"It's easy!"

"Maybe for you!"

"No, a five year old can do it."

I looked at Jace with no amusement whatsoever. "Teach me it so I can do it!"

"What do you think i'm doing?"

"You're not doing it properly! I've taught you it like two thousand times. What's up?"

"I'm just distacted is all." I sighed, "Our exams will come soon and I don't know anything."

He looked at the work and then took out his textbook, showing me and page in it that explains how to work out the answer a particular formula. He started reading it out loud to me.

"Now, try this example." He said, giving me a worksheet.

I picked up my pencil (because my pen ran out of ink and Jace wouldn't give me a new one) and underlined the most important parts of the question.

I worked out the first step of it, which was pretty easy in the first place but I got confused at the second one.

"You need to multiply that sum first. Here's a calculator."

I multiplied what he said and I guess it kind of made more sense to me.

"So," I said, sticking my pencil in my mouth, "after you multiply you need to square root?"

"No, you square it then multiply 0.5 by the difference from that."

"Oh for god's sake." I groaned and hid my face in my hands. "This is bullshit."

"Fine. We'll come back to it. Try this." He said swapping my worksheet with another.

For the next hour, we went through dozens worksheets, and I finally completed the first one with a lot of help.

When we finally finished, I sighed in relief and packed my bag. "Next Thursday after school?"

"Can't. Vince is having a barbecue with his friends. You should come it'll be fun."

"I'll try. Are you free the day after?"

"Yeah. We'll do the Friday."

"Cool." I said, walking out the classroom that we studied in.

"Hey. Can your mum give me a ride home? I don't have one and Liam will be pissed if I ask him to get me." I said.

"Ever heard of public transport?" He laughed.

"Shut up." I said jokingly, "can she then?"

"I'll ask " He sighed and rolled his eyes as of giving me a lift was the worst thing he could ever do. We met Janine in the kitchen and Jace asked her, she just nodded and told us to get in the car while she finished putting the plates away.

We raced to the familiar black Toyota highlander and got in. The outside and inside was spotless, it looked as if it was brand new.

"Is Janine a clean freak?" I asked.

"That's the understatement of the century. It's funny because Vince is a total slob and his car is the opposite of this." He chuckled before Janine pulled open the door for the drivers seat and got I'm.

I kept reaching over to the heater and turning the wheel that closes and opens it, Jace kept slapping my hand away from it so I just finally stay put and looked out the window at all the shops and restaurants.

"Do you think we'd be friends then? You know, with university and all, it would be hard."

"Awh you think we'll be friends."

"Shut up."

I fell out with all my friends from primary school, they all changed and became completely new people. Then again, I could say the same thing about me, I was a mute at some point, an emo and a nerd.

Now I'm respected by the whole school.

"It'd be cool if we did," I pointed out, "we make a good team."

"Correction: I make up the good in the team and you just tag along."

"No!"

"Yep."

I narrowed my eyes and glared at the don't bastard. "At least I'm not clingy."

"What?"

"You spam me with texts and missed calls."

"Do not."

"I wouldn't be surprised if you asked me 'where are you and who are you with?' Every time I picked up the phone."

"I just wanted to know when our next session was, what's wrong with that?"

"Mhm."

"It's true! You never pick up the damn phone." He huffed.

"That's because I have a life." I smirked.

"I so have a life."

"Whatever floats your boat."

"You're so annoying."

"Hey! At least I don't pull people's chairs down so they hurt themselves."

"If you're going to bicker, then I'll happily kick you both out the car and you can walk." Janine said, glaring at us both through the rearview mirror.

"I'm a guest at your house and you hurt me!" I whisper shouted.

"That was the point." He grinned goofily.

I rolled my eyes and got out of the car as soon as it came to a halt outside my house.

"Thanks for the ride babe!" I said to Jace as soon as he rolled down the window. "Kisses!" I blew him kisses as he rolled his eyes and laughed.

"You weirdo."

"Call me!" I spoke in a girly tone and held my thumb and little finger up to my face like a phone.

Jace just hid his face in his hands as tried to not laugh. I was totally embarrassing him and it was hilarious.

"Son. What are you doing?" I heard my dad's deep voice behind me and a hand on my shoulder. It turns out he was laughing at the fact my dad was behind me, or maybe it was because Janine was far too into her phone to care.

I swiftly turned around, mouth agape. Did he just hear that?

"How much did you see?"

"Majority of it. I didn't know you were so girly."

I started laughing, thinking about my reaction if I was I dad's place. How would you react to your son acting like a clingy girl?

I mean, I was only doing it to show my impression of a girly Jace. Clingy, annoying and embarrassing.

"It's just a joke!" I held my hands up in surrender.

"Thanks for giving him a ride, Janine." Dad shouted. She just smiled and said a subtle 'your welcome'.

