Days go by so quickly, it's as if they never exist in the first place.

      Months fly off the calendar and events along with it—Jax's second championship win (which was very much expected, of course. We celebrated with a bottle of champagne and victory sex), my 18th birthday (very happy about that because I got my first set of boxing gloves from Jax), Beth's 17th birthday (which we celebrated on the rooftop of Braydon and Trevor's new apartment) and Jax and my first year anniversary of being together (I still can't believe we made it to one year. It's crazy).

Most memories were good, bittersweet, but some were not. My dad got remarried to a wealthy heiress who wears ridiculously frilly skirts on a daily basis and always pronounces my name as See-yah-nah.

To be honest, I'm glad that didn't last very long because she decided after a few months of marriage, she was going to cheat on him with another man (no surprise there because she actually left her husband for my dad).

Much to the chagrin of me and my mom, we were quite relieved that that marriage didn't work out. Mom's still not entirely over my dad yet despite the fact that they divorced over a year ago, and if anything, I do sympathize with her a lot. She's still having a hard time with it, but it seemed as if dad moved on from her really quickly.

It just makes my resentment for him grow even more.

Apart from that, I'm happy. I'm content with my life. I have two best friends, a sister whom I'm so happy that I've reconciled with, and an amazing boyfriend. He's perfect, absolutely perfect and all the girls who look my way know it too—from those huge eyes you can get lost in to that infamous cocky grin down to that ripped body of his and what's below that... I'm truly a fortunate girl.

It sometimes makes me wonder why he's with me in the first place.

And he's not only easy on the eyes too, he's the best person that I will ever need— he holds me up so I can be strong, pushes me beyond my limits, and makes sure I never have any regrets in life.

Well, apart from the fact that there's this annoying feeling I get sometimes when I'm with him. I know why it happens and I can't stop feeling like this even if I wanted to. I keep thinking about the fact that he's still keeping secrets from me and every time I try to pry them out of him, he pulls away from me. All the time.

I keep telling myself to give him time, to give him some fucking time, but I might be running out of patience soon.

Ugrh. I wish I could just be like any rational girl in my situation and just be happy about my relationship, rather than picking on the flaws. I should just focus on the good things, because in the end, that's all that matters right?

Fuck it. I shouldn't worry about it now. I really shouldn't, Instead, I should be focusing on the more important things in life.

Like the scroll that I can't believe I'm holding in my hand right now.

Hundreds of red graduation hats are being flung into the air at this very moment. Cheers and hollers and whistles and hell yeah, we made its erupt all around me, drowning my ears in noise. There's so much movement around me and I'm the only one that's standing there static in the field of people.

I just can't get over the fact that I'm done with high school. Fucking done. No more petty drama. No more bullshit teachers. No more bitchy classmates.

No more dad.

That's right. My next plan in life is to get myself an apartment and moving out of that damned house. The house of broken marriages and unhappy daughters. I'm not going to stay there any longer. The second I find some place good, I'm going to bolt. And I'm taking Beth with me.

I'm just gonna need her to say yes too. I'm not sure if she's going to given the fact that she doesn't feel so strongly against my dad as I do, but I'll try my damnest. She may be a pain in my ass at times, but I'm not leaving her behind.

"Can you believe it?" Braydon jumps on my back and I let out a shriek. She laughs and hops down, then comes around from the back to hug me. She's squeezing me so tight I'm sure she's trying to squeeze the life out of me. "We graduated, Si! We actually graduated!"

"I know!" I squeal at her too, but with much less enthusiasm. "It's crazy."

"Finally out of this hellhole! And unto the next! College!" She says, laughing while twirling me around. Her long hair is catching the wind, blowing all over her face, and for a second there, she almost looks like that ghost from the Ring. "We're going out to celebrate tonight, right? You, me, Beth and Trev?"

I hesitate. I forgot to mention to Braydon that I already made plans with Jax. "Actually..."

"Date night with the Sex God, huh? Why don't you bring him along?"

"Well..." Our plans sort of included the lack of clothes and the presence of my queen-sized bed.

"Oh," My best friend says, the realization slowly sinking in. "You guys are totally gonna fuck tonight, aren't you?"

"I'm hoping that would eventually happen. Yeah." I laugh alongside with her. "Sorry babe, but a girl has needs, you know?"

"Say no more. We'll hang out another time." She winks at me. From the corner of my eye, I see Trevor and Beth barreling towards us with huge, excited smiles plastered on their faces. Braydon lets out another excited squeal and launches herself at the both of them.

