Oliver's POV "Hello Oliver, it's been a long time." My friend turned to enemy, Kellin Pellow, stood in front of me in my living room. "What are you doing here?" I said through gritted teeth as anger overwhelmed me. "Oh come on Oliver, didn't you miss your old pal?" "Did you miss where I told you if I ever saw you again, I'd kill you?" My fists clenched, all I wanted to do was beat him bloody. He hurt my family. I've made it my mission to make him pay for his mistakes. In the blink of an eye, he had me by the throat against the wall. My hands swatted at his, trying to get some form of oxygen. "Don't forget, friend, I'm stronger. I'm always stronger." He spat as he threw me to the ground. "What do you want? Why are you here?" I tried to calm myself as I slowly made my way back onto my feet. "Well, this was my home too. I missed the scenery, and the food." He smirked before giving me a wink. "Also... I've noticed a real pretty girl... Juliette I think her name was?" A growl escaped my throat as I lunged myself forward and pinned him to the ground. "You stay the hell away from her! Do you hear me?" I yelled. "Uh oh, does she already have you wrapped around her finger? Come on Oliver, you know anytime you're around her, your hunger goes crazy." "You're wrong." "Don't lie to me, I can smell her from far away and she already smells so sweet. I can only imagine how she smells close up." I lifted him up before slamming him back down. "Shut up! I'm not gonna hurt her, and you're not going to either. I swear to god if you even look at her, I will kill you." I lowered my eyes at him before getting off of him. He stood up and wiped himself off. "We'll see." And in an instant, he was gone, leaving me alone in my living room.Juliette's POV It had been a couple of days since the party, and I have been itching to talk to Oliver again. I rolled out of bed and quickly threw on my clothes and make up, trying to hurry for school. Before walking out, my mom came in. "What are you doing here?" Disgust rested on my face. "Hey honey, I'm sorry I was gone for so long, but I see you've managed!" She said with the brightest smile, ignoring the circumstances. "Yeah mom, I've managed. After you left me to fend for myself for three months!" Anger seeped out of my pores. "I know you're angry baby, but mama just needed a break." "How do you think I feel? The only thing I appreciate is that bills were on auto-pay." I rolled my eyes at the woman before pushing past her and leaving the house for school. After a few miles of walking, I finally reached Red Ridge High. In other words, hell. I was snapped out of my thoughts when I felt someone bump into me. Luckily, it was Oliver. "Hey! I've been wanting to talk to you!" His eyes looked sad as he continued to walk past me. "Wait!" I ran up to him, trying my best to keep up. "Why did you help me?" This caused him to turn around, face stone-cold. "You were in trouble, I had to help you. I was the only one who could. I suppose you could say thank you." His voice was almost monotone. "O-oh yeah... thank you, for helping me so much." I felt my cheeks burning from embarrassment as I tried to avoid his eyes. I felt his cold hand sliding up my arm, before lightly grabbing it. "Meet me on the field after school. We need to talk." His stern voice sent a shiver down my spine. All I could do was nod my head and stand there, puzzled and scared. What could he possibly want to talk about? And why do we have to meet after school? Hell, we have every class together, he had plenty of time to talk to me. The school bell pulled me from my thoughts as I began walking to my first class. Today was going to be hell.--- Anxiety filled my chest as the final bell rang. It was time to meet Oliver. My heart sank further into my stomach with every step I took. Before long, I made it to the field. I saw him standing across the field in front of me, before he began moving my way. It felt like time went in slow motion, yet he reached me within minutes. I straightened my body and mustered up the tiny bit of courage that I had. "What's so important that you had to pull me out here alone?" I didn't want to show it, but I was terrified of Oliver. I had no idea what he was capable of. "We can't be around each other. We can't talk to each other. I need you to leave me alone." "What?" I was shocked by his random, dramatic words. "You don't know how dangerous being around me is. You need to stay away from me. Otherwise, you could get seriously hurt or even killed, do you understand?" I had never seen someone so serious in my life. "Why is it so dangerous? What are you hiding?" "Something you never need to know, and never will. So stop trying to dig because you don't want to know. You can't know. You should've never talked to me in the first place." Now I was starting to get angry, and it was beginning to overcome the fear. "You're acting like such a fucking child! And you're treating me like one! I promise you I can handle my own, and I can handle whatever it is you have going on. Listen, I know we only met a few days ago, but I've picked up on some things about you. And I know you need a friend. So let me be that." My words seemed to hit him straight in the heart. His eyes drifted away from me and he seemed shocked. "Why do you even care? Like you said, we've only just met. There's still