Bad Dream - Cannons

A/N: thank you for the support on Androphobia. I want to make a point that yes, this version is different to the old one - I'm aware - and I appreciate that people consider the old Androphobia one of their comfort stories and one which they loved. That doesn't mean you have to comment that on every chapter and say this version is so much worse or that I "fell off". I know more than anything that the old version of Androphobia was nothing compared to this one - in terms of the quality of writing, complexity of plot, and depth of characters. Everyone is free to love and miss the old version but it's incredibly discouraging to have readers continuously ask for the old version because they don't like this one. Unfortunately, the old version will not be coming back. I hope you can respect that and look forward to new chapters.

THEA'S POV:

In the span of a month, I had undergone attempted murder, witnessed a murder, spoken to the woman who had attempted murder on me, and still managed to pass biology with an A.

The canteen hummed a cacophonous tune as I flicked through my test paper, mouth full of my turkey sandwich. Steadily, chattering girls poured into the building. Hands grasped for toasted paninis and warm waffles, some stuffing them into pockets without paying while others queued boredly and mumbled under their breath. It was difficult to read with the discord around me but somehow I managed to skim through my teacher's feedback with wide, disbelieving eyes.

"Good girl, Thea," I murmured softly, a small smile flickering on my mouth, "Good girl."

I hadn't received the rest of my grades yet but the red A on my paper was enough to marginally lift my spirits before it all came crashing down again. I sighed and tangled one hand through my loose, dark hair. How could I care about test papers and grades when I was still mulling over that terrifying woman's words? Although our conversation had been short, she'd left more than an impression on me; she said she'd tried to kill me. Even now, I could still smell her rose-scented perfume, a single thread having woven into my sweater and mingled with the others. It was suffocating.

Why had she spoken about Synn like that? What on earth did she know about him that I didn't? And if she was telling the truth, did that mean that Synn was-

Someone roughly connected with my shoulder and knocked me out of my thoughts. At the action, I lurched to the side and let out a gasp. I looked up from my seat.

"Oh, Thea! I didn't see you there."

A hand lowered to my injured shoulder and gripped it firmly, making me fight a whimper.

"Sorry," Blessing said with sloping brows and a distinguishable pout. Her cat-eyes narrowed with a familiar grin and two of her friends snickered from behind her. They made my lunch sink deeper into my stomach.

The beautiful girl released me and I covered my shoulder protectively, offering a wince of a smile. "It's okay," I said weakly. Although I didn't want to, I couldn't stop my eyes from scouring the faces behind Blessing and her friends in hopes of finding Ember, but there was no one to be seen. My heart let out a brief stammer. Come on, Thea. You can be brave. You can do this on your own.

Blessing sank into the seat beside me, legs spread on either side of the round stool and skirt riding up her thighs. I shifted uncomfortably. She placed an elbow on the table and nestled her chin in her open palm. "You know, I've been meaning to talk to you, actually," she started and I furrowed my brows in question. "I wasn't really sure how to tell you this but I figured you should know... you know your little boyfriend? The one who turned up outside school?"

A prickle of heat rushed upon my cheeks. "He-He's not my boyfriend."

"Huh..." she hummed and squinted at me. Blessing waved her hand. "Anyhow, your little boytoy, the one who acted so cocky- imagine my surprise when I saw him walk into the strip club downtown... oh, when was it... last night?"

"The- The strip club?"

"Mhm," she nodded, "You know the one with the pretty red lights and those pink coloured drinks."

My stomach tore a chunk out of itself and chewed on it harshly.

"Looks like you've been struggling to keep a leash on him." I said nothing but my heart beat faster. "I just thought you should know." The girl cocked her head to the side, black locks curling down her front. She flashed her pearly teeth. "Girl code, right?"

"But..." Nervously, I bit my lip. My eyes fluttered to hers. "Why were you there, Blessing?"

A crack: I watched her split in two for a second.

Her lips trembled. The corner of her mouth drooped. Her eyes flicked away.

But then she was returning with newfound tenacity, dark eyes as narrow as they could come. "I think you should be more concerned about your boyfriend fucking other girls," she whispered. It shouldn't have hurt when she said it but it sent a spindle through my ribcage, making my eyes drop. She pushed out her lower lip and her voice become low, taunting. "What? Thought you could keep him forever?" The last two words were a hiss. "Grow up."

