Willow was doing great! She had her rum and coke, as well as peace of mind when it was just herself and Rudy the bartender. Things were pleasant, and Willow believed she could handle tonight. All is well, after all.

The first (not staff) face Willow saw was Allison, wearing a gorgeous pink number suiting her light skin. Willow suddenly felt like her dark dress couldn't compare. Willow gave Allison a smile, waving at her from across the bar in greeting. Just as she was ready to stand up and greet her old bridesmaid properly, her eyes caught a bright green shape approaching the bar.

'Holy Jesus disco-dancing-' Willow was stunned. Tara blew everyone away with her green cocktail dress, including Willow who least expected it. The last time she saw Tara in so much colour was at her wedding, forcing poor Rocky to wear light blue at the altar beside her and--

Focus, Willow.

"Rocky! You- Wow, clearly you've won the glow up of the reunion!" Willow peered at Allison, wondering if she thought the same. "Unfortunately I doubt these girls are suitable for laps," Willow pointed at her heels, a lame attempt at a joke cracked. "But I'm not complaining. The torture of heels is worth doing no more laps."

First joke of the night, good job Wills.

She then proceeded to squeeze Allison and Tara in a warm hug. Despite it being years since she'd seen their faces, Willow didn't feel as uncomfortable as she was expected. Truly, was luck really on her side tonight? "I haven't seen you guys in so long, how have you been?" The more she could avoid talking about her own life, the better. She directed the question towards both the girls, but it wasn't long before Lady Luck laughed.

Willow stiffened at the sound of Grayson's voice. She whirled around, realising that while she had been distracted with internally gloating at her success, he had taken the third and final seat at the bar. He left a respectable distance between himself and the girls, which Willow realised was for the best. That man had somehow managed to wrong every girl standing in front of him in some way.

Where're your balls now, Wills?

"Ah..-" Willow made a strange noise as she considered Grayson's offer. It was tempting to ignore him for the rest of the evening, but what good would it be? Willow glanced briefly at the girls beside her, almost as if hoping someone would speak up first... But... Nobody did.

"There's... there's no need for hostility..." Willow finally let out, hesitantly as if she were testing the waters. "We're grown adults, it's... it's time to move on from the past." The words felt sour on her tongue, insincere, like she was anticipating things to go wrong very quickly.

A long sigh escaped Grace as she sat in front of the huge mirror trying to get her hair to cooperate. After a while of struggling she put down her brush and just looked at herself. Was this a mistake? Was anyone going to be happy that she was here? Was he going to be happy that she was here? A frown crept on to the young woman’s face and she stood up shaking her head slightly.

“Stop it Grace” she muttered to herself as she paced around the room. “Who cares? You are here for you...ok” she kept going, trying to pump herself up. Grace turned to once again look at her reflection. But this time her expression was that of determination. She’s a bad bitch no one can tell her different! Quickly she gathered her stuff and stuffed it in the small black purse she had matched to her outfit.

Grace did one last mirror check before she walked out the door of her suite. Just as the door clicked behind her the feelings of insecurity bubbled up inside of her again. What if someone saw her as she stood here looking like a weirdo who has forgotten how to walk. A few deep breaths brought he confidence back and Grace straightened up and stomped down the hallway in her high heels. But as she got closer to the crossway of the hallways she slowed down before turning towards the elevators. What if she runs into him? It’s too early! He needs to see her looking bomb and not a queasy mess.

Still there she stood slowly peeking around the corner to make sure the person she wanted to see more than anything in the world wasn’t standing there. Her breath was slow as her head slowly turned to face the elevators suddenly a loud melody sounded from her purse and made her yelp in fright. Clutching her chest she dug through her purse for her phone.

“Hello?” she answered breathlessly.

“Bailey Grace!” Her mother’s voice rang out from the receiver. “You thought you could avoid your mother huh?! Bribing your brother to come pick you up? You really though he wouldn’t spill?”

“Mom! No… yes.” Grace rolled her eyes as she slowly gave into her mother's accusations. “I just wanted to get here as quickly as I could and Jeri offered...kind of.” she offered.

“Mmmhmm…” her mother wasn’t buying it, she never did. “Well ok, but if you think that you get to leave Florida without coming home first you are absolutely wrong baby. So help me Jesus I will come up to Atlanta and embarrass you in front of your whole office!”

“Fine! I’ll see you sunday for dinner.” Grace conceded with a sigh.

There was a pause from the other side of the phone “So have you talked to A-”

Grace hastily cut her mother of “Oh mom I’m super late to this party I need to go! Bye I love you!” she sputtered and hung up tossing her phone back into her purse.



Stepping out from the hotel building the party scene sprawled in front of her. Grace eyes widened and a small gasp escaped her. It was all very beautiful and very expensive looking. Then again it was King’s Academy the budget for their senior prom was 250,000 dollars.

