"Aww, Lex, don't be like that." Jace's smile grows, making his sharp sculpted features even better looking.

So, I lied. He does look good. He's lost most of his boyish looks, now manlier than the last time I saw him at sixteen-years-old. His jawline is sharp in the most tempting way, with full bow shaped lips and sculpted cheekbones. Topping it all off are those eyes staring back at me, dark blue like the ocean reflecting the night sky and so intense as they hold my gaze.

Why, damnit? Why couldn't he be one of those cute kids who's looks faded away once they hit puberty? Can't there be some natural justice to the world?

No. Instead guys who look as good as Jace only get better looking over time. It's not fair.

"Don't be like what?" I shrug, feigning innocence. "An irritated ex-girlfriend?"

His face falls a fraction, that confidence wavering a little. The look in his eyes is that of someone desperately trying to think of the right words.

Aww, Jace. Not so cocky now?

Before he can say anything else, the closet door opens behind me. Oblivious to the tension, Derek bends down to plant a kiss on my cheek and whispers in my ear, "think about that offer. I'm dying to see you later."

I know his words are low enough that my friends didn't hear, but Jace did. His narrowed eyes and clenched fists are all the proof I need.

Turning to face Derek, I wrap my arms around his neck and pull him down so I can slowly take his lips with mine. A groan escapes his mouth as I slip my tongue past his lips and tangle it with his. Taking this opportunity, Derek runs his hands down my back until he can grab my ass with both hands. He squeezes and I giggle, breaking the kiss while tugging on his bottom lip with my teeth.

Derek's eyes glaze over as a lazy smile slides across his face. "Been a while since you've done that."

I hate that he's right. I'm not a prude or even reserved, normally, but lately things have just lost their excitement.

Maybe that's my fault?

With a hopeful smile, Derek gives me one last peck on the lips before he turns around and notices our very unhappy audience.

Jace stands in front of us, jaw ticking like a time bomb as he watches our every move.

Derek's eyes narrow at me with so many questions in that one look. I try to give him a reassuring smile, but despite the nod he gives me before walking away, I'm not entirely sure it worked. Before he turns the corner at the end of the hall, he looks back and stops in his tracks. The indecisive look on his face makes my heart race.

Please, just go. This doesn't need to be a thing.

If we were together, I know he wouldn't have left, but he knows how I feel. Acting like a possessive boyfriend right now would just make things so much worse.

He narrows his eyes one more time at Jace before hanging his head and turning the corner.

I breathe a sigh of relief, but it doesn't last long.

Jace clears his throat, gaining my attention before grumbling through clenched teeth, "Wasn't expecting that."

The look on his face is satisfying, but only 'cause it means that I can get under his skin just as much as the idea of him being here gets under mine. There's nothing more to it than that.

"Things change," I inform him in an overly cheery tone as I flash him a big smile. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a class to get to."

I turn around, ready to walk away, but Caleb stands in my path.

He blows out an apologetic sigh that hits me like a ton of bricks. "Lex, you gotta give Jace your locker combination."

What?

I step back and look between the two of them. A cocky smile is stamped on Jace's face while Caleb looks like he's gonna be sick.

"I need your combination, sweetheart," Jace repeats. "Hope you don't mind clearing a shelf for me, buddy?"

No, no, no, no!

My stomach twists and turns into a million knots.

I think I'm gonna throw up.

This is too fucked up.

What happened to the guy with the smelly jockstrap? Can I trade for him? Bring on the ball sweat and B.O.!

Anything would be better than this!

My face falls as I look at Caleb, begging him with my eyes to tell me this isn't true. It's some sick joke. It has to be.

Caleb looks just as unhappy with this as me. With a painful grimace, he nods, confirming that this nightmare is very real.

Great. Just when I think I've gained a point on some kind of exes scoreboard, Jace gets to add a three-pointer under his name.

Whipping around, I narrow my eyes at Jace. "The office didn't give you the combo? They should've written it down for you?"

He shrugs as a shit-eating grin pulls at his already crooked smirk. "Yeah, but I lost it. Now I need your help. Don't you wanna set a good example for the student body, Lex?"

