Chapter 1 - ...

[Cruel Me]

Cunning. Ruthless. Intimidating.

That is Oz Lacy.

They feared him. They respected him. They worshipped him.

No one dared to cross him.

That was . . . until that time in their sophomore year when a gutsy redhead gave
him a piece of her mind. He knew he wanted her right then. But she was the twin
sister of his arch nemesis Scout Crimson.

The real problem, though, started in their junior year. The year his heart got
broken. The year he was royally messed with. The year his cold heart turned even
colder.

Now it's senior year.

All he wants?
Justice and revenge.
Who the hell said he can't have both?
Like they said, payback's a bitch.
Especially when it came from the devil.

_____________

WARNING: Contains strong language. No graphic content whatsoever. But includes what
might be considered very offensive swear words. Potty mouths, the lot of 'em.

For my old readers: You think Ethan Tyler has a potty mouth? Wait 'til you
read about Oz.

Chapter 2 - Chapter 1: Last Resort [Cruel Me]

"Remind me again why we're stealing beers?"

I turned off the engine and looked through the rearview mirror.

"You can back out, Frisco," I told my favorite curly-haired wide receiver.

"I heard the guy who owns this place is a big football fan," he continued.

A little sigh escaped my lips. Frisco was always the nice guy. At least, he tried
to be. Sometimes, I forgot why we were friends. He was too good to be hanging out
with me.

"He'll let us buy some."

I sneered at him. "Where's the fun in that?"

Besides, the owner of this store was a racist piece of shit. He wouldn't let
Kurt buy anything when we dropped by here once. Where was the justice in that?

Sure, I shouldn't be talking about being righteous since I was far from it -
and I've probably done worse things than him. But hell, he was living in the
twenty-first fvcking century. Plus, he insulted one of my boys. Anybody who
ain't stupid knew better than to cross me and my team.

Frisco wouldn't know that because it happened in our freshman year. He

didn't transfer until around sophomore year from San Francisco (hence the
nickname).

"He'll see it coming if I come along," said Kurt, disappointed.

I looked at him beside me. He had to sit on the front with me because of his big
physique. He was actually a mulatto. Pretty cool, if you asked me.

"I'll do it, then," volunteered Alfie, our resident quarterback. He grinned

and mocked, "Too bad you won't get any fun tonight, Kurt. Sucks to be you."

We all knew that this kind of reckless behavior was Kurt's thing. And him
having to stay put in the car was definitely eating him inside.

I flashed my best friend a wicked grin.

Alfie and I had known each other since we were nine years old. Despite our opposite
looks, he got dark hair and very green eyes while I got blonde hair and very blue
eyes, we got a lot of similarities in terms of likes and dislikes. Those years of
mischief and loyalty formed some sort of unbreakable bond between us.

The only girl in the car giggled darkly.

Connie wasn't one of those girly girls that fuss over boys all the fucking
time. She was cool to be around with. You could say she was 'one of the
guys', but she dressed like a smokin' hot girl. The kind of girl
you'd respect, though. Not like those bimbos.

"I'll come, too," she said, her pale blue eyes twinkling in excitement.

"A'ight," I nodded. "Connie will be the distraction. Be the lookout," I added

to Kurt. My eyes switched to Frisco.

He rolled his eyes. "As always."

I smirked.

He was always the getaway driver. Even if he was a righteous mofo, he was loyal. We
managed to corrupt him a little bit in the past years. It did him good, loosening
up and knowing what real fun felt like.

With one last look around the car, I got out. Alfie and Connie followed after me. I
glanced over my shoulder. Alfie was carrying the back pack, while Connie was
rearranging her top to show enough cleavage to distract the old man.

As soon as we entered, I nodded at Connie. She walked up to the counter, lowering

her chest to give the old man an eyeful. The owner was reading a news paper when
Connie came.

"Hi," she said seductively. "Do you sell lollipops here?"

She sounded like a dumb blonde. The jar of lollipops was right there in her face.
She was playing a role, though. So I let her at it.

Alfie and I walked towards the row of fridges, pretending to look at our options.

"Here, sweetheart," I heard the owner say.

I glanced at the counter in time to see Connie unwrap the lollipop and slowly put
the thing in her mouth to put on a show. He was giving her his full attention. Hard
not to, with a face like Connie's. But I guess he wasn't really looking
at the face. The old bastard watched her like a sick fvcker. I managed not to barf.

My eyes eyes quickly scanned the store.

No CCTV. How stupid.

I looked back at Alfie. "Do it."

He stacked the bag with cans of beer, while I kept on the lookout. It was past
eleven in the evening. Not much people went to the store at this time of night,
unless they were going to a party or buying emergency essentials.

We were almost done when a random girl came around the corner isle. She stopped
short when she saw us. Alfie and I froze.

I checked her out. Her black hair was in a messy bun, and she wasn't wearing
any makeup. She was in a sweatshirt and sweatpants. She clearly wasn't
expecting to see anyone she knew, otherwise she wouldn't have dressed like
that.

I was about to signal her to keep her mouth shut when she looked away and went on
with her business like she didn't see us.

I cocked my head to the side. I was pretty sure she caught us stealing beer. I
watched her as she turned her back to us and scanned the row of chips. My eyes
didn't leave her until she disappeared around the corner.

Deciding she wouldn't tell on us, I turned to Alfie and glanced at the exit.
He nodded, getting my point. Without word, we headed out together.

My eyes wandered to Connie who was still heavily flirting at the counter. No doubt
she wanted to fvcking barf right about now.

Right before we reached the door, Connie decided to leave then.

"I guess I better go now."

Shit. Not yet. Too soon.

I made the mistake of glancing back. The owner took notice of us, and I immediately
saw the recognition in his eyes. And soon came after that was suspicion. Damn it.

"Excuse me."

We all looked at the girl who spoke. It was the girl in the sweatpants. She
appeared nonchalant as she emptied the contents of her basket on the counter.

"I'm sorry," she said, smiling sheepishly at the owner. "But I'm in a
hurry and I'd like to buy these."
The old man was about to look at us again, but then the girl added, "It's
really late. I'd like to get home as soon as I can."

"Alright, fine. Calm the fvck down, sweetheart."

I didn't like his tone. It sounded something like a rapist would say.

When he was busy scanning the items, the girl briefly glanced at me. The others
took that as a cue to get out of there.

"C'mon, Oz."

I hesitated. When the girl looked away, I turned and bolted. I ran to my Range
Rover, jumping in the backseat because Frisco was in the driver's being the
getaway driver and all.

"That was close," breathed out Alfie.

"No shit," I muttered.

Connie left the horny old fucktard too soon. If it wasn't for that girl,
we'd be busted.

"Don't leave yet," I ordered Frisco, when he revved the car.

They didn't question me.

"I managed to snag a few chocolate bars, too," mentioned Alfie, opening the back
pack and getting out the sweets. Connie and Frisco grabbed some.

"Hand me a beer," said Kurt, looking over his shoulder.

I ignored them and waited until I saw the girl walk out of the store. She
didn't look harmed. Good.

"Hey, have you seen that girl before?" I asked, nodding towards her as she climbed
in an old blue Mustang.

"Don't think so," said Alfie, tilting his head as he munched his chocolate
bar.

"She looks familiar," pondered Connie.

"Does she go to our school?" wondered Kurt.

"That's Halo Buckley."

We all looked at Frisco.

"She's in my World Literature class," he shrugged.

I nodded. Huh. So she went to our school.

"Why the sudden fascination?" asked Alfie curiously.

"She saved our asses in there," I admitted.

Kurt's eyebrows raised in disbelief. "Her?"

I didn't like repeating myself so I didn't answer him. I only watched as
the girl drove away in her Mustang. When she was gone, I leaned back in my seat and
sighed.

"Let's get back to the party."

_____________

Edgy enough? Not edgy enough? Let me know so I could improve! :)

Oh, and yes. The entire book will be in Oz's POV.

Chapter 3 - Chapter 2: Teenage Dirtbag (sophomore year) [Cruel Me]

(sophomore year)

I'm hungry as fucking hell.

I hurried to the cafeteria, not caring if I looked food deprived. I skipped

breakfast this morning to check on Connie. She didn't come to school today,
and she wasn't answering any of my calls or texts. I had no choice but to go
to her house.

Thank God I did because her step-mother apparently made her clean up their house
instead of letting her go to school. Connie was like Cinder-fucking-ella, only she
didn't have any step-sisters. Her older brother was away for college, and
their dad worked as a mechanic all day. She was stuck with that batshit crazy step-
mom.

I had to drag her away from there, sneaking her out and all. I always did.
I've known her almost as long as I've known Alfie. We basically grew up
together, attending parties of our older siblings since we were in 6th grade - but
I've been going since I was in 3rd.

The sea of students parted for me. I was used to this so it didn't make me
feel special. If anything, it was normal.

"You skipping football practice later?" asked Alfie, who was suddenly beside me.

"Nah," I replied, shaking my head. "There's a new kid on the team."

That meant there was someone new for the upperclassmen to toy around with in the
field. We all went through it freshmen year. It was the new guy's turn.

"Oh, yeah. The one from San Fran?"

"Yep."

"Shit," he snickered. "The seniors won't go easy on him."

I sneered. "It'll be one helluva show."

"Get real," he snorted. "You're hoping they'd let you in on the fun."

He caught me there.
"Everybody knows that's my thing," I shrugged smugly.

Letting it out on others was my way of relieving the pressure that was suffocating
me inside. It was my release. It was the only thing I learned to do in order to
cope with the shit that had surrounded me.

What kind of shit?

Parents who didn't give a fuck.

I didn't even know if I still had them because as soon as my sister Annabelle
graduated a couple of years ago, they moved to the City, leaving me here in New
Jersey by myself. Sure, they sent a generous amount of allowance. I guess I should
be thankful for that, right?

There was also the fact that my siblings looked at me like an accessory rather than
their youngest brother. Who could blame them? We grew up in a messed up family.

And then, I had to deal with people who were only being friends with me because my
family was loaded. Gold shit diggers. It was hard to identify the real friends at
first. But in time, I got the hang of it. Still, though. The fakes were all over
the fucking place.

There, take your pick.

"Teenage dirtbag," chortled Alfie.

I grinned. "Jealous?"

"Fuck you," he laughed.

"I'd rather not."

My playful vibe was shot to hell when I saw how long the line was in the cafeteria.
Alfie and I stood there for a moment, trying to think of something.

Damn. I was starving. This wouldn't do.

"Fuck it," I muttered, walking straight to the middle of the jet line with Alfie
following beside me. I smoothly slipped in front of some girl, without looking
back.

"Excuse me, there's a line."

The girl who spoke was behind me so I got to deal with her instead of Alfie. I saw
his shoulders shaking in quiet laughter. I pushed him hard, causing him to stumble
to his front. The guy in front of him glared, but then he saw who it was and let it
go.

"Did you hear me? There's a line," repeated the girl.

"So?" I said, still not looking back.

"It's only right that you wait like everybody else."

Like hell I would.

"I'm waiting, too."

"You cut in front of me."

"Do I look like I care?"

"At least, look at my face when you're talking to me."

I hang my head and sighed. Turning around, I almost took a step back. Almost.
Staring at me with big green eyes was the prettiest girl I've ever seen.

Whoa.

She had freckles on her face, the result of being a redhead. My eyes went to her
hair that was pulled up in a ponytail, then to her body. She wore simple fitted
long-sleeves and skinny jeans. For someone our age, who was about done with
puberty, I'd say it did her good.

"So?" she asked, with a raised eyebrow.

My eyes flew to her lips. They were a bit on the thin side, but they were full
enough. They seemed soft. Fighting the urge to test my theory, I returned my eyes
to hers.

"So what?" I countered back.

"Aren't you going to apologize for cutting line?"

This is getting interesting.

I looked at the people behind her. All of them avoided my eyes, their faces saying
they weren't backing up the redhead's words. Bunch of cowards. At least,
she had guts.

"No," I told her nonchalantly.

"Jerk."

"You're holding up the line behind you, babe," I said, gesturing to the crowd
forming. I flashed her a sympathetic smile. "Who's the jerk here?"

I left her and went to get my food. All that fuss for just a stupid line. Gotta
say, though. It was refreshing for someone to speak up like that.

I heard the redhead apologize to the person behind her, making me glance in their
direction. Redhead's cheeks were flushed from embarrassment as she moved on
the line.

A small smirk formed on my lips.

"You always get your way," she muttered, shaking her head.

Ah, she was still talking to me.

"What's wrong with that?" I asked.

"Without any consideration for others? That's wrong."

"Not my fault if they don't stand up for themselves," I shrugged.

People wouldn't get pushed over if they didn't let people do that to
them. Simple as that.

"So that gives you the right to bully them?" she scoffed in disbelief.

"No," I snorted. "But it sure fucking lets me do whatever the hell I want."

She made a disgusted face. "You're unbelievable."

I grinned. "I get that a lot."

I couldn't get to be my usual asshole self with her. What she was getting from
me was way too mild compared to what others get. Then again, I swore I
wouldn't touch girls.

She glared at me, and said, "Are you gonna pay for that?" Her head tilted, adding,
"You're holding up the line."

I looked around. She was right.

Huh. She slapped me with my own words. Impressive.

Alfie was waiting for me with an amused face, while the lunch lady was waiting for
me with an annoyed one. I paid for my food. But before I could say more to the
redhead, my best friend dragged me away.

"What the hell, dude?" I demanded.

"You're playing with fire, Oz."

"Because of her hair?" I asked, confused.

"Ha. Good one."

With the last word, he lightly pushed me and sat at our usual table. I scowled and
sat across from him. As soon as I was settled, my eyes scanned the cafeteria.

Alfie raised both of his hands to cover my view.

Kurt and Connie watched him.

"What the fuck's your problem?" I snapped.

Alfie put down his hands. "You don't recognize her? Really?" He sighed. "Well,
I guess she changed a lot through the summer."

I stared at him, going out of my mind baffled.

"See for yourself, then," he said, pointing at the redhead with his fork.

I followed the direction to where he was pointing. I saw the girl and watched her
walked across the room with ease. She suddenly smiled when her eyes landed on
someone. Before I could look to see who it was, Scout Crimson came and ruffled her
hair. I saw the resemblance right away.

Just like that, it clicked.

"Fuck," I whispered, biting my lip.

"What's going on?" I heard Connie ask.

My eyes didn't leave the girl who was now sitting at the basketball
team's table. She looked like she belonged there, laughing with them.

As if I willed her, she caught me staring. Her laughter subsided but her eyes were
still locked with mine, unwilling to look away.

"Oz just fell for the enemy's twin sister," sneered Alfie.

Connie gasped. "No way."

"Who?" asked Kurt.

I could feel Alfie's eyes on me.

"Snow Crimson."

_____________

If Snow's the redhead, who's Halo?!

Next update: Thursday

Chapter 4 - Chapter 3: Smells Like Teen Spirit (present) [Cruel Me]

(present)

Numb.

There was no word better to describe it. My eyes were trained to the other side of
the cafeteria and all I felt was . . . numb.

"You gonna drink that?" asked Alfie, pointing to my milk.

I shook my head in answer. He took the carton of milk from my tray, but then Connie
grabbed it from him and drank before he could.

"Hey!"

"Snooze, you lose," she shrugged.

I ignored them and kept my eyes on the basketball team's table. I used to
steal secret glances with Snow whenever she was sitting there.

Happiness. Pain. Hatred.

I used to feel something.

Now, nothing.

"Stop staring," Connie told me. "It's pathetic."

Finally, my eyes left that table. I looked at Connie beside me, who dyed her
shoulder-length hair silver white just this weekend. She actually looked badass.

"Is it?" I said quietly. My jaw clenched, then I continued with a hard tone,
"Whenever I look at their fucking faces, all I see is fire. I'm only reminding
myself why I shouldn't take no mercy."

At that, she shut up and looked away. Alfie exhaled, leaning back in his seat.

"Last time we retaliated," he started, "it backfired."

"That's on me," I admitted. "I shouldn't have played with fire." Like you
said.

It burned. It burned so fucking bad.

"Ain't your fault, man."

"Alfie's right," agreed Connie, with a frown. "That bitch would've done
the same thing regardless. Your only mistake was thinking she had a choice."

"Don't start," I warned.

She rolled her eyes in turn.

I was about to tell her off when my eyes caught on something behind her, something
familiar. I studied the person as she took a seat with her friends a few tables
away from us. None of them looked familiar besides the girl. Where have I seen her
before? It wasn't until she made a sheepish look at her friend that I realized
that it was sweatpants girl. I almost didn't recognize her with her black hair
down.

Gotta say, she looked way more presentable in her knitted sweater and dress than
her lazy late night look in the store.

It still puzzled my mind why she helped us last Friday night. She didn't look
anything like a trouble-maker. More of a laid back Mary Sue. But then, who was I to
talk? I knew better than anyone that looks could be deceiving.

I faintly noticed Frisco join us at the table.

"What are we talking about?" he asked casually, oblivious to the tension.

"Revenge," I simply replied.

Frisco didn't answer, making me turn to him. He had on a grim face as he

stared into space, not even touching his food.

See? Even he was pissed. He who was the usual good guy. He who didn't like
holding a grudge against anyone. For him to react like this, you could guess that
it was really damn bad. Then again, it wasn't just us. It affected the whole
team, too.

Frisco looked at me seriously. "What's the plan?"

The corner of my lips curled up in a small smirk.

"Still figuring it out. We need to be cautious."

"Are you gonna involve the team?"

Alfie threw the empty milk carton at Frisco. "We can't, dumbass. The more we
are, the bigger chance of getting caught."
"Besides," I added, "I only trust the rest of them inside the field."

I kept a close circle of friends for a reason. Too many was too much trouble. Sure,
the whole team hung out at parties and all. But the people that were usually with
me through all the mischievous rendezvous was kept on the down low.

Connie patted my shoulder in mock. "There, there."

A small chuckle escaped my lips, making her grin crookedly.

Crash!

All heads in the room turned to the direction of the noise. Kurt and Jay Lawley
were in the middle of the cafeteria, scowling at each other. From the looks of it,
the food on Lawley's tray took a detour to his shirt.

Nice. Lunch and a show.

"Watch where you're going!" spat Lawley. He wasn't your typical Asian. He
was more sporty than smart. That was why he was on the basketball team. His brain
cells could only handle that much.

"Get the hell outta the way, then," spelled out Kurt.

"You don't own this place."

"I don't have to. But I guess you wouldn't understand 'cause you
actually have to own this place for the people in it to respect you."

My eyes wandered to Scout Crimson, and I caught him already staring at me from his
table. He raised an eyebrow, obviously waiting for me to end the fight.

I snorted. Yeah, like that'll happen.

In response to him, I cocked my head to the side and flashed him a wicked smile. He
made a disgusted face, shook his head, and stood up. Then, he headed to the
commotion.

Ever the hero.

"Back up Kurt," I told Alfie and Frisco.

They quickly stood up and went.

"What do you know about respect?" laughed Lawley humorlessly.

Scout whispered something to him, probably trying to calm him down. There was no
way that was happening because Lawley looked like he was far from finished.

As expected, Lawley ignored his master and took a step closer to Kurt.

Seriously, I didn't know what he was trying to pull. Kurt stood almost a foot
taller than him, with wide buff shoulders. He looked like a skinny Hobbit next to
the big guy.

"You think they," Lawley gestured to the people in the room, "respect you? They
fear you and your asshole friends. Wake the heck up."
I covered my grin with my right hand.

This was proving to be amusing. He was a stupid fucker if he thought we'd be

insulted if he called us 'assholes.' Hell, that was a term of endearment
for us.

"You're right," piped up Alfie, coming up beside Kurt. "We don't know
anything about fear." He nodded sympathetically. "But clearly, you do. Can you be
kind enough to show us?"

That right there was one of the reasons why he was my best friend.

Fucking killed it.

"My God, this is hilarious," sniggered Connie, wiping an invisible tear in her eye.

"We don't want a fight," declared Scout, stepping in the middle.

"We're not making one," smiled Alfie innocently.

"You sure as hell are," contradicted Finn McKinley dutifully, who happened to be
Scout Crimson's best friend.

Kurt groaned. "I just wanna eat. Your boy was the one who made a fuss like a
sissy."

"Oh, go back to Africa," snapped Lawley.

I stood up, my amusement gone.

No one moved.

All eyes were one me as I walked towards the core of the show. I managed to reign
in the rising anger, my eyes on the little shit. I would've laughed at the
fact that he was trying not to crap his pants as I stalked closer to them, but I
was too damn pissed.

When I stopped in front of them, I stared at the fucktard for a second more before
my eyes wandered to Scout.

"Make him apologize," I stated firmly.

"He didn't mean it," sighed Scout.

"Make. The. Dipshit. Apologize."

"They provoked him," defended Finn, frowning. "What did you expect him to do, sit
back and watch?"

"I don't give a fuck. He crossed the line."

Scout scoffed. "That's rich, coming from you."

My eyes flashed in rage. With my hands shaking, I grabbed Scout by the collar of
his shirt. Finn moved forward, but Alfie blocked him.

"I haven't forgotten what your team did," I growled in his face. "I'm
fucking sick of you acting all innocent. Stop being a self-righteous dick. At
least, we have the balls to own up for our shit. Can't say the same about
you."

I shoved him away hard, causing him to stumble as he tried to catch his balance.
Alfie sidestepped in order to dodge Scout, while Finn held him upright. My best
friend traipsed back toward Kurt and Frisco, whistling nonchalantly.

"Stop accusing us of something we never did," said Scout, glaring at me.

Yada. Yada. Yada. Fucking coward.

I was done talking to him. I faced Lawley, stopping short when I saw Snow right
behind him. I couldn't read her facial expression. And right now, I could care
less. I turned back to the dipshit. His mouth was shut tight. I raised my hand and
counted down.

Five . . . four . . . three . . . two . . .

"Sorry," he choked out, scowling deeply.

I glanced back at Kurt. He nodded. When I turned to my front, I looked at Scout.

"Control your bitches, Crimson," I deadpanned.

Last time I really dealt with one of them, I almost ended up in juvie. Almost,
because my brother Clyde took care of it. My parents couldn't even take the
time off and handle it themselves. They had to send in Clyde to do it for them.

I didn't give Scout or any of them a chance to respond. I turned and left for
the door. I didn't stop walking when I made it to the hallway, planning to go
straight to the parking lot.

"I'm leaving," I stated, when I heard my friends follow me.

"Oh."

I stopped.

That didn't sound like any of my friends.

Whipping around, I laid my eyes on sweatpants girl.

I blinked.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean . . ." she trailed off and looked away.

I could only watch as she tried to think of something to say.

Checking her out for the second time in days, I noticed that I was taller than her
by a good nine or ten inches which makes her around five foot six. She had a little
button nose, while her lips were pink and full.

Studying her up close like this, she's actually pretty cute.

She returned her eyes to me and holy shit - they were purple. Whoa. This was the
first time I've ever seen eyes in that color. How cool.

When she noticed that I was still staring, she tried to explain, "I was just
passing by. I didn't hear anything you said. You can go ahead and leave if you
want." Realizing what she said, she squeezed her eyes shut, bit her lip, and bowed
her head.

A smile made its way to my lips.

She shook her head, avoiding my eyes.

"Okay, bye."

I watched her walk away, the smile still on my face.

"You waited for us, Oz?" said Alfie cheerfully from behind me. "That's a
first."

"Let's skip the rest of the periods, then just go back for practice later,"
proposed Kurt, cracking his neck. "Today's a total bust."

"Nothing smells like teen spirit," laughed Alfie.

I ignored them and continued down the hall, not looking away from the girl who was
walking not more than fifteen feet in front us.

"I can't," sighed Frisco. "We have a quiz in Trig."

"Boo. You're always skipping out on skipping."

I stopped walking when sweatpants girl turned and disappeared around the corner.
She didn't turn back even once. Why the hell did I act like a fucking mute
around her?

"Why is there a silly thing on your face?" Connie asked me curiously, scrutinizing
my face. Then, she gasped. "Is that a smile? A real one?"

The three boys scrambled to my front to peer at me. I quickly wiped it off my face,
making them groan in disappointment. Suckers.

"I got an idea," I announced, changing the subject. "We can't touch them if we
attack them all at once." They instantly grew serious, getting what I meant. "So we
hit them one by one - starting with Lawley."

They ruined our season last year.

It was our turn to destroy theirs.

_____________

Updated earlier than I expected because I couldn't wait to hear what you guys
think! So please do tell me your thoughts! :D

Do you think Oz was too harsh? And holy tacos! What happened between them all? :O

Next update: Saturday

Chapter 5 - Chapter 4: I'm A Believer (sophomore year) [Cruel Me]

(sophomore year)

Just one more touchdown.

"That's it, Lacy! Get your ass to the end zone!"

Coach had been pushing me extra hard since late last year, when he discovered that
I was a hell of a lot better than the resident running back then. He shaped me up
so I could officially be part of the starting line up this season because being the
running back wasn't an easy job. I had to be both mentally and physically
exceptional.

I wasn't complaining, though. Hell, I wanted this. I fucking loved the game.
It was the only thing that didn't suck in my life. It served like some kinda
safe haven where I could take out all my frustrations and not be in trouble for it.

From the corner of my eye, I saw a senior about to block my path. I speeded up and
lowered my shoulder in preparation for the impact.

"Oomph!" I heard him groan as he staggered away.

Damn. I gotta thank Coach Watkins for adding my gym hours.

Another senior tried to come at me from the sides. I slowed down for half a second
to let him slide to the ground, then I hopped off him. I gained speed again, making
sharp cuts here and there. In no time, I got to the end zone pretty smoothly.

The seniors slapped my helmet as a congratulatory move.

"Good one, kid!"

"Awesome play, Oz!"

I grinned, walking back to the bench.

"Just what I expected from Clyde's brother," remarked Coach Watkins, patting
me on the shoulder when I neared.

I didn't let his comment get to me. I've already accepted a long time ago
that my brother's football track record would follow me if I chose this sport.
I just had to surpass it. It wouldn't be too hard considering he was a
quarterback and I was a halfback (running back).

At least, there was that difference.

"Keep that up on Friday, you hear?" said Coach. He was in his sixties or seventies.
We weren't sure. He looked like your typical fatty grandpa with a friendly
smile beneath that walrus beard that we always made fun of.

"Sure, Coach," I nodded. I removed my helmet and cleared my throat. "Listen, you
mind if I go?"

He stared at me. "You got a date or something?"

"Something," I smirked.

"If this girl makes you play like you did today, I'll keep out of it."

I knew he'd say something like that.

Coach Watkins was the kind that didn't care what you did outside the field, as
long as you showed up during practice and when it was game time. So long as we
respect the game and play fucking good, he didn't meddle with our personal
business.

"But boy," he warned me seriously. "The minute you start screwing up, that'll
be the end of it. Understood?"

Except for that.

If it got in the way of the game, he'd be up your ass about it for sure. He
was a raging asshole if he didn't like you. The team was constantly torn
whether or not they find him respectable.

I fought the urge to snort.

I will never let a girl mess up my game.

"Crystal," I replied.

He scrutinized my face, probably trying to see if I was taking him seriously. When
he was satisfied, he nodded and waved off a hand.

"Alright, scram."

I didn't let him tell me twice. I ran off and headed to the locker room.

"What's the rush?" asked Alfie, when I passed him. He was resting on the other
bench. He was beat from trying to outmatch this year's starting quarterback.

"Trying to catch Snow before she leaves."

He groaned, leaning his head back. "Take a hint, man. She's been avoiding you
for weeks. Leave it alone."

"I want her," I deadpanned.

"No shit," he scoffed. "But you can't have her."

I shrugged nonchalantly. "That only makes me want her more."

I left him there and went to the locker room for a quick shower. I changed into
casual clothes and hurried to the school library. These past weeks, I learned that
Snow loved to read books enough to volunteer to help out at the library on
weekdays.

I ran a hand through my damp hair as I quietly entered the library. There
wasn't much people left in school in the late afternoon. Through the gaps of
the shelves, my eyes caught a glimpse of red hair. I slowly walked around, taking
my time watching Snow put the books back on their respective shelves.

Her hair wasn't in a ponytail today, it hang loose around her shoulders. I
swallowed the lump in my throat. It amazed me how she could make me want her so
much that I was willing to ignore the fact that she was my enemy's twin.

Alfie didn't understand.

I was crazy about this girl because not only was she stunning, she was honest and
direct. She never hesitated in telling me what was on her mind. She wasn't
afraid of me or what I was capable of doing. She was like an open book. Most of
all, she didn't put up with my bullshit.
That was refreshing as fucking hell.

And I wanted more.

"Need help?" I asked in a low voice, coming up behind her.

She jumped a little, glanced at me, then rolled her eyes.

"Go away, Oz."

I pretended to think, and said, "Nah."

She sighed and faced me. For a split second, I saw something in her eyes. There was
hesitance there. She didn't want to push me away, but she felt like she had
to. I've known that all along, from the countless times I caught her staring
at me in the cafeteria.

I wasn't the only one interested in us.

"What do you want?"

That's easy.

"You," I grinned.

"You do know that I'm Scout's sister?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"So?"

"You hate him."

I only hated how everybody seemed to wanna be friends with him without wanting his
money, too. I hated how he could just be himself and people would flock him
instantly. I hated how he didn't have to worry about fake friends.

"Him," I corrected, taking a step closer. "Not you."

"There's no difference," countered Snow.

"There's a huge difference. He's an ugly ass, and you're beautiful."

She looked away, not before I saw her cheeks flush. I was getting to her. After all
this time, I was pretty sure that I was close to smashing those damn walls she put
up.

"We're twins, Oz."

"Not identical," I shrugged. Then I studied her, mocking seriousness. "Unless . . .

you're secretly a dude."

She cracked a smile.

Finally.

I watched her have an inner battle with herself, biting her bottom lip. I had the
sudden urge to kiss her but stopped myself. That wouldn't help matters. She
let out a deep breath and shook her head. She went back to putting back the books
on the shelf.
"Even if I'm not related to him," she said, "I don't agree with your
moral standards."

The fuck?

"Moral standards?"

"You're a bully," she explained, as if that was the most obvious thing in the
world.

I snorted. "Says who?" I'll hunt them and beat their asses right now.

"Says everyone." She looked at me. "Says me."

Shit.

"I wouldn't call it bullying."

"I'd rather not sugarcoat."

I placed my right hand on the shelf, blocking her from doing anything else because
I couldn't take anymore of her ignoring me while I was trying to have a
fucking conversation with her.

"I admire the fact that you honestly tell me your opinion," I whispered, looking
straight in those green eyes of hers. I leaned down closer, causing her breath to
hitch up. "You got my attention, Snow. Here I am. Aren't you getting tired of
the chase?"

I wanted her to admit that she wanted me to. I wanted her to stop thinking about
how wrong this was, because hell. Nothing was wrong with what we wanted.

"Are you?" she challenged. "I'm not some bimbo you can just bang," she added
with a stern face.

A small laugh escaped my lips. "You think I don't know that?" I said, reaching
out and pushing a stray hair away from her face.

Her eyes closed. "I wouldn't know. You're hard to read."

I smirked, my fingers softly tracing her jaw.

"You only have to ask."

"Will you answer?" she asked, frowning a bit.

She was giving in. Just a little more.

"I will if you let me give you a ride home."

Her eyes snapped open. "Not a chance."

Damn it. I was so close.

"Your call," I said, putting my hands up in defeat. "But you should know,
there's a reason I do things that I do."

She looked at me, her eyes full of curiosity.

"You know where to find me in case you change your mind."

With that, I turned to leave.

"I won't," she called over.

"We'll see."

I left the library, taking a deep breath when I got to the hallway.

Holy shit. My nerves were all over the fucking place. Good thing I managed to keep
my cool. It was as if that girl was made of stone. She wasn't totally immune
to my charms, though. She was obviously attracted to me, too. She was only holding
back because of her jackass brother.

The thing was, I didn't give a shit about her brother. So fucking what if she
was related to Scout Crimson? I wasn't thickheaded enough to hold it against
her.

I wanted her.

I rubbed my face with a hand. On the way to the parking lot, I saw a couple of guys
cornering what looked like a freshman girl on her locker. The girl seemed to be
ignoring them with her back turned, but they weren't leaving.

I watched their stances.

Relaxed. Arrogant. Self-assured.

One of them looked annoyed but he was trying not to show it. Whatever they wanted,
the girl wasn't giving to them. My eyes went back to her. Her body was stiff.

Now that was bullying. I didn't touch girls.

One of the guys touched the girl's shoulder, making her flinch. Before I knew
it, I was walking past them.

"Frankenstein called," I said in a bored voice. "He wants his face back."

Frankenstein, the annoyed one, turned to me. He was pretty tall, but I was taller.
I could easily tackle him if needed. I wondered how far I could piss him off.

Heh. This might be fun.

"Did you say something?"

I stopped walking. "Oh, you weren't mute?"

"Did I say I was?"

Stupidest fucking comeback I've ever heard.

"Technically, if you were mute," I explained slowly so his brain could understand,
"you wouldn't be able to talk."

He scowled. "Don't be a smartass."

"Am I being one?" I asked, feigning innocence. I cocked my head and smirked. "How
would you know?"

He was about to come at me, but the other guy stopped him.

"Come on, man. He ain't worth it."

Smart guy.

"Listen to your girlfriend," I taunted.

That did the trick.

It was as if I watched in slow motion as he stepped towards me and raised his fist.
I stepped back, dodging his attack. He tried to kick me instead. Dumbass. I grabbed
his foot and twisted it, causing him to hop on his other foot. Eventually, he fell
on his ass.

His friend shook his head and patted him on the shoulder.

"Told ya," he sighed. "That's Oz Lacy."

Frankenstein looked at me with questionable eyes. I nodded in confirmation, smiling

crookedly. He grumbled a curse and got up. Without a word, they left.

Wimps.

Letting out a chuckle, I turned around and continued walking down the hallway. I
passed the large school trophy case, making me stop and look at it. My eyes scanned
the pictures, instantly spotting my family.

Clyde Lacy, star quarterback (AY 2005-2006).

Diana Lacy, class president (AY 2008-2009).

Annabelle Lacy, head cheerleader (AY 2010-2011).

Besides the fact that my three older siblings were at the top of the social
hierarchy in this place during their time, I was basically a kid brother to
everyone else who were in that level - having known me from all the high school
parties thrown by my brother and sisters.

At such a young age, they taught me how to fight and defend myself - for fun,
because apparently it was entertaining to teach a kid those things. I've seen
how they picked up and pleasured girls. They showed me the tricks on how not to get
wasted. They taught me how to get away from trouble.

Sure, it was fucking traumatizing. But it was the fastest way to open my eyes and
learn about those stuff. What they didn't expect was that I would turn out a
little worse.

If they knew when not to cross the line, I pranced around it.

Sometimes, I wondered if I'd be forever stuck in this state. There were times
when I needed a break. I was human, you know. Too bad there wasn't a place
where I could run to when it all got too much.

"Oz?"

My head turned to the direction of the voice. My eyes landed on the person who made
the demons go away. She looked unsure, but she offered me a small smile. Suddenly,
I felt something I never thought I'd feel.

Hope.

The corner of my lips curled up in a smile.

"Snow."

_____________

Who ships Oz and Snow?!?! #SnOz

This present/past thing will continue until the questions are finally answered.
Don't worry. I won't have the whole story bouncing back from past to
present. That'll be a headache. Just several more chapters of this. Bear with
me. Haha :D

Next update: Saturday (busy week)

Chapter 6 - Chapter 5: Girls Chase Boys (present) [Cruel Me]

(present)

"Fuckin' A!"

The crowd cheered, as the guy who yelled raised his cup and banged his head along
the beat of the music. The base was so strong you could literally feel it if you
touched the walls of the house.

I shook my head, making my way through the sea of bodies.

It was Friday night. We just won a game. Naturally, there was a party at
someone's house. By the time I got here about an hour ago, it was already in
full swing.

I nodded to Connie and Frisco when I got near them by the fireplace. I let them
have a conversation while my eyes scanned the place. Some people were dancing
carelessly in the middle of the room, some were sucking faces at corners, some were
pulling pranks against the sophomores, some were playing cards, and the rest were
simply talking.

Same old fucking high school party.

A random guy who was enthusiastically jumping up and down came out of nowhere and
was about to collide with Connie. I grabbed the hem of her leather jacket and
pulled her out of the way, causing for the moron to fall head first on the floor.

We stared at his unmoving body.

"Is he passed out?" asked Frisco.

"Looks like it," I shrugged.

"Noob," muttered Connie disgustedly, sipping from her red cup.

My lips curled up in a crooked smile.

Frisco chuckled as he handed Connie his cup of beer. He then helped the passed out
dude get up and walked him to the nearest chair. When he returned, he took the cup
from Connie, and said, "Not all of us have attended high school parties since we
were twelve."

Connie snorted. "You turned out fine."

"I'm a quick learner."

"Yeah, good boy," she complimented, patting his head like a dog.

"Knock yourself out," grinned Frisco, while he lowered his curly head.

Connie laughed and shoved his head away.

"You look happier," I mentioned, watching her.

She flashed me a genuine smile, which was pretty damn rare when it came to her.

"Maybe I am."

"Having the crazy bitch out of your life that good, huh?"

As soon as the divorce her dad filed had gotten finalized last week, she'd
been less bitchy and more playful. It was refreshing seeing her this good.

"Understatement of the century, pal," she replied.

"Damn, just when I was getting used to being your knight in shining armor."

"You're no knight."

I sneered. "And you're no damsel."

Frisco snickered, while Connie's jaw dropped. When she recovered, she gritted
her teeth and punched me on my arm. And since this was Connie we were talking
about, it wasn't an ordinary girly hit. It felt like a motherfucking wrecking
ball without Miley on it.

"Son of a bitch," I hissed, wincing a bit and stretching my arm. "At least, remove
your goddamn rings before you strike." She had on like four, and it wouldn't
have hurt as much without them feeling like needles on my skin.

She laughed darkly. "Need some cheese with that whine?"

"Said by the dickless dude," I muttered.

With that, I took off before she could hit me again. I heard Frisco laughing his
ass off, quickly followed by a groan. Ha. I didn't have to turn around to know
that he got it from Connie, too.

I headed to the kitchen to fill up my cup from the keg, nodding to Alfie when I
passed him. He was preoccupied by his girl of the night. Being the star quarterback
gave him access to as many pussies as he wanted, after all.

As for me, I only hunted when I got an itch to scratch.

When my cup was full, I took a swig. I leaned back on the counter and took note of
my surroundings. It was a wonder how I wasn't tired of this same old shit. But
then, this was a helluva lot better than staying at home like a lonely fucker.

"Just a little more."

I turned at the familiar voice. My eyebrows slightly raised in surprise when I

realized it was sweatpants girl. Okay, I seriously needed to stop calling her that.
She had a name.

Halo.

She was filling up her cup from the punch bowl. I winced. The keg was way cleaner
than that shit. Who knew what people spiked that all night with?

When she was done, she raised her head and frowned. Her eyes scanned the room, her
frown deepening. She craned her neck, clearly looking for someone. Her body
slightly wobbled, causing her to almost lose her balance. She giggled at her
silliness. Then, she sighed and looked down at her cup as if she gave up.

I hesitated if I should come over and talk to her. Then I realized, what the hell
was I hesitating for, acting like a fucking wimp? Sheesh.

I went to her, lowering the beer in my hand as I came up behind her and leaned
closer to her ear. I whispered, "You look lost."

She jumped and whipped around to face me. This time, she really might've had
lost her balance if I hadn't grabbed her arm to steady her.

"Oh, it's you," she breathed out, waving a hand dismissively.

"Disappointed?"

She giggled. "That's what you think."

I studied her, noticing that her eyes were a bit glazed. The corner of my lips
curled up. She was tipsy, maybe even drunk. This night was getting more and more
interesting.

"Anyway, I'm not lost," she stated, pursing her lips. "I'm simply
wandering around."

I watched her heaved another sigh. Her hair was sticking to her forehead from the
heat. I had no idea what kind of alcohol was in her system, but the air in the
house must be suffocating for her.

"Do you wanna 'wander' outside?" I offered. "Fresh air and all."

She smiled widely and nodded. "Yes, please!"

I led her outside, thankful that most of the people were inside the house.

"You came here alone?" I asked, my eyes running down her body.

She was wearing another summer dress, with a denim jacket over it. She looked way
too cute for her own good.

"No, I came with my friends. They're," she paused and frowned, as if having a
hard time trying to remember, "around."
We walked towards the couch swing at the other side of the yard, getting far enough
from the noisy party. I helped her get settled first, then I sat beside her. She
took a deep breath and leaned back with her eyes getting heavier, while my elbows
where on my knees as I stared at the pool.

"You shouldn't wander around by yourself," I told her.

"I bumped into you. I'd say it's doing me gooood," she giggled, taking a
sip from her cup. "You're welcome, by the way."

"For what?"

Although, I knew what she was talking about.

"For the free beer."

I looked at her, leaning back on the swing. Her eyes were closed, while she put her
fingers on her lips and smiled as if saying she could keep a secret.

"Why'd you save us that time?" I couldn't help but ask. It had been
bugging me all week. The curiosity was fucking killing me.

"He was mean to my gay friend," she pouted, half-opening her eyes and looking at
me. "I'm no angel. Who was I to stop you?"

I couldn't, for the life of me, figure out this girl. And hell, that was
saying something. I was pretty damn sharp. Not when it came to her, apparently.

"'Sides," she said with her words beginning to turn a little slurry, giving me
a pointed look, "why do you think I covered up so much when I was there?" Her face
scrunched up in grimace. "He's a perv."

I burst out laughing. That sure explained the outfit.

"Hey," she whispered, when my laugh subsided. It was kinda obvious that she was
struggling to keep a straight face. "I think someone spiked the punch."

I shrugged. "Maybe someone did."

"Oh, no," she gasped, a hand flying to her mouth. "I'll get drunk!"

You already are.

She looked at me with horrified eyes.

"I'm underage!"

I didn't even realize I was smiling while I watched her.

"I'm not a cop," I assured her.

"I know that," she replied, rolling her eyes as if I said something stupid.
"You're the football team's running back."

I cocked my head curiously. "What else do you know about me?"

I've never been this interested in knowing what someone thought of me. But
this girl was hard to read. I'd take what I could get.
"Not much," she answered nonchalantly. "Just that you're sometimes," she
covered her face with her free hand and peeked at me through her fingers before
adding, "scary."

I didn't speak for a moment.

"Do I scare you?" I asked quietly.

"No, I think you're interesting."

I blinked. This girl was so fucking weird.

She removed her hand from her face and closed her eyes, continuing, "You're
like a mystery that needs solving. I like mysteries."

I smiled crookedly. "Oh, yeah?"

She nodded and gave me a thumbs up, without looking at me. "I'm obsessed with
CSI and Law & Order. I'm also addicted to thriller novels because it gives
me such," she paused dramatically, "thrill."

I laughed out loud - again.

"You're such a dork, you know that?"

"I'm adorkable," she grinned at me.

Ain't that the truth.

She moaned, swinging her body sideways like a kid about to have her tantrum. "High
school parties are fun."

"Is this your first time attending one?" I asked, staring at her.

"Yup." She leaned closer to me with a serious face and lowered her voice, saying,
"My friends sneaked me out." She giggled. "Pops thinks I'm sleeping over at
Brooklyn's tonight. But you know what?"

"What?"

"I'm not," she whispered, looking at me like it was the best thing ever.

I chuckled. After rubbing my face with a hand, I stared at her with a smile that
was plastered on my face. Cool thing was, she didn't look away and gazed right
back. I got to see those purple orbs up close - even if they were technically half-
closed.

"I miss that look," she mumbled.

I blinked, taken aback by her statement. She was staring at me, dazed by what she
was seeing. I looked at her questioningly.

"No," she whined, her brows furrowing. "Don't do that." Without warning, she
threw away her cup and reached out to grab my face, slapping me in the process
because she was drunk as fuck and she was probably seeing doubles. Stretching my
cheeks, she said, "Smile!"

I was too shocked to move a muscle, frozen on the spot.

"Oh, my gosh! Halo!"

I heard footsteps nearing us, but all I could see was Halo's droopy adorkable
purple eyes. And I didn't complain. They were fucking out of this world.

"I'm so sorry!" a girl said frantically, removing Halo's warm hands on

me.

When my eyes turned to the two newcomers, it was their turn to freeze. Yeah, I had
that effect on people.

"Holy crap on sticks," the guy gasped. I wasn't sure how, but I automatically
knew that he was the gay friend Halo was referring to earlier. Must be the green
hair.

"That's an odd visual," I commented.

They didn't reply.

"You're Halo's friends."

They nodded cautiously.

"She's pretty drunk," I informed them.

"That's what this is," beamed Halo, facepalming. She looked at her friends,
got to her feet, and bounced towards them happily. "Brooklyn! Milo! I'm
drunk!"

The girl named Brooklyn bit her lip to keep herself from laughing. "You'll so
regret this in the morning," she said in amusement, grabbing Halo's arm and
putting it around her shoulders.

"Oz!"

My head turned to the voice. Frisco was calling from the house. He waved his hand,
telling me to come over. He looked like he was freaking out. Shit.

"Problem!"

I nodded, then turned to Halo's friends.

"You got her?"

They nodded again.

My eyes landed on Halo, whose eyelids were almost closed now. "Later, dork," I
murmured, lightly pinching her cheek. With that, I turned to leave.

"Sayonara, Wizard of Oz!"

Shaking my head, I couldn't help the grin that creeped up to my lips.

_____________

Why is it that y'all like Halo when she only had a couple of appearances? Why
don't you like Snow? :( But you gotta admit, Halo was so adorbs in this
chappie. Haha! #HalOz
Dedicating the next chapter to whoever comments the funniest thing they ever said
to someone. ;)

Next update: Wednesday

Chapter 7 - Chapter 6: One Week (sophomore year) [Cruel Me]

(sophomore year)

What the hell?

A big crowd was forming in the hallways. Alfie and I were on our way to the parking
lot to get ready for tonight's game. We just left from Coach's lectures.
We just wanted to get home and chill, but we got stuck up with all the commotion
here.

"What's going on?" Alfie asked a random guy.

"Cat fight."

I automatically exchanged looks with my best friend. He looked just as alarmed as I

was.

"You don't think . . . ?" he trailed off, cocking his head to the side.

I got what he meant, and I nodded in answer.

Without word, we pushed our way to the eye of the crowd. It was easy. In no time,
we were in the front row of the show. Confirming our thoughts, we immediately saw
Connie on the floor, straddling another girl while she grabbed her hair and slapped
her face with no mercy.

"Shit," I muttered, dropping my gym bag and pulling Connie off the girl.

Alfie pulled up his hands and blocked the other girl from attacking, saying, "Pull
in the claws, babe."

I frowned. "What the hell, Con?"

She struggled to get away from my grip, but I was too strong for her. "Her ugly
fucking ass is jealous because I hang out with you guys a lot," she hissed, looking
more pissed than her usual bitchy self. She tried to get her arms free.

No way. I wasn't letting her go in that state.

The other girl scoffed, raising an eyebrow at Connie. "'Hang out'? Is

that what you call it, sleeping with the whole football team?"

I stared at her. She was one to talk. I recognized her from being one of the many
'bang bunnies' of the upperclassmen. I might get crabs for even just
touching her.

"They're called friends," corrected Connie slowly. "Something your tiny little
brain won't understand seeing as all it can register is whoring around."

This was beginning to be an issue.

See, Connie was a bit like me. Her older brother, Drew Anderson, was a football
hero. Naturally, any player on the team knew about him. He was a sophomore when he
started taking her to parties (that was around the time we met) because no one was
at home to look after her. And let's face it, their stepmonster was crazy.

If being exposed to that kind of thing was kinda traumatizing for me, how more do
you think it affected her? So yeah, she'd rather hang out with us on the team
because she knew we all treated her with respect.

No judgments. No drama.

Just plain old fun.

Hence, why she didn't have any female friends.

"You're just a slut," added the bang bunny, waggling a finger. "And you know
it."

I looked over to Alfie. He shrugged. I felt Connie shaking so I turned back to her.
Her expression was screaming bloody murder. She looked ready to pounce.

"Call me a slut again, bitch," warned Connie, with gritted teeth. "I dare you."

This wasn't gonna end well. We were attracting too much attention. Any minute
now, a teacher will come and bring back order. No one would like that.

"What seems to be the problem here?"

I sighed. Speak of the devil.

The bang bunny ran to the teacher and sobbed as if she was the damn victim,
grabbing his arm for effect. Well, she only looked the part since Connie did a
number on her.

"She attacked me!" she whined.

Connie shook her head and laughed bitterly.

"Is that true?" asked Mr. Holowitz, our resident Algebra teacher. He was skinny and
gloomy, and teaching was definitely not for him because he was boring as fuck.

"Depends on your definition of 'attack'," replied Connie. "Verbal or

physical?"

Mr. Holowitz only stared at her. Probably deciding he didn't want to deal with
girl drama, he instead told them, "Go to the principal's office. Both of you.
Now."

Connie crossed her arms and held her chin up as she walked away. I didn't give
a shit to look at bang bunny because she was beginning to be an eyesore.

"See you later at the game, Con," I called out. "Your ass better be there."

She looked back with an incredulous expression on her face. Rolling her eyes, she
said, "Well, duh."

I grinned, grabbing my stuff and turning to leave when Mr. Holowitz's eyes
landed on me. I looked at him questioningly. He raised an eyebrow.
"You have something to do with this, Oz?"

My jaw dropped.

Is he serious right now?

"Wha - I fucking stopped the fight!"

"Language," he warned, giving me a stern look before finally leaving.

"Unbelievable," I grumbled.

How dare he act all high and mighty when he's as scrawny as a stick? Just
because he's a teacher? Fucker. I hate authorities.

But then again, that shouldn't surprise me. People expected me to get into
trouble. And I did often times. Still, though. A little bit of some benefit of the
doubt would be nice. I wasn't entirely made of stone.

"Hey," whispered a soft voice.

I closed my eyes, knowing who that voice belonged to. I took a couple of deep
calming breaths before I turned and saw my girl. For a moment, I was left staring
at her. She always managed to take my breath away. Of course, there was no way in
hell she'd know that.

"Don't worry," said Snow, offering a sad smile as she reached up and gently
ran a hand through my hair. "I'll make sure she's fine."

Before any of it could sink in, she left and followed after the two girls to the
principal's office. I didn't even get any chance to savor the fact that
she openly talked to me in public.

Holy shit. She talked to me in public!

We haven't decided whether or not to let other people know that we were
officially dating for a few weeks now. I had no problem with sharing it, to be
honest. But there were a lot of complications, starting with her brother. She was
really worried about that one.

Even though she knew my friends didn't approve of her, it was nice to know
that she was still willing to help and befriend them.

But if she expected me to do the same, I'd rather serve my balls in a silver
platter.

* * *

She was here. At my game. In public.

It wasn't that hard to spot her on the bleachers, with all that red hair
surrounding her face. I couldn't believe my eyes. Fuck me if I wasn't so
damn happy about it.

With the crowd cheering nonstop, players warming up on the field before the game,
Friday night lights blaring, Snow smiled and waved when she saw me looking.

And get this, she's wearing my maroon jersey jacket over her white shirt. She
looks all red and sexy. It will take all of me not to go over there and claim her.
I grinned back at her instead, feeling so high and pumped up.

"Digging your own grave with that one," teased Alfie, noticing Snow.

I faced him, he was shaking his head as he passed the football to Kurt. I threw a
towel at him, and said, "Fuck off."

He only laughed and made a face, tossing back the towel to the nearby bench. I
shook my head and did some stretching.

"Oh, shit. Is that who I think it is?" asked Kurt suddenly, squinting his eyes back
at the bleachers. Even they knew how big a step this was for Snow.

"Indeed, my friend," confirmed Alfie, answering before I could. "As you know, our
dear brave Oz is dating Snow Crimson without the knowledge of her brother. But
since she publicly showed up to a football game instead of her brother's sissy
sport, I assume there will be hell to pay on Monday."

Kurt sniggered. "Look at that, Connie's talking to her."

I snorted. "You're shitting me."

"I shit you not," he replied, grinning now.

I looked over my shoulder, skeptical.

Damn.

He wasn't kidding.

I watched, dumbfounded, as Snow and Connie chat like normal teenage girls. There
were no bitterness in Connie's eyes, while Snow looked like she was having fun
with the company. I looked up at the sky to check if pigs were flying.

"You think Connie's getting the dish out of her?"

I got a text from Connie saying she only got a week's worth of detention. She
told me not to worry and to say thanks to Snow. For what, she didn't tell me.
She sure as hell didn't mention getting chummy with my girlfriend. Honestly, I
didn't know how to feel about that.

I mean, it's good that Connie's finally met a girl that she gets along
with. But I'm not really sure if Snow can handle it. Sure, she's strong-
willed and all. Still, Connie can be pretty out-there sometimes.

"Uh-oh, looks like we don't have to wait for Monday," sang Alfie, nudging me
on the ribs as he stared off to a distance.

I followed the direction of his eyes. And there at the edge of the bleachers, in
his glorious white basketball uniform, was Scout Crimson. Huh. He was alone. He was
clenching his fists and his expression screamed war.

This wasn't the conversation I was looking forward to, especially when I had a
game tonight. But I knew I was gonna have to face him sooner or later.

Letting out a bored sigh, I removed my helmet and walked across the field. A few
first-stringers looked at me with what-the-fuck faces. I only nodded to them.
"Where the hell are you going, Lacy?" yelled Coach when I passed by.

"I'll be back, Coach," I assured him, flashing a grin.

He turned his head and saw where I was heading at, then he stared me down.

"Better make it quick, boy," he spat.

I nodded and continued walking. I ignored the eyes following me as I left the
field, probably wondering what the heck I was doing leaving when the game was about
to start.

When I was near enough, Scott led the way to the parking lot until we were away
from the prying eyes. The parking lot was full, but empty of people.

I watched his stance. I was taller than him by a few inches, wider and more built.
He was more on the lean side. He was visibly shaking in rage. His face was pink,
closing in to red - which was fucking funny considering he also had a red hair.

I would've laughed at his ridiculous face, but I wanted to get this over with.

"Speak up, Crimson," I sighed.

"At first, I didn't believe it," he started, his jaw clenched and his tone was
controlled. "I didn't want to believe it. My sister was smarter than that. I
thought she was just busy with her books. But then . . ." he trailed off, shaking
his head as he gestured behind me.

I knew Snow was there before I even turned. When I did, she was biting her lip. She
looked worried and ready to step in between us. I smiled at her to assure her that
everything was cool - so far. She shook her head and stepped beside me, her eyes on
her brother.

"This is why I didn't want to tell you before the game, Scout," she told him.

"I'm glad I got it out of you on the way to school," he replied firmly,
frowning at her. "Otherwise, I might have looked like a complete idiot wondering
where you disappeared to." He paused to run a hand through his short red hair,
shaking his head in disbelief as he stared on the ground. When he looked up, he
looked dejected. "Why him, Snow? Of all the guys, why Oz? You could do so much
better than him."

Well, that stung.

"He didn't give up," she answered simply, her shoulders were squared but her
voice cracked a bit. "He made me feel like I'm worth fighting for," she added,
holding my hand while her eyes were still trained on Scout.

With my thumb, I rubbed the back of her hand to soothe her. Even though she had on
her usual tough facade, she was close to crying. I could see that much.

"I need to talk to your brother alone, babe," I told her, leaning in to kiss her
hair and quickly savoring her sweet smell.

She took a deep breath and nodded.

"Don't fight," she told us seriously. "You both have games tonight."

I wasn't making any promises so I kept my mouth shut.

"We'll talk about this later," declared Scout. Snow just waved a hand. As soon
as she was out of sight, he spoke again. "You will never be -"

"Mufasa?" I guessed innocently, facing him again.

"I don't have time for this, Oz."

"Same here. So do you mind getting to the fucking point?"

He scowled. "Don't use my sister to get back at me."

I looked at him coldly. "I'm not that low."

He impatiently let out a breath and shook his head.

"What do you want, Oz? Stop playing games."

"Who said I was?"

He stared at me for a moment, the stern face slowly shifting to a disappointed one.

"You changed the moment you quit basketball last year."

I cringed at the memory, my knuckles went white and numb from the hardening grip I
had on my helmet.

What a fuck up that was. I joined the basketball team because I wanted to be like
Ethan Tyler. He was my role model, more of a brother to me than my own.

I tried to be nice and get along with the rest of the team. But then one day, I
found out they were talking about me behind my back. They were only friends with me
because I had money. The truth? They really feared me. That wasn't enough.
Like an icing on the cake, they compared me to Scout fucking Crimson. The fact that
they couldn't tell that to my face told me so much. They were sissies.

So no, I didn't change when I quit the basketball team. I was already a car
wreck waiting to happen. That tiny incident only pushed me off the edge.

Joining the football team served some sort of saving grace, though.

It was an outlet.

The greatest thing? Guys on the team didn't do bullshit. If they liked you,
you were good. If you showed even an ounce of weakness, you didn't belong.
They helped you toughen up in and out of the field. They didn't complain about
you behind your back like a fucking girl. They got a problem with you, you'd
fucking know about it. They didn't judge you based on where you were from.
They judged you based on what you show them.

And that was exactly what I needed.

I learned that being nice didn't earn me true friends, only meaningless
company. Real friends? You know you got 'em if you do some stupid shit, and
either they join you or stand by you when shit gets real. Loyalty.

"Sad," I replied sarcastically.

He genuinely looked concerned. "I don't like who you're becoming."

That is exactly why we don't get along. You're such a good boy.

"It's fun. You should try it some time."

He shook his head, as if remembering his purpose by coming here and talking to me.
When his eyes landed on me, they were grim. "Just stay away from my sister."

"No."

"You have tons of girls waiting in line."

"They're not her," I shrugged.

He scrutinized my face. I stared back, not backing down. Deciding that I was
serious as hell, he said, "I don't get the fascination. And I don't like
that she seems to feel for you, too."

"I don't get it either," I admitted, looking away.

When she gave in to that ride home weeks ago, I thought that was the only chance
I'd get with her. But then she started to give in more and more. My hopes
skyrocketed.

I didn't feel alone anymore. I had someone to run to when things got too much.
She listened to me rant and just let it all out. She was there for me.

Of course, there were times when she wouldn't have my shit and talk back,
telling me what I should've done instead. She was honest and direct. You know
what, though? She seemed to see something good in me, but I wasn't really sure
if that side existed.

I don't know. She just believes in me.

At the end of the day, that was all I really asked for.

I returned my eyes on Scout, and added, "But fuck me if I'm letting her go."

He didn't speak. He only looked at me without any expression on his face. I

took his silence as an acknowledgment. I leaned my head back and tilted my head.

"Are we done here?" I asked, putting an end to this talk. "I've got a game to
play, Crimson. Unlike you, we actually got a shot at State."

He took a step closer threateningly and pointed a finger at me.

"I swear if you break her heart -"

"That won't happen."

I didn't wait for him to respond. I turned around and walked back to the
field, passing by the bleachers. When I saw Snow look at me with a cute little
worried frown on her face, I couldn't help it anymore. I ran to the edge to
where she was leaning on, and then hopped on the railing. Several people gasped,
but I didn't give a shit.

"Are you okay?" she asked sincerely, her warm breath fanning my face. Her eyes
scanned the rest of me, probably checking for bruises or something.
"My lips hurt from all that talking," I said with a low voice, leaning closer. I
flashed her a crooked smile. "Make it better?"

A slow smile made its way to her lips, as she rolled her eyes.

"A lot of people are watching," she reminded me.

"Awesome," I smiled confidently, as if she just announced the best news. "It's
the perfect time to let everyone know you're mine."

Her green eyes twinkled as she laughed. I watched her for a moment, enchanted by
this beautiful girl in front of me. I loved every little thing she did, even that
little crinkle on her nose whenever she laughed or giggled.

"Just this once, okay?" she smiled back, when her laughter died down.

I had a full on grin now, knowing for a fact that this wouldn't be a one time
thing if I could help it. I closed the gap between us and kissed her with a strong
but gentle force. I felt her smile against my lips, making me do the same.

I suddenly remembered Scout's warning about breaking Snow's heart.

If anything, Snow's the one who had the power to break mine.

_____________

Tadaaah! I think I ship Snow and Oz. HAHA. You gotta admit, that last scene was so
cute.

Sorry for the late update, y'all. A lot of things got in the way. But this is
a pretty long chapter, eh? ;)

Next update: Next week (for sure)

Chapter 8 - Chapter 7: Still Don't Give A F*ck (present) [Cruel Me]

(present)

Fuck. What now?

Entering the house, I studied Frisco whose posture screamed uneasy. He was stiff,
and close to fidgeting. His breathing was fast, too.

"What's up?"

He nodded to the living room, and grimly said, "We've got company."

I suddenly had a bad feeling about this.

Frisco and I headed there, where I could already hear Alfie's cold voice leave
a ring in the air. The house was quiet. Music stopped playing. People surrounded
the scene.

Damn.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" spat Alfie.

His cheeks were red, while he swayed a little as he stood. My eyes wandered to the
cup of beer in his hand. This wasn't gonna end good if he was the one who
handled this.

Him + alcohol + fight?

Bad combo.

"It's a high school party. What do you think?"

I inwardly groaned. I didn't have to look to see who the dipshit was. Just his
voice sent an instant chill of rage surge within me.

Why for fuck's sake did they have to barge in and ruin everyone's night?
Why couldn't they just fucking keep to themselves like the damn goodie pussies
they were? They weren't welcome here. Nothing but a bunch of eyesores.

"Last time I checked," taunted Alfie, frowning as if something baffled him, "there
are no losers allowed."

"Then why are you here?" countered Scout, not taking shit from any of us.

Heh. Not for long.

"We're here because we just won a game," I piped in, stepping up beside Alfie.
I discreetly waved a hand for him to back away, in case he lose it and lunge. I
kept my eyes on Scout, but I saw Alfie move. "A word that seemed to be lost in your
vocabulary," I added in a voice full of wonder.

His jaw clenched, and his eyes blazed in anger.

"Plus," I continued, "the hostess personally invited us. How did you get here," I
paused to leer at him, "word of mouth?"

"It's a free country."

My gaze turned ice cold, as did my voice. I was reminded of everything they did.
The blood they spilled. The spirits they burned down to the ground. The lost
justice from it all.

"But not really free people, as you so kindly engraved in our heads."

"That was your own fault," he replied strongly, the crease on his forehead
deepened. "Stop blaming me for something you did."

I scrutinized him.

No twitching in his face. No blinking in his eyes. No avoidance of the matter.

And then, something clicked.

I've thought about all those times I've talked to Scout. Now that I
considered it, it didn't make any sense if he was behind what happened. It
didn't seem like him. He was disgustingly good. No matter what, he'd
always been fair and square.

Damn.

He really didn't know anything about that day - what his teammates did. He was
honest all this time about being innocent.

That just made him a helluva lot dumber.

I rubbed my face with a hand. "You have no fucking idea, Crimson," I laughed
humorlessly, shaking my head.

"You keep saying that," he muttered exasperatedly, letting out a breath of

frustration. "Educate me, then."

"Nah, it's more amusing to see you look like an idiot," I said harshly.

He shook his head at me, his nostrils flaring.

"Found the hostess!" announced Connie, dragging a preppy girl in the middle of it.

"Ah, Gina," I flashed her my most charming smile.

She was one of the cheerleaders for the football team. Yeah, they were divided. I
pitied the ones cheering for the other team. Anyhow, I remembered Gina always
pining over Kurt. He always liked to play it cool, so I didn't think they were
anything more than fuck buddies.

Still, we already had that advantage.

"They stay or we stay," I shrugged. "You pick, since it's your party."

"Can't you guys just get along?" she pleaded.

"I won't ask again."

On the corner of my eye, I saw Alfie grin lazily. Connie chinned up, while Kurt
crossed his arms. Frisco was quiet. Gina? She was fidgeting.

"Stop it, Oz," ordered Scout. "We'll leave."

When he turned to leave, I signaled the rest of the team to block the way. They
did, causing for Scout and his minions to stop.

"Afraid she won't choose you?" I smirked.

"What more do you want?" demanded Finn, sending me a glare. "We're already
leaving."

"Not yet," I deadpanned. I turned to Gina. "Choose."

She looked scared, glancing at Kurt for help. He only waited for her say something.
Looking away, she bit her lip and ran a nervous hand through her straight black
hair. She closed her eyes for a second, then faced Scout with a sad expression.

"I'm sorry, Scout. Y - You need to leave."

I grinned.

I didn't know what the hell he expected her to say. But the look on his face
said that even though a part of him knew she'd pick us, it still stung him.
His minions had the same look on their faces. No doubt they felt humiliated.

Good.
"That's what I want," I admitted coldly, with a low voice. "All of you feeling
like unwanted scums, not welcome to any parties aside from your own."

Nobody spoke for a moment, letting my words sink in their systems. This was why
most people feared me. And this was only half of what I was capable of doing.

Seriously? I hurt people physically, mentally, and emotionally. It's what

I'm good at. Sure, it's not really a 'good' thing. But you know
what? I don't give a fuck. Good is overrated.

"That's not fair," Finn managed to choke out. "You forced her to choose you."

"Did we force you?" I asked Gina.

She looked down on her feet. "No," she mumbled. "I want them to stay for real."

I turned back my attention to Finn, my eyes drooped a little from boredom.

"You were saying?"

He was too furious to speak, which only made my smirk grow wider.

"I think they were saying that they're gonna leave now," Alfie answered for
them, raising his cup to his mouth to hide his wicked grin.

I gestured my team to move from the door. They nodded and stepped aside.

"I've made my point," I stated. "Leave."

"One of these days, Oz," grumbled Finn, shaking his head.

The corner of my lips twitched. "You're threatening me?" I scoffed. "I'm

just finishing what you fucking dickheads started."

"What exactly did we start?" demanded Scout, stopping in his tracks to face me.

I sneered. "That fact that you're asking that shows how shitty your leadership
is."

"I'm getting tired of this," he said, pulling up his hands in defeat. Then, he
pointed a finger to my chest. "I'm sick of you acting like you know my team
better than I do."

Apparently, I do.

And I was getting sick of this conversation, too.

"Stop stalling," I whispered. "Just fucking leave."

Each of them sent dirty looks our way as they walked out of the house. But with the
badass intimidating teams we played against every season? We were already immune to
that shit. Theirs were even so poorly done it sent tears in my eyes.

After a couple of minutes, the big house party started back up again. Music blared
on the stereo, and people were chatting like nothing happened.

"I am definitely getting a threesome tonight, thanks to those fucktards," said

Alfie, burping through his words.
"You're gross, you know that?" Connie told him, wrinkling her nose in disgust.

"You love me, anyway," he grinned, as he put an arm around her.

Instead of answering, Connie shoved his face away.

"Ow! You wound me."

Connie snorted. "Let your bimbos nurse your bruised ego."

"Don't mind if I do."

Kurt and Frisco chuckled, while my eyes landed to Gina who passed in front of us.
She looked a bit shaken.

"Smart choice, Gina," I told her.

She rolled her eyes, and said in a tired voice, "Whatever." She walked up to Kurt,
her hands running up his chest seductively. "You owe me, K-man."

I raised an eyebrow at Kurt. He caught my eye, and he grinned.

"Let me make it up to you, then," he replied, tilting up her face with his fingers
on her chin. His thumb slowly traveled across her bottom lip.

"Can you make it up to her in private?" suggested Connie a-matter-of-factly.

Their voices drowned in the background as I thought back to the realization that I
made tonight. One that changed everything and nothing at the same time.

"He's clueless," I murmured to myself.

"What?" asked Frisco, having heard me.

My eyes wandered around to each of them. They grew silent when they noticed that I
was serious. Kurt whispered something to Gina, making her leave and hop upstairs.

"Crimson doesn't know a damn thing."

Silence.

"No way."

"Hell."

"Fuck me."

"Honestly, it doesn't surprise me."

I looked at Frisco. He shrugged.

"It doesn't make any sense how he could stomach doing such a thing," he
explained, scratching his head. "But then, I realized he couldn't. He's
too good for something so . . ."

"Cruel?" I offered.

He sighed and nodded. "Yeah."

Silence again.

"Nothing changes, though," I added.

Before any of them could reply, sirens roared off from a distance. The music
instantly stopped, and I waited for the announcement.

"COOOOOOOPS!"

Next thing you know, people were running out of the house like a swarm of bees. No
one wanted to get caught with underage drinking.

Despite what was happening around us, my lips stretched into a crooked smile.

"The dickheads called the fucking cops."

"Damn it," grumbled Alfie.

"Let's go, you morons!" yelled Connie impatiently, pulling us to the back
exit. "You've already got a record! Move it!"

I saw the veins in her neck about to pop out, making me alert. The boys saw it,
too, because they listened and hurried out to the back. When Connie's veins
made an appearance, it was usually wise to do whatever she said.

When we passed by the swing, I suddenly remembered a certain drunk adorkable girl.
I sure as hell hope she and her friends left before the police arrived.

A shiny thing on the ground caught my eye, making me stop.

"Oz, what're you doing?"

"Just a sec."

I reached down and picked it up. It was a purple crystal necklace. I'd bet my
ass I knew whose jewelry was this. It was just as oddly pretty as her.

I pocketed it and followed the others.

"What was that?" asked Connie.

"A mystery," I simply answered. She shrugged and let it go. "Hey, Frisco," I called
out, as we hopped off the fence.

"Yeah?" he panted behind me.

"Tell me more about Halo Buckley."

_____________

What exactly happened to make Oz and his buddies that furious? :O

Thanks to Mitch for proof-reading some Cruel Me chapters. Her keen eye is aweshum~!
xx

Chapter 9 - Chapter 8: You and I (junior year) [Cruel Me]

 (juinor year)

"Can't believe you guys are still together."

"Wouldn't expect you to believe anything," I replied, putting on my leather

jacket as I came down the stairs.

"Touche," nodded Alfie, his eyes never leaving the screen.

They were hanging out here in the basement at my place. The usual. They liked it
here because there were no house rules, no parents to tell us what to do, no
cleaning up after the messes we made (my folks had someone to come clean the house
every weekend). It was the ultimate teenage dream.

It was a big ass house, almost like a mansion - and I had it all to myself. My
friends liked to call it 'the white house.' Fuckin' A, right?

No. Not really. Not at all.

I hated this house.

The basement is the only place I feel really at home because this is where we
almost always chilled at. It has its own bar, billiard, foosball, huge flat screen
TV, xbox, wii - you name it, we own it.

"Gotta bounce," I said. Nodding to Kurt who was lounging by the bar drinking a
soda, I called, "Keys, man."

We decided to switch our rides for tonight. I got his truck, while he got my sports
car. I needed his truck for some special shit I planned to do for Snow tonight.

"Handle it with care," reminded Kurt, throwing the keys to me. "And y'all
better make sure to take a detour to the car wash afterward, ya hear?"

I laughed. "No problem. Here's mine."

He nodded, catching my car keys.

"Say hi to Snow for me," added Connie casually, coming from the fridge on the
corner of the room and carrying a can of Coke with her. She slumped on the armchair
and watched Frisco try to beat Alfie at Madden NFL 15.

Frisco was a new addition to my inner circle of trusted friends. He was a good kid,
only a year younger than us. A bit like Scout on the goody two shoes side but
Frisco was a little more reserved.

We're trying to corrupt him with our ways so he can see the good in the bad.
We don't share the secret with just anyone so he's lucky to have us.

"Sure thing," I told Connie. "Hey, Frisco. When I get back, you better have stepped
up your game. I won't have anyone on my team suck at Madden."

"Already acting captain, are we?" chuckled Kurt.

"I am your captain," I smirked.

"Aye, aye!" exclaimed Alfie, raising a fist for a second before returning to the
game.
I grabbed a throw pillow and swung it at my best friend. It hit him hard on the
face, almost making him fall off the couch.

"Boom!" I threw my arms in the air. "Headshot!"

Laughter filled the room.

"Dude!" he yelped, frantically grabbing the console from the floor. "Not cool!
I'm on my fourth down!"

"Thanks, Oz," laughed Frisco, nodding to me.

I only grinned. "Later, then. You know the drill."

They've been hanging out here long enough to make sure to lock up after they
leave the basement. It wasn't really necessary because robbery in this
neighborhood was as rare as Leonardo Di Carpio winning an Oscar, which had never
happened. Tight security and all.

Fifteen minutes later, I was in front of the Crimson residence to pick up Snow for
our date. Before her, I didn't usually do dates. There was never a need for
it. But then I learned the difference between a bang bunny and a keeper.

Snow's definitely the keeper type.

"Hey, babe," smiled Snow, giving me a smack when she neared me. She was wearing a
casual white fitted shirt and denim short shorts with white Chuck's, while
leaving her long flaming red hair around her shoulders. She looked hot as hell.

Damn, that's my girl.

I flashed her a crooked smile.

"I got you a big mac and some fries in the truck."

Her face lightened up at the mention of burgers.

"Woohoo!" she whooped, jumping a little and grinning like mad. "Take-out! Yum!"

"C'mon, you hobbit," I laughed, putting an arm around her then kissing her
head.

"Who're you calling hobbit?"

I grinned as I opened the truck door.

"You."

"I'm not that small," she scoffed, climbing in.

I took a moment to admire her ass, before replying, "But you got hairy feet."

She gasped, making me laugh out loud. Her jaw was dropped open, her eyes wide as
she stared at me in disbelief.

"Priceless."

"I do not!" she denied indignantly.

"Do, too."

"Do not!"

"Do, too."

I closed the door before she could reply.

"Do not!" she said instantly, as soon as I opened the driver's side of the
door.

"Do, too." I hopped in and looked at her flushed face. "It's okay. I still
love you," I added, leaning over to kiss her full on the lips.

She giggled into my mouth. "I love you, too," she murmured, when I pulled away with
a wide smile on my face.

If possible, my grin broadened at the sound of that as I revved the truck.

I took her to the carnival because what better way to spend the last day of summer
than have a date at the carnival like some old school chick flick couple?

As expected, I had fun with Snow. She was easy to be around with. We've been
going out for almost a year now. That had gotta be a record when it came to high
school relationships. We knew each other so well now that sometimes, I didn't
have to speak for her to know what kind of shit was going on in my mind. And vice
versa.

I find in her the kind of love that I didn't feel I got from my folks. Sure,
my friends are there for me. But it's different, you know? It's just so
damn comforting to have someone like her in my life.

Because after all the shit I've done and went through? She was someone I
didn't expect to ever have.

I love her. I really fucking do.

