After I told my mom everything about my trip over dinner, leaving out the few moments I shared with Alex although I'm sure she caught on that I was leaving things out, I took a shower and climbed into bed and man, was it good to sleep in my bed again.

After my head it the pillow, I was out like a light and woke up this morning to the smell of pancakes and blueberry syrup. Not only that but also a message from Alex saying that since my car is by his house, his mom is inviting me to lunch and I can come home with my car. Of course I didn't hesitate to say yes nor did I hesitate to scoff down the stack of pancakes my mom placed on my plate.

"Slow down." My mom says as she eyes my eating manners.

I pause mid-bite. "Sowy." I say through a mouthful of food. She shakes her head with a laugh.
"You sure are excited to him although you've been with him the whole week, huh?"

I shrug, "I like spending time with Alex." I respond honestly. I chew on another pancake before realizing how quiet it is and feel the weight of my mother's gaze on me. When I look at her, she has a knowing look on her face and is smiling creepily.

"Stop looking at me like that." I say, my voice catching an edge to it. "It's creepy." I mutter. She holds her hands up in surrender before placing her coffee mug down.

"You know," She starts. "You never told me what happened with those other friends of yours? Kelcy, Chloe-"

"It's Courtney, mom." I say curtly.
"Sorry, I forgot. Like I said, I haven't seen them in a while." I finish chewing my pancake before taking a sip of my orange juice. I swallow the lump in my throat and look my mom in the eyes.

"We just drifted apart." I answer vaguely.

My mom frowns. "Well you guys were such close friends, how did you just drift a-"

"We just did, okay? I don't know what happened but things changed." I snap suddenly, my fork clattering to my plate as I drop it. My mom's eyes widen and anger but also sympathy flashes through them. Damn it. Even when I'm not friends with the Elite, they still manage to get between my mom and I. I sigh and pinch my nose before pushing my chair back and placing my dish in the sink.

My mom takes a sip of her coffee and looks at me with guilt. "I'm sorry sweetie, I didn't k-"

"It's fine, mom. Just..." I say, leaning against the counter, my back towards her. I turn around to look at her with an apologetic smile. I shouldn't have snapped at my mom like that.I walk towards her and I grab ahold of her forearm.

"I'm sorry, mom. It just hurts." I start. "I'm no longer friends with them and I'm just struggling to accept that sometimes. I shouldn't have snapped at you." I apologize.
She shakes her head and pulls me into a hug, "It's okay, sweetie. I understand." She murmurs into my hair. I inhale her sent and my tense muscles relax.

"Why didn't you tell me?" She asks as she pulls back and eyes my face.

I shake my head. "I didn't see a need." A flicker of hurt crosses over her eyes and guilt gnaws at my stomach. "Just because you don't think so, doesn't mean it's true. Next time tell me, okay?"

I nod with a shaky laugh. She rubs my shoulders in a comforting manner. "Now go get ready before you're late." I nod and leave her embrace, heading for the stairs just as she calls me.

"Yeah?" I ask.

"You can tell me if something happens. You know that right?" She asks. Tears sting at my eyes and I nod, giving her a small smile. "I know." She nods back at me before turning around and continuing with the dishes. I continue upstairs heading for my bathroom all the while trying to ignore the guilt overwhelming me.

After taking a hot shower in hopes of clearing my head, I brush my teeth and run a brush through hair before deciding to leave it in its natural waves. I throw on a pair of white, ripped high waist denim shorts along with a baggy but still trendy shirt before slipping my white converse on. I grab the small handbag from my desk and shove my phone inside of it before making my way back downstairs.

The one thing I absolutely love about Alex is the fact that I don't feel the need to put makeup on around him, or wear the prettiest of dresses or even make my hair look perfect. I can wear what I like, what I feel comfortable in and feel like he isn't looking at me as if I'm pathetic. That was one advantage I never had in the Elite.

When I reach the living room, my mom is ready herself, reading a book on the couch while her damp hair cascades down her back.

The guilt from our previous argument is still eating away at me but I remind myself why I can't tell her, why I never have. With that in mind, I shift my weight from one foot to the other.
The doorbell suddenly rings and my mom looks up, meeting my gaze with surprise since she didn't know I was just standing awkwardly by the doorframe.
Her eyes gaze over my outfit and a small smile makes her lips twitch.
"Well you look nice." She comments. "Thanks, mom." I mumble. "I'm going to get going. I won't be home late."

