Regret

Chapter Seventeen- Your Cold Heart Is Warming Up To Me Slowly

A/N: Hey, sorry about the delay in publishing a new chapter. I've had such a busy weekend. Anyways, hope you enjoy :)

I looped my thumb through my backpack strap that was on my shoulder as I trudged towards the school's main doors. Dad had dropped me off this morning which meant that I was here earlier than usual.

I had chemistry for first period, which was on the opposite end of the school, so I guess I was lucky I was early for once. Usually, I only got to the class just before the bell would ring.

Pulling my phone out of my back pocket, I quickly clicked a name and pressed the call button. It rang for a second before the person picked up.

"Hey, doll." His voice sounded out of breath down the phone like he had been just running.

"Is this a bad time?" I knew he would be at school right now because he was a few hours ahead, but he said he doesn't take any physical education classes, so I didn't understand why he would have been running.

We had been calling every other day just to catch up with each other. It was amusing hearing about his struggles of being the new kid.

"No time is a bad time if it means I can talk to you." I knew there was a smirk on his face as the words left his lips. I just rolled my eyes even though he couldn't see.

"I can see that even across the country, you're just as flirtatious." His laugh was quiet, and he was still breathing heavily down the phone. "Why does it sound like you've just run a marathon?" I leaned against the wall outside of my chemistry class with a few others who were also early.

"Urm..." it sounded like there was some scratching noise down the phone, like he was scratching his head. "So, you know how I said I was struggling to fit in a bit?"

"What did you do?"

"Well, turns out I fit in with the ladies just fine, and I may or may not have flirted with a girl in history and then again during lunch, and now her boyfriend wants to kill me." My laugh boomed down the phone, and from the groan that came from his end, I knew it hurt his ear.

"Let me guess. He's a jock?"

"Worse." My eyebrows rose at his words. "He's an MMA fighter, and he also has friends. Now, I'm not a small guy, and I know how to pack a punch, but I can't take on three guys!" My laughing didn't die down as he continued to panic about how he was going to die at the hands of a crazy fighter.

"Sounds like you're having a great time." I joked. Of course, he decided to flirt with a girl who had a boyfriend.

"Enough about me. How are you? You got any plans later?" He sounded like he had managed to catch his breath by now.

"I'm doing alright. I'm supposed to be meeting up with Caleb later, so nothing has really changed." I replied. I told him about our new friends in the group the last time he called, so I didn't have anything exciting to tell him.

Of course, I was avoiding telling him that Xander slept in my bed on Friday night. Josh seemed to be going back on the saddle, but it still wasn't fair for me to tell him.

I looked up from the ground to see students shuffling into the classroom. "Hey, I need to get to class but try not to die."

A quiet "I'll try" was mumbled down the phone.

"And find out if the girl has a boyfriend first, you idiot. Seriously though, I hope you're enjoying it up there."

There was a pause and some shuffling. "Thanks, doll. I'll talk to you soon."

~

The rest of the day went by uneventfully. Although, Xander was currently ignoring me. I knew it had something to do with the weekend, but I wasn't pushing it.

I was walking up the twin's driveway when I noticed Caleb's truck wasn't in its usual spot. I didn't think much of it, knowing that he would probably be back soon, and knocked on the front door.

I didn't expect to be greeted with Xander holding his younger brother on his back. Immediately the ten-year-old boy jumped down and came crashing into my side. Lee was a hugger.

He was the spitting image of the twins when they were his age, only that his hair is slightly lighter, and he has way more freckles on his cheeks. To say he was adorable was an understatement.

"Alex is taking me to get ice cream!" The little boy gushed once he had let go of my waist. A tooth from his bottom row was missing as he smiled up at me, which made him even cuter. Lee was the only one allowed to call his older brother 'Alex.' Xander hated the name, but it was all Lee could say when he was younger, so it stuck.

"Ooh, that will be fun, but you can't eat too much otherwise, another tooth will fall out." I jabbed his side with my fingers, and he let out a squeal in response, making me chuckle.

"Don't tell him that. He already wants more money from the tooth fairy." I completely forgot that he was standing at the door. He nodded his head for me to come inside, so I followed with Lee by my side.

"You're talking to me now?"

Xander rolled his eyes at my comment and picked up two pairs of shoes before walking over to the living room. "I wasn't ignoring you." He said, placing the smaller pair on the floor by the couch. "Lee put your shoes on."

I stood by the door and watched him slip into his own shoes. "So, when I asked you how you were yesterday, and you didn't reply wasn't you ignoring me? or today in lunch?" I prodded, knowing full well that he was ignoring me.

"Are you going to stop your whining and come get ice cream? Or are you going to keep bringing this up?"

"Taylor is coming?!" Lee shouted before I could reply to Xander about his 'whining' comment. I pulled my phone out to check the time and realised that Caleb had left a message. He was canceling on meeting up because he was sorting things with Jake.

I couldn't help but be a little annoyed, considering I had already made my way here, so I left him on read and slipped my phone back into my back pocket.

"I'm coming," I replied, smiling at the kid before my eyes moved towards his older brother. "But only if Xander buys."

Xander sent me a scowl but nodded his head regardless. He grabbed his car keys off the little table near the couch and urged us all to leave the house. Lee ran off ahead of us and stood by Xander's blue car as we walked slowly over.

"Like you don't have your own money to spend." He mumbled while he unlocked the car doors for his brother to climb in the back.

"I do, but spending your money is so much more fun."

"You're a pain in my ass. You know that?"

"you can't deny it, Xander. Your cold heart is warming up to me slowly."

"Just get in the car, Smith."