Disclaimer: I don't The Host. Even though I would love to, it belongs to Stephenie Meyer.

I'M SO BEYOND SORRY. These last few weeks have been really busy and stressful, and I found that I never had time to just sit and write because I was either at school or work. NO MORE EXCUSES. The next time I make a deadline I'll stick to it. I PROMISE.

Chapter 6: Completely Confidential

"Not a word", I said as we walked away from Ian and Doc. I just knew as soon as we got to the car the teasing, taunting and interrogating would begin. And I was right. I was barely able to shut the car door before Jared said "Well, well, well, Wanda! What exactly did we just witness back there?"

"Oh, God," I mumbled. This was not gonna be fun.

"Wanda, what the hell, man? I swear you hated this guy. You sure have an interesting way of showing it," Jared said.

"I'm not going over this with right now," I replied. That was the last thing I wanted to do, but I knew I would have to eventually.

"It's alright, Wanda, I think you guys are cute. That was pretty surprising, though," Melanie chimed in.

"Trust me, you weren't the only one that was surprised. It was completely unexpected on my part," I responded.

"We're definitely gonna need to talk about this later," Mel said.

"Oh, jeez, I know," I sighed. I still didn't fully know how I felt about all this. I mean Ian and I only just started talking again. Not that I didn't enjoy what just happened between us, but I feel as if this is all happening too fast. I guess I'm just gonna have to talk to him about it.

"So, you really did get your Jeep back by the end of the week," I said to Jared, desperately trying to change the subject.

"Yep, I'm just that good." Jared pulled into Melanie's driveway just then. We said our goodbyes and Jared walked her to her door.

"Do you wanna sit in the front?" Jared asked as he sat back in the driver's seat.

"You know my house isn't that far, I'm fine."

"Suit yourself, you weirdo."

Jared and I have known each other for about 12 years now. We knew each other before either of us even met Mel. He is without a doubt one of my best friends in the world, and probably knows me better than anyone, even Mel. Really, he's kind of like the brother I never had. When I first found out that Mel and Jared liked each other, I was nervous about how it would affect all of us and our relationships. As soon as I realized how good they were for each other I made them admit they're feelings, despite my fear of possibly losing one or both of them as a friend if anything went wrong. Luckily it's been smooth sailing.

"So about this Ian character of yours..." Jared began.

"Oh no. Jared, we really don't need to have the relationship talk right now," I interrupted.

"I was just gonna say that he seems like a pretty good guy. I mean I've only really spoken to him a few times since he first came to Detroit, but after today he turned out to be pretty cool."

"Oh. Well, I'm glad you think so."

"But...," he continued.

"I knew it."

"I don't think you two should rush into anything. Believe me, I know that I'm probably one of the last people that you wanna talk to about this. And I know how awkward this must be for you - I can practically feel your blush from here – but I really don't wanna have to kick his ass if he ever hurts you."

"Psh, like you could kick anybody's ass. But I know; trust me it's nothing serious right now, and it won't be for a while, if at all."

"I'm deeply offended. Have you seen the kind of muscle I'm packing here?"

"You really should start working out again; you look like you've been slacking lately."

"Well you just crossed the line. I dare you to take me on in an arm wrestle any day," he said.

"Bring it on," I challenged. "But you know you'll lose that battle 9 times out of 10."

"We'll just have to see about that, shall we?"

We continued our little banter until Jared pulled up to the side of my house.

"Okay, so am I picking you up tomorrow morning? Or would you rather take the bus with that little lover boy of yours?" Jared asked.

"As much as I love public transit, I think I'm gonna take the drive despite how much of a jackass you are."

"Rude. Hey, when's it your turn to drive us to school? Oh wait, you still don't have a car," Jared retorted.

"Ah, shut up. I'll get a car when I need to. Thanks for the drive by the way."

"Don't mention it. And trust me, I'll be the first one you'll be driving around in this future car of yours."

"I'm sure you will be. See you tomorrow," I said while climbing out of the backseat.

"See ya." Jared waited until I opened my front door to drive off. I spent the rest of the evening trying to finish my homework until Mel called.

"Hey," I answered.

"Hey, so it's later. Tell me everything," Mel demanded.

I recapped the entire day telling Melanie about the conversation Ian and I had before Doc come by, and everything leading up to the kiss.