And I didn't even know what I did to deserve her but I was thankful as fucking
hell that she felt the same way about me.

"Going to the ladies room for a minute," she told me.

"A'ight."

I watched her walk away, then looked around for somewhere to sit while I waited for
her. My eyes landed on a boy all alone on the bench. I decided to sit beside him.

"You lost, kid?"

He looked about eight or nine years old. His head was bowed so low it almost
reached his tummy. As a kid, that was usually a bad sign.

"No," he shook his head, but he still didn't look at me. "My mom's with
my little sister at the cotton candy booth. And my dad's with Jack playing
guns."

"Why aren't you with them?"

He sighed sadly. "I don't think they want me around."

Oh, shit. This hits too close to home.

"Why do you think that?"

He shrugged, looking down on his feet.

"I don't wanna talk about it," I heard him mumble.

I stayed quiet for a minute, my eyes wandering around our surroundings. Most of the
people here came as families or group of friends. Some looked excited to try all
the rides. And some looked tired, but it was the happy kind. We looked the odd
couple out for being quiet and expressionless in a place like this.

From the corner of my eye, I saw the kid's head turn up and tilted as he
stared off to a distance. He looked lost. It reminded me of someone I knew so well.

"I've been there," I admitted, letting out a sigh. "It's hard. And it
hurts sometimes. But it's up to you how you handle it. Either you man up and
continue living your life or you sulk and wish for someone to notice you."

He didn't answer, letting the words sink in. His brows furrowed thoughtfully.

"You got any friends?"

He nodded, smiling a little. "My best friend Thad invites me to his house and his
mom cooks us mac and cheese while we play at his tree house his dad had built. They
treat me like family. I love it there."

"That's awesome," I commented truthfully. That kind of friendship would come a

long way. I knew firsthand because his Thad was my Alfie. With that in mind, I
added, "He's gonna be your life line. Hang on to him, okay?"

He looked unsure, but said anyways, "Okay."

"Do you play ball?"

"Soccer. I'm a striker, Thad's a goalie."

"Good. Why don't you focus on that? But remember to be good at something for
yourself, not for anyone else. You and your team. Okay, buddy?"

He had a grin now. "You're cool, mister."

"Am I?"

"Yeah, you're not a pooper."

I burst out laughing. "Nobody wants to be a pooper." My eye caught something from a
distance, making me stand up - the smile on my lips was gone. "Hey, I gotta go to
my girl. You gonna be all right?" I looked at him to make sure he knew what I meant
by that.

He nodded.

"Great talking to ya, bud." I reached out my fist to him, and he grinned as he
pulled out his fist to mine. I ruffled his hair, making him laugh. "Take care."
Then, I left and hurried to where I saw Snow. She was by the bench beside the
balloon stand. Her back was turned to me so I wasn't sure what she was trying
to do - until I saw the guys she was pointing her fingers at like she was scolding
them.

"What the actual fuck?" I muttered, going over to Snow who was telling off three
guys in front of a fat woman who was tearing up.

"Tell me something," began Snow with a hard tone, "does her weight affect your
life? Does it? No? So what right do you have to tell her such mean things? Mind
your own business and leave her alone."

"Mind your own fucking business," said by one of the pricks.

I stopped a few feet behind my girlfriend and checked out the other dudes. Preppy.
Proud. Possibly stoned. Fucking perv, I actually caught one of them scan
Snow's body from head to toe. If it wasn't so disgusting, I would've
pulled his eyes out by now.

I was an asshole, but I didn't want any blood in my hands. Literally.

"No," refused Snow firmly. "I won't let you harass this beautiful lady just
because she doesn't fit your idea of a perfect body."

"Obesity is unhealthy, though," said by the proudest of the three idiots. He

sounded like any know-it-all would sound like. And not at all cute like Hermione
Granger.

"What she does with her body is her business, not yours. It's her life.
It's her decision."

"Why are you even defending her? That's exactly why they never do something
about it, because people like you defend them all the fucking time."

"Putting other people down and making them feel like scum? That's not right,"
she said, shaking her head like she couldn't believe what she was hearing. "If
you think you're helping her by saying cruel things like that, you're
dead wrong. So just shut up and leave."

I stepped up until I was right behind her, deciding it was time to end this with
that note. Their eyes switched to me. I cocked my head and patiently waited for
them to make a move, silently mocking them in the process.

One by one, they looked away and cleared their throats.

"We're done here. Let's go."

That's what I thought.

When they were gone, Snow immediately walked over to the woman she defended. "Are
you okay?" she asked the woman who looked like she was on the verge of tears.

"Yes," she sobbed. "Thank you so much, dear."

"My pleasure. Don't mind what they said. You're beautiful."

She nodded, and held Snow's hands. "Thank you."

I watched in some sort of daze as the girl I was in love with comfort a stranger
like the woman was a relative of hers. A smile was on my lips as I realized how
proud I was of her.

When Snow and I were on our way to Kurt's pickup truck in the parking lot, I
gave her a piece of my mind about what happened back there.

"That was brave," I remarked, lightly squeezing her hand. "Dangerous, but brave."

"I could handle those jerks," she said confidently.

I snorted. "Right."

"I deal with you everyday. I have practice," she added with a sweet smile.

"That so?" I smirked.

She stuck her tongue out in response, making me chuckle.

"Get your pretty ass on the truck," I told her, reluctantly letting go of her hand.

"Where are we going next?"

"You'll see."

I took her to a spot up on the nearby mountains, overlooking the town. I

didn't even know a place like this existed in Mount Valley. I just asked
around and a couple of stoners told me about this.

Then, I saw an idea online and thought Snow might like this romantic shit. This was
why I borrowed Kurt's truck in the first place - to put pillow and blankets on
the back of it.

Cheesy as fuck, but I'm doing this for my girl.

"Oz," gasped Snow, looking up at me with twinkly eyes after I removed the cover at
the back to reveal the blankets. She was looking at me like I was the best thing on
earth.

So worth the trouble.

"Like it?" I grinned.

"I love it!" She laughed and hugged me tight, kissing me on both cheeks. "It's
incredibly amazing whenever you show your romantic side. So cute!"

She knew I fucking hate it when she called me cute.

"Whatever you say, hobbit," I shrugged, and gestured for her to get on.

"Fine," she sighed as I helped her climb on the back of the truck. "It's very
sexy."

"Your pants is on fire," I said sarcastically, easily jumping on after her. "Did
you lie?"

She laughed. "Maybe."

I shook my head as I positioned myself at the very back so I could lean on the
panel, but I was smiling nonetheless.
"C'mere," I called, patting the space between my legs. She didn't
hesitate to come to me, which did something pleasant inside me. I wrapped my arms
around her waist as we looked over the night lights all over town.

I bet my ass we looked so fucking cheesy right now. But you know what? I don't
give a shit. I'm holding my girl in my arms. It doesn't get any better
than this.

For the first time in my life, I felt fulfilled.

At peace.

And I didn't want this feeling to go away any time soon.

"Do you think my brother will ever get over me dating you?"

Of course, there was that.

"He still hasn't, huh?" I asked, leaning back my head on the window. My eyes
gazed up at the stars, and I faintly wondered what the aliens were up to.

"Nope," she sighed.

"What about your parents?"

"You know they're cool with it. They wouldn't have invited you over last
Christmas if they weren't."

I looked back down to her and picked up her right hand with mine, taking my time
with intertwining our fingers.

"That the best Christmas dinner I've ever had," I admitted quietly, as I
watched our hands become one.

"Even if Scout was watching you like a hawk that night?" she asked dubiously.

The shithead was waiting for me to screw up all night long. Sucked for him because
I damn well behaved that night.

"Yup," I assured her.

"Well . . ."

"What?"

"Your friends . . ."

"What about them?"

As far as I knew, there weren't any issue with my friends - or my team, for
that matter. They didn't mind Snow hanging out with us, whether it be eating
at Den's Diner or simply chilling in my basement.

"I love the fact that they're protective for you," started Snow thoughtfully,
absentmindedly playing with our hands. I could tell she was using her words
carefully. "It's really sweet. But sometimes, I get the feeling that they
don't approve of me for you." She paused, biting her lip like she regretted
admitting that last part. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to overthink.
It's just the vibes I get sometimes. Like, there are so many inside jokes that
I just can't get. It's like I don't belong."

"I know someone who also feels that way," I whispered seriously.

"Oh, who?"

"Frisco," I grinned.

She snorted. "Oz."

I chuckled. "Alright, alright." I composed myself, and added, "I'm sorry you
feel that way. It's just that our inside jokes are usually made up from our
mischiefs. And we all know you're too good for that."

"Why is it, that whenever you say the word 'good', it comes off as a bad
thing?" she wondered aloud, sounding genuinely curious.

I burst out laughing. "Maybe in my eyes, it is."

She leaned sideways so she could look me in the eyes.

"Oz, seriously."

Staring at her up close like this, I swear to God those beautiful green eyes will
be the death of me.

So what did I do? I stopped fooling around and caved.

"They like you, okay?" I leaned over to kiss her nose. "Connie hangs out with you.
You even shop together. She doesn't do that with just anyone. She's
probably pumped that she finally has someone to do her girly shit with. Kurt
doesn't mind you either. The big guy doesn't care much for anything, to
be honest. So long as you're not being uptight, you're good. Alfie . . ."
I paused to think about how to explain in coherent words how my best friend's
mind worked. "He just doesn't like the fact that his best wingman isn't
on the prowl with him anymore."

Snow was quiet.

I wanted to tell her not to care what my friends thought because I didn't a
damn what hers thought of me, but then I realized that she was a girl. They cared
too much for that kind of shit. So I kept my mouth shut.

"How did we get here?" she mumbled, closing her eyes and leaning her head on my
shoulder. "Surreal, isn't it?"

"Lots of patience, that's for sure," I smirked. We fought so many times that I
lost count. Still, we made it work. That was how crazy we were about each other.
"Plus, giving out zero fucks to any asshat who thinks they have a say."

"Always so vulgar."

My smirk widened. "That's one of the things you love about me."

Her lips stretched into a smile. "Cocky, too."

"You bet it, babe," I murmured to her ear with a low voice. "If that word's
not an invitation, I don't know what is." My fingers lightly played with the
hem of her shirt, brushing her skin. My lips slowly traveled along her jaw to her
neck.

Her breath hitched. "Everything to you is an invitation," she breathed out,

squirming in my arms for more.

"Is that a no?" I whispered against her skin between kisses, my hand sneaking
inside her shirt and moving upwards.

A loud moan escaped her lips. In a matter of seconds, she sat up and turned to
straddle me. Without warning, she pressed herself on me and kissed me hard while
her hands flew to my head. My man down there sprang to life when she gripped my
hair, causing for me to squeeze her ass in sweet pleasure. And when she opened her
mouth to moan again, I plunged in my tongue and fought for control.

"What does that say?" she asked breathlessly, when she pulled away.

"Hell yeah?" I panted huskily, my voice deeply coated with lust already.

She smiled and nodded. "Hell yeah."

My lips stretched out into a huge grin before pressing it against hers.

Damn.

It doesn't get any fucking better than this.

_____________

Snoz shippers, rejoice! Haha!

Haloz, where ya at? XD #CruelMe

I honestly feel their love. First love. It's bittersweet. Heartbreaking. But
still, the innocence was there. The purity of their love for each other. It's
</3.

Btw, the title of the chapter and the song is a tribute for all the directioners
out there. It fits the chapter, Snoz, and my emotions for 1D. March has been a hard
month on us. This is to closing an old book and opening a new one. Let's
support the 4/4 lads who stayed with us, but knowing that it'll forever be 5/5
in our hearts. That is all.

Chapter 10 - Chapter 9: See You Again (present) [Cruel Me]

(present)

Junior, huh.

No wonder Frisco knew so much about Halo. He was a junior like her, while the rest
of us were seniors. Apparently, he and Halo also had a lot of classes together.

"Hey, Oz."

I nodded to the dude who greeted me as I passed him in the corridor. Several people
followed. A couple of high fives here and a few pats on the back there were a
regular thing on a Monday, while I only nodded to some of them in turn as I walked
down the hallway.

It was a little after three in the afternoon. Students were either going home,
heading to their part-time jobs, or on their way to their clubs.

Good thing I had half an hour to spare before heading off to practice. In the
meantime, I plan on tracking down a certain purple-eyed dork. I heard from Frisco
that she was part of the AV Club. I seriously wasn't expecting that.

Call me stereotypical, but I sorta pictured her as the type of girl reading in the
library during lunch. I never would've guessed that she liked hanging out in
what we all liked to call the cockpit (school's AV station), which was where
the cool geeks were.

When I got to the other side of the school, I slowed down and looked around. The
walls were colorful, filled with club posters and paintings. There were no trophy
cases or anything. But it looked like an awesome fucking art show.

I didn't come by here often. This area mostly contained the artsy clubs of the
school. A world I knew nothing about since I usually hung out at the west wing
where the jocks were.

After a couple of steps down the hall, it didn't take a genius to find out
which one was the cockpit. First off, it was the only door without a glass window
on it. Second, they had a big ass sign by their door saying it was.

I didn't care to knock. I just turned the knob and opened the door.

Half a dozen heads turned to my direction. They instantly froze when they realized
it was me. Some jaws were even dropped. Typical day.

My eyes scanned the faces. No Halo.

I caught a familiar mint green hair, though.

"Milo, right?" I asked, slightly tilting my head and pointing at him as I stepped
closer.

He nodded slowly but he didn't speak, eyes wide and confused. He wore thin-
framed hipster glasses. A little pale and a bit on the lanky side.

"I'm looking for Halo," I explained, scanning the room again. They were all
staring at me curiously now. I turned my attention back to Milo. "Do you know where
she is?"

He opened his mouth to speak, but got cut off.

"Music room," piped up Halo's brunette friend.

Brooklyn.

She looked confused, her dark brown eyes asked questions she didn't speak out.
I bet she was wondering why the hell I was looking for her friend. I absentmindedly
gripped the book I was holding.

I could tell her I wanted to return something that belonged to Halo.

Truth? I just wanted to see her again.

"It's across the hall," added Brooklyn. She came up to me by the doorway and
pointed to the other side of the corridor. "Halo's a good girl," she whispered
under her breath in a stern tone, tinged with a bit of warning.

What the fuck is that supposed to mean?

When I looked at her, I saw something in her eyes. There was a slight fear in them,
but that didn't stop her from being protective of Halo. That much I could
respect.

"I know," I merely replied.

With that, I began to walk towards the music room. My hand reached out to turn the
knob. And then . . . I felt it.

The slow surge of excitement, my heart beating faster and the adrenaline rushing
through my veins. It was the feeling I looked forward to most right before the
start of a game. Because whenever I felt it, I was sure as hell it was gonna be a
good game.

My hand was on the knob but I didn't turn it yet. I was still trying to figure
out why the fuck I was feeling this way over seeing a girl.

But I knew. Of course I fucking knew.

I just didn't want to acknowledge it yet.

No, not yet.

The moment I opened the door, I instantly heard singing.

"So let the light guide your way . . . Hold every memory as you go . . . And every
road you take will always lead you home home home . . ."

I quietly entered the room and saw Halo's back to me. She was playing the
piano while she sang, her voice sounding soft and gentle.

I stood there, unable to move - unable to look away as I waited for more.

"It's been a long day without you, my friend . . ."

I liked her voice.

"And I'll tell you all about it when I see you again . . ."

It was angelic.

"We've come a long way from where we began . . ."

It was soothing.

"Oh, I'll tell you all about it when I see you again . . ."

It took my breath away.

"When I see you again . . ."

I didn't even realize that I was staring at her like a goddamn lovestruck
puppy until the music stopped, and I was left wanting more.

God, I wanna hear more.

"Great song," I commented.

At the sound of my voice, Halo jumped in startle and fell off the chair.

"Ah!" she yelped, landing on her butt.

"Shit," I muttered, running to help her up. "You okay?"

She nodded in answer, wetting her lips and avoiding my gaze as she composed
herself. Her eyes wandered to my hand that was still on her arm. I reluctantly let
go of her and stepped back a little.

That was when I noticed her tear-streaked face.

"Are you," I paused to lean closer, "crying?"

Her eyes met mine for a second, before she looked away again to wipe her tears. I
couldn't help but admire how her black hair framed her porcelain face. Despite
the red puffy eyes and nose, she looked good.

"The song," she cleared her throat, trying to explain.

Oh, right.

"Paul Walker."

Man, that guy was a serious fucking legend. Such a shame what happened to him. I
saw Furious 7 last April and the end nearly had me in tears. Nearly.

"Yeah," sniffed Halo. "It's such a nice tribute. We had a movie marathon last
night, see. I get a little emotional whenever I hear that song and it takes me days
to get over it."

I fought a smile. "Dork."

"That's rather mean," she said, pursing them damn fine lips of hers.

"Or rather adorkable," I teased, grinning now.

She groaned and covered her face in humiliation. She peaked between her fingers,
and said, "I was hoping you've forgotten."

No fucking chance.

It was an amusing memory. It happened just as I was about full on sick of attending
parties. No way in hell was I ever gonna forget that.

"Well, you forgot this," I told her, handing her the crystal necklace.

Her eyes widened, automatically reaching out her hands to take it. "I've been
looking everywhere for this!" She clutched it to her chest and looked up at me with
the most grateful look I'd ever seen. "Thank you."

"Sure."
"Um," she mumbled, biting her lip worriedly. "I'm really sorry I slapped you
the other night. I didn't mean to."

'I miss that look.'

I couldn't get those words out of my mind. I was pretty sure there was more
behind them than she let on. What did it mean, though? Has she been watching me all
this time?

This girl's a freaking mystery.

"No worries," I assured her. "I had worse."

I play American Football. Hell yeah, I've had worse.

I watched as her eyes lit up like she remembered something funny, then she covered
her mouth to muffle a laughter. She turned away from me as if to hide.

The corner of my lips turned up in a smile. That was seriously cute.

"I'm sorry," she giggled. "Your flustered face that night just popped into my
mind."

"And you find that funny, huh?"

She nodded.

My face turned grim. "I'm not laughing."

Her amusement instantly vanished when she saw my reaction. It reminded me of that
cartoon Bambi. I almost laughed, but I stopped myself.

"Sorry," she murmured.

I waited for a couple of seconds, before I let out a small chuckle.

"I'm kidding. It's cool," I said, an easy smile stretching across my

face.

She sighed in relief. "Oh, good."

I seriously wanted to ask her about her statement last Friday night at the party,
but I got the feeling she wasn't the type to open up easily.

"I brought you something," I said instead, holding up the book that had been in my
hand. "I decided to lend it to you. Not sure if you already read it but it's
pretty damn good."

Halo's eyes went bulging wide and her mouth literally hung open at the sight
of the book. Her reaction did wonders to my ego.

"Holy moly!" she gasped.

What the fuck? 'Holy moly'? People really say that shit?

She stared at the book in her hands, and said, "I've been meaning to read
this. But then I got my list piled up. I still have tons of series and
documentaries to watch that I forgot about this." She turned to me in disbelief.
"You read."
I raised an eyebrow.

Contrary to common belief, I actually enjoyed storing my brain with knowledge. In

fact, it wasn't really a secret that I had a 4.0 GPA. Even though I
didn't give a shit what my folks thought of me, I still wanted to succeed.

When Halo realized what she said, her eyes squeezed shut in regret.

"I didn't mean it like that."

"Uh-huh," I nodded skeptically.

"No, really!" she said, opening her eyes and waving her hands.

"That's the second time you've hurt my ego now."

"Forgive me?" she replied sheepishly.

Despite her asking for forgiveness and me playing it cool, she looked like she was
having fun with our little exchange. And I gotta admit, I was, too.

I smirked and crossed my arms.

"Come to the game this Friday and I will."

She blinked, clearly not expecting me to say that.

"Are you serious?"

"Yep."

From her confused look, I thought she was gonna ask why. It was a reflex thing.
Also, girls wanted certainty. I prepared my answer, too. But she didn't ask.

"Um, I don't watch football," she admitted instead.

"It's a good way to start," I shrugged.

She didn't reply.

We stood there in silence for a minute, staring at each other. I took that time to
study her face; her purple orbs, so fucking unusual; her little button nose; her
full pink mouth, looking so soft - tempting the shit outta me.

Before I could step closer to her and give in to the temptation, I swallowed the
lump in my throat and looked away before I did something stupid.

But in a matter of seconds, I found myself returning my eyes on her. She was
looking at me curiously now, like she was trying to figure me out. I also saw
intrigue in them.

I suddenly remembered her saying that I was a mystery to her.

We're a fucking enigma to one another, then.

"Aren't you late for practice?"

Halo's voice pulled me out of my thoughts, making me glance at my wristwatch.

"Shit," I muttered, already dreading Alfie's smartass remarks when he finds
out why I'm late. I looked at her. "I gotta bounce. See you, dork," I nodded,
flashing her a crooked smile. I turned to leave, but then stopped to add, "Think
about Friday night."

She smiled. "I will."

It was my turn to grin.

I hurried to the other side of the school, across the fields, and straight to the
locker room. I quickly changed into my uniform, thinking all the while about a
purple-eyed dork.

She has a nice smile.

"Fuck."

I shook my head, trying to get my head focused as I stepped out onto the field.
Closing my eyes for a second, I gripped my helmet and took a deep breath. When I
finally had my game face on, I put the helmet on and ran towards Coach.

I glanced at the bleachers and sure enough, I saw Connie watching me like a PMS-ing
hawk. She rolled her eyes and shook her head. I ignored her and headed to where my
team was at.

The team was scattered all over, warming up with drills. The offensive linemen were
doing barrels - I saw Kurt killing it. My eyes wandered to Alfie and Frisco doing
long toss, with Frisco backing up five yards with every throw.

Alfie easily tossed the ball, without much effort.

I'm pretty damn proud. We trained so fucking hard everyday for the past three
years, motivating and pushing the hell outta each other until we reached the
breaking point.

Here we are now, eyeing our third championship together.

When Coach saw me approaching, he blew the whistle and signaled everyone to get to
position for the plays. I chuckled, already knowing what my punishment was.

Good thing I already did my warmups in the locker room.

One step ahead of ya, Coach.

"You're late!" exclaimed Coach, as soon as I joined them in the scrimmage. He

was scowling, trying to show off his intimidation tactics that didn't work on
me.

"I'll make it up on the field," I assured him.

He huffed. "Boy, you better."

He dismissed me and waved for me to run to position. I obeyed because this was my
favorite part of practice. We perfected the plays and sometimes got to improvise.

Improvisations are the fucking best because that's where the real fun in
football is. And playing it with people who enjoy it just as much as I do? Kick
ass.
"Do I have to ask?" teased Alfie, when I came up to him.

"Nah," I breathed out, stretching my arms. "Pretty sure you figured it out
already."

After all, he wouldn't be my best friend if he couldn't read me inside

out.

He snorted. "Bet your ass I did. How'd it go?"

He knew my sudden interest in Halo. It wasn't a secret. In fact, not much was
a secret between our little circle of friends. All our shits out in the open for us
to make fun of.

I feigned innocence. "How did what go?"

"Don't make me spank you," he warned, pointing a finger at me.

I cracked a grin. "I'm so scared, mom."

"How scared?" he asked curiously, playing out the role by crossing his arms and
slanting his posture like any woman would.

"Shitting-my-pants scared."

He made a disgusted sound. "You're fucking gross. Get lost and take care of
your shit or else your father will hear about this."

"Aw." I placed a hand over my chest. "How sweet, mom. I feel so damn loved."

"Here comes your father," he said, nodding behind me. "You know what? To this day,
I don't know how the fuck his dick fits into anywhere," he added, breaking
character.

I glanced and saw Kurt, making me laugh.

"Girls dig that shit," I shrugged.

"Don't you mean he digs girls' shit?"

I burst into another round of laughter.

"What are y'all laughing about?" called out Kurt.

"Dicks and shits," I answered simply, grinning.

"Riiight. Well, good news," he announced, slapping my helmet as he came up beside

me. "You remember when you asked us to dig up some dirt on the sissy team?"

Alfie snorted, while my laughter died down. As if on cue, Frisco joined us from
getting a drink at the bench.

"Yeah, go on," I told Kurt.

"I did some recon. It was hell bribing them, but some fuckers ratted him out." He
grinned. "We got some dirt on Lawley," he finished, waggling his eyebrows.

"How bad?"
"It's bad," confirmed Frisco, nodding seriously.

Before I could reply, a whistle was blown from a distance. We turned our heads to
Coach who looked pissed as fuck.

"Are you gonna stand there all day or are you thickheaded boys gonna damn play?!"

The four of us exchanged nods and got to position to run the play.

It was almost time for payback.

I couldn't fucking wait.

_____________

Haloz chapterrr! Hehe :D

The way I see it, Snow and Oz have chemistry. While Halo and Oz have a connection.
Which weighs more? ;)

Chapter 11 - Chapter 10 |Part 1|: Who You Are (junior year) [Cruel Me]

(junior year)

He's here.

I knew it the moment I saw his shiny silver Corvette parked in the gravel driveway
of the house. It had been two months since I've seen him last. He called to
check in every week and all. But it felt like an obligation, you know?

I climbed out of my matte black BMW M3, stopping to stare at the house for a
second. The exterior was a combination of brick and wood. Blue roof. Brick walls.
Wooden floor. It looked hella cozy. Too bad it was a manipulative bitch, just like
its owners - me included.

Honestly, though? I'd gotten so used to having it all to myself for the past
years. Sure, it was lonely as fucking hell sometimes. But having someone in the
house who also owned it felt sorta awkward now, especially when that someone was
just as fucked up as I was.

Good thing they didn't usually stay for long whenever they visited.

I sighed, dreading seeing him. Out of the four of us, he turned out the worst.
Shaking my head, I walked towards the front door and swung my keys around my
forefinger.

See, the thing about this house was that it was quiet. Sure, it was fucking huge.
But you would definitely know if someone else was home - if you could even call it
that.

The moment I opened the door and stepped foot inside, I heard a faint murmur of the
TV in the far right side of the house. The gym was there. Typical.

Wanting to get this over with, I headed to where he was. With him here, the elegant
house felt foreign to me as I walked down the main hall. The walls had been white
for as long as I could remember.

When someone mentioned their childhood memory, it was usually a pleasant one. It
was automatic. Most kids played outside and got dirty, waited for ice cream trucks,
and just did whatever silly thing they could get away with.

But whenever I thought of mine, the only things I could recall were the lessons in
the afternoon, fancy dinners I could care fucking less about, and high school
parties I was way too fucking young to witness. I remembered being reprimanded once
for playing tag with the kids at school. Don't get me wrong, I was allowed to
play. I just wasn't allowed to look like a slob while I was at it. Fun, right?

Well, at least they gave a shit back then.

I could hear my older brother's feet pounding against the equipment as I

neared. I quietly pushed the glass door and entered the gym. My eyes settled on the
guy running on the treadmill.

He was facing the window, with the view of the swimming pool. His broad back was
covered in sweat. He wasn't wearing a shirt, only sweatpants and sneakers. He
was bigger than me by a couple of inches. But I was quickly catching up.

"Been a while."

My head snapped up. He didn't turn around, nor glance in my direction, yet he
knew I was here. If I wasn't so used to it, I'd be creeped out.

"Speak up," said Clyde.

I didn't.

"You're not gonna say hi to me?"

What's the point? You're gonna leave, anyway.

He shook his head and chuckled in amusement.

Damn. It was scary how much Clyde and I looked so fucking alike. I was literally
the younger version of him. Our only difference was; he looked like a goddamn saint
- which was way fucking far from it.

That's the thing about Clyde, though. He's deceivingly charming.

He'll hook you in with his angelic smile and good manners. He'll make you
think you're his friend - and you'll trust him. Completely. Only to bite
your fucking face off.

He wouldn't give a shit if you ended up homeless, too, as long as he got what
he wanted. To him, it was all about business. If you didn't add up to
equation, you were useless.

He got a bunch of connections.

But real friends? Zilch.

I tilted my head and waited for Clyde to say more. Surely, he wouldn't go all
the way here only to have a small nonsense chat. He wasn't shallow like that.

"My offer's still up," he added, "in case you changed your mind."
I knew it.

Last summer (around the time we last saw each other), he unexpectedly gave me the
option to attend a boarding school somewhere in Washington DC. He even offered to
pay for everything. I honestly thought he'd gone nuts.

But our parents would never allow it. Shocker, I know. They insisted we go to a
public high school instead of a private one, which they could more than afford. It
was weird how much they cared about social status yet they made us attend a public
high school. Something about training us to survive or some stupid shit like that.

Told ya we're all fucked up in this family.

"How's your girlfriend?"

My eyes snapped to his at the mention of Snow. Clyde glanced at me over his
shoulder. I caught a smirk before he turned to face his front.

"Why are you here?" I finally asked.

If he came to convince me to agree getting shipped off to boarding school, he was

seriously out of his fucking mind.

"Am I not allowed in my own home?"

"This isn't a home. We both know it."

He hopped off the treadmill and faced me.

"Be that as it may, I missed it," he shrugged.

"Wow," I breathed out in disbelief. "You're human, after all."

He winked. "Don't tell anyone."

"Not worth my time."

He chuckled, picking up a towel on the near table and wiping his sweat with it.

"What have you been up to lately?"

I snorted. "You care?"

"You're my brother."

Clyde wasn't the one who taught me how to play ball.

Ethan did.

Clyde wasn't the one who taught me how to pick up chicks.

Ethan did.

Clyde wasn't the one who made me realize I was worth something.

Ethan did.

To think, Ethan Tyler was just my sister Annabelle's ex-boyfriend. He

wasn't blood. But he treated me like family, unlike my own.

So no, Clyde didn't care. Not really.

When he finished wiping his face, he hung the towel over his shoulder. His face
turned serious as he looked at me, saying, "I want you to go to the boarding school
in DC."

He won't let up, will he?

"You think the old man will allow it?" I asked skeptically.

He raised an eyebrow. "Do you see him protesting?"

I didn't answer. It stung more than it fucking should.

"As I've mentioned last summer, St. Albans School has a promising -"

"Cut the crap, Clyde," I snapped, glaring at him. I couldn't take this shit
anymore. He acted like he gave a shit, but we both knew he didn't. "You only
want me to attend that damn school so I could be buddies with America's
wealthy legacies. You want me there so you can have more connections. Just fucking
own up to it."

The corner of his lips curled up a little. "I want you there so you can have
connections of your own." He paused to stare at me. "You seriously don't think
you have a future in football, do you?"

My hands turned into fists, gripping my keys in the process but I was too caught up
to care. He noticed it, because he shook his head.

"Even if you do make it pro, running backs are the lowest paid in the NFL. You know
why - because they're the most disposable. You gonna rely on your trust fund,
then? What happens to the rest of your life? You need a backup plan."

I hated the way he spoke.

I hated how he seemed like he cared about me all of a sudden.

Most of all, I fucking hate how I almost fell for it.

"Money isn't everything," I deadpanned.

"Don't be fucking naïve," he spat.

"You believe in money, fine. That's your call. But my code is loyalty."

"Loyalty means jack shit in a world that revolves around money and power."

I laughed humorlessly. "You're a fucking piece of work, you know that? The old
man must be so proud of you."

"I'm his masterpiece," he leered, stretching his arms proudly.

Twisted son of a bitch.

"Football season just started. I won't abandon my team just to get connections
that I won't use until at least a decade. What matters is what's
happening right now. And right now, you're pissing me the hell off."
A crooked smile stretched across his face. I tried to read what he was thinking.
But before I could, his phone buzzed. He walked to it, checked the message, and let
out a breath.

"Fortunately for you," he began, "I won't be staying long."

"Great," I merely said, turning to leave.

"Be careful, little brother. Loyalty could be your downfall someday."

I gritted my teeth, jaw clenched. I tightened my grip on the keys, faintly

wondering if the edges of the metal could cut through my skin enough to cause
bleeding.

Without looking at Clyde, I replied with the coldest tone I could muster.

"At least, I know it'll be for something worth it."

_____________

This is only the first half of this chapter. I divided it because I finished
writing the first half tonight and it was begging me to upload it here. Haha.
Besides, I'd like for you guys to focus on one thing at a time. Mainly, Clyde
first.

Did Clyde creep you out? Were you mad at him? Did he piss you off, too? Is he hot?
(He's Kellan Lutz, duh.) I had a freakin' hard time writing him, btw. XD

Going on a serious note... Some people kept asking me this. The point of the
'past chapters' is for everyone to fully understand what happened. The
past must be told in a way that it's as if you were there, too. It's not
just a background story. It's how everything went down. It's the turning
point. I want everyone to see how Oz was before the incident in junior year. So
that you could understand and see how much he changed. And how he'll change
again. As I've said, the past-present thing will only be told until the truth
is revealed. It won't last the entire book. I understand how you must get
confused and frustrated. Tbh, making you feel that way is point. ;)

Chapter 12 - Chapter 10 |Part 2|: Who You Are (junior year) [Cruel Me]

(junior year)

"I love Clyde."

"Marry him, then," I said, with a bored voice.

After texting my friends a simple '7pm, Diner', they immediately texted

back to agree. I wanted to fucking get out of the house as soon as possible. Seeing
Clyde out of the blue like that had me all kinds of riled up. Dipshit.

Now my friends and I were hanging out at the Diner, everyone's favorite place
in town - especially the high school kids. It was a typical diner with yellow
walls, neon signs, and jukebox on the corner. It always smelled of bacon and
pancakes. It was neat and comfy, too. No wonder it was always packed with people.

"I would," sighed Alfie playfully, "but he's got no vagina."

Kurt's chuckle was muffled from chewing his fries, his shoulders shaking in
quiet laughter.

"Ugh," shuddered Connie. "He gives me the chills."

"I think he's pretty nice."

All heads turned to Frisco. At our gazes, he uncomfortably shifted in his seat
beside me. He scratched the back of his head.

"Of course," he added, "you guys know him better than I do. I only met him once."

"He's twisted," replied Alfie a-matter-of-factly. "Oz is like a shark. At

first glance, you know you have to stay as fucking far away as you fucking can. But
Clyde is like . . . He's like . . ." He trailed off, looking deep in thought.
He then frowned and gestured his hand like a hook on his forehead, adding,
"What's that ugly ass fish in the deep sea? One with the light bulb on its
head?"

Anglerfish.

"Anglerfish?" guessed Frisco.

Alfie snapped his fingers. "Anglerfish! Clyde's like that - Lures you in with
his natural charm, then bam!" He slammed his fist on the table. "Eats your fucking
ass."

"Oh."

"Exactly," muttered Connie, with a raised eyebrow.

Imagine being related to him. Fucking sucks. Poor me.

I picked up my can of coke, took a drink, and stared at it.

"I need beer," I murmured, setting it down but not letting go of it.

Kurt heard me because he turned and suggested, "Let's get some."

"We got a game tomorrow," I replied, shaking my head.

Although I had a hella high tolerance for alcohol, I'd rather play with a
completely sober head.

I didn't take most things seriously. But football? It was fucking religion.

"Doesn't matter," snorted Alfie, leaning back on his seat. His face looked
defeated as he laughed humorlessly. "Pretty sure I won't play, anyway."

Coach had been switching him and Adam (the starting QB) for several months now. But
since it was Adam's senior year, it was expected that he'd get a lot more
play time on the field than Alfie. Even though my best friend and I were one
helluva duo on the field.
"You'll get your shot," I told my best friend.

He only nodded, looking away.

"We'll own our senior year, man."

A little smirk appeared on his face. Good enough for me.

Kurt cleared his throat. "Head's up," he announced, nodding to the newcomers.

We turned our heads to see who just came in the diner. Audible groans were uttered
around the table. This day couldn't fucking get any better.

Scout and his team walked in, smiling and greeting everyone they passed like they
were on a goddamn campaign or something. I looked for the nearest trash bin in case
I felt like barfing my ass off.

My eyes wandered to the gorgeous redheaded girl with them. I smiled slightly,
liking the way her eyes instantly lit up when they landed on me. She suddenly came
running to me, kissing me lightly on the mouth when I pulled her to my lap.

"Why'd you bring your dogs?" I asked, when she pulled away.

She rolled her eyes, her hands on my shoulder as she looked at me.

"They were all at the house when you texted." She looked around the table and
smiled at my friends. "Hey, everyone."

They greeted her back. But Alfie and Kurt were still aloof, their eyes on the
sissies who were now near us. I ignored them and focused on my girl.

"You should've told me you wanted to come, I would've picked you up."

"It's cool," she shrugged. "Scout and the others were on their way out,
anyways."

Then what the fuck are they still doing here?

My eyes flickered to them who were still standing a few feet away from us, watching
our every move like the damn groupies they truly were. I noticed Finn
McKinley's displeased look. I didn't fucking like it. Not one bit.

I cocked my head to the side. "Got a problem, McKinley?"

He hesitated for a sec, before saying, "Yeah, you."

"Oh, bad move," said Alfie quickly, shaking his head wildly and making a cut-it-out
signal below his jaw line with his hand. "He ain't in a good mood."

Scout stepped in front of Finn, put a hand on his shoulder, and shook his head. It
was smart of him to take Alfie's advice - no matter how sarcastic it might
seem.

But I guess dumbass people gonna be dumb all day long.

Finn scoffed. "I still can't wrap my head around it. How can you let Snow date
this douchebag? Look at him, man." He gestured to our table.

"Stop it, Finn," scolded Scout, glaring at him.

"Look at them," said one of the sissies. I couldn't be bothered to know his
name. But I recognized him as one of the new addition to their sorry ass excuse for
a team.

The others and I looked at each other.

Connie had her knee up on the seat, leaning her back on the glass window. Beside
her was Alfie, one arm lazily propped up on the backrest. Kurt sat on a backwards
chair he pulled out, positioning himself on the head of the table. Frisco was
beside me, across Connie, looking innocent and out of place.

I looked down on myself, one arm was protectively around Snow's waist while
the other was holding my can of coke on the table.

"Gotta agree with Finn on this one, Scout. They're bad news."

I smirked. "It's bad news to look cool now?"

"Don't provoke them, Oz," growled Scout, scowling my way.

"They're provoking me."

"Because you don't deserve her," spat Finn, his face turning red.

Snow stood up, her hands on her hips, looking very pissed off.

"You have no right to say that," she snapped, pointing a finger to his chest.
"He's my boyfriend. You're just my brother's best friend."

"Snow," said Scout, with gritted teeth.

I studied Finn - brown hair, fair skin, and lean enough to hold his ground. Gotta
admit, the guy wasn't bad-looking. So why the fucking hell was he so hung up
on my girl when he could have someone else instead?

Yeah, he had a thing for Snow. It was all over his stupid face.

"You know we're right," whispered one of the fucking dipshits.

Scout sighed, and said to Snow, "We're only worried about you, sis."

"It's almost a fucking year," I groaned. This was bullshit. "You spent the
last months glaring from a distance, and you chose to speak up about it now? Move
the fuck on."

I didn't get their deal. I just wanted to fucking chill with my friends after
having that disastrous talk with my brother. A guy could use a fucking break
sometimes, you know.

"What do you see in this guy?" someone asked Snow in disbelief.

My eyes darkened as I recognized him. Cameron Wood. I knew the dude - or used to.
He was one of the guys who befriended me in freshman year, only to gossip about me
behind my back like a motherfucking coward. Of course, now he was buddies with
Scout.

Awesome. I'm finally pumped up.

"Definitely more than what she sees in all of you," muttered Connie, loud enough
for everyone to hear. She looked up and smiled. "A dick, perhaps? Because all I see
are pussies."

I grinned, while Alfie burst out laughing. I caught Frisco cover his mouth to hide
his chuckle. Finn McKinley opened his mouth to speak, but Kurt stood up.

"I suggest you shut your hole before you piss off the rest of this fucking table."

Finn reluctantly closed his mouth.

"Good boy," grinned Kurt broadly, patting the dude's head.

Finn's jaw clenched, and he angrily swatted Kurt's hand away. Before
anyone could say anything, the kind old waitress at the diner came up to us.

"You boys are scaring the customers," she said in a low but still friendly voice.

My eyes scanned the diner. Sure enough, people were stealing uneasy glances our
way. I bet they were pretty close to calling the cops right about now.

"I don't know what's going on, but I know it's one insult away from
being a brawl. I don't want any trouble in here. Better take it elsewhere."

"Sorry, Wendy," said Alfie, making a puppy dog look.

She fought a smile, shook her head, and waved her hands dismissively. She was
pretty much already used to our behavior. She then looked at me pointedly, which I
returned with an innocent smile. She raised an eyebrow, so I nodded and stood up.

"Alright, fine," I breathed out. "We'll settle it somewhere else."

"Thank you. Y'all take care now."

"We always do," I assured her, flashing a crooked smile. I fished out some money
and placed it on the table. "Thanks for the yummy dinner, Wendy." When my eyes
landed on Scout, my smiled turned into a smirk. "Follow me. I know the perfect
place."

With that last word, I grabbed Snow's hand and headed out. My friends
automatically followed me.

"I warned ya," I heard Alfie told Finn, when he passed him.

"Where are we going now?" asked Scout exasperatedly.

"Pier."

Alfie put an arm around me as we walked out of the diner, beaming, "Are we playing
what I think we're playing?"

"Yep," I grinned. "We're gonna play chicken."

Kurt whooped, raising his fist. Snow looked at me questioningly. She knew what game
I was talking about, having seen me play it before.

"This'll be fun," sang Connie, clapping her hands like a kid on Christmas.

"What kind of game is that?" queried Scout, with a dubious look.

"Not really fond of explaining," I sighed, facing them. "Alfie, will you do the
honor?"

"Certainly." Alfie bowed dramatically. "It's called The Chicken Game. There
are many versions of it. But in Mount Valley, we won't ride cars off a cliff.
We also won't be using a motorcycle. Your own would be enough. It's
pretty simple. Last one to hit the break wins. But if you go over the edge, you
lose.

"What's at stake?" asked Cameron.

"Whatever you want," shrugged Alfie.

"I got an idea," I exclaimed sarcastically. "If we win, you keep your fucking noses
out of our business - for good."

Scout stared me down. "Fine. But if we win, you better get your act together. No
more getting in trouble, or you'll have to break up with my sister."

"Scout!" bellowed Snow.

Lame. He couldn't think of anything better, could he?

"Deal."

Snow's head whipped towards me, looking at me in shock. I gazed back at her
with a what-can-I-do face. She pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration,
knowing that she couldn't do anything to stop us.

"Don't get all chicken shit already," laughed Alfie, pertaining to Scout who
was still thinking about it and looking to his friends for - I dunno, moral
support? "We haven't started the game yet, dude."

"We're in," deadpanned Finn.

Fina-fucking-lly.

"Let's bounce," I announced, heading to my car.

I've never lost before. After letting Snow get in the passenger's side, I
walked around my car and climbed in the driver's seat with a smug grin. No
doubt, this would be my easiest fucking win ever.

"Are you sure about this?" Snow asked me, worry laced with her every word. She was
also wearing a concerned frown on her face.

"Hell yeah, I am," I chuckled, revving the engine and swiftly pulling out of the
parking lot.

"I have a bad feeling about this, Oz."

"I won't lose."

"I know." She faced me seriously. "That's what I'm worried about."

I shot her an incredulous look.

"They won't back down," she explained.

I almost snorted. She clearly didn't know her brother and his teammates well
enough. All she could see was their good side, so did everybody else. People had no
idea that they were nothing but a bunch of insecure little bitches.

Seriously, though. What're they gonna do, throw balls at me?

Oh, wait. They didn't have any.

"Just be careful," mumbled Snow.

I wasn't making any promises, so I didn't reply and focused on the road.
I glanced at the rearview mirror and saw Kurt's truck behind me. Connie,
Alfie, and Frisco rode with him. Following after them were Scout and the rest.

Tonight will change everything.

I'll make sure of it.

_____________

Who do you think won? We're finally closing in on what really happened,
people! :O

Who's your favorite chapter so far? For me, I gotta say it's Connie.
She's one badass gal!

Next chapter will be on the present day. We'll have another *tooot* moment. ;)

Chapter 13 - Chapter 11 |Part 1|: You're Gonna Go Far Kid (present) [Cruel Me]

(present)

It's been a while.

I stared at my BMW M3, making me think of my blue Range Rover sitting in the garage
at the house. Gotta admit, this looked way too fucking badass compared to that one.

Flashes of last year's events suddenly came rushing back to me. Particularly,
the game we played at the pier with the lowly dipshits. Despite the fact that we
won, somehow we lost every-fucking-thing after that.

I wasn't sure if it had to do with some yin and yang bullshit, but it felt
like we lost a helluva lot more than them. Heck, the suckers didn't even have
anything to lose.

It fucking pisses me off how easily they got away with it. It pisses me off that we
didn't have any proof. And it pisses me off how we had to seek justice on our
own.

Actually, no. Scratch that last part. I'd rather we do it ourselves.

Revenge would be more satisfying that way.

"Is that Shade?!"

I turned to my left and saw Alfie running to me in the seniors parking lot. Cars
were pulling in from different directions, all hurrying before class started. Alfie
excitedly slapped me on the arm, laughing as he stared at my sports car.

Oh, and yeah. We named it 'Shade.'

"I figured he needed a little sun," I shrugged, my arms crossed as I faced him.

"A little?" snorted my best friend, looking at me skeptically. "Dude, he's

been rotting in your garage since you and redhead broke up."

I sighed, rubbing the back of my neck with a hand. The car held too much memories.
Gotta admit, I didn't have the fucking balls to use it for a long while.

"I hoped that wouldn't come up."

"Of course, it would."

"Think the others noticed?"

"Duh. We're not stupid, Oz."

I rubbed my face. "Well, I'm gonna use him again."

I didn't know what changed. I just woke up this morning and felt like getting
behind the wheel. I kinda missed it.

"Care to share what brought this on?"

I let out a breath. "I dunno, man. I guess I missed it."

He nodded, a little smirk stretching his lips.

"What?" I asked him, knowing there was something he wasn't telling me.

"Nothing," he said, shaking his head.

"Spill it, Alfie."

"It's nothing."

"Dude."

"I swear, it's nothing."

"Alfred."

"God! Fine! I'll tell you, Oswald!"

I rolled my eyes and waited, watching him as he shrugged and smiled. I would pound
him later for using my real name out in the open like that.

"I'm just glad -"

 "Shaaaaade!"

Connie came running out of nowhere with the biggest smile I've ever seen her
wear in years. She dropped her bag on the ground and carefully touched Shade's
matte black paint. I taught her how to drive in it. After that summer, she formed a
special bond with my car.

Odd? Yeah. Hilarious? Fuck yeah.

Alfie and I exchanged smug looks.

I cleared my throat, informing her that we were standing only a few feet apart.
Connie stilled. She composed herself, straightened up slowly, and faced us with her
infamous bored face. She picked up her bag and swung it on her shoulder.

"What's up?" she said. "You're driving Shade again."

"I am," I nodded.

"Good."

It was for the briefest time, but I was pretty sure I caught her look at Alfie with
some silent message. Before I could comment on it, though, Kurt and Frisco arrived.

"It's time," announced Kurt sternly. His eyes landed on Shade. For a moment,
his grim expression disappeared and was replaced with wonder. "Oh, hey.
Shade's back."

Frisco made a thumbs up. "Sweet."

Kurt shook his head. "Anyway, we better hurry."

Without waiting for us to reply, he turned and headed past the school out to the
fields. We silently followed, while I looked around to check if anyone saw us. By
now, everyone was inside for homeroom so the outside was pretty much deserted.

"Ready your camera," advised Kurt, before crouching down to fit below the
bleachers right by the football field.

"On it," said Frisco, taking out his phone.

I nodded to Connie. "Be the lookout."

She obeyed and waited by the entrance, while Alfie and I followed the other two
below the bleachers. It was weird being in this particular area. You'd think
it was very open, but from the outside you wouldn't even think to notice this
place.

From a distance, I could already see Lawley's figure. He handed the other dude
a small white packet, while he was given a wad of cash.

Bingo.

I started clapping, Alfie and Kurt following suit. Frisco continued taking pictures
of Lawley with the cash and the white packet on the dude's hand. Both of them
wildly turned to us, with horror-stricken faces.

I turned to the guy I didn't know. He was thin, with black baggy clothes that
could barely fit him. He had bloodshot wide eyes and greasy hair. He was wearing
eyeliner, too.

"Go."

He nodded nervously, not even looking at Lawley. Before he could pass me, I grabbed
his shirt and pulled out my free hand. He lowered his head and handed me the white
packet of powder. I smiled crookedly and let him go. He scattered away quickly.

"Nice friend," I told Lawley sarcastically.

"He's not," he replied with gritted teeth.

I frowned and tilted my head. "How come? You two looked like you were dealing with
some intimate stuff just now."

"Yeah, and you took it from him. What, gonna use it for yourself?"

The corner of my lips twitched. Alfie growled and stepped forward, but Kurt stopped
him. Lawley's statement struck a nerve - to my best friend mostly.

Sure, we smoked weed every once in a while. But we didn't do drugs. Never.

Alfie's dad was a drug addict, who was still in rehab. Half of his life, he
watched his dad abuse his health and body because of that addiction. He never had a
proper dad because of it. His parents' divorce was some sort of saving grace
for him. He swore he'd never touch the thing. And despite our fucked up world,
he never did. We never did.

"I don't know," I sighed, pretending to think. "Kurt, your uncle's a

cop, right?"

"Sure is," leered Kurt.

"I bet he'll find this useful way more than I do."

"The pictures, too," added Frisco, dangling his phone for all to see.

"Right, of course."

Lawley scowled, almost shaking in rage.

"What do you want?"

I sneered. "It's simple, really."

"What the hell is it?"

"I want you to quit the basketball team."

His jaw dropped, eyes about to pop from their sockets.

Wow. I didn't expect it to be that shocking.

"Are you fucking nuts?" he demanded, his usually pale face was red in anger.
"College scouts will be coming! I'm one of the best players in the team. I
can't quit now."

Best player, my ass. They couldn't even make it to State.

 "Too bad," I shrugged nonchalantly. "Guess we'll have to pay Kurt's
uncle a little visit. You'll lose the scouts and you'll have a record.
Double fucking win."

I watched as his anger slowly subsided and turned into desperation. He was sweating
real bad, while his eyes were getting watery. He lowered his head and ran a hand
through his hair. He drew out a shaky breath before looking up at us.

"C'mon, man," he begged, his voice cracking. He looked like he was close to
breaking down and crying. "This is my future. Don't do this."

What about our future? He didn't seem to give a shit when he was laughing at
us with his fucking dickhead friends last year. Why should I fucking care now?

Adam, our star quarterback last year, had so much going for him. He just found out
he got offered a football scholarship by the University of Florida. He was going to
be a fucking Gator. But after the incident . . . he had to give it all up.

We lost a football season. We lost our shot at winning the Nationals for the third
time in a row. The seniors? They lost their future. No game, no scouts.

And this little shit had the nerve to fucking beg?

I stepped closer, my eyes blazing as I looked at his crappy face.

"Guess what?" I whispered coldly, my face inches from his. "I don't give a
fuck."

He shook his head and looked down. I thought I heard him sniff.

"Look at it this way," began Alfie grimly, "if you quit, your record will still be
squeaky clean. In the eyes of many, you're still the goody two shoes you
pretend to be. But if you don't quit, you'll be expelled from school.
Probably end up in jail, too, seeing as you're not a minor anymore. No future
in basketball or no future at all? You choose."

Lawley rubbed a hand on his face. He took a deep breath.

"Okay," he murmured, with his eyes closed.

"What was that?" asked Kurt.

Lawley glared up at him. "Okay, I'll quit."

I cocked my head to the side and flashed him a crooked smile.

"Payback's a bitch, ain't it?"

I didn't wait for him to respond. I turned around and headed to the school. I
left the mechanics to Alfie and the others. They were making sure that Lawley
wouldn't rat out about our deal. Or else.

I cracked my neck sideways as I entered the hallway, trying to relieve some

tension.

I thought I would feel satisfied, even a tiny bit. I thought I'd at least feel
something. But I didn't. I felt nothing. Numb. I couldn't help but think
there was something wrong with me.
Huh. Turns out, I'm more fucked up than I think I am.

With my eyes closed, I let out a sigh and turned to the corner.

"Oof!"

My eyes instantly opened and I reflexively reached out to steady the girl in front
of me after bumping into her. I blinked at the realization that I knew the girl.

"Oh, hey," I said, pleasantly surprised.

Halo's eyes widened. "Hi, f - fancy seeing you here."

"We go to the same school," I reminded her slowly, a smile playing on my lips.

Her face scrunched up in embarrassment, biting her lip.

"Right, I knew that," she muttered.

I chuckled. "Nice running into you, dork."

Her purple eyes lit up, while her lips slowly curled into a genuine warm smile.

And just like that, I felt it. The tension on my shoulders lifted. I started to
feel a sense of calm. It felt fucking awesome.

_____________

After this chapter, I don't want to have Oz as an enemy. :/ And isn't

Haloz cuuute?! She's so adorkable! Haloz for the win? Hahaha!

Yes, I will still update on Saturday. I only uploaded this to torture you.
Bwahahaha! >:)

Chapter 14 - Chapter 11 |Part 2|: You're Gonna Go Far Kid (present) [Cruel Me]

(present)

Damn. It sure had been a while since I felt this at peace.

But last time, it didn't end very well.

Rephrase: It went to fucking hell.

Question is, am I ready for another round of that shit?

"How's the book?" I asked, shaking my head to rid of the thoughts.

"Well taken care of."

"Is it having a blast?" I teased.

 "So much," she grinned, playing along.

"Really?"

"Yup! I don't think it wants to go back to you after being in my neat room."

"Wow." I laughed. "Gotta see that room, then."

Halo stared at me for a moment with an amused expression. I gazed at her right
back. Hard not to look into those beautiful purple orbs.

Man, I love her eyes. It's so easy to get lost in them. There should be a
fucking warning sign on her forehead or something.

"Maybe," she considered, laughing a little. "Someday."

The corner of my lips pulled up in a smile, not expecting her honesty.

"Someday," I repeated, with a low voice.

I didn't know how long we stood there smiling at each other like complete
fucking dorks. But it must have been ages because I heard the bell signaling the
end of homeroom. In no time, I also heard my friends finally catch up behind me.

Alfie loudly cleared his throat, making Halo's eyes switch to him.

"I'm sorry," he began in his usual mocking tone, "but my best friend seemed
to have lost his tongue aside from getting lost in your eyes."

I shot him a sharp look.

What the hell, man?

He ignored me. "I'm Alfie. This is Kurt," he added, pointing a thumb to Kurt.

The big guy flashed her a wide grin, which she returned with a shy smile and a
little wave of her hand.

"Connie," introduced Alfie, gesturing to the silver-haired girl beside him.

Connie nodded, but continued to study Halo. After what happened with Snow, I knew
she was only being protective. Also a bit guarded.

"She's always a bitch," explained Alfie. "Get used to it."

"I think she's badass."

At that, Connie raised an eyebrow. As did the rest of the boys. I was pretty sure I
did, too. Connie wasn't very popular with girls in our school.

"Oh, no. I mean, I'm not sucking up or anything," quickly said Halo, waving
her hand dismissively. "I've just seen how brutally honest you are with
everything and it takes a huge amount of confidence and guts to be that way." When
she realized we were still staring, she added, "Okay, I'll shut up now." She
smiled sheepishly and looked away.

I looked at Connie, and watched as her suspicions got replaced with curiosity.
Huh. Join the club.

"Alright, well," said Alfie, clapping after an awkward silence. "This is Frisco."
He put an arm around Frisco and showed him off like a little brother.

"Hey, Buckley," grinned Frisco.

"Yeah, of course!" laughed Halo, recognition in her eyes. "Hi, um . . ."

"It's okay. You can call me 'Frisco'. Everybody does - even the
teachers."

She let out a carefree laugh again.

I knew they were only classmates, but hell if I didn't feel a bit jealous.

"Hi, everyone!" she smiled heartily and waved a hand. "I'm Halo."

You could practically feel her sincerity from the her greeting. Pretty sure the
others thought so, too. If not, they wouldn't have tiny fucking smiles on
their faces right now. Yeah, even Connie, the volcanic queen.

I bet they didn't even realize it.

"So, you going to the game on Friday?" I asked Halo.

She bit her lip and hugged her books.

"I'm not sure. Pops . . ." she trailed off, looking away.

"It's a school game night," I reasoned.

"Yeah, c'mon," added Alfie, stepping forward. "Show some school spirit!" He
casually put an arm around me and grinned at her. "Oz obviously needs it."

I elbowed him hard, not leaving my eyes on her.

"Oomph."

Kurt chuckled.

"Um," she mumbled.

"You can sit with me."

All eyes landed on Connie. We couldn't believe she just offered like that. I
was about to ask her if her hair dye was somehow seeping into her brain but she
spoke again.

"No biggie," she shrugged nonchalantly. "I always sit by myself, anyway."

I returned my eyes to Halo. She was too taken aback to reply, with her mouth
slightly open. Then, I caught movement from behind her. Standing a few feet away
were her friends. They were watching us with worried looks, also mixed with a hint
of curiosity.

I guess we aren't really a graceful bunch in the eyes of many.

"If it makes your Pops feel better, you can bring your friends," I suggested,
pointedly looking at Brooklyn and Milo - both of which averted their eyes.

Halo beamed. "He'll like that." She turned to Connie. "Would that be okay?"

"Sure," agreed Connie, with a small smirk. "I've never had a gay friend
before."

"Too much testosterone running in your blood?" sneered Alfie.

"Probably even more than you do."

Halo covered her mouth to hide her giggle. As if on cue, the bell rang again. All
around us, students began running and hurrying to get to their classes on time.

Damn.

I winked at her. "Later, dork."

"Bye, Oz," she smiled. "Nice meeting y'all."

With that, she turned and left with her friends.

"I gotta go, too," said Frisco. "Catcha later, guys."

"Dude," chuckled Kurt, patting me on the back as we headed to class.

"She's so . . ." Connie paused, "pure."

I almost agreed. Then, I remembered the beer incident weeks ago. She might appear
all pure and innocent, but there was an edge in her. I shook my head in amusement.

"Naw. She helped us steal beer once, remember?"

Their jaws dropped in complete shock.

"That was her?!"

I smirked.

"But that girl in the store wasn't attractive at all," remarked Alfie, making
a face.

Sure, she wasn't much of a looker then but I thought it was nice how
comfortable she looked in her clothes. It was kinda refreshing.

"She knew how much of a perv the owner was so she dressed low key."

"Smart," muttered Connie, smiling a little.

Alfie grinned in approval. "I like her already."

Story of my life.

I blinked, a sudden realization came to me.

I looked at Alfie and my friends suspiciously. They were still talking about Halo,
all of them in good moods. They introduced themselves to her. On their own.
Something they never did, unless . . .
Boom.

Just like that, it clicked.

Halo was nothing like I've ever encountered before. And I've met a shit
ton of different kinds of people in my life. I had no idea if it would end in
fucking hell like before.

Either way, I was willing to risk it.

I lowered my head, a smile making its way to my lips. That excited feeling I got
before a good game? Yeah, I was definitely feeling it now.

I was fucking ready.

_____________

Aw. What do you think Oz is ready for, eh? ;)

And are YOU ready for what truly happened in their junior year in the next chapter?
I'm honestly nervous about it myself. I'll probably cry when I write it.
Or probably won't talk to anyone for a whole day after I'm done with
that. I will need angst. Lots and lots of it.

Chapter 15 - Chapter 12 |Part 1|: Pardon Me (junior year) [Cruel Me]

(junior year)

Fire.

. . .

All I see is fucking fire.

Anywhere I looked, it was as if it was all happening in slow motion. People ran
around. Coach barked orders. Buckets of water poured on the burning building.

And I stood there like a goddamn wuss, rooted on the spot in the middle of the
field - unable to move my fucking ass.

I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I fucking refused to acknowledge it.

This had to be a dream. It fucking had to be. No way in hell could the football
department building be up in flames. The odds of that happening was so slim.

I squeezed my eyes shut, then opened them again.

Black smoke now covered the sky, blocking the sun.

Fuck.

"Adam!" a senior yelled. It sounded so far off the distance, which was weird since
he was only twenty feet away from me.

"Where's Adam?!"

"He's not here!"

"Shit! He didn't make it out!"

"Coach! Adam's still inside!"

"Help is on the way!"

"There's no fucking time!"

"He'll die in there if we don't do something now!"

My feet moved on its own. Before I knew what I was doing, I was running towards the
burning down building. I saw someone carrying a bucket of water, and I immediately
pulled off my jersey jacket. As I passed him, I grabbed the bucket from him and
poured the water on myself before throwing it away.

"Where ya going, Oz?"

"Oz, stop!"

"Get back here, Oz!"

"Oz!"

I heard my name being called several times but I ignored them and continued to run.
A couple of seniors tried to block my path. Being a helluva strong running back, I
managed to slip past them. The yell of my best friend didn't escape me.

"Be careful, man!"

I could hear the worry in Alfie's voice, but I didn't look back.

I pulled up my wet shirt to cover my nose and ducked into the entrance. There was
literally fire everywhere that I had to squint my eyes. I quickly headed to the
locker room because where else the fuck was I supposed to look? It wasn't
rocket science.

"Adam?!"

I kicked opened the door, because it was on fire so no point using the fucking
knob. I coughed a little, accidentally inhaling some smoke. I rapidly walked down
the isle, checking each row and dreading to see an unconscious body. All I saw were
our football uniforms and gears literally turning to ashes.

I swallowed a lump in my throat, ignoring the pang of pain I felt against my chest
and sting at the back of my eyes. I shook my head and focused on the task at hand.

"Adam! Where the fuck are you?!"

Swearing under my breath, I got the hell out of there and went straight to the gym.
A long piece of burning wood crashed down in front of me, making me jump in
surprise.

Holy shit, that was close.

I leaped over it and went on my way. I didn't even realize that the droplets
of water on my skin were already being replaced by beads of sweat. That wasn't
good.

"Adam! You fucking better be in here, man!"

As soon as I entered the gym, I groaned at the sight. Half the ceiling collapsed. A
part of me worried that Adam might be buried under all that mess, but then I saw
movement by the barbels.

"Adam?"

"God?"

I would've laughed if it wasn't so fucking crucial right now.

"No, it's Oz!" I yelled, dashing over to where he was.

"Oh, thank fuck! I'm still alive, then!"

When I got to him, I almost sighed in relief. Almost. Because then, my eyes caught
sight of how fucking screwed we were.

"I'm stuck," he grunted, stating the obvious.

"No shit."

Adam's legs were buried under the fallen ceiling. Damn it. I wasn't sure
how I'd be able to pull that thing off of him. It looked too fucking heavy for
me to just lift it up.

I looked around, searching for things I might be able to use. I saw a pole,
immediately walked to it, and removed the weights. I turned and pushed a metal
bench near his legs. I placed the pole on the bench with its tip under the debris.

"Adam, you still with me?" I asked, making sure he didn't pass out.

He nodded. "Yeah - Yeah, I am."

"Okay, listen. Crawl and pull back your legs as soon as you can."

"Got it."

I gathered all my strength and pressed down my end of the pole. It only moved a
little. I paused to crack my knuckles, before trying again. I wrapped both my hands
on the metal. This time, I didn't stop pushing down. I growled, my jaw
clenched, and the veins in my neck probably made a scary ass appearance right about
now.

Finally, it lifted up. Adam swiftly crawled back like his life depended on it. As
soon as I saw his feet out of harm's way, I let go. I panted for a moment,
before realizing all I could breathe in was smoke. I coughed pretty bad after that.

"Let's go," I croaked, grabbing his arm and putting it around my shoulders.

Not wasting any time, we made our way out as fast as we could.

"I think I have some broken bones," he whispered.

Fear was clear in his voice. I could practically imagine him dreading the future -
his football scholarship, his career.

"Wouldn't be the first time," I replied lightly.

"It never hurt this bad."

I didn't say anything, trying to see if we were close from escaping this
fucking hell.

"Fuck, I don't want it to be over."

"Shut the fuck up, Adam," I snapped, already having a hard time catching my
breath. Shit, I needed some clean air. Stat. "Focus on getting out of here alive
first, will you?"

He coughed. "You're right."

Damn right, I am.

My vision quickly started to blur, while my skin felt like it was burning from the
heat. I blinked, trying to refocus my eyes. White spots began filling my sight.
Crap, I was about to pass out. Not fucking now.

As if on cue, I finally saw the exit through the clouds of smoke. With everything I
had, I pulled myself together and hurried towards the door. I didn't risk
breathing anymore.

C'mon, we're almost there.

I blinked, shaking my head.

Just a little more.

I huffed and pulled up Adam beside me.

I won't fucking die this way.

It was the slowest five seconds of my entire life.

But we made it. We fucking made it.

The moment we stepped outside, firemen instantly swarmed us. From the looks of it,
they just arrived. About damn time, dickheads.

They yelled something over their shoulder, making me realize that the paramedics
were here, too. They took Adam from me and carried him to a stretcher.

"Do you need to lay down, kid?" a fireman asked, looking straight to my eyes.

"No," I mouthed, unable to shake my head for fear that I might puke from
dizziness.

"Here," he said, placing an oxygen mask on my face.

I didn't protest. Instead, I closed my eyes and welcomed it.

AH, AIR.
Holy fucking shit, that feels good.

"Feeling better?"

I opened my eyes and made a thumbs up with my free hand.

He nodded, looking impressed. "That was brave, kid. Not many people would willingly
go in there like that."

I only shrugged.

His praiseful tone did nothing to my ego. I wasn't sure why I didn't feel
like a hero. Maybe because in reality, I was far from it? All I knew was, my
adrenaline was wearing down and I was starting to feel beat.

The fireman smiled a little, as if he knew how I was feeling. I noticed light
wrinkles on his face. He must be in his thirties or something.

A paramedic lady came out of nowhere and lead me to the ambulance to check on me. I
let her, wanting to rest my legs for a few minutes.

I saw the team stood at a distance, helpless as they watched our sanctuary
literally turn to ashes. Coach was in front of them, shaking his head grimly. The
whole student body were watching from the other end of the field, not allowed to
come any closer.

I noticed my friends and girlfriend studying me a few feet away as I passed them.
They looked about ready to smother me.

I glanced over my shoulder to the fireman. He saluted to me, then turned around to
do his job. My eyes wandered to the building that served as a safe haven for the
past years.

Not it was burning down to the ground.

What the hell could've caused this fucking mess?

Chapter 16 - Chapter 12 |Part 2|: Pardon Me (junior year) [Cruel Me]

WARNING: There is violence in this chapter. More so than usual. Oh, and you
might want to listen to Pardon Me by Incubus for added effect.
_____________

(junior year)

I didn't know how long I sat there on the bleachers, with my elbow on my knees
and hands on my head. It was as if time was standing still.

Did that really happen?

The past couple of hours were such a blur that I was having a hard time letting it
all sink in yet. It was so surreal. We were supposed to have a game tonight. It was
supposed to be a good game, too. Tonight was supposed to be fucking fun.
I rubbed my face and straightened up, taking a deep breath. My eyes traveled to
where the football building used to be. All I saw now was rubble.

Nothing about this was fun.

Adam was rushed to the hospital. At some point during all the chaos, the team left
and went to the hospital to see how he was doing. My friends wanted to stay with
me, but I wasn't in the mood for company. I even had to beg Snow to leave me
alone for a while.

My phone vibrated. I pulled it out of my pocket, saw Kurt's face, and

answered.

"Hey."

"It's not good, man," sighed Kurt. "I don't know much about the details
but he won't be playing anytime soon - or at all."

I ran a hand through my head.

"Any news about the cause?" he asked.

My left hand balled up to a fist, while my jaw clenched.

"They ruled it as an accident," I answered with a low voice.

"I'm sensing a 'but' there."

"It doesn't feel like an accident, man." I let out an exasperated breath and
looked up at the setting sky. "The fire department said it had something to do with
a defective light bulb, reaching its limit and flaring up when it was turned on.
And it all just spread from there."

"Where did they say it start?"

"The gym."

"Shit."

"Yeah."

Adam went to the gym and hit the lights, not knowing the outcome of that simple
move. None of us even knew there was a faulty light bulb anywhere in the building.
Sure, it was old and moldy. But it was taken care of - sorta.

"Figures," said Kurt. "I heard Adam saying he passed out and when he woke up, he
was surrounded by fire and he couldn't move his legs."

"It just -" I pressed my lips in frustration. "Fuck, it just doesn't make
sense. I don't think a 'defective light bulb' could cause that much
damage, you know?"

"Well, a lit candle can burn a house down."

I rubbed my face again. "I dunno."

He was silent for a second, before saying, in the most serious tone I've ever
heard from Kurt, "You really think someone did this?"
"Don't you?"

My guts had been screaming at me for the past hour, telling me this was no
accident. I've always followed my instinct. But this time, it was hard as hell
because I had nothing to go from. No leads whatsoever.

"Me? No idea. But Alfie . . ."

"Yeah?"

"Here, tell Oz what you saw before we left the school."

There was a shuffling noise, then Alfie's voice came from the other end.

"Yo."

"I'm listening."

"Look, man," he breathed out, sounding beat. I could clearly imagine him shaking
his head. "I sure as hell don't wanna make assumptions based on a fucking
smile, but," he paused to grunt, "the cocksucker's smirk rubs me the wrong
way. Shit, that sounded weird."

"Hold up," I said. "Which cocksucker?"

"I ran into one of the basketball sissies earlier, the Asian one."

"Lawley?" I heard Frisco's faint voice from the background.

"Yeah, like I know," snorted Alfie. "Anyway, he gave me this creepy Heath-
Ledger's-Joker grin. I mean, everybody else was giving me this pitiful look.
But then there was him, smiling like he just won or something."

I stayed quiet, thinking it through.

It wouldn't really be surprising if the basketball team were behind this mess.
They made it clear how much they hated us. They thought we were a menace. It could
be that they were bottling it all up, and now it exploded to this.

Why would they go so far, though? Weren't they supposed to be the 'good
guys'? Huh. I knew it was all an act. Good was overrated. Fucking pussies.

But seriously, did they have enough balls to do this?

That was it.

They had none so they couldn't simply man up and face us. Instead, they
resorted to being pathetic bunch of shits and attacked us this way.

My heartbeat accelerated the more I thought about the possibility of this.

"I'll call you later," I told Alfie, before hanging up.

I got to my feet and rubbed my mouth, considering this. It would serve no one good
if this stayed as an assumption. I had to make sure.

Taking a breath, I ran down the bleachers. With one last look across the field to
the burned down building, I made my way back to the school. The basketball team was
about to leave for their away game tonight. I'd have a word with them first.
On my way to their locker room, I passed by Snow. She was checking out the bulletin
board. For what, I had no clue. I didn't want to waste time, so I pretended
not to see her.

"Oz?"

Fuck, she saw me.

"Not now, babe," I merely said, walking ahead.

"Where are you going?" she asked, now following me.

Not many people were around the school at this time. The hallway was almost empty.
But I was pretty sure the parking lot was still full of students talking about the
latest disaster that happened to our school.

I didn't want an audience for this. I just wanted to find out the truth. Just
one look, and I'd know if they were behind the fire or not. Guess I gotta
thank my messed up family's genes for the gift of being a walking lie-
detector.

"Oz, why are you heading to the . . ."

She was smart. I let her figure it out on her own.

"You don't think . . . ?"

I could practically see her putting the pieces of the puzzle together in her mind.

"No, there's no way. He wouldn't. They wouldn't."

"We'll see," I said quietly.

"Oz," called Snow firmly, grabbing my arm to stop me.

I halted. We were outside the basketball team's locker room, anyways. Snow
stood in front of me and looked me in the eyes. I stared back at her, emotionless
on the outside but flaming in the inside. Just one wrong move, and I'd flip.

If Scout and his team even had the slightest thing to do with why one of my boys
was in the hospital right now, I'd make sure they fucking pay for it.

"It was an accident," she stated, genuinely believing it.

I didn't know what to believe.

"I don't think so," I admitted sternly, shaking my head.

"What made you think that?" she asked, frowning.

I looked away and took a deep breath. I opened my mouth to answer her, but then the
locker room's door opened. The basketball team came out in their shitty monkey
suits, each carrying a gym bag. Some of them shot me pitiful looks when they saw
me. Others looked slightly scared, quickly avoiding my eyes and leaving.

I didn't blame them. I probably looked ready for some bloody fight.

"You look lost, Oz," someone piped up.

I turned and came face-to-face with Finn McKinley. His facial expression said he
was sorry for me. But as I looked more into his eyes, I could swear I saw the glint
of mischief.

"Sorry to hear about what happened," added Cameron sincerely.

"Yeah," agreed Lawley. "It's pretty bad, huh?"

My eyes switched to them. I realized they were anything but sincere. It seemed like
I was the only one to notice, though. They were such good damn actors that if I
didn't look, I would've believed they meant it.

"We're all sorry to hear about the news," sighed Finn, looking down. He looked
up and lightly slapped my arm. "Hey, man. If you need anything, just ask."

I coldly looked at his hand on my arm, waiting for him to remove it. Slowly, he
did. I returned my eyes to him, staring until he got uneasy.

"Where's Scout?" I asked, calmer than I expected myself to be.

"Oz, please," whispered Snow from behind, tugging my arm. As much as I wanted to
give in to her, I had to know the truth. I needed to.

Finn's eyes traveled to her, then back to me.

"What's going on?" he asked, growing more uncomfortable by the minute. Good.

"You tell me," I dared, cocking my head to the side.

"I think you're exhausted from what you've been through today.
You're not thinking clearly. You need rest."

I took a step closer to him. "What am I thinking about that's not clear?"

"I'm not sure, but you look unstable."

"You really have no idea, huh?"

"Oz, you should step back," warned Cameron, trying to step between me and Finn.

"Not until you fucking admit to it," I spat.

The corner of Finn's lips twitched, making my hands turn to fists. That was a
sure tell. Fucking dipshit was fighting back a smile.

"Admit to what?" demanded Lawley, with the right amount of indignance.

I punched a wall right beside Finn's head, not giving a shit that it would
hurt pretty bad later. I was fucking fed up with their games. I saw right through
them. And it absolutely pissed me the hell off how nobody else could see it.

"What are you doing?" asked Scout, suddenly showing up beside me. "Oz, we get that
you're not in a very good place right now. But there's no need to take it
out on us. You need to go home and cool it off."

I gritted my teeth, pushing my fist on the wall even more.

I've always believed that Scout was the good guy. Even if I hated him, there
was still a part of me that respected him. But now, every ounce of respect I had
left for him went out the fucking window - along with the little mercy I had for
his team.

