You got away once

"Why did you come back? Are you out of your mind?"

Aside from the scenarios Ike made up in his head, there were a few questions or remarks he expected to hear from Holly. That one she asked about wasn't on the list, though.

"Why did I come back?" Ike cocked his head to the side. "What do you mean, am I out of my mind? Were you expecting me to die?"

Holly didn't answer. Her countenance was sharp, balling her hands into a tight fists. Seeing her lack of response while keeping her glares, Ike advanced a step closer.

"Or are we talking about what happened yesterday?" he guessed, hands inside his pockets, head low. "Are you worried your boyfriend will ambush me again with his friends this time? That's so kind of you. Surely, this isn't the reaction I expected from you, since you know."

SLAP!

A resounding slap landed on his cheek, tossing his head to the side. Ike ran his tongue across his inner cheek, touching the cheek that immediately turned pinkish from the slap.

"How dare you?" her voice shook, eyes almost bloodshot. "Did you think just because you lost weight and earned some confidence, you have a chance with me now? Dream on. You're still a loser — a nasty pig."

Ike slowly cast his eyes back to her, dropping his hand from his cheek straight to his pocket.

"Hah… how amusing," he remarked, assessing her slightly red face from anger and shame. He deliberately studied her from head to toe, sneering. "What makes me appalled is how you concluded I planned to be with you?"

Ike took another step, observing her reaction. How she fought from stepping back and keeping her ground made his sneer stretch.

"Holly, I am no glutton. I tasted you once, and although I enjoyed it, I don't crave it." His eyelids dropped, but it didn't conceal the glint in his eyes. "With that being said, I didn't dwell on everything that had happened between us. I'm a simple man, after all. I forgave when you sucked me —"

Another slap approached his cheek before Ike could even finish his remarks. This time, however, he caught her hand. Her breath hitched at the grip around her wrist, eyes shaking while staring at him.

"It's true that I don't plan to get in Your Majesty's good graces, but that doesn't mean I'd willingly put up with any type of abuse. You're not special, Holly," he continued with a tinge of sarcasm. "You screwed me over, and I fucked you. Call it quits, and move on."

He leaned over until his face was a palm length from hers. "If you can't accept that, this loser — this nasty pig had a taste of your divinity, then that's on you. That's not my problem. You should've been more thorough about who can enter the pearly gates. Take this as a lesson learned; don't give everyone the pass."

A short scoff slipped past his closed lips, letting her go when he finished his piece. Ike shoved his hand inside his pocket once again, straightening his back, eyes down to her.

"I'm not a tattletale, so I'd keep my mouth shut — it's not even worth bragging about," he grinned. "Stay out of my way, and I'd do the same. Tell that to your subjects, Queen. I will appreciate it if they won't bother me."

His brows rose, assessing her face for a second. When another minute had passed in silence, Ike shrugged. He didn't stay idle anymore, turning on his heel to walk away.

'That was more satisfying than I expected,' he thought, satisfied with putting that girl in her place and giving justice to the owner of this body, Ike Lobo.

If it was just Ike — the person inside this body — he wouldn't even care about the bullying the original owner of the body went through. Ike Lobo's experience was his experience and past. The new soul had nothing to do with it.

However, the new soul wasn't that shameless. Even though Ike asked for death and not this, he had to accept what was already there. Therefore, as a gesture of 'gratitude', he wanted to make amends for the original owner's regrets whilst coming to terms with this new reality he was shoved in.

"You'll regret this." Ike's steps halted when Holly shouted. He twisted his upper body, looking back at her, only to see her still standing in the same spot.

A soft gust of wind blew from the east, making her blonde locks and short skirt flutter to the side. Her azure eyes illuminated with clarity and certainty, hands clasped on her side.

"You'll regret coming back in here, Ike Lobo," Holly repeated through her gritted teeth. "Your arrogance… will be the death of you."

"Thank you for the heads-up." He smirked. "I'm looking forward to meeting this death you're talking about. Anyway, I'll see you around."

Ike waved dismissively, resuming his steps. Meanwhile, Holly stayed still with her eyes fixed on his retreating back. The tension in her shoulders increased, panting.

"You're really one stubborn fool…" she whispered the moment he was out of sight. "... you should've learned your lesson."

When Holly closed her eyes to relax her tensed body and mind, the sound of a tire screeching suddenly resounded in her head. Her face softened, reopening her eyes, gazing at the entrance where Ike walked away.

"You already got away once… Ike Lobo. Don't think luck will save you twice."

*

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[ One year ago ]

Holly paced back and forth in a dimly lit room. She was holding her phone in front of her ear, biting the tip of her thumb nervously. Her hands and clothes were stained with blood.

"Come on…" she muttered, cursing when the call didn't go through. "What the hell are you doing?!"

Holly pulled her phone away, only to type on it aggressively. Her entire body was shaking, mistyping some words, and flooding someone's message log. She then called the person she kept trying to reach, and after many rings, it was picked up.

However, the second the line connected, all she heard was the loud tires screeching and then aggressive thuds followed.

"Lobo!" she yelled at her phone, her irises growing wider, but all that answered her was the short, recurring sound of the disconnected line.