“If you’re late today again, I’m going to make you walk,” Zayne’s voice drifted to my conscious through my light slumber. I opened my eyes and was nearly blinded by the sunlight. Yet again, he was half naked and standing in front of me. “I can wake up on time without an alarm. Why can’t you?”

“I’ve just been really tired, okay?” Thankfully, I had a peaceful rest. No nightmares. I mumbled to myself as I got up. My mouth felt dry and stale as if I had slept with my mouth open. My bones cracked in my neck and back as I stretched.

“Do you want me to bring you breakfast in bed, princess?” he asked in jest.

“Yes, please,” I said.

“I was joking shorty, get up,” he said and poked my side causing me to jump. If he dared tickle me, I swore I’d kill him. My limbs tended to act on their own accord whenever I was tickled, and I wouldn’t be held responsible for any injuries he sustained. He poked me again and I raised my foot to kick at him but missed.

“Don’t start. I’m going to brush my teeth,” I said grabbing the towel from his hands and heading to the bathroom.

After I finished my routine, I went downstairs. My shirt was untucked, and my tie was just hanging around my neck, but I would fix it when I got into my car. Cristóbal was sitting at the table when I got down.

“How are you feeling?” I asked him, resting my hand on his shoulder. He nodded. “That’s good,” I said kissing him on the cheek. I watched him grimace and wipe it off, which made me want to kiss him again, just to annoy him. “Good morning, Leanne,” I greeted.

“Hey,” she said, putting a pineapple slice to her mouth. I grabbed it from her fingers before she could take a bite and put it into my mouth. She hit me on my shoulder, and we laughed. “I made banitsa. You can take a piece for Natalia if you want to. I know she likes when I make it.”

“Thanks,” I said taking a bite of her slice of the cheese pie on her plate.

“Stop eating my food!” she said, slapping my hand away. “I’ll put one aside for Natalia.”

I called for Zayne and he ran down the stairs pulling on his shirt. “Hey, Aunt Leanne, can I ask you a big favor?”

“Should I sit down for this?” she asked with another pineapple slice halfway to her mouth. Zayne nodded and Leanne found her way to a barstool at the island in the middle of the large kitchen, the pineapple not making it to her mouth but to mine. She ignored it. “Shoot,” she said.

“I have a… friend coming from London tomorrow, and they need some place to stay. Well, not really. They planned to stay on campus, but I thought it would be too expensive. Renting an apartment together is going to be difficult and expensive especially since I don’t have a job yet. I’d rather not-”

“Z?” Leanne said impatiently.

“Hmm?” he asked, twisting his hands nervously.

“Get to the point.”

“Uh, yeah, sorry.” He shook his head slightly trying to remember what he had been talking about. “You said I could stay here, and I thought it would be great if they could stay here too. It’s free and close to school. I mean, we’re getting jobs and helping out with stuff like groceries of course but it’s much cheaper than renting a place.” He took a deep shaky breath. “I meant to ask you earlier about them staying here, but I didn’t remember until they called me this morning. Can they please stay?”

Leanne was silent for a while until she asked, “How many people are we talking about again?”

“Just one. They’ve never been to the States so I’m the only person they know. I can vouch for them, Leanne. They’re super nice, sweet, a bit shy sometimes and clumsy but the worst you’ll have to worry about is them breaking a plate or something. Please?” Zayne was full on begging now.

How important was this person who had Zayne begging for them?

Leanne crossed her arms over her chest. “I have a feeling this person doesn’t know you’re asking me this.”

Zayne’s guilt could not hide. “This is my way of helping them out.”

“Hypothetically speaking, if I allow you and this mystery friend of yours to stay, there will be rules.”

“Of course.”

“No parties, no drugs, no alcohol-”

“What if they’re old enough to legally drink?” he asked.

“Then no getting plastered in the house,” she said, returning to her list. “Approved guests only, your share of the chores-”

“Yes, yes, yes. Yes to everything.”

“And you will be responsible for anything your friend does. Capische? I won’t be afraid to kick them out if they turn this house upside down,” Leanne warned in her serious tone. “Nina, you okay with another guest in the house?”

I had been listening in on the conversation but didn’t expect to be asked to give an input. However, I nodded. Anyone Zayne trusted couldn’t possibly be a bad person. “I’m fine with it. Cris?” Cristóbal stuck his head into the living room and nodded. “I guess we all agree. Can’t wait to meet someone so important they’ve got you on your knees.”

“That settles it then. Your friend can stay,” Leanne said and stood, adjusting her top. “What kind of friend is this?” she asked with raised eyebrows. Zayne’s face turned crimson and we both laughed.

