"We are not sleeping together." I promised her "Chase and I are just friends that sometimes go a little further. I have fooled around with him in the past, but I haven't even kissed him since..."

Lana turned to face me and encouraged me to continue my sentence "Since what?"

"Since you met Brennan."

"I don't think it has anything to do with me or Brennan." She commented before hiding her face from me as she looked out the window.

The view was stunning from the beachfront. The lights of the amusements from the pier were in the distance. I studied the colours of the orangey-pink sky while I pretended to ignore what she had said.

Lana made conversation by asking "Do you have any idea where Brennan and Stone went on Tuesday?"

"I don't know." I told her before explaining "I never got the opportunity to ask. Stone and I were too busy insulting each other. Then today after the whole conversation about the party, the giant went into one of his foul moods and looked like he wanted to kill everyone."

"Yeah." Lana agreed but she then added, "But he still talked to you."

"I have come to the conclusion that I hate him." I voiced.

She let out a laugh like she did not believe me "How did you conclude that?"

"I...I... I just do." I uttered.

The feeling was too strong to be dislike. The fierce emotion built up at the pit of my stomach when I saw him and when I thought about him. Sometimes the burning sensation at the core of me overtook my whole body and fuelled me.

It was earlier in English class when I was staring at him that I discovered that I hated him.

I hated his tallness and how he towered me. I hated his strength and largeness. I hated the smirk he wore when I would insult him. I hated his chuckle when he called me Medusa. I hated the heat that would rise to my skin as his hand brushed against mine accidentally. I hated that sometimes I thought about him and could not stop. I hated how it was not rational and it was completely relentless. I hated him so much.

I hated Stone as much as he hated me.

Lana's voice broke me out of my thoughts "Did your dad give you a curfew?"

Running a hand through my hair, I replied "I can be home anytime."

"Ella." She said softly before questioning "I am always here for you if you needed to talk. You do know that, don't you?"

"Of course, I know that." I told her confidently before assuring her "You have nothing to worry about, Barbie."

She stayed quiet as I parked the little green car on the sidewalk adjacent to the largest and noisiest house on the street.

"Let's go then, Freak Show." Lana insisted as we both started to get out of the car.