As I near closer to Issac and Maxwell, I begin to hear Maxwell's harsh words.

"So what you date my sister while trying to bang your ex. I bet you are just like your best friend Asher. Always trying to get in everyone's knickers." He says to Issac, his words bitter and laced with a poison intended to hurt Issac.

"Dude, I broke up with Mackenzie because I didn't want to hurt her."

"And yet she got hurt anyway. And now I will beat your ass." His grip on the lacrosse stick tightens and I push my legs to move faster. Just a few more feet.

"Maxwell, you don't want to do this."

"Yeah you're right. I will beat you with my bloody hands!" He drops the stick and starts cracking his knuckles. Issac looks unfazed by all this because...well he is Issac. Just as Maxwell is about to bring his fist up and punch Issac in his face, I stand right in between the two and grab Maxwell's wrist before he could punch me.

To say he was shocked is an understatement. He brings his arm back to his side.

"Bay, what the hell!" Issac yells behind me.

"Shut the hell up Issac." I tell him in a calm, yet deadly voice. I look back at Maxwell and in his light brown eyes are anger and betrayal. It's blinding him and he isn't realizing it.

"You hate Issac because of what he did right?"

He nods his head.

"Well hate me too. Your sister probably hates me and blames me for all of this. And maybe it is my fault, but don't hit Issac. Be mad at me. Hold the grudge on me."

"I can't hit a girl."

"Don't hit anything at all. I know you are hurt. You trusted Issac with your sister's heart. It may feel like your sister's heart is crushed right now, but your sister has a big heart and not even Issac Evans can crush it. She has a heart made of gold and nothing can destroy that. Instead of trying to beat the living crap out of Issac, go and be with your sister and comfort her."

Maxwell looks at me for a while, wondering whether my words are coming from a genuine place and not just trying to save my best friend's ass. He eventually gives in and glares at Issac one last time before running off the field. I let out a sigh in relief.

"What the hell were you thinking? He could of hit you on accident!" Issac yells when he is right in front of me.

"That was incredibly stupid! If he had punched you, you would've been knocked out on the floor with a bruise to last for weeks. Your mom will hate me for letting that happen to you. Oh and Zoe, she will shave my head in my sleep and god, are you nuts?" He adds and continues to rant. I listen to him rant with an amused look on my face.

"What the hell are you smiling about?" he asks.

"You."

"Is me worrying that you could've gotten hurt funny?" He asks and his nose flares in anger. "Bay, I can't have you getting hurt. Don't you understand. It would kill me if you got hurt because of me." He pleads for me to understand.

God, I just want to kiss him so badly right now.

"Okay, I got you. Stay out of trouble."

Issac sighs and walks closer to me and envelops me into a tight hug. He wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me close and I do the same. We just stand there for a while in each other's arms enjoying the moment while it lasts because once we step back into that school building it will be me, him, and the entire school.

We pull apart shortly when we hear the school bell in the distance, indicating that free period is over. Zoe is no longer standing where I left her.

"Let's go." he whispers and we walk back into the building.

"I have to go to class, I will see you when I see you, okay?"

"Yeah"

I walk off to AP Bio feeling more at peace with myself than I did in 10 minutes ago talking to Mackenzie though the same guilty feeling is still there.

...

1 week later...

"OK Asher you can bring him over now. Everything is ready." I tell him over the phone with a smile on my face.

"I can practically hear you smiling."

"What can I say, I'm happy." I respond as I look at everything I did in 5 hours.

"Alright. We will be over in 10.

"Gotcha." I hang up and Zoe walks over to me with a smile on her face.

"The place is great."

"Yeah. Is everyone in place?"

"Yup and can I add you look amazing by the way."

"Yeah" I say and look down at my outfit.

"And the red lipstick. You are trying to tease the golden boy, aren't you?" she says with a smirk on her face.

"Maybe" I say and shrug. We bust out laughing. These are some of my favorite times with my sister. I could talk to her about anything.

"I gotta have a word with Victoria and Sienna, hold on" I say and walk off and to the kitchen. Victoria, Sienna, and Cartier are all chatting and sipping wine.

