"Yo Wilks, still want a ride?"

My hand lingered on my door handle as I whipped my head around. The motion caused me to be temporarily blind as my hair blew all over my face.

Once my vision was restored, I saw the beauty of a Lamborghini idling behind my parking spot. The constant purr of the engine was attracting a lot of attention. Students from all over were jealously eyeing the fortune on wheels.

Ben was leaning out his window, giving me an expectant look. His Ray-Bans were obscuring his eyes, making me wonder what type of look he was giving me. Was it a 'you're annoying scum' look or a 'we're friends now' look?

I hitched my backpack higher on my back and sighed. "No."

We had only hung out yesterday. Him asking to hang out again made it too easy. I still needed to play hard to get. For all I knew, I'd say yes today and he'd drop interest in me quicker than I could say 'bye'.

He pushed his glasses down on his nose to give me a peek of his judgemental eyes. "And why not?"

"I'm busy."

"What, you got a secret boyfriend or something?"

I'm not gonna lie, I did tense. But I relaxed as I realized that was far from the truth. Sure, I had a secret ex-boyfriend, but he couldn't hold that against me if he were to find out. I doubt he knew though. There's no way he wouldn't have mentioned it.

"I wish," I sighed, leaning against my car and crossing my arms. "I have a needy brother though."

His brows furrowed. "You have a brother?"

"Yup, and I need to feed us tonight, so I'll skip on the date."

His cheeks tinted the slightest shade of pink and I internally chuckled. He got embarrassed way too quickly.

"Ary!"

I cringed as Justin approached me. He hadn't seemed to notice Ben yet. He walked straight toward me with a lazy smile on. "Aren't you supposed to be at practice?" I asked.

Justin slung a heavy arm around me. "Just wanted to let you know that the team is hanging out after so don't worry about me. I might spend the night too."

Crap. Well there goes my excuse.

Out of all the times Justin needed to meet me in school, it had to be right now? We barely saw each other in the first place. But now?

"Holy shit! Is that a Lamborghini Veneno? Ary, there's like three people in the world that own it!" Justin yelled, slapping my arm excitedly. I scowled and pushed him. "Do you know this guy?"

"Justin, go to practice," I said sternly. His face fell and he flipped me off. I couldn't help but smile and ruffle his hair, annoying him even more. "Go or else I'll tell your captain you're late because you were hanging with your girlfriend."

That was all it took for him to make a horrified face and run to the field.

"Your brother's a high schooler? Why do you have to take care of him?" Ben asked, bringing my attention back to him. When I didn't answer him, he cocked a brow. "Are you coming or not?"

"No."

His smirk fell. "Why not?"

"I need to feed my dog." Technically it wasn't a lie. I had to feed Ryder, but dinner. I just needed to say something to get out of this.

His smirk reappeared, forming knots in my stomach – and not the good kind. "Damn, a shame. I'll see you later then." He pushed down on the accelerator, forming a cloud of pollution as he sped off.

After dramatically coughing and grumbling something about the environment, I got into my own car and drove home, bopping to my music.

The music must've been mindblowing because I didn't notice the silver car tailing me until I pulled into my driveway.

I should've been pissed because stalking was definitely a violation of privacy, but the smugness was overtaking me. He was borderline obsessed with me! The plan was working beautifully.

Still, I pretended to be a little annoyed. I couldn't have him get suspicious.

Slamming my door, I gave him a glare as I walked over to his car and knocked on the tinted window. It rolled down to reveal his blank face.

"What're you doing here?"

He scoffed as if I said the dumbest thing ever. "Thought I said I'll see you later. Well, it's later." When I remained unamused, he slumped down. "Go feed your dog or whatever and come back."

"What if I don't?"

"Don't feed your dog? I imagine he'd starve."

I bit back an eye-roll. "What if I don't come back?" It was at this moment that I was wondering why I was humoring his annoyingness.

"Then I'll stay here all night," he smugly replied.

This time I did roll my eyes and pushed away from his car. As I walked inside, I felt the need to grumble, "Get some friends."

Since it wasn't really time to feed Ryder, I settled on taking him to use the bathroom. Like the homie he was, he took his sweet time in the backyard and I didn't rush him at all.

After he happily trotted back inside, I gave him a five-minute belly rub and extensive pets.

