I had time to change out of my uniform and eat something before leaving and going to his place. The mouth of the wolf. His territory. A mistake. Whatever you want to call it, everything worked.

Whatever. I couldn't let him corner me like that afternoon in detention again. I just had to remember who he was, and I would be safe.

The giant doors opened when I texted him a message saying I arrived. It was an old house of disproportionate dimensions and luxury. The two extensive and colorful gardens gave a magical touch to the property. Everything looked the same.

I shook my head as I got out of the car and headed for the front door, which was open. The music wasn't that loud, so I didn't notice it until I was about to enter the house. I was impressed by how many people were dancing in the middle of the principal living room, by how many people were just there, existing. I bit the inside of my cheek. We were supposed to do a long and exhausting history project. A party was not a suitable environment to do it.

"Siena Grant?"

I immediately turned, looking for the source of the voice, and found Zackary Hewland, who was making his way through a group of students and waving at me. I tried to smile at him. I guessed I didn't make a good job convincing him I was happy when he tilted his head and pursed his lips.

"Hey," I said, making things even more awkward, considering how loud the music was and how silent everything was between us.

He glanced at me, maybe still trying to decide what to do with me. "Don't get me wrong, Siena..."

"When you start phrases like that, it's difficult not to."

"Smart girl," he replied. At least he was kind of smiling now. "But what are you doing here? I mean, you're not the type of girl to hang out with people like us."

"Oh, thank heavens," I looked up to the ceiling, fixing my eyes accidentally on the big chandelier and some toilet paper hanging from it. I did my best to ignore that and continued the conversation. "Finally, someone who knows they are not cherubs accepts it."

Zack laughed and walked us to the kitchen. Not many people hang out around there as they did in the rest of the house, where you found people even in the least suspected corners. How had Alieth got so many people in less than an hour? I concluded that only he could do something like that.

"Do you want something to drink?" Zack offered when he saw I was still with my arms crossed over my chest, thinking and inspecting the place.

"I just want to know where Alieth is, thanks."

I gave him a kind smile. A real one, this time. Maybe I should have started there.

"Okay, I'll guide you," he said, and took my hand, so I wouldn't get lost as we made our way around the first floor, up the stairs, and through a few more crowded rooms. He didn't need to guide me, but I let him. In the end, he took me to a games room. A pool table over one corner. Two impossibly large, 4K TVs on two walls. Shelves full of music filled another wall. And, of course, a small and elegant bar in the last corner.

And there was my walking nightmare. Alieth was sitting on a sofa, almost facing one of the TVs that reproduced YouTube pop songs and video clips. Most of his attention was focused on flirting with a girl our age, though. A bitter pang passed through my throat when I realized he wore the same smile and attitude he had used with me earlier in detention.

I walked in with a determined step and headed toward them. Alieth was going to listen to everything I had to say. He couldn't waste my time in such an irresponsible way. Zackary held my arm just as Declan appeared in front of me, avoiding a collision.

"Siena, what a surprise to have you here," Declan grinned, holding a crystal glass containing a dark brown liquid. "I never would have expected it."

I made the insufferable number six let go of me while dedicating a sharp look to the Insufferable number four. Did they think I was stupid or what?

"You want to let me through, you knuckleheads," I said in a very threatening voice.

"Yeah, well," Declan took a conciliatory step toward me, "I don't think it's a great idea. You're mad at Harris more than usual, and he's out of his mind. Better call him later or wait until tomorrow."

"Look, Declan. I'm going to make myself clear. You will let me go there, and you won't stop me because I can be five times worse than Alieth when my blood boils."

Zack chuckled. Declan gave him a dirty look, then considered his options. He stepped to the side, clearing my path once and for all. I would have smiled at the small triumph had it not been for how furious I was with Alieth.

"Okay, but you can take this. You'll need it if you want to deal with him now."

He offered me the glass in his hand. I was about to reject it because it was the most sensible thing to do. Please, not accepting drinks from strangers and, even worse, from the hands of the Insufferables, was a basic rule, almost like having common sense. Then I saw Alieth with that delusional girl kissing urgently on the sofa, and I thought better of it.

I accepted the glass sans looking at Declan and downed the contents in one gulp.

"No, wait, don't!" Zack yelled after me.

Too late. I had drunk all the bittersweet liquid with a strong smell of alcohol. A few seconds passed when I started to feel dizzy. I took two steps, barely keeping my balance, and Declan caught me in his arms when I started to wobble. God only knew what had been added to the whiskey because no matter how strong the liquor was, it couldn't cause that effect on its own.

