• I Hate Everything About You. •
• Why Do I Love You? •

-

{ It's a very angsty song, I know, but it fits way too well for me not to use it. It basically fits all four of them, just at a slightly different intensities. Also, I switched Fisher's actor and I'm still not totally pleased with Timothee Chalamet playing Fisher, although, he does look like he could pull off the name Fisher. It's just not the face and body I have in mind. But, maybe, you guys think of Fisher differently than I do. Howl doesn't quite look like his actor to me either but it'll have to do for now...}

-

"What about her?" Vanessa asked as she gestured to a girl walking by herself, long blonde hair, skinny, long legs, shopping bags weighing down her arms.

"She's pretty." Fisher answered with a shrug.

"Are you... sexually attracted to her?" Zoe awkwardly asked as she stole a glance at Fisher.

Fisher grimaced, ignored the heat flooding his face, and shrugged. "I don't know. She looks way out of my league. I can't picture us together."

"What about him?" Vanessa gestured towards a guy walking out of the shop across from the cupcake shop they were sat at. The guy was a total hipster with thick glasses, brown hair, skinny but lanky figure, wearing an Aztec patterned sweatshirt.

"I like his style. I wish I could pull off a look like that." Fisher admitted as he looked the guy up and down.

"That wasn't the question, Fish." Vanessa retorted.

"No. I'm not sexually attracted to him." Fisher snapped back.

"What about him?" It was Zoe's turn to point out a guy. This time, it was a guy that was super built, blonde, and wearing a tank top, despite the cold weather outside, and he had a single Hollister bag in hand.

"Not a chance." Fisher frowned in disgust.

"And her?" Zoe pointed to another girl. She seemed older, maybe in college, seeing as she had a big backpack on her back. Her hair was wildly curly, black, shoulder length, her green eyes contrasting the darkness of her hair and skin.

"She's gorgeous." Fisher smiled.

"Sexually attract-"

"No!" Fisher barked. He was getting sick of this game.

Vanessa and Zoe sighed in unison as they threw their heads back in exhaustion. They had been playing this game for an hour, at least, and Fisher claimed to not be attracted to every single person they pointed out. Even when they asked if Fisher liked Howl, he couldn't give them a clear answer. He liked him, sure, but he didn't know why, which made him wonder if it was a purely physical response. Vanessa and Zoe weren't convinced. There was more going on with them.

The three of them sat idly with their drinks and they're empty cupcake boxes as they watched people walk by. Taking on their feedback from all their previous suggestions, Vanessa and Zoe didn't point anyone else out that looked similar to ones they pointed out in the past. Fisher was either picky, a liar, or, he just wasn't sexually attracted to anyone but Howl. However, as romantic as that would be, it didn't comfort Fisher in any way, shape, or form.

"If he likes Howl, it's kind of a waste trying to find someone he likes more." Zoe said to Vanessa.

"I. Do. Not. Like. Him." Fisher coldly interjected. "He's an ass! He totally betrayed me! I don't care if we're not a couple. He played me with me and fucked with me like I was his little puppet, even though, he was sleeping with someone else behind my back. He's the devils dick and I hate him."

Zoe and Vanessa exchanged awkward glances before Vanessa leaned forward to speak. "He's been doing this stuff with you for, like, a full calendar year, Fish. If you started liking him between then and now, nobody's gonna blame you for that."

Fisher sighed as his foot began tapping against the tile floor of the mall. "I can't. I can't like him. He can't do this to me and get away with it. I need someone else."

"Are you sure someone else is going to be able to distract you from him? Replace him, even?" Zoe asked as cautiously and nicely as she could.

Fisher's leg foot tapped against the floor even quicker than before as his jaw tensed. "I don't know, I don't know. I just want him out of my head."

Fisher's wish for a distraction came quicker than he expected as something violently collided with the back of his chair. Fisher jolted forward from the collision, a strong hand grabbing his arm, even though he had caught himself on the table they were all sat around. Fisher looked up to bark at whoever kicked his chair so violently but was stunned minto silence when his eyes landed on the arm holding him.

