My day had started off badly and just gotten progressively worse. Even the few encounters I had with Joey couldn’t help me shrug it off.

It didn’t help that I found myself looking for glimpses of Damien during the day. I couldn’t explain it and as much as I hated it I couldn’t seem to help me. What was my fascination with him? He was an asshole. Every time we interacted he only seemed to annoy me with everything he said.

Why on earth would I seek him out in the crowd when I couldn’t stand him? I didn’t want to think about what that meant for fear of what I would have face. He was a first class asshole. I felt the need to remind myself.

I tried to focus on the other thing that had been on my mind. Parker. We hadn’t known each other for long but we had connected in a way I couldn’t explain. He had meant a lot to me in the short time I’d had with him.

No matter how I had tried to reason, what I had seen could not have been real. And that meant there was a pretty good chance there was something really wrong with me.

It scared me. My father had suffered mentally. Did that make me more susceptible to this kind of thing? Seeing or imagining things that weren’t there?

I was going around and around in circles and not coming up with any firm reason for what I had experienced.

It didn’t help that during lunch time I saw some girl all over Damien. I hated how he just smiled at the opposite sex and they swooned over him. I couldn’t imagine how anyone could stand him for more than five minutes. He was a jerk that had an oversized ego.

Then it occurred other me. Girls loved the bad boys, the ones who treated them terribly. At least I wasn’t one of those girls. I had Joey. He was a nice guy. Better than Damien.

I sighed heavily making my way outside of the school. I had been dreading having to interact with Damien again but I had little choice. It was either catch a ride back home with him or walk.

As I exited the school I spotted him leaning against his car. The girl from earlier was flirting with him. I stopped, watching them. Unable to take another step toward them as the girl leaned into him and placed her mouth against his. And then she was kissing him. Her long blond hair curtained their mouth as I held my breath but could not look away.

It felt like a knife was lodged in my chest. The pain was indescribable. I touched my hand to my chest where the pain throbbed.

Damien put his arms around the girl and kiss her deeply while I stood watching their mouths move in union. I swear I threw up in mouth a little. It was gross.

I felt sick to my stomach. I knew in that instant I could not pretend, I could not suffer through another ride with that guy. No further reasoning was necessary to make my decision.

Damien was too engrossed in the girl to notice that I hurried out of the school, dashing amongst the cars as I walked as quickly as I could through the parking lot hoping the girl would keep him completely engrossed so I would get away before he could see me. I made it out of the school grounds and was walking at a speedy pace to ensure I gained enough distance before he noticed I had ditched him. I ensured I switched my phone to mute.

I lifted my face to the sun, breathing deeply. This was much better than being stuck in the confines of a car with the asshole whose name I did not want to mention. For the first time that day I smiled, feeling more carefree.

I wasn’t going to think about him, or the girl he had been kissing.

To ensure he didn’t drive past me at some point when he figured out I was gone I took some short cuts. It was hot but I would rather walk through a desert than have to deal with the conceited asshole. My shoes, which were not meant for comfortable walking began to chaff against my skin, I could feel the blisters. I had to stop a few times to readjust my shoes. It was when I started to regret my impulsive choice to walk home. In theory it had been the right choice. But now as my feet began to hurt and I felt the sun beating down on me, I began to regret it.

I was surprised not to see his care in his driveway when I got home. Maybe he was with the stupid girl he had been kissing. I hated that just the thought of the girl made me really dislike her. In fact, it boarded on hate.

I dropped my bag at the entrance before removing my shoes. I groaned, taking in the blisters that had already developed. Hot and sweaty, I headed to the kitchen in search of something cool.

I was half way through a glass of cold water when the door bell rang. I paused, placing the drink down on the counter and making my way to the front door.

The doorbell went again. This time sounding more insistent than before. I knew who it was before I opened the door.

Damien was glaring at me, his mouth in a tight line. “What the fuck Tessa?” His eyes had a fierce glint.

“What?” I gave a one armed shrugged, giving him my wide eyed innocent look.

He took a deep breath taking a menacing step into the house, I backed away as he slammed the door shut behind him.

It was the first sign that he was more pissed than I had expected. Although I hadn’t spent a lot of time thinking about the consequences of my decision.

“I was waiting for you…and you just…what walked home…without even letting me know!” He fisted his hands as he approached me. I took a step back followed by another. “I called you, left messages. I’ve been driving around for the last hour…looking for you.”

He backed me to the wall. I had no more room to move. He neared me.

“Why Tessa?” His jaw tense. “Why would you do that?”

“I thought you were too busy with your new friend sticking her tongue down your throat to miss me.”

He seemed confused for a brief second and then his eyes darkened. “I get it now.”

“Get what?” I asked off handedly, refusing show any interest.

He put a hand on either side of me, caging me in. And then leaned closer.

I was transfixed on his mouth. I should have shoved him away from me but I couldn’t move. Swallowing nervously I stared up at him and closed the distance between us.

“If I had been standing alone would you still have done the same thing Tessa?” he murmured, knowingly.

I pulled a frown. “That’s not why I walked home.”

He gave a hollowed laugh. “You can’t even be honest with yourself.” Backing away which made it easier to take a breath.

“I am,” I argued.

“Just admit it. You were jealous. But the more important question is why.” He threw his hands up in the air in frustration before shoving them into his pockets.

“Are you for real?” My mouth opened in shock.

“No. You’re the one in the wrong here.”

I glared at him, hating that despite my denials he was right.

“Who knows where you have been Damien? Maybe I’m scared I’ll catch something from you.”

It was a split second and then I was up against the wall. My mouth fell open at the sudden action.

“Let me go,” I told him, struggling to shake his hold. It was vice like.

He moved his hold to my waist and put his mouth near my ear. I held my breath. He was so close.

“I don’t think that’s it,” he whispered. “I think I know what the problem is.”

I gasped an indignation and then he covered my mouth with his. It was so sudden and unexpected, I moved my hands to his chest. His tongue slid against the seam of my lips and before I knew it I was kissing him back. My hands in his hair, straining against him.