He's doing this just to fuck with me. Asshole. I'd demand proof but knowing him, he'd probably tell me to frisk him and find it myself.  I'm also willing to bet walking away and leaving him to fend for himself won't work either. Jace isn't the kind of guy to give up that easily. Better to just get it over with.

With a deep breath, I turn to my...I mean our locker.

"Watch closely, I'm only gonna do this once," I tell Jace.

He steps over and rests against the locker next to mine. I try the lock but my shaky hands keep messing it up. With each failed attempt he leans closer. A sweet and spicy smell surrounds me, reminding me of hot cocoa and cinnamon. Shit, why does he have to still smell like that?

When we were dating, all it would take is one whiff of that scent and I'd turn into a puddle at his feet. It was my kryptonite, and he knew it.

"You don't have to get that close," I growl, feeling like he's right in my face even though he's several inches away.

His breath fans my cheek as he bends down to whisper in my ear. "I don't wanna miss anything. You're only gonna do it once right?"

"I won't do it at all if you don't give me some damn space."

Someone clears their throat. I look over my shoulder where Caleb, Ava, and Marcel are watching. Marcel gives me a supportive nod.

I take a deep breath, feeling a little more at ease knowing they have my back.

"Jace, I suggest you listen to her," Caleb says, cocking an eyebrow at his former friend.

Having my back doesn't mean you should start a fight, Caleb!

"Why? You gonna try something if I don't?" Jace challenges in a threatening tone that practically screams "any takers?"

"Caleb, don't. It's not worth it," Ava mutters.

Ava's not normally the voice of reason, but I make a mental note to thank her later. At least someone's thinking straight.

I hurry up and get the lock open. The last thing I want is my best friend getting into a knock down drag out with my ex.

As I yank the locker open, I hear Caleb chuckle. "I don't need to do anything. I'm sure Lex will have no problem introducing your nuts to her foot if she wants."

He's not wrong, I'd have no issue doing that if I had to, but I'd much rather just get out of here. The farther away from Jace, the better.

I grab Jace's hand, and instantly regret it. Touching him sends an unwanted shiver down my spine. I ignore it the best I can but the look on his face says he noticed. His attention is now on me instead of Caleb, and the way he's looking at our conjoined hands makes my stomach twist worse than ever.

Flipping his hand over, I dump the lock in his palm and take a healthy step back. "There, the locker's open. If you didn't catch the combo then that's on you."

Not wanting to deal with him anymore, I pivot on my heels to walk away, but as luck would have it, I don't get far. Barely two steps away, my arms grabbed and I'm pulled back around, coming face to face with my new locker buddy.

That cocky attitude from seconds ago is gone as Jace peers down at me. There's such a heavy weight in his gaze I nearly forget I'm being manhandled.

"We should talk," he says low enough for only me to hear.

Looking down at his hand wrapped around my wrist, I see red. "Let. Go."

Jace let's go, backing away with both hands raised out in front of him like someone has him at gunpoint. "Fine. Just thought we should catch up."

"Why don't you give her the option instead of trying to force her hen?" Caleb sneers.

"There's nothing for us to talk about, so stay out of my way, Jace."

"You sure that's what you want?" A cocky smile tips the corners of his mouth.

Wow! Someone's really sure of himself.

"You know what," I start walking backward, ready to make my escape. "Fuck you, Jace, or better yet, fuck off."

Jace's smile drops, filling me with satisfaction just before I turn around and hurry over to my friends. Caleb throws an arm over my shoulders, pulling me in close like a blanket of protection while Marcel covers our backs and Ava slips her hand in mine. The four of us walk to class like that. An interconnecting group of support.

Entering my last class of the day, I breathe a sigh of relief. I'm in the home stretch now. Other than this morning, I haven't seen Jace and I absolutely couldn't be happier about that.

I take a seat in the back of class and lay my head down on the tabletop. A nap has never sounded so good. All day I've been walking on eggshells and it's taken a toll. I can't wait till I can get out of here and crawl into my big, comfy bed.

But first, I have to survive this class.

I lift my head up just as the bell rings signaling that anyone not in a classroom already is now late. My teacher, Ms. Howard, begins to close the door but is interrupted as one last person slides into the room before the bell cuts off.

A deep groan releases from my mouth as I slam my head back onto my arms. I'm too tired and too irritated to deal with him right now.