"We're late, guys," he announced to his team. "Let's go get in the bus
outside before Coach B comes looking for us." I didn't have to look at him to
know that he faced me to add, "I'm sorry for what happened to your teammate -
and everything else. I could only imagine what you're going through right
now."

I closed my eyes, my jaw clenching. I hated how earnest he sounded. I almost

believed him. He was so fucking good playing innocent it made me sick.

I heard them start to move. Opening my eyes, I straightened up and watched them go.
I took deep breaths, trying to calm myself and reigning in my anger. I was too
fucking close to losing it. I was like a ticking bomb.

"He's gone off the rails, dude," some fucktard said, not even bothering to
lower his voice. "You know what? He should've died in that fire - saves us
from his pesky existence."

Boom.

I snapped.

I crouched and tackled the dipshit to the ground. My left hand held him down on his
chest, while the other turned to a fist and hit his face with all my might.

Again.

And again.

Someone grabbed my arm. I nudged that person away and took my arm back. I went back
to hitting the dipshit beneath me. I heard a crack, probably his nose. Awesome.

"Oz, stop it!"

But I didn't stop.

My heart was pounding hard against my chest. All I saw was red. I was too fucking
furious to give a shit about anything. I wanted a damn outlet. Right now. And I had
one.

I looked at his bloody face. I didn't even feel bad.

Anger. Rage. Fury.

They all consumed me.

But then I felt several hands grab hold of me, pulling me away from the
motherfucker who uttered something he shouldn't have.

"Let go of me!"

I'm not done with him!

I struggled to get free. There was three or four guys detaining me. I faintly felt
pride because it took that much to hold me down. Suckers.
The last thing I saw was big oaf Oakley's fist coming right at me.

After that, I passed out.

. . .

When I woke up, I was in a cell.

For a couple of minutes, I felt disoriented. I tried to recall what I did for me to
end up here. My eyes wandered to my bruised and bloodied knuckles.

Oh, right. I almost beat someone to death. Yay.

I sighed and rubbed my temple, thinking about the consequences of what I've
done. I was pretty sure I'd end up in juvie. I was only seventeen, after all.

Damn, shit just got real. I couldn't believe I lost my cool like that.

"Lacy," called an officer, keying the lock. "You got bail."

I gave him an incredulous look. I haven't called anyone. Who the hell would
bail me? Only a guardian could . . . Wait, no way. I didn't believe it.

Frowning, I stood up and followed the male officer out. We got to the lobby and I
was half expecting to see my folks. I really should've known better.

Clyde laid eyes on me and thanked the officer he was talking to. I rolled my eyes
and hang my head as he walked towards me. Of course, he was here.

I couldn't read his expression. I never could.

"Your girlfriend called me."

I groaned.

Snow.

I completely forgot about her. After watching me beat the shit out of some poor
kid, I doubted she wanted to see me again. I was actually surprised she even cared
enough to call my brother. That was some sick stuff I did back there.

And just like that, the pain from everything was back.

Today was a very, very shitty day. I honestly didn't think it could any worse
than this. I felt like a fucking kid again, lost and vulnerable in the humungous
world.

I took a deep shaky breath, running a hand through my hair. Clyde seemed to notice
because I felt his hand on my shoulder, patting me gently.

"Come on," whispered my brother softly, sounding so caring that I had to look at
him. "You had a long day. Let me take you home."

There was no pretense. He wasn't acting.

Not knowing what to make of that, I just followed him out of the precinct in
silence. We headed to the parking lot, walking towards his car. He unlocked it when
we got near. But I didn't get in. I thoughtfully stared at my hand on the
handle, then looked up at him.
"How's the kid?" I didn't have to elaborate for him to get who I was
referring to.

He sighed. "He's still alive. Nose broken, but nothing too serious."

"They didn't press charges." It wasn't a question.

"You think I'll let them?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at me.

He was always the one to bail me out, always the one to save me from a mess.

"I took care of it. You don't have to worry about it anymore. Now get in the
car so we can go home," he added, before climbing in the driver's seat.

I didn't fail to notice that he kept saying 'home' instead of

'house.' What the hell was that about? It was weird.

I got inside his car, closed the door, and leaned my head back. I was exhausted. I
just wanted to sleep this off. This day sucked to no end.

Closing my eyes, I fell asleep so fast I didn't even realize it.

I think it's only for a few minutes, though. I can't sleep for much long
because it's too hot and I'm sweating. And since I can't sleep,
everything that happened today keeps coming back to me. It's fucking
depressing.

Giving up, I opened my eyes. They widened at what I saw. It was something I
didn't thought possible; I caught Clyde turning the car's A/C towards me.

I blinked in astonishment.

It was a simple gesture. But you had no idea how that little thing could mean so
damn much - especially in our family of emotionless pricks.

And that's when it hit me.

My brother gave a damn about me. He might not be the kindest man, but he sure as
hell took care of me unlike our shitty parents. All this time, he looked out for me
in his own screwed up way. Still, he looked out for me nonetheless.

Shit, my eyes stung at the realization that he cared.

He fucking cared.

Damn.

"You alright?" asked Clyde, glancing briefly before returning his eyes back to the
road. I didn't think he knew that I saw what he did.

I merely nodded, unable to speak. My voice might fucking crack if I did.

He sighed. "It's all shit. It happens. It's the reason mom and dad forced
us to attend a public high school. It shapes us to become survivors because as you
can see, it's a fucking jungle out there. The real world only gets worse." He
paused, then admitted, "We're a fucked up family, all screwed in the head. We
don't know how to be affectionate because we grew up to do one thing; to
succeed."
I didn't speak. It was true.

"But why do you think all of us come home every Christmas?" he continued. He used
that word again. "To act and pretend like a happy family, when no one's
looking? Fuck no. We wouldn't be coming home if we didn't want to."

"Get to the point, Clyde," I grumbled.

"You're not a moron. Figure it out."

I only grunted.

"Check your voice mail while you're at it."

My scowl deepened, pulling out my phone to check.

2 VOICE MAILS

I put the phone by my ear and listened.

"I heard from Clyde," came Annabelle's worried voice. "Do you need me to come
home?"

Beep!

"Don't you dare end up in jail, Oswald," warned Diana's voice. "I
won't have my brother rot in there like a criminal."

I bit my lip that began shaking. I looked out the window and covered my mouth with
my fist. I let out another shaky breath as silently as I could. It took everything
in me not to cry like a fucking wimp.

Through the reflection from the window, I watched as Clyde reached out his left
hand and turned up the volume.

A tiny sob escaped me before I could stop it, tears filling up my eyes.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

With every shit that's going on around me right now, I can't help it.
I'm bound to explode. I'm broken and hurt and I just want the fucking
pain to stop.

I just want it to stop.

I took a breath and rubbed my face with a hand, wiping the tears away. That
didn't stop it from pouring out, though. Despite the pain surrounding me,
there was that little part of me that was relieved.

All this time, I believed they didn't give a shit. Sure, my parents might
still don't. But my siblings did. They goddamn cared.

Messed up as we are, we're still a family.

"You're not alone," murmured Clyde. "Remember that."

"Yeah," I managed to choke out.

All of a sudden, my phone vibrated in my hand. I glanced at it. Someone was
calling, a blocked caller. I hesitantly answered.

"Nice try earlier, but you can't prove we started the fire."

_____________

This is such an emotional chapter, don't you think? :( In any case, how are
you feeling right now? I truly am curious to find out how this chapter affected
you, because it affected me. I mean, I cried while I typed the scene with
Clyde. :'(

So, that's what happened, people. That is why Oz and his friends loath Scout
and his team. That is why they're out for revenge. Whose side are you on?

There's one past chapter left. It's where Snow and Oz broke up. After
that, it's gonna be all present chapters.

Chapter 17 - Chapter 13: You Make It Real (present) [Cruel Me]

(present)

I stared at the new cemented bleachers. Beneath it was where the new locker rooms
was located - also Coach's office, the gym, and everything else related to our
sport.

It finally looked as if the school gave a damn about the football team.

But honestly, it was funded by my family. It was hush money to forget my

indiscretion of almost beating someone to death. Whoops.

I sat across the field, on the old metal bleachers reserved for visiting teams. It
was lunch time but I ditched the crowded cafeteria. Sometimes, the noise could be
too much.

My phone pinged. I took it out of my pocket and swiped it open.

Four messages.

Alfie

Where you at, man? You're missing out the fun. Dickwads from the sissy table
doesn't look pleased. It's frickin awesome! Oh, yeah. And I ate your
food. It looked lonely :P

Connie
Do you have Halo's number? Btw, Alfie ate all your food.

Frisco

Connie's being too friendly and it's freaking me out. I bet Kurt feed her
those happy brownies again.

Kurt

Any idea why Frisco's accusing me of baking brownies?

An amused smile creeped up to my lips.

Underneath that tough bravado, my friends could be such goofs sometimes. In fact,
it was all we ever wanted - to have fun and be carefree. Was that so bad? Why did
some people have to be dicks and up our asses about it?

A figure from the corner of the bleachers emerged, catching my eye. I watched as
she looked around and stopped when her head turned to my direction. For a moment,
she looked like she was debating with herself. Then she walked across the field,
wearing an army jacket over a gray dress with a book in hand.

I knew instantly who it was and why she was here.

I didn't move from my spot, slightly captivated at how the wind blew her dark
hair and how shy her posture grew as she neared. I looked forward to the day when
she didn't feel shy with me anymore, like that time when she was drunk.

Halo halted when she was right in front of me.

"Hi," she smiled, waving a hand.

I nodded a little. "Hey."

Raising my copy of Sherlock Holmes, she said, "I finished reading it. I figured I
should return it to you, but I couldn't find you in the cafeteria so I went
looking for you." She tilted her head and pressed her lips. "That doesn't
sound creepy, does it?"

"No, you can stalk me anytime," I teased, starting to smile.

She scoffed. "Wha - I have never - Did I mention that this book is beyond awesome?"

My eyes narrowed at her attempt to change the subject. She looked away, her cheeks
flushing light pink. My smile turned to a full blown grin now. I was beginning to
understand the meaning behind her words.

My gut tells me she likes me, too.

"Tell me more," I told her quietly.

Her head whipped around. "Tell you what?"

"About the book," I replied, a crooked smile forming on my mouth. I gestured on the
empty spot beside me.

She looked unsure for a second. Then, she walked up, sat beside me, and placed the
book on her lap. "I'm surprised, actually," she breathed out, her eyes
widening in delight. "I didn't expect that ending."

"Me, too," I agreed.

I glanced at the distance between us, ignoring the urge to scoot closer to her
warmth because I didn't want to appear like a creep.

"Out of all the suspects, I didn't think it would be -" she stopped, shaking
her head. She raised her hands and made a motion of her mind exploding, matched
with sound effects.

I covered my mouth with a hand to stifle a laugh. She looked so comical. Seeing my
reaction, she groaned and covered her face with her hands.

"Great," she whimpered, with a muffled voice. "You're laughing at me."

With a huge grin on my face, I reached out and removed her hands from her face. My
grin instantly vanished. Her big purple eyes stared back at me, while her full
bottom lip was pulled out in a pout. Damn. Cute didn't even begin to cover it.

I cleared my throat and shook my head. My heartbeat fucking hiked up all of a

sudden. Shit. She caught me off-guard. Again. She made me feel so new to this.

And yet, I liked it.

"You make me laugh," I stated, surprising myself at how true it was.

She sighed. "I get that a lot. I bet I was a professional comedian in my past
life."

"No, I don't think that's it."

She looked at me curiously, and waited.

"Maybe it's because you're being too adorkable," I whispered softly,

leaning closer and lightly pinching her cheek.

The corner of her lips turned up.

"You're never gonna let that go, are you?"

I grinned. "Nope."

She stared at me for a moment, then laughed and shook her head.

"What?" I asked.

It drives me fucking crazy how I can't easily read her.

"You're not grouchy," she said.

I frowned in confusion.

She shrugged. "You've been kind of a grouch since . . ." she trailed off, eyes
wandering to the new bleachers.

I took a breath and looked up at the sky, my amusement gone.

Odd thing was, I didn't feel as heavy as I normally would've when I

thought back to the fire incident. It didn't hurt as much. I brought my blue
eyes back to her purple ones. She made me feel lighter, more free.

Halo's like a breath of fresh air. I don't know how she does it, but I
want more.

"I'm sorry," she whispered regretfully. "I shouldn't have said anything."

"It's cool," I assured her.

"But I mean," she paused, biting her lip and looking down on her lap, "we barely
know each other and already I acted like we're friends."

I didn't want her to feel that way.

"Let's change that - at the party after the game." I let that sink in, before
adding, "I wanna be friends." No, I don't. I want more than that.But hey, we
gotta start somewhere.

Her eyes lit up at my last words. "We'll play twenty questions?"

I looked at her funny, trying not to laugh.

Her jaw dropped after seeing my reaction. "It's a solid game!" she defended.

I humored her. "Fine, we'll play that." I'd get to ask questions about
her that had been bugging me since the second we've met. "How 'bout it?"

"Okay," she beamed.

"Good," I murmured, returning her smile.

"I meant what I said about you being a grouch, though."

I burst out laughing.

"It's true!" she laughed. "You should see yourself. You look like the Grinch,
except you're not green and wrinkly."

"That sounds like a pickle," I chuckled, shaking my head.

"Pickle tastes sour," she pointed out.

"Sour and cream is good, though."

"Then, you need some cream in your life."

I gazed at her.

I think I found it.

"You need to loosen up," she sighed, her eyes staring off to a distance. "Like you
used to," she added in a mumble.
I didn't think she meant for me to hear that last part. Man, I'd do
fucking anything to get in her head and know what she was thinking.

She raised her head when the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch time. I
didn't fail to notice the disappointment in her eyes, causing for me to smile
a little. So she liked spending time with me. Glad to know the feeling was mutual.

"I better get to class," she told me, standing up.

I got to my feet, and offered, "I'll walk you."

She glanced at me in surprise. "Oh, no. You don't have to. I don't want
you to get late for your next class."

I only grinned, waiting for her to get it. When she did, she let out a laugh.

"Of course," she said, rolling her eyes. "Not that you care."

Exactly.

We walked to the main building together in silence - the peaceful kind. But then
people started looking and whispering, obviously curious who the girl beside me
was. They couldn't mind their own goddamn business.

I glanced at Halo, who looked uncomfortable at the sudden attention. She

wasn't like Snow who was used to the spotlight. Sure, Snow was a bit nerdy but
she was still popular by association. She usually just ignored the attention.

Halo was different.

"Why don't we start those twenty questions?" I suggested.

"Yes, good idea!" she quickly agreed, looking relieved.

"I'll start." I thought for a second. "What's your favorite food?"

"Nachos," she replied, without a beat. "What's yours?"

"Nuh-uh." I shook my head. "No repeats. Get creative, dork."

She scoffed in disbelief, making me grin wider. She was expressing herself a bit
more, which meant she was getting comfortable with me now.

"Challenge accepted," she declared dramatically, her eyes playfully turning to

slits. "What's your favorite drink?"

"Wow," I snorted. "That totally blew me away."

"I know," she sighed seriously. "I amaze myself, too."

I chuckled. "My answer's Coke."

"Dark and explosive," she described thoughtfully. She turned to me, and added,
"Like you."

"Because I'm the bomb?" I joked.

At that, she laughed out loud. I didn't even realize I was staring at her as
we walked down the hallway. She looked so wholehearted, it was a bit contagious.
When I looked away, there was a smile plastered on my face.

"Okay, your turn," she said excitedly.

"Favorite sport?"

She bit her lip. I noticed it was a habit of hers. She normally did it when she
wanted to avoid a particular subject.

"To do or to watch?" she asked, making sure.

My eyebrows raised. "You don't just watch?"

"I like to run," she replied sheepishly.

I was impressed. It definitely explained her toned body.

"And to watch?"

"It's not really a favorite," she answered carefully, her eyes narrowing. "But
I know a lot about this sport more than anything else so . . ."

I waited for her to continue. She sneaked a sideways glance at me, and caught me
staring. She hung her head and sighed.

"It's basketball," she mumbled, no more than a whisper.

I nodded as casually as I could. I hated to admit it, but it stung a little. Did
she watch the school games? Did she cheer them on? Did she get sad whenever the
hell they lost, which was all the time?

"This is me."

I stopped walking and looked around. Students filed into their rooms, but not
before glancing our way with curiosity ebbed on their faces.

"Here's your Sherlock Holmes," said Halo, handing me the book. She looked
uneasy as she stood by the doorway to her class. The teacher hadn't arrived
yet.

"See you around," I muttered.

With that, I turned to leave.

"Wait."

I stopped in my tracks and looked over my shoulder to her.

"I still have a question left," she mentioned, "to make us even."

She was right. I got to ask two questions, while she only had one.

"Shoot," I nodded, facing her again.

"Do you hate that I like that sport?"

"No," I told her. "I have nothing against the game."

She didn't look convinced.

"Then, why do you look like the Grinch again?" she accused.

"I'm coming up with a plan," I admitted. When she looked lost, I added
lightly, "I'll make you realize the error of your ways."

Amusement filled her eyes, and a smile slowly creeped its way to her lips.

"I wouldn't be too confident," she sang, her playfulness coming back. "Pops
made me love basketball."

"Yeah?" I dared, flashing her a lopsided grin. "By tomorrow night, you'll fall
in love with football." I winked at her. "Later, dork."

As soon as I turned around, my good mood evaporated into thin air. It went fucking
ninja on me and poofed.

I watched Scout and Finn as they head my way, eyes trained on me. But then
Scout's eyes switched to something behind me. I followed their direction and
saw Halo just about entering her room. When she went out of sight, I turned back to
my front. Scout still had his eyes behind me. I didn't like the recognition I
saw in them.

I cleared my throat, forcing him to look at me.

That's right. Keep your eyes on me, shithead.

"What the hell did you do, Oz?" demanded Scout, looking ready to pounce.

I knew immediately what this was about. It really wasn't rocket science. All
it took was common sense, something that wasn't so 'common' anymore.
I wondered how he found out.

"What are you saying, man?" I frowned, feigning innocence.

He glowered, breathing heavily. "You made Jay quit the team, didn't you?"

Huh. From the sound of it, Lawley didn't rat us out. It sounded more like
Scout made his own assumption based on his gut instinct. He wasn't that bad of
a leader, after all.

Still a fucking idiot, though.

"Who?"

"Jay Lawley," he hissed, with gritted teeth.

"Never heard of him," I lied, shrugging.

"Stop being a dick," seethed his sidekick, Finn.

I smirked at him. "At least, I have a dick."

"He didn't do anything to you!" snapped Scout, taking a step closer and poking
me hard on the chest.

I pushed down the urge to punch him in the face.

"Why the fuck are you blaming me?"

"Who else could it be?"

"Him, dufus," I pressed, getting sick of this. They sucked ass at accusing people.
I was damn bored already. "He quit the team, not me."

"You made him do it," he persisted.

I cocked my head. "Why would I do that?"

He shook his head, rubbing his face in aggravation. "I don't know why
you're doing this, Oz. But you're ruining an innocent life," he
deadpanned. "Are you aware of that? Don't you feel any kind of remorse?"

Memories from the day of the fire flashed in my mind; running to the building; Adam
almost dying; their taunts; and the phone call.

I stepped closer, and whispered so low that only he could hear, "For someone
innocent, he sure didn't ask why we were seeking revenge."

From the corner of my eye, I saw his jaw clench.

"Think about that," I told him, pulling away. I shot both of them a vicious look,
before leaving them to stand there.

As I walked away, I rubbed the back of my neck with a hand. The dickwads always
managed to ruin my fucking day. Sighing, I raised my other hand and realized I was
holding the book Halo returned. I stared at it for moment.

At least, I had something to look forward to tomorrow.

I pulled out my phone and sent out a mass text to the crew.

Me

Make sure there's nachos at the party tomorrow.

_____________

I don't know about you, but I think Halo's been crushing on Oz. Haha!

I'm not too sure about this chappie, so please do tell me what you think about
it. Oh, and in case you didn't know, I made a trailer for Cruel Me. ;)

I think the acoustic version of the song You Make It Real by James Morrison goes
perfect with this chapterrr. <3

Chapter 18 - Chapter 14: Lose Yourself (junior year) [Cruel Me]

(junior year)
"Get the nets."

"Both of 'em?"

"Hell yeah."

Two of the seniors grabbed the ladder and brought it to one side of the court. One
of them climbed up the ladder, pulled out a knife, and started unhooking the net
from the ring.

I checked my phone, still no word from Frisco who served as the lookout. He was at
the parking lot outside, while another senior kept lookout by the door outside the
covered court.

"We're clear," I called out to everyone. "Better hurry up, though."

We were currently at the basketball court. Only now, it didn't look much of a
court. It looked more like a dump site. All kinds of garbage surrounded the floor,
graffiti covered the walls, the bleachers, the tarps - Hell, even the balls had
shit drawn on them.

It was payback time.

Seriously, it was a miracle we could do so much in the dark like this.Flashlights

were our best friends tonight. It was a motherfucking piece of art.

When I told the crew about the call, Alfie convinced me to tell the others- mainly
the seniors. After all, they were the most affected by the situation.

"You done vandalizing over there?"

"Yeah, let's hit the locker room next."

An excited Alfie hopped his way there, but then stopped. His shoulders sagged as he
tried to push the door. He even tried pushing his arm against it before giving up.

"It's locked," he announced in an aggravated sing-song voice.

"Shit,"cursed Mike beside me, one of the seniors who came up with this plan. He was
also Adam's best bud. He scratched his head, thinking.

I looked over my shoulder and pointed my flashlight at Kurt.

"You're up."

"No worries," said Kurt, raising his hands and stepping forward. "I got this." He
pulled out two pieces of metal strings from his pocket, kneeling down in front of
the key hole.

Coach's words only pushed us off the edge. We didn't have our official
practice hours at the moment, but we still did runs to stay in shape. Having no
equipment didn't stop us from playing some touch football, too.

It was fun. We were having fun, despite all the shit that had been happening.

But then Coach made an announcement while we sat at the bleachers the other night,
crushing the little spirits we had left.
"All the gears, uniforms, and equipment won't be done until November."

"But, Coach," started Alfie. "By then, we won't be qualified to play State."

Coach only sighed. "I know, son." He took off his cap and rubbed the back of his
head. "Our season is over." He looked at the seniors defeatedly, and added,
"I'm sorry, boys."

Mike and I exchanged looks then. At that moment, we realized something. We

didn't have to say it out loud. We both knew what had to be done.

We had nothing left to lose.

"Ka-boom!" howled Kurt, bringing me back to the present.

The doors opened, our anticipation eating us inside. This was were the real gems
were at. In here, we'd get our real revenge. Sure, it was fucking petty
compared to what they did to us, but we didn't really have time to prepare.

The lights suddenly turned on.

I instantly grew alert. My gut was screaming at me, telling me to run. Now. But I
didn't. I stayed with my team, even if I had a bad feeling about this.

"What the - Who turned on the lights?"

"Turn it off!"

"We'll get caught!"

"You already are," a deep stern voice spoke.

We froze.

As if it was fucking choreographed, our heads turned at the exact same time and
pace towards the direction of the anonymous voice.

My stomach dropped.

Standing at the other end of the locker room were Principal Landon and the
basketball coach, along with a couple of security peeps.

Kurt slowly stood up, while the seniors hid the spray paint behind their backs. My
eyes scanned their faces. They looked as surprised as I was. No guilt in their
expressions, just shock.

Fuck. Someone else ratted us out.

The coach shook his head grimly, but said nothing. Huh. You'd think he would
have something to say to a bunch of delinquents who tainted his precious court. But
zilch.

Principal Landon, on the other hand, was more than happy to declare, "You lot are
suspended from playing further football this school year."

No questions. No lectures. No nothing.

I snorted. "Season's over for us, anyway."

"Don't test me, boy," he told me, sending me a sharp look. He took a deep
breath and addressed us all. "In light of recent events, I will consider what led
you to do this, and take it as a moment of distress. You're all hurt and lost,
we get that."

That was one helluva way to rationalize what we just did. Bullshit 101, people.

"Coach and I decided to let you off easy."

I debated if I should tell them about the call. But knowing them, they
wouldn't believe a word I said. We didn't have solid proof and I was
nothing but a trouble-maker in their eyes. It was my word against Scout's. And
of course, they'd take the golden boy's side.

So I decided to keep my mouth shut. I'd only be wasting my breath.

"If there is no permanent damage in the court," continued Principal Landon, who
apparently had more to say, "you will only face three weeks of school suspension in
addition to cleaning the mess that you have caused."

There were groans uttered around the room.

"And if there is?" I asked seriously.

All eyes turned on me.

"Permanent damage, I mean?" I explained, still looking at the principal.

"Expulsion."

Awesome. I seriously doubt it, though. Nobody wrecked anything. It would cause too
much noise, and we were trying to be stealthy.

"You may go start cleaning," ordered Principal Landon, waving us off. "I'll be
calling each of your parents tonight to inform them of your punishment, as well as
Coach Watkins."

Others started to move, groaning and muttering curses.

"I'm pretty sure they won't give a damn," I said a-matter-of-factly,

shrugging. "So you might wanna try calling my brother instead."

"Yeah, my dad's in rehab right now and my mom's in the Bahamas with my
step-dad," added Alfie nonchalantly. "I can give you our maid's number, if you
want."

"You got a maid?" Mike asked Alfie bemusedly, stopping in his tracks.

"Who do you think takes care of the house?" Alfie snorted. "I ain't doing that
shit."

I caught Mike shaking his head and hiding his grin.

My best friend lived in the same uppity neighborhood I did. He moved here with his
mom a few years ago. That was how we knew each other.

"Please call my mom," said Kurt in a bored voice. "I'll be dead tired when I
get home and I don't wanna give my dad a chance to beat me up."
Sure, Kurt was huge. But he got it from his alcoholic dad, who happened to like
hitting him whenever he got in trouble. And he got in trouble a whole lot.

"Go,"barked Principal Landon, pointing to the court. "Now."

We didn't need to be told twice. We moved and started cleaning shit up.The
security guards stayed to keep watch, while Principal Landon and the basketball
coach left.

I sent a quick text to Frisco and the senior outside to bounce because we got
caught. The senior went inside and helped us instead of leaving, while Frisco told
me he'd stay guard outside just in case something came up.

We didn't realize we did some pretty good shit until we were cleaning them off
the floor and the walls. While we picked up trash, the others and I talked about
how we got off easier than we expected.Then again, we didn't really expect to
get caught.

I was pretty sure it had less to do with us feeling 'hurt and lost' and
more to do with my family's money funding the new football building.

That's how people are nowadays. Flash them a dollar sign, and they'll
come crawling down on your feet. And we're supposed to respect these people?
Hell to the fucking no.

It took us a few hours to get done. Good thing the paint was still fresh and there
were plenty of us. It wasn't shining clean, but what the hell did we know
about cleaning?

A helluva lot of complaining went around, but we managed to make the most of it. We
even made it into a competition; one who had the smallest trash bag would have to
treat the whole team to dinner - including the coaches.

Nobody wanted to feed fifty big ass protein-crazed football players.

"See you around, assholes," called out Mike, when we were at the parking lot. "Be
sure to be at the hospital this Saturday. We'll watch a game with Adam."

Alfie, Kurt, and I nodded to him and the other seniors.

"Look, I know it sucks," added Mike, shaking his head. "But karma's a bitch.
They'll get what's coming to them."

None of us replied, probably too drained to argue.

After saluting to us, Mike and the others walked away and went on to tease the one
who lost our earlier trash bag competition.

"Well, that backfired," breathed out Alfie, as we turned around and headed to the
other side of the lot.

"No shit," I muttered, kicking a random rock. "It wasn't planned that well."

I left it to the seniors to come up with the plan of revenge because it was their
season that was lost, their championship. But vandalism? Fucking child's play.

"Coach Watkins will have our asses," cried my best friend, hanging his head.
I shrugged. "Not much he can do. We already got our punishment."

"They were waiting for us," remarked Kurt, referring to the principal and the
coach.

"I know," I sighed, looking up. "Someone told on us."

I honestly couldn't think of anyone who'd do that. Everyone on the

football team was loyal, especially after what happened to one of us. Connie
wouldn't say shit to anyone, too.

The parking lot was almost empty except for my car and Kurt's truck. The night
was quiet and cold, exactly how I felt right now.

When we got to our rides, I caught sight of Frisco with his arms crossed.He
wasn't looking at us, though. He was shooting a disapproving look at . . .
Snow?

I frowned. Why the fuck was he looking at my girl like . . .

No.

My eyes widened.

Fuck no.

I looked over to Snow, who seemed guilty as she hugged herself. She was wearing a
big dark blue hoodie and skinny jeans, her red hair was pulled up in a ponytail. It
was like she rushed coming here.

Frisco never laid eyes on a girl with a disgusted look like that before. He
didn't have it in him. Or at least, we thought so. Snow must've done
something to really piss him off. And I had an idea what that something might just
be.

She avoided his eyes, only to meet mine when she looked up.

"You ratted us?" I choked out, putting two and two.

I didn't wanna believe it. She was my Snow, my haven from all this fucked up
shit surrounding me. She wouldn't betray me. After all we've been
through, she wouldn't do that. She wouldn't throw away everything for
something like this.

She won't.

When I called her to sort things out the earlier this week, she had been
understanding. Sure, she'd been skeptical but she stayed by my side. She
didn't leave me, or break things off.

She stayed.

"I had to do it."

My mouth literally dropped open. I stared at her like a goddamn fool, waiting for
her to take the words back - to tell me she was joking. She had to be.

But she didn't take them back. It wasn't a joke.

"What the hell, Snow?" I pleaded quietly, shaking my head in utter disbelief.

She was supposed to be on my side. But instead, she chose to protect her brother.
And what we did wasn't even that bad compared to what the sissies pulled.

Being the lovestruck shithead I was, I told her about our plan of retaliation. I
was open with her. I've always been open with her. Only to bite me in the
fucking ass.

This is bullshit.

"You're consumed by your hatred towards my brother and his friends that you
can't think rationally," she said firmly, taking a step closer. "You're
blaming them for an accident, Oz. That's not right."

"It wasn't an accident," I deadpanned.

She didn't even believe me.

Damn it, that hurt like a motherfucker.

"It is. Why can't you accept that?" she begged.

"Fuck that," I retorted, my frown deepening. "Why can't you see them for the
dicks they truly are?"

She met my angry glare, not backing down. "All I see is you badmouthing them every
chance you get, not even trying to get along with them. All I see is me defending
you, fighting for you when everybody says you're no good for me."

"And me?" I asked sharply. "Didn't I fight for you, too?"

She looked helplessly at me, biting her lip.

"But what about my brother? He's family."

Blood is thicker than water.

"He's your family."

"Ugh! I never understood why you hate Scout so much," she admitted exasperatedly.
"You've been honest with me about almost everything."

Yeah, and look where that got me and my friends.

"But you never told me the reason why there's bad blood between you two."

I looked away from her, seeing Kurt, Alfie, and Frisco watching from a distance.
They quickly turned their heads. I didn't want a fucking audience to this.

"Just tell me, Oz. What are you so afraid of?"

"What do you want me to say, huh?" I snapped, facing her as my eyes narrowed. "That
I'm pissed because everything seems to go his way without him even fucking
trying? That I can't, for the shitty life of me, figure out how people could
just flock him without him doing anything? That he doesn't need to please
everyone, and yet they all kiss his ass?"

I hissed through my teeth.

"He's so damn good it's a fucking eyesore, Snow. And you know what the
worst part is?" I stepped forward until our faces were only inches apart. "The
worst part is - people eat that shit up. Even you."

She didn't speak for a moment, looking hurt.

"Those things aren't at all his fault," she defended, scowling at me. "You
wonder why people 'flock' him? Huh, Oz?" She looked straight into my
eyes, and added, "It's because he doesn't need to threaten and intimidate
people to get their respect. He's genuinely nice. You should try it sometime."

I laughed humorlessly. "That's right." I nodded. "I'm the bad guy. The
only way for people to respect me is by threatening them. I'm so fucking sorry
for not living up to your standards." I hoped to God she couldn't hear the
hurt in my voice. "Oh, and being nice? Yeah, been there. Done that. Didn't end
well."

She stared at me. "What happened, Oz?" she whispered. "You're not like this."

I'm sick of people acting like they know who I am. I'm sick of them
defining me. Who I am, who I'm supposed to be? I fucking decide that. No one
else.

I finally understood what Alfie was trying to drill in my stubborn head all along.

Snow is one of them. I love her, but she won't accept the real me because she
doesn't get me at all. She may never will.

"Everything happened, Snow," I answered quietly. "Your brother, his motherfucking

team, the stupid fire." I rubbed my face, took a deep breath, and then looked
straight to her eyes. I tilted my head and gestured to her. "You."

She had an intake of breath, her eyes immediately tearing up.

"You will always choose your brother," I stated, my voice hard and my hands turning
to fists. It was fucking painful to admit that, but it was the truth. "I get that
now."

"I only did what's right."

I gave her a sad smile. "Life isn't black and white like that, babe. You need
to open your eyes to the shitty reality."

She closed her eyes, turning her head away. A tear rolled down her cheek. I reached
up a hand and gently wiped the tear with my thumb. She leaned towards my touch. I
wanted to pull her into my arms and tell her how much I loved her, but I stopped
myself.

"I'm tired of all this," she murmured. "The fights, the challenges, the
exchange of insults, the rivalry . . ." When she looked up at me again, she asked,
"Aren't you?"

I shrugged. "My life's all kinds of messed up. I learned to deal with it."

She sighed and looked down.

"You're tired of us," I concluded, voicing out her thoughts.

She didn't deny it.

I nodded and looked away, blinking back the fucking tears.

I'm done. I'm done fighting for her. I'm done trying to get her to
understand me. I'm done trying to make her accept me for who I am.

I'm just . . . done.

"Let's end it, then."

She sniffed, causing me to look back at her. She was crying, her shoulders shook
while her hands continued to wipe the tears on her face that didn't seem to
stop from flowing.

"I actually thought things would change," she admitted hoarsely.

"You mean, I would change."

She only gazed up at me, confirming my statement.

Huh. She really wanted to change me. Why did that fucking sting so bad? It made me
feel like I wasn't good enough. Maybe I wasn't. Maybe that was the
problem all along.

"I'm no good, remember?" I used her words, with a toneless voice.

"I believed in you," she murmured, disappointed.

"Yeah, that's the thing," I sighed, stepping away from her.

I got rid of all the emotions daring to show on my face. I blocked the feelings,
the memories. I blocked them all. I let myself be numb from everything. That was
the only way to get through this fucking shitty life handed to me.

Devoid of emotion, I stared at Snow.

"Believing in me and believing me are two entirely different things."

I didn't wait for her to respond, I glanced at Kurt and Frisco. I

couldn't read their faces. And right now, I could care less. When they saw me
looking, they stood up straight.

"Take her home if she doesn't have a ride," I told them, pointing a thumb to
Snow.

With that, I left them and got in my car. Alfie soon climbed in after me. He
didn't speak, so I started the engine and pulled out of the parking lot.

"Don't lose yourself over this, man."

I glanced at Snow as we passed her. I felt a pang of pain in my chest. As soon as I

felt it, I quickly dismissed the shit - blocking it and focusing on driving
instead.

I returned my eyes back on the road.

"I already did."

_____________

Were you one of the SnOz shippers who cried, or one of the HalOz shippers who
rejoiced?

PS. This is the last past chapter. It's all present from now on.

Chapter 19 - Chapter 15: Funny (present) [Cruel Me]

(present)

Damn it.

I rolled back my arm, shooting a glare across the field. The dipshit hit me pretty
hard. He'd been out to get me all fucking night.

"You alright, man?" asked Alfie, when we huddled.

"Yeah," I nodded, with a slight frown.

"Forty-four's riding you hard," commented Kurt.

"Tell me the fuck about it."

Alfie glanced at the scoreboard.

14 - 19

The Grizzlies were in the lead, with seven seconds left to the clock. We were
playing offense, and we didn't have time for anything but one play. Alfie knew
that.

"We'll have to risk a hail mary," he decided, looking at Frisco and pointing
to him. "Go as fucking deep as you can."

"Got it," nodded Frisco.

He could do it. We knew he could. He'd done it twice already. Granted, the
other one wasn't really in an official game. But it wasn't called a Hail
Mary for nothing.

"They got their eyes on Oz. Forty-four's most definitely gonna try to shoot
the gap, so watch out for him."

"Naw," I breathed out, waving a hand. "Let him pass."

"But I need you to run interference."

"I'll handle him."

"Every second counts, dude."

"I know."
"Ya heard him," Kurt piped up. "Let him teach that shit a lesson."

"Don't sweat," I assured Alfie. "I'll catch up with Frisco."

He narrowed his eyes at me. I stared right back with a determined expression,
letting him know I could do this. After about a minute, he sighed and nodded.

"Fine, your call." He faced Parker, the fullback in the team, and grabbed his
facemask. "While Superman here does his thing, you cover Frisco in the meantime."

I turned to Frisco, and saw him fidgeting. "Don't fumble. We got your back," I
added, slapping the back of his helmet.

He flashed me a grin.

"Alright, 'chargers' on three," I called. "One - two - three -"

"CHARGERS!"

"Bomb?" I asked Alfie, as we got into position. It was code for a long ass pass,
which could only be done with quarterbacks who had a hell of an arm.

"You betcha," sneered my best friend.

I shook my head once, smiling crookedly.

Alfie called out the play while my eyes stayed on number 44 from the other side of
the defensive line, keeping my peripheral vision alert. He spit on the ground, not
looking away from me. Well, that was just nasty.

"Hut!"

Alfie feinted a handoff, and I watched as 44 came after me.

Fucking idiot.

I waited until the last second before I went real low, grabbed his legs, and pushed
up - flipping him over. I didn't wait to check on him, I just made a run for
it. I easily caught up to Frisco, breaking tackles on the way. He caught the
football just as he stepped foot in the end zone, making an eighty-yard touchdown.

Hell yeah!

I jumped and put an arm around Frisco's head, yelling in triumph.

The crowd roared in celebration. Cheerleaders jumped and did their flips, the
coaches shook hands, and the school band started playing.

Our teammates ran over and lifted Frisco to carry on their shoulders. Here moved
his helmet and laughed. We all raised our fists as we headed to the center of the
field.

We were dirty, beat, and fucking sore.

I looked up at the night sky, taking a breath. Then, I scanned the field. The
lights, the crowd, the smell of grass mixed with sweat - everything.

This was my life. I wouldn't trade it for the world.

* * *

With a grin on my face, I took off my helmet and walked behind the team on the way
to the locker room. People called out to me. I only raised a hand, too beat to do
anything else. But then I caught sight of Halo on the side of the tunnel entrance,
causing me to halt.

"Hey," I greeted, stepping towards her.

"Hey!" she beamed. "Congrats on your win."

"Thanks," I nodded, adjusting my hold on my helmet against my hip. "You coming to

the party later?"

She glanced to her friends (who was with Connie, by the way) only twenty feet from
us, then faced me with a warm smile.

"Yeah, I think so."

"Good."

I watched her look down and play with the strap of her overall, her black hair was
loose and unruly around her shoulders. But it was too late. I already caught her
blush.

"Um, how are your cheeks?"

Damn, she's cute.

"Oz?" she asked, looking up at me when I didn't answer.

She asked you a question, doofus.

"Fully recovered," I replied automatically, without missing a beat. "Didn't

even feel it through all those tackles."

She laughed. "I saw."

"Yeah," I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "Just fucking sore, though."

She made a face, making me chuckle at her worried face.

"It's nothing new. I'll survive."

I stared at her for a moment, getting lost in those purple orbs of hers. She gazed
back curiously, as if she was trying to figure out what was on my mind. Ha, tough
luck. I took a deep breath and flashed her a smirk.

"So."

"So," she mimicked, fighting back a smile.

"Did you finally realize which is the better sport?"

"Hmm, I'm not sure."

I raised an eyebrow.
"I didn't get to focus on the game. This running back kept distracting me."

I chuckled. "Damn that running back," I murmured, shaking my head.

"I know, right?" she countered seriously, playing along. "He's just too hot."
She blinked when she realized what she said. "I mean, taut."

A grin slowly made its way to my lips, while her jaw dropped.

"Oh, no. That's not - I didn't mean taut, as in . . . you know? I just
mean, um." Her eyes squeezed shut and she shook her head. "I forgot what I was
saying."

I cleared my throat, trying not to laugh.

"You were saying you keep getting distracted by this hot - oh, my bad - taut
running back. That's why you didn't get to focus on the game."

"Right," she nodded, pressing her lips.

I shrugged. "I bet if he knew he had all your attention, he would've tried to
impress you by playing better in the field."

Her eyes opened and met mine. The corner of her lips turned up in a small smile.

"No need. I'm more than impressed already."

She didn't back down on my stare, which was fine by me because I liked looking
into those adorkable eyes of hers. I also liked how we always seemed to find
ourselves locked in a staring battle, stuck in our own little world.

It's weird as shit, but a part of me gets it.

"Oz!"

I turned my head to the direction of the voice. Alfie emerged from the shadows in
the tunnel and walked up to us.

"Did you get lost or something? We're all waiting for you. Coach is about to
hand over the game ball." He paused and his eyes wandered to the girl in front of
me. Then, he whooped and slapped his knee. "Ha! I knew it! He got lost in your eyes
again, didn't he?"

I hung my head and looked up to the sky, asking God why he gave me such a jackass
of a best friend. I knew I needed some humor in my life, but come fucking on. I was
making a move on a girl here.

When I saw Halo shyly look away, I shoved my helmet to Alfie.

"Go," I ordered, nodding him to go away. "I'll follow soon."

He grabbed my helmet and flashed me a leer, before heading back down where he came
from and disappearing behind the doors.

"I gotta go," I told Halo, turning to leave. "You got a ride to the party?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I have my car."

"The blue mustang."

"How did you - That night at the store," she added in understanding.

I only smirked, and started to back away.

"See you later, dork."

With that, I turned my back on her.

"Later, Grinch."

I shot her an are-you-serious look over my shoulder, but she only laughed. I
stopped walking and watched her lean her head back in a hearty laugh while her hand
was on her stomach. Her cheeks flushed. She looked so damn radiant right now.

My hands turned into fists, trying to stop myself from the sudden urge to go over
to her and do something she wasn't ready for.

Her beautiful eyes landed on me in that second. She tilted her head and covered her
mouth with a hand, while still giggling.

Fuck it.

I walked over to her, stopping until I was right in front of her. My heartbeat
paced up as I gently placed my hand on her neck, leaned down, and kissed her on the
cheek.

Her laughter instantly stopped. She looked up at me, eyes as wide as saucers.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, pulling a stray hair behind her ear. "I
couldn't resist."

She blinked and nodded, at a loss for words. Her cheeks reddened now, and her eyes
lit up as if they were twinkling.

"Bye," I grinned, taking my time as I pulled away.

I walked backwards, leaving for real this time because I knew for a fact that Coach
would hunt my ass if I was a second later. But I still didn't take my eyes off
of Halo.

Dazed, she slowly raised a hand to wave goodbye.

I looked down to hide my broadening grin, and turned around. I felt so light. I
haven't even showered yet but I suddenly felt refreshed. I didn't even
feel the soreness anymore.

She made me feel like I didn't know what the hell I was doing. Everything was
so new with her. I liked it. Hell, I loved it. And I'd let myself finally
admit it straight on.

"So?" asked Alfie expectantly, meeting me by the door.

"I like her."

"That's old news," he snorted, as he let me pass.

I stopped walking and sighed, scratching the back of my head.

"I want her, man."

"Okay," he dragged, processing what I just said. "What're you gonna do about
it?"

I looked him straight in the eye.

"I gotta make her mine."

_____________

Too fast?

Chapter 20 - Chapter 16: One and Only [Cruel Me]

I need a beer.

Alfie put an arm around me as we walked up to the house together. The party was
already in full swing. Typical. High school parties didn't wait for fucking
anyone.

"Don't wanna be a shitty pooper," he started, "but don't you think

you're coming on a little too strong? You wouldn't wanna scare her away."

I glanced at the faded blue mustang parked on the road when we passed it. Pretty
old, but looked well taken care of. It was obvious that the owner loved the thing.

I looked away and shook my head.

"I can't help it," I sighed.

Whenever I see her . . . I don't know. It all just clicks.

"Chill out," he chuckled. "Just, you know, get to know her a little more. If you
like what you see, then charge head on." He shrugged. "I ain't gonna stop
you."

"As if you can," I muttered.

"Unless you're being a dumb fuck, then I gotta hold your ass in line."

I snorted and shoved at him. "You're gonna hold my ass in line? You, who
rarely goes to practice without a hangover."

"Football is football," he firmly stated. "But when it comes to to love . . ." he

trailed off, shaking his head before opening the door. "You, my dear friend, are a
sorry fucker."

"Shut the hell up," I laughed, playfully pushing him inside the house.

He snickered and faced the crowd, who cheered at our arrival.

My phone pinged, making me reach into my pocket to take it out.

Connie

I got Halo's number. No thanks to you.

Great.

She managed to have it before I did.

I looked up and walked through the sea of people on our way to the living room.
They parted to make way for us, which wasn't really something new. I felt guys
patting me on the shoulder as we passed them.

"Congrats on your win!"

"Way to go, man!"

"One helluva game!"

I absentmindedly gave them nods, but still kept an eye out for Halo. I
couldn't believe how my stupid ass forgot to ask for her number.Damn.

"Hey, Oz," purred a blonde girl, as she smoothly slid her curvy body up against
mine. "Your were great out there."

I hung my head, already knowing where this was headed. I was not in the fucking
mood for this shit. I was about to turn to Alfie when I saw him give me a smug
look, saluted, and disappeared in a flash.

Thanks for being a friend and helping me out get rid of this girl, douchebag.

"Really, you were," she added, whoever the fuck she was.

"Frisco ran the winning touchdown," I replied blankly.

Go bother him, not me.

"You up for some fun?"

"Yeah," I said, looking around the room. I wondered if that dork was in the kitchen
again. Better check there. "Just not with you," I added, then walked away.

Blondie scoffed. "I'm flexible!"

"Be a cheerleader."

"I already am!"

I didn't bother giving her a response. It wasn't worth it.

I cut through the crowd and went straight to the kitchen. When I entered, I caught
sight of Connie and Halo's two friends. They were leaning their backs on the
island, while a laughing Connie sat on the counter across from them.

My childhood friend was the first to notice me.

"Ah," she smirked. "How nice of you to finally grace us with your presence."

I scowled and walked over to her.

"A bang bunny made a pass at me."

"Shocker," she gasped sarcastically, handing me a cup of beer.

"It's fucking annoying," I complained, before taking a sip. I looked around

the counter and my eyes landed on the nachos.

"Never bothered you before."

I shot her a bored look, then nodded towards the food.

She raised an eyebrow. "Get them yourself."

I cocked my head to the side and stared at her, waiting. I knew she'd give in
sooner or later. Not many people knew it, but she was a softie when it came to me
and Alfie.

After a minute, she rolled her eyes and jumped off the counter. She moved to take a
plate of nachos with the cheese dip and everything. I felt Milo and Brooklyn
watching us, but I was used to it.

I grinned when Connie handed the plate to me, shaking her head in amusement.

"What?" I asked innocently.

"She went to the bathroom," was her only reply.

No need to be a genius for me to figure out what she meant by that.

I nodded. "Thanks." I switched my eyes to the other two, who straightened up when
they realized I was looking. "Watch out for this one," I warned teasingly,
gesturing to Connie. "She tends to get in trouble a lot. Just holler if her ass
needs saving."

"I can take care of myself," huffed Connie.

"Sure you can."

She flipped me the bird, making me sneer.

I left her with her new friends. She needed a new scene, new friends besides a
bunch of football players who knew nothing but boobs and booze. I was glad it was
with Halo's friends, too. They seemed cool. A bit on the quiet side, but they
seemed nice enough.

"What's a bang bunny?" I heard Brooklyn ask.

"No idea," beamed Milo. "But it sounds dirty. I love it!"

I could hear Connie's laughter travel all the way to the hall. I shook my
head, pushing my way to the bathroom. There was a long line leading there. I
scanned the faces.

No sign of Halo.

Maybe she went to the bathroom upstairs. It'd be a helluva lot less crowded
there. And if Connie was the one who told her the directions, I'd bet she told
her to use the safer option.

I quickly headed to the second floor, one hand clutching a cup of beer and the
other one holding the plate of nachos. Being a running back gave me the skill to
maneuver around people, cutting here and there without spilling anything.

Just when I got to the second floor, the bathroom door opened. I held my breath.
Halo stepped out, stopping when she saw me. My eyes traveled down her body. She
wore a white tank top under a denim overall, pairing it with loose-laced combats
boots. I liked how she put little effort on how she dressed.

She flashed me a smile, raising up a hand in a wave.

I sighed, placing the beer and nachos on the table near the stairwell. I walked to
her after that, not stopping until her back was pressed against the door. I put my
right hand on the wall beside her head and leaned down.

She had an intake of breath and blinked up at me, making me realize how long her
eyelashes were.

God, she was pretty.

I reached out my free hand and dug into the front pocket of her jeans.When I felt
her phone, I took it out, swiped to the right, and opened the keypad. Swiftly, I
dialed my number. I ended the call when my phone started ringing.

"There," I breathed out, giving her back the phone.

She held it to her chest, which was rising and falling in a fast pace. That was a
sign that her heart was beating rapidly. Her lips slightly opened, as if catching
her breath. Her cheeks tinted pink, like she was hot. Damn.

I affected her, just like how she affected me.

"Now you have my number," I continued, as I leaned my face closer to hers until my
lips brushed against her ear. "And I have yours."

I felt her body shiver against me, doing things to my body that I
couldn't exactly act on right now. Fuck, if it didn't kill me.

"You're giving me goosebumps," she whispered, out of breath. "Aaand I

don't think I should've said that out loud."

I started to grin, but then a loud thud made me pull away from her. We turned and
saw a couple climb up the stairs. I recognized the guy as a teammate of mine.

"Oops, sorry!" sniggered the drunk dickhead. He staggered in his steps as he

dragged a bang bunny into one of the bedrooms. They slammed the door shut behind
them.

When I faced Halo, her cheeks flamed red. It made me wonder for a second just how
innocent she was in all things about sex. I made a mental note to ask about it
later.
"Hey," I whispered, lightly tugging her shirt.

She turned and looked up at me, while she put her phone back in her pocket.

"Wanna see something cool?" I smiled crookedly, my eyes full of mischief.

Her eyes squinted in turn. "Does it involve a body part where the sun doesn't
shine?" she asked suspiciously.

I burst out laughing. Holy shit.

"No," I assured her, still grinning. "I'm pretty sure that body part is
hot, not cool," I added with a wink.

"I bet," she laughed.

I grabbed her hand, and said, "Let's go."

I half-expected her to ask where we were going, but she didn't. I noticed that
about her. She didn't pry. She never fished. That was why when she suggested
we play twenty questions, it kinda surprised me.

"You forgot your beer," she reminded me, when I turned to leave.

Oh, yeah. Damn.

I walked to where I put them down, not letting go of her hand.

"Get the nachos," I told her, while I picked up the cup.

Her eyes practically lit up at the sight of it. Boy, did that simple look made me
feel like a caveman beating his chest, yelling, 'Me, man. Me, provide.'

Fucking hell. What the fuck was that about?

Halo beamed, washing away my thoughts.

"Thank you."

I only grinned, then led her to one of the rooms I knew so well. It wasn't
exactly the first time I hid out from a party in this particular house.

I let go of her hand to lock the door. I turned and pulled up a window, then I
carefully climbed out to the roof. When I looked back at her,a mixture of
reluctance and excitement filled her expression, making me grin wickedly.

"C'mon, I promise I'll come after you if you fall."

She let out a small laugh. "Nice. Way to calm my nerves."

I reached out a hand for her to take. After a second more of hesitation, she took
it and slowly climbed out. She settled herself beside me, placing the plate of
nachos on her lap. My eyes studied her body. She was as stiff as a board.

"Deep breaths, dork."

She closed her eyes and did what she was told. When her body finally relaxed, her
eyes opened and she looked down below us.
"It's not that high," she commented, as if she didn't expect it.

I followed where she was looking. All the people down there were partying,
laughing, dancing – just plain having fun. It was the same old high school
party scene. And here we were, having our own little world. Yet again.

I ain't a least bit complaining.

"You're right," she admitted, before munching on the food. "It's pretty
cool up here."

I smirked. "Told ya."

"I like watching people."

"That's not creepy at all," I chuckled.

"Observing them," she explained, laughing.

"Uh-huh," I nodded mockingly.

"Shut up," she giggled, throwing me a chip. "Some don't believe it, but . . .
actions do speak louder than words."

I looked at her curiously now. That explained a lot – why she didn't
always ask was one of them. I was seriously starting to get her. Huh .I guessed we
had something in common, then. We preferred watching out for the bullshit, rather
than listening to it.

"How 'bout we pick up where we left off?"

She stared at me for a whole minute, dumbstruck.

My eyes narrowed. The hell is that look for?

"Oh!"she laughed awkwardly. "You mean the twenty questions! Of course, yeah." She
looked away, squeezed her eyes shut, and bit her lip.

Okay, now I was fucking curious.

"Your turn to ask," she reminded me, refusing to meet my eyes.

What did you think I meant?

But I didn't wanna embarrass her. So I cleared my throat, watching as I

swirled the beer in my cup. I took my time before I asked.

"Are you always this shy, or just when I'm around?"

I could practically feel her hesitate, but then she exhaled.

"Just when you're around."

I looked at her questioningly, but her eyes was staring off the distance. I liked
hearing her say that, but a part of me also didn't. I was confused as hell
right now, couldn't fucking grasp my emotions. Damn, this girl was driving me
crazy.
"Why?" I managed to say.

"Sorry," she mumbled sheepishly. "My turn."

Fair enough. I gestured a hand for her to go ahead.

"Why are you suddenly interested in me?" she asked seriously, frowning in
confusion. She looked down and laid her eyes on her nachos.

Ah, she finally asked it.

"I know I said I prefer observing actions and all," she continued, sighing. She
raised her head and her purple orbs landed on me. Looking helpless, she admitted,
"But I honestly can't figure you out."

"Not many people can," I shrugged, leaning back an elbow so I could blankly look up
at the starry night sky as I considered how to answer her. It wasn't fucking
easy putting it into words.

"Y – You don't have to answer. I can ask something else."

My eyes wandered to the people below, thinking about that night when Halo got drunk
as hell. It was the first time we really talked.

"You're a breath of fresh air," I answered quietly. "It's like I had no

fucking idea I was drowning 'til someone shoved me the oxygen mask."

I was way more honest than usual with her, too. And I was a hard nut to crack, so
that was sure as hell saying something.

I knew that this thing should scare me. I got burned before. I shouldn't let
someone in so easily like this. But funnily enough, I couldn't help it. I
couldn't stop it.

She hummed, causing me to return my eyes on her. I watched as she looked down and
played with her hands. I tilted my head, and stared at her.

"What did you mean when you said, 'I miss that look'?"

Her head whipped to me, her eyes wide.

"You remember that?" she gasped.

"Hard not to," I smiled, shrugging.

She groaned, hanging her head forward. "I'm not sure if I should tell you."
She paused to bite her lip. "It's mortifying on my part. Like, swallow-me-now-
hole kind of mortifying."

"Halo," I began in a low voice, and I realized it was the first time I called her
by her name, "I just told you that you're my oxygen mask. I sound like a
fucking creep." I shook my head. "Geez, I don't think it can get any worse
than that."

I was raising the cup of beer to my lips when she snorted.

"Oh, yeah?" she challenged, lifting her head and raising an eyebrow at me. "Try
telling the guy you like that you've been crushing on him for years and the
reason you miss his relaxed happy look is because you've been watching him all
this time. Try telling him that without sounding like a freaky weirdo stalker
geek."

Holy fucking shit.

I stared at her, taken aback. My hand frozen in the air as my wide eyes stayed on
her, my mouth was left open in shock. I couldn't move.

She visibly stiffened when she realized what she blurted out, her hands flying to
cover her face. I caught her peeking through her fingers, then I saw her mouth open
slowly as if to say something, but no words came out.

I swallowed the lump in my throat, while my heartbeat quickened like I was running
a goddamn marathon or something. I blinked, shaking my head in disbelief.

All along, I had a hunch that she liked me. I hoped big time for it. I just
didn't think it went that deep. I mean . . . Whoa. She'd been watching me
all this fucking time?

Having other people's eyes on me wasn't something new. If anything, it

was normal. But hearing Halo admit it was just . . . It was a whole different ball
game.

"Did I just . . . ?" squeaked Halo, finally finding her voice.

I nodded cautiously, waiting unless there was another outburst.

"Oh, boy," she breathed out, looking away.

I didn't want her to feel shy and embarrassed again. Sure, what she told me
was kinda a big deal. Still, she shouldn't feel bad about it. Especially when
I fucking wasn't.

"Your turn to ask, dork," I whispered, lowering back the cup.

"Um, right," she mumbled, nibbling on her bottom lip as she looked down on her lap.
"Do you find me creepy?"

The corner of my mouth lifted up.

"No," I said softly. "I still find you adorkable."

I caught small smile appear on her face.

"Any ex-boyfriends?" I asked, trying to keep my voice casual.

Any other guys I should be worried about?

"Just one, in freshman year," she confessed a-matter-of-factly, starting to relax

again. "Who's your absolute all time favorite superhero?" she asked, taking a
mouthful of nachos.

Oh, hell no. She wasn't getting away that easily.

"Deadpool." I sat up and drank my beer, before asking, "Does he go to our school?"

"Who, Wade Wilson?" she joked in a muffled voice, giggling and covering her mouth
because it was still full of food. Her cheeks were puffy, while her eyes squinted.
Cute.

"Funny," I muttered sarcastically. "Your ex."

I was curious about this fucker. Did I know him? Was he an athlete? Could I take
him on? Was he a dickface? Was he still hung up on her?

Fuck, I'm doing it again.

I patiently waited while Halo chewed and swallowed, then she shook her head.

"Not anymore – Favorite song?"

"See You Again," I quickly answered. "Why'd you guys break up?"

I wasn't gonna let this shit go until she gave me something.

"He couldn't handle it," she replied, as if it wasn't a big deal. "Pops
is very strict, and I think Dustin was scared of him."

Who the fuck names their kid Dustin? Sounds like a dustpan.

"Nana said he's not worth it if he scares easily."

Damn straight.

"I'm with your Nana," I nodded, raising my cup as if I was toasting to her
before I took sip.

"Me, too," she laughed. Looking thoughtful for a moment, she added, "You know,
I'm starting to realize twenty questions are too many."

"Aight, let's break it down to ten," I decided, after putting down my beer.
"So it'll be harder."

"Okay," she agreed, with a determined look. "Pizza or pasta?"

"Wow," I mocked, scoffing. "That's so fucking hard."

"That's what she said," I heard her say under her breath.

"The fuck?" I choked, dumfounded. I could swear it came from her.

When she looked innocently at me, I burst out laughing. Never would I have ever
thought that that phrase would come out of her pretty plump mouth. It was awesome.

"Pizza," I finally said, chuckling because I hadn't gotten over my shock yet.
Maybe she wasn't as innocent as I thought. "Still a virgin?"

She suddenly started coughing. Her cheeks turned pink, but she met my eyes head on.
Without breaking eye contact, she spoke.

"I see we have no filter, Mister Lacy."

I smirked. "I don't see the point, Miss Buckley."

"Fine, I am," she answered, with her chin up. Raising a fist, she comically
declared, "Virgin and proud!"
"Alright, dork," I laughed, inwardly thankful for her answer. "Your turn." I
brought the cup of beer to my lips and drank the rest of it.

"What's your favorite position in bed?"

I spluttered the beer every-fucking-where.

"You do know that I'm referring to when you sleep, right?" she smiled at me
with her lips pressed together, stifling a laugh.

Well played.

I grinned, wiping my mouth with the sleeve of my letterman jacket. Not taking my
eyes off her, I threw the cup away – not giving a shit if it hits someone
below us.

"Sprawled out," I said softly, with a low voice. "Naked."

"Oh," she mumbled, flushing red and looking away.

It was obvious whenever she blushed because her skin was too pale, that even the
tiniest touch of pink would be seen. I faintly wondered if it was like that in
other places, too.

I placed an elbow on my knee, turning my body to face hers. My fingers touched my

bottom lip as I studied her in silence, wondering where the hell had this been
adorable purple-eyed dork hiding all this time?

Without thinking, I leaned my body closer to hers. Reaching out a hand, I held her
chin and gently turned her face towards me. Her purple eyes met my blue ones. I saw
the wonder and curiosity in them.

"How come I only met you now?"

"Maybe it wasn't time yet before," she mumbled, her eyes visibly softening.

My eyes wandered down to her full lips. The tips of her tongue darted out and she
wets the bottom lip. I gulped. Hot damn, that was sexy.

"Can I kiss you?" I murmured, looking up to her eyes.

I expected her to say no. In fact, I was ready to pull away from her – even
if every fiber of my being wanted me to close the gap between us.

"Yes."

My inner self whooped. But I still had to ask, "Are you sure?"

She glanced at my lips then back to my eyes, before nodding.

Oh, thank God.

I leaned forward, taking my time. My thumb ran along her bottom lip, before
settling on her cheek. She closed her eyes just as our lips brushed. I could feel
the warmth of her breath on my face. I shut my eyes, about to press our lips
together –

"Halooooo!"
At the mention of her name, Halo immediately pulled away from me. Damn. We were so
fucking close, too. Her fingers flew to her soft lips, while her cheeks were
flushed. I was catching my breath, trying to calm my erratically beating heart.

"Oooz! Halooo!"

Connie, I'm gonna kill you.

"We better get to her before she pops a vein," I sighed, rubbing my face.

Halo took a breath and nodded. I went inside first, then I grabbed her waist and
helped her climb in the bedroom. She looked lost, not knowing where to put the
empty plate.

"Just put it there," I instructed, pointing to the unmade bed.

She placed it there and followed me out to the hallway.

"We're here," I called out, rubbing the back of my neck.

Connie turned around. When she saw the look on my face, she sent me a sad smile. I
raised an eyebrow. That was weird. She'd never been sorry for cockblocking me
before.

"Milo and Brooklyn are waiting for you outside," she explained to Halo, with a hand
on her hip. "Something about –"

"The curfew," finished Halo, biting her lip. "Yeah, I have a curfew."

"But it's only half past eleven," protested Connie, almost pouting. Almost.

"Who are you, Cinderella?" I teased.

"That makes you the prince, though," she pointed out, waggling a finger at me.

I gave her a lopsided grin. "I'm no prince."

"No, you're not," she agreed, cocking her head and gazing up at me.
"You're the dark knight – more badass."

I chuckled. Yeah, that made more sense.

Connie cleared her throat, causing us to look at her.

"The curfew, people?" she reminded us, now with both of her hands on her hips.
"It's our first night hanging out and I won't let your Pops think
I'm a bad influence on you."

Connie caring what other people think? That's a first.

"I'm sure he won't think that," Halo assured her. Then, she turned tome.
"But she's right. I have to go."

I nodded. "Bye, dork," I smiled, pinching her nose.

She giggled and pulled her face away.

"Bye," she grinned.

With that, she headed for the stairs and walked down with Connie. Then she stopped
and looked over her shoulder, flashing me a warm smile.

"I had fun tonight."

I let out a small laugh, and grinned.

"Me, too."

She waved a hand and continued climbing down the stairs.

I walked a few steps, leaned my elbows on the railing of the stairwell, and watched
Halo open the front door. She smiled gratefully and hugged Connie, before stepping
out of the house.

Fuck, I wanted to be the one who picked her up and dropped her off.

And with that thought, I've decided.

I was charging head on.

One way or another, she'll be mine before the weekend is over.

. . .

"Kurt stole a cop car!" bellowed Frisco, running inside the house.

Right. Back to reality.

_____________

How do you think Oz is gonna do that? ;)

EDIT: When Halo asked Oz who's his favorite superhero, he originally answered
The Flash. But then last night I realized that Deadpool is muuuch more suited to be
Oz's favorite so I changed it. Pretty sure you can guess why. Haha ;)

Chapter 21 - Chapter 17 |Part 1|: She's So High [Cruel Me]

Fucking prick.

"Give it back," I demanded for the nth time.

Alfie shook his head and put a hand on his chest, before saying, "It's my
duty as your best friend not to let you make an ass of yourself."

"He's done that already," I heard Connie mutter from the beanbag.

"Ain't that the truth," sniggered Kurt, taking a sip from his can of soda.

"Shut up," I told them both, glancing their way. I raised an eyebrow at Kurt.
"I'm not the one who stole my uncle's cop car and tried to get laid in
it, only to get busted and have my ass handed to me in front of the girl I'm
trying to bang."
 He groaned, leaning his head back. "I almost went to jail for that."

"I'm surprised you didn't," said Connie, with a wicked laugh. "I thought
for sure your uncle would at least let you stay in a cell for the night."

"Nah." Kurt smiled smugly. "He'd get in trouble, too."

I shook my head in the slightest motion. One decent man in his life, and he took
him for granted. Sure, his devil-may-care attitude was fun. But it wasn't for
everyone.

I sighed and reached out a hand to my best friend.

"Give back the fucking phone, Alfie."

Instead of doing what I asked, he made himself comfortable, leaned his back on the
couch, and looked at me in a mocking way.

"Come and get it, Ozzie."

I snorted. "What, you're Selena Gomez now?"

Frisco started humming the song, causing me to shoot him a what-the-fuck look. He
cleared his throat and shrugged sheepishly at me.

"Oh, I know!" exclaimed Alfie, laughing and clapping like a damn dolphin. I turned
back to him. "Why don't you do that thing you did to Buckley and feel me up,
too?"

That's it. I attacked the little shit.

"Oh, Oz! Stop!" he screamed in a high pitched voice, flapping his arms as I
searched for my phone. "Don't touch me there! You're so bad!"

The others laughed while watching us. I ignored them. Finally, I snatched the
phone from his back pocket. I quickly jumped away from him with a triumphant grin
on my face.

"Asshole," I sneered.

Alfie batted his eyelashes. "Call me."

I flipped him the bird, while my other hand worked on my phone.

"I'm telling you, man," he said, back in his natural state. He opened a bag
of chips and laid it out on the low table in front of him. "You ain't supposed
to text nor call the girl until after three days."

I looked up from my phone and gave him an incredulous look.

"Whoever invented that shit is a fucktard."

"It works," he shrugged.

Kurt nodded. "It's true."

Connie made a disgusted sound, and said, "Boys are stupid."

 I took a breath and shook my head. Whatever. I didn't really give a damn.

I turned my back on them and walked to the bar stool, focused on my phone. I
faintly heard them watching South Park (our favorite show). Suddenly, I had the
urge to join them. But I wanted an adorkable fix right now. So I continued my
search through my contacts until I found the one I was looking for.

Fina-fucking-lly.

For a second, I was lost on what to say. I rubbed my face with a hand. Geez. I
wanted to fucking smack myself for thinking like an inexperienced virgin.

Biting my lip, I texted her a simple "hey." Not a minute later, she replied. I was
glad she wasn't one of those chicks who took way too long to reply.

I opened the message and almost choked.

Halo
Who's this?

I raised an eyebrow. She had to be playing with me. The corner of my lips turned
up at the challenge. So I decided to play along.

Me
Your best nightmare.

Halo
Tom Riddle? :O

Me
Wtf? Old Voldy's your best nightmare??

Halo
Guilty pleasure. Haha :) What's up, Oz?

Me
Can I call you?

Halo
Ok, just give me a sex.

My eyes widened at her text for a second.

Halo
SEC!! OMG!!!

I burst out laughing. Really hard and loud. I bet my friends were sending me weird
looks right about now. But I could care less.

Me
You sure you don't mean that first one? Lol.

Halo
It was autocorrect! It's taking over my life, I swear. We better stop texting
before it says even more embarrassing stuff.

Me
Don't have autocorrect in real life. What's your excuse then?

Halo
My awesome personality?

Me
Ok, what drugs are you on? Can I have some?

Halo
Hahaha! You can call me now. :D

In a matter of seconds, I had my phone up to my ear and her phone was ringing at
the other end of the line. Yeah, I couldn't wait. Sue me.

She answered after two rings.

"Well, that was awkward," was the first thing she said.

"Naw," I chuckled. "It cracked me up."

She laughed. "I'm sure it did."

"A'ight, I'll stop," I promised, rubbing my lips with a hand as if it

could wipe the smile off. "So anyway, the crew's here at the house and . . ."

Alfie made a whipping sound from the couch.

I turned around and mouthed, "Fuck you."

He opened his arms, and dared, "Come at me."

I looked to Connie who was now sitting beside him. I cocked my head to the side.
She nodded, then slapped our resident quarterback with the throw pillow she was
holding right across the face. She didn't hit like a girl, either.

"Ow!" Alfie yelped, holding his face with both hands. "What the fuck, Con?!"
 "And?" urged Halo, bringing me back to our conversation.

I scratched the back of my head, thinking of the right words. "Well, it would suck
a lot less if you came and hung out with us."

"Oh." She was quiet for a moment. "I'd love to, but I have to do an errand."

"What kind?"

"The one with carts and food isles."

Ah. "Now?" I asked, glancing at the clock. It was pretty late in the afternoon.

"Mm, I was on my way out when you texted. The groceries awaits me!"

I smiled, clearly imagining her face when she said that.

"Dork," I muttered.

I looked around the basement, seeing how clean it was despite the fact that I
wasn't doing anything to keep it that way. It was the same upstairs, in the
entire house. I didn't have to do anything because the house cleaner came here
every Sunday to do that sorta stuff. She stocked up the kitchen, too.

"I've never gone grocery shopping before," I admitted quietly. "Can I come?"

I saw Alfie point his finger to me, laughing like a goddamn hyena and falling face
first on the floor. He was laughing so hard that he was clutching his tummy while
on the floor.

Kurt tried to muffle his laughter by shoving a handful of chips in his mouth. It
didn't stop his shoulders from shaking, though. My eyes then wandered to
Connie and Frisco, who immediately looked away when I caught them watching me. Both
wore knowing grins.

Dickheads.

I shook my head, but couldn't keep the smile off my face.

"Are you serious?" asked Halo. I bet she was biting her lip, wearing a cute little
frown.

"I wouldn't have asked if I wasn't."

Another moment of silence.

"Um, okay," she finally agreed, though still unsure.

"Cool," I said, already looking for my keys around the room and ignoring the four
pair of eyes on me. "Text me your address, I'll pick you up in fifteen."

"You don't have to," she quickly said.

"How are you gonna get to the store?"

"I'll drive my car and we can just meet there."

"And pollute the air by using two cars instead of one? Wow," I breathed out,
mocking sadness. "That's evil, you know that?"
 I heard a small laugh from the other end.

"Fine, we'll use your car. See you later."

"Bye, dork," I grinned, before hanging up.

Half a minute later, she sent me a text of her address. Not bad. She lived in a
pretty decent neighborhood, the kind where people were friendly and greeted each
other in the morning. Why wasn't I surprised?

I grabbed my jacket from the counter and faced my friends. Alfie now settled
himself on the floor, between Connie's legs. He sent me a knowing look with a
wicked grin, but kept his mouth shut. Thank God.

"I'll be back later," I informed them. "Just order pizza or something."

"Or have Connie cook for us," suggested Alfie shamelessly.

Connie slapped his head. "I'm not your maid, you lazy butthead."

Alfie barked a laugh. "'Butthead'? That's pretty tame." He leaned

his head back so he could look at her and smirk. "Oh, my bad. Did I say tame? I
meant lame as fuck."

Right. That's my cue.

I left before their bickering turned into full on verbal war of swear-a-thon. It
might be entertaining on some occasions, but I had something better in mind.

And I was on my way to pick her up.

_____________

Hurrah! Me iz back! Fina-effing-lly!

I know, chapter's too short. But I'll update again either tomorrow or
Tuesday. ;)

Alfie's so crude in this chappie. Hahaha!

Chapter 22 - Chapter 17 |Part 2|: She's So High [Cruel Me]

"OZ!"

"Feeling it now?"

"Yeah! Holy moly, I feel so high!"

"Told ya."

"How come I've never done this before?!"

I tried not to laugh. "Keep your voice down."

"Oops, sorry."

"Faster?"

"Yes! Push harder!"

"We'll get in trouble," I panted, looking around.

"You started it," she accused.

"I didn't tell you to get on and have a go."

She gasped. "Yes, you did!"

"Well, yeah," I shrugged, starting to grin. "But I didn't think you'd

actually do it."

"Never underestimate the power of curiosity," she said, waggling a finger at me.

I snorted. "Whatever, dork."

"You even told me that it would be the ride of my life."

"Am I wrong?"

She didn't say anything, only shaking her head in response.

"Wait!" she shrieked, pointing sideways. "Grab that cereal!"

I pulled a stop on the pushcart and grabbed a cereal from the shelf, putting it in
with her. Yep, she was sitting inside the cart. An old woman gave us a disapproving
look when she passed by. I flashed her a grin in turn. She huffed and went on.

"I will never look at a pushcart the same way again," muttered Halo.

I chuckled. "What else is on the list?" I asked, peering down.

"Just one more." She raised a hand and pointed forward. "Steak sauce!"

I pushed the cart and headed to the isle where they had a bunch of sauces on
display. I kept glancing at Halo's back. Her black hair was in a messy
ponytail and she wore a big navy blue sweatshirt that had a 'Ravenclaw'
logo on it. I noticed it earlier when I went to pick her up, and I also read Harry
Potter when I was a kid so I was pretty familiar with it.

She looked so soft and cozy that I had to fucking stop myself from being a total
creep and hug her every now and then.

"You know," I started, grabbing the bottle of steak sauce she pointed to and
handing it to her, "I had no idea that doing errands could be fun."

"It usually isn't." She looked over her shoulder to smile broadly at me. "We
just made it an adventure today."

I leaned down, placing my right elbow on the handle. I reached out the other hand
to gently pinch her nose. Smiling crookedly, I said, "Thanks to me wheeling around
the store."
Her purple eyes twinkled as she laughed and pulled her face away. "Okay, you win.
All hail to the master of fun," she giggled, raising both hands.

"Bet your ass I'm the master of fun," I grinned, as I straightened up.

I regretted it instantly. The person staring back at me was someone who could ruin
an awesome day like this and make into a fucking sobfest. No way in hell was I up
for that.

