1-2: Sometimes

"I will go this alone I don't need nobody's help
I've got to do this myself
Alone, alone, alone, alone"

Eden flipped the cigarette into the air in front of her, the rain putting it out almost instantly. Smoking on school grounds. During the day. Not the smartest choice, but then again, her dad paid how much money for her to go to this school? She wasn't exactly concerned that they would throw her out.

"You know that you can get kicked out for that no matter who your father is.

Trust me, I know."

Eden sighed, putting her head in her hands, rubbing her forehead. 

"I don't care who you are, but you're reading my mind and you can go away now."

She looked up and over her shoulder, her gaze falling on Blue Eyes. Shit. Maybe he was stalking her. She still didn't even know his name. But he seemed to be everywhere she turned lately.

She groaned loudly.

"Seriously. Even more so now. Go away."

How did he even know anything about who her father-

Oh, he was friends with Atticus now. She had forgotten about that detail. Probably just for another reason to stalk her. More connections. 

She smiled a little at her own joke, reaching into her pocket and taking another cigarette out, lighting it and blowing the toxic fumes in his direction.

He rolled his eyes, sitting next to her on the wet concrete.

"I'm pretty sure I just told you to go away. Twice, actually. I'm not giving you a cigarette and I sure as hell don't need your company. Bye, now."

He shook his head, averting his attention to the rain that fell in front of them.

"I don't smoke. That stuff will kill you."

Eden sighed. 

"Life will kill you, don't you know?"

He nodded, watching her take another drag.

"True. I guess you're just okay with giving it a helping hand then?"

She blew more smoke in his direction.

"Looks like it, yeah?"

He didn't even wave the smoke away, just stared at her a minute before turning his gaze away again. He remained silent while she finished smoking and it kind of ate a hole in Eden's patience. 

Just say something. What the fuck. Who just sits there silently? 

"Really though. Can I help you?"

He didn't bother looking at her again. Something told Eden that this kid was too quiet for his own good. Probably why he hung out with her brother and not the popular jocks that made up most of the rest of the class she was in.

"My name's Xavier."

She raised an eyebrow.

"And I care... why?"

He shrugged a shoulder, getting to his feet.

"I didn't really think that you would. I told you anyway though.

Bye, Eden."

She waved, her response dripping with resentment.

"Yeah, I said that already. About fifteen minutes ago when you first annoyed me.

You're making quite the habit of that, to be honest."

Are boys really that stupid? Bye does not mean 'hey hang out with me'. Especially coming from her. It meant 'go the fuck away before I punch you'.

She cast her eyes away, watching a couple of cars pull out of the lot before getting to her own feet, brushing her rain-dampened hair out of her face. She pulled her cell phone out, shielding it from the assailing rain. There was only thirty minutes left until the final bell.

Can you get out? I'm thinking about ditching the rest of the day and drinking. Wanna join?

Kiara texted back in seconds.

You bet your ass I can. I'll meet you at your car in ten.

Perfect.

-------------------------

Lyric put her fingers back to the keys, the soft melody she was playing falling around her. She tried to concentrate, tried really hard, as the notes came to her as easily as they always had. But she had texted Eden twenty minutes ago and nothing. She didn't need her big sister often. At least not often enough to ask for her.

She kept her need of an ear to listen to herself ninety nine percent of the time, but this was just.. She needed to tell someone. Keeping this to herself was killing her. Draining away all of the self preservation she was so desperately clinging to.

She hit a wrong note, the blunder ringing in her ears. She sighed, pulling her phone out one more time.

Eden please. I need you. Just answer me.

Nothing.

It figured that when she actually did need someone, no one was there for her. No one was ever really there for her. She was alone in a house full of people because she wasn't like her brothers or her sister. 

She would rather play piano than party. She would rather read a book and watch it rain than hook up with boys. She was the only one who ever really stayed in this house her dad had worked so hard for. The only one who paid any mind to their mother at all.

Little baby Lyric. The sweet one. The one no one ever had to worry about because she was different. She would do good things. She would never mess up or make mistakes cause she's the one who had her head on straight.

