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Justin

I sat in the passenger seat of Tyson’s car the next evening, glowering through the window at the slowly advancing dusk and clenching my fists in an effort to keep a tight rein on my almost-irrepressible urge to grab the wheel and make us crash into oncoming traffic. I was that angry, that I didn’t care if I injured myself as long as I injured him.

                For his part, my cousin was whistling along to the tune on the radio and occasionally tapping a rhythm on the steering wheel, overcompensating for my silence by trying to act like nothing was wrong.

                ‘I don’t know what your problem is,’ I eventually hissed, when we were halfway to St Peterstown. ‘I know we’ve never been the best friends in the world, but you’ve never been outright cruel like this.’

                Tyson stopped whistling but didn’t say anything.

                ‘I would never have done anything like this to you. I just can’t believe you can’t see how profoundly stupid you are being. It’s pathetic. You’re getting so caught up in a simple school rivalry that you’re beating people up, going behind people’s backs, and trying to ruin my life. Your school has just literally become more important to you than your own family, and you won’t even be there anymore after this summer. What are you gonna do in ten years, Tyson, when you need help with something? When you need someone to have your back? Nobody in Capulet will even remember your name. And I’ll still hate you.’

                Tyson hissed angrily through his teeth, and I knew I wasn’t the only one resisting the urge to cause physical damage. ‘You started this, Justin. Don’t you dare put this all on me. You’re the one who turned his back on his family first, by choosing a Monta-loser over somebody from Capulet. It didn’t have to be Parker. You forced my hand.’

                I scoffed, genuinely baffled by this. ‘Me? I forced you to set me up on a date with my stalker? Are you fucking kidding me right now?’

                ‘You knew what you were doing,’ Tyson countered, growling. ‘You knew you shouldn’t have been sneaking around with him, or you wouldn’t have kept it a secret.’

                ‘Tyson,’ I snapped, ‘in case you haven’t noticed, the fact that he goes to a different school to me isn’t the most pertinent reason I didn’t want anybody to know.’

                Tyson made a sound of impatience and rolled his eyes as we neared the centre of town. ‘Nobody would care about you being gay as long as you’re with a guy from Capulet,’ he muttered, and I had to shake my head at that. Maybe he really was delusional. ‘Anyway, you’re going to have a good time with Parker, since he likes you so much. I’ll pick you up in a few hours and I bet you won’t be able to shut up about him. You’ll thank me for this.’

                I scowled. ‘Yeah right. I’ll be texting Rowan the whole time,’ I snapped, just to piss him off, waving my phone in his direction as he pulled up to the kerb.

                ‘No you won’t,’ he growled, snatching it right out of my hand and stuffing it down the front of his pants, underwear and all, where he knew I wouldn’t venture to get it back.

                ‘You’re disgusting!’ I hissed, horrified.

                ‘I’ll have it cleaned and ready for you by the time you’re finished,’ he assured me sarcastically.

                ‘If Parker tries to rape me and I can’t call 9-1-1, you better believe I’ll be suing your ass,’ I said so angrily my jaw quivered. ‘If you even live long enough after Rowan and Nate and my dad beat the very living shit out of you.’

                Tyson rolled his eyes again. ‘He won’t even touch you without your permission,’ he muttered, avoiding my gaze, and I knew then that he’d had to warn Parker to keep his hands off me. Deep down, Tyson knew Parker was a creep. He was just so adamant to keep me away from Rowan that he was willing to risk it. Disgusted and incredulous, I jumped out of the car without another word and slammed the door, before making my way into the garishly lit restaurant at which Parker had made reservations.

                This evening could not pass quickly enough.

Rowan

By the time I got home last night I guess my parents had angered themselves out, because they didn’t even yell at me for sneaking out and coming home late. They simply sat me down on the couch and read me the riot act about how I would be studying all day, every day, at the library until my exams, before confiscating my phone, my laptop, and my iPod. I nearly lost my car keys as well, until my dad realised I’d need to transport myself to and from the library.

                Typically speaking I’d have argued with them, pointed out that I’m eighteen, that I bought all those things with my own money and they weren’t my parents’ to confiscate, but I didn’t have the energy to fight. I was just waiting for the word “go” from Justin and I’d be away from this sinkhole town as fast as I could.

                That said, it was strange laying in my room all night without any access to the outside world. It was weird not being able to text Justin or chat to him on Facebook, it was weird not getting perverted texts from Ben and funny links from Mitch. Whereas I could usually take or leave the late-night communication, I was suddenly intensely curious to know how Justin had gotten out of going on that date with Parker, whether Ben had made up with Hayley Tate yet, what Mitch’s latest complaint about his parents would be.

