Pain woke Kit the next morning as she rolled in her bed and bumped her elbow. She let out a small cry as she reached for the spot, and the movement caused pain in her head.

She stopped moving, worried she would only find more bruised spots, and slowly eased her eyes open. She looked around her room, grounding herself with familiar objects and trying to recall the reason for her pain.

Her eyes landed on a sleeping bag and pillow on the floor, and pieces of the night before fell into place. The party, Edison, Jaxon bringing her home and spending the night. She hesitantly tried to move again, taking caution with each inch, and managed to sit up. Her righted position made her head whirl and she dug her hands into her bed and fought the wave of nausea.

After a few minutes, the vertigo passed. She remained in her bed, her thoughts beginning to whirl with panic about the night before, until she heard footsteps on the staircase. She took a deep, steadying breath to push her thoughts to the side, until she was alone. Jaxon appeared a moment later.

A guilty look slipped on to his face when he found her.

"Did I wake you?" he asked.

"No, my arm hurt," she said.

He nodded. "Figures, you went down pretty hard last night."

She nodded, but stopped with a wince when pain shot up the side of her head.

"Are you okay? How are you feeling?" he asked. He moved closer and sat on the bed beside her.

She took another deep breath and smiled. "It's just a few bruises," she said. She tried to get a look at her elbow to see her battle scar. "How bad is it? Does it ruin my summer tan?" Her joking question didn't work in easing his concern.

"How are you really feeling?" he asked seriously.

She smiled softly and rested a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"Seriously, I'm starving," she said. "I don't remember when I last ate."

She squinted as she thought about it.

"I truly don't. I ran into Drew at the grocery store and didn't end up having my very nutritious meal of gummy worms and dark chocolate."

Jaxon smiled and she could feel some of the tension leave his shoulders, some of her own worry going with it.

"Well, that is probably because you have no food in the house," he said.

"Ah, that might have been my problem."

"I was going to run out and grab some food and a change of clothes, but I don't have to leave," he said hesitantly. "I can have my mom -"

She laughed lightly. "You do realize I have managed to survive on my own for the last two weeks," she said. "I think I'll be fine without you for an hour." He looked at her, uncertain. "I'll be fine Jax," she added with more conviction. "But if you don't go, I might starve."

He nodded and stood slowly. He still seemed uncertain as he walked to her door, but she continued to shoo him away until he finally left. She remained motionless while she listened to the front door shut and his car pull away.

Silence fell over the room and her thoughts began to spin, a mixture of fear and panic. She closed her eyes and began to count. One, two, three, breath in, four, five, six, breath out. Seven, eight, nine, in, ten, eleven, twelve, out. She continued to count, making her way towards one hundred, focusing only on the in and out.

Slowly, through the subtle noises around her and her chaotic thoughts, she heard what she was seeking. The faint, but continuous beat of her heart. Her breathing settled into a steady rhythm as she focused on the single beat.

As if sensing that she was listening, the sound of her heart seemed to grow stronger until she could hear it deep in her ears, and feel it in her chest. It felt like a rallying cry as she headed into battle.

Her enemy, the memory of the night before, stood tall and strong, giving her fear and anxiety strong fuel. But she remained focused on her heart beat, knowing that as long as she had that, the fight wasn't over. She kept the steady beat in her head as she planted her feet firmly on the ground. The cool wood felt like a jolt of power, and it was enough to get her out of bed.

Her arms and head complained about the movement but she kept putting one foot in front of the other. Beneath all the fearful thoughts there were legitimate questions and concerns she needed to think through. But she knew if she stayed in her room they would only overwhelm her.

She needed to counterbalance them, so she went to her closet and chose her boldest golf outfit. She knew it was a silly thought, but she hoped the bright colors would lend her some of their cheeriness. She put on the outfit like a soldier dressing for war.

By the time she was heading down the stairs, her aches and pains were still present, but they had faded to the background, behind her fierce resolve to get to fresh air. The fear and panic were still there, but she had convinced them to hold their peace until she was outside.

The doorbell rang while she was crouched down, putting on her golf shoes and she barely paused tying her shoelaces to quickly yank it open. It wasn't until she was done tying her shoes that she realized the person at the door hadn't moved or spoken.

She looked up and found Edison on her doorstep.

His hands were buried in his pockets and there was a hesitant look on his face, like he wasn't sure the door was really open. Kit stood, startled to see him. It was the first time she had thought of him that morning.

He continued to stand there without saying anything, and it made her antsy.

"I'm golfing if you want to join," she said.

She barely let the words out of her mouth before she turned and started for her back door. She wasn't even aware of him following her until he was climbing onto the golf cart beside her.

