Disclaimer: I don't own anything, and I make no money

FOLLOW YOU UNTIL YOU LOVE ME

-FOURtwo-Nish

He didn't have a camera, he didn't spy behind trees. He didn't try to hurt her when things didn't go his way, but he still chased after her and was still her paparazzi.

NOTE: Sorry for the delay in posting. It took me a long time to beta it, and then I forgot I'd finished it.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Jaden was throwing a party. Chazz wanted to gag. It wasn't that Chazz hated parties in general, he just didn't like the fact that a party meant planning—planning meant Jaden had an infinite amount of new things to talk about over and over until they became old things…really, really old things.

"So, Chazz, you gonna come or what?" It had to have been the thirtieth time Jaden had asked him that. And what had his reply been every single time?

"No! I told you a thousand times, I'm not going to your stupid party!" Chazz rushed down the hallway, trying to escape from Jaden who was literally jogging at his side.

"Not even if we have our own mini tournament?" Jaden asked, almost tauntingly.

"No," Chazz responded bluntly. Why did he need to duel if there was nothing up for grabs? It was just a waste of time…even if he knew that he had nothing better to do than wander around campus and think.

"Not even if Taka makes his famous fish fry?"

"Who?" Chazz inquired indifferently. "And with what fish?"

"Okay, I lied about that one," Jaden commented, still racing to keep up with Chazz who was practically running by that point. "Not even if we play truth or dare?" Jaden drawled the phrase as if he thought it would be the thing to tip the odds in his favor.

"No!"

"Aw, Chazz, don't be a party-pooper!"

"I have better things to do than waste my time with you and a bunch of other slackers," Chazz hissed. Jaden still pursued him.

"Come on, Chazz, we both know you don't have anything else to do!" Chazz growled at him.

"I said no! I'm not going to your party and that's the end of it!" Chazz had screamed this and people were staring, but the raven-haired teen didn't care anymore. Jaden remained blissfully undeterred.

"Not even if Alexis is there?"

"Not even if—Alexis?" Chazz was simultaneously embarrassed and shocked. He was embarrassed that, after a good two weeks of keeping his romance in his own mind—even going so far as to give Alexis a bit of the cold shoulder to see if the 'hard to get' ploy would attract her, he found himself flustered at the mention of his crush's name. More than embarrassment, he felt shock and horror.

What was Alexis thinking, going to a party and associating herself with a bunch of slackers like Jaden and his stupid friends? She was too good to be seen with them!

But Alexis was friends with Jaden…that was one of her many virtues. She saw herself being above no one…not even Jaden or his puny friend Syrus…

"Yeah, I asked Alexis last week if she wanted to come and she said she'd think about it—I think that means yes!" Jaden laughed heartily to himself and Chazz felt his face twist into a snarl.

"You think? You mean you haven't asked her over and over and over like you did me?"

"Well, duh. Alexis has other things on her mind—if I bother her too much she might fall behind in something and have to miss the party because she's too busy catching up." Chazz growled, but knew there was no point arguing.

"If the party's tonight, don't you think you should ask her if she's coming to so you have time to set things up for her?"

"Set things up for her? Chazz, she's a girl, she can't stay the night in the dorms!"

"That's not what I meant!" Chazz exclaimed. In his mind, he could just see Alexis, trapped by all of those slackers. If she went to that party, he had to go. Someone needed to protect her from Jaden's ignorance and all of those other boys. Jaden's room was filthy—Alexis couldn't be expected to find a place to sit in that filth! And there were roaches in the Slifer dorms…how could Jaden expect her to even visit such an unsanitary place?

That meant that…despite how much Chazz wanted to spend time with Alexis and how great of an opportunity Jaden's party was to do just that, Chazz was obliged—as a man—to do everything in his power to prevent Alexis—a fair lady—from being engulfed is such filth.

"Tell you what, Jaden," Chazz began, ignoring the dent in his pride as he reverted to his old, obsessive habits. "How about I go and see if Alexis is going to come for you so you have more time to set up for truth or dare?" Jaden beamed ignorantly.

"Gee, thanks, Chazz! That'd be great!" After that, it took no time at all for Chazz to be rid of Jaden, and for his mind to be consumed with ideas to keep Alexis away from that unsanitary barn.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Chazz had sent Alexis a message on his PDA to discover where the girl was in hopes of having a face-to-face conversation with her. Alexis seemed determined to keep that from happening. In the end, Chazz had to give up on the idea and simply asked her, on Jaden's behalf, if she'd decided whether or not to attend the party.

Her reply?

Oh, that's right. His party IS tonight, isn't it?

Chazz had assured her that it was and felt his heart sink.

I won't stay for very long, but I think I'll go. What about you?

He wanted to beg her, for her own safety, not to go, but it didn't seem appropriate to argue with her so he gave in. Maybe he could convince her on her way in not to stay longer than it took to say hello. He felt the conversation would be easier face-to-face…You can't be hung up on or ignored when you're standing right there.

Yeah, I'm going.

Guess I'll see you there?

It's right after dinner in his room. You should eat before you go.

Thought Jaden kept preaching of the food that was supposed to be there, Chazz would rather she ate something healthy and uninfected than the probable garbage that Jaden would provide…that slacker knew nothing about the delicate appetites of ladies...

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Chazz actually felt like he could cry. Could was the key, he wasn't about to nor prepared to, but he most definitely felt like it was a possibility.

Everything had gone all wrong…

Little pieces of his and Alexis's argument kept coming back to him and haunting him. He felt like such an idiot, and yet he felt so mad…mad at her. She just didn't understand him…He hadn't meant to insult her or to act as if he "owned her"; he was just worried about her.

Chazz had managed to get Alexis to allow him to walk her to the dorms, but that was where all of the good feelings had vanished. Everything seemed to turn sour the instant he opened his mouth, all because she mistook the tone of his voice.

"I really don't think you should go," he'd forced out. He'd meant it to sound conversational—he couldn't remember, but it was plausible to believe that he'd intended for her to roll her eyes in the cute way that she did and ignore him or expect her to simply ask "why not". But neither of those things had happened.

She'd gotten angry and tore him apart, piece by piece until he felt ashamed and vulnerable. At least she'd stopped before she'd finished the sentence that he knew was on her tongue. She hadn't said it, but he'd known what she'd intended to say…she hadn't said it.

Somehow, that made it better.

Somehow, not hearing her say "How could you ever expect anyone to love you if you act like that?" was relieving.

He was pleased with how he'd controlled himself, though. When she'd spat her words at him with venom, he was silent. He let her say what she'd needed to say…what she wanted to express, and left it at that.

Part of him wanted to snap at her and say she was acting out of turn—that she should be glad he cared enough about her to warn her about the trash Jaden called food, but he said nothing.

The last thing he wanted was to yell at a woman like her. She was tough, but that didn't make it okay to shout at her or to try to hurt her.

He loved her. Everyone knows that you don't try to hurt the people you love. Not to prove a point…not for anything.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Love, FOURtwo-nish