Chapter 33! I love the number 33. I like the numbers 3,5,7,9,15,16,17,21,23,27,32,33,37,41,43, and a lot more. Sorry, that was random… but true. I'm kinda hyper… so don't judge. Anyway!

TheBritishWannabe- Thank you thank you!

AtlantaPeach- Thanks, I'm super-duper glad you do (and yes I just said duper!)

AllAmericanSlurp- We'll just have to wait and see if she does! Personally' I'm hoping she does, but you never know. I updated! And I'm SSOOOOOO glad you like it!

*Ally's POV*

"Me?" Chase asked, clearly dumbstruck. You couldn't really blame him though. I mean, here I am telling him that he's my best friend even though we've only been talking for a couple days. But, as sad as it may sound, it's completely true. Chase is actually the only person I would consider a friend at all right now.

"Yeah," I slowly nodded and let my words sink in for him. If he told me that I was his best friend I would be confused and maybe even a little freaked out too, but I think happiness would have beat all other emotions. But of course I'm not going to be his best friend. I only started being myself around him yesterday! And the day before that I slapped him! And insulted his sister! Man, what was wrong with me?

"Seriously?" Chas asked again. I nodded once more and took another deep breath, knowing that I would have to explain it to him.

"You're really my only friend at all, therefore you are my best friend," I told him. "Besides Rupert of course. But he's more of an uncle, if not dad."

"Wow," Chase mumbled, avoiding my gaze. Wow is right. This must be so awkward for him. It's even awkward for me and I'm the one who started all this.

"I mean, even though everyone at else at school is being super mean to me, you're not," I rushed to explain myself before he could even think of a thing to say. "Even though you have the most reason to hate me, you don't. At least you don't act like it. If you do, trust me, you can leave right now and never speak to me again and I would totally understand." My eyes started watering a bit and I tried to keep myself from full on crying. "I said really mean things to Bree, which I didn't even mean, and I slapped you without even having a real reason. I am a horrible person and here you are being so nice to me when no one else is." By now I was silently crying, you know, crying but not sniffling or anything like that. Give me a minute and I'll probably get there. "I just want to thank you for that."

"Thank me for what?" Chase asked, scooting closer to me on my bed and wrapping an arm around me to pull me closer to him. I rested my head on his shoulder and sighed. Could he get any more perfect?

"For not being a follower like everyone else."

**Time Skip**

I groaned and flopped down onto my bed. I had just gotten back from dropping Chase off at his house. I know he only lived a block away, as he told me multiple times, but I insisted. I just wanted to spend more time with him. I checked the time on my phone and groaned again. I kept thinking about what had happened with me and Chase just about ten minutes before. I pretty much thanked him for being himself, which there's nothing wrong with, but I took it pretty far. I mean, if he'd wanted to leave after I told him that he could, it would be a seem like a pretty jerk move on his part for leaving after I'd said all those things to him. Way to go Ally. Way. To. Go. Things got awkward after that and I was pretty mad at myself. But then Rupert saved us. He told us that dinner was going to be ready in about ten minutes through the intercom (I'd turned it back on a few minutes after the comment he made). Then Chase said that he was supposed to be home in time for dinner. I'm not sure if that was actually true or not, but under the circumstances I could see myself doing the same thing.

"Ally, dinner's ready," Rupert said through the intercom. I sighed and pressed the button.

"Okay, I'll be right down," I mumbled. I slipped on a light blue hoodie and left my room. I have a feeling Rupert's gonna want to talk about everything that happened with Chase, and normally I would love that, but I just wasn't feeling it tonight.

"Are you okay princess?" Rupert asked as soon as I stepped foot in the kitchen.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said, not trying very hard to lie. Even if I tried my hardest to lie, no matter how small of a little white lie it was, Rupert could always tell.

"No you're not," Rupert stated. See what I mean. The guys good. "Are you not feeling well? Did something happen with Chase?"

"No, not really," I mumbled. "I'm just not feeling very good I guess."

"Oh, well go upstairs to bed. I'll bring up a tray for you," Rupert offered with a smile. I gave him a small smile back and nodded.

"Thanks Rupert," I said tiredly, getting up from the stool I had seated myself on and left the kitchen. As I was walking back up the stairs I saw my dad leaving his office.

"Hi honey," he said distractedly. "How was school today?"

