Stacie's POV

"We're here," Nick says as we near a huge house.

Marissa and I both stop dead in our tracks as we stare wide-eyed at the magnificent house. No wonder Alex's parents don't pay any attention to him. They are too busy working their butts off to afford this house. It's the biggest house I have ever seen. It isn't your typical, average house, but the type of house only millionaires can afford.

I wonder what Alex's parents do for a living. They obviously do something important that pays a lot to be able to afford such a house like this.

"This is his house?" Marissa asks, shocked and unbelieving of what is before us. She took the words right out of my mouth. Nick nods.

"Well, technically it's his parents' house," Nick says, shrugging.

"Still, he lives here!" Marissa says, waving her hands around, signaling she means the house before us.

"Yep," Nick chuckles. He swims up to the door and swims in like he owns the place. Marissa and I glance at each other, shocked, before following closely behind in order to not get lost.

The inside of Alex's house amazes me. I never knew he lived so extravagantly. From what I can see, the house has three floors with some very expensive décor displayed in the entrance hall. Most likely, there's some expensive décor in all the rooms. There are some stairs with black, beautiful, metal railings on both sides of the hall, leading to the second floor where they connect. His parents must have a really important job to be able to afford such a luxurious place like this.

I'll admit I'm kind of jealous. Who am I kidding? I'm extremely jealous of Alex! I have only ever thought of having a place like this. I have only dreamed of having a house like this in my sleep.

When I was younger, I use to leave extra early to get Blythe and Brittany from school to look at houses like this. I would swim down their streets and admire these types of houses. Of course, I used to go before Avery was born. I could never skip out on playing with him.

Today is different, though. I need to do this. I am doing this for me and my mental state of mind. If I don't do this, I'll be forever alone and forever afraid to talk to boys.

I think I have seen this house before, though. Yep, it was one of my favorites. I would always pass by this house with admiration twinkling in my curious, young eyes, wondering what the people who lived here's day to day was like. Who would have known I was admiring Alex's house!

He seems so unhappy, though. How could he be unhappy when he's living in a place like this? It's a dream come true for most people if they could live like this! I must be missing something if he's this unhappy.

"Alex, the girls are here!" Nick screams, snapping me out of my thoughts. He glances over at us and smiles.

Suddenly, Alex appears in a doorway on the other side of the room.

"In here!" he screams back. I guess regular talking to each other isn't possible in such a big room. They wouldn't be able to hear one another.

Nick motions for us to follow him, so we do. We all swim towards where Alex was, which looks like the kitchen. Alex is putting some things away as we swim in. The kitchen is so wonderful. There are so many expensive and upgraded appliances in here. It's so high-end from what lies at my house. My family has appliances from years ago while his family has the newest versions.

"Are you guys hungry?" Alex asks nervously. Not to be rude, Marissa and I both nod our heads.

"Um, yes actually," Marissa tells him.

"Good because I made us some food. I hope you like it," Alex says, half-smiling. He moves over, unveiling the magnificent food he made us. There are so many dishes. There's food made for breakfast time, lunch, and dinner. These must have taken him hours to make. Did he come straight home after our talk to cook all this? Everything still looks warm. Just looking at them all makes me hungry. I wasn't even that hungry before.

"Thank you, Alex. They all look great," I blurt out nicely. I didn't even think about saying it. It was just habit, I guess. Marissa glances over at me, smiling, and nods approvingly. I smile back at her. Phew! I'm doing fine so far.

"No problem. We can all make a plate, and then, get to work," Alex smiles.

"You don't mind if we eat while working on our projects?" Marissa asks, surprised. I'm guessing she doesn't believe he would be okay with it, considering something expensive could get ruined.

"Nope, I don't care at all. It's fine with me. Is it fine with you?" Alex asks jokingly.

"Mhmm," Marissa mumbles smiling. Nick chuckles quietly and motions for us to grab something to eat.