Hey! REVIEW!

"You look dead," came the loud voice. Mara struggled to open her eyes, blinking at the sudden brightness everywhere. She took a deep breath in and sat up, focusing on Jerome's clearing image.

"Jerome?" she asked, moving to clutch her head.

"The very same."

"What are you doing in here?" she asked, sweeping her hair out of her face, and looking along her bedside table to find a glass of water, she took a hesitant sip before placing it back down.

"Look at yourself," he answered simply. Mara looked down at herself curiously, only to find that she was still in her dress from last night. Her head throbbed, what had happened last night? She struggled to remember, but no memories came, it was a complete blank.

"What?" she managed, "What happened?" she stood up quickly, only to fall forward and be pushed back down by Jerome

"Not so fast," he warned her. "Take this," he put the tablet in the water and gave her back the glass. She watched, him, unsure for a moment. Before chugging the whole glass "Better?"

"Sure…" she rubbed her eyes, looking around the room "Where's Patricia and Joy?"

"Everyone's out, and Joy is sleeping over at a friend's house."

"And why are you here?"

"So you don't die." Mara groaned and Jerome laughed lightly at her "Would you like some breakfast?" he offered

"I think I need to clean up first," Mara gestured to herself and smiled, but Jerome simply shook his head

"I think you look beautiful," he said softly, honestly. Mara's eyes widened

"Thank you," she breathed "But I'm still gonna…" she gestured to the bathroom. Jerome nodded,

"Breakfast for two," he bowed, and walked out. Mara starred after him for a moment, she didn't know what had happened last night, but she knew that she had Jerome to thank that she was back at the house, and safe.

She hopped into the shower, relaxing at the heat, before brushing her hair and leaving it loose and straight. She wore a long sleeved purple top, with dark comfortable jeans and hopped down stairs.

Jerome was sat at the table, and there were two plates laid out. Toast, bacon, eggs, beans, sausage, tomatoes. The whole deal.

"Wow." Mara managed, sitting opposite him "This is…wow."

"I do have my talents," Jerome said slyly "Dig in."

It was a nice breakfast, and Mara kept glancing at Jerome. He was acting so kind. So normal. So non-confusing. And it was really nice.

The two of them had finished their breakfast, and now Mara was leaning forward, elbows on the table, head in her hands, absorbed in a hilarious story that Jerome was telling her.

"Then, this massive boulder comes hurtling towards us-"

"Hey." Came a voice. They both turned to see Mick standing in the door way, Joy was draped over him. He had his hand tight on her waste. Jerome cringed and turned to see Mara's reaction, she had frozen.

"Mick," Jerome nodded, kicking Mara under the table. She looked up and met his expectant eyes

"Hey Mick," she whispered, not looking away from Jerome

"Are you two on a date?" he asked curiously. Mara blushed and looked down, and Jerome just smirked

"Does it matter if they are?" asked Joy "It's not really any of your business,"

"Yeah but she was my-"

"Was your girlfriend." Jerome piped in "So what she does or not is not really any of your business,"

Line break

"Our house is a very very very fine house," she hummed over and over again, as she answered all the questions on the science sheet.

"Really?" Jerome whispered from his position next to her. Mara turned to him smiling

"Yes, what's wrong with it?"

"You're so bored, that you resort to singing?"

"Are you saying I can't sing?" she smiled at him teasingly. Jerome sighed and ran a hand through his hair

"With two cats and a yard, life use to be so hard."

Mara laughed loudly at this, hands over her mouth. The teacher didn't even look their way. Eventually her laughter died down and she became more serious.

"What happened last night?" she asked quietly, Jerome gazed into her eyes for a moment, before coughing and looking away.

"Mara-"

"Please," she pushed, mouth in a hard determined line.

"Later."

Line Break

It can be surprising, how later never comes and things you don't expect just happen. With a click of the fingers.

Joy had seen Mara sitting on the bench, nose stuck in a book as always. Then she had seen Jerome walk behind her, probably going to scare her or something. And Joy couldn't take it. It was like everyone was happy but her, everyone was in a couple but her.

Well of course, she had Mick. But Mick was still going after Mara, they weren't happy, she was just the rebound. She felt so used. And she wanted someone else to feel used. Second place, like she had all her life.

