It Was Him *EDITING*

Ch. 7: You've Got Some Nerve, Rayford

(Back to Stella's P.O.V. ...!)

"I'm so sorry, Stella. I know you liked him," Kacey comforted me as I sat on her way-too-pink bedspread. I sobbed into her shoulder as she rubbed my back. "It doesn't even make any sense! Why ask me out when he's already been with Rachael freaking Aspen for three freaking years?!" I blubbered between sobs, clutching Kacey's shoulder even tighter. She seemed to flinch for a second, but instantly relaxed. I must have a strong grip. "Maybe he's a player...?" She suggested hesitantly. My heart sank as I paused my sobbing to pull away from her shoulder and look at her face. "Yeah, probably," I sighed sadly. "So, how's your grandpa?" I inquired. Kacey's face instantly fell. "H-he's got cancer...," she sadly trailed off. I hugged her tightly. "I'm sorry," I cried, sobbing into her shoulder as I hugged her. "Kacey! Time for dinner! Tell Stella she can stay if she'd like," Kacey's mom, Andrea, called up to her room, snapping us back to reality. Kacey sniffed one last time as she got off her bed. "Well, you heard the woman," she said, turning towards me. I stood up. "Thanks, but I should get home," I stated. "Okay, bye," she sniffled as she hugged me. We both headed downstairs together and then I headed out the front door, turning towards my house, which was only two houses down. The fresh air was nice. I breathed in the crisp evening breezes as I trodded to my house. It wasn't long until I walked through my front door, only to find Seth sitting in the living room.  
"What are you doing here?" I asked through clenched teeth. He quickly got up and composed himself. "I came to apologize to you, Stella. Rachael, she-," I cut him off. "Apologize for being who you are? A player? Oh, please, don't bother." Venom laced my every word. Seth furrowed his brows and for a spilt second, I saw pain flash in his oceanic eyes.

Oh, shut up, Stella.

"Please let me explain!" Seth clasped his hands together. I rolled my eyes. "Fine. Explain. But if I don't believe whatever you're about to tell me, you're in trouble," I dragged out, narrowing my eyes at him. He visibly sighed with relief as he began to explain. "Rachael's blackmailing me," he rushed out, seemingly relieved that he got that off his chest. I raised my eyebrows, urging him to continue. Seth took a deep breath. "She said she would be nicer to you and not tell you my secret if I was her boyfriend," he finished, placing his hands on his hips. "Secret?" I whispered. Seth's eyes widened as his hands flew up to his mouth. "I, I didn't mean that," he stated nervously, gauging my reaction. "Uh huh," I mumbled. "Please elaborate." Seth seemed to be contemplating whether or not he should tell me his secret. Sighing, he finally spoke. "Well, when I was really little, I had a twin brother named Jordan. Heck, we looked so much alike that our own mother couldn't even tell us apart most of the time.
"Anyways, so he was diagnosed with leukemia a few years back. We visited him every day, and did everything we could, but it just wasn't-," Seth broke off mid sentence as he broke into tears. I instantly felt bad for him, instinctively running over and patting his back. "You don't have to say anything else if you don't want to," I whispered. Seth looked at me with those (beautiful *swoon*) blue eyes of his, which were brimming with tears. I took a shaky breath as I sat us both down on the sofa. "R-Rachael only knows this because, because her uncle was the main doctor that treated Jordan," Seth finished, suddenly sobbing (again) into my shoulder, soaking my shirt. Well, this was unexpected, yes, but also very sweet. I hugged Seth, rubbing his back, until he calmed down some. "Thanks, Stella, for being so nice," he whispered, his breath caressing my cheek due to our proximity. I shivered. "And I know you don't want to see me now, so I'll-," Seth began, getting up from the couch. I grabbed his arm and looked into his eyes. "Seth," I breathed. "It's o-," Just then, Zack barged through the front door. Seeing us, his face contorted into one of pure rage. "What. The. Hell. Is. He. Doing. Here?!" I flinched. Zack never swears, so he must be pretty mad. "Never mind, he's here, right?" Zack almost shouted as he power walked towards us. I held my breath as he approached Seth. "You've got some nerve, Rayford. After hurting my sis-," I held my hand out, stopping Zack. He gave me a confused look. I looked to Seth. "Tell him what you told me," I whispered, stepping back. And so he did. He didn't cry this time, though. Probably because he was around another guy.

Oh, boys. They're weird.

Zack's face softened as Seth finished his story. "I'm sorry, dude," he said, pulling Seth into one of those guy hugs (half hug, half handshake..?). Then Zack turned to me. "Um, Mom and Dad wanted me to tell you that they'll be home a little late," he sniffed before walking towards the kitchen. "Well," Seth muttered. "I'm gonna go break up with Rachael," he sang, as if it brought joy to his heart. I giggled as he walked towards the door. Oh, what a day.

O......M.......G..!!!!!! I don't know about you guys, but I'm VERY excited for the future! And dang, didn't things get HEATED?! And what about Seth's secret, tho? So, please leave a vote and/or comment if you enjoyed! I know I did! Until next chapter...