"Oz," she acknowledged. When I didn't greet her back, her calculating eyes
traveled to Halo. She didn't look pleased.

I caught Halo shrunk a bit in the cart, uncomfortable at the scrutiny the bitch in
front of us was obviously giving. That pissed me off. I didn't like the fact
that Halo felt threatened. I gripped the handle, my knuckles turning white.

"So the rumor is true," she continued, glaring at me. "You really have moved on."

"That's your business how?" I deadpanned.

"You broke my best friend's heart," she spat.

Oh, yeah? Snow fucking stabbed mine and left me to pick up the shattered pieces.
Now that I was finally opening up to someone again, people had to go and fucking
intervene. This was utter bullshit. It was my fucking relationship.

With a stoic expression, I looked at Snow's best friend who apparently was
defending her honor. She had a curly blonde hair, and she dressed like a
cheerleader. She probably was. I couldn't even remember her name. That usually
happened when I simply didn't give a goddamn shit about someone.

"Again, how's that any of your business?" I wondered, cocking my head.

"She's my best friend, you dick," she seethed, taking a step forward. "You
hurt her, you hurt me. You don't have the right to be happy when -"

"Hold it," I interrupted, raising a hand to stop her. I sighed and flashed her a
bored look. "I honestly don't give a flying fuck what you think. I don't
even remember your name."

"It's Emily."

"I didn't ask."

With that, I pushed the cart with Halo in it away from that raging headcase. I
couldn't believe this chick brought up that stuff in front of Halo. Rude
bitch.

What the shitty hell was her deal anyway, talking about the past like it was
fucking yesterday? She had nothing to do with it. Fucking nutjob.

Sure, I knew I was a jackass. But it made me wonder just how much of a jackass Snow
made me out to be to her friends. The thought immediately died as the numbness came
rushing back. It had been that way whenever she crossed my mind.

Emptiness always took over me.

Truth be told, I was sick of it.

"Jerk!" yelled Emily.

Right, like that was gonna hurt my feelings.

I laid my eyes on Halo when she put a hand on the railing and leaned over so she
could look back at the crazy bitch behind us.

"Everyone deserves to be happy," she called out. "No matter how much of a jerk they
are. Even you." She gave out a sad smile and waved goodbye.

My eyes stayed on her, as if I was looking at her for the first time. Was that her
way of insulting someone? I had to fight off a smile so I cleared my throat.

"Sorry about that," I told her.

"It's wasn't your fault."

I rubbed the back of my neck.

"Some people just can't let go of that past," I muttered.

Like me. Not until justice has been served to those fucking dipshits.

"The past shapes us to be who we are today," she shrugged, turning her head to look
back at me. "Doesn't mean we're all bad people."

I stared at her, taken aback. Even if she already turned her back to me and faced
the front, I didn't take my eyes off of her. Damn this girl. Her words always
struck a cord deep in me. Maybe that was why she never failed to blew me the fuck
away.

A smile made its way to my lips, and I shook my head.

About an hour later, I pulled up in front of her house. It was a white cozy-looking
house with blue roofs. It had a wrap around porch, too. I faintly noticed a
familiar white car in the driveway. I instantly got a bad feeling. I ignored it,
though.

Halo and I got out of the car at the same time.

It reminded me of earlier. She also didn't let me open the car door for her.
As soon as I parked out front, she dashed out of the house and climbed in.

"Do you have something against guys opening the door for you?" I joked.

She blinked, her eyes wide. "Oh, I wasn't - were you? I didn't," she
stopped and smiled sheepishly at me, her fingers playing together. "Sorry, I'm
not used to having dates."

"This is a date?" I asked, the corner of my lips turning up.

"Wait, what?" she choked, flabbergasted. "It is?"

I thought about it, pressing my lips together.

"You're right," I decided. "It'd be a crappy place to have our first

date. We should have it somewhere with no old women breathing down our throats."

She laughed out loud as we walked back to the trunk to get the food. It wasn't
exactly the reaction I was hoping for. It sounded to me like she thought it was our
usual teasing. Huh.

Before opening the trunk, I leaned on my car and gazed at her with my arms crossed.
I didn't say anything, I just looked at her. Nothing but her. I waited until
she got it.

At first, she frowned at me in absolute confusion. Then, it turned into curiosity.

Until it became shock, and she gasped.

"OH, you weren't kidding?"

I merely shook my head in answer. Halo stood frozen on the spot, with her eyes wide
and her mouth hanging open.

"You're asking me out," she whispered, astonished.

I nodded slowly, watching her.

And as if something in her clicked, her body tensed. She looked around the street,
her eyes full of suspicion. When she faced me again, she looked a bit . . . afraid.

"Is this a prank?" she asked in a tiny voice.

I made a face and swiftly pulled away from the car.

"The fuck? Of course not," I replied indignantly.

"I'm sorry!" she said defensively. "I've just read about this kind of
stuff online."

"Where, dickswithoutballs dot com?"

Halo's hands flew up to her mouth, trying to stop herself from laughing. "That
sounds like a porn site," she mumbled, giggling.

I closed my eyes and ran a hand through my hair, a ghost of a smile playing on my
lips. When I opened them, I caught Halo staring straight at me. She quickly looked
away, turning her head and pretending to check if the stars were out tonight.

What am I gonna do with this girl?

With a crooked smile, I opened the trunk and brought out the paper bags. She
reached out her arms to take it from me but I dodged her.

"I'll help you bring it inside," I told her.

"Um," she droned out, glancing at the familiar parked car then at the house. She
had a worried frown on her face when she turned back to me. "You really don't
have to."

My eyes narrowed. She was hiding something.

"You don't want me to walk you to your door."

She bit her lip, before looking down. She let out a deep breath, raised her head,
and said, "I have to tell you something."

I didn't like the fucking sound of that.

I returned my eyes back to the familiar car. I got that shitty feeling again, one
where I felt like I was gonna barf. I looked at the plate number. And just like
that, it fucking clicked.

I scowled, like deep-shit-embossed-on-my-fucking-head scowl.

What the hell is the dickwad doing here?

"Remember when I said Pops taught me everything about basketball?" asked Halo, in a
voice so low I could barely hear it.

Shit. I closed my eyes and sighed, trying my goddamn best to keep my cool. I knew
where she was going with this. It could only lead to one thing.

"He's their coach, isn't he?" I guessed tonelessly.

Damn it. How the fuck didn't I know that his last name is Buckley, too? Oh,
that's right. I didn't give a shit enough to find out. Fucking stupid, is
what it is.

"Yeeeaah," she stretched out, swinging her arms. "I don't really broadcast
that I'm the granddaughter of Mount Valley High's basketball coach."

As I studied her face, her expression, and her eyes . . . Only one thing was in my
mind; What I found out tonight didn't change the fact that I still liked her.

"Why not?" I asked.

She sighed. "I guess I just don't like the attention it brings."

I was actually glad I had no idea. Because if I did, I wouldn't have pursued
her at all. No matter how interesting she might have been, I would've gotten
out before it went too deep.

But now, it was too late. I liked her too much to let go.

Besides, she wasn't in any way related to Scout Crimson or any of the sissies.
She was only related to their coach, the same old man who trained Ethan and his
best buds. I heard he was a pretty respectable man.

I'll just take Ethan's word for it.

"I got this, Coach!" said Scout, stepping out of the house.

Halo and I turned to the voice.

"Thanks. Okay, see you on Monday!" he called, before closing the door and walking
down the steps to his car.

I watched as he pulled out his keys, but did a sudden double take when he saw Halo.
He stopped walking and smiled, then headed in our direction. The fuck was he
smiling for? As he neared, he noticed my presence. He paused for a moment and
glowered.

Damn, I feel so loved.

He continued walking and stopped a couple of feet away.

"Is he bothering you?" he asked Halo, looking at her with a concerned face.

I rolled my eyes. Typical.

"No, no," she answered quickly. "He helped out with the groceries."

Scout looked skeptical, glancing at me with a raised eyebrow.

"I have a hard time imagining that," he muttered.

"Guess I'm not the total asshole you wished I am," I pouted, mocking sadness.
I patted his shoulder. "Tough luck, golden boy."

He frowned. "Don't call me that."

"You don't like it when I speak the truth?" I smirked.

"You have a twisted definition of the word 'truth', Oz."

"Maybe so," I shrugged nonchalantly. Then, I tilted my head and stared at him. "But
at least my friends and I have that in common. Can't say the same about
yours."

His eyes squinted, trying to decipher the meaning behind my words. I kept my facial
expression blank, only leaving the humorless smirk on.

Seriously, I wanted to tell him everything. I wanted to see his face when he
figured out how his team were nothing but a bunch of pussies. But he had to hear it
from them. They had to own up for the shit they had done.

"Um," piped in Halo, stepping between us. "Scout, I think you should go."

Scout faced her. I caught a tiny hint of hurt in his eyes. I almost felt bad for
the dude. Almost. Because then I realized the fucker had a thing for Halo.

Nuh-uh. This ship has fucking sailed.

"Don't you need help bringing the bags inside?" he offered her.

Oh, hell no.

"I'm already holding the bags, shithead," I pointed out. I forgot I was
holding them all this time, practically weighing nothing to me. "You can go now."

Scout shook his head at me in disbelief. "First Snow, now Halo?"

My eyes darkened, and my blood boiled. I felt the sudden rush of adrenaline through
my veins. I wanted to rip this cocksucker's fucking head off.

"Don't," I deadpanned.

Halo was different. I'd be a stupid son of a bitch if I didn't know that.

"Crimson!"

The three of us turned our heads toward the house. Coach Buckley radiated authority
as he stood by the doorway.

"Why the hell are you still here, boy?" he demanded.

"Sorry, Coach," called out Scout. "I just said hi to Halo. I was just leaving." He
turned to Halo, and said, "Good night."

"Good night," she replied, with a weak smile.

Without so much as a glance to me, Scout headed to his car to leave.

"Halo, bring in the groceries," ordered Coach Buckley, waving her over. He was
about to turn around when he looked back, and added, "Oh, and bring the boy with
you so we can properly invite him to dinner." After the last word, he went inside.

I blinked.

Holy shit. I wasn't ready for this.

I'm fucking screwed.

_____________

I'm not sure about this chapter. What do you guys think? Did it lack the Haloz
love?

Were you expecting the twist? Did you guess right? Or were you shocked? I dedicate
this chapter to the first person who guessed Halo's relation to Coach Buckley
from the very beginning. Like seriously, she guessed it about 2 or 3 chapters in
the story. Haha!

Too much swear wooooords. LOL.

Chapter 23 - Chapter 18: Say It Ain't So [Cruel Me]

I walked down the stairs and headed towards the couches. The crew greeted me
with nods, before I threw myself face first on the empty beanbag.

"What the hell happened to you?" I heard Connie ask.

"I met Halo's family."

I wasn't the least bit prepared, too. It felt like I was a trapped mouse, not
being able to refuse the dinner invitation at all.

Halo gave me the chance to back out, but I didn't wanna be a wuss. I knew the
moment I stepped foot inside that house, that I wasn't gonna get out easily.
Coach Buckley knew it. Hence, why he wanted me to come in his home. Sneaky old man.

It was beyond awkward at the dining table. It wasn't just because I saw
Meadow, Halo's ten-year-old sister, twerking in her pajamas. Halo thought it
was hilarious. But me? I was goddamn scarred for life.

Sure, Halo's grandma was super sweet and shit. But even Mrs. Buckley
couldn't tone down her husband's keen eyes on me all night.

They were polite, asking things about my family and school. Coach Buckley even
mentioned football a couple of times. But I couldn't help but feel that he
wasn't done talking to me. And I was right.
 Right after dinner, I offered to help out with the dishes but Mrs. Buckley waved
her hand dismissively and said I was the guest. He took that opportunity and asked
me to come out with him to the backyard. My guts told me to run for it. But I
didn't. Call it pride.

"Were you aware of Halo's relation to me?" he asked then, carefully watching
me.

I met his stare head on. His intimidation tactics would've worked on anybody
else. But I grew up with a manipulative, deceitful bunch of people. Nobody really
scared me anymore.

"No, sir," I answered. Thank God for the inner politeness my whacked folks drilled
in me. It came in handy sometimes.

"Son," he began, sighing and shaking his head, "I'm not sure what's
going on with you. And I sure as hell don't know a lot about you. But from
what I do know, it's not any good." His eyes squinted. "Do you understand
where I'm going with this?"

My jaw clenched, my hands turning into fists.

"Yes," I bit out.

"Good," he said, with a hard nod. "Now I'm gonna give you the benefit of the
doubt, because you deserve it." He pointed to me. "Don't screw it up."

Whoa, hold up. I thought he was gonna say that I should stay away from Halo. Huh.
There was more to the stern-looking old man, after all.

"I won't," I assured him.

"You better, because I'm not about to stop my granddaughter from seeing
whomever she wants to see." He took a step towards me and with a threatening glare,
he added, "But for the love of God, son. Don't drag her in your mess."

What the fuck do I say to that?

Good thing he wasn't waiting for a reply, because he turned his back to me
and headed back to the house. I could swear I even heard him mutter, "At least you
got balls unlike the last one." To which, I wanted to say, "Balls of steel, sir."

But I didn't. He might chase me with a bat if I did.

"Well, that escalated quickly," snorted Alfie, bringing me back to the present.

I rolled over so I could lay on my back.

"Her Pops is the basketball coach," I informed them.

None answered for a long while. They probably had shock etched on their faces. The
only thing I could hear was Eric Cartman's voice from the TV.

"I noticed they have the same last name," finally said Frisco. "But I didn't
think . . ."

"I bet he's her grandpa," concluded Alfie. "He's way too fucking old to
be her dad."
 "Yeah," I sighed, and rubbed my face. I didn't get to ask her what happened
with her parents. It wasn't mentioned during dinner even once. "I saw Scout,
too," I said quietly, my eyes wandering to the ceiling and staring at nothing.

"You feel bad for him, don't you?" guessed Connie.

I glanced at her and saw that she was studying my face. I didn't give her an
answer. I just looked away and tried not to think about it.

"He does," breathed out Alfie, lowering his bottle of beer and hanging his head.
"We all do. We just don't wanna fucking admit it."

Nobody spoke for a good minute or two.

"He's an idiot and all," I started, "but his so called friends are
fucktards."

It wasn't that hard to figure out. They didn't tell Scout about their
plan because they knew he'd be against it. Simple as that.

But if they really respected him, they would've respected his decision, too.
That said a whole lot about them. Unless they were listening to someone else.

Who was running the show? Who were they following if not really Scout?

That shit was still a mystery.

"Are we gonna go on with the revenge, or what?" asked Kurt, with a frown.

I turned my head and looked him in the eye. "Of course, dumbass." I sat up, and
added, "Let's just try not to include the poor sucker as much in the damage
we're about to cause."

Frisco raised a hand. "What about Halo?"

My eyes switched to him. "What about her?"

"She's the granddaughter of Coach Buckley," he reasoned, "whose team's

starting line up we're about to destroy."

"That's a different matter," I told him firmly. My eyes traveled to each of

them. "Leave her out of this, you hear?"

I didn't just say that because Coach Buckley asked me to. I seriously
didn't give a shit what he thought. Honestly, I didn't wanna involve Halo
in this chaos. She was in a different part of my life - the good part.

When the crew nodded, I stood up and went to the bar to get myself a drink. I
sensed someone following me from behind, clearly wanting to talk away from the
others. Based on the light steps, I was pretty damn sure it was Connie.

"And Snow?"

Yep. It was her, all right.

"What?" I merely said, not bothering to turn and face her.

"Her twin is innocent," she pointed out. Her cold tone didn't escape me. It
was obvious she wasn't really into the conversation but she felt like she had
to say it or else no one would.

"So?"

"She was right when she said he was."

"Get to the point."

"What's stopping you from getting back together with her?"

I stilled for a moment, then I opened the fridge and scanned the beverages. I
grabbed a can of my favorite drink, Coke. Then, I placed it on the counter between
us.

"Look, I don't blame her for siding with her brother. I get it," I admitted
nonchalantly, shrugging a shoulder. I clicked the can open, and raised my head so
she could see how serious I was. "But she broke my trust, Connie." I paused,
glancing down on my drink. "That's not the only thing she broke."

"Exactly."

The conviction in her voice made me return my eyes on her.

"She didn't choose you," she reminded me, a bit angrily. "Always remember
that."

Connie can be so sweet. You know, healing my wounds by rubbing salt on it.

"I never forget," I deadpanned.

She nodded once. "Good." With that, she turned around and left me.

Confused at the sudden outburst, I followed her.

"What the fuck was that about?" I demanded.

She stopped walking and shrugged. "Just because."

My eyes narrowed. "You don't just ask something without a meaning behind it."

"True," she considered thoughtfully. "Oh, well," she muttered, then went on
towards the couches where everyone were.

"Yo, we're not done," I called.

"Wait!" exclaimed Alfie suddenly, stretching his arms out as he looked at everyone
in the room. "No one asked about our boy Oz's slave date with Halo yet!"

I stared at him with a bored face.

"Yeah," agreed Kurt, sitting up and facing me. "When are you gonna bring her here,
man? Can she cook?"

"Let's find out what happened today first, ya big donk!" argued Alfie,
throwing him a chip. It landed on Kurt's shirt, which he picked up and ate.

"What's a donk?" asked Frisco, frowning in confusion.

 And so, they went on with their mindless bickering. I just stood there, wondering
why was it that whenever Halo's name was mentioned, they go all jungle
monkeys.

"Alright, that's it!" I yelled over their loud voices. "What the hell's
up?"

They looked at me with their well-played innocent faces.

"You think I don't catch your little looks lately?" I laughed humorlessly.

It started that day when I let Halo borrow a book of mine. When I got to practice,
I was fucking around with Alfie then he and Kurt exchanged looks. The next time it
happened was when I began using Shade again. Not to mention that day when we bumped
into each other and the crew got all friendly with her. I could go on and on.

"I ignored it at first," I admitted, "but now it's irking the fuck outta me.
Now spill."

The four of them exchanged glances. Alfie shrugged.

"It's got something to do with Halo," finally confessed Frisco.

"Yeah, no shit," I snorted.

"Don't take it the wrong way, dude," said Alfie seriously, scratching his
head. "It's just that you're turning back to your old self 'cause of
her."

I blinked. "Say what?" I asked, dumbfounded.

He smiled crookedly and waved a hand to me. "C'mon, you're joking more,
laughing more, smiling more. You're not a bore anymore. Damn it, I'm
turning poetic."

"Don't do that shit again," I told him. My ears almost bled from all that
mores.

"What Alfie's trying to say is," explained Connie, rolling her eyes, "you
don't look like a shitfaced zombie ever since you met Halo."

The fuck is a shitfaced zombie?

"You're having fun again," grinned Kurt, reaching out his long arm and
punching me on the shoulder. "Oh, and Shade is back in our daily lives."

"You don't send everyone death glares anymore as well," added Frisco,
smiling.

Their smiles creeped me out so much that I couldn't say anything. Even if I
wanted to, no words would come out. It wasn't all the time my friends turned
mushy like this. Yeah, this was already considered fucking mushy.

I just stood there like a goddamn dimwit, unable to move my ass off.

"Look, Oz," sighed Alfie, standing up and walking over to where I stood frozen. "I
love you, man. You're my best friend." He paused and patted my shoulder. "But
mopey you sucks ass." He chuckled and shook his head. "We tried everything to cheer
you up - bring that grin of yours back to your fugly face."
 "It never worked," said Frisco, shrugging.

Kurt raised his drink up. "Until now."

"Don't tell me you haven't noticed," scoffed my best friend.

Yeah, of course I noticed. I just chose to ignore it because if I didn't, it

would make me realize how fucking pathetic I've been for the past year.

I slumped down on the empty couch, letting everything sink in. It was safe to say
that I was confused as fuck. Alfie sat beside me while Connie settled on the other
side. I recalled something Alfie said, making me face him. I swiftly put my arm
around his head before he could get away, and gave him a noogie.

"Hey!" he yelped, struggling to pull away from my grip. "What the hell, Oz? Stop!"

"My face ain't fugly, jackass," I stated.

He burst out laughing at that, while I couldn't help but grin.

"You still wonder why we like Halo so much?" asked Connie, smiling as she watched
us. She leaned closer, and whispered, "She brought our Oz back."

_____________

Aw :">

For y'all who hate Oz for being such a jerk, thank you for proving my point.
He IS a jerk. It ain't called Cruel Me for nothin'. Haha! If anything,
you're letting me know that I'm doing it right. So really, no sarcasm,
thank you! :)

Also, to those who like/love him... Well, thanks to y'all as well. You
probably see something in him, so you try to understand his side. Not many people
do so (at least in his life). Thanks for that. :)

JUST... THANK YOU FOR READING THIS. (And no, it's far from over. I'm just
being emotional.)

Chapter 24 - Chapter 19: Look After You [Cruel Me]

                     
 

I'm going old school with this shit.

I picked up another pebble and threw it at her window. I could've just texted
or called. But no, I had a hunch that she'd appreciate this more so I went
with it. Plus, throwing rocks at other people's windows was helluva fun.

Finally, Halo's bedroom window slid open and her head peeked out. I sighed in
relief. I was half dreading that I might've gotten the wrong room.
 "Oz?"

"Hey, did I wake you?"

It was quarter past eleven in the evening, after all.

"No," she shook her head, rubbing her eyes.

"Come out with me," I said, jiggling the car keys in my hand.

"Now?"

"Yeah."

"Where?"

"Does it matter?"

I caught her biting her lip, then she smiled.

"Not really," she admitted shyly. "Give me a minute."

Thank fuck. I thought she'd refuse and I was gonna have to beg because we had
school tomorrow. I didn't expect her to agree so quickly. I was glad she did,
though.

True to her word, she climbed out of her window in under a minute. She was a bit
slow in her movements, giving off the impression that she didn't do this
often. She glanced down at the ground and hesitated when she realized how high it
was.

"Jump," I urged, stepping forward and raising my arms. "I'll catch you."

"If you don't?" she feared, her voice slightly cracked.

"Then, we'll both end up with broken bones."

She huffed. "Thanks."

"Just being honest," I said with a grin. When she stepped closer to the edge, I
added, "Remember to jump sideways, much easier for me to catch you that way."

"I'll haunt you if I die."

I had to cover my mouth to muffle my laughter at that.

Halo squeezed her eyes shut, which wasn't really smart if you were gonna jump
from a roof. I was about to warn her but then she jumped just as I opened my mouth.
Good thing I managed to catch her smoothly.

"You're heavier than I thought," I commented.

Nothing I couldn't handle, though.

"I'll take that as a compliment."

Of course, you would.

I put her down, now noticing her fully. Her hair was loose, and she had no make-up
on. My eyes traveled down her body; she wore red plaid pajamas and an oversized
Chicago Bulls sweater under a green coat. Quite festive.

"You look comfy," I remarked truthfully.

My shirt and jeans combo seemed dull compared to her getup.

She looked down on her clothes. "I figured since it's almost midnight,
it'll be cold so I wore something cozy." She trained her eyes on me. "Why?"
she asked slowly, watching me. Before I could explain, her eyes widened in
realization and she gasped. "Oh, my goodness! Don't tell me – Actually,
wait. Tell me – Is this a date?"

I opened my mouth to answer her but she spoke again.

"Is this the date?!" she asked, horrified.

I smiled crookedly and rubbed the back of my neck, nodding.

Her purple orbs looked as if they were gonna pop out from their sockets and her
right hand flew to her forehead in a facepalm. She looked about ready to pass
out. 

"Holy biscuits," she muttered. "I can't believe I'm wearing my PJs to
our first date. I can't even . . ." she trailed off, shaking her head in
disbelief. "Oh, dear God. I am such a –"

"Dork?" I offered, amused.

  She was really freaking out over this.

"Be right back, dying," she said, pointing to herself before she covered her face
with both hands like she always did when she was embarrassed.

"Come on." I grabbed her hands and pulled her with me towards my car parked out
front. "You can make up for it next time. Besides, I've already seen you in
your sweats."

She groaned. "Keep killing me."

I chuckled, and opened the car door for her.

"Thank you," she mumbled, sliding inside.

The grin stayed on my face as I walked around the car to the driver's side,
got in, and started the engine. The Fray's Look After You immediately started
playing on the radio.

Halo gasped and clapped, her mortified state apparently forgotten.

"I love this song!"

So I turned up the volume for her. She started singing along and swaying her body.
It fucking slayed me how she could dance to this song. She looked too goofy and
cute that I had to keep myself from watching her and focus on the road.

A smile was playing on my lips, until I found myself humming and singing with the
dork beside me with my fingers tapping on the wheel. My cool self wanted to stop
because this shit was kinda lame. But a bigger part of me wanna continue because it
was fun.

I was seriously enjoying myself.

When I saw of my favorite fast food chain, I turned on the right signal and
rounded the corner to the drive thru slot. I only ate five slices of pizza tonight.
I was starving already.

"What do you want?" I asked, turning to Halo.

"Big mac and large fries please," she answered, without missing a beat.

I liked how she didn't get shy and hesitate.

"Not too hungry, are you?" I teased.

"Hey," she protested, pointing at me. "Don't judge, mister."

She looked like a stern five-year-old that I burst out laughing.

"Where the hell do you put the shit you eat?" I wondered aloud, playfully poking
her stomach through her clothing.

"Stop," she giggled, pushing my hand away. "I run, remember?"

I smiled smugly, raising my hands in defeat. She eyed me suspiciously, making me

laugh. I faced the intercom and placed our orders.

"Two big macs, three large fries, and two large Cokes."

I didn't wait for the confirmation, I lurched the car forward to pay at the
next booth. I handed the money to the staff and waited for the receipt.

"You're okay with eating inside your car?" asked Halo.

"Yeah, why?"

"Some guys don't like that."

"I don't like making a fuss," I shrugged, as I took the receipt and quickly
scanned it to make sure our orders were right. Then, we headed to the third window
to get our food.

For an hour or so, we just drove around town, eating our burgers and having our
own little concert in my car. We talked about the most random shit, laughing our
asses off until we settled into a comfortable silence.

"This is so chill," sighed Halo. "Do you always do this?"

"Sometimes."

I usually did this with the crew. But that included a bat and wrecked mailboxes. I
was pretty sure Halo wouldn't be up for that.

She took a deep breath and pulled out her hand to feel the wind. I glanced at her
and saw that her eyes were closed. She looked at home in the passenger's seat
of my car.

I liked that.
 I turned back my eyes on the road, my left hand reaching outside. Acoustic
melodies played in the background. Streetlights lit the empty path. Cold breeze
kissed our hands and faces. Problems left behind. Neither of us found it necessary
to talk.

I never thought night cruising could be this relaxing.

It was like we had our own world.

"How was that volunteer thing you did today?"

I actually asked Halo out earlier in the day but she had to go to church with her
family in the morning, then she volunteered at some youth center in the afternoon.
But I couldn't let the day pass without seeing her so I went to her house
tonight anyways.

"It was fun," she answered, nodding. "There was a new kid admitted just this
weekend. He's still a bit aloof but he'll warm up eventually."

"Aren't they dangerous?"

I know. Look who's talking, right?

"They're not criminals," she reasoned. "They're only troubled teens."

"Kinda feel like you're talking about me," I joked, smiling crookedly at her.

She let out a small laugh. "Most of them don't have parents, though."

"Still me."

I felt her look at me, making me glance at her. She gave me a sarcastic look, to
which I only shrugged innocently. She shook her head and looked away, but smiling
nonetheless.

I slowed down to a halt at a stoplight. I picked up my cup of Coke and took a sip,
while my eyes wandered around the street. There were barely any stores left open.

"What's the story with your folks?" I finally asked, facing her.

"Our mom left us long before I could remember, and we haven't seen her
since," she answered so casually it rendered me speechless. Twirling a strand of
her hair with her finger, she looked down. "Dad, on the other hand, died in
Afghanistan when I was eleven."

Whoa. "Sorry to hear that."

"It's life," she muttered, turning her eyes outside the window.

"That sucks ass, though," I stated, putting back the cup on the holder.

"Each of us have our own problems to deal with," she said, leaning back on her
seat while she stared out. "It's all sucky just the same."

I didn't answer. As much as I hated to admit it, I didn't know what to

say to that. This was probably the first time I've ever seen her this mellow.
It was so out of character, I kinda regretted asking about it.
 Without thinking, I grabbed her hand and held it. She instantly turned her head
and looked down on our hands. Her expression softened, watching as our fingers
intertwined.

I honestly didn't wanna let go.

"We're still very blessed to have Pops and Grams around," she added, looking
up at me with a genuine smile. "So it's okay." She had no problem looking at
the bright side, despite the shit that happened to her. I was in awe.

'Each of us have our own problems to deal with.'

It's up to us how we respond to it, huh?

The only person I knew who had the same shit handed to him like me was Ethan. And
I seriously had no fucking clue how he put up with everything. He had no siblings
and his folks were rarely home, but he still managed to be steady. Sure, he's
a jerk at times. But nothing compared to how fucked up I've become.

I had siblings, yeah. But I only saw them like once or twice a year. I might as
well be an only child. My folks? Never there. If they were, they'd only
criticize me and force me to strive harder so I wouldn't be an embarrassment.

Guess my difference with Ethan is the company we keep.

He managed to be best friends with the good guys. While I stuck with people who
got me, people whose lives were just as messed up as mine. Our environments
influenced how we responded to our problems, causing our outcomes to be different.

He got out, and I haven't – yet.

I let Halo's hand rest on my lap, while I put the car on gear when the
stoplight turned green. A part of me wondered if she was the one who could help me
escape.

We passed by the local diner, the only place that I never once saw close.
Everybody in town loved it there. It was familiar, consistent. Of course, the food
was fucking great, too.

Right. We'll stop by there to eat again before we call it a night.

"What does it feel like being out in the field?" murmured Halo, like a passing
thought.

An idea suddenly came to mind. I maneuvered the car and headed to the direction of
the high school. I didn't think she noticed where we were headed because she
kept quiet, entranced by the streetlights.

"It's better if I show you," I told her.

She looked at me, frowning in confusion. I only flashed her a crooked smile. She
let out an easy laugh as she turned back to face the open window, the wind blowing
her hair. I had to remind myself that I was driving so I could look away from her.

I placed my elbow on the window sill, covering my grin with a hand. Ever feeling
so light, the tension on your face goes away and all you feel like doing is smile?
Yeah. Fucking weirdo, smiling for no reason.

"Is this your first time sneaking out?" I asked.

 "Um, yeah," she admitted, laughing weakly. "Is it too obvious?"

"A bit," I chuckled, nodding. Putting my hand on top of hers on my lap, I sent her
a grin. "Better make it worth it, then."

She cocked her head in wonder, as I made a right turn toward the football building
parking lot. I pulled a stop near the entrance so we wouldn't have to walk
far.

"Oh, we stopped."

She looked around and blinked when she realized where we were. Her head whipped to
me, eyes wide and mouth open. I leaned over to her to close her mouth, then I
pinched her cheek and flashed her a smile.

"Let's go," I said, before climbing out of the car.

"Are we allowed to be here?" she whispered, getting out and following after me.

I had an urge to laugh when I caught a glimpse of her clothes again.

We went through the tunnel that led toward the football field. There wasn't
really a gate or anything. Only a couple of lights were kept on to scare away any
troublemakers, each on both ends of the bleachers.

"Sure." I looked at Halo over my shoulder. "As long as they don't find out."

I smirked at her, then winked. She flushed and avoided my eyes, looking a bit lost
on what to do. Heh. Cute. Grabbing her hand, I pulled her with me to the middle of
the field.

We wouldn't be making any noise, so I doubted the school patrol would notice
anyone here. I've done this countless of times already, and I've never
been caught.

"Whoa," breathed out Halo with astonishment, as she turned around when we got to
the center. "So this is what it feels like to be out here."

I took a deep breath. "Exhilarating, huh?"

She nodded, her eyes practically twinkled when she looked at me.

"Very much," she beamed.

"Imagine your name being chanted like a spell during a tight game," I said,
grinning as I recalled it. Then, I closed my eyes and shook my head. "Best feeling
in the world."

The crowd cheering my name as if it was hope. They trusted me to win. They
believed in me to lead my team to victory. I was hope for them.

I lived for those moments.

Out of nowhere, I felt warm fingers touch my lips. I slowly opened my eyes and
caught Halo with her hand reached out. I raised my hand and held hers, keeping it
against my face. Our eyes made contact, but neither of us moved for while.

This close, I could practically count the freckles on her nose. Her lips looked a
bit dry, I wanted to wet them – especially the bottom one. But what stood
out the most were her eyes. Always. She looked so goddamn natural that it slightly
took my breath away.

I was hooked.

I turned my head sideways and gently kissed her warm palm, causing for her cheeks
to flush again. The corner of my lips turned up, and I let go of her so my
abnormally beating heart could calm the fuck down.

I crouched down to check if the grass was dry. When I thought it was safe, I sat
down on the grass, laid on my back, and put an arm behind my head. I sighed and
looked up at the night sky. This was so peaceful.

I felt Halo do the same beside me. Glancing at her, I noticed her chew on her lip
as she contemplated on something. Returning my eyes to the stars, I asked, "What?"

"Huh?" she mumbled.

"You wanna ask something," I stated.

"Wha –? I do not," she denied indignantly. Then, she sighed and gave in.
"Okay, how'd you know?"

A ghost of a smile played on my lips. "Just ask, dork," I said quietly.

She was silent for a moment. I let her take her time. But the more she hesitated,
the more I suspected the question to be quite personal.

"Do you regret falling for Snow?" she said in barely a whisper.

I stilled. I didn't expect that at all. I kinda braced myself for it, but it
still caught me off guard. It was so out of the blue that I couldn't speak for
a minute. Eventually, I swallowed the lump in my throat and spoke.

"No."

Neither of us said anything for a long while. We let the silence engulf us. The
breeze was getting colder and the lull was getting thicker. Still, no one said a
thing.

I wasn't sure how to put what I wanted to say into words. I didn't want
Halo to think I was still pining over the past. But I also didn't want her to
believe that I disregarded it.

I let out a breath, gazing at the stars.

I'm gonna be honest with myself. 

I'm gonna be honest with Halo.

"First love teaches us a lot of things," I murmured. "Good or bad, it's a

lesson priming us for the future."

Snow taught me that someone like me was capable of loving. She taught me happiness
beyond words was possible. But also the numbing pain that came with it.

Despite everything that happened, I honestly had no regrets being with her.
Because if we didn't happen, I wouldn't have known that even a fucked up
loser like me had a shot of feeling something real.

Still, though. It fucking sucked getting broken over that. 

"I'm sorry."

I frowned and turned to Halo. "For what?"

She took a deep breath, and explained, "For asking." She looked away, before
adding in a whisper, "It probably brought back unpleasant memories."

I wonder what she sees in me.

"I almost killed someone, you know," I confessed quietly.

Her shocked eyes landed on me, clearly taken aback. Scared that she might hate me,
I faced my front and sat up. My back was turned to her so I couldn't see her
reaction. I placed an elbow on my bent knee, while my other hand ran through my
hair.

"I wanted to get back at them," I continued, trying to keep my voice steady. I
just felt like pouring out this shit. "So much fucking hatred. I'm sick of
it." I had to stop because I felt my chest tighten. I took calming breaths before
looking up. "I just want them to pay."

A warm hand touched my shoulder, making me look at it. Halo was now sitting close
to me. I raised my eyes up to her face. Her expression told me she pitied me.

I wasn't sure if I should be happy about that.

"They must've done something for you to feel that way," she said softly,
looking sad as her hand traveled to my hair at the back of my neck. It was
comforting.

I stared as if seeing her for the first time, not able to take my eyes off of her.
I couldn't move. Those were the words I badly wanted to hear from the girl who
broke my heart, but didn't. Instead, I heard it from a girl who was starting
to make me feel all kinds of weird shit.

This purple-eyed dork believed in me.

Fuck. My eyes stung. I felt so goddamn vulnerable right now.

I had the sudden urge to put my arms around her. I leaned closer and placed my
lips against hers instead. She stiffened at my touch. Damn. Her lips were just as
soft as I imagined them to be. And sweet. Definitely sweet.

Slowly, I felt her body ease against mine, making me smile. Tilting my head, I
took my time kissing her. My hands made their way to the curves of her waist, then
on her back. My right hand traveled up to her arms, her shoulders, her neck, and to
her face. I then caressed her cheek while I used the hand on her back to pull her
closer to me, closing the gaps.

She moaned. I took that opportunity to plunge in my tongue in her mouth. That move
made her shudder, making me smile again. Her hands made their way to grip my
shoulders, holding on to me. I liked how she was responsive. I liked it so damn
much.

I had a hunch she'd never been kissed like this before. I could feel the
inexperience, which only made me more addicted. I didn't want to stop. But she
was new to this.

When I pulled away, she tried to catch her breath while I tried to calm myself
before I jumped on her right then and there. She had on a dazed look, with her eyes
half closed and her lips swollen from the kisses – tempting the fuck outta
me.

"I don't wanna be just friends," I murmured, brushing my lips against hers.

She closed her eyes and hummed in response.

Damn, she looked adorable.

"Be my girlfriend, Halo."

_____________

I'm giddy. Heehee.

Chapter 25 - Chapter 20: For You I Will [Cruel Me]

 "Who's next?"

"We need to figure out who's the mastermind," I said under my breath, getting
out my Physics book from my locker.

Alfie sighed, ruffling his dark hair and leaning his back on the locker beside me.
"Well, we know Lawley, Wood, and McKinley had something to do with it."

Based on the way they reacted that forsaken day, they sure as bloody fucking hell
had something to with it.

"What about Oakley?" asked Kurt, looking at us.

Kurt was probably the only one in this school who didn't refer to that dude
as Big Oaf Oakley because they were practically the same size. I recalled the time
that oaf had to knock me out in junior year when I was beating someone to death.

Good times.

"Not sure about him," I admitted, shaking my head. He didn't look as

vindictive as the other three mentioned. In fact, Big Oaf just looked rather
uninterested.

"Don't you think they all came up with it together?" wondered Frisco.

I considered it, and shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not. They seem like the type to
blindly follow a leader, though."

"You think someone else is involved?" asked Connie, with a frown from beside me.
She was putting back some of her books inside her locker.
 "Dunno," I replied, shaking my head.

I had no fucking clue. I wanted to say I knew everything we were supposed to do.
But to be honest, I was just going with the flow. Not to mention, we had to be
extra careful. Who knew this shit needed much work and planning?

Payback could be such a headache. She was a bitch, after all.

"Hey, I have an idea on who we should target next," said Alfie. When we all looked
at him, he grinned wickedly. "Cameron Wood."

Ah, the dickwad who talked shit behind my back freshman year.

I narrowed my eyes. "Why?"

My best friend scratched his chin, his green eyes wandering to the people passing
by. That was his thinking move. I tilted my head.

"What do you have in mind?" I asked curiously.

His green orbs met my blue ones. I saw a wicked gleam in them.

"Let's just say it ain't gonna be pretty," he promised.

I stared at him for a second, before nodding and facing my locker to close it.

"Fine, but give it a few weeks. We don't wanna make the grown-ups
suspicious."

"Roger," replied Alfie, saluting to me. He turned to Frisco and put an arm around
him. "I need you to plan this shit with me, dude."

Frisco blinked, clearly taken aback. "I'm no good in evil plots."

Damn right, you're not.

"Trust me," chuckled Alfie. "This time, your chivalry comes in handy."

"Why would you –"

I lightly slapped Kurt's chest with the back of my hand to stop him, clearing
my throat as I nodded to the girl coming towards us. Their heads turned to that
direction.

"Let's talk about it later," I told them. "Seven on the dot, white house."

They muttered in agreement.

"Wow, that's a nice tan," said Connie sweetly to the brunette who had preppy
written all over her as she neared us.

Oh, shit. I knew where this was going.

"Thanks," beamed the girl.

"Orange is my favorite color," continued Connie.

Burn. We snickered, while the girl shot a glare at Connie before facing Frisco
with a wide smile as if nothing happened.

"Thanks for letting me borrow your notes. It really helped."

"Anytime, Bri," smiled Frisco, taking the notebook with him.

The brunette named Bri waved cheerfully and left, almost bouncing in her steps. I
heard Connie make a disgusted sound before facing her locker again while Alfie
pulled away from the wall, shook Frisco's shoulders, and laughed.

"Our baby boy's getting some action!"

"Bang her yet?" asked Kurt, with a leer.

"A gentleman never tells," grinned Frisco, shrugging.

"You got it wrong, man," argued Alfie, shaking his head. "You only never kiss and
tell if you love the girl. Everyone else is fair game."

"'Love' and 'girl' in one sentence," I muttered thoughtfully.

"That's something I never thought would come out of Alfie's mouth."

He flipped me off, to which I only grinned.

"At least, use a rubber," Kurt told Frisco, laughing. "Wouldn't want getting
that bunny pregnant now, would ya?"

"She's not a bunny," said Frisco defensively. "Just a friend."

"Fuck buddies," gasped Alfie.

Kurt whooped.

My best friend whistled and punched Frisco's arm, adding, "Didn't think
you have the balls for that! I'm impressed."

"Guess his dick did all the talking," I chuckled.

"Can you guys save the gritty talk in the boys locker room?" hissed Connie,
without looking at us. "I'm seriously getting sick of hearing about your
popsicle dicks."

"Hey, you're hurting my feelings," sobbed Alfie.

I looked at her. "Shouldn't you be used to it by now?" I smirked.

"It's still gross," she grumbled.

"Don't get your panties in a twist, Con," said Kurt, crossing his ams.

"Aw," pouted Alfie playfully. "Looks like little miss prissy needs to get laid.
You need to loosen up. How long has it been since someone rocked you down under?"

"Shut your fucking face, you uncle fucker," she growled, slamming her locker shut
and scowling at my best friend.

Alfie, Kurt, and I exchanged sneers. Then, we burst out singing.

"Shut your fucking face, you uncle fucker~!"

 "We watch South Park way too much," said Frisco, shaking his head in amusement.

"You know, it'd be nice if at least one of you retards fucking remember that
I'm still a motherfucking girl!" snapped Connie. With that, she turned around
and left us.

Students near us were staring. Well, hell. Way to cause a scene.

"Oh, Connie Anderson!" cried Alfie, dropping to his knees. "Don't walk away
and leave me! It's not my fault, baby! You're just so manly I forget you
have a vagina!"

Kurt almost doubled over in laughter.

"Go fuck yourself, dickface!" snarled Connie, over her shoulder.

I blinked.

What the hell was her problem?

We stared after her with our jaws dropped. She was way too angry just now. Sure,
she was always snappy, but not butthurt like this. It was almost as if she was PMS-
ing.

Wait.

I frowned and looked at the boys.

"What day is it?"

"The 28th," answered Frisco.

I looked away and mentally counted the days in the calendar. My eyes widened a bit
at the realization. I turned my head to the others. But before I could say
anything, I heard their groans as they came up with the same conclusion I did.

"It's that time of the month again?" voiced out Alfie, standing up from the
floor.

"Yup," I confirmed, rubbing the back of my neck.

"Damn, I hate hell week," muttered Kurt.

Frisco nodded. "Me, too."

Yeah, Connie's on her period. And I admit, we keep track of it. Creepy?
Pretty much. But it's sorta like a precaution. That way, we know when to be
extra sensitive when we're around her. If we don't, she will go batshit
crazy on us every five seconds.

No one liked a moody Connie. Seriously. She was fucking hell.

Why do you think we call it 'hell week'?

"Maybe I should skip and buy her some froyo," I sighed, scratching my temple. It
was her most favorite thing it the world. It always calmed her down when she was in
a mood.
 "I'll do it," offered Frisco, standing up straight.

I raised an eyebrow at him. "You'll have to skip fifth period."

"Mister Babinski's out today," he shrugged. "I bet the whole class will just
be sent to the library for self-study. No, thanks."

"Don't you live there?" teased Kurt.

"Only on Wednesdays."

I suddenly had an urge to wander my eyes down the hallway, like a magnet. I looked
past the sea of students until I saw a familiar black hair.

That was when I caught sight of Halo in front of her locker. Her pale skin
contrasted the dark red color of the lockers, as she placed some stuff inside hers.

I was rooted on the spot.

Excitement filled me, remembering what happened to us last Sunday night. I wanted
to go over to her. But a part of me wanted to stay right here and watch her some
more.

"Here, take my car," said Alfie, throwing his keys to Frisco. "Make sure the froyo
you buy for Connie ain't –"

"Chocolate mint?" guessed Frisco.

"Yeah, you know how much she hates that shit." Alfie winced. "I don't blame
her. Who the hell came up with chocolate mint, anyways? That's screwed up."

As if some sort of force was calling to her, she stopped and looked around. Until
her eyes landed on me and caught me staring at her, causing for her cheeks to
visibly redden. She quickly looked away and hid her face with her hair.

An amused smile made its way to my lips.

"What flavor are you gonna buy her?" Kurt asked Frisco. "Cheesecake?"

"Cookies n cream?" suggested Alfie.

"Make it peanut butter," I piped up, keeping my eyes on Halo. She had her back
turned to me now. "That always did the trick."

"You heard the man," said Alfie.

"Oh, if you're gonna drive like a snail," started Kurt, "you better grab the
cooler at the back of my truck on your way."

"Dude, it's a froyo run," reminded Frisco skeptically.

I snorted. "Yeah, and you drive like a fucking grandma during daylight."

Kurt and Alfie burst out laughing.

Halo finally turned around. But her head was down. Then, she looked up as she
played with a strand of her hair. She was biting her lip nervously. But the moment
our eyes met, she sent me a warm smile. She raised a hand and did a little wave.
 I grinned. Damn, she had me.

Best part was, she was mine.

We established that that night we went night cruising. She agreed to be my

girlfriend, flashing me that beaming smile that always did me in. I wore the
biggest fucking grin on the planet on the way home that night.

It was weird as hell – but the more I spent time with her, the more I
somehow felt like being closer to the surface. Did that even make any damn sense?

Like I said, everything felt new with her.

"Yeah, yeah," chuckled Frisco, hurtling me back to the present. "Well, I like to
think my lead foot is a superpower – needs to be kept a secret and all
that."

"Funny," said Alfie thoughtfully, smirking. "I thought your occasional geekiness
was your superpower."

"My geekiness beat your ass in Madden," pointed out Frisco.

"Like I said, superpower."

Frisco laughed. "Alright, I'm off. See you guys later."

I didn't get to say goodbye to Frisco because Scout fucking Crimson suddenly
poofed out of nowhere like a freaking vampire and came up to Halo.

My forehead creased. What the fuck did he want?

I watched as carrothead said something to Halo, to which she shook her head in
answer like she was assuring him. He nodded and smiled at her. I wanted to wipe it
off. She told him something then, making that smile of his vanish. Good. He had a
look of disapproval, before glancing at me. He didn't look happy.

I raised an eyebrow and cocked my head, letting him know I acknowledged him. His
frown deepened, making me smile mockingly.

Halo shook her head, catching Scout's attention. The smile was instantly gone
on my face. Then, I heard my best friend whistle beside me.

"Looks like you got a competition, man," he sneered.

I almost growled, but I composed myself into merely looking bored.

"What competition?" I asked innocently, flashing him a smirk. "All I see is some
bozo hanging over my girl."

"I don't think he knows that, though," he said, nodding back to their
direction.

I followed where he was looking at and saw Scout stepping closer to Halo. One look
at his face, and I immediately knew what he was trying to do.

Fuck.

Without word, I left Alfie and Kurt and headed to where a shithead was about to
make a move on my girlfriend. The students easily parted my way, and I was
momentarily thankful for my infamous reputation.

As soon as I got there, I casually put an arm around my girl. She stilled for a
moment, before relaxing when she realized it was me. She smelled like flowers.

"What's up, Crimson?" I greeted. "It better not be your dick."

Halo chokes. I gently stroked her back.

"You should really wash your mouth with a soap," countered Scout, wearing a grim
face and shooting me daggers with his eyes.

"Won't you rather clean my dark soul?"

"But what would be left of you if we did that?"

The corner of my lips twitched at the challenge.

"You know," I started, smirking, "sometimes I try to see things from your
perspective but I can't seem to get my head that far up my ass."

His hands immediately turned into fists. I grinned in amusement. He was way too
easy to provoke, this guy. I felt Halo pinch my side, making me face her. Her
beautiful purple eyes almost whisked me away to another galaxy.

Holy shit. What just happened?

"You look cute today, dork," I murmured.

She bit her lip, before covering her mouth from the view and whispering, "I'd
say the same but you're kinda being a pumkinhead."

I choked a laugh. "Did my girl just call me a pumkinhead?" I asked, amused.

"I'd say we gotta work on your insults but you're helluva lot more fun
this way."

She sighed. "Why do you have to be so charming?" she muttered, more to herself.

I was full on grinning now.

"You guys are seriously going out."

I hung my head. "If throw a stick, will you go away?"

"Don't forget what I said, Halo," Scout to my girlfriend, ignoring me.

"You don't have to worry, though," she said.

"But I do," he replied sincerely, looking at her as if begging her to listen to

him. My jaw clenched. He smiled at her, and added, "See you around."

He looked at me one last time, before he went on his way. A few people greeted him
along the corridor. He waved and nodded to them like he was a fucking mayor.

Yeah, Mayor of Sissyville.

When he was out of sight, I whirled Halo around to face me. Surprised at the
sudden motion, she grabbed my shoulders to keep steady. I liked how she was holding
on to me. With a hand on her waist, I leaned her back against the locker.
 "What'd he say?" I asked, getting to the point.

She avoided my eyes.

"Halo."

"To be careful," she said, in a small voice.

I paused. "Of me?"

"Yeah," she breathed out.

I dropped my head and buried it on the crook of her neck, trying real hard not to
hunt down that carrothead and tell him to stay the fuck out of my life.

Hmm. Halo smelled nice. It calmed me.

"I'm sorry."

I smiled humorlessly and raised my head to look her in the eye.

"You gotta stop apologizing."

"I know," she mumbled.

She was wearing make-up today, now that I noticed. But only a little. Her eyes
looked defined, her lashes longer. I couldn't see even one freckle on her
face. A hand reached up and touched her hair. It was soft and silky as usual.

I seriously didn't know what came over me. I just leaned my face down to her,
kissing her hair. I felt like doing it, so I did. Yep, I was definitely turning
into a weirdo.

"Everybody's staring," she whispered.

Like I was gonna let that stop me.

"Let them," I told her.

She pulled away from me and studied my face.

"You like this," she concluded, looking through me.

"I do," I admitted, playing with the hem of her gray sweater over her dress. It
was soft. My eyes traveled upward, making me notice the print. "You listen to Guns
N' Roses?"

"Only a little," she grinned sheepishly. "It's just . . . Axl Rose was such a
hottie when he was young," she added a-matter-of-factly.

"Now how am I gonna compete with a rockstar?" I smiled crookedly.

Halo pretended to think. "If you're blonde, have blue eyes, and nicknamed
after a land where the great and powerful wizard was from, I think you're
safe." She bit her lip to stop herself from laughing.

"Well, I don't know anyone named Godric," I shrugged, playing along.

 "I meant Hogwarts," she corrected triumphantly.

"Technically, that's a school," I argued. "You specifically said

'land.'"

"Hogwarts is a school that has a land."

"Hogwarts has grounds."

"That can also be considered land," she added, raising her forefinger.

I snorted. "Yeah, but when you hear Hogwarts, the first thing that comes to your
mind is the school. Not the land."

"Well, the first thing you think of when you hear Godric's Hollow is the
Potters' death. And Dumbledore. And baby Harry. And you contemplate why their
lives had to be so tragic."

She took a deep breath sadly, looking like someone just kicked her puppy.

I made a mental note to always mention books whenever I just felt like watching
her blab on about something she was passionate about.

"Want a tissue?" I offered teasingly.

That made her laugh. Her nose scrunched up a little, her eyes slightly turning
into slits as she continued laughing. I could only stare with a goddamn goofy smile
on my face.

How the hell did I manage to catch this adorkable creature?

"Your friends are curtsying to girls who passes by them," mentioned Halo with a
grin, looking down the hallway.

They could be prancing around doing fucking ballet for all I care.

"Hey, do I have something in my eye?" I asked, blinking nonstop.

She faced me again, stood on her tip toes, and leaned closer.

"Are you wearing contacts?" she wondered.

"No," I whispered, trying not to smile.

I waited until she was close enough. When she was, I swiftly closed the gap
between us and gently placed my mouth on hers. She pulled back in surprise but I
followed her, causing her to giggle. I grinned against her lips.

"Get a room!" I heard Alfie yell.

I flipped him off. He laughed in response.

With both her hands on her mouth, Halo looked around if anyone saw. I didn't
have to look. I was pretty sure everyone with eyes saw us, especially when Alfie
yelled.

Surprise, surprise. I didn't give a damn enough to check.

As if on cue, the bell rang. Always on time. Students began running around,
hurrying to their classes. Perfect time to spread around some gossip.

"Get to class!" Alfie ordered me, pretending to be stern.

I tilted my head in wonder. "Did my jackass best friend really just tell me to get
to class?" I asked Halo.

She had an amused face. "I believe he did."

"No way," I chuckled, turning to Alfie.

Kurt raised his hands defensively. "I didn't give him happy brownies!"

"Mm?" hummed Halo.

I turned to her, and saw her looking confused.

"I'll explain some other time," I told her.

She nodded. "Okay, I gotta get to class."

"Want me to summon your broomstick for you?"

"No need," she sighed. "I'll apparate." She waved an invisible wand, then
looked down and her shoulders sagged. "Drat, I'm still here. Guess I have to
work on that spell. Bye!"

She turned her back to me, but I grabbed her arm before she managed to leave. I
pulled her to me and planted a kiss on her lips.

It was quick. But it was sweet.

"Later, dork," I grinned, letting her go.

"Okay," she smiled. "Um, bye."

I watched her walk away. I just realized she was wearing navy blue Chucks.

"Ah, so that's what a lovesick bulldog looks like."

My head whipped to my right and saw Alfie staring at me. I didn't see Kurt.
He must've left for his class already.

"We're gonna be late for fifth period," I reminded him, starting to walk.

He gasped, looking horrified. "I was kidding! I don't wanna go to class! I

could already hear my soul dying from boredom."

"Deal with it," I shrugged.

He could easily skip if he wanted. I wasn't gonna stop him.

I glanced over my shoulder, my eyes on Halo at the other end of the corridor.
Before making a left, she stopped on her tracks and looked my way.

She waved. I nodded in turn.

With one last smile, she disappeared around the corner. I faced my front again,
feeling incredibly light. I noticed the hallway was almost deserted.
 Alfie's phone suddenly rang. He showed the screen to me. It was Frisco. He
shrugged and answered it, walking ahead and leaving me as my pace slowed. Until I
halted.

I took a deep breath and looked up at the ceiling, the lightness starting to wash
away. My chest tightened, so I closed my eyes to calm my nerves.

I'm happy. Damn it, I'm finally starting to find myself again.

So why the fuck am I having second thoughts?

Why am I thinking about Snow?

_____________

Uh-oh. :O

Chapter 26 - Chapter 21: Hard Time [Cruel Me]

Better listen to Hard Time by Seinabo Sey while reading this for best effect.

WARNING: Pretty violent.

_____________

I'm bored off my ass.

What the fuck's taking them so long?

I flipped the football in my hands, looking around the field while I sat on the
bench. It was a bit cloudy. Perfect weather for a game.

It was lunch time. Some students ate at the bleachers, while some studied. A bunch
of cheerleaders looked like they were having a meeting or some shit at the bottom.
Meanwhile, the school marching band practiced their thing at the other end.

"Hey!"

I turned my head and saw Alfie running towards me. He was wearing the same maroon
letterman jacket I did. When he neared, we did a pound explosion. It was kinda our
thing.

"They're coming," he informed me.

About damn time.

 I nodded and looked away. We only had half an hour of break left. We better make
it quick. Alfie took the football from me and sat on my side.

"You tell Buckley about this?" he asked, tossing the ball between his hands.

I frowned. "Why the hell would I tell her?"

In no way did I want her involved in any of this fucking mess. She had nothing to
do with it, and I'd like to keep it that way.

Alfie raised his hands. "Just asking, man. I thought you tell her everything."

"Not about this," I replied quietly, looking away and shaking my head.

This revenge scheme we had going on was some horrid shit.

Halo was far from that.

It had been two weeks since we started going out. Coach Buckley wasn't happy,
but he wasn't really stopping us either. Scout Crimson wasn't all that
thrilled, too.

Boohoo. Cry me a fucking river.

Of course, Coach Buckley had no clue that I was picking up Halo every now and then
for a night cruise. She was practically a pro at sneaking out now.

Yeah, I think I'm rubbing off on her.

She was still shy at times. But mostly, she was comfortable with me. She even sent
me a goofy selfie just this morning. I smiled whenever I remembered how cute she
looked, with her morning face grinning against the sun. Actually, she did that
almost everyday since last week. I had to admit, I've also done it a couple of
times.

It was fun. Everything with her was fun.

A sigh escaped my lips.

I never thought of Snow again since that day at the hallway two weeks ago. I guess
it was a moment of weakness. I was feeling vulnerable thinking about the
probabilities of this thing with Halo ending badly.

Thing is, even if I'm brave enough to risk myself this time, I'm not
sure I'll be able to find my way back if I lose myself again. I might end up
getting lost for good.

Full of fucking Ifs. I needed to get back to the facts. Like the fact that I was
itching to get this over with. Unlike with Lawley, this time it wouldn't be a
quiet thing.

"Incoming," muttered my best friend.

I raised my head.

Frisco and Kurt walked with Cameron Wood behind them. He tried to strut to show
that he wasn't scared shitless. My eyes studied him, though. His hands were
buried inside his pockets, probably in fists based on the bulks. His upper body was
stiff, jaw clenched, and eyes narrowed. He was uneasy as fuck.

I leaned, my elbows on my knees and a crooked smile on my lips.

I'll be enjoying the hell outta this.

"Ever played football, Cameron?" I asked casually, when they stopped in front of
me.

His eyes met mine head on. "Tag football."

"No tackles?" I smirked. "Where's the fun in that?"

"Some of us don't have to hurt someone to prove we're better," he

deadpanned.

The corner of my lips twitched. The fucking nerve.

"You got it wrong, man," I chuckled anyways, waving a hand dismissively. "You
prove you're stronger if you can tackle, but you prove you're faster if
you can avoid it. Depends on the perspective," I added, shrugging.

He shook his head impatiently, and demanded, "What do you want, Oz? Why did you
send your minions for me?" He flashed them a look, and muttered, "Didn't even
let me finish washing my hands."

Kurt snickered, while Frisco rolled his eyes.

"Fuck me," mumbled Alfie in amusement.

I stared at Cameron for a moment, then nodded. No need to prolong this.

"See that spot?" I pointed to the empty parking space in the distance. When I saw
him looking, I added, "That's where the football building used to be - until
it burned down to the fucking ground."

Nobody spoke. Amusement gone.

Alfie gripped the football in his hands, turning his knuckles white. Kurt crossed
his arms and stood up straight, his face stern. Frisco looked down on his shoes
with his forehead creased. Cameron shifted his body, as if ready to run.

"You know how it happened?" I asked tonelessly, watching him.

"I heard it was because of a defective light bulb," he answered, after swallowing.

Is that sweat on his forehead? Oh, come on. I only asked one question, and already
he was sweating his ass off. I haven't even started yet. Damn, sissies.

"Funny how a little shit can blow everything to fucking bits," I said softly. "But
we know there's more to the story than that."

His lower lip quivered. "What do you mean?"

"You don't know, really?" I egged on, my eyes turning to slits as I studied
him more.

"No, I don't," he stated firmly, standing his ground.

 "That's not what Jay Lawley told us," I lied.

His stance faltered. "W - What did he say?"

I shrugged.

He frowned, shaking his head wildly.

"No, you're bluffing. He wouldn't say anything."

Bingo.

I smirked.

He blinked, realizing his mistake.

I cocked my head.

He took a step back.

"Why do you think he got off that easy?" I taunted.

He closed his open mouth.

"But you're not like him," I said gently, standing up and stepping closer.
"You're loyal. It'd take a helluva lot for you to betray Scout."

Something flashed in his eyes.

"Scout doesn't have anything to do with this!"

I smiled crookedly. "I know."

He looked at me, confused.

I glanced around the crew. We exchanged nods.

Cameron just passed the test. Other than the fact that he voiced out Scout's
innocence, he'd also do anything for his posse of pussies.

Time for phase two.

"We have a proposition for you," piped up Alfie, getting to his feet.

Cameron switched his suspicious eyes to my best friend. He was wary of us.
Shocker.

"Tell you what, we'll stop with the payback if you beat Frisco on a tackle."

Honestly, we could have them just admit to their bullshit and own up to it in
front of everyone. But that would be lame. Plus, it would be over way too damn
soon. There was also that possibility that they might get away with it with only
light punishment.

Hell no. Our way was better. We'd make sure they got what they deserved.

If not more.

"That's it?" made sure Cameron, skeptical.

 "That's it," I confirmed, giving him a nod.

"You'll leave us alone if I beat him?"

"What, are you fucking deaf or something?" said Alfie harshly. "I just said so."

Cameron glared at him for a moment. "Deal," he finally said. "If it's for my
friends, I can take on anyone you throw at me."

Stupid, stupid thing to say. Then again, he's a dumbass.

"How 'bout we make it interesting, then?" I challenged, opening my arms in a

gesture. "You confidently say you can take on anyone, which is a pretty dumb thing
to say, by the way." I paused and stared at him. "So why don't we make it Kurt
instead?"

Kurt's head perked up. He grinned and waved at Cameron.

The dipshit cowered, but quickly composed himself.

"Fine," he grumbled.

"Or you could out the mastermind and we'll go easy on you," I suggested,
shrugging as if it wasn't a big deal.

"What the heck are you talking about?" he asked indignantly.

My eyes narrowed. His confusion wasn't fake. They got tricked. Whoever was
behind the whole shitfest manipulated the bastards. And they had no fucking idea.

Genius motherfucker.

"Positions, people!" announced Alfie.

Right, time to play.

Kurt and I took our posts.

"What are you doing?" asked a puzzled Cameron.

"We're getting ready to play football, fucktard," I explained.

"I thought it was only me and Kurt."

I closed my eyes and rubbed my temples.

"Alfie," I ordered.

My best friend sighed. "Listen, I'll hand you the ball after I yell
'hut.' After that, you do your thing trying to outmatch Kurt. Got it,
dickwad?"

"You don't have to call me names," retorted Cameron.

My eyes opened in time to see Alfie pouting mockingly.

"Oh, sorry. Did I hurt your itty bwitty weelings?"

 "Shut up," said Cameron, pushing away Alfie's outstretched arm.

"Hey, mofos," called out Kurt. "Are we gonna play or what?"

"Chill out, man," laughed Alfie, taking position behind Cameron.

Cameron wiped his forehead and mimicked Kurt's stance in front of him, not
trying to protest anymore. The big guy leered.

"Have you ever tackled someone before?" I asked casually.

"No," he answered, with gritted teeth.

"Have you ever been tackled?"

"No."

Huh. He had no chance, then.

"Do you regret screwing with us last year?" I asked carefully, tilting my head.

He looked me in the eye. "No."

My eyes turned dead as I looked at him.

"Was it fun?"

"Yeah," he snarled.

My blood fucking boiled. It took everything in me not to lose my shit like I had
before. I wanted to go all Hannibal Lecter on him, only I'd feed him to the
dogs instead.

Goddamn it. If looks could kill, he would've been ripped limb from limb and
roasting in fire on the ground right now. Lucky for him, I didn't have that
power. Too bad.

"You'll die," growled Kurt, his fists turning white.

I didn't even bother calming him.

"Easy, dude," said Frisco, serving as the referee.

My eyes stayed on the cocksucker. "You didn't expect us to just fucking sit
and watch while you got away with it, did you?"

He bared his teeth. What, was that supposed to intimidate me? Fat chance. He
looked like a fucking chipmunk on steroids.

"Are you scared?" I mocked, with a low voice.

"No," he said, scowling deeper.

I flashed him a humorless smile.

"You should be."

He looked away. "Let's just fucking do it."

 Alfie gasped. "You said the F word! Crimson will be very disappointed in you."

"Are we gonna do it or not?!" exclaimed Cameron.

"Calm your tits, you dipshit," scolded Alfie, from behind him. "We're in
public. Don't wanna let the bystanders know the details of our agreement."

Cameron didn't say anything. He just focused on Kurt.

Game time.

"You ready, K-man?" Alfie asked Kurt.

"Born ready," he grinned.

"Don't hurt yourself," I told Cameron.

He ignored me.

"Positions," said Frisco loudly.

Alfie and I made eye contact. I nodded, and I saw the wicked gleam in his eyes
before he sneered. I smirked.

"Hut!"

Cameron caught the ball and prepared to cut through Kurt. But the thing was, he
wasn't really a football player so even though he might be fast in the court
where the floor was smooth and hard, he wasn't fast enough out here in the
grass.

And since he didn't know how to properly dodge an attack, his figure was off
when Kurt tackled him to the ground.

I think I even heard a crack. Ouch.

He screamed and cried, writhing in pain. Frisco picked up the fallen football, as
we ran and gathered around Cameron.

"Get some help," I told Alfie.

He turned around and yelled, "HEEEEELP! Someone call 911!" He paused. "Nevermind!
I just remembered I have a phone!"

"It hurts!" cried Cameron, squirming on the ground. "FUCK! It hurts!"

I warned him not to hurt himself.

I fell to my knees and studied him. He was trying to reach out to his right leg,
but it was like he was afraid to touch it. I reached out a hand and lightly poked
it. He yelped.

I looked up to Kurt. "How fucking hard did you hit him?"

"Shit, sorry." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I got carried away. I was pissed."

I nodded, understanding him. We were hyped from the shit this chipmunk said.

"We should take him to the hospital," suggested Frisco, with a worried frown.
 "The paramedics is on the way," said Alfie, just as he hung up.

My eyes returned to Cameron, who was still crying in pain. The injuries gotten
from this sport were no joke. The pain was fucking hell. It was probably swelling
already.

I should pity him. I should feel bad.

I should feel something.

But all I could think of was, 'Two down, one to go.'

How fucked up is that?

"Let's take him to the bench," I decided.

Kurt and I slowly lifted him up, careful not to touch his legs. Alfie and Frisco,
on the other hand, calmed everybody who was near us. I just realized we had a crowd
of onlookers. Some whispered, and some had their phones out.

I'm not worried, though.

Technically, we wouldn't get in trouble for Cameron because there were

witnesses. In their eyes, we were only playing football. Injuries happened all the
time in our sport.

Cameron was just too dumb to go along with it. If he decided to blab, the facts
would go against his words. Oh, and the video tape, too.

Ever wondered where Connie was all this time? She recorded our little game from
the bleachers, far enough not to see the vengeful expression on our faces. It would
look like an innocent game. Pretty solid proof, if you asked me.

I looked at the dipshit, who now laid on the bench while we waited for the
ambulance. We went a little too far this time. Did I give a shit? Not really.

Flashes of black smoke covering the sky filled my mind. I remembered Adam lying in
the hospital, trying to be strong despite knowing that he wouldn't be able to
play anymore. I felt useless at the time. But I swore to make the cowards pay.

And now two of them have.

Sucked being trapped, huh?

Welcome to the fucking club.

__________

I feel nervous and excited at the same time. How about you?!

I literally prepped myself listening to angsty songs for thirty minutes before I
wrote this. Getting into this side of Oz is never easy. He's scary. :/
Chapter 27 - Chapter 22: How's It Gonna Be [Cruel Me]

"You're dismissed."

I sighed and got up from the chair.

"I hope this will be the last time I see you in here, Mister Lacy," said Principal
Landon, eyeing me from behind his desk.

"But you'll miss me," I replied, daring to smile.

Of course he would. I kept his job interesting. Without me, he'd be bored as
fuck being stuck here all day dealing with whatever shit he dealt with. I was
actually doing him a favor.

He stared at me for second before he turned his focus on the papers in front of
him. He raised a hand and gestured toward the exit.

"Close the door when you go."

Shrugging nonchalantly, I marched out of his office. I nodded to Mrs. Beanie,

Principal Landon's secretary, on my way out. The old woman gave me a what-am-
I-gonna-do-about-you look. I almost chuckled. She'd been giving me that look
since freshman year. She also gave me hot cocos while I waited back then. Not much
else she could do, to be honest.

I flashed her a grin, before walking out.

When I got to the hallway, I saw my friends waiting outside. They straightened up
as I walked towards them. I nodded in greeting.

"What's the verdict?" asked Kurt.

"What else?" I snorted.

They waited, their eyes on me.

I smirked. "Innocent."

At that, they breathed out in relief, whooping under their breaths. Connie leaned
back on the lockers as she hugged her books against her chest. Frisco ruffled his
hair, panting as if he just ran a marathon. Alfie and Kurt grinned to each other,
fist bumping.

"We gotta stay low key for a while, though," I told them firmly.

I glanced around the students nearby. Multiple eyes were on us, obviously already
hearing about what happened yesterday. But none of them were really close enough to
hear our conversation.

"I mean, weeks," I cleared up, looking back at the crew with a serious face. "We
need to let this shit with Cameron die down."

Connie pursed her lips, while Frisco scratched the side of head.
 Alfie nodded. "Got it."

I switched my eyes to Kurt.

He shrugged. "Whatever you say, man."

We all stayed silent for a moment, recalling the events from yesterday. Only
Connie and Frisco bothered to go to the hospital. Not sure how Cameron's
parents got informed, but I heard they arrived around mid-afternoon.

This morning, Principal Landon called for us in his office to ask a few questions.
More like, interrogated. But as we expected, it couldn't be ruled out as
anything but an accident.

Alfie's face split into a wide smug smile.

"But that plan was fucking brilliant, right?" he grinned.

"It was," I agreed, letting out a small laugh.

"I got to hand it to you, Alfie," started Connie, smiling crookedly, "I
didn't think you'd come up with something like that."

Alfie bowed. "My pleasure."

"Don't you think we went overboard?" asked Frisco, with a worried frown.

"We didn't plan on it," I reminded him.

The original idea was to only sprain a body part. But that clearly shot out the
window the moment he opened his piehole and yapped some stupid shit instead of
keeping quiet like a good little boy he pretended to be.

So if you really think about it, it was the cocksucker's fault he had a dead
leg instead of only a sprained whatever.

"Dude, he deserved it," said Kurt, putting a hand on Frisco's shoulder.

None of us spoke. For a second, I wondered if what we were doing had a point.
After we extracted our revenge on all those responsible, what then?

Are we just gonna continue our lives like nothing happened?

I vaguely shook my head. Not the time and place to reflect on this. I wanted to
laugh. Me, reflecting and shit. That wasn't my style.

Alfie clapped his hands together, and asked, "You know what I think?"

"No," shrugged Frisco. "But I'm sure you'll tell us."

"I think we need to unwind. Get the bad mojo outta our system."

Connie raised an eyebrow and tilted her head. "And what do you have in mind?"

"Let's have a beach party!" proposed Alfie excitedly.

Kurt chuckled. "We have a game tonight."

 "I know that, fucker," laughed Alfie. "I meant tomorrow. You in?"

"You need to ask?" snorted Kurt.

I shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

"I'm in," replied Connie a-matter-of-factly.

Frisco smiled. "Me, too."

I suddenly caught sight of a girl with a black hair just as she passed us. She
wore an army jacket over a white dress. I only realized then that the jacket
might've belonged to her late dad. Without thinking, I followed after her.

"Hey, Oz! Where're you going?" yelled my best friend.

"I'll catch up with you later," I replied over my shoulder.

"Make good choices!"

"Alright, mom!" I chuckled.

Then, I chased after the black-haired girl to a different corridor.

Just as she arrived to her locker, a random gangly dude blocked her from my path.
He was oblivious to the fact that I was trying to get to my girl here. Shithead.

I hung my head and stood in front of him, waiting for him to notice me. He
continued to rummage through his shit so I cleared my throat. He looked up and saw
me, causing him to automatically take a step back like I was Darth Vader or
something.

Did I mention I have that effect on people?

"Beat it," I simply said.

He immediately scampered away. The dark side of the force was strong.

I wandered my eyes to Halo and realized that she watched the whole exchange. Shit.
Was I too much of a dick? It wasn't like she didn't know already.

"Hey, dork," I greeted, stepping closer to her. "What's up?"

She avoided my eyes and went back to getting books from her locker. I cocked my
head to the side in wonder. Did she just not hear me? Did I somehow get the wrong
girl?

I looked around, making sure I was at the right place. And I was. Then, I peeked
at her face. Yeah, it was Halo. Oh-kay. Maybe I should try again.

"Halo?"

Nothing.

She still ignored me.

What the fuck is going on?

"Are you mad at me?" I asked slowly, frowning.

 That was the only possible reason I could come up with. Now the problem was, I
didn't know what I did wrong. Girls always got mad for shittiest reasons.

But this was Halo. It wouldn't be a shitty reason.

She refused to acknowledge me at all. With an expressionless face, she went on

doing her business as if I wasn't standing right here. I didn't even know
she was capable of doing that - being expressionless.

Sure, there were times when I couldn't read her. But her face was so
expressive that it didn't matter. All I could think of then was how adorable
she looked.

The fact that she was giving me a cold shoulder now spoke volumes.

She. Is. Pissed. Off.

Think, man. Think.

Or I should just ask.

"What did I -"

And then, it all just clicked.

"You heard about Cameron Wood," I stated, nodding. I looked away and licked my
lips. I needed to come up with an excuse right the fuck now. "That wasn't
intentional."

She stopped what she was doing, turned to me, and raised a skeptical eyebrow. I
met her steely gaze, my blue eyes staring back at her purple ones. I've never
seen her this stern.

It was weird. It gave me a bad feeling.

"Okay, maybe a little bit," I admitted, giving up. She faced her locker again.
"Seriously, it got out of hand. We didn't mean -"

She sighed, shaking her head. Then, she flashed me a weak smile for a brief moment
before turning her attention back to her locker.

"You really don't need to explain," she said, sounding like she meant it.

I don't? Wait, is this a trick question?

"But isn't that why you're mad at me?" I asked, confused as hell.

She didn't even send me a dorky selfie today. I've been wondering about
that. Now I knew why. Stupid Cameron Wood and his inability to properly defend
himself from a tackle.

I heard he'd be in crutches for the next few weeks. He could still play in
the future, but he wouldn't be able to play for his team in time for play-
offs. Not that it changed anything. Their game sucked ass.

