Three years ago.

Jace's POV.

It's been a week since the incident with Olivia happened, we haven't talked or crossed paths since then, I mean I did see her from a distance at school and I caught her staring at me in the cafeteria on Wednesday but that was it.

She probably thinks I lost interest after... That night but that's not the case, I just don't know how to look into her eyes after what happened, it was too brutal.

"Hey, man, Angelo says you need to show your ass at the races one of these days." Diego snaps me out of my thoughts, passing me an opened bottle of beer.

Blair wanted to meet both of us at the drive-in cinema, she was being pretty mysterious about it but my guess is, she likes it when I third wheel.

"I need to fix those brakes first." I take the beer from his hand, swinging a sip, most of the people here are watching the movie from inside their cars but Diego and I are outside, leaning against the hood of his car and drinking the beer he stole from his Mum's new boyfriend.

"I can help you work on them tomorrow morning." He suggests.

"By help, you mean stand there and rant about chicks the entire time." I plaster an amused smile.

"No, just one chick, singular." He emphasizes.

"Okay, that's it, I'm calling it." I threaten.

"No, don't you dare." He points a warning finger at me.

"Pussy whipped." I declare.

"Damnit." He looks elsewhere, I chuckle at his reaction.

"You are, and I think that's a good thing, Blair makes you happy." I pat his shoulder, he turns his head to me and sighs.

"Fuck, man, she does, whenever she's around it's like the world just slows down for a bit, like everyone is moving faster than we are but we don't care and when we have sex it's like I want that moment to not be over but even when it's over, it's so beautiful and overwhelming and-"

"I think I'm gonna throw up." He's cut off by a familiar voice behind me, we both turn our heads to look.

Cassandra and Blair.

Deja Vu.

Blair just heard her friend-with-benefits talk about her like he's a cliché male character from Bridgerton.

Well, that's not awkward at all.

Aside from that....

Cass is back.

"There she is." I smile at her.

"Is that how you welcome your girlfriend?" She playfully rolls her eyes at me.

I push myself off the car, walking towards her and wrapping my arms around her small waist, lifting her off the ground.

"I'm gonna go get some snacks." Says Blair beside us before turning around and rushing off, she seems... Struck.

"Shit!" Diego jogs after her.

"How was New York?" I ask her, scrunching my face in disgust at the couple that's nearly fucking in the car next to us.

"Ew." Cass holds my hand and leads me to the front of Diego's car, away from the scene, "New York truly is the the best city in the world." She responds to my previous question.

"Agree to disagree," I lift a shoulder, "You look good though." My eyes take in every inch of her body, she's wearing a white backless dress that barely covers her ass with black thigh-high boots.

Hot.

"Aw, thanks." She looks down at her outfit.

I don't know if I've said it before but Cassandra Richardson is smoking hot, like Hollywood hot, she can be the face of a runway model, actress, singer and get away with it.

A very loud group of people arrive in a sports car, music blaring and everything, they park at the far end of the roll and Cass mutters something I don't quite catch.

"You know them?" I ask her.

"Hawthorne kids." She huffs, looking pissed off.

"Oh, why the sour face?" I lift her chin and she looks up at me.

"See that asshole in the yellow shirt?" She jerks her head in the direction, keeping her eyes on me, I shift my eyes back to the group.

"Yeah?" I stare at the guy as he wraps his arms around a girl and whispers something in her ear.

"He's my ex boyfriend." She says, I move my eyes back to her face, raising my brows. "He's also the reason why I got expelled from Hawthorne." She adds, looking at the screen ahead.

"How so?" I tilt my head to the side, curiously studying her face.

"I dumped him and he made up a story about me having sex with a bunch of guys in the boy's bathroom while on drugs and the school headmaster believed him cause he went there as a "concerned boyfriend."" She air quotes.

"That's fucked up." I state, she rolls her eyes.

"Oh c'mon, don't act like you haven't heard the rumors." She calls me out, I have heard the rumors but I'm a victim of the word rumor, people make up rumors about me all the fucking time and that's why I never believed the rumors about Cass.

"I never believed them." I shrug, she looks at me and stares, she's never stared at me like this before, her gaze is soft, bright, unreadable.... Pretty.

