I flattered my eyes open only to find myself in an unfamiliar room. I replayed the events of my previous night and remembered that I was in Adrian's room and sleeping in Adrian's bed.

After I told Adrian that I didn't want to go home, we walked all the way to his place in the rain, his mom was working late so no one else was home, I decided to sleep over and of course, Adrian objected my protest but it got really late and I couldn't go home any more.

I had a long hot shower to get rid of the smell of alcohol on my body, Adrian offered me his clothes, they looked pretty baggy on me and his sweatpants didn't even fit me but I wore them anyway, mostly because they were warmer than my own clothes. He also let me sleep in his bedroom while he slept on the couch downstairs.

I yawned as I turned to the other side of the bed, I saw Adrian sitting by his window, lost in thought as he looked outside.

I didn't even hear him come in.

I sat up straight, "Creepy much?" I sounded sleepy as I rubbed my eyes.

"Sorry, I can't stand my stepdad." He said without glancing at me.

I saw my phone on the night stand, I picked it up and found a several missed calls from my Dad.

"Shit, my Dad called." I ran a hand through my fuzzy hair.

"I called him last night, he said it was cool for you to sleep over." Said Adrian, I snapped my head to look at him with wide eyes.

"Where'd you get his number?" I asked curiously.

"I've always had it, your dad calls me every week just to check up on me." He looked at me.

"What? Why? What for?" I asked, he rolled his eyes.

"Your dad has been like my mentor ever since my dad and brother died." He informed me and I immediately regretted asking.

"I didn't know that." I said more to myself.

"Of course you didn't." He looked out the window again.

I rolled out of bed and went to sit across from him by the window, I opened the window and stuck my head out_closing my eyes and breathing in that wonderful after rain smell.

"Don't you just love that smell?" I asked, retrieving my head and staring at his face.

The morning sun was shining on his face and his dark damp hair covered one side of it, he was wearing a white tank top and grey sweatpants. And he surely didn't look like someone who was just from waking up.

He held his gaze on my face, "No, it's just the smell of water mixed with dirt."

"Water and dirt never mix dumb dumb." I stood up and started roaming around his room.

"Don't touch anything." He warned.

The events of that previous night flashed through my brain and I felt a throb on my throat.

"Did what happen last night really happen Or was I dreaming everything?" I picked up a tennis ball from his desk and fumbled with it.

"You mean did your ex boyfriend's girlfriend humiliate the shit out of you last night? Well yes, yes she did." He said.

"Unbelievable." I muttered, shaking my head and squeezing the ball in my hand.

"You know that asshole still likes you right?" I heard him ask.

"Loves." I corrected him.

"Whatever." He said, "he still loves you and I honestly think you should take advantage of that." He said.

He sounded interesting enough for me to turn around and give him my full attention.

"Go on." I told him to proceed.

He shook his head as he looked out the window then back at me, "I don't know Emily, seduce him or something, show that bitch Kim that you have the upper hand." He pushed his hair back as he stood and walked towards me.

His advice sounded like me starting a war but as much as I loved it, I needed to face reality and listen to my heart that was telling me to let go of Charlie.

"I don't think that's necessary." I said in a disapproving tone.

"I'm serious though, those people were your friends just last week but now it's like they never even knew you existed." He pointed out, plopping on his bed.

I was speechless because he was right but the only thing I had in mind when it came to getting back at Charlie was using Adrian and I knew he wouldn't agree to it.

I didn't want to get back at Kim, I needed to get back at Charlie.

I stayed silent, turning around and looking over the paperwork on his desk, that's when I saw something that caught my eye.

His report card.

I grabbed it and took a look, the grades were pretty bad. He had a lot of Ds and Fs. Adrian was just as smart as I was during freshman year, but I guess he really did change everything in his life after that fire.

I faced him and raised the piece of paper in the air.

"You're failing English?" I chuckled.

"Whoever said English was easy." His sarcastic tone remarked.

"C'mon man, you used to be so smart, what happened to you?" I walked back to sit with him.

"I grew." He said, but what he really meant to say was I changed.

"So grown people fail their classes?" I narrowed my eyes at him.

"No, I-" he paused, "Nevermind you wouldn't understand." he added.

"Then make me understand." I pushed.

"Let it go Emily, our principal already gave me a shit tones of warnings about it and I'm looking for a tutor so I'll improve in no time." He said.

There was a ding sound in my ear that told me, that's your cue.

"I can tutor you." I said, a little too quickly.

He gave me a baffled stare, "You?"

"Yes me, I'm one of the best students at Milo and I'll do it for just a small favor from you." I almost pinched my index and thumb together.

"What kind of favor?" He asked curiously.

"Let's make a deal." I suggested.

"What kind of deal." He asked.

"I'll help you improve your bad grades if you help me out with something."

