And like the moon, he had a side of him so dark, even the stars couldn't shine on it; he had a side of him so cold, even the sun couldn't burn on it.

Mae

So this was how everything was going to be? I thought when I looked down, seeing our hands interlocked as we walked back, sitting down next to each other in the spot where our shoes were. Ryder walked to us, standing in the back, and looked down in the spot between Damien and I. "No," Damien said and scooted over, closer to me.

"That's rude," Ryder said, and I laughed silently once I realized what Ryder wanted. Ryder walked over to Bennett and sat next to him while he glared at Damien. Bennett bumped Ryder's shoulder, so he turned around and stared at the horizon.

I looked ahead, seeing the sun barely starting to rise, and it felt like a new beginning coming forward. It felt like a clean slate, and I was ready for it. I had always wanted a new beginning; something where I was completely and utterly away from my past. I didn't want the reminder of my past around my neck like a noose, constantly choking and suffocating me, never allowing me to move forward and always holding me in the same place, killing any future I would have.

I looked at Damien as he looked toward the horizon, running his hands absentmindedly through the sand with his knees bent to his chest. The sand seemed soft as I looked down at it, so I ran my hands in the sand, feeling the nice coolness with my fingers. I smiled at the refreshing touch and dug my hands deeper into the sand. The wind was at bay and was quiet, calm, and peaceful. It felt like a safe haven; a place I never wanted to leave.

"Have you ever seen a sunrise at the beach before?" Damien asked, and I shook my head as I looked at him. I had always wanted to see a sunrise at the beach, but I was never allowed to leave the house to have fun. I always had to stay home.

"Not at the beach, no," I shook my head. "But in the summertime, the sun rises from my bedroom window, so when I can't sleep, and it's already going to be morning, I'll look at it." I continued to play with the sand, picking up some with my hands and sprinkling it back down. I looked at Damien to see what he was doing, but he was smiling as he looked at me. I felt shy the longer he kept looking at me, so I looked down at the sand with a smile on my face.

"Thank you," Damien whispered with a gentle smile, but I was confused why he was thanking me. I hadn't done anything.

"For what?" I asked as I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion, trying to remember what I could have done for him to be thankful.

"For not looking at me differently," he answered as I looked into his eyes. I saw why he was thanking me, and my heart skipped a beat at the reason why he felt like I would see him differently. He was scared that at any moment, I would decide he was too much for me; he didn't want that to happen. It was the same look I was feeling.

I was scared that at any moment he would decide I was too much. I was scared he would only think of me as someone who was broken and that if he was even near me, he would break me—which he wouldn't, but I wasn't sure if he knew that. I started worrying he would think of me as an anchor, holding him down, and never allowing him to move on without a struggle.

"I could never look at you differently for everything you've gone through," I reassured him, hoping he would feel the same for me. He smiled as he nodded, still playing with the sand. One thing I noticed about Damien, he had dealt with some of his trauma and that was what made him who he was right now. He was stronger for dealing with it, and I wanted to deal with mine as well.

I wanted to become healed. I wanted to feel more healed by the time I started a new chapter in my life, college. I wanted a fresh start there. I didn't want any ties to bind me to my past or make me feel stuck in a cage with only my past to keep me company. I wanted to enjoy everything when I moved. I looked ahead and saw as a new beginning started to rise, and it looked beautiful. It looked hopeful and light.

The scenery was perfect. The wind had gone away, and it wasn't chilly anymore. Waves were barely crashing on each other and were now at bay. The sun was halfway revealed from the trees that hid it and was perfect to stare at. The sun wasn't revealed enough for it to be too bright where it brought pain to your eyes but not too dim, the sun could never be dim. The sky was dark but as the sun rose, the sky became brighter.

"I love when the sun rises," Damien said as he stared toward the sun. "It feels... lighter, happier, and pure. It feels like all the bad and dangerous things would wait and be put on hold until nightfall."

I smiled as I listened to the interpretation of what the sun felt like to Damien. I held the same meaning as he had. For me, the sun had felt like it was washing away the darkness I carried with me. During the day, the weight of the darkness felt light, and it wasn't in me anymore. Of course, it had never felt like it was truly gone, but I would rather have my darkness follow me than lead me.

"It's beautiful," I whispered as I looked forward. I saw Damien nodding, so I looked at him, but he was already looking at me.

"Extremely beautiful," he agreed without looking away from me, and I smiled before laughing.

