I tell my mom that I'm going to the library after school, which isn't a complete lie. I'm just going to Jaden Brown's silver Mustang first.

"Amelia!" Lola waves cheerily and pulls me into a huge hug. I hug her back awkwardly. I grew up with minimal physical affection so even hugs from other girls are awkward for me.

"Go ahead and get in," Jaden says with a warm smile. Backseat it is. I open the door and my face falls immediately.

The fragrant mixture of smoke, marshmallows, and a crisp wind, which has become uncomfortably familiar to me at this point, greets me as Zack looks over with no expression.

Seriously, how can someone smell like wind? Since when does wind have a scent? Most gases are odorless and-

"You just gonna keep staring? Sit down," Zack says, bringing me out of my thoughts. 

Biting my lip, I sit on the edge of the seat and buckle up. Out of the corner of my eye, I take a peek at him. He's staring out the window, emphasizing the cut of his jawline, his long lashes visible even from where I'm sitting. The urge to scoot closer to his scent enters me and I nearly slap myself.

"What?" he says, clearly catching me staring. Again.

"Seatbelt," I blurt out.

He cocks a single brow and smirks a little. "It's a two-minute drive."

"Still... Safety first," I say weakly. His eyes glance to where I'm gripping my tightly buckled seat belt and he lets out a 'hah.'

"Tight-ass," he mutters. "Since when did you care about my safety?"

My expression sours. "Maybe not everything's about you."

"Maybe. But this is."

"Not wearing one could kill you." I keep my voice as kind as possible.

"Great."

I let out a drained sigh. "Could you drop the tough guy act for one second and just please wear your seat belt?"

"Could you just shut up for two seconds?" His tone is harsh and admittedly a little hurtful.

I face forward. Whatever. If he wants to be a little kid, then let him.

The air turns cold. Thankfully, Lola and Jaden are too busy in their own world to notice the tension in the back as Jaden drives. Maybe a minute passes by when I just barely hear a 'click.' I peer over and, sure enough, Zack's seatbelt is on. A tiny snort escapes me and when I look over, his expression isn't mad.

"Princess gets what she wants," he says with a shrug.

If this is a sign of a truce, I'll take it.

---

Our truce doesn't last long. When we get to McDonald's (somewhere I haven't eaten since I was a toddler), I've looked over the menu for a full ten seconds before he sneers, "would you hurry the fuck up?"

Really? He could just look at the big ass menu on the wall.

Jaden seems to notice what's going on and hands his menu over to Zack. "Here. I know what I'm getting."

I make sure to mouth 'thank you' silently but I think Zack sees it anyway. Jaden responds with a kind smile.

"What are you getting, Amelia?" Jaden asks.

"I'm not sure." I bite my lip. "I don't really eat McDonald's."

"Really?" Lola asks, wide-eyed. "It's so good. The fries are bomb."

"My mom is super conscious about my weight," I explain regretfully.

"That explains why you have such a perfect body," Lola compliments. If anyone else had said it, it would have sounded weird but when she says it, it feels kind of nice.

Zack snickers, ruining the moment as usual. "Is there a problem?" I ask him, daring him to say what he's thinking.

"Of course Princess Amelia's mommy won't let her eat commoner's food." My body begins to heat up.

"Woah, chill," Jaden says.

"What is your issue with me?" I demand, my body now turned towards Zack. "You're so rude to me."

"Why do you care?" he mocks in a condescending tone. "I thought I wasn't all that."

I scoff. "Someone needs to bring you down a notch."

"You just think you're so much better than everyone else."

"Zack, stop it," Lola says and shoots Jaden a worried glance.

It's too late, though. They're outsiders at this point.

"I think I'm better than everyone else? You are the most immature, egotistical person I've ever met," I snap.

"Like I said, you're pretty plain yourself," he retaliates.

"Cut it out, guys," Jaden says. "We invited you guys here so we can all get along." His eyes are on Zack.

