A big shoutout to the_selenophile for being an amazing reader and motivating me to update every day, and write this story further. Thankyouuu!

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When at the end of the day I go to my locker to put my books, I notice that Evan is standing by his locker. I stop dead in my tracks when I notice the way he's firmly holding Rose in his arms, his embrace gentle yet a loving gesture. Her head is resting at his chest and his face is nuzzled in her neck.

I command my brain to look away, but my eyes are fixed at the couple in front of me as an envious feeling takes over my heart. I am not supposed to be this person, I am not supposed to be jealous of the girl my childhood best friend is dating yet I cannot help but feel that I should be the one whom he holds that way.

This is worse than watching them kiss, because when they are like this, I get to see how comfortable they are in each other's presence, how they hold onto each other for warmth and love. When I see him leaning onto her like that, I observe how he lets go of his thoughts and tries to find comfort within her. And that is so much worse than seeing them suck each other's faces off.

As if he can feel my gaze on him, he looks up at me, his eyes meeting mine and he passes me a small smile, and I try to return it but something tells me that it rather came out as a grimace than a smile.

"Well, looks like he isn't the only one who's jealous." I feel a breath tickling the nape of my neck and immediately turn around to find Chris leaning behind me. He winks at me and walks away, and I close my eyes momentarily, composing myself.

I take a step forward towards my locker but Breanna catches my arm before I can reach Evan and Rose. She turns me around and her eyes search around my face, as if trying to place something.

"I am going to ask this once, and I hope you give me an honest answer." She says and I nod, motioning for her to continue, "Is there something I should know about Chris and you?"

I smile, shaking my head, "I promise there is nothing. But there is something you should know. Please don't mention to anyone that he spent the night at my house last weekend after the party." I say and she gives me a hesitant nod which makes me frown.

"Sure, I won't." She promises. "And there's absolutely nothing between the two of you?" She confirms.

"Absolutely nothing. We really dislike each other, that's the only thing we have going on between us." I assure her and she nods.

I feel a hand on my shoulder and I turn around to find Evan and Rose. She gives me a full on grin which I return with a smile.

"How was your day, An?" She asks and I freeze, my eyes moving to Evan. I wait for him to say something to his girlfriend regarding the name she just used, because last time I let it slip but this time, I am giving him the right to object.

When he feels my gaze on him, he realises what I am indicating at and just shrugs. So, I decide if he isn't going to say anything, I will.

"It was good Rose, how was yours?" I ask politely.

"Same. I got this fun essay to write for English on Shakespeare." She says and I hear Breanna snicker behind me.

Rose is kinda like that, she loves to find fun in stuff where there isn't any fun but it's a quality of hers that I really admire. We need more people to look at the world from her perspective.

"That's good to hear." I say and a silence falls over but I break it when I confront Rose, "Um, Rose, can I say something? It might come out as rude so I apologise in advance because I don't want to make you feel bad or anything." I say, trying to soften the blow.

"Yes, sure. Go on, what is it?" She frowns, but I can tell I have got her full attention.

"Can you please call me Adrianna, or if that seems too long, maybe Adri? An is actually a very sentimental name for me so I am not comfortable with everyone calling me that." I clear out and Evan's eyes meet mine. He almost looks pissed that I brought it up but he should have been the one to tell this to his girlfriend.

She looks pale for a moment, almost embarrassed and that's when Evan wraps an arm around her shoulder, and his thumb starts drawing circles on her arm. I force my focus away from there and wait for her to respond.

"I am sorry about that, I didn't know. It's just Evan calls you that all the time so I just assumed.." she trails off and I nod, totally understanding her point.

"You didn't know, that's okay. To make things better, Evan can stick to Adrianna or Adri too. My father is the only one who calls me An. Hope you understand." I give her a small smile and she nods, and I know she's a little embarrassed about the confrontation but I have made my intentions clear.

