Thanks to everyone who follows, favourites and reads!! :) I'm so sorry this took so long to upload.
This chapter contains some language that some readers may not like. It takes the place the day after the rejection.

Attack High School

Eren's POV:

My heart pumps as I enter through the school gates, ten minutes later than I usually do. Somehow, I know that the word about me rejecting Annie has gotten around and I'm nervous to see what the reaction will be. Hopefully, it won't be too bad, I mean, lots of girls like me and I've mentally rejected each one - I've even told them I don't like them. I guess none of them have really appealed to me.

As soon as I enter the canteen which is usually full of a cacophony of people laughing, chatting, shouting, screaming and doing last minute homework, I'm stopped by the sudden wave of silence. All eyes are on me. I gulp down the nervousness. It's probably just the fact that I'm slightly late. Yet, I can't help but feel my stomach do a flip. I flash a quick, forced smile and turn to the door. However, my plans to exit the canteen are foiled when I see Bertholdt and Reiner, two of Annie's friend that are so strong and muscular that they seem like her bodyguards, blocking the door along with Ymir who is tall but not strong looking.

"Excuse me," I try to sound confident but it comes out as a croak. Probably because I have practically the whole school watching me. Bertholdt and Reiner look at each other, identical amused looks plastered on their faces.

"Is excuse me all you can say, you little bitch?" Reiner asks, laughing.

"If you have the guts to reject Annie, why don't you make us move?" Ymir challenges.

"Just move," I say.

"What if we don't fucking move? What then?" Reiner says gruffly. I can feel the tension between us and at least one thousand pairs of eyes boring into my back.

"Well, I'd just take another -" I don't even get to finish my sentence when the first punch to my face is delivered. As I take in what just happened, the left side of my face throbs with pain and I feel the slightest bit woozy. Behind me, I can hear a mixture of responses from the audience. Some people are gasping, some are laughing, some are chanting for me to hit one of them back and some are cheering them on.

I'm not usually one to get involved in a fight but the sight of them waiting for me to hit them back is so provoking, I clench my fist and land a perfectly aimed punch right on Reiner's mouth. The red liquid spills from a cut on his lips, trickling down and leaving a red stain on his previously white school shirt. I look over at Bertholdt who is narrowing his eyes.

"Time to get serious," Reiner murmurs, loud enough for me to hear. I glance down at his shaking fist. He starts to move it and just when he's about to punch the other side of my face, I stop his fist with my own hand. For a moment, he looks surprised. I take this chance to deliver the final attack.

Once again, I clench my fist. Slowly, I pinpoint my target and lift my fist up to punch him when suddenly, I feel a sharp pain in my ribs. I uncurl my fist and clutch my left side. Only one person could have punched me while I was aiming at Reiner - Ymir. I turn my head to her and watch his bloodshot eyes lighten up with victory and glee. A smirk is set upon her lips. And then, a sound escapes her. All that can be heard is the sound of Ymir's menacing laughter.

"I don't go down that easily, bastard," Reiner jeers. He prepares his fist for the knock out blow. I wince as I ready myself for the pain I'll have to endure after I slip back into consciousness. He fist gets closer and closer when it's abruptly stopped by someone's hand. I recognise the flawless raven hair that flows down her back like a waterfall immediately. Mikasa.

"Mikasa!" Reiner yells in shock. "What are you doing?! He hurt Annie so now, we're going to pay him back!"

"No!" her voice has a sharp tone to it. "You can't just hurt him because he doesn't love Annie! It's not his fault she doesn't appeal to him! You can't force him to love her! It's his own choice, you don't control his life so you can't change it!" I smile weakly at her words. Reiner and Ymir are taken aback.

"Mikasa! You're siding with... t-the enemy?!" Annie's tearful voice emerges from the crowd. Mikasa turns away from Reiner and Ymir and faces Annie.

"Oh, please. This isn't war! Stop being such a drama queen about it,"

"I thought you were on my side!" Annie's anger is quickly rising.

