1-10: Drowning

You tried to lie, I can see that you don't need me
All of your words, they have been cursed with dishonesty

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

Kiara knocked on the door to Atticus' room softly, opening it without getting a response. She never really waited for one. What would be the point? Atticus knew who it was. At least usually. 

He was striking notes on his guitar when she shut the door behind her, and she was half convinced he hadn't even heard her. She was nervous and annoyed as it was, so she cleared her throat loudly, instead of saying his name and trying to get his attention like a normal person.

Atticus stopped what he was doing, looking up at her. He cocked his head to the side and sat his guitar down, getting to his feet.

"Hey? I didn't know you were coming over."

He walked over to her, bending down to kiss her. She ducked the kiss, stepping to the side. He looked confused, but took a step back, his eyes studying her face.

"What the hell was that? Are you okay?"

Kiara sighed, shrugging one shoulder and keeping her gaze locked on the floor.

"Did I do something?"

She shook her head, still trying to swallow the lump in her throat enough to speak. Eden had tried to convince her over and over that this was what she should do. That it was time, that he would feel the same. They'd been together so long, it was imminent right?

'I promise, he's not going to let you down. It's obvious how both of you feel, why are being such a chicken about this? Just do it. Get it over with.'

Kiara's first reaction had been to punch Eden in the face, out of annoyance. But rather than ruin her pretty face, she let her keep nagging. Eventually, she had agreed. Because there was the chance that Eden was right... That she was being a coward. 

And Kiara was a lot of things, but a coward wasn't one of them.

"I have something to say."

She broke her train of thought with the words, finally looking up at Atticus' face. He nodded, reaching out and rubbing the top of her arm with his hand.

"You can tell me anything, you know that. What's up?"

'Just count to three and do it. You won't have time to rethink it. It'll be done, I promise, Kiara. You won't regret it. My twin brother has been in love with you since second grade.

Everything's going to work out.'

"I love you."

Atticus froze, his hand still on her arm. The room seemed to grow colder, darker, in the moments he stood there, just staring at her.

"You.... What."

It only took a few seconds for Kiara to register his response. To realize that what he had just said was not what she expected to hear. What Eden had promised she would. She stepped away from him, and his hand fell to his side. His face was still blank. There was still nothing else said.

Nothing.

Anger seeped into her veins instantly.

"Seriously?"

Her voice was harsh, cutting, fiery.

"Nothing. I said nothing. Bye, Atticus."

Atticus stuttered for words, but all that came out was a string of syllables and half words. As she walked to the door of his room, he finally found some.

"Kiara, wait!"

She slammed his door when she exited, hard enough to knock the paintings on the other side to the floor. It sounded like a gunshot in the quiet of the house, and as she descended the stairs, she passed Eden in the downstairs hallway. She was leaning against the bathroom door frame, a toothbrush hanging out of her mouth.

"Whoa... What just happened?"

Kiara turned to face her, and it took everything in her not to shove her against the wall and scream in her face that her advice had been bullshit. That Kiara had gone against her better judgement on Eden's insistence and look what fucking happened.

But all that left her mouth was

"You were wrong."

The front door shut so hard the glass in it cracked. Eden stared at it for a long time, twirling the toothbrush in her hand.

"Uh oh."
-------------

"Kyle... Seriously. We happened once. What is with you? Back off."

Eden's vision spun as she spoke the words, pushing one hand against Kyle's chest. He didn't budge though, standing like a marble statue in front of her. She had been drinking since this morning. Cassius had brought a bottle of stolen vodka into her room in exchange for using her computer to send a mass party invite.

There were so many people in her house, Eden was about 99 percent sure everything in it would be broken.

"Yeah... but that once was great... Why are you acting like it wasn't?"

Eden snorted, leaning back against the surface of the wall. 

"It was okay. But I don't think you get what I do? I'm not generally a repeat offender."

Kyle's eyes narrowed and he moved his hand from on the wall next to her to her hip.

"And Max and Nico?"

Eden shoved his hand off of her and tried to move him again, failing.

