Playing with Fire

e p i s o d e | e i g h t

Rowan forces me out of the house, even as I insist that I'll be careful around other people. We end up sitting on the front porch, awkwardly seeing the occasional "making-out couple" pass by, or observing a drunken argument between two strangers. Though it's around midnight, Milana's party shows no sign of stopping. Who knows how long it'll last, without any adult supervision? The fact that she lives in an especially-affluent neighborhood also serves as a safety buffer for any possibility of cops arriving to the scene.

"You're an extra pain in the ass, you know that?" Rowan says to me, leaning against the back of one of the decorative porch chairs. "You and the rest of the Silvers."

I smile innocently. "But what would you be without us?"

"Happy."

Ouch. I roll my eyes. As much as I hate disturbing people, I feel much more at ease with Rowan. Most people would say that it's just another case of infatuation; you know, the "good girl meets the bad boy" crush. But it's not like that at all. I've just finally realized what it's like to be able to talk to someone outside of my family. And once you've experienced that kind of freedom, you don't want to lose it again.

I feel bad about constantly lying to Kai about this, but ignorance is bliss, right? As long as he doesn't know that I consider Rowan a friend ... then he won't have to be hurt by it. Plus, he did say that he didn't care how close I was to Rowan as long as I was careful. But I don't see anything to be wary of.

"As rude as you are, it's refreshing," I remark, letting out a breath into the night air. "I've been tired of watching people work so hard not to hurt my feelings."

"Don't worry; I won't work that hard."

I'm sure he'll keep that end of the deal. "Though I appreciate it, I'm still curious," I say. "I never found out. What's the reason for you disliking me so much? Is it really just because of Kai? Because if it is, I think you two should have really made up by now –"

"If that's what you wanted to talk about, I'm heading back inside," Rowan retorts flatly.

I shake my head. "Sorry. I know it's none of my business."

He suddenly leans forwards so that his elbows are on top of his knees, though he doesn't look at me. "Also," he says, "I don't dislike you. Nor do I like you. So stop saying those things."

I immediately deflate at his harsh tone and slide down a little in my seat. "Why are you so against making friends?" I ask.

Rowan lets out a sigh and flashes his blue eyes towards me. "You're really in the mood for prying into my personal life, aren't you?" he says, his hands folded in front of him. "Well, if you're that curious, I personally don't believe in that kind of shit. The fact that you can call yourself friends one day and then immediately break apart the next tells me that 'friendship' doesn't actually exist. Likewise for relationships."