Austin Lewis walked into the lunchroom alone. He wore ripped jeans and a black leather jacket over a washed out grey shirt and his dark hair was dishevelled in the charming way it always was. The lunch lady smiled when he approached her and they exchanged a few words before he left to his friends' table with a tray of food.

Rosie imagined he'd been outside smoking and if she got close enough, she'd be able to smell it. He stripped off his jacket under her devoted eyes and sat down eating with three friends — West, Dan and Bailey. Rosie wished she was in Bailey's place, being able to hang out with him all the time. Austin was in Rosie's English class, but the only times they hung out were for school projects, including the one they were currently working on.

"You're staring."

Rosie snapped off her thoughts and looked at her friend, Hannah, who was frowning. The girl didn't like Austin since the beginning of the school year, when she realised the lunch lady had a favourite.

"I'm not. I was just wandering if the jacket is new."

"It's not." Hannah rolled her eyes. "In fact, I'm pretty sure that's the only jacket I have ever seen him wear."

Rosie focused on her dry pizza and avoided her friend's look. She wanted to avoid all conversations that aimed to criticise her crush.

"Do you want to come to my place after school?" Hannah asked. "I got cheerleading practice and then we can go."

Rosie shook her head. "I can't. I have an English presentation to do and the group agreed to meet at my house. Well, Lily decided we should go to my place and everyone agreed."

"Bummer. Maybe tomorrow, though."

"Yeah. We need to catch up on those American Horror Story episodes," Rosie said, and Hannah cringed. She smirked, knowing how Hannah despised the show. Rosie had told her plenty of times she didn't mind watching it with Nina only, but her friend didn't want to look weak. "Or we can watch something else."

"Whatever you prefer."

Austin and his friends walked past their table, heading to the door, and Rosie couldn't help but look at him one last time. Her favourite part of him was his toothy smile, but her heart ached because it was never for her.

"You're staring again," Hannah complained. "I heard he likes cheerleaders. You should join us."

Cheerleading was way too much school spirit for Rosie. On rare occasion, she would sit down to watch the football games against other schools because Hannah dragged her there, but that was all. School was painful education sprinkled with a few people she liked to make it more endurable, and that was that. No need to get more involved.

"I also heard he liked blondes, so I'm screwed," Rosie said. Her mind immediately went to Bailey and how she was always there.

Right on cue, a blonde storm slapped her tray against their table and sat in front of Rosie. The young girl faked a smile and held her head on her open palm.

"What are you doing later?" she asked. "I invited a friend and need a distraction."

Rosie sighed. "Mom and dad are mad at you, Nina."

"Yeah, what else is new?" she asked. "Look, I just need a quick distraction so I can sneak her in and sneak her out without getting yelled at. Again."

"And since you're at it, might as well throw a party," Rosie said.

"I kind of feel like that is the one she wants to do," Hanna chimed in, looking between them.

The sisters stared at each other, piercing blue eyes against piercing blue eyes, expecting the other to back down first. Despite resembling each other in their sharp features, they were nothing alike. Rosie's dark hair contrasted with Nina's blonde and shorter hair, and her soft, observant look with her sister's permanent scowl and mischievous smile.

"I'll pay you," Nina offered.

"With what?"

"I'll do your chores for a week."

"You're grounded. You're already doing my chores of the week."

"Then I'll add next week's chores, too."

Rosie nodded and extended a manicured hand for her sister to shake, which she gladly took. Not all their conflicts were like this. Most involved physical ways of solving the issue, or adding glitter to someone's shampoo.

"It's always a pleasure doing business with you." Nina smiled and left them to find her friends.

"What is she grounded for?" Hannah asked.

"She thought it was funny to configure aunt Laura's computer to Rick roll her every half an hour of being used."

Hannah scrunched her brows together. "How did she do that?"

Rosie shrugged. "Dad teaches her stuff she misuses."

