Do you guys know how much I miss writing? You probably don't 'cause you don't even know me. Sad isn't it? But anyway, I'd rather write than rant so let's get back to the story! And I forgot the disclaimer for the last chapter so this is for both this and the last chapter: I DO NOT OWN HOUSE OF ANUBIS OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS.

Nina's POV

"Poor Patricia, I can't imagine what she must feel!" Mara said as we sat down at the table for supper.

Patricia hadn't come down yet and Trudy had just gone up to call her."Duh, she feels bad." Amber said and Jerome rolled his eyes.

"If she hadn't fainted then I wouldn't be here right now." Jerome said with a scowl.

"Awww," Fabian said beside me as we held hands under the table. "Is Jerome actually feeling something for someone?"

Jerome scoffed. "As if. The crazy bitch would kill me in an instant."

Trudy appeared in the doorway and shushed Jerome quickly. "No cursing at the table."

"Who's cursing at the table?" Patricia asked as she sat down.

Jerome narrowed his eyes at her. "No one." He said icily.

"So that's how deep your hatred history is." I said as Trudy went back inside the kitchen.

"It's deeper than the Marianas Trench." Patricia said glaring at Jerome.

"Ooookay, awkward." Amber said before putting a spoon of vegetables in her mouth.

"Don't worry, it's just old feelings of hatred resurfacing." Jerome said and practically stabbed a falafel with his fork.

Patricia smirked which seemed to be something that she usually did. "Be careful there Jerome, you could hurt yourself." She teased.

Jerome merely rolled his eyes and I became desperate to change the subject before Patricia could throw her fork across the room. "We hope you know that we're really happy to have you here Patricia. I'm Fabian by the way." Fabian said, just as desperate.

"Well, not all of you." She snuck a glance at Jerome. "But thanks."

"And I haven't met you yet." She said to Mick who was very focused on his food.

"Mick." He said through a mouth full of food. He swallowed quickly. "Mick Campbell."

"Have I met you all now or is there someone hiding behind the couch?" She asked us.

I laughed. "Nope, just us. Well, at least if you're not counting Victor." I said.

"I heard my name." His ominous voice drifted from the hall and he came in. His ominous presence was enough to convince someone that he was Mr. Sweet's killer.

"It was nothing Victor." Fabian said quickly before I could get reprimanded once again by Victor.

"And you must be Ms. Willamson." Victor said looking straight at Patricia with his eyes that pierced you like a stake.

"Yeah, that's me." Patricia said, her head tilted to the side, not seeming to be affected by his creepiness as much as the rest of us. That I respected and admired.

"And where is your friend, Ms. Mercer?" He asked, expecting to see another new girl at the table.

Patricia pursed her lips and looked down at her plate. Trudy came out of the kitchen. "May I have a word with you please Victor?" Trudy said.

Victor followed her into the kitchen and Patricia got up when the two of them were gone. "I'm full." She said and left, her face one that no one was able to read.

Even if the two seemed to shudder at the mention of the other's name, Jerome ran after her.

"What was that about?" I turned to Alfie. He merely shrugged and stuffed his food in his mouth.

Jerome's POV

Patricia's signals were very… complicated. She was so open to me when we were alone but in front of people, she treated me like crap.

When I got to her door, I found out it was locked. I knocked on it.

"Is it you Jerome?" She asked. I wondered how she knew it was me that had come up to check on her.

"Yeah." I replied and in a few seconds the door swung open. Patricia stood there and I looked down at her.

No matter how stubborn, hot and hard headed and annoying she can be sometimes, there was a layer of her that was so innocent. One that she deemed as vulnerable. That was what I saw when I looked down at her. A beautiful face with nothing left to hide.

"How'd you guess?" I asked her. She smiled at me, a genuine smile. No traces of her smirk, nothing.

"You're the only person who'd come up here and check on me." She shrugged and seemed a bit reluctant to say what she had to say. "You're the only one who cares."

I felt the blood rise up to my cheeks so I stepped into her room. "How're you holding up after Victor's little comment?" I said and sat on what was supposed to be Joy's bed.

She shrugged. "I don't know. I feel… conflicted I guess." She answered me and sat on her bed which was opposite Joy's.

"It's strange you know." I said and explained when I saw the puzzled look on her face. "You hating me in front of everyone else but when we're alone you act like my best friend."

"I don't know why. It's like nature to me." She said while she absent-mindedly played with a black ring with a jade in it.

"Is that…?" I said, at a loss for words. She smiled at me and a crimson blush crept onto her cheeks.

"Yeah, it's the ring you gave me." She said a sheepish smile on her face.

I wanted to add, "The ring I gave you when I actually thought I was in love with you then started going out with some dumb blonde instead."

"I'm surprised you still wear it. You know, after what I did." My voice trailed off at the end of my sentence.

"I know I should be really pissed off by that," She said. "But I'm not. I can't bring myself to be really truly mad at you."

"Coming from you, it means a whole lot." I said.

"I was never able to tell you." She said and continued to fiddle with the ring on her finger.

"Tell me what?" I said, leaning forward, waiting to find out what she wanted to say.

"That I thought I really as in really loved you. Well, you know, until you broke my heart." She said, a bit reluctantly.

I was shocked. What did I do? I realized for the 2nd time in my whole life that I did love her and I ruined my chance to make her mine. Everything was shattered, broken. Nothing mattered to me now.

"Um," I looked down at my shoes and stood up, preparing to leave. "I should go back downstairs."

And before I was able to leave, she said something that I thought she'd never say.

"I still do."

UT OH, WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT? If you think that Patricia and Jerome can simply get together just like that, please remember that he is a suspect in a murder. And true love sometimes clouds your judgement. But for now, please cheer for the fact that Patricia does indeed still love Jerome and review this story.

P-utting my feelings for you
A-side is the hardest thing to do
T-elling everyone I love you isn't hard
R-eal, that's what my love is for you
O-pposites attract
M-ust be why I'm attracted to you
E-very second of every day, I think of you

PATROME!