"Wow. So how are you gonna go about this? I mean Ian seems great but I really don't think you should get into anything serious with him yet," Mel warned.

"I know, I know. I already had this lecture from Jared, I don't need another one," I laughed.

"Alright, alright. I'm just looking out for you, ya know."

"I know, I'd do the exact same for you. So you really do like Ian, though?" I asked. Mel and Jared were both very guarded, so it was hard to believe that they were so accepting of Ian.

"Yeah, he seems like a wonderful addition to that little group of ours," she laughed. "I've gotta go, but do you know if Jared is picking you up tomorrow morning?"

"He is. I'll see you then?"

"Yep, bye," she replied, hanging up the phone. I laid back on my bed just thinking about the whole Ian situation. I wasn't lying when I said I wouldn't get into anything serious with him for a while. I know that it's only been literally about two days since we started talking again, but I think I really am starting to like him. I just hope he feels the same.

I woke up this morning to my cell phone buzzing beside me. I turned over to check it and saw that it was a text from Ian:

Good morning :)

I texted back:

Morning :)

I've never gotten a morning text before, and I was starting to feel those butterflies in my stomach that everyone talks about. I was starting to feel that way a lot when I was around Ian lately. My phone buzzed again showing another text from Ian:

Are you coming on the bus today?

Jared's driving me and Mel, but I'm sure he won't mind picking you up too if you want.

Nah, don't worry about it. I'll see you at school (:

See ya !

My alarm clock rang just then; perfect timing. I turned it off and got out of bed. I spent the next 40 minutes getting ready for school. I was just about to open the front door when I heard a horn honk. It had to be Jared. I opened the door and sure enough Jared's Jeep was parked in my driveway. I walked onto the porch and locked the door behind me. I climbed into the backseat and Jared pulled out of the driveway.

"Sorry! How long were you guys out here for?" I asked.

"Literally about 20 seconds," Mel answered.

"Then what'd you honk your horn for? God, you are so impatient," I said to Jared.

"Next time you should be out on time," he chastised me.

"I hate you sometimes. Pure hatred."

"You love me and you know it."

"Mel, you really gotta teach this guy how to properly interact with people before you let him out again," I said.

"Trust me, I've been trying," she replied, shaking her head.

"Hey, since when was it Gang-Up-On-Jared day? I believe I deserve some respect; need I remind you two that the car you both are sitting in right now belongs to me."

"Yes, but I'm the girlfriend and Wanda's the best friend. This 'respect' you think you deserve doesn't apply to us," Mel joked.

"Alright, I see how it is. I'll remember this next time either of you claim I'm being rude or mean," Jared vowed.

"We'll see Mr. I Can't Even Remember My Father's Birthday," I reminded him.

"That was one time! Always gotta bring up the bad times, don't you?"

"It's just what I do." Jared pulled into the school parking lot about 10 minutes later. Mel and Jared went in through the back since it was closer to their lockers. I made my way to the front of the building and went through the front doors. As soon as I walked in the first person I saw was Ian. Of course the butterflies started back up again. He looked away from the people he was talking to when he heard the sound of the doors opening. When he saw me he smiled and started walking toward me after saying something to his friends.

"Hey, Wanda. What's up?" he asked, as we walked down the hallway to my locker.

"Nothing really. How was the bus ride?"

"Nothing special; I had no one to talk to since you ditched me," he said, smiling.

"I asked you if you wanted a ride! You should have come along," I replied.

"I know, I'm only kidding. Seriously though, the bus was pretty boring without you," he said as he leaned against the locker beside mine.

I blushed and then laughed, "I'm sorry I ruined your bus ride, Ian."

"I forgive you, as long as you don't do it again," he said as we arrived at my locker. "I can't wait to get my own car. Only 6 more months," he continued.

"Really? Why 6 months from now?" I asked.

"I'm estimating, really. But I'm saving up from my job at that sports store down the road, and I calculated how much I need to get the ones I want, so it'll take about that long."

"That's exciting. I'm not even close to getting a car. But at the same time it's not something I really need right now. I'll get one someday."

"That's true. I mean, you still need to grow a few inches to even reach the pedals, first."

"Like I haven't that one before," I responded, rolling my eyes.

"That's just because it's true," he laughed.

"Where's that nice Ian I was hanging out with yesterday? I think I'm liking him a bit better."

