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Dedication: ADreamingReality for being such a great friend of mine. Thank you for your continued support of this story. I really appreciate it. :) (And for the awesome trailer!)

Recap:

As my mind was spinning with question after question, my phone dinged. Wandering over to the lounge slowly, I sat down and peered at the screen.

Hayden: If you wanted to talk to me, try words, not letters.

I roll my eyes as I read the message.

How did I know he would say something like that?

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Grace: It was an accident. My phone had a spaz.

Hayden: It happened to find my profile, go into messenger and send me a message, all on its own? That's odd.

My cheeks warm as I read his message. That's embarrassing.

Why am I suddenly so awkward and weird? I'm never like this. Especially around boys. Usually they're under my control, not the other way around.

Everything is so different with Hayden.

Grace: Yeah, very weird.

Hayden: Almost like you wanted to talk to me.

Grace: Seems that way.

Hayden: Anything you wanted to talk about in particular?

Grace: I suppose not. We're not even friends, right?

Hayden: Grace.

Grace: Yes?

I watched the speech bubble appear and disappear three times, before the *seen* sits there, staring me up in the face. I sigh, locking my phone.

Closing my eyes, I rub my face.

I am beginning to fall for Hayden Cameron.

***

I nervously chew at my thumbnail as I wait for Harvey to arrive at school.

I haven't heard a word from him since I overheard the conversation between him and his mother. Feeling quite fidgety, I shift my weight from my left foot to my right. After waiting for over fifteen minutes, Harvey eventually wanders into the campus, his hair messy as if he only just got out of bed. I rush over to him, before throwing my arms around him.

"Woah," he laughs, staggering back. "Miss me?"

Stepping back, I reach out and push his chest, glaring at him. 

"Where the hell have you been and why have you not returned any of my calls or texts?" I practically shout into his face, completely furious but also overwhelmed with relief that he is actually here with me. School is very lonely without him.

He sighs deeply. "Okay, I have to tell you something and you're not going to like it."

Swiping at his hand, I tug him after me and towards a table.

He opens his mouth to begin before he leans towards me and tucks a loose tendril of my wet hair from my face. I bite my lip and glance down at my lap, a little surprised by his gesture.

"Grace, don't get mad, okay?"

I nod, waiting for him to go on.

"After we went shopping, I had a pretty serious fight with mum." He let out another sigh, before leaning on the table, balling his fist and leaning onto it. "She... She thinks... You're a bad influence on me."

"Okay," I reply slowly, already knowing that.

"I told her you're my best friend and I love you," he shrugs and my heart clenches inside my chest. He told his mother he loves me? "And that nothing she says or does will make me stop wanting to hang out with you."

My heart swells as I take in his words. A goofy sort of smile formed on my face. "You're the best. Thanks for having my back."

"And, er, then she took my phone."

"She what?" I splutter, my eyes widening. "What a bitch!"

"Grace," he frowns.

"Sorry, sorry," I say quickly. "I didn't mean it. But seriously, she took your phone? That's so stupid."

"I know."

"I'm sorry I caused a fight between you and your mum," I say softly.

He gives a one-shoulder shrug, a lazy smile forming on his face. "Eh, she will get over it. Why she prefers me to be miserable and alone, I have no idea. She just doesn't understand."

"You need to tell her these things."

"I tried," he admits, rubbing the back of his neck. "She wasn't in the mood to listen."

"Wait, how are you going to talk to Caitlyn now and what is going on there?"

"I need to see her today and explain why I suddenly stopped talking to her," he groans, sounding frustrated. "Of course this would happen just when I begin to actually use my phone."

"When you're with me, you can text her off my phone," I offer. I feel like I have to, it's kind of my fault he got his phone confiscated.

"We're meant to meet up this Friday," he smiles.

"No! You can't!" I suddenly blurt. "It's the swim comp! Harvey! You promised to be there!"

He rolls his eyes dramatically. "We're meeting up to go to the swim comp. It's still all about you, she's not stealing the show," he teases and a smug smirk formed on my lips.

"Good."

"You're a dork."

"You are."

"Are you ready for your first comp?" he asks with a lope-sided smile.

"You know me, I was born ready," I assure him with a grin.

"Of course, why did I think anything else?"

I shrug playfully as the bell rings loudly. We both exchange looks of dread as we get to our feet and shuffle towards the large, brick building.

I sit heavily down on the chair as Harvey slides in beside me. I grin at him, so happy he is back with me. It makes my time at school much more enjoyable.

Hayden walks into class and I look up straight away, trying to catch his eye, but he strides past without a glance in my direction. I let out a sigh, opening my book and scribbling the date at the top.

Maybe Hayden and I simply don't work.

No point trying something that is doomed from the start.

***

"Oh no," I groan loudly and Harvey peers at me, a confused look in his eyes. "My mother," I answer his unasked question.

Her car is parked in the driveway as Harvey drops me home from school. He offers me a tight-lipped smile.

"Good luck!"

"You too," I mutter, considering we're both in a similar situation with our mothers. Well, quite different situations but still tense, nonetheless.

I enter the house and kick off my shoes, begrudgingly walking into the kitchen. She's leaning on the kitchen counter, a cup of coffee planted in her palms. She is vacantly staring off into the distance, not having heard me get home.

"Mother," I greet her as I walk to the fridge and grab a Gatorade.

She jumps slightly, startled. "Oh, hello Grace."

Since I sent her the anger-fuelled message in regard to her mysterious lover, she has been ditching me for, I have dodged her calls and texts. She gave up, a little too quickly in my opinion, trying to get a hold of me.

"How are you?" she asks after I sit at the kitchen table.