"With what?" He rolled his eyes.

"Make my ex boyfriend jealous." I tilted my head to my side, he stared at me.

"And how will you do that?" He got curious.

"Fake dating." I said. He laughed but stopped when he saw how serious I was.

"Shit, you're serious?" He chuckled softly.

"Yes I am, Charlie hates you and that's why you're the perfect guy for the job." I said.

He blankly stared at me like he was debating on whether or not he should do it.

Then he smirked, "Okay, let's do it."

I didn't expect him to give me that response but I guessed he was getting something from it as well.

I extended my hand for a hand shake, he raised his eyebrows like asking 'seriously?' but he ended up shaking it anyway.

"We start on Monday." I moved to grab my phone from his bed.

"This still doesn't mean that we're buddies, it's strictly professional, I help you out with your shit and you help me out with mine. Nothing intimate." He specified.

"Okay but speaking of intimate, we have to kiss in order to make things realistic." I told him.

He laughed sarcastically, "Yeah, there's no way that's going to happen."

"Dude, how are we supposed to look like an actual couple if we don't kiss?" I flew my hands in the air.

"Then I'm out, okay?" He stood up, ready to leave.

"Adrian, what's so scary about a tongue less kiss? It will just be like a peck on the lips." I said and he turned to look at me.

"I said no, I'm not gonna fucking kiss you okay?" He sounded serious.

"Okay okay fine, no kissing but I do expect you to come up with something that will sell us out because I'm all out of ideas." I said.

"Whatever." He walked out of the room and I followed behind him.

Trudging down the stairs, I smelled bacon. Walking towards the kitchen, I saw Adrian's Mom preparing breakfast, I stood by their kitchen doorway.

Adrian went straight to the fridge and poured some juice in glass cup.

"Morning, sweetheart." His Mom greeted him.

"Morning." It barely came out of his mouth. "You know you can sit right?" He said to me.

His mom turned to look at me, she widened her eyes in shock.

"Emily?" She asked, so unsure of herself.

"Hey, Mrs Mackey." I waved.

She walked to me and engulfed me into a tight hug.

Adrian threw a grape in his mouth while he looked at us, his face was expressionless so I couldn't read what he was thinking.

She pulled away but kept her hands on my shoulders, staring at me with those ocean blue eyes.

Adrian's Mom was like the female version of Adrian. They were crazy identical but Adrian had green eyes while she had blue ones.

"I'm so happy to see you here." She grinned.

"You know you could have just visited her right? She lives like seven blocks from here." Said Adrian.

Seven blocks, that's all it had to take for me to walk to Adrian's house and say hi.

But I was too busy trying to make the popular kids like me.

"I know, I was thinking about it." She walked me to the table.

I did not blame her, she lost my mom who was her friend and then she lost her husband and her son.

I took a seat and looked down at the breakfast, she made bacon, scrambled eggs, sausages and waffles. Everything looked delicious but I wondered why she made everything at once.

"It's an apology breakfast." Adrian answered my thoughts as he sat across from me.

"Apology for what?" I giggled.

"For being such a dedicated workaholic." He told me as he looked at his mother.

She was about to respond when a forth party walked into the room.

The Man was tall with shoulder length brown hair and his skin was inked with tattoos, he kissed Adrian's Mom on the lips and looked at me questionably.

"Who's she?" He asked her.

"None of your business, obviously." Adrian muttered underneath his tone.

"What'd you say to me?" The man turned to look at Adrian.

Adrian sighed and rolled his eyes to the ceiling.

"C'mon Emily, let's go." He told me, standing up.

"Go where?" His mom asked.

"I'm taking her home, her Dad must be worried." He lied.

"But you said that you called-"

"That was last night." He cut me off.

"Wait, did she spend the night?" Asked the tattooed man while pointing his finger at me.

I felt very uncomfortable.

"Yes, problem?" Adrian was trying to piss off the already pissed man.

"So you're hooking up with chicks in our house?" He asked Adrian in a serious tone.

Adrian rolled his eyes at the man.

"Our house? For fuck's sake." He mumbled, walking out of the room.

Adrian's Mom had a sad look on her face, I guess she just couldn't control the men in her life.

"It was nice seeing you again, Mrs Mackey." I withdrew from the table.

"She's not Mrs Mackey-"

"Randall." She warned the man.

Awkward.

I slowly and awkwardly turned on my heel and walked out on them, I found my Converse shoes by the door. They were stained with alcohol but I put them on anyway. I wondered about my clothes but I decided to leave them behind.

I opened the front door and saw Adrian smoking on the porch.

He looked upset.

"C'mon let's go." He threw the cigarette and tucked his hands in his pockets as he walked down the steps.

I had a lot of questions for Adrian but I didn't know how or where to start.