🧡🧡🧡

Rosie followed the smell of cookies into the kitchen, where her mum was humming a soft tune. She had just taken out a fresh batch of cookies from the oven and was making some kind of intricate barista drink.

"You're home early," Rosie noted, startling her mother.

"So are you," Nicole said, leaning against the kitchen countertop. "I got a new, very arrogant, associate. I'm waiting for him to call in a panic when he finds out the case is not as easy as he thinks. But til then, he is on his own."

"Is that good teaching?"

Nicole shrugged. "I'll be there for him when he drops the attitude. But why are you here so early?"

"My Geography teacher sprained her ankle this morning, so I didn't have the last class." She sat at the table, looking at the cookies. "You made cookies for my classmates?"

Nicole frowned. "Your classmates? Oh, you're doing that project today?"

Rosie nodded. "Yupe. They're probably arriving soon. Can't believe I have to coexist with Lily in one space for I don't know how long. I might jump of the window."

"She can't be that bad."

Rosie cocked an eyebrow. "I promise, if you spend ten minutes with her, you wouldn't jump out of the window, you would throw her."

Nicole smiled and picked up a cookie. It never ceased to be weird for Rosie to see her in a suit, especially in such a casual environment as their home, chatting in the kitchen. She couldn't picture her mother, the women who threw herself on the sofa after work and whined if forced to get up, in court.

"I assume you don't want me hovering," Nicole said. "So I'll be in dad's office if you need anything. There's orange juice in the fridge and I'll only steal three quarters of the cookies."

Rosie chuckled. "You can take them all. I'll either starve them or make sandwiches."

"No, it's okay, you can have them." Nicole grabbed a small bowl and put a handful of cookies in them. "You're studying in the living room, right?"

"Yeah. I'll be damned if I'll let Lily in my room." Rosie rolled her eyes and, as if on cue, the doorbell rang. "And here they are."

"Try not to commit murder inside my house," Nicole said before disappearing.

Rosie sighed and walked to the door. Peeking through the peephole, she saw West and Austin waiting. She yanked the door open and smiled, trying to not look too excited to meet him.

"Hi!" she greeted and immediately cringed at how her voice came out. "Come in."

"What's up?" West said, lifting his arms up in a high five that she took too long to respond to.

Awkwardly, she stepped back to let them in and closed the door behind her. Her hands were shaking, so she shoved them inside her pockets and tried to look confident.

"So, um, this is my house... my parent's house... We can work in the living room," she said, taking them to the room. "I'll get some snacks. Make yourselves at home."

Rosie hid in the kitchen and took a few breaths. She'd talked to him many times before, this was just another. Yet, she needed him to notice her. He wanted him to ask if he could stay for longer, or to invite her to hang out after school. Anything would do.

She gathered the rest of the cookies on a plate, chocolates, glasses, and a jar of orange juice. She put it all in a tray and took it to them. They were already sitting down at the table, notebooks and pencils out to work.

"I like your sweater, Rosie," West said as soon as she walked in.

"It's Rose," she corrected. "And thanks."

She turned to Austin. "Do you want anything besides what I got? I have a lot more stuff in the kitchen."

"We're fine," he said, leaning against his chair.

The bell rang once more, and she was about to excuse herself when her sister sprinted into the living room to get through the door.

"That one is for meeee."

She opened the door and a young girl with purple dyed hair came inside.

"If mum asks, it was a friend of yours," she told Rosie as she led the girl to her room.

Rosie rolled her eyes and went to the door that they had left open, ready to close it. As she reached it, she saw a girl in sweatpants and an oversized shirt walking over. She almost groaned at the sight, but kept the door open.

"How nice of you to open the door for me, Rosie," the girl said, walking in.

"It's Rose, Lily."

She led her too to the living room, and Lily took a sit by Austin's side, trying to hug him. He didn't move to hug her back, but it annoyed Rosie to see her touch him like that. Or touch him at all.

"I was going to sit there, Lily."

"Too bad. Austin wants me by his side. Don't you, Austin?"

He shrugged. "I don't care."

