The entire day I've been trying to avoid Xavier. I've been keeping my thoughts in check and steering clear of him for as long as I possibly could. So of course it's a surprise when I see him shuffling on the door step.

"What are you doing here?" I ask, stepping outside and closing the front door behind me. "Why are you at my house? You have no right to be here."

"I think I do, actually," he says.

"No, you don't."

He chuckles. "You're a stubborn girl."

"I'm a sensible girl. Now leave." I point to his car in our driveway, keeping my eyes on him.

"You're very cute when you're angry," he says instead.

I roll my eyes. "Shut up."

He steps closer to me. "Make me," he whispers, his voice strong and rasp.

If I want him to, I could just get him to shut up and leave with a kiss, right? If I show him how much I want him gone, will he leave? Will a kiss even do that?

"Why are you here?" I mumble, shielding my curiosity with distaste.

"Couldn't it be more obvious?" he asks, shrugging his shoulders. "I'm your new study buddy."

I think I'm about to throw up. "You're funny. You can leave now."

I'm just about to open the door when Xavier clasps my hand. He tugs on my arm and spins me around, pulling me against his chest and making me gasp on impact.

"I'm not going anywhere," he says defensively. "I was hoping we could start with math," he whispers. "Y'know, algebra, formulas, all that stuff."

I nod my head. I want to wriggle free of his grasp, but I can't even move a muscle. My stomach is pressed to his. I hate it when he does this.

"Let me go," I demand.

His arms stay where they are. "No."

"Let. Me. Go."

"Do you want me to?"

"I need you to."

"Don't bite your lip," he growls, staring down at my mouth. I don't notice my teeth are clutching tightly on to my bottom lip until I release it.

"Now let go of me," I say, pushing myself out of his grasp. At the same moment, my mother opens the door. Her eyes land on Xavier and they widen. "Who's this?" she asks, sounding quite flustered.

"He's—"

"I'm Xavier, Delta's study buddy," he says, introducing himself. "Nice to meet you Misses Flores." He reaches out to give my mother a hand shake, and she lets him into the house without question.

He smirks at me before going inside, and I scowl right back at him, crossing my arms.

We both walk in, but I maintain my distance from him. I know not to get too close or else I'll be snatched right into this Venus fly trap of a boy. It's inevitable.

My mother heads straight for the kitchen. "Would you like anything to drink?" she asks him.

"It's okay Mom, I got this." I grab a cup from one of the kitchen cupboards, spotting Xavier taking a seat at one of the metal stools behind the counter.

"Nice place you have here," he says.

"We moved here three years ago, before Delta started school," my mother says.

"Really?"

"Yup. Her and Braedyn."

I'm busy making a small cup of coffee for our "guest," but I can still feel Xavier's gaze burn holes in my back.

"Who's Braedyn?" he asks, a hint of suspicion in his voice.

"Her little brother," my mom answers, taking a sip of her drink.

"Oh, I never knew Delta had a little brother," he says. "She never tells me these things."

"You guys know each other?"

"Yes," Xavier says, almost before I can even answer. "We do."

"Actually, I should go pick him up now," I say, abandoning the cup of coffee on the counter.

"That's alright sweetheart," she starts. "I'll pick him up today. You and Xavier can go ahead and work."

I grit my teeth, leering at him while he gives my mother a genuine smile.

"No, it's really okay Misses Flores. Delta and I can go pick him up." He winks at me, and I roll my eyes in disgust, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Are you sure?"

"I was thinking of going alone, actually." I pin my eyes on his, and his eyelids narrow to tiny slits.

"Delta, introduce Xavier to your brother," she hisses, whispering loud enough so only I can hear. I give her a clipped nod despite wanting to shake her shoulders and tell her the truth.

I walk towards the front door, ignoring the deathly glares both my mother and Xavier are giving me. I put on my shoes and lean on the wall, keeping my eyes on the floor. "Well? You coming?" My words are harsh and raspy, not at all how my tone would be if I were talking to anyone besides Xavier.

He gets up from his stool and speed walks his way to the front door. "Thank you, Misses Flores. We'll be back soon." He gives her a kind wave, and I bite back my urge to vomit.

We step outside, and I notice his car is parked behind mine. He would have to move it in order for me to get to the corolla, which is absolutely perfect.