"Oh he only comes out at certain times. I can't control it really; it's like Jekyll and Hyde." I laughed and closed my locker with my math books in hand.

"I forgot to tell you that Kyle is lending me his car for tomorrow night, so I'll be picking you up for 7."

"Wow, he's trusting you with his car?"

"It took a lot of begging but he finally gave in," he explained. The bell rang and we headed in the direction of my first class.

"Ian, where's your class?" I asked. I hoped he wasn't gonna be late because of me.

"Outside today, I have gym," he said, not meeting my eyes when I looked up at him. The gym area outside was all the way across the school from where my class was. There was no way he could walk me to class without being late. I stopped dead in my tracks and Ian, realizing I stopped walking, turned around to face me.

"I had no idea! I don't want you getting in trouble unnecessarily," I exclaimed.

Ian just laughed. "Believe me, Wanda, there's nothing to worry about. My teacher doesn't care if I'm late, as long as it's not past 10 minutes."

I sighed. "Are you sure you're not gonna get in trouble?"

"Yes! You worry too much, you know that?" We continued walking to my class and when we got there, he stopped at the entrance and turned to face me.

"Okay, try not to miss me too much."

I tried my hardest to feign disappointment. "I'll try," I said, sadly. Ian laughed and turned to leave right when the bell rang, meaning he'd be late for class. I hope he was telling the truth when he said he wouldn't get in trouble. I walked into class and sat next to Lily, as usual. I found myself constantly getting distracted from class by my thoughts on Ian. I feel like I've known him for years – well, I guess I have, but that's not what I mean. I feel comfortable around him, to a certain extent. I obviously still blush if he compliments me in the slightest, but that's not the point. I'm happy just being around him.

Ian and I walked together to our English class second period. We couldn't really talk because we had a seating plan and sat practically across the room from each other. Every time I looked at him for more than 5 seconds he seemed to sense it somehow and look up, catching me.

We walked out of the class together. "Great class, wasn't it?" Ian asked.

I raised an eyebrow at him. " Are you sure 'great' is the word you should be using to describe our English class?"

"I enjoyed it quite a bit, actually."

"Really? What part exactly?"

"Ah don't worry about that, you'll find out eventually." I decided to just leave it at that knowing he wouldn't tell me a thing. We walked to the cafeteria and sat with Mel and Jared.

"Hey, guys," Mel greeted us.

"Hey," we both said at the same time.

"Ooh you guys are already thinking alike. So cute," Jared remarked, grinning.

"You're hilarious, Jar," I replied, rolling my eyes. Ian just laughed.

"Hope we didn't miss too much," Steven said as he sat down with Brandt and Cassandra, who seemed a little confused by Ian's presence.

They both sat down. "I'd say we missed a lot," Brandt answered, looking back and forth between Ian and I.

Jared took it upon himself to introduce everyone. "Yeah, I guess you two noticed the increase in our group's population. You guys know Ian. Ian, this is Cassandra and Brandt, in case you didn't know." I had completely forgotten that Cass and Brandt would be here today since they normally aren't. Cassandra smiled at Ian while Brandt gave him a nod, which he returned.

"Hey, man. What brings you around here?" Brandt asked.

"Wanted a bit of a change. Hope you guys don't mind me sticking around."

"No, of course not," Cass replied. She gave me a look that clearly meant she wanted an explanation later. Great, another person to explain Ian and I's 'relationship' to. Not that I minded talking about him, but it was kind of a complicated thing to describe. The rest of the lunch went by great; Brandt, Ian and Jared basically bonded over their love for soccer and football while Mel, Cass and I talked about anything and everything. Steven was sort of in and out of both conversations, popping in here and there. I noticed that he would never speak to Ian directly. Maybe I was overthinking things a bit, but it seemed like they didn't like each other very much.

When lunch was over, we went our separate ways. Jared, Mel, Ian and I walked to Mel and I's biology class, despite my efforts to try and convince Ian to go to his class before he was late again.

Ian and I were basically talking throughout our entire Chemistry class – smart idea, I know – and walked to his locker after school since it was close to our classroom.

"So what did you have to promise Kyle to get his car for tomorrow night?"

Ian looked at me while exchanging his books. "That's completely confidential," he replied.

I leaned against the lockers and laughed. "Is it really that bad?"