Ben could afford to wait a few minutes. And if he had a problem with it? He could leave.

Besides, he's the one who forced me. This was the only way I could continue my 'hard to get' game.

After making him wait a good twenty minutes, I skipped out of the house like everything was totally normal. I was a little surprised that Ben's car was still there, even though I could tell he was a stubborn guy. That and his pride would be the death of him.

As I walked to his car, I heard an engine shut off. I turned to see Andrew climbing out of his car. He smiled and waved. "Hey, Bella!"

"Drew! Is practice over?"

He shook his head and a troubled look came over him. "Nah, I just had to leave early."

"Is... is everything okay?" I asked, suddenly worried. Andrew was always smiling. The fact that he wasn't right now made me uneasy.

His eyes shifted behind me to the car idling. It was impossible to not notice it with its flashy design and sexy purring.

Did I just call a car sexy?

He let out an impressed whistle, regaining the light in his eyes. I narrowed my eyes at him but he didn't even notice. He was way too distracted by the beauty behind me.

Ignoring an impatient Ben, I stomped across the yard straight to Drew. He hadn't noticed me until my cold hands cupped his cheeks, making him jump slightly. I moved his head around, inspecting any potential injuries.

"Bella, what're you doing?"

I continued the action until I was sure he was physically okay. Then I held his face directly in front of me. "Checking to see what's wrong."

The gloom resettled on his face. "It's nothing."

A loud honk made us jump. I instinctively let go of Andrew's face and took a step back like I was caught doing something wrong, even though I wasn't.

Drew looked relieved from the distraction, but this wasn't over yet. "Look buddy, we're hanging out later and we have to talk."

He flashed me an earsplitting grin. "Sure."

I playfully shook my head and patted his shoulder. "See ya."

After making the journey back to Lambo, I pulled on the handle to see it was locked. I waited a good minute for Ben to unlock it. When he didn't, I pulled on the handle constantly just to annoy him.

The window rolled down to reveal a very annoyed Ben. "Jesus, woman."

"Listen, I can go back inside..." I trailed, eyeing my front door.

He grumbled some profanities and clicked a button on his side. Suddenly, the car door flew open. I gasped in awe as it opened upward instead of how a normal car opened.

I felt giddy as I slid in. "This is so freaking cool!"

Ben smirked as he took in my excited reaction. I didn't blame him either. I looked like a kid on Christmas. There were so many fancy features and buttons that I had no idea of their purpose.

While my eyes drank up everything, Ben slowly leaned in. My eyes widened as I watched him skim his arm over my stomach.

What the hell is he doing?

His smug eyes never left mine as he tugged at something behind me. Then I heard a click. Dumbfounded, I looked down to see my seatbelt on.

"Safety first," he smirked, facing forward.

Right. "If you're going to make a pass on me, I'd prefer it'd be in a situation where I can escape."

His bold action made him confident, but he still blushed at my comment. Amazing! I seriously didn't understand this guy. He seemed active enough to get involved with girls like Taylor, yet blushed when I brought up sex or even playfully flirted with him.

I kept my eyes out the window the entire ride. I was too distracted by trying to figure out Ben that I didn't pay attention to where we were going. And surprisingly, Ben drove at a normal speed limit. I expected – no, knew – him to be a daredevil, but he seemed to be driving at an acceptable speed.

But stupid Bella never learned her lesson. She seemed to forget things didn't always go her way.

So when we pulled into Mel's Diner, it was a bucket of cold water dumped on my head.

I could feel Ben's curious gaze on me but I was so shocked I couldn't move. I needed a quick excuse as to why I didn't wanna eat here. I couldn't say my ex works here, Ben probably did his research on Dean and could put two and two together.

The only logical thing to do was pretend this place didn't bother me.

But it didn't hurt to try and avoid it. Who knows, maybe it would work out for once? "I got food poisoning here once," I blurted out.

Ben only chuckled and pat my leg. "I used to go here in my childhood. You know, before everything went downhill..."

Damn, the guilt card. How could I say no to that?

"Consider it a part of your repayment," he added when I didn't respond. Were we still on that? I thought the debt was settled.

"If you trust it," I sighed, warily looking up at the neon lights. "If I throw up, it'll be over these nice seats."

He narrowed his eyes at me, not understanding the joke. "I swear–"

"Relax, I'll roll down the window or something," I said in the most serious tone.

