Don't own Ashley/Spencer. I have joint custody on the Wynters family and Lucas/Dylan/Matthew are mine.

Catching up with Jaiden and Lucas.

Enjoy!

83.2 – First Heartbreak

Jaiden's PoV

I glanced at her slightly from across the room. Seemed Eliza had been trying to avoid me and I couldn't understand why. I had to admit things were rough, especially after she came out to her parents without letting me know. I got a phone call telling me she needed a place to crash and luckily my parents were understanding enough to lend her the couch. That had been well over a week ago.

However, since that night she'd been distant, more so than usual. Her clothes were at my house, her belongings were at my house, she was living with me but I rarely saw her. She'd make plans with her other friends before it was time to go home from school and when she would be in for the night, she claimed she had homework to do and was tired.

It was more than frustrating and my parents picked up on it. Their efforts to talk to Eliza were rebuffed and everyone seemed on edge under the roof.

Tapping my pencil against my music stand, I sighed heavily and threw my head back. I was exhausted. It wasn't easy having your girlfriend ignore you. It left me wondering briefly if that's what we even were anymore.

"Wynters." Ashley tapped my stand, snapping me out of my thoughts. "Did you hear a word I said?"

"No." I sat up straight and looked at her apologetically. "I'm sorry Miss Davies."

Her gaze softened and I could only assume my parents talked to her and Spencer about everything that had been happening. "Please try and focus." She said in a softer tone and pointed towards the scale in my music book. "We're going to be working on some new stuff but what I want from you guys is a small self-written piece of music to be presented to me by next Friday."

The class groaned and Ashley just gave them her charming smile and made her way up to the front of the class. "I won't be mean and make you perform it in front of the class. We'll set up private sessions that'll probably carry out until next Tuesday. Don't let that be a reason to procrastinate. I'll be choosing students randomly so be prepared."

The bell rang and most of the class moved quickly to put their instruments away while others took their time, in no hurry to rush for lunch.

I was one of the ones trying to pack my things up in hurry so I could catch my girlfriend before she randomly disappeared again.

"Jaiden, a word?" Ashley approached me in the middle of my fast attempt to get my guitar put in its case.

I shook my head when I caught Eliza leaving quickly. "Not now." I muttered, dropping everything in my hands to chase after the girl who had stolen my heart. "Lize!" I caught up to her and gently turned her around, trying not to look hurt when she flinched at my touch. "What's the hurry?" I asked surprisingly calm.

"Plans Jaiden." Her voice held some coldness to it and I stepped back.

The confusion I had was turning into anger because as much as I tried to understand, I couldn't. Not at that moment. "If I did anything to piss you off, just let me know." I crossed my arms around my chest.

"Do we have to do this here?" She asked and swallowed, glancing around the hallway.

"If not here then where, Eliza? You won't talk to me at home." I couldn't help but raise my voice a little.

"Jaiden, just drop it."

"Drop what?" I asked and threw my hands up in the air. "You haven't given me anything to drop. I'm empty handed. I don't know what's going on with you or why you're ignoring me all the fucking time." My body reached its breaking point and a flash of concern washed across her face. "I care about you, why can't you see that it hurts me, that you're hurting me."

The soft and shy look she used to get was back and she swallowed heavily. Grabbing my hand, she led me towards the girls restroom and locked it behind her before pressing me against the door, her lips hard on mine.

The kiss wasn't affectionate. It was needy and rough, almost like she was trying to prove something. Prove what though, I had no idea.

Her hands bunched my shirt up in fists at my sides before she moved her face to my neck and let out a sob so heartbreaking I couldn't help but wrap my arms around her. "Hey," I kissed her head and brought her face up to meet mine. Tears wouldn't stop streaming from her eyes and it broke my heart. "What's wrong?"

"I-" Liza scurried out of my embrace and wiped her face almost violently. "I'm sorry, I can't do this." She unlocked the door but before she opened it, I shoved it shut again, blocking her way. "Jai, please?" The plea was desperate enough that it made me almost move. Almost.

"What's wrong?" I asked again, my voice a little softer that time. "Eliza, please?"

Her curly hair fell in front of her face as she bent her head. "I can't do this." She whispered and shook her head. "I just can't."

"Do what?" Panic rose inside of me and I couldn't even begin to understand what she meant by that. "Lize..."

"Just stop!" She yelled and glared at me, eyes puffy red. "Stop being so damn nice to me when I've been nothing but a jerk to you."

I frowned and ran a hand through my hair. "If you'd just tell me what's going on inside of that beautiful head of yours."

"Jaiden." Eliza warned dangerously.

"What?" I barked back. "You expect me to just sit back and let you ignore me? You live with me! I've been trying for over a week to get you to talk to me. My girlfriend. I miss you." I was nearly shaking at that point and willed myself not to break down. The look on her face scared me, it was a look of pain, regret, sympathy.

"I've missed you too." Her confession was sincere enough but her body language was anything but comfortable.

I stepped closer to her and she didn't move away. She allowed my arms to slip around her waist, pulling her closer to me. She allowed my lips to linger on her teary cheek before turning her head to capture them in a gentle kiss. "Eliza, I love you." I breathed and felt the blood rushing to my ears when she broke down once again only instead of pushing me away, she held me close.