I move to put my books in my locker and when I am done, Breanna and I leave for the parking lot. As soon as I reach the passenger side of her car, I hear Evan call out my name. I turn around to face him and he stops, catching his breath for a moment.

"What was that about?" He asks and I frown.

"What?"

He huffs, pinching the bridge of his nose, "You didn't have to embarrass her like that." He snaps and I take a step back from him, his tone piercing my heart.

"I didn't embarrass her. I told her that she shouldn't call me from a name that holds a lot of value to me in a really polite manner. I couldn't have been more cautious about not hurting her feelings." I tell him and his eyes bore into me.

"Did you see her face? She looked like she would cry, that's how embarrassed she was." He says, his tone still on the edge.

"Ev, I am sorry if she felt that way but you know that wasn't my intention. I just wanted to tell her how I felt about her using that name. And I wouldn't have done that if you would have asked her to stop calling me An." I say and he sighs, running a hand through his hair.

"You didn't tell Chris not to call you that. Why did you have to tell her?" He asks, making me scowl at him. He may not realise it, but he's actually hurting my feelings right now.

"He called me that one time! If he repeated it, I would have snapped at him.. without caring about his feelings, unlike I did for Rose. So, be thankful." I snap at him, "And if you don't realise what value that name holds for me, then I don't even know who you are anymore, Evan. Because my best friend knows how much that means to me." I say before turning around and getting in Breanna's car.

She knows I am pissed and Evan is standing just by the car, so when he knocks on the window, I look at Breanna, "Just drive." I say through gritted teeth and she nods before speeding off.

I know I cannot ignore him for long because he's my next door neighbour and practically has a key to my house so he can come to see me anytime, but for once, it felt good to have the last word. Now, I can go home, eat the leftover dinner for lunch, read a romance novel and take a nap.

So, when I reach home, that's exactly what I do. When I read, I forget about the problem that exist in the real world, it serves as the best distraction as the problems of the characters seem to matter more to me than having an argument with my supposed best friend. Evan and I argue, but we never go hours leaving it at that, because we know it builds up to the frustration.

He has been my rock since I was four years old, and things got worse when I started questioning about my mother's whereabouts. I have been living with my father since the day I was born, and without a mother. I got the answers eventually, but I realised that I was better off not knowing them. And in those days when the mystery of my mother was revealed to me, Evan sat by my side, held me in his arms as I cried till late hours of night.

But all of that taught me things, a lot of things actually. It made me emotionally strong, at least strong enough to fight my inner battles alone and strong enough to mask my emotions from anyone and everyone. Even my own father who loves me so dearly.

That's just it though. If I keep reminiscing these thoughts, it would eventually turn into overthinking and you know what that leads to? Trouble. I don't want that. So, I keep my mouth shut and lose myself in the fiction world.

I don't know when I drift off to sleep, but a hand caressing my cheek is what wakes me up. The hands are not soft, but it sends tingles down my spine at the action, almost making me want to moan in my sleep. That's when my eyes shoot open and meet the very alarmed hazel ones. God, the reason I have never mentioned those eyes are because they make me forget about all the reasons I am supposed to be mad at him. His eyes are something I absolutely adore about him, apart from his smile.

It takes everything in me to look away and I find my voice, "What are you doing here?" I ask, and realise that his hand is still pressed against my cheek.

He gives me an apologetic shrug, his eyes roaming around my face, "I am sorry about this afternoon. I was a dick." He says and I sit up in my bed.

"You were." I tell him and he nods, not arguing back.

"But I am sorry, I was projecting my feelings about something else to an entirely different situation." He informs, making me frown.

I just woke up, so my brain is a little fuzzy, especially because Evan is sitting so close to me, I can practically feel the warmth of his body.

"What are you talking about?" I ask.

He runs a hand through his hair, sighing, "Chris. You two are so close to each other, An. What is going on? And please don't say nothing, because I am sick of hearing that."

Now, I normally would have snapped at him. But looking into his eyes, I can see that this is really bothering him. So, I take the safe road of making him understand things with patience.

