The tension in the room reached a boiling point when Luther abruptly stood up, his movement startling everyone. Sushi, who had been comfortably lounging on his lap, was unceremoniously set on top of Vanya. She blinked in surprise as the small cat nestled into her, but the room's focus was on Luther as he brushed his hands on his thighs, clearly done with the conversation.

"Okay, I'm out," he declared, his voice resolute as he began to head toward the stairs.

Five's reaction was instant. He let go of my hand and blinked in front of Luther, blocking his path with a determined expression. "Did you even hear me, Luther?" Five asked, his voice sharp with frustration and a touch of desperation.

Luther didn't miss a beat, his tone dripping with sarcasm as he gave a bitter smile. "Yeah, I did. I heard a kid who hasn't seen his daddy in 13 years and still wants him to come and fix everything." He shook his head, dismissing everything Five had said. "Well, you can count me out... It's time we all grew the hell up."

His words hung in the air like a toxic cloud, suffocating the room's atmosphere. The rest of the family watched in silence, their expressions a mix of shock, anger, and helplessness. Luther's words weren't just a slap to Five—they were a blow to all of us. The room felt colder, smaller, as Luther continued to make his way down the stairs, brushing off the protests from his siblings.

Diego, ever the loyal brother, was close behind him, but he was clearly conflicted, torn between his duty to his family and the gravity of the situation. Five, refusing to back down, blinked in front of them again, his frustration boiling over. "No one leaves until we figure this out," Five demanded, his voice tight with barely controlled anger.

But Luther wasn't having any of it. In one swift motion, he grabbed Five by the collar and hurled him over the railing. My heart lurched as I watched Five's body hurtle through the air, but just before he could hit the ground, he blinked out of sight. Relief washed over me, but it was quickly replaced by a surge of anger.

Without thinking, I pushed past Diego, rushing to block Luther's path. "Why did you do that?" I shouted, my voice trembling with a mix of anger and fear. I stared up at Luther, my eyes blazing with a fury I hadn't felt in a long time. "You could've hurt him!"

I tried to push Luther, to make him feel even a fraction of the frustration and fear I was feeling, but it was like trying to move a mountain. He was solid, immovable, and I was just a small force against his towering frame. The phone in the kitchen continued to ring, an annoying backdrop to the chaos that was unfolding, but I didn't care.

Luther sighed, not with anger, but with a tiredness that made me feel even smaller. "Come on, Y/n. Don't make me do the same to you."

His words sent a chill down my spine. "You wouldn't," I said, my voice wavering as I tried to sound more confident than I felt.

Instead of responding, Luther gently but firmly pushed me aside. Even though he didn't use much force, his strength sent me stumbling into the wall. I felt a sharp sting where I hit, but it was nothing compared to the hurt and anger boiling inside me. I watched helplessly as Luther and Diego walked down the stairs and out the door, leaving a trail of tension and bitterness in their wake.

"I'm starting not to like him," I muttered under my breath, turning back to Allison, Klaus, and Vanya, who had witnessed the whole scene unfold.

Just as I was about to say something else, my dad called out from the kitchen. "Y/n, it's for you!"

I let out a frustrated sigh, my irritation growing by the second. What now? I thought as I reluctantly made my way upstairs, the anger still simmering in my chest. When I reached the kitchen, my dad was holding out the phone for me, his expression puzzled. I took the receiver from him, my mind still reeling from the chaos downstairs.

"Hello?" I answered, barely masking the frustration in my voice.

"Y/n, it's me, Daren!" came the overly cheerful voice on the other end.

I almost groaned out loud. "Daren? Why are you calling?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady despite the irritation bubbling up inside me. Of all the times, why now?

"I've been trying to call you for days. You didn't show up at school, and I was worried. I wanted to ask you something," he said, his voice annoyingly chipper.

I rolled my eyes, forcing myself to stay polite even though I was at my wit's end. "Daren, I've just been busy."

"Well, can I come over? I could stop by and—"

"No!" I interrupted quickly, panic rising at the thought of Daren showing up here and seeing everything. The last thing I needed was for him to get involved in this mess. "I mean, no, Daren. You can't."

"Why not?" he sounded confused, almost hurt, but I couldn't deal with his feelings right now.

My mind raced for an excuse. "I'll meet you at the park by the school, okay? Just meet me there."

"Okay, see you then," he said, sounding far too cheerful for my liking.

As soon as the line went dead, I slammed the phone back into its cradle, letting out a frustrated sigh. I could feel the tension in my shoulders, the weight of everything pressing down on me.