If they only knew. 

She was the biggest mess up of all them. The blight. She was the one who was just born wrong. 

The smell of alcohol was distinct. It reached Lyric well before her sister actually did.

"You rang?"

Her words were slurred and Lyric wondered how much she had already drank. It was only six o'clock. 

What was so wrong in her sister's life that she had to act the way she did? She hadn't always been like this. But the moment she had turned fifteen, it was like she became someone else.

Lyric had felt like she had watched her relationship with her big sister crumble through her own thirteen-year-old eyes.

Maybe if she had paid attention... Maybe if she had noticed that Lyric was different... Maybe if boys and alcohol and being free hadn't taken her over... Lyric wouldn't have fallen as far down as she had.

You can't blame her, and you know that. Stop it.

"Yeah, I did. Can we talk?"

Lyric softly shut the top of the piano, covering the keys with care. It was her most prized possession. She loved it more than the car her dad had gotten her. She would give up everything as long as she could keep her only tie to her sanity.

"Of course we can, baby sister. You can always talk to me."

She smiled at her, her eyes glazed over and her hair a wreck.

Right. Maybe this was a bad idea.

Eden grabbed her hand, tugging her over to the bed and sitting down roughly, Lyric falling next to her.

"What is it?"

Lyric bit her lip, trying to find some sort of care in her sister's intoxicated eyes. 

"I... There's something I need to tell you, Eden. I haven't told anyone... But... I just."

Eden nodded, her eyes brightening a little in her curiosity.

"Well, I'm all ears, Lyric. Go ahead."

Lyric took a deep breath, trying to find the right words to say.

"Eden... I think I'm-"

Eden cut her off, her cell phone going erratic with some obnoxious rap song she had set as her ringtone.

"Hold that thought.

Hello?"

Her voice rose an octave and Lyric sighed, pulling her knees to her chest.

"Eden... This was really important..."

She whispered, listening to her sisters drunken responses to whoever was on the other end.

"Yeah! Of course. I'll be right there. Don't start without me, bitch."

She laughed, hitting the end button and grinning widely at her sister.

"I'm sorry, Lyr. Can we do this later? Sarah's having this party and-"

Lyric nodded.

"Don't worry about it, Eden. Have fun."

Eden pulled her into a hug, pressing an alcohol stained kiss to her forehead.

"Thanks, baby sister. You're the best."

And then she was gone without another word.

Lyric laid back on her comforter, her eyes on the ceiling.

Maybe it was just best that she didn't tell anyone. Maybe this secret was meant to stay hidden. Who knew what would happen when they all found out anyway.

Maybe... She should just... Push it away.

She'd been doing just fine so far, right?

-----------------

Eden turned the ignition off, the music from Sarah's house permeating her ears as she flipped the visor down, fixing her makeup in the mirror. There were so many fucking cars here already. She was late. She didn't mean to be. But Nico... pit stop. Whatever.

Sarah and Kiara were outside with someone who looked exactly like Kenzie Stage.

Eden slammed the door of her Corvette and yelled Kiara's name.

"Thought you weren't starting without me?"

Kiara grinned and gestured to the cup in Sarah's hand.

"I called you two hours ago, dumbass. You're crazy if you think the entire party is gonna wait on you."

She surveyed her best friends outfit and mussed hair.

"Which one this time?"

She asked, rolling her eyes as Eden reached her side.

"The dumb one who has more feelings than I do."

Kiara groaned. 

"You should kick your addiction to Firecrotch before he gets addicted to you. Except I think it might be too late for that..."

She nodded over Eden's shoulder, and Eden followed her gaze.

"Why the fuck is he here? I just left his place."

Nico approached them, taking the cup Mackenzie handed him, drinking it quickly. He bypassed Eden without a word, high-fiving Cassius when he got in the door.

"Well at least he's not here for you, right?"

Kiara chided, poking her side.

"Seems to be the case."

Eden responded, taking the cup out of Sarah's hand and making her way inside. Kiara came up beside her, threading her arm through Eden's. 

