Surviving the Aces (#Wattys2018)

Meet Jaces Brain

There was a letter on my bed. I knew it was from Ash before I even picked it up. It was a lined piece of paper folded the special way we always folded our letters.

Throughout high school we would make each other letters and then slip them to each other in between classes. We never failed to get caught for passing notes. Many times we were purposely conspicuous because we loved the thrill of getting caught, but in classrooms where the teacher didn't appreciate it, we played a game to see who could be the least conspicuous. Whoever got caught would have to treat the other to lunch.

I'd saved every letter Ash ever gave me; from birthdays to Christmas to even Easter. 

Of all of them, I knew this one would be the most memorable.

Dakota,
I am soooooo sorry for my behavior. Though I was drunk, it was careless of me to drink anyways. I didn't want to face you in the morning so I just left. I'm so ashamed of myself. You know I would never intentionally lay a hand on you. Ever. I feel like the worst best friend in the world. If I ever see you again, feel free to punch the daylight out of me. :( -Ashton

I almost cried. He didn't end it the way he was supposed to. We always said much love from your bestie and then we would write our secret nicknames that no one else knew. Mine was koala bear. He was Ashton Kutcher.

I slumped down on my bed. I couldn't lose my best friend, but I didn't know what to do about it.

I laid down and decided to worry about it in the morning.

I was awakened a few hours later by soft knocking on my door. I knew it wasn't Jace because we didn't knock on each others doors.

I used my phone camera to fix my hair and then sat up throwing a mint from my nightstand into my mouth. "Come in." I said, as I quickly chewed it.

Kennedy peeked his head inside. "I came to say goodbye."

He came in and sat down on the edge of my bed.

"I've actually always wanted a sister. Especially a little one." He began, ruffling my hair.

I rolled my eyes and swatted his hand away, though I felt special. It felt nice to be welcomed into a family, even if it was only temporary.

"So, Mrs. Sulkin. How's it feel to be dating a superstar?" He asked teasingly.

I pulled my knees up to my chest. "Honesty, I didn't know who he was when I met him." I informed him.

Kennedy raised a disbelieving eyebrow at me. I sighed and told him the story of how I met Gregg.

Kennedy was smiling by the time I got to the end. "Well, I think you two are cute." He informed me. "A little too cliche though." He teased, giving me a wink.

I groaned and threw my head back. "You're never gonna let that go are you?" I could feel my cheeks unwillingly heating up as I thought about the family seeing Gregg and I kissing on the porch.

"Nope. " He checked his watch. "Christian should be here any minute."

We sat in a comfortable silence for a while, just enjoying each others company. It was nice to have him; though I hadn't known him long, he felt like my big brother.

"How did you learn to fit in here?" I asked him after a few minutes.

He gave me a strange look. "Fit in?"

I shrugged. "Well, yeah. You're Diego's nephew right?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I got here a few months ago. It wasn't too bad, you know, since I'm a guy and all, but after a couple of weeks we got comfortable around each other."