K A D E N

I closed the door as quietly as possible, warily taking in the dark surroundings of my home. I'd made sure mom and dad were asleep before I attempted to enter the front. The back door, my usual get in and get away had suspiciously been locked today. I found it odd since it wasn't sealed when I'd left and that made me even more careful as I manoeuvred around the house.

Tiptoeing over the dodgy step on the stairs, I made it up to my bedroom door.

"Where have you been?" Her voice was quiet but could easily be heard in the empty space around us.

Without turning around I said, "Nowhere." And started to make my way into my room but she stopped me, spinning me around.

My head hung low and I hoped that the hood concealed my face. But even that came off. She lifted my chin to the light and a gasp escaped her lips. "Who did this to you?"

"Nobody. It's nothing." I tried to shake her off but she was adamant.

Taking my arm she guided me down the stairs to the kitchen where she sat me down on a stool. Soundlessly she got out the first aid kit and with a wet wipe began to rid of the dirt that caked my face.

There was blood too. But that too soon disappeared along with the dirt and ended up in the bottom of the bin. When the worst of it was cleaned up she tilted my head towards the light and began inspecting my face again.

"Did you get into a fight?" She questioned, her fingers lightly flitting across my sore eye.

"It's nothing," I repeated, attempting to escape her grip. But I failed once again and slumped down on the stool.

My hands formed into fists on my lap and I kept my head down low because looking up at her, into her worried eyes, made me feel so exposed. So vulnerable. Weak. And I wasn't meant to be like that.

I squeezed my eyes shut. Maybe when I opened them again then this would just be a bad dream. Although I couldn't see her I could still feel her and that's what brought me crashing back to reality.

I was stuck in this nightmare.

When I awoke, my head felt like it was going to explode.

I sat up straight in bed and instantly regretted it as my vision started to blur. My chest ached as I remembered the memory. It was the one that I replayed over and over again. The moment when things started to go wrong.

I coughed a couple of times. The movement caused something to stir beside me. I turned to my left to see a girl.

A girl. In my bed. And I was. . . I lifted up the sheets. I was naked.

I ran a tired hand across my face and looked at the sleeping figure next to me. Her hair was spread out on the pillow like a fan and memories of last night started to slowly come back to me. A knock on the door, a few drinks and then stumbling up the stairs to my room.

Locating the sweatpants I'd discarded last night, I pulled them over my hips and made my way to the bathroom. Except it wasn't the bathroom but a storage closet of some kind I'd opened. Sighing, I turned in the correct direction. My head still felt fuzzy and disorientated making me wonder just how much I'd drunk. But even thinking hurt.

Once I'd splashed my face with cold water, I looked at my reflection to see my bloodshot eyes. They stared back at me, unblinking and that's when I felt the sharp stab of pain through my temple. I reached into the cabinet next to the mirror and pulled out a pair of glasses along with two Advil pills.

"I didn't know you wore glasses." A voice said from behind.

I ignored her statement and dry swallowed the pills. "Why are you here?"

"We went over this yesterday." She came over to me, one of my shirts draped on her, leaving little to the imagination. Her arms wound around my torso as she started to trace patterns onto my skin. "I heard you were back in town so I thought I'd pay a visit."

I was increasingly aware of her cold hands wandering south, making goosebumps pattern my skin. She smiled at my reaction and reached up to her tiptoes, ready to plant a kiss but I turned my head at the last minute.

"C'mon Kaden." She kissed my Adams Apple playfully, her tone all too seductive for this time in the morning.

I frowned. "I have to get to work." Using a surprising amount of willpower, I moved out of her grasp and went downstairs. A quick glance at the clock told me I had fifteen minutes until my shift at the Blitz started. Just as I was passing the living room on my way to make a quick breakfast, I stopped.

"What happened?" I muttered in almost disbelief.

