Mad Hatter |George Daniel|

03

"Stop by some time yeah?" Matty yells out his passenger window as I walk up my driveway. I look back at his smiling face then at George who seemed more drawn to the way his cigarette smoke danced in his face. He didn't even look up to say goodbye.

"Thank you Matty." I say waving as he drove down my street in a quick push of the pedal. Sighing to myself I unlock my front door. Making a mental note to rake the leaves before Thanksgiving so my parents think we're neat college frat kids. When I step into the heated household I'm greeted by Milo. Amber's tabby cat were not supposed to have in the house. "You need to eat little guy?" I blab in a childish voice, knelling down to pet him. His head rubbing against my palm as small vibrations exits his throat.

The house was so quiet for a Saturday morning. Amber's boyfriend, Luke, would usually be up making breakfast with his brother Dougie or sitting on the couch waiting to see what our winter will be like. Maybe they were all too hungover to get up.

I feed Milo and rip off the bow on the front of my dress where there was a blood stain. My head hurt a little more than my nose. I decided it was best that I just get some rest and forget everything. Forget meeting Matty, forget the party, forget ever getting close to...Giant. My lips didn't want to form his name.

Some reason he left a hand print on the inside of my mind and I can trace it perfectly with my third eye. He had this affect that left me thinking about his smooth skin and ever so desiccate hands. I thought about what it felt like, his skin against mine again.

Shaking the thought I carry my heels and stained bow up to my room. Swiping the key from the head board was a waste because it was already unlocked for some odd reason. Amber is the only one who knew where my key was, what could she be doing in my room?

The door needs oiling as it creaks open. Amber wasn't in the room, but someone to my surprise was. Someone I didn't want to see... He was perched on my windowsill, looking through my folder of rough drafts. His attention turns to me and this wicked fake smile spread across his face like bleeding ink on paper. "Get out." I point to my door sternly with a sudden boil in my blood.

He stands up and sets the papers down defensively. "Who...whoa Luna, don't you want to know why I'm here?"

"Don't call me that. Now get out." I clamp my eyes shut as he steps closer to me, tripping over my laundry bin a little. He was the only person to call me Luna and now that name tasted like iodine in my throat. My dress suddenly feels tight like I was being choked by the fabric. I had to get into something comfy. Something to get the smell of George off me. He doesn't come any closer once he's already a foot away.

"I miss you." He starts.

"Macen." I say with a rasping voice. "I told you I don't want you near me. Now leave before I start..." I can portray more anger due to my rushing head. Macen had become my stalker ex boyfriend, always begging for my love back. Even after his cheating, lying, futile, gross ways of trying please me like I was a meat bag. For ages he's wanted me back for some weird reason he will never tell me. This boy is obsessed with me and there has been several times I consider a restraining order. This moment I consider it again. "Stop breaking into my fucking house!" I yell with fury. This has to be the fourth time he's managed to mangle his way into my house. Startling me and my roommates one too many times.

"C'mon baby. Don't be like this." Macen takes a hold of my waist and I push him back with what little force I had. He stumbled with a pale and confused face. The way he talks just makes me want to jump out of my skin like an animal and maul him to death. His feet make their way back to me, this time backing me up to my door where it slams behind me. Please don't wake anyone up.  "Don't you miss what we had?" The pout in his voice makes me want to gag. There a smell of beer and mud on him, yet his skin was clear as day and his clothes as classy as ever. Just looking into his jade eyes and watching his black hair drop in his face made me angry.

I spit in his face.

"I said leave."

His expression changes in a flash. He angrily wipes away my spit from his cheek and nose. I flip my chlorine damaged raven hair over my shoulder and open the door for him myself. There is an unpleasing look on his face where my window shined sunlight right into his eyes. "My whole world has melted like crayons without you Luana. Don't you miss anything about what we had? Anything."

"Why would I miss your bipolar abuse?" I open the door wider. "Now leave Macen. Seriously." there is a look of defeat on his face as he marches past me.

"One more thing." he looks up from the ground while grabbing the stair well railing. "I really liked your story. About the fairy and the maiden." He read my rough drafts. All of them. All the stories I've been writing just hoping to get them published one day. I was a hopeless out-of-love romantic writer in the process of watching my imaginary rose garden get flooded with bad thoughts.

I bite my lip so hard it leaves teeth marks while I clench my fists with my eyes snapped shut. If there was one thing I hated it's when people read my works without asking. It's like invasion of my imagination. I mentally pray he did not find autobiography. My whole life story was in that.

When I open my eyes he's not there and I'm staring at the staircase I wish I could throw myself down. Within the next 15 minutes I had showered and slipped into my lazy clothes. My damp feet drag across the dark hardwood to the front of my body mirror.

George's voice emerges in my head. Tell me something you like about yourself.

Nothing.

I bite my lip and stare at my body that felt like silver Mercury balancing on the floor. A puddle of sudden insecurity. This wasn't like me...to think so negatively.

The black Iron Maiden shirt I covered my body with reminded me of George's T shirt. It wasn't as soft and didn't smell as pleasing. It was rough and smelled like dirt. Like Macen...

I change into something different and lie down with my thoughts and headache before catching sleep for the second time today.