"So you want to know something I heard when the boys were playing video games?"

Eden took a sip of whatever it was Sarah had been drinking and scowled, dumping the rest of it in a potted plant next to her. She had no idea what the fuck it was. It was like sugar and battery acid. Did Sarah even know how to drink?

She raised an eyebrow at Kiara.

"Do I even want to know.."

Kiara shrugged. 

"I don't know. I think if I were you, I would want to know the richest boy in school was talking about me."

She stopped at the bar, snorting loudly. She pulled a bottle out from underneath and began mixing her own drink, shooting a glance at Kiara.

"You let me know when there isn't a rumor floating around about me and I will probably care a lot more."

"Most of those rumors are always true, Eden."

Kiara replied, taking the drink from her before she could even taste it.

"God, you might as well take the bottle. This doesn't even taste like you put a chaser in it."

Eden glared at her.

"That's because I didn't. But good idea. I'll just do that."

She twisted the cap off of the bottle and tossed it on the counter, taking the mostly full bottle of vodka with her. She pulled Kiara onto a couch not filled with drunk teenagers and took a long drink from the bottle.

"No, but really. Xavier won't shut up about you. What'd you do to that boy? I find it hard to believe you fucked him, he doesn't seem the type to just lay down for anyone."

Eden choked on her second drink, her eyes blurry, trying really hard to regain her breath.

"Okay, first of all, thanks."

She raised an eyebrow, still sputtering a little.

"Second of all, I haven't."

She took another drink, thinking somewhere in her head, that that would calm the choking.

"And lastly, why do you keep telling me like I care?"

Kiara shrugged. 

"He seems like a nice guy."

Eden sighed, laying back against the couch.

"I don't do nice guys, Ki. Not to mention, he's creepy and he's stalking me. 

Even if he was neither of those things, I have plenty to deal with with Max and fucking Nico. Why are you trying to add more to that?"

Kiara laughed.

"I wasn't. I was just telling you. You're already juggling two guys. Which I don't know how you do that when I can barely handle one."

Eden nodded.

"It's simple. I'm just sleeping with them. There is nothing to handle because there are no feelings. Just sex. And there will never be anything more than that. Love is a joke. 

How many times do we need to have this conversation?

You keep living your fairy tale and I'll keep being a whore. If it works, then you work with it. 

For fuck's sake."

She took another drink from the bottle. Longer than any of the others.

She didn't need to hear any of this. She didn't care. She could have guessed he was talking about her.. or at least something.. from how much he stared.

But the little rich boy could take his words and his staring problem and shove them up his ass.

"At least I know who to avoid now."

Kiara started to reply, but she was cut off by the sound of retching.

"Okay, ew, really?"

Eden sat the bottle on the ground and leaned around Kiara to see who it was.

Her stomach plummeted.

"Seriously?"

-----------

Cassius leaned back against the bathtub in Eden's bathroom, his face covered in sweat, breathing heavily.

"This is why I don't take you anywhere, you dumb shit. How much did you fucking drink?"

Atticus' voice reached Kiara and Eden who were sitting cross-legged outside of the bathroom, spinning tops like seven year olds. The sound of hiccuping and more liquid hitting the porcelain basin made Eden's stomach turn.

"Too much."

Cassius' voice was shaky, but the venom in his words was apparent. He was always so stupid. He drank too much and too often as young as he was. If her parents knew she and Atticus allowed their sixteen year old brother to go to these parties, they'd be dead.

But then again, there was no 'letting' him. Cassius did as Cassius wished. Despite what his older twin siblings had to say.

Atticus came out of the bathroom, leaning against the door after shutting it behind him.

"He's been throwing up since we left Sarah's. I think something might be seriously wrong with his stupid ass as much as it sucks to say. And they're going to blame us."

Eden groaned. Wouldn't that be her luck? 

A crash resounded from inside the bathroom and they all three got to their feet, reaching for the knob. Atticus threw the door open, and Eden groaned again. 

"Cassius, you idiot."

