Just a heads-up, Ana is going to stay sixteen for at least a few chapters. Don't worry, though - this is the most exciting (and traumatic) year of her life.

January 3, 2006

3:45 P.M.

I've always thought that lying is more trouble than it's worth. As soon as it's out your mouth, you're indebted to keep it going forever. You have to remember every detail that you fabricated, keep up with each new addition to the story, and make sure no one gets suspicious. It weighs on your heart, rips you apart until you feel like you're drowning - the truth trying to claw it's way out of your body.

I could never lie. I never had a desire to lie. It was too hard on my psyche -plus I was just never good at it anyway.

It's a much better idea to stick with the truth. At least that way no one get's hurt.

August 9, 1997

8:30 A.M.

Her lungs burned and her legs felt like they would give out any moment now - but she had never felt more alive. A small smile spread across her face as her feet hit the pavement and her hair flew in the wind, trailing behing her like a mahogony cloak.

She pushed harder, her legs pumping even faster. There was something about running that satisfied her. She felt fearless as she raced through the trees, like nothing could stop her. There were no thoughts of problems or any sense of anxiety - it was just her and the world speeding past her.

But her joy was short-lived. She could hear the footsteps behind her, twigs snapping with each step. They were gaining on her, no matter how hard her legs pumped or how fast her arms propelled her forward. Soon, she saw a head of copper locks speed past her.

Ana was fast, but Christian was faster.

"Damnit," she cursed under her breath.

Christian's lip twitched, trying to hold back a smile. Originally, he was pissed at the fact that Ana had crashed his morning run. It was his time to think - well, brood would be more accurate - his time to blow off steam. Those were his only moments where he was alone, where he felt normal. He didn't have to deal with the judging eyes of his family or peers. He didn't feel the pressure to be perfect - but of course the one person he wants to be perfect for the most would come jogging after him.

At first he tried to outrun her. He knew how fast he was - that was the main reason he won most of his fights. Looking at Ana's small frame and delicate body, he thought it would be no problem -but damn was he wrong. He picked up the pace, almost sprinting. When he turned to look back, he was extremely surprised to see Ana right on his heels, not even looking the least exerted.

She ran up beside him, smiling the smile he hated but loved at the same time. It was a smile of adoration -of fondness. He hated when she did that. It was more than what he could ever deserve. Someone like Ana should never respect, let alone love, someone like him. He felt his blood start to boil.

"You're not slick," she remarked, jogging right alongside him, "I know you tried to outrun me."

"If you're going to join me, then don't talk," he mumbled. "I'm thinking."

"About?"

"Don't worry about it."

She snorted, but then a devilish look crossed her face. "Let's make this a game," she proposed, her eyes lit up. "Whoever makes it through the trail, across the lake, then around the small grove of trees behind our house, has to tell the other person a secret," she finished, panting. The exercise was starting to get to her.

He looked at her, one of his eyebrows quirked. Was she serious? She had to have known she didn't stand a chance against him - unless she was hiding some profound skill he had never seen. He scoffed. He decided to humor her.

"Deal," he chirped, before picking up the pace, moving fast than he had during any of his other morning runs.

Ana smirked. It was always good when someone underestimated you -they would never see what they had coming to them.

Now, Ana wasn't so sure. She saw Christian's copper hair fading off into the distance, seeming further and further with each passing second. She saw the sinews of his calf muscles stretch with each movement of his legs, the toned flesh looking beautiful... almost appetizing.

If you keep looking at his calf muscles, you'll never catch up, she told herself, snapping out of her stupor. Sometimes she felt like such a pervert.

Her chest was tightening, her body starting to feel exausted. No longer was she feeling fearless, she was struggling just to keep Christian in sight. She pushed harder and harder, but each foot she gained on Christian, he had three gained on her.

She could see the back of their house in the distance. In about two minutes they'd be home. She had to catch up or she'd lose. She'd look pathetic and once again like the annoying little sister who is nothing but a joke. She was sick of not being taken seriously by him - like looking like a child.

But she wasn't a child. She hadn't been one for a long time. In a way, she never thought she ever was. Everyone had always seen Ana as a mature individual - someone wise beyond their years... except for one person. She wanted to stand out. She wanted to seem different, she wanted to be respected... She wanted to look beautiful.

With that being said, there was no way in hell she was going to let him defeat her. He could ignore her, shut her out, treat her like she was a child - but this, this she would win. She had to.

She sped forward, her legs so weak it felt like she would fall. She breathed harshly, every breath out of her lungs feeling like bits of sandpaper... but she didn't stop. She pushed past the pain, the weakness, the exhaustion. Soon, she felt Christian getting closer. Up ahead their house was only a few feet away - and so was Christian. She propelled forward, using every bit of strength inside her body to not collapse at that moment. Her legs carried her forward, the trees zooming past her vision, the sun peeking through the leaves of the trees.

