11. SELF-EXPLANATORY

Love was conditional. That's what everyone has learned. You need to do something to get love, either changing your physical appearance or mental thoughts. It's never not conditional, there is no such thing as unconditional love. Not that anyone has heard of.

In that hallway, everyone had their phones with them, and they immediately gasped and started chatting, looking at Jayce.

By the split of a second, Jayce's phone rang, and it was Ashton who was calling her. She picked up, and he started yelling softly.

"Jayce, where the hell are you?" he asked, "You come and meet me right now,"

"For?" she asked.

"Where in the hell are you?" Ashton asked, with a threatening tone this time.

"Near the girls' bathroom," Jayce said casually, as if nothing happened that morning, "I expected a thank you," she said.

"Get a thank you over my dead body," he said on the phone, but Jayce swore she could hear it out of her phone. She turned around, seeing Ashton with a face full of vengeance on him, but he was quite surprised with her hair.

Jayce couldn't even speak when Ashton grabbed her hand and pulled her to an empty corridor, to talk, again.

"Why did you do it?" he asked immediately, hand still tight on hers.

"It's self-explanatory," Jayce replied.

"Delete that," Ashton said in a warning tone.

"Why?" Jayce asked, "Is there something wrong with what I did?"

"Everything you did was wrong, Jayce," Ashton said with desperation in his voice, "Can't you understand?"

"I don't understand why the heck you're saying that as if I did such a huge crime," Jayce said, "I'm trying to help you,"

Ashton punched the wall behind her and she flinched, "Help me? By what circumstance?" he scoffed, "Ruining my mother's reputation by sharing it to the world that she's abusive?"

"You hate your mother, you and I both," she replied.

"The school will go bankrupt," Ashton said.

"That's what you care about? The foundation will go to your hands or Harrison's hands or the Walker family,"

Ashton flinched at the name Harrison, "The principal isn't my father,"

"How do you know that?" Jayce said, standing up properly, "You know who your real father is?"

Ashton gulped.

"With that question said, how do you know that Mikael Walker wasn't your real father? Clearly, your mother didn't tell you about it,"

Ashton couldn't answer he could see ghosts, and dead spirits, "It's none of your business,"

"Fine," Jayce said, "I helped you. Your mother will soon lose her reputation, be interrogated by the police, my dad, and she will be in jail. And then voila, no more toxic competition and you and I will be all cool," she said it so simply that Ashton nearly believed her.

"The trauma-dumping in front of the crowd, was it to manipulate and guilt trip me?" Ashton asked.

"I did think of doing that," Jayce truthfully said, making Ashton boil even more, "But then I realize that would just be using your own self, and plus, I would sound I needed attention,"

"And you don't need attention?"

Jayce couldn't really answer the question, "The last time someone was hungry for attention, things didn't work out well,"

Ashton frowned. Her mother, "Are you okay now?"

"Let's not talk about me," Jayce said, "You need to widen up your eyes and realize everything,"

"Pardon?" Ashton furrowed.

"When your mother and Mikael Walker were married, she hated the engagement. She went to a bar, got drunk, and ended up with the new man that arrived in town, building a school. Principal Anthony Harrison. Your mother hid from the fact of it but she went to the police after she was sober and found out she was pregnant, and she finally found him. And the reason she funded the school is because she wants him in her grasp, and she can control him with all she wants," Jayce explained, loud and clear.

"Are you seriously using that from your imagination?" Ashton asked.

"No, there's CCTV footage of it, clearly," Jayce said.

"You will delete that text of yours," Ashton said, about to take her phone in her bag when she grabbed his hand.

"No, you will put your mother in jail,"

"She is my mother,"

"She is your abuser,"

"SHE IS STILL MY MOTHER, FOR GOODNESS SAKE JAYCE," he yelled then sighed loudly, disappointed and frustrated. He turned around, "I'll fix everything myself, thanks to you,"

Jayce was totally confused, "Your mother used you too many times. It's totally clear, Ashton,"

"What do you know?" he asked again, threatening.

