My head was throbbing. My brain felt like it was jumping on a trampoline, and my jaw ached from having it clenched all night long. I wanted to give Tony a major fuck you for the migraine that's come over me as if it was his fault and not my own. Part of me knew that it was a terrible idea but I couldn't help chase the chaos. I couldn't help that Tony was thrilling to hang around because he understood the temptations of doing bad things.

I was awake, but I refused to open my eyes. I didn't even know how I got home last night. My arm was extended out and off the living room couch and my hand wrapped around a bottle of I believed to be alcohol. Where in the hell did I even get this from? Everything was such a blur but I had suspicions that one of us had a bright idea to steal from the bar.

Fuck me and this fuckery of a hangover.

I heard keys clinking together and an unfamiliar female voice mumble under her breath outside the door. I instantly grew annoyed by the unfamiliar sounds but I was on high alert. Still though, I lied in my same position, in too much pain to get up and too tired to even move.

She opened and closed the door behind her and I heard a small gasp come out of her mouth, along with a small shuffle in her feet. Who the fuck was that?

Then, silence.

"Stop staring at me..." I muttered, annoyed by the change of energy in the room. Annoyed by the stranger who made an unwelcome appearance. Annoyed that I was awake.

She didn't say anything though, but instead remained quiet and in the same position she'd been in since she officially let herself in my house.

The girl still stood there, doing absolutely nothing. Perhaps her feet were glued there and she was stuck. Unable to move or even make a noise. Or perhaps she was standing over me with a gun in her hand, contemplating sparing my life. I wouldn't be surprised over the gun, but more so because a man made a woman do his dirty work for him, whereas I'd like to see his face in person.

It felt like she had been standing there for an eternity.

I already knew what I'm in for.

"Hey!" Lacey's voice from the other side of the room popped through along with quick pitter-patter. "How are you doing?!"

The stranger cleared her throat quietly. Perhaps she was a mute, or someone cut her tongue out in the past, and that's the reason she wasn't talking. Maybe she was deaf and signing to Lacey. That'd fucking suck.

Does Lacey even know sign language?

"What? Oh!" Lace exclaimed. "Eli..." she muttered. "Uh... Wow, okay. Um..." Lacey rambled. Classic, Lacey. "I don't even know..." She continued, her voice filled with confusion. "Thank you for the coffee, I think I'm going to need it." If anyone were really close to her like I was, would know that behind that voice was the voice of panic and uncertainty.

"It's not a problem," her soft voice finally announced. Hm, a pretty sound but she still annoyed me. Interesting.

I moved my arms and rest them over my face in a criss cross motion, attempting to block out the noise and light.

It was at this point where I would love to say something completely insensitive but I felt like I wasn't particularly in the best position. Seeing as I couldn't even hear properly because my head was making a pounding, throbbing affect on my brain. I was probably the reasoning that Lacey was freaking out, it may be best that I didn't poke the bear, even though in my usual state, I absolutely would.

"Oof," Tyler's voice echoed in the living room. "Have a good night buddy?" A slight concern.

I finally removed my arms and opened my eyes to see him standing over my limp body. Tyler being in the same room relieved me. He looked down at me with an amused face but behind his eyes I saw worry.

"Good morning," I smiled letting the words come out as natural as I could. My voice was raspier than usual, sounding as I feel; drained and filled with various liquors and cigarette smoke.

I immediately groaned at the lighting.

"Hey, Aria." Tyler lifted his head up and greets the stranger in a genuine manner. "How have you been?" He sat on the back of the couch. It was at this point where his facial expression only grew with excitement, waiting for me to clue in.

Aria. Fuck.

"I'm good," she hesitated. "How are you guys?" The voice was angelic. Surely that wasn't a real person.

Tyler looked down at me and squinted his eyes with uncertainty.

"Is this the type of behavior I was supposed to refrain from?" I joked quietly, only for him to hear.

I completely forgot about her until this very moment. Leave it to Lacey to have her come right in the morning. Leave it to me to get completely obliterated the night before.

I breathed in. Goodbye Sleep.

