(Annie's POV)

My day did not go as expected. And from what happened earlier, I can safely assume that it is going downhill from here.

First, Adrian came to my school and attacked me, knowing full well everything he needs to know, I presume. This does not bode well for me. For one, the relationship that I have lived through for mostly two years at this point would be wiped off the face of this earth. And other than that, it is safe to assume that the world is in danger as well.

Second, this Max guy who saved my ass from the deadly grips of my father arranged a meeting with me inside my house, entering it before me and somehow unlocking the door. He gave me a vial containing titan serum and told me to use it to lure Adrian into a trap. But what trap? I must think of something quick. I believe I owe Max a thank you, he gave me a chance to save myself and my relationship on a silver platter.

Third, this chick Natasha that attacked me earlier. She seemed very skilled, but my powers outmatched hers, and with that, I was able to beat her. According to her, she is associated with Adrian and is helping him achieve his goals. Does she go to the same school as us now too? I have so many questions.

For the time I was hanging out with Sasha, I decided to put all those thoughts away and have fun for the remainder of the day. Sasha suggested that we go to an ice cream shop that I owe her a visit to since I let her down last time. When we arrived here, It was not as packed as we assumed it would be. Customers were far in between and I believe that is due to the fact that it is a school/work day, and with that comes fewer and fewer customers, but enough to keep the shop busy for the day.

I stumbled upon this Oreo-flavored ice cream that—when I ordered and tried it—tasted like a party in my mouth. Sasha picked a place inside the store where we could sit and knowing her, she picked the place in the far end of the shop where she could sit and eat like a monster without people seeing her.

"Annie?" She asked.

"Yes"

"I just want to say that I'm noticing that you are starting to... How should I put this... Socially interact more." She stated.

"Oh yeah? And what are you trying to imply?" I asked.

"Oh, nothing! I just want to say I'm proud of you! Hopefully with a little it more of this, people will start to look at you differ3ently and maybe even start to approach you themselves!" She said optimistically. "Wouldnt that be great!"

"Sure..."

"Anyways..." She said before taking a spoonful of ice cream and shoving it down her mouth. "I want you to tell me about that Adrian guy."

Hearing her say that took me by surprise. I felt sick just by hearing his name. But I think she deserves an explanation, or maybe I should tell her so that she does not try something stupid. For example, she could try and figure out why Adrian and I are enemies, and if she went to Adrian for answers he could feed her lies. Or worse, she could try and bring Adrian and me together! And so I decided that it is in my best interest to tell her at least something digestible without revealing too many details.

"So... Adrian is someone I despise. Why, you might be asking. Because he works with my dad. My dad is a douchebag who left me with my mom and went away... He didn't even bother to show up at my mother's funeral..." I revealed.

"Annie... I'm so sorry... Your mother... Passed away?" She asked.

"Yes. A week ago or so... I didn't want to tell anyone. I'm sorry I didn't tell you either." I answered.

"I... Can't believe this..."

"On a somewhat positive note, Eren showed up there, by the way." I stated.

"Eren Jaeger?" She asked.

"Yes. His father works at the hospital where my mother passed away right in front of me..."

"Annie, I..."

"Don't worry about it. I'm okay. Enough contrition" I said giving her a little smile that made her feel a sense comfort that took away the sense of sorrow. "Yea, I want some more of this ice cream."

I went and bought more for myself and Sasha. I wasn't feeling like sitting down and eating so we decided we'd go walking around and eating. And with that decided we left the store and started walking around the town and engaging in discussions about normal topics. Nothing that had to do with Adrian or anyone else.

"Hey Annie, I want to ask you about this guy..." Sasha said, which made me giggle and feign overreaction

"OOOHHH! Sasha likes someoooneee!" I exclaimed.

"Oh Annie, come on!"

"Okay, okay. Tell me who is it."

"I don't know his name but I know he's in the basketball team."

"Of the high school?"

"Yes."

"And aren't they training today?" I asked.

"Yes."

"So let's go there!" I said with complete enthusiasm.

"Wait, what?"

"Yea. We can see him and maybe I'd get to see you drool over a guy for a change."

And with that said, we made our way to the high school basketball court. Looking at Sasha, I saw her get increasingly anxious the closer we got there. And frankly, that was entertaining to see. I would get to see her get distracted with a hot stud that probably doesn't give a damn about her.

