Questions Equals Explanations

I love you guys!

I got another cover! *squeals*

This one from ash_ford. Thank you! It's fabulous! 😘😘😘

**~**

I left the door open! Even so, who even told him he can just walk in unannounced?

"Arthur-"

"Do your parents know he's here?" He cuts me off, pointing at John. He looks like he wants to set the place on fire.

"No, but-"

"Good." He turns his back on me, obviously about to go rat out John to my parents. He must be crazy.

"Arthur Kingsley there will be no snitching in this house," I whisper shout at him.

He turns and narrows his eyes at me. "You can't tell me what to do." There's a small dose of doubt in his voice. That's all I need.

I glare in response, putting on my 'no nonsense' face and placing my hands on my hips. I stare him down until he's almost given in. "Come here," I demand, pointing at the spot in front of me.

He lets out a loud sigh, his shoulders slouching, and makes his way over, muttering under his breath. He sends a glare John's way as he passes, not even trying to be subtle about it. When he stops in front of me, his hands nudge mine out of the way to rest on my hips.

"Could you quit being a caveman for one minute?" I retort.

"No." He punctuates this by pulling me into him.

I press my hand against his chest. "And don't turn your back on me when I'm talking to you." His eyes go to the ceiling. For some reason, the action gets under my skin. "I'm serious, I don't like when you do that."

His hard expression softens at that and he drops his head. "I'm sorry," he says softly.

"Relax man, Grace and I are friends," John says tiredly from the kitchen island. I almost forgot he was here.

Arthur obviously did, because his body tenses at the reminder. "Did I ask you?" he snaps over his shoulder. He pulls away to lean against the counter next to me, then pulls me against him.

"What the hell is your pro-"

I push myself away from Arthur to glance between them. "I'm gonna say this once. Y'all aren't about to fight in this house. Stop acting like children." If they're gonna be acting like this, people are getting kicked out, it's that simple.

"Sorry," they both mumble.

"Now back to the topic." I turn to John again. "I don't think I can keep doing this with her. If she doesn't trust your words or mine..." I shrug, not knowing how to even finish that. Their problems go deeper than I can fix.

The microwave goes off.

"I know." John leans his head in his hands. I can tell he's hurting. All this time, he's been trying to get her to trust him and that's gotta be hard.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Arthur still glaring at John with his arms crossed. I'm sure he's keeping his mouth shut through all of this because he has nothing nice to say.

John lifts his head while running his hands down his face. His eyes are red now. "Maybe it's just not meant to be, y'know? It's not gonna work out." He looks so defeated after the revelation, that I pause.

I know how much he likes Sarah. He probably even loves her. "John, you don't have to-"

My parents walk into the kitchen and stop. It takes a moment for them to really process what they're seeing.

It's my dad who speaks first. "What are you doing in my house?" It's more of a threat than a question. He clenches and unclenches his fists, causing his muscles to flex all over, his face blank. Mom is... not happy.

John jumps out of his seat quite literally, rounding the island so fast I have to blink a few times.

Arthur smiles. It's a sadistic look. As if he's been waiting for this, manifesting it even, and I'm not surprised. I give him a look, smacking his side. He smiles even wider, taking my hands and pulling me into his side gently.

He's all giddy now, but he's just lucky I didn't tell my parents what he did to me back in the day. He would've been dead.

"Mr. and Mrs. Kingston- hi!" John's voice is high-pitched and cracks on his greeting.

"I think you have the wrong house, kid," Dad says, his voice dangerously low. He catches my eyes and he turns on me slowly. I gulp and give him a forced smile. "You," he growls.

I press a finger to my chest in question, burrowing deeper into Arthur's side.

"What's he doing in my house?" He begins taking slow steps around the island, toward John but his eyes are still on me. John shuffles backward. Mom latches onto Dad's bulging bicep.

"He needed a friend?" I say sheepishly, cringing.

"He ain't ever heard 'bout Jesus?" Dad shouts, finally losing it. It's like one of those cartoons when someone gets so mad that their head explodes. I flinch, clutching onto Arthur's shirt. John reacts the same way only he doesn't have anyone to hold. Sucks to be him right now.  "You believe in God, boy?" Dad snaps at John, fixing him with a hard glare.

John, out of fear, nods vigorously. "Y-Yes sir." I almost coo at that because he actually doesn't. He's an atheist.

Finally, Mom decides this is a good time to defuse the situation and wraps one arm around my dad, the other rubbing his chest soothingly. "Daddy, calm down. You're scaring the baby." She takes his hand and places it on the side of her protruding stomach. I guess the baby's kicking. "Let the kids handle it." She pulls him toward the exit and Dad follows on stiff legs.

