A/N. Hi, hi! I've brought you a gift today: Chapter 24! I see some of you are steamed up; 'WHAT? Mr. FIRAY SHOULD BE DATING DAPHNE, YOU OLIVE OF AN AUTHOR!'. :D Well, it's a pleasure to be an author!

Oh, and turns out, FF didn't 'censor' for the day like I thought it would...but Wiki did! YES! WIKI JOINED THE PROTEST! If you want to actually understand what I've been talking about these past few days, tomorrow when Wiki opens up, type in 'SOPA' or 'PIPA' and they'll talk all about it. Their reasons for passing that law seem reasonable...but it's NOT.

Anyways, guys! Guess what? I found out a way to fix my slip ups of 'Mr. Heywood' and 'Jeremy' and whatnot! ^^ There's this little button in the Doc.x x Manager and it's called the 'Find' button. I click on the 'Replace' Tab, and I write (ex.) 'Mr. Heywood' in the first box, then (ex.) 'Mr. Firay' in the second, and click 'Replace All' and my slip ups are gone! Yaya! :D But I still have to proof read it incase I see words that I didn't enter in the Replace box thing. :D So I don't have to worry about that anymore...

Anyways, (grr, I say that too much) here's the chapter which I hope you thoroughly enjoy!

Chapter 24: These Are Signs Of...

"Daphne. Daphne? Daphne!"

Something hit the top of my head and I jumped, coming out of my daze. I looked to my right to see Wendell frowning at me.

"I've been calling your name for the past minute!"

"Sorry," I responded, stretching.

"Can I have your extra pizza sticks?"

A grin made its way onto my face and I shook my head, sliding my lunch tray over to Wendell. "You wanted my attention just to ask me that? Usually you just take them."

"Can't I be a gentleman once in awhile?"

Wendell grinned at me, and I rolled my eyes back. The small scar on his head from when the bat hit him caught my attention. He caught me looking and frowned.

"It doesn't hurt," he informed me, running a finger over it. "It just is sort of ruining my good looks."

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, okay."

Silence fell between us again and I moodily picked through my trail mix. I had already picked out the M&Ms and the only things left were all the nuts and raisins. Both food items weren't as delicious as chocolate in my opinion.

I absently wondered if Mr. Firay liked peanuts. Or if he liked chocolate... I frowned slightly after a moment. I didn't actually know anything about him, besides his past as a gang member, and I didn't even know all that. He was keeping something from me. But he never shared what he liked, or disliked. He never told me what he likes to do, or where he came from...

He probably wouldn't tell me who he went on a date with.

I huffed, crushing a peanut between my fingers. Who did Mr. Firay know that was a girl besides the faculty and students here? And more importantly, what did he see in her? Mr. Firay had never mentioned a girl before! And Sage didn't even know who he was dating.

I wanted to know who she was, but at the same time I didn't. What if she was a beautiful woman who I couldn't compete against? It was possible. Mr. Firay was very handsome...

I heaved a heavy sigh, slumping onto the table. Love was a very unfair thing.

Suddenly I was forced into a sitting position and I looked around in shock and my eyes landed on Wendell's hard face. He looked at me accusingly and crossed his arms.

"Daphne Grimm. You tell me what's wrong with you this instant!"

"Huh?" I looked at him in surprise. "What are you talking about?"

"You've sighed at least fifty times since lunch started, amiga. These are signs of sad thoughts and misery," a new voice from my left pointed out.

I jumped again, turning to my left to see Ariana watching me with concerned eyes. "When did you get here?"

"I've been here the whole time, D," she told me, raising an eyebrow. "You didn't notice me?"

"Oh... no."

"Because she's too busy being in the dumps about something she won't share with us," Wendell interjected, frowning at me.

"Tell us what's wrong," Ariana prompted. "Obviously there's something going on."

I shook my head. "Nothing's going on."

Wendell and Ariana gave me skeptical looks.

"Really," I assured.

"Not even the slightest?"

