My eyes were closed and my head was tilted back, the sunlight warming me. The table pressed uncomfortably against my back, but I tried to ignore it.

                I heard footsteps and kept my body relaxed, listening hard as they got closer. When they stepped down lightly next to the table, I shoved myself to the left, rolling out of the way just as something made contact with the table where my body had been.

                "You're getting faster."

                I opened my eyes and rolled back over, looking up at Aaron. His fist was where my chest had been.

                I sat up, pushing my hair out of my face. "I have to be to keep up with you."

                Aaron seated himself next to me on top of the table, reaching over and stealing a bite of my lunch. I stretched and cracked my back, getting myself comfortable next to Aaron.

                It had been a month of us falling into a routine. We'd sneak out together at night, pool hopping in strangers' backyards. The nights usually ended with us making out, Aaron keeping good on his promise of making my collar bone a sensitive spot.

                Aaron also dropped his façade piece by tiny piece around me as the time went on. He kept it up strong around others, but when it was just us alone, I got to see more glimpses of the real Aaron.

                The real Aaron was more terrifying than anyone could ever imagine.

                "Tonight?" I asked, glancing at him.

                "I don't feel like it," he said, stretching out on the table.

                He would say that sometimes, but we usually ended up going out anyways. I watched as a butterfly floated down, landing on Aaron's arm.

                "Looks like you made a friend," I said.

                Aaron eyed the butterfly as it crawled up his arm and rested near his elbow. He reached out and plucked it by the wings with his free hand, sitting up.

                "The way you look at me pisses me off," he said. "You should really stop having so much faith in people."

                He met my eyes and I realized what he was going to do as soon as he brought his other hand to the butterfly's wing. I forced my composure to stay firmly in place as Aaron tore off the butterfly's right wing, dropping it to the table.

                He dangled the maimed creature in the air, eyeing it with disinterest. "It's useless now."

                "If you didn't want it to be useless, you shouldn't have ripped its wing off," I said, my voice steady.

                Aaron tossed the butterfly away from himself. "Some things are better broken. Easier to have your way with them."

                "You can't break something and then complain that it's useless," I said.

                "Actually, I can do whatever I want," Aaron said. "You can do anything when you stop caring about the consequences."

                I pointed to myself. "Mama's boy, remember? I'll always care about the consequences."

                "I'll fix that," he assured, flicking the wing off the table.

                "You can try," I said. "But I have a moral code that says if it'll make my mom upset, I won't do it."

                Aaron shook his head. "What are you, a child? Who cares what your mom thinks?"

                "I care," I said. "I love my mom. I'm not going to upset her."

                "What does it matter? Someday she'll be dead too and you'll have no parents. You'll have wasted your time trying to please a woman who won't even be around much once you move out of your house," Aaron said.

                "Would you miss your mom if she died?" I said.

                Aaron's lips curled into an amused grin. "No."

                I knew Nicole Kizziar wasn't the world's best mother. I knew her mental illness had damaged her relationship with her children. But I also knew she'd tried to get help so she could raise her kids. Depression could be a scary thing, but Aaron wasn't one to forgive even the most understandable of excuses.

                "I miss my dad," I said, tilting my head back. "I think about him all the time."

                "You barely knew him," Aaron said. "For all you know, he was a shit father. You shouldn't love someone just because they're your family. Sometimes family are the worst."

                "I had a good dad. And I have a good stepdad." I couldn't remember my father very well, but I did remember him spending as much time with me as possible, well aware that his cancer was killing him quickly. And David had stepped right up as a father figure to me the moment he met me, loving but stern when he needed to be.

                "This is a stupid topic," Aaron said, grabbing the back of my neck and shoving my head down. "You always pick stupid things to talk about."

                There he went, throwing around the word stupid for things he didn't have or understand. He didn't rely on and love his family, so he thought I was stupid for doing those things.