She hit the gas pedal and the warm air began to run through her hair. It was a spectacular day, the sky the brightest of blues and the grass the richest of greens.

She breathed it all in, and slowly began to feel her fear and panic ease their grip on her. But it wasn't until she had her feet firmly planted and the metal golf club gripped tightly in her hands that she began to feel her strength returning.

A peaceful silence fell over her as she lined the club up with the ball and her eyes focused on her target. Her shoulders relaxed into a motion that she had done thousands of times before. She inhaled as she pulled the golf club back, narrowed her gaze and exhaled as she let the club swing.

The club and ball met with a strong thwack, the hit reverberating through her hands, and she felt the last of her fear and panic leave. She absentmindedly watched as the ball soared through the air, but where it landed was of no importance. The calm she had been seeking washed over her and her brain began to formulate her game plan.

She could call her parents, but she felt alright at the moment. True, she was sore from her fall, but she was still breathing. Was there even any point in calling her parents? Her brain began to fill in all the facts she knew.

They would be on a flight that night, in Lighthouse Point by tomorrow. They would be with her in less than twenty-four hours. If she told them what had happened, they would panic. They would try to get on an earlier flight, but all it would gain them would be a few hours. Was it worth it?

If they panicked, she would panic and she didn't want to panic. She had already done enough of that in the past and it hadn't fixed anything. She had been expecting something like this to happen for the last five months. Panicking would only distract her from the bliss she felt in the moment and the warm sun on her skin.

She closed her eyes and tilted her face upwards, taking a deep, relaxing breath. A small smile slipped onto her lips and her decision was made. She would talk to her parents when she saw them the next day, and until then, she would enjoy her day.

But her peaceful, happy thoughts got cut off by Edison clearing his throat.

For the second time, she was startled by his presence. She had been so caught up in her own thoughts she had forgotten he was even there. She regretfully pulled her face away from the sun's bright warmth and looked at him. He didn't look happy. An annoyed grimace had settled on his lips, accompanied by a deep, unhappy crease between his eyes.

She took in his pissed off mood, but it didn't touch her. Not when she had battled and won bigger problems that morning. She simply stepped aside and waited for him to take his shot.

But he didn't. Instead, he exploded.

"That's it! I've had enough," he said loudly, throwing his club aside.

He began to march away, but he didn't get far before he turned around and marched right back to her.

"I liked you. Really liked you and I never like anyone. Do you understand?" he shouted. "And I told you! Which was clearly a mistake. Do you know how stupid I feel?"

He had gone from calm to angry in zero to sixty, and his chest moved like his lungs were having a hard time catching up.

Kit stuttered for an answer.

"Was that your plan the whole time? Were you just messing with me? Trying to make me feel like an idiot? Because if it was, you succeeded." He gave a few sharp claps.

"Edison," she tried to interject.

"I stopped by your house last night before I went to the party," he spoke over her. "I was trying to find you one more time. But I left your house disappointed, again, only to show up at the party to find you making out with Drew.

"And if that wasn't bad enough, when I confronted you, you ran away and refused to talk to me. But wait, it gets worse because once I got you to actually say something you were too drunk and passed out."

The accusations tumbled from his lips and Kit waited, knowing he would be deaf to anything she said until he got it all out.

"And the most pathetic part is that for a second, when you went down, I was worried. Actually worried," he continued. "That's right. You passed out and the only thing I wanted to know was whether you were okay or not. But it turns out my worry was for nothing, because while I was working you were getting drunk and kissing Drew."

He took a few short breaths and Kit opened her mouth to speak, but he cut her off.

"Then I show up today, ready to hear what you have to say but you won't even look me in the eye. It's like I'm not even here."

"That has nothing to do with you?" she said. She meant it to be reassuring, but it seemed to have the opposite effect.

"Nothing to do with me?" he asked sardonically. "What? The kiss with Drew? It has everything to do with me."

"That's not what I meant," she tried to clarify calmly.

"And did you not mean to kiss Drew?"

"No, I did, but I wasn't talking about that."

Kit could see their words getting twisted around each other and she scrambled to find a way to cut through the confusion.

"What? You did mean to kiss Drew? Or you weren't talking about the kiss?"

"Enough with the kiss," she said sharply, letting out a frustrated breath. "It meant nothing. It was just a kiss."

He scoffed. "Easy for you to say. What about me?"

"What about you?" she asked, trying to regain her calm composure.

"How do you think I feel?"