Huh. I wonder when Scout would come after me? Probably lunch break. He won't
dare skip class just to hunt me down.
 Halo closed her locker, bringing me back to the present. Her hand stayed on the
metal, her whole body unmoving. It was like she was trying to decide something. She
looked down and shut her eyes closed. As soon as she opened them, she turned to me.

A slight frown appeared on my face while I tried to predict what she was gonna do.
But I came up short. My girl was unpredictable as she was expressive. Still
ain't sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing.

"I'm only your girlfriend, Oz," she said, shrugging as if it wasn't a

big deal.

My frown deepened at that.

"I can't tell you what to do," she continued, shaking her head. "I
won't. It's your life."

I leaned closer and studied her.

"You're still upset, though."

Well, what the fuck did you expect, doofus? You just injured someone on purpose.

Sure, the grown-ups couldn't pin it on us. But everyone who used their brain
knew we planned it. Halo was clearly was one of those who was smart enough to
figure it out. Even worse, the victim was a dick from her grandfather's team.

I shouldn't have expected that I'd be able to keep her out of this when
she was already somewhat involved. But seriously? I didn't think that was the
point here.

Knowing her, she was more likely mad at the method we used rather than the act. I
had to admit, we were pretty brutal yesterday.

Halo pressed her lips together and took a deep breath, before saying, "You make
your own decision, but it doesn't mean I have to support it."

She sounded so damn calm that it was making my head spin.

My eyes narrowed. "So are we cool or not?"

I am so fucking lost right now.

"I have to get to class," she told me, running away before I could say anything
more.

I rubbed the back of my neck, letting out a deep breath. I stared after her,
watching as she skillfully dodged people while she hurried away from me. Oh, yeah.
She was a runner.

Damn.

"Do my eyes deceive me?" chuckled my jackass best friend, suddenly appearing
beside me. "Or did I really just see Buckley blow you off?

"She's pissed at what we did," I said.

"That didn't look 'pissed' to me," argued Alfie. "It was more along
the lines of 'cold.' It totally gave me the fucking chills. And I was
standing like, twenty feet away."
 "Fuck," I grumbled, rubbing my face in frustration.

"Did she yell at you?"

"No."

"Did she tell you what her deal was?"

"No."

He whistled, patting my shoulder.

"Good luck trying to solve this one."

I wasn't used to the silent treatment, so I had no fucking idea how to fix
this.

Whenever I did something in the past, Snow just usually gave me an earful. She
would tell me exactly what the problem was, and we'd fight it over like a
debate from hell.

Halo was different. She'd brush me off and give me the cold shoulder, letting
me figure out shit on my own. No. She would say nothing, which drove me fucking
nuts.

What the hell was I supposed to do?

_____________

In real life, would you be Snow or Halo?

Next chapter: A certain redheaded girl will appear. ;)

Chapter 28 - Chapter 23: Achilles Heel [Cruel Me]

What the fuck are you looking at?

That's right. Look away, you little shit.

I glared at everyone who dared meet my eye.

"What's up your ass?"

I glanced at Alfie. He had a cup of beer on one hand, while a chick on another. We
were at his party after the game. You know, the usual. We were celebrating our
undefeated win. Same old fucking shit.
 I turned my head away, didn't even bother acknowledging him. I pointed my
finger to a dude a couple of feet away from us. His clothes were two sizes too big
on him, making him look like a walking stick.

I recognized him. He was a second stringer on the team. Trent whatshisface. Huh,
he got no chance of playing ball with that build.

"You," I nodded to him, expressionless. "Get me a beer."

"What?" stuttered Trent, blinking at me.

I cocked my head, and ordered, "Get me a motherfucking beer."

The dude visibly gulped. Pussy. He needed to do some manning up if he wanted to

stay on the team.

"You want a death sentence, man?" Alfie asked him, chuckling. "Get him his beer."

Trent finally came to his senses, and left for the kitchen. Thank fuck. I needed
alcohol in my system to at least calm my nerves. I could go home and get hammered
on my own, but having people around was better. This way, I had someone I could
beat up if I felt like it.

I felt Alfie staring at me, waiting for an explanation. I sighed, keeping my eyes
on the people around us – just in case she decided to show up. Although,
that was doubtful.

"Halo didn't show up tonight," I said.

"I saw her at the game."

"Yeah, but she disappeared right after."

By the time I got outside the locker room, she was gone. I checked at the parking
lot but her blue Mustang was nowhere to be found. Then, I got a text from Brooklyn
saying Halo went home to watch a movie with them.

Brooklyn. I got a fucking text from Brooklyn.

Last time I checked, Halo was the name of my girlfriend.

"She's still mad, huh?" asked Alfie, smirking at me.

I pressed my lips together and flashed him a sarcastic you-think look, ignoring
the girl kissing his neck as if they weren't in public.

"First fight already got you on your toes," he said, amused.

"Tell me the fuck about it," I grumbled, bringing my eyes back to the crowd.

"You're just mad 'cause you can't figure it out."

I looked at him.

"Face it, man," he smirked, shaking his head. "It drives you crazy that you
can't read her as easily as everybody else."

I didn't answer him, only turning my dead eyes away from his annoying
scrutiny. I've always been good at reading people. It was a Lacy trait. And
the fact that I couldn't read the one person I was dying to, was frustrating
as fucking hell.

"Here's your beer," said Alfie, getting the cup of beer from Trent and
handing it to me. "Cool it off. You sulking wouldn't really solve anything."

I took the cup and brought it to my lips.

Fuck. That hits the spot.

"You good, Oz?" asked my best friend.

I nodded, though I still wasn't. My eyes turned to Trent.

"Bulk the hell up," I told him. "You look like fucking Mandark."

"Who the fuck is Mandark?" scoffed Alfie.

"Dexter's rival, dimwit. Google it."

He laughed, shaking his head and kissing the chick beside him. I ain't gonna
keep him from scoring tonight. Without a word, I left and made my way around his
house. It was just as spacious as ours. Decorated to impress, but often empty.

Sounded like heaven, right? Couple of teenagers left on their own with their huge
as fuck houses by their workaholic folks. Sounded like something that only happened
in movies. But hell, it happened more often that most believed.

Sad world, we lived in.

As I walked amongst the sea of people, I was reminded of the familiarity of this
kinda life. The bass from the stereo, the smell of booze and sweat, the noise of
mixed voices. Even if I was getting sick of this same old shit, I had to admit that
this was my comfort zone.

This is all I ever knew.

When I got to the dining room, I saw Frisco on the corner talking to some of the
guys from the team. I nodded to him when he caught my eye, he excused himself and
walked over to me as I leaned my back on the wall.

"Oh, shit," he cursed, when he got to me. His eyes were wide in shock, while his
mouth was dropped open with wonder. "Who did that to your face?"

"What the hell are your talking about?" I asked in a bored voice, not really
interested.

He winced. "Why do you look like shitfaced zombie Oz again?"

I only grunted. That shitty nickname was gonna stick.

"It's Halo, isn't it?" he guessed, leaning his back on the wall beside
me.

"What made you think that?" I said sarcastically, sipping from my cup.

He shrugged. "She's not talking to me either."

My head whipped to him, my eyes narrowing.

 "In class," he added, with a ghost of a smile.

"You talk a lot?"

I couldn't deny that there was a warning in my tone, but he only grinned.
Damn it. I hated it when my threats didn't work on my friends. Then again,
that was exactly why they were my friends.

"We mostly exchange notes about you," said Frisco.

I raised a brow, sending him a no-nonsense vibe.

"Kidding," he chuckled, scratching his head. "Geez, dude. Chill out."

I turned my attention back to the center of the room. I wasn't in the mood
for jokes. I watched Connie play beer pong with the guys on the dining table. She
looked like she was having fun. The guys on the team respected her so I didn't
have to worry about them being pricks to her. They knew well enough that she'd
cut off their dicks if they tried anything.

Connie made a joke, which caused a roar of laughter in the room.

I heard silent laughter from beside me. I glanced at Frisco. He had a weird ass
smile on his face, while his eyes were trained on Connie as she was about to throw
the ping pong ball. She was smirking like she got it in the bag. Knowing it, she
probably did.

I vaguely shook my head at the realization.

"When did it start?" I asked Frisco casually.

"When did what start?" he replied innocently, without looking at me.

I took a drink from my beer, before saying, "Your thing for Connie."

Frisco had just brought his cup to his lips when I asked, causing him to choke on
his drink in surprise. I patted his back.

"W – What?" he spluttered, turning to me with an astonished expression.

"You don't have to admit shit," I said, looking back at the game. I
would've laughed at Frisco's riled up reaction. Too bad I wasn't in
the mood. "But don't bother denying it."

From the corner of my eye, I saw Frisco look down for a minute. When he raised his
head, he kept his eyes on Connie as she laughed and snapped insults at the guy at
the other side of the table.

"It just struck me like lightning," he breathed out.

I nodded slowly, letting that sink in.

Connie just made Frisco say some stupid shit. Must be true love. I wondered how
she would react to that, though. Either she'd laugh in his face or she'd
punch the living daylights outta him. Probably both.

"You gonna do something about it?" I asked calmly.

 He took a deep breath. "Not anytime soon."

My eyes wandered to him, slightly frowning.

"Why not?"

"There's a lot going on right now," he sighed, hanging his head. "Throwing
this thing into the mix is just trouble. You know that."

Damn right I do.

"Most of us see Connie as a sister," I stated. Studying Frisco, I tilted my head.

"But who do you think's most protective of her in the crew?"

"You?" he guessed, his eyes meeting mine.

I shook my head.

"Alfie?" he asked incredulously.

I smirked. "Hard to believe, huh?"

He stayed silent, looking so thoughtful as if he was trying to piece puzzles

together. I seriously doubted he'd come up with a solid conclusion.

"All I'm saying is," I started, after finishing off my beer, "think the shit
through before you make a move."

I could practically hear Frisco's brain turning. I bet my fucking ass he was
wondering if Alfie liked Connie like that. Hell, I honestly wasn't even sure
myself.

Love didn't come easy with screw-ups like us. The line could sometimes be so
fucking blurred that some of us couldn't tell the difference.

Plus, my best friend's one crazy motherfucker. So even if I could read his
mind, he was unpredictable at most. His tight bond with Connie was undeniable. But
no one could tell if it was a sisterly thing or some real shit.

I don't think even Alfie knows it himself.

I turned when I felt a pat on my shoulder. My eyes landed on Kurt.

"Your ex is here," he mentioned, with a serious face.

I stiffened. What the fuck?

"Probably came here to party," he shrugged nonchalantly. "I saw some dude making a
pass at her. She looks pretty pissed."

That woke my ass up.

"You didn't stop him?" I asked, my forehead creasing a little.

"Not my problem," he said, with his hands raised up.

"Damn it, Kurt," I muttered, before taking off.

"Not your problem, either!" he yelled after me.

 Fuck me if I didn't know that.

I ignored him, and kept walking.

As soon as I entered the living room, my eyes quickly scanned the area. The room
was full of people making out. There was a lot of grinding, too. Nothing out of the
ordinary.

Then, I saw her. It wasn't that hard. She always managed to stand out in a
crowd. For a second, I stood frozen on the spot while my eyes couldn't look
away from her red hair.

I remembered that time about a month ago when I saw her in the cafeteria. It was
only in passing. I was too hyped from that piece of shit Lawley's stupid ass
remark about Kurt that I didn't think much about seeing her again.

The lack of effect from that time had come crashing down on me now. My heart beat
faster, pounding against my chest. I felt a lump in throat. And my knees
didn't seem to work on command. I couldn't move.

But then I saw the dude, who looked like Johnny fucking Bravo, lean his body
closer to Snow. She put a hand on his chest to keep him away. He only placed his
hand above hers. Smooth, but she didn't see it that way. She snatched her hand
away and glared at him.

Instead of moving on to someone else, he decided to be a fucktard and grip her

waist. He trapped her against the wall and buried his face on the crook of her
neck.

Gritting my teeth, I quickly walked over to them.

Snow pushed the fucker away but he would only come back, getting more aggressive.
So when she saw an opening, she kneed him in the balls. I stopped on my tracks and
watched the little shit fall to the ground as he clutched his crotch.

He looked up and scowled at Snow, then got to his feet. Shit. I instantly knew
what was coming. I stepped closer until I was right behind him.

"Get lost," I told Johnny Bravo.

He turned around, pretty much ready to snarl at me. But his face immediately
changed when he saw me. I saw a flash of fear. He took a step back and smiled
sheepishly.

"I thought you guys already broke up," he reasoned defensively.

I took a step closer until I intimidatingly stood over him.

"Doesn't mean you can force your sorry fucking ass self on a girl who
didn't ask for it." I cocked my head to the side, making him avoid my eyes.
"Did she ask for it?" I asked softly.

He grimaced, and shook his head.

I got in his face, and spat, "Fuck off, then."

He didn't need to be told twice. The fucker almost ran away.

 That's right. Use your skinny legs and run, Johnny Bravo.

Coward piece of shit.

"You didn't have to do that, you know," said Snow suddenly, with a hint of
resentment in her voice. "I can take care of myself."

My eyes stayed on Johnny Bravo as he made his way through the crowd. He
didn't look back as he left the room, probably off to find somewhere else he
could get laid. If he knew what was best for him, he'd leave.

"Yeah," I replied skeptically. "I can see that."

I raised the cup of beer to my mouth, about to take a sip but then I remembered it
was empty. Damn. I needed another drink. Just thinking about the girl beside me
made me want a whole fucking keg to myself. I was all kinds of worked up.

"Thanks," I heard her mumble.

I gripped the red cup in my hand, crushing it. Not looking at her, I nodded.

"You want a drink?" I asked, because what the hell was I supposed to say?

"Sure."

Well, I didn't expect her to agree.

We headed to the keg stand in silence. I grabbed a new cup because I cleverly
crushed my old one. I felt eyes on us, but I gave zero fucks. I was used to it.
Pretty sure word already spread around the party that I was with Snow. People made
it their duty to extend news like that. Not my fault that my life was way more
interesting than theirs.

When our red plastic cups were filled of beer, we walked outside and found
ourselves sitting across each other on the lounge by the pool.

Neither of us spoke. Neither of us knew what to say.

We haven't been this near to each other for a long time.

I didn't dare look at her. I haven't really looked at her face head on
tonight. I was no pussy, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it yet. Yeah,
I sounded like a fucking sissy.

Shit, I needed more beer.

Just as I was drinking, Snow decided to break the ice.

"This wasn't how I expected the night to turn out," she said, amusement and
disbelief mixed in her voice. Her head was down, her eyes watching her hands as
they held her cup.

Story of my life.

"I really could've handled the guy earlier," she told me.

I had no idea what the fuck came over me.

Just like that.

 I snapped.

"What the hell are you doing here alone, Snow?" I demanded, scowling.
"Where's your shithead twin brother?"

She shouldn't be on her own like this. Sure, Johnny Bravo looked harmless
compared to me but one more push and he could've been attacking her. Her
tongue might be as sharp as a sword, but she wasn't physically strong.

"You so kindly banned them from going to the same parties you went to, remember?"
she snarked, before bringing the cup to her lips.

Oh, right. Damn, that was a good night.

"Besides, this is Alfie O'neal's party," she muttered, waving a hand

toward the house. "He wouldn't have come either way."

I wanted to ask her why she was here. But I decided I wasn't going there.

Ah, fuck it.

"Why are you here?" I asked, with a frown.

She didn't answer for a moment.

I raised my head to look up the night sky while I waited for her reply. Not much
stars were out tonight. I thought of Halo, and our countless nights spent on
stargazing. I wondered what she was doing now, if she was still with her friends.

Our first goddamn fight, and suddenly my ex-girlfriend shows up again in my life.
As if my day isn't fantastic enough.

Well played, Odin.

"I don't know," breathed out Snow, sounding frustrated with herself.

She seemed confused. About what?

"Where are your so called friends?" I sneered, staring down at my beer after
drinking some. The noise from the house served as a hum in the background, I just
noticed.

"I didn't tell them I'd be here."

"Yeah?" I scoffed. "Well, next time you plan on going alone to a party like this,
bring your brother – or anyone of his fucking minions."

I could feel her gazing at me. My jaw clenched, and I looked up to keep my eyes on
the pool. The cold breeze engulfed us. From my peripheral vision, I saw the wind
blow her long red hair. The familiar flowery scent of her hair reached me.

Bam.

Memories came rushing back like a motherfucking punch in the gut.

The cafeteria.

The football game.

 The diner.

The truck.

The parking lot.

I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath to calm my batshit crazy nerves. Whoever
said that first love never dies can go to fucking hell.

"I can't protect you forever," I told her quietly.

She must've been caught off guard by what I said because it took a second
before she could reply to me.

"I didn't ask you to," she whispered.

"I know."

My blue eyes finally met her green ones. For the second time, I felt a gut-
wrenching sensation within me. I wasn't sure if it was a good thing or a bad
thing.

She didn't look the same. Sure, she still had those cute freckles on her nose
and all. But the fire I admired in her eyes were gone. They were dull now. She
honestly looked worn-out. Sad, even. It was as if someone peed on her parade.

The girl in front of me looked nothing like the feisty Snow I knew and fell in
love with. Right now, she was openly vulnerable. Somehow, it reflected to how I was
feeling.

Stifling a sigh, I shrugged a shoulder.

"I can't help it."

_____________

Do I smell trouble?

Chapter 29 - Chapter 24: Falling Slowly [Cruel Me]

I'm not drunk.

That was what I told myself as I climbed up on the porch of Coach Buckley's
house and to the roof as quietly as I could, until I was right outside Halo's
bedroom. The only light came from her window, the rest of the house was dead
asleep.

I looked around the neighborhood. Street lamps lit up the empty road. Other than
the barking dog from down the street, there was no sign of life.

I glanced at my wrist watch.

12:47am

I was supposed to be on my way home. There I was in my car, ready to hit the sack
and all that shit. But somehow I ended up here.

Seriously, I'm not drunk.

Raising my hand, I lightly tapped on the window in front of me. It was a Friday
night, so I was sure she was still awake reading a book or watching a rerun of her
favorite show.

I just want to see her.

The curtain slid open, revealing Halo wearing a red polyester pajamas and a shirt
that had a TEAM BELLARKE (whatever the hell that meant) on it. Her eyes widened
when they saw me, and she quickly pulled open the window.

I carefully climbed in and finally had a better look on her. Her black hair was
pulled up in a messy ponytail. From the dim light of her room, I could make out
that she was confused as hell as to why I was here.

"Wha -" she started, completely baffled. She stopped, shook her head, and tried
again. Scrutinizing my face, she asked, "What are you doing here?"

Without a word, I put my arms around her and hugged her before she could remember
that she was supposed to be mad at me.

I let out a sigh, also washing away my doubts.

She was here. She was in my arms. She wasn't pushing me away.

I missed her.

"Hey, hey," she whispered softly, stroking my hair at the back of my neck.

I reached up a hand and gently, slowly tugged her ponytail to let loose her hair.
Then, I buried my face in her hair like a fucking weirdo, loving the smell of her.
She always smelled of lavender. It eased the tension in my body.

I wanted to remind myself of what I had now.

And I had her.

"I don't wanna fight anymore," I admitted.

"Me, too," she replied, with a muffled voice.

"I'm sorry for being a dick."

"Class A pumkinhead."

A smile played on my lips, and I leaned back my face so I could look at her.

"Class A pumkinhead," I repeated, rolling my eyes.

 She laughed at that. But then after a moment, her laughter died down and she
sighed. Her eyes avoided mine as she spoke again.

"I told you, though. I'm only your girlfriend. I don't have a say in -"

I shut her up with a kiss.

"Never say that," I whispered against her lips, welcoming the feel of her warm
breath on my face. "There's nothing 'only' about you being my
girlfriend." I pulled away to look her in the eye and show her I was serious. "Got
it, dork?"

She nodded and looked down - probably to hide her face, but too late. I already
caught her smile. Absentmindedly, she drew random little circles on my chest.

I like the feel of her in my arms like this. I don't know why or fucking how,
it just - It just feels right, you know?

While we stayed in silence, I took that chance to scan her room. This was the
first time I've ever been here. The walls were covered in blue paint. There
was an entire wall for books. Like literally, from the ground to the ceiling was
rows and rows of nothing but that.

There was a low round table in the corner of the room, where her laptop was. Throw
pillows surrounded it. And from the looks of it, that was the place she also
studied.

A huge dark yellow cozy-looking armchair was on one corner, while a keyboard stood
on the other side. White christmas lights hung on the walls, serving as a glowy
background. My eyes wandered to the other light source, the one near the armchair.

"You have a full moon lamp in your bedroom?" I scoffed.

"No, that's an actual moon I named Bellamy," she replied, pretending to be

serious.

I smirked, facing her. "She knows sarcasm."

"We're old friends," she nodded, trying hard not to giggle.

"Oh, yeah?"

I tickled her, making her squirm. She finally gave in and laughed.

"But seriously," she said, pushing me to stop. "That moon lamp's name is
Bellamy."

"Who the hell is Bellamy?"

"A fictional character I'm currently in love with," she said a-matter-of-
factly. "But I'm shipping him with someone else so you're safe," she
added, patting me on the shoulder.

She was so weird sometimes. It was one of the things I loved about her.

"Okay," I chuckled, placing a strand of her hair behind her ear. For a second, my
eyes stayed on her cheeks as the smile on my face disappeared. "Something happened
tonight," I added quietly.
 She tilted her head and stared at me, waiting for me to continue. Our eyes met,
and suddenly I didn't know what to say. Would she be mad again? I didn't
want another fight.

"Snow was at the party earlier." I frowned and shook my head. "Some dickface
almost attacked her and I sorta rescued her."

Saying it out loud like that made it sound like a fucked up knight in armor shit.

"Is she okay?" asked Halo with a crease on her forehead, genuinely concerned.

I nodded, and closed my eyes.

"Yeah, I got there on time."

When I opened them again, they wandered to the bed. I walked towards it and sat on
the edge. I looked up at Halo and grabbed her hand, pulling her to sit beside me.

I took a deep breath, rubbing my face.

"What's wrong?"

"I was pissed off that you didn't show up at the party," I admitted, staring
at her moon lamp across the room. "Then, I heard Snow was getting harassed. And I
guess let it out on the drunk retard, but fuck," I sighed, pausing. "That sounds
like a fucking excuse."

I ran a hand through my hair, frustrated as hell.

"After all the shit I went through, I'm still damn protective of her," I
confessed, my jaw clenching. "I don't like that I am." I fucking hated it.

Halo took my face in her hands, turning me to look at her.

"She's your first love," she said firmly. She didn't look hurt or sad,
she was only stating a fact. She wanted to tell me that she understood. "It's
only natural you feel that way. If you didn't, that would mean what you had
wasn't real."

Fuck. What did I do to deserve her?

I gazed into her eyes, her beautiful enchanting eyes.

"I'm sorry," I murmured.

She blinked, her next words so quiet I thought I imagined it for a second.

"Are you breaking up with me?"

I instantly pulled away in shock.

"What? No!" I said indignantly. "Hell no." I shook my head in disbelief while my
eyes narrowed as I closely studied her face. "What made you think that?"

"N - Nothing," she smiled weakly, looking down and waving her hands dismissively.
"Forget I said anything."

My shoulders slumped. I reached out a hand and leaned her chin up.
 "Baby, you gotta stop doing that," I told her, almost pleading. "If you got
something on your mind, don't be afraid to say it out loud. Please, it drives
me fucking nuts."

She probably decided I was telling the truth because her face softened.

"Okay," she smiled.

I pecked her nose, making her giggle.

"So how was your day?" I asked. Then, my eyes wandered to her shirt. "But first,
what the fuck is Bellarke?"

Her eyes lit up. "It's a fandom based on glances and smiles. Tragic, really."

"Is that the show you've been telling me about, the one you bet I'd
like?"

She beamed and nodded. "It's bloody and gory. Totally you," she teased.

"Funny," I said sarcastically. "What about school? Boring?"

She made a face, her light mood instantly vanishing.

Taking a deep breath, she answered, "Meh. The AV Club volunteered to help out at
the yearbook committee but it's proving to be difficult since everyone wants
to look good in it. I mean, at some point in our lives, we're bound to have a
bad picture."

I smiled, watching her talk.

"Then in World Lit, Mr. Jenner wanted us to do an essay about the meaning of life
- and all I could think about was Donald Stravinski's insistence we include
his bug collection in the yearbook. I don't wanna say no and risk that someday
when he becomes a villain, he'll torture me with his army of insects."

"Maybe life is about just that; taking risks," I pointed out. "After all,
it's not the years in your life that matters. It's the people who bring
life in your years."

She stared at me, then grinned.

"Clever, twisting Abraham Lincoln's words like that."

"I'm the master of wordplay," I shrugged.

She chuckled. But then I yawned, my eyes drooping.

"You must be so tired," she said, watching my face.

"No, it's cool," I grinned. "I wanna spend more time with you, dork." I
lightly pinched her nose, causing her to giggle and pull away from me. I pouted
playfully. "Aw, don't do that. I'm cold without your warm touch."

She bit her bottom lip, her eyes glancing down to her bed. When her eyes turned
back to me, they had a shy glint to it.

"Do you wanna sleep here?"

 I tilted my head curiously.

"Just sleep," she added quickly.

"On the bed, with you?" I clarified slowly, watching her.

She shrugged. "Well, if you'd rather sleep on the floor . . ."

"No, bed's good," I quickly said, standing up and taking off my shirt. But I
stopped to look at her. "I sleep with only my boxers. Is that cool?"

She waved a hand, her cheeks visibly reddening. "Um, yeah. It's not like I
haven't seen you shirtless before." She blinked, realizing what she said. "I
mean, up close." She closed her eyes shut, winced, and shook her head. "I'm
getting in the bed now."

Turning away, she pulled up the covers and got in. She turned her back to me, I
bet my ass it was to hide her embarrassed face.

I wonder what she meant by that. When had she seen me shirtless? I mean, it's
not like I walked around school with my top off. I'm no Jacob Black.

I decided to let it go. Too tired to think about it. Shaking my head, I laughed to
myself as I took off the rest of my clothes, only leaving my plain black boxers.
Then, I climbed on the bed with her under the covers. I put my arms around her and
pulled her back to me.

Yep, we spooned.

I breathed in her scent. She smelled of book and cookies, mixed with lavender.
With my eyes closed, I smiled. Damn, I felt so at home. With her. Like this.

"Oh, Oz?"

"Mm?"

"I have a favor to ask."

"Shoot," I murmured against her hair.

"Can you teach me how to spike?"

My droopy eyes shot open. Did she just say 'spank'? Or was it
'spike'? Honestly, I was too goddamn sleepy to tell the difference.

"What?"

"You know, in volleyball?" she cleared. "It's for PE. I may be good with my
legs, but my arms suck at doing anything remotely athletic."

I groaned, smiling crookedly while I tightened my arms around her. She was so warm
and comfy. Like a life-sized teddy bear, only I could kiss her without looking like
a psycho.

"Don't talk dirty to me while we're on a bed," I warned, in a low voice.

She had an intake of breath, making me grin wider. I buried my face in her hair,
until my mouth touched the back of her neck. I felt her shiver against me.
 "Don't worry," I whispered. "I won't do anything you don't want
to."

Her body relaxed, leaning back into me.

My eyes closed. I was so dead beat.

. . .

"Oz?"

Did Halo say my name? I wasn't sure.

"Are you asleep?"

Her voice was getting smaller. I might be in dreamland already.

"Ifnkvlenluvwivu."

Words were slurred.

So far. So faint.

I tried to hear it again.

All that met me was silence.

_____________

Yes, I purposely mashed the words to torture you. Bwahaha! >:) But come on,
it's pretty obvious. Just try saying it out loud. ;)

This chapter is pretty tame, don't you think? I hope it's enough to
satisfy your Haloz feels. 'Cause next chapter, everyone's gonna be there.
Yes, I'm talking about EVERYONE. I think it's time Snow and Halo meet
face to face. Beach party, mofooooos!

Chapter 30 - Chapter 25 |Part 1|: Byegone [Cruel Me]

Buzz!

I turned in my sleep.

Buzz!

Phone. Where's my phone?

My hand traveled under the pillow, where I usually put it before I went to sleep.
When I grabbed hold of it, I pulled it out. With my eyes half open, I tried to read
the texts.

Alfie

Mass text, yo. If you have a car or van or whatever shit kind of wheels you own,
you're invited to a beach party at Cali's Point today. Meet up at the
Diner around noon. Spread the word.

Dude, where you at? It's 9am. Hope you're not dead.

I rubbed my face, forcing myself to wake up. Even tried to blink a few times but
the moment I closed my eyes for the tiniest second, I was knocked out sleeping
again.

Knock! Knock!

Hmm. Weird. No one ever knocked on my door before, not in the last few years.

Knock! Knock!

Who the hell could it be?

"Halo? Are you awake, honey?"

My eyes snapped wide open.

"Halo?"

Shit shit shit.

Halo sat up the same time I did. Her hair was in a tangled mess as she scrambled
out of bed. She smoothened her hair and looked wildly around the room.

"Um, yeah?" she called out, giving me a what-now look. "Sorry, I just woke up!"

Her eyes then traveled down my body, and they widened. I frowned and looked down
to see what made her react like that.

And what do you know? There's little Oz, standing at attention.

Awesome time to say hello to my innocent girlfriend, buddy.

Halo covered her eyes and turned her head away, making me smile smugly.

"Don't tell me you didn't feel this big boy earlier?" I teased in a
hushed voice, swiftly getting off the bed.

"Couldn't be that big if I didn't feel it," countered my girl, sticking

out her tongue at me.

I chuckled, picking my up jeans from the carpeted floor and putting them on in
record time. I looked around the room. Now where did I put my shoes?
 Oh, there they are.

"Maybe your furry pajamas got in the way," I whispered, walking to my Nikes.

"Hey, these pajamas and I come a long way."

"Whatever you say, dork."

I hopped on one foot as I tried to get my other foot inside my shoe. Needless to
say, I ended up on the floor with a thud. Ouch.

"Is everything all right, dear?" asked Halo's grandmother.

"Yes," answered Halo quickly, helping me get on my feet. "I'm fine, Grams."
Then, she added in a whisper to me, "Are you okay?"

"Super."

"Breakfast's ready," said Grams from the other side of the door.

I pulled my dark blue shirt over my head. Thank God guys didn't care too much
about any fashion bullshit. Shirt, jeans, sneakers – and done.

"Okay, I'll come down in a bit," said Halo, staring at me with what seemed to
be eyes filled with thrilled excitement.

I grinned as I picked up my letterman jacket, and walked to the window.

"Don't let the food get cold," added Grams.

"I won't," assured Halo, as she followed me.

"I'll pick you up in an hour?" I whispered, facing her.

She tilted her head curiously at me, looking a bit disheveled. She had twinkling
purple eyes, her eyelashes almost touching her cheeks. Her nose was a little red,
probably from the cold. She looked so fresh.

Sure, I get a kick outta seeing her all dressed up. But seeing her like this first
thing in the morning welled up something in me.

I've never seen her cuter.

"We're going to Cali's Point at noon," I explained.

Her eyes widened. "Oh." Biting her lip, she looked away with a thoughtful
expression for a second. "Can I bring my car instead?"

"Why?" I squinted my eyes, and added teasingly, "Do we need to have the air
pollution talk again?"

She laughed and shook her head.

"It's just that – going on road trips like this is kinda our thing,"
she said sheepishly. "Brooklyn sits on the passenger seat while she and Milo argue
over the music. But then I'll put on our favorite song and they'll stop
and we'll sing our hearts out." She smiled wistfully.

I pouted, reaching out and placing my hands on her waist.

 "It's normal girl stuff," she added, wiggling her eyebrows.

I let out a small laugh at her expression.

The fact that she valued her time with her friends was enough to make me give up
on the idea of having her beside me for a couple of hours. If there was anyone who
knew about the importance of loyalty, it was me.

Besides, it wasn't like I wouldn't see her at the beach.

"Alright, I'll let them have you," I sighed dramatically. "But the moment we
get to the beach, you're mine again."

She nodded, pressing her lips together to stop herself from laughing.

"Deal."

"See you later then, dork," I smiled, pinching her nose. It became a habit of mine
to do that, obviously.

She giggled, slapping my hand away.

"Go," she shooed me, pushing me away. "Before Pops catches you in here."

"I honestly don't think he'd be surprised," I said a-matter-of-factly,

pulling her closer to me against the window. Then, I flashed her a smirk. "You are
dating me, after all."

"Yeah, but he won't let me go to the beach if he knew you spent the night
here."

Best night of my life.

"And this won't be the last time," I warned her.

She smiled, sending warmth through my body more than the sun ever could. But then
that smile poofed the moment we heard another knock, followed by a deep voice.

"Halo, breakfast," grunted Coach Buckley.

I blinked. She blinked.

"Go!" she mouthed, waving me off.

I grinned at her panicked face.

"You're cute," I mouthed back.

She made expression between wanting to laugh and wanting to roll her eyes. With a
chuckle, I let her go and finally climbed out of the window.

"Later, dork."

_____________

Yeah, I know. This is short. But I can't wait to update already! Besides,
I'll update again tomorrow (that chapter will be looong).
I just wanted to show y'all their cute morning because when noon comes
around... Well, I'll leave it to your imagination. ;)

Chapter 31 - Chapter 25 |Part 2|: Byegone [Cruel Me]

It was the last one.

I stared down each and everyone of my competitions. They were eyeing me, too. One
small move and we all knew we were going for it. Just one tiny movement to break
the ice.

Neither of us moved.

It was the waiting game.

But then a hand came out of nowhere and grabbed the only piece in the box.

"Nooooo!"

Our war cries attracted the attention of the rest of the people in the parking
lot. But our focus was solely on the thief who was currently munching on our
precious last piece of pizza. Insensitive prick.

"Dude!" snapped Kurt.

"How could you?" sobbed Alfie, with a hand on his chest.

Frisco shook his head sadly. "You should've just left it alone."

"Didn't see any one of you reaching for it," shrugged Parker, the fullback on
the team. I might've already mentioned him before.

He was about my size, with his chocolate skin darker than Kurt's. Well, maybe
just a little. See, Kurt was a mulatto so he was more of a mocha mixed with a whole
bunch of milk kinda guy, with gray eyes and all. Or was it green? Maybe even blue.

Hell, sometimes I swear it changes color.

Anyway, Parker Smith was more on the side of a rich chocolate, with an almost
shaved head. Guess he didn't have the guts to go all the way bald. Wuss.

There was a rumor that he was Will Smith's hidden son, you know. Some people
were convinced because Parker got that Mike Lowrey swagger. Well, I couldn't
deny that.

"I asked for pizza," Kurt told him. "Not your onion."

I pressed my lips together, leaned over him, and said, "I think you mean
'opinion.'"

"Same thing," he snorted.

I chuckled.

My eyes wandered to Connie, who I noticed didn't say anything. I caught her
locked in a staring contest with Parker, the corner of her lips turned up. It was
kinda icky and intense. I didn't know how to feel about the possibility of
them hooking up.

Oh, wait. Yes, I do. I mean, sure. Parker's cool and all. But he ain't
part of the crew for a reason. There was something about him I couldn't quite
trust.

I switched my focus to Frisco. He was animatedly chatting with Alfie, oblivious to

the eye fucking going on not a couple of feet away. Poor guy.

When a familiar face passed by, I saw an opportunity to kill two birds with one
stone because I was awesome like that.

"Hey, Trent."

The lanky kid stiffened and immediately halted in his tracks. Cautiously, he
glanced at me. Huh, looked like he still hadn't moved on from the beer
incident. Gotta change that.

I waved him over, and he obeyed. As he neared, I turned to Parker.

"Yo, Parker."

He turned to me. "What's up?"

"From now on, I want you to train with this kid," I told him, nodding to Trent.

All heads whipped to the sophomore's direction. Trent's eyes widened

with surprise, obviously not expecting me to say that.

"What are you doing?" asked Alfie, from the corner of his mouth.

"Acknowledging his potential," I answered, as if it wasn't a biggie. And it

wasn't. With the proper guidance, that kid could play first string. In a
louder voice, I added, "How 'bout it, Parker? Show him the ropes and all that
shit."

Simply put, Trent's in.

Smiling, Parker shrugged. "Sure."

Trent's face broke into a shit-eating grin.

"Wow! You guys mean that?" he breathed out.

"Hell yeah, man," I assured him. "In fact, you can go start now."

Parker did a double take. "Now?"

"Yup," I nodded. "Go introduce him to the guys."

"Awesome," muttered Trent.

"Alright," sighed Parker, scratching the back of his head. "Come on."

I watched them go over to the other side of the parking lot. The kid looked like
he was about to shit his pants. He knew as well as the others that he was in. Now
it was his turn to prove himself. I got a feeling he wouldn't put this chance
to waste.

I glanced at Connie. She was shaking her head at me, in a mixture of amusement and
disbelief. That made me smirk. Heh. She saw right through me.

Well, she couldn't expect me to just sit by and watch them eye fucking each
other in front of me. It was fucking gross. Okay, maybe I was also a little
protective but I couldn't help it. Imagine if Alfie saw that. He'd call
them out right then and there.

She should be thankful. My way was more discreet.

"You said noon."

Alfie turned around and raised an eyebrow at the girl who spoke.

"Your point is?" he asked sarcastically.

"Why aren't we leaving yet?" demanded Gina, Kurt's on-and-off fuck buddy
- which was pretty much the closest he would ever get to a relationship.

I sent Kurt a bored look, causing him to raise his hands up innocently.

"Hey, I baked the happy brownies that y'all are gonna eat tonight."

Right, which gave him a get out of jail free card.

"Look," sighed Alfie, pretty close to losing his shit, "you can go ahead to
Cali's Point if you want. We ain't stopping you."

"You know we can't just do that," grumbled Gina, as she crossed her arms.

Cali's Point was a small coastal town two hours away from Mount Valley.
People from out here like to settle down there because it wasn't too crowded
and touristy. It was private, which was why outsiders weren't welcomed much
unless you were with a local - or at least someone who owned a property there. In
this case, it was the latter.

Alfie and his mom owned a house right by the beach. They used to come there when
he was a kid. Some sorta escape from his dad, I guess.

"Not my problem," shrugged my best friend.

Gina opened his mouth to speak, but I stopped her.

"Stop fucking complaining, or I'll make Kurt drag your ass home," I warned,
in a low voice. I stared her down. "Your choice."

That shut her up.

"What are they doing here?" hissed Connie, glaring at a distance.

I followed where she was looking and saw Scout's white car. With the windows
pulled down, it wasn't that hard to see that Snow was with him.

What the hell?

"I invited them."

 I turned to my best friend, studying him and trying to figure out his motive. He
had his infamous wicked grin on his face, while Connie stared at him in disbelief.
Kurt's mouth hung open and Frisco kept his eyes on the twins.

"Why?" demanded Connie, seething mad.

"Why not?" snorted Alfie.

With a hand on her hip, she took a step closer to Alfie and poked him on the
chest. "I thought the point of this is to get away from all the high school drama
bullshit? So why is the center of all the said bullshit here with us?"

She had a point.

My eyes wandered to the Crimson twins on the other side of the parking lot.
Several people greeted them when they got out of the car. There were still popular,
after all.

Good thing they didn't bring the rest of their posse so the guys on the team
didn't pay them any attention. Unless of course, I tell them to.

But the fact that Scout came on his own spoke volumes to me. Sure, the shithead
was still a fucking eyesore. No changing that. I gotta hand it to him, though. He
was one brave son of a bitch for coming here without backup. Had to respect him for
that.

"It's fine," I decided, my eyes on Scout. "Let's call it a truce for

now."

Connie's jaw dropped, making me raise an eyebrow at her.

"Wouldn't it look a tad bit suspicious if we didn't invite them when we

just happened to have injured their teammate slash friend not even a few days ago,
especially when we're claiming that we have no beef with them?"

"Exactly," exclaimed Alfie, pointing to me. "It's like you're reading my

mind, man."

"Tell me something I don't know," I smirked.

Connie crossed her arms and looked away with a scowl.

"Well, they're here," said Gina, waving to the Crimson twins. "Can we go
now?"

The fuck?

"We weren't waiting for them," I shrugged.

"Then, who the heck are we waiting for?"

"Kurt," I begged, with a bored voice. "Get her out of my face."

He sighed, rubbing his face in masked patience.

"Let's get your ass inside the truck before you start pissing off people."

With that, Kurt dragged her away. I bet he was regretting bringing her now. He
never liked drama, especially girls who tended to cause a scene. Gina used to be a
somewhat cool chick in my eyes. But today, she was an annoying bitch.

Just then, a blue Mustang rolled in.

"Finally." I made my way toward them as they stopped in the middle of the lot.
"What took you guys so long?"

"Sorry!" Halo opened the door and got out of the car. "I'm so beyond-the-
galaxy sorry! We dropped by the convenience store and bought some marshmallows for
the bonfire later."

"You did?" gasped Alfie, suddenly beside me. His eyes were wide and his mouth was
stretched in a broad grin. He jumped forward and hugged Halo. "You're my
savior!"

My girl looked at me and laughed. I absentmindedly smiled.

Alfie let go of her and turned to me with a serious face.

"She's a keeper, man. I'm telling you."

"Like I said," I replied, winking at Halo, "tell me something I don't know."

She blushed and looked away.

"Hey, Oz!" greeted Milo and Brooklyn from the car.

I nodded to them in turn.

"Just Oz?" asked Alfie, pouting sadly. "I'm hurt."

Brooklyn winced. "Sorry."

"Come here and I'll comfort you," offered Milo, opening his arms.

"As much as I really really want to, we're running late," he sighed, mocking
sincerity. "We better hit the road and get this party starteeed!" he yodeled the
last word, turning away and heading to my Rover. "Those who were complaining
earlier don't get to have s'mores, ya hear?!"

People roared and cheered, causing a little ruckus in the parking lot of the
Diner.

"I'm riding with Halo," Connie told me, as she passed by.

I grabbed her arm to stop her, and turned her to face me.

"Hey, we cool?" I asked, with a frown.

I get where she's coming from.

She and Snow used to be really close. In a world where she was always surrounded
by men, Snow was like her long lost soul sister - even though they practically had
nothing in common. She finally felt like a girl for once because let's face
it, the guys and I never really made an effort to make her feel like one.

Yeah, we're dicks. I don't deny it.

So when all that shit went down last year, she felt just as betrayed as I did. And
now, whenever she saw Snow, she looked like she swallowed a dozen bitter pills.

"Yeah," sighed Connie, looking tired all of a sudden. "I hate to admit it, but you
guys are right. I'll just pretend they're not here." She gave me a
knowing look. "As should you."

I stared at her.

"I know."

She rolled her eyes. "Because you know everything," I heard her mutter, turning
away from me. She headed to Halo's car where Brooklyn and Milo met her with
welcoming arms.

She'll get over it.

"Is she okay?" asked Halo, when Connie was out of earshot.

"Yeah," I nodded, shrugging. "She's just in a bad mood."

"We'll cheer her up," she assured me, with a smile.

I cracked a smile. "I don't doubt it. You gonna make her sing along?"

"Oho, trust me," she said seriously. "Before the ride is over, Connie's gonna
be singing like Miley Cyrus - without the leotard costume."

I burst out laughing.

BEEEEEEP!

"Yo, Ozzie! Let's go!"

I took a deep breath, and reached out to touch Halo's hair. It was silky.

"Stay behind me," I instructed her. "Kurt will tail you."

She nodded. "Okay."

I gazed into her purple eyes for second, before hearing another honk.

"Later, dork," I said, pecking her lips.

I caught her cheeks flush red before I ran to my car with a grin on my face. I
heard people getting into their cars around me, but all I could think of was seeing
my girl later.

My eyes vaguely scanned the crowd, and they landed on a flaming red hair.

Our eyes met. Green against blue. Her jaw clenched and she looked away before I
could read her, running a shaking hand through her hair. She said something to her
brother, and they got inside the car.

I shook my head and willed myself to focus.

Roughly two hours later, I parked the Rover right in front of Alfie's big
house. It had a beige exterior with faded brown roof. The parking space was only
big enough for three cars, but the others could park on the road.
 One of the best places here was the open veranda out back. It overlooked the
ocean, and the view was just fucking incredible during sunrise.

Alfie shot out of my car and waited 'til the rest of the guys arrived. Frisco
followed him, while I turned off the engine before getting out.

People were already forming a crowd around us, all in their swimsuits.

"Okay, listen up!" yelled Alfie, getting everybody's attention. "Defensive

line up will help Kurt with the kegs, so go ahead and follow him." He paused to
point at Kurt who stood by his truckload of kegs. "Meanwhile, offense peeps will
help me set up the stereo out back and special teams will help Frisco carry the
stock of woods for the bonfire. Got that?"

There were shouts of agreement from all around, the entire football team stepping
up and forming groups as Alfie said.

"Others can just go straight to the beach and have fun," added my best friend.

Some people whooped, before running towards the sea. Other than the team and the
cheerleaders, there was only a number of people outside our usual crowd.

I looked around, until I saw Halo's car parked in the driveway.

"What can I do to help?" asked a random girl, when she neared us.

Alfie smiled crookedly. "Strip to your bikini and look pretty."

The chick blushed. She kinda reminded me of a tomato.

I shook my head as I tried to muffle my laughter. I walked to the Mustang, just as

Halo climbed out of it. Did I mention that she wore a cute little summer dress, one
with the flowers and all that artsy shit?

"Hey, dork," I greeted, as I slowly leaned her against the car with a hand on her
waist - leaving no gap between our bodies.

"Hey, grinch," she smiled, biting her lip.

"Or you can help us set up the food and snacks," added Connie, loud enough for
Mrs. Tomato Head to hear.

"Oh, I'm not a good cook."

Mrs. Tomato Head's dead meat.

Halo and I turned our heads to witness the live show. Because seriously, who in
their right minds would want to miss out on Connie's cranky ass finding its
next prey?

"Don't worry, hun," smiled Connie sweetly, waving a hand dismissively as she
walked up to the chick. "You can still help out," she said, before shoving the pack
of trash bags to Mrs. Tomato Head, "by making sure everyone knows where to put
their trash in."

Aaand she quickly left the premises.

Kidding. She just hurried out back with her friends.

 Connie turned to the other girls. "Those who have their brains out of their boobs
and know how to grill a damn awesome barbecue, come with us." With that, she headed
back to the car to get her things.

"She doesn't bite," sang Milo, waving a hand around. "I promise!"

Alfie glanced at me with a confused look, and asked, "Is it hell week?"

I thought about it, then shook my head.

He whistled and headed inside the house.

"Can I help out?"

It was Snow.

She was looking at Connie, who was getting something from the trunk. Connie
visibly tensed. After a moment, she composed herself and finished what she was
doing. Ignoring Snow, she left and went ahead to the beach.

Brooklyn shrugged cluelessly at us and followed Connie, while carrying a huge

paper bag that I was guessing was full of marshmallows. I could use a s'more
right about now.

Snow sighed, her shoulders slumping.

"Uh, sure?" said Milo, scratching his head.

"Of course," piped up Halo.

I shot her a look. What was she doing?

"Thanks," smiled Snow, reaching out a hand. "I'm Snow."

Halo accepted it. "Halo."

"My girlfriend," I added.

Halo nudged me in the ribs.

"What?" I asked innocently.

She only smiled sheepishly at Snow.

"Nice to finally meet you," said Snow, glancing at me. "It takes a great girl to
make Oz Lacy fall in love."

I studied her. Was that supposed to make me feel better?

Halo bit her lip and looked at me. I frowned, tilting my head.

"I think it takes a heck of a lucky girl to make the great Oz fall in love," she
said softly, staring into my eyes.

With a gentle smile, I reached up a hand and caressed her cheek, while the other
held her hand. Then, I pinched her nose.

"Stop flattering me," I chuckled. "I'm the dude. I'm supposed to be

doing that."
 "Stob binjing by dose," she protested, pulling her head away and swatting me.

I laughed and let go, my eyes on her red nose.

"Hey, Rudolph," I teased, with a grin. "I didn't know it was Christmas
already."

"You've been a very naughty kid," she grumbled. She frowned and waggled her
finger at me, adding, "No present for you!"

Another round of laughter came out of me.

"I better go help Connie with the barbecue," mentioned Snow, turning to leave.

Her face was covered with all that red hair before I could take a good look on her
face and read her expression. But I noticed she sounded sad again.

"She won't welcome you with open arms," I stated, causing her to stop.

"I know," she replied quietly. "I screwed it up with her."

You screwed it up with all of us.

I frowned. "What difference does it make, anyway? You still have friends to
comfort you even if she's not there." I paused, my jaw clenching. "But when
you disappeared in her life, she didn't have any girlfriends to cry with her.
You were all she had. She needed you."

And I'm the dipshit who trusted you with her.

"She was a reminder," she whispered. Then, she turned around and faced me, her
eyes filled with unshed tears. "I couldn't face her because she reminded me of
what I lost. She reminded me of you."

I nodded. "Right, so I guess it's my fault."

"No," she cried, breathing heavily. "It's mine."

I felt a tug deep in my stomach, seeing her cry like this. But I ignored it.

I had to.

Snow wiped her tears away, her eyes going to the girl beside me.

"I'm sorry, Halo."

Halo blinked, and waved a hand. "No, it's -"

"Milo! Get your unicorn butt over here!"

"Shut up! I'm watching reality tv!"

I turned my head sideways and saw Milo from the across the Mustang, watching us. I
recalled the times I saw Connie beaming with happiness recently. Something real,
and bright.

"She brought our Oz back."

 They made our Connie trust again.

With an indifferent face, I looked back at Snow.

"You don't deserve to be her friend."

Halo's grip on my hand tightened. She didn't like what I said. Maybe it
was mean. But it was true. No need sugarcoating it.

Snow raised her chin up. Suddenly, the tough redheaded girl I knew was back. She
had a determined expression as her eyes hardened.

"Maybe so," she agreed. "That's why I'll do everything to earn back her
trust," she said firmly. She turned around, but stopped. "And yours."

Without another word, she left.

"Ooh, the plot thickens," sang Milo.

_____________

You know if you listen carefully, you can hear some people screaming, "Nooo!"

I'll update on Monday. Yay! :D

Chapter 32 - Chapter 25 |Part 3|: Byegone [Cruel Me]

"Ooh, the plot thickens," sang Milo.

I watched her back as she walked away from us. What I said was cruel, and a part
of me almost regretted saying it. But Snow had to hear it.

It was one thing to rat on us and not believe me, but it was a whole other thing
going AWOL on Connie. She couldn't just waltz back into our lives and expect
everything would be all ponies and rainbows. Nothing was forgotten.

But . . .

"I'll gel your cotton candy head, Milo," warned Halo.

Milo gasped shockingly at her. With a hand on his chest, he said, "Ugh, how dare
you? Fine, I'll just go where the drama is." He waved us off and followed
Snow.

"I better go with him," Halo told me, lightly stroking my back in comfort.

"I'm sorry about that," I sighed, rubbing my face with a hand.

. . . I'm fucking tired of this shit.

"Hey, we're here to have fun," she firmly reminded me, as she slapped my
back.

I closed my eyes and looked up, feeling the warmth of the sun on my face. I
focused on the sound of the waves. I took a deep breath, the salty smell of the
ocean engulfing me.

We all needed a goddamn break sometimes.

If only I could just forget everything - even for a little while.

I opened my eyes and looked down on Halo.

"You ever jumped off a cliff?" I asked.

She blinked for a second, taken aback by my question. Then, she eyed me
suspiciously and slowly shook her head.

"I have an idea," I said, before grabbing her hand and pulling her with me to the
shore.

"Yes, Oz," panted Halo, hurrying beside me. "Of course, you can drag me wherever
it is we're gonna risk our lives at. Not a problem. I'm cool with it."

"It's safe," I assured her. "We've done it a million times." When we

passed by Connie and her friends, I told them, "I'm kidnapping my girl.
You'll have her back in a few hours."

Someone behind Brooklyn stopped. My eyes wandered to Snow who was carrying the bag
of coals to the grill. She stood frozen on the spot. We stared for a moment.

I couldn't look away.

Back then, I was always numb. Now a part of me thought that I should feel somewhat
smug, like a huh-your-loss feeling. But I didn't. I felt far from that.

Staring at her like this, I didn't expect to feel . . . sad.

"Oh, you can keep her," grinned Milo.

"You are so out of my cutiepie list," huffed Halo.

Snow blinked, as if waking up from a trance. She shook her head, avoided my eyes,
and continued walking to the grill.

I turned my head to the sea.

"Fine, make the most of the day."

I looked back at Connie. She rolled her eyes at me and went back to taking out the
raw barbecue sticks from the plastic container, smiling a little despite herself.

"I owe you for that cockblock, anyway," she shrugged.

I couldn't stop the crooked smile forming on my lips.

"I'm so touched you remembered," I said.

She flipped me off, making me chuckle.

 "C'mon," I told Halo, tugging her hand.

"Hold up," Connie called out, just as we turned to leave. "You're going to
the cliff?"

I nodded.

She raised an eyebrow. "I thought we're all going together."

"Wait for the crew, then head out and follow us."

"Fuck that," she snorted, putting the container down on the table. "I won't
make you break tradition. I'll hound them right now."

I shrugged. "Your call."

Brooklyn waved her off. "We got this."

"Thanks," grinned Connie.

She turned around and went straight to the house, walking past Snow and completely
ignoring her as if she wasn't there.

Right. I took that as my cue to leave.

I quickly brought Halo to the cliff side at the end of the beach. Since she was a
runner, it didn't take us a while. We both had stamina enough to climb the
cliff in no time.

"You're serious," she breathed out, when we finally made it at the top.

She grasped the hem of my shirt as she glanced down, looking as though she was
just realizing that I wasn't kidding and that we were really about to do this.

I grinned and pulled her away from the edge.

"Serious as Sirius Black," I replied, taking off my shirt.

"Ha, punny."

I threw my shirt aside. Before I could say anything, she took off her summer dress
and revealed a neon blue bikini underneath - the one with the black borders on it.

Honestly, not in a gazillion years did I think she'd be one of those girls
who followed the trend but hot damn. The thing cupped her pair nicely. They looked
soft as hell, too. And her pale skin was just - holy shit, her legs. Fuck. I
couldn't turn away my eyes from her legs.

Look away, Oz. Look the fuck away.

Nope. They're stuck there. Forever.

I was speechless.

"I think I need more sunblock or else you might burn a hole through me."

I cleared my throat and looked away, making Halo laugh wholeheartedly. I smirked
as I returned my eyes on her. She was feeling confident, huh?
 "You should be in jail for this, Buckley," I murmured, stepping closer.

She smiled, looking up at me. "What's my crime, officer?"

"Pretending to be adorkable when you're this . . ."

I stopped, my eyes wandering down her toned body while my finger ran lightly on
her arm. She shivered. That did it.

I brought my lips down to hers.

"You know we need to -"

I kissed her again.

"Jump," she panted against my mouth.

I nodded. "Mm."

She felt so soft, so good.

"Right now," she gasped, turning her head.

My mouth traveled down her jaw, one hand on her neck while the other was placed on
her back. Her breath hitched up, holding on to my shoulders. One of her hands went
and got tangled in my hair.

I loved the way she tasted.

"Oz," she moaned.

Fuck, that was hot.

"If you're gonna suck faces all day, don't mind me going ahead and
jumping first!"

I heard Alfie ran past us, and jumped. I pulled away from Halo, and rested my
forehead on hers while I caught my breath. She panted heavily, her breath fanning
my face. I grinned.

"The water's cold as fuck!" screamed Alfie, from down below. "But it's
awesome!"

"Dibs on second!" yelled Kurt.

I straightened up, my eyes following him as he ran and did a kick ass flip. We
hooted and cheered. Not a moment later, we heard a splash.

"Shit, you're right! My ass is freezing!"

"Bet your balls are getting all shriveled up," laughed Alfie loudly. "Gotta be
careful, or you might shoot ice spikes later."

I burst out laughing at that, causing Halo to give me a curious look. I shook my
head in answer. No way was I explaining that to her.

"Ladies first," said Frisco, gesturing for Connie to be next.

She grinned and ran. "Woohoo!"

 Frisco followed after her, screaming, "Geronimooooo!"

I laughed. He was such a geek sometimes.

"Let's do that again," Halo told me, her eyes practically twinkling.

"We haven't even jumped yet," I said incredulously.

"No, not that." She made a face, then opened one eye. "You know."

I blinked. "Oh, that. Now?" I asked, surprised.

This was her way of asking to make out again. Cute.

She bit her lip. "Next time?"

A hearty laugh escaped me.

"Okay," I nodded. "But for now, let's jump off this damn cliff. After you,
dork."

Her eyes lit up. "Why don't we do it together?"

The corner of my lips turned up in a crooked smile.

"And pretend we're being chased down by Godzilla?" I teased.

"Yeah!" she beamed.

"We better jump now before we get eaten, then."

"Let's hurry. I think I hear his gigantic footsteps!"

I grinned. "On three."

She laughed and nodded. "On three."

"One, two, three!"

Together, we took a leap.

* * *

It was dark. The stars were out. The bonfire was lit up in the distance, and
people were partying like it was the end of the world.

Everybody was having a good time.

"Stop."

I was in the middle of filling up my cup of beer from the keg when I heard someone
spoke behind me, scaring the shitty soul outta me.

Oh no, wait. False alarm. My fucked up soul is still here.

I glanced over my shoulder and saw Scout. He had a determined look on his face
that resembled so much like his twin's earlier this afternoon. I almost
groaned, turning back to continue filling my cup. I sighed and shook my head
instead.

"Dude, it's just beer," I told him.

What was his deal? It wasn't like he never had one.

"Stop harassing my team, Oz," he cleared up.

"Ah."

I knew this day couldn't go on being so perfect. What was I thinking? This
was my life. Wrongs visited a lot more often than rights.

"You're not just ruining the lives of a couple of people, but an entire team
full of kids with dreams. Do you ever just stop to think about that?" he demanded.

I faced him, because I felt bad. I didn't want him to look stupid talking to
the air like a crazy fucker. See, I wasn't that evil.

"Save your bullshit to someone who gives a damn," I stated nonchalantly.

Why won't he just chill? We're at the beach, for fuck's sake.

He shook his head, looking pained.

"You don't get it."

"Enlighten me, please," I said sarcastically.

Why does he even care? It's not like they'll make it to State. I'm
doing him a favor. At least, they have someone to blame when they fail this time
around.

"You're not just taking away the dream, Oz," he explained. Taking a step
forward, his forehead creased. "You're also taking away the hope."

My eyes suddenly turned cold and dangerous, as I looked at him.

"I'm only returning the favor."

He let out a frustrated growl. "What favor?"

"Why don't you ask your boy?" I asked, nodding to Finn McKinley who was
having a conversation with Snow. He showed up sometime earlier.

Scout frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Do some damn digging, man," I snapped, getting impatient with his thickness. "Use
your fucking brain. I'm so sick of you being stupid and innocent."

"Then, just tell me what's going on!"

"Like I said," I shrugged, "ask your friends. They started all this." My jaw
clenched, and I added grimly, "I'm only finishing it."

He scoffed. "Do you like being the bad guy that much?" he asked, studying me. "You
act as if you have nothing to lose."

"I do have nothing to lose," I deadpanned.

 "Think again," he said, glancing behind me.

I followed the direction of his eyes. There, standing by the bonfire, I saw Halo
chatting with Milo and Brooklyn. I gritted my teeth, facing Scout again.

"Stop pining over my girl, Crimson."

"As soon as you stop pining over my sister."

The corner of my lips twitched.

"Yeah, I can tell you're still hung up on her," he added.

Despite the outrage that was desperate to come out, I managed to smirk.

"It's so cute when you try to talk about things you know jack shit about."

He sighed. "Stop being the bad guy, Oz." He looked at me pleadingly. "Just stop."

"You think I wanted this?" I laughed humorlessly. "I never asked for any of this
shit."

"Then, stop," he whispered, looking me in the eye. "Do the right thing for once. I
know there's good in there somewhere."

My right hand closed really fucking tight.

"Being good and doing the right thing doesn't necessarily come together." I
forced out a smirk. "You never know, maybe I'm doing the right thing by being
bad."

He stared at me in disbelief, as though seeing me for the first time.

"No wonder my sister left you."

A flash of rage rushed through me.

"Don't delude yourself," I spat. "She chose to stand by you because

you're her brother. She had an obligation to you."

He nodded. "Yeah. You know what, you're right. I must be 'deluding'

myself thinking you could ever change your ways. You'll always be the bad guy
in this story."

"You got it wrong, Crimson," I sneered, my voice dripping colder with every word.
"I wasn't always this bad - 'til you made me one."

He frowned, confused and troubled.

"You can't change the past," I told him, before turning and leaving him there
because I was seriously dying sick of this conversation. "Just like you can't
change me."

I nodded to Kurt before I sidled up next to him.

"What was that?" he asked, referring to my run in with the golden boy.

"Fucktard begged me to stop with all this shit," I answered, before taking a huge
gulp from my cup. I needed to loosen up.

"But we won't, right?"

I stayed silent. I didn't wanna think about any of that right now.

Like a magnet, my eyes wandered to a black-haired dork dancing cheerfully with her
friends by the bonfire, without a care in the world. They jumped around as if they
were the only ones here, looking happy and bright.

Milo waltzed to Connie, who wildly shook her head. But then, Brooklyn came over
and helped him drag her to the bonfire with them. Connie laughed, nodded, and
handed her red cup to - Parker? The fuck?

I was about to turn to Kurt and ask about what was up when Halo caught my eye. She
smiled mischievously and walked over to me. Oh, shit.

"No," I immediately said.

"Yes!" she persisted, grabbing my hand and pulling me with her.

"I don't dance," I confessed, hoping she didn't notice the slight panic
in my voice.

True story, bro. I didn't even attend last year's junior prom. Not
because I didn't have a date. Even if I had, I wouldn't be caught dead on
the dance floor.

I simply had no interest in it.

Halo pouted. "Pleeeaase?"

I stared at her attempt with the puppy dog eyes, her purple orbs appearing bigger
and more Bambi-looking. Her soft pink lips called to me like fucking Nirvana. And
then, I realized: I just could not say no to this adorkable creature.

Hanging my head, I sighed, "Fuck it."

"Yay!" beamed Halo, clapping briefly.

I let her drag me to the makeshift dance floor around the bonfire, while I drank
more alcohol in hopes of making me brave enough to get through this.

I looked around the people dancing, some of them couples were grinding. Just then,
Halo stopped walking and faced me with a smile. For a moment, I had no idea what to
do.

How do I fucking move? Can I just bob my head and consider it dancing?

Halo placed her hands on my shoulders and went on her tip toes until her lips were
by my ear. I gripped her waist to keep her balanced.

"Just let go," she whispered softly.

When she pulled away, she smoothly twirled around. I watched her do that with her
arms raised up, grinning from ear to ear.

She wasn't particularly following the beat, nor did she have any pattern.
With her eyes closed, she just moved her body the way she felt like it. The best
part was, she looked like she was having the time of her life.

A warm smile made its way to my lips.

I closed my eyes, and followed her advice.

I let go.

_____________

THE END

Kidding. HAHA.

There's like, tons of chapters left. ;)

And dudes, please don't hate on Snow. She's not a bad person, she just
made some poor choices (ratting on Oz and not letting him explain his side,
ignoring Connie). But really, can you blame her for choosing her brother?
You'd do the same for your family, right? Just because you like Halo
doesn't mean Snow is so much more beneath her. It's wrong to think that
way. They're both good girls.

It's also disturbing to read that some of y'all diss on Oz for liking
Snow too much. I mean, I get it. Snow deserves an awesome guy, too. But do
y'all have to say Oz doesn't deserve Snow? Kinda hurts. He was a good
boyfriend to her. Maybe he was mean to others, but he was always sweet to her. :(

Anyhow, Scout. I feel so bad for the guy. Why can't Oz just tell him
everything? Well, do you think Scout will believe him? I think it's better to
let him figure that out on his own, don't you think? Come on, tell me what you
think so we can discuss this. I love hearing about what you think.
Chapter 33 - Chapter 26: The Mess I Made [Cruel Me]

This is awkward.

If only this wasn't an AP class, I would've gotten myself a hall pass

and bailed. Too bad the cards weren't in my favor today.

"You can ask for an exchange."

I glanced at the girl beside me. She fiddled with the edge of the table. Her red
hair fell on her shoulders, shielding her face from my view. I wasn't used to
seeing her this shy. To be honest, I kinda missed the strong-willed girl who
wasn't afraid of anything.

Guess I'm not the only one who got broken that night.

I sighed.

"Let's just get this over with," I said, grabbing the box of cornstarch from
her side of the table and pouring everything into the glass bowl.

We were doing a lab experiment today for AP Chemistry. Despite the unfortunate
fact that Snow was also taking this subject, I never had a problem with this class.

Until of course, I got partnered up with her.

Fate just fucking loves making my life thrilling.

"Get that water," I ordered, as I put aside the now empty box.

"Still bossy as ever," muttered Snow, picking up the glass of water.

"Who, me?" I replied automatically.

I noticed her crack a tiny little smile, before draining the glass to the bowl. I
suddenly remembered that first time I made her smile in the library. My smug
bastard ego very much liked that I could still do it – that I still had an
effect on her.

Shaking my head, I dipped my hands in the bowl and began mixing them.

After a minute, I was already getting bored. I looked around to see how everybody
else was doing because really, there was nothing else better to do than check out
my classmates with their wincing faces and their gooey hands.

But instead, I caught Finn McKinley looking in our direction with a disapproving
look from across the room. Aw, how sweet of him to waste time staring at me with
such loving eyes. I grinned and waved a slime-filled hand at him.

With a glare, he looked away and turned his back on me.

"Don't provoke him," Snow told me.

 I snorted. "Like I care."

She met my eyes, her expression stern.

"You should," she started, "unless you want a meaningless brawl in the middle of
class and end up getting kicked out of AP Chem."

I hated it when she had a point, especially when she knew how high I liked to keep
my grades. Damn. She almost always managed to keep me in line even back then.

Almost. I still hated taking orders from anyone.

"Way to take the fun out of it," I muttered.

Her jaw dropped. "Hey, I'm fun," she protested.

"Yeah, and I'm ugly." I shrugged nonchalantly. "Some things just aren't
true."

"I played Scrabbles with you," she confidently reminded me.

My eyes widened in mock. "Wow, that's so fun it blew me the fuck away."

"I beat you in Call Of Duty."

"That was fun for you, not for me."

"You just don't like getting beaten by a girl."

I scoffed. "That was once."

"Oh, yeah? What's your excuse for losing in every wrestling match we had
then, huh?" she asked, with a raised eyebrow and a hand on her hip.

"Easy," I smirked. "You were my girlfriend." I ignored the twist in my stomach at

the mention of that word. "I had to let you win, otherwise you would've
bitched about it."

And I wouldn't have gotten laid.

She stared at me in disbelief, and I faintly wondered if I said that last part out
loud. Probably not, though. Or I would've had a burning red hand print on my
face right now.

But honestly – back then, seeing her beaming (gloating) triumphant smile
afterwards made it worth losing every time. That was some sappy shit, but it was
true.

I turned my attention back to the goo fest, just as Snow added the green food
coloring. Each pair was assigned a color, and we got dark green. I watched it
become a blob of crap. It kinda reminded me of a snot. And I was kneading it. Gotta
love Chemistry.

"This is gross," I winced.

"Ugh, it looks like something that came out of a troll's nose," remarked
Snow, making a face as she leaned closer to study it.

I couldn't help but let out a chuckle at the visual of that.

 "Remember that troll in the Sorcerer's Stone?" she gasped, turning to me.
"Oh, my God. Did you stick your hands up his nose? Yuck, Oz. You fisted him!"

I laughed. "Jealous?"

She opened her mouth to retort but got cut off.

"Is there something funny?" asked Mr. Kelly, suddenly in front of us.

"No, sir," answered Snow quickly.

I innocently shook my head for added effect.

But Mr. Kelly was carefully studying me, before switching his scrutinizing eyes on
her. His hands were inside his white lab coat pockets, watching us through his
frameless specs.

"May I remind you that you are in a laboratory?"

It was hard to concentrate when his shiny bald head reflected the ceiling lights.
It hit my eyes like a flashlight. Did he wax it or something?

Snow nudged me.

Oh, right.

I nodded at Mr. Kelly, trying to appear like a good little boy I was totally not.
He stared at us for a moment more. When he decided we got the message, he walked
off. I waited 'til he turned around, before I smeared the green goo on
Snow's left cheek.

"Oh, look," I smirked. "The troll sneezed on your face. That's too bad."

She kept her composure as she pushed back her hair behind her shoulders. She then
pulled her chin up, cleared her throat, and leaned over the table to slowly dip her
fingers in the bowl of green goo.

I immediately stepped away.

"You wouldn't."

"Guess you don't know me that well," she shrugged, with a smirk.

I stood my ground, watching her.

"You're bluffing," I said.

She lunged forward and wiped goo all over my favorite shirt. She laughed, as I
looked down on the stain. Shit. When I looked at her, I had a serious expression on
my face.

"This is war," I declared.

"Bring it on," she replied smugly.

Well, you could imagine how that went. We chased each other around the table,
trying our best to get the other covered in troll's snot. It was messy as
fucking hell. And fun.
 Never in a bazillion years would I have ever imagined laughing my ass off with
Snow Crimson again. But it happened. I forgot how broad her smile was when she was
happy. Or how her nose slightly wrinkled when she was laughing.

It had been so long that I've forgotten she snorted when she laughed too
much, which she was currently doing now. It caused me to burst out laughing, too.

Until the teacher caught us.

"What is going on here?" demanded Mr. Kelly, his sharp eyes scanning our faces and
clothes. His voice was so loud, it caught the attention of the entire class
– if they weren't staring already earlier.

We instantly stopped and stood up straight like kids being caught redhanded. I bet
we didn't seem too appealing looking like a green blob of mess either.

Mr. Kelly huffed, turning his eyes to our work table. He didn't look that
much satisfied at the fact that we finished faster than everybody else despite us
goofing off.

"Detention," he deadpanned. "Both of you."

I groaned. "I have football practice."

He raised an eyebrow at me. "Then, you should've behaved more fittingly in my

class." He looked at Snow. "I'm disappointed in you, Miss Crimson."

Snow bowed her head. "Sorry, Mr. Kelly."

"Go clean yourselves up."

When Mr. Kelly stomped away, Snow and I exchanged looks. We tried not to smile,
but failed and ended up muffling our laughters.

As I grinned at her freckled face, I realized something.

Strange enough, I noticed the pain was no longer un-fucking-bearable. It

didn't hurt as much when I looked at her now than it used to be. It
didn't feel that heavy anymore. I didn't have to block everything with
numbness like I've always done for the past year.

I was healing.

And then, I remembered I was supposed to teach Halo how to spike today after
school.

Well, fuck.

_____________

Don't hate me! XD

Isn't it amazing to imagine that every single comment came from a person
behind a computer or a phone or a tablet, somewhere around the planet? How many are
y'all from North America, or South East Asia? Where in the planet are you
right now?

Chapter 34 - Chapter 27: I Can't Make You Love Me [Cruel Me]

I ran my ass off.

As quickly as I could, I headed to the covered court, ignoring the uneasy feeling
of not belonging in this part of the school. Sure, I've been here before -
just not in this time of day.

I hurried my steps when I caught sight of the double doors. I pushed inside,
hoping so bad that Halo was still here. I texted her earlier that I got detention,
and that we could still meet up afterwards. But an empty gym met me.

I scanned the place. Maybe she was still around here somewhere.

"You're too late."

I turned my head to the direction of the voice, scowling when I saw who it
belonged to. Finn stood up, jumped off the bleachers, and walked toward me.

"They already left," he said casually.

I raised an eyebrow. "'They'?"

"Halo," he shrugged. Then, he looked at me. "And Scout."

My body tensed. Finn noticed, because the shithead sneered.

"Scout gave her some pointers to pass gym class. Wish you could've seen them.
There was a lot of touching," the fucker continued, clearly enjoying this. "Guess
her 'boyfriend' was too busy getting dirty with his ex to do it himself.
Seriously, I felt bad for her."

Rage surged within me, but I reigned it in. I wasn't gonna give this
cocksucker a reason to get me in trouble.

"Do you ever shut up on your planet?" I wondered mockingly, but with an underlying
threat in my tone. I hoped he wasn't stupid enough not to notice it.

"What, caught between two lovers?" taunted this dipshit, grinning. "Didn't
know you could be that cliché."

I was so fucking close to cleaning the floor with his motherfucking face.

He had no idea what the hell he was going off about. I knew he was only trying to
get a rise outta me. But hell, if his words didn't piss me the fuck off.

"Hold on," I said, raising a finger as I looked up. "I'm looking for fucks to
give."

But what I was really looking for was a good reason not to bust his face in.
Coming up real short on this one, though.

He nodded understandingly.
 "I get it. You're with Halo now. You don't wanna face the fact that no
matter what you do, you still can't get over Snow despite everything." He
paced around, before shrugging and turning to me with a sad face. "Poor Halo.
Everybody knows it's hard to forget your first."

I laughed humorlessly, the cold sound echoing around the gym.

"Can I be the first to break your nose, then?" I asked, suddenly all pokerfaced.

"That's funny."

"It's not funny at all," I replied, still keeping a straight face. "But your
life," I paused to snort, "now that's a joke."

His lip tightened. Looked like I hit a nerve.

"Always one with the comebacks, huh?"

I shrugged. "Should I keep going 'til you cry or are we done here?"

Something flashed in his eyes. They turned dull, as if almost . . . dead. I knew
that look so well. I knew that underneath those expressionless eyes were hatred. I
knew because I wore them sometimes, too.

"How does it feel?" he asked, staring intently at me.

I looked back at him, waiting for him to continue. Then, I blinked in realization.

"Oh, sorry. Are you hurting me with telepathy or something?"

The dickface took a deep shaky breath, obviously trying to control his rising
anger. I seriously needed to come up with a nickname for him. I was running out of
colorful nouns.

"I meant being beaten by Scout," he cleared up, "yet again."

What the fuck is he trying to say now?

"He didn't beat me in anything," I snorted.

"He got your girl," he smirked. "It's funny how they always end up choosing
him. But no, that's not the real problem." He paused to shake his head. "The
truth is, you're torn."

My jaw clenched. But I quickly composed myself.

"Can you stop acting like my shrink? It's getting fucking annoying."

He smiled crookedly. "Gotta make up your mind. Or you'll lose them both."

