She stays silent and I wonder what's going on in her head. She's a heavy thinker, someone who gets wrapped up in their thoughts too many times. There's a certain face she makes when the gears in her head are hard at work. That's the face she has when it comes to Jacob. "I have to talk to you about something else too," she says. It has me a little worried, but I shake my head. "Don't think about anything else. I have a feeling we need to talk about the same things, so just let them happen." She nods and noticeably chews on her lip. I want to take her in my arms and say everything right then and there, but I have a plan. Sticking to it will probably have better results. I can't talk about her going off to college, or me leaving, or whatever else that could bring us down. When I park in front of my house, I get out quickly and jog to Lacey's side of the car, but she's already opened the door before I can do it for her. The rental car my mom is using is in the driveway, so I brace myself. I have tell my mom what my plan is in brief, so she'll be in for a surprise too. I open the front door and wait for Ethan to bolt to me like a dog. His footsteps carry through the house and instead of running to me, he runs into Lacey's arms while screaming her name. "I thought you'd never come back!" he says, holding her tightly. He's getting too close, so I nudge him. "Okay, okay. Back off." "I'm so glad you're back," he tells her. "Dylan has been moping around the house without you." I'm going to kill him. "Oh, has he now?" Lacey asks as she gives me a look. "Ethan is exaggerating." I can't tell her I was moping. My mom appears at the end of the hallway and she makes her way towards us. "I was wondering what all the commotion was in here," she says, glancing over Lacey then looking at me for an explanation. Before I can say anything, Ethan says, "Mom, this is Lacey." She has realization all over her face and she smiles at Lacey. "So you're the famous Lacey I keep hearing about. It's so nice to meet you." She takes Lacey in her arms and hugs her while Lacey hugs back. "Good things, I hope," Lacey says, sounding a little concerned. "Of course," my mom says. "What brings you kids here?" The question is directed at me. I can't have her ruin the surprise, so I have to subtly let her know I haven't gone through with the plan yet. "Um, Lacey and I have a lot to talk about, so we're going to be in my room," I say, moving Lacey slowly towards my bedroom door. My mom seems to get the hint, so she nods. "Can I hang out with you guys?" Ethan asks, giving Lacey puppy dog eyes. Before she can say anything, my mom grabs his shoulders. "Actually, honey, you can help me decide what we're having for dinner." I pull Lacey into my room before anything else can be said. I'll have to thank my mom for getting Ethan out of my hair. My room isn't ready for people to be over. I have clothes and homework on the floor, my bed isn't made, and the little box with the necklace is in plain sight. I turn Lacey around so she's facing the stairs instead of my room and I pray she didn't see the box. "Can you face this way for a second while I clean my room?" She smirks. "I've seen a dirty room before, Dylan. It's nothing new." "Just please don't turn around," I practically beg her. She's going to ruin even more of my plan, and it would be my luck to have everything not fall in place like I want it to. "Okay, okay," she laughs. I rush to shove my clothes in my hamper in the corner, and throw my covers over the bed so they are somewhat presentable. I take the box and shove it in a small gift bag I bought. Once I'm finished, I say, "Okay, you can turn around." The bag is in my hands behind my back, so when she turned around, her attention went to me immediately. "What are you hiding?" A laugh escapes my mouth before I take a deep breath. "You're making this seriously impossible." She raises a brow and steps towards me. "What are you talking about?" My heart pounds in my chest again and I calm myself. I have to be cool about it. "I was going to go to your apartment later today, but you kind of showed up, so now I'm improvising."