His eyes widened a fraction and panic took over his face. I silently snickered and climbed out of the car, walking up to the front doors.

It wasn't until I pried them open did I remember the twisted circumstance I brought upon myself. What was I doing here? This was dangerous territory. Dean could be here and ruin everything. Hell, the Cullen's could bring him up and blow my entire cover.

Oh god, I needed to leave.

I turned to face Ben, who was now entering the diner. "Look, are you sure about this place? Like, isn't it a little dingy?" I lowered my voice so only he could hear, but I still felt insanely guilty talking about this place like that. I loved Mel's. I meant no disrespect to it, but I needed to tell white lies to get out of this place before everything went downhill.

He didn't notice my apprehension at all. "And you say I'm superficial?"

Damn it, he was really using that against me, wasn't he?

I drew in a shaky breath and raked my hand through my hair. "Look, it's not that, okay?"

"Then what is it?" His eyes glinted with a challenge.

"My ex and I used to come here a lot, okay? I just feel weird about it," I half-lied. It was better than the whole truth, right? And hopefully, it was vague enough for Ben to not put two and two together. I even put on a pained face to add to my case.

All he did was roll his eyes and grab my wrist, dragging me to a table. I squirmed, trying to wiggle myself out, but it was useless. He had a tight grip; something I learned a long time ago.

"You're an ass," I grumbled, sitting down and flattening my hair

He picked up the menu and flashed me a sarcastic smile before scanning over the options. "Quite frankly, I don't care about your relationship issues."

Oh, if he knew who the ex was, he sure would.

After he looked over the menu, he glanced up at me. "Say, that guy you were talking to, was that your boyfriend?"

I pursed my lips. "Thought you said you have no cares about my relationships?"

He ignored me. "You said you don't have a boyfriend."

"Why, you jealous?" I teased, enjoying the sight of his flushed cheeks. "I don't. He's just a friend."

"He likes you," he pointed out. I wondered how he got that from a brief conversation. After all, I was the one being all touchy. Who's to say I didn't like him?

But, I didn't. Ben, as annoying as it was, was completely right. Was it that obvious?

I nervously bit my lip. Would Ben think I'm leading Andrew on? It definitely seemed like it, considering I knew of his feelings, but I didn't give him any hope of a future relationship. I kept reiterating we were friends. Even then, was being friends with him leading him on?

Right then, someone came up to our table. I slowly turned my head to see who it was and let out the biggest sigh of relief when it wasn't Nat. It was one of the other waitresses that worked here.

Thank god.

We both gave our orders and I was surprised when Ben ordered a fancy salad instead of a burger.

"Who comes to a diner to get a salad?" I snorted as soon as the waitress left.

His gray orbs were focused intently on my face, scanning my features. I felt self-conscious and the need to shrink back, but I was already squished into the booth. "I'm a vegetarian," he said as his eyes finally met mine.

My brows furrowed. How did I not know about this? Well, it wasn't exactly relevant, but it would've been nice to know. Actually, not knowing this made me realize how little I knew about him.

Hopefully, that would change soon.

I was beginning to feel a little restless. So much time had passed and I just barely made a breakthrough. He barely gave me any information I could use against him and didn't talk about Dean at all. It was infuriating.

My plan was obviously working, but I needed to speed it up.

"What?" Ben's smooth voice broke me out of my thoughts. When he was met with my confusion, he clarified. "You look like you're overthinking."

I smoothed out my furrowed brows and put on a small smile. "Nothing."

"If you're thinking about your ex..." he trailed.

"Then what?" I raised a brow, waiting for him to continue. I would've denied it to any other person, but I was interested in what he was about to say.

He looked like he was planning out his next words very carefully. He let out a puff of air like he was bracing himself for his next words. "You shouldn't let him taint certain locations for you."

I held back a snort. His answer was definitely very Ben. "Here I was thinking you'd say something deeper."

He scowled and averted his gaze.

Laughing, I reached across the table and touched his hand lightly. His eyes snapped up to mind, the surprise evident. "Thank you. You're right."

He gave me a curt nod. My hand retreated back to my lap and I stared at my cuticles. Why did I do that? The gesture was too friendly.

The sound of two trays hitting the table caught my attention. I looked up to thank the waitress, but my eyes widened as I saw the familiar girl.