He takes his hand in mine, waiting for me to explain. "Do you remember how he got drunk at the party?" I ask and he nods, so I continue, "Well, I think it had something to do with his fight with Caitlyn. She went home pissed and he stayed the night here. Some people saw us leaving together and assumed the worst, of course."

I know that I have his full interest now as he motions for me to continue, his thumb drawing circles on my palm and making it awfully hard to concentrate with all the things he's doing to me with just that one action. God, does this guy not understand the effect he has on me?

"So, he basically semi-kidnapped me today to tell me to not say anything in case Caitlyn asks because it will create problems between them." I finish but he's still looking at me with curiosity, so I wait for him to question me.

"But why are you guys so touchy with each other?" He asks, an edge to his tone that makes me frown.

"Are you jealous?" I ask, bluntly and his eyes shoot upwards as he looks at me like I have lost my fucking mind.

Hah, thought so. This couldn't be it. But I had to give it a shot to reassure my poor heart.

"No, I am worried about my best friend's sanity." He says and I let out a small laugh.

"We were just kidding around, pissing off each other. That's it." I assure him and he nods, letting go of my hand and disappointment takes over but I don't show it to him.

Before he can respond, my bedroom door opens and Breanna enters, Luke following behind her as she jumps to the bed. I give her a bewildered look while Evan eyes Luke before giving him an acknowledging nod which he returns. I roll my eyes at their boyish antics and turn to my crazy female best friend.

"What the hell?" I ask her and she gives me a cheeky grin.

"We were hanging out, I was bored so well, here we are." She gestures to my room, making me slap my forehead and I painfully drag my palms down to my face.

"Did you give this fact a thought that you are bringing along a guy that I have practically never met in my bedroom? Where I could have been naked?" I ask and Evan chokes, and starts coughing.

"It's alright buddy, with those windows, I am pretty sure you have seen her plenty of times." Breanna says, making blood rush to my cheeks as I give her an incredulous look.

"Breanna!" I yell and she laughs loudly, and when I look at Evan, he's just smirking. Jerk!

"I have not, just for your peace of mind." Evan assures me and I nod, already knowing it.

"Alright then, since she's not going to introduce us. I will do the honors. Hi, Luke. I am Adrianna, this crazy ass' long lost soulmate." I extend my hand towards Luke who happily shakes it and nods at me.

"Nice to meet you. And sorry for dropping by like this."

I shrug, getting out of my comforter and when I do, Evan shoots me a glare. I give him a questioning look and he motions towards my legs and I realise that I am wearing incredibly short shorts. What is his deal, really? I shrug at him and he sighs.

"Can we all go downstairs and order something to eat? I am starving." I say and everyone follows me downstairs.

Luke and Breanna occupy the living room, switching on the television while Evan follows me in the kitchen.

"Did you not have lunch?" He asks.

"I only had a few leftovers from last night, so just ate that." I tell him and he nods.

"You could always come over for lunch or dinner, any time. You know that right? Mom loves you." He says and I smile at him.

"I know. Mrs. Smith is way too kind, and I manage fine on my own." I tell him and he gives me a sad smile.

He moves towards me and wraps his arms around me, and almost instinctively, I return his embrace. He moves his face near my ear and whispers, "I love you, An." He says and I stop breathing for a moment. But then I gulp, realising that he just means it as friends so I nod.

"Love you too, Ev." I say and he tightens his embrace.

Someone clears their throat and I look over his shoulder to see Rose standing awkwardly at the kitchen entrance. I move away from Evan and when he turns around to find his girlfriend, his face splits into a huge grin.

"Hey." He says, and moves towards her, giving her a kiss on the lips, making me look away.

"Hey. I got your text that you were headed here and the front door was open, so.." she trails off and her eyes meet mine so I give her a smile.

"Yeah, An was just going to order something to eat." He tells her and she nods.

"I am in the mood for chinese." She says and I grin at her.

"You just read my mind." I say and she returns the smile, any awkwardness slipping away.