Her first instinct was to head over to the bar because she was sure that where she would find Willow. But as she came closer she stopped dead in her tracks when she saw the group that had surrounded said bar. She was right that Willow was seated there with a look of concern plastered on her facing Grayson Chambers. Who in turn was surrounded by all of the girls that had beef with him. The only one missing was… well her. Grace locked eyes with her best friend giving her a panicked look shaking her head letting Willow know ”There is no way I’m getting into that mess”.

Instead she took a seat at one of the nearby tables so that Willow could have an exit plan if she needed one. Soon enough a waiter was at her side with a glass of ice water and a “What can I get you miss?”

“A gin and tonic thanks… oh and make it a double!” she smiled as the waiter took the order down and walked away, returning with her drink momentarily. Sipping her drink Grace looked around seeing faces she had forgotten over the last ten years. Raising her glass momentarily as she caught the eye of Alex Shields or as she usually knew him Astroman123 before going back to looking around the cocktail party going on in front of her.

When she’d set foot on the plane that would take her from New York to the Florida Keys, Amanda Woodall had promised herself to completely disconnect from everything and just focus on the weekend ahead. But in the end, the workaholic in her had prevailed, and she'd found herself checking her work inbox while waiting for her makeup to set. She scrolled through the emails of the usual people, but suddenly stopped when her eyes found a name that was not on her contact list. Her thumb hovered over the email of the unknown sender, torn between opening or deleting it. But that familiar feeling in her gut was urging her to click it open, that it would be wise for her to do so. And when Amanda followed her gut and read the email’s contents, she knew she’d made the right choice.

It took a few long, good reads for the woman to make sense of what had been sent to her. Surely this was all a big joke, right? Someone looking to play a nasty prank on her. But the more she read it, the more Amanda realized the person’s claim could be legitimate. Of course, there was one quick way to put her mind at ease: contact the subject in question.

It took all but two rings before the person on the other line answered Amanda’s FaceTime call. And in typical Amanda fashion, she wasted no time on small talk and went straight for it.

"Benjamin… Do you know of a Nathan Montgomery?" the blonde asked sternly, her observant hazel eyes locked on her phone screen while she studied her husband's face for any telltale expressions.

His confusion about the suddenness of her question was quickly matched with the confusion the man had about the name and it showed in the blank stare he had towards his wife during their FaceTime video call. “I can’t say that I do, but it sounds like a nice name though. Like one that has many nickname potential. With a name like that, he could have a future in the acting business.” Benjamin mused in one of his usual rambles that Amanda has come to know as a regular thing. “Why do you ask?”

"What about a Gretchen Montgomery?" Amanda immediately pressed on in her brisk prosecutor manner, purposely avoiding her husband's question in her quest for the truth.

A moment or two of silence passed and Benji was doing his best to try and remember the face to that name. “Sounds vaguely familiar.” That was only partially true. It was more than familiar, but it was clear in Benji’s facial expressions that he was struggling with this particular recollection. “What’s with all these questions?” He asked her as suspicion about Amanda’s motive was starting to set in.

Once again, the blonde didn't answer the older man's question right away. Instead, her eyes focused on his telling expression. The name obviously rang familiar to Benjamin, and she wanted to know why he was choosing to avoid her questions instead of coming clean. "You do realize I prosecute people for a living, right? At this point, it's second nature to me to know when an individual is lying or hiding something," Amanda said, with the thinnest suggestion of a threat lingering at the end of her statement. She rose to her full height and regarded her husband with a cold stare before continuing. "So I'll ask you again: do you know a Gretchen Montgomery?"

He took in a deep sigh, doing everything his therapist told him to do so he would remain calm in tense situations. Usually Amanda was pretty calm towards him. They rarely had any fights and if they did, it was caused by such an idiotic reason that they would laugh it off and call it a day. But bringing up someone he hadn’t thought about in years -- decades even -- was such an out of the blue action and her stubborn attitude towards it was starting to piss Benji off.

“I don’t understand why it’s even important, but yes, I know of a woman by that name whom I haven’t thought about since I was seventeen years old.” He inhaled again. Whatever crawled up his wife’s butt, he really wish it would exit stage left as soon as humanly possible.

Amanda could tell her husband was starting to get annoyed with the conversation: the tell-tale sign that she’d clearly hit a nerve she wasn’t going to stop pushing. "And is there any reason why her son, Nathan Montgomery, would have any credibility in his claim that you might be his father?" she finally asked point-blank, visibly furious now.

“You’re really going to make me say it, huh?” He rubbed his temples, his frustration growing to a point where therapeutic breathing exercises were proving to be useless. “We were involved once back in the day,” Benji calmly admitted. Unlike his wife, he didn’t think of it as a big deal.

Amanda couldn't help but roll her eyes and scoff in disbelief. For a man who could potentially have a long-lost son, Benji certainly seemed to be cool about it. "Did you not hear me the first time, Benjamin? This man has contacted me with evidence that suggests he's your son! Do you not care about that?!" she asked him, her voice rising along with her anger.

