"Still I want you, but not for your devil side, not for your haunted life, just for you." —Foxes.

••

The stillness hangs in the air like a suffocating blanket as Blaze steers into the parking lot of Homewood. He told me not to speak to him earlier, so I am doing just that. His hot and cold behavior is tiresome, but I try to bear in mind that along with his Sociopathy: ASPD, he also has mild bipolar disorder, which explains his violent shifts in conduct. I am trying to understand him the best that I can.

We get out of his car, and he locks the doors with his key as we begin to walk in the direction of the school's building.

"Blaze Xander!" A stern voice forces us to halt our strides and look back to see an angry Malcolm storming over to us. Nostrils flared, jaw clenched; he looks excessively enraged.

I tilt my head to the side. "Mal?"

He points at Blaze, who is casually glaring at him with his hands stuffed into his pockets.

"You! What the hell did you do to my sister?!"

My face scrunches in confusion while my eyes move to Blaze for answers, but he's just smirking with a raised chin as if Mal is a pathetic idiot standing in front of him.

"Mal? What do you mean?" I ask.

"Ask that trash! My parents had to take my sister back to the hospital because she is unresponsive! She's not talking to anyone, she even attempted to take sleeping pills, and it's because of this bastard!"

I blink a few times, my head traveling between a cocky Blaze and an aggressive Mal. "What do you mean, what did he do?"

"Yeah, Mal, what did I do?" Blaze sneers arrogantly, and this ascends Malcolm's rage to the highest degree.

"You son of a bitch!"

"Mal calm down and tell me what happened?"

"Blaze did something to her! Because the only word she is uttering is his name! I told you to stay away from my sister, you asshole, didn't I?!" He gestures to charge into him when I step into his path.

"Calm down, okay? Look, Blaze has nothing to do with—"

"Telling her I only fucked her because she was easy was enough to relapse her psychotic phase?" Blaze begins, and I freeze in my spot. "Damn, I should have tried something more painful...like how lame she rides for starters. I have had much better sex with clothes on."

I gasp and look at him in disbelief.

Did he just say...?

"You son of a—!" Mal grabs my shoulders and moves me out of his way. I stumble back but look just in time to see him clenching a fist to hit Blaze. But what I see next causes me to stiffen like the statue of liberty.

Blaze's hand is subtly reaching for what looks like a knife in his waist, and the death in his glare is present.

Oh. God.

I jump into the way before Mal could hit him and before Blaze could grip that pointed weapon tucked between his belt.

Is he crazy? Why does he still have a knife?

I swallow and push my hair back. "Malcolm, go."

"Harmony, get out the way." Mal counteracts.

He should really go, because little does he know, he was just about to be stabbed by a Sociopath with no soft spot for humanity.

"Harmony, don't defend him; he deserves a fine ass beating!"

"Malcolm, go!"

"Yeah, Malcolm." Blaze taunts in a calm and relaxed tone. "You should really go."

I know Blaze enough to know that his voice and his statement bears a threat, and the anxiety makes me feel like grabbing Mal's arm and forcefully pulling him away from the area.

"Why do you keep defending this asshole, Harmony?"

"I am not, I just need you to leave."

"You're disrupting the little peace I have and I am not in a very good mood." Blaze adds. "Don't provoke me."

"Blaze be quiet. Please, just go, Malcolm!"

"Yeah, you should listen to her Malcolm."

Mal's eyes narrow on him. "It's not over, you son of a bitch."

Blaze snickers. "Really? Then be my guest, I'll be waiting. Just give me the time and place, I will clear my schedule just for you."

Mal's nostrils spread in anger while he grits his fist, and I sigh, holding my forehead. "We will talk another time Mal, just leave...please?"

A rigid, promising glare is sent in Blaze's direction before Malcolm turns away and leaves the scene, finally.

My body relaxes in relief, but the sound of an arrogant scoff behind me reminds me that I should be angry at Blaze right now for even thinking of stabbing someone.