I clear my throat and the trio of girls look at me. Victoria gives me a pointed glare and Sienna mirrors it. Cartier gives me a small smile. Cartier and I have talked out everything. She never hated me and apologized for her friend. I could even say that we are friends.

"Can we talk?" I ask.

"It's your house." Victoria says.

I roll my eyes and decide to hurry up and get to the point. 

"We have our differences. You hate me and I am not too fond of you either, but today is about Issac and his happiness. Us bitch fighting will ruin the evening. So can we please put our differences aside and focus on keeping Issac happy on his birthday. Can you do that?"

Victoria huffs in annoyance and and puts a manicured hand on her waist. "Fine. Issac tonight. We fight tomorrow."

"Great. Issac will be here in 5 minutes. Get in position." I tell them and I walk away and grab the confetti gun I will shoot once Issac is here. 

"Everyone get in place. I am shutting off the lights!" I yell and walk over to the lights. I shut off every light and I get in position myself. A car drives into the lot and excitement bubbles up in me. Footsteps get closer to the door and the knob twists and opens. 

"Hello?" Issac voice asks.

"3...2....1" I whisper to myself. Asher comes up behind Issac with the paint gun. 

Asher presses trigger on the gun and glow in the dark paint shoots out from the gun and splashes all over Issac's clothes. I struggle to hold in my chortles and bite my lip to hold it down. 

"What the he-"

The lights flip on and everyone shoots up from wherever they are hiding and screams "SURPRISE!!"

Issac POV

"SURPRISE!!" A bunch of loud voices scream after I just got shot with paint and my eyes widen at everything around me. The one thing that catches my eyes is Bay Stewart. She holds a confetti gun and she gives me a smirk before pressing the trigger and letting the confetti shoot in the air and scatter the room. 

She looks drop dead gorgeous. She has on a black lace top with black jeans and heels. Her lips are red,which is my favorite color so I know she did that on purpose. Her curly brown and blond hair frames her face and cascades past her shoulder. She is a goddess. She is better than me, better than everyone in this town. To know Bay Stewart is a gift. She is a gift.

Armani walks up to me and embraces me in a bro hug as does Asher. Cartier gives me a small hug and then walks back into the arms of her boyfriend. 

Bay walks up to me and every time she walks closer to me, my heart skips more and more beats. Her soft brown skin glistens under the shiny lights put up on the ceiling. When she stands right in front of me, she looks up at me with a smile on her face. Despite wearing, I am guessing, 5 inch heels, she is still shorter than me, but it is so cute. She is my feisty little thing.

"Happy birthday." she says in a sweet voice.

"You did all of this?"

"Well, I had help. Everyone pitched in" I look over to Victoria and Sienna and Bay follows my eye line. "Everyone participated in their own way. Even if it was just showing up."

Humble, one of her best traits.

"This is awesome Bay."

"I can't wait for you to see the cake!" she says excitedly like a little kid showing their first masterpiece.

"First..." I embrace her in a hug breathing in her warm vanilla smell. She smells like home. She is home. She hugs me back and rubs her tiny hands up and down my back causing me to shudder under her small touch.

She pulls away first with a smile on her face. 

"Hungry?"

"Yes" But what I am hungry for is not on the menu.

"Let's get the birthday boy some pizza" she says and hold my hand and leads me to the dining area. 

"OK everyone it's time to eat!" Bay yells and everyone walks in and grabs a slice of pizza. I grab a slice of the bacon and pepperoni pizza that no doubt, Asher chose. Bay takes up a slice of tomato and basil flatbread pizza.

Why do chicks like that stuff? It's so plain.

We all gather on the rug in front of the TV and eat our pizza while watching re runs of Friends.

Sounds stupid, right?

But I didn't care about the show. I just cared about the people around me. My dad is away in Venice closing a deal, so if it weren't for this party, I would be at home doing absolutely nothing.

We eat for an hour while laughing and talking while watching this crazy ass show. Bay and Armani snuck away a while back and everyone is looking at each other with weird looks like they know something I don't. 