Allison, Klaus, and Vanya were still watching me, their expressions a mixture of concern and curiosity. I grabbed my purse and slung it over my shoulder, the last thing I wanted to do right now was deal with Daren, but I needed to get him away from the house.

"What are you doing?" Klaus asked, his curiosity piqued as he watched me head for the door.

"If my dad asks, tell him I went to the park to meet up with a friend," I said, already halfway to the stairs. My mind was racing with everything that had happened. The fight with Luther, Five's desperate plea, and now having to deal with Daren on top of it all—it was almost too much.

"With who?" Allison called after me, but I was already walking down the stairs, my steps heavy with frustration.

"Someone who has their head too far up their ass!" I shot back, not even bothering to stop as I stormed out the door.

The walk to the park felt like a marathon, each step weighed down by the anger and frustration that had been building all day. The sun was setting, casting long shadows across the streets, but I barely noticed. My mind was too full, too overwhelmed by everything that had happened.

As I reached the park, I tried to calm myself down, but it was hard. My thoughts kept circling back to the scene at the house, to the look on Five's face when Luther threw him over the railing, to the way Luther's words had cut through the room like a knife. And now, I had to deal with Daren, who, for all his faults, didn't deserve to be caught up in this mess.

I didn't want to see him, didn't want to deal with any of it, but I knew I had to. I needed to get him to leave me alone, to go away and stay far from the chaos that was consuming my life.

But as I walked, I couldn't shake the feeling that no matter what I did, everything was spiraling out of control, and there was nothing I could do to stop it.

I made my way to the park and found a quiet bench away from the busier areas. Sitting down, I took a deep breath and let my eyes wander around the park. Kids were playing on the swings, their laughter echoing through the air. A couple walked by hand-in-hand, wrapped up in their own little world. It struck me how normal everything seemed—how oblivious they all were to the fact that the world could end in just a matter of days. The thought made my chest tighten with a mix of fear and sadness.

I was snapped out of my thoughts when two hands suddenly covered my eyes. My heart jumped, but I knew who it was immediately. Rolling my eyes beneath his hands, I tried to suppress the irritation bubbling up inside me.

"Guess who?" Daren's voice was right by my ear, his tone annoyingly cheerful.

"I wonder who?" I replied sarcastically, not in the mood for his games.

Daren laughed and removed his hands, moving around to sit beside me on the bench. "It's me," he announced with a grin, as if I hadn't already figured that out.

"Sadly," I muttered under my breath, barely loud enough for him to hear. I forced a smile and turned to face him. "It's nice to see you again, Daren."

He beamed at me, clearly not picking up on my lack of enthusiasm, and leaned in closer. I immediately shifted away, creating more distance between us on the bench. He didn't seem to notice—or maybe he just didn't care.

"What did you want to talk about, Daren?" I asked, cutting straight to the point but keeping my tone polite. I just wanted to get this over with.

Daren cleared his throat, looking a bit more serious as he began to speak. "Well, I know you said you wanted to take things slow, and I respect that in a woman."

I raised an eyebrow, taken aback by his comment. Men like him didn't know the meaning of respect when it came to women, especially not when they thought they could buy their way into someone's heart. "Actually, I said I wasn't ready to take anything seriously," I corrected him, keeping my voice steady.

"Yeah, yeah, and I get it," he said, flashing me another one of his infuriating smiles.

"Do you?" I asked, smiling back at him, though it was more out of exhaustion than anything else. I was so tired of his games.

He held his hands up in mock surrender and laughed. "Okay, okay, I get it. Didn't know you had a tough side, Y/n."

I just stared at him, unimpressed. His attempts at flattery were falling flat, and I wasn't in the mood for any of this.

"But the reason I wanted to see you today is because I have something for you." He smiled as he reached into his pocket, and I instantly rolled my eyes. Of course, he had something for me. Daren always thought he could win me over with gifts.

He pulled out a small box and handed it to me, watching eagerly as I took it. I hesitated before opening it, bracing myself for whatever was inside. When I finally lifted the lid, I saw a gold bracelet nestled in the box. The bracelet was real gold, and it had our names intertwined in cursive—an ugly mix of weird and unsettling.

"Wow... uh, it's..." I struggled to find the right words, forcing a smile as he waited expectantly.

"Something different," I finished, my voice lacking the enthusiasm he was clearly hoping for.

"I had a guy make it just for us," Daren said proudly, like it was the most thoughtful gift in the world.

"Us?" I repeated, my voice laced with disbelief. Did he really think there was an "us"?

He nodded enthusiastically and showed me his wrist, where he was wearing a matching bracelet. "See? Now you can see how special you are to me."