"You're so cheesy," I laughed as I leaned onto him, bumping his shoulder, and he laughed, leaning onto my shoulder. I kept smiling from what he told me, finding it too hard to stop. "That was probably the cheesiest thing I've ever heard." I smiled.

"Made you smile, didn't it?" He asked with a cheekily smile on his face. I laughed again as I nodded.

"Whipped," Ryder coughed, and Max smacked the back of his head, making Bennett laugh.

"Why am I friends with him?" Damien asked, loud enough for Ryder to hear, but it only made Ryder laugh. Damien grabbed a fist full of sand and threw it at a laughing Ryder but since Ryder's mouth was open, the sand went into his mouth.

"I could have died!" Ryder coughed, spitting out the sand. We all laughed at his expense, but he just frowned and crossed his arms as he grumbled, "I deserve better." I started to feel warm, so I stood up as Damien looked away at Ryder and walked toward the water, standing before the waterline. I wanted to put my feet in, so I rolled up the bottom of my jeans. "Watch out with the sharks!" Ryder said before laughing.

I looked at them as they started walking toward me, and they all rolled up their jeans except Bennett. "Come on, Bennett," Max said as he smiled cheekily.

"Shut up," Bennett told him as he walked to us but still didn't roll up his jeans. "Are you going in the water?" Bennett asked Ryder as he stared at the water with a worried look, and Ryder nodded

"Just my feet," Ryder said as he looked at Bennett. The water should be cold and give a nice rush of adrenaline, so he should do this with us.

"Join us," I invited, and felt proud that I wasn't scared to speak in front of all of them. I felt as comfortable speaking with them as I had with Zach. Today, was a day I felt proud of. I had accomplished a lot, speaking and starting my journey in trusting, it was all happening. Although I hadn't regretted trusting Damien, a part of me knew that if he ever did something to betray my trust, I knew I would regret it.

I looked at Bennett, but it looked like he wasn't going to put his feet in the water. Max went first, walking toward the water as the wave went back where it belonged. It started coming forward again, and Max hissed when the cold water touched his feet. "Chingao! Puta madre! [Fuck! Motherfucker!]" Max hissed as he jumped back, hopping out of the water, and I laughed, understanding what he said.

"Don't cuss. There are children around," Ryder said, pointing to the triplets and Bennett.

"Shut up," Bennett told him, laughing as he pushed Ryder's hand away. Ryder laughed and turned back to the water

"It's hella cold, foo," Max said, standing far away from the water. Damien stood next to me with his pants rolled up, and I was scared the water was going to be freezing, so I took a step back, deciding to wait a little longer, but Damien held my hand, holding me in place so that when the water came, I couldn't escape.

The water rushed back to shore, sending my heart racing in my chest, and like rain, adrenaline poured down my body, sending my heart racing in my chest as the ice-cold water made contact with me, soaking my feet, and making me gasp at how freezing the water was. Damien wanted to leave but as he had done with me, I held him in place, and soon our feet adjusted to the cold temperatures, and the water started to feel warm.

Max walked back toward the water, wanting to try it again after seeing that Damien and I could last in the water but once it came back and soaked his feet, he hopped out again shaking his head. "¡Estáis locos! [They're crazy!]" Max laughed.

I smiled, walking deeper into the water, but my legs weren't used to the temperature, so I backed away with a smile on my face, loving the feeling of the adrenaline coursing through my body.

"Adrenaline junky," Ryder smiled as he nodded. "My kind of girl." He nodded proudly, and I laughed.

"We should go bungee jumping," I suggested to see if he really was an adrenaline junky.

"Dude, I'm so down," Ryder said and I laughed. "I mean, maybe not now. Let me get my affairs in order." He nodded.

"What affairs?" Max asked, cringing his face in confusion. "Foo, you're nineteen, not sixty-five."

"I have affairs," Ryder argued.

"Yeah, sexual ones," Max laughed. Ryder opened his mouth to say something else but closed it.

"Just because you don't care about your life, doesn't mean I don't," Ryder said, and Max laughed.

"Whatever you say, Ch-"

"Don't even," Ryder said, glaring at Max.

"Chico [friend]. What did you think I was gonna say?" Max asked, sounding condescending as a smug smile graced his lips.

"Uhh-huh," Ryder said, narrowing his eyes at Max before looking away at Bennett who was still staring at the water with a nervous look.