Suddenly the lights turn off again and I hear creaking wheels against the tiled floor. Everyone starts singing the happy birthday song. Sparklers go off to my right and I stand up and walk over to it. You know those stick things that have like sparks flying off it. That is it. The lights turn back on once everyone finishes saying happy birthday to me. Armani and Bay have wheeled in a cake that looks like a lacrosse field, but on the cake is a big white jersey that says Evans and the number 18 under it. 

I know Bay did this.

Bay is looking at me with a blush on her face and I hand her a knowing smirk. 

"Why are there are 19 candles on the cake?"

"For good luck." Zoe says beside me. Everyone gathers around me and I look at everyone with a happy smile on my face.

"Blow the candles out." Bay says with a happy smile on her face. That right there. That smile is the best birthday gift anyone can give me.

I blow out the all the candles and everyone breaks into cheer. Victoria comes up to me and gives me a hug. It isn't a possessive hug, but a genuine hug.

"Happy birthday Zacky" she says and walks off. To say I am surprised is an understatement. She wasn't a bitch. The birthday gifts keep coming in.

"Present time!" Cartier yells out and we all walk back to the rug where all the gifts are stacked right by the fireplace. 

Asher gives me his gift first. I unwrap it and I open the box.

2 Albany Great Danes lacrosse tickets. 

I have busting my ass to get these even with my connections.

"Dude! You didn't!"

"I did. I got a guy to hook me up. We are going." He says and pats me on the back. I place the gift aside and Armani gives me his gift. When I open it, I find 5 bottles of tequila in the box. We bust out laughing at the little inside joke. Let's just say it has something to do with our lightweight friend Bay Stewart. Everyone else gives me their gifts, but I am waiting for Bay's gift.

Once everyone except Bay gives me their gift, I ask, "So Bay, where is my gift?" I ask with a half smirk on my face.

"Upstairs. Let's go."

"Alright everyone let's clear out, they're about to bang" Armani gets up and stumbles over his feet. He 'walks' to the door, but  ends up falling. Dude, drank an entire bottle of tequila.

Bay's face turns beet red and I feel the blood rush my my ears. I slap Armani on his head receiving a painful hiss from him. I walk away from him and to Bay who is making her way upstairs. 

"Play music guys!" Bay yells. 

Bay leads me into her room that is pitch dark and when she turns on the light, I stare wide eyed at the scene in front of me. Red piece of paper are scattered around the room, on the window sill, bed, floor, TV, everywhere. It is the exact setup of what I did for her on the plane in Alaska.

"Bay.."

"Go on" she gestures to the notes around the room. I give her a small smile and walk over to the note that says 1. I open it up and it says 'I cherish you because....' I put that note down and then go to the 2nd note and it says 'Because you buy me Chipotle'. 

The next note says 'Because you believe in me'

The next says 'Because you made me go bungee jumping'

Fast forward to the last 3 and my heart practically leapt out my chest reading these.

'Because you made me smile again'

The next one says 'Because I love you' 

My breath hitches in my throat and I stare at the note and read it over and over again wondering if I may have drank too many shots tonight. I turn around and look at Bay with the note in my hand. She looks at the red note and her hazel eyes twinkle and she gives me a shy smile.

I love you too Bay Valeria Stewart. I always have.

I put the note down and go to the last one, wondering what could top the fact that Bay loves me. 

The last one says, 'I am not the only one who loves you.'

I look at it utterly confused and I look back at Bay. She has a remote in her hands.

"Sit Issac." she says gently and I sit on her bed in front of the TV.

"I went to your father. Ant I told him about my entire plan, but I needed something, something meaningful that could connect with you on a personal and emotional level-

You do, i want to say.

"Your mother created a video that was meant for you to listen to when you were 18 years old. Your father has been holding on to it and he gave it to me and you need to watch it. I haven't watched it." Bay presses a button and my mother's face pops up on the screen. She is smiling. Her blonde hair is pinned up and her beautiful eyes are shining like they always did when she would look at me. My eyes sting as I fight the urge to start crying like a baby in front of Bay.

