VIII

Bella woke up in tears, the memory so vivid in her mind that it had come back to be a dream, as if the day had just been yesterday that she had witnessed the end of her parent's lives.

She had lived with guilt for years that only grew into anger and hate, emotions that had bee hard to get over when she had been old enough to be given the letter her parents had written for her, that had been kept by the lawyer until she became of age. A letter that had asked that she live, a life free from hate, anger, murder, to just live away from the dangerous world that had been theirs.

Hence, she found herself where she was, for she was trying to keep her promise, fulfil their last wish, although she had put it off for years. Now it seemed that that world refused to let her go, when it seemed intent on surrounding her with people so heavily part of it.

Sniffling, she wiped away at her tears, oblivious to the figure that actually watched her with a sense of concern within her eyes. And to think that that night had only been the beginning of the worst to come, she shook her head at the thought, refusing to think back to that house, that family, that man. It was just so, that the AHQ had found her in record time, then again, it wouldn't have made a difference if whether they had come a month or years later, for the damage was already done.

"Are you okay?" Emily groggily questioned, prompting Bella's head to shoot in her direction. Clearing her throat, she muttered

"I'm fine" she gave out the short reply. Emily was tempted to prod, to ask what her dream was about, why she kept on mumbling 'coward' over and over again as if an endless mantra.

However, she decided against it and laid back on her bed wondering just what it was that haunted her. Although she had never exposed herself to be awake at the time, she had come to witness her night terrors a few times in the last months, where she would wake up running to the bathroom to hurl, only to end up sobbing, her cries sounding muffed as if the young woman didn't want to wake her.

That was one detail she kept to herself, that no one else knew but her and she aimed to keep it that way for that was Bella's business to air, not hers, for she wasn't that cold nor petty. Turning to her side she informed.

"There's still some chocolate ice cream in the fridge, I bought more when you ran out. If you want some". It had been an unconscious action, buying the ice cream when she had bought the energy drinks sje consumed like there was no tomorrow.

And that was what had come to occupy their mini refrigerator, Gatorade and chocolate ice cream she knew to never touch, for she knew Bella loved the treat like a woman possessed. Bella sat in contemplation, her heart aching all over again, she simply nodded to herself, she had no reason to hate the young woman, she hadn't been the one to pull the trigger. Besides being friends with the son of the man that actually had.

Sluggishly getting out of her bed, her fuzzy socks keeping the cold from her feet, she walked toward the fridge to get herself some. She knew she had run out and hadn't cared to get more, for if she continued, it would be hard to keep shape and there was no way the way she ate it was healthy. However, she muttered out

"Thanks" anyways as she returned to her bed, a large golden spoon in hand, the chill of the tub cooling her hand, the cold sweetness seemed to soothe her heart, although not even it could entirely eradicate what consumed it, it still helped a little.

Perhaps it was just so that she went to gym so religiously, for her unhealthy relationship with food would have turned out to have a devastating effect on her body. She came to realise, if not exhausting herself in the gym in attempt to keep from feeling all else, she ate like she was participating in a food eating contest. She knew that that was no way to live, however, that way was the only way she had come to know, a way that only worsened when someone took out the entire AHQ, and she had a suspicion of the people that were behind it.

After all, it always had a big target on its back, and someone had finally pulled the trigger. Whether it was a one family or a collaboration of many that had come to successfully take her second home for her, she was yet to confirm. However, the contents of a certain letter had kept her from investigating, for it would have led her nowhere good. Perhaps it was also reason she had missed the fact that the city she would escape to was Their home.

"See you later" Emily said as she left their dorm room for her lectures, more kindly for she thought the young woman to be burdened enough, and there was no need for her petty jealousy, after all Luka seemed to be occupied elsewhere now.

Bella simply shot her a tight lipped smile before she decided to get ready herself. She had a date after all, at the thought she couldn't help the cold chuckle that left her wondering, what the hell did I rope myself into? Shaking her head, she couldn't deny a part of her that was a little excited to see just what the young man would have planned, she still couldn't believe she had agreed to go out on a date.