Blessing twisted away from me and stood, connecting gazes with her friends who were still giggling at each other; whether it was at me or Blessing, I wasn't sure. The girl gave them a hard look and a clenched jaw before brushing past them. Her heels clicked against the linoleum floors but the sound was drowned out by the palaver of the canteen. I expected the other students to follow after her but to my surprise, they burst into hushed whispers and went the other way, abandoning their leader.

I turned my face back to my test paper.

All I could do was stare at it stupidly.

Slowly, I released a pained breath and wrapped my hand around the pages. So Synn was still around.

With other girls.

I swallowed and dropped my hands back into my lap. Why should that bother me? I'd cut off all contact with him. He was free to do what he wanted. He never liked me anyway.

Hurt still brewed in my stomach like a storm.

My thoughts flashed back to the woman at the cafe and her ominous words. "Acting with the enemy," she had said. Acting with Synn. Her goal, whatever it entailed, was solely focused on him, not me. She didn't want me to get in the way of her plans with him. As long as I stayed out of it, I'd be safe. I could continue living on in this wonderful world of mine: of Mama and her anger; of Blessing and her cunning; of Pierce and his dangerous hands. I could keep all of that, along with my safety, but all without...

"Synn."

Because it was him she wanted to kill. Not me.

Staring at the table and my unfinished lunch, I swallowed again. I inhaled a deep, shaky breath, reached for my bag and set it on the table. I slipped my lunch inside, my exam paper, my water bottle, and slung the backpack over my shoulder before making my way out of the canteen.

—

Having a free period for my final class let time roll by swiftly in the library. My hands itched as I stared at my phone. At the name in my contacts.

Hesitantly, I pressed unblock on Synn.

I licked my lips. I adjusted in my seat. My fingers shakily tapped on the screen.

Hi, can we talk?

I pressed send and let my phone clatter on the table, swiftly covering my eyes. It was just one little text message but it had the earth spinning all around me. For a few minutes, I stayed there with my hands over my face and controlled my breathing before I checked my phone again.

No reply.

"It's fine," I told myself quietly. "He's probably just busy. He'll reply later, I'm sure."

Otherwise, how was I supposed to warn him?

The bell rang shrilly, making me jump, and soon, I was bumbling out of the library and down the school steps.

Upon reaching the front gates, I stopped, pivoted, and awaited the arrival of my best friend. She had a tennis competition after school. Being tall and more than athletic, just like her brother, Ember was in almost every sports team the school could muster: track, high jump, basketball, volleyball, and her favourite - tennis. Sometimes, I would catch her bouncing an invisible tennis ball on the ground, her hand subconsciously making the familiar motions during an assembly she was paying no attention to. I was more than excited to watch her compete but I had another question to ask beforehand.

The sun glistened like a pearl in the sky from behind the school building. Shimmering, grey clouds drifted about as its oyster shell, doing little to capture the opaline rays meeting my face. Restlessly, I paced back and forth by the school gates. I checked my phone again: still no response.

I had to squint and shield my gaze to catch sight of Ember, but I found her soon enough. A piece of apple pie hung from her mouth and she was struggling to close the zip of her bag as she trod down the slope to the gates. With her eyes fixed on the bag in front of her, she couldn't spot me sneakily approaching from ahead.

"Boo!"

I hopped in front of her.

Ember yelped like she'd been stabbed. Suddenly, the apple pie was falling from her mouth and heading towards the ground. I slipped my hands forward and it landed in my palms, but I was filled with instant regret.

"Yuck," I grimaced, "It's sticky."

"That's what you get for trying to scare me!" Scrunching my nose, I stuck my hands out in front of her. She finally got her zip closed with a huff and reached for the crumbling pastry in my palms. "Thanks."

The girl had styled her hair into braids, purple strands woven deep into each, and her gold butterfly cuffs caught the sunlight behind her like gemstones. She was already dressed for the competition, clad in white uniform shorts and a tee which shone against her black skin. I couldn't help but admire her for a second. She was sure to win, I had no doubt.

"Come on, you ready?" Ember breathed. She sounded nervous. Even though she won everything she competed in, she never failed to grow jittery and doubtful before a big game.

"Hm- yeah I am!"

She stuffed the apple pie in her mouth in an attempt to calm her nerves.

"How are you feeling?" I asked with a tilt of my head.

"Awful. I'm gonna blow it, I know it."

"Em, you're gonna do just great!" I looped arms with her as we started to head down the road. "You're not allowed to doubt yourself when I'm here, okay? You have to say positive things to yourself. Positive!"

