Three years ago.

Jace's POV.

I don't regret doing what I did.

I did it for Cass, I fucked with a one point nine million dollar car for Cassandra Richardson and I'm not even shaken by it, let alone regret it.

I've thought about her since I got locked in here, I don't think I've realized it but Cass and I have a lot in common, she understands me more than I understand myself and we haven't even known each other for that long.

But the question still stands, where does that leave Olivia?

Things with Olivia are too complicated, it wouldn't be like that with Cass, we'd just fuck and smoke weed all day every day.

But at the same time, I know how toxic that would turn out and I don't need another one of those.

I sigh, turning my head to where Diego is singing his ass off.

Jail is hell.

Hearing Diego sing while we're in jail is worse than hell.

I'm laying on the cold metal bench, Diego is standing by the jail bars, singing, the guy that was thrown in here after us last night is passed out on the floor, covered in blood and vomit.

"Somebody please shut him up." The guy groans from where he's laying on the floor.

"Oh my God, he's alive." Diego widens his eyes at the guy.

"You thought he was dead?" I snort.

"Well, he wasn't moving." He lifts his shoulders.

"I wish I was dead." The guy mumbles, sitting up and leaning his back against the wall.

"What'd you do, kill your wife?" Diego asks jokingly.

"I hope I did." The guy responds in a serious tone, Diego and I glance at each other. "What did you guys do?" He asks in his hoarse and dry tone.

"Well, Romeo over there thought it was smart to destroy a million dollar car." He responds to the guy while fake smiling at me, I raise my middle finger.

"Do you think I should ask Cassandra out?" I ask randomly.

"Bro? We are in jail right now, getting your dick wet should be the last thing on your fucking mind." He points out.

"Yeah, yeah, but hear me out." I sit up, resting my elbows on my knees. "Cass is an amazing girl, fucking hot, I relate to her, she relates to me and we'd be awesome together." I explain, he narrows his eyes, giving me that suspicious look.

"Jace, are you trying to get with Cassandra so you don't have to be attracted to Olivia?" He asks, demonstrating with his hands.

"That's fucked up." Says the guy covered in puke and blood.

"What he said." Diego points at him.

I heave a sigh.

"No, I think I genuinely like Cass, she's beautiful, funny, wild and she's the only one who hasn't hit on me in a long time, she makes me feel comfortable around her, I mean we literally slept in the same bed, drunk and didn't do anything."

"Okay, fine but what about Olivia?" He questions, "You took her virginity in what she explained as "pure torture" then you left and didn't call or text to check up on her, you stopped dropping by her house and now you're trying to replace her with the hottest girl in town?" He asks, sounding confused.

"Wow, and I thought I was the biggest asshole to walk the earth." The other guy laughs, shaking his head in disbelief.

Okay, now I feel like shit.

"I didn't mean to do all that, I like Olivia, she makes me feel things that I've never felt for anyone else but that's the thing, if I dive into this feeling and let myself dig deeper then things will definitely not end well for us and I don't wanna hurt her, the girl is obsessed with me for fucks sake." I whisper the last part, ruffling my hair.

"And she's been obsessed with you since day one, Jace, you can't just fuck her and move on to the next, especially if that next is Cassandra fucking Richardson, c'mon, man, put yourself in her shoes." He's getting frustrated at this point.

"Okay, then what do you suggest I do?" I ask.

"Me? Fuck you, what's your heart telling you to do?"

"I honestly don't know, man." I rub my forehead, feeling tired.

"They both sound hot, I say date both of them." Says murder dude, I smile at him for being so invested in our conversation.

"Shut the fuck up, man." Diego is annoyed by his eavesdropping, murder dude raises his hands in the air, smirking at Diego.

Diego walks across the cell, sitting next to me on the bench and dropping his tone.

"If Cassandra makes you feel comfortable then keep her around, you don't have to screw every pretty girl on earth, Cass can be like a female bestie or whatever but, Olivia dumped her boyfriend for you, she practically took alcohol for you, bro, I'd be down bad for someone like her, give it a chance and see how it goes." He whispers beside me, I nod, taking his advise.

"Okay, I think I might." I face him.

"Yeah, homie, go for it." He slaps my shoulder.

"Fucking rich kids." I chuckle.

"I'll forever remember last night, it was too eventful." He laughs at the memory, I'm about to respond when officer Peterson's partner shows up in front of our cell, jiggling keys in his hand.

"Morning, boys, you're free to go." He plugs one of the keys in the keyhole and opens the cell door.

"Wait, really?" Diego stands cautiously like the officer might be playing a sick joke on us or something.

"Yep, posted bail, charges were dropped, you boys have friends in high places or something?" He holds the door open until Diego and I step out and he locks up again.

"Invincible ones, that's for sure." Diego responds to the question.

The officer leads us to the reception area to pick up the stuff they made us take off last night, that's where we find my father talking to officer Peterson.

Shit, this is the hardest part.

The female officer gives us back our phones, wallets, shoes, belts, watches.