She smelled citrus - and in that moment she knew she was close. She was right on his heels, so close that she could almost touch him. She pushed harder, putting everything into this moment... And soon, she was in front of him, right as they reached their backyard.

She slowed up, panting hard, trying to suck as much air into her lungs as possible. Christian was right behind her, his own footsteps slowing down until they stopped altogether. She turned around to face him. His jaw was tight, his eyes tinted with a hint of amusement.

He threw his hands up. "Fine," he spat out. "You won."

At first Ana did nothing, but then she laughed. A loud, belly-clenching, milk-snorting laugh. She feel to the ground, clutching at her stomach, the grass tickling the sides of her ears. Tears were streaming down her face, her cheeks sore from laughing so hard. She didn't know what was funny - or why she was hit with a sudden wave of hysteria, but she knew that she felt proud. She had never felt more important in that moment, or like someone who was worthy of respect.

She sat up, her hair falling into her face. She brushed the strands out of her face, looking at Christian expectedly.

"And my reward?" She questioned, prompting him to unload a secret.

He sighed, running his fingers through his hair. He put his hands on his hip. "About what?" He asked.

"Where do you really go? When you're working? I know it doesn't take six hours to mow someone's lawn, or repair their shed," she spat out, her tone turning bitter.

He pursed his lips, looking uncomfortable. "I'm actually working. Believe it or not, I stay at that house until I'm off duty," he mumbled.

"That's a lie and you know it. You can't lie, that's not fair-"

"Life isn't fair," he interrupted. He racked his fingers through his hair again, pulling at the strands this time. "I'm being honest, Ana. I really am there," he said.

She huffed. "Fine, then tell me something else. That was a shitty secret," she murmured.

"I was waiting to show you this, but you decide to have things your way."

He moved forward, picking Ana up from the ground. He held her hand, leading them back into the house.

Ana tried to contain the butterflies flapping around in her stomach. She could understand why he still regarded her as a child - every time she was around him that's how she acted.

"Where are we going?" She asked, speaking softly so as to not wake up her parents. It was the first morning they had off in a while. Between her mother's intense shifts at the hospital and her father being bombarded with cases, it was hard for the eldest Grey's to ever have any time to relax.

"Do you ever stop asking questions?" He remarked, evading her question.

They turned to the left, their hands still entwined. He opened the basement door, walking down the steps. There stood his most prized possession - the only thing he had felt he had accomplished to make his family proud.

The piano.

"Oh wow, your secret is that you can play the piano? I'm so shocked," Ana said sarcastically, not impressed with his reveal.

He ignored her, dropping her hand to move closer to the piano. He moved back the bench, kneeling on the ground to reach underneath the piano. Ana furrowed her eyebrows. What could he possibly be doing? He fumbled blindly, clearly reaching for something Ana couldn't see. She watched with curiosity.

It wasn't long before Christian resurfaced. He stood, pushing the bench back and walking back over to Ana. He handed her something.

Sheet music. She studied the notes, trying to make sense of them. She was never very musical, but she knew the standard terms in order to make sense of what she saw in front of her.

"What does this sound like?" She asked, knowing the tempo of the piece, but not quite the melody.

"Nice.. I hope."

She frowned. "What do you mean?"

Christian twitched, his cheeks reddening. "I, uh.. wrote it," he muttered.

"Christian, that's great," she whispered, amazed. "I didn't know you composed."

He scoffed. "I would barely call myself a composer. I just... wrote this for.. something."

"Can I hear it?" She asked.

He was reluctant. What if she hated it? He would look like a fool, especially since he was thinking of her when he wrote it - not that he would ever admit to that.

"It will probably suck."

"I don't care," she argued. "I want to hear."

He sighed, then pulled her along to the piano. He sat down, placing his hands on the keys. "If it's bad, just remember I warned you," he mumbled.

She rolled her eyes at his theatrics.

When Christian got going, she could see how engrossed he was in the music. It was like he completely lost himself, his worries and fears being washed away with each press of the keys. She stared at him, her heart expanding. She loved to see him like this - like the boy she used to know so well. They had grown apart over the years. She used to know everything he was thinking, everything he was feeling just from a look - or maybe a movement, or from the tone of his voice. Now, it was like he was just this impassive creature that wanted nothing to do with anyone.. Not even her. He was good at hiding his emotions now. When she looked at him, she just saw a face... And that's the thing that hurt her the most.

The song was beautiful, like nothing she had ever heard. It was so passionate, yet so soft and light at the same time. When she listened, she felt every emotion she ever felt in her life. Sadness, joy, adoration, happiness, pain. She was stunned... And soon she felt herself lost in the music.

She didn't notice when he stopped, or the fact that his hand was wiping her tears away. She opened her eyes and smiled. Christian's own face didn't mirror Ana's happiness. He frowned.

"You're crying," he whispered, puzzled.

"It was beautiful," she said simply, offering no other explanation.

