"Someone taught me that I was evil." —Kate Vogel.

••

I am standing in my spot motionlessly, glaring at her and trying to understand how she got inside when I am positive, I had closed the door. I know Blaze can pick a lock, but Maddie? Can she?

Taking notice of my obvious confusion she lets out a mirthless chuckle.

"I am so sorry; did I startle you?"

Her question snaps me back to reality, and I shake my head. "Um, no...I just...thought I had closed the door...what brings you here?"

She shrugs her shoulders as she steps closer. "Oh well, I am just paying you a visit, is that odd?"

I shake my head while running my palms against my shorts. Her presence makes me agitated and fretful because the look she gave me earlier at the meeting did not seem normal at all.

"I mean, my dorm room is right next door to yours, so it's just two seconds walk." She states.

"Wait...your room is next to mine?" I lift a brow.

She giggles. "Yes, silly. My daddy paid extra for that one, so the girls who had been staying there had to get another room. Money conquers all. Isn't that awesome? We can be so close to each other now. It'll be super fun."

Well, this is escalating into one of those Lifetime eerie films in less than a day.

"Well, thanks for stopping by," I say, hoping she will decide to leave now. I don't like the aura she's giving off.

She frowns. "I don't think you're happy to see me; you were obviously expecting someone else..."

"Oh, oh no, I was just—"

"It's Blaze," she interjects. "Isn't it?"

I blink, unsure whether to just admit that I was, in fact, waiting for him. She will find out about us sooner or later anyway, and she must have already discovered that we are into each other after that emotional scene we put on in the music club this evening.

"Yeah..." I admit. "I was actually waiting for Blaze."

I watch as her face twitches at my confession, but she forges a smile while her eyes are gleaming with something. Anger? Jealousy? Danger? Or perhaps it's all of them.

"Oh well, that's sweet..." She reaches a hand up to her hair and pulls out a pointed, black hairpin, her dark waves dangling around her face as they fall along her shoulders.

I swallow uneasily, as she begins to twirl the sharp edge on her fingertip, the freakish smile still prominent on her mouth.

"What?" She cocks her head. "It's a hairpin my mom bought during her visit to China...nice, right?"

I smile, but it is far from genuine. "Y-yeah...it's nice."

I subtly take a step back because the atmosphere is now thick with an ominous mist.

"You know what I love the most about it?" She grins widely, and I shake my head.

"I love the fact that it's pointy. It's like a knife, I mean, imagine piercing someone in the neck with this, you know Harmony, that's a sure death right there, don't you think?"

I don't answer because my heart is now racing at a million miles per second. I gulp hard and take another step back, but she begins to inch forward, slowly and steadily.

"I am very much hurt, Harmony...I am greatly offended that you lied to me."

My thighs connect against the nightstand, telling me that I am at a dead end. I grip onto the edges of the cold wood while she continues to advance toward me.

"I lied to you? About what?"

She scowls. "You said you and Blaze were just friends."

"Maddie, I didn't say we were just friends...I didn't get a chance to explain because you wouldn't let me."

She halts her steps and crosses her arms. My eyes are watching the hairpin in her hand.

"Okay...well, you can tell me now. Are you guys involved?"

I sigh and pull my vision up to her. "Yes. Well, I wouldn't say we are dating but...we have a mutual understanding, and we do what lovers do...I guess..."

She stares at me for a while, her gaze is black and cold, but then she switches it to a crooked grin.

"Aww. How cute. Well, pardon my lack of manners. It was so wrong to be all jumpy on your man."

I laugh, but it's more like one of those awkward and anxious giggles. "Well... 'man' sounds a little extreme..."

"Oh, is it? You know Harmony, I am hurt that you didn't feel the need to confide this to me earlier. I thought we were friends?"

Were we?

I bite my lower lip, uncertain of what to say, and she continues to speak.

"Well, this is disappointing. Do you know the type of people I hate the most, Harmony? Lying, pretentious, goody two shoes bitches."

My eyes grow wide as my mouth falls open. I must not have heard correctly. Did she just say—

She suddenly begins to laugh, and it catches me off guard. I am staring at her in awe, becoming cognizant of the fact that she is probably not a sane person—just like what everyone says. Who says something like that then laughs?

"I didn't mean you, Harmony," she says between her creepy cackles. "I meant in general. I would never call you a bitch. I know you're not pretentious."

I am blinking at her while she chuckles hardly. "Your facial expression was so funny...you should have seen yourself! You thought I meant you, didn't you? I would never call you a bitch; I like you too much!"