This sorry ass fucker was the last person on the planet I was opening up myself
to. Heh. Maybe it was time to turn the spotlight on him.

I whistled. "Man, I'm surprised you're so damn chill about this." I

shrugged sheepishly. "After all, you've had a thing for Snow since forever."

His smile faded, making the corner of my lips turn up.

"You had to watch her be with me day after day, for months." I shook my head in
fake sympathy. "That must've been pure torture."

"You have no idea," he hissed, through gritted teeth. His good guy facade thrown
out the window. Gotta say, looking like a villain didn't suit him.

"How does it feel though, being stuck on the sidelines?" I leered, cocking my
head. "I would've felt pretty fucking useless if I were you, even incompetent.
But it all goes down to one word." I stepped closer, and added harshly, "Pathetic."

He stayed quiet. I smirked.

"Sucks being invisible, huh?"

With one last look, I stepped away and turned for the exit.

I didn't let it show, but the dick got into my head. Now I couldn't stop
thinking about my past and my present. I knew I shouldn't be thinking about
it. I didn't fucking want to.

I stopped walking and held on to the lockers on the side of the hall. With a free
hand, I rubbed my face. I took a deep breath in hopes of clearing my head. It was
all just so goddamn overwhelming, making me wanna barf from the nausea.

With all that's happening, this is the last thing I need to think about.

Get a fucking grip, Oz.

Raising my head, I straightened up. I decided that nothing else mattered but what
was happening right now. And right now, I had a girlfriend I needed to find.

I headed to the music room on the other side of the school. I figured that would
be the place Halo would be at. When I got there and slightly opened the door, I
immediately heard her singing. I didn't wanna interrupt her. So I lowered my
hand and leaned my back on the wall, staying outside to listen in.

"I'll close my eyes, then I won't see . . ."

She sounded sad.

"The love you don't feel when you're holding me . . ."

It was fucking heartbreaking.

"Morning will come, and I'll do what's right . . ."

My chest felt heavy all of a sudden.

"Just give me till then, to give up this fight . . ."

I frowned, hearing her voice crack at that last word.

"'Cause I can't make you love me if you don't . . ."

I closed my eyes, and leaned my head back against the wall.

"You can't make your heart feel something it won't . . ."

Why the hell did it feel like the song was speaking to me? Damn. It was as if the
pain in my chest doubled, shattering to pieces all over again. But this time, I
couldn't block it. Like, I wanted to share her pain or something.

I let out a deep breath. That sounded so messed up.

After a minute or so, I realized it got quiet. I took that as a cue to enter the
room. But I halted when I heard someone clapping inside.

"That was amazing."

She had company. And from the Disney Prince voice, I'd bet my ass it was
Scout.

That didn't sit well with me. Not one fucking bit.

"Your voice . . ."

Rendered you speechless?

"Yeah, no shit," I snorted under my breath.

"It's astonishing," he finally said. "Enchanting, even."

What, he's fucking Shakespeare now? How dashing.

"Thanks," replied Halo, in that shy voice of hers.

With a blank face, I returned to my former position against the wall. Something in
her voice stopped me from going inside and interrupting their conversation.

"Did you mean that?" asked carrothead.

"What?"

"The song."

Halo didn't answer.

"It's for Oz, right?" guessed Scout.

I looked down, waiting for her reply.

"Actually, I was singing in behalf of Nico di Angelo - for Percy Jackson,"

chuckled Halo awkwardly. She was such a bad liar sometimes."But it can work for Oz,
too."

My jaw clenched, but my face gave nothing away.

"Okay," laughed Scout lightly. "I have no idea who those are."

Of course, you don't. Only awesome people are demigods.

Then again, he must be from the strict Camp Jupiter. No doubt he'd get along
with his fellow self-righteous pricks.

I heard Halo gasp.

"How could you not know them and live?" she asked in disbelief. I could imagine
her shaking her head. She huffed, adding, "Mortals."
 "Uh, let's see," chuckled Captain Douchnugget. "I breathe the air, drink
clean water, eat healthy food - you know, usual mortal necessities in daily life."

Halo laughed, a genuine one this time. It annoyed me that I wasn't the one
making her laugh like that. I wanted to burst inside and drag her far away from
Scout. But I just couldn't bring myself to walk in. Fucking feet stuck on the
floor.

"There's more to life than just surviving," said Halo softly.

"Okay, what else is there?"

"Love?"

"Ah, the 'L' word."

"Have you ever been in love?"

"Nope," he sighed. "After seeing it break someone firsthand, I'm not really
that eager to try it. I could only imagine that kind of pain, you know? I
don't think I can handle it if ever it happened to me." There was a pause.
"Can you?"

I raised my head, looking up at the ceiling.

"If it happens, it happens."

When Scout spoke again, he sounded way more concerned than he should be.

"Halo, you'll only end up being heartbroken."

"No, you don't know that," she said quietly.

"Then, what was that song about?" the sucker pointed out. "You know deep inside
you that Oz still has feelings for Snow."

My fists tightened, my knuckles turning white.

"You're already starting to break, Halo," he added, making me almost promise

myself that I'd knock him out the next time I see him. Almost, because I knew
his words were true.

I practically heard every crack through her singing. It was because of me. How
could I deserve her? Maybe that was it. Maybe I didn't.

I shook my head, taking a breath.

"I'm willing to risk my heart," she stated.

Why?

"Why?" begged Scout. "What's with the blind faith?"

"You don't understand," she murmured.

"Make me."

Halo sniffed. And I didn't give a shit anymore. I immediately made a move to
go in, but her next words stopped me on the doorway with a hand on the knob.
 "I'm in love with him."

. . .

She's in love with me.

I still couldn't wrap my head around it.

It wasn't that I didn't expect it to happen. It was possible, since we

were dating and all. I just didn't expect it to happen so soon. And honestly?
I couldn't understand what someone like her saw in me. I mean, what?

Sure, I wanted her. Sometimes, I even felt like I needed her. But I just
couldn't imagine it being the other way around.

But the thing that ticked me the most was, she told Scout fucking Crimson before
she told me. What did that say, that she trusted him more than she did me?

Fuck. I needed a distraction.

I was tired of goddamn thinking.

I tried to clear my head as I entered the football field. I walked pass Connie
sitting on a bench beside Parker, who was still in his football uniform. Practice
was over, though. The dude could at least take a damn shower. He probably stank.

They've been seeing each other more than the usual since the beach party last
month. We could say something about it, but all of us noticed that Connie was a
helluva less bitchier since they started going out. So none of us was really fully
against it.

I kinda felt bad for Frisco. But hey, love sucked sometimes.

Ironic, isn't it? The most pleasurable thing you can experience in life is
also the worst. Life fucks with us that way.

"Hey, man," greeted Kurt, when I got to the metal bleachers on the other side of
the field where they were at. "You missed practice."

"We heard you were in detention," added Frisco, with a knowing look.

Of course, they heard about me getting in trouble with Snow.

I nodded, sitting beside Frisco.

"Don't wanna talk about it."

That was the least of my problems.

"You would not believe what I just saw!" exclaimed Alfie, running to us.

"Is it gonna make me puke?" asked Frisco uneasily. I caught him glance at Connie
and Parker for the briefest moment.

Alfie considered it. "Maybe. It made me sick - with disgust."

"We're all ears," said Kurt, saluting the football in his hand.
 With a wicked grin, Alfie said, "Someone from the sissy team is taking gym candy."

That caught my attention.

I leaned forward, placing my elbows on my knees. Kurt whistled, while

Frisco's eyes widened. Alfie nodded at us, sneering.

Honestly, I wasn't that surprised that one of them was on steroids. They were
a sneaky bunch of shits that preferred taking the easy way. Performance enhancers.
Huh, what a rip. For people like us who loved and respected sports, abusing that
drug was a major sin.

I told myself earlier that I wanted to forget my love problem bullshit. Well, this
was the fucking perfect distraction. Nothing like good old blackmailing to do the
trick.

"Who?" I asked my best friend.

He raised his chin up, the corner of his lips turned up.

"Finn McKinley."

_____________

Sad? Me, too.

I was going for sad and intense in this chapter but I'm not sure if I pulled
that off. Haha

Chapter 35 - Chapter 28 |Part 1|: The Kids Aren't Alright [Cruel Me]

 "Alright, what's wrong?"

I turned my head to Alfie, who was sitting beside me in the middle of the football
field. He had an eyebrow raised, reading my face and waiting for me to pour my
heart out.

"The fuck are you talking about?" I asked, acting innocent.

No way was I going all Moaning Myrtle at nine in the fucking morning.

He hung his head. "Don't make me beg."

I looked away, shook my head, and said, "It's nothing."

"Seriously, your denial is stronger than my life goals. Spill it."

I sighed.
 Rehashing it was the least of what I wanted to do right now. But I knew my best
friend. He wouldn't shut up about it until I tell him something.

So I did.

I told him about my conversation with Finn McKinley, all the gory details. Of
course, I couldn't left out what I overheard Halo admit to Scout. It still
kinda haunted me.

"Halo's been avoiding me for a couple of days," I mentioned.

Obviously, she didn't like the fact that I missed our tutoring session
because I was sent to detention for goofing around with my ex-girlfriend. Damn.
Even I thought I sounded like a douche in my own mind.

I wanted to make it up to Halo, probably explain and all that shit. But she was
fucking good at hiding from me. I was starting to see a pattern.

Alfie whistled. "Wow, too much drama."

"Tell me the fuck about it," I grunted.

"Isn't it weird that we seem to bear all the problems in the world," he
started, staring off to a distance, "and we're only eighteen fucking years
old? Where's the justice in that?"

I snorted. "I got enough of this shit to last a lifetime."

Seriously, some people had it easy. They didn't have to deal with all this
chaotic mess. But to some of us who weren't lucky enough to have a pass for a
boring life? Well, what else could we do but deal with it? We all had our own
problems.

It just so happened that ours were a bigger shitfest.

"Why'd you stay?" asked my best friend.

I glanced at him.

"I mean, dude," he said incredulously. "Why'd you let your ass stay there and
listen to whatever crap Finn McKinley had to say?"

I took a deep breath, my eyes wandering to the trees beyond the metal bleachers.

"I guess I knew I needed someone to say it to my face," I admitted quietly,

frowning a bit at how lame that sounded out loud.

I caught Alfie shaking his head, making me face him.

"You excel at everything you do, except this. Guess you really can't have
everything," he chuckled, trying to lighten up the mood.

The corner of my mouth turned up.

I laid my back on the grass and sprawled out. I gazed at the cloudy sky as the
cold wind brushed my face. With everybody inside their classrooms, it was quiet.
Peaceful.

If it's not obvious enough, we're skipping. Because that's what we

do. Besides, it's too much of a nice day to spend it locked up inside the
walls, you know?

Well, hell. Never thought those words would ever in a million years cross my
fucked up mind. But another thing I never expected to think about?

Me. Walking away. From everything.

As I stared up at the clouds, I couldn't help but feel envious. They went
wherever the fuck the wind blew them to, and they were cool with it. They were
free.

No grudges. No enemies. No messed up families.

Just them and the horizon.

Am I too damn weird for envying that shit?

"After this, I'm done," I declared, more to myself.

Alfie looked over his shoulder to stare at me.

"I wanna be a fucking cloud," I told him firmly.

My best friend had what-the-fuck written all over his face. I sat up, ruffling my
hair as I thought of a way to put into words what I wanted to say.

"Man, I don't wanna spend the last few months of high school messing with
Scout and his sissy team," I explained, with a frown. "I wanna fucking enjoy it
with you mofos," I added, starting to smile. "Just us, no more shit."

His eyes narrowed as he considered my words. He was looking at me as though seeing

me for the first time. I could see in his eyes that he knew I was right. He might
never admit it, but I could tell he was tired of it all, too.

"Early retirement, huh?" he nodded slowly, a smile growing on his face. He turned
his head to his front, staring off to space. As if he was seeing something he
liked, he murmured, "Sounds good to me."

"One last ploy," I decided. "Then, it's game over."

No more problems.

"What about your love triangle?"

Shit.

"There's no love triangle," I said indifferently.

Alfie scoffed. "You could've fooled me."

"Fooled me, too," I mumbled.

I admit it.

Snow brought back memories and damn feelings that confused the fuck outta me. But
I realized that I had to face something about my past, in order to figure out some
shit about the present. It was confusing as hell at first, but a night alone in the
basement of my house with a bottle of tequila helped sort things out in my mind.
 And when I did, it all just clicked.

I remember my protective side automatically coming out that night when I saw Snow
almost get attacked. Honestly, I don't think that'll ever go away.

Snow's my first love. We'll always have some kinda bond. We'll
always share a history. She will always be a part of me . . . in the past.

Now is a different story.

Like that dude in Smallville said, the funny thing about scars is that
they're always there. But that doesn't mean they haven't healed.

I owed Halo for being a huge part of that healing process.

You know, I always used to think Snow gave me hope. But only now did I realize
that Halo gave me some sort of purpose. I dunno, to live?

Man, that sounded cheesy as fuck. But hell, it was like I just realized I've
been stuck in a dark tunnel, and I finally caught a glimpse of light at the end.

What was I even so goddamn afraid of? Why did I run like a fucking wuss when I
found out she was in love with me? My heartbeat suddenly accelerated at the
thought.

That was the moment I knew.

I might not be in love with Halo yet. But I was getting there – 200 miles
per fucking hour. And I was scared shitless.

Where were my balls when I needed 'em?

Alfie nudged me then, dragging me out of my chicken shit thoughts. When I looked
at him, he stood up and nodded to Kurt and Frisco who were walking straight to us.
I got to my feet, preparing to get all business.

"Alfie's right," stated Kurt, as soon as he was in front of us.

"Of course, I am," snorted Alfie, crossing his arms.

"They're anabolics," continued Kurt seriously, looking me in the eye. "But

McKinley ain't keeping 'em in his locker."

"It took us a while," said Frisco. He shrugged, and added, "But we found his
stash."

"Where?" I asked.

"In his car."

"We debated whether or not we should nick it, but you know," trailed off Kurt,
raising his eyebrows pointedly.

I nodded. "Yeah, it could backfire."

If Finn wasn't being a moron, he could heavily consider that we took it.
Then, he could let slip that we were taking it. We'd be framed and end up
taking the blame for possessing illegal drugs. Not gonna happen.
 "Well," I breathed out, "that sure explains why he's acting like a PMS-isng
bitch."

The shithead was way too hotheaded recently.

"So what're we gonna do?" asked Frisco, looking way too innocent.

I didn't answer, still thinking it through. Frisco's innocent face was

distracting me that I had to look away. It was like he was a five-year-old kid
waiting for his punishment from being caught redhanded.

"Blackmail him?" suggested Alfie.

I shook my head. "No, he's too much of a son of a bitch to be given a

choice."

Kurt scratched his head. "What, then?"

"How old is he?" I wondered thoughtfully.

"Hell if I know," huffed Alfie. "I'm not his mother."

"I wanna get this over with," I deadpanned, eyeing them one by one. "The fastest
way to do that is by letting other people do the work."

"I think I know where you're going with this," said Alfie suspiciously. "I
can't believe you're even considering it," he added disapprovingly.

"What d'you think we should do, then?" I spat, facing him. "Blackmail him
into what, quitting the team? That's too fucking easy for him."

Nobody spoke. They knew I was right.

"Alright, so we call the cops," humored Alfie, waving a hand. "You think McKinley
will just let them search his stuff without a fucking warrant?"

I sighed, rubbing my face. Now, he was right.

"How 'bout we thrash his car, let it get towed or something?" shrugged Kurt.

Alfie snorted, rolling his eyes. "And expect the cops to show up at the repair
shop like, 'Lookie, are those gym candies? Oh, my. Wonder who owns this car?
'"

"When you say it like that, it sounds stupid."

"'Cause it fucking is."

I let them throw ideas, while I listened and considered each of them. But I kept
going back to my idea about involving the cops.

We could make a secret call to Kurt's uncle about it. The problem was, it
wouldn't stick because we had no solid proof. We just needed to give them
enough proper evidence so they could ask for a search warrant.

My eyes landed on Frisco.

"Get the stats on last year's basketball games, including this season."
 He blinked. "From our school?"

"No, the private school down the street," I answered sarcastically. "Of course,
our fucking school, asshat."

"Don't call me asshat, asshat."

The three of us stared at Frisco, dumbfounded. Then after a few seconds, we burst
out laughing. He shook his head and started laughing, too.

"I should've said 'dickface'," he muttered.

"Nah. 'Butthead' is more your style," chuckled Kurt.

"Ain't that the truth?" laughed Alfie.

"Try to catch McKinley in the act," I told my best friend, all business again. He
turned his attention to me. "This time, make sure it's caught on video. Be
discreet, though. We don't want him to know that we're on to him."

"Aye aye, captain!" he saluted.

With a straight face, I flipped him off. He only laughed.

"I'll go with him," volunteered Kurt, raising his chin.

My eyes wandered to the football he was holding between his hands. I didn't
notice it before, too caught up in my thoughts.

"What's up with the pigskin?" I asked him, nodding to the ball.

He shrugged innocently. "I like holding it."

I fought the urge to smile. I knew what he meant. Sometimes when I was at home,
I'd hold a ball and close my eyes. Then, I'd pretend I was in the middle
of the field.

It always used to calm me down. But I found another way of getting rid of the
tension. Too bad, she was avoiding me right now.

I studied my friends, before asking, "Think we can do all that by this afternoon?"

I really fucking hope so. I want this over already.

"Easy-peasy," grinned Alfie.

Kurt flashed me a smirk, while Frisco made a thumbs up.

"What about Connie, though?" asked Alfie. "Aren't we gonna let her in on
this?"

"She's too busy hooking up with Parker to hang with us," leered Kurt.

Frisco looked away.

"Parker the Pounder," said Alfie wistfully, shaking his head in disbelief. "Has
she never been around us enough to hear us talk about the crazy shit he's
done?"
 "Maybe he changed," offered Frisco.

Man, he's too chill about this. Too damn nice, this kid.

Alfie snorted, crossing his arms. "He fucking better."

"It's cool," I sighed. "This isn't her fight to begin with."

She wasn't part of the football team. She just got caught up because she was
one of the crew. I was wrong to let her help out with any of this. She didn't
need more shit in her life. I shouldn't have gotten her involved from the
start.

"Stop that."

I raised my head and met Alfie's eyes. He looked down and shook his head, any
trace of amusement gone from his face. When he returned his eyes on me, his
expression was grim.

"I know what's running in that fugly head of yours, Oz. You seem to be
forgetting one tiny detail; Connie's part of the football team. Everybody
knows she's like a fucking honorary member. More than that, she's one of
us."

I stayed quiet, while I watched Alfie laugh humorlessly.

"Besides, you really think we could force her to do something she didn't want
to? Even she knows it." With a solemn face, he added, "Don't exclude her. This
is her fight, too."

I stared back at him, neither of us breaking eye contact. I was trying to figure
him out. I could tell from his green eyes that he was serious, but then his face
was as expressionless as Kristen Stewart. For the first time in the years that
I've known him, I couldn't read his mind.

Kurt and Frisco clapped.

"Dayum!" laughed Kurt, slapping Alfie on the back. "That's the longest speech
I've ever heard from you, man. Bra-fucking-vo!"

As if that broke the spell, Alfie suddenly grinned at the big guy.

"Why, thank you," drawled my unpredictable best friend, bowing his head a bit.
"First of all, I'd like to thank God for blessing me with such a skillful
tongue – that not only slays in speeches, but slays in other ways, too.
Hashtag wink."

They laughed. I had to admit, even a chuckle escaped my lips.

"You're gonna tell the plan to Connie, then?" I asked him, raising an
eyebrow.

"Pft, no," he scoffed, like it was the most ridiculous thing ever. "I'm no
cockblocker. Besides," he paused to smile crookedly at us, then added, "we got
this."

Right. Typical Alfie response.

_____________

Who here loves Alfie? Raise your pinky!

Tomorrow, I shall upload part 2. ;)

Chapter 36 - Chapter 28 |Part 2|: The Kids Aren't Alright [Cruel Me]

We played some bit of football after that, just because. But the second we got back
to the main building, we didn't waste time. We quickly went on with the plan.

Since Kurt was with Alfie out in the parking lot waiting for Finn, I helped out
Frisco with bribing the basketball team's waterboy so that we could get inside
their locker room. Frisco always used to be the lookout. This time, our roles were
switched.

I kept alert as I scanned the quiet hallway, while Frisco was somewhere inside
copying the Coach's stat books using his phone. I glanced at my watch. It was
only fourth period. The students were still inside their boring classrooms,
pretending to listen to the teacher and trying not to fall asleep as they wait for
the lunch bell.

Leaning my back on the wall, my eyes landed on the bulletin board across the hall.
It showed off a local newspaper picture of me with a football clutched under my
arm.

That game was only last week. There was no way in hell would I ever forget that
night. I broke the damn record for Most Rushing Touchdowns in NFHS, and was well on
my way to breaking the Most Rushing Yards. Johnny G still held that record.

Clyde even called to congratulate me. It was a pretty big deal.

Huh. I didn't know the school gave enough shit to actually post it here,
right by the basketball team's locker room. Bet they fucking loved that.

With a smirk, I glanced around the corridor again. I was starting to think we
could pull this off. Who said sneaking inside the – Shit.

I quickly leaned away from the wall and tried to appear casual. I took a deep
breath through my nose to calm my nerves, cracking my knuckles inside the jacket
pockets for some relief. I cleared my throat quietly.

Why? Because just then, Snow passed by.

After all that reflecting shit I did, I thought we actually had a shot at being
friends. In fact, I was kinda looking forward to it. She wasn't a bad company.
I expected that the next time I saw her, I'd be real cool about it.
 But since Frisco was somewhere he shouldn't be and I was supposed to be the
lookout (I fucking suck at this), there was no way I could be cool around her right
now.

She needed to go away.

As I tried to come up with a plan, I noticed she had a hall pass with her. I was
about to turn away and leave when her eyes landed on me standing right outside the
entrance.

Fuck. Too late.

"Hey," she greeted, walking to me.

Her long red hair was pulled up in a messy ponytail, something she always liked
doing. It made her look sporty, which she definitely wasn't. Exercising to her
meant rearranging her entire bookshelf. One time, I even caught her sniffing a
book.

That was the thing about Snow. Looking like a hot sporty chick, you wouldn't
know that she was into books until you got to know her.

I nodded casually. "Hey."

She turned her head and looked down the hall, as if just realizing exactly where
we were. Crap. I wasn't sure it was possible, but I prayed that this would be
one of the rare times where she didn't use much of her brain.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, tilting her head.

Her tone was more curiosity than accusatory. I decided that was a good sign.

"I'm," I paused, clearing my throat, "waiting for Coach Buckley."

She blinked. "Oh, okay," she replied, as if that made total sense.

But then, I was dating his granddaughter. So maybe it kinda did.

I watched Snow cross her arms tightly, hugging herself as she looked down on her
shoes. I almost asked her what was wrong, but I had to warn a friend first. Taking
her silence as an opportunity, I nonchalantly scratched my temple as I swiftly took
out my phone to text Frisco to find another way out.

Before I could hit send, Snow spoke again.

"Listen," she started, looking up at me. "I'm sorry about getting us in

trouble the other day. That was totally my fault."

"Yeah," I agreed. "It was."

She scoffed in disbelief. "Thanks."

I only grinned at her.

She smiled sadly, saying, "I heard you were supposed to meet up with Halo that
day. I didn't know, Oz. I'm really sorry."

"It's done," I sighed, looking away. "She'll talk to me eventually."

 Snow's forehead creased. "She's been avoiding you?"

I shrugged. "That's how she deals."

I had to admit, it frustrated the fuck outta me. How could we work things out if
she wouldn't let me talk? How the hell could we talk if she didn't even
wanna face me?

But I'll let her be for now. I'll give her space, while I deal with my
own shit. As soon as it's done, I'm coming after her.

"I could go and talk to her," offered Snow, genuinely concerned.

I stared at her for a moment, before shaking my head. It was a shitty idea. Snow
was a sore subject in our relationship right now. I didn't wanna make it
bigger than it already was.

"Nah, I'll handle it."

She pursed her lips, and nodded.

My awesome brain suddenly remembered Frisco and I had something going on that Snow
had no idea about – and we had to keep it that way, or else we'd be in
serious trouble.

"Where you off to?" I asked her, subtly walking away from the entrance.

It worked because she followed my movement. I glanced at my phone and finally hit
send. In case it was too late, at least Frisco was free to get away.

"I needed a breather," she answered, flashing me weak smile.

"From what?"

"School."

My eyes widened at that.

She let out a small laugh. "Hard to believe, huh?"

"I dunno, I kinda hoped there was a rebellious teen in there somewhere," I
chuckled, discreetly glancing behind to check if Frisco had gotten out. "Makes you
normal."

"Of course, you would," she snorted.

I wonder if Frisco went through the other exit, the one inside the gym. But there
was a class being held there right now. That was why we chose this entrance.

"Connie's birthday is coming up," mentioned Snow, bringing my eyes back to

her.

I didn't say anything, waiting for her to continue.

I knew where she was going with this. Connie's birthday wasn't until two
weeks. But it was understood that either one of me and Alfie was throwing her a
party. It was sorta like a tradition of ours already.
 This year, it was held at my place.

"What are the chances of her inviting me?"

There it is.

She said it like it was no big deal, almost as if it was a joke. But I could tell
that she was still hoping. It was all over her eyes.

I took a deep breath, trying to find the right words. With her face being
expectant like that, I didn't wanna make her feel bad.

"Honestly? Probably zilch."

Well, I tried. I simply didn't have a knack for sugarcoating.

She looked in front of us and let out a deep breath, as we walked toward the end
of the corridor. We were almost there. Frisco's ass better be somewhere he
wouldn't get in trouble.

Nodding, Snow said, "I know."

"Her party, her guests," I shrugged, sending her a close-lipped smile. I almost
said sorry, but I knew she'd hate that. She didn't like it when someone
pitied her. Who did?

We were about to make a turn. But then, curly-haired Frisco had the best timing in
the history of worst motherfucking timings.

"I got it! Let's go, O – Oh, shit."

Our heads whipped to his direction. He stood rooted on the spot, his eyes trained
on Snow, before switching to me. She looked at him, seeming more suspicious by the
second.

I had to do something. Quick.

"Is he in there?" I blurted out, walking closer to him.

Frisco stared blankly at me.

"Coach Buckley," I said pointedly. "Is he in there? Geez, man. I'm starting
to think you have Alzheimer's or something."

Ride on, you geeky asshat.

He blinked. "Uh, yeah." He closed his eyes briefly and shook his head. "I mean,
no. We should come back later," he added, with an innocent smile.

I gotta hand it to him. When it came down to looking like a guiltless jock, he was
damn good at it. Nobody could tell that he was already corrupted. Well, only a
little.

I studied Snow. Her eyes narrowed at us, then she looked back where Frisco came
out from. She frowned, like she was trying to piece puzzles together. Before she
could think more about it, I decided we better get out of there.

"Alright." My eyes wandered to Snow. "We're gonna bounce," I informed her.

 "But –"

"Later, Crimson," I said, waving a hand.

Frisco and I took long strides as we got away. It wasn't until we were near
the cafeteria that I slowed down my pace. When we were safely out of earshot, I put
an arm around Frisco and pulled him closer.

"You got it?" I asked, in a whisper.

He grinned, dangling his phone up. I smirked. He handed it to me, and I checked it
out. I scanned the statistics of Finn McKinley's every play.

It was solid.

Finn's improvement skyrocketed this year. He could say that he'd been
training hard for the past summer, but the advancement in his performance was too
much. Something was clearly backing him up.

Just in time, my phone buzzed. I pulled away from Frisco, and took my phone out
from my pocket. There was a text from Alfie. I unlocked it and read the message.

Alfie

Mission Anorexic Hulk: Accomplished. Boo yah!

Fina-fucking-lly.

I stopped walking. Frisco halted and looked at me. I rubbed my face, and breathed
out a sigh of relief. He frowned in concern.

"What is it?" he asked.

Shaking my head, I said quietly, "It's over."

Me

I'll e-mail you the stats. Send everything to Officer Collins.

I wasn't sure why, but typing those words was like removing a huge ass
boulder rock from my chest. It was like I could finally breathe properly.

No more paybacks. No more dickwads getting in our way. No more plotting revenge as
if we were in a fucking Godfather movie.

It's done. It's over.

 "What now?" asked Frisco, placing his hands inside his jean pockets.

The lunch bell rang then. The sea of students rushed out of their classrooms,
instantly filling up the hallway. We were suddenly surrounded with noise.

Without looking at Frisco, I answered him.

"Now, I have to find Halo."

I gotta make things right.

_____________

Looks like someone has a thing for nerds. ;)

Chapter 37 - Chapter 29: You Found Me [Cruel Me]

Pretty dope.

That was the first thing I thought of when I walked inside the youth center where
Halo volunteered at. I got the address from Milo. He was more cooperative than
Brooklyn.

The place was cozy, all woodsy and homey. It looked like a huge mansion, but it
really was some sorta rehab for troubled kids. I faintly wondered who sponsored
this.

I waited by the information desk that was between two large staircases, while my
eyes scanned more of the place. Honestly, it looked like a fucking rest house.

"Yes, young man?"

I turned around and saw a middle-aged black woman wearing a blue nurse's
outfit. She carried a bunch of sheets, looking like she was on her way to the
second floor.

"Hi, I'm looking for Halo Buckley," I replied.

No point beating around the bush.

She raised an eyebrow. "And you are?"

"Oz Lacy."
 Her expression morphed into understanding. "Oh, she's in the recreational
room. Just go straight through there, it's the door to your right," she added,
pointing to the hall to my left. She smiled, and added, "Heard a lot about you."

I cocked my head in curiosity and opened my mouth, but she already turned her back
on me before I could ask more. One thing was for sure, though.

Halo obviously talked about me. And it seemed to be good. Otherwise, the lady
would have had my ass by now. Damn, I needed to find my girl.

I quickly headed to the recreational room, wasting no time. It was one of those
rooms that had no doors, only a wide archway. I was about to enter when Halo
suddenly walked out, almost bumping into me. I held her shoulders to keep her
upright.

She blinked up at me in surprise.

My eyes raked her body and I noticed that she was wearing a white knitted sweater
over a pink flowy dress that went below her knees. Her black hair was loosely
braided to one side. She looked like a legit nerd from the 90s.

And I haven't seen her prettier.

"Oz!" she gasped.

I didn't realize how long it'd been since I've seen her beautiful
purple eyes until they met mine. Sure, they weren't really warm and welcoming
right now. But hey, I'd take what I could get.

God, I missed her.

"You remember my name," I said, not meaning it to come out as sarcastic.

She shook her head in disbelief. "Wha – What are you doing here?" she
asked, before looking around as if to make sure we were at the right place and I
wasn't lost.

I stepped forward. "I came here to talk."

She avoided my eyes. "I'm a little busy."

That was when I noticed that she was carrying a stack of thin notebooks.

"I see." I nodded. "Need some help with that?"

"No," she refused firmly.

She was so damn closed off. It was driving me fucking insane.

"You're still refusing to talk to me." It wasn't a question.

"I'm talking to you," she muttered, her eyes staying downward.

"You know what I mean."

She turned her face to the window now. I could tell she wanted me to get lost. But
no way was I going the fuck away with her like this.
 "Halo," I sighed.

She stayed quiet.

"Halo, come on."

Nothing.

I ran a hand through my hair, trying to calm my nerves. Was this how it was gonna
be every time she was mad at me?

"Please?" I almost begged.

Still nada.

"We can't work shit out if you run every time you have a problem with me," I
huffed, a bit frustrated. I was trying real hard not to let her see how her silence
stressed me.

"I'm not running," she mumbled.

The worst thing was, she kept a collected face like a goddamn pokerface champ.

"Yeah, obviously," I countered.

She closed her eyes and shook her head.

"What do you want me to say?" she said quietly.

"That you'll talk to me," I replied, almost pleading. "Or at least, listen."

Her head tilted as she looked at me with sad eyes.

"That's all I've been doing, Oz. Listening."

I gaped at her for a second. Her words were like bullets shooting me right in the
gut. I didn't expect to feel hurt. But I kept in mind that she must've
been feeling it, too.

I frowned, absentmindedly licking my lips as I searched for the right words.

"Tell me what's on your mind, then," I urged. "Tell me if you think I'm
being a fucking pumpkinhead or whatever. Just," I paused, raising my head and
stepping back to take breath. When I looked at her again, I continued calmly, "Just
speak your mind, baby."

She bit her lip as she stared at me with wide eyes. She was tearing up. As if
waking up from a trance, she cleared her throat and glanced down the hall.

Shit. I knew that look. She wanted to escape.

"Don't run anymore, Halo," I said quietly.

Her eyes landed on me, and for a second I was surprised at how fierce they were.

"So what if I am?" she demanded. "That's what I do. I run. I need time to
think things through and understand the situation from afar before I could face it
head on." She shook her head and let out a breath. "I'm not like you, Oz."
 My frown deepened as I waited for her to continue.

"I'm not brave enough to confront my problems right away," she shrugged. "And
to be honest, I'd rather pretend it's not there." She looked down,
hugging the notebooks to her chest like some kinda shield from me. "I'd rather
pretend you bailed on tutoring me than you getting in detention with your ex-
girlfriend."

I instinctively stepped forward, but she took a step back and shook her head. My
jaw clenched, while my hands turned to fists.

"I'd rather pretend I don't see you starting to get confused with your
feelings," she whispered, her voice shaking. She took a deep breath, and added,
"I'd rather pretend . . . I'd rather pretend I'm the only one you
see."

She looked so vulnerable that I couldn't take my eyes off of her. She looked
broken. I couldn't accept the fact that I did that. I made her this way. Me
and my dumb ass.

I really fucking wanted to wrap my arms around her so bad but I knew she would
only pull away. I wasn't sure if I could handle that.

"Halo," I murmured.

I practiced what I was gonna say a million fucking times. But I was caught tongue-
tied. Hearing her insecurities out loud like this was a goddamn punch in the gut.

I wasn't as brave as she thought I was. I ran away once from my problem. Just
recently, in fact. But I didn't wanna add fuel to the fire so I kept my mouth
shut about that.

Some things were better left unsaid.

"I have to return these," she finally said, sniffing slightly.

I nodded. "Go do your thing. I'll wait."

"Wait for what?" she asked, with a cute little frown.

"Wait for you," I said casually. "I'll take you home when you're done."
I knew for a fact that Coach Buckley dropped her off here after church.

She bit her lip in worry.

Reading her face, I quickly assured her, "You don't have to talk to me for
the whole ride. Just let me take you home."

Her eyes narrowed. "Why?"

"So I know you're safe," I answered simply.

"I can text you when I get home."

I shook my head. "Not taking that risk."

"Oz, I'm not a kid," she said patronizingly. "I'm capable of taking care
of myself."
 "Yeah," I shrugged, putting my hands inside my jeans pockets and cocking my head
to the side as I looked at her. "But I wanna do it for you."

Her eyes softened. I was about to whoop in my head, thinking I had her right then.
But her eyes suddenly widened in panic.

"Look away!" she demanded, shielding her eyes with the notebooks. "Not fair!
You're totally using charmspeak on me!"

I covered my grin with a hand.

"Just – Just hang out in the recreational room in the meantime. And
– And behave!"

With that, she dashed off. I watched as she disappeared around the corner. I was
about to turn my head but then I caught her peeking. So I smiled and waved a hand
at her, which made her shriek and hide.

I chuckled.

Still my adorkable Halo.

When I entered the room, a few heads turned to me. But they went back to what they
were doing as if they didn't find me interesting enough.

As I walked, I checked out the place. There were lots of kids my age around. It
was a mix of boys and girls. Some were playing foosball, others chess or board
games.

I headed to the widescreen tv at the end of the room and saw that only one dude
was watching on the sofa. He had a shoulder-length brown hair, and he was thin. He
didn't bother looking at me, so I shrugged and decided to sit beside him.

It took about a second for me to realize that we were watching reruns of FRIENDS.
Sweet. The episode was from the tenth season, I guessed. The one where Ross got a
tan. It was a hilarious episode. Naturally, in five minutes, we were laughing our
asses off. Classic.

"Man, Chandler always cracks me up," I chuckled.

"Joey's the funniest, though," argued the guy beside me.

I looked at him. "Are you kidding?" I scoffed in disbelief. "Without

Chandler's sarcastic comebacks, the humor would be dead in that show."

"Meh," he said, not convinced. "Monica's obsession with everything is kinda

funny."

I made a face. "Ugh, she reminds me of my sister. Trust me, it's not funny in
real life."

It was like my older sister Diana aspired to be a dictator or something. It was

such a pain growing up with her. At least, Annabelle was chill. Diana? No, every
little thing had to be spot on perfect for her.

The dude beside me chuckled, and turned his head to face me for the first time.

"Depression or addiction?" he asked out of the blue.

 I blinked, a bit taken aback. "What?"

"Why you're here," he explained. "Most are here 'cause they're

suicidal." He studied me with piercing brown eyes. "But you don't have that
lost look in your eyes, so I'm guessing addiction."

Whoa. Okay.

"Uh, no," I answered, scratching my temple. "I came here to see someone."

"Huh," he replied skeptically. "Visiting hours are over."

"She's a volunteer."

He visibly relaxed. "Ah," he said, turning back to the tv.

I let a moment pass, before asking, "What are you in for?"

He didn't answer right away. I could tell he was debating inwardly on whether
or not he should open up to a stranger like me. But he must've realized I was
a cool enough dude so he nodded once and smiled at me, though it didn't reach
his eyes.

"Depression." He turned his head away. "Yep, I tried to kill myself."

Well, fuck. What do I say to that?

"That sucks."

See, I'm not exactly the man of awesome words.

"Life sucks," he shrugged.

"Gotta agree to that," I snorted.

I turned my attention back to the tv, but he spoke again.

"Ever got to the point where you just don't care anymore, about anything or
anyone?"

I was about to answer yes, but I remembered that even during the lowest point in
my life, a part of me still cared. Otherwise, I wouldn't have wanted revenge.

"No," I told him.

"I did," he said, his eyes looked far away. "I was left to wonder what my purpose
here on this world was. But I came up short. I realized I didn't have an
answer. So maybe I didn't have a purpose, that's what I thought. I lost
it then – the will to live. I didn't care about my family, my friends.
I just stopped fucking caring anymore." He raised his head and looked up at the
ceiling. "Some people take their lives just to feel something. Did you know that?"

I shook my head. "No."

"I had it easy, though," he continued. Then, he nodded to the loner girl sitting
by the window sill. "At least, I wasn't bullied to the point of wanting to
kill myself just for it end."

I looked away, swallowing the lump in my throat. I could feel the guilt growing
inside of me. I might not be the one who bullied the kid, but I might as well be. I
was no better than the one who terrorized her.

"How 'bout you?"

I looked at him. "What about me?"

"You're around my age, so you must still be in high school, right?"

"Yeah," I admitted. "Senior."

"You look like you're one of those popular kids," he remarked. It didn't
sound like a compliment either.

"Am I supposed to answer that?" I smirked, joking to keep things light.

He sighed, leaning his head on the back of the chair. "Must be nice to have girls
flock you all the time."

The smirk slowly disappeared from my face. My eyes traveled down to my hands.

"Not the one that matters," I said quietly.

I could feel him staring at me.

"Huh. Who knew people like you suffered like the rest of us?"

You have no idea. Not just in the love department, too.

"You know, I have this theory." I leaned forward and placed my elbows on my knees.
"We're all a bit fucked up inside. Some of us are just too damn good at hiding
it."

"You suck at hiding it," he stated, giving me an are-you-serious look.

Man, this dude was totally roasting me. It was refreshing as hell, especially when
it came from a scrawny looking guy like him.

"Am I?" I asked curiously.

He nodded. "Your eyes give it away."

"Damn," I smiled crookedly. "Secret's out, then."

"Actually, no." He scrutinized my face, leaning towards me probably for a better

look and staring at me with wonder. "You don't bother hiding it, do you?"

He was good.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"Oz."

"Lacy?" he gasped, eyes widening. "I heard about you."

Who hasn't?

"I go to Mount Valley Private," he said. "Or went. I'm Rafe."

 "Cool name. Rich kids are always the most fucked up ones."

He laughed. "You can say that again."

"So how are you dealing?"

"It gets better everyday," he shrugged. "Being around people who cares helps. They
get it, especially the volunteers."

"How'd you know it's not bullshit?" I scoffed, with a raised eyebrow.

"'Cause they've been through it, too."

I froze. "You mean . . ."

He got what I was trying to say because he nodded.

"Yeah," he confirmed tonelessly.

I stared off to a distance, as if putting pieces of the puzzle together. Without

meaning to, conversations from the past started to come back to me.

'Mom left us long before I could remember.'

My eyes narrowed as I remembered Halo's words.

'Dad died in Afghanistan when I was eleven.'

Nah, someone around that age wouldn't think of . . .

'Each of us have our own problems to deal with. It's all sucky just the
same.'

I released a breath, as I leaned my back on the couch.

'There's more to life than just surviving.'

I got to my feet, my forehead creased.

"I need to go," I stated.

"Didn't scare you off, did I?" teased Rafe.

I shook my head. "Nah, I just need to check on somebody."

He only nodded, turning his eyes back to the tv. I turned to leave, but stopped. I
looked back at him. At first glance, you wouldn't expect him to have
experienced something heavy.

But that was the funny thing about covers. You'd think all was good and
healthy on the outside until you open it and see the rotten insides.

"Hey, Rafe."

His eyes wandered to me. "Yeah?"

"Nice meeting you, man," I said truthfully.

He blinked, obviously not expecting me to say something like that. Then, a slow
smile appeared on his face.

"You, too."

With that, I went off to find Halo.

It didn't take me long. I ran fast – and I asked some nurses passing
by where she was. I found her in some staff room. It looked like the place where
they planned the schedules and stuff because she was arranging the huge calendar by
the window.

I still couldn't wrap my head around the fact that this amazing creature
tried to . . . Damn, I couldn't even say it. There was no way it could be
true, could it?

Halo finally turned her head, jumping in startle when she noticed me standing like
a fucking weirdo by the doorway.

"Holy mother of bacon!" she exclaimed, clutching her chest.

I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out.

"I thought you were hanging out in the recreational room?" she said, turning back
to the calendar after she composed herself. "I saw you chatting with Rafe.
He's a good guy."

He is. As are you. So why do good people try to commit horrid things?

She stopped what she was doing when I didn't answer. There must've been
something on my face because she put down the pen she was holding and stared at me.

"Oz, what is it?"

I walked towards her until we were only a foot apart.

Clearing my throat to make sure my voice didn't crack, I said, "Rafe

mentioned that the volunteers understand them most because they've been
through the same thing."

Halo visibly tensed, only adding my concern.

"Is it . . . Did you . . ." I shut my eyes closed and rubbed my face. "Fuck, I
can't say it."

I'm a wuss.

I'm a pussy-whipped wuss.

"I did," I heard her mumble.

I opened my eyes and trained them on her. She looked down for the longest minute,
fiddling with her wristwatch.

"A month after my dad passed away," she started, before taking off her watch.

I caught sight of something there. A scar, maybe? Confirming my thoughts, she

traced her forefinger on the mark. I stood there, speechless as fucking hell.

"I did this to myself," she murmured. Staring at the healed scar, she shook her
head. "I don't want someone to feel as alone as I once did. I want to help
people see that there's so much more out there to live for, if only we cared
enough to look."

'There's more to life than just surviving.'

"I'm looking," I told her, my eyes never leaving hers.

She gazed back at me. And for the first time since I've met her, I saw that
there was a hint of fear in her eyes. I didn't understand it. Was she scared
of falling deeper in love with me? Was she scared that I might never feel the same
way?

Before I could think more of it, she blinked and the fear was gone.

"You look like you're gonna smother me with cuddles," she said, amused.

The corner of my lips turned up. "I really fucking want to," I admitted. Then, I
added seriously, "But we gotta talk first."

She looked curiously at me, before whispering, "Aren't we already doing

that?"

"About Snow," I sighed.

"Oh," she replied, looking away.

I gently grabbed her chin to make her look at me. My fingertips tingled from the
contact. It had been a while since I've been this close and touched her.

"You don't have to fell threatened by her," I assured Halo. "Yeah, we have
history. But that's just it. History. She's my past."

Halo bit her lip.

"You are my present."

She looked at me with her Bambi-looking purple eyes.

"I'm sorry if I made you feel inadequate," I said, pained that she had to
endure that. "I'm sorry that fucking Scout had to teach you how to spike
instead of me."

I looked down, my tongue darting out to wet my bottom lip. My eyes returned to
hers, and I suddenly knew exactly what I wanted to say.

"And I'm sorry if I didn't try hard enough to assure you how I feel
about you. But trust me, I am fucking batshit crazy over you."

As if wanting to prove a point, I grabbed her wrist, traced the scar with my
thumb, and brought it up to my lips.

"You're in every way perfect for me, dork," I whispered softly.

Halo pouted and sniffed. I looked up and saw that her nose was a little red. Just
then, a tear rolled off her cheek.

"You're using charmspeak again," she complained.

 I chuckled, reaching up a free hand to wipe the tear away.

"I'm not a son of Aphrodite," I said.

"You might as well be," she muttered.

I slightly tugged her hand. "Hey." I waited till she looked at me, before adding,
"You should know I'm done with the payback. It's all over."

She blinked, confused.

"What?"

"That thing with McKinley was the finale," I explained.

"You did that?" she asked in shock. "You turned him over to the authorities?"

I shrugged nonchalantly. "I didn't have time to mess with him." I pinched her
nose. "See, I had to hunt down my stubborn girlfriend who was intent on avoiding
me."

She giggled, and I smiled.

Music to my ears.

"C'mere," I said, pulling her into a hug before she could say no. The moment
I smelled her hair, I sighed. "I missed you." So fucking much.

"I missed you, too," she mumbled against my chest.

"No more running, alright?"

No answer.

"Halo?"

"I don't make promises I can't keep," she finally said.

I snorted. "At least, you're honest."

She burst out laughing.

"I'll just have to chase your ass down, then," I shrugged, as if it was no
biggie.

"What if you get tired of chasing after me?" she asked. I could hear the clear
worry in her voice. I didn't even think she bothered to hide it.

I hugged her tighter. "Don't worry. I have a solid motivation."

She pulled her face away to look at me.

"What?"

I grinned. "My view of your cute butt."

She laughed and playfully shoved my face, before burying her face on my chest
again.
 I loved how she was so warm and fitted against me perfectly. It reminded me of
home. And just like that, it clicked. It suddenly made sense why I always longed
for her.

She's my home.

_____________

HAPPY CHRISTMAS!!!

This is my gift for y'all. A feel good chapter. LOL! Sorry if I've been
MIA. Took a break from responsibilities for a bit. But now I'm baaaaack! Boo
ya!

And can I just say how different writing Oz now is? I mean, before, he was all dark
and dark and some more dark. But now, there's that kind of peaceful aura when
I'm writing him. I dunno, is it just me?

Chapter 38 - Chapter 30: Turn Down For What [Cruel Me]

This is some Rated PG shit.

"It's like he went Hunger Games on me."

I made a face. The fuck?

"I was seriously so close to handing him a flashlight but he was too busy
exploring the depths of my insides. It's not like he's on his way to the
center of the earth or something."

I can't fucking take this anymore.

"Connie," I groaned, hanging my head and silently begging her to stop.

We were at my house, hanging out by the pool where the heart of the big ass party
was at. Music blasted off from the speakers, people danced in their swimsuits, and
booze flowed nonstop. It was turning out to be the party of the fucking year.

But then Connie just had to share her sexcapades.

"What?" she asked indignantly.

I sighed and rubbed my temple. "I know it's your birthday, but seriously?" I
gestured to the side of my head, and added, "My ears are fucking bleeding."

She scoffed. "Y'all can kiss and tell but I can't?"

"Don't you have girlfriends now to tell that shit to?"

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. They're too innocent for this stuff.
Besides, don't give me that crap. Compared to you, my experiences are as tame
as high school friggin' musical."

I looked away, putting the cup of beer to my lips. Keeping my eyes on the pool, I
tried to play it cool as I murmured, "We haven't done it yet."

I could practically feel Connie's eyes boring a hole on my face.

"No way," she whispered in disbelief.

I only shrugged.

"Why not?" she demanded.

"She's not ready yet."

"And you're willing to wait? You?"

I turned to face her. She had a skeptical eyebrow raised.

"Yeah," I said simply.

She stared. "Wow."

I smiled crookedly. "Doesn't mean we're not goofing around."

I'm no saint, after all.

Connie made a disgusted sound.

"Pig," she muttered.

"Said the girl who got his boyfriend to go all Dora the Explorer on her," I
smirked.

She looked up the night sky, took a deep breath, and released it.

"Why did I even think telling you that was a good idea?"

I chuckled. "Beats me."

My eyes wandered around, looking for a black-haired dork in the crowd. But I was
sure she was inside with her friends, probably down in the basement to get some
peace and quiet. That was the only place off limits to everyone but a select few.

Technically, I didn't lie to Connie. I didn't wanna go all the way with
Halo because she – and her body – was nowhere near ready. I'd
rather prime her first, you know? So that when the time comes, it wouldn't be
that painful for her.

Not promising that she wouldn't be sore, though. Then again, she had a pretty
damn good stamina. We might last all night.
 Huh.

I quickly shook my head, getting rid of my dirty thoughts. Having a raging hard on
in the middle of a crowded place like this wasn't the perfect timing.

Shit. Too late.

"We made it to the playoffs," sang Frisco, waltzing towards us while I subtlety
adjusted myself. "We made it to the playoffs. Ka-pow!" he exclaimed, saying the
last word right when he stopped in front of us. "What's up?"

Connie shrugged, while I looked around and spotted Alfie in the distance. He
pointed to Frisco, made a pushing gesture, then pointed to himself. I exchanged
glances with Connie. She nodded, and I brought back my eyes to Frisco.

"C'mon, why are you guys so chill about this?" said Frisco, bouncing a
little. "We made it to the darn playoffs!"

"Be happy when we win State," I told him.

"That's almost the same thing!"

I studied him then. His eyes were glazed and droopy. And while his body was
relaxed, there was a sense of restlessness with him. He was too hyper, too happy.

All of a sudden, I remembered Kurt brining his infamous happy brownies earlier.
And everything made sense.

"Hey, Frisco. Could I borrow your phone for a sec?" asked Connie casually.

Frisco handed it to her, totally oblivious.

"GOTCHA, YOU CURLY SONUVABITCH!" yelled Alfie, appearing out of nowhere and
tackling Frisco to the pool right beside us.

Connie and I burst out laughing.

"Sucker," I muttered.

"Spoke too soon," I heard Kurt sneer from behind me, before putting an arm around
my waist and pulling me with him into the water.

"Fuck!"

I swiftly threw my phone to Connie before I fully crashed to the water. Sure, I
got beer mixed with the water in the swimming pool now because I was still holding
my red cup. But honestly? I didn't give a shit.

As soon as I came up for air, I wiped my face and gripped Kurt's neck with an
arm.

"You're dead!" I declared.

"I ain't sorry!" he laughed, trying to wiggle his way out from my arm.

I tightened my grip. "You will be!"

Despite my threats, I had a shit-eating grin on my face. All of us had. We were

laughing and living our lives the way we should be. I was having a good time with
these mofos.

I was happy.

"Water fiiiiiiight!" screamed Alfie, grabbing the water gun that was just floating
there. He pointed it at us, with a wicked gleam in his eye.

Kurt and I exchanged quick horrified looks. At the same time, we lowered our heads
and shielded our faces. We splashed Alfie as much as we could without really
looking at him.

Like a fucking savior, I heard Frisco yell from the pool steps.

"Here!"

Then, he threw a couple of nerf guns to me and Kurt. As soon as I caught one, I
wasted no time. I gave Alfie a taste of his own medicine. I aimed and shot with one
eye closed, while splashing him with water with my free hand.

"Eat shit, O'neal!"

"Very original, Lacy!"

I wasn't really sure how long the fuck we went at it, but at some point the
four of us got exhausted from laughing and finally left the pool to rinse off.

By that time, Connie disappeared. I figured she was with Parker, continuing his
search in the forbidden pubic forest or whatever.

Ugh. Gonna have a hard time getting rid of that image.

After getting new clothes from my room, I went to find Halo. I left her alone and
gave her some space to have fun with her friends. We agreed not to be one of those
couples that was so lost in each other that they forget to spend time with their
friends.

But time was up. It was my turn.

"Where's Halo?" I asked Milo, when I got to the living room.

I looked around. It was packed with people, but I didn't see her.

"Ohhh! Hey, Oz!" He pouted. "No hi?"

My eyes switched to Brooklyn, who had her hands raised up. Her eyes were closed,
and she was smiling as she danced slowly to the beat. Suddenly, she froze and
opened her eyes. She grabbed Milo's hands, looking she was about to cry.

"This song is so emotional," she sobbed.

I cocked my head. The song being played was Turn Down For What.

"I get you, honey!" replied Milo.

These people were tripping.

"Halo, dude?" I asked again.

 Milo waved a dismissive hand. "She went to the kitchen to get something to eat,"
he answered a-matter-of-factly. Then, his eyes glazed as he glanced at the kitchen.

My eyes narrowed. "What?"

"I think she's drunk."

I think you're drunk.

My brows furrowed. I headed to the kitchen, ready to feed Halo. Even cook for her
if I had to. Okay, I meant order pizza or something.

But then I noticed Halo wasn't alone in the kitchen. Snow was there, too.

Damn.

Looked like Connie invited her, after all. Maybe Connie had moved on, which
wasn't really like her. Yeah, I bet she had an ulterior motive.

". . . really sorry about that time."

Shit. I'm eavesdropping again. But I swear not to run this time.

I peeked inside and caught Halo slightly sway on her feet. She was eating
something from the counter when she shrugged so much her shoulders reached her
ears.

"It's done," she said. "I'm actually pretty over it." She leaned her
face closer to Snow, while her eyes squinted. "Unless you broke the rules of
feminism and kissed him, which you aren't really allowed to do anymore."

"No," answered Snow quickly, shaking her head. "No, I didn't."

Halo released a huge sigh. "Okay, good. We're good."

She went on to eating again, while Snow stared at her like she was so out of this
world. Or maybe that was just me.

"Say, Halo?" started Snow, biting her lower lip.

"Yeah-huh?" Halo's voice was muffled from munching on the nachos.

"Um, what made you like him?"

What are you getting at, Snow?

I didn't know I was leaning closer till my forehead hit the door.

"Nothing made me like him. I just sorta did." Halo frowned thoughtfully and looked
at Snow. "Girl, have you seen that boy? He's freaking oozing of hotness! Not
to mention, he's surrounded by this aura of awesomeness! I did say he's
hot, right?"

A smile made its way to my lips.

"Yeah, you did," nodded Snow, with a little smile.

Halo looked around the room. "I wonder if they have Nutella."
 It's on the upper cupboard behind the cereal box.

"Do you think he's a good guy?"

I stilled, took a step back, and leaned on the table beside the doorway.

"Uh-huh," Halo answered distractedly, her eyes scanning the counter. "Don't
you?"

"Sometimes," shrugged Snow.

"There's good in everyone, you know." Halo grabbed a nacho and split it in
half. She showed the smaller half to Snow. "No matter how small."

The corner of my mouth turned up.

"I always thought he was too worried about his ego to man up and be kind."

And there it was. I shook my head and let out a tiny humorless laugh. I was
starting to wonder where the feisty Snow was at, but she was still there.

"He is kind," protested Halo, giving Snow the stink eye. "In his own way, at
least."

Right. Halo wouldn't give anyone the stink eye unless she was drunk.

"To his friends, yeah. But what about other random people? I know deep down,
there's something there." Snow shook her head. "It's just sad how he
can't show it more."

"He is," insisted Halo, looking behind the toaster. "People are just too caught up
in his bad side that they don't see it."

This girl's confidence in me is astounding.

Snow didn't speak for a while, she only stared at Halo.

"From the sound of it, you seemed to have liked him for a long time now."

"Since freshman year," replied Halo without skipping a beat, raising a hand
proudly as she looked under the sink.

Who hides their Nutella under the sink?

I cracked a smile, shaking my head in amusement this time.

"HA! Found it!" grinned Halo, wiggling her hips and bouncing as she brought the
jar to the island counter. "Nutella, you the bomb!"

"You're like a ray of sunshine," laughed Snow.

Halo winked. "Hope I don't blind you."

I tilted my head, my eyes narrowing. Was that subtle sass just now?

But Snow didn't seem to catch it because she laughed again. Leaning her back
on the counter opposite Halo, she smiled warmly.

"I see why he fell for you."

 Halo paused thoughtfully. "We haven't had sex yet, though. Is that bad?"

Snow blinked. "P – Pardon?"

Yep, that's my cue.

I strutted in and acted like I haven't been listening in to their

conversation for the past few minutes. I acted like I just hadn't heard them
talk about me, with Halo defending my ass at every turn. I felt kinda useless, to
be honest.

"There you are, you dork," I told Halo, ruffling her hair when I came up to her.
She only stuck her tongue out at me. My eyes went to Snow, and I nodded. "Hey."

She nodded back. "Hey."

From the corner of my eye, I caught Halo dipping her fingers in Nutella.

"That's dirty," I commented.

"Psh," scoffed Halo, rolling her eyes. "You're not a cop."

I leaned closer to study her, raising her chin so I could look her in the eye.

"How much did you drink?" I asked.

"Dunno," she shrugged nonchalantly. "But oh!" she added excitedly. "Kurt offered
me these brownies and I ate a bunch of 'em and they taste so good and I'm
so hungry!"

"Shit." That explained it. "Halo, baby," I said gently. "You're high as
fuck."

She laughed, as if I just made the funniest joke ever.

"No, I'm not."

But then after a moment, she gasped. Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open.
She looked at me with a shocked expression.

"Oh, no! I'm baked!" she whispered.

"Lit is more like it," I chuckled. "Come on, I'll take you to my room till it
wears off."

She giggled and clapped. "Okay, I'll take it off!"

I kept myself from laughing.

"No, dork," I said, shaking my head in amusement. "I didn't mean your
clothes. It's the – You know what, just let me handle it. Cool?"

"Cool!" she grinned, with her eyes drooping. Then, she leaned her head on my
chest. "I'll just take a quick nap for a sec. Hmm. You smell nice."

Smiling, I grabbed a hand towel from the counter and cleaned off her chocolate-
coated fingers. I could feel Snow's eyes on me from the other side of the
room.
 "Thanks for not leaving her alone," I said, without looking at her.

"No problem," was her only reply.

I looked at her. "Connie invited you."

She looked down. "Yeah."

"You guys finally talked?"

She raised her head and frowned. "Not really."

"You will," I assured her.

"Thanks," she smiled.

I threw the towel on the sink and gently rubbed Halo's back.

"Halo, come on."

She straightened up and shook her head wildly, looking lost.

"Wait! My Nutella!" she cried, snatching the jar from the counter. "Okay, all
set!"

I nodded a goodbye to Snow before we left the kitchen. She only waved a hand.

I couldn't get rid of the cold feeling I slightly had towards her. She
must've sensed it. I couldn't exactly help it. Maybe it was from hearing
her talk about me the way she used to. I thought she was past that. I thought we
were past that.

I get what she was trying to say. But it was just annoying as hell how people
insisted you were this and that, when you wanted to be fucking something else.

All thoughts went out the window when I heard Halo laugh beside me. It wasn't
hard to focus on her. I knew she was adorkable when she was drunk. But when she was
high? She was all kinds of cute when she was this lit.

It was a struggle bringing her up to my room. She kept stopping to high five
people she didn't even know. By the time we were safely in my room, she was
exhausted. That didn't stop her from eating, though. With her fingers. Again.

At some point, she smeared chocolate all over her mouth.

I'm a guy with self-control. But I can only take so much.

I closed the gap between us and licked the chocolate off her lips. She giggled and
tried to pull away, but I only leaned in closer. This caused her to laugh more and
shove my face using her Nutella-filled hands, and of course getting chocolate all
over my cheeks.

When she saw her artwork, she burst out in hysterical laughter. Her head was
pulled back, her eyes were closed from laughing too much, and her nose wrinkled.
The sound of her laughter somehow lit up my bedroom, despite the fact that the
lights were turned off.

Damn. I could stare at her like this all day.

 "So cute," I murmured, watching her.

She stopped all of a sudden and covered her nose.

"Oops, snot's dripping out."

"Gross," I automatically said.

She laughed again.

Just as I leaned down to the foot of my bed to get some tissue, someone knocked on
my door. Shit. I was almost out of tissues.

"What?" I yelled out, as I wiped Halo's nose for her.

She kept giggling.

The door opened, and Kurt came in.

"Whoa, it's dark in here."

"Hit the lights," I told him.

When he did, he took one look at me and grimaced.

"Dude, you got shit on your face."

"Nutella," I explained.

He leered. "Kinky."

I rolled my eyes, and threw the tissue to the bin.

"What do you want?"

"Oh, yeah. Where the mops at?"

"What d'you need it for?"

He smirked. "We're playing this game. You gotta come down and join us. For
real."

I shook my head. "Nah, I'm good. Mop's in the closet down the –"
I paused and glanced at Halo. She was eating again. "I'll come with you. I
need supplies, anyway." I stood up, and kissed Halo on the head. "Be right back."

"Hurry!" pouted Halo, reaching out a hand.

I grinned, before closing the door behind me.

"Your girl's a lightweight," laughed Kurt, when we got to the hallway. He

adjusted his snapback, turning it backwards so it gave him a friendlier look.

"You gave her happy brownies, you fucker," I accused, punching him on the arm.

"Sorry not sorry," he shrugged.

I frowned. "She's not into that shit."

 He snorted. "Thought you said she's no angel."

"Yeah, but . . ." I sighed. "I dunno."

"What's the harm? Better in the house than outside."

I stared at him. "Mom?" I mocked.

He flipped me the bird, making me chuckle.

"Worry about your girl later," he added seriously. "We got a bigger fish to fry."

My eyes narrowed, as I tried to decode his words.

"What –"

"Hey, Kurt!" bellowed someone from downstairs. "To hell with the mops! We're
using billiard sticks instead! It's game on, mothahfuckah!"

"A'ight!" He turned to me, and shrugged. "Duty calls."

"Go have fun," I nodded.

"Yes, Dad," he snorted.

"Fuck you," I laughed, letting out a crooked smile. "Don't break anything."

Kurt looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Not permanently," he grinned.

I cocked my head, trying to figure out what he said.

He saluted, before hurrying down the stairs.

No matter how many times I replayed it, his answer didn't make any sense. And
I wasn't in the mood for riddles tonight.

I decided to shrug it off and get some more Kleenex so I could go back to my room
and take care of my girl. I walked to the end of the hall, passing bedrooms that I
was pretty sure were all occupied by now. The music muffled their noises, thank
fuck.

You know, I didn't get shocked too often. Maybe because I tended to see
things a mile away. Or maybe I've seen too much in my life that rarely
anything surprised me anymore.

So imagine the look on my face when I opened the closet, and waiting for me was
the biggest. Fucking. Shock. Of my life.

Her hands were tangled in his hair and her legs were wrapped around his waist.
While he was so into it that he was practically grinding her against the fucking
wall.

I couldn't even believe my own eyes. There was just no way in hell this was
happening. I almost slapped myself just to see if this was real. I couldn't
even speak. I just stood there like a retard, speech-fucking-less.
 Holy. Shit.

They were the last couple I expected to catch making out.

Making out! Like sex-deprived bunnies!

When they realized they had company, Connie quickly pushed him away.

But it was too late. I already saw enough.

I was scarred for fucking life.

My best friend then decided it was the perfect time to clear his throat.

"Now would be the time to say 'what the fuck?'"

Chapter 39 - Chapter 31: No Diggity [Cruel Me]

Shit just got real.

The three of us stared at each other for so long that I heard the music change
twice in the background. Nobody spoke. No one knew what to say.

Connie ran a hand through her hair after pulling down her black tank top to cover
up herself. Her eyes switched from me to Alfie, while he stood there scratching the
back of his head and not even bothering to pick up his shirt from the floor.

In our circle of friends, us three knew each other the oldest. Our bond was
tighter than the rest. That was why Connie couldn't resist it whenever me or
Alfie asked her to cook for us or to make us a sandwich. She never gave us shit for
it.

I was sure a lotta people would think this was incest. I would've been one of
them, if it wasn't for the fact that I've seen Alfie get weirdly
protective of Connie sometimes.

"What's that on your face?" asked my best friend.

That broke my trance. His face was scrunched up as he tried to figure out what was
on my cheek. I caught sight of a tissue roll on a shelf only an arm away. I quickly
grabbed one and wiped the chocolate off my face.

Then, I returned my eyes on them.

"Well, this isn't something you see everyday," I finally said.

I knew I should've come up with something wittier. But whatever, man. I just
saw my two closest friends suck each other's faces like there was no tomorrow.
I was a bit shaken up, cut me some slack.
 "This isn't what it looks like!" panicked Connie, stepping forward.

"Pretty sure it is what it looks like, babe," shrugged Alfie.

She shot him a glare. "Don't you 'babe' me like one of your bimbos,
Alfie," she spat.

"How d'you know it's you?" my best friend snorted. "Maybe I'm
talking to Oz." He sent me a look that said to go along with it.

"Yep, I'm your bimbo," I said tonelessly.

Alfie chuckled. "That's what she said." He paused, realizing what he said.
Then, a slow grin made its way to his lips. He looked pretty pleased with himself.

"Put a damn shirt on," hissed Connie.

"I thought you wanted them off," he smirked, taking a step closer to her.

I raised my hands up. "Hey, quit flirting. I'm scarred enough." I turned to
Connie. "You do know that's not your boyfriend, right?" I asked her. "What
happened to Parker?"

She looked away and avoided my eyes.

"What?" I asked.

"Motherfucker cheated on her," growled Alfie, grabbing his shirt from the floor.
When he stood back up, his expression was dark.

I froze. I could practically feel every vein in my body popping in rage.

"Say that again," I told him, my voice dangerously low.

Alfie chinned up, his eyes looked dead.

"She caught him sucking faces with a bang bunny earlier."

My hands turned to fists.

"Where the fuck is he?"

Connie sighed, rolling her eyes. "He's not worth it."

"Kurt's already taking care of him," stated Alfie.

Her head whipped to him in shock. "I told you not to do anything."

"Yeah," he snorted, "like we'll let that little shit go."

I'm surprised he didn't join in. Probably too busy comforting Connie.

I frowned.

Wait. Was that why Kurt asked for the mops?

Oh, hell no.

 "Shit," I muttered, before I took off and ran down the stairs as fast as I could.

They wouldn't want an audience with them beating up one of our own, so I was
pretty sure they were outside. If I had to guess, it would be behind the pool
house.

I ran through the sea of people. I almost got beer spilled on me, but I dodged it
quick. The dude behind me wasn't so lucky. By the time I got to the pool
house, Parker was tied to the tree looking like he was about to shit his pants.

Damn. Made it just in time.

"Oz!"

They all turned their heads to my direction. Kurt nodded.

"Want in on the fun?" he smirked.

My eyes found Frisco beside Kurt. He cleared his throat and lowered his head, then
I turned my attention to the billiard stick he was holding.

"What the fuck are you doing?" I asked them.

"We're gonna play darts," explained Kurt, like it was no biggie. "A bigger
target means bigger sticks. You add that up."

I stared at a scared shitless Parker on the tree, before scanning everyone's

faces. Most of them had wicked gleams in their eyes, while some looked uneasy as
hell. I bet those who didn't want this were his close friends. They
couldn't say anything because Kurt was leading this raid. And anybody would
have to be fucking crazy to go against Kurt.

Except me.

"Let him go," I ordered.

Everybody gawked at me.

Seeing everyone gang up on Parker like this reminded me of Rafe and the loner girl
at the Youth Center. It felt wrong and sick. Though Parker deserved bloody hell for
what he did, doing this to him wasn't right.

We weren't the fucking mafia.

"Untie the dickface and let him the fuck go," I deadpanned.

Two of the uneasy ones stepped forward and quickly untied Parker. Kurt stared at
me with his mouth open in disbelief.

"Dude, what the?"

"I wanna handle this right," I said seriously.

"Yeah? What're you gonna do, tell his fucking parents?"

I could tell he was frustrated because I spoiled his fun. But this wasn't the
right thing to do if we wanted the sucker to learn a lesson.

"No," I answered calmly. "I'll give him hell the right way."
 Frisco frowned at me, while Kurt looked completely lost.

"Thanks, Oz," said Parker, when he passed by me.

"Don't thank me yet," I replied, my voice deadly cold. He stopped dead in his
tracks and looked at me. "Connie's like a sister to the team. You disrespect
her, you disrespect all of us." I stepped closer to him. "You disrespect me."

He shook his head. "The chick came onto me. I di –"

"Stop the bullshit," I frowned. "If you're not ballsy enough to handle a girl
like Connie, you shouldn't have went after her. That only makes you a
fuckboy."

He shut up.

"On Monday, the defensive line will take turns tackling you," I informed him.

"Hey, I wanna have a go at him," piped up Kurt.

I raised an eyebrow at him. "Last time you tackled someone that pissed you off, he
was sent to the hospital." I nodded to Parker. "He maybe a goddamn shithead, but
he's still a good fullback. We need him on the team, so we're just gonna
rough him up a bit."

I scanned the faces of my teammates. I raised a hand and pointed the tissue roll
at them, completely forgetting that I was still holding it. Shit. Just gotta go
with it now.

"Anybody got a problem with that?" I asked, in a no-nonsense tone.

Nobody spoke, but I caught them eyeing the tissue. It took all my willpower to
keep a straight face on. At least, I didn't have chocolate shit on my face
anymore.

Thank God Alfie wasn't here.

"Sounds reasonable to me," shrugged Frisco, throwing the stick to the grass.

Kurt sighed. "Fine."

"If you pull through it without whining," I started, lowering my hand and turning
back to Parker, "then we'll be cool again. For now, fuck the hell off."

He rubbed his face, before walking away with his shoulders slouched. His two
friends followed after him to the main house. I caught one slapping him on the back
of his head, as if scolding him. The other one was shaking his head in disapproval.

Without saying anything to the rest of the team, I stormed off. I was seething
angry after dealing with that ass Parker. I shouldn't have let him anywhere
near Connie. Damn it.

I headed back upstairs to check on Halo. When I opened the door to my room, I was
a bit taken aback by how bright it was in there. See, I wasn't used to turning
on the lights and I always kept the curtains shut. Plus, I didn't stay around
much in here.

But whoa. I didn't know it was this neat.

 Sure, the bed wasn't made. But there were no clothes and shit on the floor. I
kept my dirty clothes in the laundry bin in the bathroom. My desk was bare, because
I usually studied in the den. And all my other stuff were in the basement. The only
thing that gave life to my room was the football mural on the wall across my bed.

Speaking of . . .

My eyes traveled to the bed, where Halo was still devouring the Nutella. I sighed
and walked towards her. She smiled lazily when she saw me. I sat beside her, taking
the jar away and placing it on the bedside table.

She pouted but didn't say anything. I then went on to wiping off the
chocolate on her fingers, then on her mouth. She didn't make a fuss. When I
looked at her, I saw that her expression was blank as she stared at me.

As soon as I was done cleaning her up, she leaned back and grabbed my red blanket.
I watched as she placed it around my shoulders.

"Now you're super mad!" she grinned.

I snorted.

"I read it on the internet," she explained excitedly, rubbing her nose in the most
un-ladylike manner. "It works!" she added, laughing.

A little smile made its way to my lips. Just like that, all was good again.

Damn this girl.

"I'm hungry."

I chuckled. "I'm sure."

Halo scratched her throat.

"You want water?"

She nodded wildly. "Yes, with straw please."

I gave her an incredulous look. But then, she suddenly covered her mouth. My eyes
widened. She stayed still for a moment, before relaxing and lowering her hands.

"False alarm," she sheepishly assured me. "I'm oka –"

She lurched forward and barfed. Athletic me reached out my hands on reflex in
record time . . . and caught the puke.

It was warm.

Awesome.

* * *

I lifted the cup to my lips as I watched people get more wasted by the minute.
This was proving to be a long ass night.

After putting Halo to bed, I went back down to monitor the party – just to
keep an eye on things and make sure nobody's being a fucktard.
 I leaned my back on the patio chair and released a breath.

"I'm here to pick up Snow."

I glanced at the dude who spoke. He quietly walked over and took a seat on the
chair beside mine. I didn't warrant him an answer and turned my attention back
to the party.

"I've been doing some digging."

About damn time.

He sighed deeply, making me look at him. I had to squint my eyes because it was
dark. He looked pretty broken, like the world betrayed him or something. His green
eyes showed nothing but utter disappointment.

"I think I know what happened – who started it."

"Good for you," I said nonchalantly.

He ran a hand through his red hair, his expression in disbelief.

"I didn't wanna believe it," he admitted, his voice cracking. "But no matter
which way I looked at it, they all kept pointing to . . ." He stopped and closed
his eyes, shaking his head. "I'm sorry, Oz." I could practically feel the
sincerity oozing from him.

My eyes wandered to the people around the pool, dancing and laughing. No enemies.
No grudges. No worries.

I've waited so freaking long for Scout to figure it all out. Now that he has,
I've already made a decision to drop out of this messed up game.

It's too late.

"It's over, man," I breathed out.

I could feel him looking at me.

"We're done," I shrugged.

Silence.

"That's it?"

"Yep," I said simply, before sipping from my beer.

"Aren't you wondering why?" he frowned.

I raised an eyebrow. "Was that supposed to be a joke are you really just stupid?"

Scout considered it. "Yeah, okay."

I made a there-you-go gesture.

"But don't you wanna know the details?" he urged. "Why keep me in the dark?
Why choose to . . . stoop that low?" His jaw clenched. "I still can't believe
they had anything to do with that. Nothing about that is right."
 I snorted. "And you wonder why they didn't let you in on the secret?"

He leaned back, rubbing a hand on his face. He looked so troubled.

"I owe your team a huge apology," he muttered.

"Why?" I smiled mockingly and cocked my head. "You ain't the one who burned
down our building and almost killed Adam, but definitely ruined his career. You
ain't the one who destroyed our season and the chances of the seniors getting
scouted. When you think about it, you're just a mere bystander to all this."

Yet I harassed you, too.

Honestly, I wanted to tell him sorry. He didn't really deserve the shitty
things I've said to him before. But no matter how much I opened my mouth, the
word wouldn't come out. I felt like there was a lump in my throat. Or maybe it
was just pride.