“If this -- what you said his name was Nathan?” He scratched his head. “If this Nathan thinks he’s my son, then okay. Cool. Always wanted to have a son, but I’m not going to overreact or be angry about it,” he openly admitted with nothing but a lax attitude. “You’re the only one making this into a big deal, dear.”

Amanda had to close her eyes for a moment and take a few deep breaths to stop herself from pulling her hair out and screaming. "So you're saying that if any of the countless whores and sluts you've fucked throughout the years come to you out of the blue and say you're the sperm donor of their bastard children and you owe them child support money, you're just going to be fine with it?! Just like that?!" she cried out, color rising to her fair-skinned face. "How is this not a big deal to you?! Have you lost your fucking mind?!"

“If the DNA tests match up and say that I’m the father, I’m not going to turn my back on any potential child I have,” Benji told her, remaining as calm as he could given his wife was in the middle of blowing this all out of proportion. “It took me a long time to understand what values my father instilled into Wesley and Cassie. Sylvester died long before he could see it but I’m not going to be a deadbeat father, Amanda. So if this young man ends up being mine, I will do whatever I can to make sure he has a father.”

"And it hasn't occurred to you that this… person… might only be after a fat paycheck?" she retorted, her voice dangerously dropping an octave. "You seriously think their intentions are honest? Because, why come out of the woodwork now and not when you were a broke has-been back in Arizona, huh? You don't think it has to do with that Forbes article of Hollywood composer Benjamin Cross and his ADA wife and vineyard heiress Amanda Woodall currently having a combined net valued in the millions? We have worked hard to earn what we have, and I am not letting some broke bastard try to scam us out of it!"

Benji didn’t know why but he laughed at her last comment. “Funny. You always say how it’s your money whenever I might want to buy something or might see an investment in something, but the second something that might even be a mild discomfort, suddenly it’s an ‘us’ thing.” Benji rolled his eyes. “I’ve had to deal with a lot of shit from your family, your fucking passive-aggressive comments when we’re at your galas and whatever fucking meetings you drag me to-- but honestly, Amanda? I’m not in the mood for this. Whether or not this Nathan is mine is, quite frankly, none of your fucking concern.” Taking calm breaths were out the window now, so Benji decided to throw all caution into the wind. “Given he is claiming to be my son, it’s my problem and I will handle it however I want to!” Benji clicked off in anger before Amanda would get another word in.

For the longest time, Amanda simply stared at the device in her hand in utter disbelief, her eyes wide and her mouth hanging open. She could feel tears starting to burn in her eyes, but she furiously blinked them away before they even had a chance to attempt an escape. She’d never been a crier, and she sure as hell wasn't about to start now. Once she felt like she’d gotten some sort of control over the fury bubbling up in her stomach, Amanda unlocked her phone and sent Benjamin a voice message containing a piece of her mind.



Once she was sure the message had been received and heard, Amanda locked her phone and threw it onto the bed before aggressively slipping the wedding bands from her finger and flinging them in the direction of her open suitcase. She didn’t care about where they landed or what happened to them-- it’s not like she’d be wearing them again, and they were probably cheap and from some dingy pawn shop anyway. Starting tonight, Benjamin Cross would be completely cut off from her life, and her marriage to him would soon be dissolved. He could handle all his life’s problems by himself forever now.



Fifteen minutes after the fateful conversation with her soon to be ex-husband, Amanda was making her entrance to the outdoor venue where the cocktail party was taking place. Dressed in a light peach, long bell sleeve, Prada mini dress that hugged her thin waist and hit mid-thigh, a pair of gold, ankle strap Louboutin heels, thin gold hoop earrings and a few gold rings, the hostess of the weekend carefully walked down the steps leading towards the poolside tables. Her long, blond waves cascaded down her back, lightly bouncing with every step she took. Before she could busy herself embark in any reminiscing, the young attorney wanted to be polite enough to acknowledge her guests and thank them for their presence. Even though she didn’t care for most of them back in the day, she was still truly thankful that they’d taken the time out of their busy lives to attend an event with her name on it.

The first person Amanda noticed in her welcoming path was none other than Grace Pruett, currently sitting alone by one of the tables. Their eyes met for the briefest uncomfortable moment, broken only by the blonde giving the brunette her a curt nod before continuing on her trek. Amanda knew she needed to get with Grace and sort things out before the weekend ended, but that was a can of worms that would be best open when she wasn’t so prone to lashing out in anger.

Next up were a handful of the King’s Men, who were already busy catching up from what the blonde could tell. Frankly, Amanda was pleasantly surprised to see that Tessa hadn’t been wrong when she’d said their old male classmates had certainly glowed up. Fatherhood and the beard had turned Alexander Shields into someone she wouldn’t mind having an indiscretion with, and even the insufferable Brent Santiago could hit it if she was five shots into tequila. Of course, neither of them would ever come close to the stunner that was Sebastain Jace Russo.

