Love to Burn Chapter 8: Potions, Trees, and Fireworks

Disclaimer: It's official. Chase and Logan have filed a restraining order against me. scoff As if that's gonna stop me.

The truth can sometimes be very hard to swallow. It is a natural human response to fear what you don't understand… but I can't help but feel a little hurt. Perhaps my efforts were futile. I never took into account his feelings, only my own and my desire to free him from his captors chains. With the truth revealed, it's become painfully obvious that I may be wrong, and the angel with the horns may be victorious.

Chase ran, and soon he was out of sight. What just happened? I tried to reassemble the pieces in my mind… I told Chase about Aiden after he begged me for the hundredth time, and in telling him about Aiden, I had to come out to him… Obviously, he couldn't handle it. I should be used to this. Every time I came out to one of my guy friends they completely overreacted with that ignorance that only someone in a state of overwhelming fear could produce.

So now, feeling… well I don't know what I was feeling exactly, but I wasn't feeling good, I walked around the grounds a little, trying to clear my head and figure out how to approach Chase without having him run away from me again. It was dusk now, several hours after the incident, but I hadn't noticed. The flow of time takes a backseat to reality when something like this happens. I hadn't thought he'd react like this. I could have sworn he was more mature than this, or at least not so much of a chicken as to run from me.

I was close to the girls lounge now, but the last thing I needed was to see Zoey right now. If I had to guess, Chase probably went running to her and told her everything. By now she was probably broadcasting on the school's news about her winning against me. I decided to just sit down outside and admire the stars as one by one they started to flicker in the sky. But my serenity was soon interrupted by that despicable voice I loathed oh so much. However, it wasn't directed at me.

"Quinn, you can't go around telling people to be themselves if they're committing a sin! It's wrong!"

"No, what's wrong is you forcing your warped beliefs onto everyone around you. If you'd just let people be, they might like you more."

"For your information, everyone loves me. There's not much to be said about the freaky science nerd who I live with though. Everyone's afraid of you Quinn!"

"If they are it's because of you! Ever since I moved in with you and Lola you've been nothing but horrible to me, constantly ruining my experiments and badmouthing me to everyone in your path. What did I do to you that was so bad?"



"You just don't understand. All you science people are all the same; so close minded."
"I'm closed minded?! You're the one biting people's heads off when they refuse to listen to you talk about Jesus every two seconds! No one can stand you anymore! You're sadistic, unsympathetic, and insane!"

Zoey then proceeded to slap Quinn across the face. It was completely uncalled for, and I wasn't about to let Zoey do that to my friend, so I rushed over and put my arms around Quinn, more to restrain her than to comfort her.

"Of course you'd be the one to come and defend her. Your kind always sticks together."

"What are you talking about?" I wasn't sure it was just her usual stench but she was really getting on my nerves, more so than usual.

"You're both immoral. You with your love of boys, and her, messing around with things only god should play with. You both sicken me."

She turned to go back into the lounge, and I was trying as hard as I could to keep Quinn from jumping out of my arms and killing her, even though a part of me REALLY wanted to.

Once Zoey was gone, I let Quinn go and she shook herself, trying to regain her composure as she fixed her hair and straightened her glasses.

"Why didn't you let me at her?!" she asked me, rage still clearly welling up within her.

"Because you might have killed her. You have all those freaky nerve pinching moves, and you could've been expelled if you started a fight with someone. You're too brilliant to be kicked out of here just because of her."

Quinn's glare softened and turned into a look of compassion. She was calmer now, sighing deeply while looking towards the entrance to the lounge.

"You're right. Thanks Logan… I guess… But why the sudden interest in defending me?"

"I'll defend anyone from Zoey. She's insane, and all the fame the kids around here give her has obviously gone to her head."

"Well you're right about the insane part."

Quinn was in distress, and I really needed something to get my mind off of Chase, so I led her towards a bench so we could talk about what happened.

"So what exactly sparked that?" I asked.