Was he scared of the ocean?

Ryder walked to him, standing next to Bennett as he started whispering something to him, but I was too far away to hear what he was saying. I looked down at the water, not wanting to stare at them as they had a conversation. I wasn't the nosy type. I saw something in the water, so I picked it up and smiled as I saw what it was.

I picked up the oyster shell, but it was closed, so I couldn't open it. I looked at Damien, but he was looking at Max wrestle with Deacon and Declan. Dylan was looking at Bennett with a worried look as Ryder kept talking to Bennett. Bennett started nodding and took a deep breath, seeming to cheer up a bit.

"Do you have a pocket knife?" I whispered to Damien. He looked at me and then down to my hands. He seemed unsure so he patted the pockets to his pants but shook his head. Did he always carry a knife?

"Ryder might," Damien said and walked over to Ryder. "Do you have a pocket knife?"

"No," Ryder said and looked away, not in a dismissive way but as a way of trying to avoid eye contact.

"He's lying," I heard Max say, his voice strained from being pinned down on his back by Deacon and Declan.

"Shut up," Ryder told him, and Max laughed until Declan sat on his face.

"Mad 'cause I offended your culo [ass]?" Max asked Declan, and Declan added more of his weight on Max's face. Max started straining out laughs, amused by what Declan was doing to him.

"I am really not lying, Damien," Ryder said, making eye contact, and I was ready to just wait until I went home to open the oyster, but Damien laughed.

"Even that sounded like a lie," Damien laughed, and Ryder cracked a smile. "Give it." Damien held out his hands, moving his fingertips back and forth, wanting Ryder to hand him the knife. "Mae needs it."

"Now you're lying. You just want the knife so you can kill me!" Ryder said, and I smacked my hand over my mouth, laughing. Damien rubbed in between his eyebrows and shook his head.

"What's wrong with you?" Deacon asked and I laughed more.

"Let me see it, so I can give it to Mae," Damien said, but Ryder shook his head as he reached into his right pocket, walking to me. Ryder handed me the pocket knife, and I smile because he was giving Damien a hard time; it was amusing to watch.

"Thank you," I smiled and opened the knife. I pointed the tip of the knife to the edges of the oyster, but Damien stopped me.

"I'll do it. You might cut yourself," Damien said and gently took the knife and oyster from me.

"You might cut yourself too," I reasoned, slightly nervous that if he did cut himself, it would be my fault. He shook his head and smiled as he opened the oyster perfectly.

He showed me the oyster after opening it and there was a blue pearl inside. I was amazed there was actually something inside. I had never seen an oyster in person, so I was a little shocked. I knew people ate them but never thought there would be something inside.

"It's blue," I said and grabbed the small pearl in between my index and thumb, dipping it into the water to clean it.

"It means the wearer will find love," Bennett said, and everyone looked at him. He smiled and pointed toward the pearl. "If you wear it, you'll find love."

"Too late," Ryder whispered, but I heard it and fought a smile that wanted to force its way onto my face. Ryder grabbed the oyster and chucked it into the ocean.

"Ryder!" I said, not wanting it to be thrown in the ocean.

"Look how far that went!" Ryder smiled proudly.

He was unbelievable. Ryder smiled as he looked at me and pointed to the ocean, silently asking if I saw. I shook my head at him, but I couldn't help it and smiled.

"I'm hungry," Dylan complained.

"Me too," Declan said, holding his stomach.

"Me three," Deacon agreed, rubbing his stomach, and I smiled at how similar they were. Although I mainly saw their similarities, I had also seen the many differences they had as well.

"Let's eat breakfast," Bennett suggested.

"I'm down," Max agreed, nodding. "That Mexican restaurant around the corner is open. Some tamales or some carnitas sound bomb."

"Some pozole," Bennett said and held his stomach. "Or some gorditas." Bennett threw his head back, hungry for food. All the Mexican food had me craving my favorite, Menudo. I thought about the spices and lemon I would add and instantly became hungry.

"No, there's an Italian restaurant," Damien shook his head, not wanting Mexican food.

"Or the French restaurant," Ryder offered.

"The French restaurant doesn't open until eight," Deacon said. "I'm not waiting two hours to eat."

"And the Italian restaurant doesn't open until ten," Dylan said.

"Mexican it is," Bennett and Max said, smiling and I was glad we were going there. I wasn't really the type to stray away from the food I always ate. There were only a few dishes I ate at certain places. I wasn't extremely picky when it came to foods but at restaurants, it was different.

