KRYPTONITE

SUNDAY 11 A.M

Melissa's house was a few blocks away from where I lived. Unlike mine, hers was a little bit bigger and it was a two story home. Her front yard was smaller than mine, and three cars took up all the small space it had. There was a cascade of all different flowers that added character to her front porch. It was colorful and it reminded me of Melissa.

I stopped in front of the Sander's front door and a shiver ran down my spine. The house was too painfully similar to the one where my mother, Trent and I used to live. My gaze fixed around the house and I waited for painful memories to inundate me, but none came. I didn't think much of the old house we used to live in. Every time I did though, it felt like a distant memory that made my heart ache, no terror creeped in. I assumed I was getting better at it. Old memories from my childhood up to age fifteen were not affecting me as much as before and I smiled at that.

For ten years of my life I was always on the watch. Looking for sounds and signs that gave away Trent's fury to snap. I was paranoid with any unexpected sound. And although Trent went to rot in prison, the paranoia never left me. At the simplest sound, an almost of a touch, my mind went to overdrive and I recoiled back in terror. I hated it. I shouldn't have felt any fear, any anxiety that Trent would be standing in front of me every time I blinked my eyes. Or I shouldn't felt that fear that he would be banging on my door every time I turned off the lights. He was rotting back in prison. I was safe away from him, but not totally because in thought, I was the one rotting away. Until now. Two years after Trent got what he deserved, I was beginning to feel okay.

The door opened a few moments after I had rang the bell. Melissa in all her flamboyant glory greeted me with narrowed eyes.

"I was wondering when you were going to visit me." She said through her teeth. I smiled sheepishly and held up a box of macaroons between us. Her eyebrows wiggled and her pouty lips pulled into a smile. "Ah, best friend, you have the key to my heart. Sweets is always the way to my forgiveness."

"Are you going to let me in or-?"

"I'm grounded for reasons that are best you don't know of and friends cannot visit me. But you're my best friend-a loophole I found- for you I can bend the rules. Now come in quickly so you could be spared from the wrath of my family, and the monstrosity of Lisa. She can burn you with her eyes. Believe me, you don't want to find out for yourself. Let's hurry now and into my room we go quickly so we could avoid her."

Melissa pulled me inside and quickly pushed me upstairs and into one of the rooms. The color purple came into view. A pink bed was situated in the middle. Red chairs, orange drapes, and green drawers. About everything else in the room was anything but pastel. The only thing plain were her pillows; they were of the color white. My eyes squinted at the colorfulness. I heard Melissa stifle a laugh.

"I know my room looks like a clown puked up in here, but you'll get used to the color scheme after a while." Melissa threw herself onto her bed in a not-so-graceful-manner. She patted her bed, coaxing me to sit down. "Now come here because you and I have a lot to talk about." I gave her the box of macaroons and she didn't waste any second to indulge herself into them. "You're literally the best, but I'm still mad at you for just leaving like that." She talked through chews. "Like what kind of a best friend just leaves in an impromptu getaway and doesn't take the other best friend?" She munched another one. "If I wanted to get away from Lisa right now, I would've kidnapped you too, and we would've gone to Vegas and forget Lisa and whatever's bothering you because that's what best friends do, am I right? They do stuff together, I think, and they forget stuff together and no one is left out."

She sniffled and I smiled down at her. She put the box aside to turn on her back. "Sit down. You're making me anxious by just standing there."

"Sorry." I complied and sat next to where she was lying down.

"For?" Her brown eyes lit up and her lips perked a bit.

"Not sitting down earlier?"

"No silly!" She gently shoved me. "I mean, for the other thing."

"What other thing?"

"The thing where you just left and didn't take me with you."

"Oh, that thing."

"Yes! That thing!" She pouted.

"I'm sorry for leaving you here, and leaving without giving you an explanation."

She smiled satisfied. "You're apology for forgiveness sucked but I will take it because that's all I'm going to get from you. And by the way, your message sucked balls."

"I know. Sorry about that too." I laid down as well. We were both laying paralleled to each other, but my head was next to her feet and vice versa. I stared up the ceiling and yellow welcomed me. Melissa was a ball of sunshine that held so many secrets. She hid them through her explosive colors. "We didn't know where we were going, so I couldn't give you an exact location; and plus, we didn't know how long we were going to be away."

"Right." She sighed. "Why did you guys leave so suddenly? What happened?" Her head moved up the slightest to look at me. She gazed at me inquiringly, not pushing for an answer but genuinely curious. I shrugged. "My mom wasn't feeling too well on Monday and then she decided that what we needed was to get away from L.A. for a few days."

"And by not feeling too well you mean-?"

"She fell apart in front of me on Monday." Seeing her cry for the first time since Trent was painful. I pushed the memories aside. "She just broke down. I didn't know why. She usually is well composed, especially for the past two years, and I don't know. I guess she wanted to run away from whatever that was bothering her."

"What is bothering her?"

I frowned. "That's the thing, I don't know and it's killing me."

Melissa was silent for a moment. "Maybe she's just really stressed with two jobs and you going to college real soon."