"Well, Firewire and his little geek squadron were trying to splice some genes in their obsolete lab, and obviously they failed. Boys don't understand the finer points of science. No offence."

"None taken. So how did that lead to Zoey going off on you?"



"They asked me for help, and I did help them. I ended up cloning one of their goldfish in the process. Zoey was really upset, saying something about how cloning was the ultimate sin next to Loganism."

"What is Loganism?"

"It's Zoey's word for gay people. She has issues. The point is, she's been fighting with me ever since, even threatening to have me kicked out of our dorm."

"What about Lola?"

"She's done everything she can, but Zoey won't listen to her anymore. She's in her own little world all of the time. Lola's already decided to move out. She can't deal with her anymore, and frankly I don't blame her."

"Don't get so bent out of shape about it. Zoey's been PMS –ing ever since school started. She's gotten over almost everyone's skin."

"Yeah, but she's been particularly upset at you. Why is that?"

At this point I figured that after telling Chase, it wouldn't hurt to tell Quinn. Besides, she was trustworthy and it wasn't like her to gossip either. She listened patiently at my story, seeming genuinely interested, and the further I went into detail, the more pathetic I looked in her eyes, or so I assume.

"Well, it's obvious to me that Zoey's suffering from some type of neurological disorder. She was hit with an overwhelming amount of anxiety when she turned her boyfriend gay, and she sought to seek solace in the divine, but took it way too far… but…"

"But what?"

"I have an idea that might benefit everyone. But I'll need your help."

Quinn's plan was surprisingly simple, but seemed workable, and would definitely benefit everyone. I waited inside the girls' dorm as Quinn kept mixing several chemicals into a beaker and multicolored smoke blew out as the computer nearby kept flashing with new calculations every few seconds. Finally, after what seemed like hours, Quinn stood up from her seat and showed me a bottle of Blix.

"Wait, this is your master plan to get Zoey out of our hair?"

"Yes."

"You're gonna quench her thirst to make her more likeable to the rest of the world? Forgive me if I don't see how this will help…"

"No, you idiot. It's spiked."

"What?"

"There's a chemical compound inside the Blix that will have adverse affects on Zoey's brain chemistry. After drinking this, not only will she be uncontrollably happy and cheery, but I can almost guarantee 

she'll leave everyone alone. But there's a side effect. Well, it's not so much as a side effect as an unexpected result."

"What is it?"

"The chemical will halt her ability to withhold information from her inquisitor."

"So she can't lie?"

"Basically."

I could see that Quinn was a little freaked out by it, but I couldn't help but begin to laugh; first hysterically, then manically. It would be the greatest thing ever! To see Zoey unable to lie to anyone, prancing around like a flower child exploding with positivity. It would also be poetic justice for all the crap she's put me though this year. She's told so many lies about me, Quinn, and even Chase, and it's been those lies that have kept her where she is. But now she wouldn't be able to back them up, and her world would crumble around her. However, something in the back of my mind was bugging me. If I did this, would I be no better than her? She's trying to mend her broken heart by attacking me, and I'm trying to get revenge for her revenge. It just seemed wrong of me to stoop to her level of hostility. Then I heard her down the hall. Quinn and I walked outside, Blix in hand, to see what was wrong. She was arguing with Lola and Coco about Lola wanting to leave. From what I caught of the conversation, Coco wanted to give Zoey a single room, but Zoey refused because her current room was closer to god, or some crap like that. She ended the brawl by reminding Coco how fat and ugly she was and how she'd be single forever, reducing the poor girl to tears. That was what knocked my conscience aside. Quinn took all the other Blix out of their fridge, and I snuck out the window so Zoey wouldn't see me, but I'd still be able to see her. Of course, her first instinct was to yell at Quinn and tell her to go read a bible, but Zoey was extremely predictable; predictable enough to know that she always drank a Blix right before she went to sleep, and tonight was no exception. As I watched her drink the unfortunate poison, my thoughts ran back to this afternoon, and the catastrophe therein. I still had to go find Chase… and hopefully he'd want to be found.

