Why?

Aiden

Why won't she believe I want to help her? She's very chummy with Jake Somberly. I went to talk to her, and she dragged him off to AP calculus. I don't trust him. He said he just moved here a week ago and didn't say why. That sounds suspicious in my book. Brooke was too trusting of him.

"What's cute about Jake Somberly? I mean, sure, he's got a nice accent, and he sounds smart, but besides that he has nothing going for him. But take it away and what do you have?" I asked Samantha.

"Take that away, and we get you. You forgot that he's also hot. That accent just adds to his hotness," Samantha responded.

"Ok, shut up. You're dating me, anyways," Michael said. Well, he's definitely jealous.

"Why the sudden interest in what makes a guy cute?" Samantha asked.

"Research," she is not going to get my real reason. No one needs to know that it has to do with Brooke.

"It's a girl, isn't it? Don't answer it, it's written on your face," Samantha said. I wasn't doing this, not today. I got my stuff and walked to AP calculus. I headed to the empty seat next to Brooke, and sat down. Now I know what you're thinking, "Dude! You're a literal stalker!" I'm not a stalker, I just have most of my classes with Brooke, and I was able to get my seat next to hers because of who my father is. I think I will need to get a cup of coffee after school, I've never tried Tammy's Coffee before. I'm such a stalker! I tried so hard to be a curious person, but-who am I kidding?-I'm a stalker. Seriously, who else would ask for her address? I groaned. "I'm such an idiot!" I mumbled.

"You got that right, stalker," Brooke responded. I made a bad impression.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be a stalker, I was curious."

"Right, cause you wanted to do 'research' on me before you offered your help?"

"How do you know stuff like that?"

She rolled her eyes. "You're not that sneaky. I'm a nerd. Nerds know stuff besides book facts. I just had to watch, and you gave yourself away."

"I don't trust Jake. He seems suspicious. He wouldn't say why he moved and shot down Mrs. Thomas's attempt to learn about him."

"Ha-ha! Oh, and you proclaim yourself to be smart. Oh! That was good. He moved so that he could live with his dad. His dad lives here, and he's visiting him. His parents are divorced. I know what it's like to have a broken home so I was trying to lift his spirits. And jealousy doesn't look good on you. Now, I need to pay attention. You can give me your apology after class."

I guess I was wrong about Jake? I still have a bad feeling about him. The second Brooke finished talking to me, Jake whispered something to her. She pointed to her page and wrote formulas, then showed them to him. He laughed as if he was stupid, and I get the distinct feeling they weren't actually talking about formulas because I didn't recognize any of them. They can't have been talking in code though, right? I mean they just met I thought. Unless, it's an act! And they're spies! Nah, Brooke speaks her mind to much to be a spy.

After class, Brooke had a TA period. But after that TA period, she made sure to find Jake and drag him to lunch. I might have overheard

"Can you do a British accent?" Jake asked Brooke.

"Well, I can, but I don't know if it's any good," she responded.

"Well, go on then. What are you waiting for?" Jake told her.

"Did you have water hazards where you lived. Those are bloody awful!" She's good. I thought she was actually British for a moment.

"Not bad. And yes, we did have water hazards. Me mum didn't mind though. If you could choose a British name from a movie, what would it be?" Jake asked.

"Bella Buckingham Snow. I love that movie so I'd pick her name. What about you?"

"Tom Holland."

"He's an actor, that's not the name of a character in a movie. But I don't judge you." She groaned. "I've gotta go to the office, maybe you can get Aiden to show you to English class since he's listening. Whadda ya say, Aiden? Will you do it?"

I might have been a little embarrassed, possibly more than a little bit. "Sure. Let's go, British boy," what else was I supposed to say?

"His name is Jake. But I know you know that." Then she turned and mouthed 'sorry' to Jake. Something's going on, and I'm gonna get to the bottom of it, no matter what. Ya know, she's creepy. Maybe I should rethink my resolve to help her, besides, it's not like she wants it. I need to pick a stinking side and stick to it. I can't wait for school to be done! I'm almost dead. I need Mountain Dew and peppy music so I physically can't fall asleep. I have a paper to write on the Civil War, and it has to be six pages, single spaced. I have to type it so I can't write huge and not have a lot of space. I can't even choose the font. It has to be Times New Roman size 12. How am I supposed to come up with a short story on the Civil War in a week? Come on, Mrs. Thomas! Unfair!

"Life is unfair! How long have you liked Brooke?" Jake randomly said.

"What? No, I- I- I don't like her. I was trying to help her, and she shot me down. She's not my type," I told him.

"You're not sneaky. I see it when you look at her. You can't lie very well about it either. She seems nice, and it's possible she likes you too."

"What? Really? I mean, why do you think that?"

"Let's just say I'm observant. I might be new, but she's a good person. If you hurt her, whether it was on purpose or on accident, I will hunt you down. I don't take kindly to guys hurting great girls. Oh, and I don't need you to show me to English, I have a map I can use. Cheerio!"

See what I mean?-suspicious. "Nah, I don't mind. I can get to know you this way."

"What, so I can be your next project when Brooke humiliates you with her rejection to your offer for help? I've done this before, man. You need to learn the way to her heart, and that in itself is going to cause multiple problems for you. What do you know about her?"

"I know about her parent situation, where she works, when her birthday is, she has no siblings or allergies, and she's a senior."

"She told you about her parents? She said she'd never tell anyone about that. Where is she from?"

That was weird. "Here."

"That girl! I can't do this! I need to go call Mark, I mean my dad. He lied to me, or she lied to me. I'm so bloody confused! Next time you see Brooke, tell her I had to go home for family problems. I also no longer require her assistance as a guide, though I would love to tell her something that I know she would want to hear."

"Wait! Where are you going, really?"

"To save someone from their own stupidity. My... dad... is gonna make one of his biggest mistakes yet. And, trust me, you've still got a chance with her. I've visited here for summers before, and I've watched her interact with people. She's gotta strong heart, but she's gonna run herself out of everything and keep going. Promise me that you'll keep her safe and not let her follow me. It'll make sense eventually I bet."

"You're literally making no sense whatever! Are you a spy or something?"

I asked in a joking tone, but by the look on his face, you would think I was right. "Just give Agent Carter, I mean Brooke, the message and keep her here!" he yelled, then he took off running.