Beautiful Disaster

08 | a vow of hate

I might just go psycho
Backwoods had my eyes low
— Psycho by Masn

the past

CHERRY BLOSSOM TREES stood proud in the courtyard of Rockwell Prep School, their branches extending sideways and up into the sky. Every year during spring, the flowers would bloom and butterflies would flutter around lazily. The sight was one of the very few things I looked forward to every year since it was a reminder that another long period in this hellish school was drawing closer to an end.

"Dylan Ashby, what are you doing here?"

I opened my eyes to find Blaire standing before me. Her wavy hair rustled gently in the wind as her hazel eyes glistened with undeniable mischief. She had her hands behind her back, and I knew instantly that she was planning something to spite me.

"What do you want?" I questioned.

She smiled down at me and shrugged. "I'm just curious as to why you're sleeping under this tree."

"Go to hell, Blaire."

"Sure. But you'll have to come with me since I'll be super bored without you."

I scoffed and closed my eyes again, silently grateful that she was blocking off the afternoon glare. Though sitting here provided me with some sense of serenity, I didn't enjoy the constant feeling of heat on my skin.

Blaire cleared her throat loudly, but I decided to ignore her. She repeated the action a couple of more times, while I paid no heed to her presence. My choice to let her be would aggravate her even more, and that was my aim. I was just as determined as she was to drive the other person mad.

"Are you seriously going to ignore me?" she sneered.

I almost smiled, thinking about the furious expression on her face and her left eye twitching. I knew that look of hers like the back of my hand.

"Forget it," she huffed.

The sun's glare returned with its vengeance, pricking my skin sharply. I let out a sigh. If only Blaire stood still for a few more minutes, pestering me relentlessly. As much as she annoyed the crap out of me, getting on her nerves was entertaining.

I reveled in the silence, keeping my eyes shut until something heavy settled on my lap. A loud croak sounded, and my eyes instantly snapped open.

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" I shouted in panic, jumping to my feet.

My heart pounded aggressively as I leaned against the tree, watching with wide eyes as the frog hopped away. Then a soft burst of laughter filled the air. I whirled in the direction of the sound to find Blaire standing near me with a grin painted across her glossy lips. My gaze dropped to her hands as she wiped them with a handkerchief.

The realization quickly dawned on me.

"Are you fucking insane?!" I bellowed, striding over to her until our breaths mingled.

Blaire was fucking crazy. She placed a damn frog on my lap.

The jubilant expression on her face dropped as she met my gaze. "I told you not to ignore me," she said.

"You know how—"

"Exactly," she interrupted, smirking. "I know you're terrified of frogs."

I inhaled a deep breath. "Why won't you just leave me alone?"

"Where's the fun in that?"

Blaire and I stood frozen in the bubble of hate we created over the years, glaring spitefully at each other. My jaw clenched as the wind howled, causing flowers to break away from their branches. It rained down on us delicately, and I watched as a petal grazed the side of Blaire's face. My eyes wandered involuntarily, taking notice of the light freckles that dotted her nose.

"I already told you this before," she said in a grim tone. "I'm vengeful. And until I can say I'm full, I'll never stop tormenting you."