Wicked Intentions

\Chapter Two/

I barely saw them again apart from a few glimpses at lunch after that. They never stayed in the same place for too long, I guess that's rather smart. Either way, I couldn't get the scenes from before out of my head. I'd seen that kind of s**t on tv but never in person . . . Never like that.

The whole time I'd been invisible to them, I guess they've been invisible to the whole world with only fists noticing their existence.

It was hard to walk away and my legs still tremble with anger at it but what difference did it make? All this thinking, I didn't do anything. I have no right to an opinion. If my dad knew . . . he'd be so ashamed. If this was the academy it all would have been different. I would have stood up but those days are gone and this is better. No matter how painful and disgusting it may be I need to survive too.

By the time I got home, Uncle Carl was up in his office trying to bribe the latest of his companies clients. His muffled voice filled the quiet house letting me know he was home as I hurried upstairs. Why Calli thought this place was a s**t-hole was beyond me. This was the sorta place my dad had always dreamed of owning, I can still remember him flipping through adverts in the local newspaper letting me pick the prettiest house before he would start planning how we'd furnish it and all the things we would add to make it really ours. I walked right down to the bottom of the hallway and shut my bedroom door letting the silence engulf me again.

I let my eyes scan the room like usual, it still took a while to realize this was my room. For three years walking around like a zombie does things to you. You forget which parts of your life were memories, dreams or reality. This still feels like the in-between zone. One minute I felt everything, I was a part of something and then in a second, I'm thrown somewhere else. It's like a switch malfunctioned and it's all just sleepwalking. We're all just sleepwalking.

My bed was pressed to the wall below the three large windows opposite the door. A desk sat to the right with various shelves nailed to the beige wall and an inbuilt wardrobe to the left. I hurried to the door next to the open closet and made sure to flip the lock to the conjoined bathroom in case Calli came home. It was pretty bare but then again there wasn't much I wanted to bring with me.

I tore my clothes off throwing them into a pile in front of the door before reaching for my orange and yellow grilled cheese sandwich shorts and a purple tie-dyed vest I had thrown on my bed this morning. I wasn't fancy. But I wouldn't be caught dead in these shorts outside too, for one-half, my butt cheek is exposed to the world! But it was comfy. It was my homie choice of clothing.

I hurried over to the old laptop on my desk, the top covered in Michael Jackson, Harley Quinn, Batman, the Joker, and various other horror movie stickers. You couldn't see the sleek black underneath anymore. But it was the only thing in this world that reflected anything about me. Usually, it's your bedroom, you know with all your posters and music and DVDs but for me, it was this. My walls remain bare. Hitting the keyboard my music rang out and I let my eyes close as I threw my head back. This was pure peace. The music invades my brain and I can't think. For a few minutes, I'm taken to just jumping in the air, my head bashing the air around me as my hair whipped across my shoulders and arms. I kept going moving my lips to the words until my legs ached and I had to gasp for oxygen, my hands gripping my knees as the track changed.

"See you're okay. You dance and you sing until you're okay. When you feel so broken you can't see you trick your mind. It won't leave scars that way."

My hand flew to my chest, my father's words echoing down my thumping ears through my heavy gasps. I did it, today I did it. I fell to my knees, a weak smile pulling at my lips as I focused on the burning in my chest and legs. Then my eyes fell to the small dagger poking out from a book on my chair, it's ivy handle hidden. I let my body slump to the ground as I rolled to my back with my arms outstretched and my grin widening. "Three to me and five to Ivy! Better watch, I'm catching up."

By the time Calli had gotten home, it was around eight and Aunt Sara had four plates of roast chicken, salad, and rice on the table. Uncle Carl barely ate at the table apart from Sunday's and today was no exception as he hurried down to collect his plate, lacing Sara with two quick pecks on the lips and giving me a smile before disappearing to his office. I sat at the island with my fork resting on the side of my plate as I watched Calli take a bite of chicken from the side of hers while juggling a glass of coke. She turned and hurried up after her father, no doubt to ask about tomorrow. When I turned to face Aunt Sara, her weary brown eyes landed on mine. Her skin was the same olive as dads and her eyes . . . They were always so kind, so trying but they were alert. Always so alert.

Gently patting down the side of her carefully pinned blonde hair, I watched as her forehead broke out into worried lines, her eyebrows furring together as her plump pink lips twitched the exact same way fathers did whenever he was worried. Uncle Carl had pulled well. Sara was small, delicate she was the perfect doll with a gift to make you feel so warm but she was a fool. I could see why my father felt so protective of her. "Elise . . . You know you can join me in the living room for dinner don't you?"

I took a bite of my chicken and nodded. "I know. I'm fine here. Really." I assured. She stared at me for another minute before I saw her eyes cloud with pity.

