Dude! She's A Freaking Ninja!

As expected, Mom loved Jace the moment she saw her. I even thought she loved her more than me. And Jace was obviously and totally amazed by her, even if she tried to hide it.

"This was the first time Tolkien brought a girl home except for Elli," Mom excitedly said as she beamed at Jace. "You are so pretty."

"Uh," Jace obviously wasn't used to compliments. She kept bouncing her left knee. "Thanks?"

"Mom, stop gawking at her." I tried to push her face away from Jace. "You're making her uncomfortable."

Mom rolled her eyes at me and leaned back. "And now he's being possessive."

I groaned and ran my hand through my hair in frustration. "Don't mind her," I told Jace. "Just ignore everything she's saying. They're all lies."

Mom smacked me over the head. "You don't talk about your mother like that."

I just sighed and looked at Jace. My breath caught when I saw a ghost of a smile on her face that vanished as fast as I saw it.

"So you'll be starting your class tomorrow at Carlston High?" Mom broke me off of my reverie and I shook my head to clear it.

"Yeah. Aeron and Elli would be helping me tomorrow," Jace answered while watching her cook.

"How old are you again?"Mom asked.

"I'll be turning eighteen this November."

"Are you planning to go home on your birthday?" Mom opened the fridge and rummaged through it as Jace stopped bouncing her knee.

She stiffened and her face went blank. "No," Jace answered quietly. "I don't usually celebrate my birthday."

"What?" Mom and I said simultaneously.

"But it's your eighteenth birthday," I said, trying to make her talk about her reason behind it."Who doesn't celebrate their birthdays?"

"Me," Jace deadpanned.

I knew it won't work. But still.

"She's right, Tolkien," Mom raised a brow at me, warning me to not offend our guest. She turned to Jace immediately and smiled at her warmly. "You can just relax in the living room and watch TV. Tolkien will help me prepare dinner."

"Okay." Jace hopped off the stool and went out.

I waited until she was out the kitchen door before turning to Mom with a raised brow. I already knew why she sent Jace out. Hopefully, the latter wouldn't think something bad about it.

"What is it?" I asked Mom.

"She seemed troubled." Now you knew where I inherited my being observant. And I was actually relieved to hear the word "troubled" and not "trouble."

"I don't exactly know what's happening ," I admitted. I just told her when I called earlier that Aeron's cousin needed a place to stay for a while. "I'm still trying to make her trust me."

Mom stared at me with a small smile and pinched my cheeks. "Aww, my little Tolky is falling in love."

"Mom," I pushed off her hands and rubbed my cheeks. "I'm not in love with her." Why does everyone think that? Seriously.

"But you like her," she was grinning at me knowingly. "And I like her too. I want her as a daughter-in law."

"Mom!" I groaned out loud and face-palmed myself. My ears felt hot from embarrassment.

"What?" Mom looked at me innocently. "At least you know I approved. Your dad will definitely like her too."

I shook my head and stood up. "I'm outta here." I walked out of the kitchen, feeling frustrated and my ears still hot.

"Watch her at school! Someone might steal her away from you and I will disown you!" Mom yelled before me and I grimaced when I saw Jace sitting on the couch. She was watching the news, but with that smirk on her face, she obviously heard what Mom yelled after me.

"Sorry about that," I muttered as I took a seat on the other end of the couch. "She was just kidding."

What mother would think of her own son falling in love with a runaway and approving it? Right guess, my Mom. Uh, but wait, I swear I'm not in love with Jace. Well, at least, not yet.

Sigh.

"Your mom's cool," Jace said.

"I know, but she's annoying from time to time." I grinned at her but she was staring at the TV. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Depends on what kind of question," she looked at me and lifted an eyebrow.

"It's not personal, I promise." I even held up my right hand for emphasis.

She stared at me for about ten seconds more before nodding her head.

I let out the breath I didn't know I was holding. I met her gaze and my heart made an erratic beat. "Do you think you can trust me?"

Jace looked taken aback. She opened her mouth to say something but she closed it again and sighed.

"I guess that means no," I said trying hard to hide my disappointment. "I understand, Jace." I was lying actually. I didn't really understand why it was that hard for her to even talk to me, and much more, trust me. I wasn't a bad person. She even said I was a nice guy. So why the hell she—

"I told you you're a nice guy, Summers," Jace said, breaking me out of my thoughts, as she gazed at me. "And I don't usually tell that to people I had just met. I have trust issues, I'm sure the twins already told you that." She sighed again and tapped her foot on the floor.

I was surprised to hear her actually having a conversation with me. Though she looked uncomfortable, I could tell that this talk was also hard for her and she wasn't used to it. And I wanted her to at least be at ease with me. I wanted her to be as comfortable with me as she did with the twins. I wanted so badly to earn her trust.

"I wasn't comfortable with you around at first," Jace continued staring ahead. Her tapping stopped too and I took that as a good sign. "But as I get to know you better, I thought you're not that bad. And telling you that personally actually meant that I trust you enough to voice out my thoughts." She took a deep breath and finally looked at me. "And you're funny too. Though you really are slow at times."