"Fine. I didn't study for the math test," I lied. "All the formulas got to me and I said screw it, I can afford to fail. So it's not that big of a deal. And even if it was-"

"Daphne, no mendaciousness."

"No what?"

Wendell rolled his eyes. "And I thought you had your own language..."

"Listen, sometimes there are problems I have that you wouldn't want to hear about, Wendell. And it just so happens that this one happens to be about a man you don't really like."

Wendell's eyes widened in shock. "Oh, Mr. Fi-"

I shot him a warning glare.

"F-fe fi fo fum! I smell pizza sticks," he said, stuffing his face with the pizza.

I shook my head, and caught Ariana grinning widely at me. I watched her carefully.

"It's about Mr. Firay isn't it?" she said, looking smug.

"What? No!" I responded too quickly, glaring at Wendell, who was still eating.

Ariana grinned wider, if that was possible. "Oh, I think it is." She turned to Wendell. "Don't you think so too, Wendell?"

They stared at each other for a minute. Wendell held up his side for a minute, but I could see him start to falter under Ariana's intimidating gaze.

"Ah... I think so too."

"Wendell!"

"C'mon, just tell us," Ariana urged.

"Where's Josh?" I asked, trying to change the subject. "And Willow? And Colin?"

"Away," Ariana responded quickly, she put on a pouting face. "Daphne, just say it. We won't judge you. I'm your best friend, you can tell me. Besides I already know how you feel about him."

Wendell coughed quietly and I shot him another glare.

He looked back sheepishly. "It's Ariana... you know how she is. She just doesn't bugger off until you tell her. She just continues to harass you until you just can't take it anymore! She's so conniving."

"But it was a secret Wendell!" I snapped back, ignoring his excuses.

"So it is true!" Ariana gasped, staring at me with wide eyes. "I didn't believe it when Wendell told me! But I knew you'd fall for him! I felt the chemistry. I knew he'd like you too."

I let out an exasperated sigh. "Don't get ahead of yourself, Ariana..."

She stared at me curiously. "What do you mean?"

"Just because I like him-"

"Love him," Wendell interjected.

I sent him a harsh glare. "Doesn't mean anything will happen... besides, he's got a date."

Ariana's eyes widened more. Even Wendell looked surprise.

"So that's your problem," he commented, frowning slightly.

I glared at him, letting out a 'hmph'. He snickered at me.

"Aw, is Daphne jealous?"

"I'm not jealous," I snapped at him.

"You're in denial," Ariana interjected, patting my shoulder.

"I'm not!"

She raised her eyebrows. "Sounds like denial to me."

"But I'm not!" I argued, clenching my fist. "I'm not jealous. Why would I be jealous? He can date any woman he wants. I'm not stopping him. I can't stop him, it's not like we are a thing. He's probably dating a model."

Wendell watched me with an amused expression. Ariana started laughing.

"Oh, Daphne, have more confidence in yourself," Ariana said, patting my back. "You're not that ugly."

"I never said I thought I was ugly!"

Ariana laughed. "I'm kidding. But, it was a little surprising that you told Wendell and not me. I mean, we are best friends, and both girls right?"

I groaned inwardly. Ariana always played the guilt game with me when I hid something from her. She pouted at me slightly. I gave Wendell a hard look.

"Wendell wasn't supposed to know either," I told her, trying to make her feel better.

"Well how did he know then?"

"He... eh..." I trailed off, trying to think of an excuse. Saying, "Oh, hey basically blackmailed me," wouldn't work so well.

"I read her diary," Wendell said, sounding unsure.

Ariana snickered. "Should have guessed. I found Daphne's diary in sixth grade once. I thought I told her to hide it better..."

"Oops," I responded with a forced laugh.

I rolled my eyes at Wendell. He couldn't have thought of a better excuse, could he? I hadn't written in a diary since sixth grade!...

Okay, maybe 8th. My Grimm journal counts as a diary, doesn't it?

Ariana smirked smugly. "Well. I knew it. But you guys wouldn't be keeping any other secrets from me, would you?"

Wendell and my eyes met once more, looking wary. I turned back to Ariana, shaking my head.

