Aria's POV

Of all places. Why is this happening now and here? Why didn't it happen at home, in my bathroom, where I could easily fix it in like a second?

I slowly pull my hand back in front of me. I can feel the burn in my face, climbing from my neck to the tips of my ears.

Aiden gives a low whistle and turns away like he's trying to give me space, which... I guess, thanks?

Jason doesn't even utter a word. But I know he is watching me intently.

For one, I'm glad he doesn't make a comment or act like anything has happened.

"You can use my bathroom," He says.

I bit my lip, nod quickly and bolt toward the door he tilted his head toward.

If it were any other day, I might've gawked at how luxurious the bathroom looked. Black marble countertops, warm golden lights, a huge walk-in shower. But I could care less right now.

My periods have never snuck up on me. I know the exact date down to the damn hour and I don't even need to check my Flo app to be sure.

But here I am, in a stranger's house, bleeding through my jeans.

I probably look like a clueless middle schooler who got her period for the first time.

I stare at myself in the mirror, sweaty despite the snow outside. My bangs stick to my forehead and my eyes are glassy.

Let's face this. I have no pads or tissues with me. I bit into my fingernail, a habit I haven't kicked since forever.

Ten minutes later, I'm still standing in the same spot, trying not to cry when I hear a knock behind me.

"Aria?" It's Jason's voice.

What does he want? I don't answer fast enough before he asks again. "You okay in there?"

Like he cares. Why wait until it's past ten minutes before coming to check up on me? Anyway, it's not like he's obligated to help me anyway.

Time to bury my shame and just ask for some help. "I could use some help." I squeak.

There's a pause and I'm starting to regret asking. Then I hear him laugh. "There's a bag outside the door... if you need it."

A bag? I wait until I hear his footsteps retreat before I open the door and snatch the bag. Inside is Pads, a fresh pack of panties and a huge jersey with 'JASON #17' on the back.

Oh. My. God. I don't want to think about how or why he has these things.

I just change, wash my jeans in the sink and hang them over the rail.

After wiping myself down and putting on the shirt, it falls to my knees like a dress.

"Aria Bennett," I whisper to my reflection. "You can survive this." With a deep breath, I walk out. Aiden is gone, thank God.

But Jason sits on the edge of a couch in front of a desk, his elbows on his knees. His eyes lift and land on me. Then slowly drops, taking in the jersey and my legs and my exposed knees. I tug at the hem, suddenly wishing the shirt went to my ankles.

Jason stands. Why does he have to stand? "I... are you..." He scratches the back of his neck. "Okay?"

"Yeah," I say in a small voice. "I'm fine."

I think about asking him about the bag, pads and panties. But I decide against it. It's a good thing he isn't bringing it up, I don't have to just remind him.

So, I just let it down quietly, pretending I didn't just live through the most humiliating fifteen minutes of my life.

"So, did you do the tests?" I say, looking everywhere but at Jason. It doesn't help that he's staring at me and even though he isn't laughing or smirking, I can feel the amusement behind his stare.

I feel mocked.

"Your period usually decides to embarrass you every time, sunshine?" I hear him ask.

What?

I thought we'd gone past the period saga?

"Can we focus on this..." I point at the book on the desk. "Instead of my period?"

Jason raises a brow. "But I want to talk about your period?"

I fight the urge to glare at him.

"Do you get heavy flows? Or light ones. I once read somewhere that know-it-all girls get heavy flows as punishment for the damn stick in their ass."

I'm trying not to run mad at this point. I squint my eyes at Jason, unsure of a reply befitting his research.

Why is he so rude? No... Why is he one person this second and an utterly different person the next second?

The guy who helped me out minutes ago couldn't be this... annoying freak, could he?

I look inside my bag and bring out my watch and I set the time for three hours.

Yeah. That's how much time I'll spend with him. If he decides to waste the time by stalling me and trying to work me up, it's his own damn problem.

"So, how about the tests? Did you... finish them?"

"I tried." He says lazily before dumping the file on the desk.

Good thing he tried. At least today will be half productive. I'll get to know how bad he is at his school work and then I'll...

You've got to be kidding me.

The first page is blank. I flip through the next page, and the next, and the next and a permanent scowl creeps up to my cheeks. I look up at Jason.