Beth waves me over and I nod at her, already making my way towards her when a pair of strong arms curl around my waist.

"Hey," my boyfriend murmurs as presses me close against his body, his breath hot against my ear. "Congratulations."

"Thanks. Though I really don't know why I need to congratulated. All I need the past five years was try not to fail."

"Still a great accomplishment anyway." He turns me around and presses a quick kiss on the square of my lips. "You're looking at someone who didn't even finish high school."

"Right." God, I wish I could take back what I just said. "Sorry."

"It's fine." He pulls me in for an embrace. Getting hugs from him is just as satisfying as getting kisses. I feel so loved and comforted. "So, I promised you we were going to celebrate you graduating tonight. Got any suggestions on what we should do?"

I bite my lip. More like who we should do. And my top pick is Jax.

"I got a few ideas in mind." I purr seductively.

His eyes widen and his grins wickedly down at me. "Do tell."

I look from behind my shoulder. Braydon, Trevor and Beth seem very occupied. I bet we could slip away without them noticing. I weave my fingers with Jax and squeeze his hand, then tip toe so I can whisper in his ear, "I think I'd rather just show you."

* * *

An hour later, the both of us collapse on top of my bed, utterly spent.

I roll over and lie my head on top of Jax's sweaty chest, laughing as he tries to catch his breath. He loops an arm around me and uses the back of his hand to caress my shoulder. I love it when he does that. It's the small gestures that make me think that this relationship is going somewhere and it displaces any doubts I have about him, even if it's for a short while.

"Better than your birthday sex?" He asks, grinning down on me.

I nod. I can't keep the smile off my face too. "Better than my birthday sex."

"Good," he says, looking pleased. "That means I'm improving."

I shake my head at the ridiculousness of the fact that he actually wants to 'improve' on sex. "You're crazy."

"What? Nothing else says congratulations better than my dick can."

"I think you give your dick too much credit." A look of hurt flashes across his eyes. Ah, I've wounded his ego. "I'm kidding."

"You better hope you are. Or I'm going to show you again exactly how much this dick can make you spiral off the edge."

"I think I've had enough of your dick for today." I pat on his chest. "Beth may be out with Trev and Bray but my dad and his bitch fiancé will be coming back soon. Not that I care if he catches you naked in my bed but I'm not in the mood for the amount of screaming that's gonna happen when he does."

"Right," he says, placing his hands behind his head. "He really hates my guts, does he?"

I nod.I brought Jax over for dinner last week and my dad decided that five minutes of him was more than enough to know that he's all kinds of wrong for his eldest daughter.

And truth be told, I can't agree more. Jax is dangerous for me. He fights in a sport that can get him killed. He's the type of guy whom gets ticked off easily and won't hesitate to fuck someone up if it threatens him or anyone close to him (For example, that night with Damien that I wish I could forget). His talent for punching someone in the face and his uncontrollable rage don't go together well when combined. I've seen it before. And it scares me.

But I'm determined that he can change. For me. I just need more time.

But apart from that, he's sweet and caring. And he loves me.

At least I think he does.

"Yeah, it's best to steer clear from him, at least for a little while," I whisper, pressing a small kiss on his abdomen. "I'll get him to warm up to you soon enough."

"Honestly, princess. I don't think he ever will." He shrugs, as if it doesn't faze him. And I really think it doesn't. I think he's already accepted that my dad will never like him.

"Doesn't it bother you, though?" I ask him.

"It bothers me if it bothers you. But you don't really seem to care."

"That's because I stopped caring about what he thinks about you and me together."

That makes him grin. "Then it's settled."

"Hey," I say, rising up from the bed while clutching the sheets. "You know I'd choose you, right? I don't care who stands in the way of us. I'll always choose you."

His grin grows wider. I expect him to say the same to me—that he'll put me first, that he'll always put me first—but he stays silent. It's times like this that I need reassurance more than ever that this relationship is going somewhere... that we'd make it.

"I'm very flattered, princess. Thank you."

"I love you, Jax," I whisper, leaning down and kissing him on the square of his lips. "I love you."

"Same here."

When his lips meet with mine again, this time, I don't feel so comforted. My doubts are still there, lingering and whirling and refusing to stay put. I try to shake them off and forget about it, at least for a while, but it doesn't work. Not anymore.

And the doubts solidify even further when my fingers roam around his back and I feel something that shouldn't even be there.

Breaking away from Jax's lips, I pause and whisper, "You're hurt."

