I cried myself to sleep that night. Between the memories that came flooding back after hearing those boys from school fight, and the grey of Ethan Jones' eyes that reminded me of a boy that broke my heart before I had even given it to him, in no way was anything going to be able to take away the pain. Not even Mer. So I cried it all out, until I fell asleep at around midnight and dreamed about grey eyed boys and getting beaten to a pulp.

The next day, let's just say that I was bored out of my mind. It was lunch and I was currently scrolling through my twitter instead of eating, while simultaneously humming along to my favourite musician.

"Swift is it?" came a deep voice that I was hearing too much of for two consecutive days now. I stilled.
Ethan Jones was standing behind me, but a little on my side enough to see his face. He was the type of guy whose presence demanded attention, and even he himself liked it. The whole cafeteria's eyes turned to where I was seated as Ethan loomed over me. I grew more than uncomfortable.

I didn't know whether he was referring to my name or the music I was humming but after a few seconds I slowly removed my earpiece and nodded. "T-that's me." I unsurely croaked then cleared my throat. What was wrong with me?

Ethan Jones smirked and held his hand out. "Hello," he said and actually sounded friendly. "I'm Jones, Ethan Jones."

Turning my body in awkward angle, I took his hand in my clammy one and shook it. "Nice to meet you, Taylor, Taylor Swift." I whispered then turned back to the unwanted sausage that was gracing my tray. I started nervously poking at it, counting down the seconds until the presence behind me left, it was suffocating me.
But Ethan Jones showed no signs of leaving yet. I suddenly wished Eve was here, she could just squeal in Ethan's ear and he'd not want to be anywhere near us again. But she wasn't, which apparently, is something that happened every month for her; whenever mother nature paid her a visit.

"You don't mind if I sit here, do you?" He asked, not really asking for permission.

Yay!

"I don't," I snapped unintentionally. look like I own the table?" Oh joy. If the stories I read were anything to go by, snapping at Ethan was like sending him a come and bother me invitation.

He raised an eyebrow and smirked as he plopped down beside me. "Feisty huh?"

I rolled my eyes and sucked in a huge gulp of air before exhaling through my nose. I sneaked a glance at my phone and it was just fifteen minutes past one o'clock. It was going to be a long lunch. Ethan and I sat in a very loud silence- for me. My ears were ringing and it wasn't because of the loud chatter of students in the cafeteria.
I tried to hide my face beneath my long hair, praying for thirty minutes to go by quickly so I could return my untouched food. Yes, it was a rule apparently. No food could be thrown in the trash during the first thirty minutes of lunch in the school. Apparently, in Centennial HS, if you don't want the food don't get it. If you get it and don't eat it, at least you've spent thirty minutes staring at it, which is exactly what I was doing at the moment.

In a split second of brain malfunction, I tried to steal a glance at Ethan. Tried being the keyword. He caught me with his own grey eyed gaze. I had yet to figure out what the fuck my problem was. How could a teenager like myself turn me into something along the lines of a submissive little puppy? He was undeniably attractive, Ethan. But I had seen better, Bran was way more attractive and even he didn't make me want to coil up and disappear into the ground. I couldn't look away, that was the trouble with Ethan's eyes. They were hypnotic.

My heartbeat grew erratic when he lifted a hand, I knew for sure that hand was going to touch me, and it did. Why I did nothing to stop it was beyond me.
Ethan Jones took a few strands of my hair and tucked them behind my ear, an unreadable expression on his face as he did. What was he playing at?

His eyes were deep in thought before snapping out of it. "Are you going to eat that?" he asked. His eyes finally let mine go as he tilted his head and glanced at my food. I shook my head. He retracted his hand and I literally sagged back in relief.

What was that? Did the boy really affect me that much?

"EJ!" Grace or whatever her name was walked into the cafe just then, in my peripheral, Ethan rolled his eyes. Boys. "Hey, I've been looking for you!" She was smiling widely, her beautiful dimples showing and auburn hair swinging along with her moderately wide hips. She wore a pair of short shorts and a pink crop top. She was a beautiful girl all together. A beautiful mean girl.

"Hey Georgia," Ethan greeted, pasting a smile on his beautiful lips. He didn't have to though, Ethan's entire facial build was the kind that smiled even when he scowled. He was that beautiful. Georgina bent down to probably kiss him but Ethan evaded her kiss by pretending to pick up a sausage from my tray. Bent over, Georgina finally 'noticed' me.