Only, halfway there he stops, looks over his shoulder at John, and says, "You better get the fuck outta my house."

Followed by my mom's, "I still don't like you."

Then they leave. Their footsteps are faint as they ascend the stairs, but my dad's curses and disdain toward John aren't. I hardly hear what my mom is saying to calm him down.

I let out a long relieved sigh as their bedroom door slams shut.

"That went better than I thought it would," I say into the tense silence. I took a huge chance when I invited John into the house. He'll make it out alive and that's all that matters. He should love my mother.

Speaking of John...

He's frozen in place, panic and fear still etched into his features as he grips the counter tightly in both hands. I call his name hesitantly but he doesn't reply.

That's all it takes for Arthur to bust out laughing. He holds me tightly and buries his face in my shoulder as he laughs. He's so loud, I'm sure even his mom can probably hear from next door.

Eventually, John releases a shaky breath. It's truly a traumatizing experience for him. But he's alive!

"I-I'm just gonna... I'll see you later." He says the words quickly, syllables tripping all over the place as does his feet when he scurries to the exit.

I bite my lip as Arthur laughs even harder.

"Ahh." Arthur sighs as he leans away, wiping tears from his face. "I should've told them sooner."

"You're horrible." I shake my head at him, holding back my own laughter.

He sees this and starts laughing again. I roll my eyes, a smile slipping onto my face even though I swat his arm away to get my food.

**~**

My friends are sitting on the edge of the fountain when I push through the double doors on the second floor. I prepare myself mentally for what's about to hit me. I've been preparing since last night but still.

Kim is the first to start talking when I stop in front of them. "First of all, I want to apologize for my snapping at you over the phone." I blink, not expecting that. "But you have to understand that you are one of my closest friends and I care about your well-being. So when I see you not taking care of yourself it makes me very upset but that doesn't mean I should snap at you." By the time she's finished, I'm staring with my mouth open.

My mouth opens and closes a few times before I can answer. "Yeah, of course. I understand." Kim never apologizes. At all. Never ever. Especially when she thinks she's right, which is ninety-nine percent of the time. In this case, she was, and that makes this even more shocking.

"Now, it's time for the deep shit. What," she pauses, shoving her phone in my face, "the fuck is this?"

I take the phone from her, frowning when I make out what I'm looking at. There's a collage of pictures of me with Arthur over the weekend. One when we crashed that party, at Pizza Hut, another of him holding me close on the sidewalk. What the...

Above it, is the caption:

"What's up with Grace and Arthur? Should we be expecting a Mr. and Mrs. Kingsley soon?"

I'm literally seventeen are these people nuts?

The thought of someone from this school following us to take these pictures for their drama blog on Twitter is really disturbing. But I have to say, I do look good in these pictures. Not one bad angle. I want to doubt that they actually followed us though. A few people probably took the pictures and sent them in.

I stare at the collage a little longer than I should. We look really nice together.

"You guys are all over social media."

My friends are staring at me, all of them enjoying this too much.

I hand Kim her phone, shaking my head. "It's not that big a deal." They all groan. Kim even throws her hands up. "It's not! We're not... you know, dating or anything. We hung out."

"Yeah, sure, whatever," Richard says, waving me off.

"And I thought you said you don't party during the school year," Maya teases.

I open my mouth to tell her what actually happened, but there he is. Arthur's across the hall, leaning against the wall, talking, and laughing with his friends. His eyes snap to mine and he smirks, sending me a wink that makes my insides melt.

I give him a sarcastic grin to hide my smile and flip him off. its not something I do. He brings out the rudeness in me.

Arthur knows this because he finds the action hilarious. His laugh is so spontaneous and loud that his friends give him a weird look before glancing around. One of them spots me as I drop my hand and gestures in my direction. I turn back to my friends.

"Y'all piss me off," Kim says, wagging her finger at me.

"What?" I ask, appalled.

She narrows her eyes, but it's Amelia who answers. "Well, it's obvious that you guys are into each other. Everyone in this school can see it."

"Oh." I nod, then stop. "Wait, no, we're not."

Again, they all groan, "Shut up, Grace."

"Rude!" I gasp. I let out a huff, holding the pant legs of my jumper and pulling them outward in hopes of getting rid of my wedgie. "Stupid stairs," I mutter.

"Need some help?" Arthur places his large hands over mine. I freeze. "Hey," he greets my friends, getting heys and waves in return. His lips are at my ear when he says again, "Hey."

I tilt my head back a little to catch his gaze. I'm supposed to say something, but forget. He's so close and he's smiling.

When he sees that I won't be forming sentences, his thumbs brush the back of my hands before he steps back. He nods at me once and it's the most attractive thing ever.

