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UNEDITED: Very very long chapter and there is a small competition right at the end which I hope all of you participate in!

Banner: @iamsarahy

"Get up."

"Fuck off."

"Go screw yourself."

"Aren't you guys just the cutest couple?" Michella muses and I hesitantly open my eyes to see her standing with her hand on her hips.

"It's nine thirty, if you don't move your butt little sister, your boyfriend here is going to get screwed and it's not you who is going to be doing the screwing."

I don't want to get up, it was the first time in months that I had slept well and hadn't got up in the morning feeling dazed and sick all over again.

Jake pulls me closer to him and I clues my eyes once again and mumble,"Go away, Michella."

"Get out of bed or I'm calling grandma on you." She threatens.

My eyes fly open,"You wouldn't."

"You know I would."

I sit up slowly Jake's hand falling off me waking him up too.

"Why are you awake right now?" Jake grumbles,"It's still night."

It really wasn't, but you couldn't tell otherwise in my room because of the thick curtains drawn across my windows.

"Go back to sleep." I smile and bend down to kiss his forehead despite knowing that doing all of this was going to take me further down this road with him, despite knowing that he was going to leave ,"I need to go to school with Michella here."

He opens his eyes looking at me confused,"Why are you going to school?"

"To make sure you don't pay the price of saving me." I say.

Now he's fully awake and he sits up, glaring at Michella,"What exactly have you been telling her?"

"Jeez." She says,"Why does everyone seem to assume I'm the bitch here?"

Both Jake and I throw her a look and she shrugs,"Fine point taken, but Clara still needs to come with me."

Jake looks up at me confused,"Why?"

I sigh and explain the situation to him, to the best of my ability and his green eyes darken with anger.

"You're not going to let him go without consequences." He says angrily,"He deserves to have his ass hauled to court-"

"I think enough has already happened and even if this goes further it's not going to happen at your expense." I say,"And I'm done with this entire thing, I just want to forget about it, I seriously can't get myself to care anymore. So I'm going to go with Michella and get this over with."

Jake opens his mouth and then sighs,"I don't suppose you want me to come with you."

"Not the best idea." I say.

He looks at Michella his eyes filled with warning"I swear to god if you let anything happen to her-"

"I get it you'll bury me." She says drily,"Now get out of her room before I yell how tainted my little sisters virtue."

Both Jake and I hold our middle fingers up, a clear fuck you sign.

She shrugs looking at Jake,"You already did."

Jake shook his head and turned towards me,"You'll be okay."

Not without you,no.

Not when you're leaving.

"Perfectly peachy." I respond and he grins a bit.

"See you later Car." He says and then turns towards Michella and gives her a curt nod. He strides towards the window and just like that he's gone.

"You stupid girl." Michella comments,"I thought you were far smarter than that."

"Smarter than what?" I ask her.

"Smarter than letting yourself fall for him any further than that's good for you."

Boy I wish I was. But then again I had run past that line the day Jake Henderson had kissed me in the lake. I couldn't even see the line anymore.

"It doesn't matter." I say,"Because it's not your concern. It never has been Michella."

"No it's not my concern. But unfortunately I'm still related to you." She says,"And it hurts sharing a roof with someone so stupid."

I wince slightly getting myself to my feet, careful not to put too much weight on my left leg,"Then leave. I don't know why you're here in the first place."

She ignores me and continues,"He's going back to New York and last time I checked you were dating the guy next door."

I wonder how Michella knows about the fact that I had been dating Alec when she was back in New York but then again I know not to underestimate her sources"Jake lives next door too."

She rolls her eyes,"So that's what you're doing, playing with the guys next door?"

"Fuck off." I grumble.

"No." She says,"Because clearly everyone is too stupid to tell you the truth but you're being absolutely idiotic with a guy who use going to go away and never think once again about you. It doesn't matter how much I he loves you he's going to live thousands of miles away from you."

"Not thousands." I say abruptly almost absent mindedly,"Im aiming for MIT."

And there it was one of my newest rash decisions.

The fact that I was going to choose a college that had always been my second choice because I was so damn clingy and terrified of letting Jake go.

Michella stares at me,shocked,"I thought you were applying for Cal-Tech. It had always been Cal-Tech for you."

"I am applying for both but given a choice I'll choose MIT." I say.

"What about Alec?" Michella challenges suddenly looking something close to panicked.

I sigh,"He got the football scholarship. But he's picking NYU."

"And Jake is going to be in Harvard." She says,"So you're actually going to let two boys dictate what choices you make in your life."

"You're talking like MIT is the worst choice in the world." I say.

"But Cal-Tech has always been your goal." She says.

It had.

It was perfect for me, Cal Tech. And I loved it. In my eyes Cal-Tech always beat MIT. My grandfather had gone to college there and it was the closest option to my grandmother whilst the furthest away from my screwed up family.

But things change and I'm sure that my grandmother would chase me with a stick if she thought I was staying for her considering she was travelling half of the time.

"It was."

And the look Michella gives me at that moment isn't one of hate or anger or anything except for a look that conveys such crushing pity that it scares me more than anything else.

____________________

"Michel-"

"It's Miss Wilson." Michella smiles at our principal interrupting her greeting,"It's good meeting you again Miss Davis."

We both sit in the uncomfortable chairs that I've had the honour of being in far too many times this year.

I glance at Kevin's parents and am shocked by how normal they look. It was probably wrong to assume that Kevin's parents would probably show up in bikes and bandanas looking as dangerous as him.

But that's not the case.

Mrs Fields looks like a mousy little thing, her eyes flitting nervously here and there, her fingers fiddling with her purse.

Mr Fields on the other hand is a fat man with a moustache to match. He reminds me of Mr Dursely from Harry Potter or at least something close to what I had imagined the character to be.

"First of all I'd like to try to comprehend how the two of you have the audacity to confront us about this." Michella starts cooly.

"She's my sister. We may not always see eye to eye, but that doesn't mean anyone has the right to lift a finger to your son hurt her just because she showed the world what an asshole he really-"

"Err Miss Wilson." The principal, Mrs Davis who is usually a composed lady, looks utterly unsure as she interrupts me,"It would be nice if we kept this PG 13."

Michella raised an eyebrow,"I didn't know it was being your kid to work day today."

"I don't have a kid." Mrs Davis says nervously.