Atticus pulled his phone out and tossed it to Kiara, supporting his brothers unconscious head.

Kiara quickly dialed the number, reaching out to feel Cassius' pulse.

"It's slow as fuck. And his skin is clammy and cold."

She reached out, smacking him. Nothing. She turned him on his side, sighing. 

She bit her lip, pressing the phone to her ear.

"This isn't good. Eden, I know you don't want to hear this. But I think you need to get your dad. 

I'm pretty sure it's alcohol poisoning."

1-1: Troublemaker

"I know you're no good but you're stuck in my brain"

----------------



"No, really. What the hell is wrong with you. Do you ever shut up?"

Eden sighed, tossing the cigarette she was smoking off the edge of the roof and highly considering lighting another one. Sarah's fawning over her younger brother was getting on her last nerve.

"He's too young for you and it's disgusting."

Sarah's eyes dimmed a little and she shrugged her shoulders.

"A year and a half isn't that much younger..."


Eden groaned.

"He's 16. You're gonna be 18 in like two months. Calm your hormones."

She stood, climbing back in through her window, Sarah following quietly behind her.
"Aren't you afraid your dad is going to catch you? He would kill you, you know."

Evein pulled her knees to her chest, scooting to the edge of Eden's bed as they climbed onto it.

"That's funny. What exactly is he going to do? And when would he catch me? Doesn't that require... I don't know... Him being home?"

Eden smirked, brushing her hair out of her eyes.

"So when are we leaving? Are you two even ready yet?"

The party at Max's house was going to start any time. His parents were away on business, and in this town, that only meant one thing. House party.

"And speaking of ready.. Where the fuck is Kiara?"

On cue, the bedroom door slammed open and Kiara's red hair flew through it. Her eyes were alive and she looked.. Goddammit.

Eden narrowed her eyes.

"Were you where I think you were?"

Kiara inhaled, reaching up and straightening her hair, brushing a finger under her eyes. Attempting to fix the makeup Eden was ninety seven percent sure her twin brother had just been messing up.

"Maybe."

She breathed, shutting the door behind her.

Eden scowled. Maybe she should have had that second cigarette. She no where near had the desire to deal with her friends tonight. She just wanted.. Well. Max.

Even though she knew he would only want one thing from her.

"Okay. Can we leave now?"

Sarah whined, slipping her tennis shoes on. Evein's soft sigh was barely audible, but Eden heard it. She knew she didnt want to go. She never did. She was the only one of the four of them that hated going to these parties. She would much rather be at home. Reading, writing, painting.

She was the good girl, but they always dragged her along anyway.
Eden stood, following Sarah's suit and quickly pulling a jacket over her shirt. She was about to follow Sarah through her window when a sharp knock sounded from her door.

Fuck.

Before she could answer it though, it opened and her two brothers came spilling in.

"Hey. Didn't think you were going without me, did you?"

Atticus' smirk crawled across his face and Eden nodded, her eyes falling on Cassius.

"You're not going. No one wants you there and I am sure as hell not dealing with your drunk ass."

Cassius walked over to her, shoving her to the side and climbing out. He turned around, leaning his head in the window, his face smothered with his cocky smile.

"You're not in charge of me. 

And I think you've got who people don't want there confused with yourself. The only reason you even want to go is so you can fuck Max in a closet somewhere."

Eden's face went colorless and she reached out, shoving him to the side.

"Shut the fuck up, Cassius."

She crawled through the window, taking Evein's hand and helping her through.

"You don't know what the fuck you're talking about. Not that you ever do."

Atticus and Kiara were next, hand and hand, and the smile Atticus aimed at Cassius was enough to make Eden's mouth curl up in one too.

They dropped to the ground, one at a time. She lived on the second story, but it wasn't as far as it could be. They did this basically every weekend. Her mom probably wasn't stupid... But the discussion wasn't one any of them would want to have with her.

Aria.. The girl who used to be just as bad if not worse as the three of her eldest kids.

They'd heard all the rumors. They knew who their mother had been. The things she had done.