It had been ten years since the last time she’d been face to face with Jace, but even now he still had that power to leave her breathless from the second their eyes met. Ten years apart had done nothing to quell the butterflies that were wildly going off in a frenzy in her stomach, or to dull the pain of the heartbreak when their relationship had ended. Maybe now that they were both back home and available they could get another chance… But it was much too soon to think like that. For all she knew, Jace was seeing someone, or he’d been the bigger person and gotten over their old feelings for each other. Either way, this was not the time to dwell on the subject.



Taking in a deep breath, Amanda finally approached their table. “Hello, gentlemen,” their old classmate greeted them with a polite smile, taking up position between Alexander and Brent. “Glad to see you could all make it. Do enjoy yourselves, okay? That’s what we’re here for,” she told them, her gaze resting a second longer on Jace’s face than any of the others before walking away in the direction of the bar.

It was on this last part of her welcoming trek that she sensed things were not going well. Amanda couldn’t help but roll her eyes and let out a sigh of resignation. The tension in the air was obvious, and there was no mistaking the way the group of females around the bar was looking at the lone male in their midst. She knew via others that each of the women there had a bone to pick with the man, because he’d somehow managed to hurt their soft little feelings at some point during high school. But was it really necessary for them to ruin the event so soon because they weren’t capable of moving past someone calling them ‘ugly’ ten years ago? In all honesty, it was disappointing, and she hoped she’d arrived on time to put an end to whatever petty drama was starting to bubble up before anything serious happened.

“Good evening, ladies,” Amanda called out to the group in more of a warning than a greeting, her shoulders straight and her face with the usual authoritarian expression she wore so well. “We didn’t come all the way down here to stir up some stale, decade-old drama up, did we? I’d like to think we’re all mature enough to move past that,” she said sternly, taking a moment to peer at each female face in front of her before shifting her attention to the lone male in the group, closing the distance between them.

“Are any of these women bothering you, Grayson? I know some of them can be a little… intense,” she added as an afterthought, shooting a quick glance towards Tara and Tessa before fixing her softened expression back on the man.

Was it too soon for Willow to feel exhaustion? The night had barely begun, but all she wanted to do was go home to her bed. Let the rest of the class enjoy while she wallows in misery. She thought Grace could save her, but even she couldn't blame the beauty for opting out of the drama and keeping a safe distance away from the explosion zone.

It all began with Allison. She physically winced when Allison, despite her offering peace to the grovelling man, quipped bitterly about Adderall. Willow wanted to stop her, but it was too late. With Tessa joining the group shortly after it was obvious that there was no going back.

"I mean, it's not his fault you popped pills every day before class, Allison."

She made a pathetic sound of disbelief as Tessa was quick to pick up on Allison's hostility. It took a moment to realise the significance behind the comment, but Willow didn't make it a habit to remember every reason that the girls had to be hurt by Grayson. Ever the pacifist, Willow meekly tried to interject before Allison and Tessa would say things they regret. "Hey, let's not go that fa...-"

Her voice quietened as the woman of the hour joined the volatile group. She looked stunning, of course, and she couldn't help but notice that she looked pissed. Understandably, of course. Part of Willow was glad for some authoritative backup, while the other was wholly unprepared to see Amanda completely wrap Grayson around her fingers as she had done ten years ago. Willow was certain that while Amanda's presence would work best to quell any rising tensions, she just wasn't ready to see Grayson fall for the married woman's charms.

Instead, Amanda stunned the once hopeful Willow with a scathing comment about being mature. It hurt even more as her eyes landed on Willow, before commenting coldly “Are any of these women bothering you, Grayson?” It was a slap to the face when Amanda had the gall to accuse Willow and her friends of bothering Grayson. She didn't want that drama, all she wanted to do was talk to old friends and maybe have a good time. She caught the look Amanda gave her and the rest of the girls before she nearly attached herself to Grayson's side. Had she missed something? Perhaps sometime during the ten years, Grayson got his dream girl.

When Grayson spoke up, she suddenly found herself in a different setting altogether. She felt like she was eighteen, experiencing her first heartbreak as her crush ogled the star of Kings Academy. She felt like utter shit. Her voice escaped her as he shot her own words right back at her. The slap continued to burn as all she could do was watch in silent horror as Grayson utterly ruin any small hope she had for reconciliation. Willow, despite the insincerity, had some hope to keep things pleasant. She was open to forgiveness, had Grayson not completely blindsided her with such a rushed, blanket apology that meant as much as she did to him at prom ten years ago.

Like the doormat she is, she let Grayson continue his spiel. Any security she'd built for herself in the last ten years came crashing down, and she felt sick. By the end of it all, she couldn't even look him in the eye. Instead, she watched the space between his and Amanda's head, staring away as if that could somehow save her from utterly losing her mind. She couldn't return his gaze, she knew it would hurt.

It was no surprise to her when, finally, Grayson had enough. Luckily, he was taking Amanda with him, and she still couldn't watch him just whisk away with Amanda as he won. She was quick to turn her back on him, staring intently down at her glass as if it held all the answers. For all she knew, it did.