"You... you tried?" The words leave my mouth, making it bitter.

Jason's shrug only infuriates me more. I slam the tests on the desk. "You didn't even try. Everything's empty..." I wave the papers in front of his face. "What is wrong with you?"

Jesus Christ, help me with this. Who is this boy? The one his mum claimed was reserved and didn't eat or talk. Could've fooled me.

"Look, I'm gonna get paid to do this." I start, " And if I can't fix you then..."

"You can't fix me. I am not a malfunctioned robot."

I lift my chin upwards, matching his glare. "I'm not doing this with you," I say, and I take my bag and start packing my things. To my surprise, Jason doesn't stop me. He just folds his arms and watches.

"See? Being the principal's daughter doesn't make you special after all."

I raise my brow. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that... you are just like the others. The other girls who want me but can never have a piece. And you're intolerant, impatient and..."

That's it. I am so done with him. I slung my bag over my shoulder and walk to the door. By the time I'm down the stairs, and halfway out the door, I stop.

Crap.

My jeans.

I stand and stare down at Jason's jersey swaying down my knees, and silently curse myself. I can't walk out like this. Not in the freezing snow. Not through this town. Not back to my home where my mom will 100% ask too many questions.

I have to go and get my jeans.

I groan and spin on my heel. I'll just go back, head straight for the bathroom and not even look at him.

"Forgot something?" He asks when he sees me enter.

"Just my jeans," I reply.

"Oh right. The bloody jeans." He smirks.

I stop walking. "Jason..." I warn even though my voice is shaky.

He tilts his head. "Relax, sunshine. It's just... You looked so cute running off in my jersey. You know... You were totally killing the walk of shame vibe, although without the fun part of it."

I exhale. "Haha, very funny," I say dryly.

"And could you please come with your bad influence next time? The girl with the pink hair? She's a whole lot more fun than you could ever try to be." He grins.

It shouldn't hurt. Because I've heard that comment every fifteen years that Lily and I have been best friends. Hell, I don't expect the tightness in my chest that comes with Jason's stupid remark. But it's there. As I grab my damp jeans, I picture it.

I picture Lily in my situation. She'd have it under control. And here I am, acting like a coward. A damn coward. Tears prick my eyes as I bolt out of Jason's room.

And his stupid perfect house.

Aria's POV

If humiliation is an actual object, I'd be it right now.

Jason didn't mention that his teammates were coming over. So I can imagine how confused I look once I push open the door and standing in front are his hockey teammates.

The jocks. The popular guys from our school. The ones who sometimes called me a nerd for being the principal's daughter.

And they are all staring at me. Please, earth... open up and swallow me, I pray.

I recognise some of them. Like Jason's friend from the party and Aiden. They give me polite little nods as they step past me into the house without a word. I could kiss them for being nice and respectful. Love that for me. But for the others?

Of course not.

"Wait, wait, wait." One of them grins so wide it hurts to look at him. "Is that... the principal's daughter? In Jason's house? Bro."

I'm still trying to recover from the rude remark when another one whistles lowly. "Jason, my man. Bagged yourself a whole principal's daughter, huh?"

He didn't bag anything, I want to scream.

But the hollers and the laughter from the other guys make me shut my mouth. They are all trooping in one after the other and each one of them has something to say. It's either them hailing their stupid captain or laughing.

The last person is someone I know. Nate. I've tutored him once before when he was failing algebra and the least I expect from him is to be nice. Like Aiden and the other guy.

"Yo, is this the walk of shame?" He says. "Looks like it to me. She's running out with her face red as hell. Hold up, hold up," He continues and the laughter dies down. "Jason has never... I repeat, never... given any girl his jersey."

"I... just..." I stutter, then shut my mouth because what am I even supposed to say? Hi, yes, it's totally not what it looks like? Yeah, sure. Like that will fix the rotten brains of these guys.

So I do the only thing I'm good at. I hold back my tears and run out the open door, making straight for my car.

I yank the car door open and the second I slam the door shut, I can't hold back the tears any longer. I zoom off, barely seeing the road through the blur in my vision.

The sob that breaks out of me is so ugly, I have to press a hand over my mouth so no one can see me if they pass me by.

Screw Jason.

Screw his stupid, idiot friends.