The room was trashed. Broken glass littered the floor with the curtains ripped off their hinges. Even the beanbag had been torn into shreds with its contents spilling out onto the floor. One of the legs from the coffee table had gone missing and the only thing that was fully intact was the couch.

I sat down on it heavily, taking in all the damage and rubbed a hand across my face. Taylor appeared in the doorway, drawing her arms over her chest. We stayed like that for a while. Neither of us saying a word. We both knew the person behind the mess.

"Look on the bright side. You won't have to look at that ugly vase anymore." She said, referring to the yellow shards on the floor.

"My mom gave me that vase as a housewarming gift."

"Your mom has horrible taste." On an afterthought she added, "No offence."

Taylor joined me on the couch, careful to avoid the glass that surrounded us. Her index finger traced the side of my face before tilting it towards her. "Are you sure you don't want to take your mind off anything?"

When she said that, my eyes dropped to her lips which were smirking and then at her chest which was very much exposed in this angle. The movement of my eyes seemed to be invitation enough as she climbed onto my lap, hooking her legs around my waist. Her fingers knotted into my hair and we started to fall back on the couch. "Tay--"

"What?" She paused, face just millimetres from my own. Looking into her bright blue eyes, I closed the gap and placed a soft kiss on her lips. She let out a moan, but before it could go any further, I pulled away.

"I have work."

"Tease." She grumbled, along with a few other choice words, making me chuckle.

I went back to my room to get changed. Everything was still in black plastic bags since I'd decided not to invest in any kind of furniture for the time being. Aside from my mattress flung on the floor, the only other solid object was a decaying table shoved into the corner of the room.

Listening to Taylor humming in the shower next door, I slipped into a pair of jeans and a clean shirt before going back downstairs. My little shopping trip with Elsa was helpful in making me not starve in the morning but it also meant that I was down to my last two slices of bread. I popped them into the toaster just as Taylor entered the room, little droplets of water following her as she climbed into a stool.

"You should really clean that pool up. Imagine how much fun we can have in that." She suggested with a smirk.

"What's wrong with the shower?"

She rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean."

"That's exactly why."

Another eye roll later, she started another line of enquiry. "So, what's with the glasses? Were you one of those nerds transformed bad boys?"

"I'm short-sighted." I clarified.

"You know, I always get the two mixed up."

"It's when things far away are blurry. Long-sightedness is the opposite."

"Thanks for enlightening me professor Mordecai." I made a face at the title making her chuckle but it came to an abrupt stop when her nose began to wrinkle in distaste.

"Can you smell burning?"

"Crap." Realising the toaster was still on, I quickly spun round to pull out the blackened pieces of bread but then immediately retracted my hand, letting out a string of curse words.

"I really hope your future wife knows how to cook because, and I mean this in the nicest way, Kaden you suck." Taylor's laughter drifted over to my ears.

"I'm pretty sure it's the other way round when it's you and me." I said distractedly as I ran my hand under the tap. The burn didn't hurt so much but the skin still looked angry. I heard her scoff and mutter incoherent words under her breath.

Then she came next to me and gently took my hand in her own to inspect it. "You're such a baby. Burning yourself with the toaster."

"It could happen to anyone." I defended myself.

"Whatever." She rolled her eyes and began to collect up her hair into a ponytail. "I've been meaning to ask you this since yesterday but what the hell do you see in this town? It's so boring." She went over to the window and peered out. "I mean sure, it's pretty and has nice beaches but that's it. Don't tell me when you plan to stay here after high school."

I hesitated before answering. "It's not all bad."

"Didn't something happen here that sent you to rehab?" She enquired, raising an eyebrow.

"Something like that." I brushed off, not wanting to get into anything deep so early in the day, especially after last night's dream.

"Well, I wouldn't mind being shown around the town." She sidled up to me, wrapping her arms around my torso and leaning a head on my shoulder.

I glanced out of the window then too, the bright sun, the crashing waves onto the sandy shore. Was I really going to stay here? After all the things that had happened I still felt an unusual attachment to this place.