This is beyond chilling, and no matter how much I search for it, I cannot find the humor in what she just said.

She comes to a calm finally, wiping tears of delight from her eyes. "Well...thanks for letting me know what's up between you two...by the way...I think this hairpin would look nice on you."

Her eyes grow dimmer, and she smirks. "Can I try it in your hair?"

"Um, no...actually, I am fine..."

She begins to move over to me. "Come on, let me see what it looks like in your hair..."

"I am fine, Maddie; I don't use that kind of—"

She grabs my arm tightly, grinning. "It's okay, Harmony; I just want to see what it would look like in your hair..."

She lifts the pin to my head, and I writhe away. "No, I am fine..."

"Come on, just let me put it in."

"What the fuck are you doing?"

A stern voice comes from behind Maddie, and I know it all too well. It is a relief to my terrified soul.

She moves away from me and hides the hairpin behind her as Blaze angrily walks over to us, the blackness in his eyes more present than ever.

I am breathing heavily while she smiles innocently. "Blaze, are you—"

He grabs her wrist firmly and brings it around so he can snatch the hairpin from her grip.

He looks at it, and his jaw tightens as he rolls his eyes heavenward. Maddie opens her mouth to say something, but Blaze pulls her fiercely with him out the door.

••

Every guy has that one girl that they are truly sorry they fucked. For me, that girl is Maddie, mainly because she's a psychopathic, obsessive person that clearly needs counseling.

My dad thinks I am crazy? He needs to meet this girl. She breaks my fucking record.

Once we are away from Harmony's view, I release her so lividly that she almost collides into the wall of the hallway.

I bury a hand in my hair while she turns to me with a demented smile.

"Blaze, I missed you so—"

"What the fuck's wrong with you? Are you sick?"

She frowns. "Blaze...please don't be mad at me; we haven't spoken much since I came back and I miss you so much it hurts." She gestures to hug me, and I step back.

"What the hell were you trying to do to Harmony? Huh? How dare you touch her?" My brows furrow evilly, and I resist the urge to enclose my palms around her slender neck and squeeze.

I shut my eyes and take a deep breath.

Logics says men don't hurt women, Blaze. Men don't hurt women.

I repeat the statement ten times before my eyes reopen to meet hers.

"Listen, I am not right in the head, you hear me? You of all people know that, so it's best you stay far away from Harmony, I won't ask again. Or you'll pay."

She scowls, and her eyes are glossy. "I wasn't doing anything to her; she liked my hairpin so I was just—"

I step up to her, closing the small space left between us. My eyes hold a sinful gleam as she presses her back against the wall. She looks up at me timidly, and I rest my hand above her head, leaning in so no other possible audience can hear what I am about to say to her.

"Do you think...that I don't know what you were trying to do with that hairpin?"

She swallows.

"You see, Maddie, your little 'innocent game' does not work on me, you may fool Harmony, but you can't fool me. I have come a long way from stabbing a cop, piercing someone in the neck with a pencil, and almost cutting a lecturer in the face. And that's not the half of it, so do you honestly think I don't know what you were trying to do with that object? Do I look stupid?"

"Blaze, I wasn't going to—"

"Shh. Shut up. If I see you do something like that again, you will be sorry you came back here...because I will mentally fuck your head up so bad, that this time, you will be on your way to an asylum and never return. Irritate me, and I will make you spend the rest of your days in a white room, clawing at your skin. Don't test me; you aren't the only crazy one."

She fearfully gulps as I step away, sending her one last glare before walking off, leaving her still backed up against the wall.

••

Blaze returns to my dorm room after a short while, and I stand up eagerly from my bed at the sight of him.

I go to meet him halfway. "Hey...what happened; what did you say to her?" I ask worriedly.

He smiles brightly. "Oh, nothing really...just a little warning. I am so hungry; do you have food?"

He walks over to my bed and crashes on his back with a tired sigh. My curiosity heightens unbearably, but I don't want anything to ruin my moment with him tonight, and so I choose to brush it aside, planning to think about it later.

I smile. "I think I have some snacks in my cabinet."

He props up onto his elbows with a grin. "Wow, I love you for this; do you have Doritos?"

I love you for this.

It's the second time that he has said he loves me indirectly, and I don't know if it means anything at all. I don't want to overthink or read too much into his words. That's not healthy. When he is ready, he will say it, and I will be certain then of what he means.

"Yes, actually. I do have Doritos."

"Sweet!" He grins. "Then go grab it and let the night begin!"

I laugh. "Okay. A bag of Doritos coming right up!"

I run off to the mini kitchen in the room, and he smiles softly.