"Exactly." She says,"So there is no reason to keep this anywhere near civil considering the fact that we are all adults."

The principal shuts up almost instantly and I have to resist and urge to smile, ladies and gentlemen presenting Michella Wilson, pride and joy of the Wilson clan.

"It doesn't matter." Mr Fields says,"We don't want her, we want to press charges against the boy who put our son in the hospital."

"What's the matter?" Michella sneered,"Can't look the girl your precious little son almost raped and killed, in the eye?"

"She's not the one in the hospital." Mrs Fields responds.

"She was." Michella snorts,"And you have no idea who you're lower than scum son decided to mess with. He messed with a Wilson. Right now this threatening and everything is me being nice. Our parents aren't here, thank your lucky stars because then you would be on the curb, your precious little suburban house along with your minimum wage job gone in a flash."

"Are you threatening-"

"No it's a promise." Michella replies sweetly.

"We are pressing charges against that boy." Mr Fields says,"And that's final."

"No." I say quietly,"You won't."

Everybody goes quiet and turns to look at me. I realise that it's the first thing that I've said the entire time,"You are going to go home today and thank god that I didn't kill your son for laying his grubby little fingers on me."

"What do you mean, Clara-"The principal starts to say but I interrupt her.

"It was self defence." I shrug,"He had a knife and I told him to stop. I was scared so in order to defend myself I used few of the moves I had learned in self defence classes-"

"This is laughable." Mr Fields says,"She can't have-"

My eyes narrow,"Why because I'm a girl? Because I was scared and terrified because son put his hands around my neck? Because he threatened me with a knife?"

"So it's upto you." I say,"Take this to court and I will make sure that I go into every horrid detail of what your son planned to do. And if you mention that boy's name, if you even utter it I'll make sure to give the jury a show that will have your precious son ripped so far from your hands that you'll never get him back."

"And that boy you want to press charges against." I say,"He probably saved both me and your son by interjecting and pulling me away."

"That's not-"

"Face it." I say,"Who are they going to believe the weak helpless girl or the drug dealing boy who almost tried to rape her?"

"They'll never believe it." Mr Fields says,"You can't have-"

"But I did." I say simply,"Do you actually have any evidence that the boy you're so hell bent in convicting was actually even there apart from the words from you sons drug addled brain?"

"Neither do you." Mr Fields responds shakily.

"Actually, Miss Anderson another classmate of the two was the one who reported this incident to me." The principal interrupts,"She specifically she saw your son pinning Clara here to the wall. He wasn't permitted on school grounds either, due to his expulsion."

"Those were lies." Mrs Fields eyes flash,"Kevin wouldn't do that."

Sometimes I wonder how twisted life really gets. A boy with two loving and seemingly normal parents turns into someone who is as messed up as Kevin.

How does that happen?

How do you go so wrong in life even when you have two people who are willing to protect you at any cost, while the two people on my side couldn't even pick up their phone.

"We've been over this Mrs Fields."Mrs Davis says,"The video says everything and searching his locker revealed possession of illegal substances."

"But-"

I quietly take my hoodie off, so that I'm left in a thing white half sleeved shirt that showcases my ugly purple bruises prominently.

"He pinned me against my locker, slamming my head against it as he described what he would make me do. When I tried to break away he threatened me with a knife wrapped his arms around my neck and started choking me."

"You keep silent about this and I'll do the same." I conclude,"Because I promise you that if you take this court a lot worse will happen to your son than this."

The Fields look like they are trying their best not to bolt from the room at that instant itself and Michella beside me smiles,"Told you not to mess with a Wilson."

And looking at the Fields expressions I realised just how right my sister was for once.

________

"You lied." Michella stated in the car.

"So?" I say, rolling my sleeves back in place and looking ahead.

"You do know if they do go to court they can easily poke holes into this."she says,"And that might crumble your entire defen-"

"I thought you were studying business not law." I interrupt drily.

"No it's called having common sense." She says,"Which you seem to lack, so I can understand the confusion."

And she's back.

"Doesn't matter does it?" I shrug,"Jake is out of this. He shouldn't have been involved in it, in the first place."

"But that's why you got involved in the first place didn't you?" Michella says as she starts the car,"Didn't you bust Kevin because-"

"Doesn't matter." I grit my teeth,"How do you know anyway?"

"I'm Michella Wilson." She states.

And apparently thats all there is to the explanation. I roll my eyes.

"I need you to stop by the post office." I say,"I have to mail the last bit of my college applications."

She shrugs but there is something hesitant about it.

"How much did you get in your SATS anyway?" She asks lightly.

"Twenty three forty." I respond grinning at the fact that I had a full ten points on her.

"Jake got twenty three eighty" She states and I nod. It wasn't surprising, just a little bruising to my ego. But Jake had always been smarter and he didn't have to try.

"Do you know how much your friend Rebecca got?" She asks and I shrug. I didn't actually. We weren't really didn't broach the academically inclined topic of conversations. I'm pretty sure the SATS had never even come up.

The only thing that we had ever talked about once or twice a were a handful of college options from my side and a I don't know we'll see from Rebecca's side.

"You really don't know do you?" Michella asks surprised.

I raise an eyebrow unable to understand why knowing Rebecca's SAT score was so important,"If this is your way to ruin my friendship yet again I suggest you shut up."

"Heard you can do that all on your own." She says,"What about that red head lackey of yours?"

I keep my mouth shut.

"Whatever." She mutters,"Just trying to talk. I heard that's what sisters do bitch about their friends."

We both sat silent for a whole before I finally decide to break it.

"Thank you for having my back in there." I say quietly,"You could have just let me go on my own."

"I could have." She muses,"But believe it or not I had a fun time seeing you destroy those idiots."

"I didn't destroy anyone." I say,"I just told them the consequences."

"But would have done it so aggressively, if there was no Jake in question?"

I purse my lips.

"I thought so." She says,"You could have just stuck to our plan and scared them."

"I can't take that risk." I say,"And you can't blame me for being unsure about your master plan. We haven't had the most trusting relationships as far as sister go."

"Sometimes you need to trust me." She sighs,"And besides I have better things to do than screw up your life."

"Trust doesn't work for the both of us." I say once again the same guilt taking over. I don't think I had ever gotten over feeling incredibly guilty for how I had told grandma about her pregnancy, it had been an accident but at the same time I thought grandma would help her.

She doesn't say anything and I wave it off as she stops in front of the post office.