"Dad, it's Saturday," I quickly pointed out before he could leave again. Surprisingly, he did actually stop and look at me.

"Really? I could have sworn it was Thursday," he mumbled. "Well, what did you do all day?" I rolled my eyes at his failed attempt to act like he cared.

"I went for a jog this morning and ran into a friend. I invited him over and he was here for almost the entire day. He just left," I told him. I slightly stressed the words 'him' and 'he,' hoping to get some sort of reaction out of him.

"Oh, that's nice," my dad muttered, looking down at his phone. "Excuse me, I've got to take this. It's work." I rolled my eyes again. When is it not work? Never, that's when. I walked the rest of the way upstairs and left my door open a crack so Rupert could come right in. I walked into my closet and immediately undressed myself and put on a warm and fluffy robe. For some reason my clothes just seemed really uncomfortable all of a sudden. I grabbed a pair of fuzzy grey sweatpants, a loose white tank top, a light purple hoodie that was about three sizes too big, and of course, fuzzy socks. I needed some serious comfort right now. I changed as quickly as I could but for some reason I was sluggish. I slowly walked to my bed and climbed in under the covers. Just when I let out a content sigh, my door opened a little more.

"Are you decent?" Rupert asked. I lightly chuckled before telling him he could come in. "How are you feeling princess?"

"I guess a little bit better now that I've changed," I answered, leaning on my pillows.

"Well, I have some tomato soup and a grilled cheese here. Are you feeling up for it?" Rupert asked in concern.

"I'll have the soup, but I'm not really in the mood for cheese," I said, feeling nauseous at the thought of melted cheese.

"Okay, here you go," Rupert said, handing me the tray he'd been carrying after taking the plate with the sandwich off if it and putting it on my desk. I glanced down at the food and I couldn't help but not want to eat it. I didn't really have much of an appetite right now. "So, what happened?"

"What?" I asked, crumbling a few crackers into my soup.

"With Chase," Rupert said impatiently. "And why didn't you tell me you were feeling ill? Did you think I would have sent Chase home?" I opened my mouth to answer, but Rupert just plowed on. "Well you would have guessed right. I know you like the boy, which is all the more reason to not get him sick. It's not exactly a turn on for boys when a girl gets them sick and-"

"Rupert," I interrupted him, completely mortified. "I honestly didn't feel sick until after I got home from dropping him off. It kind of just hit me."

"Do you think it's your time of the month?" Rupert asked.

"Oh my gosh!" I exclaimed, flinging my arm over my burning face. Rupert and I are close, but not that close. "You did not just ask me that."

"What?" Rupert said. "It's a perfectly reasonable question."

"No, no it is not," I said seriously. There are just some things a girl can't talk with her chef about, and Mother Nature's call is definitely one of them.

"Okay, forget I said anything," Rupert said, raising his hands up in defense. "Just finish your soup and get some rest. You'll probably feel better in the morning."

"Kay," I mumbled, sipping a spoonful of soup after blowing on it. My phone beeped and I over for it. "Hey, do you see my phone?" I asked Rupert.

"It's right here," he said, picking it up off my desk and glancing at it. A smirk came to his face. "It's Chase."

"Give it to me," I demanded, sitting up all the way and holding out my hand for it. The last thing I need right now is Rupert sending Chase a text pretending to be me.

"I don't know," Rupert said mischievously. "I think I should probably read it first. You know, make sure it's appropriate."

"Oh god," I groaned, falling back into my pillows. "Rupert, may you please just give me my phone." It's times like these when I seriously regret taking the passcode lock off. I just took it off on Thursday because there wasn't anybody who would want to look at my phone anyway, so why bother typing in a code every time I wanted to use it.

"Fine," Rupert sighed, placing the phone on my outstretched hand. "No need to get your underpants in a twist." I rolled my eyes and quickly opened the text from Chase.

Hey, are you okay? You looked a little pale in the car ~ Chase

I mentally awed at the text. He cared. It dawned on me that that's all I really care about. Not just Chase caring about me, but anyone. If someone didn't care about me, why should I waste my time caring about them? Like the populars for example. Why should I, or anyone really, care about them and what they think when it's obvious they only care about themselves and their image. I can't believe it took so long, and them publicly dissing me, for me to realise it. I am not very smart.

I'm suddenly feeling a lot better ~ Ally