I don't care for Maddie—not after what she did to me. But Blaze needs to stop attacking people with weapons. He could kill someone and ruin his entire future—his entire life. And mine too.

I whirl around to him, and my vexed expression makes him sigh as he jams his hands back into his pockets.

"What? Another lecture? What's with you all today?"

"Blaze why do you still have a knife?"

He blows his cheeks out. "Harmony, I don't recall ever agreeing to you that I would throw my knife away."

"This is a school, Blaze. And you can't keep reaching for weapons the minute someone says or does something that you don't like. That is not the way to live; that is what I am trying to tell you. You need to stop this, stop being this short-tempered, you cannot keep acting like a...!" I stop short, reconsidering the words I was about to say on impulse.

But it is too late. My abruptly ended speech has already awoken his curiosity, and he narrows his eyes while he steps up to me. He glares at me beneath him, urging me to finish the sentence.

"Like a what, Harmony?"

I sigh. "Blaze..."

"Say it."

The firm expression I was wearing earlier wavers, and I shift from one foot to the next. "Like...like a juvenile delinquent."

I watch how his jaw firmly tightens, and I realize those words touch somewhere deep within him.

I shouldn't have said them.

He says nothing for a while, and then he gestures to walk off when I grip him. "Blaze."

He yanks my grasp from his elbow and turns to give me a dark glare. "Then why the fuck are you hanging around a delinquent?"

Ouch.

Not again.

"Blaze for once stop being so arrogant!" I hiss.

"Arrogant?" He scoffs. "You know Harmony, you sound so much like my dad right now. You all feel like you can change me and claim it is for the better. Well, guess what, you can't. I don't need your little goody-two-shoes lectures, Harmony Skye; I am fine without them and I am also fine without you!"

Oh God; the tears are coming.

I gulp. "Okay fine...t-then I should suppose you wouldn't mind not seeing me ever again? I should just leave you alone, shouldn't I?"

He looks away from me, and I nod my head while stepping back. "I will stay away from you, Blaze Xander. I won't speak or hang around you ever again. I am sure you will be fine without me and I will be too...eventually."

He keeps his gaze off me, and I fight the tears as I turn away and walk off.

I won't cry in front of him, not again. I have done too much of that for the day.

He doesn't need me; I can tell, but the painful thing is that actually, I need him. More than he can tell.

I get back to my dorm room, and I must commend myself for not already bawling my eyes out. But I know the minute I lay down to sleep, the thoughts will flow and so will the tears, so I guess they are saving themselves up for nightfall when the world is asleep.

My college days should not be spent pinning over a guy. The only thing I should be worried about is acing my tests and ensuring I get that degree at the end of the day. That was the initial plan, but all of a sudden, Blaze Xander is occupying so much of my mental space. It's a fortunate thing that I am somehow still managing to do well in school.

I miss the days when I didn't care for love and all the emotions that come with it, but now I can't seem to remember what it felt like not loving someone, not loving Blaze Xander.

Harmony, what have you become?

Heading home for the weekends will probably help my distress state. I miss my mom too, and maybe it will be a great opportunity to talk to her about Blaze and everything.

Or maybe that's not such a good idea.

I pull my cell out from my pocket and dial her number while crashing down on the bed.

"Harmony." Her cheerfulness flows through the line, and it makes me smile a little. I miss her.

"Hey, Mom." I sigh, idly picking at a loose thread on the sheet.

"I was just about to call you, but I forgot that the cake is baking in the oven, so I had to do a rain check. How are you, baby? How's school?"

I scratch my forehead. "School is cool."

I don't mean that; it's just a rhyme.

"I just kind of want to head home for the weekends."

"Are you okay, Harmony? You sound down."

My mom and I are so connected that we can always sense when something is not right with one of us.

"I just need a break from Homewood," I tell her.

"Okay dear, I will come to pick you up tomorrow evening, alright? Then we can spend Saturday and Sunday together, okay?"