He closed the lid on the piano, turning to face her.

"I want you to have it," he admitted.

"Why?"

"Because... Because I, uh," he stuttered, confused on how to approach this. "Wrote it for you."

"Why?"

He shrugged. "It explains to you what I can't say myself."

She looked down, biting her lip. He placed the sheet of notes into her hand. She looked up, her expression pained.

"So this is what we are now? You just give me things when you don't feel like talking?" She asked, her voice breaking. "Why can't we just go back to how we were? I used to know everything about you.. You know everything about me."

He didn't answer - he couldn't answer. What could he say to justify what he had become? What he always had been, but was too blind to see?

"I know you want me to unload my whole problems to you.. To explain everything I do, everything I feel, but I can't do that. I'm not like you, Ana, or anyone else in our family. I just.." He trailed off, wracking his hands through his hair, trying to control his breathing. "I just.. If you.. If you care then please just understand that," he finished, finally satisfied with he had said.

She peered at him, wanting to argue.. But then realizing that sometimes you have to put someone else's emotions before your own. She swallowed.

"Did you name it? Your piece?" she clarified.

He shook his head. "I couldn't find the words."

"Then I'll just wait until you can."

September 1, 1997

7:45 A.M.

Ana wanted to kill her mother. Usually Ana was an understanding person, but this.. This was crossing the line. Ana pulled down her skirt, feeling uncomfortable as she walked the halls of Catholic High School. What the fuck was she doing at a Catholic high school, she asked herself. None of her family was even religious! Her blood raced through her veins as she walked to her first class of the day, feeling paranoid as she walked past boys who couldn't keep their eyes to themselves. She pulled down her skirt once again.

Her mother had dragged her from old school - the one where all her friends attended (even Kate!) to this stuffy dump. To be a Christian school, everything was surprinsgly dark. The lights were dim, the blinds remained closed. She felt like a vampire. A vampire dressed in a skirt that was not at all her size and at a school where you weren't allowed to wear pants.

She slid into the desk at the back of the class, not wanting to make friends or even to be noticed. She couldn't believe she had to spend two more years in this place. She put her head down, other students filing into the classroom.

The bell rang, which caused Ana's heart to sink. The day had just started and she already wanted it to end.

Christian was baited by his mother to pick Ana up from school. Grace knew that Ana was upset at her, but she had her reasons. Part of it was for Ana's academic success, the other part was her just being an overprotective mother. From Grace's point of view, she was doing the right thing.

Christian sat in the car, waiting for Ana to come outside. He looked at the clock and hoped she wouldn't be too long - he had to make it to class himself in a couple hours. He was taking classes at Washington University, which his father was not too proud of. If Christian had it his way, he wouldn't be in college at all - he never saw the point. However, Carrick just thought it was the most important thing in the world and of course his son shouldn't attend any school but the best, which in his mind was Harvard.

Christian laughed in his face when he suggested it. Christian didn't feel comfortable around his family, the ones he had lived around his whole life. How the hell did they expect him to fit in with some stuck-up, ivy league bastards?

He was taking business and economics, which appealed to him. He was fascinated with the idea of making something so small and insignificant turn into a booming corporation. It was a game to him - and he wanted to win.

As Christian was engrossed in his thoughts of corporations and economics, he barely noticed Ana talking to an older male across the street from where he had parked his car. He squinted, trying to get a closer look, a strange tingling feeling spread across his body.

Ana was smiling, her eyes bright and sparkling. She twirled a piece of her hair, her cheeks slightly flushed. She was looking at the man like how she looked at him sometimes.. With adoration. Maybe not to the extent that she gave to Christian, but it was still there.

Christian's jaw tightened.

The man was tall and had brown hair. It was messy, like he had just rolled out of bed. His teeth were shiny and straight, he could tell from the shit-eating grin he was giving Ana - which she was just eating up by the way. It was hard for Christian to tell whether the male was a student or a teacher. He could be a well-developed senior, or a young teacher. Either way, both options make Christians stomach roil.

His blood was rushing, his head felt light, and the tingling sensation in his body was becoming more prominent. He didn't know what he was feeling... He had never felt it before in his life.

As he continued to watch their exchange, his hand gripping the steering wheel, he saw the man-boy put his hand on Ana's shoulder, looking indulgently at her.

Christian's stomach dropped, the strange feelings in his body reaching a whole new height. His knuckles were white from clutching the steering wheel so hard, his jaw so tight it felt as though his muscles would snap.

And then he knew what he was feeling.

Jealousy.

This was a long one, but I still feel dissatisfied - there's so much more I wanted to add. However, I have a lot to do today and I guess I'll just have to wait until the next chapter. *Tear*.

Thanks so much for the support, I appreciate you guys a lot.

Don't forget to review. Xx

P.S. A guest reviewer left the sweetest review yesterday and it literally made my day. I want to say thank you so much to whoever that was!