The next morning, Xavier's already gone by the time I wake up.
He said he had some meeting this morning so he'd be gone early and like he promised, his side of the bed is cold and already made like he was never there.
Grace, can we meet up this morning please? Need to talk.
I stare at the text from Mason, that's weird. Usually Mason's text are silly and anything but serious.
The cafe on the corner at 10?
He replies almost a second later.
Perfect.
I have a quick shower, pulling on shorts and a baggy jersey before making my way downstairs. I groan when I see Noah and Arnica in the middle of a heavy make out session.
"Can you please contain yourself for at least 10 minutes? Please?"
Noah smirks as I grab an apple from the bowl. "We don't all have to act like old married couples like you and Xavier G-dog."
"Don't call me G-dog" I send him a look, Arnica blushes beside him. "And I thought you went home last night?"
"Slight change of plans" She mumbles, blushing darker than before and I point a finger at Noah.
"If you hurt her, I'll kill you."
"Yes Ma'am"
"I'm going out to see Mason, tell Xavier I'll see him later."
They nod as I walk out the door and I spend the whole drive to cafe trying to get the picture of them kissing out of my head. I'm mentally scarred for life.
The cafe isn't very busy, it's small and hidden on the corner. Mason and I always use to come here after his football practice. Arnica was usually still at cheerleading so it was only me and him.
He's sitting down the back in our usual booth, two banana smoothies in front of him and I smile, our usual's.
"Hey" he looks up when he hears my voice and smiles slightly as I sit down across from him. "What's going on?"
"Are you happy Grace?"
"Everything's just been so crazy recently I guess" I answer, taken back by the unusual question.
"Are you happy though?"
"I guess so, I mean I have to be... it's just dealing with everything all at once is hard" I answer. "Why? What's wrong?"
"Grace... I think I'm in love with you."
I choke on my smoothie as I gawk at him, he has to be joking. He's my best friend, best friends don't love each other like that. "You what?"
"Grace I've been in love with you since I was 13, I've just never had the courage to tell you how I feel."
His hairs messy, he's run his fingers through it too many times and he bites his lip, waiting for my answer. Why me?
Mason's one of the most popular boys in our school, nearly every girl likes him and they're all much prettier than I am.
"Why didn't you tell me before Mason? Why now?"
"I was too scared" He swallows. "But seeing you with Xavier - it hurts and I couldn't keep it to myself anymore."
"Mason I love you and care about you, you know I do. But as a brother and best friend, I could never love you the way I love Xavier. I hope you can understand that."
"Why?" He looks like so many different emotions all at once. " I come from a good family, I'm going to college with you, we have the same hobbies, I have a future, we've known each other for years. Xavier's nothing but a dangerous boy who runs a gang. It won't end well for you Grace."
"Mason please don't make this harder than it has to be."
"Grace I could make you happy."
"Mason, you're an amazing person. Any girl at our school would love to be in my position right now. I know at least five girls off the top of my head who have a massive crush on you and they're all way cooler than I am."
"I don't want them" He whispers and I sigh, placing my head in my hands. Why does everything have to be so complicated?
"Please don't do this Mason, we're just about to go to college - they'll be tons of amazing girls there and we can stay best friends, but I don't want to be any more than that."
"Why?" He asks. "Why do you love him?"
"Mason..."
"Why?"
"Please Mason, don't make this harder than it has to be, I love you both but in different ways and I don't want to destroy our friendship."
He nods, blinking back tears and pushing his smoothie forward. "It's good to know where we stand."
"Mason I can't loose you as well as everything else that's going on, please try and understand"
"Grace, who sat with you everyday after school and helped you study for all of your finals and exams? Who helped you finish your homework and turned up at your doorstep in the middle of the night because you were upset? Who sat in the library with you until midnight and spent the entire summer with you camping? Whose been there for you since you can remember? Me Grace, not Xavier, not Arnica, me. Obviously that doesn't matter though right? As long as your happy and you have Xavier who you only just met and has nearly got you killed three times in the last six months. Don't worry about the one person that's had your back for nearly twelve years, as long as you have Xavier."
"Mason you cant just leave" I stand and try to follow him outside the cafe but he's already gone. A group of teenage girls no older than 15 all stare at me, gossiping amongst themselves as I walk straight out of the cafe and back to my car.
I can't believe that just happened.
I slam the door of my car shut and storm towards the house when I get. I wipe the tears from my eyes angrily and praying nobodies home.
Maybe it's my tiredness. Or, maybe it's just finding out about my family and everything about the family I thought I knew being a lie. Or, maybe it's because of Mason, maybe that's what's bringing me close to having a breakdown.
"G-Dog!" Noah grins when I walk through the door, his smile drops when I slam the door of the house.
"Don't call me that!" I raise my voice, before I realize what I've done. "Sorry - Im just tired." I try to apologize and pull my hair through my fingers, but my brains clouded with a mixture of emotions.
Arnica and Xavier are in the kitchen as well, all three of them look shocked. "I'm fine" I whisper, even though I know I'm still crying and I run upstairs, not wanting to face anyone right now.
I can hear footsteps behind me. I know it's Xavier. Before I can even make it to our bedroom his arms wrap around me and turn me around so my face is pressed into his freshly ironed shirt that smells like his cologne.
"What's happened?"
My reply is a sob instead of words even though I'm not really sure why I'm sobbing. It's a mixture of everything and the fact that I can't loose Mason as well as everything else that's happened.
"It's okay" He soothes, his arms tighten around me. "Talk to me, what's wrong?"
"Mason told me he loves me" I whisper. I'm hard to understand through all of my tears. Xavier hears though, he tenses noticeably and his arms become a steal grip around me.
"Did he do something to you?" Xavier's voice is so deadly calm and threatening, it makes me nervous. "I swear if he's done something to you I'll -"
"No" I sniff, cutting him off before he can finish and get angry. "He told me he loved me and then we had a fight, now he hates me. I'm a horrible person, I keep mucking everything up and I can't loose Mason Xavier. I know he doesn't like you and I haven't seen him as often lately but he's still my best friend."
"You're not a horrible person Grace, he's an asshole for putting you in that situation." Xavier whispers, I barely noticed he'd walked us back into our room. "You have no idea how much that kid pisses me off, he's lucky I wasn't there. Once he calms down he'll come back and apologize, everything will be fine, just give him some time to figure himself out."
"Why does everything have to be so complicated?" Xavier sits me down on the edge of the bed and crouches in front of me. "I didn't even realize he liked me."
"Because life's shit sometimes" his hand cups my cheek. "And it doesn't always go the way we want it to and Mason needs to realize that."
"It's so hard" I whisper and he nods.
"I know baby."
His shirts stained wet with my tears and I swallow heavily, I'm such a wreck.
"You look like a panda" He cracks a smile and his fingers rub the mascara that's smudged around my eyes.
"Ghee, thanks" I grumble.
"A beautiful panda" He adds and I roll my eyes, too late Xavier. He tilts my chin with his fingers and his lips touch mine softly, one of his hands resting under the sweatshirt I'd pulled on.
"Don't you have gang things to do or something?" I whisper.
"You're much more important right now" he answers with a soft smile.