Burn in Water, Drown in Fire

~7~ A Prophecy

"Come on," Luke cajoled while holding out the joint to me, but I shook my head. I couldn't smoke or drink according to Devin. At least not for now.

"Nah. I think I'm gonna go," I decided, getting up from the couch in his room.

"Whatever," he replied.

"Keep that window shut," I reminded, referencing to the glass plane with multiple mountains of clothes or stacked CDs and DVDs in front of it. We once tried jumping out of it once when he was high until Brian stopped us.

I left Luke's trash of a room and made my way down the stairs. "Hey," someone called. I closed the front door that I opened and turned to Brian. "Thank you."

"What for?" I asked. What do you think, idiot? You saved—his—Angel.

"Saving her," he confirmed.

"Don't mention it," I replied, shocked that he was even talking to me. Due to his mistrust towards his brother and his alliance with Angel, he never really liked me; he tolerated me at most. But right now he was putting that aside. "How is she doing?"

"I don't know," he told. "I went to the hospital today and found out that she's being discharged tonight. Other than that, I don't know."

"Try asking her," I suggested with a weird expression because I couldn't understand what he was getting at.

"She doesn't tell me anything," he said. I didn't pity him for not knowing the full truth because I had witnessed his and Angel's relationship. If anything happened, he'd ask once and with a groan from Angel, he'd dismiss the issue. I know sometimes it's better not to hover, but at certain times, I would've thought as her boyfriend he should have a right to be concerned towards her and she should want to share her life with him?

"Well she's your girlfriend. She'll spill eventually," I assured with a shrug.

"Not anymore," he informed. Wait, what? "You and Luke blew it for me—or I blew it for myself because we're over and she won't take me back."

"Why not?" I asked.

"She's not like you and Lulu," he commented. "She doesn't play games. A break up's a break up and she doesn't go back. We didn't really have problems, but we also weren't any better romantically than we were as friends. Plus, it's Angel. She's fairly certain even if impulsive. I can't be surprised."

I didn't know how to take that information. I knew she had a hidden side of impulsivity and rage like I had, but I never knew she'd turn it onto herself and her relationship. I wanted to feel bad for Brian—and slightly concerned because Angel was someone he should fight for it the reasoning for the breakup wasn't sound. But a small piece of me felt excited.

***

"I've tried every possible element—grain, rocks, plants, water, various gases—and nothing reacts differently," Devin said over the phone.

"So?"

He sighed.

"It's like the only thing that changed was your immune system," he informed.

I was bummed and glad at the same time. Glad, because he could stop with these stupid tests, but also bummed at the fact that I couldn't explode into some superhero that couldn't be defeated.

"So life can go back to normal..." I prompted.

"I guess so," he said. "Well I gotta go—"

I hung up before he could even say goodbye. Minutes later I made my way to the pool, which wasn't technically open.

Once I dived in, I loved feeling the cool touch of the cold water, but then started to feel my healing shoulder start to sting in intense pain. I immediately pushed up from the pool's floor and then hopped out of the pool. I dried myself off and looked in the mirror of the restroom.

There was no visible injury on my shoulder. I kept checking, but nothing had happened but tender spots beneath my wet skin. It was as bare as usual though. When I returned to the pool, I found a familiar girl sitting on the edge of the deep end as she ran her hand through the water. The only thing unfamiliar was the smile that she sent me when our eyes connected.

"Shouldn't you be resting?" I asked, taking a seat next to her.

"Trying to get rid of me already?" she responded.

"I didn't say that."

"Then no," she laughed to herself. She messed in the water, making figure eights. I watched the movements because I didn't want to get caught mesmerized by the way the pool lights lit up her gorgeous face. "You can't fool me, you know."

"What?" I asked nervously.

"Don't try to act like it isn't awkward talking to me after you broke up with Lulu and totally left her to dry yesterday," she muttered. Oh...that.

"Did I break up with her or did she break up with me? I mean she was the one to cheat anyways," I reasoned. "That's like the world's biggest 'I don't want to be with you' signal."

I didn't want to talk about this with her—not to mention the fact that she'd be on Lulu's side. "Either way," Angel shrugged, surprising me because she wasn't accusing me of anything nor taking her best friend's side wholeheartedly. If that was the case, I wanted her opinion for once. I'd bury that part of me though. For good reason, considering she sat avoiding my gaze and I could read her tensed body language. She was nervous as much as I was.

"Don't act like just because I saved you that you're obligated to be nice to me," I suddenly said. At the end of the day, I didn't want her to pity me into some friendship with her. The niceness and the nervousness she displayed freaked me out to be honest.

She scoffed as if I said that in vain, and then stood up from the edge of the pool.

"Trust me, a wannabe fireman saving me won't make me in love with him in place of his act and persuade me into niceness," she smiled. In love with me? Who said anything about being in love with me in order to be nice? She took a few steps away, walked over to the picnic tables and sat on the top. "Wanna know why I come out here?" she asked. I had a clue, but still nodded, even though in the night's darkness she probably couldn't see me. She probably wasn't looking anyways. She sighed when I stood and walked over to her. "I come here because being underwater...being around water makes me forget everything...Like what sound is or any tension going on. So when you're just floating there, you're suspended in time with...nothing."

I nodded understandingly. But then, since I was close enough, she nudged my shoulder and I didn't figure it was affectionate until she started to chuckle.

"That's why I don't actively try to hate you here...because it would be hypocritical for my purpose of coming here," she informed.

"To escape hatred," I finished. To escape the act of hating me. She clicked her tongue, meaning I was right. I wasn't going to act like I misheard her.

"Mostly anger," she added.

"Sometimes anger is better kept bottled up rather than evaded," I preached. She looked over at me, then stood up with her bag over her shoulder.

"I disagree," was all she muttered when she bumped shoulders with my side.