Just one more hour of this, Wills. Then you can go.

Surely that was an appropriate time to stick around. Any longer and she would drive herself mad watching Grayson prance around with his happy ending. Not long now... not long now. It was a mantra she chanted in her head, counting down the seconds until she could excuse herself from the group and hide away in her room. It couldn't get any worse now.

Except, it could.

Tara and Allison, both well-meaning, enquired about her husb- ex husband, reminding her once again that it wouldn't matter where she'd go to hide, she'd just be alone. She couldn't blame them for their question either. They had no possible way of knowing that it was a question that would hurt, but somehow she wished they did know. At least it would save her the embarrassment of being the Failure of Kings Academy.

"Lucas... he's doing great." She responded finally after a long, awkward pause. "He's still in love. Granted, not with me, but he's happy." Suddenly her throat was parched and not even the gulp of her drink could save the word vomit threatening to escape. "We divorced. He's with the love of his life now. I think." Willow truly didn't know the outcome of Lucas and Luisa's relationship. The gloating messages sent by Luisa through Facebook was enough to tell her that they were happy without her.

She needed to get away and do it fast. She felt horror washing over her, realising that now they'd pity her. Distractedly, Willow dropped her glass at the bar (a little too forcefully, but thankfully Rudy didn't comment). "I- I should go say hi to Grace," Willow, like with Grayson, didn't look at the three girls in the eye. Her primary objective was to just escape. She didn't want to hear their condolences, she just couldn't hear it now. "I-it was great seeing you two- three, shit, the drink is getting to me, ha," Her laugh was filled with panic as if getting them to laugh with her was better than them laughing at her. "I'll see you girls around."

Willow escaped quickly, keeping her head down and making a beeline towards Grace. She bumped into many people, but she ignored their calls as she joined Grace at her table. "I can't do this anymore, Gracie." Her voice shook as Willow finally hid her face in her hands. "I should have never come. Do you think I can still get a partial refund if I check out now?" Willow kept talking, anything that was on her mind spilling like a tipped-over glass of misery. She was aware she looked pathetic, but at this point everyone knew that that was exactly what she was.

Sitting alone wasn’t as bad as one could think, especially with a bangin’ G&T in your hand. The table that Grace had chosen proved to be one of the better ones for people watching. It had a good vantage point to see people as they entered the party area so she could see everyone as they first entered. Though this made her realize that she really didn’t socialize at all as a teenager. Most of the people milling out of the hotel Grace couldn’t name for the life of her. As much as she tried to place them in her mind she kept drawing blanks. That was until of course the Queen of King’s stepped out in her signature Prada. Grace braced herself for impact as they caught each other’s eye.

To Grace’s great surprise Amanda’s face for a split second softened before returning to its original determined hardness as she offered a short nod. The beautiful blonde then turned on her heel and headed of in the other direction.

Feeling somewhat relieved that the no doubt tense interaction was shelved for later, Grace blew out the air that she had collected in her lungs in anticipation and returned her attention to her drink. Swirling the last of the liquid in her glass as she continued people watching.

It almost felt like time froze when she saw him step out of the glass doors. He looked just like she remembered him. It was like a tsunami of warmth washed over her and memories that had been pushed to the deepest crevices of her mind came tumbling back. Grace almost had to remind herself to take a breath as to not pass out. Her face lit up in a smile when he finally looked in her direction. Her chestnut eyes searching for his. Finally they connected and Andre turned away.

Again the wind was knocked out of her. This time for a whole different reason. So he didn’t want to see her after all. First she felt like throwing up, but then the nausea turned into something else a huge ball of anger in the pit of her stomach. “Oh that’s your game huh?” she whispered into her almost empty glass. In that moment she steadied her trembling lip and decided “To hell with him! Men are scum and always will be.”.

Grace folded her arms in front of her and leaned back staring at Andre’s back as he bro’ed out with his stupid ‘King’s Men’ poison almost oozing out of her. She needed a distraction and she needed it fast. As usual her savior came in the form of her best friend Willow.

"I can't do this anymore, Gracie. I should have never come. Do you think I can still get a partial refund if I check out now?"

It took a few seconds before Grace could peel her eyes from Andre’s laughing back but she took a sharp breath and turned to face her distressed friend. “Girl…” she said curtly looking at Willow with a raised eyebrow. “It is way to early into this party for you to already be this close to tears. What happened at the bar?” she queried as she looked over Willow’s shoulder. “Oh..” she said as she saw Grayson and Amanda disappear into the crowd arms linked.

Scoffing she sat back down arms folded “Get a grip Willie! I can’t believe you are still let freaking Grayson “no spine” Chambers crush you like this. You had one bad date 10 years ago! I seriously do not get what you see in that dickweed. Never have and never will!” she spat.