"No..."

It was for her own good she didn't know about the whole gang thing. I didn't want to put her in danger, even if that meant I had to lie to her. But I still felt guilty.

"That reminds me! Daphne, are you going on the beach trip on Saturday?" Ariana asked suddenly, looking excited. "I am!"

I nodded. "Yeah, I got the papers signed last night. I'm going to give them to Mr. Firay next period."

"It's too bad he's not coming, huh," Ariana responded with a sigh. "You guys could have fun," she added with a wink.

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Now I would have to put up with Ariana's teasing. I shot Wendell another glare, and he sent me an apologetic look.

"Are you going, Wendell?" Ariana asked, oblivious to my glare to him.

Wendell turned to her and shook his head. "I have to work."

"You work?" I questioned, looking surprised.

Wendell smirked. "Now I do. I got a part time job at the super market downtown."

"Lucky," Ariana said, frowning. "I need a job."

"Me too," I agreed.

"I'd say I'd hook you up, but they aren't looking for any more help," Wendell explained with a shrug.

"Speaking of down town, did you hear they found three guys knocked out at the towing place?" Ariana started, lowering her voice. "It seems like there was a fight there."

I froze, locking gazes with Wendell once more.

"Um, no, where'd you hear that?" I asked, forcing myself to sound calm.

"It was on the news," Ariana responded. "But isn't it weird? There haven't been any fights in our town in so long... well ones bad enough to make the news."

"Maybe it wasn't a fight," Wendell suggested. "Maybe they were just passed out from drinking too much."

"But they were injured," Ariana said. "And one had a bat. Definitely a fight."

I forced out a laugh. "Well, it doesn't involve us."

"True," Ariana responded with a nod.

The bell rang, signaling lunch was over. I sighed in relief. I didn't want Ariana to get suspicious. However my sigh of relief turned into a groan. I still hadn't brought my tray up.

"Better hurry and bring your tray up so you aren't late for home ec," Wendell taunted before following Ariana out of the cafeteria.

"Shoot!" I muttered, grabbing my tray and heading towards the front of the cafeteria.

I carefully maneuvered myself through the crowds of people, making sure to not have my tray bump into anyone. I made it to the trash can safely, but when I was about to dump my food, someone knocked into my hand, making me drop the tray. I groaned, and turned to glare at the person.

Mr. Firay stared back, looking amused.

"Daphne... sorry about that," he apologized, trying to hide a grin.

My eyes opened wider and I immediately looked down at the ground, my face heating up slightly. He was the one person I did not want to see right now. Granted I was about to see him in class, but that wouldn't have been just the two of us.

He appeared in my vision again, grabbing my lunch tray. I watched as he brought it to the lunch lady. They chatted for a moment, and then Mr. Firay came back over to me.

"So did Sage try anything in the car last night?"

I looked up at Mr. Firay in surprise. "What? No."

Mr. Firay stared at me for a moment, then nodded. "Good."

I frowned back. "Why does it matter, even if he had? Maybe he did, I could be lying to you."

Mr. Firay looked at me in amusement. "Daphne, you wouldn't lie to me."

"I wouldn't be so sure."

He sighed, ruffling my hair. I pulled away with a frown.

"If you're jealous, just say it."

"What?" I responded, my face turning red. "I'm not-"

"I mean, any girl would be jealous if I went on a date that wasn't with them, right?" he continued, smirking.

I glowered at him, pushing his hand off my head. "You are so narcissistic."

Mr. Firay chuckled. "I was kidding, Daphne."

I gave him a blank look and he sighed.

"Anyway, you don't have to stay after today," he told me, rubbing his head.

"Eh? Why not?" I asked, feeling a little disappointed.

Mr. Firay smirked. "I've got to go out..."

"Another date?" I responded, my heart beating faster.

"If you mean like last night's date, then yes."

Mr. Firay watched me carefully. I struggled to keep my face straight. I wouldn't let him know I was jealous. Why was he even telling me that? He could have just said he was busy! I clenched my fist. Two could play at this game.