"I was until you decided to take drastic measures," Mikasa snaps. She turns to me. "Come on, Eren?" her voice softens as she slings my left arm over her slender shoulders. The pain of the wounds and the defeat are quickly replaced by a warm feeling. The girl I love is on my side. Mikasa slowly turns and waits for me to face the alternative exit and then starts nonchalantly walking while I hobble along by her side, trying to decrease the amount of pain that jolts up my left side.

"Yeah, well, we're no longer friends!" Annie yells from behind.

"It's not like I wanted to be your friend, sket," Mikasa mutters under her breath. I smirk. Even though Mikasa is probably one of the nicest people you could meet, she isn't afraid to stand up for herself.

When we're in the hallway, I turn to Mikasa in an attempt to start a conversation. I quietly clear my throat so my voice doesn't come out sounding like a mouse and then start talking.

"Thanks for what you did back there, M-Mikasa," I start out great but her name causes my voice to falter. What? It's not my fault that the thought of her sends shivers up my spine! She turns to me and gives me a timid smile.

"It's fine. Just helping out a friend," I practically stop breathing at the last sentence. A friend? So she does take note of me? The bell rings and students start piling out of the canteen. Suddenly, something occurs to me. We're going in the exact opposite direction to our registration class.

"Mikasa, this is the wrong way," I state. She gives me a puzzled look.

"What do you mean?" she asks.

"I mean, our registration class is the other way," I turn my head towards the stairs. Mikasa lets out a little laugh.

"I think I know the way to the welfare room, Eren," My cheeks flush crimson red with embarrassment. How could I be so dense? Of course I can't go to class in this state! I can't even walk! Without Mikasa's support, I would have collapsed now. I'm really glad she came to my rescue. I'd probably be unconscious or dead right now if she hadn't. Okay, maybe I'm over reacting about it being a life and death situation, but my ribs hurt so much, they could be broken.

Mikasa instantaneously stops. I look at her as if to ask her why but before I can get the question out, her shallow breaths give away the answer. I realise that I've been putting nearly all my weight on her and obviously, being the strong girl she is, she would last longer than others but I weigh quite a lot and it's likely that she won't be able to go on for very long.

"Sorry," I feel pretty guilty for letting myself get lost in my thoughts and making Mikasa do all the work. She dismisses the apology with a small shake of her head.

"It's fine, don't worry," she simpers before continuing the journey to the welfare. As people are now leaving their registration classes and making their way to the first period of the day, we get a few weird looks from a few people and a couple of "oohs" from others.

"Will he be okay?" Mikasa asks in concern as the nurse prods my ribs. I wince as she does so. She's already run an x-ray that has shown that no bones have been damaged.

"Yes, he will. There wasn't much harm done, thankfully, just a few bruises on the exterior," the nurse stands up and walks away. Mikasa takes a seat next to my bed and sighs.

"What's wrong, Mikasa?" I inquire.

"Eren, you do realise that most of the school is against you, right?" I cock a brow at this. I didn't think that the rejection would be taken that harshly.

"Well, I know now," I say bitterly and close my eyes. She has a valid point but what could I have done to stop it? Play with Annie's feelings? No, that would have caused a lot more uproar than the current situation has. Great, I just lost my popular status and dragged Mikasa down with me.

"But, I'm on your side, just so you know," I give her a grateful smile.

"Thanks, Mika. Hey! Want to go somewhere after school today?" Mikasa looks at me, eye brows raised.

"What's with the Mika? And where?" she asks. It's so obvious that she's surprised at my sudden proposal. Even her best act can't hide it. And the nickname was, I thought it was cute.

"The name suits you! And I don't know. The movies, the park, your call!"

"The park. There's no movies that I like at the moment," Mikasa confirms. I shuffle around on the bed, trying to sit up, but Mikasa's voice stops me. "Lay down, Eren. You need the rest,"

"Fine," I sulk, like a five year old who didn't get a toy they wanted.

"Eren, are you sure going somewhere today is a good idea? You know, with your injuries?" I nod.

"It's fine,"

"Maybe we should go another time. You know, when you're better?"