"Okay." She replied, her voice soft but unsure. She picked up her plate and walked away but not before pausing and looking over at me, her lips parting like she was ready to say something but just as quickly they closed and I made no sign I was aware.

We never had a dining table but we had a kitchen island and we always ate together there. Every meal we sat around picking at our food cause we were too busy laughing or crying or cleaning up the broken pieces of each other. This was sacred. It was my ritual, one of the only things I could bring with me. So I sat in silence, eating my food in the empty kitchen, my eyes avoiding the darkness outside the large windows sprayed across the whole of one wall.

**

"Hey, Elise . . . um hey?" Calli's hesitant voice jerked me awake, my neck aching as I moaned out feeling a pencil stuck to my cheek. I sat up on my elbows slapping the pencil from my cheek as I wiped the tangled knots of hair from my eyes. My textbooks were scattered across my pillow opened with various gibberish etched onto lose yellow paper, my notebook discarded on the floor. Finally, I noticed Callie standing by the door dressed in her usual but this time her hair was free and flipped to one shoulder. It took a few seconds for the blur to ease enough to focus on her. "I take it you aren't going in?"

Groaning, I let my head fall back against the scratchy pages.

"Um well mum and dad said it was cool, they already left for Vegas so be ready by six. Daryl's picking us up." I stuck my thumb up to her but she didn't leave. Instead, she lingered making the room suddenly spin with awkwardness. "Are you okay?"

Again, I gave her a thumbs up and with another minute of hesitation, she finally walks away closing the door.

It's like she didn't learn.

As soon as I heard the front door click close, I rolled over staring up at the ceiling feeling my stomach rumble. A weight rested over my head and I moaned feeling a shot of burning stings from my arm as I moved. Pulling my arm into view I held it up to see three lines etched into my skin crossing each other, the skin around it was swollen with dried blood cacked across my wrist. No wonder she hesitated. Maybe that's why we don't fight, we don't talk. No matter what we see.

Forcing myself up, I swung my legs over the edge of my bed and half a bottle of Vodka that was tucked under a black blanket.

Explains a lot.

My eyes then found Ivy resting across my open laptop, "Six to you. Bitch." My voice was raspy and my throat felt like sandpaper. This was not how it was supposed to go. I had seven hours to kick this and mentally prepare for two weeks of stress. Two weeks that could potentially throw my comfy lifestyle upside down. I was okay, I found a way to deal and it works. I don't have it in me to find another way out if school comes chasing after me too, I can't be seen.

By the time five thirty came around I had showered, my hair pulled into a messy bun with loose strands rebelling across the sides of my face. I pulled on a pair of light skinny grey jeans and yanked a black vest with a v line on, red splatters of blood covered it with Freddy's finger knives glove imprinted on the front with a pair of ankle heeled boots. I stuffed a pair of jeans, some shorts and tops into my backpack making sure to throw in my books before grabbing my dark red leather jacket and beanie. I threw my bag at the entrance of the door and waited for Calli to show but instead at six all I heard was a loud honk from outside.

I checked the window seeing Calli wave for me to leave. Guess she already took her things.

Here we go.

I finally approached a beat up car, the Windows tainted with dirt and the matt red paint seemed to be chipping off. Daryl unlocked the car as the passenger's seat door swung open, Kaden stepping out. "You weren't in class." He declared, voice even, his shoulders hunched but it was the way his whiskey eyes turned into brown ice shards of hate that told me it wasn't just him stating a fact. s**t! I'd completely forgotten about the assignment!

"Sorry. Wasn't feeling well. We could talk about it some other time?" I asked, wanting to get inside the car quickly. He grumbled an agreement but I saw the way his eyes took a mental note of some unseen crime against him. Without another word, he slid into the car and I followed taking a quick glance at Callie. If she did see the scars, she wasn't giving it away. And I heavily doubted she would ever tell them, it must have been tough enough breaking the news that this, me was her mysterious no faced cousin of three years.

"We gotta chill for a few hours until my parents leave," Kaden muttered, his eyes fixing to the road as he spoke. We sat silently for a while after, My eyes taking quick Sharp glances between the two boys.

Okay, I guess they were a little strange but still . . .

"Kaden says you've been here for three years," Daryl's voice cut through my thoughts, his eyes catching mine in the review mirror. "You came in August right?"

Slowly I nodded, my hands already nervously twirling the loss strand of fabric hanging from my sleeve. How does he know that? No one remembers s**t in this place.

"Yeah, I did."

"You came in science. I'm really observant." He added, a small pink blush creeping across his cheeks.

But I only felt guilt, I never noticed him once.