West pulled back the chair next to him. "Sit with me, Rose."

She sighed and took a seat beside him. Maybe she couldn't be next to Austin, but she had a diagonal view to him and an hour or more to be with him.

"What cookies are these?" Lily asked.

Rosie frowned. "Chocolate chip cookies, obviously. Can't you see the chocolate?"

"Oh, I thought they were raisins, since you're all alternative. Did you know Rosie eats weird stuff, Austin?" she asked, tapping him lightly. "I once saw her drink almond milk because 'it tastes good'. She just likes not being like other girls."

"It tastes good." Rosie gritted her teeth.

"Come on, we all know you're just trying to keep yourself from getting overweight."

Rosie's mouth dropped open, and she just stared at Lily for a moment, completely shocked. She was used to the comments by now, but now she was taking it too far.

"She looks fine. What are you talking about?" West asked.

"Yeah, and she sure likes to dress so people know it. I don't know how you feel comfortable showing so much skin. I could never." She eyed Rosie's tank top with a sneer.

"Can we do the project?" she asked. Her eyes were on Austin, who was scrolling on his phone, ignoring the conversation. She didn't want him to judge her based on Lily's comments.

"Yeah, I think we should," West said. He took a cookie out of the plate and took a bite. "And these are delicious."

She smiled. "Thanks. My mum made them."

"Of course," Lily scoffed.

Ignoring her, Rosie pushed the plate towards Austin. "Don't you want to try them?"

"Sure." He took one and kept scrolling through his phone.

"Are they any good?"

"Yupe."

She blushed and looked down. "Well, let's start, shall we?"

Soon they were discussing and making research about an author. Rosie did her best to stay focused despite how irked up she got every time Lily touched Austin and giggled at him.

"So, when do we meet up again?" West asked when they called it a day.

"On the weekend?" Rosie offered.

"Saturday afternoon is good for me," he said.

The others nodded, already packing their stuff inside their backpacks to leave. They had already eaten everything that she had brought on the tray, but the table was full of crumbs and discarded wrappers.

"Don't forget to get the PowerPoint started, Rosie," Lily added.

"What?" she asked, startled. "I'm not good with those. They always look clunky."

Lily rolled her eyes. "Of course you are. You're always colouring stuff with your colourful pens."

"But that's on paper."

Annoyed with both of them, Austin said. "I'll do it."

"I can help," Rosie said almost immediately. "I just... um, I just can't do it by myself."

Austin shrugged and got up, throwing his backpack over his shoulder. "Let's go, West?"

The boy got up on command, and so did Lily. Rosie didn't want to let Austin leave so soon, but she knew there wasn't much she could do. She sighed and took them to the door.

Austin stopped looking at a painting of her and Nina hanging on the hall's wall. It was dark coloured and showed much younger versions of them in a tight hug. She swallowed dry when she saw him looking, feeling self-conscious.

"Is that you?" he asked.

Both West and Lily came to look at the painting.

"Yeah. My mum did it a few years ago."

"Your mum paints and makes delicious cookies? Your mum is awesome," West said with a bright smile, but Rosie wasn't looking at him.

"I can't do portraits of people," Austin said, which came as a surprise to Rosie because she didn't know he could draw. In fact, she knew nothing about him besides the fact that he was handsome. "I'm more versed in cartoons than real people."

"But you're great at that!" Lily beamed.

Rosie felt the jealousy sting in her chest at the thought of Lily seeing his drawings. She didn't want Lily to know more about him than she did. Worrying about Bailey was already a full-time job. Lily didn't have to join the game.

"Do you think your mum could help me sometime?" he asked.

Rosie's first thought was that Nicole wouldn't care about a sixteen-year-old enough to teach him anything, and she was a busy woman. The second was that maybe if she begged enough, she might break her.

"Sure," she said. "Actually, if you want to stay for longer, I could ask her."

"He can't," Lily intervened.

"I can't?" he asked.