And screw my father for being a principal and for even signing me up for this. I am never going back to Jason's home again. His parents can find someone else to tutor their son.

I'm already halfway down the street when my phone buzzes. I wipe my face with the back of my hand and check who it is.

Lily.

I sigh and answer. "Hey."

"Well?" She asks immediately, no hello, no nothing. "How was your first tutoring session with Hockey Boy?"

I roll my eyes even though she can't see me. "Don't even start."

"Oh my God." Her voice perks up. "You sound weird. Did something happen? Please tell me you at least got a..."

I stay quiet as Lily trails off.

"Aria..." she drags out my name suspiciously. "What did he do? Whose ass am I kicking? Because you know I will."

I let out a weak laugh. "Nobody's. He was just being a jerk. That's all."

There's a pause on her end. "Ugh, I knew it. My poor baby. You sound miserable."

"I'm fine," I mutter, even though I don't sound like it.

"No, you're not," she says gently. "But that's okay, because I know exactly what'll cheer you up. I'm coming over. Five minutes. Just get ready."

"Lily, you don't have to..."

"Too late. I want to, and you need me. End of story." I can hear her moving around, probably already grabbing her coat.

I smile a little despite my moody self. "You're ridiculous."

"Yeah, but you love me that way. Don't you?"

"...Yeah."

"Good. Now stop sulking till I get there. I'll bring snacks. We'll talk. You can rant as much as you want, okay?"

I exhale, feeling a little lighter already. "Okay."

"See you in five."

The line goes off and I pull up in front of my home.

The first thing I do when I enter my room is take off Jason's jersey and hurl it across the room. I also take off the panties and the soaked-up pad.

Everything that Jason gave me burns my skin. I can't even look at the stupid number 17 jersey without recalling all of the insults hurled against me by the hockey team.

And it's his fault. It's his stupid fault.

I'm curled up on my bed, when I hear the knock at the front door. Seconds later, Lily barges straight into my room.

She drops a plastic bag of snacks on my desk and raises a brow at me. "Wow. You look... great."

"That bad huh?" I mutter.

She plops down next to me, nudging me with her shoulder. "Alright, talk to me. How bad was it?"

I shake my head. "I don't even want to talk about it."

"Figures." She rolls her eyes. "So, solution time. We're going to the diner."

"What? No." I sit up a little straighter. "Absolutely not."

"Yes."

"No, Lily."

"Aria Bennett, don't test me. You're coming. You can't sit here sulking in your room all night. The longer you stay in bed, the more you're gonna replay everything in your head. And then you'll call me at two a.m. crying about it. So let's just skip to the part where I drag you out and you thank me later."

"Lily, I look like crap, I feel like crap, and I don't want to be seen in public right now."

Her eyes narrow. "Okay, first of all? You never look like crap. Second of all, you need fries... and milkshakes... and me."

Typical Lily. But I am still not going. I shake my head stubbornly. "Nope. Not happening. End of discussion."

Lily leans back, crossing her arms. "Alright. So you can say no... but remember that time I didn't want to go to your cousin's baby shower because it was literally a two-hour drive, and who still went with you? Me.

I'm speechless. "Lily, you know that's different."

"Different my butt. Or what about the time I covered for you when you skipped gym and hid in the library?"

Aria's POV

"That was freshman year."

"Still counts." She jabs a finger at me. "And don't forget the sleepover incident. One of those moments of you begging me to stay and watch that horror movie with you, even though I told you I'd pee myself. And guess who screamed so loud your brother came to check? Me. Again."

I stare at Lily, fighting the urge to laugh. "You didn't pee yourself."

"Not the point. The point is... I do all these best friend things for you, and now it's your turn. So you're coming to the diner."

"Lily, you always do this. You wear me down until I say yes. But will saying yes shut you up?"

She grins. "Yes."

I cover my face with my hands. "Fine."

"Atta girl." She's already halfway to the door when she adds casually. "Oh, by the way, there's this guy you should meet."

I frown, wondering when I began meeting guys. But since it's my best friend talking, I say... "Uhm... Okay."

Maybe this is what I even need. Food. To forget everything about today.

The car ride to the diner starts with Lily blasting the radio so loud my ears buzz.

She's belting out some old pop song off-key, while smacking the steering wheel, forgetting it's not a drum.