"Okay," I twisted myself around with Taylor between my legs and flicked her nose. "But I'm driving."

"I'm the better driver." She defended.

I raised a sceptical brow, "I faintly remember almost running into a tree last time I was in a moving vehicle with you."

"It's not my fault the tree looked like a 50mph sign."

I laughed shaking my head. "Clearly I'm not the only one that needs glasses."

"Shut up," She lightly pushed me away with a smile tugging at her lips.

-

The Blitz was relatively quiet today. Even the lunchtime rush was manageable which was saying something since we were severely understaffed. I'd gone off to one side and opened a book.

Reading hadn't always been a hobby of mine. I pretty much detested it when I was younger and hated the assignments set out by teachers. But things had changed. Other than learning how to defend myself, there were a few other things I picked up whilst in juvie. I found that books were one way of escaping that insufferable place. Plus, on particularly long nights I'd find turning pages was the only way I could reach my peace of mind. Right now, it was a means of passing the time and evading sheer boredom.

That was until the bell by the counter rang. I marked my place by folding a bit of the corner and turned around. My muscles tensed as I saw the same guy that had been with Dante on the night of the party. His dirty blonde hair hung over his furrowed brows as I underwent his scrutiny.

"I'll have a caramel frappe."

Feeling his stare on me, I worked the drinks machine. It was an odd sensation, one that felt too familiar. It reminded me of two nights ago at the graveyard. As if on instinct I scratched my neck, just centimetres from the scab that had formed where the knife had been. It was merely a scratch, not gone deeper than the surface yet that didn't halt my deep hatred for my childhood tormentor. And it looked like I was facing one of his accomplices before me.

"That'll be three fifty."

He shoved over a couple dollar bills, waited after he took a sip of his drink and said, "Kaden, right?"

I stayed quiet.

"I've heard a lot about you." I wondered where from but it didn't take a lot of guesswork. If this guy was conversing with Dante then I wanted to do as little with him as possible.

Fortunately, I was saved from having to come up with a reply when the door to the Blitz opened. Two girls entered. It had been raining and only one of them had an umbrella with them.

I watched Phoenix smirk as she watched the brunette grumble about the rain but that soon disappeared when she approached the guy I'd just served.

"Hey, babe." He kissed the brunette, wrapping his arms around her waist and keeping it there. Then turning back to me he tossed over a few more dollars. "Thanks. Keep the change."

Without sparing Phoenix a second glance they both turned on their heels and left. I watched her watch them, right up until the door closed behind their backs.

"Isn't that your friend?" I questioned.

"No." She scoffed, pulling on her apron and pulling her hair up into a ponytail. "Where did you get that idea from?"

Then she turned around to properly face me and stopped short. "What?" I said when she didn't look away.

"Nothing. . . it's-- your glasses." I waited for her to elaborate. She cleared her throat. "Suits you."

I raised an amused brow at that when I heard a clap of hands behind me.

"Good, you're both here." We turned our heads to see our manager emerge from the door marked 'staff only.' He rarely came out so it was a puzzle to find out what the reason was this time.

"My sister's catering company is running low on staff so I told her I might have some people to fill in." He said bluntly. "Any of you up for the position?"

When he was met with silence he sighed. "All you'd have to do is serve a few rounds of starters and not mess up. Any moron can do it." By now we'd all gotten used to the condescending tone that our manager addressed most people with. Along with his crude sense of humour he wasn't the best company to have but least to say it was entertaining to watch.

"What's in it for us?" Phoenix asked.

"The satisfaction of doing what I tell you to do," He retorted back with a sarcastic smile. At the signs of her protesting he held up a hand, "And you'll all get paid for the extra hours."

We both perked up at the sound of that and our interest was duly noted. "Good. I'll let you know more about the details tomorrow." With that, he dismissed us and began to make his way back into his office. Sometimes I wondered what he did in there all day. But then I realised I was content with not knowing.