"After you," he says, opening the passenger car door for me.

"Just know I didn't ask for this," I growl at him, getting inside his car.

"Neither did I." He slams the door and heads to the driver side, getting in and sticking his keys in the ignition.

How many rides is that now? Two? Three? I'm not sure, and I'm past the point of caring. I fiddle with my fingers in the awkward silence in the car, not saying a word. I wonder whether my mom noticed his face, the scab near his eye and the slight bruise on his jaw. There are still red spots all over his knuckles, especially since his hands are no longer wrapped in bandages and they're easier to see.

"You were fighting," I mumble, pretending I don't give a shit. The truth is, I do. He's hurting other people, and hurting himself too.

"Yes," he answers. "This weekend, actually."

I look up at him, my eyebrows furrowed. Suddenly, the puzzles pieces click right into place.

"You were fighting during the party," I clarify.

He nods. "I was."

"You were gonna bring me with you."

"Mhm."

"You left the fight early and found me at the party."

"I did." I sense his body grow stiff.

The blood in my veins suddenly bubbles with anger. "Are you insane?"

"Yes," he replies. "God, Delta. I'm fucking crazy."

My hands curl into fists in my lap as the tingling urge to slap him crawls up my spine. Such idiotic behaviour has to come from a boy like Xavier, no question.

"I'm sorry," he says, and I think he means it. I expected him to call me a bitch, just like he did the other day. I didn't expect him to apologize, so with that I ignore his apology. Or, at least I try to. I decide to change the topic, to avoid  the tension that's inevitably already there. "You got here early today. You weren't supposed to come until six."

"Can you blame me for being prepared?" he asks dryly, running his tongue over his bottom lip.

"The only thing I can blame you for is being a dick," I snap.

He shakes his head. "You really hate me, don't you?"

With every fibre of my being, I want to say. Instead I remain silent.

"When you were drunk on Saturday, you told me something," he says. His voice softens and becomes a batch of melted caramel, smooth and rich and undeniably sweet.

"What?"

When I was drunk, I had said things I don't even remember saying. Even worse is that Xavier heard everything. Do I want to hear what I don't remember saying? Like hell I do.

I can't help but think he can use my own words against me.

He doesn't say anything right away, and I'm convinced that what I said is much worse than I anticipated. But when he shifts himself towards me the slightest bit, all the while keeping his dark eyes pinned on the road ahead, I realize I'm not prepared for what I'm about to hear.

"You told me what I needed to hear," he begins.

"And what was that?" I ask, curiosity and fear digging beneath my skin.

"You told me you didn't hate me, and I believed you."

__

Slamming the passenger door, I march up to the school entrance, angrily heading down the hallway towards Braedyn's classroom. I told Xavier to stay in the car but it was no use.

"That's no fun," he'd said, giving me an irritated glare. "Besides, your mom told you to introduce Braedyn to me. I should be inside with you."

The corridors are packed with little kids talking and giggling while they pack their bags to go home.

"Look! Look at my car!" one of the kids behind me says. I turn around and see Xavier crouching in front of him, looking at the young boy's toy vehicle.

I hate to admit it, even to myself, but watching the way Xavier talks to him almost makes me want to question why I hate him so much. Almost.

"Nice car little dude," he says. "Mind if I see it?"

The kid nods his head, placing his toy in Xavier's hand. He takes it, bringing it up to his face to examine the tiny nick knack.

"Do you like it? Do you?"

Xavier's mouth quirks up into a sly smile as he whispers, "Of course I do. Audi's are the best."

"You can have it if you want." The tone of the little boy's voice makes my heart melt.

"You would take much better care of it than I would," he says. "I don't want to break it." He hands the kid back his car, placing it in his open palm and giving him a big smile. "What's your name kiddo?"

"Jonathan," he says.

"Well, Jonathan. You take good care of that car for me, okay? It's special, and we don't want to ruin special things, right?"

"My daddy said the same thing!" he says, his eyes widening.

"You listen to your daddy, alright?" Xavier gives the little boy a kiss on the forehead, which surprises me considering the fact that he has no idea who he is.

I'm pretty sure my ovaries are exploding.

"Can I see Braedyn?" he asks, walking over to me. "Please."

