"To the world you may be one person, but to one person you are the world."

                         - Anonymous

The silence layed on Athena and Ace's drenched skin like a stinging, wicked poison. They had never encountered such awkwardness in the longest time.

They were grateful the raucous, torrential downpour had filled in for them, though filtered greatly by the superior walls of A-List's bus stop, located just at the side of the school.

They shifted around every once in a while, behaving as they had something to do, shivering quietly from the bleak water when they were exposed under the rainy sky, on a lookout for shelter.

Athena seeked a small peek at Ace. He failed to hide his immensely redden face which she knew caused by her negligence and fright to have a good talk with him about the truth.

She adjusted her soaked hair while she warmed her upper arms by rubbing them hard, then fidgeted her fingers, letting the clock tick by, hoping Ace's driver was dependable and punctilious.

Her frame stood as still as the Statue of Liberty while her vision took in all of her surroundings. It befogged her so that she was still on Earth as the premium and advanced equipment around her made it seem like she was in a spaceship instead of a bus stop.

"So what? How long are you going to keep me guessing until you tell me? " Ace tore the silent air, not only causing Athena to flinch but the chilly air generated by the AC at the bus stop was so still that he was taken aback by his own doing.

Athena pivoted to him, sighing hard as she folded her arms, partly shielding herself from the cold air. She was clueless where to begin.

Everything she had pictured before she got to A-list was the furthest from what was actually happening. Being the popular new girl? The smart and kind one that everyone looks up to?

Her foot!

A-list resembled a hell-hole more than the real hell hole ever would. But, she didn't really blame the school as it was still her best achievement in life being accepted there after all. It was the people in the school that she was pissed about.

Ace held up his hand, squeezing his eyes, offering her a clear view on the big droplets that hung on his eyelashes. "You know what. I'll tell my side of the story and you will tell me yours after. Deal, alright?" He figured if he started, she'd open up more and as well as put the puzzles together.

Athena nodded, thinking how much things had changed between them. Whenever they were alone, they could start a conversation that has no limits to it, till dawn reoccurred and repeated, they'd still chat contently, down to the tiniest things, down to the most foolish things.

Now, all they seemed to talk about was one thing and one thing only.

Thieves.

The only topic the Elites discusses and was the only subject worth talked about among them. This was what happens when a newcomer enters the world of the upper class. They will soon realize how much Thieves affect their lives in every aspects.

"Listen, that day when I was on the phone with you, I was about to tell you my motive in changing your ID, your passport and everything else to this non-existent, Elise Belle. Cuz babe, believe it or not, your name is infamous amongst the nobles. Thieves antis Athena Rose so much that all we could presume is you murdered one of their family or something."

Athena's lips parted to speak something but Ace resumed," But since the rules are made by Xerus, he's the one who's really against you with every fibre of his being. And, as you already know whoever Xerus' enemy is, is the enemy of us all. But, I never cared of nonsense like this, and even when my mother forced me to stay away from you, I just can't!" He paused for a moment, regaining himself. He felt a gigantic hill had finally get towed off of his shoulders as he continued the leftover facts that was forcing itself to spill." Because you're my only precious best friend. I couldn't care less even if you did something that the world condemn. But, please. Please, babe. All I ask of you is to tell me what really happened."

Athena pouted at his touching confession, dissolving the big addleness of her name being bigger than a Hollywood star, and ran in for a hug before guiding him to the imposing bench to try telling him everything, hoping her careless brain would stay cooperative.

"WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?! Xerus has erectile problems?! A-and you did what! You recorded him banging Ms. Roxanne?! Are you serious?!"

Athena slapped her palms onto Ace's mouth, her head snapping to every direction to see if they were caught. "Shh! I might get in trouble because of you, baffoon! I can send that video later. For now, here, the real deal is in my pocket. I swear I took it by accident. At first, I really thought for a revenge but I mean... I don't even know how should I get it out there. Like social media? The netizens would surely say I just want attention or worse I could be arrested for false assertion." She entrusted the pill bottle to Ace as he inspected it, turning it to the labels to find it empty.

"Hmm... definitely a special concoction of the greatest scientists. My mom has a few cosmetic creams that's just like this one. No labels, no expiry date, just a big fat name of its purpose." He handed it back to her quickly. An object of Xerus was always a ticking bomb, but his eyes didn't take off of the item, still scanning from afar. "Must have worth a load of pretty pennies."

Athena peered at him, the corner of her lips pinned upwards, tilting her head in scepticism. "Really? You? Talking about pretty pennies?"

He put up his hands in surrender. "Hey this is Xerus we're talking about and if I happen to have this same condition as him, I would have spent it all also. Doesn't matter if I'd end up with nothing in my pocket. A man's pride is everything and always first I'm telling you."