As soon as she got it out of her system Grace bit her lip, she had once again gone too far. She let out a soft sigh before putting a calming hand on Willow’s. “Babe… I’m just saying that you have to get your priorities straight” she lifted her hand to pat her friend gently on the cheek. “Look let’s forget about… all these jerks and just and make this weekend about us and us alone!” she smiled warmly grabbing Willow’s hands in both of her own.

Taking a side glance to look at the woman holding onto him, Grayson observed how she held herself, filled with superior pride and displeasure, all at once. He brought her to the steps that led to the beach, which was the perfect position to look out at the view. The true beauty of this resort was when night fell and the blue haze of day revealed the stars in the sky. There was a promise of life in the darkness and the ocean reflected that welcoming sight. Truthfully, to those that took a moment to slow down and appreciate their surroundings, it was remarkable.

Letting out a sigh, revealing the level of tension he had reached, he tried to relax his shoulders and lighten up. It wasn’t every day he stood beside the woman of his childhood dreams. Subconsciously, he patted her hand that held onto his arm. This was his way of saying ‘you can let go if you want to’, and her response? She refused to do so. A comforting action on her part. Turning his head toward her, but keeping his body facing the beach, he broke the ice by apologizing, “Sorry about that.” A far more genuine apology than what he had given at the bar. Something he felt was more justified than his stunt to assist adults with their own burdensome and toxic damage.

He gave a gentle smile, which contrasted the storm in his gaze that emitted only emotional indifference. Shifting gears, choosing to focus on the present and not the unsettling feelings he felt, he buried any loving empathy he had deep inside him to protect himself from his classmates and from her. A precaution he felt inclined to take, just in case this conversation turned sour. As past events have proven, he wasn’t the luckiest guy in the world. “My baggage from our school days seems to have caught up with me.” If there was anything he had control over, it was how he handled this moment with his highschool crush — regardless of the direction it may go.

“Don’t apologize,” Amanda told him sternly, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder and shaking her head. “It’s not your fault some people keep living in denial and refuse to understand individuals can change in a decade. It reminds me of why I left in the first place, and why I would never consider coming back.”

Raising an eyebrow to her response, pleasantly surprised how understanding she was, since really, all his ideas of her were solely based on him watching her from a distance, Gray chuckled out loud (mostly to himself than at what she said), “I feel that. Where are you now, anyways? I’m in Chicago, working for the P.D.” Tired of talking about those at the bar, the charming and easily misunderstood detective diverted things toward common reunion topics, like work. Simple chit-chat to know Amanda better.

The mention of his career choice and his new home state definitely peaked Amanda’s interest, and it showed on the way she raised a curious eyebrow. From what she remembered of Grayson Chambers, he was the quiet, introverted kid that hung out with Jace and the other King’s Men. With that in mind, it was surprising that he’d chosen such a community-centered profession. Then again, it was always gentle souls like that who were the best people to look after others.

“A cop, huh? You’re one of my allies, then,” she told him with a small smile. “I’m an assistant district attorney in Manhattan. Homicide. You pick up the perps, I put them behind bars. Best partnership out there, if you ask me.”

Taking a sip of his whiskey as she answered his question, he carefully watched her in silence, studying her small gestures, cute mannerisms, and smile. Still enthralling as ever and still something he would never deserve. At least, she was intrigued by him. This was good. Better than good. This was great. “Homicide? Looks like we got another thing in common. That’s my unit.” The conversation was flowing better than he expected. Never in his twenty seven years would he have seen Amanda Woodall-Cross and himself talking about how similar they were. “And, I don’t just arrest, I help bring forth indictments and convictions to the criminal proceedings. So yeah, I’d be a great partner to you.” He teasingly admitted, even giving a playful wink for extra measure.

“Really now? With credentials like that, I bet you would,” came Amanda’s reply in the same playful manner, followed by her suggestively wiggling her eyebrows at him before letting out an amused chuckle and briefly resting her head against his shoulder.

He didn’t immediately say anything in response. When was the last time he had a woman this close to him that wasn’t family? Let alone AMANDA? He never had her at arm's reach before this day. In contemplative silence, getting the hint but not wanting it to get to his head, he took another long swig of his drink, before clearing his throat, “Maybe later, I can show you exactly what I can do.”

Oh man.

He said it.

With courage of being a grown ass man, he finally made his attraction known and he wasn’t fucking it up.

There was no denying the way Amanda’s lips curled up into a smile at his suggestive words. A moment of silence transpired between them, in which Amanda and Grayson simply stood staring at each other: hazel eyes on hazel eyes, as if measuring each other up. It was a common and disappointing practice for the young woman to make the first move whenever she was interested in someone. To finally find a man with the guts to approach her- and so smoothly, at that- truly was refreshing… And an opportunity she wouldn’t pass up.

“I think that can be arranged…” she cooed softly, closing the distance between them by throwing her arms around his neck and never once breaking eye contact with Grayson.