"If it wasn't for your dead father and your mother who admitted you to be his son, the foundation wouldn't be in your mother's hands. Your mother used you and her lie to get the foundation for sympathy from the Walkers, Mikael's family," she stated, "Do you still not get that?"

"I knew that," Ashton said, "I did much for her own happiness,"

"She doesn't deserve happiness," Jayce replied back, in frustration to explain.

Ashton huffed, "I'll fix everything myself, even if your father will be the one to investigate this case, I'll still run from it,"

"My mother became what she was because of her childhood. Because she let her past define her future," she broke in, Ashton turned around, furrowing and still feeling the need of pity on her, "My grandfather, her father, was just like your mother. She needed to have the highest scores, she needed to get into med school. She did it all, and she lacked love and empathy and attention. And with that, when my father was busy, she lacked attention and fell into the manipulation of her father until he died."

"What is your main point? You're afraid I'll become like my mother?"

"I'm afraid you'll make your past define your future. Your childhood sucks, and my mother let it ruin her. I don't want that to happen to you," Jayce said, frowning, not knowing if he understood her words when she was going to leave quietly.

Ashton thought of his choices quietly, not able to think about anything, but one thing. He called her again, "Jayce,"

She turned around, with an expressionless face, knowing she needed to take her meds again and again. Her attacks happened with no warning, if she thought about it, it would trigger her, if someone else thought and spoke to her about it, it would trigger her. There was no warning in that, "Yeah?"

"Your hair looks good, by the way," he said, in a way that made the mood awkward. He turned around and left her, still thinking of her words and thinking of how it would've become.

Jayce couldn't react well to his words, and quietly left back, but then realized something, "Aren't we in the same class?" she muttered, confused, "Ashton," she called out, "Class is this way,"

He flinched at her words, then turned around, "Right,"

Jayce pursed her lips and turned around, both of them walking to the classroom. As they got in, everyone was looking at them, with whispers that filled the air.

"So the trend now is that the student council partners stab each other's backs?" one of them said.

"Ashton, your dad's really the principal?" another asked.

"Some of us understand you both's doings, while some of us think they're completely absurd," another said.

"Can we just stop talking and forget everything that happened this early morning?" Eric broke in.

"Jayce Brooks lied to us, along with her sister," one replied.

"Ashton didn't do any fault but I still can't believe he's the son of the principal," another one added.

Ashton looked at the ground, unable to reply to anything.

"If you were me or Ashton," Jayce said, "What would you have done?"

The crowd went silent.

"They're all so unstable," she muttered in her breath, going up the steps, and sitting beside Amber, who was having an emotionless scowling face on her. Jayce didn't want to ask, she had thought that Amber was just adjusting herself to the truth that was hidden.

Ashton went up and sat in the middle of Eric and Jaxon. The class started, and even the teacher was looking weirdly at Jayce and Ashton.

In the middle of class, Ashton's phone rang. His mother. The rumor spread fast.

He silenced his phone, and continued listening to the class. Suddenly, the principal went inside the classroom, with a strained look on his face.

"I'd like to talk with Jayce Brooks and Ashton Walker," Harrison said, his hand shaking.

The two went down the steps and went with the principal. He didn't talk or look at them, but he had led the way to the main building. The two didn't know if they should be nervous or not, after all, it was the truth.

Jayce didn't think of one thing though: the reputation of the principal, who didn't know anything.

The three arrived in the principal's office, "I don't know about the rumors going on about the Brooks twins and their lies about their birth mother, but I'm far more curious on how the two most important student council could do this to each other and have me intertwined in it,"

"You're Ashton's father," Jayce said, Ashton felt bitter with the word.

"No proof?"

"Do I need to get the CCTV from the bar 16 years ago?" she asked.

Harrison pursed his lips, "I am not Ashton Walker's father so I really wish that you stop those rumors at this time,"

"I'll give you the CCTV footage," Jayce said.

Suddenly, someone entered the office with a crooked look on her face. Kimberly Walker. The entire atmosphere changed.

Ashton winced at the sight of his mother. Jayce raised a brow at the sight of the messy woman.

Kimberly walked across the room, eyes locked on Jayce, and a hand up in the air. Ashton was about to grab his mother again, from striking her, when she immediately replied, "You don't want violence to be added to your charges, don't you?"