It was obvious that Tyler was enjoying himself and the state I was in but he was attempting to make himself more stern for Lacey's sake. "Put a shirt on," he hissed. "We have a guest."

I swatted my hand upwards and towards his face, which only made him push my hand away. I let my arm drop on my chest and mentally took in a deep breath before sitting upright.

I yawned and rubbed my face so the blurry vision cleared.

She was staring right at me - Gawking.

The girl had large, pale blue eyes. They immediately drew my attention. Pretty.

She stood out from my friends, but I couldn't completely come to a conclusion on why. Maybe she grew up differently than them and it shaped her looks. She was a looker for sure.

"Aria, I want to finally introduce you to-" Lacey closed her mouth and gestured towards me. "Well, that."

I narrowed my eyes and Lacey did the same toward me.

I couldn't really blame my friends for being a little unsure about my current state. I was supposed to be showing everyone how much better I've gotten, even though I didn't feel better. I was doing the exact opposite, and if I were my friends, I'd probably just kick me out and give up completely on me. I was a lost cause, you'd think they'd learn that by now.

But then again, it was only a bit of alcohol.

I glanced at Tyler who had his hand on the bottom half of his face, biting his thumb nail while grinning. It almost felt like old times, before I had gotten a little too comfortable and out of control. Tyler always found my scenarios funny probably because he never fully witnessed or lived them before. He certainly didn't find them as fun and entertaining towards the end, just before I went to the asylum.

Even still, it wasn't alcohol that was my issue. It surely wasn't something to be too concerned over.

I gave him a quick smirk before I stood up and walked up to the small girl who was uncomfortably standing at the front door. Glancing toward Lacey, I shot an unapologetic smile before I extended my hand out to her friend.

She looked at my hand and bit her lip before putting her tiny hand in my palm.

"It's nice to meet you," I gave a sloppy, one sided smile. "My name is Eli."

She looked up at me with her doe eyes. The smallest of smiles appeared.

She was quite short compared to me. I'd say about five feet tall one inch, which is about two inches shorter than Lace.

"Aria," She cleared her throat. She had a sweet sound, there was something about it.

The girls structure was ever so slightly smaller than most. She had perfect curves to outline her body in all the right places which was hard to not recognize considering her clothes hugged her flawlessly. She was very healthy looking. Wearing clothes that didn't look all that particularly cheap but she also didn't splurge.

I could easily break her if I wanted to.

"I apologize for my appearance." I said. It was a half lie, I didn't care how she viewed me but apparently she meant something to Lacey that I had no choice in being connected to somehow.

The last thing I wanted was to disappoint them further.

Her face started to flush into a light pink color. On the bridge of her nose, she had tiny freckles which were a light brown giving her an innocent look.

She said nothing in return.

Her hair was caramel, wet, and straggly. It was raining once again outside. An interesting color, blondish, brownish, but not dirty blonde. You could tell it was natural, which was something not a lot of girls had nowadays. She looked a bit younger... nineteen, twenty-one maybe.

I wasn't good with people, and I felt awkward with my state. She was clean, and I was nothing but a mess.

I looked down at her other hand which was holding a tray of coffee and took one out of the cup holder. I eyed her while I took a sip. "Thanks."

I wasn't necessarily in the position to start acting like an asshole now, but setting boundaries never hurt anyone. I wanted to secretly put her in her place. She was entering my territory.

Not to mention my stomach needed caffeine, and practically anything else besides alcohol. I was desperate to subside my nausea and that cup was the only hope I had left.

"Well... Okay. Well, that was mine. But it looks like you need it a little more than I do." She muttered.

"Hm."

Her eyes narrowed, as if she were trying to figure me out. Good luck with that. "Well anyway, it's nice to finally meet you! I've heard plenty of things." She smiled a nice, genuine smile.

I bet you have heard many things that I'd wish you hadn't.

"I've heard nothing about you." My head fucking killed.

Sluggishly, I retreated back to the couch.

"Eli!" Lacey hissed.

I sipped on my new coffee. Don't puke in front of the pretty girl.