I turned around to face Jace, who was still trying to stop his laughs. "Bye Jace-y poo!" I yelled at him, causing him to look at me in pure disbelief.

"See you in school Zach!" He laughed as Janine started driving off.

"Teenagers these days." My dad scoffed and I followed him Into the house.

I snickered to myself. With Jace I felt like I wouldn't be judged. So what came over me when I acted like a girl in front of him I'll never know.

Obviously, it was a joke and I'm not what people would call 'camp' and I wouldn't have done the same thing with anybody else.

I've only known Jace a little under a month and I've discovered a lot about him.

I know that he always sees the best in people and he believes everybody has potential.

I mean, he did put up with me after endless complaints didn't he?

I've never met anybody like Jace. He's the person that everybody would want to befriend if they knew him that is.

Nobody noticed Jace's presence.

"Dude. What are you staring at?" Liam's voice rang in my air.

"Nothing."

"Weirdo." He said and walked off.

I shrugged and went up to my room and took our my game boy.

It's a nineties kid thing.

Twenty minutes into a game of Puss in Boots my phone rang.

I leant over to the other side of my bed and retrieved the phone from the bedside table

"Yello."

"Serously, who says 'yello'- oh wait, you because you're abnormal and you can't say a basic 'hello'. Instead you say a colour, and yellow is a gross colour like it's so much like the sun and the sun hurts my eyes and-"

"Shut up, please." I chuckled at Jace's stupid rambling and nagging.

"You left your book at mine."

"Oh. Can you give it to me tomorrow?"

"Sure but.." He started and I could actually feel his devilish smirk, "I need a favour."

Of course, Jace would be the one to make some sort of crazy deal.

"What?" I groaned. All for a textbook?

"Well prom is coming up in two and a bit months and there's some help needed on the prom committee."

"You want me to help." I deadpanned.

"Yes. We need to find caterers, DJ's, a venue. It's a long and boring process. We could use your help."

"Jace. If you give me my textbook tomorrow- with no catch- I will not come to your house and kill you."

"Oh come on... We need people on the prom committee. I'm actually performing, and I know that you have some musical talent."

"I know, I can play the triangle. I'm actually pretty good at it." I snorted rather unattractively.

"No. I know you can rap and you're a good singer. I've heard you."

"You creep. How could you have heard me?"

"You sang in the toilet when you came to my house and also, you write lyrics in class instead of learning. Oh and by the way, the fact that you rap to Eminem is awesome. He's awesome."

Just for the record, nobody was meant to know that I sing in the toilet and the shower.

And I am certainly not a lyricist. Yes, I attempt at writing lyrics but the outcome sucks.

"You little ba-"

"So can you help?" He said hopefully.

"Fine. Take this as my pay back for the tuition."

"Hey, my parents cooked for you. That also deserves something in return."

"They cooked for me because they're generous. Not to receive something in return."

He huffed and stopped talking. For a few minutes the line was silent but not dead.

"Jace?"

"Wha- oh, I was getting ready for bed."

"Right."

"Jace, you know the rule of no phones after nine thirty, it's now nine forty-five." Jace's dad said.

A good person would hang the phone up and let Jace handle his business with his dad with no eves droppers.

But I'm not a good person.

"Right, sorry dad I'm talking to Zach." Jace said.

"You saw him not even three hours ago. Obsessed much?"

"I am not obsessed," Jace stated, "I was telling him that he left his textbook here."

"Whatever floats your boat, now put the phone away."

He sighed and spoke on the phone to me again, "I gotta go dude. See you tomorrow."

"I understand." I smirked, "you're still a child so you can't have phones out at this time."

"Shut it."

"Make me." I said smugly.

"Oh I will."

He cut the phone off.

-

Two days later, I was sticking posters around the school that asked for people to join the prom committee.

"What are you doing man? Joining in all this prissy stuff?" Liam seethed at me.

"I'm getting involved."

"Dude. You're such a downer."

Remind me why Liam cared so much?

Oh yes, his reputation.

He isn't known to be 'soft' so getting involved wasn't his kinda thing. The only thing he likes to get involved in is booze and girls.

"Hey, Zach. Wanna go prom with me?" A random girl asked as I walked down the corridor on the East Wing. She reminded me of a chipmunk. Her face was perfectly round, she was pretty- and she was only wearing some mascara- and she didn't look like the usual type of people who throw themselves at me.

So why was she getting involved in this? It seems as if all the good people in the school at changing into violent popular-boy-eating monsters.

"I have a date." I lied "I'm sorry.. I mean, I have friends who might wanna take y-you."

"But I wanted to go with you." She sighed and ducked her head like a total diva.

I felt guilty.

Yep, I was definitely turning soft.

"Sorry."

She sighed and walked away. Obviously, she only wanted to go with me because I'm popular. Come on, everyone wants to go with a popular guy right?

Or not.