"Mistakes. Now, would you please let me go? This is bordering on pathetic."

It was bordering on more than that. It was almost scary. If there weren't a hundred people scattered throughout her house, she'd be more scared. But being backed into a corner and held there by some random guy was still concerning.

"Is everything okay?"

Eden glanced over Kyle's shoulder, catching a glance of sapphire blue eyes. Kyle removed his hand from the wall next to Eden and took a step backwards. He stared at her as he spoke, not even bothering to give Xavier any acknowledgement at all.

"Yeah... Everything's fine. Isn't it Eden?"

She scoffed, moving out of the corner and next to Xavier. For once in her life, she was actually glad to see him. He didn't remove his eyes from Kyle's back, but Eden could see something in his face. Something that looked like anger. It was like every time emotion cracked through his stoic personality, it shocked Eden more.

"The answer to that is no, actually."

Eden mumbled the words, the tension in the air palpable. Kyle turned around to face the two of them, cracking a smile at Xavier's reaction. He shrugged and rubbed the back of his neck, his grin still in place.

"I'll see you around, Eden."

As he brushed past the two of them, Xavier brought his eyes to Eden's face.

"What did I tell you?"

She instantly grew annoyed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"He didn't do anything. Just cornered me."

Xavier scoffed, looking over at Kyle's receding back. He looked so angry, Eden almost didn't think he was the same person who was consistently everywhere she was somehow.

"But he would. And he has."

Eden stiffened.

"What does that mean?"

Xavier looked back at her, his eyes pressing into hers. Seeing through her, it seemed. She wasn't quite sure that was a good thing.

"You're not the only one who I hear rumors about. But unlike you, I know for a fact that the ones about Kyle are true. He's your younger brother's best friend. Don't you think I know what he's done?"

Eden reached out, grabbing the solo cup she had been drinking out of before Kyle had cornered her. It was almost to her lips when Xavier sighed, taking it away from her.

"Don't drink that."

Eden was about to protest, to start asking more questions, when Xavier turned away from her. He parted the crowd and left her standing there, carrying her cup and the answers she wanted to the other side of the house. She'd probably never find him in this mess again. She groaned and stomped her foot like a child. Why the fuck did he keep doing that? It was more annoying every single time.

She felt like she had just eaten her words from after graduation. He'd just saved her from what seemed like a really bad situation.

'You don't have to protect me'

It looked like he had just done it anyway.

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


Atticus tossed another rock at the window of the greenhouse, the ping echoing through the glass encased room. It seemed to be the only place that wasn't stuffed full of people. The only place at this party his two siblings had planned where he could be alone with his thoughts.

He had been nothing but annoyed when he had found out that they were throwing a party tonight. Especially after what had happened with Kiara this morning. 

She loved him? Since when? Why did she surprise him like that with this? Not that he knew anything about someone confessing their love, but maybe a warning would have been nice? 

Of course he loved her too, there was no question about that. But saying it was a completely different thing. Shouldn't it be special or some lame ass shit like that? His dad was the only guy he'd ever seen in love, and it made him look pathetic. The desperation and intensity of his love for Aria made him look like a weak dumbass.

What Atticus felt for Kiara was different. Or at least he liked to tell himself that.

"Why are you in here all alone?"

Atticus looked up at the sound of the voice, the short little redhead closing the door behind her, clearly drunk. Mackenzie Stage. Max's little sister. The devil himself was actually related to someone who made good grades and was a decent person. From what he'd heard anyway.

"Because I want to be? Why does it matter to you?"

She walked over to him, stumbling over her heels. But even in those, she was a good foot shorter than Atticus was. Wasn't she only like sixteen? What was she doing drinking like a fish with a bunch of people she didn't know?

It's like I'm forgetting what fucking town I'm in.

"You looked lonely, I thought maybe I could help."

Atticus raised an eyebrow, the look he gave her, contemptuous.

"I have a girlfriend, remember?"