Lacey stared at me while I sipped my stolen coffee. I smiled to mask my pain. Don't puke in front of Lacey. She'll kill me.

Every time I smiled at Lacey, she broke down and smiled back. I didn't know why that was, but it started way back to the first few week's we'd known each other. I knew I could make her mood better just by giving her a look, and it made me feel good to have that power.

"You're such an ass," Tyler whispered, a small grin formed on his face. "What happened to being nice?"

I gave a short laugh. "Would you prefer me to lie?" I asked. Normally I wouldn't be so harsh to a lady stranger at first, if not provoked. But my head hurt, and I was dealing with an immense amount of cravings.

When we were alone, Tyler could get down on my level and share the same humor as I. He was more willing to do things with me, compared to when his mate was around. I guess I couldn't really blame him. Lacey was his ball and chain and he loved it.

"You'll have to excuse him, he's mean in the morning." Lacey rushed out a lie.

She knew as much as I did that I was perfectly functioning in the morning and that I was only saying that to be a jerk.

"No, I think that's okay, most people don't have to brace for impact when meeting me." The girl said.

I could hear Tyler laughing beside me, obviously amused.

I looked at her with surprise. A look that would give strangers that feeling of danger. A look that would put their senses into overdrive and subconsciously tell themselves to stay away.

I was rather intrigued at the fact that didn't look threatened. Most people tended to stay clear of me because they just knew better. I was almost captivated, that someone had the guts and audacity to say that to me. It's almost refreshing.

I said nothing.

"Alright!" Lacey cut into the tension and sat on the couch beside me.

I sighed then cleared my throat. "So how long have you been coming around?" I asked, trying to keep my voice as genuine as I could to please my friends. I had to distract myself.

Meanwhile, I'd be using this tactic to get as much information on her as I needed incase I needed it in the future.

"I moved here from California about... Eight months ago or so?" She questioned herself. A Californian. Great.

Eight months, hm. That would cut quite close to the time I left. I raised an eyebrow at Lacey who was now frowning at me, figuring out what I was thinking.

"This is a long way from home," I commented, half interested to know why the fuck she's in a small ass town in Canada rather than a warm, sunny place like California.

"Isn't where you come from a long way from home?" Her pale eyes beamed.

I glanced in her direction. She knew more about me than I knew about her and it gave me a frustrated feeling. I was uncomfortable.

"Depends on what you'd call home." I replied cut. My tone was enough to end the conversation.

"Have you visited your parents while like you said you were going to?" Lacey changed the course of the conversation.

Aria grimaced. "Yeah, I did." Odd. She didn't seem too pleased with the question.

I turned my attention towards Tyler.

"Can you drive me to my truck later?" I asked while throwing my shirt on.

"Where is it?"

I looked at Aria for a moment, who had her attention now on me. Her face was hesitant but her pale blue eyes were filled with curiosity. I eyed her as she looked at me, waiting for a good time to explain to Tyler what the hell has happened last night. I dropped her gaze, seeing as she wouldn't look away and it was starting to irritate me.

I hated when people stared at me.

"I left it at the shop yesterday."

Tyler raised an eyebrow. "So you went out with Tony last night."

"Yes," I hissed.

"You didn't..." He paused. "Y'know."

I glanced over to the girls who were having a completely different conversation than us. Too distracted by their own voices talking that they couldn't even hear Tyler and I. They did look very close.

"I only drank." I whispered.

Although I wanted more.

Much more.

"Are you even allowed to do that?" He asked, concerned tone in his voice.

"Probably not." I admitted. "It isn't ideal, as long as it's in moderation, I'm still in control."

Tyler sighed. "Moderation?" He looked up at Lacey momentarily, getting distracted by her. I could only imagine the things he was thinking about her, which was something I could never think towards another human being. Smitten.

He turned his attention back on me.

"Is this considered moderation?" He asked, concern growing. He motioned to my physical state and averted his eyes away from me, to the empty bottle beside me.

"I'm unsure what to tell you." I whispered. "I'm doing okay. It wont be everyday."

