Jacob probably thinks there's something going on between me and Dylan. Why he feels threatened by Dylan is ridiculous. As long as we're broken up, he needs to keep his nose out of my business. "Sorry, but I don't have control over what he does." "I'm just telling you right now, if he's going to start shit he's going to get socked," he says matter-of-factly. "I don't even know why he's trying to insert himself back into my life. He cheated on me, so that means he shouldn't care about me anymore, right? He obviously didn't when he slept with—" I'm speaking my thoughts out loud and I sigh instead of finishing my rant. I want to know why he did it, but that means talking to him and that's something I can't do. "Sorry, I don't know why I'm letting this all out right now." "Maybe it needs to come out." As sweet as that sounds, I shake my head. "I don't want to scare you off with my crazy rants about my ex." I've ranted to Casey about Jacob countless times and it makese me feel better about the whole situation. The idea of ranting to Dylan is intriguing, but I don't know how much I want him to know or if he'll even listen to me. I don't even know if we're friends. He smirks. "So, you do want to keep me around?" I throw my hands up, defeated and laugh. "Honestly, I don't know what's going on here." "I think we're friends. I mean, you did fall in my pool..." He just has to bring it up. "We never speak of that again, Parker." I expect him to keep talking about it, but instead he says, "Deal." Then he gets serious. "Sorry the party didn't end well for you." It isn't his fault, but my heart warms at the fact that he was the one apologizing. "That's just been my luck lately." "Shitty luck," he gives me a half smile. "Tell me about it." His eyes stay fixed on me and I instantly feel self-conscious. Do I have ice cream on my face? "What?" I ask finally, wiping my mouth with a napkin just in case there is ice cream on me. "Nothing," he says, smiling. "Are you still coming with me on Wednesday?" The thought of me and Dylan hanging out more makes me feel giddy. It's a bad feeling and I want to slap myself for feeling that way. I don't want to feel anything towards anyone, but Dylan is making it hard. "As long as you don't plan to kill me." Dylan's charm and extreme attractiveness are not a good mix for me right now. I can't catch feelings so quickly after what Jacob did. And falling for Dylan, of all people, would only end badly for me. I know his reputation. He's a major flirt who doesn't seem like he wants to settle down any time soon. "Not yet," he winks. "We should get going." The ride back to school isn't as scary. Dylan doesn't weave through cars like he did on the way to the ice cream shop. When he parks on campus, he looks back at me and grins. "Better driving?" I nod as I take my helmet off. "A lot better." When I hand the helmet to Dylan, I spot Jacob in the distance with his friends. If he sees me with Dylan, I'll really never hear the end of it. "Let's get to class," I say to Dylan. We're about to start walking, but in the corner of my eye I see Jacob approaching us. I try to ignore him by walking faster, but he taps on my shoulder. "Hey, Lacey." "Hey," I say, hoping he'll get the hint that I don't want to talk to him. Dylan is watching us and I want both of them to go away. Jacob presses on though. "I have a question about that program we're using in class." "And I'll gladly answer it. In class." He walks ahead of me and makes me come to a stop. "I actually need to talk to you about something else." Dylan stops also and watches him like he's waiting to attack. Jacob won't get off my back if I don't talk to him, so I look at Dylan. "I'll meet you in class." He doesn't do anything at first, but he then strides off only taking his eyes off Jacob when he enters the building. "What do you want, Jacob?" I know he only wants to talk to me because I was walking with Dylan. Whatever he has against him needs to stop now. "He your body guard now, or what?" he asks, referring to Dylan. I only put my hands on my his instead of answering and he takes a deep breath. "My parents are separating." Separating? The last I saw of them, they seemed happy together. Other than my parents, they are the couple who gives me faith in soulmates. As much as I hate to think it, it has to be hard for Jacob. "I'm sorry." Separating parents isn't nearly have as bad as losing them in an accident, but I give him somewhat a benefit of the doubt. "Not your fault. They just decided they need some space. They haven't said anything about divorce, but they haven't shot the idea down." He runs a hand through his hair, which I know he does a lot when he's really stressed. "I just feel like I had to tell you." "Well, I did know them for almost three years." I sneak a look at the time on my phone and realize we'll be late if we don't get a move on. "Can we walk and talk?" Jacob sighs as we walk in the hall. "Listen, I know you've made it very clear that you don't want to get back together, but would you reconsider being friends?" "Friends?" "I just," he stops and lets out a frustrated sigh. "I can't talk to the guys about shit like this. And if I can't talk to them, then I have no one else." I want to ask about Lauren, but I decide against it. Jacob ruined our relationship, but I guess I can talk to him without bringing up more drama. I need to put all of it behind me. We're coming up to my class, and he comes to a stop. "If you hate me that much, then tell me to fuck off and deal with it on my own. You were there for me for everything else and not having you now sucks. I just want your friendship." The look in his eyes tells me he's sincere. The feeling I used to get while looking in his eyes is returning and I hate it. I need to learn to control my emotions more. I should tell him to forget about it and leave me alone, but that doesn't feel right. Becoming friends with Jacob might not be the smart thing to do, but it will feel better than leaving him by himself to deal with it. Maybe I need to be the bigger person. "Okay," I say hesitantly. "But there has to be boundaries." "Is a hug within those boundaries?" "Yes," I say before I could stop myself. He engulfs me in his arms and somehow everything is okay and not okay at the same time. The bell rings and he lets go of me. "I'll see you later," he says, smiling. I rush into class and I quickly sit down. I can feel Dylan's eyes burning into the back of my head. Mrs. Beattie has us doing individual work, so Dylan and I don't talk the whole class period. When class ends, I glance over at Dylan. "Thanks for the ice cream again."