Before blacking out, I could still see Declan's handsome face frozen with worry and Alieth approaching from across the room as if he had an emergency to solve.

Everything went dark then.

***

"Mums...Chrysanthemums are my favorite, not roses."

My mouth was dry, and every time I swallowed, it tasted bitter. Hammers pounded my head mercilessly. Strident light, even when my eyes were closed, got in the way. And the murmur of some voices tormented me every second that passed.

I did not remember what had happened during the first moments of consciousness. It was like I had been sleeping for a long time, and it was morning again. My senses had to get used to the idea I had to get up and start another day. But it was way slower and more painful.

My eyelids parted lazily, and I met fully with eyes of an incredible smoky gray. Deep and dark. Sad eyes.

"Chrysanthemums, huh?" he asked in a low, sweet voice. "I'll keep it in mind."

He moved away a bit. I looked Alieth up and down with question marks in my eyes.

Wait, Alieth?

And then, I remembered absolutely everything.

I sat up suddenly, scared. The only result I got was an unbearable dizziness that threw me back to bed. A bed with super soft white cotton sheets and feather pillows. I could almost have fallen asleep again.

"Hey, calm down. Peaceful. You will make it worse."

I moved away from Alieth's hands, who were trying to get closer to calm me down until my back hit the wall. He stopped right away when he realized I was better off without him. I observed the bedroom instead of him. The desk was built into the wall along with the wide wood shelves where he had countless books, trophies, medals, and sketches of uncountable places. I directed my eyes to the railing that began at the foot of the bed and followed the course to the stairs. Somehow I knew what was downstairs.

I closed my eyes for a few seconds. Although part of me was sure that my clothes were still in their place, my most distrustful part was made sure of it. Cream-colored sweater, black long-sleeved shirt, and soft and comfortable leggings. Everything was perfect had it not been because I was laying down on Alieth's bed.

"Damn, you really think the worst of us," a familiar voice commented. I looked up and spotted Declan and Zack ensconced on a couch in one corner of the room I hadn't scanned before.

"Be quiet. You've done enough," scolded the second.

"I avoided a show and a lot of gossip," Declan complained.

"Yes, drugging the most innocent girl in school was the best decision," Zack said sarcastically. "There was no other way."

Innocent? Drugs? They were driving me crazy. My doped brain was not ready to think coldly and analyze the situation in detail. I just wanted to go back to sleep and not be bothered by any of them.

"Silence, both of you," Alieth said, giving voice to the words about to come out of my mouth. "Leave us alone."

Declan and Zack acted like robots. They got up at the same time and headed for the stairs. A few seconds later, his footsteps had ceased to be heard. Alieth and I were alone in her room.

I buried my head as far into the pillows as I could. That was definitely not the situation I wanted to be in. If I had been lucid, I may have jumped out of bed instantly and run as fast as I could, but the remnants of whatever Declan had given me were still in my system. I probably would have made quite a show trying to escape.

I felt Alieth's body sink into the bed at a safe distance. I poked my head between the sheets and saw him resting his head on both hands. We stayed in such absolute silence; he was so still that I started to worry about him. I sat up completely. I couldn't help it. I didn't like his posture at all, the vibe he gave off.

"Hey... Uhm, are you alright?"

He straightened up instantly as if he had forgotten I was there. He stood up and disappeared from my sight for a while. I heard a tap of water briefly, and then a door closed. He reappeared, holding a glass of water, and offered it to me. I took it, looking at him, but he was avoiding my eyes, or me for the record. I finished the water sip by sip despite being thirsty.

"I'm so sorry about what happened," he whispered. "I should have been there to receive you. Just a few minutes and those two idiots knocked you unconscious with some sleeping pills and alcohol."

My brain cells were having trouble processing it... Was Alieth Harris, the narcissistic egomaniac I knew, apologizing?

The anger did not come, and I was concerned about it.

"I thought you invited me to do the project." I changed the subject because I thought neither of us was ready for his apology. It was so strange of him, and even more so when it came to me because of the recent war we had declared on each other.

He looked at me in such a unique way; his eyes screamed that something was terribly wrong. Never before had I felt such intense pressure on my chest as at that moment. I wished I could do something to ease him. However, before I could say anything, he looked away and continued.

"That was the idea, yes, but then..."

He fell silent. He shook his head and backed away as if afraid of me. His eyes, his posture... Something hurt me because I had never seen him so vulnerable. Whatever had happened in the period we'd been apart had immeasurably harmed him. My eyes stung with tears, and I blinked at a speed I didn't know existed to get rid of them.

I got up without thinking twice and walked over. He noticed and turned his back on me. I stopped.