I reach for the thick envelopes at the back straining my hand in the process. I finally manage to grasp the edge of the envelopes.

"Give them to me." She says,"I'll post them."

I raise an eyebrow, giving her the you've got to be kidding me stare.

She rolls her eyes,"Like I said I have better things to do than ruin your life plus you'll take forever with that leg of yours and I don't have the patience to wait."

I hesitate my hands tightening around the envelope, crumpling the edges.

Maybe Michella had changed. Maybe she had forgiven me and maybe it was time for me to do the same.

So I hand the envelopes to her.

She actually looks shock for a second before she takes them and gets out of the car.

"I'll be right back." She says and shuts the door behind her.

For a second I simply blink ahead realising just how stupid I had been. It wasn't the smartest thing to do considering our history and I'm in half a mind to just get out of the car and follow her.

Until I realise that just how silly and petty I sounded.

My sister hadn't done anything to me except help me since she came back. Sure there were her usual digs but it wasn't like I was throwing them back at her either.

Natalie could have easily walked away leaving me to face what I probably deserved from her point of view.

But she hadn't and I had been wrong about her.

So why couldn't I be wrong about my sister?

"It's all done." Michella says getting into the car,"If you don't believe me then you can go and check yourself but then again that's stupid."

"I believe you." I say.

"I knew it you are stu-" she stops,"What did you just say?"

"I said I believe you." I say drily trying to hide my smile,"So stop looking at me like I just told you that Greys Anatomy is getting cancelled and just drive."

She gives me one last look of disbelief before she shakes it off and smirks.

"You know what Clara?" She says,"Sometimes I don't regret being related to you."

I smile,"Samsies."

She groans,"Forget I ever said that. It hurts to see how lame you are."

I grin. Sometimes I didn't mind being related to Michella either.

_____

"Do you ever think Michella and I could ever put our differences aside?" I ask Jake that night. He'd come again and I was all too happy.

"I don't know." He says honestly,"But I'm sure you can do it if you really wanted to."

"Even after I told my mother that Michella got kicked out of Harvard and got pregnant?"

"You did what?" He asks,"When?"

I sigh lifting myself up so that I can face him properly.

"The night of our fabulous Christmas dinner." I say,"Mom called me in the kitchen-"

"I remember that." He says,"You came out looking like you'd fought a war. Your hands were shaking-"

"And I just couldn't get those damn potatoes on the plate but I refused help ." I say,"You just snatched the spoon out of my hands and dumped it on my plate."

He looks at me curiously,"I did?"

"Yes, you did." I say smiling slightly,"Although I never did get to eat them, when I followed you down. After what I found out that night the fact that my sister showed the tape to my mother and I outed her kind of blurred to the background."

"What tape?"

"Not tape." I correct myself,"The video. The video of me in camp, you know-"

"How the hell did she-" he trails of and I shrug.

"I don't know I've never really thought about it."I say,"I always assumed she got it from you I think."

"No. I only ever had one copy of the tape." He says softly,"And I didn't have it with me during New York. Id left it here. It was kind of safety measure that I'd come back, that I'd-"

He breaks off as if he just realised something.

"Why did you keep it?" I ask,"It's probably me being the dumbest fourteen year old in the whole damn planet."

"That's true." He says and I can hear the faint amusement in his voice,"You've not seen the video yet have you?"

"No." I say,"I have quite literally no interest in seeing just how stupid I can get when I'm drunk."

He chuckles and we settle into a comfortable silence.

"Clara?" He asks,"Do you remember the first thing you ever said to me?"

"I didn't say anything to you, I was talking to Millie and you rudely interrupted our conversation." I say.

"Well I didn't know that you actually expected my dog to reply." He says,"But do you remember he first things you ever said to me?"

"Must be along the lines that you're a rude, cold arrogant asshole."

He laughs,"That came later. And how accurate that description was, But no that wasn't it."

"You asked me what my name was in the car whilst we were going to the camp." I say,"But since you seemed least interested in me I thought it had been Millie."

He laughs,"Obviously, because Millie talking would make more sense than me saying something to you."

"Had you seen yourself back then?" I say,"God you were scary as hell, all cold detached and arrogant."

"I was fourteen and I was moody." He shrugs,"I mean isn't that why you had like the biggest crush on me back then? My mysterious persona?"

I resist the urge to hit him with a pillow,"Dont make me regret your birthday present, Henderson. FYI I didn't like you back then."

"I read your diary, Car." He says amusement clear in his voice,"Don't kid yourself."

"You're such an arrogant little- uh-uh-"

"Assinine Manboob?" He offers.

"I was actually going for Hideous Nipple this time."

Even though I can't see his face, I'm willing to bet anything that he's rolling his eyes.

"You and I both know I'm adorable."

It's my turn to roll my eyes,"Keep telling yourself that."

"Oh I will."

I laugh.

"You told me that you talk but I just don't listen." He says.

I scrunch my eyebrows,"Probably. Usually I would be able to tell you but you have the diary. Why are you telling me this?"

"It's important." He says simply.

"Why?" I ask curiously.

"It just is." He says.

I sigh,"I want to ask you why, but you're not going to budge are you?"

"You know me far too well Car." He says.

"I still can't believe you remember what I said all those years back." I say.

"I remember what you wore, too." He says,"This absolutely god awful dorky Spongebob T-shirt."

"How?" I ask.

"Well for starters that T-shirt was pretty memorable." He says and pushes his shoes of his feet to reveal his newest socks.

They had miniature spongebob cartoons all over them.

"Some things are worth remembering." He says.

I smile,"Do you think we are going to be a part of those something's that are worth remembering?"

"There is a difference Clara." He says,"Somethings are just worth remembering and there are fewer things still you just can't forget.

He pauses for a moment,"No matter how hard you try."

"Promise me something." I say lifting myself up so I'm facing him.

"What?"

"Don't try too hard."

He grins and it's the heartbreaking, earth stopping kind of smile that only Jake Henderson can give.

"I won't." He says.

_____________________

"If you're dying." Rebecca says lightly,"I want your shoes."

"You can have them regardless." I say swinging my feet,"Half of the shoes in my closet with their unnaturally pointy heels and are probably going to be the cause of my death anyways. Imagine the headlines, Girl Dies By Stiletto Heels through the Eye, I  don't know how you manage to walk in them."