Diego and I get dressed right there while Dad talks to Peterson, the female officer shamelessly watches us while drinking her coffee.

"I know we're tall with a lot of muscle but you're like three times our age." Diego calls her out, I slap the back of his head.

"You talk too much." I tell him, he shrugs in response.

Dad shakes Peterson's hand before heading towards the exit without saying anything to us.

He's definitely pissed.

"You won't get out easily next time, I'll make sure of it." Says officer Peterson as he bumps into my shoulder and walks passed me.

"There won't be a next time, officer Peterson." I look over my shoulder.

He laughs, "We'll see."

"Fucking asshole." Diego shakes his head at  Peterson, "I don't think I've ever seen your Dad this pissed." He states as we push the glass doors open and walk out of the station.

"Me neither." I sigh.

We get into my Dad's pick up, me in the passenger seat and Diego in the back.

He drives while smoking a cigarette, Dad only smokes when he's stressed or angry and right now, I think he might be both.

"This is the last time I'm bailing you two out of jail, understood?" He flickers the cigarette out the window.

"Yes, sir." Diego and I respond in union.

"You're both so quick to say you understand but then you repeat the same mistakes, I don't think you've noticed but you're both grown men now." He says, "Jace, you have three siblings who look up to you and Diego, you can only change your mum's lifestyle by becoming someone in life."

"I know that, Mr Rodriguez, it's just-"

"Shut up, I'm still talking." He cuts him off, "This life you're both living, the partying, changing girls every month and sleeping around with everyone you meet, it's not going anywhere, you can party and have sex when you're twenty-eight, in the comfort of your own home with a big fat bank account while being your own boss. I want that kind of future for you kids but that won't happen if you keep getting arrested or focus on which girl you're gonna sneak into your bedroom tonight." He says, looking at me specifically, Diego and I both stay quiet.

"Are you listening or are you pretending to?" He looks at Diego through the rearview.

"I hear you, Papa, no more getting arrested." Diego clarifies.

"So many people want to see you fail, they're waiting for you to fail, prove them wrong." He says before going quiet for the rest of the drive.

When he stops the car on Diego's street, I find myself staring at Olivia's house.

Dad's right, it's time to grow the fuck up and maybe asking out Olivia and having something that's not predictable is where I start.

"Is it okay if I check up on my friend? I was an asshole to her the last time we spoke." I say, facing him after a while.

"Yeah, sure, just be home before sun down, for your mother's sake." He responds, I nod in understanding, getting out of the car and jogging to her house across the street.

I give my head a quick shake in order to get rid of the memories of the last time I was here.

It never happened.

I finally ring the doorbell and the door comes flying open after a minute.

She's wearing pajama shorts, covered in paint and her hair is in a messy bun.

"Hey," I greet.

"Oh my God." She launches towards me, engulfing me into a hug, I hesitantly place my hands on her lower back.

She stiffens and quickly pulls away.

"Okay." I let out a small laugh.

"I'm sorry, it's just that I heard you got arrested and I was kinda worried about you." She admits then later regrets it.

"Word travels fast." I tuck my hands in my front pockets.

"You're literally all they talked about, there's like a lot of videos of you destroying that car, bold of you by the way." She smiles.

"Yeah, it's whatever." I joke.

"Oh, I finished the painting, wanna see it?" She points back into the house.

"Uh, yeah, sure." I nod and she practically drags me to her basement where she paints from.

We both stand in front of the painting that she once started but never finished, that's no longer the case cause she definitely finished it without me.

"That's so freaky," I stare at the impressive artwork in admiration, "How did you finish it without me posing for it?"

"I just imagined you were there, sitting in the same position, wearing the same clothes and it worked." She says, sounding surprised as well.

"That's one crazy imagination, Liv." I turn my face to her.

"Tell me about it." She grins at her work.

I want this girl to scream at me, to call me out on my bullshit, to tell me every single bad thing she thinks about me but maybe that's what all the toxic girls do and she's nothing like that.

Maybe she doesn't want to fight with me, she just wants to smile with me.

"Liv?" I call, she turns her attention to me with that smile still on her face.

"Yeah?" Her eyes search my face.

"Do you wanna maybe go out with me or whatever?" I scratch the back of my head.

I'm asking, I'm fucking asking her to be my girlfriend.

Usually, I just fuck a girl and boom, we're dating.

"What?" She laughs.

"I like you and I know you like me so... what's stopping us?" I blurt out awkwardly.

What's stopping us? Dude.

"The fact that you don't know how to ask a girl out." She answers my question in a playful tone.

"Oh come on, it wasn't that bad." I nudge her shoulder, looking at the painting again.

"Go out with me or whatever? You might as well call yourself a walking red flag at this point." She giggles.

"I thought it was cute." I point out.

"No." She shakes her head, disagreeing.

"So, what do you say?" I glance at her, suddenly getting anxious.

She stares into my eyes, her face turning expressionless so I can't read it.

"Okay, I'll go out with you... Or whatever." She rolls her eyes at the last part, I smile so hard my cheeks hurt.