"Maybe." I wished that was the case. I didn't want to think of the worse.

"What do you think is bothering her?"

Now I was the one that was silent. I remembered the letters she nervously took away from me. Something told me those weren't churches asking for money. My mother was never the religious type and she usually fought over Trent about it when he forced us to go to church every Sunday. He told us he didn't want to be associated with 'sinful, ungrateful bitches', and by going to church we would be the saints he asked for. I shoved that memory away. Whatever that was bothering my mother was something else. Something deep and dark that led her to break down on Monday.

"I don't know," was my final answer. Melissa sighed. "I hope is nothing bad, you know." She didn't elaborate. She didn't need to. The tension in the room grew tenfold. I know what she meant by 'bad'. She meant Trent and I shuddered away that thought. Trent is rotting in prison and he can't hurt us anymore. The policeman named Rogers, the judge, the therapist, and my mother all told me he can't hurt us anymore.

"Sorry for bringing it up." Melissa's voice was soft and regretful.

"You didn't bring anything up."

"I did," she urged, "just not directly."

"It's okay. It's not like it hasn't crossed my mind." Melissa stayed quiet. I continued, "I hope that that's not the reason why she's so down all of the sudden."

"I hope it's not either." Her voice was weak, and she fidgeted. "Do you think about it sometimes?"

"About what?"

"You know." I knew. Melissa fidgeted once again and I was quiet. "Sorry, forget I asked that. You don't have to answer and I have no right to meddle in such personal information."

I smiled. "You're my best friend. You can be entitled to meddle in my life."

"I'm glad." She mumbled. "And you can meddle in my life too."

I heard sniffles and I sat up right away. "Are you crying?"

"No." Melissa grabbed a pillow and dug her face into it. "Yes," she restated.

"Why?"

"Because it's so sad!" She said through cries. "You're such a good person-annoyingly stubborn sometimes- but good nonetheless, and you've suffered so much! It's not fair!"

"You don't have to cry about it," I gently patted her head and she sniffled. Melissa stopped and pulled her head up. I saw her tear-strain cheeks. She analyzed the situation and burst into tears again. "It should be the other way around!"

"What?"

"You should be the one crying and I should be the one comforting you. You're so brave, Loren. I envy that about you."

I smiled bitterly. "I'm not brave."

"You are brave." Melissa shook her in argument. She wiped a tear away. "I know you feel helpless sometimes and you feel like you can't-" she swallowed and put her hands in front of her in attempt to find words,"-keep going, but you do. You're still here, alive and not all well, maybe-probably- but you're functioning and you keep moving forward and you fight and you-you're just so brave." Her face contorted into squints and her cheeks became wet again with tears. I panicked. I didn't know how to comfort a crying person. "Oh, no. Don't cry. Please stop crying."

"I'm so emotional," she sniffled and a loud cries escaped her. "I'm so sorry."

"Melissa-" The door opened suddenly and a boy entered in fumes. "For god's sake. Shut. The. Fuck. Up."

Melissa looked towards the intruder through tears and sniffles. "You. Get out of here!"

"Not until you shut up."

"Get out!"

"Will you stop crying?"

"Phil, get out."

The boy looked at his sister. I saw a flash of worry surface on his face but he wiped out away with a playful demeanor. "Who died for you to be in such a wreck?"

"You will if you don't haul your ass out of here."

Phil glared at Melissa, and Melissa returned the gesture. His eyes averted towards me, and then all over my body. "Who's she?"

"My best friend Loren. Now get out of here." Phil continued staring at me. His eyes lit up in interest. It made me uncomfortable. "Loren as in Loren Tate?" I nodded and Melissa groaned. She was no longer crying. "Yes. She's not interested to meet you. Now, out." Her forefinger pointed towards her door.

Phil averted his eyes away from me. "It'd be nice to hear that from Loren not you, Llorona. I'm sure she can speak for herself." He was quiet for a second before he looked back to me. He smiled and I sensed a shift from Melissa. She sat up. "Anyways, mom wants to talk to you."

"What? What does Lisa want?"

"I told you to stop calling her Lisa. She doesn't like that. And I don't know, I think she saw you pushing," his eyes didn't waver from me and I broke our eye contact to look at Melissa, "Loren, and considering you're grounded, you really shouldn't have friends over."

Melissa was hesitant. "Are you lying to me?"

"Sister of mine, why would I lie to you about the needs of my mother to scold you for your misbehavior?" Phil smirked. "Now put your big girl pants on and take your little ass to mother, she's waiting for you."

"Ugh." Melissa grunted and hastily stood up. She walked towards Phil and narrowed her eyes. Melissa looked back at me. "Aren't you coming, brother of mine?"

"As much as I want to watch our mother incinerate you, I can't leave Loren all by herself. What kind of host would I be?"

Melissa sighed in defeat. "Don't bother her. She already dealt with Adrianna's stupidity, she doesn't need yours."