Her first date ever, and she found that she didn't even know how to dress, for she had failed to ask Deacon what she should wear. For all she knew, she could wear a dress only for him to have had something spottier like a hike instead, I mean no one hikes in a dress right? she could wear casual only for him to take her somewhere super fancy considering his stench of money. The possibilities were endless, and before she could frustrate herself, she decided she would simply text him and ask.

The response came fast, and he was quite specific with what he would like her to wear, but it was something she swore to never wear again, and that wasn't about to change. With an idea in mind of what he expected her to wear, she settled for a black flirty skirt that stopped above her knees and a white tank top with a yellow cardigan she just had had to buy minute she had seen it in the store, she finished off the look with some yellow sneakers.

Right as she made to reach for her bag, there was a knock on the door and she knew it must be Deacon there to pick her up. Her hair in a neat pony tail, it gave a dance as she walked toward the door to open it. Expecting to see a chipper Deacon, his happy expression seemed to waver upon setting eyes on her. She didn't miss the clenching of his jaw as his eyes trailed her figure, and the quick flash in his eyes before he forced a smile onto his lips, he thought it to look so real it would deceive her. However,  it didn't.

"You look pretty" he complimented, slightly disappointed that she wasn't wearing the dress he loved the most. Red in its kind it would have clung to her skin, exposing her wondrous figure, and he would have been the envy of all the guys that would come to be around them, salivating in the pants with the knowledge that they could never have her cause she was his.

Although he thought her absolutely beautiful as she stood before him, she had gone against him and he realised he didn't like that now that they would know one another on a deeper personal level. He wanted a girl most malleable to his commands, and he had thought sweet ol' Bella would be that. A girl that would do as he asked without question. If only he knew.

"Thanks" she said with a smile, little did she care to blush at the words for not only had his reaction to her outfit put her off, despite how much he was trying to hide his displeasure, her heart didn't exactly flutter in his presence, not that she had expected it to.

"So, ready?" he questioned, to which the girl before him gave an enthusiastic nod which seemed to lessen his disappointment.

Although the air now felt a tad bit awkward being that she was used to being his mere friend, she wondered what he now would expect of her since she agreed to go on the date with him, only so she could prove to him that she wasn't what he wanted. Then again as she thought of his disappointed look upon having seen her, she figured that was a point for her, and zero him, keeping a smirk to herself, she looked at him in the driver's seat and made to question.

"Care to tell me what you have planned?" she asked, all things shoved deep in the back of her mind, she aimed to enjoy today, it was a day she would experience one of her firsts after all.

"Well, I thought we could grab something to eat first, then there's this cool place I'd like to show you" he said a smirk to lips aiming to make a lasting impression with what he had planned. Having never been on a date, it all sounded just fine to Bella, for what else did people dates do on dates.

The eatery was nothing fancy, it was more on the homey side that she thought wasn't really Deacon's vibe, for she wasn't blind to just how much he liked to splurge and was in no way shy about his family riches. Nor was she blind to the young women he'd associate with for but a second only to add to his collection of broken hearts.

Perhaps it was reason why Bella could never see him as nothing more than a friend, for although she was his friend, his treatment towards those of her gender was less appealing to her. Not that she ever voiced her opinion about it, she thought it to be none of her business, however cold that might make her seem through certain people's eyes. Then again, who was to say he'd change simply because she asked him to.

"And here I thought you'd wine and dine me some place fancier" she couldn't help but tease as she sat before him. And he merely chuckled and leaned back in his chair

"I knew you'd appreciate this place far more, besides I didn't want you whining about being hungry still when it's time to leave, considering the bite size portions such places serve" he retorted,

"And who's to say I would have minded those, I could have surprised you " to which he scoffed and said

"Yeah, no offence Bells but there would have been little chance of that, you despise salads" and with good reason, she thought, for that was most of what her food schedule had entailed back at AHQ, therefore she had eaten enough rabbit food to last her a life time. At least that was her mental justification for why she didn't like the notion of salads anymore. Her face scrunched up with displeasure, she nodded

"Maybe you're right" she conceded. Although they were supposedly on a date, she wondered if whether it was meant to feel the way it felt, normal, like every single time they had hung out, for she had somehow expected it to be different somehow.