"You're tall enough without heels anyways." Rebecca says,"You trying being five foot one and not wear heels. You'll get trampled underneath someone's giant feet in two seconds."

"You over exaggerate." I say.

"No I really don't. It's like I'm the only Lilliput left in Lilliputland and  everyone else is Gulliver." She says,"But have you seen the trailer for Ant-Man? It's so flipping awesome. Definitely proud to be small right now."

"Ant-man." I say,"Seriously?"

"Hey." She defends,"I don't start complaining every time you fangirl over spiderman now do I?"

"You love spiderman too." I say rolling my eyes.

"Only when he's Andrew Garfield." She says.

"Can you both shut up?"Michella calls from her seat,"It's like invasion of the inhabitants from dorkland right now."

"Or it may just be the interjection of the wannabe Regina George." Rebecca shoots back.

I had been in the waiting room of the hospital and the car with the two of them for probably less than an hour but it took me just as long to figure out that Michella had met her match.

It had been a little more than a week since the entire Kevin incident and I had started following a routine during my spring break.

Id get up every morning and move just enough from my bed to the couch to convince my grandmother that I want dead.

But it was a task in itself. Getting out of bed was the toughest thing in my entire routine.

Jake would leave before I woke up although we would talk at length about random things at night. We'd watch a movie, we'd talk and he'd show off his newest socks. Each sock even dorkier than the other.

Although he didn't say it out loud it was obvious he only wore them to make me feel better.

And that's exactly what he did.

Getting any sleep without him seemed next to an impossible thing but he would come every day without fail and  we would lie like that, talking, until I fell asleep.

We never talked about he fact that he would be leaving, the day approaching closer and closer.

Everyday I would gather up the courage to talk about it but in the end that I would stop myself. Because I knew that every time I brought up the topic where it would lead.

So I left it.

For once I stopped overthinking things and just let them be the way they were. I got used to living in this bubble of mine,pushing any thoughts of facing the consequences of all my choices to the back of my mind.

Alec and I would talk too. We'd exchange an occasional hi and a smile but that was it. But that was it.

If there was one thing that could ever make me feel guilty for what I was doing, it was Alec.

And that's why I did everything to avoid him.

My bruises were no longer an ugly purple in color but were starting to gradually fade and walking up and down the stairs didn't feel like like a medivial torture thing anymore because my sprain was far better.

The only thing that was bad was the cut on my palm. My grandmother wasn't blind and she'd noticed it immediately. I had to give her some lame excuse of how I fell on a piece of glass. She didn't look like she believed me at first but then in the end realised that it was me and anything was possible.

Changing the bandages were the worst part. I had never been very good with blood and opening the bandage had taken all my willpower not to puke. In the end it had given up and retied the same bandage.

Jake had noticed this of course and he gave me a speech about how soiled bandages could get infectious and how infectious should probably learn my lesson by keeping it on.

But the next day when I woke up Jake was gone but I had a shiny new bandage, carefully wrapped.

He did that everyday, before I woke up. Changed them without me even knowing. 

So that had been my routine until a call today morning from Rebecca. She insisted that I get my butt out off bed and do something useful which basically in her dictionary meant lets go watch a lamw chick flick.

I was in full mood to give her an excuse that I knew wouldn't work but then I got another call from the hospital asking me to come and collect my test results.

It was literally like I dropped a bomb.

Rebecca gave me a good ten minute speech on how she would make sure that I would never see the light of day of she didn't go with me.

I told her it didn't seem serious but Rebecca wouldn't budge.

I don't know how but Michella must have overheard the whole thing and she just came and sat in the car  saying,"Drive."

Although it would probably take forever to mend whatever there was of our non existent relationship I genuinely wanted to try.

So I drove.

But I regretted that the instant Rebecca got into the same car.

World War Three was supposed to happen between China and the US or Russia. Not between your estranged big sister and certifiably crazy and hyper best friend.

Trust me though the first would have probably ended better.

Rebeccas first glance was a classic ugh what is she doing here to which Michella responded in kind.

And then the glaring began along with the casual taunts. What surprised me was just how good Rebecca was at making sure Michella got everything she deserved. It was as if they had a long standing enemity between the each other that I just couldn't place which was funny as far as I knew Michella didn't even know Rebecca. Rebecca had joined a term before sophomore year for us got over and Michella graduated from the senior class.

Rebecca had always been the shy type around other people, quiet in front of them completely crazy in front of Samantha and I.

But now it's like she didn't ever care about the entire I'm shy thing anymore, the minute you met her you would get her full dial of crazy in one go.

"Careful Juliet." Michella taunts,"Wouldn't want all your secrets spilling out into the world now would you?"

That shuts up Rebecca instantly and she's glaring at Michella likes she's just asked for her first born child yet, or even worse told her that Dylan O'Brien is not hot.

"What does she mean by Jul-" I start but just the doctor enters the waiting room cutting me off promptly.

"Hello Miss Wilson." The doctor greets but I'm surprised when I find out that he's looking at Michella,"Your sister I presume?"

"Yes." Michella says quickly,"She's here for her report I hope everything is-"

"It's nothing serious." The doctor says quickly sparing me reassuring glance,"But how are y-"

Michella cuts him of with a small shake of her head and once again the doctor throws another look at me.

What was going on?

"Do you want to come in?" He asks her again and she shakes her head, dismissing him,"I think she'll be fine on her own."

"Right." He says and gestures me to follow him, into his office. I turn to look at Rebecca who gives me a reassuring thumbs up.

"Hello Miss Wilson, please sit down." The doctor says, smiling. He was surprisingly young for a doctor,"You'd been admitted a week back and I'm sorry it's taken so long but we had taken a blood test at that point and we finally have the results."

"Okay." I say unsurely.

"You've been diagnosed with anaemia."

I blink. Anaemia meant iron deficiency. That didn't sound too bad.

"Okay." I say slowly.

"You must have been feeling lightheaded and tired all the time." He says,"Which is due to decreased haemoglobin production because of iron deficiency."

I nod.

"It's bad but nothing iron supplements can't fix." He says,"There will be a few complications and you need to keep the stress to the minimum and you can't take part in tiring activities very often."

Have you seen my life buddy? Are you telling me not take part in my life?

"Oh okay."

"It's actually not that bad." He says,"But I wanted to be sure considering your family history. Anaemia tends to have effects on immunity-"

"What family history?" I interrupt.

