Forget You

Using You

Devan wrapped a blanket around me and held me in his lap, rubbing my arms to keep me warm.

"What is wrong with Nate?" I asked.

"What do you mean?" Devan asked.

"He laughed when Jonah blew up."

"Oh, yeah that. He's got this kind of... condition. Um, it's where he just gets humor out of blowing things up. That's how I met him actually. He set a car on fire and watched it until it blew up, and then he saw me and targeted me for his next explosion. Once he gets one thing blown up, he just wants to do it again and again, like some kind of weird addiction. If we don't talk him down, he'll blow up anything he sees fit."

"Why is he like that?"

"We think it had something to do with his mother. He doesn't answer whenever we bring the topic up and he father won't tell us either."

"Where's his mother?"

"She's dead. We're pretty sure she was blown up. That seems like the most logical explanation for Nate. There was only once where he talked about it. He was completely drunk and he muttered about her and said something about a bomb."

"How'd you meet the other three?"

"Kyle's dad and mine were friends, so naturally we had to be together whenever they hung out, and me and Kyle were friends from day one. Will was Nate's friend and was there when Nate tried to kill me, and after that day we continued to hang out. And Owen wanted to join the gang and I was his ticket in and we met because of his dad and a debt that he owed. And now they're like my brothers."

"I could say that that is cute, but you all kill for a living, so I can't."

"What about you?"

"What about me?"

"Who are your best friends?"

"Owen's family. That's it."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I was never allowed to make actual friends and I didn't like any of the guys that I worked with. Miles likes to think that we are really close, but we're not."

"Would you ever want to marry Miles?"

"What? No."

Devan just nodded.

"Why?"

"Well... it just sounds like he wants to be more than friends with you."

"And why would you go straight to marriage?"

"I don't know. It was the first thing that popped into my head." Devan stood up, pulling me to my feet as well. "We should probably go back."

"Are you still going to have training today?"

"No, we'll skip today. We have to clean up... and I have to make sure that Melly is okay."

"Okay."

I left the blanket there, taking Devan's jacket that he gave me and we went back to the house, crossing the river on a shallow part that I would have loved to know about before. I took a hot shower while everyone else did what they needed to do.

When I went downstairs, Devan was just about panicking while Will was looking over Melly.

"What is wrong with her?" Devan asked.

"She's in shock," Will informed him. "It's nothing bad. She'll be fine in a little while."

"Why is she in shock?"

"She probably saw what happened to Jonah and freaked out."

"This is exactly why I don't let her get involved with the gang."

"I'm surprised. She doesn't flinch at all when we bring in people with injuries."

"Seeing someone explode is completely different," I spoke up so they knew I was present. "At least the people she helps are in one piece."

"Good point," Will said. "Do you wanna stay with her until she wakes up?"

"Sure." I led Melly back to her room and had her sit on the bed.

WILL'S POINT OF VIEW

"Devan, we need to talk to you," I said once Scout left with Melly.

"About what?" He asked.

"About Scout."

"What about her?"

We both went up to the office where Owen, Kyle, and Nate were sitting. Nate was still fidgeting around, ready to jump up at any loud noise.

"So what's up with Scout?" Devan asked.

"We know what you to have done during the night," Kyle said. "And we don't agree with it."

"First off, that's none of your business. Second of all, what's wrong with it?"

"This isn't the same Scout. She doesn't actually feel that way towards you."

"You don't know that."

"She's just using you, mate," Owen said. "She's going to try to get you to fall for her so she can get you to trust her and tell her secrets that she'll bring back to Chicago when she gets away."

"No, she's not going to do that."

"How often does she manage to run off unexpectedly? Especially with how lenient you are being with her right now, it won't be hard for her to get away."

"It's not like that. She does care."

"No, Dev, she doesn't," Kyle said.

"Yes she does."

"She's only using you."

"No she's not!" Devan shoved Kyle backwards into the wall.

The rest of us quickly moved to keep them from starting a fight. Nate and I stood in front of Devan and Owen went to Kyle.

"Face it, Devan," Kyle said. "It's the cold hard truth, whether you choose to accept it or not."

"Shut up!"

All this shouting was getting Nate worked up again and he went for his gun, ready to make some kind of explosion.

I grabbed the gun from Nate, and said, "Kyle, take Nate out of here."

I pushed Nate away and Kyle grabbed his arm and pulled him after him, talking quietly to him to calm him down and Owen and I stayed to talk to Devan.

"You're all just jealous," Devan said.

"If we were jealous, we would be busy in the clubs at night," Owen said. "Just like you were when one of us had a girl. We are glad that you found someone who knows how crazy you are, and still decides to be with you, but that isn't the Scout that is here right now."

"All she is thinking of is her gang in Chicago," I told him. "She just wants information, just like you did when you first met her."

"I don't care what you say," Devan headed to the door. "I'll die before I give up on us."