A Dangerous Desire

6| The Truth

"Guys, seriously," I said, and when they didn't listen, I stopped fighting.

"See?" Tsunami said after a long moment, and they pulled away. "It always does the trick."

"Why were you mad, anyway?" Sunny asked as Clay and Starflight both stepped back.

"Because she's in love with Deathbringer and doesn't want to be," Tsunami answered casually.

"You are seriously so annoying," I said, shoving past her. The others quickly ran forward to keep up with me.

"Wait, so you do?" Sunny asked excitedly. "I mean, I can really see it, so I wouldn't blame you if–"

"I do not," I snapped, stopping dead in my tracts and whirling around to face my friends. "I will ditch you guys and go join Blister, Blaze, and Burn. I'm not kidding."

Blister, Blaze, and Burn. The three worst people in the whole grade. They will tear you limb from limb and laugh while doing so. Everyone fear them, but thankfully, they all managed to get suspended for the week.

"Alright, fine, grumpy," Tsunami muttered, crossing her arms. "Just saying, it's not that bad to like someone again. In fact, it's about time, really."

"I agree," Sunny said. "Hailstorm is a jerk. He doesn't deserve you, but Deathbringer seems kind, don't you think?"

"That's also how Hailstorm seemed at first," I cried. "I'm not repeating my same mistake." Sunny and the others all exchanged a glance, sharing a conversation with their eyes.

"So that's what this is about," Starflight said. "You're afraid Deathbringer might break your heart like how Hailstorm did, is that it? And you clearly think all Deathbringer will do is manipulate you and use you, like Hailstorm. This isn't about Deathbringer. It's about Hailstorm."

"I wouldn't let anyone treat you like that again," Clay said protectively.

"What I still don't understand is why you didn't tell us the second he started being violent," Tsunami muttered under her breath. Once Hailstorm and I had broken up and I had explained to them everything that had happened, Tsunami was mad at me for such a long time for not telling her.

"OK, enough of that," Sunny quickly interrupted. "You deserve to love again."

"What I had for Hailstorm wasn't love," I retorted. "This is ridiculous." I turned and walked down the hall, ignoring everything my idiotic friends had to say. What worried me the most was that... maybe they weren't far from the truth.

"*"

"You aren't working today?" Grandeur asked as I sat down beside her on the couch in front of our television.

"No," I replied, sighing as I handed her a cup of tea. "I took a day off to focus on my studies." In reality, I was really just trying to avoid Deathbringer and his absurd questions.

"This doesn't seem like studying," Grandeur mused, waving a hand at the TV. She took a small sip of the tea, reaching for the remote. "What's really bothering you?"

"What?" I questioned. "I'm fine. Just tired." Grandeur hummed, amused, but didn't drag the conversation. I hadn't replied to any of the texts or calls from my friend, having put my phone on silent.

"So." Grandeur avoided my gaze, scrolling through the shows on the TV. "Your new boyfriend. Are things going well?"

I winced, dreading that conversation because I have been trying to forget all about Deathbringer and his smugness that was not cute.

"Yup," I answered flatly.

Grandeur glanced at me. "Oh. Well, I invited him over."

"What?" I cried, sitting up straighter and nearly knocking the tea out of Grandeur's hands. "Why? How? When?"

"He brought me coffee the other day while you were at work," Grandeur said, sipping on her tea that was nearly knocked over. "I invited him for dinner tonight at 8:00."

Oh, you sneaky bastard.

"On second thought, I think I'll just take go to work," I said, standing up. "It's not like I'm studying anyway."

"No, you're staying right here," Grandeur said, patting the seat beside her. "If you're here, you guys can discuss your plans for after school."

"We don't have 'plans', Mom," I said. "He's just my boyfriend, nothing more, nothing less. Look, I really appreciate the effort you're putting into my relationship, but I don't need it. I know what I'm doing."

Grandeur chuckled, sipping on her tea once more before turning to look me in the eye. "Alright. If you know what you're doing, you'd know how to get a proper job, buy a house, and arrange a marriage."

"What if I didn't want to get married?" I demanded.

"Why wouldn't you want to get married?" Grandeur asked, slightly tilting her head. "It thought it was your dream to get married."

"No, it was always your dream," I said. "You're the one who always wanted me to get married, but I don't want to throw myself into marriage yet! Why do you want me to get married so badly? I still have time."

This stopped Grandeur as she stared at me. She looked away.

"I know you still have time," she said softly. "I'm just not sure if I do." My gaze softened as I sighed, realizing what Grandeur was feeling at the moment. "I just want to see my only daughter get married... and I'm not sure I'll live long enough to do so. That's just the truth."

"Mom, you know you'll beat the cancer," I said gently, but I felt like I could cry. I couldn't imagine a world without Grandeur in it, and recently, it seemed as though that was going to become a reality. I sighed. If getting married makes her happy... then maybe I should consider it.

"I'll stay for the dinner," I said with a pained sigh.

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