Someone breezes past and a loud thud hits the desk next to me. I don't have to look up to know who my new desk neighbor is.

Maybe I can pretend to sleep for the whole class?

"Hey, Lex," Jace whispers from beside me.

Of course not.

Leaving my head buried, I grumble, "Go Away."

"You need a ride home after school?"

"Hell no!" Has he lost his ever loving mind? "Are you deaf or just dumb? I told you to fuck off earlier."

"Well, technically, that was after you said 'fuck you." He grins, obviously thinking he's being cute.

I can't right now. I can't sit here, deal with him, or even attempt to ignore him for the next one million minutes.

I don't have many options in this situation so I go with the first that comes to mind and raise my hand in the air. With a deep sigh, Ms. Howard calls on me.

"Can I go to the nurse? I'm not feeling well." I hold my stomach, hoping to pull off that so-sick-I'm-dying look.

Without saying a word, she waves her hand to dismiss me.

A triumphant smile spreads across my face as I grab my bag and get up to leave. I have no intention of going to the nurse's office, but I can go to the parking lot and wait for Caleb or Marcel. Hell, I'll even walk home if I have to.

Having my own car would really come in handy right now.

Hurrying away, the sound of a door opening and closing echoes through the empty hall behind me. It could be anyone; a teacher, student, janitor. There's no reason for me to panic.

Going against my better judgment, I look over my shoulder.

Son of a bitch.

Can this guy not take a hint?

I really need to have a talk with fate or Lady Luck. Whoever the hell thought it would be funny to end my day with a giant pain in the ass.

The idea of speed walking or even breaking out into a full sprint sounds more and more appealing. Of course I'd look like a crazy woman but is that really such a bad thing? Crazy people are given space, so maybe he'll leave me alone.

I look back again and he waves at me as he strolls casually down the hall, that infuriating smirk on his lips.

Or not.

Jace might just beat me in the crazy department. It's the only thing that makes sense. Rational people don't chase down their ex's after very clearly being told to go the fuck away.

Sighing, I spin around and cross my arms. "Why the hell are you following me?"

He looks behind him, around him, and finally points at himself. "You talking to me?"

"No, I'm talking to the other irritating guy that's following me." I huff.

He walks by and shrugs. "Sorry to burst your bubble, sweetheart, but I'm not following you."

Sure, and I'm just standing here because I'm dying to hangout with my ex.

Sounds about right.

Shut the hell up self-doubt. I don't have time for you right now.

"If you're not following me then what are you doing?" I start walking again but hang back so that I'm not actually walking with him.

"Ms. Howard got a message for me to come to the office. Gotta update my paperwork or some shit."

Nodding, I bite my lip to keep from saying anything else.

The two of us walk in silence for a while with him ahead of me. When we reach the bottom of the stairs in the center hall, he glances back at me while chewing on the inside of his cheek.

"Soooo..." He drags out, swinging his hands and clasping them in front of him. "How come you keep taking off like a bat outta hell?"

"Seriously?" I scoff.

"Yeah. We used to be cool back in the day."

Wow, does he have amnesia or something? We were cool before we started dating, back when we were friends, but he ruined any chance of us having that again after what he did. How can he not see that?

I shake my head and breeze past him, ready to get as far away as possible.

"Lexi, wait! What the hell's wrong?"

I whip around. "What kinda game are you playing, Jace? We used to be cool, really? Do you honestly have nothing to say about that day at your apartment or have you forgotten all about that?"

He scratches the back of his neck, staring down at his leather boots.

"So, nothing? No words or witty remark?"

He drops his hand, a heavy breath leaving his lips as he drags those ocean blue eyes up to meet my gaze. There's no cocksure smile, or suggestive raise of the brow. He looks...real. Like the Jace I fell for years ago.

He was always confident when we were kids, and then cocky when we got older, but not with me. We could always talk to each other about anything. His walls were down, his bullshit wiped away when it was just the two of us. I got to see the side of him no one did. I felt like the luckiest girl in the world because underneath all of that arrogance and sarcasm, was someone who cared with an intensity I never imagined possible. Someone who fiercely cared for me.

And then he didn't anymore...

Ignoring the stabbing pain in my chest, I wait for him to say something, anything. When he doesn't, I bite my lip and nod.