so much you don't know about me that could ruin any friendship between us." He said sadly. He truly seemed defeated. "So you have damage. Who doesn't? Hell, I know I do. There's a lot you don't know about me. A lot of dark, fucked up shit. But you don't see me giving up on having any sort of life." I replied with a scoff. "And honestly... I don't know why I care so much. You have this darkness that sets off every nerve in my body, but I also see a man who's lost and just needs a little bit of help. I relate to you. A lot. So I honestly feel it'd do us both some good to at least give a friendship a shot." My eyes and words were filled with hope. He sighed, seeming to finally listen. "I'm sorry, but no." His voice was sad as he walked away from me. I threw my arms up in disbelief. I knew there was nothing I could do. His mind was set and he was being stubborn. Sighing in defeat, I begin walking home.--- "What's got you in such a mood?" Lexi asked as we sat our lunch trays down. "I don't really wanna talk about it. "I sighed. "Do you have any weed at home? I need to smoke." "How about this. Let's throw a bonfire tonight. Lots of drugs, lots of alcohol, lots of boys." She winked. "You know what? You're right. No drama tonight. Just drinking, smoking, and flirting. Hell, I may even get bold enough to find me a single boy." A giggle escaped my lips as relief washed over me. I needed this. I needed to forget all about this Oliver drama and live my life and have some fun. "Who are you and what have you done with Juliette?" She asked, widening her eyes and fake gasping. We just laughed. This felt good. The day dragged by, but eventually the sweet sound of the final bell rang in my ears. Walking out of the classroom, I saw that Lexi was waiting for me. She smiled when our eyes met. "Want me to give you a ride home? You can get ready and do whatever you need to do and I'll come back and pick you up at seven so we can head to the bonfire." "Sure, that works." We smiled as we began heading towards her car. As I reached the passenger door, I saw Oliver standing across the parking lot. He had been looking at me all day, always looking like he wanted to say something, but never approaching me. I shook my head and sat in the car. "Alrighty, let's get you home, get ready, and get to this party!" Excitement rang in her voice. I replied with a smile before laying my head on the window and watching the trees pass by on the way home. We made it in less than five minutes, and I waved to my friend as I got out and made my way into my house, and then my room. I ran over to my closet without hesitation. I was going to look hot tonight. After a few minute of browsing, I settled on a short skirt with chains laced around it, along with a black crop top, fishnets, and my black, heeled boots. Next I started on my makeup, deciding on a dark, grunge style. By the time I was done, it was seven o'clock, I was looking sexy, and Lexi was outside honking. I excitedly grabbed my jacket and ran out to her, a big smile across my face. "Well hey there gorgeous! You are definitely getting some attention tonight looking like that." She said proudly with a smirk. Lexi loved when I delved into the "bad girl" territory. "That's the plan. Now come on, let's get the fun started!" Lexi began driving as we sang and danced along to the songs playing on the radio. She always knew how to distract me when I needed it. I'd probably die without her. Thankfully we arrived within minutes and the party was already going. Kids were standing around, some dancing, some drinking, some smoking, and some indulging in the heavier drugs. I preferred a beer in one hand and a blunt in the other, so that's exactly what I did. I propped myself against a tree, secluding myself as I felt the high starting to take over my body. I began to feel happy, bubbly, not stressed about a single thing. I deserve this. I'm always taking care of others, it's time to take care of me. Is doing that with alcohol and drugs the best option? Probably not, but it feels good. Before long I was some amount of beers and 4 blunts deep, and I was feeling better than I had in a while. Suddenly, an attractive man approached me. He looked a couple of years older, but that didn't deter me from eyeing him up and down. He had dark brown hair, bright blue eyes that somehow shined despite the dark, and he dressed in tight clothing that showed off the right everything. "Hello, handsome." I giggled before losing my balance and stumbling into the stranger's arms. I could feel my cheeks heat up as I looked up at him. "Um... s-sorry, I'm a little fucked up." I stuttered nervously. "No you're okay! Glad I could catch you." His smile seemed to brighten up the darkness surrounding us and we stood there staring for a few seconds before I stumbled backwards, propping myself against the tree again. "You look a bit older than us seniors here, you're not a narc are you?" I questioned with a smirk. "Uh, no, I'm not a narc," he chuckled, "I was walking around and I heard the music, so I eventually ended up here. I'm glad I did too, I never thought the loud obnoxious party music would lead to me to a beautiful girl such as yourself." His words made me blush yet again. "Oh, I'm sorry! Where are my manners? I'm Kellin. Kellin Pellow." He smirked as he planted a soft kiss on my hand.