Falling For The Serial Killer

9.

Haze

The party aesthetic is too much. I can't even stand straight and I'm not drunk. If I was drunk I wouldn't be dancing with Cory, I'd be sleeping beside a toilet right now. I'm in the middle of the floor and Cory balances me up right by his hand on my waist. He's smirking down at me... watching me. Wanting me.

I can't allow him too, I can't allow myself too. I can't let him win me, let him have me, even if he is very attractive and very rebellious and very mysterious... A man like this is what draws the opposite sex into them these days. Every female goes through a bad boy phase or would spend their entire life in a bad boy phase.

It may be toxic, it may be heartbreaking and untrusting and dangerous. The man feels like they have that form of power over the female. I will not stand for it. If I had stayed with Logan then I'd end up in a similar situation, a toxic relationship. So, I will not let Cory get the better of me. We're friends... if you could even call it that.

"Your daydreaming" ... "away with the fairies" he says, "what are they saying" he asks and I blink up at him. "How over-pressed this party is" I look up. "It's like, not even my thing. I don't know what I'm even here" i say and he drags me off of the dance floor to sit down beside another couple. This couple, they give me Hardin and Tessa vibes.

The boys wearing all black, got a fucked up fist and a black eye. The girl, she has blonde wavy hair and light-good-girl makeup. She wears a nice slim dress and she's sat on his lap. Both of them just watching the world as it goes by. Both of them in their own thoughts. Both of them, act as if they are not at a party.

"So, are you okay" he asks and I nod my head. I sit beside him and not on him. He rests his body back on the sofa and I remain sat straight up. "Get comfy, we ain't going anywhere" he tells me and I sigh and relax into the sofa. "Where are they?" ... "I don't know" he says while we scan the room to find Ellie and Jake. "Reckon they are having sex" Cory chuckles and I turn toward him, "what" I blink.

"They are probably having sex" he pauses, "it's a common thing to do at parties" he smiles and I roll my eyes. The moment gets cut off by the couple, who were sat beside us, now starting a massive argument. The blonde throws a punch toward another girl and really hits it off. The boy grabs the blonde off of the other woman and immediately takes her out of the party.

Cory, in shock, heads toward the scene and past the woman sat on the floor and toward the couple. "What in the After We Collided is going on here" he yells and the boy pushes the blonde away from him. "Cory, I think it's best if we don't get involved" i say and he scoffs. "Your girls got a punch" he pauses, "that was the best entertainer I've had since I've fucking been here" he gives the boy a fist bump.

Ellie and Jake come from around the corner and into the scene, I'm stood by the blonde while Cory makes small talk with the boy. "Ah, James" Jake says heading toward him and Cory. "What's happened now, why's Kayla crying?" ... "No reason" Cory says and taps his best friends shoulder. Ellie gives Kayla a hug and I stand still beside her. "Are you okay" she asks and Kayla nods her head.

"Right, how come Jake and Cory know him..." i pause, "and how come you know her" i say. "Hazel, when you get your head out of school work and books, you'd have more of a social life" Ellie tells me. "They are friends" she goes on and I blink away from the conversation. I like my style. I like the way I'm living.

"Whats so wrong with being dedicated to things that make you happy" i ask and she smiles. "There's nothing wrong with it, do what you enjoy if you enjoy it" she says. If that makes any sense. She smiles again and I finally give her a small smile back before my arm is taken by Cory. Jake now beside Ellie and we all leave Kayla and James alone.

"Where are we heading" i ask and Cory still has ahold of my arm. "Back" ... "to yours" ... "well, Jakes probably going to stay with Ellie" Cory says. Jake nods and walks with Ellie behind us and we head back to our neighbourhood. Ellie only lives around the corner from me so it's easy time to time for us to meet up. Jake, when he isn't so stubborn and doesn't sleep in the junkyard, sleeps on the sofa in her house now that Ellie's parents know the truth.

— —

It's been a day. A day where I haven't seen him. I don't know if he has left the basement, or if he even is in the basement. For all I know he could be elsewhere. Maybe with Jake on the other side, the bad side. Or with Ellie roaming around our side, the good side. I can't hear any chatter from downstairs so that means that no one is down there. Unless, Cory just wants to be quiet.

It's now night, this time last night we would be partying right now. However, now we are stuck at home. Well... my home. I hope he is in the basement or at least around here. I don't want to be alone, I don't fancy it. So, I open the hatch and pull up the door heading down to the basement, to find that there is indeed someone in here. Thank god.

"Hi" i smile, "washing again" is all that I can come up with, it's a lie. "Hey" he says laying on the sofa watching whatever on the tv. It seems to be a tv show of some sort. "Is that what you've been doing all day" i ask him, "watching this" and he smiles nodding his head. "This" he pauses, "is really good" ... "go on" i say. "So, it's about a group of witches right and one of them is a fire fairy and she doesn't know where she come from" he tells me.

"What's it called" i tilt my head and he sits up, giving me room to sit down beside him. "Fate: The Winx Saga" he says and I sit beside him. "Ooo" ... "that guys kinda cute" i point to the brown haired man, called Riven. "Oh please, you haven't seen Sky" he tells me and then right on queue the blonde comes on tv. "Sky, he's cute too" i smile.

"Yeah, I'm loving Terra" he says, "she's my favourite character" he goes on and I don't watch the tv, I watch him. I find it fascinating that he can just talk about things that he finds interesting for hours. "Can i ask you something?" Is all he says after finishing his talk on Terra from Fate: The Winx Saga.

"Sure" ... he smirks directly me and then looks over to the utility area of the basement, "your not really here for that aren't you" he smiles to himself. "No" is all i say and a shake my head. "I want company, my parents are out and I haven't seen you all day" i say. "Why don't you do something, go somewhere with Ellie" he asks and I shrug.

"Okay" she smiles back to the tv. "So what have you been doing all day" ... "work" i say and he scoffs. "What" ... "it's really important" and he cuts me off, "yes I know" he says. "Don't worry, yeah yeah I get it" he chuckles. "I'm being serious" i smile and hit him with a pillow and he laughs some more. His laugh is adorable. I love his laugh.

"I don't think I've ever heard you laugh that much" i tell him and he shakes his head, hitting me with a pillow in return. "Yeah well, there's a lot you haven't heard" he says. "Ooo, like what" i tease and he looks down at himself... "none of your business" he says, "yet" he adds on.

I smile toward him and then look back to the tv. I know my parents lock the basement at midnight. So, if I'm stuck down here again... well that isn't so bad. I can live with it.