"Ditto." He flashed her smile and Melissa groaned. "I hate this family-can't have some peace-privacy-wasted-" she mumbled down the stairs and when she was definitely gone, Phil turned around and studied me further. "You're the Loren that my girlfriend hates so much. Well, ex." He contemplated for a moment. "I should really stop referring her as my girlfriend."

"And you are Phil, the idiot who went out with Adrianna."

His smile widened. "Well, I wouldn't necessarily called myself an idiot."

"Oh? What do you call yourself then?"

"Not an idiot."

"I beg to differ."

Phil smirked, and leaned back on Melissa's desk. "Adrianna's beautiful, and she had a nice set of legs."

I snorted, "Not to mention a complete airhead.

"Which made it all the easier for me to get her. She's a good kisser too, and man can that mouth do wonders."

I cringed, "You're such a dog."

He chuckled, and his arms crossed around his chest. "And you're completely different than what I expected you to be." He was thoughtful. "Adrianna talked a lot about you almost to the point of complete obsession."

I sighed. The last thing I wanted to talk about was what Adrianna said about me to her boyfriend. "Okay." I nonchalantly picked up the box of macaroons. I picked a pink one and ate it.

"You're not going to ask me what she says about you?"

"I really don't care." I mumbled. I really didn't and I wished he caught the memo that I really could care less. "Really?" He was baffled. I shrugged in response. "I mean, you're the one that got her suspended. Shouldn't you be at least interested-" He was ticking me off. I did not get her suspended. I glared at the boy. I was slowly losing my patience. "-in what she said?"

"One, I'm not interested in what she thinks. And two, she got herself suspended. I was just a victim." I hated how she used to affect me. I wish I had fought back, or health a bit of willpower. But sometimes words were too painful, and sometimes they triggered painful memories of painful truths.

"Hm." He observed me and nodded in secret agreement. "You know, she said you would say that. Call yourself the victim when it was all your fault because you provoked her and all."

"I provoked her?" My rage was little by little consuming me. Phil was yet to notice.

"Yeah, she said that. I don't know what she meant. What did she do to you? She never got around to tell me." He was genuinely interested. My anger towards him dissipated. I had no reason to be angry because he was ignorant and the only person he associated himself from school was Adrianna, and the only information she provided were biased and slander.

"If you went to school more instead of skipping, then you would know what your girlfriend was up to."

"Ex-girlfriend, and ouch. Just so you know-"

"I really don't want to know."

"Let me finish. Don't be so rude. Like as I was saying, just so you know I don't skip school. I have internship down the auto repair."

"You have internship for all eight periods?"

He cleared his throat. "Yes."

"Okay."

"I do!"

"I said okay."

"Yeah, but you sounded like you didn't believe."

That's because I didn't. "Okay."

Phil grumbled to himself incoherent thoughts. He looked like a lost over-grown puppy. He continued grumbling and I observed him. He was Melissa's brother but I saw no resemblance between them. Where he was light skinned, Melissa was tan. Where he was of a lean build, Melissa was curvy. Where he had blue eyes, Melissa had brown. He was not sporadic like Melissa, and Melissa wasn't as irritating as he was. I wondered how their parents looked like. Maybe Melissa resembled her mother more, and Phil his father. I sighed and wished for Melissa to come any second now.

"You know, you're not ugly."

I looked at him and he was back to studying me. "Excuse me?"

"Sorry, that was mean. But Adrianna described you like you were some terrifying fiend."

"Is she all you talk about?"

"No, not really." He shrugged, and his head bobbed down as if he lamented on something. "We're not together anymore, and thank god for that, but it's weird."

I really didn't want to talk about her but he looked sort of sad, and I just wanted him to leave or at least change the topic. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No. The last thing I want to talk about is Adrianna Masters. The one who gives me nightmares.

"Oh, okay." I thought he would have dropped the subject. He did not.

"I mean, it's weird because we've been together for so long and the transition of being in a relationship of two years to being single is sort of strange, but you know…"

I wanted to groan but I pulled through. "So you miss her?"

"No, no. Maybe. Highly so. I don't know. I don't love her, if that's what you're getting at."

I wasn't getting anywhere, but okay. If he did love Adrianna, then okay. If she could be love through all her malice, then there was some hope for her. That didn't mean she deserved any forgiveness for all the pain she has caused to other people. She was a bully. She made school hell for other people when they had enough on their plates already. "Okay."

"Maybe I did, or thought that I did…" Phil exhaled. "But I stopped. She was just so mean and suffocating. She always put me down and the way she talked about Melissa, just-like," He inhaled and I noticed how he cared about Melissa. It made me almost smile. Almost. "I know Melissa can be a pain in the ass and all but Adrianna was just so nasty about her that I couldn't take it and just broke it off. It took me two years of constant nagging but I did and that's what counts. You get me?"

I nodded and gave him a supportive smile. He stared at me helplessly. "I get you. You care about your sister."

Phil groaned. "Please don't tell Melissa, she'll have a field day if she finds out."

"I won't."

Phil smiled in appreciation. "You're not so bad Loren Tate. A little feisty, a little cute, and a little of goodness is in that tortured heart of yours."