There were so many tattoos. They ran all the way up the pale skin of the guy and disappeared under the tight black shirt he was wearing. The guy stood in front of him was smiling bright and wide, the expression void of any sinister evil that usually lingered in Howl's. His hair was buzzed but, was so dark and full that it didn't look too odd. His eyes were blue too, an innocent color that totally contrasted the edgy look he sported so naturally.

"Sorry about that, dude. Little kid got too excited for a cupcake and tripped me." The guy laughed, his voice low but light in Fisher's ears.

"N-No, problem.. Don't worry about it.." Fisher stammered as he forcibly relaxed in his seat, his eyes never straying from the handsome guy smiling at him.

"Cool." The guy snorted one more laugh and slapped his hand on Fisher's shoulder before he turned to leave. Fisher blushed at how much the guy had unnecessarily touched him.

Vanessa and Zoe sat with their jaws dropped as they looked between Fisher and the tattooed guy. Fisher's face was beat red. He hadn't looked this red since they asked Fisher how far him and Howl had gone. This was amazing, to them, at least. They had finally found someone that Fisher liked.

"It's the tattoos." Vanessa whispered as she nudged Zoe.

"Tattoos? Does Howl have tattoos?" Zoe asked. She had seen Howl in short sleeve shirts and had never seen any tattoos.

"He has one on his chest, I think. I saw it last summer when a bunch of us went to a lake to swim." Vanessa whispered and jumped out of her chair, gaining Fisher's attention now. "Okay, you two sit here, I'm gonna go get his number for you."

"Wh-What?" Fisher panicked, his eyes wide and heart racing. "Wh-Wh-Why? Why would you do that? I didn't even say I liked him. Van!"

It was far too late. Vanessa was already racing around the corner to catch up with him. Fisher sat with his mouth open and heart racing in his throat. This was so embarrassing. What if the guy wasn't even gay? What if he didn't like Fisher? What if he was totally disgusted? Or worse, what if he said yes? What if he was interested? Would Fisher have to call him? Text him? Go out with him? Fisher felt sick just thinking about it.

"Hi, hello, sorry to bother you.." Vanessa awkwardly tapped the tattooed guy when she caught him. His dark eyebrow jutted up with intrigue as he stopped and turned to her. "Uh.. You don't know me but, I need you to do me a huge favor..."

"Oh my gooood! This is so embarrassing!" Fisher whined as he curled up in his chair.

Zoe chuckled as she reached out and reassuringly rubbed Fisher's shoulder. "Don't be embarrassed, Fisher. You finally found a guy you like besides Howl. Now, you can know for sure that you're gay."

"For sure?" Fisher lifted his head so fast that Zoe flinched. "What? Because I can't like boys and girls? People are like that, you know! They like both!"

"I know.." Zoe recoiled back into her seat. "I just mean, because, you didn't like any of the girls we pointed out for you.."

"I didn't like any of the guys either!" Fisher defended in a panic. "I didn't even say I liked him! You guys just assumed-"

"I got his number for you!" Vanessa announced as she popped up in front of Zoe and Fisher.

Fisher jumped up with wide eyes. "You did? He gave you his number to give to me?"

Vanessa grinned from ear to ear as she jutted a piece of paper out to him. Fisher snatched it out of her hand and read all the numbers with red cheeks. The redness spread as he read the name on the paper. Jonah. He couldn't help the smile itching at the back of his teeth. Jonah was a really, really cool name.

"And," Zoe and Fisher looked up at Vanessa. "He agreed to come to Joseph's party this weekend."

"What? Joseph isn't throwing a party this weekend." Zoe's face contorted in confusion.

"No, he's not, but I can convince him to." Vanessa bit down on her bottom lip as she pointed to Fisher. "Just so you and Jonah can spend some time together." She playfully sang.

All the redness in Fisher's face instantly drained as Vanessa's words hit him like a truck. There was going to be a house full of Fisher's classmates all hanging out just so he could get with some guy he didn't even know? What did Vanessa think would happen? Why would she stage something like this? As if Fisher would want to talk and flirt with some guy with all his classmates surrounding him, watching, listening, judging. This was his literal, actual nightmare.

