Chapter Eight

I bit my lip meticulously, Ace and I were playing a game, PS5 that is. It was a ninja game, his avatar was kissing my foot. Fortunately, years of being alone turned me into a game master, but Ace was good.

'Shit!' He exclaimed as his avatar fell dead.

Winner! Ready for round 3 in one minute!

'After this, you owe me a day of emptying your credit card!'

'I'm going easy on you, princess, don't be too glad.'

'I'm great with games, admit to defeat kid!' I shrieked.

'I am not arguing, I'm simply stating the obvious.'

'What obvious?' I snorted with arms akimbo.

'That I am better than you, duh.'

'I won the first two rounds, how are you better than me?'

'None of those matters, what matter is the final round...'

'Your credit card is mine! Mwah ah ah ah ah!' I laughed evilly. He threw two jelly beans into my mouth, I almost died as I choked on the beans. 'Are you insane!' I yelled with red eyes and croaked voice.

'Final round in ten, nine, eight...'

'May the best player win,' he smirked.

'He-ram!'

'Four, three, two...' I picked up the control pad and got ready. It had been three weeks since the drown incident, Ace and I had gotten awfully close, very close. He was always sticking to me like a second skin, jumping out of nowhere whenever I was alone or with someone. We went out, played games and he showed me a lot of weird sports and activities. I had to admit, I had gotten pretty attached to him, if possible, started falling in love with him.

Ace's personality was amazing. He made me laugh when I felt down, made me smile when I couldn't, lifted my spirit when I felt low of myself. He was like the perfect big brother, only that this little sister was feeling something stronger than sibling love. Ace and Liliane had been good friends, making me feel whole. Liliane was my female bestie. She had been teaching me how to swim, how to stride like a queen and all those graceful stuffs she possesses. We always hang out every evening after school while at lunch time, we bonded with Elle and her friends. I still didn't like Dermot.

'I will never lose to you, I always win,' I said with determination as I focused on the game.

'That makes two of us,' he smirked. The battle was intense. I was starting to sweat, he was more serious than the first two rounds. I glanced at him, that was when I noticed that he wasn't even trying, he was playing with one hand. Okay, he is good. 'Ready to lose, princess?'

'Never!' More like ever! I was losing!

'This control pad is broken,' I huffed. He chuckled.

'Indeed, it is "broken", very,' he laughed. I couldn't help but notice the scare quote at the broken. I couldn't lose, I didn't want to lose, so I did the only thing that jumped into my head.

'Ouch!' I cried, holding my head while carefully playing with my other hand. He momentarily got distracted by looking at me with concern. I used my special move but the bastard was still ready even as he was distracted. Okay, I am going to lose.

Think Rinette, think...yes! This is a huge risk but it just might work.

I turned and placed my leg on his groin, pressing my foot down to seduce him. 'Oh fuck,' he breathe. 'What are you...'

Winner!

'Yes!' I exclaimed.

'You cheated!' I didn't care. I stood up and did my victory booty dance. He watched me with a sneer. 'You seduced me.'

'I simply placed my foot on you to make my leg comfortable, I have no idea what you are talking about.' I said innocently, with nose pointed out stubbornly.

'I demand a rematch,'

'After successfully defeating you, not a chance,' I dropped the pad and sat again. 'Suck it up Ace, I defeated you. Now, where is your credit card? Or as I will call it now, my credit card.'

'No.'

'But I won,' I whined.

'But you cheated,' he whined back jestingly.

'That wasn't cheating,'

'Oh yeah? What would you call it then, fraud?'

'Wittiness, cleverness, sense.'

'You cheated,'

'I don't cheat,'

'And I don't have a credit card,' he said sarcastically, with an eye roll.

'Oh, you mean this credit card don't exist?' I asked smirkingly, waving the credit card I successfully stole from him while we were playing. His eyes widened.

'You little thief!'

'I've got it now. Since you said you don't have a card, then it now belongs t... Hey! Give it back!' I shouted, he snatched it back. I tried to take it but he stood up and turned it into a game of tantalization. 'I won your credit card fair and square!'

'Get your own credit card,'

'You are too stingy...'