"You and your positivity," she grumbled.

"And remember what I said before. You have to do power poses before you start. It lowers your cortisol levels and boosts your testosterone so that you feel more confident and perform-"

"Thee, I've heard this speech from you ten billion times!"

"But it's biology!"

"Biology-smology," Ember muttered.

I looked up at her as we walked, doubt creasing her thick brows and her soft, brown lips. Tightening my arm around hers, I placed my head on her shoulder. The sinews in her arm relaxed while the sun dappled softly on our skin. She released a slow, defeated sigh. "You're gonna do really good," I said quietly. A smile reflected in my voice. In response, she wrapped her hand around mine and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Yeah, it's... let's just talk about something else." She nudged me with her shoulder. "How was lunch? Sorry I didn't get to sit with you. It was fucking Miss Bird-"

"Lunch was... okay," I interrupted, laughing gently at her hate for maths, and clasped her hand in between both of mine. A chill drifted over my nose and I scrunched it, looking down at the pavement for a moment. "Actually, I wanted to ask you something."

"What?"

"Well, um... do you know that... strip club you mentioned before? The one you were talking about ages ago?"

Blankly, Ember looked at me.

I hated talking about other people behind their backs but my best friend wasn't letting me breeze past. Flushing, I covered the side of my mouth discreetly. "The one you said Blessing might work at?"

"Ohhh, that strip club!"

"Shh, Em!"

"Sorry, sorry. Ohhh, that strip club," she repeated quietly but with the same pzazz. Disapprovingly, I shook my head at her, to which she snickered at. "You mean Cargo, right?"

"Cargo? That's what it's called?"

"Weird name, huh?"

"Very weird," I mumbled, then shook my head. "Anyway, I just wanted to ask... do you know anything about that club?"

"Anything as in..."

"Um, I'm not sure about the specifics, but anything will do?"

For a moment, Ember hummed and pulled at the strap of her tennis racket over her shoulder. "That's the one Pierce got beat up at. Just outside."

My eyes widened. I stopped in the middle of the street. The same place? The same place Blessing saw Synn?

My best friend furrowed her brows at me, sunlight slicing her cheek in a golden slit. "What? Why are you asking?"

"Oh, I was-" I stuttered, my eyes flickering about in search of an excuse. "I was just-"

I felt a sudden prod on my forehead and looked back up at my friend.

"You wanna go?"

Her eyes sparkled with a grin.

"Wait, no!"

Yes.

"No, I just heard Blessing talking about it," I rushed embarrassedly. "I was trying to work out if she really did work there!"

"Mhm, sure you were," she teased and I gave her a frown, opening my mouth to argue, but she cut me off. "Anyway, even if you did wanna go, you'd have to be rich-rich to get in. I heard they only let in people like government representatives or business owners, police chiefs- all those kinds of people. You'd have to have some real connections to be let into a place like that, which is a damn shame."

"How do you know all this?"

"Because I tried to get in and they didn't let me! Fucking assholes."

Biting my lip, I contemplated her words. If they didn't let Ember in, who was far more persuasive than I could ever be, then they surely wouldn't let me in. Was it still worth the try?

"Was that all you wanted to know? Or was there something else?" she queried, grasping my hand again. "Because we gotta get going. I need to fit in some death stares before we start the game."

I smiled and shook my head, letting my hair flutter to the sides of my face. "No, that was it. Let's go."

Ember suddenly grinned, her doubts having eluded her, and she tugged me into a synchronous step with her. She began to chirrup away like a nightingale about how she thought she'd pulled her hamstring the night before but didn't consider it reason enough to forfeit the tennis match, to which we bickered back and forth at. All the while, my mind whirred. A thousand thoughts ricocheted off the inner courts of my head in debate of what to do about Synn and that woman - whether to trust my mind or my soul.

The silver card in the second pocket of my backpack jingled like something precious only I could hear.

We reached the tennis courts not long later. The seats were practically full already but Ember couldn't have cared less. Against my protests, she forced someone to shuffle over to make way for me and seated me at the front. After giving me a quick cuddle, she joined the rest of her teammates with a bounce in her step. I burrowed my nose into my white tartan scarf and smiled against the material at the sight of my friend jumping about in excitement, playfully smacking her friends' behinds with her racket. Even though I didn't have anyone to sit with, I found comfort in watching her cheer and mess around with the others.

