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I hope you guys enjoy the new chapter!🤍

"We're all pretty bizarre. Some of us are just better at hiding it, that's all." — Andrew in The Breakfast Club
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Chapter 17
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I blinked, then had to do so again to ensure the image in front of me. "What are you doing out here?"

Kade shrugged. "I could ask you the same question."

I turned to face the restaurant, tugging my arms over my chest. "It's none of your business."

I didn't have to face him to know that he was smirking.

"Is it any of your business what I'm doing here?" he retorted.

When I said nothing, he spoke, again, "You're coming with me."

I looked up at him in shock. What had gotten into him now? "I'm not going anywhere with you," I argued. He was out of his mind.

He looked at me, a devious grin replacing the smirk he once had. His head fell with a chuckle before he raised it. "Should I start from the beginning or the middle where things get interesting?"

I frowned in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

He shrugged as if he didn't have a care in the world. "April 27, the day your mother beat you so hard that you couldn't attend school for a week," he began.

My eyes widened. I knew that date like the back of my hand. My mother had gotten angry at me, because while pouring her cereal into a bowl, I dropped the milk in the process. She grabbed me, and beat me black and blue.

"December 15, the day your brother tried to force his bottle of scotch down your throat, yet you fought back and got beat up by him and his friends," he continued, this time louder then before.

My body shook at the secrets he began to reveal to the night. There wasn't anyone outside, but just knowing how easily he was able to spew them off made me nauseous.

Kades' eyes were darker then before. He scanned me over with a look of the devil. "March 20, the day your brother—"

"Stop!" I yelled at him.

I felt my face burn with embarrassment at him. His words halted, though the smirk never left him, not once.

"I-I'll come with you," I muttered despite my every wish not to.

Without another word, he turned his back to me. I watched the material of his dark blue shirt stretch across the large of his back. His hair had that messy look per usual, and he wore navy blue sweats. No matter how casual the boy looked, his entire physical demeanor screamed perfection. But, his mouth and him just ruined it, altogether.

We began to walk to his car, I presumed. I wiped my clammy hands over the material of my jeans, my nerves continuing to build and build after we were inside.

We were silent in the drive. "You act like I'm going to bite," I heard him comment.

I gave him a weird look, which he returned. "Because you might. Who knows with you."

He nodded his head, eyes trained on the road ahead of us, yet he wore a small smile. "I get that."

I turned my head in the opposite direction, and stared out the window. Anything to avoid his bullshit seemed to be a better option.

Every time I looked or stepped outside, my love for nature only grew. It was one of those things that I'd been without for so long, I tried to never forget to appreciate it now that I did have it.

My mind was too far hung on creating stories for the trees outside, to realize that the car had come to a stop.

I scanned my surroundings before returning my gaze back to Kade. "The park?"

"Yeah, I figured they're going to be awhile in the restaurant," he grumbled, pulling a pack of cigarettes from one of his pockets. "So here the hell we are."

Wait.

I looked at him in shock as the realization hit. "How did you know?"

He took his time with his answer as he took a long draw from the cigarette. "It's a fucked story actually," he commented around a cloud of smoke.

I shrugged even as the smell of smoke trampled me over. But, I'd been around my mother enough to control my reaction to it. "We have a while." I opened the door to walk to the abandoned swing set. I heard the leaves crunch from beneath him as he followed.

Once I sat in one of the seats, I rolled my eyes as he purposefully sent a puff of smoke my way.

"I overheard that chick Raven and Levi making a plan for you and I to spend time together, and well obviously they didn't know that I was listening to their conversation the entire time." He sat down in a swing next to me before continuing,"Their plan was to lie to the both of us and say that Levi asked Raven on a date. He told her to say that she needed you to come along just in case the date went bad. Levi's part was to tell me that he was going to treat me to a goddamn dinner, so you and I both would be clash."

I was shocked, I really was. I told Raven so many times that I didn't want anything to do with Kade, yet she didn't listen. I should kill her.

My attention jerked up to Kade. "Why did you show up if you knew that you were going have to to spend time with me?" I asked, my curiosity hitting its peak.

I kicked my feet to move myself in the swing, and I smiled at the memories of my father taking me here. They were old and crumbled, but they were there.

Kade studied my face for a minute before answering my question. "I didn't do it willingly, I promise you that. But, they also agreed that if you and I didn't spend time together after tonight, then they would keep doing this." He drew in another string from the cigarette. "Annoying little shits."

I groaned, upturning my head to the night sky. How I wished the stars could talk to me right now.

What the hell had Raven been thinking? She knew that I hated Kade, but for some reason she still thought it okay to force us upon one another.

That very same hatred slithered into and past my lips, "You're the last person I want to hang out with, honestly."

He snorted as he nodded in agreement. "Oh trust me, sweetheart, I'd rather go jump off a cliff than spend time with you. But I know Levi, when he's determined, he won't stop until he gets what he wants. Stupid bitch." He kicked at the dirt underneath him, flicking the cigarette.