He immediately shuts his mouth staring at me with a mixture of pity and knowing.

"Anaemia tends to be genetic. So I just assumed family history." He says carefully,"But it's not something worth, so about the supplements..."

His voice trails off as he keeps on talking about supplements that I should be taking two times a day after my meals but my mind is elsewhere.

Family history.

Family history?

What was that supposed to mean?

It was obvious that there was something going on. I knew that doctor patient confidentiality meant that there was no way in hell that I would ever ask him.

But he knew Michella.

And Michella just randomly came back.

She didn't drink.

She was being nice.

Oh god. Maybe she was-

Calm down.

I try desperately to listen to what the doctor was saying but it was going over my head.

All I could think was how there was a very strong possibility that Michella was hiding something.

"You need to eat healthy." The doctor continues,"We'll have another check up two weeks from now?"

I nod blindly as the doctor gives me one last reassuring look before I robotically get up and go out into the waiting room.

"So you're totally sane friend had to go home." Michella starts.

"Are you sick?" I say frantically,"Shit Michella are you-"

"What?" She asks confused, "What are you-"

"You know the doctor and he said he was worried that this can have complications because of family history." I say,"You don't drink you came back and-"

"Stop." She says forcefully,"As much as you want me dead I'm perfectly fine. And god why does it sound so wrong that I don't want to drink anymore-"

"Michella." I say,"I know we aren't on the best terms but don't keep this-"

"Clara!" She yells,"I'm fine! God! Im Perfectly okay."

"Then the doctor-"

"You don't want to know." She says.

"Miche-"

"Jeez, I slept with him okay?" She says looking away.

I shut up instantly. Seriously is there anyone on the damn planet my sister hasn't slept with?

"Now are you happy?" She says,"Can we go?"

She snatches the of piece of paper from my hand and scans it,"Hmm, we can find this all in the pharmacy."

"You slept with the doctor?" I manage to sputter out and she rolls her eyes.

"Yes, yes I know biggest slut on the planet here." She deadpans,"Let's move on from that can we?"

"I didn't mean it like that-" I start saying but she cuts me off walking ahead.

"Save it." She says.

"I really didn't." I say earnestly,"It's just that I know that we aren't really close-"

"Yes,yes." She says waving me off,"We don't hate each other anymore but the day that hell freezes over is going to be the day when we braid each others hair and give each others love lives."

"Okay deal." I say,"You can't tell grandma about this just yet."

She stops,"Why? Are you dumb? You plan on hiding this-"

"No I don't." I say,"It's just that grandma freaks out, and she'll never let me go to Ashley's wedding."

"What does she think you're seven?" Michella says,"You're an adult-"

"I know." I say,"But I just don't want her to worry. Besides the doctor said I was fine, I just needed to down pills."

She stares at me gape mouthed,"Did you even listen to what the doctor said?"

"Umm... Yes?"

She face palms herself,"It's like your this helpless little goldfish that everybody seems to forget to feed. How have you lasted this long?"

Id be damned if I know.

"Jeez this is going to be a long day." She says,"Firstly we-"

"Thank you." I say earnestly,"I really mean it. Thank you for being here."

Her eyes narrow for the briefest of moments as if she's trying to detect the non existent sarcasm in my voice but to my surprise she smiles and it's a genuine one.

"Surprisingly it isn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be."

_______________

The days leading up to Ashley's wedding flew by. Spring was slowly turning warmer and things were finally getting calmer.

I hadn't told anyone about the anaemia except for Rebecca who had called me the same day profusely apologising for leaving because of some family emergency.

She'd badgered me to tell her what had happened and also very smartly pointed out that her mother was a nurse in the hospital and she could easily find out if she wanted to.

So I told her. She didn't make a big deal out of it and told me to take care and not be an idiot and forget to take my supplements because she just didn't have the time to plan my funeral.

Michella true to her word didn't tell grandma or ask me anything about it. But I could see the random visits she made to my room after the meals no matter what excuse she gave were to make sure that I ate them.

And I did start feeling better. My usual fatigue vanished along with my dizziness. That coupled with the fact that I practically slept like a baby when Jake was there only added to it.

Grandma was happy too, she could see Michella and my relationship improving and had somehow managed to make us sit down for a game of monopoly.

It turned out to be quite the disaster considering that grandma was actively cheating as the banker, Michella kept on throwing my shoe pawn away because it was just too ugly and disgrace to shoes out there

and I accidentally switched on the fan sending our paper money flying in all directions.

Everything was getting better.

And yet it was the worst that it had ever been.

Every night when Jake would come over I would go over the same routine of wanting to bring up he topic of him leaving and then chickening out in the last moment.

I still hadn't told him about the doctors appointment mostly because I didn't find it relevant enough to tell him and mostly because even I wasn't going to go as far as to throw this at his face in an attempt to make him stay.

And my relationship with Alec.. It was practically non existent.

I would catch myself almost pressing send to a large I'm sorry letter that I composed nearly everyday and them promptly delete it.

Talk about pathetic.

Another thing that wouldn't stop nagging my thoughts was the fact that I should go and thank Natalie.

I passed by Natalie's house during my morning walks in attempt to get my sprained foot back to normal.

I would stop nearly in front of their house contemplating the risks of going in.

I made a habit to dismiss the idea every time until one day I finally manage to make it to their front door and ring the bell.

"Hi Mrs Anderson." I say,"Is Natalie here?"

It had taken a lot of guts and self debate to finally get myself in front of the Anderson's house. I knew I had to do it but I had no idea how to face her.

"Oh Clara." Mr Anderson a petite, short blonde lady with even a shorter attention span gives me a once over,"It's been a short while hasn't it?"

It had been nearly four years.

"Yes it has." I say realising that maybe Natalie's parents were almost as oblivious to our estrangement than mine were.

"Natalie." She yells,"Clara is here to see you."

I flinch just thinking about Natalie's expression as she heard that.

"Who's there to-" Natalie stands on top of the stairs looking at me with her mouth more or less hanging open

"Hi Natalie."

"What are you doing here?" She asks.

"I'm here to say thank you."

"For what?" She asks looking mildly curious.

"For not leaving me there. " I say,"For actually helping me out and calling Jake."

She sighs,"I may be a bitch Clara, but I'm not a monster. I don't like you one bit but I would never take it that far. I didn't help because it was you, of anyone else had been there in your place I would have done the same."