"Are you okay with that?" Damien asked me, so I nodded. We moved out of the water and toward our shoes, so I picked them up. Feeling the soft sand between my toes felt nice until it ended when we reached the sidewalk.

Picking up my right foot and keeping my balance, I dusted the sand off of my foot and shook my shoe of any sand inside before putting my shoe on. I put my foot down and picked up my left foot, doing the same thing I had done with my right foot and then I unrolled the ankles of my jeans.

I looked at the guys and saw as Max picked up his left foot and wiped it on the back of Ryder's black shirt. Ryder stood straight with a flat expression until anger slowly crept in.

Ryder threw his sock at a laughing Max, throwing the sock right into Max's opened mouth. Max started gagging after he spat out the sock.

"So salty," he gagged and Ryder laughed.

"Serves you right," Ryder said. Max threw Ryder's sock back at him and dusted his hands off on the front of his jeans, cringing his face, disgusted by touching Ryder's sock.

We started walking towards the restaurant but once we arrived, they were closed. "Damn, they're closed on Monday and Tuesday's," Bennett said after reading the sign on the front door.

"There's a twenty-four-hour diner," Deacon said. We all nodded, settling for our last resort and started walking to the diner.

"Pen-" Max said, and Bennett turned around, looking at him. "Dejo [Idiot]." Max started laughing and Bennett pushed him, laughing himself.

Once we got into the diner, there wasn't much peopled, a few elderly's scattered around. A waitress walked to the front table and took the number of people before leading us to a big, round booth by the window, looking out toward the ocean. Damien grabbed my hand and went into the both from the left side while Max went in on the right side. Declan sat next to me on my right side then Ryder and Bennett. Deacon and Dylan sat next to Max's left side.

"Here are your menus," the waitress said, placing the menus down on the table, and the guys started passing them around. I knew the next question she was going to ask as she pulled out her notepad, so I prepared myself, ready to start speaking, but my mind had other plans.

Shh, Mae. I won't hurt you if you stay quiet, okay?

No, I'm done with you. I told the voice in my head but still, the presence of the voice wouldn't leave.

I should have killed you when I had the chance!

I flinched at how clear the voice was. I looked around, seeing if any of the guys heard it, but they hadn't. They were opening their menus, oblivious to what was happening to me. Damien looked at me so I made eye contact with him, seeing if he really hadn't heard.

"Are you okay?" He whispered. "You don't have to order, just tell me what you want so I can order it for you." I guess he hadn't heard the voice. I opened my menu with my right hand, knowing the next question she was going to ask and went to the drink section.

"Can I start you off with something to drink?" The waitress asked. The guys started telling her what drinks they wanted, so I pointed to the water on the menu and showed Damien. She started writing them down and nodded.

"Okay, your waiter will bring them out to you," she smiled and walked away. I was sad I couldn't order for myself. I felt like I had made so much progress within a couple of hours, but it felt like all the pride and positive energy I was feeling, got squashed and ruined.

I guess I hadn't made too much progress. I guess It was the same with the guys as it was with Zach. I only spoke to them because I trusted them.

I stopped listening to my thought process and listened to the guys as they asked each other what they were going to order. We had the same diner in town, so I already knew what I wanted.

"I'll get the grilled cheese," I told Damien and he nodded. "But the mozzarella sticks on the side." I pointed to the menus and he read it over.

"What kind of fries?" He asked.

"Regular," I told him and he nodded. His lips started moving as if he was silently repeating something over and over, commemorating it to memory.

"Can you order for me?" Dylan whispered to Deacon and he nodded.

"What do you want?" Deacon asked, so Dylan told him what he wanted.

"You want me to order for-" I heard Ryder start to ask before Bennett cut him off.

"No," Bennett shook his head. "I got it." He smiled and looked back at his menu. A guy came with a big tray of drinks over his right shoulder and a fold-out table in the left hand. He shook out the table, and it opened, so he set the drink down. The plaque on the guy's shirt had 'Zay' labeled over it.

"Who got the sprite?" He asked and Ryder raised his hand. "And the lemonade." Bennett raised his hand. The triplets got orange juice, Max got coffee, and Damien got an iced tea. "And then the water." I raised my hand timidly. I didn't want to shoot my hand out eagerly, but I also didn't want to shoot out my hand as timidly as I did. I felt anxiety burst through me. Great, I raised my hand wrong, and probably looked dumb doing it. "Do you know what you want to order, or do you need a minute?"