Despite myself, I give in halfway and join her. Our voices together would make a sane, human deaf. They overlap, it's like we are squeaking and it's totally off the rhythm. But who cares?

"THIS! IS! MY! JAM!" Lily screams, dragging out the note.

I stop singing, clutching my stomach and laughing. Lily keeps tossing her hair and singing until I get distracted by the buzzing in my lap. I glance down.

Mom Monroe.

Dad Monroe.

Two missed calls. Three unread texts.

I turn the screen face down.

"Who's blowing you up?" Lily asks.

"Nobody," I say too quickly.

She looks at me. "That wasn't a nobody. That was a somebody."

I sigh. "It's his parents."

Jason's parents.

"What do they want from you?"

"Nobody cares. I can't with them right now." I shove the phone deeper into my pocket.

Lily studies me for a second, then nods. "Okay. No questions asked. You don't want to deal, we don't deal. Period."

I send her a grateful look. "Thanks, Lily."

"Anytime." She flicks her blinker and pulls into the parking lot. "Anyway, enough about them. We're here."

I look up at the neon lights of the diner that glows against the snow. It's a pretty sight. It's been a while since I came here, though.

I arch a brow. "Who's the guy?" I'm tempted to ask. Don't blame me for being extra inquisitive. I mean, I once dressed up to go on an actual date with a gay guy. What if this one was worse?

"Trust me, Aria. You'll like the guy."

"How do you even know him?"

"Hey," she points at me as she kills the engine.

"Have a little faith in me, Ria. When have I ever set you up with someone terrible?"

"Do you want me to list the names or alphabetise them?" I stare at her.

"Rude." She leans into the mirror, fluffing her very pink hair. "Okay, check yourself. Do I have lipstick on my teeth? I think I can feel..."

"Nope. All good."

I follow her out and she loops her arm through mine and tugs me toward the glowing diner doors. "Smile," she whispers as she pushes the door open.

The little bell above the door jingles as we enter. The place smells like fried foods and coffee... the exact kind of comfort place Lily would drag me to when I was in a mood.

Lily scans the room, her eyes landing on someone at a booth near the window. Her grin widens, and she grabs my hand. "There. That's him."

I squint, trying to keep up, and then all I do is stare when I see him. He looks about our age, maybe a little older, with messy brown hair and a goofy smile.

I think this is the time when girls my age tell their type in guys and try to see if the guy they have just met fits in. But me... I do not have a type. Since I've never dated anyone, I don't know what to look for.

But this guy... he looks nice. And I'm going for nice. Before I can object, Lily is tugging me forward. The guy stands up when we reach the booth, and the smile is still plastered on his face.

"Hey," Lily says, sliding into the booth. "This is my best friend, Aria. Aria, this is Matt. Matt, this is the genius I've been telling you about."

I blink, heat rising in my cheeks. "Genius?" I give her a look.

"Yes, genius. Don't argue." Lily waves me off and turns back to Matt. "She tutors literally everyone and still manages to be cute while doing it. She's the principal's daughter, and she..."

"Lily, stop." I pinch her. "Forget about the last part."

Matt laughs. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Aria." He extends his hand.

I shake it quickly, wishing I could melt into the diner floor. "Nice to meet you too."

"Okay, okay, small talk's cute and all," Lily interrupts as she grabs a menu. "But I already know what I'm getting, so Aria..." She leans in to whisper. "Why don't you, like, actually talk to him while I go grab some ketchup or something?"

My eyes widen. I am not ready for this. "Lily..."

But she's already sliding out of the booth. "Be nice," she winks. "I'll be right back." And just like that, I'm alone with Matt.

He gives me a small, amused smile. "Does she always do this?"

"All the time," I mutter, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. What now? "Uhm... how do you know Lily?" I ask.

"Next door neighbours." He says simply.

Right. He doesn't elaborate or anything. I get the memo dude. You're not up for more discussion. Well, this is some awkward shit. Where the hell is Lily? Does it usually take this long to get ketchup?

"Looking for Lily?" Matt asks me.

"Huh? Yes." I admit. She's kind of... relentless."

"I can tell," he chuckles. "But hey, I don't mind. Means I get to meet you."

Is that a pickup line? Because it's damn cheesy as hell. But it doesn't stop the blush that comes to my cheeks.