That's exactly what I need. I smile. "Sure, Mom."

The door opens and April strolls in with her duffel bag. I quickly end the call with my mom, promising her that I will call her back later.

"Hey, stranger." She says as she throws her bag down and struts over to me.

I sit up straight and put my phone aside, tilting my head to the side to have a better look at her exhausted facial expression. "Are you alright?"

"No, I've been trying to cheer up a distraught Tia all day." She slumps next to me with a groan. "She's worried about Kite."

"Is he okay?"

Although Kite did something as sick as that, I cannot help feeling a tiny bit sorry for him, especially since we didn't sleep together and he didn't sexually assault me as I had initially thought.

"Well yeah, but he won't be leaving that hospital for a while."

"Oh..." I lower my gaze, hoping he will be alright. I don't hate Kite; I am more disappointed in the fact that he did something so inhumane.

"Do you know what may have happened?" She asks.

I shrug lightly, avoiding eye contact, but the guilt on my face is a giveaway.

Her body shrinks in realization while she squints her eyes. "Hold on...does this have anything to do with Blaze? Was he the one who did it?"

I sigh. "I...I guess but he had his reasons."

She gasps. "I knew it! I knew it had to be him! Oh God, Blaze is just so ill-mannered, what on earth is wrong with him?!"

"No, Blaze isn't wrong this time April, please don't blame him..." I rub my palm along the opposite arm and look away. "He did it because Kite did something to me..."

She's even more curious now as she turns to face me. "What did he do?"

"The thing is, he was working with Maddie. She drugged me and took some pictures of me and Kite in bed. I was unconscious and they made it seem like I slept with him so that Blaze would get mad and hate me."

April's eyes widen. "What kind of picture?"

"Some nude ones..." Recalling the image, I am embarrassed all over again. I see why Blaze can't look at me the same anymore. He's probably seeing that picture each time he looks at me.

"Oh my God...are you serious? That is insane. Okay, now I see why Blaze would do that to him." She shakes her head in disbelief. "I can't believe Kite would do something like that; why would he?"

"He claims he loves me." I sigh. "I am so disappointed that he humiliated me like that."

"Love? He's so wrong. Love does not embarrass someone like that, and to think he went to the psychotic extent of taking your clothes off is even more mindboggling. He's crazy if he could decide to work with that psychotic girl to ruin you under the faulty proclamation of love. That is insane..."

"I know."

"I would have advised you to report it, but Blaze already beat him half-dead. And I love my cousin, so he won't get into trouble because of two sick assholes."

I press my lips together.

April intakes a sharp breath, all of this being too much for her. Imagine what I underwent. I am the one who had my entire body on a phone screen for the boy I love to see.

"But Blaze is still partially wrong for beating him like that." She adds. "You should see Kite's face. Even his eyes are swollen..."

The thought of Kite with a fractured rib and two swollen eyes makes me cringe. Blaze beat him pretty bad then.

"I know my cousin; he was probably aiming to kill him."

"Please don't tell Tia or anyone...I feel it would be best if Blaze says it himself. I don't want to be a snitch if you know what I mean."

She nods. "I understand." She rests her hand on my shoulder. "I am so sorry that he did something like that to you, Harmony." She pulls me into a comforting hug. "You'll be alright, okay?"

I smile. "Thanks, April."

••

The weekend comes by fast and being with my mom is exactly what I need to clear my head of the drama of Homewood.

Friday night was spent watching movies with my mom and Eli while we ate popcorn and chat. It was this familiar comforting feeling that I had missed for a while. I had forgotten how beautiful the innocence of just spending time with my family and being away from the teen drama was.

I feel like moving back home and giving up on school, but that'd only result in a future of binge-watching movies while feasting on cold two-weeks old pizza with a landlord beating my door down for his rent. I do not want that life, so I just have to fight it through, teen drama and all.