"I know." I say,"But thank you for doing it anyway. Especially since I probably deserved it."

"Would you have left me there?" She asks.

"No obviously not." I say, but I wouldn't have walked away to call for help.Instead I would have done something stupid right insult Kevin even more and told him to back off her.

"Then stop treating it like this big thing I've done for you." She says,"And get over yourself and get out."

"Why do you hate me so much?" I ask suddenly,"We used to be best friends, whatever Michella told you is a lie I'm sure she'd tell you so herself now."

Natalie pauses for just moment before giving me a once over from top to bottom.

"She didn't really have to tell me anything. " She says,"She just made me realise something I'd known all along."

"What did she do in Nick's party that you did a complete 180 on me?"I ask and she sighs.

"Why does it matter?" She asks,"Don't you think we make far better enemies than friends?"

"No." I say,"I don't think there is anything better about trying to cut eachother down at every step."

"That's because you finally grew a backbone and started fighting." She says,"Before that it was just me having all the fun."

"Why?" I ask,"Why did you just suddenly hate me?"

"I was not your charity case." She interrupts and I give her a confused look.

"Charity case?" I ask,"What's that supposed to mean?"

"End of junior high." She says,"I wasn't going to graduate. But all of a sudden I got amazing marks. Do you remember that?"

"Yeah you were bitching about summer school and-"

"Yeah, I graduated with distinction out of nowhere and I was so damn proud of myself." She says,"My parents were proud. I'd proved to myself that I could do it on my own."

I bit my lip and she continues.

"But I didn't did I? " She says,"You somehow managed to change my answers."

"So?" I say trying to get to terms why,"You needed the help and it was perfect-"

"I didn't want your damn help Clara." She snaps,"I could to it on my own."

"I know." I say. It was something so small and insignificant I had done so many years back that I had almost forgotten about it. It was one of the many times I had bent the rules to help Natalie when we were friends.

I had been our teachers student assistant and she used to trust me completely handling all the papers and everything.

It really hadn't been a big deal and she was happy so I never ended up telling her.

"You didn't tell me either." She says,"Like it was something so stupid and small that you'd done for me that you didn't even bother to mention."

I look at her completely surprised. I'd always thought the lie constructed against me for Natalie to start hating me so much would probably be a colossal one and yet it was not anything close to being big and it wasn't even a lie.

"But I was just trying to help you." I say,"It's not a-"

"You know for once I thought that I'd actually done it on my own." She says,"I was so happy. But then that was also you. It was always you who my parents wanted me to be, who Alec preferred over me. I felt like some charity case in front of you."

"When you'd gone for the summer that year to New York all anyone could ask me was where is Clara?" She says.

"Although I didn't like Alec a that point back then he was still my friend." She says,"And when you were gone he barely even talked to me."

"It had been building over that entire summer and when you came back I was so damn jealous of you all the time." She says.

"I was jealous of you because you were good, better at almost everything in a way I could never be." She says,"That my parents were right about you, that you were he perfect everything."

"Your sister knew exactly how to push my button and once she told me about what you had done changing my papers, I don't know why I just lost it with you." She says.

"But it was something so small and so tiny. It doesn't even matter."

"Exactly." She says,"It didn't matter to you but it mattered to me very much. You didn't have to see the disappointment in my parents eyes the next term when they'd seem my marks and told me that I was slipping again and the bad grades were all my fault considering that I had once already proved that I could do far better. But I couldn't get the more than that even when I tried my hardest."

"There was one point in my life where I wanted to come out of Clara Wilson's shadow. So that's what I did. I told myself that I was better than you on my own and I wasn't some charity case whose faults you had to keep on brushing over."

"But no matter how much of an outcast I made you I was still jealous." She says,"But you know what, Clara? I'm finally not jealousy anymore."

"I've seen what you're doing with those two boys, playing them around." She says,"And I realised then that there was nothing to be jealous about. You were just as much of a bitch like the rest of us. There was nothing really good about you just this act where you thought that you were better than all of us."

"You weren't doing me a favour by dishing your pity towards me when I didn't want it Clara and I still don't. Don't act like martyr of a war you haven't fought." She says,"But you're going to get what's coming for you, I certainly did."

I look at her wearily and take a step back,"I only did it because I thought I was helping you."

"How is it helping?" She asks,"Id always struggled with my grades and you'd just sail past me without any effort and the one time I had finally done something on my own and you came in and destroyed that."

"It's petty, it's stupid but there it is. I was a jealous bitch and you were just a bitch." She says,"And nothing is ever going to make me remotely like you again."

________

On the morning of Ashley's wedding I felt like I was going into battle. Jake was leaving today night and that was that.

We hadn't talked about it because even after nearly two weeks I hadn't gathered the courage to get myself to realise just how real it was all becoming. We had been ignoring all the heavy topics, talking about the lighter happier ones. Which mainly pertained to some crappy movie or book either I or he had had the honour of reading.

But faced with the fact that he was leaving, today I felt like someone had stabbed me with a hot poker.

I struggled to get ready while putting on the bridesmaid dress Ashley had dropped off a few days ago.

Rebecca had come over to help me get dressed since she was going to be my plus one to the wedding. Unlike me she was a massive wedding junkie buying the whole death do us part thing.

Not death do us part, but till Eric do us part, in my case, which was pretty mig the same thing.

"Someone is knocking on the door." Rebecca says.

I look up at her confused,"What? I don't hear anything."

"That's because you're half deaf." She says,"Now go open the door, I'll just finish getting ready."

I sigh and drag myself out of my comfortable siting position. The house was quiet which wasn't that much of a surprise considering that grandma had already announced that she wasn't going because she's rather have a quiet day in reading this book she's picked up and Michella would be going in her place.

I didn't know how much of a plan that really was considering Ashley didn't really like Michella. As far as I understood the feeling was mutual but she'd none the less agreed to go.

After all Michella Wilson wasn't one to miss a party and she looked exceptionally happy when she heard the grooms name and had no idea who he was.

Which basically code for, this one I'm pretty sure I haven't slept with.

I throw open the door to find Alec standing there looking sheepish in his tux with his untied bow tie in his hands.

"Help?" He asks and I laugh out loud grabbing his hand and pulling him in.

"Give." I was still smiling mostly it was because it was such a relief to have Alec and I without all the awkwardness. We were used to this routine, the one where he was completely hopeless without me and the one where I was hopelessly in love with him.