I laughed feeling relieved. I suddenly felt a thousand times better. And I felt the urge to hug her.

And I did so.

I heard her gasp in surprise. And found myself on the floor afterwards.

"Sh*t! I'm so sorry!" She cried as she kneeled down on the floor next to me.

"Ow," I winced as I tried to get up and she helped me back on the couch. "What was that for?" I was shocked that she was capable of throwing me on the floor.

"I'm sorry." She looked guilty and worried. "It was just my reflex. I'm so sorry."

Despite of my back hurting, I grinned at the look on her face. She was actually worried. She was definitely not that cold when I first met her. In just one night she showed me different emotions I never thought she would show. Especially to me.

"I'm fine, Jace," I assured her and gave her a toothy smile. She closed her eyes and breathe out in relief. When she opened her eyes her smirk was back.

"You're not that heavy," she said.

"And you're back," I said sourly. "It's like the twins fusioned and you're the outcome."

Jace grinned at me. "You watched Dragonball?"

I shrugged. "I have no choice. The twins loved Japanese anime when we were young. And those were the things we watched."

"Who would have thought?" She looked at me with amusement and nudged me with her elbow. "Actually I didn't believe the twins when they told me about you."

I froze. "What?"

"The twins talked about you a lot whenever we Skyped or chat. I already knew some things about you."

I rolled my eyes at her. "I'm pretty sure they told you a lot of bullshit about me."

"Like you threw up when they made you watch Evangelion?"

I groaned out loud. "They promised they won't tell anyone!"

Jace laughed. And I stared at her. I didn't know a laugh could sound melodious like that. Her laugh was contagious. It was the first time I saw her laugh and I actually felt good that she laughed because of me.

And I promised myself to make her laugh more. Even if it would humiliate me.

~~•~~•

"How was your night?" Elli asked the moment Jace and I hopped in the backseat of the twins' truck.

"Eventful," I said drily.

I grimaced when I remembered my mom's stories about my childhood last night. And the girl beside me had the audacity to ask for some pictures of yours truly after dinner.

"He was a cute poop covered by tissue papers," Jace said while smirking.

The twins' laughed as I scowled at them. "I was a mummy," I grumbled.

"I remembered that one," Aeron said still snickering.

But I could tell the twins were trying to act as if nothing happened yesterday. Though the bags under their eyes told otherwise.

Aeron parked the truck on his usual spot in the school's lot and turned to Jace. "Elli would take care of everything you have to arrange in the principal's office."

"Sure." Jace got out of the car and we followed suit. Everyone were looking at her with interest and curiousity as she walked in with Elli. She didn't seem to mind the attention or she was just good at ignoring everyone else.

Aeron and I decided to stay longer beside his truck and waved at our other friends under the big oak tree some meters away from us.

"How was she?" Aeron asked.

"She's fine," I assured him as I leaned on his truck and crossed my arms. "I think I can now officially say that we're friends."

Aeron's brow lifted. "How so?"

I told him what Jace told me last night. He looked relieved and amused.

"And dude, she's a freaking ninja!" I went on about how she threw me on the floor and he just laughed.

"Dude, seriously?" He clutched his stomach while laughing. "She threw you on the floor when you're twice her size!" He continued to guffaw. He found my humiliation really funny. What a great friend. And him and Jace were truly related, I could tell.

"Will you stop laughing?" I smacked him on the head and he stopped immediately. "You owe me, remember?" I hate to guilt-trip him but in order to keep him on his toes I had to do that. Plus I was itching for some info about "the talk."

"So," I said expectantly. "How was the talk with the 'rents?"

Aeron's face dropped. He leaned on his car beside me and puts his hands in his pockets. "We had a terrible fight with Mom."

"Oh," was all I said in surprise.

"Dad was okay with Jace staying in the house, but mom was hysterical and totally against it. Elli told her that we've been in contact with Jace for a year now. And she started yelling about betraying her trust and all." He rubbed his face in frustration.

"She didn't want anything concerning Jace," he continued. "And she even forbids us to see her."

"No offense dude, but I think your mom was overreacting," I said carefully. Then added, "or there's a reason she, uh, doesn't like her that much. Maybe it has something to do with her father."

"I don't really know, dude. Mom was tight lipped about it. Thanks for taking care of Jace by the way."

"It's cool," I said. "Mom loves her. I think she was planning to adopt her." Note the sarcasm.

"That would make you siblings." His face contorted in disgust and even shuddered. "That would be gross, considering you like her."

"Shut up." I shoved him and walked towards the doors of the school when I heard the bell rang.

Aeron fell in steps beside me and gave me a nudge. "I think she likes you too. She warmed up with you that fast. It took us a couple of months for her to loosen up with us."

I couldn't help the wide grin that spread my face. "Really?"

"Actually, no." He shoved me and walked off.

Why am I friends with him again?