I can't tell if people just like me because I'm popular or because I'm Zach and nothing more. Just plain old boring Zach who by the way, would make a great friend.

I pondered on this while Jace took brightly coloured posters out of the pile in my hand and stuck them all over the school- on the signature blue lockers, decayed walls, classroom doors and filled up pin boards.

"Are we done yet?" I sighed after half an hour.

"Almost. So are you performing at the prom?"

"No. I'm not a performer." I deadpanned.

"I am. You should it'll be so much fun!" He grinned.

"Nah. What are you performing?"

"That's a surprise, but I'll be playing my guitar."

I've never heard Jace play guitar, or sing for that matter. I'm sure he's brilliantly talented, he told me he's been playing for nearly eight years.

"We should do a duet. Me on guitar and you singing."

"I can't sing. That's why I only sing when I'm supposed to have my alone time.. Such as going to the restroom. But nooo, you have to eavesdrop on me." I chuckled.

"Hey!" He defended, "I was not eavesdropping. I walked last and I heard you."

I scoffed, "that's eavesdropping. You're cleverer than me you should know."

"Fine. I did but that's only because you're a good singer. Otherwise I wouldn't have carried on listening." He said, grabbing another poster and sticking it on a classroom door.

"You're a creep." I smirked, "and no, we're not doing a duet."

"I wanna hear you rapping though!" He frowned and jumped up and down like a whiny little girl.

"And I want to hear you play guitar. Or the drums, I think I saw drums at your house."

"They're my dad's." He stated, "why don't you come round my house next week Thursday, at the barbecue and I'll play the guitar in exchange to hear you sing or rap."

"Fine."

We finished sticking all the posters up and we parted ways to go to our own classes. I missed the first class and the first ten minutes of the second class in order to print and stick the posters up.

I walked through the empty halls, and out into the open to get to the other side of the school.

"Hamilton. You are late." My teacher got a ruler and slapped it on the table.

"I was doing something with the prom committee," I stated. It was the truth and I'm guessing it would get me out of an after school detention.

A few people snickered in the class, wondering why a person like me will be on the prom committee.

I just glared at them all and sat in my usual seat in the back row.

"Ow. Fu- I mean... Fig sticks.." I winced at the pain caused due to my knee hitting the top of the table. I mean, come on, it's a high school, shouldn't they have higher tables?

The rest of the day went pretty easily, a few hiccups here and there, and a few glares also- even though I have no idea why people would glare at me for just being me.

I'm fabulous.

I found Liam waiting in his car and sank into the passenger seat, seeing four of his friends squished up at the back in a three seater couch.

"Do I need a explanation?" I cocked an eyebrow.

"We're going to watch the game. It's about to start and you took ages to come."

"Oh come on. I wanted to watch the new season of Misfits!" I whined.

"You'll have to wait." One of Liam's friends said.

"Yeah. What team are you on? Arsenal or Liverpool?" Liam asked me.

Ah right, the FA Cup.

"I couldn't give a shit. I'd rather play football than watch it." I snorted.

I used to be on the school's football team, but last year I quit because I got depressed over my granddad's passing away.

I didn't eat, sleep or socialise.

Grandad was the only person who knew about my sexuality. I told him because he admitted to me that he thought he was once gay and he's also had gay fantasies.

But he married my grandma and they were happy, which gave my Granddad the idea that he wasn't gay, but instead, just curious or bisexual.

He never told me which one he was.

It was beyond awkward for him to tell me this. I still remember the day, he kept talking and talking while I squirm in my seat.

Apparently, it's normal to be curious when you're a teenager. It doesn't necessarily mean you're gay.

I had gay fantasies, so worried, I had to tell my grandad and he explained everything.

I realised I was gay when my gay sexual fantasies were too common. I no longer had sexual fantasies with women, I tried to but nope, nothing about women turned me on.

We arrived at the house and instantly, the guys shot out the car and ran to the front door, Liam locked the car once I (very slowly) got out the car.

"Woah." Mum held her hands up and the guys quickly said 'hi' and ran in to the house as if it was their own.

"Hey mum." I grinned and kissed her cheek.

"Do I need an explanation?" she cocked an eyebrow. I chuckled because it was the exact thing I had said.

"No, you really don't." I said and went into the house and straight for the snack cupboard, where I grabbed a packet of malteasers.

"Oh no you don't. It's unhealthy." Mum tsked and took the packet out of my hands.

"I don't care."

"i don't want an obese son."

"So if I were obese, you'd disown me?" I opened my mouth and held a hand to my chest, faking hurt. "That cuts real deep mum."

"I mean, I don't want you to be obese."

"Of course." I said saracstically and grabbed the packet out of her hands again and ran to my room.

"Arsenal! Arsenal!- No! Liverpool!!" was all I heard from Liam's room and a series of yells. I decided to join them, half an hour later later because I was feeling lonely.