Crap!

Natalie's eyes lit up as she noticed me. "You know, I thought it was you! We got the order in the back and I was like 'hey, that's Bella's order' so I figured I'd come check," she grinned. Her gaze went to Ben and the grin faltered just a little.

I couldn't blame her. Here I was, in her family's territory, sitting with a guy that wasn't her brother. It had only been weeks since Dean and I ended. She probably thought I was a slut at this point.

Before she could get all of her assumptions out, I answered her underlying question. "This is Ben. He's a friend from school."

She slowly nodded as her gaze flickered between the both of us. I couldn't help but glance at Ben to see his reaction. His features were oddly calm. I couldn't tell if he knew her or not.

"Alright! Well, I'll leave you both now. Enjoy!"

"Thanks," I replied with a smile.

I began my meal, instantly dipping my fries in my shake. The relief I felt when the other waitress came had disappeared. Now I was only filled with dread. I might've been good on Ben's side, but that didn't mean Dean wouldn't get word of this. Nat could definitely tell him.

Ugh.

I knew coming here was a bad idea. Why didn't I try harder?

"So I'm assuming you and your boyfriend came here a lot?" Ben asked, his eyes twinkling in amusement as I stress ate my milkshake-soaked fries.

Ugh, milkshake. As much as I missed them, I didn't know the meaning behind them. Did this really mean he was no longer making them for me?

Pulling myself out of my self-misery, I narrowed my eyes at Ben in an accusing fashion. "What makes you say that?"

He took a big bite of his salad and swallowed before answering. So polite. "That waitress seemed to know you pretty well." His tone had a hint of skepticism. My mind resumed wondering if he knew whether this was Dean's family business.

"Yeah, we came here a lot," I admitted, nervously biting my lip. But even throughout all this, I made sure to keep my eyes on him. The only way to tell if he knew more than he was letting on was by watching his cues. "Let's talk about something else."

His eyes softened, from pity I assume, and he nodded. "What do you wanna talk about?"

"Okay, you have a dead mom and absent father. Any other siblings?" It was a little blunt but he was just as straight when he told me the news in the first place so I figured it was safe.

His brows quirked, probably from the bluntness of my question. I stuffed my burger in my mouth, knowing I would forget about it if I kept talking. It happened one too many times.

He was surprisingly easier to talk to than my lovely ex. He actually answered my questions instead of avoiding them. "Only child."

"So what does your father do?" I asked, leaning forward. The thrill of getting answers was making me giddy inside.

"Wilks, you know Google exists right?" he deadpanned.

My smile wavered a bit. "Doesn't matter. I'd rather hear it from the source itself."

Now, I might've been on a milkshake high, but I swear his lips turned upward a fraction. He stopped his smile before I could catch it, but it was too late

Haha! I made Ben smile.

"My dad owns properties across the globe," he answered. The disgust in his voice only proved how much disdain he felt for his father. It was quite sad honestly. Sure my parents left me alone a lot, but not nearly as much as his. Not to mention, I loved my dad and he was always there for me. Ben couldn't say the same.

"Ah, rich boy," I teased, leaning back. I needed a break from the food for a second. "So I'm assuming you had a house in Chicago as well?"

When his eyes darkened and jaw clenched, I realized I touched a nerve. Only he could let me know whether this was a good thing or bad.

Minutes of silence passed. We were both focused on our food, but he had a faraway look in his eyes. When he spoke, I nearly jumped from the surprise. "No. I was in a boarding school that provided dorms. When I hit freshman year, I went to a public school and lived with some friends."

Something told me these so-called friends were his gang mates.

Instead of pestering him, I knew my limits. I gave him a soft smile, hoping he wouldn't mistake it for pity. "I'm sorry you had to move during your senior year. I'm pretty sure that's shitty."

I immediately thought of Reece. He had been in the same exact situation. He was pulled away from his everyday life and forced to move here for gang-related reasons.

Man, these men and their gangs.

He looked utterly surprised by my sympathy. It was good considering I didn't wanna be chewed out for pitying him.

"Yeah, it sucked," he said stiffy, stabbing his salad.

I pursed my lips and looked out the window. I had a clear view of the parking lot, not that there was anything interesting going on. That is, until I saw a familiar motorcycle in the lot.

I stiffened, the panic coursing through me. He was here, probably working in the back.