"You're not too bad, Phil. A little irritating, but you're okay." He smiled with teeth flashing and all. "You forgot to mention how dashingly handsome I am."

"Nah, that's about it."

He let out a soft chuckle. He stopped to look at me and it he seemed he contemplated on saying something to me. But he was interrupted.

"You lied to me!"

We both turned towards to an angry Melissa. "Lisa didn't call me downstairs. She didn't even see Loren. So when I started ranting about it and mentioned that she was upstairs, Lisa exploded with massive a speech on how disrespectful and problematic I am and now I'm grounded for an extra month."

"Oh. I must've misheard her then."

"You're such an asshole and a sorry excuse of a brother." Melissa breathed heavily and turned away from Phil. She was angry, and her eyes were puffy. She looked at me apologetically. "Sorry Lo, you're going to have to go. Lisa has no sense of hospitality and she'll kick you out herself if you're in leave in five minutes, and she'll ground me until we graduate and I don't need that."

"It's okay. I'll go." Melissa nodded, and pouted. "We still have a ton to talk about so I'll probably call you tonight, okay? So don't ignore me. And one last thing," she paused and looked back at Phil who hadn't left yet. Melissa eyed him suspiciously, then she turned back to me. "How are things with Eddie?"

I felt a zoo gurgle in my stomach, a blush immediately spread over my cheeks and I couldn't stop the incoming smile. Melissa noticed my reaction and squealed in response. She contained herself from jumping up and down. "All good?"

"All good." I responded back and she swayed in form of happy dance.

"I'm happy. I knew it was good idea to call him after our not so friendly talk. I knew he was going straight to your house. Like, he didn't even let me finish. As soon as mentioned you were back he hanged up."

"Thanks by the way. What you said to me really opened my eyes."

Melissa cringed in regret. "About that, I'm sorry I was ruthless. I really shouldn't have called you selfish or stupid. That was uncalled for."

"No, but I needed it."

Melissa nodded, and she held the expression as if she was going to start crying again.

"No, don't start crying."

"I won't. Don't worry, I won't." She smiled, but her face went back to the brink of tears. "I love you, Loren."

"I love you, too."

She pulled me into a hug. I smiled and Phil stared at the ceiling. His eyes squinted at the yellowness. He sensed my gaze and looked back at me.

"How sweet. I hate to break it to you guys but I think mom is coming up."

Melissa panicked, "Oh no, you have to leave ASAP." She pushed me towards her door, down the stairs and outside the front door. Phil followed. He stood beside Melissa, and grab her arm. "Don't step out. You know mom and her rules." When I looked at them confused, he clarified. "She can't go outside, not even to get a breath of fresh air. She can only go outside for school and school-related activities." I nodded, and smiled at Melissa. She waved off my sympathetic smile and looked behind me. "Where's your car?"

"I came walking."

"Ay, you live like ten blocks away." She pouted. "I wish I could drive you, so then we could talk some more and I could use the excuse to get away from here."

"It's fine, I don't mind walking."

"I can take you." Phil said and Melissa looked at him weirdly.

"Really, I don't mind."

"And I don't mind taking you. Plus, it's not safe for a girl to be alone in the streets at this time."

Melissa had now turned to look at him. "Phil, it's noon. Literally, the sun is blazing out. It's too hot for some pedophile or potential psychopath to be out at this time. And this neighborhood is legit the safest in L.A."

Phil shrugged. "So, we can't risk her getting in danger no matter how low the percentile of her getting kidnapped is." Phil walked around Melissa and stepped outside. He put his arms around me, and pulled me into his side. I cringed at the physical contact. I knew he wasn't going to hurt me, but the way he was holding me was too close. Melissa had turned around and pointedly stared at Phil accusingly. "Why are you so eager to take her, Phil?"

"I'm just looking out for her." Phil kept a straight face. I pulled away from the contact and ignored their strange interaction. Siblings were so weird. "Guys, I can walk."

"No. It's fine. Phil will take you." Melissa kept her eyes on Phil. Phil didn't waver. "Remember Lo, I'll call you later tonight so we can talk about Eddie." She pronounced his name clearly and placed emphasis. I nodded mechanically and Phil perked up at his name. "Eddie?"

"Yes, Eddie. Her boyfriend."

"Her boyfriend." He repeated after her, and eventually sighed before walking towards his car. Melissa nodded triumphantly and said to me, "We'll talk, okay?"

"Okay." She smiled and closed the door before her. I walked towards Phil. He was already inside the car. I sat on the passenger seat. He was awfully silent now. "I live on 5404-"

"Your house is the one with the big yard, and the two trees holding the yellow hammock?"

"Yeah, that one."

"Alright."

The ride was only 6 minutes, and the only thing heard inside the car was the air conditioner. There wasn't much to talk about considering I met just the guy, and I really didn't want to talk to him if all he was going to talk about was Adrianna. When I had stepped outside, Phil cleared his throat.

"It was nice meeting you-officially."

"Yeah, it was. Thanks for the ride."

