKK.

For those who don't follow Dark Paradise. I am back. I'm sorry it has taken me so long to update any of my stories but you know life can get to be much at times. It's been about three months since there has been a update for this particular story, it has been TOO LONG. But I am officially done with school and can write more than before.

Refresher? Last chapter Emily confronted Taylor about not messing with Paige. Emily told Paige that he(Cam) was a she and she was Amazing. Then Taylor confessed that she like Paige and then Paige left her hanging and called Alex. ANDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDd i think that covers everything big that happened last chapter.

I know it's been a while so this is a fair question. Are you guys still into this story? Like I said before, this story would be at a slower pace than any of my other stories. So let me know if you guys still like the story?

Anyways, enough of that. Like always, Thank you to everyone who reads,favorites,follows and reviews the story. You are all amazing and thank you for giving my stories the time of day, I know there are MANY great paily stories out there to choose from.

Enjoy the chapter!

Chapter 12

Paige's POV

I pace back and forth in the alleyway right before Sam's, the nerves set in as I prepare what I am going to say when I see her. Like with Emily, I had much on my mind about the girl who was an even bigger part of my life than Emily was. Alex treated me like I was her family, she protected me before, during, and after Emily. We were so close that we even called each other sisters and no one really doubted us, to everyone at school she was just my older sister. I adjust my green bomber jacket as I turn the corner one last time to head out of the alleyway. I walk into Sam's and head to the nearest bar stool. A dark- skinned gentleman behind the bar comes up to me placing a water with a napkin in front of me.

"I know you are not 21, so anything non-alcoholic I can get for you?" I smile as I look at the fairly attractive bartender. I mean if I was straight he would totally be my reason to come here, but another server is my reason.

"You are good at your job. Just the water is fine for now, I'm just waiting for someone." He grabs a towel to wipe down the almost empty bar, and then grabs glasses and starts cleaning them.

"I have to be if I don't want to get shut down. Let me guess you are 17 or 18?" He continues to smile and clean the glasses. He tends to one other customers at the end of the bar and I take the time to look around to see if Alex is going to show. Maybe this was a mistake, maybe relying on her was the wrong choice to make. I turn back and the bartender comes back with a basket of onion rings and sets them down in front of me. "On the house. You look like you need some comfort food."

"Thank you so much." I smile before I take one of the onion rings and pop it into my mouth. "Yeah I'm 17. This is your place? Wait are you 'the Sam'?" I ask as I pop another onion ring into my mouth. He simply smiles and nods his head. Just as I was going to ask another question I see his eyes focus on something behind me. I turn around to be met with Alex a few feet away from me almost in shock. I was in the same position with her being here, I thought she was going to leave me hanging.

"Hey P" Alex says as she keeps herself a comfortable distance away from me. I smile, but then quickly try to hide it so that she wouldn't know how happy it made me that she actually showed up.

"Hey Lex, sit." I push out the stool next to me for her to sit down. I would like to hug her, but I feel like that would be too soon and I can't really forgive her for abandoning me.

"Hey Alex, what can I get for you?" I look at the bartender and he puts out glass of water for Alex and gets another glass out to await Alex's drink order. So I guess she came here often if Sam knew her by name.

"Just an iced tea today Sam. Thank you." She smiles at Sam and he dips his head, serving her the iced tea. "I'm surprised you called. I really wanted to explain everything to you. But Devyn and I didn't think that you were ready."

"You're kidding me right? You thought that it was okay to keep tabs on me and give me gifts for the last two years."

"10 years actually." I look up at her with a confused look and she looks down at her hands before looking back up at me. "Those gifts that you've gotten over the years? They were from me, well Devyn and I went halves on all those gifts. For both Christmas and your birthday, I never missed one." She rests her hand on top of mine and initially I want to move my hand from her touch but I can't. Her smile always warmed my heart and her eyes were so soft that I felt myself relax under her touch.

"So the sneakers, the clothes, the books, the iPod, this jacket and my art supplies. They were all you?" The pang in my heart starts when I remember every birthday and Christmas, I hated holidays because I always got to see my foster parents being happy whenever relatives came to visit them. Holidays were supposed to be about being with your family or people who loved you, but mine were full of phone calls to Devyn and many tears. I pull my hand away from under hers and I move to get out of my chair but her hand comes up to my wrist as I begin to walk away.