He closed his locker and motioned for me to walk with him. "Probably not, but I'm still not gonna tell you."

I frowned. "What's with you and all these secrets today? You can trust me."

"There's no doubt in my mind about that," he said. We were outside now, right near the bus lot. I was just about to reply when I heard a phone vibrate. We both checked to see whose it was, and it turned out to be Ian's.

"Hold on a sec, it's Kyle. Hello? Yeah...Really?...I swear if you're lying to me and you-" he stopped - I assume because he was interrupted – and turned to me. He smiled and said, "Hey, do you mind picking Wanda up, too?..Yeah, her...Shut up." Ian sighed. "Can you?.. Alright awesome, I owe you one," he said, and hung up the phone.

"What was all that about?" I asked. He took my hand and led us back to the front of the school.

"Kyle told me he was around the school and offered to drive me home so I asked if he could drive you, too."

"Ian, thank you so much, but you really didn't have to," I said. He already owes Kyle for lending him the car tomorrow.

"It's not me you should be thanking. 6 more months, remember." He winked at me. I realized we were still holding hands, and that reminded me that we needed to talk about yesterday.

"Oh, uh, Ian I've been meaning to talk to you about yesterday," I said, staring at our entwined hands. He seemed to know what I was talking about based on the smile I heard in his voice.

"What about yesterday," he asked me, fully knowing what I was referring to.

"Ian-," I began, but was cut off by Kyle, who had just pulled up to the school.

"Hey, lovestruck teenagers! Let's get this show on the road." I reluctantly let go of Ian's hand and opened the door to the backseat. "No, no, no, Wanda, you get the front seat. Ian's lazy ass can sit in the back," Kyle said to me. I looked at Ian and he rolled his eyes, shaking his head.

"More room for me, then," Ian said, hopping into the backseat. I closed the door and opened the one to the passenger's side.

"Thanks a lot for driving me, Kyle. You really didn't have to," I said, repeating what I said to Ian earlier.

Kyle chuckled and pulled out of the parking lot. "It's no problem, really."

"Stop it, Wanda. You're gonna make him feel like he's a good person or something," Ian said.

"You do realize I can kick you out of this car and make you walk home, don't you?" Kyle asked him. Ian didn't say a word, so I assumed he knew Kyle was serious. "That's what I thought. So, Wanda, since you and Ian seem to be so close, it looks like we're gonna have to get to know each other better.

"Oh, I guess it seems that way," I replied.

"How do you two know each other? Like I said last time I saw you, I have know idea how Ian manages to find friends."

"We went to elementary school together," I answered.

"So you two have been friends for while then, huh? How come I've never seen you around before?"

"Uhh, Ian and I weren't really that close before." Kyle was just about to reply when my phone vibrated showing me that Mel was calling. Ahh, I forgot that her and Jared were still at school, waiting for me.

"Sorry, I have to take this. Hello?"

"Where are you? We're still waiting for you," Mel exclaimed.

"I'm sorry! You guys can leave, though, don't wait for me," I said.

"What are you talking about?" Mel asked.

"I'll talk to you later. Bye." I hung up the phone before she could ask me any more questions. "Sorry about that. What were you saying?" I asked Kyle.

"I was just gonna ask about which bad decision you made to be stuck with this guy over here." Before I had a chance to respond, Ian interrupted.

"You make it out to be a bad thing I'm most likely the best thing that's happened to most people's lives, including yours."

"Yeah, alright, buddy." Kyle gave me a look that had me holding back laughter before turning his attention back to the road.

When we pulled up to the side of Ian's house, I realized that neither of us had told Kyle that I was going home. I guess Ian realized this at the same time I did.

"Ah shit, Kyle I forgot to tell you that we were dropping Wanda off at her house."

"Nice one, Ian," Kyle said, rolling his eyes at him.

"Don't worry about it, guys. My house is only about a 5 minute walk from here," I reassured them.

"Are you sure? I can just drive you if you want," Kyle offered.

"Thanks but I'm not gonna let you waste gas when I can just walk."

"Alright, suit yourself," Kyle relented. I laughed and got out of the car. Kyle and Ian followed suit and they both walked around to my side of the car.

"It was nice seeing you again, Kyle."

"Yeah, likewise. Now just promise me you won't let my idiot brother cause too much trouble while I'm gone."