"Yeah, I guess I wouldn't have much to say either if I was the one who had cheated." Turning around, I walk down the hall and out the doors.

The fresh air hits me and for the first time since this morning, I can actually breathe. It's like from the moment I saw Jace this morning, the entire school shrunk and became suffocating. His presence alone just sucking all the oxygen out of that place.

I don't know if I'm gonna make it to graduation if this is the new normal.

I walk towards the parking lot, ignoring the insane desire to go back inside and force him to talk.

"Alexis."

My breathing falters, something close to hope blooming in my chest.

Don't...don't do that to yourself.

I freeze, refusing to turn around and face him. The idea of having to look at him right now is too much. If I have to do that again, I don't know if I'll be able to keep my shit together.

I might slap him, or cry, or both.

"Lexi," Jace's voice drops to a gravelly tone that could bring a girl to her knees. "I didn't cheat on you."

Deep breath, Lex. Inhale...exhale.

"You're right." I sigh. "You didn't cheat. Hooking up with some girl less than two hours after you dumped me doesn't qualify as cheating."

It just feels like cheating. That fact that he even knew someone he could call that fast always seemed suspicious.

He closes in behind me. "I didn't sleep with her, Lex."

My chest tightens like I'm trapped in a vice. Part of me is dying to hear him say more but I'm afraid I'll lose any hope of getting away unscathed if he does.

I can't cave.

"Did you hear..."

I whip around, unable to look him in the eyes. "Then tell me what I saw that day."

He steps closer, his words fly out of his mouth so fast it's like he's afraid he won't get the chance to say them again. "My cousin, Kade, was staying with us for a few weeks. That halfnaked chick you saw was his hook up. Not mine."

Yup, I've lost all ability to breathe and the way he's watching me now, his face just inches from mine, isn't helping.

I'm finally hearing the words I've been so desperate for him to say. Well, maybe not those exact words, but finding out he didn't sleep with that girl is as close as it's gonna get.

Yet, I can't ignore the questions still bubbling inside me.

Is he really telling the truth, and if he is, why didn't he tell me sooner?

Reveling in this moment just isn't possible for me. No matter how long I've waited for it.

"Why'd you let me believe you slept with her then? You could've called and set the record straight. Hell, even a text would've worked."

His gaze falls, and with it goes all my hope.

"'Cause..." he blows out a deep breath and runs his hands over his hair. "I had ended things. You showing up afterwards meant you weren't gonna give up. When you saw her, I could tell you were done. So I let you believe it was true."

His words are like a slap to the face, sending me stumbling away from him. All these old wounds I've tried to heal are ripped open again, just as fresh as the day he dumped me.

"If that's the case then why the hell are you here?" My voice climbs higher. "We can share a locker and not deal with each other. You don't need to keep chasing me down or trying to screw with my head like this morning. You wanted to be done, so be done, Jace!"

His head snaps up, those blue eyes hardened with...anger?

He can't seriously be pissed at me right now.

"Look, I'm sorry for what went down back then but that was a long time ago, Alexis. I'd like us to move past it. Maybe even be friends." He steps closer and I step back. "Like it or not, I'm fucking here now. So we might as well deal with it and learn how to be around each other again."

A laugh slips from my mouth. It sounds so twisted and foreign that I'm surprised it's coming from me. "Oh, no. I don't have to deal with shit. Staying away from you will be the easiest thing in the world."

Slowly, his face tenses, matching the cold hardness in his eyes while my words settle into his thick skull.

Without another word, I walk away as fast as possible. I can't risk giving him enough time to think of something else to say. Something that could make me change my mind.

If there's one thing I'm sure of, it's that Jace Hall is bad for my health and keeping my distance is just what the doctor ordered. 

💋____________________________________💋

Well, I caved. I was gonna post this chapter in a couple days but I just couldn't help myself! I'm dying to see if any of you like where things are going so far.

Now that you got a better look at Jace, what's your opinion of him? Do you believe his story about not sleeping with that "half-naked chick"? Any tips for Lexi on the best ways to avoid him?

Let me know what you think in the comments and if you enjoyed the read, please hit that star button!

Also, just made the new chapter banner tonight. Hope you all love it as much as I do!

Chapter 4 will be posted within the next few days, but until then, keep an eye on my Instagram for a little teaser.