"Oh, my god, I can't breathe.." Fisher chocked as he slowly lowered into his seat again.

"Fish!" Zoe panicked as she reached for him. "Are you alright?"

"Come on, Fish. This is good. We're not going to invite Howl and I told Jonah that nothing has to happen between you two so, you're gonna have the whole night to just talk and feel out the vibe." Vanessa explained as she crouched in front of Fisher and reassuringly rubbed his knee.

Fisher looked at her with the most twisted, distressed expression she had ever seen. "Do you not hear yourself, Van? How the hell do you expect me to entertain a guy for a whole night? What if he gets bored? What if it actually does lead to something? What if-"

"Breathe, Fisher, breathe.." Zoe urged as she rubbed his back. Fisher took big, deep breaths. "There you go. Don't stress, Fish. Everything is going to be fine."

"Fine." Fisher bitterly laughed. He couldn't help but think of Howl, instantly curling into a ball in his chair again. "This is not fine. This is so, so bad."

-

"Spin The Bottle is the most cliché game we could possibly play." Trina groaned as she willingly took a seat amongst the others forming a circle on the floor.

"Everyone wants to get to know each other better, right? What's a better way than making out?" Garrett rebutted with a cocky smirk.

It was obvious Garrett planned on making out with Trina since he just spent the last twenty minutes convincing her and her friends to play. If he wasn't so charismatic, it would've been much more obvious that he was just targeting Trina, but luckily, he was pretty sly in begging all of them. Fisher knew Garrett, though. He knew exactly what that perv wanted. Unfortunately, knowing Garrett meant being dragged into this humiliating game too.

"Here." Howl burped as he held his empty beer bottle over Garrett's head. Fisher didn't know how Garrett knew a sophomore at a school they just recently entered as freshman but, they seemed pretty familiar with one another.

"Thanks, man." Garrett took the bottle and placed it in the middle of the small circle. "Okay, everyone knows the rules, right? It's pretty simple. You spin, kiss whoever it lands on, and if you get the same person again, you have to make the kiss more intense than the last. Girls kiss boys and boys kiss girls, that's how we're playing this game because I'm not gay and don't want to touch any of you fucks."

"I'm vetoing that last rule." Howl chimed as he shoved the back of Garrett's head.

"What? No way! I'm not kissing a dude!" Garrett groaned in disgust as he looked behind him to see Howl begin to circle the outside of their formation. "And you're not even playing, you just gave us the bottle."

"Which means, I'm the ambassador of the game and, I say, boys get to kiss boys." Howl devilishly smirked

He then stopped behind a particularly intriguing freshman that he had never seen before and stared down at the top of his messy brown hair. Howl gently grabbed a tuff of the boys hair and forced his head back. Fisher yelped in surprise and steadied himself by throwing his hands to the floor. Fisher met the dark eyes of the intimidating sophomore for the first time, feeling a chill run through his bones at the sight of such an unfamiliar, sinister grin.

"Fresh meat." Howl's evil smirk grew broader. "Cute."

Fisher furiously blushed and forced his head down. Howl let go of the boys hair but didn't move away from behind him as Garrett started speaking. Fisher was hyperaware of the sophomore's presence behind him but he tried to ignore it. He didn't know the guy and he wasn't gay so he didn't know what to do but nervously fidget with his fingers. Was this sophomore gay? He had to be if he would veto that heterosexual rule and calling him cute, right? Who else would do something like that?

Garrett tried to argue about the no gay kissing rule but eventually got interrupted by Lydia, an upperclassman that had no problem jumping in when she found out people were playing Spin The Bottle. "Come on, Freshman. It's the 21st century. We're vetoing the dumb rule."

"Fine.." He reluctantly, begrudgingly gave in. "We can veto the rule."

Howl gently nudged Fisher's back with his knee and pointed to the bottle when he looked up at him. "You're first. Spin."

"Me?" Fisher exclaimed in shock. "I don't want to go first!"

"Go!" Howl pressed.

