"Lie and tell myself I can make it on my own. Making it alone is lonely." —Liz Longley.

••

"Blaze!" I grip the strap of my seatbelt, my heart almost coming through my mouth as he makes another swift turn, causing my head to spin wildly.

He's chuckling in his seat, glancing over at me in amusement with one hand on the steering wheel while the other gropes his gearstick.

"Please slow down," I beg him, and he smiles, the wind swiveling through his hair as he sinks his foot on the gas. I squeeze my eyes shut. Why did I come with him?

My worse regret since I've started Homewood would be allowing Blaze Xander to put his sultry lips against mine, and then the second regret would be getting into his car with him fifteen minutes ago. He's speeding—no, speeding is an understatement—he's flying along the highway, not caring that he's way above the speed limit or that the girl sitting next to him is on the verge of having a panic attack.

"Blaze..." My fearful eyes plead with his, and he seems to be enjoying the fact that I keep whimpering his name since he only increases his velocity, pleasure apparent on his handsome face.

"You want me to go slow...or faster?" He slopes his head back as he peers at me, a lust-filled glint in his azure eyes.

I pretend not to understand the lewd meaning behind his question as I blink my eyes, fixing an anxious gaze ahead as my cheeks become ripe raspberries.

"Tell me." He chuckles, and I purse my lips.

"If you don't tell me what you want, I'll only go harder, Harmony." He smiles. "Would you like me to go slow or faster?"

I won't answer, not when I am aware of what he's trying to do. I may be naive when it comes to sexual intimacy, but I am not oblivious to flirting.

"Okay." He steps on the acceleration and my eyes fall shut as I grip the strap harder, sinking my teeth into my lower lip to repress a squeal. He laughs, shaking his head as he adjusts the handbrake, applying more pressure on the gas pedal as he does.

My heart leaps in my chest as I breathe stiffly through my nose, and I feel like at any second now my life will be flashing before my eyes. The crisp wind stings my cheeks and pricks my eyes and I struggle not to stifle from its heavy briskness.

I don't think this guy sitting next to me is sane at all. His mood has been shifting and changing a lot today and I am unable to keep up. And now it seems I am about to lose my life in a car crash when I am supposed to be at an International Fiction lecture.

He's practically soaring through the air now and my limbs shake drastically from fear and anxiety. Blaze looks down at my quivering thighs and smiles quietly, looking out his window before sinking his foot again.

He makes a crazy turn and I grip onto the ledge of my window with one hand, the other reflexively grabbing his bare bicep. I lift my hand from him quickly as if I have been burnt by fire, and he chuckles as I shut my eyes in anxiety.

"More stubborn than I thought, mm?"

"Stop," I mutter.

"Stop what?"

"Driving so fast." My words are a little above a whisper because any louder and I may puke all over his car. He smirks at this, blue, crystal eyes gleaming with mischief.

"So you want me to go slow then?"

I nod, pressing my back into the seat. "Yes."

"Yes, what?"

I look at him, and he raises a brow. "What are you saying yes to?"

I swallow, deciding to end his petty game. "Go slow."

His lips spread into a wide smile at my forfeit, and he immediately lessens the pressure on the gas, causing the car to decelerate to a moderate speed.

"Now was that so hard?" He chuckles, white canines and molars revealing themselves.

I blow my lips out, my breathing finally resuming to its natural pace. I salivate my lips that are now parched from the cool mid-day wind as I finally release the leather strap clinging to my bust.

Blaze glances down at my thighs briefly before looking ahead, his lips curving up. "Nice birthmark."

I slump my gaze to see that my dress has slightly ridden up, exposing the strawberry mark on my inner thigh. My face becomes a similar shade as I frantically tug it down, turning my head away to look out the window.

Jeezus, why did I come with him?

The view outside my window is winsome. Pacifying my anxiety and syringing all prior discomfort. We are now passing by a green woodland area with tall trees and the scent of pollen and fresh blooming flowers embracing the atmosphere. The pleasant sound of chirping birds can be heard above the roaring of Blaze's engine and suddenly I am enjoying this ride.