She rolled her eyes." I hate men sometimes. You, in particular."

He feigned his usual hurt look with a squealing, sharper tone, hand on his hard chest. "Don't be stereotypical now."

Athena's nose scrunched up and smacked him by the shoulder. "Eww... You sounded just like Lord Farquaad from Shrek."

Ace's hand sunk deeper into his chest, and with a finger up on the other hand, he told her off. "Hmph! I did not!"

Athena hummed, nodding away. "Nailed it again."

Ace teetered, leaning into her, somehow forgetting about the whole predicament. "Well... Isn't someone being funny today." He pinched her cheek harshly, making her pull away but it only hurt more as he didn't plan to let to anytime soon. "And so freaking huggable." He squashed her like a toddler being given his very first stuffed bear.

"Oh my goodness, get away! You're all wet and smelly." Athena forced him further by attacking back with a set of unceasing slaps to his back.

Ace tried to block her strikes while retorting, "Oi! Me, wet? You look like you just cane out of a haunted pond!" He pointed at her and felt offended. "Sheesh, so you can hug me and I can't?"

"What? I didn't hug you," she denied.

Ace displayed an impassive look. "Oh, yes you did, my darling."

She narrowed her eyes. "When?"

"Like a while ago?" He shook his head fairly slow.

"Hmm? I did?"

Ace inclined his head so that he was looking at the twinkling roof of the bus stop as he sighed, so used to this repetitive scenario over the years. "This is why I don't trust you to wander about A-list with a... no offense, but amnesiac mind of yours without me being there with you. And, this is also why you always get a slap on the wrist, well it will be so much more than that if you're gonna be here for good. This problem of yours will be the death of you." He shook his head. "Like how though? How did you even get through all your tests in your life with flying colours with a brain capacity of a walnut."

Athena craved to throttle him where the Sun don't shine, but she didn't, and only drowned the viscous saliva in her mouth after rethinking if the hugging event was potentially true with great vehemence.

Ace bit down hard, slanting his pressurised back onto the wall behind him, groaning. "And here I was, about to ask you of what exactly happened between you and Xerus in the past when I haven't even met you yet, but hell... You can't even remember something that happened just seconds ago, and looking at how clueless you are of him, it's much better to ask the tabloids."

Athena's shoulders got unusually tensed when he said that. The bitter agony that Xerus had infused at the area when he shook her with insane power would take eternity to fade. It was childsplay to ignore the growing purplish bruise there compared to the cringe flashbacks in the gym room.

"Sorry, Ace, you know me too well. For the life of me I can't remember, but did you see the way he looked at me? I've got goosebumps even right now just thinking about it. "

"Look at you? More like he turned the whole room into a massive zoo." Ace threw his hands in the air before huffing loudly, bringing his head into his hand, bringing about a very likely feasible. "God, it must be. It must be it."

Athena shrugged, looking at him. "What must be it?"

"The horrible you in the past must have done something to him. Most likely, he's one of your bully victims." He thought, completely unaware of what Xerus had said to her back in the gym room due to their distance.

She rubbed her chin, heavily clouded in walking down memory lane." Nah. Definitely not. If he's that important to the society, how could I even lay a finger on the tip of his hair without getting executed on the spot?"

Ace speculated her conceivable theory, nodding slowly, his turn to rub his chin. If any car were to drive by, they'd certainly resemble Sherlock together with Dr. Watson solving a toilsome mystery. "That's quite true."

Ace sparkled. "Oh, yes! What did he say to you before he strided out though? We could surely start from there and figure out!" His enthusiasm lifted, moving his body forward as he waited for her answer.

She clapped. "Ha! Yes, of course! Ace, you're a genius! Why haven't I thought of it! He said—" The words that threatened to leak seemed bogus. It didn't feel like it was the things Xerus told her so she retained it at the brink of her tongue.

It was then that she could finally admit she had befriended a pal everyone despised. A friend named memory problems.

"He told me..." She dragged the 'e', her eyes going about the roof until Ace stood up, obstructing the sight, impelling her to focus on him as he joined in, doing a lot of hand signs that made people think he was some sort of wizard. "Meeee..."

From Sherlock and Dr. Watson to two orangutans communicating.

Ace was starting to get blue from how long he was holding in his breath, but he'd rather this than to have her disconnect the last strand of string that clung to the paramount words of Xerus.

"I ca—" Athena was losing it.

"Don't do it. Don't do this to me. Think!" He put a finger right in front of her eyes while the other forefinger was at his temple, clawing at the skin there.

Now, the orangutans became an eye doctor and a patient.

