The line between predator and prey was very thin when it came to Sydney and Mr. Roman. People can hate me for saying it but I never knew what was right or wrong and I was always left wondering if they did. Looking into her eyes and seeing their so-called love unfold before me made me understand her position but it also made my skin crawl. How could I say she was a victim when she was willing there but how could I say she wasn't when he was older and knew better? Her only defense of the matter was, that 18 was legal. However, when they met she was 17, so did that constitute a break in law? We all saw it that way except the main girl herself. The start of it was innocent enough, nothing physical. One might even call it cutesy. It started with the behavior most would see as praise, he would make her feel special, even buy her cute gifts. She loved the attention, claiming, "men are much better than boys." I could see and even feel the soft touches of their hands when they walked around the school building. His eyes would linger a few seconds longer on her when she did something that left everyone around her in awe, like knowing when world war 2 started. I couldn't even tell you that, but she did have him as a tutor.

They're tutoring sessions were them sitting behind his desk next to each other. His knee would brush against hers "accidently," but when she returned it, he didn't pull away. His hand would linger on her soft skin and run gentle circles around her thigh. She never pulled away, instead her hand would find his thigh and run up and down it. She knew what a man's weakness was, so she gladly used it on him.

I told her to be careful, I knew getting involved with an older man and a teacher was a gamble, but it was one she wanted to make. When we found out, the way she broke, put us in a tough position. Brianna flirting with him while making eye contact with her, broke her already fragile heart more. Him moving on to someone his age and a better match only destroyed her even more. Leaving her in a constant state of depression.

"He wants to be with me. Why can't you just let us be happy? This isn't your life, it's mine."

Those were a few of the words she threw at us until finally one day she came back, and seemed to accept the fact that everyone wanted to keep pushing them apart. To me, it seemed suspicious but Sydney never gave anything away. Sure enough, to us, their love had finally run its course and we were glad. They were never meant to end up together. He was a predator, in the end, she just didn't know she became his willing victim.

It took all my strength to sit down on the Victorian-style dining room chair; high chandelier, plushy chairs, and the patterns on the walls.

"What, no convent meeting today?" Brianna snarks as soon as she walks into the room and makes eye contact with Itzel who is sporting a simple black pants suit, then she points at me and says, "I thought pants suits were her thing." We watch as Brianna leans over one of the chairs and smiles at us; she wears a simple silk-pink tank top that shows off her cleavage, baby blue jean shorts, and black heels, making her look straight off a car magazine. She pins us with her stare and finishes her sentence, "Since, you know, it covers her scars."

At her mention of my scars, I involuntarily pull on my green turtle neck shirt that I paired with black pants. Contrary to popular belief, I chose to change my clothes. Not only did it make Mathew feel more secure about me not tempting people but it made me feel more secure as well. Back then, my outfits were scandalous as he would say, they got the attention of prying eyes I didn't need. He was right after all, so I decided to change my look to fit the married woman role more. It was only right.

It all started with a test score and one note, "see me after class," written on top. Sydney stared at the grade and couldn't help her face fall at the sight. She had never failed a class before, let alone gotten a bad grade. She would never admit to it, but I knew she had done it on purpose. Sure enough, later they stood inches away from each other.

"Sydney, you're a bright student so I don't understand why the failed grade?" He said standing behind his desk.

Sydney couldn't resist as she bit her lip and swayed softly to the sides before responding, "What can I say, you're quite distracting Mr. Roman."

Mr. Roman looks at her and gulps, fixing his tie before clearing his throat. "Miss Clavite, that is a highly inappropriate thing to say."

She sits on the desk and crosses her desk slightly, making her short skirt rise a little bit more. She watches as Mr. Roman trails his eyes from her legs all the way to her exposed thigh. "Having dirty thoughts about me?" She asks with a sly smirk. Then she walks up and leans over his desk, her shirt revealing her cleavage to him. She licks her lips, "the real thing is better than what you're imagining." Then she leans back and stands up to him before giggling, "I'm just kidding Mr. Roman."

"You shouldn't joke like that Sydney, that is a serious matter. I could get in a lot of trouble."

"I won't tell," she tells him and gives him a flash of a smile.

"Let's talk about your grade instead," he says, trying to change the conversation and taking a seat on his chair. He scotts under it but not before Sydney can make out the outline of a semi-erect dick under his gray checkered pattern slacks, and bites her cheek at the satisfied smile that wanted to be sprung free, no doubt, just like his dick did too.

"How about tutoring?" She suggested as her eyes remained fixed on the desk and what he was hiding under the layers of wood. "I can do Thursdays after school."

"Syd- ″ he starts but doesn't get the chance to finish as she's walking toward the door.

"See you then," she waves and walks out.

My eyes widen slightly as I take in the aroma of a citrusy coffee smell taking over, overpowering the expensive brand Brianna wore and my cheap perfume. I watch as the pretty Asian walks in with the cup with smoke spilling from it, rocking a set of galaxy pajama set, it was a long sleeve crop top with a multitude of color swirls and with what looked to be spects of golden dust all around, then paired with a black shorts designed the same way. I scoff as I place one leg on top of the other and cross my legs. Belinda was as loyal as a dog, but my attention was on the black clothing she was wearing.

"I thought you didn't wear black anymore?"

Belinda looks down as if it's her first time noticing it but then shrugs it off, "it was all she had. Matilda really likes the color black. Most of her ware-brode is bleak and depressing."