Fisher groaned and turned towards the circle again. At least, Howl wasn't in the circle so, he didn't have to worry about landing on him. That was the only thing keeping Fisher sane as he reached for the bottle. He only knew this sophomore for ten minutes when Garrett asked him for his beer bottle. He didn't even know his name and hadn't talked to him until just now. Still, Fisher could tell he was being targeted by this sophomore, for whatever reason, and it made him anxious.

Fisher reluctantly reached for the bottle, extending his body on his hands and knees to properly reach it. Howl laughed under his breath as he looked over Fisher's figure. He was skinny, fair skinned, cute hair, cute waist. Howl watched as Fisher spun the bottle and sat back. Everyone stared at the bottle and waited as it slowed down. Fisher could feel his heart racing, since he had never played this game, but he didn't let himself panic.

Very slowly, the bottle came to a stop and pointed directly at Maya, who was a friend of Trina's that Garrett had persuaded to play. There was some humiliating woohoo'ing from everyone else in the circle as Maya and Fisher awkwardly met each other in the middle of the circle. Maya gently caressed Fisher's face as she brought him into a simple kiss. Howl leant so far over that he was nearly parallel to the ground, stood on one leg, as he tried to study the way Fisher kissed.

Howl could tell Fisher's face was red, which was very amusing. The boy seemed so innocent. Luckily for Fisher, the kiss was hardly anything more than a peck. He was able to pull away quickly and take his spot in the circle again. As he sat back, he accidentally bumped into something behind him. Fisher flinched and looked up to see the sophomore still hovering over him. He found it unsettling that the guy hadn't moved yet. He wasn't even playing so, why was he watching?

"Now Trina spins." Garrett directed, pointing to the girl sat beside Fisher.

Everyone spun the bottle, awkwardly kissing each other one after the other. Lydia was the first to kiss a girl, sitting back with a cocky smile on her face as the boys howled. Garrett's spins almost landed on a kid named Ryan until he 'accidentally' pushed it to Trina. The group tried to fight him but he waved everyone off and kissed her anyways. Fisher was dreading his turn as he rubbed his sweaty palms on his jeans.

Fisher reluctantly grabbed the bottle again and gave it a spin, taking a deep breath to soothe his nerves. No matter who it landed on, he wasn't excited. This game made him very, very nervous. Luckily, when it landed on himself, he wasn't so scared anymore. He didn't have to play this round because he couldn't kiss himself. Maybe they'd call it a scratch and call Trina to spin since she went after him. Unfortunately, Fisher didn't have such luck.

" Choose who you wanna kiss. Chet or Trina?" Garrett offered Fisher.

Fisher's breath caught in his throat as he realized there was a possibility in landing on himself that he definitely did not consider. They weren't going to call it scratch. Instead, Fisher had to choose between the boy sat on his right or the girl sat on his left. Howl cocked an expecting eyebrow as he stared down at the top of Fisher's head. Fisher looked from Trina to Chet, a sick feeling developing and churning in his stomach.

As if on cue, Lydia and Howl's eyes found each other's with one quick snap. That same devilish smirk returned to Howl's features as his eyes landed on the bottle pointed at Fisher, who sat in front of him. Lydia looked at the bottle, at Fisher, and then at Howl again. There was another option...

Lydia, being part of The Media Club, prided herself  on being able to create a great story with lots of drama. Thus, her brain started to form the exact same idea that Howl's formed. They had a plan within seconds without even communicating it to one another. Lydia and Howl weren't even close friends, hardly ever spoke, but they had similar enough personalities that got them what they wanted.

"If you can't choose, why don't you just kiss who the bottle is pointing at?" Lydia chimed, her eyes meeting Fisher's. "That's how the game works, isn't it?"

"If only I could, I would." Fisher muttered mostly to himself. He'd rather figure out a way to kiss himself than choose between Trina and Chet.

Howl cleared his throat, gaining everybody's attention, except for Fisher. Fisher was too busy trying to figure out an excuse to get out of this without the group realizing that he couldn't pick between a girl and a boy. But, when nobody fought him on how long this choice was taking him, he curiously looked up at the group. They were all looking at something above him. Fisher slowly tilted his back back, his lips parting in shock at the pair of dark eyes that met his.