When we arrived, I saw that the entire place was packed with people. There were lots of familiar faces and also people whom I have never seen before. But the surprising thing was that there was more than one team, and they were not 'Practicing'.

"Annie... I hate to break it to you... But I think the practice session was yesterday... They are supposed to be playing a game now..."

I slapped my face so hard it would've echoed in the court if it were to be empty. I looked at Sasha and gestured in my head that we should sit somewhere and watch regardless. She stared at me with an eyebrow raised but I took a seat regardless. With no choice given to her, she followed me and did the same.

The game was entertaining. Our team was luckily winning, but the main thing was that I was able to figure out the name and look of the guy Sasha likes. His name is Scott, he has the looks you'd expect a fuckboy to have. He also has a golden earring on his right ear and a piercing on the lower lip to the right. He's close to six feet as I cannot quite tell accurately from a distance. His basketball skills are not something to be trifled with, frankly. He appears to be the one who is mainly preventing the other team from scoring, but they are pretty good themselves and he fails a lot of the time.

That's until suddenly, and out of nowhere, a new player entered the scene... Eren.

My eyes shifted towards him and the second he entered the court and turned the tables, turning the tie into a victory with his flawless skills and unmatched playstyle. But I was mainly lost5 by the way his hot body moved while his tank top barely covered his chest and abs.

But what took me most by surprise is after he dunked. He looked at me and winked before resuming the match. Sasha then tapped my shoulder. When I looked at her I was taken back by that Lenny face look she gave me.

"What?" I asked.

"You like him, don't you?" She asked.

"N-No!" I said. "I don't."

"Don't lie to my face, Annie. Especially since I already know."

When she said that, my heart jumped to my throat, I stared at her only to be met with the same Lenny face look I got before

"How..."

"Why do you take me lightly, Annie. You should know by now that I am good at analyzing people. Especially ones that are my closest friends." She stated. "Don't worry though. Your secret is kept well hidden. I'll fast for a month if it would mean keeping your secret safe."

I didn't respond. My mind was just busy focusing on the fact that if Sasha knows about Eren and me, who else knows?! My mind was nearly going to snap until Sasha tapped my shoulder and reassured me, saying: "Annie. Calm down for a sec, okay? It honestly took me some time to realize that you and Eren are a thing, and I'm not sure anyone else was going to put lots of time and effort into finding all the pieces and putting them together. Don't worry, no one knows. And I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier."

Hearing her say that brought me some relief. I felt a little better, enough to focus on the game and then settle things later. Doing so was very easy, as Eren's majestic form was already so captivating, I couldn't take my eyes off of him. I started to feel butterflies down my stomach every time he scored. The feeling intensified the closer him and his team got to victory.

By the end of the game, Eren's team went home victorious, all thanks to him and his deus ex machina. I was extremely happy by the sight of him being happy, but of course, I always hid my true emotions behind a mask of emotionlessness.

We decided that we should exit the school through the main hallway, not from the court because Sasha wanted to get a closer glimpse at the man of her dreams. I agreed to do so, mainly to see the look I have on my face when I see Eren but on someone else.

When we started walking through the empty hallway, we started to hear large footsteps coming from behind us. Listening to them carefully made me deduce that it was a single person making the footsteps. When we turned around we were horrified as we were greeted with the sight of a seven-foot-tall man with jacked muscles, staring down at us, or mainly at me, with evil intent apparent through the emotionless face but death glare he possessed.

"Annie Leonhardt?" He asked.

"Yes, who's asking?" I asked.

"You should have already had your answer." He said before slamming his fist in my direction.

I was able to roll out of the way in time. Sasha, on the other hand, was sent flying by the amount of force the punch exerted, accompanied by her failed attempt at dodging. But his answer was all too clear. I instantly knew that Adrian is responsible.

"So hey, big guy. Is your boss really this incompetent, he sent a brainless bag of swollen meat after me? Come on." I commented.

He didn't respond but tried to grab me, which I avoided by jumping away and flipping mid-air and landing on my feet. "Wow, you're really more incompetent than I gave you credit for."

He got back into a neutral stance and from there he lunged at me with a punch, sending me flying towards a wall. When my body impacted, I felt my spine snap and break. The pain was extremely surreal and unbearable that I took it upon myself to reattach my spine while Sasha was still watching, and then let my healing factor do all the work.

"Oh my god!" Sasha shouted. "Annie, are you okay?!"

