"WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY GIRLFRIEND!?" Hayden roared. His face was red with anger and his blue eyes held tsunamis, but I couldn't stop laughing with Dastan and Jem after splashing around in the once-innocent pond. I was chattering my teeth off from being cold, but my body was quaking from laughter so much that it made up for it. It was only when Hayden let go of my hand and stood between me and Dastan that my amusement died.

I had no time to say anything before Hayden seized Dastan's shirt and threw him to the ground. When Dastan should've hit the ground, he had repositioned and swiped Hayden off his feet. Oh no.

Hayden recovered swiftly and pinned Dastan. Dastan used his agility once more to flip positions and then soon Hayden's strength was used to pin him back again. They kept doing that, over and over, until I finally pulled them apart before they could lay any real punches on each other. I separated them and Dastan sat on the ground with his hair messed up completely, while I looked down at Hayden.  

"What's your problem?" I asked Hayden, putting my hands on my hips and feeling my wet clothes hug my skin. I extended my hand to him as he looked into the distance with his jaw tensed.  

"Forget it..." he muttered with his face softening. He took off his leather jacket and threw it over my shoulders, knowing that I was cold. He grabbed my hand and locked our fingers, but when he started to walk, I turned back to Dastan who still sat on the ground like a child, pulling out pieces of grass.

"Can you take care of Jem? I meant to ask you before—"

"It's fine," he interrupted with a sad voice. I so badly wanted to ask him what had suddenly deflated him, but I wasn't dumb. He (and Jem) and I were having a moment that was abruptly taken away and tarnished minutes after he professed his feelings for me. I didn't even get to really give him a response because we were interrupted with Sebastian's call and a Jem-assisted prank.

"I GET TO GO WITH DASTAN!? THAT'S SO COOL!" Jem yelled. I felt Hayden squeeze my hand just before I let go of his. Dastan eyes noticed the break in affection almost immediately. Jem looked down to Dastan after skipping over and extended his hand to pull him up. "Isn't that cool? We get to hang out without my sister!"

Dastan grabbed his hand to have help in standing up.

"Yeah. It's awesome," Dastan said with a light smile as he flipped his hair into place while ruffling Jem's.

"Come on," Hayden whispered before starting to wrap me around the waist and pulling me off. Suddenly that was uncomfortable to me too. I heard Jem start rambling off to Dastan about Sarah or riding his motorcycle. I turned back and Dastan was starting to walk in the opposite direction with Jem, but he glanced over his shoulder to me and all the youth from earlier vanished as he gave me a pained look. Maybe he did like me too much and hated me being with Hayden.

***

I walked out of Hayden's bathroom, in new clothes (his hoodie and his long, gym shorts) and saw him relaxed on his bed. I ran a hand through my wet hair and walked over to his bed. He looked up at me and positioned himself to where I could lay peacefully in his arms. So I accepted the invitation and curled up next to him, wanting as much of his warmth as possible. That was the initial reason why I was even at his apartment which was extremely close to Central Park. 

"I'm sorry for yelling at you earlier," he whispered against my head.

"It's fine," I sighed, closing my eyes because I didn't want to argue right now no matter how not fine I really felt about it on principle. I felt my nose press against his chest and he smelled really good. But I felt him stiffen.

"It's not fine," he said. "You don't deserve that."

I nudged my head to his chest and grinned a small fraction.

"Sebastian and Dastan already pled your case," I whispered. "You're fine."

"Sebastian and Dastan?" he asked.

"Mhmm," I hummed. "Sebastian said you were just doing what he told you to and Dastan just wanted me to forgive you."

"I'm telling you all of this for a reason, but I know that I won't have any courage to act upon it. So since my feelings for you are paralleled back to you through Hayden, I guess the only thing I can tell you is to be happy. If you're happy with Hayden, then I will do whatever I can to respect that...only for you though," Dastan had told me.

"I want to please your brother after how badly I treated him before--especially not that we're together now. But I don't know why Dastan, on the other hand, would want that—"

"He just wants me to be happy," I mumbled. I looked up to him. "He's gonna respect that."

"I sure hope so," he smiled and then pressed his lips to mine. We just laid there for a while just talking, but then I realized that Hayden's circles on my waist with his thumb were slowing down. Moments later they stopped altogether and he was asleep.

