Burn in Water, Drown in Fire

Burn in Water, Drown in Fire ~15~ If the Weapon is Your Love...

~15~ If the Weapon is Your Love, I’ve Got My Hands Up

“Wake up,” I was awoken by Angel. She sat on my hips with her dark hair draping down towards me. My hands were nonchalantly on her waist and I removed one to grab the alarm clock on my bed side table.

3:07 AM

“Seriously?” I asked her as she climbed off me.

“Come on,” she laughed.

“Where are we going?” I mumbled, my messy hair in my face.

“Swimming?” she answered. I gulped. I wanted to oblige to her suggestion of places, but I just didn’t want her to know about how water nearly pained me at each touch of a place that should be injured.

***

“Have you talked to her?” she asked.

“Why do you care?” I asked her.

“She’s my best friend—”

“Yet you’re here with me,” I interrupted, seeing no difference. If she cared about her best friend, she would be here with me.

“Like it means anything!” she yelled, but it changed everything. It means something to me. “But you don’t expect me to let you walk all over my best friend—”

“If you care so much, then why are you even here?” I whispered, not able to look at her.

“Because I am,” she answered. “But that doesn’t mean that anything’s gonna change between you and Lulu—”

“It isn’t?!” I yelled, standing up from the edge of the pool. “You don’t think anything changed when she cheated on me? Broke our loyalty?! And now her best friends hanging out with her ex. You may not think she doesn’t care, but she does!”

“And what makes you think that?!”

“Because I know her!” he yelled. “She’s confusing and selfish and secretive.”

I finally understood Lulu’s interpretations over the years. How she described Angel as someone whom I wouldn’t be attracted to…

“Last night you said, yourself, that I was perfect for you,” I breathed, now looking away from her. “Lulu knows that. Why do you think she told you sh!t about me over the years and vice versa? Just so she had no competition.”

“She still has no competition,” Angel said.

“That’s what you both seem to think,” I breathed. She narrowed her eyes at me. Neither of them knew anything. It’s not about what either of them could do to manipulate me, because I knew my feelings.

I stood up and started to leave from the pool. I drove out to an empty field that I happened to know of. I stared at one piece of brush and then it lit up in flames at the instance of a furious memory.

It took me minutes, but I managed to manipulate my new powers.

***

(Angel’s POV)

“Where were you?” Devin asked me the next morning after I had walked down to breakfast and noticed that Joey was also there.

“I went to Zac’s…” I answered, but then looked to Joey’s heartbroken look. “But I fell asleep over there so I came back this morning.”

He swallowed his worries and shook his head nervously as he looked down.

“Hey, Mom and Dad are gonna be back next weekend—well that’s what they said yesterday,” Devin announced.

“Seriously?” I asked. He nodded before walking past me and leaving his best friend at the kitchen’s counter bar. I took a seat a chair away from Joey and poured myself a bowl of cereal. I looked over to Joey and noticed that he poured his milk first and then his cereal. I laughed.

“Excuse you?” he commented.

“It’s cereal first,” I declared.

“Says who?” I raised an eyebrow.

“Says common sense,” I laughed.

“Whatever,” he poked my sides. I laughed and then there was that awkward silence which allowed me to actually eat my breakfast. “So what are you doing today?”

“Going to my best friend’s house,” I answered.

“Oh cool. Me too,” he commented. It took me a second to realize his humor before laughing. I started to get up to put my dishes away and get ready to leave later on and Joey started to speak again. “Oh, remember to actually tell your brother this time that you’re leaving.”

“Yes sir,” I said with a salute and wink.

“He was really worried about you,” he announced. He looked down and I thought that I heard him add “Just like I was”, but I didn’t mention it.

“I’ll be sure to tell him then,” I nodded, my eyes locked with his. Something about him was…captivating. The way he spoke and acted around me was…charming. Like the humble prince out of a fairytale, or some knight in shining armor that doesn’t take credit because he acts as if he’s a nobody—

“D-Do you need a ride?” he asked.

“What?”

“A ride…to your friend’s house later,” he said. “I don’t know what time you’re leaving, but maybe I could actually give you a ride on my own way home.”

“Um, nah. I can walk,” I smiled. “Thanks though.”

He gave me a cute smile before nervously turning back to his breakfast and allowing me to leave.