"What?" He casts me a perplexed look. "No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are. Turn around." He sighs and does as I say, turning his back so it's facing me. I gasp when I see that he's been severely bruised. And from the looks of it, these bruises haven't been there for long. They look like they've been inflicted on him since last night. "What the hell..."

Jax, noticing that I've gone pale from staring at his bruises, quickly jerks away. "It's nothing. I've been training with Julian a lot lately. You know this season's prelims are just around the corner. That bastard's just been working me up more than usual, that's all. Don't worry about it."

A lie.

A straight-up lie.

I've heard enough of them throughout the last few years to recognize them.

Don't worry, Sienna, mom used to say. It's just a small disagreement with me and your dad, that's all.

It's nothing, Sienna. We just had a difference in opinion.

This is just what married couples do. It's normal.

We're fine, Sienna. Don't worry about it.

I open my mouth to confront him. You're lying to me, I want to say. You're fucking lying to me. Those aren't bruises that you've gotten from training. Those are bruises that you've gotten from a fight.

A fight you didn't win.

The words are at the tip of my tongue and I want to say them, I want to...

But I don't.

Why?

"Okay," I murmur instead. "I believe you."

What the fuck, Sienna?

"Speaking of training," he says, brushing the sheets aside and lifting himself up into a sitting position so he can place his legs on the ground. "I gotta go. I should probably do some strength work today. You want to come with? Maybe if Julian sees you giving your all tonight, he'll give you that trainer job that you want."

I've been trying to get Julian to give me a job in the gym for a couple of months now. I've been doing a lot of training with Jax and Julian after school and I know I'm getting good. And it'll be better if I can put these skills to my advantage. I know UF gym's been short on staff and I know I'll be a good trainer, if he'd just give me a chance. It'll probably be good for me too; college tuition fees are going to be a bitch to pay and I need to bring in some money to help with that. That and the fact that I'll need to pay rent too if I manage to get my own place soon.

Jax is right. I should follow him to the gym any chance I can get so that I can show Julian that I'm really serious about taking the trainer job.

But after seeing the bruises on Jax's back and knowing that he lied to me about where they came from, I'm not really in the mood to give it my all in the gym today.

"No thanks." I shake my head.

"You sure?" He says, standing up and grabbing his clothes from the floor to slip into.

"Yeah." I nod. "You go ahead."

Jax doesn't seem convinced. He places both of his hands on the mattress and looks down at me, worried. "If it's about the bruises... I'll tell Julian to go easy on me if it makes you feel any better."

Another lie.

"Okay."

"See you later, princess." He steals a quick kiss from my lips and leaves me alone in my room, feeling very unsettled about the shitstorm that is about to head straight for us.

* * *

My mind is still reeling from the fact that I didn't confront Jax about his lies. Why didn't I do it? Fuck me, why? It doesn't make any sense. My boyfriend's lying to me and I choose not to do anything about it.

It's so unlike me at all.

Braydon would be ashamed of me. My mother would be ashamed of me. God, I'm due for another phone call from her soon. What am I going to say to her when she asks how are things going with me and Jax? I can't pretend and say that everything's fine. Because it's not. From an outsider's point of view, it looks like we're a perfect couple, but I'm now starting to think that it's far from that.

Jax has secrets. Huge ones. And the most painful thing is that he doesn't trust me about it.

And maybe I don't want to say anything because I'm afraid of how he'd react.

I remember all too well the first time I tried to do so. And he instead of telling me, he pushed me away.

As if I couldn't possibly understand the predicament that he's in.

As if I wouldn't accept him for it.

What will happen if I ask him again? Will he break up with me? I don't want my relationship with Jax to end. I love him too much to let him go like this.

I need to come up with another solution. Fast. The strain has been taking a toll on me and I want nothing more than to go back to the way it used to be between us—perfect.

This is not going to ruin us. I'll make sure of it.

I just need to find another way.

"Si, are you okay?" Braydon asks me, waving her hands in front of my face. "You've been staring into space for a good five minutes now. Did you even hear what I said?"

I shake my head, looking down at my mug. My coffee's probably turned cold by now. What a shame. Caffeinated coffee is the best when it's steaming hot. "Sorry, Bray. I just got a lot to think about."

"Want to share with us?" Trevor asks, leaning forward with his arms folded across the table. "Is it relationship problems? Maybe we can help."

I make a face. "No thanks."

Trevor looks offended. "Why not?" His eyes dart toward Braydon then back at me. "I think we've been doing a pretty good job with this relationship so far."