"We're ready," Max nodded. I looked at the waiter and noticed he was already looking at me with a smile.

"What can I get you?" He asked, looking at me smiling and showing his straight teeth. They were perfectly straight which had made me assume he had braces before. His overbite and the way he smiled so cheekily, showing his perfect teeth confirmed that a bit. I had always wanted braces so my gaps would close but never got them. Mitch never wanted the commitment of having to pay when I had asked him years ago.

"She'll get the grilled cheese, but with the mozzarella sticks on the side," Damien ordered. I looked at him, happy that he got my order right, but he jaw clenched. I looked at Zay and there was a smugness to his face. Was it just the two of them who were acting this way? I looked around, but the guys were looking at their menus.

"What kind of fries?" Zay asked so Damien told him regular. "And you?" He asked Bennett.

"Umm-Umm-Umm-Umm-" Bennett started but that's all that came out of his mouth. A nervous smile took over his face and even though he had a tannish complexion, there was a red undertone to his face. "I'll get the-" he lifted his hand as he spoke but hit it on the table, and his nervous smile widened. "The supreme nacho."

"I'll get the same," Ryder said, closing his menu and stacked it on top of Bennett's.

"Me too," Declan said, doing the same as Ryder.

"He'll get the all you can eat pancakes," Deacon said, pointing to Dylan and a shy smile crept over Dylan's face. "And I'll get the jalapeño burger."

"What kind of fries?" Zay asked, writing down all of our orders.

"Umm... regular," Deacon nodded, finalizing his decision.

"I'll get the same," Damien said, closing his menus, and handed it to Deacon as Max looked over his menu.

"And then I'll get the..." Max trailed off as he looked at the menu, but he hesitated. He bit his bottom lip in concentration as he flipped through the pages. "Pancake combo."

"Bacon or sausage?" Zay asked, writing on his notepad.

"One of each," Max said.

"And your eggs?" Zay asked.

"Umm... scrambled," Max said. We passed our menus toward Dylan, and he handed them to Zay before Zay walked away. "I wanted the egg with juice inside, but I didn't know what it was called," Max laughed, and I didn't know what it was called either. I wasn't a breakfast type of person, so I never really ate breakfast.

Damien was still holding my hand and I couldn't stop thinking about what that made us. Or if it made us anything. Do I ask him or just go with the flow? I mean, he wasn't my boyfriend right? That's not how it worked? What was I even supposed to do with a boyfriend? How many times do I feed him, and do I put him on time out when he's done something bad?

He's not a dog, Mae. My subconscious scolded me. I laughed at myself but snapped out of my daze once I heard my own laugh. I looked at the guys to see some of them smiling as they looked to me.

"What's funny?" Deacon asked with a small smile.

"Probably how ridiculously handsome I am," Ryder said, and I laughed at his cockiness.

"Yeah," Damien snorted and squeezed my hand, so I squeezed his back. He squeezed mine harder, making me smile, and I squeezed his hand even harder, making him laugh.

"Ask any girl," Ryder said, leaning forward on the table. "All their panties drop for me."

"Wow," Max said with an unimpressed face. "You're so cool, I'm gonna call you culo [asshole]," Max said and then laughed. I laughed, and Ryder tried fighting a smile but failed.

"You're stupid," Ryder laughed, shaking his head.

"I don't wanna pry," Bennett started as he looked at me. "But why didn't you just tell the guy your order if you speak now," Bennett finished gently. I was ready to speak to him, to answer him, and it was frustrating that I was ready to speak to any of them but with other people, I couldn't.

"I don't know, maybe 'cause I only trust you guys?" I said, raising my tone at the end, and shrugged. I wasn't entirely sure but that's what it felt like. They felt like a safe harbor while everyone else felt unreal, those people didn't seem sturdy and safe.

"Aww, cupcake, you trust me?" Ryder asked, putting his hand over his heart, touched by my trust in him, and I laughed.

"Don't make me regret it," I teased and he smiled.

"You will," Max assured as he nodded.

"Shut up," Ryder told him, furrowing his eyebrows.

"Make me," Max retorted, leaning toward the table.

"Ouu, kinky," Ryder said and everyone laughed.

"You're stupid," Max laughed, shaking his head.