I felt a wave of nausea rise up as I stared at the matching piece of jewelry. It was too much. This wasn't romantic—it was possessive, and it made my skin crawl. I closed the box and handed it back to him. "Daren, that's sweet, but I don't need your money to buy me things," I said, trying to be as gentle as possible.

"Come on, let me spoil you. You don't have a lot since your father spends it all on those weird science fiction stories and computers." His tone was light, but his words cut deep.

I looked at him in disbelief. Did he really just say that? "Daren, I'm sorry, but I can't take this," I insisted, pushing the box back toward him.

He wasn't listening. "You're just saying that because you don't have it on yet. It'll look great on you," he said, opening the box again and grabbing my hand to put the bracelet on.

"No, Daren, it's okay," I protested, trying to pull my hand away, but he was persistent. Before I knew it, the bracelet was clasped around my wrist.

"See? Looks even better on you," he said, smiling as if he'd just won some kind of victory. "I guess you need a special guy to take care of you."

My frustration hit its peak. "No, Daren, I don't need anyone to—" But before I could finish, he leaned in and tried to kiss me.

I jerked back, pushing him away with enough force that he stumbled slightly. "What are you doing?" I demanded, wiping my lips in disgust.

"What? I thought you liked the gift," he said, looking genuinely confused, as if he couldn't understand why I wasn't swooning over him.

"No, Daren, you're seeing this all wrong. I don't want anything with you," I said, my voice firm and unwavering. There was no hesitation this time—I needed to make him understand that this was over.

He sucked the side of his cheek, looking down for a moment before glancing back at me. "Y/n, I think your female brain is just seeing this all wrong. You could have a guy with money who spoils you all day. Why would you want anything else?"

I scoffed, feeling a surge of anger flare up inside me. "All you men think you can buy a woman with gold bracelets and fancy cars and expect them to claim to be yours. You're nothing without it all, Daren. I may not have money or a nice house, but I have something I'd rather have than you."

He stared at me, dumbfounded. "Like what?"

I leaned in, my voice cold as ice. "Self-respect," I said, standing up from the bench.

The shock on his face was almost satisfying. For once, he didn't have a witty comeback or a smarmy grin. He just stared at me, speechless,
as I got up from the beach Daren quickly got up after me and went in front of me to stop me.

His expression darkened as he stood up, moving to stand in front of me. "It's about that boy, huh?"

"What... what boy?" I stammered, caught off guard by his sudden accusation.

"There's no other boy," I started to deny, but he interrupted me.

"That boy you got into the car with. I saw you walking home a couple of days ago. I was going to give you your gift, but I saw you get into a car with a boy in a school uniform and two other people in the front." He looked at me with narrowed eyes, a smirk playing on his lips.

"You followed me?" I asked, the shock and horror settling in.

"No, I wanted to give you your gift, but I'm glad I did. I had a feeling you were seeing someone else," he accused, his voice dripping with bitterness.

"You're crazy... You're actually mental," I said, laughing in disbelief. "You're the most twisted, pathetic boy I've ever met, and I wish your father would put you in an asylum."

Daren smiled, a twisted grin that sent chills down my spine. "Okay, I think we both got off on the wrong foot here. Let's just pretend to start over, right?" He dramatically turned around, taking a deep breath before spinning back to face me with a smirk. "Hello, beautiful. I'm Daren... what's your name?"

I stared at him, speechless, before stepping closer. "Don't get attached," I said, turning to leave.

But before I could take a step, he grabbed my purse, yanking me back. We struggled for a moment, fighting over the purse. "Daren, let go!" I demanded, pulling back with all my strength.

"Why are you being like this, Y/n?" he said, his voice rising in frustration.

"Daren, I'm serious. Let go!" I shouted, trying to free my purse from his grip.

"You're just as pathetic as your sorry father!" he spat, still holding on.

That was the last straw. Rage surged through me, and I kneed him hard in the groin. He let go immediately, collapsing to his knees in pain. I picked up my purse, and without hesitation, swung it at his face, sending him sprawling to the ground.

"Oh please, I didn't even hit you that hard," I muttered, slinging my purse over my shoulder and walking away, leaving Daren groaning in pain behind me.

———

As I walked back home, my mind was a whirlwind of thoughts. The whole situation with Daren had thrown me for a loop. I still couldn't believe he'd gone through all that—following me, spying on me, and even getting that bracelet—just because of Five. But what did Daren even know? What did *I* even know? I mean, Five and I weren't dating, right? We'd shared that one kiss, and then there was the kiss on the head, but we never really talked about it. Did that even count as something more?

