I was walking along the pavement, listening to the soft thud of my shoes against the concrete. My eyelids where drooping, so I dug my nails into my palm to keep myself awake.

The afternoon had been very fun. Our parents took Yas and I to the annual Mythcrest Fair.

We went on a few roller coasters, and ate tons of food. Dagwood dogs, potato swirls, sundaes, and snow cones, just to name a few. I was absolutely stuffed, and I felt like throwing up. My stomach was fluttering, however the uneasiness had nothing to do with the fair.

I was nervous – my mum was going to talk to me about Jake when we got home. Neither of us had touched on the topic since our argument at Yasmine's house, and we had both been silent on the whole walk home. I was waiting for my mother to start talking, as I was too scared to bring up the subject myself. In fact, something inside of me was hoping she would forget we had ever had that conversation at all.

Unfortunately, though, The quiet hang awkwardly between us; it was clear we were both thinking about the same thing. We both wanted to talk, but neither of us wanted to be the first to speak.

Finally, after what felt like hours, we reached the front door. The moment my mother unlocked it, I bolted inside and straight up to my bedroom, shutting the door behind me with a firm thud.

I sank onto my bed, motionless, my eyes fixed on the door. My mind wasn't racing, nor was it consciously still—it was just... blank. That strange feeling of simply existing without really processing anything.

I had no idea how long I sat there like that, lost in nothingness, until my mother's voice gently called up from downstairs.

"Kaitlin? Dinners ready."

"Mhmm," I mumbled. I sat for a few more moments, before pushing myself off the bed and forcing my legs to take the painful walk downstairs.

The aroma of stir-fry filled the air as I stepped into the kitchen. Before I could say a word, my mother shoved a bowl into my hands and nudged me toward the table.

I braced myself for a long, awkward conversation about boys. Even though I knew it would be uncomfortable, a jittery excitement bubbled inside me. She clearly knew something about Jake that I didn't, and I was desperate to find out what.

But she said nothing.

We sat in calm silence, eating as if nothing had happened. Instead of launching into a lecture, she asked a few casual questions about my day—whether I had fun, if I'd want to do the same thing again next year. I answered absentmindedly, still waiting for the inevitable confrontation.

But it never came.

In fact, it wasn't until school the next morning that she briefly mentioned him at all.

"Remember what I said yesterday," she said, before kissing me goodbye. "Please don't talk to Jake today."

"But why—"

"Not now. I don't want to talk about this."

I raised an eyebrow, before nodding in silent agreement. But a simple nod meant nothing. There was no meaning behind it, no promise. So, I waited until drama to disobey my mother's new rule.

"Good morning, Jacob," I said smugly as I walked into the room.

"Good morning," he smiled. "You sound happy today."

"Why wouldn't I be?"

He simply shrugged, then asked, "how was your weekend?"

"It was fine, I suppose. I went to the fair with Yas and her mum."

"When did you go?" He asked curiously.

"Yesterday."

"Same! I went with a friend from outside school. I can't believe I didn't see you!"

"I wish! It would have been even better if I could see you there."

"Yeah." He smiled that bright smile, and a blush spread across my cheeks.

"But I don't think my mother..." I trailed off. I was about to tell him I didn't think my mother would want to see him, but I didn't want to hurt his feelings.

"What?" He urged.

I wanted to be honest with him, he was my best friend; though not quite as good as Yas. "My mother doesn't like you."

"You've talked about me, have you?" He said teasingly.

I blushed. I didn't mean for him to realise that. "Well... Uhmm...." The smile on his lips grew wider, but I didn't want to grant him the satisfaction. "Yasmine mentioned that I was friends with you, so my mother asked. I think she's heard of you before, and she doesn't like you."

"But I've never met your mum before." His eyebrows furrowed closer together, and his eyes clouded with confusion.

"I know, that's what I was thinking. She wouldn't tell me why, but was adamant I shouldn't talk to you today."

"Oh. Well... I suppose you might want to listen to your mother then?" Hurt spread over his face, but he was quick to cover it.

"No, no!" I quickly said. "I wasn't planning on listening to her – there's absolutely no reason why I should have to avoid you. I was just wondering if you might know why—?"

I heard a low sigh erupt from him, and it startled me. His perfect face scrunched into deep thought, then I saw something flicker in his eyes.

Then, his face relaxed, and he rearranged it into its perfect, emotionless composure. "No." His hard, low voice sounded certain, but I didn't miss the way he avoided my gaze and played with his hands.

"So, what did you and Yasmine do at the fair yesterday?" He changed the subject back, but not subtly.

I explained the basics, then in deeper detail when he asked for specifics.

The rest of the day went slowly, except for lunch with Jake, but I couldn't shake a feeling of uneasiness out of my chest. I knew Jake was hiding something, and he wasn't planning on telling me what it was. I considered talking to Yas about it, but I knew that a roumour might coincidentally start right after. Although I trusted Yas with my life, she is very loud and chatty, and would accidentally name drop.

When I got home, my mum was preoccupied with some work.

"Hello, Kay." She distracted, distracted. "Could you take your car to the gas station? The petrol is on sale, and the tank needs to be filled up."

"Yeah, sure."

I walked out to my car, and opened the worn-out door, hopping into the old leather seat. A cloud of dust puffed up, and I coughed and spluttered as it filled my lungs. I used my hand to fan away the dust as I turned on the engine and stepped on the pedal.