They Say Opposites Attract

XVII. Bipolar

[Raven]

"So you came after all, huh."

"Shut up, there's no reason in particular as to why I came here."

"Whatever, come in," Claire sighed at the small exchange and opened the door wide enough for me to walk in. I rolled my eyes at that and pushed past her anyways. She muttered something about my being rude and followed behind me.

I slid my hands into the pockets of my jeans and walked through the small hallway. However, it wasn't long before Claire stepped in front of me.

I was about to step around her, but stopped short at her expression. It was a serious expression that made it seem like she was glaring at me, but I could tell it wasn't her intention

"Raven," she starts, speaking in a low tone. "Just so you know. She's really scared of you now," Claire tells me, looking away.

I blew out a sigh and spoke up immediately. "Don't care. I wanted her to hate me enough to avoid me," I told her in response.

Claire sighed in in annoyance and took a step towards me, making me take one back. "That's why she's in this situation, idiot! Because of your damn selfishness!" She yells at me. It wasn't often that she yelled at all, so her doing so now only threw me off.

I looked away and bit my lip in response as Claire continued. "Haven't you realized? Your being selfish is what's fucking everything up!"

I looked back at her and yelled back, "Says the one dating multiple girls!"

"They're all fine with that and you know it!"

"Point is," I started, looking away. "It's better for people to avoid me. One moment, I'm playful and happy, next moment, I'm in a deep blood lust. I'm... unstable."

And I'm most unstable around that kid.

Her blood...

I want it all for myself.

"Weren't you emotionally unstable around Aimi, too?" Claire asked me. I slowly looked up at her, letting our eyes meet. I immediately understood the hidden meaning behind those words.

And I hated it.

"No!" I yelled so suddenly, it made Claire jump in surprise. "Me and Aimi... that's different!" I took a step back and wrapped my arms around myself.

I hate it, I hate it, I hate it, I hate it!

"Are you that opposed to it," Claire asked me. "What is it you hate about her?" She leaned against the wall and trailed her hands along it, holding my gaze.

At that, I had no answer. Or, rather, for some reason, I didn't want to have an answer. There's something wrong with me. I've never felt like this before.

"If you've no answer, then it is as it seems," Claire tells me before adding, "Perhaps she felt the same at one point."

"Claire," I say, calling her by her name for the first time today.

This is a girl who's words and thoughts are based entirely on her oh-so-accurate intuition. She is rarely proven wrong.

"Your way of thinking in this scenario is flawed," I muttered to her. She blew out a sigh in response.

"I've told you multiple times, Rae," Claire started, pushing off the wall to step in front of me. "I don't know everything. My knowledge isn't something to obsess over."

I nodded in response to that. In all actuality, I only wanted to hear her say that. Bring back that little piece of a forgotten past.

Now that I think about it, I still don't know much about that kid's past.

Didn't she have a voice before?

I looked up at Claire, wanting to ask if she knew anything about Sumiko's absent voice. Whatever the case was, it's something that she wasn't born without.

I shook my head and simply pushed the thought out of my mind. It wasn't my place to know anyways. I turned my back k to Claire and slid my hands in my pockets, fiddling immediately with the switchblade in one of them. It was oddly cold to the touch and was still wet.

Wet with her blood.

I was about to walk away when I felt a hand around my forearm. I looked back at Claire, who was oddly close to me. "Will you ever come back to the group?" At which I pulled out of her grasp.

"No," I told her. I don't want to talk to them. To those of the group. Perhaps in different circumstances. Perhaps if I could forget...

Isn't that what we all want?

To forget?

"You know," Claire started, wrapping her arms around my waist. I felt her rest her head on my shoulder, despite being a bit shorter. "The girl's gonna meet the others at this rate. You aren't gonna be there either way, huh?" I hesitated before shaking my head.

"Tell her that I want nothing more to do with her," I say in a near mutter.

"Why do you only ever see me? The others always say they've never seen you after the incident."

Is that what they call Aimi's death?

The incident?

It hurts to think about. For weeks, everyone told me I killed her. It wasn't until the handgun she used was more closely inspected that suspicion was taken off of me.

After all, she killed herself right in front of me.

I sighed and twisted out of her grasp before walking away from her. I left the house quickly, not looking back. Now that I think about it, I did say I'd introduce her to the group. It's so easy to lie to people.

And yet so painful.

I'm not supposed to be the one feeling pain. I should be giving it. Basking in others' pain. The sight of their bl-

Fuck. That's my problem from the start.