She looked at him and didn't have to try to know how he felt. It was written clearly on his face. It was a heavy dose of anger burying a small hint of hurt. She knew she should care how he felt. She knew she should be patient and try to explain the night before, but her rough morning made her selfish.

"I don't care," she said honestly. "The world doesn't revolve around you, Edison."

He laughed in surprise. "I know, as you have reminded me on several occasions. But for a moment I'm making it about me."

She gave him one more look before she started heading back towards the golf cart.

"Where are you going?" he said, chasing after her.

"Home. You ruined my golf game."

He jumped on the cart after her.

"No. You don't get to run away," he said, as they sped off. "How do you think I felt seeing you kiss Drew? After what I said to you on the Fourth of July? I thought you got it."

"I did get it," she said, trying to hold back her frustration. "But what did you expect?"

"What did I expect?" he laughed darkly. "Well, I can tell you what I did not expect. I didn't expect you to disappear on me. I didn't expect to find you kissing my friend in front of the whole high school."

"And?"

"It was humiliating. Everyone saw the kiss and everyone saw us fighting."

"That's your own fault," she quickly interjected.

He scoffed in amazement. "My own fault?"

Kit screeched to a halt outside her back door and climbed out.

She turned to him. "Yeah, your own fault. I tried to warn you. I tried to walk away and not cause a scene, but you just wouldn't drop it."

She turned sharply, frustrated with the conversation. He couldn't blame her for making a scene. That had been his own doing. She clenched her hands, trying not to get mad.

"Drop it?" he asked indignantly, following close behind as she headed through her house to the front door. "How was I suppose to drop it? I caught you kissing my friend."

Her clenched hands didn't work. She could feel her pulse begin to race as she whirled on him.

"You've mentioned that already," she said loudly. "You told me you liked me. So? What was I suppose to do with that? What was I suppose to think? That since you said you liked me, you actually meant it?"

He gave her a dumbfounded look, like that was exactly what she was suppose to think.

"Why?" she asked. "Why would I believe that you were committed after two weeks, when you couldn't even stay committed to football after two years!"

The insult landed like a blow to his face and he stepped back in shock. The minute the words left Kit's mouth, she knew she had crossed a line. He nodded slowly, the look on his face pained. She stood wordless, breathing heavily.

"Really?" he finally managed to say, his voice deflated. The comment had stripped him of all anger. The only thing that remained was hurt.

"Yeah," she bit back, because staying mad was easier to hold on to than face the guilt that had welled up inside of her. There was a spark of pain in her chest, but she ignored that too, blinded by her anger.

"I can't believe you said that," he said, a hint of emotion returning to his voice. "I thought I knew you."

"Really? Because you've only known me two and a half weeks," she snapped back, her breath quickening. "What makes you think you know me at all?"

"I guess I don't!" he shouted, his temper flaring,

"I guess you don't," she repeated.

She roughly opened the front door. He glared at her as he brushed past her and wretched the door out of her hands, slamming it shut behind him.

She spun and raced up the stairs, anger pulsing through her veins. She made it half way up before the pain in her chest broke through her haze. It was like an electric shock that stopped her, and she was suddenly short of breath.

She reached for the railing, gripping it tightly and waiting for the pain to pass, but it didn't. It only grew. It seemed to spread from her chest to every nerve ending, overwhelming her.

She cried out and tightened her grip on the railing, slowly dragging herself up the last few steps.

She hoped for some relief when she reached the top landing, but none came. She fell to her hands and knees but her arms gave out on her and she collided with the floor.

She began to panic and tried to call out for Jaxon a split second before she lost consciousness.

**********************************************************************

Murdering muffins!

(Question: are the muffins the ones being murdered or doing the murdering?? Puzzling, very puzzling 🤔)

Okay! I want to hear theories, but not logical ones but the most ridiculous, outlandish theories you have!

Here is mine: Kit is actually an immortal alien and she came to earth to experience what life is like as a teen. She been away from her plant too long and that's why she's fainting, she is becoming mortal.

Spoiler alert: this may or may not be true.

Honestly, you should have seen it coming, she did shoot lasers out of her eyes that one time. All the signs were there. 👽

Now bigger question: who are we currently mad at?

I think both are being very annoying and causing each other great amounts of unwanted pain and I wish THEY WOULD BOTH JUST STOP AND BE HAPPY TOGETHER! But do I get what I want?! NO! First Grant Gustin gets taken and now this! Oh cruel world!!!

If you could have played one role in any movie what would it have been?

শান্তি, ভালবাসা & আইস-ক্রিম (Bengali)

Did I already post this gif? Because it cracks me up every time!

I feel like this is JoymomentsSISTER and me. I'm the one always on the floor.