Mackenzie had hit on him last year at Lyric's birthday party, and he'd quickly deterred her, letting her know it would not, and could not, ever happen. Fuck... He was pretty sure he'd been in love with Kiara even back then.

You should have fucking said it, you dumb shit.

"I know. But she's not here, is she? We're alone. She could never find out."

Atticus took a step back from her, holding up his hands. What the hell? Apparently she wasn't a good girl, after all. In Bridgeport, how could he really be surprised?

"I'm drunk, not stupid. You should go back inside and find someone your own age, Kenzie. Maybe someone without a girlfriend?"

Kenzie advanced, getting to her knees on the stool Atticus had been sitting on. She grabbed the front of his shirt, pulling him down to her level, pressing her lips to his. Atticus hesitated to push her off, for just a second. She was tiny, she was young, he didn't want to hurt her accidentally by being too rough. Even if this was twelve times over the normal limit of fucked up.

But that one second of hesitation was enough.

"I can't believe you."

Mackenzie broke away from Atticus and he hurriedly took about five steps away from her, Kiara's voice ringing in his ears.

"Kiara, no. She kissed me."

Kiara left the greenhouse door standing open, hurrying away from the two of them. Atticus rushed after her, catching up to her somewhere in the depths of the garden.

"Kiara! Listen to me!"

She whipped around, her eyes blazing in anger.

"Stop making excuses! I saw what happened! You can't fucking lie to me, Atticus.

You don't love me, you can't even be honest with me. You can't even stay faithful to me.

After this morning, how could you do this to me? On top of that?"

She shoved him away from her when he tried to touch her, and he stumbled back, the force of her push catching him completely off guard.

"It's over, Atticus. Have fun in Hawaii. Maybe you can take your new girlfriend with you."

Atticus fought for the words to stop her, but he didn't have any. He never fucking had any. He was just going to watch the girl he loved walk away and do nothing to stop her. Completely suspended in time with no idea what to do.

"You're an idiot."

Eden shook her head, walking away with her hand in Max's. She had seen the entire thing. Pretty much half the community just had.

She was definitely one to talk.

"Yeah. Fuck you too, Eden."

What the fuck was he supposed to do now? There was no time to fix this before he had to leave. He walked back into the greenhouse, glaring at Mackenzie. She was still just sitting there on the stool, a drunken haze on her face. She got to her feet when he entered, a small smile on her face.

And out of nowhere... Atticus was pissed. He wasn't going to chase after her. He wasn't his father. If Kiara wasn't going to listen, if she was going to act like a bitch and walk away from him, he'd let her go. He refused to be the next Carter Simon. Chasing after the same girl all his life. She wanted out... He'd let her out.

"You want to go to Hawaii?"

-------------
Eden stood outside the door to this expensive ass house, shifting her weight and talking herself in and out of knocking over and over again. She had swallowed her pride and made her way over here after deciding that maybe this was a good idea. That maybe it was an understandable choice. A way to say thank you.

They had to leave for Hawaii in two hours and she couldn't even knock on a door.

You could tell this place was made by an architect, the outside of the house had more shapes than a baby toy.

"Ugh... Fuck it. I'll ask Max."

Just as she decided to take the steps back down to her car, and put this stupid plan behind her, the door opened and she was face to face with Xavier. Her mouth dropped open and she stuttered for a second. But he spoke before she could.

"Why are you standing outside my front door?"

He stared at her blankly, watching her as she tried to say something. He leaned against the door frame, amusement finding its way onto his face.

"And you say that I'm the stalker."

That got her. Her face instantly became a scowl and she scoffed, turning for the stairs.

"You know what, Never mind Nile."

He straightened up, stepping outside, grabbing her arm gently.

"No, I was just kidding. Seriously. Why are you here?"

He let her arm go, rubbing his hand on his jeans like he was trying to get the feel of her skin off of his palm. He looked like he was shocked that he had touched her in the first place. The reaction stalled her, and she tilted her head, trying to read his face again.

She sighed when she couldn't find anything, tucking her hands in her back pockets. Just ask him. It's not like this is a big deal anyway.