"Where are we going?" I ask him with a smile, revealing small dimples in my child-like cheeks.

"You'll see." He reaches over to turn his radio up, and the song 'Don't go breaking my heart' by Elton John and Kiki Dee starts flowing through the car. I return my inspection to the outside, inhaling the pleasant fragrance of the atmosphere.

The gentle sound of fingers tapping against leather, followed by inaudible, awful singing drags my attention.

Blaze is currently bobbing his head while singing along to the music, having quite a grand time in his seat. I observe him quietly, trying not to chortle at his atrocious vocal skills. He's good looking, has a perfect build, but singing? Nope, he should leave it be.

He's...strange. One minute he's yelling at someone, then the next minute he's smiling, and then another second he's threatened to stab a professor, and now he's jovial and dancing away in his seat as if life has never been better.

Watching him like this is quite a priceless moment, and before I realize it my grin widens. It's hilarious how every time the female starts to sing her portion, he mimics a feminine voice while drumming his hands on the wheels, rotating his waits like he's Channing Tatum or something.

"Don't go breaking my heart. I couldn't if I tried."

Unable to suppress my laughter any longer, a small snigger passes through my mouth as I steer my head out the window.

"What?" He looks over at me with a toothy smile.

"Nothing."

"Lies. It has to be something." He titters, and I beam at how beautiful he looks when he's smiling.

"It's just that you sing really awful." I chuckle, and he pretends to be alarmed, pressing his palm against his chest.

"I'll have you know that I actually have unsigned contracts from Jay Z and Justin Bieber. But I am yet to put my signature on them. I have to be picky with my talent, you know? Make sure I am making the right choices."

I giggle, nodding in feign comprehension. "Oh. Yeah, right. I get you."

He laughs. "Sarcasm at its finest."

"It's not sarcasm." I snicker. "I just agreed. So maybe...you're just insecure."

His jaws drop dramatically, and I redden, placing my palms over my face as I laugh.

"Oh no, you did not. Have you forgotten who's around the wheels?!" He smiles toothily. "Have you forgotten? Mm? Should I speed again? Should I? Alright."

"No no!" I stretch my hands out and he titters as he rolls his head back, causing me to smile widely as I settle back into my seat. I shake my head. "Are you going to keep using this speeding thing against me?"

"Yeah." He shrugs lightly. "Especially since I hate going slow. I prefer going hard...and fast."

I look over at him, realizing that he's already watching me with an intense look on his face. Discerning the powerful gleam in his orbs, I quickly divert my gaze to the scenery outside my window, realizing that we are turning onto a narrow dirt track, the area filled with green, tall trees. Why did I think we'd end up at the beach or somewhere other than a woodland? Is this where I die?

He parks the car and shuts his engine off, the peaceful stillness of the forest area making its presence known.

"Where are we?" I ask untrustingly, unsnapping my seatbelt with skepticism. Well, it sure is a little too late for me to be scared, isn't it?

"Well, we are at the spot where I kill you and dump your cute little body in a river, then smoke a cigar and head back to school."

My mouth falls open and he laughs hard, easily getting out of his car and stretching his limbs with a groan. His shirt rides up and my eyes glimpse a small scripted tattoo on his waist, right below his stomach and near to his groin. Before I can examine what is written there, his tank shirt falls back over it.

"I am kidding green eyes, we are at the place where I answer the question you asked me earlier at school." He places his palm on the driver's door. "So don't look so electrocuted." And he laughs.

"Oh. Okay." I purse my lips and slide out of the seat, closing the door after me.

He puts his beanie hat back on his head and walks around to my side, stretching his hand toward me. "Take my hand, you're not familiar with the area anyway."

I stare at his perfect fingers for a while, his middle and forefinger adorned with cross silver rings. Skin to skin contact with him makes me a tad unease, but I repress the silly feelings and place my palm against his.

His fingers intertwine with mine and he gives it a little squeeze, smiling with what looks like admiration. "Your hand is small."

I try not to blush at his words as I sift my brain for a response. "Yours is...warm." I inwardly face-slap myself at the adjective I chose.

