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"You must do the things you think you cannot do." —Eleanor Roosevelt
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Chapter 22
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"Please!"

I glared at Raven, who was currently on her knees. Her red lips were down turned into a desperate pout.

I sighed. "Raven, I already told you no."

She rolled her pretty eyes, and pulled herself back onto the beanbag chair. "Why not?" I rolled my own eyes this time.

"Because, it's just going to be a quick little date. More of a hangout, actually. Why should I try to dress up only for an hour or two?" I tried to persuade her. In reality, I didn't give two shits about impressing Kade tonight, but she didn't need to know that.

She stood from her seat. I watched her turn, grab a bag, then throw the clothes she had bought the moment I told her, right onto my lap. "Well you two might end up staying a lot longer if you dress up!" Her voice was way too suggestive for me, nor did I like the chuckle she let out.

"No." My cheeks heated to a high degree as I threw the clothes into her now empty seat. "Absolutely not."

She raised her hands in defense, a smug look on her face. "Hey, I'm just saying. Have you seen that man? Who wouldn't want to—" I dared my ears to close her off completely. I had seen him, talked to the asshole too. Sure, he was sinfully beautiful and with a tongue as smooth as a snakes, but it was venomous as well.

Raven picked me up from the diner once my shift was over, and I was thankful of that. I hadn't told Ryland about Kade and I going on another date, and I wasn't intending to, not for a while anyway. It was too much of a conversation to make right now.

Raven gripped my knees, gently pulling me off my beanbag chair. "Pretty please?" she continued to plead, her hazel eyes widening to the point of humor.

The door to Raven's bedroom opened, causing the both of us to jump. Her mother stuck her head through the door, a smile on her beautiful face.

Raven and her mom were very similar in the looks department. Curly red hair, though her mother's was held up in a tight bun half of the time. The both of them held up hazel eyes, but they always gleamed with happiness and joy. Their personalities were too alike to mistake, both jokers and positive.

I liked her mom from the very first time I met her. It was pretty easy for her mother to see that I was the shy type, so she didn't try to push me to talk, and that was something I appreciated. Raven told me her father and mother were divorced due to infidelity issues, and that she didn't have a relationship with him. Her words were full with so much distaste and invisible anger, I decided to leave it at that.

"Hey girls, I'm heading out. Kimberly dear, feel welcome to stay over if you like," she said, warm eyes crinkling at me. "Raven and I love your company."

Raven smiled at her mom, situating herself back on the chair. "Where you headed this time?"

She rolled her eyes, reaching up to make sure her bun was still in tact. Of course, it was as perfect as ever. "The scums that pay me are sending me out to New Jersey until Tuesday, which actually means Sunday. At best."

Raven and I laughed at her word choice. When we first met, she called in Indian food and then told us how her boss continued to work her to death. The pay was fantastic though so she stayed.

"I hope you have a fun time," I said to her, smiling.

"Yeah, just don't meet and come back here with a new husband," Raven joked with her mother before turning to me. "You know how many times I've had a new 'stepdad'?"

Her mom laughed, hauling her bag up. "Temptations are strong, but I'll try honey. I'll make sure to bring you two back some souvenirs."

We waved goodbye to her mother, then continued on with our argument. We faced each other again.

"No," I argued.

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes!"

That's it. "Okay, you know what?" I shot up from the beanbag chair, my annoyance at it's breaking point. "I'll try the stupid outfit on, and then you have to stop, okay?"

She thought about it for a moment, then finally nodded. I rolled my eyes at her, but yanked the bag up anyway and retreated to the bathroom.

Once I had gotten dressed in the outfit Raven forced forced on me, I looked at myself in the mirror. I paused. I hated to admit it, but Raven had been right about this outfit.

The upper half of my body was covered in a creamy blouse. My legs were accompanied by black pants that reached my ankles, followed by pumps that matched the shade of my blouse.

When I stared back into my own eyes, it was as if I were looking at a stranger. Not in a bad way, but more in a good, I think. Typically, I would have worn the sweatshirt I had bought from a thrift store, along anything casual. I liked to seep in with the crowd, it was much more safe that way. But now, I seemed to like my appearance.

I felt my lips begin to top. I smiled at myself, and then brushed my sweaty hands down the outfit.

It's a fake date, Kimberly, calm down.

I continued to repeat it as I stepped out of the bathroom. As soon as I was back to Raven, the first thing I heard was a whistle.

Her heart-shaped face shifted into a shit-eating grin. "I love it!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands.

Her finger indicated for me to turn, which I did. Her whistle got louder, causing us both to break out in small a fit of laughter. I'd give her this one, that was for sure.

Finally, we settled down. Raven glanced over me again, smile never falling. "So, how do you feel?" she asked from her bed.

I shrugged, sitting at the end of her head. "Pretty good, actually."

"Kade better propose when he sees you," she said, a grin dancing across her plump lips.

"Let's hope he doesn't kill me first," I mumbled.

***
"Where are we going?" I asked a quiet Kade.

"A place."

"What kind of place?"