"Gone?"

"Yeah, I'm going back to Ann Arbor on Sunday," Kyle explained.

"What makes you think I'm still gonna be friends with him until then?" I joked.

"Smart girl," Kyle laughed. He started up the steps of their porch and said over his shoulder, "This one's a keeper, Ian!" before going into the house. I turned back to Ian, blushing.

"I'm sorry about him," Ian said. "He can be an ass, sometimes. Most of the time, actually."

"I like him."

"You'd be the first."

I laughed. "Thanks for asking Kyle to drive me, by the way. I guess I'll see you later." I turned to leave but Ian grabbed my arm and spun me back around to face him.

"Where do you think you're going?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at me.

"Home?"

"You don't think I'm gonna let you walk by yourself, do you?"

"Ian you don't-," I began, but Ian cut me off.

"Don't start that again. I'm walking you home because I want to, not because I feel obligated to." With that, we walked down the sidewalk in the general direction of my house.

"So you wanted to talk about yesterday?" Ian asked me. I suddenly got really nervous thinking about his thoughts on the situation. I looked down at the cracks in the sidewalk as we continued walking.

"Yeah."

After a few moments of silence Ian asked, "What about yesterday?" I heard the smile in his voice and looked up to see him staring right back at me.

"Well, I—I was just wondering about...Doc and Sharon," I said, chickening out at the last second. I assume Ian knew that that wasn't really what I wanted to talk about because he laughed and said, "Oh, really? What about them?"

"I don't know, just them in general. How they got together, why you didn't warn him about her..."

"I'm not sure how they got together exactly, I just thought that they met at school or something. I didn't find out that they were dating until about 2 months into their relationship. Doc and I didn't talk for a while; we were both really busy, him especially. Every time we would try to make plans, something would come up. When he told me about Sharon I didn't tell him that I knew her because I didn't want to somehow ruin the relationship. He was really into her and I knew that if I said anything about our past, I would mess things up. Especially since he was never the most social person; he was always at home studying or doing work or something. So when he told me about Sharon I just thought 'All that stuff is in the past, I better leave well enough alone.'"

It took me a minute to absorb everything he told me, but after a moment I said, "You're a good friend, Ian."

"I'm glad you think so," he replied, smiling down at me. We were about 2 minutes away from my house now. I finally built up the courage to ask him about the kiss.

"Ian, I was also wondering about , uhm, when we—," I cut myself off and decided to take a different approach. "I don't want to sound like some crazy, clingy girl because honestly, I don't want anything between us to move any faster than it already is, but I've been wondering about what you meant by kissing me yesterday," I said, without really thinking through it first. Ian was silent for a moment, probably trying to think of what to say.

We continued walking and when we were almost at my house, Ian stopped and grabbed my hand, pulling me back.

"I like you, Wanda. I know how quickly everything between us has been going, but that's just how I feel. I don't want to rush into anything either, and I guess I wasn't thinking when I kissed you yesterday. It was all impulse, and I'm sorry if I made things awkward for you afterwards; I know Mel and Jared must have said something about it. The truth is. I haven't been able to stop thinking about you all week. To be completely honest, I've always—." He stopped and sighed. Ian shook his head and said, "Like I said before, I don't want to rush anything, or scare you off, but I want to see where this goes and I hope you do, too."

"Yeah, I do." I smiled up at him.

"Good," he said, smiling right back at me. "Now, is this your street?" I nodded. "Okay, how far are we from your house? He started walking again, still holding my hand.

"About five seconds." I stopped when we got to the front of my house. Ian squeezed my hand and I turned to look up at him.

"So, I'll see you tomorrow?" he asked.

"Yep. Thanks for—," I began, but Ian interrupted me.

"You're too polite for your own good." He wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me into a hug. I had to go on the tips of my toes to wrap my arms around his neck, returning it. He pulled away after a few moments. "I really want to kiss you right now, but-"

"I know. We should probably wait before we do anything that could mess with our decisions." I smiled at him and made my way up to my front door. "See you tomorrow!" I yelled down to Ian. He grinned at me and started walking back down the way that we came.

I hope you guys liked it ! Please review, and yell at me so I'll be more motivated and pressured to post the next chapter. Review this with any thoughts that you have about it, positive or negative (although those are mainly frowned upon). SEE YOU SOON :)