"Paige, I wanted to adopt you, ever since I left the system. I wasn't able to make an adoption happen quickly and it wasn't until this year that I could actually afford the adoption. I wanted you, I wanted my sister back." Her grey green eyes were starting to water and her lower lip was quivering. "Ask Devyn if you don't believe me. She has kept all the paperwork that I have filled out for adoption, and my appeals after the judge said I wasn't fit to adopt you, I didn't have the means." We are standing at the bar when all this is said and thankfully we weren't loud and there were not many people there. It was after the lunch rush, so it was pretty dead until the dinner rush came along and that wouldn't be for a few more hours.

"You're serious about this? You wanted to adopt me?" I look around and smile at Sam who was approaching us at the bar. I tell him we'd be back and leave my basketball bag on the bar stool before grabbing Alex's hand and heading out to the alley. Once we are in the alleyway with no one around, I lean against the wall staring at Alex waiting for her to answer my question. She had really sparked my interest.

"Yes I wanted you out of the system P." She stayed a comfortable distance away from me but her voice was laced with regret. I avoided eye contact with her as soon as she started talking because I knew if I would have saw her crying I would have done the same. "I did everything to protect you while we were together. Remember that night when we went to Danny's house and I made a phone call? Who do you think I called? We are foster kids we had no one, but I knew one number by heart and that was Devyn's. I called her to get you out of that house, you needed a new placement because I wasn't going to be in that house anymore to protect you." Her voice was causing tears to make their way to my eyes but I fought the urge to cry, I just kept looking at the pavement. I feel her come up to me and grab my hands trying to get me to look at her.

"Why? You still had a few months before you were 18! I could have ran away and gone with you! You said we were family Alex! But you left me just like everyone else in my live has." I yell at the ground and ball up my fist.

"I was pregnant Paige!" She lets my hand drop so she can run her fingers through her hair. I finally look up at her and just in time to watch her tears fall. I had pushed her to tell me this information before she was ready. A pain in my chest strikes again as I see her hastily wipe her eyes. "My social worker found out and was processing the paperwork for my exit out of the foster system. I was due to leave that house at any time. I got kicked out three days after you left. Funny thing is, I remember that was the same day I saw Emmy and her new family come to the house to look for you." She chuckles as she wipes the tears from her cheek with both hands, I notice the slight blush on her ivory toned skin.

"So wait…You had a kid? Alex, you're a mom?"

"Yeah… I have a beautiful stubborn nine year old. She reminds me of you every single day. We might not be blood but, god, she shares so many of your personality traits. I also have a handsome baby boy he's two, he's just like his father." She smiles as she continues to talk about her kids. She cleans her eyes a bit more, careful not to mess up her mascara.

"Um… do they have the same dad…?" I didn't want to sound rude but it was a fair question, a outsider could never be too sure about paternity nowadays.

"Yes both have the same father. Remember Daniel? We got married a few months ago but we have been together for 11 years. He's one of the good guys." I see a slow smile creep onto her lips as she talked about her now husband. He seemed nice 10 years ago when I first met him, but again I never pegged him as Alex's type. "His family really helped us with Araceli while both of us went to school. I mean it took me a bit longer, but I still got my degree. They still help us out with Aiden but not nearly as much. We just moved into Rosewood."

"Those are beautiful names, Alex. They sound like good people, they seemed friendly that day when I did meet a few of them. I'm sure you're an amazing mom."

"I am a pretty good mom but I could have been better if I would have adopted you. You're right, we were sisters. We were all the other had and I left you… I am truly sorry and I wish that I could have taken you with me." She comes and gives me a hug and I allow myself to hug her back. I remember when I would fall asleep on her bed at night and she would just let me curl up into her, this was like those times.

"Look, I'm still so pissed at you for leaving me and then being a fucking ghost for 10 years but I get it. I really do get it. You already had enough on your plate with a baby Alex, you really think that having me around would had made your life easier?" I say as I hug her tightly and she does the same. I never thought that I would get the chance to hug her again after I left that house.

"No it wouldn't have, but at least you wouldn't have been in the system. But seriously, enough about me and this whole thing for now. We will talk more about it when we both have time. I have to pick up Aiden from daycare soon and you have school or basketball right? You called me for some reason right? Well what did you want to talk about?" She asks as we walk back into Sam's. I flash him a smile and he brings out another order of onion rings and a water in front of my stool.

