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P H O E N I X

The ride to Belmont wasn't long. It was the neighbouring town to Stonecrest, smaller in size but popular for its year long funfair and that's where our destination was on a warm Saturday night.

The trip had oddly reminded me of the music festival. It felt like it happened a lifetime ago. This time rather than Jay, Chloe and Elsa as my companions it was Kaden, Sam and Kat.

Callum had been less than pleased that Sam was going to the fair so I wondered how he managed to convince him otherwise. I remembered the chat I'd had with the detective only a few days ago.

"Phoenix, can I have a word?" He said discreetly after my last class.

There weren't many students left so I hoped him pulling me to one side wouldn't stimulate another set of rumors.

I knew today was the last of the safety talks so after today he wouldn't be hanging around the school anymore. Kaden would no doubt be overjoyed to hear this news. But then there was also the fact that Callum was looking into the incident with the fabricated article. I wondered if Kaden had said anything but judging from our conversation starter I doubted he did, and it didn't seem right to say anything when he himself hadn't.

"I can see you've been spending a lot of time with Kaden." Callum rubbed his rough jaw, the remnants of grief still lingering.

"Are you spying on me?"

"It's not exactly a secret." He was right on that account. I had been coming to school with Kaden. It was a change to my usual bike ride. Even Kat enjoyed having the free lift in a four wheeled vehicle than two.

"Listen, Matt was one of my closest friends. You're his little sister. I don't want to see you getting hurt."

"You don't have to feel like you have this responsibility over me."

"All I'm saying is to be careful. Kaden isn't someone with a great background."

"Neither are you." I fired back, on the defensive. "Thanks for the help but I'm capable of making my own judgements about people."

He pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm talking to you as a friend, Phoenix. He's mixed up with some bad people from his past."

"I can take care of myself, Callum." I said, already beginning to remove myself from his sphere of influence. "Besides the past is in the past."

"The past may not be put as far back as you think." I heard him say this as I was leaving and didn't I know it? I hadn't forgotten that Kaden had been one of my earlier crushes in life.

Looking at him now, one hand casually on the wheel while the fingers on the other were tapping his knee, I wondered how I'd come to this point. It didn't escape me how everytime I tried to make him talk about himself, he'd always find a way to divert the question back. Either that or turn my mind to mush with lingering kisses. I didn't mind the latter so much.

Shaking my head of remnants of the past few days I focused on the present.

"You two know each other long?" I broke into Sam and Kat's hushed conversation. They had their heads drawn suspiciously close.

"Phee!" Kat hissed.

"What?" I said innocently.

"You're being embarrassing."

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