At that, he went quiet again. I couldn't figure out where he was taking me, all I knew was that we were driving, far.

I wasn't afraid of Kade personally. Though riding into the dark, alone, reminded me of all the things that happened in horror movies.

Kade wouldn't try to hurt me...would he?  I froze, my eyes immediately going to the window. If I played it right, I could risk the injuries of jumping out of the car and—

"I'm not going to hurt you."

My head flicked up at Kade in shock. I had said it out loud.

Guilt filled me at what I had said, but as a woman, I didn't deserve to feel too guilty about precautions. "I-I'm sorry."

He shrugged his shoulders, keeping his eyes on the road. I reverted my own forward, but snuck a quick glance at him from the corner of my eye.

Tonight, he wore dark pants, along with a short-sleeved black shirt. So simple, yet so hot. My skin burned as I observed over his sleeve of tats.

He's my friend.

I needed to control my feelings. To control the erratic pace of my heartbeat. To control myself.

He hadn't said anything about my outfit, and in a way I was thankful for that. But, I caught his surprise at it.

While I continued to listen to the argument carried on between my heart and brain, the car finally pulled to a stop. I shot up from the headrest, scanning my surroundings.

It was dark. Too dark for me to see what was happening. Oh, hell no.

The door I was propped against, was pulled right open. My body went flailing until a pair of warm arms caught me.

Kade's brown orbs stared down at me, a brow perched. "I'm not carrying you, you know."

"Of course not," I said in a small voice.

Though it was dark outside, I still felt as if my blush could be seen miles away. I hurried out of the car, glancing around.

"What are we doing here?" I asked uneasily.

We were definitely parked in a abandoned spot. The only things that could be heard was my frantic breath, our footsteps, and the woken night around us.

"Walk and you'll see."

I frowned at his tone. From last night, I thought we were friends, that we reached some type of mutual ground. But, by his attitude, it seemed that he was back to the distant Kade. Now, I wondered if coming here had been a mistake.

I followed behind a very quick-paced Kade, but I managed to keep up with him.

We walked down the path, trees among even more trees on either side of us. The trip to wherever we were going, was quiet, and that made me feel troublesome. I made sure to keep my surroundings in check, just in case I had to book it.

One we stopped walking though, I felt like I had just seen the real world. The beauty was ethereal.

It was night out, but I could clearly see the century old trees that sat on the edges of the large space independently, yet all warped together. Like a family that had gotten older and created a different life for theirselves, yet were still connected by their bloodlines.

The freshly grown grass on the ground was trimmed to the perfection, so I knew it wasn't entirely abandoned. The flowers all varied in both color, shape, and size; every single one of them unique on their own but all together, such a masterpiece. A body of water glinted in our sight, but it didn't look too deep. With the grass, all of it delivered a work of art to us.

The beautiful gift seemed to be parted off from the rest of the forest. I needed a minute to breathe the beauty of it all in.

I stepped closer to the water. "What is this?" I asked in disbelief.

"Mine."

I looked at Kade, my eyes wide. "Yours?"

He nodded. "My grandmother bought this land for me for my sixteenth birthday," he explained.

My mouth dropped. He was one lucky guy.

I glanced between him and the water before finally settling on the man in front of me. "Why'd you bring me here?"

"I didn't want to take you to my house, again, I thought you'd be bored. Didn't think you'd like to go to dinner, so here we are now," he answered flatly.

I blinked at him, attempting to keep my reaction neutral. He didn't think too much of it, but this seemed personal. Very personal.

Kade sat down onto the grass, right in front of the water then motioned for me to follow suit. I continued to look around the beautiful piece of scenery, still in awe.

"I like to come here when my thoughts are a little too much," I heard Kade speak from beside me. "It clears my head a bit."

I nodded slowly. "Oh." My head turned his way. "What's wrong?"

Kade sighed, shrugging. "If only I knew."

Kade leaned back on his elbows, staring straight ahead. I took the chance to let my eyes hover, but I stopped at his knuckles.

The bruises seemed to be fresh and raw, but they weren't there yesterday night. Something happened tonight.

I followed suit, leaning back. "What happened?"

He looked up at me, brow raising once he saw my eyes on his hands. "Nothing for you to be concerned about, sweetheart." He pulled his arm away, placing a hand in his lap.

I rolled my eyes. "Tell me," I suggested.

I laid down on my back, gazing up at the stars. They looked as if they were in a mug filled with hot chocolate and marshmallows. The hot beverage being the night sky, and the stars being the marshmallows. Or maybe I was just cold.

The silence stretched on, but I didn't feel tense. I waited for him to confess on his own terms.

"I started it," he confessed under his breath.

"What?" My forehead creased in confusion but I let my eyes remain on the stars. "Why start a fight?"

"Hell, it's been a while since I've heard that." A smirk followed up on his plump lips. "It's fun. The adrenaline of it all, the lead-up to it, the fear on their face once my fists come down."

"What about it?"

He looked at me, his eyes burning into mine. "It excites me."

I frowned at him. "Why?"