Why was he smiling like that? He looked like the devil when he smiled like that.

"He's not in the circle." Fisher quickly blurted as he looked back to the group.

It was processing for everyone else, as well. Fisher seemed like an awkward, nervous kid, while Howl seemed like the type that didn't take no for an answer. This might actually be fun to watch, for the group, at least.

Garrett raised his hand as he looked up at Howl. "All agree to veto the circle exclusive rule?"

"Agree." Everyone spoke in unison as their hands collectively shot up.

"Wait a min-"

Fisher was cut off when a hand grabbed his face and turned him to his right. Howl was already crouched partially beside him and pulling him into a kiss. Fisher didn't have a say in the matter as their lips collided. His eyes stayed open and wide as Howl's gently closed. It was weird kissing a guy, especially considering, Howl had lip piercings. The piercings weren't in the way but they were noticeable.

Howl kissed tenderly, with just the right amount of lip and pressure. He even held Fisher's face in place very tenderly. Fisher didn't feel trapped but he definitely felt like Howl had more control here. There was no tongue but, somehow, Fisher felt more intense kissing this sophomore than he did when he kissed the Maya girl. The same nerves, the same game, the same style kiss, but a completely different feeling.

Fisher's eyes never closed, even when Howl pulled away. He didn't move or react as Howl opened his eyes and happily grinned at the freshman sat in front of him. There was something alluring about Howl that had Fisher in a trance. His eyes were so bright, the lip piercing and his smile devious. He looked charming, weirdly enough. But, as Fisher's brain caught up with what just happened, with everyone watching, his face turned beet red and his hand clapped over his mouth.

"What's his name?" Howl turned to the group, feeling even more cocky at everyone's expression.

"Fisher." Garrett answered.

Howl turned back to the cute freshman and finally dropped his hand from Fisher's face. For a split second, Fisher thought it was over and the sophomore would leave him alone, until Howl grabbed his hand and forced him to stand up with him. Fisher's eyes were even wider than before as he realized how tall Howl was. When he was standing over him, he seemed tall, of course, because Fisher was sitting down. He just hadn't been this close to him since meeting him a few minutes ago.

"We'll be right back." Howl winked, a cocky expression on his face, before he marched off with Fisher stumbling in tow.

"Be gentle with him!" Lydia yelled after Howl.

"Not gonna promise anything!" Howl yelled back.

"Wait! Where are you taking me?" Fisher panicked.

"In here." Howl answered simply as he shoved open the bathroom door and threw Fisher inside.

Fisher turned just as Howl was shutting the door behind him, and before Fisher could say anything, Howl was already pouncing on him. Howl hooked his arm around Fisher's waist and cupped his face as he pulled him into a more intense kiss than their first. Fisher was totally caught off guard, his eyes squeezed shut this time as he endured the sudden attack. That's what Fisher was doing, at first. He was just enduring it.

And then, Howl moved his lips over Fisher's and changed everything. Fisher's lips parted when he moved, just so he could get some air, but, Howl used it as an opportunity to deepen the kiss. Howl slipped his tongue into Fisher's mouth, tangling his own with the youngers. Fisher instantly tensed at the foreign feeling of having someone else's tongue in his mouth. And there was something else in their tongue sandwich that felt strange.

After Howl kissed him once, and then twice, all of Fisher's muscles began to loosen and melt like putty. It wasn't hard to figure out the weird object swirling around Fisher's mouth was a tongue piercing. Fisher actually shuddered as he relished in the feeling of Howl's piercings on his lip and in his mouth. Howl kissed him so tenderly, moved so swiftly, and held his body with purpose. It was so strange but it felt really, really good.

Fisher didn't know how long they had been making out but, eventually, Howl had Fisher pinned against a wall with his leg right between Fisher's. Howl kissed the younger ruthlessly, sucking on his tongue, biting his bottom lip, moaning. Fisher was nothing but gooey limbs in Howl's arm as he let the older completely ravish him. It was hard to think or move with this guy touching him and kissing him and moaning.