"It's okay, Alieth," I said quietly.

He looked at me again, but it was him again. The haughty and arrogant Alieth. His mood swings were getting the best of me and my overwhelmed brain.

"I'll take you home. You're still in no condition to drive. Bri will pick you up tomorrow, and I'll take your car to the institute."

I pouted and forgot anything but what I had just thought. My armor returned to its place. He was nobody to give me orders or decide for me. And he knew it very well.

"I'm fine, there's no need to..."

"I'm not asking you, Siena," he cut me off firmly with a look that said he wasn't going to get into an unnecessary argument. "You will put on your shoes, grab your bag and go outside in five minutes. I'll wait for you."

He turned around and walked up to the stairs, but he stopped in front of his desk where I spotted my bag. He looked at me for a moment and then back to my bag. I reached for him, my limbs still slightly uncoordinated, warning him in the process.

"Oh no. Don't even think about it."

He ignored my words and reached into my bag until he found my car keys. He showed them to me with a satisfied smirk, then put them in the back pocket of his jeans.

"Just to make sure you won't try anything," he smirked at my bewilderment.

And he left his room, giving me no choice but to follow his orders. He stole my keys. For real. I sat back on the bed with a sigh to put on my sneakers. I looked around me. I saw the books I had given him on his desk and walked over to them. There was a poem inside The Hating Game.

"Our songs, books, and movies,

Every lasting story,

You, my very perfect moment,

Had you once,

Will I someday get you back?"

I took the poem after some hesitation and quickly went downstairs to stop short when I saw the pianoforte in the middle of the whole room with a large window as a wall and shelves on the other walls with books, CDs, photographs, and models of various buildings. A record, a song I hadn't heard in a long time.

I took a deep breath and continued on my way. I knew exactly where I was and didn't need directions to find the exit. The party was over, and the house was surprisingly clean. It was dark outside. Apparently, it had been quite a while since I had arrived.

Alieth was talking to her father outside while they smoked. Both men looked at me automatically when I made my presence known. Mr. Harris reached me after putting out the cigarette.

"It's been a long time since I last saw you, Siena," he leaned in to greet me with a kiss on the cheek.

"You know," I answered, a shy smile on my face, "studies, university... Sometimes I wish there were more hours in the day to do more things."

"How are you doing?" He asked affably. "Your parents? Rossie?"

I saw Alieth out of the corner of my eye. He returned my gaze as he took a last drag of his cigarette and extinguished it on the cement with the sole of his shoe. What if I had told him that his son's friends had drugged me?

"My parents are doing great, busy with work, and Rossie only started college last year," I replied. My smile widened as Alieth seemed to be less tense.

"Dad, don't you have to go back inside?"

Mr. Harris chuckled and nodded.

"I'm so glad you're all well," he added and said goodbye. "I hope to see you soon, Siena."

I reciprocated his wishes and gave him another smile. Mr. Harris entered the house, and I was alone with Alieth again. I had always liked his father, as had his mother. They were good people, and I had no idea why their son had turned out so differently from them. Perhaps they had adopted him, I came to think of one of those days.

Alieth opened the door of his sports car for me, then walked around it to get in.

"He doesn't know, does he?" I asked when he was already out on the freeway, and the silence went on for too long. He didn't need to ask what I was talking about. The subject hung between us like unfinished business.

"No," he replied, his eyes fixed on the road.

"How is your mother?" I asked then. I didn't want to be left in that tense, awkward silence, and it was strange not seeing Cora Harris holding hands with her husband.

"Good."

If there had been a prize for the person with the most cutting answers, he would have won it. His monotone voice, God, I felt like throwing a book at his head. That taciturn and dry Alieth stressed me much more than the sardonic and insufferable one.

"You're still on good terms with them," I added to see what was going on and figure out why he behaved this way just that day. It was not normal for him.

Alieth stopped at the traffic light, this time looking at me with genuine annoyance. I pursed my lips.

"You ask a lot of questions, don't you think?"

"That wasn't a question," I replied.

"But you still wanted me to answer."

"Well, that's how conversations work," I argued, even more puzzled by his attitude. I missed the teasing smiles, "It's all about asking and answering questions."

"I don't want to talk," he said nonchalant and kept driving, "especially with you."

Oh.

I reached out and put the radio on. Some say was playing on the radio. I watched the dark streets go by at full speed. We didn't speak to each other again the whole way, not even when we arrived. I did not say goodbye. He didn't even look at me.

Maybe Declan was right, and I didn't want to deal with Alieth when he was in that mood. Not because we could cause a disaster with our anger, although possible, but because he was more likely to hurt my feelings. As usual.