John joins our group as Arthur's leaving and the latter takes advantage of this.

"You good, man?" Arthur teases with an overbearing grin.

John flips him off and says simply, "Fuck off, Kingsley."

Arthur laughs at him before sending me a knowing grin. I pull my burgundy-colored lips into my mouth to hide my amusement. I fail.

"It's not funny, Grace!" John calls me out.

I nod, wiping all traces of humor away. "Not funny." Arthur, who's walking away, hears this and starts laughing again. John shakes his head at my smile. It's not my fault. Arthur has a contagious laugh.

"You guys are perfect for each other," John murmurs.

"We missing something?" AJ asks, looking between us.

"John came over yesterday," is all I need to say.

They stare at him. This goes on for about five seconds before everyone is on the floor laughing. They all know my dad's dislike for John is stronger than a tsunami. John can't even come to our movie nights slash sleepovers because he's scared my father will slit his throat in his sleep, or my mother poisoning his breakfast in the morning.

After a little while, they've all somewhat gathered themselves, Kim and Richard get off the floor, straightening their clothes and wiping tears from their eyes.

"I don't see any bruises," Amelia teases, looking over John from head to toe with a hand on his shoulder.

"How'd it go?" Richard asks with a wide grin.

"Let's just say," I place a hand on my chest, "John is now a believer of God."

"Aww." Amelia coos, feeling for the poor fellow as the rest of them fall out once again. And I do mean the, hold your stomach, slap your knee, kinda laugh.

"What's so funny?"

My good mood is short-lived at Sarah's voice. Even a few others sober up, awkwardness seeping into the air. Sarah's insecurity isn't a secret among us. She doesn't hide it very well sometimes.

Kim, still laughing and unaware of the situation, says, "John went over to Grace's house a-" As if now realizing who she's talking to, she finishes with a muttered, "Oh shit."

"What were you doing at her house?" Sarah asks, her voice hard.

Apparently, my name is her now. I let out a sigh. I'm so tired of this chick. She's nice enough on a regular day, and of course we've had conversations about her, but I really think she sticks around us to make sure John and I aren't too close.

John tries to diffuse the situation. "It's not that serious-"

"Oh, okay," she cuts him off, unconvinced.

Everything is still. The air is tense and everyone's looking around awkwardly.

Amelia stands between her boyfriend's legs, playing with his hair, staring at me with an apologetic look. Richard holds his girlfriend close, his eyes bouncing between the three of us as if waiting for one of us to pounce. AJ grips Kimberly by her hips, a blank look on his face, while Kim is busy munching on a bag of chips with sharp eyes. Maya's fidgets with her nails, and John...

Well, John's stressing out, running his hands through his hair and down his face. I really feel sorry for the guy. Maybe he should just end it with her. I really don't want to be the one to say it.

"Grace!"

I jump at the sound of my name.

Arthur's somehow still in the vicinity. He sits on a random desk in the far corner of the open hall, waving me over. I'm still wondering why he's still here when a girl walks up to him and places a hand on his arm. He immediately looks down at her, a weird look on his face. He says something to her and she does a double-take, dropping her hand.

He's back to waving me over again, clearly dismissing her.

"I'll be right back," I say slowly, clueless as to what's happening. I'm grateful that he got me away from that awkward event though.

"What's up?" I ask as I get closer to him.

Arthur plants his feet firmly on the ground, leaning on the edge of the desk now. "You look good." He places his hands on my sides, running them up and down as his eyes do the same. I'm not wearing anything special; a burgundy jumper and some white sandals. Mom did my nails the same color last night too.

I cheese, shrugging in a 'yeah, I know' way. "Thank you. No, but really, what's up?" I raise my eyebrows at him.

He shrugs. "You looked uncomfortable, so I called you over. And I did want to tell you that you look good so..." My heart is melting. "What's up with you guys? Why so tense?" He says, rocking me from side to side playfully.

I throw my head back with a smile. He stops not long after and the thought of what I'm about to tell him dampens my mood.

"Sarah thinks that John and I have a secret 'relationship'." Pausing, before adding, "Again. Or I think she's scared we might still have feelings for each other or something."

Arthur's eyebrows furrowed, a frown forming on his face. He looks over my shoulder. "What, that blonde bitch?" He asks, staring right at her.

I grab his face in my hands and focus his gaze back on me. "Oh my God!" I gasp. "Why would you do that!" I whisper shout."Or say that? Don't call her that!"

His eyebrows raise. "Grace, the only women who scare me are moms and you," he explains. "I can tell her to back up if you want."

I shake my head frantically. "No thanks. Why are you so sassy? Geez."

"I can't help it. My mom said I got it from my dad. I think it's true. I've never won an argument with that man in my life." He shakes his head.