He narrowed his eyes. "And I'm sure smoking is okay too?" He nodded his head towards the pack of smokes that were now in my hand.

"In moderation." We said at the same time.

"I trust you. But I still don't think it's very wise of you. Smoking is nothing, but drinking can turn into a bad habit." He continued. "That's not saying I'm not pleasantly amused with your current state," he said with a silent chuckle. "But Eli, you just got home."

The one thing that I never kept from Tyler was my habits and my secrets. He knew close to everything, and through that, we've created a very respectable bond. I didn't go away for drinking, and my drug habit wasn't even the main focus while I was in rehab. It was my dangerous thoughts. My clear actions.

"Probably not wise," I whispered.

"...Right Eli?" The sound of my name on Lacey's tongue startled me.

Tyler and I shared a glance before looking back at the girls. We both were not listening to even a second of their conversation.

"Wha..?" I questioned.

Lacey rolled her eyes but gave a friendly smile. "Aria's car has been acting up and I was just mentioning that you fix cars for a living."

"Oh," I said, lamely. "I'm pretty rusty," I lied.

"Is it because you haven't worked on anything in the last year?" Aria's eyes lit up.

I shifted my focus onto her. There were about a million questions bouncing around in her head.

What do you know?

I've never been good with meeting strangers because of all the shit it has gotten me into in the past. I've been burned so many times from the people I've met in my life and grew up with, that I figured it was best that I just stay away from people in general. Meeting people made me nervous.

I couldn't help but stare at her, which made her a little shy.

I'm not surprised by that.

I sat up from my slouch. Maybe if I gave her a ticked off look, she'd drop it. "Yeah." I responded after a few moments, the words coming out more harsh than I intended.

""What were you up to down there?" She persisted. Lovely.

Her eyebrows were slightly pulled together, still waiting for an answer. Her plump lips, slightly gaped open, eager to start an interesting conversation.

Suddenly it hit me that she may already know the answers to the questions she was asking me. She knew that I wasn't around for a year, but did she know why? "Where?" I asked, testing her knowledge.

Aria looked at me with a blank expression. "Florida?"

I glanced at Lacey and wished that I knew where I was going with this. How much was she told?

I put on a malicious smile. "You really want to know?"

"E." Tyler warned from behind me.

He knew as much as I did that she'd be scared away. Especially if I explained it how I intended to. I wanted to scare her. She'd never want to come back around here if I told her the things I've done.

I didn't want more people in my life. It was more reason to just get fucked over.

Maybe she didn't know why I left. She'd run out the door if I spilled the fact that I almost killed someone a year ago. I could picture her face when she found out that I went away to a rehabilitation centre as a bargain to not go to jail. That I had the word Dangerous stamped on my medical records. No, she didn't know anything.

I held back a smile.

Aria's face turned from curiosity to subtle fear as she backed down from our conversation. "Only if you wanted to talk about it." She mumbled.

"Well I don't."

I can see that I hurt her feelings by the way she shuddered and silenced herself. I almost felt bad, watching her big doe eyes look away from me in pure rejection.

Tyler nudged me but I didn't say anything.

She was just the type of girl that wouldn't understand the type of guy like me. It was nothing personal. It would be pointless, giving someone the time of day if it would just go through one ear and out the other. A part of me wished that I was a nicer person that could easily connect with another person.

She must not be all that bad if my friends liked her.

"Ty, I forgot to mention that your dad called last night." Lacey changed the subject completely.

"Is there a specific reason?" He asked.

"He mentioned that he wants you to visit soon. Your sisters miss you, and your step mom wants a family portrait."

Tyler had four younger sisters. Three of them, including himself were all fully related - the same mom and dad. The youngest though, Kimberly, was the daughter of Tyler's step mom, Margaret. Margaret and James had been together for about five years now. Kimberly was turning five soon, which I always found fishy. I'd never mention it - I don't think anyone would ever mention it, but we're all pretty certain that James has had an affair and left Tyler's real mom when he found out that Margaret was pregnant with Kimberly.