"I swear I tried looking it up on YouTube." He says,"Their videos absolutely suck."

I roll my eyes as I carefully tie it around making sure it didn't get knotted up.

"There you go." I start grinning,"All perfect."

"Thanks." He says,"You look beautiful."

My cheeks heat up,"Thanks."

"So what do you think about the bow tie?" He asks,"Too much?"

"Nope it's perfect." I say,"Bow Ties are cool."

He smiles and we stand there in silence.

"So that's how fucked up we've become, huh?" He says,"We can't even have a two second conversation before it becomes awkward."

"I know." I say,"It's all my-"

"I want to give us anoth-" He says and we both stop.

"Sorry." He says quickly," You go first."

"No you go." I say,"It wasn't relevant anyway."

He takes a deep breath in and starts,"I've been trying to find a way to say this for two weeks now and I still don't know how to say it to you."

I gulp.

"I want to give us another shot." He says carefully,"But I don't want to push you into it."

"Last time you weren't ready and I just forced this on to-"

"No you didn't." I say,"You didn't force anything. I should have said no. I shouldn't have played with your feelings."

"You said yes to me because you loved me?" He asks unsurely.

"Of course, I did." I say.

"But you said it because you thought that Jake wasn't coming back." He prompts,"That he wouldn't be a complication for your feelings for me?"

I hesitate,"Yes."

"But now you know he's going." He says,"What are you going to do?"

I blink several times looking at him unsurely,"How do you know that?"

"Jake told me." He says,"He asked me to come talk to you."

Good gods, why?

"What are you trying to say?"

"He's completely out of the picture Clara. He's said so" Alec says gently,"And we can give it another chance, when you're ready. One last shot all our histories wiped clean with no Jake Henderson in the picture."

How can I not have Jake in the picture?

But Jake is leaving.

But I'm picking MIT. Which means that Jake won't be out of the picture.

But even then we could never be together.

And Alec. Alec with his biggest heart, his ability to forgive me for anything would still be there.

"You don't need to answer." He says,"Not now. Think about it."

And he presses a tiny kiss to my forehead before turning around and leaving.

Someone clears their throat and I turn around to see Rebecca standing on the steps looking at me with a curious expression.

"What?" I say as trying to figure out the expression on Rebecca's face.

"I'm thinking of how I would be happier if you were a boy."

I raise an eyebrow,"Why?"

"I really want to slap you so hard right now but that would mean rubbing off the foundation I wasted five minutes of my precious life putting on your face." She says,"If you were a boy then I would have the option to kick you in the balls. So that you could finally see sense."

It was hard to argue with Rebecca logic.

__________________

Ashley's wedding wasn't nearly as flashy as the one in New York. It was a simple church wedding followed by a reception in a beautifully set up tent in her parents backyard.

It was simple, it was small, but as far as I was concerned it was much much better.

I had to wear a simple purple dress and walk down the aisle behind two of Ashley's friends, who were just as nice as her.

Her maid of honour had known her since pre-school and they had been apparently been inseparable ever since then.

Ashley had those typical pre-wedding break downs and she was almost at the edge of running away, or so it seemed until her best friend simply stood in front of her and slapped her.

At that moment, I could almost see it happening to me, me standing their freaking out over absolutely nothing and Rebecca giving me a good slap.

Her other bridesmaid on the other hand simply pointed and laughed while promising to upload the video she took on YouTube.

It made me realise that how much I wanted Samantha to be there too.

I felt extremely out of place and unable to guess why on earth Ashley had chosen me to be a bridesmaid, but none the less I was grateful.

She looked absolutely stunning of course and the ceremony was short but beautiful and Rebecca, swore afterwards that she'd gotten misty during the vows.

I didn't really blame her. Both the bride and the groom couldn't take their eyes off each other. And the way they looked at each other was something close to magical.

The reception was even better.

Everyone was relaxed and informal. People talked animatedly to one another and I couldn't help compare it to the previous wedding where everyone had been so stiff and fake.

Rebecca had been with me all night once or twice pushing me to the dance floor. I managed to get out of all of them except the time when Lean On started playing. I have to admit I did enjoy bobbing awkwardly next to her that one time.

But through out the evening all I could think about was how Jake would be leaving after this

How this was it for us.

Jake's mom had come too, although Mr Evans had gotten stuck in New York.

He sticks his hand out dramatically, grinning,"Care to dance?"

"I always thought you had a death wish Henderson." I say,"Never thought you'd be this forward with it though."

If possible Jake's smile grew even wider. Beside me Rebecca fake cough nudging me but even I can see she's a bit thrown of seeing him smile.

Because seeing Jake smile like that, with his green eyes lighting up and his dimples showing was not something for the faint hearted.

"You told Alec to come talk to me." I start and he sighs.

"Do you really want to do this now?" He says.

"Then when?" I ask,"You're leaving. Tonight."

"I know and this once I don't want to fight." He says.

I take a deep breath, I could do that couldn't i? Not fight? Not overthink it?

I'd been doing that for the past two weeks why would it suddenly get hard.

You're a crap dancer." I say as he grasps my wounded hand gently and puts the other around my waist.

"Haven't you been taught that it's rude to lie?"

I laugh and he twirls me around.

"You should be afraid for your life right now Henderson." I say,"You're the only one who is stupid enough to get cocky when I'm in heels."

"Or the only one who is smart." He says and somehow we are so close that just a little more and if be able to kiss him.

"You can do anything you want, Clara Wilson you just have to want it enough."

"I'd give up just about anything right now to go back to the lake." I say,"Just the two of us."

"Hmm that's true, it is a pity that there is no lake to kiss you in."He says.

A smile finds it's way to my lips,"You almost make it sound like you want to kiss me again."

He laughs and we are so close to each other that once again I'm enveloped by the typical Jake scent, honeydew.

"Oh I want to kiss you again."

And I would have. At that moment I would have said damn to the consequences and just down it, who cares? How many more pieces could my heart break anyways?

But instead I find myself pulled out of his grip rather roughly, crashing into Michella.

"I need to borrow my sister for a moment." She says before dragging me out of the tent.

"Don't do this to yourself Clara." Michella says desperately when we are out of sound range from the wedding guests,"Not with Jake, you can't."

"Huh?" I give her a look,"What are you talking about?"