"I'm gonna go." Bay whispers and she hands me the remote.

"Don't. Stay."  I ask her.

She turns back around and walks over to me and sits down next to me on the bed. I press the button on the remote and my mom start moving around. She is shuffling in the bed. 

"Issac." she says with a smile on her face. I admire how my name rolls off her tongue in such a tender way.

"If you are watching this, you are 18. My beautiful boy has grown up. That was always my dream. But if you are also watching this, something has gone terribly wrong and I am dead" she has a sad look on her face and I wish I could jump through the screen and hug my mother one last time. To smell her cinnamon scent one more time. I would give anything. 

"My beautiful Issac please don't let my loss deter you from life's greatest adventures and the happiness. I want you to be happy. Settle down and find the woman who makes your heart beat faster than the speed of light. Hold on to her and cherish her. Have a family and love them like I love you and more. Also, don't let your father pressure you into being a business man. Being in the business is a very unstable life. Moving around, unable to stay with family for long periods of time. If there is something that you love, that you are passionate about, do it. Regarding your father, he will become detached. He loved me with his heart, body, mind and soul. Losing me will crush him and he may push you away but don't let him. Fight him, of course not physically, but be there for him. Now to business, I have a private account that you will be able to access once you are 18. It contains enough money to set you for life, not that your father won't have it covered" she laughs to herself and my heart beats faster to hear my mother's giggle that would light up the house. I wipe off a few tears that have traitorously fallen from my eyes. "Spend it wisely Issac. I love you so much. I love you beyond words. You are the best thing that could ever happened to me and I love you. Don't forget that. Don't do anything stupid. Don't follow friends. Don't smoke and do drugs. Be the best person you could be, okay? And I will always love you. Goodbye my beautiful boy." The video shuts off and I release a shaky breath I didn't know I was holding on to. I wipe my face from the tears streaming down my face and sniffle.

Bay picks up my left arm and puts it around her shoulder and she hugs my waist. 

"If you have to cry, cry. I am here. You could cry." she murmurs against my chest. A tear slips down my face and lands on her shoulder and I curse myself for being so damn emotional right now.

"It's okay Issac." Bay says and I feel something wet on my shirt. I look down to see Bay crying on my shirt. 

No. 

"Bay" I lift her up to see her eyes red and her mascara running. "Please don't cry. God, no." I plead her and wipe the tears that have left her eyes. She is too precious to cry. Bay looks up at me with glossy hazel eyes.

God help me.

I dip down and capture her lips and quenching this thirst that only she can satisfy. Her lips move against mine at the same pace and she rests her tiny hands on my chest. She pushes me away and I feel like I was punched in the heart. She is pushing me away again.

She grabs a remote on the bed and she presses a button. Suddenly, the ceiling lights up with purple, blue, and green lights. 

Just like the Northern Lights.

"I need to recreate the night we had out first kiss, so I won't make the same mistake." she says and drops the remote on the bed. 

"I love you too." The words slip out my mouth straight from my heart. I can't drag them back in. They are out and she could either break my heart or mend it.

A smile comes to her face and a pink blush creeps up her neck and rests on her cheeks. If I could take a picture of how beautiful she looks blushing under the 'Northern Lights', I would, but I think it would ruin the moment.

Bay drapes her left leg over my lap and then she shifts onto my lap, straddling me. She looks into my eyes that are probably as dark as night with her crystallized hazel eyes. 

She will be the death of me.

I wrap my hand around her neck and connect our lips in a swift motion. I have waited too long to taste her strawberry sweet lips again. Almost 2 months I waited with the desire to kiss Bay Stewart. To hold her in my arms the way I want to. She rests her hands at the nape of my neck and her soft fingertips caress my skin sending shivers down my spine and I feel the blood rushing south. Her lips move against mine in a fast motion, faster than our last kiss and I like it. I think she feels the same way. I am spilling every emotion, every word I wished I could tell her into this kiss because words cannot cover how I feel for Bay Stewart.

"Guys come downstairs. Armani broke a vase!!" A voice yells from downstairs and I, unfortunately, have to end the best kiss of my