"My head's gonna burst any second, Chicks." I groaned, gripping the front of my head and my hair as I slumped down on my bed. Chicken purred in response and curled around one of my legs, something that didn't seem to help in the slightest.

I really couldn't understand why my head was aching so badly right now, the pounding in my head seeming to increase if I sat up for too long. Now that I thought about it, the hit hadn't even been that severe.

But what if I had accidentally burst a vein or something? Or maybe even cracked my skull?

I should've gone to a doctor, or maybe even told my parents about this. But I didn't want to deal with their questions. Ingesting those painkillers felt so much easier than making up stupid excuses.

I scrambled around, trying to reach for my phone with my outstretched hand. And when I switched it on, I wasn't really surprised to see various messages and missed calls, all from Alex. A twinge of guilt spread over my heart. He was probably worried why I had suddenly asked him to not pick me up for school today and had skipped school as well.

I rested my head against the bed rest and took another pill in my palm, gulping it down with a glass of water.

I opened up Alex's latest text and let out a small, helpless groan.

Someone uploaded a video of the cafeteria from yesterday. Almost trending on YouTube, Sky. It's kind of fucked up.

I frowned at the exaggeration. It wasn't even funny that he wrote that. Things like such spread around our school way too quickly. And the things they could make out from just one normal circumstance, I'd seen multiple times how badly that could go.

I found myself clicking on the attached link and a YouTube video popped up on my screen. Even Chicken felt the need to crawl up in my lap, her eyes trained on the lit-up screen.

The video was exactly what Alex had mentioned--a recording of the entire scene in the cafeteria yesterday. And there were almost more than a hundred views on it, with comments that really weren't fun to read.

This really was fucked up.

I switched off my phone and closed my eyes, blowing out a heavy sigh. I was truly glad that I had skipped school today, even though that'd be a big problem when my mom found out. But with this fucking headache, I was pretty sure I wouldn't have been able to stand those stares in school hallways.

To everyone else's knowledge, Caden Miller never asked for anything, not from a girl like me. And not to forget that little glaring-fight he'd had with Alex. People were mostly surprised to see that Caden hadn't bashed Alex's head like he would've done with anyone else. And I swear to God, if anyone came up with a rumour that it was all because of me, I would probably flip out on every single one of them.

And Mom would flip out on me, I thought. I never skipped classes. I never skipped school.

My phone buzzed again but I didn't check it this time. It was probably another text from Alex. He'd be arriving at my home at this rate if I kept on ignoring his calls and messages. But then again, it wasn't really my fault. I had been asleep the whole day, only waking up when it was somewhere near nighttime.

The only person who seemed to be a bit happy right now was Chicken--who wasn't really a person--since she got to have my company the entire day, even if I was in bed the whole time.

Thinking that I had sulked around enough, I stood up from my bed and padded downstairs in my pyjamas. I pulled up my hair in a ponytail before pouring myself another glass of water and sitting down on the couch.

Then I started thinking. Frowning and thinking and wishing it wasn't so quiet in this house.

I would give anything sometimes to have my parents spend a normal day with me.

A second or two passed by before I heard the doorbell ring.

I looked over at the front door, knowing exactly who it was going to be. Alex. I didn't think I was ready to see him, or maybe I was. He was my best friend and I surely couldn't keep on ignoring him for the whole day. If something was up, we always spoke it out one way or another.

Letting out a small yawn, I stood up from the couch and went over towards the door. When I pulled it open, I found myself face to face with the only person I wasn't expecting to find there.

"Caden?" I spoke up with wide eyes. "What–How?"

He looked at me with those green eyes and my breath hitched. Again.

"It's really not nice to see you again, Anderson." He replied bluntly, and I managed to frown at that even though I was totally checking him out.

He was wearing his usual leather jacket over a black shirt, with equally dark jeans. It really was hard to look away.

I give up.

This guy was standing right in front of me, outside my house, somehow knowing my fucking house address (even though I don't remember giving it to him) and I couldn't help but admire how extremely good looking he was?

"How did you know where I live?" I demanded.

He raised a brow at me and let out a short, humourless laugh. "I don't think I'd like to tell you that."

I opened my mouth in disbelief. He had the nerve to stalk up my house address and refused to tell me how?

