Say When

Say When (3)

All there was, was the white hot anger racing its way through my veins. Angry tears in my eyes, I stormed all the way down, three blocks and two turns over, and straight into Abby's house without knocking. Her head flew up from where she was looking at some papers, a large bucket full of ice water with a few drinks floating inside in the corner of the room, bowls of chips on the coffee table. Strewn across the couches were various people, all looking at very least 18 and unfamiliar, but I didn't care. "I hate my mother!" I exploded.

I didn't, really. I hated what was going to come next, all the pain and the limited time that I should have had, but I didn't hate her. She was my mom. It was against the rules to really hate her, but to declare that I did was fair game, and so I shouted it again to keep myself from crying.

Abby looked concerned. "Um, Zo-"

"She probably hates you too," Damon's voice said from behind me, endlessly sarcastic. He flashed me a smile as he walked in from the kitchen, which I didn't return. "She does!" I shot back. "She does, Damon, she f*cking hates me!"

"Well," Abby said from behind us. "Dame, can you-"

"What'd you do this time?" Damon asked, raising his eyebrows at me. "And why do you look like you tried to run again?"

"Damon-" Abby warned. We both ignored her as I, flaming with anger, punched him hard on the chest. "Me? I didn't do anything, you prick! I didn't do anything and now she's-"

"Zoe, darling," he drawled, raising one eyebrow. "Don't think I won't hit you back, because we both know I will."

"Don't you dare, Damon," Abby warned as I snapped, slapping him hard across the face. Somewhere beneath the anger, I knew he didn't do anything and was just being his regular obnoxious self, but I wasn't in the mood to be logical. All I wanted to do was scream and hit someone until I passed out, and Damon seemed as good a target as any.

Until I started drowning.

Damon, in the space between punches, had lunged forwards and grabbed me, one hand on my shoulder and the other gripping my hair loosely, and full on dunked me into the bucket of ice water. My nose was pressed against the bottom, hands flailing somewhere behind me, and through the bubbles around me, I could faintly hear Abby screeching at him.

He pulled me up, and Abby's shouting filled my ears. "Damon, what the hell is wrong with you?"

"Are you going to hit me again?" Damon asked me, as patient as if he were talking to a four year old. He looked mildly amused at the sight of me, hair dripping all over the floor and eyeliner probably running down my cheeks, as I stared at him in shock. "I could have died!"

In all honesty, I was only under for about three seconds at most, but the fact that he shoved me into ice water was enough to piss me off more. I turned in his grip, ready to hit him again, only for him to roll his eyes and shove my head back under the water. This time I was better prepared, holding my breath, but still came up with a gasp of shock. Damon wrenched me back up so my back was straight, his mouth next to my ear. "Are you going to behave?" he asked sweetly, his voice low. "I can do this all day, sweetheart."

I could have killed him.

"Damon, I swear to God," Abby threatened, advancing on him holding a wooden spoon. He only laughed. "Nice weapon, Pidge."

I wanted to be mad at him, I really did. He was laughing not twenty seconds after dunking me in ice water for shouting, like some form of punishment, like he was my master or something. But instead, all I could think about was how much I was going to miss him in all of his obnoxiousness, and Abby, our Pigeon, and...