"But they're my teammates," insisted Scout. Quietly, he added, "They're

my friends."

"It's done," I said, looking back at the crowd. "There's nothing more to
it."

All of a sudden, I felt something heavy on my chest – a strong ass urge to
do something uncharacteristic and gross. I also hated the fact that I knew I had to
let it out, or else it would drive me fucking crazy.

I took a deep breath.

"Hey, Crimson."

"Yeah?"

I met his stare. Without realizing it, I gripped my cup so hard that I ended up
crushing it. Good thing there wasn't much beer left in it or that
would've been a waste.

"I know," he said, with a small smile.

My forehead creased.

"What you're trying to say," he explained, nodding, "I get it."

Damn.

No wonder everyone loved him so much. He was just so fucking good at being good.
He was practically a male version of Mary Poppins.

The corner of my mouth turned up, as I looked away. I tossed the empty cup
carelessly on the ground, all the while acknowledging that deep down I knew I
respected this guy.

"I'll help," he announced a-matter-of-factly.

"With what?" I asked.

"Getting to the bottom of this," he replied firmly.

 "Dude," I sighed, hanging my head.

"I said some pretty nasty things, Oz." He frowned. "I falsely accused you of being
the bad guy when all along it was – This is my way of making up for it." He
sent me a determined look. "Let me do it."

I shook my head, the tip of my tongue darting out to wet my bottom lip.

"My friends and I spent the last few months plotting our revenge, drowning in
fucking misery at the injustice of it all. But you know what I realized?" I turned
to him. "Whatever kinda shit life throws at us, all we can ever do is either deal
with it or kick it to the curb."

The dipshits got what they deserved. We dealt with it, and we got our revenge. Now
it was time to kick it to the damn curb and move the fuck on.

Scout looked down on his hands, absentmindedly playing with his keys.

"And honestly, Crimson?"

He raised his head and waited for me to continue.

"I just don't give a shit anymore."

_____________

Whatcha think? Will their lives be quiet at last or do you believe shit is just
about to hit the fan?

Btw, did you know that there's only 9 chapters left?! :O 

Chapter 40 - Chapter 32: Latch [Cruel Me]

Fourth down.

We needed a touchdown to win.

I will not fucking lose in someone else's turf.

"This is our last shot," deadpanned Alfie, looking at each one of us.

Frisco looked up at the night sky in concern.

"It's just a little rain, dude," I told him.

"Yeah, I know," he nodded, but I could still see that he was uneasy.

"What's up?"

"Tonight just feels off is all."

 I frowned. "What do you mean?"

He shook his head. "Probably nothing."

"Frisco," called Alfie in the huddle, "you up for it?"

Frisco blinked, taken aback at the sudden attention from everyone.

"Sorry, what?"

I cocked my head a little, my eyes narrowing as I studied him. He didn't look

like he was in any condition to play. He seemed pretty out of it.

"Dude, c'mon," sighed Alfie. "Keep your head in the game."

"I'll just make a run for it," I said, turning to my best friend.

He raised an eyebrow at me. "You sure?"

"It's only about forty yards," piped up Parker. "He can do it."

All eyes were on him.

"Too soon to kiss ass, bro," said Kurt, shaking his head.

The rest of the team snickered.

It already had been a few weeks actually. But Kurt and Alfie still couldn't
let it go. Kurt was just prissy 'cause he didn't get his fun that night
at the party.

While Alfie, on the other hand . . . Well, once you're on his bad side,
you're stuck there. Don't get me wrong. That doesn't entirely mean
he's out to get you. It simply means you're dead to him. Forever.

"Oz," he emphasized. "You sure about this, man?"

I looked him in the eye. "Just give me the ball, and I'll take care of the
rest."

"Your call." He took a deep breath and turned to the team. "Alright, you heard the
man. Cover him – especially you," he added, pointing to Parker. "That
clear?"

Parker nodded determinedly.

"Now, let's win this game and get out of this goddamn boring town!"

"'Chargers' on three!" I shouted. "One – two – three

–"

"CHARGERS!"

We scattered and took our positions on the field.

"Got your back, man."

I sighed, straightened up, and faced Parker.

 "Don't push it."

He groaned and nodded. "It's just –"

I shot him a look, and that made him shut up. Thank God. At the sound of the
whistle, I crouched back down.

Game time.

"Hut!"

As soon as Alfie passed me the ball, I took off running. I went as fast as my legs
could take it. Parker did his job in paving the path for me, blocking some
dickfaces along the way.

30 yards left.

Someone lunged from my left, and I dodged him just in time. It broke my pace but I
managed to keep it up again.

20 yards.

Parker tackled someone, leaving me alone. Okay, no biggie. It wasn't the

first time this happened. I could handle it.

10 yards.

Just a little more. Come fucking on.

Then, I saw a cocksucker about to block my path. But I juked out the safety at the
last second and ran past him on the way to a touchdown.

HELL YEAH!

As if on cue, the buzzer went off. The crowd went wild, cheering so damn loud my
ears deafened for a moment. I felt my teammates slap the back of my helmet –
probably my ass too, but I was too sore to give a shit. We were one step closer to
being State Champs!

I forgot it was raining till I took off my helmet and felt the pour on my head.
Closing my eyes, I raised my head towards the sky and grinned. With the raindrops
on my face, I felt so fucking free. It was best damn feeling in the world.

"Hey, Grinch!"

My eyes snapped open at the voice. I turned my head and saw my girl running
towards me. Her dress was soaked wet but she didn't care, she was wearing the
biggest smile.

I caught her and lifted her up in the air, causing her to burst out laughing. I
knew we probably looked like we were in a sappy chick flick, but I honestly could
not give a fuck.

I'm happy because my girl's happy. That's all that matters.

When I put her down, I didn't let go of her yet. Instead, I wrapped my arms
around her and hugged her tight. And then, the words just came out.
 No warning. No explanation. No nothing.

"I love you," I whispered against her hair.

I've known for a while now. I just waited for the right time to say it.

She stilled. For a moment, I panicked. Lots of possible bad scenarios filled my
head. But then she relaxed, pressing her body into mine.

"I love you, too."

A slow smile made its way to my lips. I pulled away to see her face.

"You mean it?" I asked.

"Do you?"

"Every word."

She smiled warmly at me. "Me, too."

I stared at her, pushing wet strands of her hair behind her ears. She closed her
eyes, and I noticed yet again how long her lashes were. I kissed her nose, making
her smile wider.

We just admitted those three words while we were standing in the middle of the
rain. Nothing could get more romantic than that.

"Hey, let's skip the party tonight," I suggested, trying to keep the hopeful
tone in my voice. "We could just stay in and watch a movie or something."

Her eyes opened, her head tilting. "What about your friends?"

"Nah." I made a face. "Not in the mood for all that noise."

She bit her lip. "They might mind."

"Halo, baby," I began seriously. "I've been attending Friday night parties
for as long as I could fucking remember. I'm way past that stage. So
don't worry about my dickhead friends, alright? I want a break from all that
shit. I just wanna cuddle on the couch with my girl."

"If you're sure . . . Ooh!" she exclaimed suddenly, her eyes practically
twinkling. "Let's watch The Originals!"

I grimaced. "Whaaat?"

"Aw, come on," she begged, giving me that cute Bambi look. "I've been dying
to watch the second season because I heard Kol finally fell in love with someone."
Her eyes widened. "I mean, hello! If you've watched The Vampire Diaries,
you'd know that Kol Mikaelson does not fall in love. He's heartless and
cruel and cunning. That's why it's just so exciting!"

I chuckled.

God, anything for this girl.

"Fine," I sighed, giving in.

 She made a fist in the air in triumph, making me laugh.

"Wait for me in the car while I go shower."

I let her drive Shade on the way here because it was required for all the players
to ride the bus on away games. I bet I could convince Coach to let me have a slip,
though.

"There's an extra towel on the trunk," I informed her. "Turn on the heater
and warm yourself up, okay?"

Halo smiled and nodded. "Have I told you how secure I feel whenever I'm with
you? You make me feel safe."

"No, but you should say it more often," I grinned. "I love hearing it."

"Because you looove me," she teased, wiggling her eyebrows.

I laughed. "I knew I should've kept it to myself."

"The Grinch has fallen in love!" She gasped, her eyes widening in realization.
"Oh, my God. You're just like Kol!"

I shook my head in amusement. "Let's go before we get pneumonia. See you in a

bit," I added, pecking her lips.

She giggled against my mouth, causing my grin to broaden. When I let her go, I
winked at her before dashing off to the locker room.

I can't wait for the rest of night.

* * *

"You ready to go?" asked Alfie, on our way out of the tunnel from the locker room.

"Not going to the party," I said nonchalantly.

He stopped walking. "What?"

I glanced over to him. "I have plans."

He stared, as if seeing me for the first time.

"You never miss a party," he muttered.

I only shrugged.

"But we're celebrating!" he added, catching up to me and adjusting the strap

of his gym bag on his shoulder.

I snorted. "We're always celebrating."

"Dude, it's Friday," he reminded me. "Where you gonna go?"

We made it to the exit and realized that it stopped raining. My eyes found Halo by
my car. She was waiting outside, with a towel wrapped around her.

"I'm gonna chill with my girl," I smiled.

 "Ah," my best friend dragged in understanding. "Netflix and chill," he leered.

I laughed and shoved him. "Not like that."

"Whatever," he chuckled.

But then, the smile on his face slowly disappeared. I watched as his eyes landed
on Connie across the parking lot. She happily waved at Halo before facing Milo and
Brooklyn, looking as if nothing bothered her.

"Con's still pretending it didn't happen?" I asked, because I was nosy

bastard.

"Pretty much."

My brows raised. "Thought you'd prefer that."

He laughed in disbelief as he looked at me.

"What?"

"Well, it's not like you'll pursue her – and she knows that,
because she knows you."

He nodded, frowning. "Yeah, yeah. I get it."

"You don't seem to like it, though," I noticed.

"No, I don't," he admitted, rubbing his face.

I hung my head. "Stop talking in fucking riddles."

"I'm not," he protested. "It's just . . . Fuck, she's driving me

nuts," he added in barely a whisper, more to himself. He shook his head and faced
me. "You know what, just enjoy your night with Buckley. I plan to have an awesome
night, preferably with two chicks giving me all the attention I need –
everywhere I need it."

I shook my head in amusement. "Don't you ever get tired of the booze and
boobs?"

"Oz, we're young," he reasoned, raising both of his arms as he backed away
from me. "It's part of life. Nothing in this world is permanent, you know.
We're gonna grow old someday and before that happens, I'm gonna enjoy
every bit of my fucking youth. Get it? Got it? Good. Hasta la vista, baby!"

With that, he turned around and headed to the bus. I sighed.

Someday, he's gonna eat his words. I hope I'm there to laugh in his
face.

I walked to Halo and looked at her disapprovingly.

"I told you to wait in the car," I sighed, rubbing her arms to warm her up.

She smiled sheepishly. "I talked to the girls for a bit."

"That include Connie?"

 She looked at me weird. "Of course."

I wonder if Connie told her about her sexcapade with Alfie.

"Who's she riding with?" I asked instead.

"Milo and Brooklyn," she answered, briefly glancing across the parking lot.

"Ah," I nodded, then smirked. "See, they're always with you that I keep
forgetting Milo actually owns a car."

"Hey!" she said, playfully hitting my arm.

I chuckled. "You ready to go?"

"Yup, I'm ready for Kol," she sang, grinning.

"Oh, no," I told her seriously. "We ain't watching that show if you're
gonna drool at the screen whole time."

She burst out laughing, making me smile a little.

"You know you're the only knight in my eyes," she teased.

My hands found her waist, and I closed the gap between us.

"Yeah?" I whispered. "And what d'you wanna be?"

"Hmm," she pretended to think, placing a forefinger on her chin. "I'm good
with being me. After all, Halo Buckley has the coolest boyfriend in the world. What
more can a girl ask?"

My grin could've fucking reached both ends of North and South pole.

Damn, this girl.

"Well, my lady," I began, chuckling, "please proceed to your chariot."

I've turned into a sappy, sappy creature.

Ah, who gives a shit.

I bowed and opened the passenger door for her, and she giggled a 'thank
you' before climbing in. Then, I hurried to my side of the car and got in.
After keying the ignition, I revved the engine and we hit the road.

We argued for a bit whether to drop by at the diner to get some food or not, but
we ended up with the decision to order pizza instead.

I was so looking forward to our night together, especially after a long ass game.
I just wanted to relax on the couch with my girl. Sure, we were gonna watch a show
about fucking vampires. But hell, I'd only watch Halo anyways.

When we got to the house, my eyes automatically landed on the silver car parked in
the driveway. My body instantly went on alert, and I fought the urge to groan.

"Shit."
 Halo's head whipped to me. "What is it?"

I parked my BMW beside the Corvette and scanned the house. It looked pretty
normal, only it contained a beast inside.

"Clyde's here."

Halo blinked. "Oh."

So much for just chilling on the couch.

"Am I gonna get eaten?"

I laughed, looking at her incredulously. I bet it was Alfie who filled her in with
stories about my older brother. But when I saw real worry in her eyes, I leaned in
and gently cupped her cheeks.

"No, I won't let him eat you," I assured her. She released a breath, as her
body relaxed. Then, I smirked. "Because I will – and you're gonna enjoy
it."

Her purple eyes widened in shock. "Oz!" she scoffed.

"Hey, you got that joke," I mocked, with a laugh.

It was no joke, though. I was actually very serious.

She snorted. "It was pretty obvious."

"I know," I grinned. "Now, come on. The sooner we know what my brother wants, the
sooner we can kick him out."

We climbed out of the car and walked to the house. I caught Halo running her
fingers through her hair, while she chewed on her lip. I grabbed her hand to make
her stop.

"Quit fidgeting," I told her. "I got you, dork."

She stopped walking when we were on the doorsteps, making me glance at her. She
stared at the door for a second, before looking up at me.

"If he doesn't like me, can I bail?" she asked worriedly.

"If he doesn't like you," I began, "he can bail."

She frowned at me. "But he's your brother."

The corner of my lips turned up, and I pinched her nose.

"And you're my home, dork."

Like always, she giggled and pulled her face away.

Just as I was about to turn and reach for the doorknob, the front door opened.
Instead of my brother, I laid eyes on not just one – but two women in the
foyer.

"Finally!" sighed one of the blondes in exasperation. She was fashionably dressed
in corporate attire, while her hair was perfectly curled like those from the
nineteen-fifties. "I was wondering where you were, you little booger," she added,
glaring at me.

I froze. I – I couldn't find my voice.

"Oh, please," said the older one behind her, holding a martini with a hand. This
blonde was dressed to impress – the old bats at the country club, at least.
Honestly, she looked like a senator's wife or something. It made me wanna
barf. "It's Friday night. I'm surprised he's even home early."

The younger one's eyes traveled to Halo, and she raised an eyebrow. That
snapped me out of my frozen state.

"He's got . . . a girl with him."

"It's not the redhead, is it? That girl is too loud."

I rolled my eyes and opened my mouth to say something when Halo beat me to it.

"Hi, I'm Halo," said my girl warmly, waving a hand at them.

The two witches just stared at her.

"It's rude to stare," said a deep male voice.

All heads turned to the direction of the stairs. We watched Clyde walk down in all
his charming glory. He was still wearing a suit. It was pretty obvious they just
arrived from their respective lives in the City. Clyde had that infamous smile on
his face as he neared us.

"That's not just any girl, mind you," he stated, his eyes on Halo.

I had the sudden urge to hide Halo behind me, even though I knew he wouldn't
touch her – not when I was around. See, I knew he had my best interest at
heart. That was exactly why I was worried, though. He simply didn't care about
anyone else.

Family always comes first, no matter what the cost.

Clyde seemed to notice because his eyes narrowed at me in curiosity.

"I see," he nodded, his smile widening. "She's your girlfriend, isn't
she?"

"No shit," I smiled sarcastically.

At first, the two women's faces were ebbed with shock. It was only for a tiny
second, though, because they immediately composed their expressions and checked out
Halo.

"Well?" pressed the older blonde, raising an eyebrow at me. She stepped closer in
a swaying manner caused by her heels, and tilted her head. "Aren't you going
to introduce us?"

I pinched the bridge of my nose and took a deep breath. When I looked at them,
they were all waiting. So I turned to Halo, and she gave me a look that said she
had an idea what was going on. If I was gonna dig deeper, I'd say she was
pretty excited.
 "Halo, meet my personal hell," I said, gesturing to the three blonde-haired, blue-
eyed people in the foyer. "Also called my siblings."

_____________

Tbh, the Lacy's remind me of the Mikaelson family. LOL!

PS. Totally dreading the next chapter. >_<

Chapter 41 - Chapter 33: Kings And Queens [Cruel Me]

No one could deny that the three of them oozed of power and perfection. Despite
their relaxed posture, their eyes were sharp and piercing. If I didn't know
them, I would've been hella intimidated by now.

But they were far as fuck from perfect. We were damaged and broken, mostly from
the hands of our own folks. That didn't stop us from moving forward, though.
We were built to be survivors.

"My brother, Clyde," I introduced him.

He bowed slightly, still wearing that smug look.

"My sister, Diana."

She raised her martini glass.

"And my other sister, Annabelle."

She raised her hand in a small wave, before placing it on her chin as she studied
Halo more. When she caught my eye, I could see the curiosity in them.

I pulled my girl closer to me. "Everyone, this is Halo."

"Nice to finally meet you," greeted Halo, flashing them her winning smile.

Diana smirked. "We'll see if you can say that again by the end of the night."

"Behave, Diana," warned Clyde in a low voice.

She raised an eyebrow at him. "You're one to talk."

Annabelle groaned. "Ugh, this was supposed to be a happy family reunion. Why did I
even think that? Nothing in this family is normal."

"Wow," I scoffed, smiling sarcastically. "You are so up to date, sis. Do you also
know that your high school sweetheart married his best friend?"

While Ethan Tyler might have been Annabelle's first boyfriend, Aaron Ford had
been her long time boyfriend in high school. But then, he got together with his
girl best friend after he broke up with my sister. She didn't say, but it was
pretty obvious it broke her heart.

"Of course," she replied, rolling her eyes. "It was all over my feed." She tilted
her head and smiled at me. "Is that your way of taking a jab at me? Aw, that's
so cute. But you gotta do better than that, little brother."

Oh no, she didn't.

In our world? That was an invitation for roasting. Challenge fucking accepted.

"How about this," started Diana, stepping forward slowly with the corner of her
lips turned up. "All your exes seemed to have found their life-long partners, but
you're still bitter and alone. Pretty sad, don't you think?"

Ouch.

I looked at Annabelle and pouted. "Do you want me to call the pet shop and see if
they have any cats for sale?"

"Why do I need a pet?" Annabelle smiled at me sweetly. "I already have you."

I laughed a through my nose. Slay.

"Alright, enough," ordered Clyde. It was the stern tone he always used that made
us stop and listen. Just as quickly, his face turned soft again as he told Halo,
"It's time for dinner. You're more than welcome to join us."

I felt her grip my hand a bit tighter.

"I don't want to intrude," said Halo shyly.

"You're not," my brother insisted, shaking his head. "Please stay."

Diana laughed darkly. "Careful, Clyde. I don't promise to keep my opinions to

myself."

"When have you ever?" muttered Annabelle.

Never o'clock.

Clyde sighed. "You might just be what this family needs."

Halo looked at me, and I just stared back. We could bail if she wanted. Staying
would be fine, too. I mean, over my dead body would I admit this but I somehow also
missed the nutheads. Either way, the decision was up to Halo.

She bit her lip and turned her attention back to him.

"If you insist."

"Great!" grinned Clyde. "Let's head to the dining room, then."

With that, he led Halo to the other room with his hand on the small of her back.
She looked back at me, unsure. I frowned at Clyde and sent him a what-the-fuck
look. He ignored me and pulled my girl with him. I was about to follow them when I
caught Annabelle lean her head closer to Diana.

"Isn't that the speech he gave to the last girl?"

 "Yup," answered Diana nonchalantly.

I gritted my teeth. "Give. Her. A. Chance."

"You make it sound like we're vultures," gasped Diana, pretending to be

offended.

"You are."

"That's preposterous!"

I clapped. "Bravo, sister! You've completed your transformation to becoming

our ever loving mother."

Annabelle laughed as she entered the dining room, while Diana stood there looking
appalled. I shrugged and followed after my favorite sister.

"You got my back, right?" I asked under my breath.

She winked at me. "Of course."

Most people didn't know, but Annabelle was actually the nicest one in our
family – considering she was a bitch with an angelic face. Maybe that trait
ran in our blood.

"But that is," she continued casually, "if she passes my test."

I gave her a look. "Seriously?"

"You know I don't like people easily until I've assessed them enough."
She nodded to our evil siblings. "Worry about those two – they're the
most obsessed with money and power. But then again, what do I know? I'm bitter
and alone, remember?" She smirked and was about to walk away when she suddenly
stopped to look at me. "Is she old money?"

I frowned. "I don't think so, no."

"Then, don't count on them liking her," she shrugged a shoulder, before
taking a seat at the table.

Yeah, like I give a shit.

I went to Halo who was talking to Clyde and whispered, "Hey, I can come up with an
escape plan. Just say the word."

"Don't worry," she assured me. "I'll survive."

Not sure about your dignity, though.

"I wonder," said Diana in a condescending tone, "are you gonna sit down or stand
there all night?"

I glared at her as I sat down, since Clyde beat me to pulling out a chair for
Halo. I didn't know what he was planning. Whatever it was, I bet my ass it
wasn't any good.

"Halo . . ." wondered Annabelle, as she placed the napkin on her lap. "Sorry, I
didn't catch your last name."
 "Buckley," she answered.

I could practically see the gears working in her brain. She would get it quicker
because she was closer to him than I was.

"Are you related with Coach Buckley?"

Halo nodded. "Yes, he's my grandfather."

"Huh. Coach for a grandfather," muttered Diana.

Clyde tilted his head, reaching for the glass of water. "It's a pretty
respectable job."

Diana blinked innocently. "I didn't say it wasn't."

"Right," nodded Annabelle, "because we all know how you're not pretentious."

"Oh, the irony of that statement," shot back Diana.

I sighed. This was going nowhere. Every fucking time the four of us were together,
we would do nothing but insult each other.

My eyes wandered to Halo. I was surprised not to see her bored. She seemed
fascinated while her eyes moved back and forth between my sisters.

I cocked my head as I watched her, the corner of my lips turning up. Even though
it was weird as fuck seeing her on the same table with my crazy family, there was a
part of me that liked it. She looked the odd one out with her black hair amongst
the blondes in the room. But that only made me love her more.

"So Halo, how did you meet Oz?" asked Clyde suddenly.

Halo blinked, taken aback. "Oh, um . . ."

I better take this one.

"We met when I was stealing beer from a store," I piped in.

There was silence.

I eyed the kitchen door. When was the food coming out? I was hungry as fuck.

My brother spoke again.

"Judging from the fact that you're not in jail, I'm assuming she
didn't rat you out?"

"Nope."

"Thank you," he told Halo, with a grateful smile. "You saved me a trip home."

I snorted.

"You tolerate his antics, then?" asked Diana, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, no!" said Halo quickly, shaking her head and waving her hand. "I just thought
it wasn't my business meddle in."
 "Is that supposed to be a kind act?"

I was about to say something when Annabelle leaned her elbows on the dining table
and smirked at Diana.

"Hold in your claws, dear sister. Not all of us have to stick our noses in someone
else's problems."

"Ain't that the truth?" I mumbled.

Clyde turned to Halo as if nothing was wrong. "What are your plans for college?"

I stared at him. "Dude, what's with the third degree?"

"Just making small talk, little bro." He smiled. "No need to get all tense."

My eyes stayed on him, narrowing.

"I'm still a junior," piped up Halo. "But I'd love to go to UCLA."

That caught my attention. I faced her in wonder. This was the first time I was
hearing about this. She saw my look, causing for her to bite her lip. I didn't
want her to worry about what I think so I placed my hand on her back and soothed
her.

"That'd be pretty far from Oz if he takes University of Florida's offer

to play for them."

My head snapped to Clyde. "Wha – How the fuck did you know that?"

I have yet to tell anyone about it. Even Alfie had no idea that they already
called Coach Watkins about me. See, we always planned to go together there. But
since I only heard the news today, there wasn't really a chance to share it
yet.

Clyde shrugged. "I have connections." His eyes traveled back to Halo. "Then again,
who knows if you kids will still be together in the future?"

"Don't even start, Clyde," I warned, with a low voice and gritted teeth.

"What? I'm just laying out the possibility of –"

"Bullshit," I snapped. "We've been here for fifteen minutes, and already you
managed to insult my girlfriend and her family. She doesn't need that shit,
especially from my family." I coldly looked at each of them in the eye. "You all
act high and mighty but we know it's just a fucking facade. Truth is, you
bring down people who got their shit together 'cause your jealous. You wish
you aren't as fucked up as you are inside." I laughed humorlessly. "I know,
because I'm exactly like that."

I turned my head away, thinking of Scout Crimson and how I've treated him. I
couldn't deny it anymore. I was fucking jealous of him, and his ability to
attract obedience.

Unlike me, who had to command it.

I felt Halo's hand on top of mine, squeezing it and reminding me know that
she was there. And she was all right. We were all right. Things were different now.
 "So if you're gonna continue with your snide remarks," I continued more
calmly. "I'd rather take Halo somewhere else."

Long silence greeted us. Their unreadable eyes stayed on me, unwavering. I hated
how they could close off like this and how I never could tell what they think.

I only know what they let me know.

"I like her," said Annabelle a-matter-of-factly. "Sure, she's pretty quiet
but she took it all in without even making a sad face in an attempt to be pitied.
She didn't look to you for help – even once. I mean," she laughed in
amusement, "if she's strong enough to handle Clyde and Diana, maybe she's
strong enough to handle you."

I looked down to hide the grin on my face.

"I don't know about that," countered Diana.

Typical.

"Oh, shut up and eat your food."

"You don't have the right to tell me to shut up," she retorted. "I'm
older."

"Guess what?" interrupted Clyde. "I'm the eldest, I overrule you both. Be
civil, since Halo had been nothing but that. The least we could do is to return the
favor."

"Glad you finally realized that," I mocked.

Diana rolled her eyes. "Fine." She then looked at Halo. "I think you're a
gold digger."

I turned my body in a defensive way, but she raised her hand to stop me.

"But the fact that you're Coach Buckley's granddaughter makes me think
otherwise. I may have made an inappropriate comment earlier, but I do respect the
man."

Halo nodded blankly while my older sister took a breath.

"I don't like that you've tolerated Oz's wrongdoings. However, the
fact that he's not getting in trouble every week means your method works
better. So for now, I guess you're not the worst thing the ever happened to
him."

Wow. That was the best thing she could ever say out loud.

I didn't stop running my hand up and down Halo's back, assuring her that
I didn't give a flying fuck what shit my siblings think they could say.

She's still my girl. I still love her.

No matter what.

"I'm just impressed she's still here," chuckled Clyde, amused.

Halo smiled. "I have no reason to leave. Unless it's midnight and I'm
past my curfew," she paused, glancing at the wristwatch quickly. "Oh, good.
It's still early." She laughed easily and looked at me. "Besides, Oz is here."

I shook my head in amazement, before kissing her head.

"I love you," I murmured.

When I pulled away, I noticed her smile turned wider. Seeing her purple orbs like
this warmed my insides in a way that was gooey and tingly. Damn.

"Shall we start our dinner?" I asked, turning my head to the rest of the people on
the table. I flashed my siblings a warm smile – which I think shocked them a
little because for a moment, they sat there frozen.

"Of course."

. . .

An hour went by without any incident (thank fuck) until my phone rang in the
middle of the dessert. I checked the screen and it was Alfie. Weird. I didn't
text him to make a fake emergency call. I stood up and excused myself, walking to
the foyer before answering.

"Hey, what's u –"

"It's bad, Oz. It's really bloody fucking bad."

I instantly grew alert. My best friend's voice was unsteady and out of
breath.

"Oh, God. I should've been with him! I – I didn't know. I

shouldn't have let him drive on his own. It's my fault. This is my fault.
Fuck."

"Alfie, calm the fuck down," I demanded, my heart beating fast.

From the corner of my eye, I caught Halo got to her feet and looked at me in
concern. I took a deep breath and tried to chill out.

"What happened?" I asked, preparing for the worst.

"Hit and run, man. It was a fucking hit and run! He didn't even drink that
much. He was on the right fucking lane! And now – now he's on the
hospital while the motherfucking cocksucker who hit him is out there. Fuck!"

Losing my patience, I shouted, "Damn it, Alfie! Who got hit?!"

"Frisco!" He broke into sobs. Then, he released a shaky breath and added more
calmly, "It's Frisco, man."

I stopped breathing.

No.

"He's in the operating room right now."

Fuck no.

"We're at the hospital."

 I didn't wait for him to tell me more. I hung up, snatched my jacket and keys
on the counter, and headed out.

"Oz, what's wrong?"

I stopped and faced Halo. My mind was all over the fucking place. I couldn't
think straight, so it took me a moment to understand what she asked.

"Frisco's in the hospital."

She gasped. "Oh, no."

I swallowed. "Car accident."

She looked around, grabbed her things, and walked ahead of me.

"Let's go."

I gripped the keys in my hand.

"Go."

I looked up and saw Clyde. His face was serious, telling he understood the
urgency. With a nod, I turned and ran outside.

Frisco was the kindest – maybe even the purest – one in our
corrupted bunch, and yet this fucking disaster happened to him. He didn't
deserve this shit.

I hoped to God he would be okay. Otherwise, I didn't know what the hell
I'd do to the fucker who did this to him.

I might end up in jail for good. 

_____________

Oh, no! Friscooooo!

Thanks for bearing with me, dudes. That's one of the things why I love you
guys! :) x

Next Update: Thursday

Chapter 42 - Chapter 34: Wonderwall [Cruel Me]

Please don't be dead.

With my eyes closed, I rubbed my face and released a deep breath.

I fucking hate this.

 Frisco didn't deserve any of this shit. How could this happen?

With elbows on my knees and my hands clasped together, I stared at the ground.
This was so fucked up. I felt like exploding at any moment, but at the same time I
couldn't. I raised my hand to my head and gripped my hair tightly.

Waiting sucks ass.

Feeling helpless sucks ass.

Everything about tonight sucks fucking ass.

I felt Halo pat my back. She didn't say anything, only placing her chin on my
shoulder. Her warm breath hit my cheeks, comforting me in a way.

"Sorry about tonight," I whispered, glancing at her.

She removed her hand on my back and looked away, avoiding my eyes. She knew right
away that I was referring to my brother and sisters. I sat up straight and turned
to her.

"To be honest, I wanted to leave," she murmured, her eyes trained on her fingers
that played with the hem of her shirt. "I was a little bit overwhelmed –
especially with Diana."

Diana could be a stuck up bitch, but she was reasonable enough sometimes. She
didn't like Halo. But she was willing to give in because if she would have to
choose, she'd rather I date Halo. She never liked Snow, because she fought
back.

It was a big deal to them that Halo kept her calm. She didn't cry. She
didn't snap back. She kept her back straight and took it all with a smile.
They respected her for that.

I sighed. "Why didn't you let me know?"

"I didn't want to be rude."

"Halo."

She looked me in the eye and offered an uneasy smile. Her bottom lip trembled a
bit, looking like she was on the verge of crying. My expression softened.

"You know what," I said quietly, reaching out a hand and wiping away the tear that
escaped with a thumb. "You can be a damn good liar when you want to be."

She shrugged. "It comes with having strict grandparents."

I watched her for a moment. She sniffed and wrinkled her nose absentmindedly. Her
eyes met mine and we stared at each other for a moment. I pulled her close to me
and held her like that for a minute or two.

Then Kurt arrived, his phone still in his hand. My body went rigid again.

"Talked to my uncle," he stated, his voice devoid of emotions.

I waited, my expression going dead.

 "He said they're currently investigating the car accident. They're
running through the CCTVs right now. He'll call when there's something."
He ran a hand through his hair and sat down on the bench across me and Halo. "This
is seriously messed up."

I frowned, closed my eyes, and rubbed my temple.

"Do you want coffee?" Halo asked me, putting a hand on my cheek. "I'll get
you some."

I opened my eyes and shook my head. "No, I'll get it. I need some fresh air,
anyways." I pecked Halo's forehead and stood up. "Thanks, man," I told Kurt,
walking toward him to fist bump before I headed to the elevators.

I wanted to hit something, but doing that wouldn't really help Frisco escape
the hell he was in at the moment. I would just hurt myself. And if I was gonna hurt
myself, it should be for something that mattered.

I was almost at the elevators when I heard familiar voices as I passed by the
stairwell. I slowed down as I recognized them more. Tilting my head, I stopped and
backtracked.

"I thought we agreed to never speak of it," hissed the girl.

I stepped closer to the door. Seriously, I should add eavesdropping on my skills.

"You made that decision all by yourself, Con," replied Alfie firmly, his jaw
clenched in anger. "You didn't give me a choice."

Connie frowned in confusion. "What choice? I gave you an out. You should be
grateful. Why are you acting like this?"

"Why?" my best friend laughed humorlessly. "I'm fucking pissed off,

that's why. One of my best friends is in the operating room right the fuck now
and I can't do anything about it. And I haven't fucked anyone for goddamn
weeks."

I've seen Alfie seething mad before, but never because of a girl. He was
literally fuming right now. His face was red and his hands were curled into fists.

"That's not my problem!"

He stepped closer. "It fucking is especially when you're the fucking reason!"

Connie blinked, taken aback. This was the first time I've ever seen her
speechless. For a moment, there was silence. All we could hear were the footsteps
of the nurses passing by, and the beeping from an ECG in a distance.

When Alfie spoke again, his low voice shook.

"I'm sorry if it fucking frustrates me that you're acting like it was

nothing. I'm goddamn sorry if it meant way more to me than it did to you."

She looked away, her forehead creasing. Since I've known her for-fucking-
ever, I knew that she was concentrating hard not to cry.

Alfie knew that, too.

I debated with myself if I should go. There were more things to worry about. I had
no involvement in this matter. This was their business – though I had no
doubt Alfie would tell me about this later on when he cooled down or when he was
drunk.

"You know what," he started, shaking his head and raising his hands, "I'm
done."

Her head whipped to him, her eyes filled with a mixture of surprise and hurt.

"You wanna act like nothing happened between us? Fine, I'll be a fucking
genie who grants your wish." He moved closer until they were practically nose to
nose, and added, "But that doesn't change the fact that you're not a
virgin anymore, Connie."

She had an intake of breath. Even though her facial expression remained
indifferent, her eyes looked kinda sad.

With a sneer, Alfie bowed before turning around to walk away. He stopped when he
saw me. We stood there for a second. Then, he saluted with a straight face and
passed me. My eyes followed him strut down the hall and disappear on the corner.

Wow. He was too pissed to even make a comment about me listening in.

"Ugh," groaned Connie. "This is not the right time for this."

I snorted, turning to her. "No shit."

She jumped, just now noticing me. "You're snooping again?"

I ignored her remark. "You do know that if you had the balls to face him sooner,
you wouldn't have had this talk?"

"Ha! And say what?" she asked incredulously. Clearing her throat, she attempted to
imitate Alfie's drawl, "'Thanks for being my first, dude. You rocked my
world.'"

Using Alfie's way of speaking on something she would say didn't make any
fucking sense. But then again, everything was chaotic right now. So I didn't
comment on it.

"Did he?"

"Get real, Oz," she scoffed, rolling her eyes.

I took a deep breath. "Look, Con. I don't know what the hell is going on in
your head right now. But one thing is for sure – he got you to shut up and
listen to him, which is way more than that any guy has ever done."

That shut her up.

"Think about that," I told her.

Suddenly, my phone rang. I pulled it out of my pocket, and on the screen was
Halo's goofy face. I doubted the reason she was calling was anything but
goofy, though.

"Hey –"

"Frisco's out of the operating room," informed my girl urgently. "The doctor
is here, talking to his parents."

"I'm there," I replied, before hanging up.

"What is it?" asked Connie, catching the grave look on my face.

"Surgery is over," I said distractedly.

Her body straightened, eyes widening a little. Without waiting for me, she quickly
ran down the hall. I followed after her, and we hurried back to the waiting room.
Halo's head turned toward us as we approached. Connie went to her, while I
stopped a few feet away from the Doctor and Frisco's parents.

". . . managed to pull through. David is going to be fine, but . . ."

I spaced out. The only word that mattered to me right now was 'fine.' I
released a sigh of relief, my shoulders slumping in ease.

I was in some sort of daze as I watched Frisco's dad nodded to whatever the
doctor was saying, while his mother cried and said thank you to the man in white.

Frisco's alive.

He was fine. He was alright.

Oh, Thank God.

There was a tap on my shoulder, making me turn around. I saw Kurt wearing a grim
face. He looked ready to pounce. I instantly grew alert.

"We got a problem."

Can this day get any fucking worse?

I waited for him to continue.

"Did you know –"

"Oh," piped up Alfie flatly, with an emotionless face. "I like trivias."

"Well, you're gonna fucking love this one." Kurt dropped his head low, and
whispered, "I just found out that McKinley got bail last week."

I stiffened.

"You guys don't happen to know anything about that, do you?"

"No fucking way!" exclaimed Alfie, ditching the nonchalant facade and not giving a
shit if several head turned to us.

"Please tell me you're shitting me," I begged, exhausted from all this shit.

"Afraid not."

This is all just one big fucking shitstorm, isn't it?

I looked at Kurt coldly. "You think he's got anything to do with tonight?"

"No idea," he sighed, shaking his head.

 "It's one hella coincidence," muttered Alfie, with a raised eyebrow.

My hands turned into fists, and I gritted my teeth. This was just un-fucking-
believable. It better be a fucking coincidence. Nonetheless, I wasn't taking
any chances.

I pulled out my phone and called the one human I knew who was willing to help no
matter what.

"Hello?"

The confusion was clear in the person's voice, and I almost smirked.

"Crimson."

_____________

I super love the song with this chapter.

Chapter 43 - Chapter 35: Can't Pretend [Cruel Me]

"Sorry to hear about Frisco."

Sudden rush of anger flashed in me.

"He's in a fucking coma," I spat.

Scout sighed and looked down. We were at the parking lot of the hospital, in the
dead of night. Alfie leaned on the back of Kurt's truck, his arms crossed as
he scowled at Scout. The cold didn't seem to bother him. He was too pissed
off.

Like me.

"Your boy Finn got out of jail last week." I watched Scout Crimson closely as I
laid him this information. "Know anything about that?"

His head snapped up, eyes wide.

"What?"

Guess he has no clue.

"Yup," I nodded. "He got bail, and then this happened." I shrugged, cocking my
head to the side. "Call me paranoid but that sounds too much of a coincidence,
don't you think?"

"No, he wouldn't," he defended, crossing his arms.

"You thought he was a saint just last month," I pointed out icily. "Are you
seriously telling me you don't believe his fucking ass can do shit like this?
You can't be that stupid."
 His jaw clenched, his eyes hardened, and his hands balled into fists.

I could tell he wanted to hit me. I thought by this time, he wouldn't be

blinded by their fake friendship anymore. Maybe he thought there was still hope in
Finn McKinley.

Maybe there was, and I was wrong with my assumptions. But what if I was right? He
should open his eyes to the cruel reality of that possibility.

"Cut the blind loyalty, Crimson," I told him.

He raised an eyebrow. "Do you have proof?"

A smile that didn't reach my eyes appeared on my lips.

"That's why you're here. You said you wanted to help us, remember?
Here's what you can do to 'help.'" I took a step forward. "Track
down your so-called fuckface best friend. We need to chat about a couple of
things."

Scout stared at me thoughtfully for a minute or two.

"So what's it gonna be?" I asked. "I promise not to kill him on sight."

He frowned and pointed to me. "I'll do it, if you promise to let me talk to
him first."

I would've disagreed if he didn't look pretty damn determined. But I was

asking him a favor. I needed him on my side, even for just a little while.

I gritted my teeth. "Fine."

"If he's guilty," he paused, lowering his hand, "you'll let the cops
handle it."

I kept my mouth tight shut. No way in hell was I gonna make a promise I knew I
couldn't damn well keep.

"What the fuck are they doing here?" growled Alfie.

I glanced at him. He looked furious, his jaw tightening the longer he kept his eye
on the other side of the lot. I followed the direction of his eyes and saw Cameron
Wood and Jay Lawley walking our way. I found myself repeating Alfie's
statement.

Scout's forehead creased as he watched them approach us.

"Guys?"

"We heard," said Cameron, looking down and holding on to his crutches. As far as I
knew, there were only a couple of weeks left for those. Then, he was good for
therapy.

He should be thankful his chipmunk ass ended up only getting crutches –
unlike Frisco who almost fucking died.

Lawley rubbed the back of his neck uneasily. "Frisco's a nice guy, even if he
runs with the wrong crowd," he added, glancing at us. "He doesn't deserve
this."

Aw, how fucking nice of them to think that way.

"Now that you've stated the fucking obvious," I started coldly, "what the
hell are you two doing here?"

Cameron looked at Lawley, then switched his eyes to Scout.

"We know you found out about the fire, man."

Scout's expression darkened, and he looked away from them.

"Dude, we're sorry," added Lawley.

Alfie couldn't take it anymore. He walked towards Lawley, about to lash out.
But I put a hand on his chest to stop him. He glowered and bared his teeth, barely
in control.

"It's not me who needs your apology," Scout told Lawley, nodding to us.
"They're the ones you did wrong to. They're the ones who deserve it. Not
me."

They were quiet for a moment, then Cameron took a deep breath and looked down on
his shoes. With a sullen face, he spoke.

"I'm sorry."

Lawley's eyes traveled to the hospital building before shaking his head and
mumbling, "Yeah, sorry for everything."

"Sorry my ass," muttered Alfie.

Wow. After all this time, they finally had the guts to own up for their shit and
fucking apologize. But if truth be told, it didn't make me happy. Not when one
of my closest friends was on a hospital bed right now.

"We were drunk and fed up with the rivalry," added Cameron, running a hand through
his hair. "Everything just got out of hand super fast."

My eyes narrowed as I listened more.

"I mean, we were only supposed to trash your gym but then Finn got the idea that
we should scare you so we set up the thing with the light bulb."

I saw fucking red. Finn McKinley was starting to piss the fuck out of me. I was
itching so bad to hunt him down at this damn second.

Lawley sighed and rubbed his face. "We thought it would only create a little
spark. We didn't know it would flare up like that. We didn't know that
would happen to Adam."

My hands balled into fists, reigning in the surge of rage.

"We were about to turn ourselves in but Finn convinced us not to. He said, what
was the point? It was already done. Nobody knew it was us. We were clean,"
whispered Cameron. "None of us wanted to get in trouble so we kept quiet."

"But we figured it out," I stated tonelessly.

 "None of us expected that," replied Cameron, shaking his head. "But see, you had
no proof. Nobody believed you – even Snow didn't. So," he paused to let
out a shaky breath, "we didn't say anything."

I was so too livid to move or speak anymore. I just wanted to bash someone's
face in. I wanted to smoothen the cemented ground using someone's head. I
wanted to let this out.

I needed a fucking outlet.

"You were fucking dicks about it!" snarled Alfie, struggling to get past me.

"We were trying to be tough because we knew you were out to get us!" replied
Lawley, frowning indignantly.

"What the fuck did you expect, you cocksucker?" bellowed my best friend, lunging
for Lawley but I put both my hands on his chest and blocked him to keep him at bay.
"You fucking set fire on our fucking building and almost got one of us fucking
killed! You deserve to fucking die! Not Frisco! He shouldn't even be in that
fucking bed right now. He shouldn't be a fucking vegetable!" I felt his body
shook, before he pulled away from me and stepped back.

"Alfie," I called, trying to keep the surprise from my voice.

I honestly didn't expect him to go apeshit and blow up like this. Then again,
I could barely contain my anger, too. So I couldn't really blame him.

"Fuck!" He punched the air. "THIS IS BULLSHIT!"

"Calm the hell down, Alfie," I ordered.

Seriously, it was as if he took out all the fury in me.

"Don't tell me to calm down!" he snapped, his face red and his eyes on fire.
"How the fuck am I supposed to calm down when every-fucking-thing had gone downward
spiral?"

"Acting like that will do nothing –"

"It helps me let off some steam." His wicked eyes wandered to Lawley. "It would
help a ton if I had a punching bag, too," he added seriously.

Lawley stepped back, tripping on his own shoes in the process. Alfie just stared
at him with dead eyes. Shit. It was hard to control my best friend whenever he was
like this.

I sighed. "Alfie, chill the fuck out."

Before he could answer, my phone rang. It was Kurt. Damn good timing, this big
guy. Grateful for the distraction, I answered in a beat.

"Yo, any news?"

"A hella big one," he panted. Was he running? "I'm on my way out, left the
girls in the waiting room with Frisco's folks."

"It's Kurt," I informed Alfie, hoping this could get his attention because I
caught him inching towards Lawley. "What's up?" I asked Kurt.
 "Uncle called."

I shifted. "And?"

"The license plate of the car who hit Frisco, guess who the fucker it traced back
to?"

My jaw clenched, already knowing the answer. I shut my eyes closed for a second in
an attempt to prevent myself from throwing my phone to the sky.

"McKinley," I grunted.

"Yep," he confirmed grimly.

I gripped my phone hard. "Motherfucker." Hanging up, I pressed my knuckles on my

mouth and took deep breaths. I kept my eyes on Scout as I told my best friend,
"Kurt's on his way here. His uncle confirmed it was McKinley."

Alfie exploded, sprouting nonstop profanities. Cameron and Lawley exchanged antsy
looks. When Scout saw my face, he stepped forward and he shook his head.

"Oz, come on," he reasoned, tilting his head. "Don't do anything drastic.
I'll inform the school, the cops, and everyone about everything."

I noticed Cameron and Lawley stilled. They'd get in serious trouble if Scout
did that. My eyes traveled down to Cameron's crutches. And I shook my head to
Scout.

"No, it's done," I decided. Then, I nodded to his friends who bothered to
come here for him. "They've paid their price. No need to rehash it."

Finn, on the other hand . . .

"Let's go!" barked Kurt, heading straight to his truck. "Let's take my
truck so we can easily squish the little shit."

"Keys," ordered Alfie, already holding up his hand. "I'll drive."

Kurt threw the keys to him and swiftly jumped at the back, while Alfie headed
straight to the driver's side and I turned to leave for the passenger's.
Time to crush a cockroach.

"Oz," called Scout sternly, grabbing my arm. "You're not thinking clearly."

I looked him dead in the eye, and shrugged off his hand.

"My mind has never been more cleared up."

His eyes narrowed at me, as if he was looking for something. I wasn't sure
what he was hoping to find, probably some humanity left? Empathy? Ha. Fat chance.

I was numb. All I wanted was to avenge my friend.

He opened his mouth, and said, "You –"

"There's no point, Scout," said Cameron. "They've made up their mind."

"They might kill him," argued Scout.

 Lawley snorted. "He asked for it."

"They're going to end up in jail." Scout turned to us then, frowning in

concern. "If you go on with whatever plan you have, there's no going back. You
have to think about this."

There was silence.

Alfie, Kurt, and I looked at each other. Without word, we agreed. We were bound
and determined. We didn't give a fuck about the outcome.

We were ending the bastard once and for all.

_____________

Aaaaand another problem rises. But at least everything is out now. Finn is a
serious piece of work, ain't he?

Chapter 44 - Chapter 36: For Blue Skies [Cruel Me]

He's awake.

I bowed my head and breathed out a sigh of relief.

He's back with us.

I raised my head and gave him a smile. He was covered in braces. He had stitches
on his face, too. The impact must've been helluva hard for him to end up
looking like this. My hands balled into fists. I closed my eyes for a moment and
tried to chill out.

"Hey, Frisco," greeted Connie softly.

"How're you doing, man?" asked Alfie, putting a hand on the bed and leaning
forward to get a better look at our friend.

"Get well, a'ight?" said Kurt.

"Get up, dude," I teased, playfully patting him on the shoulder. "Come on, let the
other patients use this room."

"We brought donuts," sang Alfie, nodding to the box at the nearby table.

Frisco was still too weak to do anything but stretch his lips and smile. It broke
me. This was my friend. He was like a little brother to me. He stayed on our side
even though we were nothing but fucked up messes. He didn't judge us for shit.

He was a true friend.

"We're here to bring you home, dude," I whispered earnestly.

His eyes flickered to me and they stayed like that until a tear rolled down his
cheek, Connie leaned forward and gently wiped it away.

"We're here," she murmured. "We got your back."

He tried to nod, but failed. He ended up huffing, looking frustrated.

"Don't strain yourself," I told him, worried he might pull a muscle or

something.

He was one of the toughest guys I knew. And yet, here he was – immobilized.
I couldn't help but feel fucking responsible for it. Damn it.

Just then, the door opened. All heads turned to that direction and we watched as
Sally, Frisco's mother, entered the room. She smiled widely when she saw us.
She was always kind to us – never treated or looked at us as if we were
menaces.

No wonder Frisco grew up to be such a good guy.

"I brought food for everyone," she said, placing the pack of food on the table
where the doughnuts were. "Are you guys hungry?"

I rubbed the back of my neck, while the others gave her sheepish looks. We've
been here since last Friday, only going home for a quick shower and change of
clothes. So yeah, we were starving as hell. But we were sick of hospital food. How
ironic was that?

"Don't worry," assured Sally, catching our expressions. "It's not

hospital food."

My eyes widened in delight.

Oh, thank God.

There was an instant chorus of cheers in the room, making her laugh. We quickly
walked toward her, got our food like excited kids on a birthday party, and chowed
down.

We chatted for a while, talking about Frisco's misadventures and having a

laugh about it. Of course, we had to keep it PG. Wouldn't want to expose Sally
to what we were usually up to, even though we were pretty sure she knew already.

I felt my phone vibrate, and I pulled it out. Halo's face was on the screen.
With eyes on my phone, I stood up and put the now empty food container in the trash
bin.

"I'll step out for a bit," I informed them. "Gotta call Halo."

They only nodded.

"I'll ask her to take notes on your classes together, Frisco," I added
jokingly. "I know how missing school must be eating you up." He grinned, making me
smile.

As soon as I stepped out, I speed dialed my girl. I leaned my back on the wall,
faintly noticing the people passing by. I looked up at the ceiling as I waited for
the call to connect. Who would've thought we'd end up like this?

After two rings, she answered.

 "Oz?"

I looked down and took a deep breath, loving the sound of her voice. I wished she
was here. I wanted to wrap my arms around her – maybe even smell her hair.

"He's awake."

She sighed. "How is he?"

"Hmm." I thought about it. "Emotionally sensitive."

She snorted a laugh. "Glad to know your humor is back."

The corner of my lips turned up.

"Scout dropped by the cockpit today."

My ears perked up at that.

For normal people, today was just an ordinary Monday. We originally planned to go
to school, but then Sally texted us that he was awake. So we ditched school
instead.

"What did he want?" I asked, not meaning for my tone to sound cold. But after
failing to track down Finn McKinley, anything involving their lot was kinda taboo
in my book.

"He asked me to tell you that there was no word from Finn all weekend."

I raised an eyebrow. "And he couldn't tell me that himself?"

Halo was quiet for a second, I could clearly imagine her biting her lip.

"He's trying to avoid talking to you while you're in Grinch mode."

Of course, he is.

"Pussy," I muttered.

"Oz, he's trying to help," she reminded me.

I sighed, rubbing my face. My hand traveled to the back of my neck as I looked

down the hall, staring at nothing in particular.

"Yeah, I know," I admitted, turning my eyes back to the ceiling and leaning my
head back till it hit the wall.

Scout was a lot of things, but he wasn't a coward. He just didn't like
confrontations that he knew would lead to nowhere because of my current
unpredictable state.

"I shouldn't have said that," I mumbled, closing my eyes.

I was so damn tired. Part of me seriously wanted to run away, far from this
hellhole. But it wasn't like the problem was going to solve itself. I
couldn't let that bastard go after what he did to one of my friends. Besides,
if there was anything I was good at, it was revenge.
 Better put my talents to good use.

"I'll come over later at the hospital," said Halo.

I imagined her warm smile, her purple eyes, and her raven black hair. I imagined
her opening her arms and waiting for me to hug her. I imagined her voice telling me
everything was going to be okay. I needed her. I needed my home.

"Can't wait," I whispered.

"Okay," she breathed out. "See you."

With a small smile, I hung up. I stared at my phone for a couple of seconds,
thinking about my dork, before shoving it in my pocket. But the smile on my face
disappeared when I looked up and laid eyes on a redheaded girl in the hallway.

"I heard about Frisco," she panted, gazing back at me with her worried green eyes.
"Is – Is he okay? I can't believe I just found out about it today."

I blinked, not expecting her to show up here. Then I shook my head, trying to
compose myself.

"Yeah, he's fine," I answered, then I pointed to the door behind me.
"He's in there if you wanna see him."

With her forehead creased, she closed her eyes. "He's fine. That's all
that matters." She nodded, putting her hands on her knees to catch her breath.

I glanced at where she came from. "Did you run all the way from school?"

She looked at me as if I lost my mind. "I had someone drop me off."

"Do you need water or something?" I asked, watching her heave. She really
wasn't the athlete her twin turned out to be.

"No, I'm good," she said, straightening up. "I just panicked when I found
out."

"You sure you don't wanna see him, though?" I raised an eyebrow, putting my
hands in my pockets. "He's bed ridden. Pretty sure he won't be able to
bite."

She smiled a little. "It's cool."

I cocked my head to the side. "I didn't know you two were close enough for
you to freak out like this."

"We're not," she replied, settling herself beside me. "But I know he's
important to you. So I was also worried how you were doing."

I didn't speak. I wasn't sure what to make of that.

Snow turned to me, and asked, "How've you been?"

I looked away, wetting my bottom lip. "Not okay." I chuckled humorlessly. "But
still better than Frisco, so I can't complain much."

"I'm sorry to hear about what happened."

 "Scout told you everything?" I guessed, turning back to her.

She looked down. "Yeah," she mumbled.

I nodded. "Now you know."

Her expression morphed into hurt. "Listen, Oz," she began, looking up at me. She
bit her lip and shook her head. "Can we talk?"

"Aren't we already talking?"

"I mean, really talk – outside."

I stared at her beautiful freckled face, her eyes swimming with unshed tears. I
recalled the times when I couldn't say no to that face. I remembered when it
broke me to see her like this. And it still somehow did.

A part of me nagged that I would regret going with her. A part of me warned to
stay away. A part of me wanted to say no. But my curiosity got the better of me.
Sue me.

So I agreed and followed her outside to the parking lot. It was cold out. Our
breaths formed a mist, but I doubted she noticed. Nor cared.

"I'm sorry," was the first thing she said.

I gazed into her green eyes, her tears begged to be free. I didn't know what
to say, so I kept quiet and let her continue.

"I – God, I'm so sorry for not believing you."

She shook her head and looked up, trying to keep the tears from falling. For so
long, I wanted to hear her say this. Now that it was happening, I had no fucking
clue what to do. I glanced down briefly but my eyes couldn't stop from
returning to hers.

"I'm sorry for not listening," she whispered, closing her eyes. "I don't
regret choosing to stand by my brother's side. But I am sorry for giving up on
us."

I couldn't listen to this. Not right now.

I hung my head, and started, "Snow . . ."

"No, Oz," she cried, looking me in the eye while her tears fell freely. "I
shouldn't have. I should've fought for us – for you. But I
didn't. And I'm so," she paused to sob, "so sorry."

My heart broke. I didn't like seeing her cry, not like this. I stepped
forward and pulled her into my arms, stroking her hair to comfort her but it only
seemed to make her cry even more. Having her in my arms like this felt familiar,
but her sobbing on my chest wasn't.

"It's all right," I murmured in her ear. "Shh – It's done."

It's all in the past.

"No, it's not," she whimpered, gripping my shirt. "Nothing is right.

It's all messed up. It shouldn't be like this. I should be . . . We
should be . . ."

"It's okay, Snow," I whispered.

I thought about that time when I saved her at a party from an asshole, that time
when we goofed around at class and ended up in detention, and that time outside the
locker room. I felt at peace as I realized something, like a weight had been lifted
off of me.

I realized I haven't said it out loud yet. It was time I did.

I buried my face in her hair and murmured softly, "I forgive you."

She shook her head, hiding her face in my chest.

"You don't understand. I . . ." she trailed off, bursting into sobs.

I frowned. "You what?"

She gripped my shirt tighter, almost ripping them before pulling away her face so
she could look me in the eye. She looked sad. But I also saw something there
– longing?

"Oz, I . . ." She swallowed before looking up at me again. With her face wet with
tears, her lips trembling, and her expression filled with hurt, she said in the
quietest voice, "I still love you."

I froze.

I couldn't move.

I couldn't say anything.

I couldn't even think straight.

Honestly, I think a small part of me somehow knew it was coming but I didn't
actually expect her to say it. Now I stood like a goddamn statue, dumbfounded.

Before I could do anything, Snow wrapped her hands around my neck and pulled me
down to her until our lips were pressed together. All kinds of emotions engulfed me
at that moment, leaving me overwhelmed and more confused than I ever was.

But then, as I closed my eyes, it all came down to one thought.

I still love her.

_____________

*GAAAAASP*

Chapter 45 - Chapter 37: The Scientist [Cruel Me]

TIP: Play the song while reading this chapter.

_____________

This isn't right.

My hands made their way to Snow's upper arms. As gently as I could, I pushed
her away. I lowered my head and sighed. I couldn't do this.

"Oz," murmured Snow.

I met her eyes. They were so loving – so trusting. They weren't like
that before, at least the trust part. It only changed because her brother cleared
it up for me. That said a lot.

Sure, I still love her. I don't think that would ever change. She's my
first love. She will always be a part of me. But I realize that . . . I'm not
in love with her anymore.

My cold stone of a heart belonged to someone
someone who didn't need to have a second
never doubted me, and trusted me with all her
me no matter what. I mean, she even got me to
fuzzy.
who made it warm and fuzzy. That same
opinion about me. That someone who
heart. That someone who believed in
describe my feelings as warm and

Well, fuck.

"I'm sorry," I told Snow, shaking my head.

Her eyes widened in realization. "No," she mumbled.

My forehead creased. "I can't."

"Oz, don't do this," she pleaded, grabbing onto my hands while her tears
continued to flow. "I love you." She took a shaky breath and closed her eyes. "I
never stopped loving you."

I raised a hand, pointed to my chest, and looked into her eyes.

"You used to own this. You taught me how to love, Snow." I smiled. "And you
don't know how fucking thankful I am for it – so much. But see, that
dork," I paused to wet my bottom lip, "that dork saved me. I was fucking drowning
in hell. She pulled me out. And for the first time in my life, I wanna be good."

She blinked at me in surprise.

I frowned, as if that just hit me. "I wanna be fucking good," I repeated in
disbelief.

Whoa.

"She owns every part of me, Snow." A warm smile made its way to my lips, thinking
back to the time when my eyes first met her purple ones. "Halo owns my soul."

* * *

She was avoiding me. Again.

 I sighed and looked around the room. She was just here. Damn, I missed her. I
haven't seen her all week. Where the hell was she?

"I told you," pressed Brooklyn, as she stacked up some papers. She refused to look
me in the eye, that was how I could tell she was lying. "I don't know where
Halo is."

"Bullshit," I shot back.

She didn't answer.

"Why is she avoiding me?" I asked, trying to keep myself from begging.

She stopped what she was doing and finally looked at me with a glare. With a
raised eyebrow, she scoffed, "You really don't know?"

The kiss I had with Snow last Monday night instantly popped in my mind, making me
squeeze my eyes shut. Halo couldn't possibly know that. But if she did . . .

I rubbed my face with a hand. "Fuck."

"I hope you didn't," muttered Brooklyn.

I frowned. "How did she find out?"

Closing her eyes, she let out breath and massaged her temple. "She was on the way
to the hospital when you called." When she opened her eyes, she shot me a look.
"She saw the whole thing with you and Snow Crimson."

With that, she walked past me and smacked the stack of papers on the center table.
Good thing we were the only ones here in the cockpit. I didn't want anyone to
know about my business, especially when it came to Halo.

Brooklyn laughed humorlessly.

"I warned her to stay away from you, you know," she said. "But of course, she
didn't listen. She so badly wanted to give you the benefit of the doubt. That,
and the fact that she had a crush on you since we were fifteen." She shook her
head. "Crushing on Oz Lacy – What good did it do?" She raised her eyes to
me. "It only broke her heart."

My hands balled into fists, reigning in my rising anger. I looked away and took a
deep breath. I fucking knew all of that already. Who would want their friend to
date a fucked up mess like me? No need to rub it on my fucking face.

When I calmed down a bit, I stepped closer to her.

"Just tell me where she is," I deadpanned.

"I'm not afraid of you," she stated, chinning up at me. Although she said
that, I caught her lips twitch and the slight worry in her eyes. I admired the fact
that she was trying to act tough for her friend. Too bad I could see right through
it.

I tilted my head. "Do I look like I'm scaring you?"

She shifted uncomfortably. "Aren't you?"

 I raised my head up to the ceiling and closed my eyes. I was wasting my time over
this. I needed to find Halo and straighten things out.

"She's at the park."

My head whipped around and my eyes landed on a green-haired dude. He quickly took
a step back, probably from the intense stare I was giving him.

"H – Halo's at the park," repeated Milo.

Brooklyn gasped. "Milo!"

He looked at her, his shoulder slumping. "We both know nothing will be resolved if
we keep letting Halo run. It's time she learned that avoiding her problems
won't make them go away." His wary eyes switched to me. "So we're gonna
let the problem come to her, even if it scares the crap out of me."

The corner of my lips turned up a bit.

"Thanks," I nodded to him.

I didn't waste any more second. I ran out of the room and headed to the
parking lot. I could feel my phone vibrating in my pocket. Sure it was only Alfie
calling me for practice, I ignored it. As soon as I stepped out of the building, I
took out my keys and pressed the button to unlock my car.

Climbed in.

Keyed the ignition.

Revved the engine.

Screeched the fuck out of here.

I felt like my body was on autopilot.

Halo didn't know what that kiss meant. She didn't know what happened
afterwards. If she did, she wouldn't have avoided me like this. She
didn't know I chose her.

I will always choose her.

I climbed off the car as soon as I got to the park. I took off running, scanning
the area for a black-haired girl. Halo was good at a lot of things, but running
away seemed to be what she was best at. It frustrated the fuck outta me.

But even if it killed me, I would never get tired of chasing after her.

After a few minutes of running around, I finally found her near the riverbank. I
halted and breathed out a sigh of relief. She was staring out to the New York City
skyline. I watched her for a minute while I tried to catch my breath.

It was such a sight. The cold wind blew her hair. It suited her solemn expression
well. I couldn't stop staring. This beautiful dork was my everything, and she
was hurting. I had to assure her there was nothing to worry about.

When my breathing returned to normal, I stepped forward and stood beside her. She
glanced in my direction and did a double take when she realized it was me.
 "What are you –"

"I found you," I said softly, facing her.

She blinked, then looked away and bit her lip.

"Please go away," she whispered in the quietest voice.

Damn. She might as well have stabbed me with a goddamn knife.

"Halo," I started to beg.

"Please just go."

My jaw clenched, my chest feeling heavier by the second. I suddenly found myself
having a hard time breathing. She was pulling away. Damn it.

I shook my head. "Not until you hear me out."

"What more is there to say?" she shrugged, trying to smile. A tear rolled out, and
she quickly wiped it away. "I get it. I really do. So please . . ."

"No, you don't."

I choose you.

"You don't get it at all."

I need you.

"You misunderstood what you saw."

I love you.

"You didn't kiss?" she asked, with a sad smile.

I stopped for a moment, then rubbed my face as I searched for the right words.

"We did," I said exasperatedly. "But it didn't mean anything, I swear." That
was the lamest fucking excuse ever. But it was all I got.

Another tear escaped. She didn't bother wiping it this time.

"It's over, Halo," I tried to assure her, stepping forward. I reached out but
she stepped back. And that fucking broke me. "What Snow and I had was all in the
past."

"But you kissed her in the present," she whispered, her voice cracking. I felt her
pain and I wanted it to go away.

Fuck, what the hell do I do?

She looked down and sniffed, raising her chin and trying to keep herself from
bursting into tears. "I feel like a villain in your story."

"Hell no!" I quickly said, cupping her face so she couldn't avoid my eyes.
"You're the hero. You're my hero. Please, Halo. Just listen to me for a
sec."
 Closing her eyes, she shook her head and tried to pull away from me.

"I'm tired of listening," she murmured, her lips trembling. "I'm tired
of everything."

No, no, no.

My heartbeat accelerated at the thought of losing her. No way in hell was I gonna
let that happen. I pulled her to me and wrapped my arms around her.

"Do you mean you're tired of me, too?" I muttered.

"That's not what I mean."

I closed my eyes, my jaw clenching harder. "Halo, please . . ."

"When people ask me what I love most about you," she started, her voice muffled.
"I don't answer them straight. Not because I can't, but because I know
that if I do . . . they'll fall in love with you, too. And I guess that's
selfish of me, but I can't help it." With tears flowing freely, she looked up
at me and tilted her head. "You bring out the irrational side of me."

I reached up and gently wiped the tears with a thumb. With a sad smile, I said
softly, "Isn't that what love's supposed to be? It can become so
consuming that it makes us lose control sometimes."

She bit her lip. "I don't want that kind of love."

I looked away and took a deep breath, feeling the back of my eyes sting. It took
all my fucking willpower to keep the tears from falling.

She clutched her chest and sobbed. "It hurts so much. I want it to stop."

I let out a shaky breath. I could feel her slipping away, making me hug her
tighter.

"What do you want me to do?" I begged. "I'll do everything. Please just tell
me what I have to do to make it better."

She shook her head and continued crying.

I'm losing her. Genius me have no idea what the fuck to do. I don't know
what to say to make her stay. I'm so fucking lost right now.

"I know it's not easy to love me," I said quietly, any louder and my voice
would break. I closed my eyes, kissed her hair, and inhaled her scent in a way to
calm my nerves. But it did nothing. "I'm sorry."

"I didn't expect it to be this hard," she cried.

I stroked her hair, feeling her body shaking against me.

"I'm sorry," I whispered in her ear. "I'm so sorry, baby."

I hated feeling helpless. I hated the fact that I was the reason why my girl was
hurting right now. And most of all, I hated how I could feel myself losing her.

"Let's break up."

_____________

OH MY GOOODS! WHAT IS HAPPENING?!

Chapter 46 - Chapter 38: Reset [Cruel Me]

We were losing.

I glanced at the scoreboard, sighing and shaking my head in defeat. My eyes

wandered to the bleachers and scanned the rows.

Still no sign of Halo.

I lowered my head and stared on the grass.

She didn't show up. Did she really mean what she said yesterday? I
couldn't stand the thought of us breaking up. Man, I fucked up so bad this
time.

How the fuck do I fix this?

"Dude," called Alfie, nudging me. "It's almost halftime."

I looked at him and nodded.

"Priorities," he reminded me.

Frowning, I nodded again.

Sometimes, it sucked having a best friend who was so damn good at reading me. I
didn't even tell him what happened but he seemed to get it. He wasn't
stupid. I was pretty sure he noticed that I kept looking at the bleachers and Halo
wasn't there.

"Ach," grunted Alfie, waving off Coach's suggestion. "Me no likey."

Coach Watkins flung his arms in frustration from the bench.

"What about a Hail Mary?" offered Parker.

Kurt sighed heavily.

Alfie cocked his head. "Do you see Frisco anywhere, you fucktard?"

Because of the accident, Frisco wouldn't be able to play for the rest of the
season. It sucked. But at least, he still had another shot next year. Too bad the
rest of us would be in different colleges by then.

My eyes scanned the field briefly, before shaking my head.

"It's too early to do any big plays," I told them. "Let's stick to the
basics."

They looked at me and waited.

"All ears, baby," said my best friend.

"Give me the ball," I ordered. "And make sure they all see when you do, then you
make a run for it while I stall their asses."

Alfie grinned. "Gotcha." He eyed at the rest of the group. "Ready?"

"Break!"

We disbanded and took our positions. My eyes met Alfie's. We exchanged nods
before facing our fronts. I crouched down and braced myself.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, drowning out the noise from the bleachers
and focusing on the smell of the grass. I tried to rid my thoughts of a purple-eyed
dork and focused on the task at hand.

Win this game first, then go find Halo.

"Hut!"

My eyes opened. And all I could see was the game in front of me.

The moment Alfie got the ball, he whirled around and hurried to me for a hand off.
I took a couple of steps back, all my senses alert.

I had nothing to worry, though. The linebackers did a pretty fucking good job
blocking those who attempted to shoot the gap while I watched our quarterback make
a run for it.

Just a little further, man.

When I thought he was far enough, I made a long pass to Alfie. He raised his arms
and reached up, catching the ball easily and running until he scored a touchdown.

I raised my fist in triumph, as the crowd roared in cheers. My eyes went to the
clock. Less than five seconds left before halftime. No point in scrimmaging. When
it counted down to zero, the buzzer went off.

"That's what I'm talking about!" exclaimed Alfie, coming up to me and

putting an arm around my neck in a headlock.

"We didn't win yet."

We were now on the lead, but not by many points.

"Whatever," he snorted. "We're the dynamic duo! We're fucking

unstoppable, dude."

I would've laughed if it wasn't for the fact that I couldn't get

Halo out of my head. Why didn't she come? How was she doing? Did she hole up
in her room with the moon lamp named Bellamy?

Alfie sighed beside me. "Too bad Frisco isn't here."

I looked at him, and saw the genuine sadness there.

 "Yeah," I breathed out. "We have to win this game for him."

He flashed me a grin. "Hell yeah."

We followed our team to the locker room and had to endure Coach Watkin's
speech about listening to instructions and shit. All the while, I kept glancing at
my phone.

No texts. No calls. No nothing.

I rubbed my face with a hand and let out a breath. I had to give her some time to
cool off. I had to give her some space to think things through. But I wasn't
sure I could last long not knowing how she was doing.

Fuck, this is so messed up.

I wouldn't give up, though. Not on her. Not on us.

My mind suddenly drifted off to that night at the parking lot with Snow. She was
about to leave then. But I was curious about something.

"I never asked you," I called after her, right before we parted ways. "Why did you
give me a chance? What made you decide that I was worth all the trouble?"

"The truth?" she asked, looking over her shoulder to me. "I wanted to change you.
I knew there was something good in you that needed saving. But then I fell in love
with you, something I didn't expect to happen so soon. It only strengthened my
resolve."

"But I didn't change." My eyes narrowed. "If anything, I became worse."

She smiled sadly and shrugged. "I guess it means I'm not the right one for
the job."

The corner of my lips turned up in realization.

"Halo."

Snow nodded, turning around to face me. "Honestly, she's the one who brings
out the best in you." Her expression was sad, but there were also senses of peace
and acceptance. "I could see it, how you slowly changed without you realizing it."

Pak!

I was brought back to the present when somebody smacked my shoulder. I looked up
and saw Kurt looking at me weird.

"You okay, man?"

"Yeah."

He looked skeptical. "It's second half."

I looked around the room, they were already filing out. Alfie and Kurt were the
only ones who noticed that I was out of it and stayed behind. I quickly got to my
feet and grabbed my helmet. I was about to head out when Alfie blocked my path.

"Brooklyn's waiting outside."

 My head whipped to him.

"It doesn't look good," he added seriously.

I frowned at that, before walking out with him and Kurt following behind me. I
caught sight of Brooklyn by the end of the tunnel near the bleachers.

"Make it quick," muttered Alfie, as he passed me. "We still have some asses to
kick."

Just then, Connie appeared and walked towards us. But I noticed her eyes stayed on
Alfie, who kept his face straight as he passed her and headed out to the field. She
looked hurt for a second but then Kurt ruffled her hair, making her smile.

"Oz," called Brooklyn urgently.

I turned to her. "What's up? How's Halo?"

She shook her head and looked down. Too late. I already caught the look in her
eyes. She was scared and panicked. My body tensed.

"What's going on?" I asked.

She bounced on her feet and shook her hands as if to get rid of the nerves. She
closed her eyes for a minute before blurting, "Halo's missing."

I blinked.

I couldn't move.

I couldn't think.

I couldn't even breathe.

"W – What?" I stammered, barely more than a whisper.

I must've heard wrong. Halo couldn't be missing.

"Halo's missing!" repeated Brooklyn, so loud this time that Connie and Kurt
stopped goofing around and stared at us.

"What the fuck happened?" I demanded, trying and fucking failing not to freak out.

"Milo and I have been calling her nonstop. She's answering neither of our
calls. W – We," she paused to wipe the sweat off her temple with a trembling
hand, "We were supposed to meet up at the Diner but she never showed. When we
called her house, her grandma said she left for the game hours ago." She shook her
head. "We don't know what to do anymore."

Connie immediately came up and put her arms around a shaking Brooklyn.

I felt like the air got sucked out of my lungs. My heart was beating fast,
pounding so hard against my chest that for a second I thought it was gonna jump
out.

"Milo's on the way to the youth center to check but I don't think
she's there either," she added, so close to crying but she still managed to
keep herself together. "It doesn't feel right. She's supposed to meet us.
I – I don't understand."

I caught Kurt's eye. He had the same conclusion I did.

It couldn't be. No way in fucking hell it could be him.

But I already knew.

Goddamn it, I fucking knew.

Something in my hand suddenly vibrated. I glanced at it, forgetting I was still

holding my phone. I hesitated on leaving it in the locker room in case Halo decided
to call. Good thing I didn't. Because the caller ID said it was Halo.

Swiping the screen, I answered cautiously, "Hello?"

"Been a while."

I gripped the bars of my helmet as soon as I heard his voice. My blood boiled. I
could literally feel my face heating up in anger. But I had to stay calm. I
didn't wanna provoke the fucker in doing more damage than he already had.

"Where's Halo?" I asked, with gritted teeth.

Kurt, Connie, and Brooklyn's heads all perked up at the mention of the name.

"You're not gonna like this," the motherfucker laughed. "She's actually
right beside me – on the bed."

My jaw clenched hard. "Did you hurt her? Is she okay?"

"Mmm, I guess?" he leered.

"Prove it."

"Hear that? He wants me to prove it. Let me touch that bit and . . ."

I heard a muffled scream and I slammed my helmet on the wall, making the other
three jump in surprise.

