A Match Made In Hell

Chapter 9: The Talk

You might be wondering if the chapter titles are all going to be cryptic and misleading, and the answer is: yes. forever and ever. 

Sorry for the late update, I've been doing a lot of school work!!

Love, Rared

. . . . . 

Keefe POV

Time seemed to stop for a few minutes. We both didn't know exactly what to do. Tam, my frenemy. The guy I kissed that one time. The guy my mom kidnapped. God, does it get even more complicated?

"Tam, I'm not into you." I said, ignoring my gut feeling to go up and kiss him. "I mean, I'm in love with Sophie!"

"Uh huh. You two aren't dating, and she's obviously still in love with Fitz." (I'm sorry guys, Sophitz sucks but in order to have my Kam, I must make sacrifices). Tam scoffed and rolled his eyes, "Just stop falling for someone who doesn't even notice you. Well, I mean, I don't care anyways."

"That's bullshit." I said. "I know you like me, Tam. I know a part of you likes me."

"I hate you, Keefe." Tam said coldly.

Those words shot at me and impaled me right in the heart. I know we weren't friends, and I'd never been particularly nice to him, but I always thought a tiny bit of him liked a tiny bit of me.

"But maybe I do care. Maybe more than you could ever care about anyone like me. So that's why I'm going to keep my mouth shut and just leave." Tam continued, "So bye, Keefe Sencen."

He took his list, put it in his pant pocket, and he pulled out his crystal. Then he was gone. Like the sun as it was swallowed up by the mountains and ocean. And I was left by myself, with the only thing that I could ever love; my Sea See and all my other elixirs.

. . . . . . .

"Keefe, why do you want to see me at 10:32 pm?" Biana asked, rubbing her eyes. "You know that some people fall asleep at this time, correct?"

"I have questions involving my love life to ask." I said quickly, "And lots of tea to spill."

Biana instantly looked awake as a lion on steroids and pulled me into her bedroom. She threw me into her plushy spin chair and sat down on her bed.

"What is this tea I am hearing about?" Biana asked, eager to hear every detail of my life.

"Well, I had to go to Candleshade to get some prank supplies because my dad cut off my allowance for some dumb reason and I decided to bring Tam with me so just in case we set off some sort of alarm we'd be undercover." I explained, "but for some dumb reason Tam decided we had waited too long and wanted us to get our matchmaking lists. So we did that. And after we successfully retrieved my pranks, we opened our lists. And we were each other's #1."

Biana took a moment to process this information, and then said, with her eyes lighting up, "Are you two dating now!?"

"What! No! I'm in love with Foster, remember?" I reminded her.

"That was so two books ago, Keefe." Biana rolled her eyes.

"Books?" I asked.

"You wouldn't understand," Biana sighed, then winked at the fourth wall. She picked up a cup of tea that had been sitting on her desk, and took a sip, "You should stop pretending you like Sophie and move on. She really just sees right through you."

"You're just saying that." I rolled my eyes.

"Keefe, have you ever even thought about liking someone else?" Biana questioned me, in a therapist kind of voice. "Or someone of the same gender as you?"

"I don't need to, Biana. I know the girl for me."

"The girl for you doesn't know you, Keefe. If the MatchMakers declared you're soulmates, then your soulmates!" She said, frustrated. She then, taking a deep breath, said, "You should ask him to the Sun Catcher's dance."

"That's a horrible idea." I immediately rejected the idea and it's existence, "Tam and I aren't like that. We just happen to be soulmates...for some dumb reason."

"Alright, but Sophie and Fitz are going to SC (Sun Catchers) together." Biana informed me, blew on the steam that floated from her tea, and took a sip, "Don't you at least want to make Sophie jealous? I would."

"Nah, I'm playing the long game." I sat up from her bed, "G'Night Biana, I'm going to go try and sneak home without-" My eyes popped out of my head.

"Keefe? Are you okay?" Biana, concerned, asked.

I ran out of the room, down the hall. Emotions flooding through me. Ro was supposed to be at the tower. She was supposed to meet me there, goddamnit. Where the Hell was she?

I continued running out of Everglen, out of shiny rooms and bigger rooms and shinier rooms, until I was outside. The cold air embraced my body, but it felt like it was suffocating me. I tripped over a loose rock on the winding stone road to the gates. So close, so close.

"Keefe?"

Shit. I jump up, dust the dirt off of me, and turn around.

"Dex?" I ask, breathless and confused.

Dex looked as breathless as me, tinted rosy cheeks and pupils dilated, and he had a wild look in his eyes. His strawberry-blonde hair was a mess, and his tunic was on inside-out.

"What're you doing here?" We asked in sync, causing us to both laugh.

"I was here to talk to Biana. I broke into Candle Shade today with Tam and some crazy shit happened." I explained, wiping gravel off my exposed and bloody elbows.

"Here, let me help." Dex pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and gave it to me.

"Why are you here?"

Dex froze, "Well, I uh well-" He started blushing, "I just came over to see Fitz, is all."

"Huh. Did you go through brushes?" I asked skeptically, walking a circle around him.

He looked taken aback, "Wha- no! Why would I need to do that?"

"Your hair is oddly ruffled." I noted.

"I was sleeping before I came over. It was an emergency." Dex said quickly.

"What kind of emergency?"

"It's the none-of-your-business kind." He replied.

"I don't know...I was just curious because your shirt's on inside out." I added, "What kind of emergency makes you take off your shirt, Dexy?"

"Okay, MAYBE I was doing something else with Fitz!" Dex threw his hands up in the air, "It's none of your business what I do in the shadows! It's not like I go around asking you if you and Tam have finally kissed!"

"Well, News flash: We did!" I realize what I say the second the words fly out my mouth and press my palm against my lips, my eyes widening at the secret that I just let him in on. "I didn't-"

"Uh huh!" A rough, feminine voice says from behind me.

I feel a huge force lift me from the waist and toss me over its burly shoulders. The scaly skin, the pink hair...oh shit.

Ro clicks her tongue, wagging her finger at the both of us.

"You two are in BIG trouble."