The was one mistake I regret making in the past, has long been buried and will stay there. Digging it up is no choice. Clover has to go.

No, not Clover.

I do. 

After my morning training, I head to the kitchen to eat some breakfast, which in reality, is the second breakfast, the first lunch for me. As I enter the kitchen, the atmosphere seems a bit too bright than usual. 

To no surprise, I find my mother with none other than the girl, I so much need to get out of my life. 

"Good morning darlin'," My mother gives me a peck on the cheek. "Training go alright?"

"Of course." I give her my best morning smile. 

" Do you want coffee? If you wait a few minutes I can perfect ranch-style eggs and bacon." Clover looks at my mom for encouragement. 

My mother smiles at her, approving. 

"I'm good." I grab a cup of black coffee. From the corner of my eye, I can see her smile faded into disappointment. I let her almost ruin my life once, I will not let her use me a second time. 

Clover comes over to sit in front of me wearing a smile as wide as she can, I ignore her by focusing on my cup of coffee. 

"Want some of my jam?" Clover breaks the silence. "I promise it's my ultimate recipe yet. I used kiwi for this one. I gave some to Arizona and she nearly melted. Have some?"

I wave it off, "I'm good." But I don't look at her. 

She ponders a bit, "Austin-"

Before she can say anything else, Arizona comes into the Kitchen all dresses up. "Ready to go?" she asks Clover. 

Arizona is wearing a crop top with some bagging jeans I have never seen her wear. She looks beyond recognizable. 

"Sure thing." Clover gets up from her seat collecting her bag. 

I cringe at her clothes, "Where do you think you're going like that?"

My sister puts her hand on her hips," To the city? Clover and I are going to hang out. You're not the only one who wants to catch up with her."

****

"Yo, Cowboy," I wince as soon as those words leave Taylor's mouth. 

"Cowboy?" I repeat to myself that it's not a big deal, but it is. I've made it a big deal. I want a life free of Clover, free of her scent, her gestures, just free from her sole existence. If I want to remain happy with a certain future, I need her out of my mind. 

"Austin, it was a joke," Flynn pats the top of my chest. "Why are you on the edge?"

I wave it off, "Let's just go."

Instead, off mentally drowning myself trying to obliterate any trace of clover in my head, I call out Flynn. It was the only thought of getting my mind of Clover. But so much for that, feel like Taylor has replaced her, they're both just so city-like. 

"Alright, gentlefolk, we got either shooting range or gossip with a strawberry smoothie on the agenda. How about it?" Flynn lays out the options. 

"Strawberry smoothie?" I squint my eyes to question him. "Since when do you gossip?"

"Come on, light up. What a buzz kill." Flynn Clasps his hands to grab my attention. "So, What will it be? Shooting range?"

"I don't know," I really don't feel in the mood for anything, I am in that zone where I have a desperate need to occupy my mind but have no energy to waste. I don't blame the guys for wanting to do something else, we've just been walking aimlessly for a while. 

Flynn looks at Taylor. Taylor shrugs. 

"Austin, why did you come if you don't want to do anything?" Flynn crosses his arms.

"I don't know, I just felt stuffed at home," I look away. Anything is better than staying at home, where I just feel invested by her image. 

"Alright, wait here. I'm going to grab a drink. Taylor, want anything?" 

"Nah, I'm good." He declines.

Taylor and I look somewhere nearby to lean on as we wait for Flynn. Never had much to talk to Taylor about, he seems like the type of guy who fools around a lot. While I take my life seriously. 

"So... How is your training going?" The silence must have gotten to him. 

"It's going." I don't care about awkward silence right now. 

"Cool." He softly responds. 

From a distance, two girls are looking over where we are at, they whisper at each other and giggle. Do all girls do that? They start to approach us. 

"Excuse me, can I have your number?"

I look away. Literally, every girl hits on Taylor. He's just that type of guy. Every girl drools over him, and he just is waiting for any opportunity to flirt and play around with them. 

"Excuse me," the girl raises her voice. Taylor nudges me, I look at him in annoyance and realize the girl was talking to me. 

"Sorry to bother you, but would you give me your number?" She smiles shyly. "I think you look kinda cool, very cowboyish."

I give her an awkward smile. I give Taylor an awkward glance, not sure what I am hoping for him to do. The girl brings her phone to me. 

I hold out a hand to stop her, "Sorry, I have a girlfriend." 

She apologizes and leaves with her friend. I can't actually say I've ever been hit on. 

"Not cute enough for your taste?" Taylor teases. 

"I have a girlfriend." 

"Yeah, but from what I've heard, it doesn't look like you are serious with her."

"You hear wrong."

"What you plan on marrying her?"

I don't say anything. Because genuinely  I never did plan.

"Look, I'll tell you something. You don't like her like that."

I cross my arms, "Really, and how would you know?"

"What? I may fool around and everything but I at one point wanted to get married. "

"You married?" I ask in disbelief. What would a person like him that fools around know about loving someone?

"Yes, marry. I went out with a girl for a bet."

Go figures.

"At first, I asked her out not because I like her but because one of my friends like her. I wanted to test how he would react.  To my surprise he was a true friend cuz, he never said anything, even when I knew he liked her since grade school."

"And your point is?"

"My point is that you need to say something before is too late. When we broke up, I ended up liking her more than I thought, but I didn't know how to tell her. Later, I saw her in college and she was going out with my friend that liked her, and now they are together. Before I could tell her anything, she found someone and they are happy. A girl will find someone and they will be happy together. If you want to be that person say something before it's too late."

I shake my head slightly, "That's not me. I know what I'm doing."

I looked around the area to dismiss any thought. A girl over at the coffee tables outside in the patio with horrible clothing catches my eye. She's wearing a crop top with some bagging jeans. Companied by her friend whose sitting in front of her, is wearing dark clothing. Some guys near them, seem to like what they see. They slowly approach them. I focus more on the girl as I recognize the clothing. One of the guys starts flirting with the girl in the dark clothing that seems to have very familiar purple hair. She flirts back. The guy continues to touch her arm but doesn't stop. 

Before I realize it I am walking over them like a boulder clearing the way.  Watching her flirt back flipped a switch

"Hey, where are you going?" Taylor calls out as I hear him follow. 

Without hesitation, I approach the girls. As I grab the guy, I shove him out of the way. 

"Austin?!" Clover is taken aback by why I'm here, she stands up. "What are you doing here?" Clover comes between the guy and me. 

The guy I shove and his friends come toward him. I walk forward, not even in the right state of mind. 

"Dude, Chill." Taylor grabs me with Flynn joining the restraining order. 

"Chill! How am I going to chill?" I shake them off. I can't explain it, but I didn't like the fact the guy was touching her. 

"She's not your girlfriend." Taylor reminds me.