"You really think I can move passed this and just talk to you about what's going on with me?" She takes a long sip of her iced tea as I wait for her to answer me and then she suddenly just puts her index finger in the air signaling me to hold on.

"You can act like a hard ass all you want, but YOU called ME P. Be pissed at me all you want after you tell me. I could tell over the phone that you were hesitant, so I take it it's something that is bothering you?" She crosses her legs and props up her elbow allowing her head to rest on it.

"You were analyzing me over the phone? Really?" She shrugs her shoulders as she takes an onion ring and pops it into her mouth, waiting for me to answer her. "There's someone who I'm interested in, but it seems complicated. But there is also someone else that I am drawn to, even though I shouldn't be."

"Yeah I was, that's my job, and I'm pretty damn good at it. Why shouldn't you be drawn to them? And why is it complicated with the other?" Her eyebrow raises and she tears a piece of the onion ring off allowing it cool down.

"I shouldn't be because they are taken and we're friends. The other person, it was just mixed signals for a while, and there is some family tension." Again I don't make eye contact with her and I rip the onion out of the onion ring and just eat the fried batter.

"So this person who catches your eye, she doesn't know how you feel about her? Do you know if she's happy in the current relationship that she is in?" I look up at her as she nonchalantly throws out 'her'.

"I never told you it was a girl."i say not meeting her gaze.

"Yeah well you also didn't tell me otherwise Paige, you also used non-gender specific pronouns which sends a red flag. Look if you are gay, straight, bisexual or just see personality and not gender then good for you. It doesn't make me care about you any less, it doesn't make you less of a person. No one has a right to judge you because of something that is out of your control." She rest her hand on my knee with a stern voice.

"Jesus, seriously the more I want to stay mad at you the more I can't because you are fucking awesome… NO she doesn't know, and she seems pretty fucking happy in her relationship. This Camila girl is amazing, according to her." I roll my eyes before biting into another onion ring.

"Please Paige, your mouth. I let a few words slide before because you were angry but now it's not necessary." I stare at her before she lets out a heavy sigh and pinches the bridge of her nose. "Sorry, motherly instincts kick in. I just had a talk with Celli about cursing. Anyways, well by what you're telling me the girl that you are interested in is your safer bet than the girl you are drawn to. What's your dilemma, it seems pretty clear? "

"I think I just needed someone else to tell me what I already knew…I mean both girls are captivating but with one of them it's just different…" I rest my head on the bar and she puts her hand on top of my head.

"What does your heart tell you Paige?" She asks as she continues to smooth my hair down.

"My heart tells me one thing while my head tells me another. God that is so fu—freaking cliché." I throw my head back looking up at her to see the empathic smile on her lips.

"So pick one. Your heart? Or your head?" That was the question of the hour. Who would I choose?

I lay on the gym floor at the end of basketball practice today, as does everyone else. Laying on the floor seemed to be the easiest way to steady our breathing, well so we thought. I peer up and look at all the coaches smirking at one another as every girl that made the team is trying to catch their breath. Even Emily was struggling to steady her breathing after a particularly vigorous practice. Our first scrimmage was in a week and the coach was whipping us into shape so that we wouldn't make fools of ourselves. Rumor has it that the first scrimmage determines how the rest of the season will be.

"Alright ladies, hit the showers and enjoy your Halloween weekend. Be safe." Mr. Guerrero announces and gives a warning stare to Erin Jacobs. Erin's party was tonight and I was still debating whether I wanted to go or not. The entire team was going to go, and I felt obligated to go but I'll probably end up taking a long cold shower..

Everyone started to slowly get up and walk towards the locker room in almost a shuffle. I was almost to the bleachers when Mr. Guerrero comes up next to me. I don't think anything of it as I slowly pull on my sweats and switch my basketball shoes to slip on sandals. I place the worn basketball shoes in my bag smiling at how Emily's initials were printed on the tongue of the shoes. Mike had given me some of his middle school basketball shoes but they fit too loose and it didn't go unnoticed by Emily. One day, I was about to change into my shoes when I found a pair of white and navy blue basketball shoes in my bag replacing the one's Mike had given me. The simple E.J.F. in the shoe made me smile every time I saw it.