My mom nods at me and tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. "Alright. I'll see you later then. If Natalie asks, tell her I'll call her later today." My mom instructs me.

"Okay, bye." I say, walking out of the room before stopping mid-step. I turn around and look at my mom sadly. I walk to her and kiss her cheek before pulling back and standing upright again. "I love you."

She gives me a genuine smile. "I know. I love you too." I nod at her, my lips pursed as I walk towards our front door, wiping my eyes to make sure there's no stray tears that have escaped before pulling the door open.

Standing in all his glory, in a black button up shirt, jeans and sneakers, Alex looks away from where he was gazing and gets up from the rail he was leaning on.
He looks at me before giving my outfit a once-over which causes his lips to twitch into a smirk.

I hope he likes what I'm wearing.

With my hand still on the doorknob and my cheeks burning from the silly thought and his unnerving gaze, I give him a sheepish smile. "Hey."

When his eyes meet mine he grins, "Hey."

I close the door behind me and stand in front of him. "You look really good." I suddenly blurt out causing me to slap a hand over my mouth and my cheeks to burn to a new extent. However, it's no word of a lie, he does look good. Really good.

He chuckles lightly at my comment and grins, his eyes twinkling and my breath catches in my throat. "You look nice too." He comments casually. My eyes widen slightly and I internally knock myself for not being able to keep my mouth shut.

"C'mon." He says as he grabs my hand and pulls me towards his car. I smile at the sight of our linked hands and how my arm tingles from his touch and how it feels like a million butterflies are fluttering around in my stomach.
He unlocks his car and we sadly have to let go. Before I know it, we're on the road on the way to his house with Alan Walker paying softly in the background.

As I watch the outside blur into one messy image, I can't help but keep replaying the argument I had with my mom over and over again. Damnit, I'm such a brat! All my mother wanted to know was a little bit of insight into my life and yet I keep locking her out. Some kids would kill to have a mother that actually cares yet here I am, taking it for granted.
Maybe I should just tell her. Tell her all the shit that's being going on. Tell her everything thing I've ever done and regretted.

No.

I can't possibly do that. My mom would never let it slide. She'd get involved and try sort it out despite my protests of telling her it would make it worse. The Smiths- for all I know- could get my mom fired. After all, they are a very influential family here in Miami and they're rolling in cash, and cash can do a lot of talking if you know what I mean.

I sigh. I can't believe how the Elite are still influencing the relationship between me and my mom, wedging a gap between us that I can't get over. How could I be so stupid? How could I think that they were my true friends? How could I think that I could leave anytime I wanted? How could I think I could live with all my lies forever? How could I think I could do this?

My mother will probably hate me when she finds out about my shitty high school career- if she ever finds out because I sure as hell don't want to have to be the bearer of bad news letting her in on the fact that her daughter has being lying to her for the past four years.

"Sophie? You okay?" Alex asks me.

"Do you tell your mom about everything you do?" I suddenly blurt out, my head snapping to his. He briefly looks at me and lets out a weak laugh while shaking his head. I already know the answer to that. Of course he doesn't. How could someone tell their mother that they have a new booty call every day of the week? Or that they drink at parties, smoke joints and ditch school whenever they feel like? However, I still feel the need to hear it from him, himself.

"Hell no." He shakes his head. Alex looks at me again and when he catches hold of my facial expression, his smile drops into a frown. "What's wrong, Princess?" He asks sincerely and the nickname makes my heart swell.

I look at the road ahead of us, trying to keep my tears at bay.
"I had an argument with my mom." I say so softly that I'm not too sure he heard me. However he does, and he purses his lips.
"About what?"

"The Elite." I respond angrily.

"She knows?" He asks in shock.
" Of course not! That's exactly the problem!" I suddenly shout.
"I can't tell her anything! I can't tell her a a fucking thing without disappointing her!" My hands fly up in the air in exasperation.
"I am a disappointment. What kind of a daughter lies to her mother as naturally as breathing? Why can't my life just be normal?! Why can't I just move on?" I sob.
"Why can't I just move on?"

