Match

six

I ignored Owens phone call, as well as everyone else honestly. My phone rang all night, and I felt everyone staring at me all morning. I avoided Victors eyes specifically, not wanting to see the burning fire within them. I was nervous, scared they'd burn me without even touching my skin.

I sat in the courtyard during lunch even though it was cold, the winter air settling in. I played with my water bottle, turning it upside down and back. I stiffened when someone sat next to me, keeping my eyes down as I avoided their gaze. I smelt a strange smell, like the trees when it rains and something sweeter.

I glanced up before slamming my eyes back down, my stiff body becoming even more. Victor was staring at me, a pained look on his face. I didn't want to talk to him, not really. I understood, it was something for him and Sang to enjoy, and I intruded on that.

Even though it hurt, I understood.

"I, I don't know how to start." I glanced back up, pushing my fake glasses back up my nose. I shrugged, playing with the skin on the side of my fingernails.

"I'm sorry I intruded." I murmured, looking behind him to where the rest were watching. As Gabriel met my eyes he looked away quickly, a corner of my mouth lifting as him and Luke fake whistled.

"I, I shouldn't be so upset over it." He answered me, his face hard as he stared at the stone table.

"Victor," he glanced back up to me, his eyes so sad it physically hurt me. I hated seeing him like this, even though I hadn't personally known him long I'd watched him long enough. "You loved Sang."

He nodded as an answer even though I already knew, a soft smile taking over my face as I glanced to the group. "All of you still love Sang, I'm never going to take that spot."

He opened his mouth to speak as I held my hand up, my eyes burning. I knew it was the truth and yet it still burned. I was okay with it, and yet it still hurt so bad. I barely knew them, and yet I felt it. The little string everyone says is tied to your little finger, I felt it tugging on my own when I got close.

"It's okay, I'm okay. If one day we decided this isn't worth it, you decide this isn't worth it, we can stop. We can just be friends, hell maybe that'd be easier. I saw North look at Marie like he just saw a ghost, and Owen looks at flowers like he's going to fall over."

"But you don't deserve to be treated like that." He interrupted me, his face still so pained and broken.

"Shouldn't I decide whether I deserve to be treated that way?" I asked him as I stood, the sound of the bell following me. "I'll see you guys later."

I knew my littler talk would spread around, and I didn't want to be here when it did.

* * *

I bit my lip while I tried to figure out how to turn the oven on, a groan escaping me once the doorbell rang. I had been expecting it, the company that came with this large of a group, but I hadn't been looking forward to it.

My frozen pizza lay abandoned still in its cardboard box as I walked to the front door, opening it to the entire nine of them. My eyebrows raised, Gabriel's eyes looking everywhere but at me. He was practically salivating at the mouth while he saw my barren home, a missed opportunity for him to mold it and create something.

"Can I help you guys?" I asked, drawing his attention back to me. Owen stood in the center, his face ever so stoic as he gazed at me.

"I, we wish to apologize and to talk. To get to know you I guess." I rolled my eyes, ever the champion he was.

"You can come in if someone can help me turn on the stove." I watched North's eyebrows shoot up as he stepped in, taking note of the bare room before looking back at me.

"You can't turn the stove on?" I grunted in annoyance as I turned, leaving the door open. I walked towards the open kitchen, turning to watch as both North and Luke's eyes widened. I couldn't blame them, my mother occasionally hosted dinner parties here so everything was top of the line.

"Wow." Luke whistled as he walked around, North walking to the stove and wrinkling his face.

"This is the crap you were going to eat?" He held up the pizza box as I shrugged, looking back to find Nathan walking in with Silas not far behind him.

"Pizzas pizza man." Nathan quirked, coming to stand on the side of me as he grinned. He glanced back down, a smile on his face. "Hi Rosie."

I couldn't help my own smile in return, my cheeks burning against my will. "Hi Nathan."

"How about we order pizzas so we don't have to worry about the oven and we can all eat." Luke interrupted my weird smile stare with Nathan, earning a shrug from me when he looked to me for an answer.

"I don't care, we can watch a movie in the movie room or something and eat them. If the rest of your group is okay with it." North grunted as he practically threw the pizza back in the oven, halting mid step as he stared at its contents.

"Is this all you have?" I looked around him into the freezer, the pizza and a container of strawberry ice cream sitting directly in the center.

"Uh, is it going to piss you off if I say yes?" He whirled around, his face turning red even against his tan skin. My eyebrows shot up before I turned myself, scurrying out into the living room and away from the large scary man.

"Wha– Rose?" Kota asked as I practically threw myself behind him, North's steaming face coming out as he glanced around for me.

"North, why're you chasing her?" Owen sounded exasperated where he sat on the leather couch with Sean.

"She has frozen pizza and strawberry ice cream." He answered like it was the best answer in the world. When Owen gave him a look North threw his hands up, frustration clear on his face as he growled. "That's it! That's all she has in her goddamn freezer! Pizza and ice cream!"

"Why's there so little in your fridge?" Sean asked me in between yawns, my eyebrows furrowing in slight concern.

"I dunno, haven't gone shopping yet?" It sounded weak even to me, and judging by the look both he and Owen gave me it didn't fool them. I didn't need to tell them about my mom, but judging by the look Gabriel had he kinda figured it out. "Either way, pizza and movie night? I can show you our movie room."

"You have a movie room? Even Mr. B doesn't have a movie room." I wrinkled my nose at their name for Owen, before nodding at the way Luke was jumping up and down.

"Come on, it's in the basement. Hopefully none of you are scared of spiders."

"Spiders!? What the fuck do you mean spiders, does someone have that spray or some shit to kill them? I'm not turning off the light if there's fucking spiders." The corner of my lip quirked as I headed to the stairs in the kitchen. This should be fun.