"Him and my dad would probably get along." I pause to think about it when something else dawns on me. "Maybe that's why you and my parents do."

He chuckles. "Yeah, probably." He takes my left hand in his. "I never told you that I like this, but I do." He says, running his thumb over the back of my hand, my tattoo. His thumb nudges the ring on my middle finger and he smiles.

"Thanks. I have to get to class. So... I'll probably see you later?" It comes out sounding like a question because I do want to see him but I don't want to be 'clingy', as they call it.

"You will." He presses my fingers to his lips. "Besides we have classes together."

"A class. Trigonometry."

His eyebrows furrow in thought. "What about Gym?"

"Actually," I drawl, "I don't have Gym. I go there because Kim wants company and the teachers never kick me out. But I'm not going anymore. She's gonna kill me."

"So... you mean to tell me... you've been going to Gym class, when you don't have Gym class?"

I nod.

"How?"

"I have three study sems."

"Luckyyy," he drawls on a groan, making me giggle.

"Sorry, big boy." I pat his cheek softly before dropping my hand. "I'll see you." I try to step back but he pulls me closer. Our bodies are perfectly lined and my thigh is snug between his legs. This guy...

"Can I touch your butt before you leave?" he asks softly.

The back of my neck goes hot. "Seriously, Arthur? When do you ever ask?" I rest my hands on his biceps.

"I'll take that as a yes." He rests his hands on my butt a bit too enthusiastically. "You know that bitch doesn't like you because you're sexy as fuck, right?"

My lashes flutter at the drastic change in language. "What- who?"

"Sardine."

I gape at him, my hands tightening on his bicep. "Her name is Sarah," I whisper harshly. "And what do you mean she doesn't like me?" It's not like I haven't had the thought a few times, but hearing it put a bad taste in my mouth.

"Babe, I think everyone sees that she doesn't like you. All those envious stares - like the one you're getting now. The dirty looks- I mean, I've never seen a person so bitter. She hates what you have and now she thinks you want her boyfriend."

I've seen the looks but I brushed them off because I always knew she had a problem sometimes when I was around even though she's a new addition to my friend group. I also knew that my friends knew. I wasn't going to confront her about it because I knew John liked her and on top of that, I hate drama. I wasn't going to stir up something as big as that.

I lift my gaze from the neckline of his shirt to his eyes, sighing. "I know," I whisper. "I always tried to... turn the other cheek. John really cares about her and I'm not going to ruin it for him, but I think he's starting to realize what's happening now. How serious it is."

"You know what I say?" He lowers his head so we're on the same level. "John can go fuck himself. I wanna see you drop her on her head."

I let out a loud laugh and have to bite my lip to stifle it. "That's not nice." But I'm smiling all the same.

"She means absolute shit to me, baby. If someone doesn't like you, they automatically sign up to my 'fuck you' list." The words are so sure and mean, but they make me like him even more.

"You have a list?" I tilt my head, humoring him.

"I do. And you have five minutes before the bell rings, so get to class." He slaps my butt lightly and straightens, smirking at me.

"What about you?"

He lifts a hand and points behind me. Behind me, there's an open classroom door across the hall. So he has Art for first period. I nod, glancing at him when he leans away from the desk, still holding me against him.

"Okay. See you later." I peel myself off him even though I don't want to. My friends are in the middle of dispursing for class, some of them giving me looks. Looks that promise long conversations.

I don't even make it three steps away before he pulls me back. Again. He turns me to him, holding my hands between us. My stomach flips. "Yeeees?" I drag out.

He stares at me, teeth sinking into his lush bottom lip. It's the sexiest thing I've ever seen. Arthur doesn't say a word, just stares. My stomach is doing somersaults at this point.

I let out a shy laugh. "Arthur, what is it?"

"I'll walk you to class." His voice is low, sending a zapping feeling through my body.

"Uh-uh! You're gonna be late." I tell him. There's no way, I'm going to make him late to class, just to walk me to mine.

"No big deal, Gorgeous. I want to."

"What's this about?"

His expression morphs into confusion.

I continue. "Earlier you were sending me to class. Now you want to walk me. What changed your mind?" He hesitates to reply, so I pull my hands from his and wrap my arms around his torso. "Tell me." I tilt my head back, looking up at him.

"I," he pauses, staring into my eyes, "don't like watching you walk away from me." It's his turn to smile all shy and I'm swooning. "I've missed you."

We stare at each other for a moment. My body warm from head to toe at our proximity and his words.

"In that case, you can walk me to class." I tighten my hold on him for a seconds. "But don't complain to me when your teacher gets on you cause you're late." I smile up at his grin, happy with where we are right now and that the past is just that. The past.