I waited till he turned the corner before walking towards the entrance of my house. I stopped next to the mailbox. My upper teeth met my lower lip. I hastily opened it. I don't know what I hoped for, but I felt disappointment flood me when no colorful envelopes came to view. I sighed. Maybe I was thinking too much about it and my mother was just stressed. I swallowed. Something told me that wasn't the case.

Once inside, I found the aroma of grilled cheese sandwich swirl around the house. My mother was in our small kitchen dancing and singing along to some 90's oldie. I placed my purse on the hanger and walked towards the kitchen. She did a small twirl and stopped to look at me with a big sappy smile. Her cheeks were flushed and she was dressed nice today. She had on a pretty strapless dress hugged her figure, low-heel brown sandals, diamond earrings and tad bit of makeup.

"Hey honey, how was Melissa?"

"She was fine."

"That's good." She continued singing and turned around to flip the grilled sandwiches. She had four on the pan and two others ready to be grilled. "Is someone coming over?" I listened to the music she was playing. It was the same artist but a different song. She was listening to an album, and I recognized the artist. MK. I felt the necklace and it reminded me of Katie. I smiled and looked at my mother who was nodding. "Is that a yes or are you just nodding to the music?"

"Both."

"Oh, who's coming over?"

"You will know soon enough." She was overly happy. It felt like Monday never happened and I relaxed. I exhaled and smiled. She was back to her old self. She was crimson and she was humming a happy tune. The happy tune was the song playing. Katie's melodious voice resounded through the house. And I realized I haven't seen my mother this happy since forever.

"Do you want a sandwich?" Before I could say yes, my phone began to ring. I went to the coat hanger to retrieve my phone. My mom went back to dance along the music. The album was pretty good.

I looked at the caller and my smile immediately widened. "Hey."

"Hey, babe. Can I call you that?"

I giggled and my mom looked back at me with a small smile. "Yeah, you can."

"Great! Say it."

"Say what?"

"Call me 'babe'."

"Why?"

"Cause I want to hear it."

"You're such a dork."

"Yes, yes. Now say it."

I walked towards my room, and my mother looked at me curiously. She pointed towards the sandwiches and I motioned her to hold up. "Is this necessary?"

"Not really, but I want to hear it cause I bet it'll sound ten times sexier when you say it."

I cleared my throat, but before I could say it he said, "And do it with a husky voice."

"What difference will it make?"

"You know what they say: the huskier, the sexier."

"Nobody says that."

"I just did. Okay, I won't interrupt no more."

I smiled like an idiot, and bit my lip. "Anytime now." I giggled and Eddie sighed, somehow I knew he was smiling like an idiot too. "Melissa told me I sound like Darth Vader over the phone. Should I take that as an insult?"

"No, I don't think so. I think she was being nice because you completely sound like Chewbacca to me."

"Hey! Just so you know, I like Chewbacca so I am not the least offended."

"I was not being offensive."

"Yeah, alright. Hey, are you doing anything right now?"

"Not really." Eddie sounded nervous all of the sudden. "Oh, are you doing anything later tonight?"

"Nope."

"Do you want to come over?"

I stopped and sat down on my bed. I tried not to think much of what happened the last time I came over. "It's okay if you don't want to, but I wanted to see you today. I would go to your house but I'm having a few meetings later and I really can't leave my apartment because I don't know when Jake, my manager, will come and he's the one that knows my schedule like the back of his hand. The man has a phone but he sure as hell doesn't want to answer it right now," Eddie was rumbling, a gesture I found that he did when he was nervous, "And I know that after what happened last time, the last place you want to see is my apartment but don't worry no crazy exes will trespass here."

His nervousness was endearing. I smiled at that. "If you don't want to come, that is completely understandable. I won't push you into doing something you don't want to do-"

"I'll come over."

"What-that's- Great. Great." He sighed out of- relief? Eddie chuckled a bit, "Do you want me to send a cab over?"

"No, it's fine. I'll take the car. I'll see you in a bit?"

"Yeah, yeah. I won't be anywhere else, but here… waiting for you."

"Okay. Bye, babe." I bit my lip and before I ended the call I heard him say, "Oh Jesus, that sounded better than I'd imagined-"

I grabbed a jacket, kissed my mom goodbye and went to Eddie's.

1P.M.

This time, Eddie was waiting for me with his door opened and arms inviting me into an embrace. He greeted me with a brilliant smile. He hastily kissed my lips first and then pulled me inside his apartment whilst locking his door. He went to sit down on the arm of his white leather couch. He grabbed my arm and pulled me into him. I stood in between his legs while his head nuzzled in my neck.

"You are intoxicating." He whispered. I ran my hand through his hair. His hands suddenly went to my hips and he looked up to me with hazy eyes. "Yesterday was a long day." My fingers ran down his forehead, down his left cheek to his slightly swollen lip. I blushed at that memory that was only a day old. He smirked as he too remembered. "Interview after interview and they all asked the same questions. Not very original." He gripped my hips harder, and he hauled me forward. My fingers continued tracing his lips. He gave in to my touch. Eddie did look tired, and he sighed and then eventually his head nuzzled on my neck again.