"Paige? May I have a word with you?" I look up to my Spanish teacher and coach giving him a nod and tight smile. I sit down on the bleachers because I could feel my knees shake. How will I walk home I have no idea. "So Coach Anderson has given me the opportunity to take lead on the first scrimmage. I wanted to okay it with you first but… I was thinking of putting you as one of the starting shooting guards."

"Are you serious? Are you sure? Why? I mean this is my first time playing on a team and you want me to start on the most important game?"

"First off, this isn't the most important game, people just like to be superstitious about these things. And secondly, I didn't know this was your first time playing… you seem to have more experience, I guess you're just a natural. I am sure about this, you and Emily work very well with each other. You two feed off of each other, and anticipate the others move. I can tell that you two could be a killer pair… I have to make sure of it on the court though before I come up with the roster for the next few scrimmages."

"Thank you…Mr. Guerrero." I shake his hand and he smiles down at me. I fought the urge to hug him and let go of his hand so we could part ways. I have to leave everything on that court next Friday if I wanted to prove to the coaches and the rest of the team that I was worthy to start in a game. There was no way I was going to the party, I wanted to do some arm workouts to be prepared for the scrimmage. I get up carefully and walk out of the gym to the hallway to walk to my locker to get some books.

"McCullers! I expect to see you at the party!" I turn around and see Erin with a few other girls smiling and waving in my direction, so I return the favor not giving them a straight answer. I continue to my locker and put the combination in, taking a few books out and wincing whenever I move my arms up. Maybe I would just rest tonight and start working out with Mike and Ruben tomorrow. I shuffle down the hall as I wave to a few more girls that were in the basketball program who were also walking out, and a few give me high fives for doing a good job in practice. I slowly make my way down the steps and down the street, but I don't make it too far when I hear a car pull up next to me.

"Hey…" I see Taylor in her SUV and a nervous smile appears on her face as I approach her car and lean against it. I smile at the beautiful girl in front of me with her piercing bright green eyes.

"Hey, I don't mean to force myself on you but could I get a ride? I was just thinking about how long it was going to take for me to crawl home."

"Yeah! That's actually why I pulled up. I can barely walk and didn't want you to do it." She fumbles with cleaning up the passenger seat as I walk around and watch through the window. I thought that it was cute how nervous she was. I could see her smile even though her hair was falling to her face. I also thought that it was kind of sweet how she didn't want me to walk home. Taylor and I haven't really talked since Monday when she told me how she felt. I think it was just better to pretend it didn't happen, so that it wouldn't be awkward. I mean let's face it, we were awkward enough as is.

After my talk with Alex, my mind still hadn't made a decision, either pursue Taylor or not. Those were ultimately my choices because there was no way in hell that I was going to break up Emily's relationship, and wreck our blossoming friendship.

"Thanks." I pull myself into the SUV and lay my head back on the seat, exhausted from practice, I was grateful that she came along. My mind wandered to Emily and why it wasn't her offering me a ride. She hadn't even talked to me today during and after basketball.

"You're welcome." She starts driving out of downtown and towards Main Street. "So are you going to the party?"

"Um I don't know. I wasn't thinking of going to it. I was just going to shower and sleep..." I see how her face visibily drops as she continues to drive. "but I guess I could go..."

"We should go together!" She says as she brakes in the middle of the street. Fortunately, she had taken a side streets to get to the Montgomery's. I look at her and her bright smile quickly changes, while she continues to drive and focus on the road ahead. "I mean, like we should ride together. I can pick you up if you want or not that's cool." I continue to stare at her and notice the blush on her cheeks as she tries to play it off. Yeah, we hadn't addressed the feeling between us but that didn't mean that they weren't there.

"Sure, let me just shower and change. Do you want to meet downtown?"

"Yeah I need to do that too. I can just pick you back up at the Montgomery's, I don't live that far from you. I live around the corner."

"Okay I guess I'll see you in a bit."

The water hitting my body is what clears my mind of everything, it slows my mind and heart rate. Thoughts about tonight take over as soon as the water stops though. We were going as just friend's right? I walk into my room, and begin to look for a outfit to wear to the party. I quickly learned that this is a problem, because I only owned about two outfits that I would consider for this party. I finally settled on something simple; a purple dress shirt with a black vest, that Aria had given me a few weeks before, and a pair of black jeans. I debated on rolling up the sleeves of my shirt, but eventually decided to but only a quarter of the way up my forearm. I struggle to do anything with my hair in the short amount of time, that I end up putting it into a loose ponytail and putting my black I'm lacing up my boots when I see Aria at my door smiling then disappear. I look at her curiously as I walk down the stairs to look for Ella. But when I make the bottom steps I hear a familiar voice talking to Ella and I smile because she was here.

