Sunlight shone onto my eyes, morning arrived all too quickly.

Why can't night time just be longer?

I felt a warmth on my back and I wasn't too sure what it is but it was comforting. I didn't want it go away. I felt something strong and heavy across my waist, it pulled me in closer to the warmth. I could really get use to this.

Then realization hit me and my eyes shot open.

Jace spent the night and we slept in the same bed.

But we were miles apart last night!

What the hell.

I looked down to see his arm wrapped comfortably around my waist. He was pressed against my back, molded to the shape I am in.

Under normal circumstance, I would be upset but he looked so angelic. So peaceful. His lips set in a soft pout. His face relaxed but his defined jawline was all too visible in the sunlight.

I just wanted to pinch him because honestly he looked so unreal.

I glanced over to the clock and literally jumped out of my body. "Jace!" I yelled. "Get up!"

I pushed his heavy arm off of me and jolted out the bed.

"What?" He groaned and snuggled into a pillow even more. If I wasn't so freaked out, I would have found it cute.

I took a pillow and smacked him in the face. "Get your ass up! It's 8:15, my mom gets home at 8:25 and school starts at 8:30!"

"So go without me." He muttered sleepily.

I smacked him with another pillow. "Get the hell up! My mom can't see you here, she'll kill me!"

I grabbed the first pair of jeans and top I saw in my closet and bolted into the bathroom as Jace lazily get out of my bed.

"There's a spare bathroom down the hall with all the bath stuff in there!" I yelled behind the closed door.

I jumped in the shower and took the quickest shower of my life. I'm sure if there was a timer on me, it would have stopped at the one minute mark.

Once dressed I grabbed the hairbrush and yanked it through my tangled hair and tossed it into a ponytail.

So many tangles, damn it!

I glanced at my clock as I grabbed my backpack.

Five minutes until my mom is home and I needed to either get out of here or get Jace out of here first. Rushing down the stairs, I see Jace standing in the middle of my kitchen looking as refreshed as ever, sipping on a cup of coffee. You wouldn't have thought that he just rolled out of bed five minutes ago.

How in the hell??

How did he have time to freshen up and make fresh coffee in five minutes?

Does he have super speed??

"Want some coffee?" He offered relaxed.

"No, We don't have time!" I told him as I pushed his heavy ass self towards the door.

"Hey, no fair! I want to finished my coffee." He pouted.

"Jace, I swear to god if I'm late I will kick your ass to Mars and back." I gritted through my teeth.

"That boxing lesson will come in handy then." He said thoughtfully and I just had to roll my eyes at him.

"Let's go!" I told him as I open the door.

"Oh my god!" I heard a voice screech.

I looked over to see Kayla standing right at the front door, hand in mid air to knock and jaw to floor. Literally.

"Kayla! What are you doing here?" I asked nervously. I was surprise to see her here this late and of course she would think more of the situation then what it actually is.

"What? A girl can't come over to take her best friend to school?" She retorted defensively, hands on hips.

"You're right, you're right." I told her and looked down at my phone. 8:23am. "I'll explain this situation later, but WE," I pointed between Jace and I. "Have to get out of here before my mom gets home."

"Say no more." She put a hand up on the air and then pointed to her car. "Your chariot awaits."

Rushing into her car, Kayla whipped out of my driveway and onto the main road towards school and the opposite direction my mom was coming from.

I leaned back in the passenger seat and breathe a sigh of relief as we exited my neighborhood.

"Don't think you're off the hook." She said cutting her judging eyes at me.

"I know." I whined. I wasn't ready for her rapid fire of questions.

I glanced in the rear view mirror to see Jace resting his head against the window with his eyes closed.

How can someone sleep after all that?

Kayla stopped at the red light that was in the middle of town. Shocking she stopped, I know.

Jace popped his head between the driver and passenger seat. "You can let me out here." He said.

Wasn't he just sleeping?

"Aren't you going to school?" I asked with a quirked eyebrow.

"What's one day?" He said nonchalantly.

"One day turns into a week for you." I said dryly.

He shrugged his shoulders. "I just have somethings to take care of. If it makes you feel better, I be there for the later half."