Brianna takes in her pajama set before shrugging as well and starts walking toward the coffee maker in her kitchen. "You didn't have to wear her clothes," she tells her.

"I couldn't wear yours," Belinda says as we watch Brianna pour coffee into 3 more mugs.

"Sure you could have," she said and set down the coffees in front of us. I watch as she takes out a small clear whiskey bottle and pours some into one cup before winking at me and taking a sip. "Want some?" She says and shakes the bottle in front of me.

I roll my eyes at her and with a scrunch of my nose say, "no."

"Suit yourself, but me, dealing with all of you. I would rather take the chance of alcohol poisoning."

"Always so dramatic," I tell her.

"No one told you to come back," Itzel says before turning her attention to Belinda. "And you, always such a loyal follower, like a dog, at her beck and call." I might have thought it, but Itzel saying it threw me off. I stare at her with wide impressed eyes as I clink my cup with hers. She offers me a small smile before continuing, "or did you already forgive and forget what she did?"

"Still on that? Itzel, let it go," Brianna says.

"How can I when the reminder is right in front of me, reminding me."

Brianna seems to take on a sober tone as she says, "you don't think I don't remember that day? I'm the one plagued by it more, Itzel. I mean, I was the one who killed her after all. You don't just come back from that. Sometimes I lay awake at night just thinking-" she pauses. We all stared at her in silence, processing her words, she was finally admitting to feeling regret. It was a sight to see, but I spoke too soon as her face contorted to a twisted satisfied smirk. "How amazing it felt to watch that bullet go through her body."

"You're sick," Itzel bites out in a grimace. Her coffee is long forgotten as she stands up abruptly and heads toward the door. "I'm leaving and I suggest you all do the same," she says with a yank of the door handle.

"Don't let the door hit your ass on the way out," Brianna says with a wave and another slurp of her coffee, unbothered.

I stand up and run after Itzel, reaching her down the steps, and grabbing her arm. "Itzel, please don't leave."

She disregards me and releases my grip on her. "I won't go back with her."

"Come on, please. I need you."

"We haven't needed each other for a long time. I was stupid for even coming today. Thinking-" she flatters and I can see the watering of her eyes.

"You thought it would be like old times or better than them?"

She wipes her eyes before the tears form further. "No. I'm not sure what I expected but not for her to twist the knife deeper."

"She's Brianna," Belinda's voice comes through the door archway, "if she's not twisting a knife then what is she doing?"

"Puzzling?" I offer weakly with a small smile. The girls giggle with me as we watch Brianna push past us with a trash bag, clearly ignoring our comment.

"Are you throwing out trash in heels?" Belinda asks as we follow her heels on the concrete floor.

"It makes it easier to throw out trash," she responds.

"That trash wasn't even full," Belinda points at it before calling her out, "you clearly wanted to eavesdrop."

"Yeah- don't think I didn't hear you guys knocking down my puzzling."

We all exchange looks before giving her a sly smile. "No, we think it's a great idea. It's clearly working great for you," I tell her.

"Whatever," she rolls her eyes before they land on Itzel and she sighs. "I promise I won't make any more comments about her if you don't either."

Brianna extends her hand out and I watch as Itzel grabs it and mumbles a "fine."

"Good, because I need you the most," Brianna says with fluttering eyelashes as Itzel stares at her. "I think you can tell us where the box is hidden."

"If," Itzel emphasizes the "if", "there is a box- what makes you think I knew where she hid it."

"Because you knew her better than the rest of us," Brianna says and adds, "even me."

I scrunch up my eyebrow at her last statement. Did she really believe Itzel knew her better or was she just trying to manipulate her? I guess it didn't matter because if there was a box, we all wanted it. All our secrets would be there and we needed them burned to the ground along with the rest of the remnants of this godforsaken friendship.

"She has a point-" Belinda speaks up, "she must have told you some things she never told us? Maybe you guys went to some place we never knew about. Just between you two?"

Itzel looks down at the ground and bites her lip before whispering, "maybe, but let's explore other places first."

"Why?" Brianna asked, but I knew her reasons, I understood them. Brianna and Belinda saw love as a weakness, something worth manipulating for their own gain. They wouldn't fully understand what it's like to be so in love that it drives you mad. Itzel and I knew that pain that came with being in love.

I reached up to the necklace that was always hidden from others because it was just mine and his alone.

The first gift he got her was a small pendant of a crystal globe, being a history teacher it made sense, with his initial cleverly hidden in it. Sydney's smile widened as she grabbed it and allowed him to put it on her. His fingers glided through her shoulder before he clasped it only to glide through her collarbone as he watched how it looked on her.

"Perfect," his eyes looked up to meet hers, "like you."

"Does this mean?" her hopeful eyes look at him as she feels the pendant on her fingers.

"That's your mine," he whispers and connects his forehead with hers, "I've never given anyone something like this, but you. I belong to you like-"

"I belong to you-" she finishes for him with a bite of her lip. He nods at her in approval. "I love it," she tells him.

"I'm pleased," he says.

"Okay," I end the conversation for them without making Itzel give her reasons. I can see her visibly relax and offer me another small smile. "Now-" I start walking toward Brianna's car, "I want you guys to accompany me to see my parents."

>>>>

Full disclosure, I did not draw or paint the images. I'm sure people know this but wanted to state it. I don't know who did them but I want to state that. 

Also, please let me know how the story is going. 

Don't forget to comment, vote, and share. Love you all. <3