"You and Jake." She says and she looks frantic,"Why are you doing this to yourself? You can't have him Clara-"

"What are you-"

"Think this through." She says,"How can the two of you ever even begin to happen? He's leaving-"

"I applied for MIT." I say taken aback by how frantic she was.

"No." She says quietly,"You didn't."

I raise an eyebrow,"Of course I-"

"I never sent it." She says, and for the first time in my life do I see my sister looking guilty,"I sent the cal tech one but I made sure the MIT one didn't go."

I look at her my mouth open, half horrified and the rest just disappointed.

How could I ever think that me and my sister would come even close to normal?

"Why?" I say,"I thought we were finally starting to forgive each other. I trusted you Michella-"

"Get over yourself." She says,"You know you can't go to MIT."

"Why, it's my choice." I say,"I can do whatever the hell I want."

"So you choose Jake Henderson?" She says,"You can't be with him Clara. It can't happen."

"And how the fuck are you supposed to know about that?" I say,"And why the fuck do you care-"

"I care because you're better than throwing your future-"

"ITS MIT MICHELLA!" I yell,"I'm not picking community college. Think-"

"No you're not picking MIT, you're picking the idea of Jake Henderson." She says.

"Alec is there to-"

"Stop kidding yourself. What you feel for Jake is nothing compared to what you want with Alec. Everyone else can already see what you're doing with those two."

"And you're not picking MIT because of him. If it was Alec you would work it out." She says,"But you're going to Boston because that's the only way you're clinging on to the hope that you can be with Jake. I bet you he doesn't know yet, does he?"

"So I'm moving to Boston." I say,"Why did you have to make sure that I didn't? It wasn't your call to make."

"Yes it was because because- "she stutters and looks at me helplessly to find words.

"I'm not sick Clara." She says.

I shrug,"I don't care anymore."

She grits her teeth in frustration,"I'm not sick."

"So what-"

"How thick can you be?" She says,"Are your that blind? Are you that self involved or are just that stupid? I'm not the one who is sick."

"I don't care."I say,"You can go to hell for all I care."

"I'm doing this for your own good." She says,"You need to-"

"How is this for my good?" I ask.

"If you weren't so blind, you would know but then again, you're Clara Wilson." She taunts,"And no one except you is capable of doing any good. Because you're the beacon of this goodness that none of us can compare to, right?"

That's what Natalie had said too.

"We both know that's not-"

"No that's exactly it." She says,"

"You're still not getting into MIT." She says.

"Deadline is tomorrow night." I say grinning,"Watch me pick it just to spite you Michella. Watch me throw it at your damn face when I get in and-"

"No you're not going to Boston, Clara." She says quietly,"You're going to Cal-Tech and you're staying here."

"And what are you going to do to stop me?" I sneer,"Tie me up?"

"No." She says her expression suddenly changing as she looks back at the tent with an expression that can only be described as the kind you give someone when you're apologising. She looks back at me and there is this sort of determination in her expression.

"You're not going to get Jake, Clara." She says,"He's why you're picking MIT, right now aren't you?"

"Why- what's-"

"Back in New York, you told me that you know who got me pregnant." She says,"I knew you were lying but after that I wasn't that sure and I couldn't take the risk."

"What are you even trying to say?" I ask,"You're talking rubbish."

"You said that you know who got me pregnant Clara." She says,"Who was it?"

I open my mouth to say something but I shut it. She'd caught my bluff.

So damn what?

"I don't care." I say,"I don't even want to know. Because it doesn't matter."

"But It does doesn't it?" She says,"Especially since it was Jake."

_____________________

Authors Note:

Author:Lol, this is going to be fun. So do you think Michella is actually lying or telling the truth? And do you think she actually has a reason? This chapter is 2 in one which is why the two week wait.

Michella:I always tell the truth even in shitty grammar

Author:You know what I was just starting to like you.

Rebecca:We are back to square one.*turns to Michella* Feel free to jump of a cliff.

Author:So now this is quite literally the beginning of probably the shittiest day of Clara's life which means for the next three chapters there is going to be one pile up of revelations after another, so seriously brace yourselves and armour up your phone.

Clara: *wears protective gear*

Author: Aww it's so cute that you actually think that's going to help you.

Clara:*grumbles* I hate this author so much.

Readers: tell us about it.

Author:In my defence I'm practically dying with work. To everybody who plans on taking science in life, RUN. RUN AS FAR AND AS FAST AS POSSIBLE. Don't get cocky, because you think you're smart enough to handle science. Take it from me, you can't. Nobody human can.

People ask me what I do for fun now days and when I say sleep they think I'm kidding.

Clara: I've taken science and I can deal with all of the drama you then my way and the study load.

Author: I dare you to come and live in the real world.

Jake: Well I'm sure I would still be awesome in the real world.

*Everybody turns towards him with butcher knives because pitchforks just won't do enough damage*

Author: Lol they hate you so much right now.

Rebecca: I still hate Alec more.

Alec: What did I do?

Rebecca: You-

Author:*clamps hand on her mouth* Next chapter. Everything happens in the next chapter.

Clara: why can't I just live happily ever after with myself?

Author: Nope sorry. This chapter is so damn important you guys have no idea. I'm pretty sure I've told you guys almost all the major plot points that are left right here in this chapter if you guys are smart enough to pick it out.

Rebecca: *grumbles* I still can't believe that it was Jake.

Author:*smiles evilly* or was it really? Well till next time folks. Brace yourself.

Jake: don't forget to comment vote and tell us what you think.

Next update: Soon? Remember I can't poop out ten thousand word chapters magically. Only rainbow striped purple flying pigs can do that.

So at least give me two weeks? So to keep you guys entertained here is a little competition.

COMPETITION DETAILS:

So the thing is simple: You guys simply have to write your favourite quote from this book and tell me why you like it the best. Or maybe why you hate it. Totally up to you. You guys can comment it here and tag me @Percabeth5599 or you guys can do it on Instagram with #theguynextdoor or tag me with @nyllacamphry.

You guys can also use tumblr my username is @percabeth5599

Any number of entries is allowed and there will be two winners both will get a follow and a choice to select whatever scene/chapter they want in whoevers POV at the end of the book and a dedication on that chapter. Also your entry will be displayed on my Instagram account!

Deadline: 10th September. Any questions simply Direct Message me or head over to my ask page.

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