"Deal." I told him.

Kayla unlocked the car letting him out. "See you later." He said slamming the car door shut.

The light turned green and Kayla drove off leaving Jace in the middle of town.

Kayla glanced over to me. "You really care about him." She said after a few moments of silence.

"He's a friend. Of course I care."

She scoffed. "Okay, keep kidding yourself."

"What?"

"Leah, you are so oblivious sometimes it hurts. It's so obvious that you like him more than a friend and I'm pretty sure he also feels the same. But the both of you are so damn stubborn you can't even see it." She said pulling into a parking space in the school parking lot. "Open your eyes, girl."

Did I actually, truly like Jace?

I've gotten to know him a bit over the past few weeks. He's not the cold hearted bad boy that people make him out to seem. He has secrets, but doesn't everyone? He has so many layers to him, so much more than anyone ever knew. But as I try to peel back the layers, I learn more and more about him.

He has this way to make you forget about everything around you and in his own way he cares. I would be lying if I said I wasn't attracted to him. But lately things have felt different, I just don't know how.

Then there was the fact that he was helping me out with Nate.

Nate.

Damn. I really forgot about him and his confession.

That confession I never told Jace.

Ugh, I don't know!

I need to figure this out.

I could barely pay attention in any class as I was lost in my own thoughts.

Lunch came around before I knew it and instead of eating, I decided to just take a walk. Maybe clear my thoughts a bit.

Me not eating? Now you know something is wrong.

I walked down the hallway towards the double doors. I stepped outside and was greeted with fresh cool air and I felt like a weight was lifted off my shoulders.

I told Kayla that I would meet her after so she didn't worry where I was. I went down the steps and onto the pathway that leads towards the football field and passing the parking lot.

It was late October and you could feel the chill in the air. I have to say that fall is one of my favorite seasons I mean does anybody really like hot weather?

All you do is sweat and can pass out from heat exhaustion if it gets too hot. Yeah I don't think I wanna do that.

I prefer the cool fall weather and the warm springs. I think I have to thank my dad for that.

Dad.

I always thought it would be hard to open up to someone else about my father and what happened.

The only people I really told were Kayla and Nate.

But that's because they were there to help me through it all. It actually shocked me that I told Jace so easily. Was it because we connected on somewhat of a deeper level?

Maybe it was easier because he told me that he lost his father also. There are days that I think about him and there are days that I wish she was still here.

Who am I kidding? I wish he was here every day. He was my rock, the person I went to when I had an issue and even though I was young and my issues may have seem stupid he was always there to help.

I miss him and I know my mom misses him. Some days are harder than others for my mom and sometimes she thinks I don't see it but I see everything and I just want her to be happy.

It's been ten years since my dad passed and every day since then my mom has put her focus on me and work and never really on herself.

One day I wanna make her proud and make her know that all the sacrifices she went through was for a good reason.

I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't notice I had walked past the parking lot and past the football field and was down near the main road of the high school right before you turn into the main entrance.

I've ventured out too far and it was time to go back before Kayla got worried and came out here searching for me. She probably would have my head on a silver platter for making her worry so much.

I turned around and started to walk back towards the school. I notice a dark colored vehicle pulled up next to the sidewalk out the corner of my eye. It was one of those extremely luxurious car. I was about to bolt when the doors open and two men stepped out. One I recognized as the bodyguard guy that was with Damian last night at the park, the other man came out from back passenger side.

An icy shiver went down my back at just the sight of him. Something, something about him screamed dangerous.

He was an older man, maybe in his late forties early fifties. His salt and pepper hair was slicked back. He was dressed in a crisp designer black suit. There were sunglasses covering his eyes.

He scanned the area and then his eyes landed on me. I was frozen in place. I wanted to run, but I couldn't.

A devious smile filled his lips. "Leah Tate." His deep voice filled the tense air.

He took a step forward and lifted his sunglasses off his eyes revealing a deep scar that led from his eyebrow down to his cheek bone.

"D-do I know you?" I mustered up. How I wanted to just disappear from here.

His smile grew wider. "Not particularly." He paused. "I am a friend of your father."

What?