"I was wondering if you wanted to come to Hawaii with my family, actually."

He looked taken aback for a moment, but eventually he nodded.

"Sure... why not. Since when do you take your stalkers on family trips, though?"

Eden kicked aside a rock on his porch and rolled her eyes.

"Look, I'm trying to be nice here. You were nice to me last night, so I thought..."

"When are you leaving?"

Eden looked up at him.

"Two hours."

He nodded and held the door open so she could come inside.

"I guess I should start packing then."
--------------

Take it from the girl you claimed to love
You gonna get some bad karma
I'm the one who had to learn to build a heart made of armor
From the girl who made you soup and tied your shoes when you were hurting
You are not deserving, you are not deserving

1-9: Just One Yesterday

If I spilled my guts, the world would never look at you the same way

And now I'm here to give you all my love

So I can watch your face as I take it all away.


-------------------
"Nico can I talk to you for a second?"

The look on his face said that it was the last thing he had expected. She guessed that maybe ignoring every type of communication he had attempted in the last week sent a signal. Good.

Eden placed the graduation robes she was still carrying on a seat in the auditorium and took Nico by the hand, leading him into a side aisle. Away from all of the scattered students chattering excitedly about the end of high school. It nauseated her, their excitement. Like this wasn't just the beginning of worse things to come. Being an adult, university. The drama might end to a degree, but it would never be over completely.

Eden tilted her head to the side, catching Nico's gaze with her own. She released her grip on his hand and he looked apprehensive, watching every move she made. Like he expected her to hit him. 

"Calm down. I just have a few things to say."

The doubt on his face increased, which made the grin on Eden's just a little wider.

"Okay..."

"I have decided I don't care what you did anymore. It doesn't matter. That if I hold onto this, it's just going to make me have multiple emotions I don't want. And we both know, those aren't my thing."

She laughed quietly, which he did not echo.

"I thought you might want to know that I figured out that I love you."

His eyes brightened briefly, but he didn't say a word, just stood there. Listening a little more intently. Eden was about to continue when Nico cut her off, confusion in his eyes, his brow furrowing.

"You're in love with me?"

Eden shook her head, an amused scoff issuing from her throat.

"Well, I was. But not anymore. 

This conversation is for one reason, really. To let you know that I'm through with you. For good. Don't call me, don't text me. Forget I'm alive, alright? 

I erased you from my life. In every way that I could. So now it's your turn."

No response.

"I made a mistake. This was a mistake. We were.

You know what happens when you put two liars together?

Chaos. That's all we had and all we ever would."

She dropped her phone to her side and shrugged, still smiling.

"Have a nice life, Nico."

She pressed onto her toes and placed a kiss on his lips, softly. Just one last time, leaving her goodbye behind in every way that she could. He tasted like finality, like poison. She was driving this knife straight where it needed to go. Right into his heart.

She turned away, walking over to her group of friends gathered around one of the rows. Every part of her hoped that he was in pain. That maybe the message she had tried to send went straight through his chest. 

Their story had been written, and it was time for the book to be closed.

But Eden was who she was, and she couldn't do that without making sure they went out with a bang.

"Over?"

Kiara asked, looking over at where Nico still stood.

"Over."

Eden didn't even bother looking over her shoulder for a final glance. As far she was concerned, Nico Holmes didn't exist.

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

Eden drew in another drag of her cigarette. The third one in a row. She had ditched her robes in a dumpster behind the school, not caring about how much ever her parents had paid for them. It was a surprise they had, it wasn't like her graduation had been guaranteed. Nico... He just... He had blinded sided her. After Sarah.. After everything... 

She shook her head, grounding the cigarette out with the heel of her shoe. She wasn't going to think about it. She wasn't going to think about him. Not anymore. Not ever again. It was time to move on from him. That chapter of her life was officially over. High school was behind her, and so was he. It was time to resign that to herself. That's why she had ended everything with him before they even handed her her diploma.

So this could be over. They could be. For good.

