Love Me Like You Hate Me (Edited Version)

Chapter 13

For the next few days, I avoided Zack more than usual. For more than one reason. The primary reason though, was because he was really creeping me out. If he saw me he'd wave or smile, almost like we were friends. He never stopped me in the halls before class or cornered me after school, and sometimes he didn't even ask me to do his homework. He was being generally nice to me, and that couldn't mean good for me so I was trying to keep from owing him any favors.

The days before the party passed much quicker than I would have liked and soon the day was upon me. I was mentally preparing myself to deal with jerks, pre-madonnas, and idiots all evening. I was hoping I'd be able to sneak away before it got too late, but that was highly unlikely. From the way Zack had been treating me lately, I wouldn't have been surprised if he kept an eye on me most of the night.

I sat in my bedroom staring out my window as the sun rose higher in the sky, reminding me of how little time left I had to myself. When the clock struck 1:30pm, I sighed. I couldn't stall anymore, so I stood up and went downstairs, slipping my shoes on slowly. "I'm going out," I called.

My dad walked in from the living room with a frown. "Where are you going?" he asked.

I groaned in annoyance. "Are we really going to do this again?" I asked.

"Erik-" my dad started.

"I'll be fine. Why don't you worry about something that actually needs you," I said. My dad looked shocked by my words and went silent. Ever since the day that my dad and I fought, my dad had been trying to appease me. But it felt fake. That little voice in my head always told me he was only doing it because he felt he had to, not because he cared. Rationally, I knew not to listen to the voice, but still; sometimes it was pretty loud. Once my shoes were tied, I ran a hand through my hair. "I'll be out late so don't bother waiting up," I said, grabbing my jacket. I opened the door. "You'll just waste your time."

I closed the door behind me and started walking towards Zack's place. He'd sent me his address the night before so I'd know where I was going. However, as I reached the edge of his neighborhood I frowned, the feeling of dread growing. "Great... No wonder he's a jerk..." I muttered.

I walked through the large neighborhood with large houses on either side of me, some being as big as three stories. I almost cringed at the sight of a man in an expensive suit stepping out and getting in his sleek, expensive car. So, not only was Zack a bully, he was a rich bully who was probably spoiled with whatever he wanted. if I was being honest though, I wasn't really surprised. It actually explained quite a bit about his personality.

As I came to his street, I kept my eyes peeled for his house number. When I finally saw it I slumped my shoulders. It wasn't a three story like some of the other houses, but it was still pretty extravagant. I wished I could just go home.

With reluctance, I walked up to the front door and knocked lightly. Almost immediately the door swung open and Zack stood in front of me. His eyes lit up when he saw me and he pulled me inside. "Come on," he said.

At once I noticed a distinct lack of people in the house. I frowned. "Where is everyone?" I asked.

"The party doesn't start for an hour. I just wanted you here early to help me with some stuff," Zack explained, dragging me through the house and into the kitchen.

Well, wasn't that just great, I thought as I followed Zack with more trepidation. I was alone with the one person I knew could do anything to me and probably get away with it. Absolutely fantastic. Things couldn't get much worse than this.

Zack opened the fridge. "So, I wanted to know which one I should put out or if I should put them all out," he said, waving to the fridge's contents.