"The life of a rockstar must be very stressful."

"Are you mocking me, Tate?"

"Maybe, Duran." I proceeded to play with his hair. Eddie's heavy breaths caused goosebumps all over my body. I felt him smile, then he gently stood up, not letting go of his hold on my hips. "Something tells me you want to kiss me."

"Oh, why is that?" He finally let go of my hips to gently hold my arms and wrap them around his neck. His hands softly caressed my waist. My eyes fixated themselves on his lips. "Well, you can't stop blushing and you can't stop looking at my lips."

His face inched closer to mine. My breathing hitched. I don't think I'll ever get used to these sensations he stirs within me. "Well, I can't help it." I cleared my throat. I couldn't find my voice with my clouded thoughts of kissing him. "It looks really swollen. Does it hurt?"

"I'm still well and breathing. Anyways, every time I look at it, it reminds me of a sweet time."

"Does it now?" I pursed my lips together and his mouth was a few centimeters away from me. I watched him lick his lip.

"Yeah, and every time I look it, it makes me want to relive that sweet time."

"Really?" My gaze shifted to meet his. I swallowed and felt the intensity under his gaze. His cheeks were the same shade as mine and I smiled softly. "What happened to 'too fast, too soon?'" He shrugged, "I still think we should go slowly into this. But you almost bit my lip off last time, and I can't see not to wanting to kiss you every time I'm around you, so might as well enjoy our struggle of going slow."

I groaned and covered my face with his chest. I was still embarrassed about Friday. After I had straddled him on my chair, his lip couldn't stop bleeding, and we had to ask my mother to help us out. We got the bleeding under control but Eddie looked as if somebody gave him a good upper hook. "I didn't almost bite your lip off. Anyways, you didn't help at all. Your hands were everywhere and I couldn't think straight."

Eddie smiled, his smugness screaming up to third degrees. "My bad. It's not completely my fault though. I can't help it. You cause a riot up in my head." I blushed and buried my head deeper into his chest. I felt his chest rumble into laughter. "Hey, now everybody thinks I'm a macho man and not a piss poor wiener because of my lip. They all think I got into a fight protecting my girl, and I was able to knock out five guys and came out only with a cut lip."

I gently untangled myself from him and pushed him back down to the arm of the couch. "You don't fight." He frowned and then shook his head. "No, I don't. But for you, I would knock all off them dead if they laid a finger on you."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." His eyes were no longer hazy and his expression was no longer playful. Adoration was suddenly reflecting back at me. "How's your stomach doing?"

"Good as new." I rubbed it to demonstrate him that I was in fact doing well. He frowned and his face darkened. I caressed the tension away from his jaw. "Hey, I'm doing great."

"Do you have to go to school tomorrow?"

"I do. I've missed too many days."

"Will she be there?"

"Adrianna?" He nodded. "No, she won't be for the next two weeks." He nodded, not fully satisfied. "You will tell us if she starts bothering you again, right?"

"She can't bother me. If she does, she'd be expelled. Suspension was just a warning."

"Yeah, but if she's determined, she'll find a way to get you alone-"

"Eddie, she can't hurt me anymore."

"Yeah, but-"

"No buts. I'm a big girl. And plus, I can't let fear of her dictate my life. I need to stand up to her. She's just some bully, and I'm not going to let her affect me. Not anymore. So please, can we not talk about her?"

Eddie looked at me skeptical. Sensing my discomfort, he dropped the subject. "Okay." He complied. "What do you want to talk about?" I resumed to running my fingers gently around his face. "I don't want to talk."

His eyebrow raised in question. "Oh, then what do you want to do?" I licked my lip and he held his breath. I placed my hands on his cheeks and held his head steady. "This." I kissed him and his mouth was waiting for mine. He wasted no time to lick my lower lip, and I wasted no time to let him in. My hands ran viciously through his hair. His hands fell to my waist, pulling me closer and closer until no space was between us. My tongue gently flicked his. He responded with a small groan. His hands slipped lower and lower down my waist, and stopped on my hips. He tried to pull me closer, but no space ran between us, except for our clothes. I moaned and he groaned louder for the friction that our clothes was causing caused insatiable sensations on both of us.

I kept in mind not to bite his lip. I didn't want it to start bleeding. But at the rate we were going it was going to eventually bleed and I wasn't sure how I'd react to the sight of blood. I pulled my hands out of his hair, and hastily pulled out of our kiss. Eddie grunted in disapproval. He began nibbling my neck. Between intakes of breath I asked, "What time is it?"

"Who cares?" And he was kissing me again. I was losing control. And he was too from how I felt his hands go lower, and he was suddenly clutching my thighs and he was giving gentle flicks on my neck and he was driving me insane. "Eddie?"

"Hm." I felt his tongue, and then a soft suck. I held down a moan.

"No hickies." I felt him stop, and then he bombarded my neck with small kisses. I giggled from the tickles and then Eddie gave me a lingering kiss on the mouth before pulling back and smiling brightly. I held a breath. I held back the urge to kiss him again. Even with a swollen lip, messy hair and rosy cheeks, he was beautiful.

