Rule #1: Never Date An A.C.E. [COMPLETED]

Chapter 5: Rule #22: Take What Your Enemy Throws At You, And Throw It Right Back

Chapter 5: Rule #22: Take What Your Enemy Throws At You, And Throw It Right Back

"So, Izzy, this is Boone," Dylan began his introductions with a burly man with trimmed beard and mustache, fading nicely into his hairline. Boone clapped me in the shoulder and I winced as it jarred my hurt arm.

"Oh my gosh, no one's fixed your arm yet!" A caramel-skinned girl with thick bangs pushed Boone aside and gently held my arm. "Come this way."

She leads me to a corner where a few other people are taping up cuts and getting ice packs from the recent fight. She grabs a splint and wrap, forces me to sit down and begins working on it.

"I'm Flower, by the way. It's lovely to meet you, Isabella," she smiles at me then refocuses her attention on my arm.

"That's a beautiful name," I smile back and the group gathers around. Boone looks sheepish and I grin at him to tell him it's okay.

"Well, to continue with the introductions," Dylan continues. "This is Sheridan, Vanessa, Levi, and you already know Alex." Sheridan has a cute face with blue tips on his black hair and holds onto Vanessa's hand with a huge smile on his face. Vanessa has straight blonde hair down to her lower back, and she waves at me with her free hand. Levi has brown rimmed glasses with black eyes, and he nods at me with a slight smile.

"Okay, so Flower, Alex, Sheridan, Vanessa, Levi, Boone, and," I pause pretending to think about Dylan's name. I sweetly look at Dylan, "What's your name again?" Everyone but Dylan bursts out laughing and we begin moving away as unit. Before I could follow, Dylan grasps my arm lightly and leans near my ear.

"Hopefully you won't forget my name when you're screaming for more," he teases with a low raspy voice. My body shivers unintentionally and I swat him away.

"You wish," I say as I continue to walk towards the group.

"Oh, you have no idea how much I do," I hear him say behind me, and my face slightly reddens.

"Don't forget who he is," I remind myself in my head, and I straighten up, determined to not fall for the Ace Player's charms. I catch up to the group and as does Dylan behind me, his face graced with a smirk. I roll my eyes and tune back into the conversation.

"So, Isabella, were your parents really Gerald and Jessica Donahue?" The question comes from Sheridan and the entire group turns to look at me and hear my answer.

"Yes, how did you know?" I answer, curious to hear more about my parents from the organization they were apparently part of.

"Well when we heard your last name, rumors began to fly. The Donahue's are somewhat of a legend around here," Vanessa says, and points to a wall as we pass by, heading somewhere unknown. There are black and white photos of men and women, with the names posted below them. Near the middle, are images of my parents next to each other. I slow to a stop and stare up at their smiling faces, and then see the wall is titled, "To the ones we've lost". I sigh and turn to look at the group and they're all looking at me with sympathetic faces. I wave them off and ask the next question that's been plaguing me, "How did they die?" I look to each person in turn, but almost all of them advert my eyes. The only person meeting my eyes, not surprisingly, was the Ace Player himself. He took a step forward and focuses his attention on the images of my parents. His eyes glaze over, as if he was beginning to relive the past.

"They insisted on going on a very dangerous mission to bring down the Three Princes, a ruthless smuggling group of which are our main focus. As a group of three, they infiltrated what they believed to have been one of the main warehouses where the smugglers kept their goods. But, when they arrived, as soon as they stepping into the main room, the building exploded." Dylan took a shallow breath and shot me a weak smile. I could only stare at him, struggling to keep my emotions in check. I was never told how they died, the police had just shown up at my door and deposited me at the orphanage. My heart clenches when I think of that wretched place, before I return to reality. Levi is clasping Dylan's shoulder in a friendly gesture and I remember something he had said.