The game was a breeze for Ember, just as I expected. Her red-haired opponent had given me a scare when I first saw her toned legs and arms, but experience triumphed over fitness and the crowd erupted in applause as the final point was scored. Part of me expected the victorious girl to rush over to her squad awaiting her but as the whistle was blown, it was my face that Ember found in the crowd. She sprinted full-blast and I squealed as she picked me up in her arms and spun me round and round until we both tumbled over. Laughter consumed us both as brushstrokes of purple filled the sky and sunlight slowly dwindled behind the trees.

The girls celebrated with polystyrene cups of hot chocolate and marshmallows, small giggles being shared amongst the team and warm conversation among the parents. My cheeks started to burn from smiling too hard at Ember entertaining everyone with her tennis ball antics, but in the dim evening haze, someone was sat on the benches with her head in her hands. Fiery locks drenched her face and her tennis racket lay tossed on the space beside her.

"Um, excuse me?"

The girl looked up, her face red from frustration or tears - I didn't know. Smiling awkwardly, I held out the cup of hot chocolate.

"Do you want to come sit with us?" I asked.

She straightened, clearing her throat. "Oh, it's okay. You guys have fun."

"Are you sure? W-We have marshmallows."

Her eyes flickered to the girls behind me who were offering encouraging smiles. Wiping her eyes, she looked at the hot chocolate. With a trembling smile and cold hands, she took the cup between them and muttered a small, "Thank you," before trailing after me. My heart swelled as everyone welcomed the red-head with homage and words of admiration for the game she played. But it was Ember who was the most welcoming of all and befriended her in an instant with her magical social abilities. I faded into the background, silently happy.

Soon enough, it was half-eight in the evening and girls had started to leave. I checked my phone hopefully, but found no text from Synn. It left my stomach churning.

"Hey Thee, how are you planning to get home?" said Ember as she slipped her racket into the tennis bag on one of the benches. I paused, still rummaging for an answer. "My dad's coming to pick me up so we can give you a ride home if you want. He won't mind."

Biting my lip, I forced a fleeting smile and shook my head. "Thank you but it's okay. My parents said they'd pick me up too."

"Did they?" She slung her bag over her shoulder. "I can wait with you until they come. I don't wanna leave you alone in the dark."

"No, no, it's okay! They said they'd pick me up near the shops, not at the car park. You get home safe and rest up."

She hummed unsurely and narrowed her eyes. I took the opportunity to jump at her and wrap my arms around her neck, engulfing her in the warmest hug I could kindle. Her tall, strong figure pressed against mine as she slung her arms around my waist and tucked my head under her chin. Playfully, we swayed from one foot to another. I peered up at her with a large, large smile.

"I'm so proud of you," I said, making her click her tongue in pretend disgust. "You did so, so good. My best friend is so talented!"

"I am so talented, aren't I?" Vigorously, I nodded my head. She laughed and ruffled my hair with one hand, making me pout. "Thanks for coming with me. I wouldn't have been able to do it without you." My heart warmed like butter on a hot plate. "You'd better get home safe, okay? I'll be waiting for a text."

"Okay," I drawled and watched her back away, heading towards the gate. "You get home safe as well! Tell your dad I said hi!"

"I will!"

My gut wrenched further as Ember's white-clad figure grew smaller and the girls gradually trickled out of the hatched doors, leaving me at the benches with my hands in my pockets, backpack on my back, nose pressed in my scarf. Alone.

I kicked at one of the stones on the ground.

"Okay, baby," I whispered to myself and turned the other way, internally preparing myself for the insane action I was about to take. "You can do this. You've got this. Positivity, remember?"

Gripping both straps of my backpack, I let out a shaky breath. The dark was a monster with wings that encompassed the sky, its feathers being grey-black clouds which caught and scattered remnants of light on the streets. Before I could forget, I slipped out the silver card reading Elusion from my bag and clasped it tightly in my hand. As I started my way down the sidewalk of the tennis courts, I gnawed at my lips until they felt bruised and painful.

"Don't bite, Thea."

I released my lower lip.

The stripclub was a twenty-minute walk from the courts according to the map on my phone. My heart played a song I wasn't familiar with as I paced down the pavement; it shifted from sporadic to regular, from fast to laborious, and it had me clutching the card tightly to my chest in fear of dropping the message. Where had I gained this courage from? Here I was making my way to a place that was so inappropriate Mama would throw a fit at me if she knew, all for a man. All for a man who had murdered with his bare hands.

