Chapter 10:

EZRA POV

I couldn't bring myself to tell Aria. The amount she had been through over the last few months was more than a normal teenage girl would go through in her lifetime, and I knew if I told her she would be crushed and petrified. Most importantly, Aria would shut me out of her life if she knew the truth. She needed me, and subsequently, I needed her.

Last night's dinner revealed acting skills I never knew lay within in me. Coincidentally, our dinner discussions consisted of everything that happened in Italy, how I saved her life, how she'd be lost without me. It wasn't until the guilt meter reached incriminated that I had to excuse myself and go to the bathroom. It was hard enough lying to Aria, but what was harder was that if I didn't do something about this, Aria would be in great danger.

I lay awake in bed last night until the birds sang their morning songs thinking of different ideas. My first and only realistic idea was that I could tell Jackie I knew everything, but once again, I knew exactly what she was capable of. Other ideas consisted of threats and hints but I knew they'd never work. As soon as Aria stepped foot on that bus next week, it could well possibly be the last time I saw her.

Then the idea then came to me that I too could propose to be chaperone on the trip. I didn't exactly have anything to do with history besides having bad history with school trips, but I was willing to do anything to keep Aria in safe hands.

I organised a meeting with Principal Mullholland to determine the odds of me going on this school trip. I knew the odds were most likely impossible, but like I said, I would do anything to protect Aria.

"And why do you have a sudden interest in going on this tour, Ezra?" Mr Mullholland asked. He generally was a nice man, and I have always been on his good side.

"I have never been to Washington DC" I lied. "I think it would be a great opportunity for me personally as I'd like to expand my teaching subjects."

"You don't exactly have a great record with school trips, Ezra!" Mr Mullholland raised one of his big, brown, bushy eyebrows. I knew that look, it meant no.

"That is true." I admitted regrettably. "But I don't want that lingering over me for the rest of my life. I can't stay locked up for every school tour for the remainder of my career, I can't be afraid of them."

"This isn't about you being afraid Ezra, its about your own safety. You never know who could be out there. You didn't in Italy!"

My greatest desire at that moment was to tell Mr. Mullholland everything I knew about that conniving little bitch Jackie, but I couldn't risk it.

"Please sir." I begged. "I am willing to go for free."

"Free you say?" Mr. Mullholland sounded pleased.

"Yes. Which means no costs for the school board. I will go for free. I will pay for my own accommodation, my own tickets into museums and my own transport costs." I was literally begging on my knees at this moment.

"Well." He pondered as I nervously awaited his answer. "I don't know why you are so eager on going Ezra, but if you are willing to go for free, then the answer is yes."

"Thank you so much!" I said and shook his hand. I was so relieved.

"I will email you the details of the trip." Mr. Mullholland told me as he typed.

"Thank you, once again!" I told him while walking out the door.

"Oh Ezra!" Mr. Mullholland shouted while indicating for me to come back. "Now that you're going free of charge, I can tell Ms. Kingsley that we won't be needing her assistance. It'll be just you and Ms. Anilom I believe."

I slowly nodded, turned around and rolled my eyes up to the heavens. I didn't know how I could even be in the same room as Jackie without punching a wall, never mind spending two full days with her.

As I walked into the teacher's lounge, I saw Jackie sitting there peacefully reading a newspaper. Although the silence in the lounge was blissful, it was too hard not to go up and annoy the hell out that woman.

"Hey Kiera!" I said almost too joyfully while punching her newspaper. It fell on the ground and she didn't look too impressed.

"Ezra, Hi!" she said, clearly not happy with what I had just done.

"How are you?" I annoyingly pestered her. I was having way too much fun.

"I'm fine. I was just reading my newspaper and now I'm talking to you."

"That's awesome!" I said while getting uncomfortably close to her. She let out a fake giggle, and the awkwardness was filling in the air.

"Is everything ok?" She asked, obviously wondering why I was being so weird.

"No, everything is not ok." I told her sarcastically. "You just remind me of my ex girlfriend and I really can't stand her. It's so hard to look into your eyes because when I do I just want to throw up."

"Excuse me?" She was in shock, but I was loving every second of this.

"Of course I don't mean any of this personally. My ex girlfriend did a really bad thing and she's probably in jail now. You just remind me of her a lot."

"You didn't have to that to me, Ezra!" she exclaimed, clearly offended, and rightly so.

"I'm sorry. Sometimes I don't think before I speak. But hey, at least you're not my ex. I hate her more than anyone. Aren't you glad that's not you?"

"I guess.." She was extremely confused.

"You guess? Of course you're glad because if I ever saw my ex again I would be tempted to feed her to the lions. And I would happily watch them as they tore her head open." I was probably getting a bit carried away now, but my god was she freaked out.

"Are you okay Ezra? I have never seen you act so, strange."

"Oh I'm fine!" I told her while getting up off my seat. "I guess I'm just excited to go on the school trip to DC next week."

"You're going?" She looked both shocked and worried.

"Duh! I wouldn't miss it for the world."

I walked out the door of the teacher's lounge leaving a extremely confused Jackie behind,. I was pleased with my actions. Jackie would never have been interested in me being there to block her from Aria, but now that I was, she most likely had to think of a new plan. She wouldn't be getting near Aria, not if I could prevent it.

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A/N…. I know I said I wouldn't have any updates until after my exams, but I was so tempted when I had some free time tonight. Hope you're all enjoying this story, a lot of drama on the way! I definitely won't have another update until after the 22nd of June, the day I officially finish school forever! Thanks for the support with this sequel. Becky x