"Well, do you want to come to my house," I ask. By Mikasa's fearful and shocked expression, I realise how weird and wrong that question sounded. "I'm not like that! I promise!" I protest. Mikasa calms down.

"Sorry, it's just that the fact suddenly occurred to me,"

"You don't need to apologize, it was my question," I feel like slapping myself.

"So, it's settled? Your house," Mikasa says. I nod and then drift off into a dreamless sleep.

"This is it," I say, showing Mikasa my petite but cozy house. She gazes up in awe at it.

"Oh, wow! Your house is so cute! I love the colour!" she exclaims. I smile and then wince as I ring the doorbell. The swelling has gone down, but the pain remains and the injuries are still so obvious and visible. My mum will obviously want an explanation. My mum opens the door.

"Hello, Eren. Oh, my! What happened to you?" My mum has a tone of worry and shock in her voice. I don't feel like explaining so I divert her attention to Mikasa.

"Before we get to that, I'd like you to meet my new best friend. Mum, this is Mikasa. Mikasa, this is my mum,"

"Oh, hello, Mikasa!" my mum squeals, grabbing her hand and shaking it.

"Hello, Mrs. Jaeger," Mikasa smiles.

"Oh, no, please. Call me Carla," I roll my eyes. Typical. My mum turns to me.

"So, Eren. Care to explain exactly what happened and why your face has bruises on it?" I lower my head. Great, just what I was trying to avoid.

"Uh, I kind of got into a little fight," I lie. My mum narrows her eyes.

"'A little fight'? Eren, don't lie to me," she says, sternly. How can she tell that I'm lying? Mikasa decides to keep her mouth shut through this. I look behind my mum. If I'm fast enough, I can dart up the stairs and into my room. I ready myself. On your marks, get set, go! I tell myself and then I'm off, faster than a rocket. My mum just lets out a sigh.

"He'll never tell me the truth," I hear my mum say. That's because guys aren't supposed to cry to their mums! I mentally reply.

A while later, I hear a knock on my bedroom door.

"Eren, can I come in?" Mikasa's voice asks. I stand up and open the door.

"Yeah, sure," I say with a smile. She takes a step in and closes the door behind her. Her dark emotionless grey-blue eyes stare in to my emerald green ones, as if searching for an answer. A few moments later, she turns her head, breaking the eye contact.

"Eren, why did you reject Annie?" she asks, her attention focused on the snow blanketing other roofs outside. I take a minute to think about my answer. Let's see, there's a lot of stuff I dislike about her, but if I named the whole list, Mikasa would probably fall asleep. Yes, the list is that long.

"Well, I guess she doesn't appeal to me... I mean, if you saw how she treated some people at school, you'd hate her too," I say. Mikasa leans against the wall.

"But, Eren -"

"Let's drop the subject, Mikasa," I look up at the white ceiling. Annie's face appears. Her face is damp with tears, some still falling from her eyes. Her bottom lip is trembling and she looks so miserable. A pang of guilt hits me. I know that it was the best thing to do, but I've left her heartbroken. I shake my head to clear the image from my head.

"Try and catch me, Eren!" Mikasa yells, running a few meters ahead of me. I chase after her, grinning. Despite her head start, I manage to catch up with her. She stops suddenly, causing me to slam right in to her. I manage to balance myself but she falls forward. Mid way through the fall, she turns and lands on her back. Luckily, the snow cushions her fall. I hold out my hand. She grabs it and I pull her up.

"Sorry, Mika!" I scratch the back of my head. To my surprise, her reply isn't what I expected it to be.

"No! You should have looked where you were going!" she turns away from me and stands with her arms folded across her chest. My mouth is hung wide open as tears of hurt fill my eyes. She hates me. I quickly blink them away. She bends down and gathers some snow together.

"What are you doing?" I ask, trying to hide the hurt in my voice.

"Looking for something," she replies, bitterly. I turn to look at the bare trees, covered in white, in the distance to my left. I sigh glumly. Great, I just ruined everything! It was going smoothly until now. I was beginning to feel confident around her and I even managed not to stutter but now, I had to go and spoil everything! Why am I so stupid?! Why do I wreck the best things in my life? I ruined my relationship with my mum by not talking to her often enough and then, getting to the point where I can't even tell her the truth about me getting beaten up!

