𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐑𝐔𝐋𝐄𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐃𝐈𝐀𝐍𝐀

twenty - he wanted to show her off to the world

a few days had gone by, reid was still in the hospital. but jasmine would always come back after school with chinese food before heading home for the night. the maxwell hadn't gone to the academy ever since his grandfather was admitted into the hospital, he had too much on his mind and he couldn't focus.

he had his hand wrapped around a cardboard coffee cup and even though it was late, it didn't stop him. he needed to stay awake, for the sake of his grandfather. "listen, kid, you've been here for days, don't you have school?" he looked up only to see the doctor was standing in front of him.

"school isn't really important right now,"

"if i had that attitude, i wouldn't be a doctor right now," he chuckled, sitting down next to the tired teenage boy. "it's around 10. you should go home, get some rest,"

"how can i sleep when i fucked up everything? i chose not to speak to my pops for months, i just cheated on my girlfriend-,"

"that girl, the one that ran off crying. she was your girlfriend?" reid looked at the ground, avoiding all eye contact with the doctor. "i really broke her heart,"

"we all make mistakes, you shouldn't be so hard on yourself,"

"it wasn't a mistake, doc. i keep trying to tell myself i regret but i don't," reid pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. "then you never really liked her. this girl- the one you cheated on her with, did you like her?"

it was a long time before the doctor received an answer from the boy. he furrowed his eyebrows looking down at his hands, it was clear he was conflicted. "you know what? it seems to me you like this girl way more than you like your girlfriend,"

"fuck no, she's a pain in the ass, she doesn't shut the fuck up and she only cares about herself," he finally responded but he couldn't stop thinking about diana and how she much fucking affected him. "but you still like her. it's obvious, kid,"

maybe it was true, maybe he did like her. he tried to hide the fact that he wanted more from her than sex, he wanted to wake up in the morning to her voice and her green eyes. she was always on his mind, even when he was with kimberly. it was like she put a spell on him, he was completely whipped. he wanted to show her off to the world, and he was tired of denying how he felt about her.

"you talked about your feelings. hopefully, now you can get some rest," and with that, the doctor stood up and began heading towards the hallway. "what was your name again, sir?" reid asked, and the man smiled at him.

"dr. kingsley,"

"are you still looking at that guy's facebook?" diana looked up from her laptop, pulling her reading glasses on top of her head. annabel walked into her daughter's room, and sat on the bed, earning an eye roll from the younger blond.

"i was doing no such thing, mother," she said, but annabel just grabbed the laptop and opened it, despite her daughter's pleads. "elvis maxwell- wait a damn minute, i know him. he came to one of my parties with his grandson, reid. he was handsome and a charmer, just like elvis,"

the mother noticed the way diana grabbed a fluffy pillow and pulled it close to her body, placing her chin on it. "you know i used to be a teenager just like you," she looked all around diana's room. "i didn't have all of this but i had honesty. when i liked someone, i accepted it,"

"mother-,"

"darling, have you ever wondered why you're stalking his grandfather's page?" diana softly shook her head, butterflies entering her stomach. "it's because you like him,"

of course, it all makes sense now, the facebook stalking, the random sceneries she would make up in her head, the jealousy she would have when she saw him with other girls, the dreams he would meet her in. it all made sense. her frown grew deeper, as she stood up from the bed and paced around.

"i can't afford to like him," she croaked out, crossing her arms. "he's not an elite, it would ruin the hierarchy at the academy,"

"oh my gosh, diana. are you still caught up about the ranking system you created years ago? don't you see the problem? you let it control you so much that you're ashamed of liking someone who isn't an elite?" the teenager shrugged and pouted, millions of emotions flooding her mind.

"i worked so hard into enforcing organization into that school-,"

"it's not your job, honey. look, when i met your father, he was in medical school, learning how to become a doctor. he was handsome and his family was rich, i thought he was the one for me," the mother's eyes began to grow blurry. "but he wasn't,"

diana sniffed, feeling her heart sink as she looked at annabel. "when i met ken, he was sharing a one-bedroom apartment with three other people. as nasty as you may think that is, i still fell head over heels for him,"

"mother, where is this going?"

she pulled diana onto the bed, grabbing her two hands. "you have to be less hard on yourself. if you really like reid, let yourself be happy. who knows, you might fall head over heels for him,"

diana looked down at her fingers, and her mother frowned in confusion. she began to sob softly and annabel pulled her into a hug. "i think i already have," the queen croaked, sobbing into her mother's shoulder.

"then what's wrong, sweetheart?" she looked into her daughter's green eyes, the ones she passed down to her. "the last time we spoke i said things i shouldn't have said. he probably doesn't want anything to do with me. i can be a real bitch sometimes and i think i might have scared him away,"

"no, you're scared to admit your feelings. this is the first time you've had to be vulnerable, and i know that's causing you to be terrified. even with that bastard hayes who i've never really liked, you were pressured into being his girlfriend because he was the only elite that was basically single,"

diana shrugged, and pulled her feet to her chest. "it's too late,"

"then i guess you're right. he might even be kissing another girl while you're here," annabel sighed but diana leaped up from the bed and headed to the closet. for the first time, she had grabbed sneakers. she hadn't left the house in sneakers in years.

"like hell he will," she walked out of her room and down the foyer steps. meanwhile, reid paced in front of diana's mansion. he had parked his car down the street and climbed over her gate. "i don't want this to just be sex," he rehearsed before shaking his head.

"i want us to be more than this, diana- shit. that's not good enough," he ran his hands through his hair before the evening rain began. "you've got to be kidding me," his eyes landed on his car, as droplets rolled down his body. drenched from the rain, he soon realized he was wasting his time. diana only cared about herself. she never took reid seriously and she would never pursue anything with him. what he wanted from her, she couldn't give him.

"what the fuck am i doing?" he whispered. "she'll never like me back," and just when he was about to run to his car, the front doors opened.

"reid?"