Crap crap crap!

"I need to use the bathroom," I awkwardly squeaked and slid out of the booth. Before he could respond, I bolted to the bathroom.

My phone was tightly clutched in my hand as I paced the open floor. The stalls were empty so no one was witnessing my dilemma.

I wasn't sure if it was the good moment we shared a couple of days ago, or the fact that she seemed to know Dean quite well these days, but I ended up dialing Skylar's number before I could stop myself.

"This is Skylar."

I rolled my eyes at her greeting. "It's Arabella," I harshly whispered into the phone. "Look, do you know where Dean is right now?"

And in a Skylar fashion, she just had to be condescending. "Oh honey, I think you should take the hint–"

"Shut up," I groaned. "I'm asking because I'm at the diner with Ben and I saw his bike outside. Did he say anything about working a shift?"

"Diner?" her confused voice repeated. It was only then that I realized she must've not known about this place. Smugness washed over me as I realized this was something I held over her.

Sure, she had the past and the boy, but at least I knew about his place, right?

"Did he say anything about a shift or not?" I impatiently asked. As amazing as the circumstances were, I had bigger issues to worry about.

She paused for a minute. "Uh, n-no idea."

I didn't have time to question her sudden flusteredness. "Whatever. Just do me a favor and call me in two minutes, okay? I'm going to play it off as an emergency and skedaddle the fuck out of here."

"Okay."

I hung up and rushed out of the bathroom. I didn't want Ben to think I was constipated or anything. Why he would have that thought in the first place? I had no idea.

Recomposing myself, I slid into the booth.

"Fries and a vanilla milkshake make a weird combo," were the first words that left Ben's mouth. With the speed of the sentence, I wondered if he'd been thinking about this since I left. "I mean, I can't judge," he looked down at his salad, "but I'm just saying."

"Don't knock it till you try it."

A sheepish look overtook his face. "I did while you were in the bathroom."

I narrowed my eyes at him in total disbelief. "You ate my food? That too, like a coward? You weren't going to even bicker over it with me?" I took his stunned silence as a cue to continue. "Geez Stark, this is one of the worst dates I've ever been on."

"This isn't a date!"

Oh, but his blush proved otherwise.

"Clearly," I snorted, eating the last of my fries. The burger was long gone and half my milkshake rested in its glass. I took big gulps, hoping to finish it before Skylar called. I've left here with a half-drunken milkshake too many times. It was tragic, really.

One of the smartest decisions I ever made was not saving her contact. If Ben saw her name, he'd grow suspicious, even if it wasn't the same person. When my phone laying on the table flashed with a random number, I feigned confusion. His eyes flickered to the vibrating device, then to my face.

Shrugging, I picked it up. "Hello?"

"Blah blah," Skylar said on the other line.

It took everything in me to not smile. "Yes, this is her."

"Blah blah blah."

"Justin? What's wrong?" I paused, widening my eyes. "You idiot! I'll be there soon!" Another pause. "Okay, bye." And I hung up.

Ben looked like he couldn't care less when he asked, "Who was that?"

I rolled my eyes at his lack of enthusiasm. "My brother. We have to go."

"Why 'we'?"

I facepalmed and gave him an incredulous look. Seriously? "Stark, I think the hair gel is seeping into your brain. You drove me here, remember?"

"Take an uber, I'm not done," he replied without hesitation. Liar. His salad bowl was scraped clean.

I let out a scoff. "How did you make this date go from bad to worse?"

Annoyance flashed on his features before he scooted out of the booth. Even in the messed-up situation we were in, I couldn't help but excitedly follow him. He was driving me home! Even if it looked like the last thing he wanted, he still did it.

When he walked up to the counter to pay the bill, my brows shot up. He informed the waitress – not Nat – that he was paying for both of us. Interesting.

I stalked over to him and gently nudged his side. "Stark, are you paying for me?"

"Yes," he grumbled, making sure to exaggerate the annoyance in his tone.

My face broke out into an earsplitting grin. "I take it back, this isn't the worst date ever." With a bounce in my step, I left a blushing Ben behind.

I hope he'd never get used to my blatant flirting with him. He was an egotistical spoiled brat. But something about seeing him so embarrassed about something so innocent really brought a smile to my face.

And hopefully I could use it to my advantage.