"Jerome!" she had called loudly, pretending not to notice that Mara had looked up as well. Jerome starred at Joy, but Joy ran towards him and kissed him full on the mouth. The few girls around them cooed, a few boys looked away in disgust, and Mara…

"What are you doing?" Jerome shrieked, throwing the small girl of off him, he wiped his mouth "That's disgusting Joy! Why would you even think…" he trailed off, following Joy's trail of sight. Mara had just turned the corner. "Oh." He said stumped, sitting on the bench Mara had just fled from "You are something, aren't you Joy?" he looked up at her, and Joy felt used once more.

"Go on," she mumbled "Give me the lecture,"

"Joy, I get it, kinda, okay, I don't get it, not really. But I think I know what you're saying, you're in love with someone, who's in love with someone else. Or, who's so clueless, or they're caught up somewhere else. But come on Joy, who are we kidding, don't you see them together? Fabian and Nina, they were a match made in heaven. Mara and Mick, not a match made in heaven, but they don't hate each other. I know it hurts Joy," he took a deep breath, looking her right in the eyes "But you don't have to keep trying to get other people's attention, everyone in Anubis House loves you Joy, no one would ever say 'she means nothing to me' because it's not true. Mick loves you, Mara loves you, Nina, loves you, Fabian really loves you, and even I, admittedly, and will kill anyone if you repeat this… I do love you."

Joy sniffed once, and leaned in to hug Jerome. "Sorry,"

Line Break

"Well, excuse me!" he cried in a girly voice, as she fell back onto her bed. "I didn't realise that because you're not with anyone, that I can't be with anyone!"

"It's not that Jerome-" Mara began angrily, sitting up for what must have been the fifth time

"No, it is that!" Jerome interrupted "I get it, I tell you I love you, tell you to dump Mick. So, you dump Mick and decided that we'll just be friends, but then I kiss another girl and you freak out-"

"It's not-"

"Well maybe it is okay, because I don't love you anymore! And according to you, the word 'love' doesn't exist."

There was silence for a moment, before Mara spoke up quietly

"That's not it," she started "I was going to say, it hurt me, because I didn't think you were the type of person to go around and kiss another person's girlfriend, especially a person that you hardly ever talk to."

Jerome just starred at her for a moment, in awe "Mara?" he almost whispered "Do you know something?" she shook her head at him. Jerome ran forward and lifted her off the bed, twirling her in the air, she shrieked "YOU ARE AMAZING!" he sang as she cried out in the air.

"Umm, should I come back later or?" Amber's voice cut in their fiasco. Jerome put her down sheepishly and they stood beside each other, "Mara," Amber said slowly, her eyes on Jerome, she looked angry "I think you should see this," she handed Mara the paper and headed for the door

"Where are you off to in such a hurry?" Jerome asked curiously, his eyes narrowing.

"I just don't want to be in here when she see's that," and with that, Amber was gone. Jerome turned to see Mara reading the words on the paper. She looked up at him in shock.

"I thought that you and Joy was just a mistake," she stated dully

"What are you talking about?" Jerome asked, snatching the paper "What?" he asked, outraged. There was a picture of him and Joy hugging, it had been posted on the website. "Mara," he cooed "This is just a picture of me comforting her,"

"Amber's put the hyper link to a video," Mara muttered, opening her laptop and typing it in quickly. Jerome furrowed his eye brows and sat beside her, Mara shifted away from him slightly, but he still had a good view of the screen.

It was Jerome and Joy sitting on a bench, It was good quality, but had obviously been filmed off of a phone.

"I get it Joy, I know what you're saying, you're in love with someone. But come on Joy, who are we kidding? Don't you see them together? Mara and Mick, a match made in heaven. Nina and Fabian, a match made in heaven." He took a deep breath "I know it hurts Joy, but you don't need to get other people's attention, because Mara, she means nothing to me. I do love you,"

Joy smiled, and leaned in to hug Jerome.

End of Video

"What?" Mara asked, sadness and shock in her voice, she looked up at Jerome who was starring at the video, it looked so real, he would have believed it himself had he not been there. The Video had been edited so well. "I mean nothing to you?" she asked quiet, mouse like.

"No, Mara-"

"You're just like Mick," she cried, tears flowing freely from her eyes "Just like him," she pointed to the door. But Jerome just starred at her in shock

"Mara, that's been edited! You don't believe that do you? Please, you're smarter than this,"

"Get out," Mara whispered "Just get out."

Pour myself a cup of ambition….

x