After we went on with working. Things between Phoenix and I were fairly clear now so it made everything a little less awkward. But after my encounter with the guy that she claimed not to be her friend, my mind had come up with a whole load of theories. The most alarming and most obvious was that Dante had sent him to spy on me. It would explain some things. Then again, I could just be paranoid.

By the time my shift had ended it had just turned four. As I gathered my coat from the back, I came around to see Phoenix by the counter with Taylor.

Feeling suspicious, I cautiously came up towards the pair. Taylor noticed me approaching and cut off mid sentence. A smile broke across her lips as she grasped the nape of my neck and pulled me down to her level. Too surprised to react, I stayed still whilst she placed a kiss on my lips.

Then she pulled away, turning towards Phoenix and flashing a smile of all teeth. "It was nice meeting you, Phoebe."

I watched her give her a curt nod and then disappear further down the counter and busy herself. I frowned. "Her name's Phoenix."

"Is it? The girl mumbles so how should I know?"

Shaking my head I turned on my heel, returning to what had happened moments ago. "What was that about?"

She knew I was referring to the kiss. It was out of character even for her. "It was an experiment."

"Should I even ask what for?" I said dryly, unlocking the car doors and getting behind the wheel.

"The barista, Pheobe--"

"Phoenix."

"Whatever. She likes you."

"I doubt that." I scoffed.

"Well, do you like her?" She asked with a raised brow.

"We're just friends." I didn't miss the moment of hesitation I took before answering. She seemed to notice too so I decided to change the subject whilst I still could. "So where do you want to go? I'm free for the rest of the day." I drummed my fingers on the wheel, thinking of somewhere Taylor and I could go.

"I don't know, this is your town." She replied much to my relief and brought out a paper bag with red velvet cupcakes inside. It was the same sort that we gave away at the Blitz.

She offered me one. "Don't they come in a plastic container?"

She stopped mid-bite. "Threw it away."

I sighed, handing back the cupcake with a sigh. "I thought you'd stopped, Taylor."

"It's just a cupcake." She huffed, retreating her hand and licking off the icing herself instead. "This is nothing."

"You don't understand. Phoenix was behind the counter, you could get her into trouble." I ran a tired hand through my hair.

"Don't act like you two haven't snagged a treat when your manager's back is turned." She defended. "Just say you took some."

"I thought you'd stopped shoplifting."

"A cupcake hardly counts." She rolled her eyes but at my lack of enthusiasm, they narrowed. "We've been over this before. You stay out of my business and I stay out of yours."

"You took that from my place of work so it is my business."

"Jeez, I'll pay for the damn thing, alright. Will that make it better?"

I let out a martyred sigh. "I thought you'd changed your ways, that's all."

"Oh, like you have." She scoffed and I could feel myself tense up on what she was about to say next. "How long are you going to keep up this facade, Kaden?"

"That's none of your business either." I said through gritted teeth, my temper starting to simmer.

"Right. Cos all we do is sleep together." She clarified, starting to shove her belongings into her bag.

"I thought that's what you wanted, no strings attached." I could feel my forehead start to crease up.

"Forget it." She sighed and began to get out of the car.

"Where are you going?" I called out to her retreating back but she didn't turn around.

Rubbing a hand across my face, I leaned back going over what she'd just said. Did Taylor really want to start a relationship with me? When we'd first met, she'd clearly stated that she didn't. I knew of her past history where she'd failed because she couldn't commit. It was hard to believe that she may be ready to settle down. The thought in itself just seemed so absurd to me. Taylor had never been the type.

"Damn it." I groaned in frustration, rubbing my temples at the signs of a headache forming. Girls were confusing. That's why I liked Taylor because she was always blunt and honest with me. But now I wasn't so sure anymore.

The further she walked away, the more it felt like I was losing some sort of game.

And it was a feeling all too familiar.