"Great," I reply a bit too sarcastically. "And you? How's the boyfriend?"

Exhaling, she curls a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "I wanted to tell you... Many times... I just didn't know how."

"Probably would have been easier if you actually came to see me more than once every three weeks," I mutter, my teeth gritted.

"I do work very long and hectic hours. Justin lives a minute from the hospital. It is much easier staying at his house..."

"Justin," I say with a nod. "Huh. We moved here, to be closer to the hospital. That's not a good enough excuse."

"I'm sorry," she sighs, sitting down across from me. She looks exhausted. She always does. "It's only been going on the last couple of months. It wasn't anything serious but now... It is becoming something a bit more. I really wanted to tell you. I want you to meet him."

"Does he even know about me?" I scoff. "Considering we're not even really a family anymore."

"Of course, don't ever say anything like that. He knows how important you are to me."

"I find that hard to believe, considering I don't even know."

She exhales deeply once more, looking down at her mug, moving it around in circles between her fingers.

"I'm not very good at this, Grace. After your father died, I didn't handle raising you on my own very well."

"Really?" I ask sarcastically. 

"Stop it," she warns. "I've just come off a double shift, I am in no mood to listen to your attitude."

"Why even bother coming home, then?" I snap, getting to my feet. "Why don't you stay at Justin's?" The way I say his name makes me cringe slightly. I can be a real bitch sometimes. I turn from her and storm up the stairs and into my room, feeling so much more tired than I had twenty minutes ago.

The move here was meant to improve our relationship, not make it worse.

I don't know what the hell is wrong with me. I am tired and snappy all the time. I just don't seem to be in a good mood at all.

Hayden, a small voice whispers in my mind. He doesn't want you.

I clench my teeth together and jam my earphones into my ear, in an attempt to drown out my annoying thoughts.

After lying on my bed for some time, scrolling through my phone and texting a few of my old friends, only getting one reply, an alert popped up. It was a Facebook event for a Bonfire this coming Saturday. Sitting up straighter as my interest peaks, I scroll through. Ryan is organising it. It's a beach party, really, with a bonfire. It sounds fun.

Immediately, I click "going" and scroll through the others who were either invited or have listed that they are going. I smirk as I see Hayden has said he is going. The smirk dies off when Mia's name is underneath his.

Maybe I can push her into the fire?

I grin at the thought and keep scrolling through the list. Just as I reach the end, there is a light tap on my bedroom door. I am surprised I heard it over my music. Yanking the earbuds from my ears, I stay looking at my phone.

"Grace?" she asks softly. "I'm not here very often-"

"I know."

"-So let's try and make the time we have together, all right?"

"Mmm," I mumble.

"Come down and have dinner with me. I've cooked spaghetti bolognese."

With a deeper sigh than necessary, I scramble to my feet and trot down the stairs after her. She has the kitchen table set up and I make a mental note to tell Heather mum had us eat at the table. As soon as the thought comes to mind, I instantly frown. I might not get that chance again, since Hayden made me feel unwelcome in his life.

Well, technically Heather said I could join them for dinner anytime I want, Hayden doesn't really have a say.

"What's on your mind?" she asks me as I realise I've been staring off into space, twirling my fork through the spaghetti absently.

I shake my head, bringing myself back to reality.

"Oh, nothing really. Just school stuff."

"Anything I can help you with?" she offers, before taking a forkful of dinner into her mouth.

"Not really," I admit, taking a bite of my own dinner.

Man, things have really gotten awkward between us. It seems to be this way with a few people in my life.

"I was thinking we could have dinner together this Friday night," she beams at me as if I should reward her for making the effort to spend time with me. I almost laugh at her, the way she is smiling at me. It takes a lot more than offering dinner. Especially on that day.

"If you bothered to look at the calendar, it's my first swim comp this Friday."

I need to stop being so harsh. I should appreciate the effort she is trying to make but honestly, my mind was so snarky lately. No matter what I do, whether it be makeup with Harvey and train harder, I seem to still be in a bad mood.

"It is?" she asks, surprised. "Would you like me to come watch?"

"I'm sure you're too busy to come," I mumble.

"I would like to."

I nod, picking at my food. "Okay."

I won't hold my breath, I think to myself but don't voice my comment.

"So, your birthday is coming up soon," she smiles. "What do you want to do for it?"

I had been waiting for my eighteenth for a long time and now it was almost here, and I had no idea what to do. I had planned to do a massive party at my old house and invite every person I knew to come to celebrate with me. Now, that seems like an impossible option. I hardly have any friends here and don't speak to my old friends much. My dream of having a killer 18th has sort of been ruined.

"Nothing," I whine. "I don't have a good circle of friends here. There's no point having a party to celebrate without my good friends."

Her face falls slightly. "We can invite them up?"

"I hardly speak with them, anymore, mum," I sigh, a little frustrated. "It's not the same being this far away."

"Well..." she trails off, looking uncomfortable. "Let me know if you think of something you would like to do."

I nod once more, suddenly having lost my appetite. The rest of the dinner is silent. We clear the kitchen, making small talk as we do. Mum lays on the lounge after dinner and begins channel surfing. I drag my feet upstairs and collapse onto my bed.

Grabbing my phone, I light up the screen, and my stomach clenches.

In my inbox, is a photo of me and Ashton kissing. It was from the carnival. A slight gasp leaves my lips as I reel into sitting position, my heart slamming inside my chest.

Mia: Stay away from Hayden, or these go public.

I stare in horror at the screen.

No... This could not be happening.

Mia: I own you now.

Letting out a groan, I throw my phone onto the ground.

I am screwed.

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What do you think of the threat Mia sent her?

Grace's birthday is coming up! How should she celebrate? ;)

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