When Monday rolled in, I found myself anticipating Wednesday so I could get to talk to Ace. Even though we went to the same school and had classes together, we didn't talk in school because like he said, 'it's not good for my reputation." It really wasn't.
On Tuesday, he didn't show up in school and I found myself getting worried. It was then that I regretted not getting his number. I did my best in keeping him out of my head but it was inevitable.
On Wednesday morning I found myself looking out for him in the hallway but no luck. When he didn't show in Calculus, I fought the urge to hop on my bike and go over to his house just to be sure he was fine.
I dragged myself to lunch and plopped down on the seat beside Cal. He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me to him, planting a kiss on my cheek.
I forced a smile so no one would ask me what was wrong. I didn't want to tell them that I was worried that some nerdy weird guy was not in school. Not that I'd ever actually tell them but I could imagine what the looks on their faces would be if I actually told them that. They'd either think I was high on something or I had just gone crazy.
Why was I even worried?
Maybe it was because I didn't want to fail Calculus and he was my only hope of passing right now? I'd stick to that.
When I got tired of sitting down in the cafeteria and the noise around me was starting to give me a headache, I slung my backpack over my shoulders and told my friends that I'd see them later.
I didn't wait for a response from them before walking away and towards the back of the school building. I needed a smoke.
I rested my weight on the brick wall and propped my leg on it, reaching into my backpack to take out a stick and my lighter. Placing the stick between my lips I adjusted my bag and proceeded to light my cigarette.
A movement from the corner of my eye caught my attention and I stopped short. I could hear voices, though incoherent, it sounded like the person was furious. The corner around was blocking me from seeing the person.
I followed the voice and stopped at the corner not wanting to be seen, I stretched my neck and gasped when I saw it was Ace. At least he was fine but he looked pissed.
His black hair was in a mess, and his hand only made it worse as he tugged at it. He was wearing black jeans and a plain white T-shirt, it was almost transparent and it didn't hide the fact that his chest and arms were adorned with tattoos.
Thinking about it, this was the first time I was seeing him in short sleeves and I understood why. He always wore long sleeved shirts, a jacket or a sweater and to hide all his tattoos.
His muscles for the first time were in display, proving my theory that he did work out. He was pure muscle.
"Fuck," he cussed and stretched the distance between us, heading for a black car parked in the driveway a bit far down. I'd never heard him swear before so that was definitely a shocker.
The car was all black, an exact replica of my car. He knocked on the passenger's door and soon leaned on the door frame, obviously speaking to whoever was inside the car.
I couldn't hear what he was saying but I knew it was Italian and his pissed off tone didn't drop for once. He stood up straighter and got into the car.
I leaned back, letting out a breath. For once in my life I was scared. I was scared of Ace Matteo.
The way he spoke on the phone and he looked like he was ready to kill whoever he was speaking to. The tattoos on his arms definitely told me that he wasn't who he portrayed himself to be.
With what I saw just now, I could draw a conclusion that Ace was in a gang but I didn't want to think that way. He probably had an obsession for tattoos and issues of his own.
Remembering the cigarette in my hand I quickly lit it and took a drag. I let out the smoke and watched as it formed an odd shape in front of my face. I held my hand to my chest trying to calm my breathing.
One question didn't leave my mind. Who exactly was Ace Matteo?
I heard a car door closing and footsteps so I quickly walked to the other side where I was standing mere moments ago and leaned on it as if I didn't witness another side of Ace.
Almost immediately Ace appeared from the corner, now wearing a jacket over a black T-shirt and his bag slung over his shoulders. He had a scowl on his face and his hair still looked messy, his glasses now perched on the bridge of his nose.
When he noticed me he stopped in his tracks. His scowl slowly dissolved into his signature blank face. He ran his hand through his hair trying to smooth it out and adjusted his glasses.
If I didn't just witness him shouting over the phone I would probably think he was adjusting himself to look presentable for me but I knew better.
He continued walking towards me and when he was now in front of me he spoke. "Where did you get that necklace?"
I quirked a brow, "hi Ace, I'm fine thanks for asking." I took a drag.
He rolled his eyes, "sorry, hi."
"Where were you all day?" I let out the smoke and took another drag before throwing the stick to the ground and crushing what was left of it.
"Busy. Where did you get the necklace?" He asked again.
"What is it to you?" I gave him a quizzical look.
"I just want to know where I can get it," he shrugged.
I sighed, "you can't get it anywhere, at least not that I know of. My mum gave it to me, it's a family heirloom." I answered his question, "So do you want to get it for someone special?"
"No, let's go inside," he walked past me, meaning I should stop asking questions.
I asked one nonetheless, "we're still meeting at your place after school right?"
"Yeah," he walked into the school, ending the conversation.
The question of who Ace was still rang in my mind and I wasn't getting any rest until I find out.

"See you later babe," Cal kissed me shortly before letting go of me.
I slipped on my helmet and revved my engine before driving off, earning stares from people around.
Though I had been bringing my bike more often now, I still got looks from people whenever I walked into school.
When I got to Ace's house, I was apprehensive to go in. What if I had gotten here too early? I mean school just closed and I didn't even know if he was back yet.
Sitting on my bike, I took out a cigarette and lit it, taking a drag.
"No smoking on the property," I heard a familiar voice say and I looked up.
Ace was standing on his porch, his arms crossed over his chest. He was wearing his clothes from today and obviously he just got back from school.
I took one last drag before crushing the cigarette with the heel of my boot. I hopped off my bike, swung my backpack over my shoulder and headed towards his front porch.
"Sorry," I mumbled, dropping my head in slight shame.
"It's fine. Let's go in," he gestured to the front door and walked ahead.
He closed the door behind me and I was quickly hugged by the warmth of the house. The house wasn't small and neither was it big.
He led me to the living room and said I should wait there. I nodded and watched him disappear up the stairs.
The living room was normal, couch and chairs and a medium sized TV. Their adoptive parents in Italy must be loaded enough to be able to provide this luxury for kids who weren't even theirs.
The grey and white walls had pictures hung around, but they weren't pictures of family or of anyone at all. They were obviously pictures of Ace's photographs.
Seeing his photographs hung on the wall reminded me once again of how good he was at what he did. He kept wowing me every time I got a little extra information about him.
The house was clean and highly organized and if one wasn't told that two grown guys lived in this house, one would never know.
I heard footsteps coming down the stairs and Ace reappeared, holding his textbook and notebook in his hand. He was now wearing a blue long sleeved shirt instead of his jacket and shirt from earlier.
He nodded for me to follow him and I did. He led me to the kitchen and he took a seat on a stool by the island, I sat beside him, taking a good view of the kitchen.
The walls too were grey but unlike the living room, no pictures were hung but it still looked really nice and clean like it was hardly used. An island sat at the middle and a few stools were around it.
"Do you guys ever use this kitchen?" I sat beside Ace, setting my bag on the island top.
"Of course, my brother's a chef," he announced and I wanted to say that I knew that but I held my tongue when I remembered that I wasn't supposed to know.
"Nice, what restaurant?"
"That one downtown."
"Isn't that a bit far from here?" The restaurant was at the end of the town and we were somehow in the middle of the town.
Ace shook his head, "he doesn't really care because he loves working there. He lives for cooking," he rolled his eyes as if the thought of his brother cooking annoyed him.
"That's nice," I said truthfully.
I took out my needed books and I let Ace get towork.