So very pretty.

She blinks, snapping herself out of the staring contest and looks down at her boots.

"Till this day, I get sick to my stomach when I think about how I got kicked out of school because I'm beautiful, blonde and skinny and apparently, society labels my type as a slut or sex figure." Her tone sips with rage.

True, the world is fucked up like that but I hate that Cass has to put up with shit like this, she's just a girl who's trying to survive but of course, life will never let you survive, especially at our age.

"You want me to punch him for you?" I nudge her shoulder.

"No, that's not necessary." She gives me a laugh.

"I think he deserves to be punched." I insist.

"Drop it." She shows me a pointed look, I raise my hands, surrendering.

Diego and Blair come back with snacks and drinks, they're laughing and giggling and looking at each other like they can't wait to be alone.

"You guys good?" Cass asks in a teasing tone.

"Yeah." They respond in union.

"What's with the..uh, smiles?" I ask.

"Diego just asked me to be his girlfriend." She looks at him.

"She said yes." He looks at her.

They smile at each other.

He... Asked? People still do that?

"Fucking finally." Cass whispers to me, I release a small laugh and she joins me.

"All be damned, I thought that was you, Cass." Cassie's ex approaches us with two girls tucked under his arms.

"Jake." Cass states, fake smiling at him.

"I see you've gotten yourself some new friends." The guy eyes the rest of us with a look I wanna punch off his stupid face.

"What do you want?" Blair asks him, he doesn't even spare her a glance, or the rest of us.

"You blowing all of them too?" He plasters an evil smirk, the girls on his sides giggle at his question.

"Yo, watch your fucking mouth, bro." I warn him calmly.

"Watch yours, homie." The asshole glares at me.

"Motherfucker, did you just homie him?" Diego launches towards the guy.

"Diego, no." Blair stops him from getting any closer by holding onto his arm and yanking him back.

"Yeah, Diego, chill, we're all friends here, right, homie?" He asks me, mocking me, daring me, poking my last nerve.

Fuck, I think it's working.

"Now can I punch him?" I whisper in Cassandra's ear.

"No, relax." She whispers back.

"Cass, baby, I don't know what you're doing but you could make better friends," he says, "these ones can't take a joke." He points at us, laughing.

What's funny? I didn't get the joke.

He winks at her before they turn and leave.

Thinking of all the ways I could break his face makes my blood rush, it excites me.

"Jace, look at me," Cass grabs my jaw and makes me look at her. "He's just an idiot and you're better than idiots." She tries to convince me but it's too late for that.

That asshole has to learn not to fuck with just about anyone.

"I'm gonna call it a night." She lets out a fake yawn.

More like I can't be at the same place as my ex.

"See you on Monday?" She playfully pinches my cheek, giggling.

I snake my arm around her waist, pulling her to my body, she sucks in a breath and widens her eyes at me.

"What are you doing?" She questions.

"I don't know, I just felt like doing that." I grin, her eyes dart between my eyes and my lips.

"Dude? Get laid." She unwraps my arm from her waist, patting my cheek and walking away.

"I'm gonna make sure she gets home okay." Says Blair, Diego nods in understanding before pecking her lips. "I trust that you'll treat that fucker a lesson?" Her eyes bounce back and forth between us.

"Yes, ma'am." He responds with excitement like he just met his match, Blair kisses him again and runs after Cass.

"The lady approves." He turns to me.

"Yeah, you got a tire iron?" I ask, drifting my eyes to where the asshole parked his car.

"Tire iron? Dude, we're just gonna fuck with his head, not murder him." He laughs.

"Yeah, I know, do you have it or not?" I look at him.

"We don't need a tire iron for that." He shakes his head in disapproval, I look over at the guy and his friends, the idea of ruining their night twice as hard as they ruined Cassandra's making me eager.

"Oh but we do." I respond to Diego.

He lets out a defeated sigh, going around to open his trunk and walks back with a tire iron in his hand.

"You're so fucked up sometimes," he tosses it to me and I catch it mid-air, examining it like I'm about to make it my new best friend. "Let's go fuck shit up." He says and we start striding through the lined up cars.