"You shouldn't." She whispered and held me tighter. "I'm so sorry Jaiden." Pulling back slowly, Liza placed a soft kiss on my forehead. "I- you know I love you but I can't. I can't."

"Yes, you can." I frowned.

"No, I can't. I miss them, I miss my parents." She shook her head and moved towards the sink, her head bent over it.

My heart was beating hard. Too hard. I didn't like feeling this way. I knew, I felt it, I knew what she was going to do. "You're going back, aren't you?" I stayed put, suddenly feeling too exhausted to move.

Eliza just nodded and turned to face me again. "I'm sorry." Was all she said before brushing passed me to leave the restroom.

"Liza?" I called out and she stopped but never turned around. "When you say 'you can't', does that mean you can't be with me anymore?"

Silence filled the room before I witnessed her shoulders slump and she left without so much as an answer.

Shattered and on the dirty floor – that was where my heart landed for the first time.

--

Lucas' PoV

School would be over soon and we'd be able to look forward to our trip to Midtown for my parents' wedding. I couldn't wait but Momma wouldn't let me in on anymore wedding secrets.

"Why does it have to be raining?" Dylan grumbled beside me as we waited for Mom to pick us up after school. "I wanted to play outside."

"We can still play outside." I laughed. She was such a girl sometimes. Actually she loved to be rough out on the ice but as of lately, Dylan hated to get dirty.

"Really?" She raised a dark eyebrow and squinted at me. "Oh there she is!" She pointed to the black Blazer that pulled up to the side of the road.

Taking her hand in mine, we ran across the street after looking both ways and scooted into the vehicle, dripping from the April showers. "Hey little man." I greeted Matthew as he grinned and gave me a fist pump.

"Hi Matthew." Dylan got into the seat beside him and buckled up. "Hi Mom." She grinned at the older blonde in the driver's seat.

"Ladies." Mom smiled and pulled back out onto the road once we were settled in. "How was school?"

"Good." I smiled and patted my backpack. "No homework for me!"

"I have math homework." Dylan sighed in the seat behind me. "How was your day, Mom?"

"Good." She smiled warmly and headed for home. "I was thinking we could have a pizza night, what do you think?"

"Pizza!" Matthew screamed and I laughed as he pumped his fists into the air excitedly.

Mom chuckled. "I'm guessing he's all for the pizza."

"Can I go to Jason's this weekend?" Dylan asked and I looked back at her. She shot me a look that said 'keep your mouth shut' so I did. I'd bug her about how she was holding his hand by the slide at recess but I didn't feel like playing that bratty sister role.

"I don't know Dyl," Mom shrugged and continued to watch the road, "you've been spending a lot of your weekends together. I'm starting to think you two are serious."

I giggled and Dylan kicked the back of my seat. "Mom said it, not me!"

"We're not serious!" She pouted. "I just like hanging out with him."

The worried look on my mom's face was priceless but I decided to calm her nerves a bit. "No worries Ma, I promise I never let me eyes off them during recess. They're best friends."

"Yes, just like Hadley and Luc." Dylan smirked.

"Yeah see? That's what scares me." Mom shot me a look briefly.

I just shrugged and watched the trees go by as we turned down the road towards our house.

Momma's Mustang was already parked in the driveway and that made me giddy. I loved it when she was home before us because she'd always have snacks ready or greet us at the door with hugs.

Stepping into the house, I was greeted with a hug and I knew I'd never grow to be too old for one of those. She had one of the best hugs in the world. "Hey munchkins." She grinned when I rolled my eyes.

"Momma!" Matthew hurried into the house with his boot clunking against the hardwood floor to get his afternoon hug.

Momma scooped him up and twirled around once before kissing him on the cheek and setting him down. He happily ran away towards his toys after stripping his coat and boots off.

Mom sighed when she wrapped her arms around Momma's waist, kissing her. Dylan and I rolled our eyes.

"Well I'm going to go outside for a bit since I have no homework." I beamed proudly but when I went to throw my backpack by the staircase like I normally would, Momma shook her head.

"Why don't you go and put your stuff in your room." She gave me a soft smile and it looked a little sad but I couldn't figure out why she'd smile sadly at me. I didn't question her though and after sharing a confused look with my mom, I grabbed my bag and ran up the stairs.

Pushing my door open, I stopped dead in my tracks to find a surprise on my bed. "Jaid?" I whispered at the curled up body. When she sat up to look at me I noticed her eyes were puffy and red.

It was the first time I felt a pain go straight through my heart and I rushed to her side. She enveloped me in a hug while she cried harder than before. I just held her tight.

Jaiden was, above everything else, my best friend and it killed me to see her so upset.

"I'm sorry." She finally sniffled and pulled back, tears still falling and splashing onto her lap. "I just, I didn't know where else to go." Her blue eyes landed on me and I couldn't help but smile a little.

I shrugged a little bit and got more comfortable on my bed, sitting cross-legged across from her. "I'm always here for you." I said honestly and sighed. "Did you want to talk about it?"

Jaiden stared at me for a few seconds before nodding her head while wiping her eyes. Taking a deep breath she just said it all in one breath, "Liza broke up with me."

While I was pretty sure Jaiden was going through her first heartbreak, I knew for a fact that at age eleven, I was right there with her.

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