"Yeah, he can't," West added, trying to put himself between Austin and Rosie. "But I can."

Rosie blinked but ignored them, moving West aside to look Austin in the eye.

"Can you or not?"

Austin looked past her, to West, who was mimicking something at him. He frowned, unsure of what was going on. Rosie tried to look at West too, but he stopped his signs every time she turned.

"I can't, because I have stuff to do." He paused to think. "But West is free."

"Does West want to learn to draw?" Rosie asked, raising both brows.

"No, but I want the cookie recipe," he joined in.

"They were not that good," Lily scoffed.

Rosie was ready to punch Lily. Instead, she opened the door and pointed to the hallway with a fake smile.

"You're done here, aren't you, Lily? Why don't you leave?"

"I'll go when Austin goes."

West nudged Austin, who was inspecting the drawing with a lot more care. They shared a glance and a few hushed words before nodding to each other.

"Yeah, yeah, Lily and I are leaving," Austin said.

Rosie's smile fell. "What? Why?"

"I have stuff," he said.

Lily grabbed him by the arm and pushed him with her, waving at Rosie as they walked out.

The girl stared at their backs, feeling like they had shattered completely her goal. She didn't want to see them leave together; she wanted him to stay. And now that they had, she just wanted to sit in her room and cry against a pillow.

"So, um, what's up?" West asked.

She sighed. "You know what? I'm sorry, but I'm tired, and my mum is busy with a case. Can we do this another day?"

His smile wavered, but he shrugged. "Yeah, sure. Totally. Yupe. For sure, for sure... another day... Tomorrow?"

She shook her head. "I don't know. Another day."

He nodded. "Okay, okay. So... your mum is lawyer?"

"Yeah."

"And your dad is...?" he kept going, despite her obvious disappointed expression.

"A programmer."

"Right... Good jobs. What do you want to do?"

"I don't know."

He rested his back against the opposite wall, like he was ready to stay for a while longer. Rosie took that as an offense. She'd clearly stated she wanted him to go, and he had agreed.

"West?"

"Yes?"

"Get off my wall."

He straightened up, surprised by her harsh tone. She'd never talked to him like that in all their classes.

"I'm sorry," he said. "So, um..."

Realising he was going to keep talking, Rosie opened the door even more and walked outside. West frowned but followed her.

"That's a pretty hallway," he noted.

"Glad you think so," she said and went back in again, grabbing the door before he could walk in. "See you tomorrow at school?"

"Oh," he said. "Yeah, sure. See you tomorrow."

"Bye!" She smiled and closed the door.

Rosie turned around, only to find Nina looking at her with a smug smile on her face. She was carrying sandwiches and juice back into her room.

"Damn, Rosie, those are the attitudes that get mum and dad mad at me."

"He wasn't leaving," she whined, walking towards her sister.

Nina giggled in response. "Whatever. I'm sure he'll always remember your sweet gesture." She started to walk away, but then turned once more. "I'll need you to make sure mum doesn't see my friend leave in a bit, okay?"

She nodded. "Okay, but make it fast. Dad must be arriving soon, and I can't distract them both at the same time."

"No problem. You're the best."

Nina disappeared to her room, and Rosie hid in hers too. She threw herself on the bed and buried her face in the pillow. She was feeling desperate that Austin didn't seem to care about her. It hurt more than she could explain. And now she was worried about both Bailey and Lily.

And here we are.

Do not expect expect regular updates of this because they will not be coming. I'll get this done on the 30th february. I'm currently trying to edit my other stories, but I will try my best to finish this quick.

As you've probably guessed it, this will be about Rosie's newly found crush, but I'll focus on other older characters as well since their ending was a bit for open interpretation (if you don't like my new endings, pretend you didn't see them). Character you will not find include anyone who Nicole and Andrew no longer have a relationship with because it barely existed in the first place. I'll let you guess who those are.

Stay tuned for the next chapter (coming out never).

Thank you so much for reading! Don't forget to vote, comment and follow me for more stuff ;)