"Well, what do we have here Hart?" He asked a humourless smirk on his face..."
"This isn't what you think it is," I interjected quickly before he could speak again.
A  smile spread across his lips but held no warmth.
"Yeah, okay Rachel," he said sarcastically, turning to walk back to his car.
I rushed after him annoyed by the accusation in his tone.
"Why are you even mad right now?" I demanded. These games were becoming more than we bargained for. I was over this back and fourth battle of wits.
"You're the one who told me to go out with him!" I yelled, I was trying to make a point but that was lost to me now at the hypocrisy of Aden's actions.
He spun all too quickly and I almost crashed into him.
"I'm mad because I'm the idiot who's been thinking about you all night and day since that shit at my house, and than all that crap with Caroline. I'm mad because I came to pick you up for school and apologise, only to find out you've already gotten a ride," he spat through gritted teeth, turning to get in his car.
The double meaning hadn't been lost on me and it stopped me in my tracks that he hadn't given me the time to explain, jumping to conclusions, thinking that I was just like the girls he fooled around with and had actually slept with Tristan.
"Let me explain!" I called as the engine of his car roared to life silencing all the words I called out. Without another moment he was gone, his car retreating in a cloud of dust and dismay.
"Okay, so we're definitely ditching after that," Tristan said, coming up to stand by me as I watched Aden speed off from the end of the driveway.
I faced him and nodded unable to say anything.
"Come on," he urged. "Get ready and I'm going to take you out." He pushed me back towards the house.
Tristan and I walked to a nearby lake that I hadn't realised was there because I never really left the house, especially if it meant walking.
I was on edge on the walk, but Tristan was careful with me, distracting me with me with random conversations that made us both laugh.
The lake was beautiful and in the few months that I had been back, I hadn't had the courage to come this far to see what laid beyond my limits.

Josh, Jamie and I hadn't lived in this neighbourhood long, we used to live down the road from Aden ironically, but after the accident Josh had been struggling with the upkeep of a big house, absent parents, a hospitalised sibling and a toddler. This had to be th alternative. But the transtion hadn't been as difficult when I was released.
We sat by the lake's edge for a long time, skipping rocks.
"How did you find this place?" I asked.
Tristan smiled.
"I used to come here a lot, before I came out to my family," he said, turning to give me a cheeky smile.
"Oh!" I said, understanding.
"Yeah, its the only place that could even be considered as a decent date destination," he chuckled, but I knew that he did other things then just enjoy the scenery out here.
I looked around, the greenery and waterviews romanticised by the sunny day.
I smiled lost in the moment for just long enough to forget about the world but I was brought back to reality all too quickly.
"This is all such a mess," I whispered.
"Don't worry, I'll clear things up with Aden," Travis replied, skipping another rock. "See? He's an idiot. What if this had been a thing between you and I?"
I contemplated the idea.
"What do you mean?" I pressed.
Tristan smiled. "Let's say I didn't bat for the other team. What if we had gone on dates, and we slept together? He forced you to date me because he was trying to keep you at arms length, just like he did with Caroline. Doesn't take a rocket scientist to see he is fronting and that he likes you. He's always liked you. But then life got in the way." He rested back on the rock we were perched on. "It's a game to him. There's a reason they call him a player."
"I'm tired if playing this game with him." I was lost with Aden and I must have been confused because Tristan was actually making sense. "He only wants me because he cant have me."
Tristan chuckled. "But he could have you right?" He looked at me again. "Because you've fallen for him."
Tristan was so intuitive that it made me wonder whether I had been too obvious with my feelings.
I nodded. "But not in his bed, where he wants me to be."
Tristan nodded thoughtfully and the rest of our lake-side adventure was spent quietly looking out at the water for what seemed like hours.
We didn't talk about Aden or Caroline on our walk back to the house and as we said our goodbyes, I hugged Tristan tightly, silently thanking him for being here.
"I'll see you at school tomorrow," he whispered and he too was gone quickly. Leaving me on my own again.

"Hey kiddo!" Josh said as I walked inside. "Did you ditch school? I got the weirdest call from principle Cartwright-"
I crashed in to the warmth of him, my arms wrapping around his body and burrowing my face into his chest.
Josh was startled for a minute but his protective big brother instincts seemed to kick in and his arms caged me, squeezing me tight.
"Who am I killing?" He whispered with a sigh, resting his chin on the top of my head.
"Am I an option?" I muttered into him, the sound muffled by his shirt.
He pulled me away from him to look at me with a drawn look. "What's going on?"
I explained the bits I could to him and watched him attempt to process my teenage drama.
He sneered at me.
"So you kissed Aden? Caroline got mad because she wants to sleep with him. But he wants to sleep with you and Tristan doesn't want to sleep with anyone? But Aden wreckons you did?" He asked.
I grunted and shook my head. "Yeah, I guess you aren't wrong. Buts it's not even about sleeping with people-"
"It's about the fact that you actually have feelings for Aden now, and your best friend does too?" He said, with a small smile.
My brows furrowed and I nodded. "And now Caroline thinks I've betrayed her and Aden thinks that I've slept with Tristan," I muttered.
"But Tristan's gay?" He interjected.
"I know he is!" I spat. "Wait, you know?"

Josh laughed. "Do you think I would have let him stay over, in your bed, if I didn't?"
I looked at him wondering how he had known.
"Tristan has a brother, Michael. We used to be lab partners. We got to be good mates, still are. Tristan came up here and there. It's not a secret Rach," he said.
I thought hard, if that had been the case, why hadn't Aden known then? I mean I had just found out too, but credit to me I had just returned to the school. Were Aden and I going to completely different school's now? He was in this bubble of games, girls, football and popularity, while I was living in the real world.
"Look sis, I'm not good at all this stuff. But, if you like Aden, just tell him how you feel," Josh pressed. "It's as simple as that. He showed up here, got mad and petty, so obviously he has some sense in that thick head of his," he laughed.
I nodded. "But Caroline?"
Josh pressed his lips into a line. "I don't know about that one Rach. But you're smart, I'm sure you'll figure it out," he said hugging me tightly once more.

I didn't think about it throughout the night, my hours spent running around after Jamie.
"Ally says that Aden wants to kiss you all the time," he said speedily, as I tucked him to bed.
I raised my eyebrows at him, smiling.
"But Anna says that you don't want to kiss him all the time," he added, his face crunching. "Kissing is yuck!"
I nodded. "Yes it is! And you should never do it!"
I laughed as he seemed to think for a moment, but then nodded. "Okay, Rachy."
His eyes got heavier and for a while he tried hard to fight sleep, before he gave in and shut them.
"But I like Aden, he's fun. So, it's okay if you do want to kiss him all the time," he said softly before drifting to sleep.
I nodded to myself, laughing at the thought of being granted permission from my little brother.
"I like him too kid," I whispered, before kissing him goodnight.

Josh's advice rolled in my head and i knew I had to tell Aden whether it made a difference or not. The nerves were building in my stomach as I reached for my phone. My fingers found the name in my contacts quicker than my brain could think.
It rang, and rang and I waited, the anxiety making me pace around the room.
"Hey, this is Aden, leave a message."
Even the sound of his voicemail left my heart in a flutter.
"Aden I-"

Authors Note:
Hey there lovely readers! Hope you all liked this chapter! Would you all like a bonus chapter this week? Comment, vote and share to let me know your answer 😁

As always, stay safe, wash your hands and have a lovely day! ❤

- Love MB.Ren