"Bri! Luke! Come in the kitchen." I yell for them and like two little kids they come running and look between the three of us.

"When did you come?" Breanna asks Rose who shrugs, smirking.

"When you were sucking each other's faces off." She says and Breanna turns red at her comment.

"Not under my roof!" I look between her and Luke who gives me a sheepish smile. "God, bless my virgin house." I whine dramatically and they laugh at my expanse.

"An wanted to ask if you guys mind if she orders chinese?" Evan speaks up and both Breanna and Luke shrug, meaning they'll eat what they get.

So I order noodles, chicken spring rolls, and almond chicken. Even while ordering I had my mouth running with water, yes, that's how hungry I am. All of us settle down in the living room, and start watching Star Wars. Evans is crazy about it, and I just found out that so is Luke.

When the house bell rings, I go out, expecting to have my food order delivered but to my absolute surprise, Chris is standing on the other side, wearing a black leather jacket and his hair are a mess. A tight v-neck t-shirt gives an outline to his fit body underneath, paired with blue rugged jeans. As much as I hate to admit this, he is one good looking guy. Too bad his personality ruins all the fun.

"Done checking me out?" He smirks and I roll my eyes.

"Pfttt. That would be the day." I say and notice that Jordan Woods is standing beside him. He looks a little amused and his eyes are roaming down on my body.

Well, I get why Evan indicated that I probably should have changed out of these shorts and tank top.

"Hey, eyes up here." I snap my fingers in front of him and he meets my eyes, a smile etching on his features.

"Really man? You checking her out?" Chris asks his best friend who just shrugs in return.

"What? Am I not meeting your standard of being able to check out?" I ask and then immediately continue, "Wait, don't answer that. I don't want you to check me out because the thought makes me barf." I tell him honestly and he chuckles lightly.

"Okay, miss prissy. Drop the attitude. We are here on business." He says and I frown.

"What business?" I ask, looking at Jordan for answers who again, just shrugs. What is his deal?

Chris pushes open the door and comes inside, Jordan following suit as they make their way to the living room.

"Oh, of course, come inside guys, make yourselves at home. Mi casa es su casa!" I yell behind them sarcastically and Jordan bites his lower lip to stop himself from laughing.

"She's feisty. I like that about her." He says, his voice deep and if I must say, a little sexy.

Why can't I have normal ugly enemies?

"So now you talk?" I ask and he winks at me.

I realise that the movie has been paused and everyone is looking at the three of us, looking incredibly confused, just as I am.

"Oh, hey Smith!" Jordan nods at Evan who nods right back.

"What's up, Woods?" He asks, obviously trying to understand the situation.

But, Jordan being Jordan, just shrugs. "Oh, shut it! Stop shrugging." I snap at him and he grins at me, that fucking annoying grin.

"Why?" He asks and I feel like ripping my hair out.

Can't I have a normal life where I hang out with my friends? No, Chris and Jordan apparently want to crash this. Ugh!

"It's annoying. So is that stupid grin of yours." I say and that only makes him grin wider. His lips will stretch and not go back to the original place, I swear, and I am secretly wishing for it to happen.

"Well, if the two of you are done flirting. Claire, kitchen! Now." Chris says, his eyes boring into his best friend who again, just shrugs at him.

Despite my stubborn self, I follow Chris in the kitchen because the sooner he tells me why he's here, the sooner he can leave. My food is on the way and I don't want to ruin it because of his presence in my house.

"I gave you one task, Claire! One fucking task and you could not do it." He says through gritted teeth and I snap my head towards him.

"What the hell are you talking about?" I ask and his fingers tug at the roots of his hair.

"She knows! Someone confirmed it, and it can only be you or your best friends." He says and I give him a pathetic look.

"What is up your ass, Jay? Why the hell would either of us say anything to Caitlyn of all people? None of us want her to rain her wrath on us. We know better." I tell him, and he stares at me, as if trying to detect if I am lying.