'Stingy!' He squawked. 'Who have been buying you lunch for weeks? Who bought you that pretty talking plant of yours? Who bought you this...' He dragged my wrist and showed me the beautiful bracelet he bought for me. I blushed, remembering the day he sneaked into my room through the window.

It was raining cats and dogs, Elle wasn't home. I was so terrified I was crying. Then I heard a knock on my window, I almost passed out from fear but thank God it was him. He came into my room and gave me a beautiful bracelet like Elle's, only that it was diamond, star crystal and a very bright hot pink stone. He said he wanted me to feel safe, to remember that he would always be there for me whenever I needed him. That night I had cried in his arms over how sweet he was. He put me to bed and sat at my couch, assuring me that he wouldn't leave until I was fast asleep. I slept off knowing he was safe and nothing can hurt me.

That was nine days ago. Every night, the hot pink stone would glow and the pink light emanating from it would whirl around me, sealing me in a safe barrier. The star crystals would glow and lit up the room, the ceiling to be precise. It would be like staring at a sea of stars and having the feeling flow into your heart.

'Do you know where I travelled to, to get each stones? What I had to endure to get there? What I had to trade to get that special pink stone?' He asked clearly offended by my joke.

'Okay, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that. You know I was joking.'

'I'm upset over the fact that you think turning me on is a good thing for my health,' he snapped.

'Okay, can you calm down? You can keep the card,' I huffed irritably. Why was he making a big deal out of it. He probably saw that I was getting upset too so he smiled.

'You are too easy to mess with sunflower, chill,' he laughed. 'You can go shopping with my credit card, I don't have any use for it anyways. I'm sure you will find more joy spending my hard earn money.'

'Hard earn money my foot,' I scoffed. 'You didn't work for it, your rich parents probably sent you the money as always.' He dipped his hand into his other pocket and brought out another credit card, this one was pure gold.

'This is the credit card of my family, gold with our royal seal as you can see. I never use this one, my parents just keep pumping money into it, especially my mother who believes I can never have enough food.'

'Can you?' I smirked.

'Never! I love food, remember?'

'What do you do for a living?'

'I deliver goods for people and I am also a DJ, both in human side and here, especially here.'

'So, what's your cool name? Food devil?' I asked derisively.

'That was the first name I thought about but Elle hit my head with a frying pan thrice and called me an idiot.'

'Aren't you?'

'Ouch, I am a genius, a hot genius.' I rolled my eyes with a smile and swat his hand.

'Stage name,'

'DJ Blaze,' a gasp left my mouth as I grabbed his shoulders with shock. Back in school, all the girls were always talking about the young DJ who they could barely get their hands on, the mysterious fire blaze haired boy. I never bothered looking, I was a dork after all. Elle however stan for him, always blabbing about his hotness and how stupid he was. Now I think about it, she was always updated on all his performance and how he behaves.

'The same Blaze I spent so much time hearing girls shriek about?'

'Yes...? You know me?' I sat down again and shrugged. 'Elle?'

'Back in highschool and even in college, girls always talked about you, even guys. The best teen DJ with alluring beauty. Elle was the biggest fan, she would never stop talking about you. Now I know why she always knew your schedule, knew every single thing about you. I thought she was a crazy fan stalker like few girls. It was strange though, you were said to be so mysterious yet she knew everything about you. You must be the secret bestie she always shrieked about.'

'Yeah, she encouraged me to start it, she knew I was good at it. I started my DJ career at fourteen, after I left home to earn for myself.'

'So, you have been living in a van for nine years,' I said mockingly.

'Vans, I have been living in vans for nine years now.' He corrected.

'Tsk, vans?'

'Yes, I'm moving forward every year! From smaller vans to bigger ones, now I am living in a gigantic luxury van. Very soon, I will buy another one!'' He said with much enthusiasm, he was literally scintillating with pride.

'Buy another van, why not just buy a house? Don't tell me you can't afford it.'

'I like vans, I have enough money to buy this entire street but I love vans. Is it a bad thing to love living in vans?'

'And why do you like it?'

'Love,' he corrected. 'It makes sex better,' I frowned. 'You know in a car when you are pounding the life out of a girl, the car starts shaking, showing your power.'

'Ace, Ace, Ace,' I sighed. 'You are an idiot.'

'I am being honest,' he whined. 'