I Kissed A Boy.

32.

**Monty.**

"Wait up, Monty!" A boy no older than maybe seven laughed as he chased after his cousin.
They were out in the backyard, where the hills were covered in nothing but little purple flowers.
Monty turned to the boy with bleach blond hair and baby blue eyes.
"I wouldn't have to wait, if you weren't so slow, Devi." Monty teased his cousin who blushed before glaring.
"I have short legs, fight me!" He tackled Monty to the ground who laughed in response.

"Even your fists are small, are you sure we're the same age?" Monty grinned at Devi whose brows furrowed.
"You're being mean again!" He said calling the other out.
Monty blinked before smiling softly.
"You're right, I'm sorry, but you make it so easy." He grinned shoving the other off before pinning his cousin to the ground now.
"Maybe you'll hit a growth spurt one day, and I'll have to look up to you someday." He told Devi.

Devi looked at him before looking away.
"I.. I don't think I'll ever hit that growth spurt." He responded.
Monty made a face.
"What do you mean? Of course-"
"Momma's been talking about selling me to some high nobles." He told Monty whose eyes grew wide.
"You're kidding?"
Devi's eyes swelled with tears.
"It's because of how I look." He cried laying there.

"Momma won't even look at me, she said I shouldn't be so pretty, but if she sells me? The family will be taken care of, I'll be doing them a favor." He told Monty who pulled the other up now with knitted brows.
"She can't be serious, auntie would never-"
"I think they're whispering poison in her ears.. that's why dad went missing, and so did Morgan." He said.

Monty frowned at the other.
"Is auntie ill?"
Devi shook his head, bringing his knees to his chest.
"Nope, she just hates me, maybe I should go to the nobles-"
"But you've heard the stories! Even I've heard of them, and we're human." Monty's brows knitted.
Devi stood to his feet.
"What can I do, Monty? Your mom and dad won't take me in, they refuse to disrespect my mommas wishes, I'm screwed." Tears rolled down his cheeks as Monty jumped to his feet, hugging the other.

"I'll find a way to save you Devi, I can't do much as a kid, but I'll save you." Monty told him.
Devi's brows knitted as more tears fell.
"W-What if we grow to hate each other?"
"That's not possible." Monty smiled at the other.
"It's not?" Devi asked.
"Nope, you'll probably remain short for the rest of your life." Monty teased running from his cousin who chased the other.

I know I said I would save you.
But can I really do this?

I laid on my bed with my eyes on the ceiling.
I should probably hate you for killing me.
But I didn't.
Because it wasn't your choice.
You were terrified.
And I hate that I wasn't strong enough to save you back then.
So this was my chance to do that.

"Morning mom." I walked into the kitchen as my mom turned to me from the stove, her brown hair pulled up into a bun.
"Good morning, Monty, fixing to head to school?" She asked.
I nodded grabbing an apple.
"Yeah." I answered as she watched me.

"Oh, did you happen to see that old friend of yours? That boy with the-"
"Ziggy?" I questioned.
Her blue eyes lit up.
"That's the one, did you see him?" She asked me.
I nodded with a soft smile.
"Yeah, he's been doing okay, anyway. I'll see you later." I told her.
She just nodded as I walked out the front door.

The last thing I wanted to say was, oh by the way, I'm going to save my cousin because you and dad didn't give two shits about him when we were younger.
I wanted to say it.
But I probably wouldn't have a home to come back to either.

Ziggy was lucky though.
To find the decent vampires, compared to the ones who dragged my cousin through hell and back.
To have your innocence and childhood ripped from you at the age of nine, was terrifying.

I haven't even spoken to Devi in two years, after he killed me, he completely shut me out.
There was so much shame, guilt and anger eating him, I really had no idea how this would turn out.
----------
I walked into the parking lot where Ziggy had told me to start meeting them.
There was this comfort seeing him surrounded by others who treated him kindly.
He deserved this happiness.
I wish I had been here sooner to also keep him safe.
But there was so much a teenager could do.
Especially states away.

"Good morning, Monty." Ziggy greeted me with a soft smile.
I smiled back.
"Good morning, are we still doing this?" I asked, looking past Ziggy and to his friends.

Kaiser looked to Stetson and the others before nodding.
"We are, but are you sure this is going to work?" He asked me.
I nodded.
"It'll work, it's going to be a pain, but I know I can bring Devi back." I told them.

Everyone exchanged looks before nodding.

"He's probably in the auditorium, let's do this." Stetson said now as I nodded, my eyes on Ziggy and the others.
This would probably turn out dangerous, and Ziggy was the last person I wanted to see get hurt over this.
But I knew.
His stubbornness would have him in that room with us, regardless of what we tell him.

"Is there a back entrance you can enter so Devi doesn't see all of us walking in?" I asked walking towards the school.
"Yeah, we'll go around instead of coming in through the front." Stetson said now as he motioned Kaiser and the others to follow him.

I sucked in some air before walking into the building and made my way to the auditorium.
This was going to work.
It has to.

I pushed open the doors to the auditorium before walking inside of the cold and dark room.

"My oh my, isn't this a surprise?"
I frowned softly seeing my cousin on the stage, this boy sitting right next to him.

"Hey cousin, it's been a while." I greeted Devi who sat there, this bored look in his dark blue eyes that were once baby blue.
"I thought killing you, would make you stay away from me? Do I need to make it permanent?" He questioned.
I stood there frowning at the other.
"Is that how you want greet family-"

"My family died the moment I was taken." Devi yawned.
"You're nothing more than a ghost at this point." Devi told me.
I cautiously approached the other.
"Is that how you feel? Devi, I want to talk, cousin to cousin." I frowned at him.
Devi scoffed bringing the boy next to him closer.

"And I want to make a feast out of my mate, but you interrupted, I guess we don't always get what we want do we?" He asked.
"There you go, talking like a spoiled brat." I glared.
Devi blinked before glaring back.
"Spoiled? Who was the one taken and raped more times than he could count? Who was taken and reminded of how much he resembled a woman? Who was taken and had his throat slit before he was turned, WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU CALLING  SPOILED, MONTY?!" Devi screamed standing there, his eyes jet black.

I stood there glaring at him.
"You were always the tantrum thrower as a child, anytime you never got what you wanted, you screamed and stomped your foot until Morgan caved and got you what you wanted, because your mom never would do it. Looking back now? You were quite the brat, but look at you now? Piling bodies, traumatizing others, being this version that your old self  WOULD NEVER ALLOW." I growled as Devi jumped down from the stage.

"I really hope you know you won't be leaving this auditorium, because I'm really going to kill you." Devi hissed launching at me but his eyes were wide at how fast I tackled and pinned him to the ground.
And in seconds.

Stetson and Kaiser were holding the others arms down.

"Still too slow, even being taller than me." I frowned at him.
"What the fuck is this? GET OFF ME!" Devi screamed as I looked up at the two.
"Do NOT let go." I told them.

Jackie and Dorian held the others feet down as I glared harshly at the other.

"I think you've played around far too long in my cousins head, Karim, the dead should stay dead." I growled bitterly.
Devi glared at me.
"Karim? Wouldn't you know it, I actually killed him a few days ago." He grinned wickedly at me.
I glared back.
"You think you're strong, yet you're nothing but a child who's lost his way. I'm telling you Devi, wake the fuck up." I glared.
Devi grinned.
"You honestly think a command like that, is going to work on someone as old as me?" He asked.

Growling, I grabbed the others face.
"You may be a few decades old, but my cousin is only seventeen! You've had your fun with him, you've damaged so many peoples lives here, let Devi have his life back!" I demanded.
Devi stared back.
"But I'll be bored, plus, I have a mate now." He shrugged.
I glared.
"You're wrong, that boy over there is not yours, now stop toying with me and GIVE DEVI BACK!" I screamed.

Devi glared harshly.
"You'll regret challenging a noble, boy." He told me.
I glared back.
"We'll see about that." I responded glaring at Devi.
"Wake up." I told my cousin who had so much anger in his eyes.
"Wake up." I pressed my forehead to the others, his arm broke free and his hand was around my throat, but there was no force as I remained still.
"Stop being a fucking lazy ass, what? Did you get too comfortable that you can't fight for your own body?" I asked.