“Thanks Leanne,” he said with a small voice. “Come on pipsqueak,” he said to me. I took Natalia’s and my banitsa and left with him.

When he parked the car in the school’s parking lot, I started bombarding him with questions. “So, you want to give me some details on this ‘friend’ of yours?” I said putting air quotes around the word friend. He stepped out of the car before answering my question and I followed.

“Only that I’m going to the airport to pick them up tomorrow, but I’ll be back in time to pick you up from school, I promise,” he swore, and gave me a kiss on the forehead which earned us some looks from the students around us.

I watched him drive away and then started towards the main building of the school. Getting chauffeured to school was nice along with having someone to talk to. Zayne felt closer to me than Natalia did. Even though we had been apart for a while, we still kept in touch now and again when the time difference would allow. I didn’t believe that would happen if Natalia moved away. We just weren’t that close.

I barely made it into the hallway that my homeroom was in when a large hand grabbed my arm and started dragging me through another door. The door to the boy’s bathroom. Once he locked the door I painfully pried my arm from his hold. I was grateful for the empty stalls. Everyone else had congregated near the cafeteria.

“What the hell is the matter with you? It is too early for your bullshit, Jack,” I seethed.

“Oh?” he asked, eyes wide. “Isn’t this what you wanted? To get a rise out of me? Do you know how humiliating it is for me to see how cozy you and that guy were getting? Then he drives off in your car. The fuck, Nina? I know we’ve been having a tough time, but that was a bitch move.”

It took a while for his words to sink in. Zayne had kissed me on my forehead before he drove off. Did this idiot think that was to get back at him? “You think I let him kiss me to make you jealous?” I asked. This was beyond ridiculous. “Please, Jack. You’re embarrassing yourself. Nothing I do is any of your business. We are not together anymore.” I said the last sentence slowly so he wouldn’t miss it.

“You’re not leaving me, Nina. So, I suggest you get your shit together and stop running around with other guys. Your reputation is only going to go down the drain.”

“My reputation is already going down the drain if only because I chose to date you!” I yelled. For weeks I pretended to care about him. For weeks after that I let him control me, boss me around, speak down to me, disrespect me like I was no longer a person to him. I wanted nothing to do with him.

“Keep your voice down,” He said, nervously looking at the door.

I felt hot like a fever was building in my veins. I was so tired of letting him do and say whatever he wanted. He made me feel like shit in front of the twins and even Natalia kept asking why I continued to put up with him. I put up with him because it would take more energy to stand my ground and stop being a coward.

“We are done, Jack,” I told him. “You don’t speak to me anymore. You don’t touch me anymore. In fact, you’re going to pretend I don’t exist.”

“You’re being dramatic.”

“I’m being serious,” I corrected. “If you come near me again, I’ll-”

“You’ll what?” he challenged, stepping closer to me. “What will you do, Nina? You’re all bark and no bite. What the fuck are you going to do?”

I felt like sweat was going to break out on my skin any minute.

“You did nothing when Shelby stole cheerleading captain from you.”

I clenched my teeth together tightly, taking a step backward.

“You did nothing when Natalia took the vice-captain position either. All you did was complain afterwards about how much you really wanted it.”

“Stop it…” My voice came out soft and broken.

“You did nothing when everyone asked you to join all those groups at the beginning of the school year even though they were wearing you out and making you tired and you weren’t all that interested.”

“Shut up.”

“You did nothing when we got together. All you did was tag along in the relationship and then you realized it was something you had to put time and work into, you checked out. Well, too bad. I’m not letting you check out. You walk around like some zombie and then turn up with that guy out of nowhere and expect me to just follow your commands? Think again.”

“I said stop!” I slammed my hands down on the counter between two sinks, the impact stinging my palm. The glass that ran from one end of the bathroom to the other serving as a mirror, shook and broke before my eyes, almost as soon as my hands hit the marble surface of the counter. I jumped, backed up against the wall and covered my mouth so I wouldn’t scream out loud. The glass from the mirror didn’t fall. Instead, it floated in the air, twisting and turning as if suspended there.

As if wanting to make sure I wasn’t the only person seeing it, I looked at Jack whose eyes looked like they were about to roll right out of his head. He was staring at the glass, frozen.

“What the fuck?” was the only thing he managed to get out as he shakily tried taking a step back.

As if his voice was the cue, the broken pieces of glass started to zip through the air around him. frightened, he yelled and tried swatting them away. Thin red lines were forming all over his exposed skin as scrapes that began to bleed. It only got worse as he tried fighting it harder. His hands and his face were getting cut up by the bits of flying glass.