Collision.

All it took was one smile for my anger to bubble from the inside out. I walked towards him and drew my hand across his face.

“Caden!”

I smiled a grin of insidious happiness. His mother rushed to him and tried to get a look at it, yet he continued to reject her warmth.

“Arrow,” my mother growled, grabbing my elbow and pulling me into the kitchen. She looked at me, her green eyes sparking with anger.

“That was extremely inappropriate. I don’t understand why you did that. Caden’s been so good to you ever since you two were five years old,” she began. I attempted to stifle a laugh. Caden was never good to me.

“Maybe you would have known if you didn’t go around throwing your body at any man who makes eye contact with you,” I grumbled, ready for any more bull she’s about to toss at me.

“Pardon me?” she asked. She’s not deaf, I knew she heard me. But I know she’s expecting me to shrink away from her because of her failing scare tactics. In my opinion, she’s just giving me another opportunity to attack her with truths she refuses to accept.

“I said that you’ve been acting extremely promiscuous ever since you killed father,” I smiled. My mother shot me daggers and I began to laugh.

“Go to your room. And once I send Caden up there, you will apologize immediately and make him feel at home.”

“Why should I?”

“He’s staying here, dear,” she grinned as if she’s won the war by offering Caden vacancy.

“Fun,” I said enthusiastically, then made my way back to the living room and back up the stairs. I wanted to scream. My mother was a horrible person and so was Caden. He deserved what I did to him. As I climbed each step, I could hear my mother apologizing for what I had done. Soon enough, I could hear the footsteps of someone behind me.

“Arrow,” I heard him sing, an arrogant smirk probably painted on his clown like face. Quickly, I rushed to the top and to my bedroom, slamming the door loud enough for an echo to continue in the halls. Then, I heard a light knocking.

“Go away,” I hissed, shoving my back against the door silently wishing that I had a lock on my door.

“No thanks,” he laughed, forcing the door open. Once he had allowed himself into my sanctuary, he shot me a questioning look then took a few seconds to examine the four corners of my bedroom.

“Didn’t you miss me?” he asked, moving closer towards me.

“No.”

“I don’t know why you’re so mad at me,” he growled. I glared at him. He knew what he did to me and so did our parents. But no one ever speaks about it. They act like it’s an infection that will only attack once its existence is brought up. Just like a magic spell.

“We were fifteen, darling. Get over it,” he continued then did what I had just done to him downstairs. I could feel my cheeks heat up. My hand clenched and I threw my arm at him. To my surprise, he fell to the ground, clutching his stomach in complete agony. He struggled to sit up, groaning in misery.

“My, my how you’ve grown,” he grinned. In that moment, I realized his smile was not fabricated in happiness, but in vengeance as if he was conceiving a plan within the corners of his mind.

“Get out.”

“I would rather not,” he sighed, pushing himself up to his feet. A smile then grew on his face. Much like his other smiles, I could sense the implications that he had something planned in his head. Something that would cause him to strengthen the upper hand that he had on me.

“Why are you even here?” I questioned, my voice tinted with disgust.

“Can’t I come back and try to rekindle the friendship and make the love that we had before?” he chuckles like it’s an inside joke, but only with himself.

“Seriously, why?”

“My parents wanted me to stay here for the summer. They have this extravagant European vacation planned out, but due to some things I’ve done my parents don’t feel that I deserve to experience other cultures. They want me to stay here with your family and get a job and make new friends and maybe even reconnect with some old friends,” he winked, brushing his fingertips along my arm. I tensed up.

"Caden, I still hate you," I reminded him.

"That's not what you said when we were extremely busy that one night," he laughed, reminiscing about our first times as if it was a joke deemed hilarious on several levels.

"My my, you're still immature," I rolled my eyes, trying to mock him.

"Hey, I've matured enough to know that we really need to give this thing that we had another go. what do you say?" he offered, smirking.

"Another go? Caden, you took my virginity and then moved away without even telling me! And you expect me to trust you again?" I scoffed, disbelief filling my words like helium filling balloons.

"You did it once before. I'm sure you can do it again," he nodded.

"Can you just leave, please?" I begged, meeting his eyes.

His grey orbs studied my ocean eyes for a minute, maybe looking for evidence that I was faking my discomfort. When he didn't find it, I could tell that he guilty for making me uncomfortable. And I could tell he wanted to apologize, but that's not the kind of person he wants to put out on display for me.

If anything, that's the last thing Caden Davis wanted.

So instead, he nodded and left the room.