Mr asshole is leaning against his car, flirting with the two girls standing in front of him, there are two other people making out beside him.

I swing the tire iron onto my shoulder when we reach them, standing behind the two girls infront of him.

"Hey." I lean over to whisper in-between the girls, they both jump, turning around to look at us.

"Us again." Diego announces, his tone sounding playful.

"The fuck do you want?" Mr asshole is annoyed by our little visit.

But we haven't even started yet.

I ignore his question, I start going around his car instead, checking it out like I'm about to buy it.

I'm gonna have to live ten hundred lives in order for me to afford a Bugatti Veyron at this age.

I whistle at the sight of the car.

How rich is this asshole?

After I'm done admiring the beauty, I look at the tire iron in my hand one more time before swinging the iron from my shoulder straight to the driver's seat window.

It doesn't break, it just cracks.

"What the fuck are you doing?!" Mr asshole shouts loud enough to draw attention.

"What's this car made of?" I ask him, preparing myself for more.

"Are you fucking crazy?!" Veins pop out of his neck.

I climb on the hood of the car, hitting the tire iron against the windshield again and again until the glass is shattered.

"I'm calling the fucking cops if you don't get down right fucking now." He tells me.

Fucking make me, you coward.

"Good, glad I finally got your attention." I jump off the hood.

People are gathering around us, filming and everything.

"This is a one point nine million dollar car, Jace, what the hell?" Diego whispers through gritted teeth.

"Oh, it is? I didn't notice." I say sarcastically, swinging the iron against the driver's window again.

Splash.

There we go.

"Hey, man, you wanna call me your homie one more time?" I twirl the iron in my hand, loving the buzz it sends to my muscles every time I take a swing.

"That's why you're vandalizing my car!"

"No, not really, maybe it's because you talked to Cassandra like she was trash, and she ain't trash, but you already knew that, didn't you, David?" I get his name wrong on purpose, "I mean, we both know she looks better than any of these penguins." I eye the girls he came with, "No offense, ladies." I offer them a wink and a charming smile.

"What are you, her new boyfriend?" He asks, sounding confused.

"I don't have to be her new boyfriend in order to do shit like this, I can however, be a better asshole than you." I raise the iron to add more damage to the car but David rushes to stand in front of me, extending his hands in defense, I raise the iron higher and he falls to the ground, screaming and shielding his head with his hands.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, I'm so sorry." He's.... Crying?

I laugh.

"Look at him screaming like a little puta." Diego squats down and slaps the guy's arm. "Word of advise, David, don't open your mouth anyhow, the next homies you'll cross won't be so very nice, yeah?" Diego wipes dirt from the guy's forehead.

I hear sirens, cop car sirens.

Diego looks up at me with a look that asks, do you hear that?

I nod.

"You called the fucking cops on us? You son of bitch!" Diego stands and kicks the guy in the gut.

"C'mon, man, let's go." I yank his shirt and we make a run for it back to his car.

"Yeah, you better run! And the name is Jake!" David shouts after us.

"Fuck you, David!" Diego shouts back as we keep running, we both get into his car but this is a drive-in cinema, on a Friday night, that means there are cars parked all around us and there's no way out.

"Shit!" Diego sticks his head out the window, "Hey! Get out of the way!" He orders the one parked behind us.

"Step out of the vehicle and put your hands above your head." Officer Peterson demands outside the car, his hand placed over his gun while his partner is already pointing his at Diego's car.

Calm down, you pussies, we're not some A-class criminals.

"I hate being friends with you sometimes." Diego sighs before slipping out of the car with his hands up.

Fuck, I promised my Dad this wouldn't happen again.

"Jace! Get out of the damn car!" Peterson shouts while his partner handcuffs Diego.

"Yeah," I huff out.

"Today! do it now." He pulls out his gun, I roll my eyes, finally getting out of the car, "hands above your head." He instructs and I do as told.

He walks over to me, pining my head to the car as he cuffs my hands behind me.

"Why hello to you too, officer Peterson." I scoff.

"Love to see how you boys get yourselves out of this one." His venomous tone speaks beside my ear.