He wasn't in our room, or anywhere in Maxwell Hall for that matter, so I went back onto the grounds to look for him. It was very quiet outside at this time of night. No one was out, not even security patrolling because it was still too early for that. The sun had been down for about two hours now, and the sky had that dark blue hue, where the stars upon shone at their brightest. It was getting colder, starting to feel like the October night it was. I'd been walking for a good twenty minutes now, lost in the songs of the crickets and the natural music of the night, when I started to hear another melody, accompanied by a familiar voice. It was a guitar, and someone singing… someone that sounded a lot like Chase.

I was right. He was sitting with his back against a tree, strumming his guitar and singing. I'd only seen him do this once before, the first time I met him. He was really scared to be so far away from home, terrified of living here at PCA away from all his friends and family. He kept hyperventilating that day, and disappeared that night. If I remember correctly, he came to this same spot, and picked up his guitar and started to sing. Could it be that he was equally as distraught now by what happened yesterday?

Guilt began setting in. I shouldn't have told him anything, and let him figure it out on his own. Maybe then he wouldn't have freaked out so badly. He didn't notice that I was near, so I waited, and listened to 

him sing about how he hates me now. To my surprise though, his words were kind. Confused and confusing, but not spiteful and agitated.

Don't wander round looking for someone to replace me
Don't wander round wasting the rest of your life
Don't wander round waiting for someone else to save you
And don't you make the same mistake, twice
I could say that I don't care
But the truth is, I'd follow you anywhere
I've been waiting such a long, long time
Don't you dare change,
Your mind

"I can hear you Logan. I know it's you"

Crap! How'd he hear me?! I wasn't even moving. Could he hear my breathing?

"I could hear you pacing about. Don't forget it's autumn and there are leaves everywhere..." He told me as he walked up to me with his six string on his back. He looked very upset, but I guess that was to be expected. I hadn't noticed all the leaves on the ground, and I guess I was making a lot of noise by stepping all over a pile of them that lay beneath me. October sure came at a bad time.

I didn't really know how to start. How do you tell someone 'Sorry I'm gay, get over it' in a nice enough way that they don't hate you forever?

"Chase… I"

"No, let me. I… over reacted. Sorry. I didn't mean to run away. It's just… I had so much on my mind. Between you and Zoey, I'm a wreck. I don't know who's right or wrong anymore… and I just wasn't expecting that."

"I'm the one who should be apologizing. I shouldn't have unloaded all of that unto you. I knew you weren't ready to hear all that. But I find it too hard to lie to you."

His smile was the only answer I needed. It was warm, and inviting, and it was the reason I loved him.

The next day was quite interesting to say the least. From as early as six in the morning, rumors of Zoey transforming from Mussolini to Mother Teresa were going around the school. She was turning the good little girl everyone wanted her to be, saving kittens from trees and all that good stuff. And best of all, she was staying out of my hair, and Chase's.

Speaking of Chase, he and I decided to go to lunch so we could talk more about my orientation. For some odd reason, he was really interested. It didn't really bother me, but I couldn't help but wonder why he was so interested. Unfortunately, our good luck ran out when we ran into Zoey, literally saving a kitten from a tree in front of Sushi Rox. Chase, being the foolish good willed person he is, initiated conversation with the drugged beast, and it was obvious things would turn out horribly. Not for me, but for poor Chase.



"Hi Logan! It's so nice to see you today. How's my favorite step brother today?" she asked me while pinching my cheek with the force of the wildebeest she was. It was really REALLY freaky.

"I'm fine… what about you, Zoey?"

"I'm wonderful. I feel like a whole new person. And what about you Chase? Finally ready to come out of the closet?"

I turned around to catch Chase's flabbergasted expression direct itself at Zoey. He was really nervous now, almost going into cardiac arrest and shaking subtly, but enough for me to notice.

"What's wrong Chase? I thought you told me you weren't sure if you wanted a boy or a girl. And didn't you tell me you thought Logan was cute?"