It's then that I realize the car is no longer moving and that there are hot tears rolling down my cheeks.
I'm suddenly pulled into a warm embrace. I sob against Alex's shoulder. I feel him shove an arm under my thighs before he swiftly lifts me up and puts me on his lap, while he holds me gently. I grip his shirt and my tears fall onto it, soaking it in the process.
I breathe in his scent and it begins to calm me down.

"Shh..." He comforts me. "It's going to be okay." He rocks me back and forth almost as if I'm a baby, "It's going to be okay," He whispers, resting his chin on my head. When I finally manage to steady my breathing and compose myself, I pull back and Alex stares at me, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear.

"Listen to me, Sophie. You are not a disappointment. Neither are you your mistakes. You've made mistakes, yeah, so what? We all have. You're willing to learn and you're trying to fix what you did wrong. That's what matters." He tells me. "Your mistakes don't define you."

"I just feel so alone sometimes." I say sadly, new tears spilling down my cheeks.

"Hey, hey." He whispers, catching the tears. "You're not alone, okay? I'm here." He looks at me with so much concern and worry that I want to sob even more. I nod at his words and he pulls me back into his chest. "And I promise I'm not going anywhere."

After a few minutes, I pull back and sniffle a little, wiping at my nose. I eye his shirt and let out a weak laugh, "I stained your shirt with my tears." He looks down at his shirt and chuckles too. "I'm sorry." I mumble sheepishly.

He gives me a small smile, "Don't apologize. I'd dirty any shirt for you if it means I'll be catching your tears." He comments.

His words send a jolt of electricity through me and the butterflies in my stomach start fluttering again.
Suddenly I lose myself in the depths of his hazel eyes before realizing how intimate this position is. My cheeks immediately begin to burn and my eyes widen. We stare at each other for a moment, both of us dazing out and I, right then and there, want to kiss him until I can't breathe; until I don't know what pain is anymore.

When we both flip back into reality, I laugh awkwardly before climbing off of his lap and back into the passenger seat before realizing that we're only a few meters away from his house.

"Look, if you want to go somewhere else then we don't have to go for lunch at my ho-"
Alex starts but I cut him off. "No. It's fine. I want to go."

He gives me a hesitant look. "Really," I say "It's fine."
He looks at me a little while longer before he nods, "Alright."
He then starts up the car and drives into his driveway before parking the car. I look at my reflection in the car mirror before noticing how puffy my eyes look. I wipe the moisture from them and sigh as I fish for a cover stick in my bag. When a I find it, I apply a little bit to each bag, just to take away the colour of them.

After rubbing it in, I put it back and when I face Alex who has being patiently waiting for me, he is already looking at me.
"You ready?" He asks. I nod and give him a smile before climbing out the car.

Alex grabs my hand when he comes around and he opens the door to his house, the smell of cherry pie and brownies hitting my nose.

"Alex?" I hear Natalie ask from the kitchen.

"Yeah, mom?" He answers. Just then, the sound of small footsteps coming from the living room can be heard just before Lily comes sprinting into the hallway in a blue Elsa dress.

"Sophie!" She squeals as she lunges at me. I let go of Alex's hand to catch her and I stumble back a bit as I lift her in my arms.

"Woah, easy there Lily."Alex scolds his little sister. "She's not as strong as me." He adds with a smirk. I glare at him over Lily's shoulder and his smirk widens.
Lily immediately pulls back and scowls at her brother. "Mommy said girls can be stwong too!"

"Well Sophie doesn't work out like me-"

"Alex Timothy Rosewood! Do not make me smack some sense into you!" A very authoritative voice is suddenly heard. Alex winces at his full name and I burst out laughing. "Mom."

He groans, "You know I hate my full name."

"And that's exactly why I used it." His mom says in a chirpy voice.

Natalie miles sweetly at me while her hands rest on her hips. Her hair is placed in a perfectly neat bun while she wears a white satin blouse and pink skirt with open sandals. Good looks clearly run in the family. I place Lily down on the floor and notice how long her hair is for a girl of her age.

"Sophie!" Natalie gushes as she walks over to me. "It's so good to see you again." She pulls me into a tight brace and her personal smell of lavender wafts into my nose again. "It's nice to see you too," I smile politely. She grins before rubbing her hands together.