We sat in the car in silence but with smiles on our faces. I wasn't expecting Taylor to come in the house and talk to Ella while waiting for me. It reminded me of a scene from those teen movies, where the girl is getting ready for prom and the guy is waiting with the dad. This was nice, being with her was nice. But it was short lived when she received a call asking if she could give someone a ride to the party. Three other girls from the basketball team joined us in the spacious SUV. The backseat was loud but it was entertaining, I was used to seeing the girls in a competitive setting, so it was refreshing to see them being goofy and relaxed.

We pull up to the cabin just outside of town, and park behind cars that were lined up against the side of the street. Taylor and I walk along side each other talking about Halloween as we approach the cabin and the blasting music. The other three girls stayed a bit behind as they saw one of their friends sitting on the hood of their car with a group of people around. Even though it was only nine o'clock the cabin was overflowing with bodies. Taylor and I push through the crowd; in fear of losing her I grab ahold of her hand and she grips onto it tightly as we make our way to the other side. I look back at the crowd at Taylor and see her bright green eyes focused on our hands being interlocked. She then pulls her hand away and I instantly miss the contact. But I brush it off as I turn to walk around the cabin to look for something to drink.

"I'll get some drinks. Do you prefer anything?" I shake my head and give her a smile as she walks away. I watch her walk away focusing on the skirt that is exposing her long legs. I bite my lip as I continue to watch her hips sway.

"Paige? Hey I didn't know you were coming." Startled, I turn to find Hanna and Spencer with red solo cups in hand, both with stylishly laid back attire.

"Yeah I came with Taylor Dalton…and some girls from the basketball team. Is Emily here?" I ask curiously looking around to see if I could spot her raven-colored hair out of the crowd.

"No, but she should be here soon. Last time I talked to her she was picking up Aria. Why didn't you come with Emily?" Spencer asked while taking a sip of her drink of choice. Hanna turned to look at me with a raised eyebrow also taking a sip of her drink.

"I..er..wasn't going to go and then Taylor asked."

"Aw you like her huh?" Hanna teases me and I can't help but blush and shift uncomfortably under their gaze. As if on cue, Taylor shows up next to me with two drinks in hand. She waves at the two girls with a tight smile and they do the same. "Well we were just leaving… You two have fun, maybe we'll catch up with you later." We both nod as the two girls walk away whispering, and Taylor and I are left with a small group of girls from basketball.

We talk a bit more while we are in the group but we are focused on what the other is saying. After drinking a few beers I was laughing with her and whispering in her ear. She smells like cinnamon and vanilla, almost like coffee. I close my eyes taking in the smell and registering that this is her body wash as I rest my chin on her shoulder.

"God this party is huge!" She turns her face to the side and yells in my ear so I could hear her over the music.

"I like large parties. They're so intimate. At small parties there isn't any privacy." I yell in her ear with smirk and I laugh into my cup. I lean up against the walk so that one shoulder is touching as I continue to drink my beer.

"Did you seriously just quote The Great Gatsby?" She chuckles and takes another sip of her cup. I am actually quite impressed that she got that quote right away.

"You've read it? Wow never would have thought that."

"Reserving judgments is a matter of infinite hope" She says nonchalantly and I just stare at her for a while. Did she just? I feel a smile creep up on my face.

"Wow, a girl after my heart with literary references." I see the blush on her cheeks as she dips her head and I put my arm around her neck, bringing her closer to me so I could take a sip of her drink. Our faces are so close that just moving a bit to the right and our lips would…

"Paige?" I look to the left and see Emily with Hanna. Her mouth is hanging open as I continue to have my arm around Taylor. I feel Taylor's lips on my cheek as she presses them gently against it. I look at Emily to see that her face is beet red before looking away from us and walking away. I move away from Taylor to see a smirk before she nestles her head on my shoulder continuing to talk to someone from our English class. What the hell just happened?

A/N number 2: Who's team Paylor? lol

I know that some people are not fond of taylor but remember it is a Paily story afterall ;). Just stay with me

Also go to my profile please and vote for the next story that I should update!