She would push any type of feelings she might have ever had for him to the back of her mind.

She was good at that after all. Extremely.

"You're not really going to do it, are you?"

Eden scowled, recognizing the voice a lot easier than she should. She turned to face Xavier, pulling a new cigarette out and lighting it, blowing smoke in his direction.

"First of all, I don't know what the hell you're referring to.

And second, are you following me? Or do you usually come and hang out by dumpsters and giant air conditioning units?"

He was friends with her little brother, so she already knew he associated with trash, but that would be just a little extensive.

"Kyle."

Eden's expression quickly grew amused.

"What? Really? Why would that even matter to you?"

She took another smoke filled breath and watched his face, trying to find something there. As usual, he was like a statue. Nothing displayed there at all. He was probably the most contained guy she'd ever come into contact with.

"Well... It doesn't matter to me, actually. But he's a bad guy."

Eden rolled her eyes, incredulous. 

"Okay, have you met me? Kind of a bad girl, if you haven't noticed."

Xavier shook his head slowly, leaning a hand against the brick wall.

"Nah. Not really. I've watched you grow up, seen how people have changed you."

Eden tossed her half finished cigarette to the ground and crossed her arms over her chest.

"That's really creepy. Just so you know. 

And you can make excuses for my behavior all you want, but I am who I am because I want to be."

Xavier straightened his tie and smiled, just barely, reaching out with his shoe and putting her cigarette out.

"Whatever you say, Eden. It makes no difference to me. Just thought I would let you know that while it may be your choice to sleep with Kyle, it's a bad idea."

Eden let out a long breath and brushed past Xavier, pushing him aside slightly, towards the parking lot. She turned around when she was a few feet away, anger bubbling to the surface for a reason she didn't really know.

"I don't need your warnings. You might have 'watched me grow up' or whatever, but you don't actually know me. Anything about me."

She threw the words at him, her voice cold.

"It's not your job to protect me. So, you can go and hang out with my perfect baby brother now and stop stalking me."

Xavier sighed, rubbing his forehead with his hand and bringing his dark blue eyes up to meet her bright green ones.

"You're never going to see it, so I guess this was just a waste of my time."

For the very first time, Eden thought she detected emotion in his eyes. Some type of unannounced sadness, something...

"See what? What the fuck are you on about?"

Xavier shook his head and walked passed her, toward the front of the school.

"It doesn't matter remember?"

Eden narrowed her eyes, and she almost stopped him. Almost demanded to know exactly what the hell he was talking about. She was usually far too stubborn to let anything like this just go by. But it was getting later, and she had other matters to attend to. She had an internal battle as he walked away. 

Whether to call out and make him explain himself, or to get in her car and head to this stupid graduation party. To alcohol. To Kyle. To the rest of her friends. One demon won over the other and she groaned.

"Fuck you, Xavier Nile."

She grumbled the words and made the way to her car, the slam of the door when she shut it turning every head in the parking lot in her direction.

----------------
"Wait, are we really all going to Saint Claire University? I figured at least some of us would transfer into out of state colleges."

Kiara grinned, shoving a pillow out from behind her off of the couch.

"All of us but Sarah, Nico and Kyle."

Eden bristled at the two names, but just for a moment.

"I'm sorry. I only know who one of those people are."

Zach's face was full of mixed emotions as he took a drink of the beer in his hand.

"I can actually get you guys an apartment if you want. My parents are friends with these people who are bakers and they rent out a 3 bedroom place above their bakery. It's a block from the school. I can probably get you a deal too."

Eden and Kiara exchanged a glance and Eden quickly nodded at her, which she returned.

"I'm definitely okay with this. Kiara and I were made to be roommates after all."

 Zach nodded, taking another long drink before responding.

"Alright. I'll talk to my dad. I know their daughter rents one of the rooms in there, but she's really nice. Too nice, actually."

Atticus made an overly dramatic noise, his mouth dropping open in mock offense. 

"Wait... What about me? And you, Zach? Xav is coming too. You're just gonna give the girls this place and leave us fucked. I see your priorities."