"What the fuck do you want?!" I snapped.

Taking deep breaths, I squeezed my eyes shut for losing my cool.

I wanted so fucking bad to charge on to wherever the fuck he was and grind his
motherfucking face on a spiked cemented floor but I had no clue where to go.

"Simple. I want you to suffer," the dickwad said a-matter-of-factly. "Thing is,
you're untouchable with your tough friends and family surrounding you. But as
time passes by, it's easy to figure out what your downfall would be."

While I waited for him to finish his fucking speech, I was thinking of ways on how
to track this sorry excuse for a human being. I muted my phone and looked at
Connie. She stood straight, already knowing I was going to ask her to do something.

"Call Clyde," I ordered. "Ask him to use his connections to track Halo's
number. Now."

Connie didn't need to be told twice. She went straight to it.

 "You know what your problem is, Oz?" continued the dickface on the phone.
"You're too damn loyal. It's sickening. Do you even realize that people
just tolerate you?"

I pressed the unmute button.

"Like how I'm tolerating your fucking yapping?"

The cocksucker had the nerve to chuckle, while I was fuming.

"Get. The. Fuck. On. With. It."

"It's great how you try to intimidate me even through a phone call. But I
know for a fact that you're miles and miles away from me."

I watched Connie step away as she talked to my brother.

"I'll get Alfie," mouthed Kurt, before taking off.

"Are you fucking done?" I growled to the phone. "I think one of my ears just fell
off."

"Ha, cute. But not as cute as your girlfriend. Of course, she's not as
beautiful as Snow. Thanks for letting her go, by the way. I can't stand it
when you guys were together."

"Build a bridge and get over it."

"But Halo," he began, whistling. "She will be a such a treat tonight."

"Don't you fucking dare touch her," I warned in a low voice.

I seriously wanted to choke the life out of this dick.

"Hearing this side of you is amusing," he sneered. "But see, you ruined
what's mine." His voice changed, all humor was gone. "Now, it's my turn
to ruin what's yours."

"I'm gonna fucking kill you," I promised, determined to make it happen

– one way or another.

"Gotta catch me first," he chuckled.

My hands were white from gripping my helmet too much and pushing it too hard on
the wall. I had to close my eyes, afraid that I might lash out and hurt people
around me. It took every-fucking-thing in me not to throw my helmet and yell out.

"Well, this was fun. But I got things to do and a girl to bang," he laughed. "No
use tracking this phone, by the way. I'll flush it down the toilet as soon as
I hang up."

One step ahead of you, fucker.

"Unless you wanna hear your girl moan my name . . ."

I saw fucking red. There was pounding in my ears. I couldn't feel my hands
anymore. I couldn't feel anything but deep fucking loathing.
 "But wait, don't you still have a game to play? Good luck."

With that, the cocksucker hung up.

"FUCK!" I yelled, almost throwing my phone against the wall but Connie raised her
arms to stop me.

"Hold it! Clyde said he'll text you the address. You still need your phone."

That stopped me.

"He managed to track it?"

"Barely," she answered, panting slightly. "What's going on, Oz? Somebody has
Halo?" She was trying to keep her cool but she was close to losing it, too.

I nodded and took deep breaths, trying to calm myself. I heard Brooklyn gasp,
making me look at her. She was crying. She understood the severity of the
situation. Connie held her before she crumbled down to the ground.

I felt like doing that, too.

Shit. I needed to go after Halo. I needed to leave.

Just in time, I got Clyde's text. I didn't waste a second. I was just
about to run to the parking lot when I heard a bellow behind me.

"What the fuck are you still doing here?" demanded Alfie when he arrived. He
pushed me. "Go, you moron! I'll handle Coach and the team."

'I will never let a girl mess up my game.'

"You sure?" I knew how much this game meant to him.

But Halo isn't just any other girl.

He raised an eyebrow. "Priorities, remember?"

She's my home.

At that moment, I couldn't be more thankful that he was my best friend. He

always got my back no matter what.

I looked him in the eye. "Make sure you crush them on the field."

"I will," he started seriously, "if you make sure to rip this motherfucker to
pieces."

Without breaking eye contact, I held my fist out and waited for him. He flashed me
a smirk, before pounding it with his.

It's a promise.

I lazily saluted him, before turning around to leave.

Finn McKinley couldn't be more stupid. Even though loyalty had the power to
be my downfall, it could also be the source of my strength. I didn't know what
the fuck his problem was with me. But one thing was for sure, I've had fucking
enough of his shit.
 Time to end this once and for all.

I hope nobody calls the cops. Because what I'm about to do?

It'll definitely earn me a one-way ticket to jail.

_____________

Anyone who hates Finn or just fed up with everything, raise you middle finger! Lol.
No, that's bad. *secretly raises middle finger*

Chapter 47 - Chapter 39: Best Of Me [Cruel Me]

I won't make it in time.

"Fuck!" I slammed the wheel in frustration.

I didn't count the number of traffic violations I just committed. I was just
focused on getting to the hotel as quick as I could.

Of all the fucking places, the bastard picked one from the city – the city.
No wonder he was so fucking cocky on the phone.

I've never been more mentally and emotionally tortured. The thought of that
piece of shit touching Halo pissed me off beyond belief.

Her soft pale skin, her adorkable purple eyes, her gentle touch . . .

I stepped on the clutch and changed to 5th gear, swearing to myself that I'd
make sure Finn McKinley got what he fucking deserved – be it in jail or in
hell.

I glanced at my phone and remembered my call with Clyde. He promised he'd

help and do something. All I could do right now was trust him. But then . . . there
was another person in New York City that I trusted more than anyone.

I needed all the help I could get.

With a sudden surge of hope, I snatched my phone from the passenger seat and
dialed his phone number. I wished to all that was holy that he wasn't busy.

"Yo."

I breathed out a sigh of relief.

"Ethan."

"Hey! Been a while, little Oz."

I got straight to the point. "I need your help," I said, trying to keep out the
desperation in my voice.

"What's up?" he asked immediately, his tone alert.

"My girlfriend, Halo . . ." I paused, gripping the steering wheel until my
knuckles turned white. "She's in trouble. She got – she got kidnapped,
man."

"The hell," he muttered. "That shit happens in real life? Fucked up. What
d'you want me to do?"

"Motherfucker took her to the city. I'm on my way now but I don't think
I'll make it." I took a deep breath. "He's gonna touch her, Ethan.
He's gonna fucking touch her," I added, my voice cracking. I rubbed my face
with a hand in frustration.

"A'ight, calm down." I heard the juggle of keys from his end, followed by
shutting of a door. "You know where they are?"

"The Olympus hotel."

He paused. "I know people from there, I'll make some calls on the way. Did
you call Clyde or Annabelle?"

"Clyde. He promised to help but . . ."

He sighed. "Yeah, I get it."

I nodded, even if he couldn't see. He knew how my family ticked. We've

practically known each other for as long as I could remember. No need to explain
more than necessary.

"Don't worry," he assured me. "I won't let anything happen to her."

This was exactly why I respected him so much.

"Thanks, E."

"Don't thank me yet," he said in a stern voice. "See you."

With that, I hung up.

My thoughts drifted back to the time when I first saw Halo about four months ago.
It was so damn unexpected – as if it was planned for us to meet there at the
store in that exact moment. Freaky as fuck, but I wouldn't have it any other
way.

I was going with the flow, living day to day without really much thought. Same
thing over and over again. I never said it out loud but I felt like my life was
pointless. I didn't even realize that I was drowning myself.

Then, a girl poofed out of nowhere in all her sweatpants glory.

And everything changed.

I changed.

She made me see that there was way fucking more to life than just booze and
reckless behavior. She made me want to live life in the best possible way –
by simply being happy.

I couldn't lose that light. I couldn't lose her.

When I got to the hotel, I saw there were a couple of police cars outside, along
with an ambulance. I gave zero fucks on parking. I jumped out of the car, left it
by the entrance, and rushed inside. Shade could get towed for all I care.

My eyes landed on Finn fucking McKinley getting out of an elevator, his hands
behind him while he was dragged by a cop. My blood instantly boiled at the sight of
him.

"You little piece of shit!"

I relished the moment when my fist connected with his face. He fell backwards from
the impact. I took that chance to straddle him, throwing more punches as hard as I
could.

I felt a pair of hands grab me from behind but I was too pumped up, my adrenaline
rushing through my veins. So I shoved them away and continued beating the fuck out
of this sorry excuse of a human being.

"Let him," a cold voice ordered somewhere in the distance.

I held the bastard by his hair to lift his head up.

"I'm gonna kill you," I growled.

He grinned, despite his bloody teeth. I could clearly tell what he was thinking.

'Go ahead and give it a shot.'

I let go of his head and grabbed a fistful of shirt instead, jolting him. My hands
were shaking in rage. My vision was getting blurry. I struggled to breathe, like
there was a lump in my throat. I swallowed hard before speaking.

"Why?" I demanded. "Why the fuck did you do this?"

The dick didn't answer, just kept that grinning face like a deranged maniac.

"Why?!"

He only shrugged.

Motherfucker.

This time, my knuckles met his nose. Might have even heard a crack. Good.

"What the fuck is your problem, you little shit?"

He let out a laugh. "Guess you're not smart as you think you are if
you're asking me a simple question as that."

He was riling me up, the fucker. And just like that, I switched off. He wanted me
to lose control. So I planned to do the opposite.

"Not all of us think with our dicks," I replied, keeping my voice calm but cold.

No way in hell was I gonna give this shit the satisfaction of seeing more of me
out of control. The bastard got off on that.

"Wow," he said, feigning amazement. "You still have that smart mouth even at a
time like this. Impressive, Lacy."

"No need to sound so jealous." I smirked, the way I usually did before attacking a
weak prey. It seemed to take him by surprise because the dickwad blinked.

I leaned closer to him, adding softly, "Now tell me, what the fuck made you decide
you could mess with me and the people in my life?" When he didn't answer, I
continued, "Are you so sick of your own pathetic existence that you took it out on
the first person you saw? What, did you finally realize that the best part of you
ran down your mother's legs?"

"Fuck you!" There was so much hate in his eyes as he looked into mine. "I'm
sick of you! I'm sick and tired of watching you get away with every. Single.
Thing. What the fuck makes you so special, huh? What gives you the right to walk
around as if we're all beneath you? It's as if you fear nothing and
nobody! It's disgusting as hell."

My jaw clenched, my hold on him tightening.

"How did Snow fall for a scum like you?" His eyes narrowed. "What do you have that
I don't? I can give her everything. I'm good enough for her, yet she
chose badass Oz Lacy. You don't deserve her. Not even a bit."

My eyes turned to slits as I pieced together everything he said.

"Jealousy?" I scoffed, shaking my head in fucking disbelief. I twisted his shirt

and pulled him closer until our faces were only inches apart. "This is all for
fucking jealousy?"

"You took her away from me!" the fucktard snapped, spitting some blood on my face
in the process. "You already have everything! You have the money, the friends, the
life! But you were greedy! Why did you have to take her, too?!"

"What the fuck?" I laughed humorlessly. "That's your justification for

setting fucking fire on the football building? For almost killing one of my best
friends? For kidnapping my girlfriend?"

I rattled him, gritting my teeth and willing my tears not to fall at the
unfairness of it all. Why was my life so messed up?

"You think my life is a fucking walk in the park? You have no fucking idea," I
managed to choke out. "The only good thing in my life is the girl your psycho ass
kidnapped."

"Exactly," he simply said.

What the fuck is wrong with this guy?

"I figured if bad karma doesn't work on you, I'd do it a favor and do
its bidding."

"You're a crazy motherfucker."

"Who succeeded," he added with a smug grin.

For a second, I could only stare. He definitely wasn't right in the head.
Gathering up all the rage and frustration, I raised my fist and gave him one final
blow before I stood up and let the cops grab hold of him. With his face covered in
blood, he struggled to stand up.

"You know the biggest thing that I have and you don't?" I waited until his
eyes met mine, before saying, "Balls."

With that, I turned my back on him and faced Clyde. He was in his business suit,
looking straight out from work.

"Thirty-fifth floor," he said. "Room C."

I nodded to him, and took off running.

To the elevator.

To the hall.

Until finally, I saw her.

I stopped, suddenly feeling drained. I released a deep breath and hung my head
while I studied her state. Her hair was in tangles, her face was wet from crying,
and her body was shaking through the blanket.

Ethan was rubbing her arm as they walked out of the room together. I owed him and
Clyde big time. Someday, I'd repay them. But for now, I was just so fucking
glad that Halo was all right. Or was she?

I frowned at the sight of her wrists, peeking out of the blanket. They had red
marks on them – from being tied?

My hands balled into fists, swearing to myself that that fucker would get what was
coming for him. But then my hands loosened its grip when I realized that this
happened to her because of me.

"Halo, baby," I called softly.

She looked up. As soon as her eyes met mine, her pretty face – was that a
fucking bruise on her cheek? – broke into a cry of relief before she ran to
me.

I wrapped my arms around her the moment our bodies collided. I closed my eyes and
thanked God that she was finally with me. My Halo was safe. Cradling her head
against my chest, I kissed her hair.

"I'm here," I whispered. "You're safe."

She sobbed and buried her face in my shirt. My heart broke seeing her in this
state. I wanted to ask her if that fucker touched her, if she was hurt anywhere
else in her body. But I didn't want to remind her of what just happened.
It'd be traumatizing for her for sure.

I raised my head and looked at Ethan, asking silently if he managed to arrive in

time. He nodded assuringly, patting my shoulder as he passed by us and headed to
the elevator.

I sighed and squeezed my eyes shut, relief flooding me. I didn't know what I
would've done if neither Ethan and Clyde got here in time.
 "I'm sorry I'm late, baby," I murmured, my lips right by her ear. She
shivered, making me hug her tighter. I didn't want to let her go. "I'm so
sorry."

That only seemed to make her cry harder.

"I won't let anybody hurt you again."

Her grip on my shirt tightened as she sobbed, but she managed to nod.

"What do you want me to do? Just say the word."

I'll do anything.

I gently ran a hand on her back, soothing her as I waited for her to stop crying.
It felt like ages. Eventually, her body stopped shaking and her breathing turned
back to normal. When that happened, she pulled away and looked up at me.

I've never seen her purple eyes so dead, as if she was numb. I knew that look
so well. I've seen it in the mirror countless times. I didn't like it on
her.

For a moment, I was scared she'd make me promise to stay away from her. I
wasn't really sure I could do that after tonight. No, scratch that. I
definitely wouldn't be able to stay away from her after everything that
happened.

With her expression blank, she pushed away my doubts with three simple words that
I never thought would ever come out of her angelic mouth.

"Make him pay." 

_____________

I know it's Monday. But consider this an early treat. Haha :)

Then, back to Thursday updates!

Chapter 48 - Chapter 40: Con Las Ganas [Cruel Me]

Come on.

Come to the window, Halo.

I was right outside her bedroom window, on the roof. There was a faint light
coming from there so I figured she was still awake. It was a bit chilly out
tonight. I stilled when the curtain moved, and I caught Halo peeked through it.

She was wearing a huge sweater with her PJs, her hair pulled up in a bun. She
hugged herself as she looked at me through the window.
 I tilted my head.

"Hey."

She shook her head, as though coming to her senses. With a blank face, she reached
out a hand and opened the window to let me in.

I climbed inside, quickly scanning the room and seeing that the only light came
from the moon lamp. I turned around and watched her take her time with closing the
window. She had been pretty distant these past few days. Not that I could blame
her.

Ruffling my hair, I reluctantly walked to the bed and sat on the edge.

"You sleepy?" I asked.

With her head down, she nodded.

"Oh, I'm sorry." I stood up, suddenly feeling lost. "I should go then."

She didn't step back from the window, blocking me from leaving. She looked up
at me, her eyes darting to the bed then back to mine – before avoiding them
altogether.

"You should stay."

My jaw clenched. "Do you mean that?"

She bit her lip, before whispering, "I want you so stay, at least until I fall
asleep."

"Okay."

I took off my shoes and positioned myself on the bed. She followed and settled
herself in my arms, surprising me a little. We've been cuddling like this for
the past several nights but even though she let me touch her, she didn't say
much – didn't say anything at all.

It had been a few days since the incident. Being that it occurred in the city,
there were no shitty rumors to get rid of in school. The only thing the people were
concerned about was why I ditched the Friday night game midway. I said that I had a
bad stomach ache. Not sure if they believed it. But then again, I couldn't
give less fucks.

I reached out a hand and caressed Halo's. It slowly traveled to her wrist,
pushing back the sleeve of her sweater so I could see the marks that were now an
ugly purple. My fingers lightly touched it, causing for her to flinch.

I frowned, my nostrils flaring and my jaw clenching. I wanted to punch the fuck
out of something. I wanted to barge into whatever kind of prison the bastard was in
right now and make him regret what he did to my girl.

But Clyde refused to say what hell he sent Finn fucking McKinley to. He just
assured me that the cocksucker wouldn't be able to come back in our lives.
That did jack shit to my satisfaction. I wanted him to suffer. I wanted him to feel
like the piece of shit he truly was.

"You want me to pay someone to kill him?" my brother had asked me. He was serious
about it, too. I was so close to taking up his offer but I realized it would be too
easy.

"No, death would be too kind."

"Then, what do you want me to do?"

I had to think hard about it. I wanted the motherfucker to experience the worst
pain possible. Something that wouldn't lead to his death, but something
he'd experience over and over until he wished he was fucking dead.

So I asked my brother to –

"How's school?"

My eyes found Halo's indifferent ones, bringing me back to the present. It

was damn weird describing anything about her indifferent. It was nothing like her.
She was expressive and cheerful and . . . full of life.

At least, she used to be.

I shook my head. "Lame."

"I feel like I missed a lot," she murmured, playing with my shirt.

"You only missed one day," I said lightly.

She didn't respond.

"When are you coming back?"

She shrugged. "Wednesday, or tomorrow."

I was quiet for a second. "Your Pops still hates me?"

Honestly, I couldn't blame him. He refused to talk to me at the hospital last

Friday. He didn't even look at me. And when I went by their house last
Saturday, he didn't let me in – nor did he yell at me. It was like I
wasn't even worth his breath.

Halo's Grams, on the other hand, looked at me with sad eyes. If there was one
look I hated more than pity, it was disappointment. The only one in her family who
looked at me like the hero I wasn't was Meadow.

"He doesn't hate you," muttered Halo, without looking at me.

"Right," I nodded, humoring her. "He doesn't hate me. He just doesn't
like the fact that you got hurt because you're dating me."

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, about to admit out loud something that
I've been thinking ever since I got that call from McKinley.

"It's my fault."

She shook her head against my chest. "It's not."

"But it is."

"No."
 "If it wasn't for me, he wouldn't have come after you."

She shook her head again.

"He knew how much you meant to me."

She sniffed. I kissed her hair, before pulling back and touching her wrist again.

Every time I see it, something inside of me breaks. She needs someone to blame.
She can't continue keeping it all bottled up inside of her. It's not
doing her any good.

"This happened because of me," I said quietly. "I caused this."

She let out a sob. I felt her body shake as she curled her body against mine.

"No matter what I do, you only end up getting hurt."

"You're trying to make me hate you," she concluded, in a shaky breath.

"Maybe."

She looked up at me. "Why?"

"So you don't hate yourself."

Something flashed in her eyes. Fear?

I knew her enough to figure out that she was blaming herself – for being
weak, for not being able to fight back. That was why she was quiet and distant. She
was eating herself up over this when she shouldn't be.

"Oz," she mumbled, closing her eyes and turning away.

I waited, already knowing what she was gonna say.

And I hated it – I hated what I was about to hear.

But I had to accept it.

For her.

"I need to find myself again," she finally said. "I'm so lost right now. I
can't – I can't," she paused to wipe the tears that rolled down
her cheeks. "I can't deal. I need to get my mind off from all that happened
lately. I need something normal and consistent. I need time to myself, with my
family . . . away from all the chaos."

I raised my head and stared at the ceiling, feeling the back of my eyes sting.

"Away from me."

"Yes."

Shutting my eyes closed, I let out a deep breath. I tried to ignore the pain in my
chest. I tried to ignore the sudden ton of weight I felt on my body that it was
hard to breathe.

But it was goddamn hard to ignore, especially when the only source of light in my
life just closed its doors on me. A little melodramatic for my liking, but what the
hell?

It is what the fuck it is.

If staying away was what she wanted, I'd give it to her.

Even if it would fucking kill me.

"I can't ask you to stay with me after what's happened," I said. "I
don't have that right. So even though it scares the fuck outta me, I'm
gonna let you decide if you still want to be with me."

Her grip on my shirt tightened.

"Hey, look at me," I murmured.

She slowly raised her head, her eyes filled with tears. I softly wiped an escaped
tear on her cheek with a thumb. For a moment, I was stuck on what to say. I was
lost in those purple orbs again. Shaking my head, I willed myself to focus.

"You don't have to decide now," I told her.

She blinked, and I couldn't help but kiss the tip of her nose.

"No pressure."

She sniffed. So damn cute.

"Just know this," I began, looking straight in her eyes. "No one else will fucking
have me." I placed a kiss on her forehead. "You own me, Halo."

She closed her eyes and sighed into me.

"You owned me that night you were drunk off your ass and slapped me. You owned me
that day you caught me ditching class in the hallway. You owned me that moment our
eyes met at the store."

I held her chin up, and she opened her eyes. I gazed into them, slipping a strand
of hair behind her ear. I needed her to hear this. I needed her to know this.

"You own every part of my being, Halo."

Her lips quivered as tears rolled down her cheeks. I leaned in and kissed her
lightly on the lips, before staring at her face as if I was memorizing it. And I
was. Who knew how long it would be before I got to see it up close again?

"Only you."

_____________

Saaaaad :(

What else do you think has been left unresolved (so I could include it in the last
couple of chapters)? There's Connie and Alfie's thing, Frisco's
recovery, Scout and Oz's frenemy status, Snow... Is there any more I'm
forgetting? XD

Chapter 49 - Chapter 41: Chances [Cruel Me]

WARNING: Some scenes, actions, and comments made by the characters may be
sick and disturbing. In no way do I say that I agree with what has been done. You
know the saying, "The author is not responsible for what their characters say and
do." That applies here. I'm one of those writers who let my characters speak
to me, I listen to their voices and take note of their personalities. Although
I'm satisfied with the fact that Finn is sent to jail, I can't get rid of
Oz's thought that it's not enough. In no way do I say that I agree with
his thinking. But excluding his thoughts and denying what he thinks should be done
would make me feel like a failure as a writer, because that would mean that I
couldn't accept that somewhere in this world, there are people who really are
as cruel as him.
_____________

"Hey, did you see the news?"

"No, why?"

"Someone we know got raped!"

"What? For real?"

"Yeah, it's all over facebook!"

"Who?"

"Finn McKinley!"

"No way!"

"But he's in jail, right?"

"Exactly."

"Holy crap!"

I almost snorted.

There was a lotta crap, alright.

I kept my face straight as I left the jet line and headed to the crew's usual
table. A few girls tried to block my path but I managed to dodge their claws.

Damn. Word must've come out that Halo and I took a break because all kinds of
bang bunnies have been coming up to me lately. Pain in the ass.

I nodded to my friends as I took a seat beside Connie, who appeared nonchalant as

she ate her food. My eyes narrowed. She was too stiff. I glanced across from me to
Alfie and his girl of the day (who wore too much red lipstick, by the way), and all
was clear.

Huh. He was back to that.

 Shaking my head, I chowed down my food.

"You look like shit," my best friend told me oh-so-kindly. "Is that in style now?"

"You're banging bunnies again. Who are you to judge?"

The girl beside him huffed at me. I ignored her.

"Some things just aren't meant to be changed." Alfie shrugged like it was no
biggie but I caught him glance at Connie for the briefest moment. "I'm not one
to force destiny."

Kurt snorted from Alfie's other side. "Yeah, right."

"Or girls, for that matter," added Alfie. "Sometimes, you gotta let them come to
you."

My eyes traveled to a black-haired girl in the cafeteria, spotting her immediately

in a room as chaotic as this. I watched as she bit into her burger, before smiling
for the tiniest bit at something Milo said. Even though it was a small smile, at
least it there was something.

I was glad.

"Is it true?" asked Frisco, before sitting down on the other side of Connie. She
helped him put his crutches on the ground.

"What?" said Kurt, his voice muffled form the pizza he was munching on. I only
then noticed that Gina was beside him.

I fought the urge to shake my head at these guys. Old habits sure dies hard.

"That thing that happened to McKinley in jail," finished Frisco.

Suddenly, I felt all eyes on me. Of course, they knew that I had something to do
with it. I swallowed my food, then nodded at them.

"Yeah, it's true."

I could tell from their faces that they wanted to ask more but there was a
stranger with us – and Gina. I wasn't gonna say shit in front of
Alfie's one-time-thing.

Connie obviously read my mind because she rolled her eyes and faced the bang bunny
that was currently clinging to my jackass best friend.

She sighed and told her, "Can you suck his face later? People are trying to eat
here."

The girl smirked. "Jealous?"

"Of what?" Connie's head cocked to the side. "You saggy tits or loose
vagina?"

Red Lips scoffed. "You're one to talk."

"Heather, no," warned Gina in a low voice.

 Gina's cool. Even though she could be such an annoying bitch sometimes, she
was a smart bitch. But Red Lips didn't listen. Goes to show she didn't
have a lot to offer in the brain department.

"Hanging out with lots of guys," Red Lips continued, as if she wasn't
interrupted. "You're not fooling anyone."

"Shut up, Heather," said Gina, through gritted teeth.

Red Lips was really asking for it, though.

"You're just a slut as the rest of us."

Gina shook her head and faced Kurt, who only grinned and waited for the show. I
took my soda off the table, taking it away from the danger zone just in case.

As calmly as she could, Connie said, "Get the fuck out of my face right now, or
else."

"Or else what, pull my hair out? We're not in middle school –"

My childhood friend reached an arm across the table and grabbed Heather's
shirt until she was practically on our end. Half of her body was on the table while
her hands held on to the edge, her eyes looked like they were about to pop out from
their sockets.

Connie, on the other hand, kept her face stoic.

"Careful, skank. I can do a lot worse. In case you haven't heard, I mastered
the art of bitchery. I won't tolerate any of your shit. So get lost before I
claw your eyes out."

A little smile reached my lips. Classic Connie.

"Without that pretty face," she began softly, "what would be left of you?" She
released her hold on Heather's shirt and shoved her away.

"Alfie," called Red Lips, clutching her heaving chest.

"Well, I mean . . ." Alfie shrugged. "She did tell you to get out of her face."

She scoffed. "Asshole!"

With that, she shot to her feet and left the table. Gina sighed and shook her
head, but still followed after her friend.

"What d'you do?"

I returned my eyes to the rest of the group and saw Connie staring me down, making
me rub my eyes and sigh in exasperation.

"I asked Clyde to use his connections and let it slip with the inmates that the
fucker was a molester. You know what happens when criminals like that go to jail."
I shrugged as I placed my soda back on the table. "They get a taste of their own
medicine. And he did – multiple times."

Frisco and Connie's mouths dropped open in shock. Alfie blinked. While
Kurt's eyes widened as he muttered, "Holy shit."
 It made news, too.

Just when I knew which jail he was sent to, he was transferred because of the
incident.

It didn't matter, though. A fitting retribution had been done.

"That's brutal," whispered Frisco, picking on his food. But I didn't

hear him say that I shouldn't have done it.

"He fucking deserves it," grumbled Kurt, with a glare.

"Hell yeah, he does!" exclaimed Alfie, slamming a fist on the table and earning a
few looks. "That dickwad has caused enough shit. It's his turn to get some."

"Karma's a bitch," said Connie, leaning back on her chair with her arms
crossed.

Ain't that the truth?

"Gotta say, Oz," started Alfie, turning to me. "It sounds too tame for you. I
expected something more, like chasing him down with gang bangs wherever he goes."

I considered that at first. But then, I thought I didn't want anything to do

with him anymore. I just wanted him to pay for what he did and be done with it.

"I don't wanna spend another second thinking about that lowlife," I replied.
"What's done is done."

"So it's all over now, right?" asked Frisco, looking expectantly at everyone.
All of us looked at him. "No more revenge? No more seeking justice? It's all
behind us?"

The five of us exchanged glances. And from that look alone, I knew – I
could see from their faces that they were just as tired of this mess as I was.

We just wanted to enjoy the remaining months of our high school years the best way
possible, you know? Together and all that mushy shit.

I hoped to God it wasn't too late for us to start over.

It wasn't like we'd be all goody-goodies now. We just wouldn't have

that much drama following us around like before. We'd be free as a bird.

Alfie raised his forefinger. "Actually, it's all behind McKinley." He flashed
us a wicked grin, wiggling his eyebrows. "Get it?"

We stared at him incredulously, quiet for a couple of moments. Until Kurt broke
the silence and spoke for the rest of us.

"Dude, what the fuck?"

Frisco shook his head and muttered, "It's not funny."

"Whatever." Alfie huffed. "High school is almost over, but your humor is already
dead."

I met Connie's eyes. Our faces broke into small smiles.

 In that moment, I realized that Halo also did me a favor. By pulling herself away
from me to heal on her own, I ended up doing the same as well.

Being emotionally dependent on each other isn't healthy. I know that now.

I guess I'm getting better in my own way, too – with friends who are
always with me every step of the way, who got my back no matter what, and who know
me inside-out.

I miss Halo. But I need this.

I needed to heal on my own. So that when the time came that she was ready to
accept me again, I wouldn't be broken.

I'd be whole.

. . .

"Are we ever gonna talk about how y'all don't speak no more?"

Kurt pointed his fork at Alfie and Connie.

"I ain't stupid. I know something's up."

I picked up my can of Coke casually, keeping my face indifferent.

This is gonna be good.

Alfie only shrugged, pretending to be innocent.

"Yeah," nodded Frisco. "I noticed it, too."

I watched Connie. She kept her face neutral.

"Don't know what you're talking about," she said so nonchalantly that
even I almost believed her.

Kurt wasn't stupid, though.

"Okay," he challenged. "Where were y'all that night we tied Parker to a

tree?"

"Pft, easy," said Alfie. "I was rocking some lucky girl's world."

Connie rolled her eyes, but kept her focus on the untouched carrots on her plate.

"Con?" urged Kurt.

She kept her eyes down for a minute or two, keeping us in fucking suspense. I
faintly wondered if she was gonna admit it. But it wasn't like her to do that.

"Feeling sorry for myself," she admitted.

I narrowed my eyes.

"Thought you said Parker ain't worth it," reminded the big guy.

"He isn't."
 Kurt literally fucking looked like the Jackie Chan meme that I almost laughed.

Connie shook her head. "I felt sorry for myself because . . ." Her eyes found
Alfie's. I wasn't sure what she saw on his face, but something made her
chin up and add, "That night, I realized I fell in love with someone I
couldn't have."

I whistled. Boom. She said it.

I turned my attention to my best friend. I couldn't read him. He stared back

at Connie, but his face didn't give anything away. He didn't even show
any sign of surprise.

"You're shitting me," said Kurt in disbelief.

Connie snorted. "I wish."

"Why did you think you couldn't have him?" asked Alfie, his eyes on her.

"No girl has."

This is like some real life soap opera shit.

"Maybe he's waiting for the right girl."

I stared dumbfoundedly at my best friend. I couldn't believe those words were

coming out of his mouth. He sounded like a cheesy motherfucker. Seriously.

Apparently, I wasn't the only one who noticed the intense exchange.
Frisco's eyes traveled from Connie to Alfie, frowning in confusion. And then,
understanding crossed his features. He nodded, looked away, and smiled sadly.

Poor guy.

"What if I'm not it?" asked Connie.

Man, they're still at it.

Alfie shook his head, leaning his elbows on the table to get closer to her.

"That's not up to you."

She was silent for a couple of seconds, and then she hook her head.

"Fuck, I need to go to the restroom," she blurted out, jumping up from her seat
and running out of the room.

"Oh, hell no," muttered Alfie, getting to his feet. "You ain't running from
me again."

He ran after her, leaving the three of us at the table. It was quiet for about a
minute or two before Kurt turned to me with the most shocked face I've ever
seen on him.

"What the fuck just happened?" he asked, looking lost as fuck.

I snorted, shaking my head in amusement.

"Connie and Alfie?"

 "Yep," I simply said.

Kurt leaned back on his seat, and breathed out, "Fuck me."

"No, thanks," chuckled Frisco.

Kurt shook his head and stood up. "Whatever, I need to see this shit."

I groaned. "Tell me you're not gonna eavesdrop on 'em."

I was such a hypocritical ass.

"Okay, I won't tell you," shrugged Kurt, sticking his tongue out at me as he
walked away. "Later, mofos!" With that, he ran to the exit.

"You okay?" I asked Frisco, when we were alone.

"Yeah." He shrugged a shoulder. "I mean, I had a hunch before. They have this
weird way of treating each other. I just wasn't sure if there was something
more to it than what they showed. Turned out, there was."

I rubbed the back of my neck.

"I'm pretty sure Connie's liked Alfie for years."

She would kill me for saying this but it was the truth. After catching them in the
closet, I recalled all those times she was extra bitchy when it came to Alfie and
his conquests.

Actually, she've always been somewhat extra bitchy to Alfie – period.

"Well," started Frisco, smiling weakly, "I can't compete with that."

I winced. "Sorry, man."

"Nah, I'll live," he sighed, waving a hand dismissively. "Hey, I survived a

freaking car accident. A heartache will be a piece of cake."

Huh. Doesn't feel like a piece of cake to me. More like asthma. It's
gotten harder for me to breathe ever since she left.

But the thing was, she showed me the light. I was out of the tunnel because of
her. She guided me to the right path. So even if I was having a hard time
breathing, I wasn't drowning anymore. Sometime in the future, I would be able
to breathe properly again.

We couldn't always chase after the things we wanted. Because sometimes, we

could be so focused on what was ahead that we forget to look around us.

So we have to stop for a while.

And just live.

_____________
Btw, 2 chapters left. I'm not ready. :(

AGAIN: Some scenes, actions, and comments made by the characters may be sick and
disturbing. In no way do I say that I agree with what has been done. You know the
saying, "The author is not responsible for what their characters say and do." That
applies here. I'm one of those writers who let my characters speak to me, I
listen to their voices and take note of their personalities. Although I'm
satisfied with the fact that Finn is sent to jail, I can't get rid of
Oz's thought that it's not enough. In no way do I say that I agree with
his thinking. But excluding his thoughts and denying what he thinks should be done
would make me feel like a failure as a writer, because that would mean that I
couldn't accept that somewhere in this world, there are people who really are
as cruel as him.

Chapter 50 - Chapter 42: Little Wonders [Cruel Me]

Well, this is a first.

"Hey."

I opened the door wider, indicating for his royal redheadedness to come inside. I
wasn't cruel enough to let him freeze to death from standing outside.

"Nice house," said Scout, looking around.

I only nodded.

There was a moment of silence. He scratched the side of his head, while I put my
hands inside my jean pockets. Neither of us spoke.

Talk about awkward.

"Look –" he started to say, but I cut him off.

"I'm sorry."

He stared at me with a confused expression, like he misheard me.

I took a deep breath and explained, "For giving you crap. You didn't deserve
it."

Now he stared at me like I had three heads. If he was waiting for me to say more,
tough luck. That was all he'd ever get out of me.

The thing was, Scout was part of this moving on shit. If I wanted to put the past
entirely behind me, I needed to clear out some unfinished business.

I admit it. I'm a bully – or used to be.

Scout Crimson was one of the people I gave so much shit to, even if I knew that he
didn't deserve it. Sure, his righteous ass was annoying as hell. But he was
just being a good guy. Maybe that was what pissed me off the most.

He stayed good despite everything.

 Besides, I figured I was getting too old for this crap. Only a few months left
until graduation. It'd be a waste to spend those final months holding back
because there was that guilt feeling nagging me.

Slowly, Scout lips turned up in a smile.

"I'm sorry, too – for everything that happened."

What did I tell ya? Good guy, apologizing even though he'd done jack shit.

I shrugged. "It's life. We just gotta deal with it."

Scout eyed me, as if deciding if he should say something.

"She'll come around, man," he finally said, referring to the dark-haired dork
we both know. "Don't worry about it."

I let out a sigh. "Yeah, we'll see."

"The dicks are looking for y –"

Both of our heads turned to the direction of the voice. Connie looked at us like
she just caught us making out, then her eyes settled on Scout and a smirk appeared.

"Well, look what the dirty pussy dragged in," she sneered, with a hand on her hip
and the other one holding up a bottle of beer.

Scout nodded warily to her, giving out a small smile.

"Hey, Anderson."

Connie raised an eyebrow.

"Pull back your claws, Con," I told her, ruffling her still silver shoulder-length
hair. "We have permanent truce," I added, reaching my fist out to him for a bump.

Scout looked just as surprised as Connie, before a slow grin stretched out on his
face and he met my knuckles with his.

"Whatever," muttered Connie, turning her back on us.

"Wanna play NBA 2k16?" I asked Scout.

Connie halted in her tracks while her eyes landed on me.

Scout blinked, taken aback by my sudden offer.

"Uh," he hesitated, shaking his head. "I dunno, man."

I nodded to him. "C'mon, the crew won't bite."

Connie snorted at that.

"Nah, I think I should go," he said, pointing to the door with his thumb.

Shrugging, I said, "Might as well make the truce official."

I caught Connie's eyes narrow on me for a second, but she didn't say
anything.
 Being nice wasn't something I usually did for kicks. What better way than to
try it out on Scout? It was weird as fuck. But I had to admit, it was also kinda
refreshing.

Finally, he gave me an unsure smile.

"Sure."

I nodded. "Cool."

"This will be fun," I heard Connie mutter.

Scout followed us to the basement without a word. As we climbed down the stairs, I
caught sight of Alfie and Kurt going at it on the consoles with Frisco lounging on
the beanbag and laughing his ass off.

"Yo, guys," I called.

Frisco turned to me with a smile, but then he froze when he saw who was behind me.
I could clearly see the curiosity flooding his features.

Kurt glanced at me, before doing a double take. With his posture alert and ready
to pounce, he dropped the console and nudged Alfie.

"What?" hissed my best friend.

Kurt grabbed a fistful of his sweatshirt and shook him hard, while still never
letting his eyes leave Scout.

"Dude, what the hell?"

Forced to let go of the console, Alfie glared at Kurt before following where the
big guy was looking at. His eyes widened when he saw Scout.

"The fuck is he doing here?" he spat, his nostrils flaring.

Connie casually walked to the small kitchen, but not before glancing at me and
giving me a leer. Yeah, thanks a lot for the help.

"He's here to hang with us," I informed them with a shrug, as if it was no
biggie. I walked over to the fridge and grabbed a can of beer, before walking back
to Scout and handing it to him.

He nodded. "Thanks."

"This shit is messed up," breathed out Alfie.

"Nope, this shit is finally sorted out," I stated, sitting on one of the
armchairs.

I gestured for Scout to take a place on the sofa with Alfie and Kurt, both of whom
were watching the newcomer like a hawk.

Connie decided that was the perfect time to speak up.

"'Permanent truce,'" she said, doing air quotes with her fingers.

Alfie stared at me with his mouth dropped open.

 I shrugged and cocked my head. "It is what it is, man."

I might've appeared calm as fuck on the outside, but I was nervous as hell on
the inside. I would just have to trust that Scout wouldn't say anything
stupid.

"C'mon, Alfie," piped up Frisco, waving a hand. I could clearly see that he
was trying to cover up how weirded out he was by this. "Cut him some slack."

"When did he ever cut us some slack?"

Scout rubbed the back of his neck, keeping his head down.

"Don't be such a baby, Al," scolded Connie, whacking Alfie upside his head
when she walked behind the sofa. I caught her eyeing the back of Scout's head
like he just told her he was pregnant.

Kurt grunted. "Whatever – I'm hungry." With that, he got to his feet
and headed to the cupboards, but not before casting one last suspicious look at
Scout.

"Fucking fine," sighed Alfie, putting his hands up in defeat. "If your righteous
ass can beat me in Tekken, I'll consider hanging out with you," he added to
Scout, picking up his fallen console from the floor. "Grab the damn console,
Crimson."

The smallest of smile appeared on Scout's face.

"Game on, O'neal."

Surprising the fucking shit outta all of us, it didn't take long before my
jackass best friend loosened up and began enjoying Scout's company.

Alfie kept looking at him like he couldn't believe he was the same person who
gave us hell for the past years.

Even I had to admit that when he wasn't being a shithead, he was a great guy
to have around. None of us expected that he could be so easygoing.

Apparently, he didn't have a stick up his ass 24/7.

Connie sat on the arm of my chair, raised the bottle of beer to cover her lips,
and whispered, "I heard Snow apologized to Halo yesterday."

I tensed up.

"Don't worry," she assured me quickly. "No one scratched anyone's eyes
out. I even heard they hugged it out."

She snorted a laugh. She must've found it funny, considering any

confrontation with her ended up in a cat fight.

"It's buzzing all over school. I'm surprised it didn't reach you."

"Been busy," I simply said, before taking a swig of my beer.

"It won't be long now."

 My eyes remained on the screen. "'Til what?"

"'Til she comes back to you."

I gripped the bottle in my hand and resisted the urge to sigh.

God, I hope so.

"How the fuck did you do that?" blurted out Alfie.

Scout only laughed.

"Can't the fuck believe I'm about to say this but," he paused, shaking
his head in dread of what he was about to do, "teach me your ways!"

I chuckled and turned to Scout, before saying, "Yeah, there's no way

he'll leave you alone 'til he beats your ass in this game."

Frisco snorted. "I should know."

I pointed to my curly-haired friend with a knowing look.

"I beat you, fucker," scoffed Alfie.

"I let you beat me," counted Frisco a-matter-of-factly.

"No, you didn't."

Like a motherfucking choir, Kurt, Connie, and I said in unison, "He did."

"Pft, whatever." Alfie waved us off. "As far as I'm concerned, I'm the
king of –"

"Sore Loser Kingdom?" I finished for him, with a smug smile.

He flipped me the bird. How sweet.

I grinned real wide. "Love you, too."

Scout's look didn't escape me, like he couldn't believe a bunch of

rebellious kids like us could be so damn normal.

Huh. I guess now we are.

"I'll have a go!" announced Connie, raising a hand.

I laughed. "You can't play for shit."

She raised an eyebrow. "Watch me."

I kept myself from snorting and gave her a be-my-guest look. She hopped off my
armchair and sat on the floor facing the big screen, between Alfie's legs. My
best friend absently played with her hair while he watched her start the game.

I shook my head in amusement at those two.

My eyes traveled to Scout, who was focused on the screen as he competed with
Connie. Seeing him here was weird as fucking hell, but it was a start. Him being
here makes it official somehow.
 It's a shot at a new beginning.

_____________

A purple-eyed dork will finally show up again next chapter, which is the last
chapter.

This begs the question, is it gonna be a happy ending?

Chapter 51 - Chapter 43: 23 [Cruel Me]

TIP: Listen to the song while reading this chapter!

_____________

"We have asses to kick and pussies to lick!"

Connie shot Alfie a look.

"Pussy," he grinned, pulling her closer to him by the waist. "Singular."

She rolled her eyes before looking at me. "Pummel 'em. Own the State Champs."

"Hell yeah!" I laughed, my eyes absentmindedly roaming around the parking lot
outside the stadium and looking for a blue Mustang.

Today was a fucking big day for Mount Valley High, the State Championships. It
would serve as our comeback after our absence from the line-up last season.

It was time to steal back our title.

Naturally, everyone from school showed up – except for one person.

"College scouts are crawling all over the place," mentioned Kurt.

The crew were standing right outside the stadium, trying to get some air before we
stepped in and prepped up for the game.

"Which one are you gonna pick?" Frisco asked him.

Kurt shrugged. "Not sure, probably Notre Dame."

Alfie nodded to me. "Oz is gonna go for Florida."

I turned back my attention to them.

"Yeah, I'm leaning more towards the Gators."

My best friend grinned at me, and said, "I'll see you out on the field
'cause I'll be taking Florida's offer, too."
 I smirked. "Clingy much?"

"You know you can't live without me."

I laughed at that.

"Oho!" Kurt put his fingers between his nose and mouth. "That's how it is,
huh? It's on, motherfuckers!" He grabbed Alfie by the neck and gave him a
noogie.

"What the fuck, man? Did you even shower? Your armpit stinks!"

We burst out laughing.

I watched as Alfie struggled to be free from the big guy. Kurt just laughed his
ass off, clearly enjoying his victim's suffering. With a snicker, Connie
stepped beside Frisco but her eyes remained on her boyfriend.

Damn, a shudder just ran through me. I still haven't gotten used to them
being together. It must be because I've never seen Alfie as a
'boyfriend' before. Weird as shit.

"I'm gonna miss you crazy mofos," sighed Frisco, with a sad smile.

"Don't worry, Frisco," said Connie, putting an arm around his neck.
"I'll still be around. No fancy university for me," she added, winking at him
playfully.

Frisco smiled at her, no hint of malice in his eyes. It was like he never had any
feelings for her. Either he was able to move on that fast or the geek was fucking
good at masking his emotions.

"Why not?" he asked Connie.

"Fancy schmancy," she snorted.

"Which college, then?"

"I was planning to go to a community college for a couple of years. But that was
before my brother decided to go pro and started earning a shit ton of money. So now
I'm thinking of going to Rutgers. Near, and low-key."

I raised an eyebrow at her. "Right, Rutgers is low-key."

Placing a hand on her hip, she countered, "As compared to University of Florida
and Notre Dame and just about any other Ivy Leagues out there? Um, yeah it is."

"Holy shit."

All heads turned to Alfie. He was staring wide-eyed at a distance, before his eyes
locked with mine and he nodded to the direction of the parking lot.

My eyes followed where he was pointing at and – The fuck?

I blinked, even rubbed my eyes for good measure. But nope, still there. I
couldn't fucking believe it. Lo and behold, my family was here.

At least, Annabelle and Clyde were.

 What, did they think I was dying or something?

I felt someone shove me from behind. Before I could glare to whoever the fuck
pushed me, my siblings were right in front in my face.

"Did someone die?" was the first thing I asked.

Annabelle hid her snort of laughter behind her perfectly manicured fingers. Clyde,
on the other hand, flashed me his usual deceiving smile.

"We're here to cheer you on, little brother."

I looked at him skeptically. "Riiight."

"Where's your cute girlfriend?" asked my sister, looking around.

I caught a hint of uneasiness in her eyes, while her body shifted like this place
didn't bring too much happy memories. To anyone, they wouldn't notice a
damn thing. But I've been close enough to Annabelle to tell whenever her tough
façade cracked.

The fact that she endured whatever the hell it was that made her uneasy, just to
see me . . . Well, that was kinda sweet.

My eyes traveled to the people climbing out of their parked cars and heading to
the entrance of the stadium, taking my time before I had to answer my sister.

When I looked back at her, I finally spoke.

"We broke up."

My sister's eyes snapped to me accusingly. "What did you do, you little
twerp?"

Clyde kept quiet as he continued to watch me. I sighed and rubbed my face, not in
the mood to talk about it.

"She wanted some space," I said lamely, wishing to hell she'd drop it.

"You know," started Annabelle, shifting her feet, "I heard about how she clung to
you that night."

My eyes flew to Clyde, who stared back at me with an indifferent face. Of course,
he just had to tell our sister. The fucker couldn't keep anything to himself.

Annabelle stepped forward. "She didn't stay back like she was disgusted by
you. As a matter of fact, I heard it was as though you were her lifeline."

I didn't answer. I had nothing to say.

"Chin up," ordered Clyde. "She'll come back to you."

I eyed him. "All of a sudden, you approve of her?"

The corner of his mouth turned up. "It's not sudden. It took time. But I
realized she was the only one who managed to bring out the man in you." He
shrugged. "I have to respect her for that," he added, slapping my shoulder.
 "And Diana?"

"Truth? I highly doubt it." He flashed me a knowing smile. "But since when did her
opinion stop you?"

A crooked smile stretched across my face.

"Anyway," exclaimed Annabelle, clapping her hands once like the cheerleader she
used to be, "let's head inside and watch the game – You better win,
Oz."

I grinned at her.

"I wouldn't expect any less from you," added Clyde.

I couldn't help but roll my eyes at that.

"Of course."

Without saying goodbye, they turned their backs on me and made their way to the
bleachers inside. Before they entered the stadium, I called after them.

"Hey, guys!"

Both of them stopped and turned to me.

"Thanks for coming."

Annabelle's expression softened in the slightest bit, while Clyde only

smirked as if he already knew that.

"Good luck, Oz."

* * *

The first drop of rain hit my nose.

I looked down, staring dully at the grass.

We just won State fucking Championships. We were on our way to the Nationals
again. We final had our shot at this after missing out last year.

So why the fuck don't I feel victorious?

Was I happy? Hell yeah. Did I feel like celebrating? No. Because in the midst of
all this triumph, there was still something missing.

Or rather, someone.

I closed my eyes, took a deep and slow breath as I raised my face towards the sky,
welcoming the feel of raindrops. I listened to the slow pour of rain as it hit the
now empty field. It was calming as shit.

What if Halo never came back to me? Should I start accepting the fact that she
might never come around? Should I accept the fact that she wouldn't be any
part of my future anymore? 

Well, that fucking hurts.

 That was when I heard it. The splashes of water, the sound of feet hitting the wet
ground as someone ran nearer.

I quickly turned around, and my whole body stilled.

She slowed down when she realized I saw her. With her knuckles growing whiter with
her grip on my umbrella, she took a wary step forward. Our eyes locked with each
other's gazes, neither refusing to look away.

I've missed looking into those beautiful purple wonders – so goddamn
much.

She stopped when she was only a foot away from me. Looking up, she bit her lip and
raised her umbrella so I wasn't getting wetter than I already was.

I felt like my heart squeezed at the gesture.

"Hi," she greeted in a whisper.

"Hi," I replied quietly.

She looked around the now empty stadium, before smiling sheepishly at me.

"Looks like I missed the game."

I shook my head. "I'm still here."

She stared up at me with hopeful eyes. All I saw was my Halo, the hilarious girl I
met at the party, the girl who never let anything bring her down, the girl I fell
head over fucking sneakers in love with.

"It's not too late, then?"

God, I wanna kiss her.

"It's never too late."

She bit her lip again.

Neither of us spoke anymore, neither wanting to break the spell. I took that
chance to study her face. She looked flushed, like she rushed her way here.

Did she run?

I was breathing hard, praying to all that was holy that this wasn't just a
dream. It would really fucking kill me if this wasn't real.

I mean, I'm still wearing my jersey for fuck's sake. I also don't
recall passing out during the game or falling asleep in the locker room.

This must be real then, right?

I wasn't sure how long we stood there staring at each other but at some
point, she finally broke eye contact to pull out something from her pocket. Then,
she reached out to grab my hands. I could swear I felt a fucking tingle down my arm
the moment our skins touched.

Fuck, I'm turning mushy over this shit.

 She placed a cold metal substance on my palm. I blinked when I saw that it was the
purple crystal necklace she lost that first night at the party. I noticed she
didn't pull her hand away. I looked up at her, my brows slight furrowed in
confusion.

Why?

As if she could read my mind, the corner of her lips turned up in the smallest and
shyest smile I've ever seen on her.

"Good," she said.

Damn. It seriously took all of me not to grab her face and plant one on her.

"Because no one else will have me," she continued, with a smile playing on her
lips as she repeated my own words back to me. She took a step forward, almost
closing the gap between us. "Only you, Oz."

A grin stretched out on my face.

"This is my heart," she whispered, nodding to the crystal on my hand. "Unless you
give it back, you will always have my heart – you will always have me."

Fuck it.

Giving in to the urge, I snaked a hand on her neck and pulled her to me so I could
kiss her. She gladly returned the kiss, opening her mouth and making me turn the
kiss deeper.

At some point, the umbrella was forgotten and fell to the ground. We gave zero
fucks. It had been too fucking long since I was able to touch my girl like this. I
sure as hell was gonna savor this as long as I fucking could.

"You don't mind if I keep it forever, do you?" I murmured against her lips.

"You can keep it for as long as you want."

"Which will be for fucking eternity."

She giggled into my mouth. I pulled back to stare at her. She gave me a full grin,
her purple eyes twinkling in delight.

There's my Halo.

"I love you," I said softly.

"Always?"

"To the universe and beyond, baby."

She burst out laughing, which was music to my ears.

"You're turning into a dork, too."

"Only for you," I said, before giving her another kiss.

Now I can celebrate.

_____________

THE END

I honestly don't know what to say. I feel like crying. It's been a long
and hard journey with Oz's story. It was such a big challenge for me, writing
this book. First, the entire thing is in a guy's POV. Second, you've met
Oz. You know how much of a complex human being he is. I literally had to prep
myself up before I start writing a new chapter. But I survived (thanks to the huge
help of @LadyAireen's keen beta-reading skills)!

I have to admit, of all the books I've ever written, Cruel Me is my proudest
achievement. It captured that raw emotion from my deepest core, which my other
books doesn't have. I dunno, maybe it's just me. Haha :D

And now, I thank YOU. Thank YOU for reading Oz's story. Thank YOU for seeing
through all his bullshit. Thank YOU for finishing this book (no matter how cruel it
got to be). Thank YOU for being there for Oz when the others weren't. Thank
YOU for loving Halo. Thank YOU for always standing by the crew's side. Most of
all, thank YOU for trusting me and believing that I could pull this off. :)

Chapter 52 - Special Chapter: Love Is (Halo's POV) [Cruel Me]

Halo:

Three years ago...

Why couldn't they just leave me alone?

I ignored the two boys who were behind me as I put my books back in my locker. They
followed me here, which was already uncomfortable enough. Now they wouldn't
leave no matter what I said.

"I said no," I repeated, emphasizing the last word.

"Come on," pleaded Jackson, leaning an arm on the locker beside mine. He just got
in the basketball team, along with his friend Brendan. "Don't be prissy."

They were both in my year. They were both ambitious, too. Sadly, they seemed to
think I was the key to their success.

I tried to glower at them. I didn't think it was very effective, though.

Brendan added, "Just date my man Jackson over here and we'll leave you alone."

They only wanted me to date Jackson so he could kiss up to Pops. He wanted to be a

starter on the basketball team. But with the way he was playing, that wasn't
gonna happen anytime soon. He was really baaad, like those aliens in Space Jam.
"Think of it this way, you'll be popular overnight."

I highly doubted that. He wasn't even on the student body radar. I

wouldn't have known him if he wasn't in my Calculus class. Did he think
that line was going to sweep me off my feet?

I wanted to snort. But I didn't, because that would be rude.

"You can sit with us during lunch, too."

"No, thanks," I declined. "I have friends."

Very good ones, too. The minty green-haired boy I met in the cafeteria during my
first week in high school turned out to be one of the coolest people I now knew.

"But they ain't as cool as us," sneered Brendan.

"Come on, Halo," purred Jackson, touching my shoulder.

I flinched at the contact and quickly stepped away from him.

Please just go away.

"Frankenstein called. He wants his face back."

I blinked, my eyes widening in disbelief as I stared at the person who spoke. He

looked fresh out of the showers. He must've came straight from the football
field.

Actually, it was Frankenstein's monster. But I didn't want to correct

him. He was Oz Lacy, for crying out loud.

Jackson turned to Oz. "Did you say something?"

"Oh, you weren't mute?" asked Oz innocently.

He had the face of an angel, so of course he could pull off the innocent look well
enough. Innocent wet look, to be exact.

"Did I say I was?" fumed Jackson.

"Technically," started Oz slowly, as if he was talking to a toddler, "if you were

mute, you wouldn't be able to talk."

"Don't be a smartass."

"Am I being one?" Oz tilted his head sideways in the cutest way and a crooked smile
appeared on his chiseled face. "How would you know?"

I raised the book I was holding to my mouth to cover my grin.

He was really good at this.

Jackson attempted to walk towards Oz but Brendan stopped him.

"Come on, man. He ain't worth it."

"Listen to your girlfriend," taunted Oz.

I couldn't help it, a little giggle escaped my lips. Jackson heard it, though,
and he instantly got pissed. So he did what any provoked teen male would do in his
position – he went after Oz.

Before I knew what the frickle frackle was happening, Jackson was lying on his back
on the ground and Brendan was patting him on the shoulder.

"Told ya. That's Oz Lacy."

With that simple information, they scattered away. Finally. I watched the two of
them disappear to a corner, and shook my head. Pumpkinheads.

When I turned back to Oz to say my thanks, he was already near the end of the
corridor by the trophy case. He seemed to be staring intently at something there.

I bit my lip, clutching my book to my chest.

I should say thank you to him, right? It would only be the polite thing to do. He
went out of his way to help me, after all.

I was about to step closer, when something whooshed past me. The first thing I
noticed was her red hair, then her slim body. Then, our eyes met for the tiniest
second.

It was Snow Crimson.

She faced her front again, stopping when she was several feet away from him.

"Oz?"

He almost jumped in startle as he whipped his head to her direction. He looked

surprised, but then his expression softened when he saw her.

I had no idea that he was capable of having that look.

"Snow."

"Is the offer still up?" She sounded hopeful.

He smiled at her. "Yeah."

With that, they walked outside and headed to the parking lot together. Without them
knowing, I was watching – silently witnessing everything. Ehem, stalker
alert.

I didn't even realize that I walked by the trophy case until the lights caught
my peripheral vision. My eyes wandered to the case and absently scanned the names.
That was when I saw the Lacy siblings all on there.

Walking closer to the case, my right hand reached up and touched the glass.

Oz was staring at this with a sad look in his eyes just several minutes ago. Not
many people could say that they've ever seen him look that way. I doubted they
would even believe their own eyes.

A small smile touched my lips.

There was definitely something more to him than what other people see. I was sure
of it. In fact, I was willing to bet my whole Harry Potter collection on it.

Raising my head, I turned to the doors.

At that moment, I decided that Oz Lacy was a mystery.

_____________

Love ya, dudes! xx

PS. Please don't ask me to post the epilogue here. Y'all know posting
epilogues on my full length novels is not my thing. Please understand. :( Thank
you!

Chapter 53 - The Truth about Cruel Me [Cruel Me]

A and D started it all for me.

The small town of Mount Valley was born because of this book. The park that held so
many memories was created. The local diner that all the locals loved appeared. The
high school that was the core of teenage life was formed.

I love the world that was designed from A and D.

Maybe that's why even now, my current works revolve around it. I knew there
were still stories that need to be told from that place. I'm thankful that I
wrote A and D. Because of it, this ideal town came into shape.

I've come a long way from that 17-year-old who wrote A and D, doodling at the
back of the class instead of listening to the lecture. I've come a long way
from the girl who just started out writing and was still figuring out her writing
style.

I learned a lot from the constructive criticisms I read from the comments of A and
D. I took everything into account and improved myself.

Eight years later, my writing has gotten better. I have my own writing style now (I
think). Life lessons happened. Hearts got broken. Books were published. More
stories were written.

But there was a bump along that road that not many people knew.

Four years ago, I had a breakdown.

Back then, I tend to bottle my worries and doubts inside of me. When everything got
overwhelming, I shoved it up to the back of my mind. There was no room for those
kinds of thoughts in the cheerful version I created for myself.

So... naturally... one day... the glass bottle fell to the ground and shattered
into pieces.

And everything came out.

I shut down.
I was in a dark place. I skipped meals. I didn't talk to anybody. My parents
got worried. I wasn't taking any drugs or doing anything to harm myself. I
just simply... shut down.

I figured I needed an outlet. I knew I shouldn't go on like that. I knew I had

to do something to cope.

Then... Oz was born.

Every darkness I felt inside of me, every pain, every bad feeling, I poured it all
out into his character and his story. The worst part of myself was channeled to
him, that part I didn't access because even I feared it. He wasn't the
kind of guy you'd cheer for. He was the guy formed from every bad thought and
ugly feeling you ever had. He was the villain.

And his story took place in Mount Valley.

Despite everything, I kept going back in A and D's world. I knew it was weird
because that world was bright, colorful, and happy. Oz didn't have a place in
that kind of reality. He shouldn't have been there. But still, I put him
there.

I'm glad I did, because it was very interesting to see Mount Valley from his
eyes. Far different from A and D's.

Thinking back on it now, maybe I placed Oz in Mount Valley as a reflection of

myself. There he was, broken in a world built to be somewhat perfect.

I guess that's why Cruel Me holds a special place in my heart.

It's when I challenged myself to write a full book based on a male

character's POV. It's when I applied every little thing I learned from
writing and created this treasure. It's when, for the first time ever, I wrote
the darkest, worst version of myself and applied it into a character for rest of
the world to see.

A and D started it all. Cruel Me changed the game.

And finally, I'd get to hold it in my arms.

My publisher offered to publish it the traditional way. But if I agreed, I knew

that changes will be made, chapters would be cut, and scenes would be deleted. That
book was written in the most careful way possible. Every scene had its purpose.

So I opted for self-publishing.

I found some awesome people to help me with the editing, the creation of the cover,
and literally everything else. It's my first time legit self-publishing with
proper resources. I don't know how many people will buy it. The last time I
'self-published' ended in a disaster. We printed 50 copies and it sold
only about 10. The sad part was that most of the buyers were my relatives.

Right now, to say I'm scared as heck is an understatement.

It's a little pricey. We honestly already lowered the cost as much as we can.
Please also take note that it's more or less 600 pages (yeah, wild, I know).
We chose the best kind of paper material, the cover is matte and embossed, and we
pushed for the international level sort of published book.
I'm honestly beyond proud of how it turned out.

I hope you are, too.

That's why... I shared to you how Cruel Me came about, all the way from A and
D.

I want you to know how much this book means to me. I want you to remember, if or
when you read it, that this book helped someone overpower her dark side.

Through writing this, she faced her demons.

It's only available via pre-order. It will only have 1 batch, as we won't
be having a 2nd batch. In a way, this is a very limited edition. This is the one
and only chance to buy a hardcopy of Cruel Me. *PRE-ORDER ENDED*

The link for all the details and how to pre-order is on the external link, and
I'll comment it here as an inline comment. I'll also add it on my bio.
(bit.ly/CruelMeBook) *PRE-ORDER ENDED*

*International buyers, the payment will be via PayPal. Please send a message to
Lathala Store (facebook.com/LathalaStore) with your exact address so we could
estimate the shipping fee. *PRE-ORDER ENDED*

Thank you for reading this.

Thank you for being a part of how my life changed for the better.

Chapter 54 - Savage Me (Book 2) [Cruel Me]

Synopsis:

She's the girl your mom didn't want you to play with when you were a kid.
She's the girl your dad warned you not to date when you were a teen.

She's the girl who's always surrounded by boys. What not a lot of people
know is, she's actually treated as one of them rather than a toy.

She's the bitch. She's been called a slut. She's the one whose words
can always cut.

She's Connie Anderson.

Now she joins a sorority and flirts with the guy she considers her enemy.
Just when she finds a place where she feels like she truly belongs, jealous bitches
want nothing but for her to get lost.

It's their world. It's their system. It's their law.

But Connie doesn't give a shit.

She makes her own rules.

_____________

Chapter 1: Confident

I'm bored to fucking death.

Leaning on the doorway of my dorm room, I watched the other students rush down the
corridor as they moved in to their respective rooms. Some were struggling with
their luggages, a few seemed to be with their folks, and the rest were already
making friends.

Our dorm building, called Mettler Hall, was co-ed so there were a fair share of
some guys on my floor. The boys who were already here sure looked like they
didn't have any problem with that fact, with the way they were obviously
drooling over the girls. Pathetic losers.

Well, at least they were doing something.

I hung my head back and let out a deep sigh.

"Your roommate's a weirdo, too?"

My eyes flew to the room across from mine. A girl with green eyes stared back at
me. Her eyes reminded me of Spring. They were so green. Her curly dark brown
(almost black) hair was just below her ears. She was wearing a pastel pink bomber
jacket over a white turtle neck shirt tucked in a high-waist skinny jeans.

She looked way too dressy for move-in day – for a freshman. I mean, those
kind of 'casual' clothes were only worn by stuck-ups who didn't
really know what casual was. She didn't give off the snobby vibe, though.

Looks like we got a low-key rich girl here.

I glanced back in my room and saw my roommate whose nose was practically glued to
her textbook. I fought the urge to roll my eyes as I turned back to face the girl
across the hall.

"Not a weirdo," I replied indifferently. "Just plain boring."

Mean? Kinda. If someone had a problem with it, well, tough luck. I seriously
couldn't give less shits.
Rich Girl nodded to me. "What's your name?"

I crossed my arms and tilted my head. "Connie Anderson."

"Madeline Sullivan."

"Nice to meet you, Mads."

The corner of her lips quirked at the nickname. "Where are you from, Cons?"

I snorted. Saw that one coming.

"Mount Valley, New Jersey."

She nodded. "I'm from upstate New York, Pittsford."

Knew it. Rich girl.

"Any idea how to kill boredom in this place?" I asked, looking around while
everyone was still rushing like kids who just got their first taste of freedom.

Huh. Maybe for some of them, it is.

"Hey, I'm as new as you," said Madeline, with a smile.

I let out a little laugh.

"But actually, I do have an idea."

I saw an all too familiar look in her eyes. I've practically seen it every
single day of my high school life. They twinkled in mischief. I couldn't deny
the fact that I've missed the fuck out of that.

Madeline took a step closer to me, completely ignoring the people trying to pass
around her because she was now in the middle of the hallway like a boss ass bitch.
I liked how there were zero fucks given.

"Show me your hottest dress," she told me.

"Why?"

"We're going out," she answered, rolling her eyes. "Duh."

* * * * *

By 'going out,' Madeline meant crashing a frat party.

I think I just found my newest friend.

"I hope you're not a lightweight."

I just smirked at that. "You know anybody in this place?"

We walked down a path way in an avenue they called 'frat row' in campus.
I didn't know much about the greek life, but they weren't exaggerating
when they called it that. Every single one of the houses we passed had greek
letters on them. Be it a small cabin or a gigantic mansion-like place that
didn't look as if they belonged in a college campus.
"God no," laughed Madeline. "I just overheard some people talking about it."

"Awesome," I muttered.

It couldn't be that hard to crash a frat party, could it?

"I think this is it," said Madeline, stopping by a house (or a big ass Greek
temple) with its party in full swing. The pillars out front were what made the
house look like a temple dedicated to worship a mythological creature. They were
huge as fuck, as if they were screaming, 'We fucking rule this shit.'

"Preeetty sure it's the one."

I looked up and down the street, then faced the well-lit place in front of us.

"No shit," I told my new friend. "This is the only house playing loud music in this
street."

She stared at me for a second, then nodded in approval.

"Smartass," she remarked. "Yup, we'll definitely get along."

"You only figured that out now?" I snorted. "Noob."

She just laughed. "C'mon, Cons. Time to start living the promised college
life." She linked her arm through mine and walked us toward the frat house.

Well, it wasn't like there was anything else better to do before classes start
so I let her drag me away. My eyes caught the greek letters plastered on the tiny
roof above the entrance way before the steps.

AA

Alpha Alpha? Wow, could they be anymore of a fucking cliché?

"Pretty up," whispered Madeline as we neared a buff blonde dude blocking the door.
He was wearing a fitted grey shirt with red AA letters on them across the chest. He
looked exactly like that obnoxious YouTuber who did crazy shit just for views. What
was his name again?

"What do we have here?" he greeted us, eyeing us from head to toe.

A girl with cut-off shorts and tank top caught my eye. She had a red solo cup in
one hand while the other was stroking the bicep of the guy she was talking to. Was
that how college girls dressed up?

I looked down on my clothes.

I was wearing an off shoulder black top with black skinny jeans and black boots. I
learned from an early age to always wear jeans when attending a party. You never
know what might happen.

I mean, once I had to crawl and hide in the bushes when the police arrived. I
don't think wearing a tank top and cut-off shorts will save me from having
scratches all over my body.

"Freshmen?" asked the blonde frat bro.

I tilted my head, not yet sure how we were going to play this.

"Depends," said Madeline, sidling up to him. "What do you want us to be?"

I would've cringed if it wasn't for the fact that I would've

practically done the exact same thing. In fact, I had. I flirted with a creepy bald
perv while some of my friends stole beer in the said creepy bald perv's store.
That fucker gave me the total chills that I basically ran out of the store before
my friends could escape.

"Sorry, ladies. Can't let you in. You aren't allowed, especially with the
upcoming rush week."

Madeline pouted.

With this guy's looks, he can get any girl to have sex with him so offering to
flash him wasn't gonna work.

"Pleeease?" begged Madeline, batting her long eyelashes.

"Real sorry." He shrugged. "Rules are rules."

My eyes traveled down his body, giving me the hunch that he was privileged from the
preppy way he dressed. Offering to give him some cash was out, too. Then again,
anybody who was in the greek life could very well afford it.

"Can't you make an exception, just this once?" pleaded Madeline, giving the
best Bambi look I've ever seen. Man, this girl really pulled it off.

"My brothers are gonna have my ass if I let a couple of freshmen inside the house
tonight."

They most probably had the campus patrol on their payroll if they could keep up
being this noisy at this hour. Blackmail was obviously also out.

Madeline winked. "A couple of hot freshmen."

"I know." His eyed eyes again, biting his bottom lip. But then, he shook his head.
"But I still can't. Sorry, babe."

"Tell you what," I started, stepping up, "we'll let this go and leave you
alone if you beat me at beer pong."

He raised an eyebrow at me. Well, that seemed to get his attention.

"But if I win, we get to stay," I finished.

He was clearly thinking about it. I hoped to all fucking hopes that he would take
the bait. But dammit, he shook his head again and said, "Beating an unknown
freshman at beer pong is hardly something to brag about. Pass."

Shit, he's not as stupid as I thought. Time to go old school.

"What, too chicken shit?"

"Too smart, babe. There's a difference."

Yeah, you might be. But not the rest of these drunk college students around us.
"Hey, guys!" I yelled as loud as I could across the lawn, making the people look
over at us. "This dude is too much of a pussy to take on a girl at beer pong! Boo!"
Just as I expected, different kinds of boos chanted all around us. "What a shitty
way to represent your house! That's not cool at all, man!"

Madeline pressed her lips to stop herself from laughing. Some drunk dude who looked
like a young Al Pacino came up and slapped the guy who wouldn't let us in.

"What the hell, Pike? Brin' honor to our goddamn name! Don't fuckin'
ruin us!"

Pike, the stubborn ass blonde frat bro who resembled a YouTuber who I still
couldn't name, looked at me and shook his head in amusement like he
couldn't believe he was about to give in, like he couldn't believe he
just lost.

"Deal's on in one condition," he said, pausing for what I guessed was a

dramatic effect.

I waited.

"I get to choose who you're playing against."

I shrugged. "Fair enough."

Young Al Pacino look-alike whooped and hopped off the steps to go back to his
friends, maybe to spread the word about the match. Pike, on the other hand, stared
me down one last time before nodding and walking inside.

"Follow me, ladies."

"You are officially my favorite person!" hissed Madeline in my ear.

"Say that after I win."

We entered the house (temple) and it was just as big. There were people around the
main hall, but the music came from the backyard. Pike led us to the glass door and
let us walk out first.

And yeah, it was wild as fuck. In fact, I felt like I just warped into the fucking
Project X movie. I had to keep my cool if I wanted to prove we belonged here.

The backyard was huge as hell. There was a stage at one end, where the DJ was
playing. There was even a float. A fucking float. Everybody was practically
topless, the girls were wearing either tank tops or bikinis.

I finally understood the logic behind the tank tops and cut-off shorts. With this
huge ass party with its huge ass crowd, it was bound to get really hot and sweaty.

"Where's Red?" Pike asked around.

Someone answered him and pointed to the other end of the backyard, right by the
– What the fuck? A court? Like a legit basketball court?

"Thanks, man." Pike turned to us. "Go ahead to the pong table in the garage and
wait for us there."

"Whatever," I sighed, watching him as he disappeared through the crowd.

"You think you can beat this Red person?" asked Madeline, as we headed to the
garage.

"Hell yeah," I replied smugly.

Six years of going to high school parties made good practice. My brother took me to
my very first one when I was only twelve. It was his way of babysitting me instead
of leaving me to our crazy stepmom back then. Nobody complained because he was the
football team's quarterback.

I guess I got lucky because there were a couple of troublemakers my age who were
also sneaking around those parties. Those boys were already going to those parties
way before me. Those boys also became my best friends.

There were three tables in the garage. We stood by the unoccupied one while we
waited. Madeline was in awe as she watched the other people play. They were fast
and smooth every time they took a shot. They were pros at this. It made me wonder
how many times they've played this game for them to be this good at it.

When Pike finally arrived, cheers surrounded the room, making me tilt my head. Huh.
I didn't expect him to be popular since he was tasked to guard the door like a
dog.

He pointed straight to me with a stupid smirk on his face. "You're playing

against Red," he declared, sounding so sure of himself I couldn't help but
roll my eyes.

'Red' emerged from the sea of people that suddenly formed a circle around
us. The two other tables were now abandoned and forgotten. We were currently the
main attraction.

But none of that mattered because it was all I could do not to stare and let my jaw
drop on the fucking floor like I just saw my dad lying naked in all his birthday
suit glory on the table striking a beauty pageant pose.

"You have got to be fucking kidding me," I grumbled.

"Who's the hottie?" asked Madeline, her curious eyes not leaving the new guy
who I was still having a hard time believing that was here – in this campus
– attending the same university – breathing the same air –
surrounded by the same people.

Fuck. My. Life.

"He seems to know you."

"That's because he does," I said, through gritted teeth.

Madeline looked at me questioningly, while I tried not to glare across the room.

"He's the town's beloved 'Golden Boy' back home," I muttered,

watching him walk over to the opposite side of the table. "Used to be captain of
the basketball team and all that shit."

I studied him carefully.

He was wearing a plain black shirt with jeans and white sneakers. His ginger hair
was in its old clean-cut style. He still gave off that friendly goody-two-shoes
vibe. The only thing different was his physique. It looked like he grew more
muscles over the summer. He was leaner now.

"Anderson," he called, nodding as if he was greeting an old friend (yeah, right).

But his green eyes narrowed on me, his posture was aloof. Good.

"Crimson."

God, I hate this guy.

_____________

As you've probably already guessed, this will be Connie's story.

Don't worryyyyy. Even if they're all off to different colleges, the crew
will still make their appearances. They're a huge part of Connie's life
so of course, they will still be there. 

It's already completed so you don't have to worry about being

cliffhanged. :)

You can find the book on my works. Please do support it and add it to your library!
Thank youuu!