And they'd paid the price for it as kids too.

Lyric was the only one who could stand to actually be around her. Maybe that was because she was the nice one. The normal one. The sweet one.

As for Eden, she hated her mother with every fiber of her being. 

"So.. Who is driving?"

Evein asked, her voice quiet in the summer heat.

Eden glanced at Cassius. He was the only one with a car big enough.

"Yeah, yeah. We can take it."

They piled into his giant Suburban, Kiara and Atticus practically melting into each others faces.

"Seriously, you two. Can you not til we get to the fucking party? I'd rather not throw up before I'm drunk."

Atticus didn't stop kissing her, instead he raised one hand, middle finger to Eden's face.

She rolled her eyes, turning to face the windshield.

"You wanted to go so bad, drive, fucker."

Cassius smirked, turning the key in the ignition.

Finally.

--------------------------

Eden pulled her shirt back on, readjusting the ponytail at the top of her skull. Max exhaled, the smoke mixing with the heated haze that still hung over the room.

"So.."

She began, dragging her fingers through the hair that remained in her face.

"So?"

He responded, raising an eyebrow. His gray eyes were all over her. Well, everywhere but her own. She shook her head, finding her feet. She grabbed her cell phone and lighter off of the nightstand and shoved them into her jeans.

"Nothing. See you later, Stage."

She slammed his bedroom door behind her, eliciting several curious looks from the drunk people on the other side. 

Whatever. Fuck off.

"Can I help you?"

She snapped at a dark-headed boy, whose sapphire blue eyes were studying her intently. Something like worry behind them. He shook his head a fraction of an inch and dropped those eyes to the floor.

"That's what I fucking thought."

She made her way to the end of the hallway, forcefully removing a couple of Sarah's drunk cheerleading friends out of the way. It seemed like when any of those girls got in the vicinity of alcohol they turned into giggling idiots. Ridiculous. They needed to learn how to hold their booze or just stop.

She leaned against the wall, the room mostly clear of people. They were all in other rooms doing God knows what. She extracted her cell phone, hitting the speed dial she seemed to know the best lately.

His voice clicked onto the other end almost as soon as her iPhone connected the line.

"Nico. Where are you? You were supposed to be at this party."

His response was muffled. Was he really sleeping? She glanced at the giant clock hanging on the wall. Oh. It was 4 am.

"Never mind. Don't bother. Go back to sleep."

She made to hit the end button, but his voice became clearer in seconds.

"No, no E. You at Max's? I'll be there in ten."

She sighed, hitting end anyway.

"You okay?"

She glanced up, the voice pulling her out of her thoughts. It was Blue Eyes again.

She scowled.

"Do I look like I'm dying or something? Go away, dude."

He laughed quietly, leaning against the wall for a second. 

"Not dying, no."

He stayed there for a moment. Just staring at her. Then he pushed off of the wall and walked back the way he came.

Fucking weirdo. Okay.

She sighed, leaning her head against the wall with a soft thunk.

She was almost sick of this every weekend. Drinking. Hooking up with Max or Nico. Having to be bailed out of some stupid situation by one of her friends. It had been all of their lives for years. The parties. The boys. The mistakes. But Eden was the one who was the most caught up in everything. The others mostly had their heads on straight now.

She heard Nico's car pull up outside and immediately exited, ducking through the few people outside and into his passenger seat.

He leaned over, but she pushed his head away
.
"Would you drive? This is not a date. I'm not kissing you. Come on now..."

Nico smirked, casting his eyes back to the road.

"Whatever, E. I'll just be your ride then. Saving you from your fuck buddy, like always."

Eden glared at him, wishing he wasn't driving so she could punch him in the face.

When they pulled into her driveway, she slammed his car door, not thinking about it. But she thought about it two minutes later when the porch light flipped on and her dad opened the door, his face creased with fury.

"Shit."

She mumbled under her breath, looking back over her shoulder as Nico sped away.

"I suggest you get in the house in the next fifteen seconds, Eden Royale."