"Okay." He kissed me again and then let me go. His hands were no longer on my thighs and my hands were no longer making a mess of his hair. Eddie suddenly stood up.

"I need a cold shower." He announced. He looked at me accusingly and then smiled embarrassed. "I need to refresh myself, and get my thoughts together. And I really need to get away from you for a minute or else I'll kiss you senseless and not let you go." I nodded understandably and held back a laugh. "Now, if you can excuse me." Eddie kissed my cheek and I pushed him away because I knew he would've started at my neck again.

When he was out of sight, I bit my lip. I couldn't stop smiling, and my body was burning up. Maybe I was the one that needed the cold shower.

I sighed and looked around his apartment to distract myself. His living room alone was the size of my house. He had q book shelf next to the staircase, and the walls had posters of old music legends, and guitars and some records of sorts. He had a big flat screen TV with countless gaming consoles. The couch faced the TV, of course. At the far end, he had a mini bar with assorted alcoholic beverages. On that same end, there were more books. But what caught my attention was the piano. It looked custom made and it felt like it was the only that defined Eddie out of that apartment. I went towards it. I didn't play the piano, but I would ask Eddie to teach me just so I can play in this beautiful instrument. I was going to sit down and meddle with the keys when I heard a knock on the door.

I looked towards where Eddie went to the bathroom, but I heard the water running and the person on the door kept knocking. I hesitantly went to the door, and deliberately opened it.

A black man in his mid-thirties barged in and placed his suit case on the piano. He must've been Jake, Eddie's manager. I closed the door, and waited for him.

"Eduardo, what took you so long to answer?" Oh, he thought I was Eddie. "I know you're angry I took so long. But I was running some errands with Tracy. If I knew how complicated getting a divorce is, I would've never gotten myself involve in the whole marriage ordeal." I saw him shake his head regretfully. "Anyways, my phone fell down the toilet, I couldn't take any calls." He took out a lot of paperwork and spread them on the hood of the piano. "I know you had a busy day yesterday, and we haven't seen each other much so we couldn't address anything that's been going on with you this past month." He took out a pen and I was about to speak but he interrupted me, "But I'm here now and how is your album coming along? Management wants at least a song by the end of next week. It doesn't matter how bad it is, or if it isn't finish. They want to see progress and they went to see that you're at least working on it. Eddie, I can't keep stalling them. I know you tell me that you can't force creativity, which you have to wait for a muse and blah-blah-blah, but can you at least push some in." I looked back to the bathroom and no sign of Eddie. "Also, you have a busy month. We have a lot of interviews back to back. I'm still going to push you for the New York trip. I don't know why in the world you don't want to go, but whatever's holding you back man, you got to let it go." I heard the water stop running. I looked back at Jake. Not once did the man turn around. I found it amusing. How long would it take him to be quiet, turn around and realize he wasn't talking to Eddie? He started to organize the papers and set pencils in perfect order. He made sure they were sharpened and that pens had ink. The man was a freak.

"And finally, we need to talk about this new girl everyone is talking about. Listen man, you know I don't get involve in your decisions of your personal life. I've made some mistakes in my life, like marriage, and I won't judge for your mistakes, but I'm not hearing great things about this girl." He caught my interest. I looked at him questioningly even though he couldn't see me. Was I that girl? Was I the mistake he thinks Eddie is making? "I'm not saying everyone is saying bad things about her, some people like her because she's normal and wholesome. But others are saying she's just a gold digger, and pretending to pull that all American Girl act. Your classic Chloe Carter, if you will." He was quiet. His little revelation bothered me. A little. "I wouldn't care if those people were critics or those who despised you, but they are comments coming from your fans. That's not good, man." Jake sighed. Eddie's fans hate me? "And they're also saying she's too young for you." I frowned. We're four years apart. Does not so bad, and I'm eighteen so it can't be considered statutory rape. "Eduardo, listen, if this is a phase that you're going through where you're making one of your fans dreams come true by pretending to be interested in them, you have to stop that. Your image is not looking too hot right now. I'm your manager, and I'm supposed to take care of that image, so I advised you to get over that phase and move on. I don't care if you get another Chloe Carter, at least your head was in the game when you were with her." I wasn't too hot about Jake. He was all of the sudden quiet. He closed his suit case. "Now, did someone cut your tongue off or-" Jake stopped midsentence when he had turned around and did not find Eddie but me, the girl he wanted Eddie to stop his phase with.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't notice you there. I thought you were Eddie."

"Ah, right." I was too mad and offended to blush and look embarrassed that I pretended to be Eddie while he ranted endlessly. Jake looked at me apprehensively.

"I'm Jake Madsen. Mr. Duran's manager." I nodded. Why was he calling Eddie Mr. Duran. It sounded too formal coming from him. "I know. I'm-"

"You're the help." He placed his suit case down the piano bench. Jake crossed his arms, then he proceeded to look at me. He frowned in disapproval. My face contorted in confusion. What? The help? "I know. You're a little young, but who knows what tastes Eddie has nowadays. Anyways, can you get me two glasses of cold water?"

