Teach Me How To Burn

I sat crossed legged on the rooftop as I stared at Kai's bewildered expression. He looked like I had just confessed to being a serial killer, a psychopathic one at that."So let me get this straight" he almost whispered. "You want me to-" I placed a hand over his mouth silencing the next string of words about to come out."I'm mortified enough already Kai, you don't have to repeat what I said." I groaned lying flat on my back.The cold night air seeped into my bones, causing goosebumps. It was my 18th birthday in a month and I had just asked my best friend to have sex with me as my birthday wish.His facial expression would make me cackle on a different occasion but right now, it made me want to jump of this roof and into a different timeline."In my defence, I have a solid good reason" I blurted out, trying miserably to salvage what was left of my pride "Humour me little birdie, cos I'm sure as hell ready to listen to the brain behind this crazy wish" Kai teased, pulling me into a

The heat of the afternoon clung to my skin like a second layer. Kai thought the perfect way to cool off was to stay outdoor, under the sun and lick an ice-cream. Rambling something about 'giving the sun a middle finger by chilling in its presence'We sat on swing seats in his backyard licking our second round of ice cream.“You know,” I said, eyeing him sideways, “if I didn’t know you better, I’d say you were trying to fatten me up so no one else would want me.”Kai leaned back lazily, legs spread, licking a trail of vanilla off his thumb. “You say that like anyone but me has a chance.”"What? Is that a jab or is there something I'm missing?" I asked confused.He smirked saying nothing, leaving me turning the wheels in my head.I turned back to my ice-cream trying to look unfazed.The tip had started melting, dripping down the side.I took a slow swipe at it, careful not to smear.Kai’s silence made me glance at him.He was watching me.Hard.“What?” I asked, self-conscious. "Did I s

The rain had started sometime after dinner. It drummed softly against the window, a kind of rhythm that made everything feel heavier. But the tension had started long before that.The front door slammed downstairs, sharp and deafening. I didn’t even flinch. It was always the same. My dad, stumbling in after another celebratory dinner with his law firm associates, half-drunk on whiskey and praise. I stayed curled on the couch, textbook open but forgotten in my lap."Wren!" he called, voice slightly slurred. "You do your reading?"I didn’t answer.He stepped into the living room, eyes bloodshot and suit rumpled. He looked at me like I was a piece of furniture he couldn’t remember buying."You just sit around now? No ambition? Your mother...""Dad don't" I snapped before I could stop myself. "Please don't talk about her."He scoffed. "You’re just like her, you know. All emotion and no spine."That cracked something open. "You wouldn’t know anything about a spine, Dad, you spend most of

"cocky much?" I stuck my tongue out at Lucas as he made yet another effortless hoop. He made a bowing gesture."You won't know talent even if it slaps you in the face red""You're just flexing because you got ridiculously tall. What did they feed you in Texas? Steroids?"Lucas had taken me to the park after school and after some much needed catching up, he'd decided to show me some "little tricks" which meant rubbing his height in my face at the basketball court."It's called puberty Sinclair, not that you'd know what that is" he smirked ruffling my hair."Excuse me" I huffed "I definitely know what that is, and how messed up it is"Lucas looked at me like he was trying to decipher some hidden code."Okay? How messed up is it?" He asked sitting beside me on the wooden bench.Shit."Never mind Luc. How was Texas, see any vampires? Werewolves?"Few seconds passed as he stared straight into my soul.He slowly pinched his ear lobe and I crumbled. It was our childhood sign language for "ar

Wren’s POV“Whatever this is, I don’t want it. I don’t. I don’t—then why am I shaking?”---The sky was already inky when the doorbell rang. I didn’t move. Not even a flinch. I sat in the middle of my bed, legs folded, textbook open but ignored, chewing the inside of my cheek raw.I knew that sound. That ring. That rhythm.Only one person ever pressed it thrice with a pause in between.I waited.My phone pinged. It was a message from dad.Dad: won't be coming home tonight honey, work's crazy. Kai's on parent duty tonight. You guys should try not to burn the house down.And then the front door creaked open. Of course he still had a key.I didn’t bother going downstairs. If he wanted to babysit, let him climb the stairs and face his victim.Footsteps. Slow, heavy, deliberate.Then my bedroom door swung open.He didn’t say anything at first. Just leaned on the doorframe with a plastic bag in one hand and a pack of juice in the other. He was wearing that button down shirt that always made