"Oh," she said slowly. "And you're ... ?" Leaving the sentence hanging, she rose a perfect eyebrow at me with a gaze that could freeze ice. She was trying to pick on me but I honestly wasn't ready for drama. She knew me all too well.

This was like a Hollywood high school movie- roles reversed. Grayson the beautiful but mean brunette cheerleader and me, the blonde...me.

Glancing at my phone, I picked up my tray and all my things and stood up. "...Just leaving." I finished her hanging sentence, swang a leg off the seat and moved past her. I could feel Ethan's eyes drilling holes into my back, for the food I'd taken from him probably.

Grace stood in my way.

Oh joy!

"I'm talking to you!" Her upper lip curled up in a sneer as she looked up at me. She was way shorter I could almost see the top centre of her head.

"You are?" I raised an eyebrow at her. "I never would've..."

"Tace!" Trey showed up out of nowhere, interrupting my oh so phenomenal comeback, I threw him the dirtiest look I could master. "Been looking for yah!"

Huh? It took an arm being slang around my shoulders for me to realise that Trey was referring to me. 'Tace?' I asked with a narrow of my eyes.

Our faces were only a few inches apart I could almost feel his breath fanning my face. Trey was almost as good looking as Ethan, with the same dark black hair and beautiful face, only his features were a little on the boyish side and his skin was more tan than Ethan's. Unlike Ethan whose eyes were a bright grey, Trey's were a dark sea colour.
He winked at me then nodded in Ethan Jones' direction. "Ej," he said in greeting. "Sup man?"

Ethan smiled a little. "Nah," he said. "All good?"

Trey nodded once. "All good." Then shoved me a little so I could follow and I did.

"Bitch." I heard Gracie's voice mutter behind us and I wondered what it was that I had done to qualify for that sweet name of endearment.

"Tace?" Was the first thing I asked him as soon as we were out of the cafe.

"Tace," Trey reiterated.

"What does it even mean?"

"Well," he begun. "I wanted to call you TS you know? Like EJ, SX, but it's sort of long to say T-S, do you understand?"

I stared at him blankly. Trey sighed. "It's sort of like your initials but not really."

I crossed my arms against my chest. "How is Tace my initials?"

Trey groaned. "Oh god, it's hard being smart with du- not so smart friends...ow!"

I had whacked his arm. "Call me dumb one more time." I dared him.
"Okay I'm sorry, it's like saying Tay, and S! Got it now?"

I nodded, getting it. "Okay but why all the work? Couldn't you just call me Tay, T, or anything?"

He shrugged. "Nah, I always like to call my friends by their initials."

"So am I supposed to call you ... wait ... "

"WE HAVE THE SAME INITIALS!" Trey and I exclaimed. A few heads turned in our direction before going back to whatever they were doing.

I scrunched my nose, tapping a finger on it before saying, "I got it! TreS!"

"Tres?"

"Yes TreS! Perfect!"

"Tres," Trey tested it on his tongue before grinning. "TreS!" We high fived. "Not so dumb after all," he mumbled and I swatted the back of his head.

We were sitting in our last class for the day, Trey was busy playing footsy under the table. Not with me- as I had no time for his childishness -but my foot. Miss. Andrea, our psychology teacher was currently saying something I wasn't hearing when a thought came to my mind.

"We can't hear you ma'am!" Bellowed Simon and Pete. Over our seat, they glared at each other as our annoyed teacher tried to raise her voice.

I picked up my notebook and plucked a page out.

The initials thing, you said you use it on your friends, does that mean we're friends?

I slid the page to Trey's side. After a while he slid it back, another note written under mine in his handwriting.

Tsk tsk, don't flatter yourself. I'm still considering it.

I wrote back: Don't, I can't be seen with a jork. You nearly spend your entire school time in detention.

I was smiling to myself as I slid it back.

Ooh please! You know you wish your boyfriend was hot like me. ;)

Ethan Jones was hotter. I thought and nearly smacked myself. What did he have to do with this? Then I got another thought. I scribbled it down again.

You called Jones EJ, Are you guys friends?

Trey slid it to me.

I can't call us friends but we're not entirely enemies. We talk now and then. Why?

No reason, just curious. I wrote back.

Riiiiight. Think I'm Meredith or what?

I glanced over at Trey, this time he wasn't grinning. He was lost somewhere in thought.

Forget it. Just. Curious.

;) is all he wrote back as the lesson rolled around.

Did I mention that Trey's mission at school was to make sure paying attention wasn't part of my class activities?

Yay!