I overlooked the insult, and listened to what he said about Levi.

Then, I wanted to scream. If he didn't want to spend time with me, then why keep my diary? Why try to kiss me last night? We could end all of this if he gave it back, and left me alone.

"Kade, why are you putting me through this?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. "Why'd you have to steal my diary?"

He went silent.

My eyes narrowed at him past the darkening sky. "Kade?"

Finally, he reacted. His features tightened as he shook his head with a sick chuckle. "You should know." I noted the burning hatred in his tone as he threw the cigarette down.

I looked at him with a confused expression. I'd been wracking my brain for a sign, but there was none. "What are you talking about?"

Kade' expression darkened at my words. His knuckles whitened around the chain upholding his seat. "Can you quit that?"

That was it.

I jumped up from my swing, my anger continuing to spew as I glared down at him. "What the hell are you talking about?" His dark glare matched mine as he stared up at me.

He jerked himself up too, his hands tightening on either side of him. "Quit acting like you don't know what the fuck I'm talking about. Like you have no fucking idea."

My chest began to heave. "That's because I don't, you idiot! I have no idea what you're talking about, I have no idea who you are, and I have no idea why you're doing any of this shit!"

A sick laugh left his mouth before it transitioned into a scoff. Without another word, he jerked around from me, muttering a list of profanities under his breath. He stomped around the quiet park with his glare to the sky. I watched as he walked out his angry tantrum, my back to the swing set.

I couldn't understand what his motives were. If anything, I thought he was a lunatic.

My head was beginning to hurt with all of the confusion swimming around inside of it. I hadn't done anything wrong to him, not that I knew of. How could I have done something to spite him when I only met him a month ago? None of this bullshit made any sense. He made no sense.

I watched in scrambles as his tantrum led him to his car. A part of me considered he was going to leave me behind, which I was fine with rather than having to deal with him. But, he didn't.

My head upturned to glare at the stars glittered across the sky. They were so peaceful, so oblivious to this utter mess right under them.

He walked back to the seat he was once in. His cigarette was long gone, as were his words.

When nothing was said from his side, I began to speak, again. "I hope you know that all of this could end if you just gave me my diary back. If you—"

A dry chuckle came from him as he shook his head. "What? So you get to walk away scotch free, again? Nah. Fuck no." his words dripped with rage. "The damage is already done, so don't start with that bullshit. You'd be wasting your breath, sweetheart."

I frowned, my fingers tightening around the chains. Fine. If he was so stuck in his delusions, I'd play along. "Look, I'm sorry for whatever I did to you..." My words were cut short when he pulled out my diary.

It was here. It was so close, all I had to do was take it.

I reached toward him in an effort to grab it, but he predicted my move. He moved back just as my finger grazed the diary.

"I wonder why I should give this shit back to someone like you anyway," Kade taunted with a hint of mischief in his voice. "You don't deserve it. Not at all."

"Please, just give it back," my voice was weak, tired.

His dark hair tilted back along with his head. He examined the stars that lit the night sky like firelights. "Let me think about it, sweetheart."

"It took a lot of soul searching, but..." His laugh sprouted through the quiet night, causing my courage to flee. "No."

It was infuriating that I had to beg for my property back. "Please, Kade," I whispered. "Just tell me what I have to do."

Light brown eyes sent a challenge my way by one look. "Okay. Go on a date with me, and I'll consider giving it back to you. And, I said consider."

My eyes widened at his words, just like the size of my hatred toward him.

"What are you talking about?" I said in disbelief. "No! Hell no."

He chuckled, swinging back in the small seat. One hand remained tightened around my dust. "Look, sweetheart. We're going to have to keep doing this shit. You don't like me, I sure as hell don't like you. I have better things to do than sit here with your ass so unless we start 'talking', Raven and Levi are just gonna keep up with this shit."

I hated to admit it, but he was right. Raven was a girl to never give up on what she wanted, and from what Kade suggested about Levi, I'm guessing he was just as stubborn.

Kade snorted. "And don't expect roses and fancy restaurants, because I'm not that type of lovey dovey guy—"

I interrupted him, "I'll do it." If it had me closer to my diary, then I would suck it up. "And, don't except me to care whether you're that type of guy or not," I told him, directing my glare to the ground. "I don't even like roses, they always make me sneeze."

He looked taken aback for a minute, but his smug expression soon returned. "Okay, then."

I stood up, sweeping my hands over the dust prints from the swing off my bottom. "Take me back to the restaurant."

I half-expected him to look at my ass, but he kept his eyes trained on the ground. He stood up as well, wiping the dirty tracks from his sweats.

"I'm picking you up on Friday at nine o'clock," I heard him say from behind me. "If you're not ready, I'm leaving your ass there."

With an eye roll, I nodded.

This was going to be a long week.