At the feeling of Howl's knee press up into Fisher's crotch, Fisher jolted in shock and gasped into Howl's mouth. Howl smirked and drew closer to Fisher, pulling him by his waist and the back of his neck. Fisher squirmed as he tried to gather his thoughts but, it was unfairly difficult with the way he was being kissed and having the sophomores knee brush his erection every time he moved. He was being held captive and, strangely, Fisher didn't have a lot of complaints about it.

"Wai-" Fisher attempted human/English words before Howl kissed him long and hard. Fisher moaned and moved and shifted, accidentally grinding once on Howl's thigh. The friction made Fisher moan again, which made Howl purr with satisfaction. "N-no.."

"Hm?" Howl mindlessly hummed as he dragged his hand down Fisher's body and towards the waistband of his jeans.

The moment Howl's fingers snuck under Fisher's shirt and made contact with the skin just above his belt buckle, Fisher's eyes shot open. "Wait! Stop!" Fisher panicked as he shoved Howl's shoulders.

Howl willingly separated from Fisher, his hands up in surrender as he stepped back. Fisher pressed his weight against the wall to take a few deep breaths. He could feel how hot his face was and how much his body was trembling. Not to mention, he could feel his heart pumping in every vein in his boy. There was also a weird absence in his crotch, where Howl's leg used to be. This was the first time Fisher had kissed a guy, made out with anybody, and got this sexually aroused by somebody. It was all very, very overwhelming.

"I can't breathe.." Fisher wheezed as he gripped his chest and slowly began doubling over.

Howl's eyes widened in shock at the sudden development here and rushed to Fisher's side. "Oh, shit, dude! Are you okay? Was I too rough?"

Fisher cringed at Howl's question and managed to sit at the edge of the tub with Howl's help. Fisher took a couple deep breaths as he worked through this odd situation. He just made out with a guy. He made out with a guy for several minutes, it seemed. The weirdest part for Fisher was that he didn't hate it. Actually, the memory made him shiver and his erection to twitch in his pants. This had never happened before. Fisher never even thought it would happen. He didn't even like guys.

Howl awkwardly sat beside the freshman and reached his hand towards his hair. Fisher's shoulders jumped up as Howl ran his fingers through his brown locks. "You alright?" Howl asked as gently as he could as he looked to Fisher's face.

Fisher furiously blushed and looked away and towards the ground to avoid Howl's stare. "I'm fine.." He quietly muttered. "I just can't believe I made out with a guy, one of which, I don't even know the name of."

"It's Howl."

"Yeah, right." Fisher frowned at the sophomore, ignoring the heat in his face when their eyes met. "What's your real name?"

Howl smiled, amused by how smart this little freshman was. The name was still catching on but, now that there was a whole new batch of students at their school that didn't know his real name, Howl could really make the name stick. Part of Howl did want to tell Fisher what his real name was but, it felt too intimate all of a sudden. This new name was a chance to keep people from knowing him too deeply and hurting him, like in the past.

"Stick around and, maybe, I'll tell you." Howl smirked and flashed Fisher a wink.

Fisher opened his mouth to protest but didn't get to say anything as Howl kissed him again. Howl counted to see how long it would take for Fisher to turn to putty like he did the first time. One.. Two.. Three.. And Fisher was kissing him back. Howl smiled against Fisher's lips and deepened the kiss to create an even more intense moment. Fisher was compliant, completely in a daze as Howl took control. He just had to lose himself first.

-

"Sup, fucker!" Teddy smirked as Howl approached, offering his hand for a bro-handshake.

Howl slapped his hand into Teddy's, gave him a bro-hug, and then stuffed his hands in his jacket pockets as he nodded his head towards his car. "My tire's almost flat. I need you to change it."

"For free? Fuck no." Teddy chuckled.

"I'll give you like ten bucks. Come on, your shop's basically empty, anyways." Howl pushed.

Teddy gave in, which he was going to do anyways. He just wanted to tease Howl a bit. "Drive your car in if you can and I'll do it."

Howl jogged back towards his car in the cold as Teddy jogged back to the garage. He grabbed the base of the garage door and pulled it up in one swift motion. The metal rattled and echoed in the almost empty garage before it slammed to a stop on the ceiling. Howl slowly drove his car in to the station that Teddy usually worked at when he could. It didn't really matter whose station was whose but, after working here for so long, everybody grew comfortable with a different station in the garage.

