"I could kick your ass right now if you'd like!" she retorted. You betcha ass! Calli jumped off of Dare's shoulder and started biting down o Des's leg. He felt nothing.

"Bitch,"

"Asshole,"

"Slut,"

"Pervert,"

Desmond glared at her, eyes a little bloodshot. "Do you want to know WHY I'm partly high right now?"

"Sure; call me when you're sober."

"HE sells me all my drugs!"

I stared in horror that Desmond was gesturing to me.

Yeah, I'm a blackmarketeer in the drug sale business. I'm known as Redback. I never do drugs myself; they suck and I just make money off of them. I'm probably gonna be a wealthy and successful drug lord when I grow up. Hehheh...

"Izm sells me crack!" Des shouted at her.

She looked into his eyes, almost like she could and couldn't believe him.

"So what you're trying to say is that it's all his fault?" she snapped.

"Yeah!"

"Night!" I shoved Desmond out of the way. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! But he's... telling the truth," I confessed.

"Drugs like that are illegal, bastards," she stated to both of us.

"But Dare, I-"

I stopped myself. Des was right next to me when I called her Dare. She narrowed her eyes at me in pure hostility.

He looked at me and then turned to her.

"Wait you're 'Delilah/Dare'?" he asked.

She ripped off the wig, letting her real hair flow down past her shoulders. "Thanks a lot, bitch," she barked at me.

I shied back from that. Wow, Dare can be really cruel sometimes.

She swiveled around to the door, letting her (soft and luxurious) hair flip both of us in the face.

"CALLI!" she called. The cat ran up her arm again and shot me a hated look. Dare slammed the door as she left.

"What the hell Desmond!" I screeched.

"What the hell Izm!" he screeched back.

"Why did you do that?"

"Why did you do that?"

"Great, now she hates me!"

"Exactly! Now it's my turn..."

"Bastard! She doesn't like you!"

"Well who said she doesn't?"

"She hates you!"

"She hated you first!"

"Did not!"

"Oh yeah she did!"

"She always hated you first!"

"O rly?"

"Ya rly!"

"You little-"

"This isn't doing anything!" I gave up and broke from Desmond's madness.

"You're crazy if you think she'll love you again!"

"I never said she loved me."

I slammed the door behind me and sprinted down the hall, hoping to catch Dare before she left.

How'd she come here, anyway?

I saw her just before she opened the main door to the school.

"DARE!" I called.

"Go away. You blew it." She didn't even look at me. Calli hissed at the top of her lungs and swiped.

"Look, I'm sorry I was a bastard. But I sell black-market drugs, OK? I can't change that about me, I'm sorry." I tried to convince her, but it was an epic fail. *Cries*

"Here's the thing," she explained, "I'm OK with it. But NightTiger won't be! What going to happen to you if she finds out and you get sent to juvenile prison?"

Does she care for me?

"I haven't thought of that yet. But I'm really good at covering my tracks; I'm safe."

"No one is ever safe in this world."

That... was the most depressing thing I've ever heard anyone say. And this is from the perky, fun-loving Delilah.

The ironic thing is... it's true.

"Leave me alone," she muttered.

"I'm not leaving you until you understand, never."

"What is that supposed to mean?" She turned to me, this time, aggressively.

"I don't want to fight you," I said.

"Neither do I, but I will if I have too."

"Delilah, this hurts me."

"I know it does; don't make it hurt more by talking to me."

"I just want you to understand-"

"Don't come any closer to me," she warned. She said it like she was trying to keep me safe rather than a threat.

"Delilah, I-"

I touched her right shoulder.

That was a big mistake for me.

Dare brought her hand up and slashed her nails across my face. It hurt...

Just by that blow, I was knocked down onto my back. I touched my face painfully. I skirted around my nose and I felt... A strangely-shaped cut that ran across my face diagonally. It was like something inhuman had scratched me.

Delilah?

I looked from my hand spiked with the blood from my face and up to her. She stared at me in shock and horror. I don't think she meant to do that... Did she?

There was something on her right hand, covering it. It looked furry and leopard-print. Was it a glove that she put on before I looked?

Dare must have noticed that I was gawking at her hand and held it up so she could see. Her pupils pinpointed.

Instantly, when I blinked, the glove was gone. I have no idea what happened to it.

"Oh my God!" Dare pleaded, "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean that! I... I have to go, like, now."

She left me sitting upright on the cement, watching her sprint in the opposite direction from me. I'm glad it wasn't raining at least.

BUT... It had just rained the night before and puddles were everywhere. And of course I landed in one; it's just my luck.

Shit, now my pants are all wet.

I sighed deeply as I stood up from the puddle. The cut on my face wasn't that deep, so it's not going to be a scar. In fact it should heal pretty quickly.

But what about my heart...?

Dare broke it...

Now it hurts.

But what do you know?

I turned around and stomped back into the school. Des probably hates me right now, so I'll break into A.E.D.'s room for tonight.

"This is the millionth time, Izm," .D complained for the hundredth time tonight.

"I get it. Just suck it up," I retorted.

"Well you seem more crotchety than usual."

I lay down on my trundle bed.

"I'm not talking about it, ever." I flipped over and covered the pillow with my head in frustration.

"Suit yourself. G'night!"

He flicked off the light heartlessly.

"Yeah well night." Thanks for making me feel better, .D!

I sighed. I then noticed something about the pillow. It smelled... weird.

Wait. Delilah never flipped the pillow over a few days ago, did she?

I whiffed a little more to take in her sweet scent. She smells like the flowery Amazon rainforest would go on forever...

I hugged the pillow tighter and in only minutes drifted into sleep.