His smile is still unscathed as looks me in the eyes, his pupils noticeably dilated.

"Imagine how it'd feel on other places of your body."

My eyes tear open at the sentence and he cracks up in laughter, pressing his other hand to his stomach as he does.

That joke was...very erotic.

"I am kidding, Harmony. Jeezus, your face is priceless," he says through his guffaws, shaking his head in amazement.

I smile a little. His beams are very contagious, enough to make even the sulkiest of person crack a smile.

"Well anyone would react that way. That was very...sexual," I try to defend.

He's smiling but doesn't say anything as he gently tugs me along with him.

There is silence as we walk through the forest area, only the sound of cracking sticks beneath our feet and chirping birds reveling in nature.

I must be out of my mind. Ditching school to spend time with this unfamiliar human next to me. Whatever spell he put me under needs to wear off soon or I see where it may impede my education. I have never skipped a class before, and it has only been the second week of college, hence missing out on a lecture is not the best way to cement the term. Interacting with Blaze Xander is morphing me into this strange person and I don't know how to make it stop.

Admittedly, his palm does feel good against mine as if they were perfectly designed for each other. Matching pieces to a puzzle that has been unsolved for ages. Being with him, though ill-advised offers me a feeling of tranquility for some bizarre reason.

"Do you know what they say?" His voice breaks through the cold, silent atmosphere, extracting me from my thoughts. "They say you can know how fast a person's heart is beating just by holding their hand..."

My face lights up at the new knowledge. "Really?"

"Yeah, and your heart is currently racing." He smiles at me and I flush, averting my eyes to the ground.

Well, that's not a lie. My heart is popping out of my chest. Not only because I don't know if this is the day I die but because Blaze Xander does that to you. He makes you anxious, and his presence naturally intimidates you because of how much beauty his features possess.

Finally, we arrive at an old, broken-down house with fern leaves growing all over it. It's a two-story house with cemented, cream walls and rusted white windows that seem to be many years old. I look around, realizing that there are no signs of neighboring housings, and suddenly I get this strong feeling of dread.

Why did he take me to this cabin-like place? Is he trying to rape me or something?

"Your heart rate has increased," he says casually. "Why's that?"

"I-I think I left something in the c-car..." I jerk a skinny finger behind me, stopping in my steps. "I need to go back to—"

Blaze laughs knowingly, and my blood runs cold as he steers his torso to me, empty eyes locking my stare. "Are you trying to get away?"

I gulp silently.

"Do you know your way back to the school? Do you even know where you are, Harmony?" He smirks, slanting his head back.

"I-I have class at—"

"I am not going to hurt you. I thought you trusted me, considering you drove with me so many miles to get here. Quite comfortably."

I press my lips together at the half-truth his words hold. I was partially discomforted but mainly because his presence screams intimidation, but I didn't find myself completely mistrusting him until I realized we had arrived at a woodland area. Now I see how foolish I was to get in a car with a boy I have only known for a week.

My gaze drifts back to the broken-down house behind him and my brows furrow in worry. "Then why are we here?"

He shrugs lightly, taking in my unease features. "I told you. To answer the question that you posed at school." He tightens his grip on my hand. "Won't hurt you."

I sigh. I am already here anyway. The best thing I can do is to comply so that if he has any intention of killing me and dumping my body around here my obedience would hopefully waver his mind.

Earlier I felt like a character in The Vampire Diaries, but now I feel like a girl from one of those lifetime movies, who lets her guard down and trust the 'hot' guy at school, resulting in him taking her to a faraway cabin and murdering her for his own psychopathic satisfaction.

Blaze opens the frayed, timber door and it creaks as it swings against the cracked walls of the house. I look around the tree-land one last time for any sign of life, but it seems we are the only ones present in this secluded place. Which means that no one will be around to witness my possible death. I make a silent vow to myself that if I make it out alive, I will never be getting into a car with a handsome guy with a knife in his rucksack ever again. Lesson learned.

The floorboard squeaks beneath our feet as we enter the room. Surprisingly, the inside is not as dilapidated as the outside, though there is no furniture present. Blaze waves away hanging cobwebs as I follow closely behind him, taking in the wide space of nothing.

