the price of being ace

Chapter 21

We keep throwing the ball around for a while before I have to go back inside to have dinner and surprisingly my mom is home
"So i saw you throwing the football with Chris are you two close again?" My mom asks like she's hinting romance and I frown
"We're just friends" I say and she sighs
"Oh right you're dating Jackson hill" she says and I hate how she spits his name at me
"What's wrong with him?" I ask and she frowns while my dad just sits there
"I just don't like his cousin and they seem to be best friends" she says
"Well I think Jackson is a good guy" my dad says and I know what's coming
"Of course you do,as long as one of her boys stays out of your way and listens to you he's a 'good guy' and his cousins attitude is even worse" she says and this just hits a nerve
"She is actually a really sweet person when you get to know her but you might find that out yourself now that she's my math tutor" I say and she frowns
"You let this happen?" She asks accusingly at my dad
"Please excuse me from the table" I say not waiting for his reply before getting up and clearing away my half finished plate

Ace pov:

I have nothing else to do tonight so I decide to sit down and replay the last of us on my ps4
"Why are you crying?" Jackson asks appearing at the door
"The last of us" I say as the screen goes dark after finishing the game
"Did you hear my sisters coming home tomorrow" he says and I frown
"Tomorrow?" I ask and he nods
"The doctors called my mom this morning and told her" he says
"Is Bella going back to school?" I ask and he shakes his head
"My parents want her to stay home for a while I think" he says and I nod

"Oh" I say because her childhood room in the basement but she hasn't lived at this house in year or so aunt Kate says
"Yeah I know you two don't always get along but you know it's been a couple years since the whole incident and maybe you've both grown up enough to stand each other again" he says and I nod
"Are you sure here though I mean she's lived in her college dorms before the whole ordeal" I say and he shrugs
"Yes but my parents want her home so they can help her better"he says and I nod
"Is she ok with cats?" I ask and he thinks about it for a while
"She was ok with her roommates cats so I'm assuming yes" he says and looks around to see if he can see Apollo but I know for a fact he's under the bed in the darkest corner probably against the wall

A long time ago when I was like 11 so I guess not that long ago just 6 years ish me and Bella were playing around being dumb but then out of nowhere she shoved me down the basement stairs,luckily I only broke my arm but I can never erase the look in her eye right before she did it
"Hey buddy" I say as Apollo crawls up in between my chest and my phone while I'm on it then he meows loudly in response
"You're cuddly lately huh" I say and kiss his head
"You ok Jackson tells me you're a little upset" Kate says at the doorway
"No offence but I'm not a fan of Bella coming back" I say and she smiles
"She's changed you know I mean yes she's been in and out of the ward since then but she's trying to be better" she says and I sigh
"I know Jackson already said that it's just it's easier to say that when you weren't on the receiving end of her mental breakdown at 11 years old" I say and Apollo shifts on my chest

Yes i went through therapy and yes I got over it and yeah maybe I'm up for reconnecting with Bella but I will be very careful about it any sign of push me down another flight of stairs and I'm booking it
"Willow what are you doing here?" I ask running into her as I am walking into school with jo
"I wanted to see you" she says then looks over at jo
"You're on house arrest how is that not going off?" I ask looking down at her ankle
"Who's this?" She asks dodging the question
"My best friend jo" I say and she frowns
"The Sheriffs kid who likes to be a public artist" she says and both me and jo frown,how'd she know that
"Uh yeah" jo says and Willow narrows her eyes at her
"We gotta go to class" I say after a minute of awkward silence
"Why are you trying to avoid me baby" she asks and hangs off my arm which I am not a fan of
"I'm not your baby and I'm not avoiding you I'm just not out here" I say and she lets go immediately
"Oh" she says and let's me and jo go inside

Based on the encounter outside I don't think she thinks we're broken up in fact I think she's been stalking me and my friends
"Dude that was seriously weird" jo says to me in Ap English
"She's stalking us" I remark and she nods
"That's seriously messed up should I tell my dad?" She asks and I shake my head
"Not until she does something" I say and she nods
"She has an ankle bracelet and it was green do you think she does to our school?" She asks and I shrug
"Probably but Im definitely going to try and stay away from her" I say before writing some stuff down for english
"Why would you date someone like that though?" She asks and I shrug
"She was good at first,really sweet and stuff but then it got toxic" I say tired of talking about Willow
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Hey guys since I finished this chapter this morning I thought I should post it now that I've finished all my homework peace and stay healthy and safe -Kat :)