"What are you doing here?" I stuck with frowning at him, placing my hands on either side of the doorframe. It would be so much easier if it had been Alex ringing the doorbell and not him.

Caden's eyes trailed down my face, certainly judging my colourful pyjamas, unlike his complete black attire. I crossed my arms across my chest and his gaze flickered to my eyes, one corner of his lips curving up ever so slightly.

"I thought you agreed to give me that letter." He stated. "Didn't know you sucked at keeping your promises."

I forced myself not to fidget under his intimidating gaze, even though it hadn't been my fault. I had forgotten about that whole promise thing.

"You weren't there at school today." His gaze didn't seem to leave mine.

I ended up rolling my eyes. "Yeah, I wasn't. But since you were too nice to come here yourself." I hesitated a little. "I might as well give it to you now."

I was aware that I shouldn't do that. Invite a total stranger into my house. Because firstly, I didn't think my parents would've appreciated knowing that I let a boy in my house when I was all alone. And secondly, if Alex ever found out that I let Caden inside my house, his hate for Caden would probably make him do something really stupid.

I did hesitate to let him into my house, eyeing him sceptically. "Um...yeah." Then I stepped aside to let him in because really, it was way too cold to be standing outside right now.

He stared at me in clear amusement before stepping inside, and once he was past me, I closed the front door and turned my back against it.

"You just let a stranger into your house when you're all alone." He said, stopping a few feet away from me. "And here I thought you weren't so stupid."

I clenched my jaw, then pointed my index finger at him. "Shut up," I told him. He'd saved my life once, I reminded myself. "I'm not alone. I've got my cat with me."

And really, I wasn't even kidding. Chicken could be a real threat with her paws if you ever tested her. Unfortunately, Caden didn't know that. That's why he responded with a look of slight disbelief in my direction as if I was the most idiotic person he had ever met.

I failed to spot Chicken around the lounge and almost cursed silently.

That traitor!

When I felt something furry curling around my right foot, I looked down and saw Chicken, who had actually been here with me all this time.

Oh well.

I leaned down to pick her up but instead, stepped on my overly large pyjama bottoms and ended up stumbling before falling on my butt. Chicken reacted by jumping on top of me.

Caden, on the other hand, looked at me with raised brows, tilting his head just a little to the side as if examining me. "You do amuse me, Anderson." He confessed before coming towards me.

Right at that moment, I thought that he really was going to give me a hand and help me get up. After all this time, he would give me a hand! But all he did was pick Chicken up and leave me where I was.

I looked at him incredulously. How could one be so rude to the same person who let him in their house?

A little exasperated, I stood up myself and tried not to wince out loud at the sudden pounding in the back of my head, sticking with grinding my teeth together. I saw Caden eyeing me and I responded quickly, "I'll go and get that letter. Just wait here."

When I reached upstairs in my room, I blew out a small painful sigh and went over towards my desk. I started rummaging through my drawers which were filled with real crap. Perhaps Mom was right. I should fix my room someday.

Somehow after a few minutes of searching around, I finally found the crumbled white paper that I had received earlier in the mail. Closing back my drawers, I opened it and tried smoothing it out as I walked back downstairs.

Caden was exactly where I had left him. The only difference was Chicken, who was roaming around his feet now. Once I stepped down the last stair, Chicken ran towards me and I picked her up before setting her down on the couch.

"Stay here, Chicks," I murmured to her and she let out a small meow.

Caden gave me another odd look when I turned towards him as if he couldn't believe that I was talking to a cat. Before he could've commented on it, his eyes travelled down to the paper in my hand.

I held it out towards him.

The next few minutes passed by in total silence as I watched him in anticipation, while he looked over at the paper, reading the words with a somewhat blank look.

Then his brows furrowed and he finally looked back at me, a strange expression in his eyes that I couldn't really figure out.

"What is it?" I asked him when the silence seemed to stretch on, not being able to hide the nervousness from my voice. Something about the expression on his face was making me nervous.

He looked back at the paper and he seemed nowhere near happy. When I started to think that he wouldn't be saying anything anytime soon, he finally opened his mouth, seeming like he wasn't sure whether saying it out loud would be worth it or not.

"It's the East Gang." He muttered.

______

Crystal 🌿