"Yes, fine and dandy. I just have to get rid of this brute. Can you wait for me just a few steps back please?" I asked before jumping at the big man's head and proceeding to punch the living hell out of him.

He then grabbed me and threw me at the floor and tried to stomp on me, but I rolled away, dodging his attack and giving myself enough space and time to recover. I got back on my feet and stared at the freak, thinking of a way to take him down. I looked at Sasha and pointed towards the exit. She nodded in agreement and sprinted her way out of the building.

With my powers free from being discovered, I crystallized my entire arms and legs, plus the shoulders for good measure. "Round two."

I ran towards him and punched him in the chest and followed it with a flurry of punches that get increasingly fast with each punch. He grabbed me by the neck, but with my crystallized hands, I hit his arms, prompting him to let go. I then struck him with an uppercut followed by a backflip kick. I then punched him in the nuts before trying to sweep him off the ground.

But my sweep wasn't strong enough as he didn't flinch from it and proceeded to grab me by the leg and lift me off the ground. My other leg was free so I used it to kick his face so hard, a few shards of crystal got stuck to his skin.

Without making a single sound, he threw me all the way to the door. I landed just a few inches away and had my crystals shatter all over the ground. I took a gander in his direction and noticed that he was holding his face in his hand. I took the chance to haul ass out of the building and when I exited through the door, I spotted Sasha waving her hands at me. I made my way running towards her and passed her, prompting the potato girl to run alongside me and away from the school grounds.

When we reached a safe distance, Sasha and I stopped. She looked at me with extreme seriousness so bleedingly obvious in her eyes. "Annie." She said. "What was that?"

"I don't know what, to be honest, but I'm pretty sure it has something to do with Adrian." I stated with complete honesty.

"Adrian? Why is he after you like this? What are you not telling me, Annie?" She asked her questions as if she was interrogating me while having her hands on my shoulders.

"There is a lot of stuff I cannot tell you about, okay? It's for my good and for your own." I replied.

"Yeah, yeah. And if you do, it will be the end of us." She phrased her words, sarcastically. Too bad she was factually correct.

I stared at the ground without uttering a single word. I was stuck in a situation I cannot get out of easily. And knowing Sasha, she will not let this go until she gets what she wants, and I did not plan to lose a friend because of who I am.

"Do you really wanna know?" I asked, my head still looking down.

"Yes." She answered without hesitation.

"Can you hold me and yourself responsible for the information you will about to receive, no matter the dangers that come with it?" I asked.

"Yes."

"Do you swear to keep the secrets of my true nature hidden and take them with you to the grave?" I asked. This time I looked at her with tears flowing down my eyes.

"I solemnly swear to keep your secrets hidden and never tell any soul, even if it meant my death. And yes, I am sure of that."

"Okay then... Here we go."

I crystallized both my arms in front of her, much to her shock and bewilderment. She stared at my arms with her eyes looking like they were about to pop out at any second. I, on the other hand, started to tear up even more.

I stared at the ground, knowing that someone knows who I am and that they might resent me for it. But instead, the unbelievable happened. I felt a pair of arms wrap themselves tightly around me, embracing me in a hug. And that's when I finally burst out crying on Sasha's shoulder.

"Shhh... It's okay. I don't care what you are. You're still Annie to me. It's okay..."

At that moment, I finally discovered a true friend in Sahsa. I knew right then and there that I can trust Sasha with anything in my life. I thought that with all the bad things happening to me in these past few days, I will not find any good news or anyone to stand by me. Today, Sasha proved me wrong. And I am eternally grateful to her.

She promised me that she and I will do everything in our power to stop Adrian and his group of misfits from seeing their schemes to completion. With her by my side, I knew for a fact that I might still stand a chance in the end. And that alone gives me the confidence to continue on, despite all the odds.

"Annie? I also have a confession to make. I... was kinda working with Eren a long while ago, before you disappeared." She stated.

"What?!"

"I'm sorry. He wanted to make sure you're okay. And with me being your best friend, he and I found a common goal and worked together."

"You know what? I'm not even mad. I guess we could call it even!"

With that said, we headed to my place to have a sleepover, why? It's none of your business.

WHOA! Annie, don't break the fourth wall like that! Anyway, how are you liking the story so far, guys? Don't forget to vote, comment, share it with your friends and Keep On Reading!

Perfect...