They both kept the car going with their own chatter after that but they both took turns stealing a few glances at me in the review mirror. I couldn't read their expression but I could tell two things off the bat those two things were what had me relaxing back into the uncomfortable leather seat.

A few minutes later and we were pulling up to a new guy. He hid his stony brown eyes behind the shadow cast from his black hoody, his hands hidden inside his black jean pockets as a guitar dangled by his side.

"Hey, that's Riley," Calli mumbled to me as she scooted into the middle, her lips pulled into a wide smile. For a second I wasn't going to bother to fake my enthusiasm about spending this 'quality' time with them but the way her eyes seemed to glisten with some kind of hope had me reaching out weakly. After a quick nod in her direction, she aimed a fire of questions at Kaden. "Where we chilling? Are the other's gonna show? Do we even have the alchol-"

"f**k stop asking so many f*****g questions!" Kaden snapped, his hands tightening around his knees. "I don't know yet," he continued taking a deep breath and throwing his head back against the seat. What the hell was I doing here? I can't change what happened last night but really, a pity hangout?

"We could go Tylers." She added, a little more quietly this time.

"Yeah, Tylers got a free place this week." Daryl chimed in, his voice soft and almost unsure.

"f**k Tyler, he's got his new little posy of bitches anyway." I noticed the way Calli seemed to deflate back into the middle seat, her eyes cast down at her exposed knees.

"What about the abandoned park outside the bowling alley?" The guy next to Calli uttered, his voice gruff. His suggestion had Kaden thinking but only for a moment before the idea was shut down like everything else they seemed to say.

"It's Friday, all the d***s are gonna be there for the half-price deals." Hell, was it really this hard for them to hang out? Were all these places, really locked out to them? Suddenly the car seemed to get tight like all the air was turning stale and everyone seemed to be looking down at their laps. Calli looked embarrassed and kept her eyes firmly from mine, Daryl and the other guy looked out the windows as if trying to escape the awkward moments in this car with me but Kaden, he just looked downright pissed.

I guess inviting me probably wasn't the best idea but I couldn't just sit here silent like before. I might not have been able to say anything yesterday but today, today I think I can help out . . . no matter how much I just wanted to bolt from the car.

"I know a place," I muttered straining my voice. Their eyes snapped at me, Daryl staring with shock in the review mirror at the fact I would even be suggesting a place for us to hang out. Kaden's face mimicked Daryl's and Calli only grinned from one ear to the other. "Drive down Old Darold's and turn right. Just park next to the dumpsters.

He did as I said, no one asking anything until we finally reached the spot. Stepping out the car, I took the lead as they followed closely behind. A bunch of rundown shops littered the end of the road here, almost all the windows were broken and boarded up with old planks of woods but still, it held some of the best character than most of the places in this town. The street lights were barely glowing with fences wrapped in barbwire. I hurried up past the large trash bins and reached for the crusty black door in front, pushing myself against it and into the old boarded up gym.

Now it was just a large empty hall with covered mirrors and a s**t ton of dust. A few bits of equipment were tucked away in the far corner under a white sheet, Monty really thinks if anyone broke in they wouldn't see it. What an i***t.

I hurried over to the next door waiting for the others to catch up and close the door. Pushing it open, we were back outside but this time a line of thick trees faced us. "A mile of the forest is part of this property. When you reach a black fence with wires you'll know you're at the boundaries."

Daryl walked right out in wonder as the others took in this new information.

"Doesn't Monty Pierce own this place?" Calli asked, her voice a hushed whisper. I replied with a nod before walking into the woods towards my usual campsite.

What the hell was I doing?! This was my and Monty's place and here I am walking them right to it! At least you won't get caught though, I reminded myself as I reached the small clearing circled by trees. I sat in the middle of a log reaching for a lighter in my jacket to start the fire in the middle as Daryl took a seat on the edge of the log, Calli next to him as Riley sat crossed legged on the floor facing the flickering glow of a small fire.

"How long do we have to stay here for?" Calli asked, her eyes cast up at the sky worried it would pour down any minute now. Not that she was being stupid, this place was known for the rain that's for sure but I love the rain. It was always one of my dad's favorite things, the smell of rain.

"Just until Kaden's mum leaves for the weekend. I think Jackie and Tyler are gonna meet us there too." Daryl replied, his eyes landing on Kaden, with his lips cast down and eyebrow raised almost asking the last part. "He seemed a little pissed at Tyler."

"Yeah, what's that all about? Last week they were making plans to go down to Texas with his dad for a gun show." Gun show? They had those? Maybe I was little out-dated or just stupid but was looking at guns really that much of a father and son bonding time? What the hell was it with guys and bullets? But when my eyes fell back on Kaden pacing the ground, punching numbers into his mobile and muttering angrily to himself as he kicked at the dirt, I couldn't help but wonder if that was really the safest idea.