"I have a question," Dylan said as he looked at me, so I nodded, ready to hear it. "Are you really the King?" He looked at me, waiting for me to confirm what he had heard.

I nodded, and he raised his eyebrows, shocked that I was really him. "How does that feel?" Bennett asked, but I was confused. As if he saw my confusion, he elaborated. "To have people fear and respect you. To know that you can protect yourself?" There was a look in his eyes, and I wasn't sure why he was asking that specific question, but the look in his eyes disappeared as soon as it came.

I thought about his question, but he was wrong. There was always one person I could never protect myself from. I raised my shoulders, unable to find words that would give him an answer while not telling him too much.

"It probably didn't do much for Mae but more for the King," Damien spoke, so I looked at him, feeling bad for not telling him the truth about who the King really was, who I really was.

"I really am sorry for not telling you," I told him. If I would have just told him, everything wouldn't have happened the way it did. It took so many complicated turns and for what? It ended this way anyway. "I genuinely thought you'd hate me the same way you hated the King."

He shook his head. "I'm not mad," Damien assured, shaking his head. "The moment I found out it was you, those feelings washed away completely." He smiled and relief washed over me. The look on his face, and the sincerity in his voice, made me believe he was telling the truth.

"Can I ask a question now?" I asked Damien and he nodded. "Why did you hate the King so much?" A small smile crept over his face as he shook his head.

"It was dumb. Had more to do with my pride than anything else," Damien admitted. He removed his hand from mine, and I realized my hand was sweaty. I smiled as I wiped my hand on the left side of my jeans and picked up my straw, opening and placing it into my cup. Feeling the cool and freshness pour down my throat as I gulped water, sent my heart racing in satisfaction. "Before your name was known, I was sort of the King." He smiled, making me smile because I had never known that. "I would fight and race and for a while, I had a streak, but I fought a fighter on the westside and lost."

"They go hard," I nodded, and he laughed, agreeing with me.

"They do. People respected me, not out of fear, but because they saw the strength I carried and fought with. You fought the same guy and won. After that, every fighter I won and lost, you fought and won. Soon my title went to you, and I lost the respect I once had, so I hated you for it," he admitted, and I finally understood.

"It's where I got my name too," Deacon said, and the name Declan called him came to mind.

"Prince," I said and he smiled.

"Yeah, especially since I was undefeated with racing, people called me that," he said and then narrowed his eyes. "Until you! I think you just have a vendetta against my family," he teased, and I smiled.

"Takes talent, kid," I joked, and they laughed. It felt nice to make them laugh.

"Well, since you don't have your car anymore, let's see who wins now," Deacon said, and I was reminded about my car. Billy told me it was the Reapers who blew my car to pieces, and I would get revenge for it.

"Still me," I smiled, and Deacon rolled his eyes with a smile of his own.

"We'll see about that," he said.

"Don't you know, It's not the car you drive," I started and Deacon smiled, realizing what I was going to say.

"It's the driver who's driving the car that's doing the driving," we finished at the same time and laughed. The waiter came with our food and placed the plates down on the table after asking who ordered what dish.

"Is there anything else I can get you?" Zay asked. I looked up, seeing him already look at me the same way he had the last time.

"No, thank you," Damien said curtly, but the waiter kept looking at me. Did he want me to answer? I shook my head, and Zay clenched his teeth, almost as if he was angry, but I couldn't figure out why. He nodded stiffly and walked away.

The guys were looking at Zay's back as he walked away, some were confused while others were angry. "The hell's his problem?" Max asked, turning his attention away from Zay and toward his Pancake combo.

"Probably not a morning person," Dylan said, holding the syrup bottle upside down, moving it around his plate so the sugary liquid poured over his pancakes.

"I can relate," Declan said, eating his nacho.

"Same," Deacon said as he bit into his burger. One by one they started eating and eventually, everyone forgot about their confusion and slight annoyance toward Zay. It was a peaceful silence until my heart dropped at the question Dylan asked.

"So why don't you talk?" Dylan asked. I looked up in time to see Deacon smack the back of his head. "Ow! The hell's your problem?!" Dylan shouted, holding the back of his head.

"Shut up! There are people around!" Declan shouted, clearly not understanding how loud he spoke since there was, in fact, people around.

"I was just curious!" Dylan hissed, removing his hand from the back of his head.

"Well, if she wanted you to know, she would have told you!" Max hissed.

