AS YOU ALL CAN SEE, I SCREWED THE INTERNET BREAK! ONLY BECAUSE I'M INSIDE OF MY HOUSE BORED BECAUSE I SPRAINED MY ANKLE, BUT STILL, I'M BACK!

Queenoftheworld- Um, first off (yes, I am mocking you for making fun of my opinion), it's my opinion that Nabian sounds better than Fabina (which sounds like some kind of washing detergent while Fina sounds like a fish). I prefer Nabian because it rolls off the tougne quite easily.
Second- This is a JARA story, there'll barely be any NABIAN (yes, I AM still mad about you making fun of my opinion). I may just have to include them and break them up now, though...

Well, now that that is handled...what a few of you have been waiting for for over a month, CHAPTER 3! ! ! WHOO!

I don't own HOA

~Jerome's POV~

It was early on Monday morning when I slithered out of bed. Alfie was tossing and turning, mumbles of "Amsie" coming from his mouth. I laughed and shook my head at my stupid best friend, only to realize that I had just dreamt about Mara and had most likely done the same thing...

I had a flashback to telling Mara and I shuddered at even the thought of what Mick would do to me if he found out.

I went into the hall and sat myself down at the dining room table. First day of classes always were a turn on. Not.

"Oh, hello dearie," Trudy bustled into the room brightly.

"Trudykins, why in the name of all that is holy are you so awake right now? It's not even seven in the morning!" I groaned.

"Oh please, dearie, I've been waiting for this day since the end of last term!" Trudy grinned. I looked at her as if she was insane, but she just grinned and handed me a plate of fresh pancakes.

"Oh my god, energy has rushed through my body!" My eyes grew wide with pleasure as I took a bite. "What kind is this?"

"Everything," Trudy grinned.

"Everything?"

"Everything," Trudy nodded. "Banana, blueberry, chocolate chips, buttermilk, and strawberry."

Sure enough, I looked down to see my pancake was almost tye-died.

"These are amazing," I said with a full mouth. Trudy just smiled brightly and bustled back into the kitchen.

"I SMELL PANCAKES!" Mick and Alfie shoved their way through the doors.

"Haha suckers, I got first bite," I proded my fork in their direction.

"Trudes! Where are the pancakes? !" Mick whined.

"Right here, sweetie," Trudy laughed and brought out a large plate that has long since been designated the "Mick and Alfie Feast Platter" that was stacked high with the delicious pancakes.

"Trudy, I don't know how I survived the summer without your cooking," Mick grumbled as he scarfed down pancakes with Alfie. Trudy laguhed and shook her head.

"I smell pancakes," Fabian came into the room, tired but smiling all the same.

"That you do Fabian, that you do," I waggled my pancake-loaded fork in his direction then ate the pancake of the tip.

"Is...has Nina come down yet?" Fabian flushed as he sat down.

"No loverboy, not quite yet," I snickered.

"Okay," Fabian sighed. Okay? Just okay? He didn't make even the slightest retort about the name 'loverboy'?

"Wait a sec..." I thought for a moment. "You haven't asked her yet, have you?"

Fabian merely looked down at his pancakes and silently ate.

"Wha-" Mick spit out his pancakes. That just shows how mad he was.

Alfie and I sat and laughed as Mick gave Fabian this nice, long speech about how he has to man up and ask Nina.

"Alfie, do you have your phone?" I whispered between laughs.

"Always," Alfie laughed as he handed it to me. I began to videotape the lecture. Hello YouTube!

About fifteen minutes later, all of the girls walked in together. I froze as soon as I saw Mara.

"What's going on?" Patricia laughed at Fabian's scared look.

"Well, Fabian here has something to ask Nina," Mick snickered. Before anything else happened, I threw Alfie his phone and left the room abruptly.

"Calm down, maybe she forgot all about it and just won't tell Mick..." I paced my bedroom right after I slammed the door. "Oh, who are you kidding? Of course she'll tell him, then you'll be dead."

"Jerome?" Alfie poked his head in the room.

"What?" I snapped.

"Whoa there...just wanted to see if you were okay...you left right before the good stuff..."

"Oh...uh...yea, I'm...I'm fine..." I sighed. "Sorry."

"It's cool, mate. You comin' or what?"

"Yea," I followed Alfie through the hall and into the dining room. We quietly took our seats as Amber ands Mick went at Nina and Fabian with many innuendos and impliments about them being in love. The two just sat there quietly and awkwardly and Alfie and I laughed. I kept looking over at Mara, but rather than catch her eye and try to apologize, I kept cathing Joy's eye. Good god Joy...

"Weasels, shut it," Patricia snapped at us quietly. "I'm trying to listen!"

Alfie and I just rolled our eyes and kept laughing.

After breakfast, I stopped paying attention to Nina and Fabian. They were really starting to get annoying. They both love each other and they know it, why can't they just get together already? They make it harder each day to look at Mara, because I know she'll never feel the same way about me.

"Dude, hurry it up!" Alfie complained as I took my sweet time to put my tie on.

"Just go without me. I'll meet you there," I rolled my eyes.

"Kay. I'm gonna go find Amsie."

"You do that," I smirked quietly and shook my head as my happy-go-lucky best mate bounced out of the room to find his even weirder girlfriend.

As I walked into the entryway of the House, I bumped into Mara who was carrying about thirty books that she then dropped.

"Jerome!" she screamed as she fell.

"I'm SO sorry!" I got down on my knees and began to get the books. "Mara...why do you have so many books on the first day of term?"

"What's it to you?" she glared. I could tell she was mad at me.

"Sorry," I looked down.

"No," she sighed. "I'm sorry. I'm just in a bad mood."

"Do you mind my asking why?"

"No, I don't..."

"Okay then, why are you in a bad mood?" I stopped picking up the books and sat there on the floor. She smirked a bit and folded her legs.

"Mick. He's...obsessing over Fabian and Nina with Amber and...I've been feeling...unsure...about my fe- nevermind," she looked down.

"No, tell me," I proded a bit further into her thoughts.

"I'd...I'd rather not..." Mara blushed and looked down. She gathered up her mighty sum of books in her tiny arms and scurried away, struggling to keep the balance of the book tower.

"Oh Mara..." I thought to myself, still sitting on the floor.

"Mr. Clark! Either remove your behind off the floor or I shall remove it for you!" Victor snarled from atop the banester.

"Going, going," I got up and shot for the door. The whole walk to school, I thought about Mara's humble, petite self and sighed. The only thing that bothered me was the feeling of someone walking rather closely behind me as if they were following my every move.

Little did I know it was someone who would cause much trouble for me in my future...