The woman with un-finished curled hair stepped back with threatening eyes.

"Actually," Jayce stepped forward, "It's better if your charges add, right?"

"Jayce, that's enough," Ashton warned, but he had no intention of stopping her. He hated them both.

"What in the actual world do you want?" Kimberly grabbed Jayce's collar, yelling at her, "You have no shame, don't you?"

"Mom, that is enough!" Ashton yelled, "I don't want to hear any single word from that mouth after all your filthy lies,"

Kimberly striked Ashton once again, "Are you now in her manipulation? I told you to be careful of her," she yelled.

"Ms Walker," Jayce broke in, "Am I manipulating him or are you?"

Kimberly furrowed at the words when Jayce's phone rang.

She picked up her phone, seeing her dad's name flashing on the screen, "Yeah, dad?"

Ashton, Kimberly and Anthony all flustered.

"Where are you? What did you do?" Dave said on the phone.

"Finding a new case, and solving it for you," Jayce replied, "I'm in the principal's office by the way, along with the person I expect you're wishing to catch?"

"Jayce, this isn't about personal feelings,"

"Having personal feelings over something you're trying to ruin doesn't ever end well," she said, walking towards the door of the office, "I'll see you, dad,"

Kimberly couldn't speak anymore as Jayce locked the door.

"You little-"

Ashton held his mother back, "I'm going to ask one serious question mom," he said, "Did you ever love me?"

"Love is conditional you moron," Kimberly said, "And you've done nothing to earn it,"

"Not even when I existed, just breathing, so that you could use me to take the foundation from the Walkers? Not even when I existed to keep your reputation going? Not even when I did everything under your command?" Ashton asked, in an expressionless face.

Kimberly couldn't jerk away her son's arm, "Let go,"

Anthony Harrison sat on his seat, not knowing what to do. He looked up to Kimberly, "Is Ashton really my son?"

"Nonsense," Kimberly stated angrily, "That is crap nonsense,"

"It isn't though," Jayce said, "You'll get the CCTV footage and if you want, a DNA test,"

Anthony didn't think any further. He was nervous, scared but there was a part of him that wanted to run away, "I'll take the DNA test," he offered.

Ashton flustered, he was completely lost. Everything was so awkward, "Same,"

KImberly couldn't talk any further, but definitely, there was nothing she could've done. She didn't want to admit it. But she knew with the money she had, she would escape the law. Or would she?

~~~

Amber was taking her books from the locker when Eric approached her.

"Eric," she flustered.

"As I said, I'm not dating a trickster,"

"You heard Jayce,"

"But you didn't prevent her from doing anything, am I right?" Eric asked.

"It was a tough situation,"

"I know that," he said in a poker face, "You just don't deserve me," he turned around and walked away, thinking of how he was free from pain.

Amber pursed her lips into a vengeance way, she was completely absurd with the thoughts she had in her head, but she did it anyway.

She took out her phone and searched on google for the rehab center's phone number. She dialed it and someone picked up, "Hello,"

"Hello," someone greeted, "Who is this?"

"I'm Amber Brooks," she said, "Second daughter of Nadia Brooks,"

"Oh, I see," the person said, "Is there anything you need?"

"Can I talk to her? Or if that's not the case, can you save this number?"

"I will," the person said, "Ms Brooks is in the cafeteria, do you want me to call her up?"

"Sure," Amber smiled.

There was a small silence before a woman spoke into the phone. A voice she had missed.

"Hello?" the woman said.

"Hey, mom," Amber said, not knowing whether she would be sad or happy, "It's Amber,"

Nadia pursed her lips, feeling a mix of emotions in her, "Hi, honey, how have you been?"

"I still have class," Amber said, "So I'll make it quick,"

"What's the matter?"

"I'm not in the city right now, so I will ask someone from the rehab center to take you to where I am when you're allowed to leave," she said, "Tell them to take you to Syville Boarding School,"

"Syville Boarding School?" Nadia queried.

"Yeah, Jayce wants to meet you," she slyly said.

Revenge, revenge.