She groaned, ascending the steps, brushing right past him, straight for the stairs.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Carter snapped, his voice echoing out the way it always did when this happened.
She turned, fixing him with an icy stare.

"To my room. Goodnight."

She made to turn back and do exactly as she said, but she felt a vice grip tugging her back to the landing. She ripped her arm out of his grip, anger bubbling out of her mouth before she could quite think twice of it.

"Don't fucking touch me. Shouldn't you be with my mother making sure she isn't killing herself with massive amounts of vodka and self pity?"

Carter's face quickly turned from fury into nothing, his eyes glazing over.

"Really, Eden? You don't understand..."

Eden backed up, her heels hitting the bottom step.

"No. I understand perfectly, dad. She's the most important thing in the world. No matter what she does. So go take care of her. Go do what you always do and leave me the fuck alone."

He opened his mouth, but she put up a hand.

"Save it. Good night, Dad. We'll talk whenever you're actually home again."

He muttered something, but she was up the stairs so quickly she didn't hear it. She slammed her door, falling on her bed and stuffing her pillow over her face.

She was sick of her parents. Sick of her siblings. Sick of this entire legacy she had inherited. Sick of her entire life.

How did she even get stuck carrying the name of two people who should have never been together in the first place. Two people who should have called it quits before it ever got to the point it was at now.

If true love was this... If love is what put her parents together and created everything she now subsisted in.. Then she never wanted to experience it. It was all a bunch of bullshit. She knew the story. She knew how much they went through to be together.

And look at them now. They couldn't stand to look at each other. Their fighting and their disagreements were all she'd ever known.

She could hear them. Downstairs. Probably fighting over her right now.

Soulmates. 

Meant to be. 

Right.

"What a crock of shit."

---------------

"Eden! Hey! Wait up!"

Eden turned around, Zach's voice reaching her ears as she neared her locker.

"Hey Z!"

She smiled, pulling him into a hug when he neared her.

He was her brother's best friend and in the end, one of hers. They had quite a bit of history too.. But not something she tried to think about often. Because he was clearly madly and entirely in love with one of her best friends.

"You seen Evein?"

Eden raised an eyebrow and glanced at her locker a few feet away. Kiara and Sarah were there, but her brunette friend was no where in sight.

"Actually... No. Why?"

Zach shrugged, looking both ways down the hallway, but not quite at her.

"She didn't answer her phone last night. Or this morning. I don't know what's up. She never ignores me..."

Eden pulled her cell out, scrolling through her texts. Come to think of it, Evein hadn't replied to hers in a couple of days either. Since the party. She looked back up at Zach and then over at the girls again.

"Hey... I'm sure she's okay. I'll call her mom tonight if she doesn't show up at school, alright?"

Her response didn't seem to appease him much, but he nodded, waving at someone over Eden's shoulder. She followed his gaze and saw her brother and Nico down the hallway. Along with...

Really? Was he stalking her?

The boy moved his eyes away as soon as she met them.

She didn't even know he went to school here... Let alone knew her brother. She half grinned, waiting for him to look at her again. When he did, she raised one hand, middle finger in his direction. Then she waved, smirking. The boy shook his head, turning his attention back to the boys.

Yeah well, don't stare at me. Dumbass.

"Hey guys." 

She let out as she approached Kiara and Sarah.

They both enveloped her in hugs before asking, almost at the exact same time, 

"Have you seen Evein?"

Eden's brow furrowed and she shook her head slowly.

"No.. Zach was just asking the same thing-"

"I'm right here. Why is everyone freaking out about me all of a sudden?"

They all three turned around, watching their tiny friend as she pulled her books out of her locker, spinning the lock shut.

She looked terrible. Her uniform looked way too big for her, and the bags under her pretty green eyes were horrendous. She was carrying herself in a way that suggested she was far from it, but Eden asked anyway.

"Are you okay, Ev?"

She pulled her eyes into Eden's with what seemed like so much effort, it was pathetic.

"I'm fine. Stop asking, okay."

She left the three of them standing there, unasked questions on their lips as the bell for homeroom echoed through the air.