"You guys almost broke up. Four times if you counted the time Braydon caught you staring at that bartender last week."

"I wasn't staring at her. I was admiring the way she was making a cocktail."

"Or you were admiring the way she made your cock...tail."

Braydon glares at him. "Still haven't forgiven you for that one yet, babe."

"You guys are the weirdest couple I've ever met," I say, sighing and leaning back against the sofa. Of all the places in Caffeinated, this is my favorite spot to sit on. "You guys say you're in an open relationship, but when either of you get caught looking or kissing other people, you get really angry and it always leads to an almost-break up. So what is it, then? Are you guys exclusive?"

"It's complicated," Braydon says, stirring her iced tea with her straw.

"We're working it out." Trevor clears his throat. "But that's not the point—"

"That's exactly the point. You guys are not exactly winning at this relationship," I say. "So until you guys can sort out your problems, I'll look for relationship advice elsewhere."

"Aha! So you and Jax are having problems!" Braydon points an accusing finger towards me, an expression of triumph masking her face. "So what is it? It's definitely not the sex, because Jax must be hella good in bad—unless, it's you that's the problem... if that's the case, that's okay because I can show you some tips and tricks to satisfy your man—"

"It's not the sex. The sex is fine."

"Fine? Just fine? Sex with Jax is just average? Girl, then it's obvious something's wrong—"

"Can we please not talk about this?" I ask, embarrassed that we're talking about this in such a public area. We've already caught a few pairs of eyes looking towards our direction. "And besides, it's not that big of a deal."

"Okay, whatever you say," Braydon says, cocking her head sideways with a small pout. "Just as long as you're okay."

After what's been happening lately, I'm not really sure I am.

"I'm fine. Don't worry about me. I'm always good." I wink at her in attempt to hide the emotions that I'm really feeling.

It helps that for the next few hours, Braydon takes charge of the conversation and starts gossiping about who's sleeping with who. I tune out and drift off sometimes, lost in my own thoughts about Jax. No matter what I do, he still keeps plaguing my thoughts. And it's not in a good way at all.

I'm helpless. Truly helpless. I don't think I've ever felt that way since my parents' divorce. And that life-altering event almost completely shattered me.

If I can't fix my relationship with Jax, I truly don't know what will happen to me.

"...and Thomas cheated on Abby with her best friend, Natalie—you know, that girl in our biology class? Yeah. They've been going at it behind Abby's back for months now. And the sad thing is, Abby's still with Thomas. " I tuned right back in just as Braydon starts with another high school scandal.

"Wait, don't you know Abby? Isn't she your friend?" Trevor asks her. "Did you tell her that her boyfriend's cheating on her or does she know?"

"No, she doesn't know about it," she answers.

"Then, why don't you tell her?" I ask, trying to get back into the conversation. "Doesn't she deserve to know?"

"But the thing is, Abby and Thomas have been together for years now," Braydon says, shrugging. "It would be a shame to break up now. They've invested so much into each other."

"The investing must have been one-sided if Thomas went behind her back and fucked her best friend," I say. "Look, Braydon, I don't care if they've been together for a long time. Abby deserves to know the truth so she can make an decision to leave that son of a bitch's ass or not. Which, if I were her, I'd do. No hesitation whatsoever."

"But it will hurt her so much," Braydon protests. "She's so happy with him. If I tell her, she'll be ruined. And who knows what she'll do then."

"If she's strong, she can take it. It's better to know the ugly truth than to live in a perfect lie," I murmur. "God, what a fucked up thing to have happened to her. Her best friend and her boyfriend? Damn. Betrayed by the two people she trusts most. If I were her, I'd get my revenge on them. I'd make them pay for what they've done to me a hundred times over."

"Damn, girl," Braydon whistles. "Remind me to never ever cross you."

"That will never happen." I laugh. "Right?"

Braydon smiles back, but it's an uneasy one.

"Never, Sienna," Braydon says, holding Trevor's hand tight. "We will never betray you."

* * *

A/N: Can YOU JUST SMELL THE IRONY IN THIS CHAPTER? HAHAHA.

Sup bitches! How are ya'll doing? Sorry I have been MIA lately. It's Easter break and I've been doing a lot of travelling. You can check that out on my instagram story (claudiaaatan)!

Anyways, it seems like JIENNA is only going downhill from here. Anyone excited for the ultimate RUIN of these two? Cuz I am!

See you guys soon! I got some other Wattpad projects coming up in the later weeks so stay tuned for those!

Love, Claudia.