While his nerves were going just the slightest bit crazy, Jace managed to make his way over to where Grayson and Amanda stood. Perhaps it wasn’t the best choice. While Grayson had offered a cease fire - for lack of a better term - Jace still wasn’t completely sure of how to go about talking to the guy. Amanda had never liked being interrupted. With his fingers metaphorically crossed, Jace took his chance.

Coming to a stop, a few feet away from them, it took a second to realize what was going on. Were Amanda and Grayson flirting? Was she really giving that creep her puppy dog eyes?

Dude. Chill. It’s been ten years. She probably forgot all about you. Grayson’s changed too. You all have. Grow a fucking pair.

Taking a deep breath and shoving any angry thought that he currently had out of his mind, he took his chance to speak.

“Hey guys. Mind if I join you?”

The sudden interruption pulled Grayson out of the trance that the class president had him in, and without changing any distance between him and his future quest, he brought his attention to, of course, her ex. Jace couldn’t let him have this moment with her. Not even three minutes, and he was already up her ass. He should’ve expected it. It felt like highschool all over again where he rarely had an opportunity to even approach Amanda because Jace had his tongue deep down her throat. But this time, Grayson had the advantage.

Yet, internally, he reprimanded himself for such childish thoughts. They were past this. No one had claim over Amanda. She could do whatever and whoever she wanted. He needed to be the better man and keep things civil. Not for her, not for Jace, but for himself. He had enough problems at this reunion.

After inhaling and exhaling, he calmly responded, “Yeah, sure man. We were just talking about how our jobs align. She with criminal justice, and me, law enforcement.”

The playfulness in Amanda’s expression vanished the second her ex-boyfriend’s face came into view, replaced with an overwhelming amount of bitterness laced with (dare she say it?) satisfaction. A decade previously, the perfect relationship she and Jace had shared for over a year had come to an end. He liked to say it was a mutual understanding, but the blonde didn't see it that way. The second Amanda had told Jace of her decision to follow her dreams to Cambridge, Massachusetts, he'd been quick to call it quits with the excuse of 'not wanting to hold her back'. This, of course, didn't sit well with her. She was of the belief that as long as two people really cared about each other, distance wouldn't be an obstacle for their love. Obviously, Jace seemed to disagree. And as petty as it sounded, it was nice to see her ex knew deep in his heart that setting her free to be in the arms of another man had been one of the biggest mistakes of his life.

“Will you look at that? Ten years later, and he’s still every bit as territorial as I remembered,” Amanda drawled, her scowl digging right into his soul. “What’s the matter, Jace? Can’t fathom to see me flirt with someone else?”

“I was honestly just looking for conversation, but okay. Don’t know why the sudden bitchiness, but if you’d rather me leave, I’d be more than happy to oblige, Your Highness.”

Jace really was puzzled. While there was a bit of an ulterior motive, was it so wrong of him to try and join the conversation? Amanda had organized a class reunion. Did she expect old friends and enemies to spend three days in the same place and not socialize?

The blonde couldn’t help but scoff and shake her head in disbelief. If there was anybody at this reunion that knew Amanda inside and out, it was Jace. The man knew all about her quirks, her likes, her dislikes, the things that made her smile, the things that made her happy, or sad, or mad… So why was he actively choosing to push all the wrong buttons already?

“Excuse me?” she heard herself sharply saying, raising a challenging eyebrow in her ex-boyfriend’s direction while crossing her arms in front of her chest. It took all of her self-control to not go off on him with every bit of the venom her words could carry.

Okay.

Separating himself from Amanda now, Grayson looked between the two and came to terms that there were unresolved issues that needed to be discussed. He was trying to have a little fun, she played along, and it led to a Mexican standoff. “Do you guys need a minute?” Getting in Amanda’s underwear was not this pressing and he was fine with keeping it a fantasy if it meant these two didn’t kill each other.

He didn’t think he overstepped boundaries, but maybe he did. This reunion made him feel like around these individuals, faces of his past, he was not as smart as he thought he was — but in Chicago? Away from ALL this? He was at peace. And, he was well liked, making sacrifices and paying a price for his job, his family, and his mental health. No one knows how hard anyone has it, and they shouldn’t assume. Yet, like the days he was bullied by his father and those at school, he felt like by the end of the night he’d be ostracized and have no reason to stay.

Thirty seconds in to this conversation and Jace was already done. Amanda would yell and tell him that he was being childish. (It was one of her favorite go to’s.) Jace didn’t feel like he was being childish though. Maybe he should say everything that was on his mind, but how would that go? Would him and Grayson fight? Would Amanda laugh? Would there be rainbows and unicorns? He took another deep breath, allowing him to stop gritting his teeth.

“I don’t have time for whatever game that you’re already trying to play. Sorry I interrupted your foreplay. Grayson acted like he wanted to talk. I feel like me and you have some catching up to do. I figured two birds, one stone. Yada yada. But no: I get over here and you guys are halfway to Fuckville.”

