Bodyguard: Ace Cain

|10| Take Me With You

|Take Me With You|

After a tumultuous meeting, I finally made it to the principal's office. Judging by my outfit, what was going to be said to me was quite clear. It didn't bother me much because who doesn't like to go home early? It was only annoying because I couldn't execute my plan the way that I wanted to. Ace ignored me the whole class and couldn't even look my way. It was bullshit!

Not as bullshit as when I got to the principal's office. Principal Lee was patiently waiting for me, as expected. What I didn't expect was to see Ace sitting there right with him. Ace had already seen my outfit, but Principal Lee's face was priceless. It was hard not to laugh in his face. The way he was looking at me left me in stitches on the inside. The outfit wasn't even that bad. It was mainly the shirt, if you could even call it that.

I could have gotten away with it for longer, but judging the situation, Ace must have told him. He was going to go to so many lengths to get me to change. The last thing I expected was for him to tell the principal, though. Who knew Ace was such a wuss? It's not my fault; he obviously couldn't control himself. Otherwise, we wouldn't be in the office right now.

Clearing his throat, Principal Lee ushered me to sit down before he spoke to me. "Reign Helix, one of our top students at Arbor High." He started off being nice. "I can't have you walking around school like this. There is a dress code."

I sucked my teeth in annoyance. "It's just a shirt. You act as if everything is hanging out," I argued.

"There's enough on display that goes against policy," he pointed out. "Unless you change your shirt, you'll have to be excused for the day."

This was such bullshit, but it would have happened eventually. I sat back in my chair with an annoyed look on my face. "Fine," is all I said.

Principal Lee turned his attention to Ace. "Thank you for bringing this to our attention, Mr. Cain." He thanked him. "If she chooses to leave, I assume you'll see that she gets home safely." My father must have told him the situation.

Ace nodded with a grin on his smug face. He won this round, but he forgot that we live together. I can't torture him at school, but at home, it was fair game. There's no way he was going to continue to have one up on me and not bear the consequences. This guy forgets who he's dealing with sometimes. I am not one to mess with it.

Alas, we leave the office in silence, as I'm still angry about what he did. I can't believe he would go to the principal's office instead of just talking to me first. That also explains why he was nowhere to be found when Jake pulled me aside. Not only was he ratting me out, but he left me in the hands of Jake Trubisky. Someone he wants me to actively avoid for whatever his reasons were. However, after today, I'm starting to understand. Nothing could ever go my way.

Stopping in our tracks, Ace stepped in front of me, pulling his sweater over his head. If he thought I was going to walk around in his hot-ass sweater all day, he was mistaken. There wasn't anything he could do to make me agree to wear that. Unless we could spark up a deal, of course. I'm always one for negotiating.

"Take it," he shoved it towards me.

I pushed it back. "I'm not wearing that." I refused. "You're such a snitch!"

He laughed. "You would've gotten caught anyway." Then he looked down at me. "Besides, I have somewhere to be."

That caught my attention. "Somewhere to be? Where is that exactly?" Shouldn't he be looking after me?

His eyes rolled. "I'm going to meet some friends," he said.

This is the first time I've heard that he has friends. We don't speak about personal information, even though we should. If we're going to be living together for the time being, then we should know some things about each other. That also includes friends and family. I'm tired of him being so mysterious. This was going to be my chance to get a glimpse into the life of Ace Cain.

He saw the smirk on my face and immediately shook his head. He didn't even know what I was going to say before he refused. It was really simple. All he had to do was bring me to this friend's meeting, and I'd wear the stupid sweater. There was no harm in that. Also, he still had a job to do, which was protecting me. I'm not sure my father would be too happy if we weren't in the presence of each other. Otherwise, what is he paying him for?

My smile goes from ear to ear, excited to squeeze my way into this meeting. "You have to take me with you!" I begged. "Your friends must be super chill to want to hang out with you."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" He asked with a frown before reverting to his usual self. "Doesn't matter; you can't come. I'm dealing with...business." He didn't sound sure.

I crossed my arms with a raised brow. "Are you sure? You didn't seem confident in this business you're supposed to be dealing with."

Ace threw his head back in annoyance. "Reign, please just stay here. At least I'll know where you are." Now he had begged me.

But I wasn't having it. "No way! I want to meet your friends, and I'm supposed to be with you at all times." I won't give up. "I'll even wear the sweater if you let me come."

I pouted with my eyes enlarged. It wasn't guaranteed, but he left me with no choice. Whatever he was doing sounded way better than staying at school for the rest of the day. There was no way I was walking with that sweater of his on, but if we were to go out, then I'd reconsider. It would be a win for both of us, as he'll still do his business and I get to miss school. Anything that goes wrong, he'll still be there to protect me. I just didn't see the issue.

Ace looked at me with those hazel orbs, and I mean, he looked at me hard. Almost to say he wasn't going to let me come. He had nothing to lose or gain, for that matter. We were going to be friends, and what better way to cement that relationship than by meeting other important people in his life? Of course, that still didn't mean he had to let me go. How could he say no to me, though?

Squeezing his eyes shut, he looked back at me to establish some ground rules. "Fine, but you're wearing the sweater, and you stay close behind me at all times." He handed me the sweater.

"Shouldn't I be in front of you?" I questioned as I pulled the sweater over my head. God, he smelled good.

Ace sucked his teeth, not in the mood for my technicalities. "Reign—"

"I'm just saying!" I defended myself. "It'll be easier to see me that way."

Ignoring me, we walked along to his car to set foot on our adventure. I happily bounced as we were walking because of how eager I was to see his friends. This is the first time I'll be seeing a part of who Ace is. Not only was it exciting, but it was nerve-racking. There's no telling what they were going to be like. They could end up wondering why he's bringing his work with him. There's also a chance that they won't like me. Maybe Ace knew that, and he was protecting me from them. Not like I'll care anyway. They weren't my friends.

Noticing the pep in my step, Ace laughed as he unlocked his car. The excitement for something so little was unwarranted. It probably had a lot to do with not doing anything exciting for the past two months. My mom disappeared, and my father wanted me to go nowhere. Now that I have Ace, I'm able to go places. See other people instead of Tana; no offense to her. I just couldn't contain myself.

"Are you really that excited about this?" He questioned me as he started the car.

I nodded my head with a smile. "Well, aside from the gala, I haven't been able to get out much due to the incident." That changed my demeanor a bit.

Ace realized that and immediately backtracked. "Right...sorry for even saying anything." He apologized.

I took a deep breath, getting emotional every time I thought about it. Now wasn't the time for that, though. I was getting ready to do something different for a change. Something no other student is getting to do. This was going to be a fun moment for me, and I'm thankful he agreed to let me tag along.

Smiling, I brushed that off. "Anyway, let's have fun, shall we?"

He smiled back at me in agreement. "Sure, let's have fun."