"Food will be ready soon." She informs me and I nod in delight.

I could really use some food right now.

****

"If I have to hear one more song, I'm going to drown in my own sorrow." Alex grumbles for the hundredth time. Lily glares at him for making a noise and I laugh at how adorably cute she looks.

"Well, what are you expecting? It's Frozen." I say in a "duh" tone. He scowls before whining. "I don't care."

I gawk at him. Did Alex Rosewood just whine?

Before I can answer, Emily's voice sounds from the kitchen. "Food is ready kids!" Lily is the first one to sprint out of my arms and to the dining table. I stand up and stretch my sore muscles. Alex watches my every move and I feel slightly unnerved.

"What?" I ask.

"Nothing." He mutters. I frown at him as he stands up but ignore it as we walk to the dining room where a variety of food is set out, looking absolutely mouthwatering. The rectangular table can seat six people and Natalie takes a seat at one side, Lily next to her. Alex and I take a seat next to each other, opposite his mother and Lily.

"The food looks lovely, Natalie." I comment before breathing deeply. "And smells amazing too," I add which she chuckles at. "Thank you, Sophie. I actually really enjoy cooking." She says as we start dishing up.

"Well it's clearly paid off." I smile.

She laughs, "I would sure hope so."

"Mommy," Lily whines before telling her mom what she does and doesn't want as me and Alex continue dishing up. When we all have what we want on our plates, we dig in and I mentally moan in delight. "This is so good!" I gush at Mrs Rosewood. She laughs at my expression. "It's a new recipe for casserole that I've being trying." She responds.

"It's absolutely delicious!" I say once again. "I so wish I could cook like this."

"I'm pretty sure you'd fail the recipe," Alex teases me. I roll my eyes at him before kicking him under the table. "Oof!" He groans. I smile smugly at him while his mother watches us.

When I look back at her, she swallows the food in her mouth, "So, Sophie, when do you plan on-" before Alex's mom can finish, the sound of the door opening and closing can be heard and then the sound of jingling keys and footsteps. Alex suddenly tenses beside me and I frown. The awkward tension that fills the silence around the table is unbearable and almost suffocating. I'm slightly confused as to what caused the change in mood but am not given much time to think about.

"I thought you said he wasn't coming back until tomorrow." Alex hisses at his mother. My eyebrows scrunch together.

"He was supposed to but his flight got moved up." Emily whispers back at Alex.

"And you just conveniently forgot to tell me about that?" Alex whispers coldly.

Before Mrs Rosewood can respond, Lily scrapes her chair back and squeals "Daddy!"

She runs into the hallway and that's when the realization hits me. Alex's dad is home. Mr Rosewood is here. And Alex doesn't get on with him. Shit. This can't be good. My face immediately pales and I look at the hallway as I hear a deep chuckle.

"Lilykins! How are you my baby?" The voice says, putting something which sounds like a brief case down. "I'm good daddy! Alex has a new friend! She's so pwetty!"Lily giggles. I don't know if I should be flattered that Lily thinks I'm pretty or scared that she basically just told Mr Rosewood that I'm here.

"A pretty friend, huh?" He asks. Before I can consider making a run for it, a tall man with dark, tanned skin comes into view. He has dark black hair with warm hazel eyes. His nose is pointy and his lips settled into a smile. Clad in a black suit, with a straight posture and fancy watch, his whole aura screams dominance and wealth. He puts Lily who was once in his arms down and Natalie stands up. "Love! You're home early," Mrs Rosewood says as she hugs him and kisses him on the cheek.

"Well, I decided to move my flight up so I could spend a little bit of time with my family before leaving for Chicago on Tuesday."
He responds calmly.

"Oh, well that most certainly is of great news." Natalie smiles, her blue eyes sparkling. Mr Rosewood nods before looking in Alex's direction. I sense Alex tense further, his posture going rigid and his jaw locking and ticking. He sure doesn't like his dad very much. Well, step-dad I should rather say.

Mr Rosewood gives Alex a curt nod with a tight smile, "Alex," He says in greeting. Alex grunts in respond and I can see the exasperation in Mr Rosewood's eyes. Mr Rosewood clearly hadn't noticed me until his eyes slide from Alex to me, a curious yet surprised look coming over his features. I immediately