                Aaron drummed his fingers against my neck before resuming his tight grip on it. "You're so stupid, Kaz. I wonder why I bother with you."

                "Because I'm quick," I said, holding up his cell phone.

                He grabbed my hand in his, holding it so tightly I nearly winced. "If I didn't need you, I'd break every fucking finger of yours. Nice and slow, one by one. I'd leave both your hands crippled."

                He wouldn't, though. I knew that. "I have a bit of a stealing problem. You knew that ahead of time. Really, who's being stupid here?"

                He released my neck, slinging his arm around my shoulders in that position that would make it easy for him to choke me if he chose to. "Call me stupid again, Kaz. I dare you. Go on, go on."

                I'd been learning his limits. How far I could take a choke and when to shut up. Forming a relationship with Aaron was hard work sometimes.

                I simply gazed at him, raising an eyebrow. He slowly dropped his arm from my shoulders.

                "You're learning," he said. "You're stupid, but you're not too stupid."

                "I have some survival instincts," I said.

                Aaron got up and started heading back towards the school without another word. I watched him go, waiting until he had disappeared before turning my head, my eyes scanning until I saw the butterfly wing on the ground.

                I knew he was just testing me to see if I was afraid of him, but this was worrying me. Just how far would he take it?

                Aaron didn't look at life the same way other people did. To me, a butterfly was a living creature that deserved to be left alone. To Aaron, it was just a stupid bug that didn't matter.

                He looked at his own life with that same dismissive attitude. He was always doing reckless things.

                "Good job, Casimir. You picked a reckless fool to fall for," I mumbled, running a hand through my hair.

                I got up and went inside, tossing my lunch in the garbage as I passed it. I'd lost my appetite.

                I found Lily in the cafeteria and sat down with her. "Hey, sorry. I was just outside. I texted you that I was out there."

                "I'm aware," she said, scribbling an answer on a homework assignment. "I saw Aaron stalking around for you. I take it he found you?"

                "He did," I said. No need to tell her about the butterfly thing.

                "You're smart. Help me with my homework," she said, looking up at me at last.

                "What am I, a tutor?" I said. "You know I suck at explaining schoolwork."

                "Well, learn," she said, turning her homework so I could see it.

                I sighed and explained the problems as best I could, trying to help Lily understand. I'd always gotten good grades in school, which is probably why teachers tended to let my theft slide, but I was bad at helping others. It drove Lily crazy.

                "Hang on," I said as my phone vibrated in my pocket. I took it out and checked the contact before answering. "Hi, mom. Is everything okay?"

                "Everything is fine," mom said. "Is this your lunch period? I thought it was."

                "It is," I said with a nod. "What's up? Is David giving me a ride afterschool?"

                "Not today, he's not getting out of work in time. But, well..." She sighed. "David and I were talking this morning after you left, and we'd like to meet Aaron. You've been spending a lot of time with him. We'll make extra food at dinner tonight if he's able to come."

                I felt my face pale a little. My parents did a lot of volunteer work with troubled youth, so I knew they wouldn't judge Aaron too hard. But they were both protective of me, and if Aaron grabbed my neck during dinner, my parents would never feel comfortable leaving me alone with him.

                "Sure mom," I said at last. Oh, god, please don't let me regret this. "I'll ask him and text you."

                "I just want to meet him," she said. "You know I don't like you hanging around people I haven't met."

                "I know, I know. I'll text you in a little," I said.

                "Alright. Have a good day at school, Casimir," she said and hung up.

                Lily glanced at me. "Parents finally want to meet Aaron?"

                "I'm so fucked," I groaned, tucking my phone back in my pocket.

                "Good. I hope your parents see what a little demon he is and finally knock some sense into your thick head," she said.

                "Lily, he's just a 15 year old kid," I said. "I've gotten to know him pretty well in the last month. There's more to him than you think."

                "More violence," she grumbled.

                "Your parents let you hang out with a thief," I reminded.