But he was in danger and perhaps I was holding a fragment of the key to protect him. If I could give him the card, or give it to someone he knew, perhaps we would be able to part ways with serene hearts and minds.

Perhaps.

"You're almost there, Thea," I said softly, eyes flitting to the roads beside and behind me. It was so empty, it was unnerving. "You can do this. All you have to do is just give it to him. Don't look back... even if you want to." I took a turn onto another empty street and spotted lights far ahead. I gulped. "Wait, what are you gonna say at the door? What are you gonna say? Hi... my name is Thea- no, you don't need to give your name, silly! Hi, I need to get inside to see my friend- he's not your friend anymore! Gosh, Thea."

My nervous rambling grew more and more scrambled the further I walked. Despite the road being a dead end, I noticed cars appearing on either side, and not the normal kind; they were similar to the cars I had seen parked in the garage of Synn's apartment building, curvaceous and extravagant and expensive beyond belief. Ember was right about this place being for rich people only. The closer I grew, the more I realised just how much of a mistake I had made.

The club was big, huge in fact.

Cream slabs of stone licked up the sides and crawled over the top, shadowing a pair of imposing double doors. The word CARGO glowed black in a halo of white above a dark, marble overhang while golden lights basked the street in warmth that felt like it didn't belong. Red carpet flowed from one of the open doors and rolled along the side of the building, where a seemingly endless queue was strewn like a beaded necklace. It was the type of place you couldn't help but gawk at.

Most of the people were men in tailored suits, some with women but most without; cigars drooped from their mouths and others flaunted pocket watches. Music thrummed loudly from inside like a heartbeat and I caught a glimpse of pink lights painting the walls as an inner door was opened, then closed once more. But what shocked me most was how a place like this existed in the small, innocent town I called Mospe, in the deepest of corners and the most isolated of streets.

Two bouncers stood at the entrance in black suits. Each of them wore earpieces and seemed to be checking ID, then comparing it to their lists. My heart pounded.

Fretfully, I checked my hands for the card to make sure it was still there. I licked my lips once I saw it was. "You- You can do this, baby," I breathed and nodded to myself. "You're brave. You're a big girl. You've got this!"

I really hadn't got this.

Fighting the tremble in my bones, I inched towards the club. One step. Two steps. The queue drew close enough for me to smell the tobacco and the scent of sweat mixed with something else - something musky and deep. I wondered whether to queue in the line but as I poked my head to the side, I realised just how far it stretched; I'd be waiting the whole night.

I tucked two pieces of hair behind my ears and cleared my throat, looking fearfully up at the bouncers as I stepped onto the red carpet. Both of their gazes turned from the man they were ID checking to me.

"Um... hello," I said meekly. I opened my mouth to speak again but the grave, terrifying expressions on their faces stitched my vocal cords together. "Um..."

"Back of the line."

Hesitating at the bald bouncer's unfriendly tone, I clutched the card tighter. It's okay: he's not going to hurt you. 

"I-I'm really sorry, I don't mean to bother you. I don't actually want to go into the club, I just wanted to ask if you could pass something on for me?"

The same bouncer with a rounded belly and imposing frame stepped forward. The golden lights hanging above us cast a ghostly shadow over his face and I fought the urge to run. "I said back of the line."

"I-I need to see my friend... he goes here. I just wanted to give him something before I-"

"Listen, little miss. We don't run no errands round 'ere," he said in a gruff, aggravated voice, making me step backwards. "If you don't-"

"What's the name of your friend?"

I paused, my hopeful gaze switching to the other bouncer standing at the door. I could hardly breathe. He was eyeing me cautiously. When his co-worker turned to him with flaming eyes, the man tilted his head in disapproval, brows furrowing.

"Come on, Tommy. She's hardly a threat. You can relax," he said and my flicker of hope grew stronger. He nodded at me. "What's the name?"

"Hi-His name is Synn. Synn Lovato Álvarez?"

Quiet.

The bouncers looked at each other. Shock and confusion washed their faces grey.

"¿Conoce al jefe?" said the bald man called Tommy.

[She knows the boss?]

"No lo sé. ¿Cómo sabe ella su nombre?"

[I don't know. How does she know his name?]

Staring at them with wide eyes, I looked back and forth between the two, a sense of dread crawling up my spine. "Is- Is something wrong?" I asked softly. "Do you know him? Is he in there?"