Athena dejectedly lowered Ace's hand from her face. "There's nothing. Why can't I remember anything?"

At that moment, Ace didn't bother at all of what high status he was made of nor if people would recognize him and spread things of him as he listlessly sunk to the floor, hands grappled tightly to his face. "You've got to be kidding me." He flailed a hand. "I was wrong. I was wrong." He shook his head, his well-proportioned face stayed hidden from the world. "This problem of yours won't only be the death of you but me as well, only I die earlier."

"Hey don't be so negative, babe." Athena only ever used the sweet nickname when she had involuntarily upsetted him.

He snorted. "What's the point? Is there even a thing you remember at all?"

"Well... Yes actually." She tapped a finger onto her bottom lip thrice before admitting a good piece of information, alas.

"Xerus did told me someone would pick me up in two days to have dinner with me at his home as an apology on behalf of the other three and he also wanted to have his..." She shook the pill bottle by the cap. "Little secret back."

Ace's hand disappeared from covering his face and gazed up at her with wide eyes, clambering to his feet. "No no no no no no no no. You're not going there. PERIODT!"

He stretched out his hands and let them jumble in front of her sitting figure. "W-What if he do some Christian Grey shit to you, huh? I'm not letting that happen. There's no way I'm letting you to go." He was so worked up, his vocabulary has lost its network in his brain.

Athena stopped him with a hand. "Listen, Ace, I wasn't finished. He said to me before he knew who I really was. After that mayhem, you think he'd still want me there? Hell no, Ace, and that is why..." She threw the pill bottle with ept in mid air, expecting Ace to catch which he barely did. "I'm handing this over to your care now. With you having more influences and knowing a wide range of personage, you'd be able to have it bruited, right?"

Ace tilted his head, finally letting go an overstretch exhale. Since day one, he had warned her not to get involved but it has came to where his princess wanted  revenge. As her best friend, how could he object, albeit very much aware of the gallows awaiting him when he succeed in doing so. "Are you sure? I will do the best I can though it's really not easy even for me and I'm not sure how long I will take to sort this out either."

"Take your time. As long as they get what they deserve of doing horrid things like this to God knows how many women out there. I wouldn't be surprised if they even got some pregnant but paid them off." As soon as she finished, she came to notice how her Prince was also included in the act and became really quiet.

"D-Do you think you can spare Theo out off of this when the time comes? He's actually not like them,"she asked before she knew it.

Ace furrowed his eyebrows, bending forward to level with her. "Hmm I was meaning to ask you what's going on with you and him. The part when Xerus mentioned you dating that guy. Is it something I should worry about?" He peered at her, his pitch wasn't like his usual, frisky, animated one. It was but a stern and serious voice.

Athena sighed again. "He was doing it for me, okay? He helped me get out of a tough situation. Long story short, it's a pretend thing only for a week. I bet people won't even bat an eyelash on me as you know... look at me. Why would he show his fake girlfriend to the world when she has nothing but tattered clothes a vagrant would scorn?" She explained, eyes going about the sparkly golden tiles beneath them, and to the draping burgundy curtains at all four corners.

Ace compressed his lips, perfecting it into a thin line as the crinkle at his eyebrows started to ease. "Okay, fine. I trust you. But, you really have to take care of yourself okay? If he so much as attempt to go in for a hug, karate chop his sorry  sausage, you understand? I don't trust people like him." His hand thrusted out to slice the air for a demonstration.

Athena smoothened a hand over his heaving chest and patted as she slowly rose from the bench. "Gee calm down. It's only one week. Plus, he's a gentleman. He won't do anything."

Ace rolled his eyes, causing a few drops of rain water from his hair to dribble over her wrist. "That's not what his exes had said about him."

As if on cue, muffled screams emerged from outside of the sound proof bus stop, indisputably from a deranged crowd.

Athena and Ace stared at one another with lifted eyebrow. While he was the first to scan his thumbprint to automatically unbolt the vacuum sealed door to the open air, she walked out first, initially head and nose held up high, a habit of hers giving what she thought a healthy first impression to the public.

But, she should already learn by now that whenever she'd bring her vain on show, it'd always go downhill almost instantaneously.

This time, was all because her eyes had set forward on a navy overlong car, a glorious iridescent black limo that stood in the midst of the sizeable throng, as glorious as the man leaning against its wing-like doors, repaying her attention with his very own. 

Ace came up to her, folding his arms as he spoke with stupendous venom lacing through his words. "Speaking of the devil in disguise."

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OMG 🙈 this was a hella long chapter and a hella weird one as well. Idk I just write and write without noticing.

Thank you to those who is sticking around reading Thieves ❤️

Thank you soooo much!