                "Yes, but my thief is a kindhearted person with a bad, uncontrollable habit," Lily said.

                "Aw, that's so cute, you just called me yours," I said, grinning at her. "I knew you loved me."

                "Keep that ego in check, Warrick," Lily warned, but she couldn't help the small smile that crept onto her face.

                I got up. "Are you set with your homework? I have to go find Aaron."

                "In that case, I'll never be set with my homework. Sit your cute ass back down," she said.

                "I'll be back in a little," I said, heading away from the table.

                I knew Bruce and Vic liked to sit in the smaller section of the cafeteria, in a little table in the corner. Aaron was usually with them, so that was my best bet.

                Sure enough, as I neared the table, I saw Aaron's blond hair just past a group at the table in front of them. I approached, walking slowly so Bruce would have time to see me and warn Aaron. Surprising Aaron Kizziar was suicide.

                Bruce said something and Aaron lazily looked over his shoulder at me. I took the seat next to him.

                "I'm bored with you," Aaron said.

                "You're going to laugh at this, especially after our talk earlier," I said.

                "Then don't bother. I hate when people waste my time," Aaron said.

                "My mom wants you to come over for dinner. She doesn't like me hanging out with people she and my dad don't know," I said.

                "Your dad doesn't know any of us. He's rotting in the ground," Aaron said.

                "My stepdad," I amended. "You get free dinner out of it. But if you start breaking my fingers, I doubt my mom will let me around you ever again. She's a little protective."

                "I don't think you should go, Aaron," Bruce said. "You'll just end up picking a fight with the Warricks and it'll be one more family that bans you."

                "Mumford," I said. "My mom changed her name when she got remarried. I'm the only Warrick."

                But my eyes were on Aaron. I saw the way his body tensed when Bruce had said those things. I saw his hand creeping towards his fork. I looked up, trying to catch Bruce's eye and managing to give a slight nod at the fork just before Aaron's fingers curled around it.

                Bruce ducked out of the way as Aaron whipped the fork at his face. It hit the wall and clattered to the floor, a throw that would've struck Bruce in the face if he hadn't moved.

                "Fucking asshole," Bruce said impatiently.

                "Brucie," Aaron said, the dangerous grin flashing on his face. "I didn't ask for your input. So sit there like a good boy and don't talk, got it? Next time, I won't miss my target."

                "Please don't throw any forks at my parents," I said.

                Aaron shot a look at Bruce. "You're going to bring me to Kaz's house tonight."

                "Dad is going to kill you if you piss off Kaz's parents," Bruce said. "But whatever, it's your funeral."

                "Fuck dad," Aaron said dismissively.

                "Dinner is usually ready around 5:30," I said. I lowered my voice a little, making sure Bruce and Vic couldn't hear me. "I know you can get through this night without causing my parents to ban me from seeing you. They're kind people. Don't interpret it as condescending."

                Aaron kicked my chair so hard it almost tipped over. "I've had enough of you. Piss off."

                I stood up. "See you at 5:30, Aaron."

                He ignored me, snatching Bruce's fork so he could finish eating his lunch. I left, taking out my phone and texting my mom as I sat back down with Lily.

                "Well?" Lily asked.

                "He's going to come to dinner," I said.

                This could either go well enough to ease my parents, or so horrendously wrong that I was banned from seeing Aaron. If he did anything that even looked like he would harm me, my parents would become too worried to let me around him.

                Great. I was bringing a boy who tore the wings off of butterflies over for dinner. Fantastic job, Casimir, really great.

                "Good luck. You're going to need it," Lily said, shaking her head at me.

                I groaned and shrank down in my seat. If just one thing in my life could go right, I needed it to be this dinner tonight. But it all depended on how Aaron acted, and he wasn't exactly known for having good behavior.

                Shit. It was going to be a stressful night.

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A.N.- I'm so sorry for the delay, this isn't one of my popular stories so I tend to set it aside in favor of other projects. But I really do plan to finish this story!!