Playing With Fire (Previously Burning The Bad Boy) (UNDER RECONSTRUCTION)

{3} Good Girl, Bad Idea

Rachel wasn't fond of my idea.

She refused to accept that I was going to try and confront Damon on his own level. She didn't seem to understand that the diary he held in his hands and continued to read through as we spoke softly at our lunch table was my entire life. Every little thing I'd ever said, done, or thought about filled the pages, word by word, until the back cover. It felt like a stab in the chest to know someone was reading it; having the entire school know of its contents would be the end of the social life I never really truly had.

Damon kept his distance all day, occasionally casting a smirk or knowing look in my direction; a temptation of sorts. He knew if he kept pushing and prying, acting as if he knew something, that I'd break and come running to him with open arms. I couldn't and wouldn't do it; I wasn't going to fall victim to the same game I'd seen most of the female population at this school had.

I loved Rachel, but there were just some things she was completely oblivious too. Damon being one of them.

She leaned forward on her hand now, shoving another piece of her breakfast bar into her mouth, "You can't think anything good is going to come out of this."

"I'm not going to sit and let him blackmail me, Rach. You and I both know that's exactly what's going to happen if I give in." I tapped my fingers anxiously against the tabletop, resisting the urge to turn and meet the blue eyes I knew were on me across the room.

My best friend tucked a lock of her blonde hair behind her ear and huffed out a sigh of defeat.

"There's no chance I'm going to be able to talk you out of this, is there?" she muttered, sipping at her water. I shook my head and leaned back in my seat, eyes on the kitchen at the back of the cafeteria. My eyes lingered on the smoke arising from one of the pans for a moment, lips parting when I saw a fire starting beneath one of the burners. Before I could say a word, one of the cooks put it out and leaned against the counter beside the stove in exhaustion.

"You do understand there's a possibility you might realize he's not as bad as you once thought and you'll start to fall in love with him, right? Have you learned nothing from all those romance novels we've read?"

*

I stepped hesitantly in front of Damon's motorcycle, shifting back and forth on my feet as I waited for him to come stalking out of the school. I had been fighting myself internally, my best friend's words getting the best of me. I should be thinking about what I'm really getting myself into. I'm playing Damon Fox's little game and expecting to win it. I'm not caving, but there's a possibility that he could completely ignore my wishes and post every last diary entry online until I was the joke of the school. Worse, he could hand it off to Ryder and have him pass it around until it fell into the wrong hands.

"Checking out my bike, McKenzie?" Damon's taunt had my head whipping up in milliseconds.

He was leaning against the flag pole, admiring his nails as if he'd just gotten a manicure, "Of course. It's a beauty."

Genuine surprise flashed through his eyes at my sarcastic response.

"What do you really want, Thomas?" his use of my last name resulted in me stepping back, surprised.

I had honestly been shocked to know he knew my first name when he'd threatened me a couple days ago in History. Knowing he knew my last name had me startled to a point I couldn't speak.

That was until I came to the realization that my full name had been written on the inside cover of my diary.

"You know what I want, Damon. Just stop this now and give me back my diary." I pleaded for the first and last time.

I was doing exactly what I promised myself I wouldn't; caving. If he didn't agree now, it'd be the final straw for me, I wasn't going to let myself take part in his games.

He snickered, "What fun would that be?"

"Not everything has to be fun in life, Damon. Don't you ever-"

"Can you move so I can go?" He interrupted me before I could finish.

"Damon, I'm warning you. You don't want to do this." he laughed. I honestly couldn't blame him. My words had sounded like a joke to me too. Who in there right mind would be afraid of a five foot teenage girl that hadn't ever done anything worse than sneak out after curfew?

"Or what?" he stepped forward so he stood over me, lips curved into his signature smirk.

"Or I'll. . . I'll. . ."

"What are you gonna do, sweetheart? Are you going to run home and tell Mommy and Daddy the big, mean, old bad boy at school stole your diary?" he teased, cornering me until I stepped up on to the curb and out of his way.

He slid his Ray-Bans on before throwing one leg over the seat of his bike and revving the engine.

"What do you expect me to do to get it back?" I questioned. His smile grew wider.

"I don't know yet, Princess. I guess we'll just have to wait and see now, won't we?"

With that, Damon sped off out of the parking lot and left nothing but a cloud of dust surrounding me as a reminder that I'd just failed miserably. 

*

Over the last few years, I'd made it a habit to slam my bedroom door shut when I got home. It was my weird, abstract way of getting my point across to my parents. As long as they continued to be at each others throats, I'd slam my door in hopes it'd shut them up and one of them would spend the night at a friend's house.

Tonight was worse than usual. My mom had been drunk when I walked in, downing a whole bottle of wine herself without a second thought about what she was doing. Dad had refused to let her talk to me with alcohol in her system since she seemed to always find little things to nit pick about.

Through my door and headphones, I could still hear my mother's pterodactyl-like screeching and Dad's  thunderous yells. It sounded as if a storm was destroying the little bit of hope I had that my parents would work through everything and we'd be a normal family again.

My phone continuously lit up with Rachel's name, but I wasn't in any mood to talk to anyone; even the only person in the world that knew me and my life as well as I did.

"Mack, sweetie, you awake?" a gentle knock at my door stirred me out of my daze.

I shut my phone off and turned to the door just as it creaked open a crack. My dad poked his head in and made sure the coast was clear before stepping in and shutting it behind him.

Hi." I whispered, avoiding his apologetic eyes.

"I'm so sorry, sweetheart. You didn't need to see your mother like that." He sat on my bed, brushing a strand of my dark hair out of my eyes. "She's going to go away for a while and get some help."

I sat up, eyes widening a fraction, "You mean help as in rehab?"

"Yes." he was shaking his head as he responded, as if he hated hearing the reality of things said aloud.

I laid back down, resting my chin on my folded hands as I stared blankly at my dark TV on my dresser, tears threatening their way to the surface. Keeping my eyes everywhere but my Dad, I allowed a few tears to escape my eyes.

As great as my life seemed to be on the outside. Being the only child, having both parents, none of it was real. I wasn't happy, they weren't happy, the apartment was too small, and at some point it would all come crashing down.

The worst part about it all was that Damon Fox was going to know every dirty little secret I kept buried deep down and soon the entire school would too. 

***AN***

Hope you guys enjoyed! 

Let me know what you thought! 

~ChasingMadness24