"Who's that?" Jarod asked from inside the hood of a his wives mini van.

"My friend, Howl. From school. I'm gonna change his flat real quick." Teddy answered, his eyes glued to Howl's car as he slowly inched it into the garage.

Jarod looked up from the mini van and watched Howl park his car before he climbed out. Teddy quickly got to work jacking up the car as Howl stood by. When Jarod spotted the tire Teddy was referring to, he snorted a laugh. It was drivable but it was noticeably dangerous to be driving on.

"You been driving on that thing?" Jarod asked Howl.

Howl turned curiously to Jarod and shrugged. "Just for a few minutes."

"You know how it happened?"

"No, but I was just downtown so, I imagine it was nails or broken glass or some dumb shit."

"What the fuck you doin' downtown?" Teddy asked as he walked to the metal drawers full of tools to find the right equipment.

"Stalking a crush of mine. He was suppose to be working tonight but I never saw him." Howl answered plainly, almost it greatly intrigued Jarod.

"What kind of crush you got downtown?"

"He's a bartender at a sleazy joint there. Needed something to take my mind off of Fisher."

Teddy slapped the lug wrench on to the lug nuts of Howl's car. "Zoe would be pissed at you if she heard you say that just now. She kept going on and on to me that she was worried about Fisher acting out like he did because he really likes you."

Howl's expression contorted in distaste as he stared at the back of Teddy's head. He couldn't help but aggressively push the back of his head, causing Teddy to curse. "Don't try to guilt me, motherfucker. I haven't slept with anyone to get over him yet, unlike you, who has already jumped on some Kim girl in order to get over a girl you're not even dating."

Teddy's eyes widened and his jaw dropped as he looked up at Howl. His eyes then shot to Jarod, who was stiffly raising his head out of the hood of the mini van. When Jarod's eyes landed on Teddy, all he could do was awkwardly smile, his teeth tightly gritted and body language stiff and full of guilt. Jarod didn't look particularly mad but, his expression was confusing and unreadable, which made him feel even more tense.

"You already slept with her?" Jarod finally blurted, his expression turning into disgusted outrage.

"No! He's fucking lying!" Teddy dropped the forced expression and defended himself in a panic. "I met up with her but I never slept with her."

It took a second for it to click, but when it did, Howl's shoulders jumped, his jaw dropped, and his eyes went wide. His clenched hand covered his mouth as he stared at Jarod. "Oh shit... Is she your daughter?"

"Babysitter." Jarod bitterly corrected. Howl relaxed, still a bit confused by Jarod's outrage. What did he care about his babysitters sex life. "I'm the one that gave the kid her number. I thought he was gonna take her out, not use her as a rebound lay."

"It wasn't like that." Teddy desperately countered.

"That's exactly what it was like." Howl snickered as he pushed Teddy again, earning an angry glare. "I'm sorry, man, but don't play yourself. You told me you wanted Zoe out of your system and all you needed was sex. And you would've done it too but, your virgin ass didn't have the balls."

Teddy looked towards Jarod, who was silently judging him from the sidelines. Teddy stood and pushed Howl, gritting his teeth as he whispered, "God, you have such a big fucking mouth. You know, I wouldn't be in any of this mess with Zoe if you didn't have to run your mouth about my sister."

"Oh yeah, like anything would've changed between you two. Zoe would still follow you around everyday and you would still be falling in love with her." Howl retorted.

Teddy pushed Howl again with a frustrated growl. "I'm not falling in love with her. Stop saying that dumb shit."

"Can I ask?" Jarod chimed, easily gaining Teddy and Howl's attention. "Is this Zoe girl a crush of yours or something? Is she the reason you've been so happy recently?"

A knowing smile crept on to Howl's face as he turned to Teddy. He even wiggled his eyebrows to tease Teddy. "You have been more upbeat lately, haven't you?"

"Shut up." Teddy knelt in front of Howl's car again and began undoing the lug bolts in his tires.

