"Are you sure you want to go to high school?" Nellie asks, a frown present in her usually smiling face. "I mean, didn't you say you went to some royal academy-"

"Oh, don't worry. I'm content with going to a commoner's school," Ian cuts in, clearly excited about going to school.

Nellie only stares at him through the rearview mirror, suspicion gleaming in her eyes. She turns to look at Amy, who's seating on the front-seat next to her. In a murmur, she asks, "Okay, what are his motives?"

Amy blinks, looking uncomfortable as she tries to answer.

Nellie does not listen, and only shakes her head. "Huh?"

Amy decides to mouth the answer this time, but once again, Nellie doesn't pick it up. After a few more failed times, Amy gives into an exasperated sigh and exclaims, "Sinead!"

Nellie presses her lips together, nodding understandingly. "Oh. I see."

"Did anyone say Sinead?" Ian pipes from the back.

Amy shakes her head, leaning her forehead against the window. She has concluded that the only positive thing that has come out from the museum chaos is Ian's mood. Now that he's a boy in love, he is much less strict about his tastes. And the fact that he's in love isn't a good thing.

Nellie finally reaches the school, to which Ian can only stare. Back in his time, he received private tutoring lessons with two other noble boys. No girls, and no large amount of people. He can only compare the herds of students going through the building's doors as the sheep his palace raises. They are the same amount, too.

"Alright, Ian!" Amy announces, giving him a small smile. She opens the door for him, motioning outside. "Welcome to high school."

Ian hands her his bag, and begins to walk inside.

Nellie can only chuckle at the gesture. "I guess he had a personal bag-carrier in his academy back at England."

After saying goodbye to Nellie, Amy runs to Ian. "Ian, Ian! Wait."

Ian stops, but does not look at Amy. He's still looking for Starling, but cannot spot her in the crowd.

"Ian, high school in here is quite different. You have a different schedule from everybody else, and you have to be moving from class to class. And if you're late, you're in trouble," Amy explains, even though Ian is not paying attention. "So I cannot be carrying your stuff."

Ian only nods, since his eyes are still scanning the front yard.

Amy sighs, shaking her head. "Sinead is in your same grade, so you two will probably have at least one class together. Don't worry, you'll see her."

"One class? Why only one class?" Ian questions, frowning. "We're at the same level, right?"

Amy only stares at him blankly. He seriously had not paid attention to anything she just said. Amy is beginning to explain the high school system once again when the bell rings. Remembering that her first class was math, with a teacher that did not tolerate students being late for even one second, she looks around the yard, hoping to see some familiar face from senior year that can help out Ian. But she only spots the popular crowd, and she's not comfortable with talking with them.

"Hey Amy!" Jake happily chimes. His eyes land on Ian and his smile falters. "Ian. You're now here."

Ian clears his throat, and turns to look at Amy. "I think I'm a level higher than your friend, right?"

"If by that you mean you're a grade higher, then yes," Amy replies.

Ian smirks at Jake, feeling even more superior to the kid. With me in here, I don't understand why Amy is trying to court him, Ian thinks. He's later surprised at what he just thought, but shakes it off once Amy places a hand on his shoulder and pushes him closer to Jake.

"Jake, you know Hamilton! Could you please ask him to show Ian around?" Amy quickly asks, alreadly beginning to leave the scene.

"Uh, sure?" Jake asks, side-glancing at Ian.

"Thank you so much!" Amy breathes out. She waves her hand before running off. "See you in AP chemistry!"

After she leaves, the two boys are left together in awkward silence.

Ian finds this the perfect moment to ask what he's always wanted to know. He turns to look at Jake. He does not want to give out the impression of some privacy-invader, so he chooses the wording of his question carefully (which turned out to be blunt). "I overheard you telling Amy that you love her. What is the relationship between you two?"

Jake is taken aback, and his eyes widen in surprise. "What?"

"I don't like to repeat myself. So you'll have to do with what you heard," Ian continues, sticking his chin up in a superior manner.

"No, I heard you… I just…"

"You should not be embarrassed. I have witnessed many failed confessions," Ian assures the tall boy. He leans closer, frowning with curiosity. "Unless she accepted your regards."

Jake chuckles in amusement, not believing what he's hearing. "Do you like her or something? Why are you so curious?"

"I do not regard her as a woman, rather… as a…" Ian is about to say family member, but he realizes he does not see her like that. He tries to find the correct word that describes the way he feels about her, but can't. "I do not know what I see her as yet, but my curiosity is not because of that. I just want to know."

Jake presses his lips together, getting the impression that he likes Amy back. He sees that things have gotten more complicated now. He's going to leave anytime soon. And he's not leaving just anywhere, he's going back in time, a voice reminds Jake. If both get to attached, especially in that way, there will be more problems in the future. "Actually, she did accept my… regards."

Uneasiness suddenly bubbles up inside Ian, and he feels slightly out of breath.

"She just doesn't want to pursue any relationship right now, though. So she asked me to wait… and to not tell anyone, so please stay silent about that," Jake continues. He feels uncomfortable lying about that, but it has to be done.

Ian nods, pursing his lips. I definitely felt uneasy because I've become slightly protective over Amy for her help, he tells himself. He tries to smile at Jake. "Fine, then. I won't tell her."

"Good. Now, I'm already late to class, so let's quickly go find Hamilton and-"

"Luke!"

"-I'll leave you under his charge," Jake explains to Ian. He begins to guide him inside the building.

"Luke! Don't ignore me, dude!"

"Hamilton will look very buff and intimidating at first, but don't be scared. He would never hurt a fly," Jake assures the prince.

Suddenly, Ian is swung around to face a tall, blonde.

"Hamilton!" Jake exclaims, surprised at the coincidence. "We were actually looking for you. This is-"

"Luke, I know," Hamilton cuts in, grinning. He punches Ian's shoulder, who only gazes in disgust at him. "Luke is my friend from sports camp. He attends polo, and I attend everything else. But we always share a room, right?"

Ian only stares at him in dislike.

He looks exactly like that doofus, Prince Hamilton.

Jake grimaces, realizing the confusion. "I'm sorry, Hamilton, but-"

"I'm not that so-called Luke," Ian snarls, sizing down the friendly boy. He stands up straighter, giving off an air of superiority. "My name is Ian-"

"Luke, I know you escaped home. You don't need to keep up the façade with me," Hamilton chuckles, interrupting the prince.

Ian holds up a finger. "You are never to interrupt me, understood? And I'm not Luke. I already told you that I'm Ian."

Jake gazes at both uneasily, beginning to suspect an even bigger problem coming ahead with that so-called Luke.

A/N: Good news! My final exams week is done, which is what kept me busy. And I have only one more week to go for vacations! (my school system is different). That means that I'll be able to update way faster than this. I wrote this chapter very quickly, because I have to go to church right now. But I did not want to keep you waiting for much longer. So next time, I'll be updating with a better chapter!

Thanks for all of those who reviewed and read this.

See you next time!