Ominously, they responded with silence. They stared.

Raw, hot awareness consumed me as their eyes cruised over my figure and I took another step backward. This... This was a mistake. I was all alone in a corner of Mospe I didn't recognise with a hungry queue of men eyeing me up and down and a pair of bouncers debating on how to handle me. What were they going to do with me? Hurt me? Take me inside? Were they going to take me Synn or do something else with me? I didn't want to wait and find out anymore.

"Okay, I should... I should g-"

"Just get the fuck in line! Can't you see there's a queue?"

I flinched and brought my hands to my ears. A drunk suited man at the front of the line leaned over the red rope keeping them in order.

"I'm sorry, I was just-"

"Aren't you gonna do something with her?" he snarled and waved his hand at the bouncers who had turned their attention. "Just kick her out!"

"It's okay," I whimpered, trying to appease him with a smile. It was getting harder and harder to breathe. "I was just leaving. Sorry to bother you-"

Suddenly, I felt a presence behind me and stopped in my tracks.

"She's with me."

The bouncers' eyes widened but the drunk man's only narrowed in scrutiny, leaning further over the red rope. My head snapped upward, only to find a person I wasn't expecting.

A tall man wearing a light grey waistcoat stood behind me, hands nonchalantly shoved in his pockets. Light brown curls crowned his head like gold leaves on a prince. He had tan skin which glowed hotly under the lights above us and his teeth sparkled white as he grinned at the men ahead of us. All I could do was gape up at him, eyes flitting about his face in confusion. It was then that he chose to look down at me, his own dark eyes gleaming with their own design.

"I've been looking everywhere for you, princess. Where did you run off to?" he purred.

"U-Um," I started, "I-I think there's been a mistake. I don't know y-"

"Don't be like that," he interrupted and his eyes flickered over to the bouncers as if trying to convince them. "She loves me really."

"But I-"

"I don't care who loves who! Just get that bitch out of here. I've been queuing for a fucking hour!" the drunk man suddenly swore and I tried not to leap out of fright at his loud, screeching voice.

I subconsciously stepped backwards and bumped into the brown-haired man standing behind me. I flinched at the contact but not as much as I thought. Peering up at him quickly, my gut abruptly dropped. A new expression was on his face. Darkness fell over his eyes as he stepped in front of me and shielded my view. When I looked up, his head had turned to the bouncers but his voice held the same blasé bit of mirth. He spoke swiftly and short.

"Blacklist him."

I gaped with wide eyes. What?

"What?" the man growled. "Blacklist me? You want to blacklist me? Do you know who I am?!"

"No." I heard a smile stretch through his voice. "Should I care?"

"Yes, you bloody should-"

"Shall I ask you the same? Do you know who I am?"

The man with brown curls leaned toward the drunkard across the rope and bowed his head to whisper in his ear. In that moment, I saw pure fear appear for the first time on a man's face. His skin blanched as if sucked from all colour and his mouth opened, closed, but no words fell out. All he could do was stand there, blubbering like a fish. As my strange protector cocked his head to the side, he mockingly patted the man's cheek before leaning away and turning back to me.

"Should we go?" he asked with a smile.

"But I..."

"Sorry for the trouble, boys," he said with a wave of his hand at the bouncers. They bowed their heads shortly at him.

The man held an arm out and tilted his head at me expectantly, waiting for me to step into the alley beside the club. I would have protested but as I examined the man's face, the jagged edges of a puzzle were slotting together. My lips parted and it dawned upon me. I swivelled on my heel.

"Wait, I do know you!" I gasped.

The man stopped in his tracks with a pair of furrowed brows. "You do?"

"You're Synn's boss!"

The alley was dark but some golden light deflected and caught his eyes, which were now swimming with exasperation. He looked left. He looked right. He pointed at his chest and leaned forward, soft curls framing his face. "Me?"

I nodded my head vigorously. "I saw you at the cafe! I didn't recognise you at first but now I do. You know Synn, right?"

His lips pursed and he screwed his eyes shut before waving his hands about. "Wait, wait, wait. Synn said that about me?" he said again. Hesitantly, I nodded my head and lowered my hands from my chest. I was starting to doubt myself now. It was when he let out a sudden burst of laughter that heat prickled my cheeks and I tugged my lip between my teeth in embarrassment. His body wracked with guffaw. When he finally straightened, elbow propped against the alley wall, there were tears in his eyes. "Holy shit, he's hilarious. Ese tío... he said that to you?"