"The help?" I repeated after him. Jake looked at his watch impatiently. "Yes, the help as in his maid or servant. You speak English right?" Okay, he was really rude. I did not like him one bit. "While you're getting water, mind telling me where Eddie is?"

I was too busy trying to find reason for why he thought I was Eddie's maid. Was it the way I was dressed? I looked down to study myself. No, I was wearing sneakers, black skinny jeans, and a Nike jacket. So maybe I wasn't as dressed as Chloe Carter, but I didn't look like a maid. Was it because I didn't look flashy enough? I wasn't wearing fancy clothes, and I wasn't model. I didn't look like the type of girls Eddie usually dated.

"Excuse me. Are you deaf too?" Jake rubbed his face. "My god, I need to teach this boy how to hire people who can actually do their job." He looked down on me again. "I don't see it. If he picked maids based on looks, he should've at least picked one that mildly knows how to dress and knows what lipstick is at the least." Now he was insulting me. Great. This moment gets better. I was about to retort to him when Eddie gloriously strutted in.

"Jake, you're finally here." He was casually dressed like I was. And I smiled big because he had sweats, and a white T-shirt and he didn't look like some servant. It wasn't that I was offended that he called me a servant. It was the lack of decency he had to interrupt me and not let me introduce myself, and then he proceeded to criticize me because I didn't get him water.

Eddie looked at me with such gentleness it made my insides tingle and it almost made me forget why I was angry at the man standing in front of me. Almost being a key word because I was still furious. "I want you to meet Loren."

"I already met Loren." Jake looked at Eddie disapprovingly. Eddie was taken aback. My anger didn't boil down. Eddie instinctively stood a little in front of me as if to protect me from Jake's disapproval. "You did?"

"Eddie, sorry Loren if I insult you," he didn't even look at me when he addressed me. The nerve! "But Eddie, if you're going to hire somebody to look after your house and guests at least set some rules. Get someone who understands some English, and dresses properly, and doesn't just stand there like a big idiot trying to understand what I'm saying."

"Excuse me?" Both Eddie and I said in unison. I wasn't boiling now with anger. Nope, someone left the pot too long and now I was burning with rage. Eddie was quiet. I noticed his confused glare towards Jake. He then turned to look at me. I crossed my arms and narrowed my eyes at Jake. He ignored me and imploringly looked at Eddie. I felt Eddie's aura quickly build up into rage too. But I was already to angry and I wanted to give this man a piece of my mind.

"I'm not Eddie's maid, or anybody's maid for that matter." I suddenly found my voice behind my fury. Eddie's eyebrow raised in complete surprise. "I would've gotten your damn water if you would've stopped talking and not insulted the living shit out of me." Jake eyes bulged out and Eddie mouth opened slightly before closing and giving the bigggest smile to Jake. He stepped back and stood next to me. "I am not the help. Even if I was, I condemn you to not speak to me like that, Mr. Madsen. And I would appreciate it that when you are addressing me, you look at me and not speak as if am not in the room. I am a person, just like you and Eddie are, and I have done absolutely nothing to you for the disrespect you just demonstrated right now, and I won't stand here and compliantly withhold your rude comments."

Jake nodded slowly.

"If you want water, the kitchen is a few meters from here. I see that your legs are functioning well, so you won't have any trouble getting yourself there."

Eddie nodded approvingly and proudly looked at Jake. Jake gulped, and then composed himself.

"Then if you're not the help, then who are you?" I looked at him a second longer. He pulled at his collar, and chuckled breezily. Eddie looked at him knowingly. "Where are my manners? I'm sorry. I apologize for my disrespect. I should have not assumed you were a maid, and realized sooner you are guest, just like I am, and even if you were 'the help', my attitude was uncalled for." I nodded in approval. I heard Eddie hold his laughter beside me.

I held my hand for Jake to shake. "I'm Loren Tate."

Jake hesitantly shook my hand. Then his face did a complete 360 and his jaw dropped, literally. I shouldn't have felt smug about it, but I couldn't help it, not after he spoke to me like I was the scum he walked on. "Wait, wait. You're Loren," I nodded, "as in Loren, the girl Eddie's-" He cringed at sudden realization. Who felt like an idiot now?

I felt Eddie wrap his arms around me and presented me with the biggest, proudest smile. I smiled warmly at him.

"Jake,I want you to meet my girlfriend."

"Oh, shit."

Oh shit was he right.

Heya, it's been so long since I've updated. I hope everyone is doing well, and I love all of you. Junior Year is coming to an end, and it's all so stressful and I haven't even started applying for college.

I'd like to thank kykei654, the source of motivation for this chapter. So sweet.

Song: Kryptonite by (i don't remember, but the theme had to do with Melissa's and Loren's new friendship.)

I'll probably edit sometime in life. I don't know. I'm very tired.

Anyways, how cool was Jake and Phil? follow, review and have a great weekend.