"I was just curious," Dylan said as he looked at me. "So why?" Max lifted his hand, but Dylan ducked. "Okay. Okay."

I wasn't angry he asked. I knew he was curious and although I was talking to them, he didn't need, neither did he deserve to know. So I settled for telling him something light. "Because I don't use my voice," I joked with a smile.

"No but why don't-" Dylan started, but Damien cut him off.

"Dylan," Damien warned, slightly glaring at his brother. "Don't." From the furious look on Damien's face, I knew he was angry at his brother for asking, but it wasn't so serious. I wasn't furious and regretted speaking. I knew Dylan was curious, and he spoke out on his curiosity. I guess I had learned from the last time I became angry with the guys for asking that question and knew not to react that way anymore.

"He was just curious," I reasoned and Dylan nodded.

"I'm sorry," Dylan said, his grey eyes rounding with sincerity. "I shouldn't have pried. Max was right. If you wanted me to know, you would have told me."

I nodded, thankful that he understood. "With time and trust that you show and give, maybe one day I'll answer your question a bit more seriously," I smiled and a soft smile graced his pink lips.

"There's no pressure," he smiled timidly, and he was a sweet kid. I guess that's why I saw no harm in his question. As we continued to eat, the guys occasionally talked about their childhood, and I smiled at how much trouble they actually got into.

"Ohh, dude. When we were sophomores, and we did that experiment in Mr. Smith's class," Max recalled, and Damien laughed as he nodded.

"What happened?" I asked, and Damien smiled as he looked at me, excited to tell me what happened.

"So, we were like fifteen?" Damien asked as he looked at Max.

"I think so," Max nodded. "So, we had to do this volcano project, and the teacher said 'use sodium and Vinegar or whatever,' he didn't care, so we used sodium and vinegar but..." Max trailed off, shaking his head, not liking the idea of what the teacher suggested to use, and he continued again. "That wasn't good enough."

"Max's uncle sold fireworks and this was at the beginning of the school year, so he still had some he never sold," Damien started. "And Max says sodium and vinegar weren't gonna work."

"So I suggest fireworks," Max laughed, and I understood where the story was going. "We get tomato sauce, red paint, and mix it together."

"And we get all the fireworks, tie the fuses together, and then we get a longer fuse so we can ignite that one," Damien recalled. "We ignite the fuse and call the teacher over so we can show him how big the explosions gonna be, but he looks at us and then looks away as if we didn't call him. 'Did you put half the pack?' I asked Max about the fireworks, and his eyes widen. 'I put three-pack,' Max admits." Damien said, lowering his voice in an idiotic tone as he mimicked Max, making Max laugh.

"I put three packs so the explosion could be big," Max reasoned. "'They were the Mega Explosion ones,' Damien tells me. We look at each other, the volcano, and then each other before running out of the room as fast as we could."

"We look back just as we're about to leave and see the teacher next to our volcano and then-"

"BOOM!" Max and Damien said before laughing as they clapped. "Red paint and tomato sauce everywhere. We peek into the room, and our teacher looks like Carrie, covered in red from head to toe," Max finished, laughing, and everyone laughed at the story.

"Did you get in trouble?" I asked, wanting to know what happened after.

"Yeah," Damien nodded with a smile on his face.

"We got expelled," Max laughed.

"Can I get you anything?" Zay asked, disrupting the conversation as he looked at me, so I shook my head, answering him, but he didn't leave, only kept staring at me. "Sorry, couldn't hear you!" He snapped, and I flinched at how cold and unexpected that was. What did I do that made him angry?

"The hell's your problem?" Deacon asked.

"You don't know who you're messing with," Declan shook his head, a smug smile on his lips. Was he talking about the King? Was he going to say who I really was?

Declan looked at me, wanting me to say who I was, so I shook my head slowly, not wanting to say it. It would do more harm than good.

"Oh, yeah? And who is that?" Zay asked, maliciously as he waited by our table.

"Well, I'm Bennett Sol," Bennett clenched his teeth, standing up, and standing taller than Zay.

"I'm Ryder Lynch," Ryder said as his shoulders tensed, his fists on the table.

"Max Sanchez. You might've heard of us," Max sneered, his anger as venomous as his words. Zay looked at Damien, but he wasn't scared, not as someone should have been with how hostile and dangerous the guys seemed. Even I was scared.