[That guy...]

Awkwardly, I nodded again. He noted my silence and then something dawned upon him. His smile dropped.

"Wait, you shouldn't even be here, princess," he said, to which I looked at him confuzzled. His hands slipped over his face to hide it and he spoke into them in a muffled voice. "Fuck, voy a meterme en tantos problemas." He dropped them and nodded his head to the side. "Come, I need to get you home. This isn't the right place for you."

[I'm going to get in so much trouble.]

"Wait, but I need to give him-"

"Look." He put his hands together in a sign of prayer. "If you value my life, you will come with me right now. I'm too young to die-!"

Frustration consumed me and I stuck the card in front of his face.

He stopped. His brows pulled together in gentle confusion. "I-I need to get home," I uttered quietly, "But could you give this to Synn, please? It's probably best if I don't see him."

"What is this? You don't want to give it to him yourself?" he asked as his gaze rose to meet mine.

"No. If I see him, I think I... I think I'd want to..."

The opening of a door to the club interrupted us both and I turned to the sound with wide, curious eyes. Liquid colour spilled from the opening, making me squint at the dazzling lights from inside, and I peeped through my fingers to catch sight of who it was.

My heart entered my throat.

A dark figure stepped out in a fit of black. Pink light illuminated the side of his face, the curve of his cheekbone, the sharp slant of his nose into a familiar full mouth. He was a shadow in the unhallowed glow behind him for even God's desperate attempts couldn't touch him. A tight, black button-up shirt furled around his body with the first few buttons undone, revealing sculpted collarbone and tattoos which lovingly cupped his throat and the start of his jaw. What became of my breathing, I didn't even notice. His hand was around the chain on his neck as he turned to the side in search of someone and I watched his fingers furl tighter.

"Carmelos, where the hell-"

He turned his head.

Those spring-sky eyes met mine and I lost myself in a second.

"...Thea?" he whispered, hands falling to his side.

I swallowed as a thousand emotions gripped me tightly but only one triumphed over all. I felt it in my hands; I felt it in my mouth; I felt it in my chest, making soft swoops around the locks on my heart until they came undone and I was staring into the eyes of the man who lived there, entrapped.

Lips trembling, I smiled. "Synn."

*****

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Hey fudglings!

OMG MY BABY SYNN I MISSED HIM SO MUCHHHHH HE HAS MY HEART AND SOUL

What did you guys think? A lot of things happened in this chapter o.o thoughts on Blessing at the start of the chapter? I find her quite intriguing tbh and THE WAY THEA CALLED HER OUT LMAO I love her. Thoughts on Thea and Ember? Bro I find their friendship soooo so sweet, I love how they balance each other out and are always there to support each other. THEA WAS BRAVEEE TO GO TO THAT STRIP CLUB ALONE I COULD NEVER but I love her little soft heart and how much she wants to protect Synn omg AND AHHHHH CARMELOS STFU HE WAS SO HOT FOR NO REASON IN THIS CHAPTER I love his older brother vibes AND OF COURSE SYNN AT THE END SJHKSKSJ SO EXCITING

I WATCHED THE BARBIE MOVIE YESTERDAY AND O.M.G. NOBODY TALK TO ME THE WAY I WAS CRYINGGGG IN THAT CINEMA AND I HAD SOME TOILET TISSUE AND WAS JUST SNIFFLING NEXT TO THIS GUY shut the fudge up that movie is so beautiful it makes me love being a woman (also Ryan Gosling gaddayum). I loved seeing everyone dressing up in pink and me and my little sister came as Barbie and Ken (I was Barbie ofc) and it was just so heartwarming no other cinema experience has made me feel like that.

Potato question of the day: what is your biggest pet peeve?

I'm not gonna lie I feel like I have a lot but one thing I really hate is when you ask someone not to something MULTIPLE times but they still do it ._. what the fudge is that like what is your problem do you want me to soccer punch you. Also, WHEN PEOPLE DONT PAY ATTENTION WHEN IM TRYING TO SHOW THEM SOMETHING like do you not understand that showing things I like is one of my love languages why are you not paying attention wtf and ALSO when someone watches a show/movie without me even when I told them I wanted to watch it with them ._. my heart cracks every time

Anyway, thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed the chapter. If you did, please do vote, comment and share this book with your friends! I love you all!

Love, Fudge x