"Are you going to celebrate your birthday with her?" Jarod smiled. If Howl was going to tease Teddy, he wanted in.

"Your birthday? When's your birthday?" Howl casually asked.

"Every year on the same day." Teddy flashed a sarcastic, bitter smile up at Howl.

"November 8th." Jarod answered and Howl turned to him. "Lands on a Saturday and he still put himself on the schedule."

Howl gasped. "You and Zoe should do something together!"

"No." Teddy answered plainly.

Howl followed Teddy around his car, chastising him about what he should do on his birthday. Howl had endless ideas, all of which included Zoe. Lots of Howls suggestions led to very inappropriate endings that stuck in Teddy's head like glue. Teddy refused Howl over and over again. He didn't want a surprise party, he didn't want gifts, he didn't want mind-blowing sex with the annoying blonde that followed him around every day.

Well...

No!

No, he didn't want that.

"You know, the guy I was going to go see tonight, his lounge is right under a sleazy hotel that people use for one night stands and shit. I could probably get you a good deal on a room there." Howl offered.

"Wow, your lips must hurt at this point, right? How about your jaw? Is your jaw okay?" Teddy bitterly asked.

"Come on, Teddy. Your birthday is the perfect time to make a move on her. People get away with tons of shit on their birthday. If you asked for sex, there is no way she'd reject you."

"Why do you think I want to have sex with her so bad?"

"You told me you wanted her out of your system. You told me you liked her on a purely physical level." Howl reminded. "Aka, sex!"

"No, Howl. I don't want to actually sleep with her. I already told you I am perfectly fine living with these fantasies and not acting on them because, I. Am. Not. Gonna. Fuck. Zoe."

"Yeah. Fuckin' good luck with that. Let me know when you get bored jerking off to google images of Zoe's face and change your mind." Howl scoffed.

Teddy didn't respond but, simply, rolled his eyes. He had never done that. He never jerked off thinking of Zoe and he prided himself of that fact. Sadly, though, he only prided himself on that because he knew it would work if he tried it. That still didn't mean he wanted Zoe. He didn't want a relationship with her that was any deeper than it already was. They had already gone too far. Zoe should have never met Carmen, they shouldn't have each other's numbers, she shouldn't be sneaking away from her friends to see him everyday.

It was all wrong. This wasn't how things were suppose to go.

"Be honest with me, Teddy." Howl slowly lowered himself so he could sit and lean against his car. Teddy dropped his tools and have Howl his full, undivided attention. Howl wore a serious expression as he stared, no sign of humor anywhere on his face. "Are you happier when she's around?"

Teddy gulped as he held Howl's stare. He didn't know how to answer that. Lately, he was going back and forth every hour of the day. Sometimes, he was in a good mood for no reason, and then the next, he just wasn't. Sometimes, he found himself chuckling at something dumb Zoe said or did, and then, soon after that, he was blaming her for making him feel so shitty about himself. He didn't know.

"More.. or less.." Teddy sighed, his own words beginning to stress him out. He knew it wasn't a believable answer, or an understandable answer so, he tried his best to elaborate. "Sometimes, I want to scream at her for the things she's putting me through. Sometimes, I think she's selfish and whiny, mind-numbingly annoying, and trying to ruin my life one day at a time. And then, I remember the way she smiles or laughs or how she struggles just as much as I do. And, on very rare occasions, I get lonely.. and the first thing that pops in my head when I get lonely is... her."

Howl slowly nodded in understanding. He liked that answer. A lot. It only further pushed the reality in his head that Teddy was falling head over heels for her.

"Now, you have to be honest with me." Teddy took a deep breath to gather and push down all the feelings he just let loose. It was Howl's turn.

"Shoot." Howl willfully accepted the challenge.

"Are you happy when he's around?"

Howl smiled, already knowing who Teddy was referring to. Howl didn't even hesitate. "Yep, even when he's being a brat. He can say no to me a million times, he can call me names, he can fight me. But, for some reason, despite his constant distaste towards me, I can't seem to stay away. Nobody else has kept my attention as well as he has, which makes me and more and more intrigued by him. I guess, I'm completely infatuated by him."