There's something about the way he's asking that has my mind in a twist. He's not trying to impress anyone like the usual Xavier-Lawrence Parker would; his shoulders are slumped, the ghost of confidence is willed away in the pit of his sombre eyes. His smile isn't glamorous and fake. It's genuine and imperfect.

I narrow my own at him but give him a soft nod, leading him to Braedyn's classroom.

"Delta!" I hear him say. Braedyn is almost finished packing his back pack at his cubby when he looks my way.

"Hey there bud," I say. "How was school today?"

"It was fun! We went to the fire station and there were firefighters there. I even made a card—" Braedyn turns around, unzipping his book bag before handing me a small piece of paper with my name scribbled on it.

"Is this for me?" I ask him.

"Yeah, I made it with stars and stickers, and there's glitter on it—" He spots Xavier a couple feet away from us, and he turns to gaze up at him with wide eyes. "Who are you?"

"I'm—"

"He's no one," I reassure Braedyn. "Just our ride home today."

I gnarl at Xavier, but his eyes remain on my younger brother. A wide smile spreads across his face.

"Hi, I'm Xavier." He holds out his hand for Braedyn to shake. "But you can just call me Xav."

No one has ever called Xavier "Xav" before. But then again, I don't know him well enough to know his nicknames.

"No thanks," he shrugs. "I like calling you Xavier. Can I call you Xavier? I like saying Xavier. Ex-ave-ee-er."

He chuckles, his laughter is solemn and warm. "Sure, call me whatever you want."

Braedyn smiles, but I don't find myself grinning. "Come on, we should go," I tell my brother, ushering him past Xavier.

We head into the parking lot and all three of us climb into Xavier's car, shutting the doors behind us.

"You have a really nice car," Braedyn says, looking around and nodding in approval. Of course he would think that out of everyone; he's simply an engine-revved car fanatic.

"Thanks," he says. "Maybe when you're old enough, you can take it for a ride someday."

I snort. I can't help it. Someday? Is he being serious? What makes him think there'll ever be a someday?

"What makes you think he'll be close to you years from now?" I ask him, my voice barely just a whisper. "What makes you think I will?"

I don't mean for my words to come out so harsh. I swear I'm not a mean person, but my gut disagrees with me as it churns and swirls with regret. I just wish I cared enough to apologize, but obviously, I don't.

Without saying another word, Xavier sticks his key into the ignition and starts up the car, running his tongue over his lips before backing out of the parking space and driving off.

"Hey, Xavier?" my little brother asks, slicing yet more awkward silence that has built between the two of us.

Xavier doesn't even glance in the rear view mirror to meet my brother's eyes, but his ears perk up like those of a rabbit's: intent on listening for any trace of a sound.

"Are you and my sister friends?"

Before I can pipe in, Xavier answers, "Yes, we are." He's barely smiling. I don't see that familiar dimple on the right side of his cheek that always pops up when he grins.

There's a long pause before my brother asks, "Are you and my sister dating?"

The question hits me so hard I almost choke on my own spit, but it doesn't seem to phase Xavier. I can tell he saw me flinch though because now he's definitely smiling, any trace of irritation immediately evaporated.

"Yes," Xavier says, eyeing me with a smug look that I wish I could tear right off.

"Really?" he asks. "She never told me she had a boyfriend." Braedyn's tone changes at the word, and I resist the urge to throw up.

"That's because I don't," I tell him, my face flushing crimson. I must be blushing so hard right now. I don't need Xavier throwing false information at my little brother!

"What? We already broke up?" Xavier asks.

I roll my eyes. "Unless you want your tongue cut out and pinned to your forehead, I suggest you shut up right now," I whisper, lowering my voice as I continue to threaten.

He just looks back at me as sly as a fox.

"Xavier?" Braedyn asks.

"What's up?" he replies.

"Are you in love with Delta?"

I half-cough, half-laugh, trying to cover up the fact that I'm scared out of my mind to hear his answer.

There's a long moment of silence. A very long moment of silence. I swear I'm about to rip my ears off when I hear Xavier say, "Imagine a world where you love someone who doesn't love you back." He turns to me for a moment, any hints of happiness in his eyes are instantly gone, replaced only by sadness. "What a terrible world that would be."