Atticus tossed an empty beer can at Zach's head and it made contact, leaving a red mark behind. Eden groaned loudly at the mention of Xavier's name, but everyone ignored it, continuing the conversation. Eden groaned way too much lately...

"We could always take one of the bedrooms. I love sharing rooms with other dudes after all."

Zach's sarcastic tone didn't deter Eden's response though.

"Uh, no. I don't care if my best friend is fucking my brother, I am not going to live with him during college and high school. Fuck that."

Atticus made a kissy face at Eden and she punched his arm, shaking her head.

"Don't give me that. You know you don't want to live with me either."

Atticus nodded, shoving a handful of chips in his mouth, speaking as he chewed. Kiara grimaced at his manners, but didn't say anything.

"You're right. Hearing you screw random guys a floor below kind of gets to me sometimes."

Eden punched him again, harder.

"Shut the fuck up, Simon. You're such a liar."

Atticus choked on his beer, laughing.

"I'm playing. I wouldn't mind, but if you're against it, I'll respect that too."

Eden narrowed her eyes and looked over at Kiara, who seemed like she could actually work with this whole 'my brother living with me longer than I want him to' plan.

"Ugh. I'll think about it."

Eden felt her phone vibrate in her pocket and glanced down at the text. It was Kyle. Pretty much perfect timing.

-Are you busy. I think you mentioned something about later tonight?-

Eden hesitated, but just for a minute. She knew she had told him he could never touch her. That he would never get anywhere near her. Especially not in a situation where she was naked. But it seemed like, lately, Eden was doing a lot of things she said she'd never do.

Why not add one more thing to her list?

Xavier had said that Kyle was a bad guy, but Eden was just as bad. She was a hurricane. Destroying everyone and everything in her path. It was who she was meant to be, so why stop making mistakes? She pushed the thought of her blue eyed stalker out of her head and sent her response.

-Where are you?-
---------------



"Hawaii? Why?"

Carter raised an eyebrow at his oldest son, scratching his head and looking over at his wife.

"You would think as a teenage boy, you'd be excited about  a trip to a tropical island?"

Atticus shook his head, glancing around at his siblings. None of them seemed to be in protest at all. This was their first 'family meeting' in months. Usually he was not the only one complaining.

"It's two weeks. I'm not getting the issue, A."

Eden said the words slowly, taking a drink from her soda.

"Well, unlike the three of you, I have a reason to want to be in Bridgeport? Red hair, fangs, bad temper?"

Aria laughed from her place on the couch, nodding.

"You can bring Kiara. You can all bring someone. My editor gave me 10 tickets, so I assumed you'd all want to."

She looked at Eden and smiled, trying to exude some warmth towards her eldest daughter.

"Maybe you can bring Nico?"

Both of the boys let out loud sighs, and Eden groaned, again.

"I wouldn't say his name. Eden is currently pretending he doesn't exist. He fucked her ex-best friend."

Cassius said it casually and Eden kicked him in the shin, grinning as he bent over slightly in pain.

"I'm sorry. It was an accident."

Carter sighed, clearing his throat.

"Alright, kids. You're all going. And I don't care who the hell you bring, but you're not getting out of it, so you might as well go pack.

When your mom and I get back from Seattle Thursday, we're leaving."

Eden exchanged a look with Lyric and groaned again, turning for the stairs.

She was halfway to her room when Cassius stopped her and she faced him, bitterness on her face.

"What do you want?"

Cassius looked down the stairs, making sure no one else could hear the exchange.

"I was thinking that since they're gonna be gone... Party. Here. For once."

Eden shifted her weight, considering. She could work with this plan. One last party in Bridgeport before they all had to relocate to Saint Claire for four years...

"Alright. But no people I don't know. Kay?"

She said it pointedly, and Cassius nodded. For once, he would actually listen. He had other people in mind to invite anyway...
---------------


I want to teach you a lesson, in the worst kind of way.
Still, I'd trade all my tomorrows for just one yesterday.