Suddenly, something cold and hard hits me in the side of my face. I turn to see Mikasa, her face creasing with laughter.

"You believed it! I'm a pretty good actress, aren't I?" Mikasa says between giggles. She calms down when she sees my serious expression. Now it's my turn to laugh.

"I'm a great actor! You thought I was actually offended!" I guffaw. Mikasa looks slightly affronted for a moment but then shrugs it off and joins in with my laughter.

When we calm down, I throw a snowball at her. Because her guard is down, it hits her square in the face. She glares daggers at my throat and then fires a snowball at me, which I dodge. This angers her and she hurls another at me. It hits me in the leg. I then fling one at her. Soon, it progresses into a full scale snowball fight.

"That was so much fun!" I exclaim as we walk to the front door. Mikasa nods in agreement.

"Today was the best!" Mikasa smiles. "I have to go now, Eren, but I'll see you at school tomorrow!"

"See you!" I hold my hand up for a high five. Mikasa gets the message. Our hands clap together as a cold wind blows through Mikasa's inky hair.

"Wait! Take my number!" Mikasa says. I smile and give her my phone. We exchange numbers.

"Should I walk you home?" I ask. Mikasa takes a moment to think before shaking her head.

"No, I live pretty close, I should be okay," she then turns away and starts walking down the snow covered pavement. I watch her body draw further and further away until she vanishes, out of sight. I close the door and press my back against it.

"Have fun?" a feminine voice asks. I turn to my mum who is watching me from the kitchen.

"Loads! Mikasa's really cool!" I grin, reminiscing today's events.

"Sounds like my little boy has a crush!" my mum teases. I turn beetroot.

"M-mum! How could you think that!" I yell in protest.

"Come on, don't deny it!" she argues.

"I don't," I whine. She gives me the 'I know you're lying look', so I give up trying to hide it. "Fine! I do! But if you tell her!" I decide not to finish the threat. My mum shakes her head.

"My lips are sealed," she promises. I smile at her. Maybe I can rebuild what I've ruined. I sprint up the stairs and run into my room. I pull out my phone and text Mikasa.

Eren: Hey, Mika! :) Are you home yet?

Mikasa: Just got in the house.

Eren: Well, how about you come to my house again tomorrow?

Mikasa: Honestly, I'd love to, but we're having guests.

Eren: Oh. :'(

But I don't just feel kind of upset, I feel so disappointed that I could cry. What else am I meant to do tomorrow?

Mikasa: Sorry. :(

Eren: No, it's fine.

I switch my phone up and make my way downstairs.

"Mum, do you want any help?" I ask. She looks kind of surprised.

"Why?" she asks.

"I have nothing better to do," I say, shrugging my shoulders.

"Well, I guess you could wash those few dishes in the sink," she says. I walk over to the sink and start cleaning the dishes.

After dinner, I turn on my phone to find three texts from Mikasa.

Mikasa: Eren! My brother has just found some freaking random excuse so the guests can't come! :D

Mikasa: Eren, I'm invited to Levi's party, want to go?

Mikasa: Eren?

My fingers zoom across the keyboard.

Eren: Sorry, I was eating. I'd love to go.

Almost immediately, Mikasa replies.

Mikasa: Awesome! So, it's at 8pm, make sure you tell your mum and don't be late.

My heart pounds. She wants me to go to a party with her! I quickly rush downstairs.

"Mum! I'm going to a party at 8pm tomorrow with Mikasa!" I pant.

"Who's house?" she inquires.

"Levi's," I reply.

"That's fine. Remember to change your underwear!" I groan. I hate when my mum says that. I go back upstairs but this time to the bathroom. I take a look at how badly my face has been affected. I have a black eye, a few bruises and a small scar on the left side. The right side is normal. I lift up my shirt and look down at my ribs. Sure enough, I see four black bruises. I poke one of them and gasp in pain. Great, how am I going to cover my face up?