I was… confused. Should I feel happy? Shocked? Surprised? Angry? What?! I had to say something though. This situation was too much for Chase to handle on his own.

"Zoey, enough. What are you talking about?"

"Oh Logan, it's okay. Chase knows I'm telling the truth. Just like I know you secretly like Chase. And just like I said I would never let you get near him because I hated you for taking Aiden away from me. And now I'm Chase's girlfriend. So everyone's happy!"

The kitten meowing in Zoey's arm broke the mixture on embarrassment, awkwardness and shock that was permeating from us, and Zoey decided to venture off into the school ground to find it's owner, only turning around to say, "See you later!"

Apparently there was no getting around it. With her at her full capacity, she defeats me. With her incapacitated, she spills everything at the most inopportune of all times. Chase was already confused enough with what I'd told him about Aiden, and now Zoey goes and blows his secret. Okay, so his secret made my day, but it was still not right. I could only imagine what was going on inside his head. He wasn't great at solving little problems he had on his own, much less deal with the combined force of Zoey, his, and my problems, all at once.

"What was wrong with her?" Chase asked with his face drooping and his voice dwindling in the noise of the crowd.

"That's also my fault. Quinn and I were tired of her being mean to everyone, so we decided that we should do something to stop her. Quinn invented this potion or something that would make her happy, kinda like a super anti-depressant. But there was going to be a side effect."

"Side effect?"

"Yeah… after she drunk the potion, she'd be unable to lie or tell a lie. And I think that's what she's doing. She's probably so happy she doesn't even notice she's doing it. By now, half the school must know half of the other kids' secrets too, thanks to Zoey."

Chase began to chuckle, and then laugh at me. Was I that funny?



"So you guys made her go around spilling everyone's secrets? But everyone will hate her after that. They all trusted her, and she couldn't keep their secrets. What do you think the kids will do?"

"I hope they don't hurt her, but whatever she gets is well deserved. She's been making everyone's lives miserable since last month. Especially ours."

"Yeah, and now I know why. Aiden ended up liking you, so he broke up with Zoey. That broke her heart, and led her to seek revenge against you. Then she found out you liked me, and set out to get to me before you could, and she did. But…why? Why didn't you just tell me this from the beginning? I would have understood. I think…"

"There! It's exactly because of that. You think, but you're not sure. What if you would've reacted negatively? What if you couldn't handle it and you decided to move away from me, or what if you took Zoey's side when I told you about Aiden. You… you just liked Zoey so much…" I was running out of breath, so I sat down next to the near by tree and put my head into my hands before Chase sat down next to me, and I continued on with my story.

"You liked Zoey so much last year. I could see that sparkle in your eye, every time you saw her. You were so happy, and despite my own feelings, I couldn't take you away from that. Then this year, Zoey told me that her plan was to use the fact that you already liked her to lure you away from me, so I would feel the heartbreak she had to endure. I'm sorry you got involved in this. It was my fight, but Zoey fights dirty, and I didn't know what to do and then…"

Fireworks! I saw fireworks that moment. It was a feeling of warmth, an embrace of bliss, and it was everything that for so long I'd felt had been missing. It was him… Upon me… His lips, touching mine, his hands on my sides, his chest on my chest, his tongue in my mouth, and bliss unimaginable and indescribable by human words. He was kissing me, and through his lips, I ventured inside his soul, and saw all the beauty that we could become.

Chase was kissing me. Making out with me! And… with Zoey out of the picture, and us far from ourselves and our thoughts… He was mine. Chase Matthews, the boy of my dreams, the boy in my soul, the boy whose tongue danced inside my mouth along my own, was finally all mine.

A/N: Okay, for those of you who managed to read my last author's note or even my last chapter in general, you may have notice I was all over the place. I really was dealing with some personal problems that were affecting my writings, and I'm sorry. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter a little more, and continue to review, even though some of my more loyal reviewers seemed to have stopped. I hope to hear from a lot of you in review form, cause a review a day keeps the story coming back tomorrow.

With love, Pimp Kuja