Zack's jaw tightens as they look at each other and a sense of agreement passes through them. "Whatever," he mutters. "Just order your McDick so we can get the fuck out of here."

"Ignore him," Jaden tells me. "I think he's PMSing."

A laugh escapes me and I give him a grateful smile.

---

Zack and I both remain silent except for when Jaden and Lola attempt to make small conversation with us. I just focus on the food, which is honestly pretty good.

Hanging out with Jaden and Lola is like hanging out with the Obamas. They're just so perfect and it's nice to see but also feels like I'm intruding on something.

"You finishing that?" Zack asks suddenly, eyeing my McFlurry.

"No-"

He takes the spoon from my hand and devours a mouthful, licking the spoon clean. It's clearly a provocation. My mouth automatically forms into a grimace but I don't say anything. Instead, I hold out the remainder of my fries as an offering. He makes a grossed-out face but I insist and he proceeds to dip my fries in my ice cream. 

I let him just eat and after some thought, he pushes the ice cream to the middle and in silent agreement, we share the food. Neither of us speaks. It's probably the longest he's graced my presence without making me want to kill him and vice-versa.

"How's Joanna?" he asks as he picks up the second-to-last fry, pushing the last one towards me.

I roll my eyes and grab the fry. "Jo is fine."

For the first time, a tiny smirk graces his lips. "Of course she is; I'm the one that fixed her."

I shoot him an incredulous look before shaking my head, suppressing my smirk. At least he's teasing, not asshole-ing. No longer hangry, he stretches out his arms, his shirt lifting ever so slightly to reveal clearly defined abs. I tear my eyes away before he can catch me staring for the third time.

"Don't look at me like that," he says, clearly indicating that my efforts to not be caught were in vain.

My eyes narrow. "Like what?"

"Like you're imagining things." He gives me a frustrating smirk like he knows something that I don't. 

Geez. What kind of vague answer is that? Knowing him, probably something inappropriate. 

Against my will, the thought of how his muscles flexed as he fixed my car with confidence decides to pop into my head.

A grin creeps onto his face.

"What?" I ask, trying to sound spiteful.

"You're red," he notes amusedly. "Damn. What kind of things are you imagining?"

"I'm not!" I argue and bring my hands to my cheeks. They're on fire. "Stop laughing!"

He shakes his head. "It's always the quiet ones you gotta be careful of," he says amusedly, looking me up and down.

I stand up abruptly. "I should go," I announce, which breaks Jaden and Lola out of their lovely bubble.

"Oh, yeah. Sorry, I wasn't watching the time," Jaden apologizes.

"That's ok. Me neither," I say, embarrassed at my reaction.

"She was thinking about other things," Zack remarks smugly. If we weren't in public right now, I would flip him off and probably dump my drink on him again. The thought brings a smile to my face.

"You're delusional," I tell him as Lola looks back and forth at us with confusion.

He's delusional.

---

That night, I receive a text from an unknown number.

Unknown: Thinking of me?

I'm extremely creeped out and am on the verge of calling 911 until I realize who it is.

Amelia: How did you get my number?

I take a shower and eat dinner before he responds.

Unknown: J

Amelia: didn't have the balls to ask me yourself?

Unknown: Who said I asked for it

I let out a scoff. Even over text, he's infuriating, if not more.

Amelia: Don't you have better things to do than bother me?

Unknown: Yeah but this is more fun

Amelia: I need to study. Go jack off

Unknown: Your wish is my command princess

I roll my eyes.

Amelia: Ew

Unknown: sweet dreams

Shaking my head, I put my phone away and crack open my book of sonnets. I'm halfway through A Moth's Death when I decide to reach back into my desk drawer for my phone, just for a second. Pulling it out, I type in a name for Zack's number.

USER ID: Don't reply.

A/N: Thank you to everyone who has read this story!!! I hope you're all enjoying and staying safe :) Vote and comment if u enjoyed!