"Where is this place?" I ask, looking around.

He crashes onto the floor with a tired exhale, positioning his back against the wall as he places an arm on his arched knee. "The place I once lived."

I look at him in awe. "Really?"

He bobs his head casually. "But it's old now, as you can see."

I lower myself in front of him, coiling my legs beneath me. "You lived in the woods?"

He laughs, and I smile. "No, I didn't live in 'the woods.' It didn't have many trees before. It's just really abandoned and old now. I used to have neighbors, but they all don't live around here anymore."

I look around the house, nodding my head observantly. "Oh..." I meet his eyes that are still positioned on me. "Why'd you move?"

Rolling his head back against the wall, he lifts his shoulders nonchalantly. "Because my mom blew her brains out, I guess."

My face softens entirely. How does he manage to repeat such a devastating incident without breaking down into tears?

"I am sorry." I drop my gaze discontentedly.

"For what?"

There it is again. I can't tell if he's genuinely not hurt or if he is just hiding it.

"Your mom..." I answer. "The fact that she...did that."

"There is no need to feel sorry for me. I am not hurt at all."

I slump my shoulders in bafflement. "How can you not be? I don't understand."

He shrugs. "I guess I am like a broken robot a kid has to take back to the store because it just doesn't work."

I stare at him. I feel like those words hold a lot of meaning. Is he trying to say that he's broken?

"Why do you think you're like a broken robot?" I question softly.

He tugs his hat off, running a hand through his silky hair before fitting it back onto his head. "Because I just am."

I shake my head in disagreement. "You're not broken. I just think...you maybe need new batteries?" I shrug with a small smile. "Or maybe you just need to be recharged?"

He doesn't laugh at my efforts, not even crack a smile, and I dip my eyes from him quietly. When I look back up, he's still gazing at me silently, his forehead slightly crinkling before smoothing out again. I notice a small glint of what resembles admiration sparking within his eyes, but it disappears so fast that it makes me wonder if it was there or if I had only imagined it. He's so strange; the way he erases his emotions in a flash is very confusing. I can't tell if he's doing that intentionally.

Then he begins to move over to me and my eyes blink anxiously as my smile fades into a nervous line. Why is he coming so close? His gaze is unsmiling and filled with vehemence, and it's so hard to keep steady eye contact without feeling my insides twisting into a tight knot.

He continues to propel into me slowly until I have no choice but to lower my back onto the warm ceramic ground, my body starting to quiver uncontrollably. He puts his fit frame over mine, his thigh pushing mine apart so that he settles between my legs. My heart thumps crazily as I wonder what I did to warrant this sudden close contact.

His necklace drops free from the captivity of his tank top, brushing against my chin as I gaze up at him with big, fearful eyes. And as I open my mouth to question his actions, he grips both my arms and effortlessly pins them above my head. My breath gets stuck in my throat and he smirks from above me, his lips appearing so much softer from this angle.

He focuses his stare to my mouth, his eyes becoming dark and compelling.

"What did I say about trying to read me, Harmony?"

His low voice chills my blood, causing small bumps to immediately dot my skin. I detest when he does that weird tone; it scares me, and we are the only ones here in this unfamiliar area. It's nerve-wracking.

"Sorry..." I mutter, not sure if he's looking for an apology or something. All I know is that I want to survive this evening. I just need to survive this evening and arrive back at Homewood, and then I'll take everyone's advice. I'll stay away. I really will stay away.

"When you do that...you make me want to do really bad things to you." He whispers, and hot blood rises to my neck, bursting along my cheeks.

Using only one hand to grip my small wrists above my head, his free hand comes down to cup my cheek. My chest lifts and falls in rapid breaths as I shut my eyes, feeling his thumb stroking along my face.

"Open your eyes," he says, and I immediately obey, fearful of what the consequences of my reluctance would be.

"I am going to answer your question," he continues. "But I'll only say these words once, so listen keenly."

I feel his finger forming circles on the side of my neck.

"You wanted to know if I would genuinely cut open Mr. Jones's throat, right?"