I slowly got up from his bed and walked around his perfectly clean room. It was exceptionally clean for a teenager. More than that, it was cold. He didn't even have posters or pictures hanging. With the closet closed, the only assurance of recent habitation was his football bag right outside the bathroom's entry. It didn't even looked lived in. Aside from the bed he was sleeping in and the clothes in the closet, everything looked new and clean and untouched. Curiously, I ran a finger on the window sill and looked to my fingers for dust or something, but there was none. 

Maybe he had a maid.

I started walking around his apartment, seeing the same qualities of his room—absolutely immaculate. I wasn't complaining about it, but even the kitchen was pristine! There were no dirty dishes or anything of the sorts. I opened his refrigerator hoping that there was actually food in there. If there wasn't, I knew this apartment must be a staged fallacy. 

Hallelujah! The fridge was packed with all the microwavable food and pre-cooked tuperware meals a teenage boy could want. I closed the fridge side and went to the freezer.

"Jackpot," I cheered as I found five different kinds of ice cream in there. I grabbed an ice cream sandwich and started eating it before I closed the door. When I did, Hayden was smirking as he leaned on the nearest corner. Holy shit, how did he move that fast and silent? He rolled his eyes and shook his head humorously before rolling off the corner and walking back to his room. I followed him. "Are you laughing at me?"

"Me? Laughing at a sixteen year old girl enjoying the ice cream in my freezer? No...I'm not laughing at all," he replied, sarcastically with a chuckle. He had entered his room and I sped up to do the same. However, as soon as I stepped into his room, he grabbed my waist and placed me against the open door. I caught my breath.

He smirked down victoriously but then I looked to the ice cream in my hand and smirked.

"Angela, you better not—"

His words were stopped when there was vanilla ice cream smeared in his face, dripping off of his nose and dropping to his shirt. I fell the floor in absolute laughter, but he left the room. When he got back, he had an ice cream in his hand. My laughter stopped and I gave him a warning look as I stood up, taking a defensive stance. He approached me with a devious smile.

"Hayden Marshal, you better not—"

"You don't even know what I'm gonna do," he said as I mirrored his movement. When he stepped forward, I stepped back. He titled his head to the side and I narrowed my eyes to do the same.

"Which is why I'm scared," I admitted. He took another step forward and when I stepped back, my calf hit the bed. My eyes flashed up to his and then Hayden lunged.

Immediately, I felt my back hit the bed somehow softly and Hayden straddled my waist. He held the ice cream above his head and I closed my eyes to brace the coldness on my face. Moments passed and without any sort of revenge on my face, I reluctantly opened my eyes.

The thought of revenge hadn't even crossed Hayden's mind, obviously, because he sat there—on me—eating his ice cream sandwich with much content. He saw me looking up at him and he smiled.

"What?" he asked. "You thought I'd waste this on you?"

"You are so..." I slid from beneath him and flipped our positions, taking the sandwich from him. "...easy."

He looked up at me pathetically.

"I like how I'm the one always being called a jerk, when you're the one mean to me!" he complained sarcastically. I flashed him a smile and shrugged.

"You let me," I reasoned.

"Ridiculous..." he commented before I climbed off of him and slid into the space beside him.

"Here," I said, handing him his ice cream.

"As I recall it, it was you wanting ice cream and it just so happened to smear all over my shirt..."

"Darn," I smiled.

"You can have it," he allowed, swiping a finger of ice cream off the side and then eating just that.

"I don't want it anymore," I lied, being courteous. I looked over to him; he was still smiling. "It has your cooties all over it."

"You didn't seem to mind before," he whispered, and then sealed our lips. I pulled away to smile, but then wrapped my arms around his neck to continue our kiss. I started feeling something rise from my stomach to my heart and swell, almost as much as a single touch from...the Proliator. But this was different. This was genuine and real and explained. I was enjoying Hayden's company like any girlfriend should enjoy of their boyfriend. Of course I should feel like the added fun added to my feelings. 

Even though I wanted to, I shouldn't compare that to whatever I had with the Proliator. I don't know who he even is. How could someone so unknown feel so important to me that I've convinced myself that they are important to me? It didn't make sense why he was on my mind all the time. I didn't want to just chalk it up to lust or attraction or the thrill of adventure and rely on that alone. Because that's all this was right now when I took in all my assumptions and unanswered questions. 

We could never have the connection that I had with Kenneth or what I have with Hayden. I could never joke around with the Proliator and wipe ice cream on his face. I could never be in a bed, kissing him. I could never freely walk around his apartment solely to meddle and snoop. I could never look over to see the happiness and youth on his face...I could never even look at his normal, maskless face.