That was uncalled-for. Not giving Amanda a chance to speak, even going out of his way to lift his hand to stop her, knowing she probably had choice words prepared, Grayson shook his head in aggravation, “You do have time if you went out of your way to interrupt us. I don’t care what you say to me, but don’t put your insecurities on her because you chose to let go of a good thing. If you have shit the say, say it. Stop acting like a child because you’re not. At least not the Jace I know.”

“That’s because the Jace you know was always too busy being balls deep in your fucking high school crush, dude. Wanna know what I have to say? Fine. First off, fuck you. You were always creepy. I’d bet money you had a freaking shrine built to her in your basement. If you’ve actually changed, I’m sorry, and we’ll deal with that later. I didn’t let go of any fucking thing. In the end it was a mutual understanding that long distance would be hard. I was destined to stay in Palms. Manda was going to inherit an empire. She was first in our class and you think I was honestly going to hold her back?” He looked at Amanda. “I’m sure you see it that way too though, right? All of the ‘why aren’t you fighting for me’ bullshit? I was too busy fighting myself trying to do what I thought was best for you to even be able to fight for you, Amanda. And while we’re busy getting it all out in the open… I still love your dumb ass. There. I said it. Is that the Jace you remember?”

“Glad you got that off your chest.” Turning to Amanda, he decided it was his time to dismiss himself. Grayson gave her a smile, “Thank you for showing me kindness tonight. I’m sure we’ll catch up later.” Taking a step toward Jace, who looked like he wanted to punch him in the face, Gray sighed and touched his shoulder, forfeiting fighting for the night and trying to show people that he was a changed man. “You too.” After he said his piece, he left his past behind him. His highschool crush and the guy she undoubtedly still loved. His grip tightened around his whiskey glass.

Maybe he shouldn’t have come. Maybe he was in over his head. Maybe… he was just unlucky. If there was anyone he wanted to see right now, it was his daughter. His shining light. His princess. His world.

Fuck this reunion.

The speechless, helpless Amanda watched the situation between the two men escalate from a spark to a raging wildfire. While Grayson had chosen to bravely stand up for her and tell Jace the blunt truths to his face, her ex-boyfriend had gone straight for the jugular like a saber tooth tiger. The words directed at his old friend had been sharp and cruel, clearly meant to hit where it hurts most. Then he brought up the supposed reason behind their breakup: using the same cowardly, age-old excuse of not wanting to hold her back and acting on her best interests instead. And to top it all off, there was the loud admission that his love for her had withstood the test of time, done at the worst possible time.

By the time the defeated Grayson left, furious, outraged tears were rolling down her cheeks. She didn’t know when it was that she did it, but the next thing she knew, the arm of the red-sighted Amanda was swinging backwards, then forwards, and eventually felt her open palm connecting hard and loudly with the right side of Jace’s face.

“Have you lost your fucking mind?!” she said through gritted teeth for the second time that night, afraid that if she spoke any louder she’d follow the devil in her shoulder and start yelling and punching him. “When did you turn into such a heartless monster? Because the Jace I knew ten years ago might have been a smartass at times, but he would never say such cruel things to anyone.”

The slap stung potentially worse than anything Amanda could have said.

“Cruel?” he questioned her. “I wasn’t trying to be cruel. I was being brutally honest. I didn’t mean to drive off your new friend. I really did want a conversation. But then you started attacking me. I hadn’t even said anything yet!”

"Why the fuck are you blaming me for your shitty actions?!" Amanda retorted, the fury she was feeling very obvious in her raised tone of voice and the increased use of profanity. "That little jab I took at you didn't warrant you starting this whole thing by calling me a bitch, much less to go after Grayson like that! The truth of the matter is you're acting like a fucking asshole, Sebastain Russo: and that's nobody's fault but your own. Stop using me as an excuse for your appalling behavior!"

Jace sighed in resignation. “Jesus Christ, Amanda. I don’t even know why I came over here in the first place anymore. I felt like maybe I needed to look out for you. I don’t know. You’re a grown woman. Maybe it’s just best if I go back to the bar, get drunk, and pack my things. I know you always thought me and Gray were friends because we were both part of the glorious ‘King's Men’, but that wasn’t the case.”

“It doesn’t matter what I did or didn’t think! You’re behaving like an immature, bitter, childish bastard. Then again, it looks like not much has changed about you in the last ten years if that’s the case.”

Jace held up his right hand, a slight silent laugh escaping his lips. “I’m going to try and enjoy the rest of the reunion now. I hope you do the same,” he said, turning and walking away. He didn’t owe her any explanation, did he? Yeah, she had been aggressive at first, but he really was the one who overreacted.

Oh, well. Time to get black-out drunk.

"Oh yeah? Well I hope you fall into the pool and drown!" Amanda yelled at his retreating figure, grabbing a fistful of sand from the floor and angrily flinging it at his head. Jace knew how much she hated not having the last word in an argument, and how much it angered her when he walked away from her when she wasn’t done speaking. So, of course, the petty son of a bitch would use that against her. What a- "Fucking asshole!"

“I’m not that fucking lucky!”