"You apologized for kissing me," I remind him as I tug at my straps. "That's different," he dismisses. "It was more for me than for you." "And this is why you can't have nice things," Abel mutters before nodding towards the door. He begins approaching the exit and I follow him, not bothering to spare another glance at Maddox, who's returned to texting on his phone. As we exit the house, I turn to Abel excitedly. "Did you get it?" I question in a slight whisper. He nods as he grabs the piece of paper from his pocket and hands it to me. It has the three different numbers on it, separated with dashes. 12-6-24. "Thanks, Abel," I announce and don't think twice about hugging him. He hugs me back and I awkwardly pull away and fix my shirt. "So what are you planning?" he asks as I tuck the numbers into my pocket. I smile at him as he opens the passenger side door for me. "I guess we'll see, won't we?" I tease with a grin. + + + It's during the walk to the cafeteria that I ask the question that has been on my mind. "So are Raven and Maddox a thing?" I wonder aloud. Cassidy and Winona look at each other with large grins. "Why does it matter?" they ask together. I stare at them. It'd be less creepy if they were twins and did things in unison. Then I could blame it on twin telepathy. "It doesn't. I'm just asking," I shrug them off. "Well, they used to date last year. But Raven moved halfway through the year. She came back for college but Maddox didn't want to be tied down so he rejected her. It's weird though because they still kiss and stuff, but as far as I know, they're not serious," Winona explains. "Raven really likes him, though," Cassidy adds as an afterthought. "I can't tell if Maddox still has feelings for her." "I figured as much," I mutter. "But is it legal?" "Yeah, I mean, she's eighteen. He's seventeen," she shrugs. "What about his brother? Abel?" I ask this one a bit quieter. Both of the girls look towards me and raise their eyebrows. "Why?" they both ask again. Shrugging off the creepiness, I fumble with the edge of my shirt. "I don't know, he seems cool," I respond as I grab a lunch tray. We get our food and approach the table. I only have a few minutes to eat before I have to plant the stuff in Maddox's locker. "Do you like him?" Cassidy asks me curiously. I shake my head but a blush makes its way to my face. "He's just nice. It's refreshing," I attempt to dispel their thoughts. Winona laughs loudly. "Oh my god, you like him!" she coos. I immediately begin shaking my head but it's too late. The words "Abel-lover" are probably carved into my forehead in the two girls minds. We reach the table and I glare at them but they don't quiet down. I should've learned this by now but there aren't many secrets among this group of friends. It's the complete opposite with Tracy, Chelsea and Vivica. "What's so funny?" Jackson asks as he takes a monstrous bite of his burger. I glare at the girls as they attempt to speak, only to be cut off by their own fits of laughter. I sit there with my eyes staring down at the food on my plate. Everyone at the table, including Maddox, is staring at the two girls, anticipating the words that are going to flow from their mouths. I wouldn't mind everyone else knowing the lie if Maddox wasn't here. It makes things ten times worse because his brothers is my 'crush.' "She likes—," Winona tries but cant finish her sentence, so Cassidy finishes it for her. "Abel," the redhead manages to choke out as I sat there with a face to match her hair color. "Abel?" Maddox coughs. "As in my brother?" "Yes," Cassidy manages to choke out and I shake my head. "I don't like him," I dismiss their accusations weakly. I hear a scoff and I can tell that it's from Maddox. Well, it's obvious that he doesn't believe me. "That's gross," he announces. "I don't like him. But so what if I did? He's nice. He's funny," I shrug, definitely not helping my cause. "He's nineteen," Maddox informs me. "He's two years older than you." "Three," I mutter in correction. Again, not helping, Liv. Jackson seems to choke on his milk. "You're 16?" "Almost 17," I inform him.