"Who are you calling lazy?"
The anger in his voice was gone, but there were tears in his baby blue eyes.
I grabbed a fist full of the others hair, glaring at him.
"Are you really you, or is Karim playing possum?" I asked.

Devi stared back at me.
"He's gone." He answered as the tears slipped.
"Monty, he's gone." He cried as my brows furrowed, I looked to Kaiser and the others who moved away from us.
I got off the other but knelt in front of him.

"You weren't in control, but Karim made quite the mess for you to clean up." I told him as Devi's brows furrowed.
"I know-"
"You killed people, Devi, innocent people." I frowned.
"I KNOW THAT!" Devi yelled as more tears fell.

"You don't think I didn't know what was going on this whole time?" Devi looked at me with knitted brows.
"I knew and felt everything, I screamed so many times, the compulsion was so strong.. what Karim-- no, what I did, doesn't excuse anything." He stared hard at the ground.

"I can say sorry as many times as I want, but it won't change those thoughts, the lives I took or how many times I tried killing my own self, but Karim wouldn't let me." Devi sat there, tears slipping.
"I did so many unspeakable things, I-I don't know how I'll keep going here-"

"Oh, you think you're allowed to leave?" I looked over my shoulder to Jackie whose brow was arched and his arms were crossed.
"You don't get to come back to reality and try to bounce because you're scared, even if some psycho noble had you in chains, someone has to take responsibility for what he's done, and because he was in your body? You get to clean up his mess, there's no running away because your lazy ass finally decided to wake up, and you don't want to deal with confrontation." Jackie told him.

"I've literally never heard Jackie sound more serious compared to when he's ordering food from Deans." Stetson commented.
"So if that's coming from someone like him? I suggest you put your big boy pants on, and start making amends with the people that you've hurt." He added.

Devi looked at the two.
"I will.. but-"
"There's another reason you can't leave." I didn't know him, but I think he was the twin that Ziggy filled me in on.

Joshua approached Devi whose brows knitted.
He was hesitant, but Joshua knelt down in front of him.

"You and I are sort of mated? So that means we're literally stuck together, and although I was starting to hate that other version of you, this version? I wouldn't mind being mated to." Joshua looked at Devi.
"I mean, as long as I can have my brother back." He added.

Devi blinked but gave this soft smile that made the other blush.
"You can have whatever you want, the darkness that controlled me? Is no longer there, I'm the real me.. the me that died seven years ago, I know I have a lot of apologizing to do.. but you should know, there is an out, you can have your mark removed as well as your-"

No one said anything as Joshua's lips pressed to the others.
"I'm not going through all that extra work to break up, if we're pissed at each other? Either we'll talk it out or take a few days, but I don't feel like having my memories wiped of you, I still do like you." Joshua shrugged.

Devi's brows furrowed but he nodded.

I looked to Ziggy who stood there, almost hiding behind Kaiser.
I smiled softly.
"You can come say hi if you want." I told Ziggy who flinched before looking at Kaiser.

Kaiser looked at Ziggy before motioning for the other to follow him.

Devi stood to his feet as Ziggy approached the two.
Kaiser smiled softly looking at Ziggy.
"Use your words, after yesterday? We know you can." He told him.
Ziggy blushed before looking at Devi.

"T-The other you.. when we first met, you mentioned wanting to be friends.. and, I wanted to tell you that.." Ziggy's face darkened.
He was really struggling with this.
It made me smile softly seeing him trying though.

"I want to be your friend, Devi, your real friend." Ziggy told him.
Devi's eyes widened standing there.
"Are you sure?"
Ziggy nodded standing there.
"I-I am, I believe in second and third chances, and you deserve to show everyone here.. you are different, and aside from Joshua, I want to be your first real friend." Ziggy told him.
Devi looked away, his face growing warm.
"S-Sure then, being friends sounds nice." He responded.

Just as I expected.
These two were going to be super fucking awkward.

But..
Now things can finally calm down for a minute.
Hopefully.