Bad Boy and the Badass

(13) Burning Love

Yesterday a lot happened. London tried to hurt me, the he didn't. Then he ignored me. Then we made up, and then I went to the gym. Then he picked me up, and he was back to his normal self, but something was different. He was happier, like something that had been weighing him down had suddenly been lifted off his shoulders. But then something strange happened.

We were watching a Hallmark movie (it was 9pm and we didn't know what else to watch) and at the very end, they kissed (duh, same plot for every movie) but London seemed so... stiff? I mean I was feigning feelings- "aww, they're so cute... shipping!" And normally... he'd throw popcorn at me. Or something, anything! But he looked like a deer in headlights! When I asked him about it he (terribly) lied that nothing was wrong and quickly went to sleep, plugging his ears to avoid Aunt Rosalie's Pterodactyl snore of terror, then ignored me the rest of the night. It felt like a one night stand, but without the idiot Plastics and with extra friendship. Friends don't have one night stands though, people that just had sex do...

Then there was a blur, a faint memory flashing in my mind, in and out. It was like corralling an imaginary horse, until all the details finally came together. It was still like looking at it through a blurry pair of goggles, but I remember less of what my eyes saw, and more of what I felt. Specifically what I felt on my lips, and that same body heat radiating off of the boy next to me.

"London. What aren't you telling me?" I asked, a demanding tone, trying to cover up the fact that I already knew what had happened, I was just praying that it wasn't true. His eyes remained closed, I knew he was fake sleeping though. So I removed an earplug and slapped him clean across the cheek. "Wake up asshat," I hissed. He grumbled and whapped his cheek.

That leads us to now, when I realized that all the work I had tried to hide for the past few weeks was about to catch up to me fast. All the feelings I had been trying to hide, were uncovered and splayed out before London by means of 1 spiked little drink.

"What the hell do you want?" He glares at me, rubbing his now red cheek.

"What. Happened. While. I. Was. Drunk." I demand again. His eyes fly open wide once again, the same deer-in-headlights expression as before. My heart plummets, as I realize that the answer I had been searching for in my head had been verified by one expression.

"I promise nothing got out of hand." He assures, reading what I assume to be the look of utter disdain that's plastered on my features.

"But we-"

"Kissed? Yeees. But I swear I stopped it before anything else happened, funny story you actually tried to drop your towel in front of me... that was fun."

"OHMYGOD!"

"Shhhhh, chill, you'll wake Aunt Rosalie. I didn't see anything anyway, I turned around and threw you some clothes." He explains, I bury my head in my knees and assume fetal position. What. The. Actual. Fuck. Drunk. Percy.

"Oh my god, how have you actually been able to be around me the last few days?" I guffaw.

"I just try not to think about it too much."

"At least you're not a perv." I sigh, then realize who I'm talking about. "Well, not too much of a perv." He smiles and slaps me on the arm. We fall out laughing and wiggle back under Big Fuzz. "Hey London?" I begin, before he puts his earplugs back in.

"Yeah?"

"Was I a good kisser?" I joke.

"I don't really remember, although I do remember that blonde in the short shorts kissing something on me."

"But I was in a dress- OH TMI London I didn't need that." I gag, he once again falls out laughing. "Remember when I said you were a perv? Well you're a perv... times two!" He snickers at me and I scoot to the other side of the bed, away from him. Sleep slowly overtaking both me and him.

My consciousness stirs awake, a hazy blur for all of about 10 seconds. I sniff the air, a pungent odor infiltrating my usual morning wooziness. The smell reminds me of the time I burned pancakes on my fourteenth birthday and I almost started a fire in my tiny room. Fire. I look around the room and see a thick black smog leaking into the room and drifting upwards toward the ceiling. I look to my left and see London still blissfully unaware of the hellscape going on around him. I shove him off the bed, wasting no time with gentle pats on the shoulder and screaming in his ear like usual. He jolts awake a suddenly becomes aware of his surroundings. Suddenly we're both at the door to his room, he reaches for the knob but quickly retracts his hand.

"No shit Sherlock, fire's on that side of the door!" I yell. I try the bathroom door and it opens, we both scramble across the short room, and burst into Ms. Rosalie's room. As I open the door we're met with a face full of smoke and I start coughing vigorously, London doing the same behind me. We cover our faces with our shirts and proceed into the room, which has almost been completely shrouded in smoke. My eyes burn from the dark cloud as London and I struggle to lift Rosalie out of bed without letting our shirts uncover our noses. London grabs her feet and I grab her arms and we exit back the way we came. London's room may be smoky, but it was nowhere near as bad as Rosalie's room.

We lay London's Aunt on his bed as we attempt to open the window in London's room but it refuses to open. We're coughing harder by the second and London can no longer focus on the latch without blinking rapidly from the smoke. I improvise and break the window. London grabs Rosalie and jumps out the window opening. I look out the window, approximately a 6 foot drop below. I almost follow him but remember what else must happen first. London turns around as Rosalie begins to cough, and she keeps coughing. He has to stay and help her. He motions for me to come outside, but I shake my head and toss him my phone that I had sat on the nightstand the night before that I had forgotten about until now. It lands in the grass but London's eyes stay pinned on a me, he mouths "Please", but I know I can't just leave no matter how much I want to. I shake my head again and turn back, grabbing some of his sentimental things and wrap them in big fuzz, then toss the blanket out the window as well.

I wrap myself up in an unused comforter and grab the door handle out with a covered hand. I can still feel the warmth as I turn the knob but it's enough to keep out most of the heat. When I open the door I'm slapped in the face with hot air. Not "I just stepped of the plane in Costa Rica" hot air, I mean "I'm a serial killer just got shot and now I'm in the seventh layer of hell" hot. I look around the once grand foyer, now ablaze with burning gold flames, licking up the shimmering wall paper. I run through the long hallway, towards where I had seen Elaine exit to whenever London said something especially disappointing. I make it to the kitchen, or what I think is the kitchen, my eyes are half closed from the smoke but I remember stubbing my toe on that same damn fridge yesterday and it hurt like the same bitch it did yesterday.

I continue down an unfamiliar corridor and make it to an open door. I peer into the room and see a king sized bed with the sheets strewn about. This must be London's parent's room. Peering further into the room I see a wall-spanning window, with a two-human sized gap in it. They must have already gotten out. I turn around and bolt for the door but the ceiling collapses just in front of me. I'd say you have good luck but I mean you're in the predicament right now so I wouldn't push it. I run back towards the window and look out the hole, and it's an even further drop than from London's room, about 8 feet. Looking around for something to drop on the floor I came up with the mattress. Yes the king sized mattress that probably takes two people to carry, but we're in a burning building and I'm pretty sure I'm permanently damaged inside and out.

I use all of what little strength I have left, which is still a lot (Thank you gym body). I make it all the way to the window but the bed still won't fit, so I kick out the rest of the glass with the leg I had used earlier. The window finally opens up enough to use my back to push the mattress out completely. It falls out the window with a thunk on the grass. I mentally prepare myself to jump, but the decision is quickly made for me as another chunk of ceiling falls behind be and I fall out of the window. My life flashes before my eyes, wow I'm disappointing. Then it was dark