Saturday wasn't bad either. My mom and I went to the mall in our hometown. I got new underwear and a few new T-Shirts while she was at the salon section, getting her hair permed. Eli was with his babysitter for the day, so my mom and I didn't head back home until 6 pm. We ate dinner, watch some comedies then we went off to bed.

I wanted to hang out with Collum, but he was away on a Church Camp with his girlfriend and so we just FaceTimed before I hopped under the covers. I thought about Blaze for a really long time before my eyes closed and I drifted off to sleep.

Today is Sunday, and my mom woke me up quite early to assist her with gardening. She loves planting flowers, and she has a red rose specifically planted at a section that signifies her undying love for my father. She will never let go; I am sure of that.

My room is a mess, and we are finally through with the garden, so I head up to do some cleaning while my mom does the laundry.

I miss Blaze. I am not sure if I can withstand not seeing him anymore, and I am starting to regret ever telling him I'd keep my distance.

"Harmony, where are the worn clothes you brought back from Homewood?" My mom strolls into my room with soapy hands, and I point to the duffel bag I took along with me. "In the pink bag."

I usually do my laundry, but she insisted on helping me out since she hasn't seen me in a while.

She hums to herself as she struts over to collect them, and I resume my pathetic thinking about the boy I swore I'd stay away from.

"Harmony?"

"Mm?" I am packing some old books on my lamp table, not bothering to turn around.

"Why do you have this in your bag?"

"What?" I swing my face around to see my mom holding a small box between her fingers.

I squint my eyes to identify what it is, and the minute I do, my eyes tear open involuntarily.

"Condoms?" She raises a quizzical brow, and I cough anxiously.

"Er...they were giving them out..."

I quickly strut over to her and slip the small box of condoms Dr. Kar had given me from her fingers.

She rests her hands on her hips, raising her eyebrows while glaring at me. "Where?"

"At school, Mom," I reply, pushing it into my bag.

"God, are you having sex, Harmony?"

I roll my eyes. "Mom, no. I am not having sex."

"Really?" She crosses her arms against her chest. She doesn't believe me.

"Yes, it's just a box of condoms, Mom. It means nothing; I am still a virgin. They were just giving these out at the college, and it was mandatory that we all take one."

"Well, you should throw that out; why would you need it? These boys only want one thing, Harmony. I hope you're not fooling around with any of them at that college."

I frown. "Mom, come on."

"Come on? I am not ready to be a grandmother. I am still pretty young, please keep your head on straight, or I will enroll you into a different institution." She reprimands as she gathers my clothes and plods out of the room.

I close my room door and continue to clean. My mother has always been like that, so it does not phase me. The only thing on my mind right now is Blaze, and how I will manage to keep my distance from him. It has only been two and a half days, and I am already contemplating waving my white flag.

Evening falls before I know it, and I settle on my bed to do some studying. After walking around in my head all day, I concluded that I need to keep the promise to myself. I said I would stay away from Blaze, and that is what I am going to do. I will not become tempted.

The door to my room opens, and I pull the earphones from my ears at the sight of my mother.

"Get dressed, Harmony; I have plans for this evening, honey."

I glance at the clock on the wall. "It's 6:15; where are we going at night?"

"Just get dressed, we are running late, and I promised to be there at 7."

My mother and I spent all weekend together, and she did not feel the need to tell me about this 'plan.'

Reading my expression, she cocks her head to the side. "I didn't remember to inform you, sweetie; I am a busy woman, you know."

I sigh. "What's the occasion?" I get off my bed and lazily walk toward my closet.

"A dinner." She answers. "A dinner with Mr. Blake and his son."

My eyes enlarge as I shoot my glare to her, and she is taken aback as she shrinks away. "Why that look?"

I clear my throat. "Er...nothing."

"Now hurry, I told him 7." She turns away and leaves the room, and I stand frozen, wondering if I just heard correctly.

A dinner with whom?

Okay, the universe is definitely playing tricks on me.

~

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