I liked Five—there was no denying that. He was so different from every other boy I'd ever met, especially the ones here in Dallas. Most of them were just greedy little rich kids, spoiled by their fathers who bought them everything they wanted. They walked around like they owned the world, and every girl seemed to want a piece of them. But that wasn't real, was it? That wasn't love. Or maybe it was, and I just hadn't found it yet. Could love be real, after all? My thoughts twisted around the idea, making me feel both hopeful and skeptical at the same time.

I shook my head, trying to clear the confusion, but it lingered. It was like every step I took toward home only made the questions louder in my mind. And then, as if the universe knew I needed a distraction, I spotted two familiar figures standing in an alley—Luther and Diego. They looked like they were up to something, which immediately made me suspicious.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, narrowing my eyes at them.

"Going for a walk," Luther said, his voice too light, too forced. He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes, and the awkward laugh that followed only made me more suspicious.

"For someone as tall, strong, and super-powered as you, you're a really bad liar," I said, crossing my arms.

Diego sighed and rolled his eyes, clearly annoyed at Luther's attempt to cover up whatever they were doing. "We saw what you did to that boy at the park," he said, cutting to the chase.

My heart skipped a beat. "You saw that?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.

"Well, pretty much everyone in the park saw you knee him in... you know," Luther said, gesturing vaguely with his hands.

I couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed, but mostly I was just relieved that Daren had gotten what he deserved. "I see why Five's head over heels for you—you've got aim," Diego said with a smirk.

I blinked at him, caught off guard by the compliment. "Uh... thanks, I guess," I said, still processing that they had witnessed the whole scene.

"He totally deserved that," Luther added, his tone supportive. But I could tell they were both trying to distract me from whatever they were really up to. My eyes drifted to the piece of paper in Luther's hand.

"What's with the card?" I asked, nodding at it.

"When you were dealing with Blondie, a man pulled up and handed this to us," Diego explained, his voice serious now.

"And what is it?" I asked, curiosity piqued.

"It's from our dad," Luther said, holding up the card like it was some kind of cursed object.

"The one who kicked both of your asses?" I teased, a small smile tugging at my lips. I couldn't resist. After what they'd put me through on the stairs, it felt good to throw a little shade their way.

They both turned to me with identical looks of annoyance, and I just shrugged. "Sorry, I had to after the whole stairs thing."

Luther gave me a sarcastic smile but continued, "He wants to meet us at this place. I'm sure he wants to talk to all of us."

"Which we're doing," Diego said, snatching the paper out of Luther's hand like he was taking charge of the situation.

"No, it's a bad idea," Luther argued, his tone firm.

"Yeah, seems like it. Going to have dinner with the man who didn't love you guys and left you all with nothing—I wouldn't do it," I added, my protective instincts kicking in. I didn't know their father, but from what I'd heard, he didn't sound like the type of person who deserved their time or effort.

"We are! It's our only chance to find out why he's planing to kill Kennedy," Diego said, his voice rising with determination.

Luther and I exchanged a look, both of us sighing at the same time. Diego had been obsessed with this Kennedy thing for as long as I'd known him. It was like he couldn't see past it, couldn't let it go.

"Let's just go back to Elliot's and see what the rest of the family thinks," Luther suggested, and I shrugged in agreement. It seemed like the best course of action, especially since the rest of their family probably had strong opinions about meeting their dad.

As we started walking back to my place, Diego glanced over at me. "Seriously, though... that was really badass of you," he said, his tone sincere.

"You think so?" I asked, a little surprised by the compliment.

Diego nodded. "I can see why Five is all head over heels for you."

I scoffed, brushing off his comment. "He's not."

"Don't believe me?" Diego asked, his eyes narrowing as if he knew something I didn't.

"He's only here to fix the world. Just a mission," I said, trying to convince myself as much as I was trying to convince Diego. The idea that Five might actually care about me—that there might be something more between us—was too much to wrap my head around right now.

Diego's expression softened, and he looked at me with something close to pity. "I never knew Five well as a kid, not after he left and got stuck in the future, but I do know that ever since he got back and meet you, he hasn't been the same," Diego said, his voice quieter now, almost thoughtful.

"Really?" I asked, looking up at him, my curiosity piqued.

Diego nodded again. "You're special to him, Y/n."

His words made me freeze in my tracks. I felt a blush creeping up my cheeks, and my heart did this weird little flip-flop in my chest. The idea that I might be special to Five... it was almost too much to believe, but it warmed me in a way I hadn't expected. I smiled to myself, a soft, private smile, feeling something bloom inside me that I hadn't felt in a long time.

As we continued walking, I couldn't help but feel lighter, like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. Diego's words echoed in my mind, making me feel hopeful and confused all at once. Five might actually care about me, and that thought made my heart race in a way I wasn't entirely sure how to handle.

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