It made me sad.

Minutes later when I was laying with Hayden's arm wrapped around me, I started remembering every last feeling I got from the Proliator to validate what was real and what was just in my head. And then I remembered the last emotion he gave me: pain. It wasn't physical, but it was an emotion strong enough to feel as if it was. I never wanted to feel that again, but then again, that's how I felt anytime I thought of the Proliator...because every time I thought about him, I was missing him, I was confused, and I was anxious. There were only specific times that I hadn't felt this way--having the time of my life with Hayden or anytime I was with Dastan.

It took me until now for Dastan's admission to sink in. Had I taken everything as a mistake? I was the one judging him from the beginning--the same beginning he allegedly developed feelings for me. I then proceeded to assume he hated me. It made me wonder if my feelings for Hayden would've been different if they hadn't been perceived as the only option...After all, even though Hayden pursued me from the beginning, I didn't have to respond to that. If I didn't perceive Dastan's behavior so drastically wrong...I would've accepted the challenge of seeing him and our friendship through to where my feelings could've mimicked his by now without the voices in my head putting a wall up between us.

Suddenly, there was a banging on the door an hour later and Hayden slowly sat up in the bed. We shared a look and then he climbed out of the bed. When I followed him, he reached his hand back to grab mine. Our hands connected and he pulled me through his dark, plain apartment and opened the door.

It was a surprise to both of us when we were face-to-face with Nik. His normally spiky hair was flat and he had a busted face. As soon as he saw me look at him, he wiped the bead of blood away.

"Nik, are you okay—?" I asked, stepping near him, but Hayden yanked me back.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Hayden hissed at him with such contempt. I looked up to him, not knowing how he could take that tone with someone who was clearly in pain. "How the hell do you even know where I live?"

"We need to talk," Nik answered sternly. His blue-gray eyes flashed to me and then back to Hayden. "Alone."

Hayden smoothly stepped in front of me.

"You're not going to tell me that we need to talk and to tell me to send my girlfriend out of my apartment," Hayden said.

"Well actually, I am," Nik said, producing enough of that attitude to explain why someone would beat him up. Hayden flinched to cock his fist back, but I grabbed his arm.

"Stop trying to fight people all the time," I muttered. His eyes were just as hard as before. "He's clearly already hurt anyways..."

"Babe, he is not welcomed here," he stated to me. I shifted positions.

"Exactly," I said. "So don't you think...if he was willing to come someplace he wasn't welcomed, it's that much more important?"

He sighed stressfully and looked around. I looked over to Nik who, instead of smirking, was mouthing the words "thank you" with a nod.

"You're so damn lucky I like you," Hayden said before kissing me quickly. When he pulled away, he opened the door wider and gestured reluctantly for Nik to come in. The two sat down in Hayden's gray and white living room and I quietly made my way to his bedroom. I grabbed my stuff and started to walk out. First I went to the kitchen for some ice cream, then I lingered at the island and saw Hayden and Nik talking across from each other. Well, Nik was talking and Hayden was looking off, nodding in comprehension. I finished my ice cream and left the wrapper on the counter, just to see if the trash would upset him. I left the kitchen and started to walk out, but then Hayden stood up in the middle of his conversation.

"Where are you going?" he asked me.

"Home...?" I answered. "I'll leave you to speak with Nik without all the whispering."

"How are you going to get home?" he asked.

"I'll call Mickie...or Dastan...or see if Sebastian is cooled off—"

"Mickie's busy, Sebastian is picking up Kenneth and his family from the airport by now, and Dastan—yeah right," Nik immediately interrupted as if he had trackers on everyone. I saw his eyes flicker a silver color from across the room. Hayden shot him a look and he rolled his eyes. "Call Cheyenne. She should be home."

"How do you know that?" I asked. How did he know any of that? Was he spying on everyone or something?

"I was just over there," he said slowly. "How else would I know...?"

"Beats me," I replied in a mutter. Nik Wilde was a scary kid sometimes. I looked over to Hayden. "I'll just call Cheyenne and be out..."

"Pft," Nik snickered. Now it was me shooting him a look.

"Come on," Hayden said before crossing the room, kissing me once, and walking me out. As soon as I was out of the lobby, I realized the crushing weight of what tomorrow would hold in store.