Daryl just shrugged before looking back at the sizzling fire in front of us.

"Is he always that pissed off?" I asked, my eyes twisting in annoyance at the boy still screaming down the phone.

"Get him drunk and you've got the Hulk for the whole night." Riley breathed, his voice barely audible over the slight howling of the wind. Can't exactly blame him for that. KassedyPro wasn't exactly the most nurturing environment but the way his friends seemed to stay far away, treading on eggshells and avoiding any kind of disagreement with him had me frowning. Why be like that to them? Finally slamming his phone shut, Kaden kicked his way over to us.

"f*****g stupid son of a bitc-"

"Who was that?" I asked, surprising myself at the sudden bold move to actually talk but something about the way everyone seemed to quieten down the closer he got annoyed me. This boy was just as unsure of himself as anyone else around here, in class, the rage was just behind his eyes but now when the people who deserve it most are gone he unleashes on the only people who actually still hang around with him. They looked scared of him.

He stared at me wide-eyed coming to a halt, "Uh just a . . . friend." he replied, his voice unsure like I had just asked him a trick question. His eyes left mine for a quick second looking to Daryl before falling back to me with a questioning look. "What were you guy's talking about?"

Calli's lips opened ready to reply before she thought twice about it like she had to phrase it exactly right. Riley's eyes fell on me behind Kaden, his teeth digging into his bottom lip, Daryl remaining silent. Me feeling this nudge of constant annoyance at how he stood so demanding in front of us but so weak back in those halls had me cutting Calli off before she could even start.

"I was just asking if you were always a raging asshole." If the fire wasn't still roaring in front of me, I would have thought their gasps had sucked all the oxygen out of this town. The wind whipping against the silence took over, my eyes glued to his cold raging orbs, his face completely blank apart from the creasing of his forehead into a frown but his eyes told the story. His hands clenched into fists at his sides as I caught Calli's horrified expression, Daryl in complete shock and Riley grinning at me over his shoulder.

I pressed harder down on my thumb trying to keep my face from faltering at my sudden burst. I'd barely known him for an hour and here I was throwing insults but the way his bravery was misplaced had my blood boiling under my skin.

"Asshole?" He repeated, his lips wavering and his voice tight like he was restraining himself.

"Raging asshole. Don't forget the raging." I added quickly, unable to stop myself. His body shuddered, the reflection of the fire turning his chocolate eyes a wispy red sending a chill through my body but not enough to scare me down. It took more than that. Instead, it felt like an invite, a dare. All the color drained from his face as his jaw tensed, his body completely frozen like he was focusing all his energy on not pouncing right there.

"You wanna talk about raging assholes?" he asked, his voice rising but still controlled as I rose an eyebrow urging him to go on but he paused, his lips opening and closing a few times all his retorts flashing before his eyes as the glow of the fire surrounded him feeling like they were shooting right red hot flares at me. Instead, he held them down picking the one I thought least about. "First you run off saying you wanna do the assignment then you ditch. You don't want to do the bloody piece of work say it and I'll do it! Don't keep pushing me around until we both fail!"

Of all the things he could have said, watching my cousin get beat on and walking away for years, not associating with my cousin my own blood but no . . .

Worse yet, he actually took offense to a sick day? Was he really that paranoid that I was suddenly out to get him and his grades? I mean really?

"Pushing you around?" I said not able to help the little chuckle that followed. "Dude I don't even know you. Up until yesterday, I had no idea who the hell you were why would I bother setting you up?"

I could see the way he fought down every instinct running through his body, his eyes only darkening if that was even possible. Before he could reply, my hands slapped down on the wood as I jumped up marching right up to him but coming to a stop and keeping my voice completely flat, "I can do the project. On my own." I said keeping all emotion out of my voice, mainly because I knew exactly how the sudden change would f**k with him.

He tilted his head to the side complexed but his eyes only seemed to lighten with curiosity. When he didn't reply, I turned my back walking back towards the gym but before I could take the first step up Kaden yelled out, "What are you doing now?"

I paused my brain screaming out at me to keep walking but no. Instead, I turned around to see Daryl's face watching in anticipation as Kaden took a few steps closer to me.

"Why?"

"Wanna go drink?" I had to look from him to Daryl a few times before I found my lips agreeing. A wide smirk spread across Kaden's face as he hurried in front, Daryl following at my side keeping a small distance as Calli and Riley put the fire out.

What the hell was I doing?! But what harm would it cause? The chances of anyone seeing was pretty slim and besides, where else was I supposed to spend the night?

Why was he holding back with me? But just like before, that was my invite. Every fiber in my body knew this wasn't gonna end well, deep down I knew tonight was the start but like a moth drawn to a flame, I was going straight for the burn.