"It's like...fuel for me, I guess? I don't feel the pain. Once the adrenaline wears off, I still don't feel a thing from the fight."

Well.

A shiver ran through my spine once I heard his words. As someone who was surrounded by violence all of my life, it was never good. Why he loved it, I didn't know.

"Well, you should stop," I murmured. "Fighting isn't good for your hands."

I felt his gaze waver on top of me. "You're worried about my hands?"

I looked up at him, my eyes scanning over his beautiful face. "I guess so, yeah. They're all bloody, and looks really painful."

He dawned on me a moment later before glancing away. He swept a thumb over his bottom lip, sporting a grin. "So innocent."

"What?"

"Nothing," he covered up, pulling his knees up to his chest. His smirk lingered.

Whatever, then. I nodded at him. "Why does violence get you so excited?" At first, I was fine with deeming him a psychopath, but something was lying underneath. I wasn't entirely sure of it, but I wanted to dig.

"I would tell you, but you'd probably leave," he confessed around a chuckle.

I raised myself to look at him. My mind was beginning to whirl.

His head was ducked down, one hand stroking over his bruises. Dark strands of hair were falling into his squinted eyes. I could see him, but at the same time I couldn't.

I decided to edge into it. "Why'd you get into a fight for?"

He stayed silent.

"So innocent," I heard him repeat in a mumble.

I shifted, shaking my head. "I'm not innocent."

"Sure, sweetheart."

My virtue was none of his business, but simmering about it was edging me into agitation. I didn't like him having anything else other my diary on me. "I'm not."

A small chuckle left his pink lips, and he shook his head. "Really, now? Tell me the worst thing you've ever done."

I yelled at my brain for an answer, but none came up. "Well..."

Kade grinned, popping the bones in his neck. "That's what I thought, sweetheart."

Anger rushed into my blood so fast, I didn't have time to think before I said, "I'll do something tonight."

"What?" His eyebrows could have reached the top of his hairline as he turned to look at me. "What are you talking about?"

"I'll do something tonight," I breathed out, in disbelief of my own self.

What in the hell was I doing?

Okay, it was too late to turn back, now. This man's assumptions burned at the most hypocritical parts of me, and I couldn't help but want to prove it wrong.

"You heard me," I feigned. "Didn't we pass a hotel on the way here?"

He cocked a brow at me. "What's your point?"

"I'll sneak in there if you tell me why you got into the fight, and you admit that I'm not innocent," I negotiated.

A smirk came into play on his lips, his head dipping as he chuckled. "You don't have to prove anything for the sake of my approval."

"Trust me, I don't care about your approval," I argued, standing up. "I'm doing it for myself."

Without any further words, he stood up. I stayed in my spot for awhile, dizziness lingering over my senses.

What the hell had I been thinking? I'd never snuck out, let alone snuck in anywhere. I felt like throwing up. I was going to get caught and arrested before the night was over, I knew it.

We walked back to his car in silence, the nature speaking for us. I bounced between the muscles in his back and the dirt below us. At any moment, I could stop this and go home. But I didn't.

By the time we made it back to his car, my confidence was completely gone. Absolutely deflated. My heart was beating at a unusual pace, and I knew that wasn't good.

Dad would kill me. Ryland would kill me. Celeste would kill me. Damn it, everyone would kill me if I went through with this. But only if I got caught.

Kade's face remained blank, though mine was probably the complete opposite. I tried to keep my expression as normal as possible, but in another's eyes, I knew I was hanging off the edge. 

"Just calm down."

I looked at Kade's statue, my eyes widened. "How can you say that?" I hadn't even said anything else.

He shrugged, typing the hotel into his phone. "I'm just saying, the more you freak out, the more you'll want to chicken out. Just say fuck it."

I rolled my eyes at him.

He caught it, his lips twitching. "Quit rolling your eyes at me, sweetheart," he chuckled.

I refrained from doing it, again, simply because I didn't want to increase my nerves even more.

Before I knew it, we had pulled up to the quiet hotel. When we drove by it, I didn't spare the building a second glance, but now that I was here, in front of it, my mouth dropped in awe.

The exterior was shiny, and looked to be new. By shiny, I was referring to the lights that echoed from the spotless windows hidden by silky red curtains. Vehicles—that looked to be someone's life savings—were scattered around the large parking lot, all radiating with money and jewels.

Floors on top of floors were stacked onto each other, as if someone had undone a cake layer by layer, then put it back together and ended up with this hotel. I really needed something to eat.

"What are you waiting for?"

I glared at Kade's expressionless face, though I knew mine was built out of nervousness. This seemed so natural to him, and I hated it. I hated that it came so easy to him. I envied that freedom.

"How..." I sucked in a breath. "How are we going to do this?" I asked, my eyes stuck on the building.

Kade chuckled, the noise causing my nerves to jump out of their cocoon. He hopped out of the car, his confidence never wavering as he came to me. Once my door was open, I glanced up at him.

"Follow my lead, and don't mess up."

I gulped down my confidence, even though there was hardly any to begin with.

Here goes nothing.