                The next day I was woken, not by the alarm on my phone, but by my still-pissed dad, shaking me roughly and telling me to get a move on in the direction of the library. A glance at the clock told me it was seven in the morning; how did he even expect me to concentrate when they’d kept me up til two with their lecturing?

                Nevertheless I slumped out of bed and pulled on the first clothes I could find, splashing myself with enough cold water to try and ensure I’d be awake enough to actually drive.

                When I got to the library and noticed it filled with almost every other member of the team, I knew it was going to be a long-ass day.

Justin

‘Justin!’ I glanced in the direction of the voice and saw Parker waving animatedly from a table towards the back of the restaurant, right near the bathrooms. Classy.

                Taking a long, resigned breath, I trudged over to him and lumped myself into the other chair before he could pull it out for me. Only momentarily taken-aback, he sat back down and grinned.

                ‘I already ordered,’ he said, like this was a good thing. ‘I hope the shrimp is okay.’

                ‘I’m allergic to fish,’ I lied, just to ruin it for him.

                ‘That’s no problem, we can swap. I was going to have the steak.’

                ‘How well-done?’

                ‘Medium-rare?’

                I made a tutting noise of disappointment, and Parker’s smile froze on his face as he tried to keep his composure.

                ‘I’m sure it won’t be too much hassle to change. How would you like it?’

                ‘Well-done,’ I told him as he gestured towards a waiter. ‘And while you’re at it, change it the penne all’arrabbiata,’ I added bossily.

                ‘The penne?’ the waiter repeated.

                ‘Instead of the steak,’ I clarified, before Parker could speak, sticking him with the prawns he hadn’t wanted in the first place.

                Tyson had been right. I was having more fun than I’d thought I would.

                Parker opened his mouth to say something, but I stood up and smoothed down my jacket. ‘Excuse me,’ I said, ‘I need to use the bathroom.’ Where I stayed for the next fifteen minutes, playing Angry Birds on my iPod, before returning and sitting at the table across from Parker, ignoring him, and making it quite plain that I was listening to music by putting my earbuds in and turning the volume way up.

                By the time the food came I was bored with this game, so I switched to even more childish pranks. I played with my food, making sure to get sauce over the sides of the plate and all over the tablecloth, then orating loudly about my worship of the Flying Spaghetti Monster while looking though the centre of a penne at Parker.

                Eventually, he gave up trying to converse with me at all and simply stood up, throwing some money on the table and steering me forcefully out of the restaurant.

                ‘Where are we going?’ I demanded, my voice even more petulant now that I knew I’d been successful at annoying him.

                ‘Your cousin’s not coming for you until seven,’ Parker said darkly. ‘That gives me another two hours to win you over.’

                Win me over? Was he being serious? I’d been a complete brat all through dinner, and he still wanted to go out with me? Tyson must have been paying him or something, because even I didn’t want to spend much more time with me in that mood.

                ‘But where are we go-ing?’ I demanded again, enunciating each syllable clearly like I thought he was mentally disabled or something.

                ‘To Peace Park,’ he said simply, and I immediately stopped cooperating by ceasing all movement of my feet.

                ‘Hell no,’ I snapped. ‘Tyson said. You’re not allowed to touch me.’

                Peace Park was notorious even as far as Verona for blatant, police-ignored dogging. I wouldn’t have sex with Parker in a suite at the Hilton, much less in public.

                ‘When has that ever stopped me before?’ he asked candidly, and a flashback of him forcing his mouth onto mine at Prom hit me like a slap.

                Where was Rowan this time?

                Where the fuck was Tyson?

                I tried to wrestle my wrist out of his hand but he had a tight grip and I only succeeded in hurting myself.

                I credit myself with a little more creativity than that though. I quickly jerked my arm back, causing him to stumble, then stamped as hard as I could on his foot. He yelped in pain and loosened his grip, so I wrenched my hand away and took off running and laughing as he tried to hobble after me on his injured foot.

                I only had one thing on my mind now – somehow get in contact with Rowan.

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A/N: Couple thanggsss.

1) Flying Spaghetti Monster is a real religion, I didn't make it up :D

2) I love Justin in this chapter. I never knew he could be such a brat XD

3) There is only one chapter after this, and the epilogue!

3) Please vote and comment! :D

5) I did number 3 twice!

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