remember when I knew

JAI PRICE

AZALEA had been acting strange. For the last few days, she didn't speak to Jai Price at all. Didn't text him. Didn't call him. She just left him there, wondering and worrying.

"And we had to do exercise number 86 in maths. I did a, b and then c. But then, for some reason, I continued with the d, e and f of the number 87. Of course, I tried doing the d, e and f 86 again but I somehow ended up doing the d, e and f of the number 85. And then-"

"Lucas," Jai interrupted him. He knew this story could go on for years if he didn't. "Have you seen Azalea lately?"

"That's right!" John exclaimed. "I've also been wondering. She totally disappeared."

"Well, I haven't," Aiden commented. "Not even in class."

"She's been ditching all the classes we have together," Lucas agreed. "Why?"

Jai shrugged. "I was just wondering." He then turned to face Reece and Chloe. Well, mostly Chloe. "You don't happen to know what it's all about, do you?" He asked her.

Chloe looked uncomfortable as she shook her head. She bit her lip and groaned. "I hate lying," she muttered.  Then, she turned to look at him in the eyes and smiled softly. "I'm sorry. I can't tell you."

"Why?" Reece asked her, frowning.

She glanced at him quickly and turned her attention back on me again. "I swore I wouldn't. I can' break the bff pact."

"Bff pact?" Reece repeated, raising his eyebrows just a tiny bit.

Chloe nodded with energy. "That was my idea! I thought that as best friends, we should make our pact. Like the bro code!"

"Bro code?" Reece looked even more confused. It made Chloe gasp and she elbowed him.

"Bro code!" She eagerly said. "You know, you and Aiden are bros and you have a code of things you have to do, or can't do, in pure solidarity for one another. Bro code." He blinked and she sighed. "I'll explain to you later."

Jai barely listened as they kept talking. Were Chloe and Azalea best friends now? What did that leave him? Aiden and Reece were inseparable, Lucas and John were twins. He was always the one on the side. When Azalea came along, he'd thought that maybe she'd be his other half. Turns out she was Chloe's. And now, he was the loner of the band again. He always had been. They were probably only friends with him because they pitied him.

"Are you alright?" John asked him, making him jump slightly.

"Yeah." Never. Except maybe with Azalea.

John didn't look like he believed him, so Jai smiled at him. "It's nothing, really. Just worrying about Azalea."

"Well, if Chloe says she's fine, she probably is," John assured. "She'd tell us if it was really important."

Jai was sure she would. But he didn't need her to come to him when something was important, he needed her to come to him whenever she wanted. Whenever she felt like it. All the time actually.

"Don't look that serious!" John laughed. "If you really want to see her that badly, you can always use Sasha as an excuse."

"Sasha?"

John rolled his eyes. "Doesn't Azalea work at her school?"

Jai smiled as he slowly understood what John was trying to say. "You're a genius, man."

"I know. That's what I've been trying to tell you guys for years."

***

"Hi! Jai! I didn't know you picked up Sasha today." Amy smiled at him. She frowned at him when he just stood there. "Don't you already know where she is?"

Jai laughed nervously. "Yeah. I was just wondering... Uh..." How in the world was he supposed to say it?

Amy smirked as she looked at him with amused eyes. "Azalea's here today, yes."

Jai felt himself blush and he looked down a few seconds. "Thanks."

"No problemo!"

Amy didn't lie. Azalea was there, playing UNO with Andy and Erik. Her black hair was tied in a pony tail, the silver strands shining under the light and she was smiling wildly as they all laughed. It looked like Erik told her something, and she turned to face him.

"Jai?" She let out, obviously surprised. "Right. I'll go get Sasha. She's outside with Heather."

She quickly left and Jai sat down next to the boys. "I can play for her if you want," he proposed.

Andy shook his head. "You can't! Azalea's the best at UNO and you suck at it. She'll lose if you play for her."

Jai pretended to look offended. "I'll let you know that I'm really good at UNO, thank you very much."

Erik shook his head. "Yeah, but Azalea's the best at it. She's better than you in everything."

Jai smiled, shrugging. "I give you that. She's amazing."

Someone cleared their throat and he turned around to face his sister, Heather and Azalea. "What are you doing here?" Sasha asked him, frowning.

"Picking you up?"

"No you are not," she countered.

"I am?"

Sasha sighed as she looked at Azalea with a very annoyed look plastered on her face. "He is so dumb he even forgot that he does not pick me up today," she told her.

"Boys are like that," Azalea commented wisely.

Jai glared at her. "They aren't! I just thought I'd be a good brother and get you an ice cream."

Sasha squinted her eyes. "I only eat ice cream when the weather is warm, but cold enough to keep it from melting."

"I guess I forgot?"

Sasha looked at Heather, and dragged her away. "Come. He just needs to sort his stuff out and go."

Come baaaaaack... She's gone.

"What are you actually doing here?" Azalea inquired.

"I told you, I wanted to see Sasha."

Azalea rolled her eyes. "I'm not stupid. You care a lot about Sasha and you'd never forget she usually goes to Heather's on Wednesdays."

Jai grinned the best he could. "Yeah. I guess you're not." He looked at her and his eyes softened. "I just wanted to see you."

She frowned. "Did you have another attack? Or is it..." She trailed off, looking at his arm.

He shook his head. "No, no it's not. I guess... I guess I'll just leave."

He'd thought that she was his friend but now, he realised. Maybe she was only with him because she pitied him. He was just the anxiety boy she took care of because she was nice. He didn't mean anything to her.

What he thought they shared was just a dream.

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