"I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where. I love you simply, without problems or pride: I love you in this way because I do not know any other way of loving but this, in which there is no I or you, so intimate that your hand upon my chest is my hand, so intimate that when I fall asleep, your eyes close." Pablo Neruda.         It's my birthday today. Memories are rushing through me like a broken dam. I left Luca's apartment before sunrise. Here I am, locked up in my house. Drenched in pain and sadness. A prisoner of my mind.     I'm sitting on the bathroom floor, close to my bathtub. A stare at my red leaking wrist has me thinking about everything- everything before I met Luca, Tasha and Jackson, everything before I got better.     Now here I am, back to square one. A lone tear dripping from my eyelid lands directly on the cut on my wrist and

We're at the ice cream parlor. And I haven't said a word since Luca left me in the middle of the hallway.     "What's up with you?" Tasha asks in a small voice as she scoops out her chocolate, vanilla and strawberry mixed ice cream.     "Yeah, Iris. You've been in a mood since we left school, did something happen?" Jackson asks too.     And I pause as they both look at me, expecting an answer.     "It's nothing." I say softly,     " It's not nothing, if you're having a bad day about it." Tasha says with firm persistence while Jackson nods in agreement.   I sigh, before looking around. Trying to focus on something before telling them what happened. "Luca thinks Asher is in love with me."      "Well, he's not wrong babygirl. We've seen it." Jackson says, a lo

I walk into the school building alone on Monday morning, Uncle Ty is back so I had to leave Luca's apartment on Saturday morning. And Luca had things to attend to, so he couldn't pick me up this morning.     I shut my locker, but suddenly a voice besid me makes me scream and I drop my books, "What the fuck dude?!" I shout at Asher as he continues to laugh boisterously at my frightened look.     "I just wanted to surprise you." He says, still trying to stifle his laughter.     "Well, here you go -" I point to myself, "- mission accomplished."      I start to walk faster away from him, glaring at the floor when he comes to stand beside me. Why can't he just take a hint?!     "Hey, sweetpea -" he nudges my arm and I turn to look at him, "- I'm sorry okay? I didn't realise I'd scare you like that." He mumbles, his

I look at him, trying to find words to explain things. "I can explain." Is the only clichè sentence that could come out of my mouth.     He raises a brow, an amused look in his eyes for a second before his face turns cold once more. "Go ahead then. Explain."     "It was just to talk about things, nothing more." I blurt out, clasping his hand in mine.     "I thought I told you to stay away from him, Iris." He says irritably. "Why don't you ever listen to me, for fucks sake."      " Nothing happened, I swear -"      "It's not about anything happening. It's about you fucking listening to what I say for once." He snaps, looking right at me with a look I can't decipher.     He did not just say that to me like I'm a child getting reprimanded by his parents. Immediately my anger

It's Saturday, which is also the day of the fair. Luca and I are driving there, Luke and Tasha in Luke's car, Jackson and Matthew in Jackson's car while Zeek and Hunter ride in Hunter's car.      I'm wearing a black leather skirt, fishnets and a black Metallica cropped t-shirt with black combat boots and a leather jacket. I look sideways at Luca - my boyfriend and check him out, my eyes trailing from his growing hair which is almost turning to a man bun, a black leather jacket almost the same as mine, black ripped jeans and a white t-shirt clinging to his torso like a second skin.     "You look scrumptious tonight, baby." I breathe out, his tattoos peeking from beneath his jacket, rings on almost each finger.      Yum.     "I know, you look beautiful, fucking sexy." He glances at me, his idle hand coming to rest on my thigh. "So fucking se