I smiled, making Mr. Firay raise an eyebrow.

"How perfect does that work? Sage asked if he could take me out after school today. I told him, "No." since I had to help you, but now I don't. I'll just give him a call."

Mr. Firay's eyes widened in surprise, but they quickly returned to their normal state. A frown slipped onto his face.

"How do you have Sage's number?"

"He gave it to me," I responded simply.

"Oh really?" Mr. Firay said, narrowing his eyes.

"Yeah, want me to prove it?"

Mr. Firay nodded. "Prove it."

I pulled out my cell phone and flipped through the contacts until I got to Sage's. I held it up to Mr. Firay. "See?"

He smirked, taking my cell phone out of my hand. "Confiscated. No cell phone use in school, Ms. Grimm."

I stared at him with my mouth open. Was he joking? He had to be joking.

The bell rang and I jumped. Mr. Firay shook his head at me.

"Now you're late."

"Give me my phone!" I demanded, reaching for his hand.

"Nope," he responded simply, putting my phone into his pocket. "You know the rules, Ms. Grimm. You can have it back when your mom comes and gets it from the school."

"You asked me to prove it!"

"I didn't ask you to take out your phone."

I shook my head angrily. "You're unbelievable, you know that?"

Mr. Firay simply shrugged. "Rules are rules. And you're also late... But since I have a date after school, I can't give you a detention."

"You can't give me one in the first place," I pointed out, putting my hands on my hips. "Remember what you told me?"

"Remember Wendell punching me in the face?"

I glared at him for a few moments. He simpered back, looking highly amused. I huffed angrily and turned around, stalking away from him.

"Where are you going?" he called.

I turned around, narrowing my eyes. "To class."

For once, I was glad there were empty seats in the black of the classroom. I went to the one near Wendell and sat down, scowling. Mr. Firay entered the room a few seconds later looking pleased with himself.

"Sorry I'm late," he apologized to the class.

He went straight into a lecture about parfaits. I glared moodily at him the entire time, and every time he looked at me, he'd smirk in amusement. I clenched my fist.

Why would he take my cell phone away? I knew he was a jerk, but that was a total donkey move. Did I do something to upset him? Or did he just like teasing me? I scowled when I realized it was probably the latter. Either that or he didn't want me to contact Sage...

My eyes widened in realization. That could be it! That was why he took my cell phone. He didn't want me to get in touch with Sage. But what did that mean? I let out a quick rush of air. Were these signs of what I thought? Was...

Was Mr. Firay jealous of Sage?

I smirked to myself, tapping my desk. Two really could play at the jealous game, couldn't they? I sent Mr. Firay a sweet smile when we caught eye contact again. He looked confused and stumbled on his words. I laughed.

This would be fun.

A/N. Mwahaha, mwahaha, MWAHAHA! I updated once again! ^^ But this is the last update of the week, unless you'd prefer this to be part of the five day update I promised (that means two more this week). You guys want that? I'll tally up the votes (just say what you want in the reviews) and if most of you want another update, I'll do so tomorrow.

Anyways, thanks again for all your reviews! ^^ Special dedication...(this is from when I updated Monday and got that gigantic load of reviews)

RockstarGurl4444 x2, cutie pie x2, warisha x3 (yes that def. boosted up my ego; this goes for all of you other reviewers too!), Cat, Crystal Salamander, Sabrina Grimm, Lara D (hi mee!), ZiaMikal x2, killerbunnies x2, twilightfunatic (oh, we got a SagexDaphne shipper here! Lol, jk), Epiphany on Toast x2, Curlscat (mwahahahaha) x2, yellow.r0se x2, and TheyCallMeRed x3. As of the moment, that is. ^^

And thanks again for all the votes in Elli's TBSGS2011! If you haven't, would you take a few minutes to vote? :3 I'd greatly appreciate it! XD

Until tomorrow? Next week? Again, vote in your review if you want the rest of this week to be part of the 5-day-update, or if you want that after Jan. 28.

PEACE!

~Lara