"And you're-"

"Damien King," Damien snarled, cutting Zay off as he clenched his teeth, his upper lip curling slightly. Damien's whole aura wasn't anything like I had seen before. It wasn't emotionless neither was it protective and safe. Everything about him screamed dangerous and harmful. If I was a stranger and didn't know him and I saw him, I would turn around and run the other away, hoping he never saw me.

"Ouu," Zay mocked with an amused smile. "I'm shaking, really." Zay continued to smile as he rolled up his black long sleeves. I noticed a tattoo on his right wrist; a skull and a scythe. My heart dropped as I realized what his tattoo meant.

He was a Reaper. I looked at Damien and knew who he was. I knew he was a Serpent and knew of their rivalry. Their Gangs hated each other. They had for years. Rumor had it, the Reapers hated Damien's family even before the Serpents were a thing.

I hadn't noticed Damien sitting farther away from me or when Deacon, Dylan, and Max stood up from the booth. Damien was sitting at the edge and after Zay rolled up his sleeves, Damien stood, glaring, his shoulders were tensed as he faced Zay.

"Make a move, I dare you," Damien snarled, and everything had taken a dangerous turn. I was scared something was going to happen, and the Reapers were known for fighting dirty. They used weapons in fights rather than fighting fist to fist.

Zay looked at me and a smug smile grew on his lips. "You're Mae," Zay said, and my heart began to race. Why did he know me? How did he know me? "You know, Mae, I'd be careful if I were you."

"Why?" Bennett asked, but Zay's attention never blinked neither did it switch when a different speaker spoke. His attention only ever stayed on Damien and I.

"Damien's dangerous, Mae," Zay warned. I took in Damien's dangerous aura and for a split second, my subconscious questioned if he was dangerous. Would he ever hurt me? Would I ever get hurt even if it wasn't Damien's intention?

"Don't listen to him, Mae," Damien said, shaking his head as he glared at Zay, never taking his eyes off of him. Damien looked like a predator, but Zay wasn't his prey; Zay was too vicious. It was predator versus predator; both equally dangerous and equally as deadly.

"So anyone around you, isn't at risk for their life? They don't happen to lose their life?" Zay asked, turning his attention away from me and toward Damien. Zay cocked his head toward the right, waiting for the question to sink into Damien's head. "You're parents. Ryder's family." I looked at Ryder, and he was clenching his teeth, but he failed to mask over the tormented emotion in his eyes. They were too deep for him to hide; so deep they touched his soul, scarring it for the rest of his life. "Bennett's family. Who's next, Damien?" Zay looked at Max, silently asking if it would be him, then the triplets, and finally me.

He looked back at Damien, waiting for an answer, but Damien had enough. In the blink of an eye, Damien threw his fist back and swung it toward Zay, giving him the hardest right hook I'd ever seen. Zay stumbled back, clutching his face, blinking a few times until his vision cleared.

He ran after Damien, running into his stomach and tried taking him down, but Damien held onto him, kicking his knee up as Zay gave body shots to Damien, probably trying to wear him down. It wouldn't work, body shoots were better for the long run. The face was better for quicker damage. I scooted out of the booth and pulled Zay off of Damien. I pushed him into the wall, and he came after me, swinging, but Ryder and Bennett acted quickly. They rushed toward Zay, grabbing him by the back of the shirt, and pulled him toward them. Zay threw a punch toward me as the guys pulled him away, and I felt the breeze of his punch slap my face from how close he was to punch me.

"What in the world!" I heard from a man as he walked out from behind the door that was meant for employees only. The plaque on his shirt was labeled 'Manager'.

"Just a small mishap," Ryder smiled as he still held onto Zay.

"Why don't you let the gentlemen go?" The manager suggested. Zay stood still, so Ryder let him go, but he rushed toward me. Ryder rushed forward, pulling Zay back, and the manager was yelling at Zay to stop as he held Zay back. "Go!" He told us, holding back a vicious animal, and the triplets started running out. "Your meals are on the house. I'm sorry for the inconvenience." Bennett and Ryder completely let Zay go and walked toward us, blocking my view from Zay, and I felt an arm around my waist, making me flinch.

"It's okay, Mae. Come on," Damien told me, and I started walking out with Damien. Max walked out, holding the door open for us, and Damien guided me faster so that I was in front of him. Before I walked out, Zay spoke one last thing.

"Just know, Damien. Everything is just beginning," Zay warned.