Yet she still felt like a mere friend than a potential girlfriend. They came to share a pizza that was twice flavoured, half of it was pepperoni and cheese, and the other was a chicken and mushroom, flavours that hadn't been her pick, since Deacon refused to have the sight of pineapple on pizza before him. Though the added sweetness of the fruit made for a weird tarty flavour, she loved the unconventional pairing of both sweet and savoury on one plate, for she thought herself an epitome of that.

A weird analogy that somehow made sense in her mind. Conversation was nothing but the usual, there being no need for twenty questions because the year they had come to be close friends, had exposed what her favourite colour was and how many siblings she had, from the type of music she most preferred, to why she didn't go home during the holidays like 

everyone else did.

Although with regards to family, Bella had been vague throughout their friendship, Deacon never cared to deep dive into her past, for it was obvious that family was a sore topic with her. It was when they were pulling up into a large race track that she became most curious about what else Deacon had planned.

She had only been to a few in her years of living, and she always loved the rush of being behind the wheel and driving without inhibitions, it gave her the thrill of her life, shots of adrenaline she wondered how she coped without. She wondered then if whether Deacon was an illegal street racer, for the crowd didn't look anywhere close to being legitimate. Shooting Deacon a curious look, he simply smirked and said

"Welcome to my domain sweetheart" he said, his voice dripping with humorous cockiness and pride.

"So this is what you get up to then, when you're not on the field being violent, you're busy being reckless and dangerous" she teased, gauging his expression which remained the same as he said

"Dangerous is my middle name after all" wiggling his eyebrows sheet out a laugh and said

"That just sounded both cringy and hella corny" he merely shrugged and smiled

"It usually impresses a lot of girls" his tone with an air of arrogance and she couldn't help but scoff

"And you know me better than that, surely you do" she said

"Yeah yeah, it was worth a try though" he said a weary smile on his lips, his ego a tad bit bruised that she was yet to be impressed, only to lighten up when the thought of his ride and his riding skills that were yet to be put on show, and the thought then that perhaps by the end, when he wins, he just might have her in the palm of his hand. With that thought set in mind, he made to exit the car.

As if they were magnets, eyes were pulled toward their direction as Deacon walked them toward his awaiting crew. Now as the night draped over the sky, the outside of the race track was laced by cars that scattered around, all customised to fit the bill of illegally fast. Different Honda's and BMW's nearly scraped the ground with how low they were.

Drivers were flanked by what one would assume to be groupies, the young women were barely dressed, and Bella could only wonder if whether they weren't cold at all or 

they had simply learned to ignore it as they flanked and fawned over whom their golden hearts were after.

She couldn't help but fidget with the sleeves of her cardigan that wasn't the only burst of colour in the night considering the boldy painted array of cars, as she walked next to Deacon who had somehow felt the need to drape his arm over her shoulder. It felt heavy, she thought, but didn't care to tell him to remove it, amongst not caring for the eyes she could feel creep up from her yellow sneaker clad toes to her bare legs only to be left to wonder what lay beneath her black knee length dress to her face that had eyes slitting around as if she were a skittish cat.

Most were amused by the young woman that looked more like a girl than a woman in her outfit, and they were most intrigued by the fact that she walked with a Torres when she looked like she fit nowhere near what he was all about, which was everything illegal. Bella on the other hand felt glad that she hadn't worn the cursed red skin tight dress he had suggested.

At the thought, she couldn't help but wonder what his intention was behind making such a direct request of her wardrobe.  Yet as he took strides toward his crew with the air of arrogance and pure confidence, a swank to his walk, it wasn't hard to tell why,

Because she could see clear as day that he had wanted her to be his eye candy, if not to make the others envious of him for having her walk beside him, or had he wanted to reduce her to nothing but another groupie look alike, for some reason her thoughts made her feel iffy and bothered, and she wondered just how well did she know Deacon, despite having known him for but a year and a few months.

She couldn't comprehend just how she felt with the certain traits her friend was beginning to show her, but decided she would ponder over it later.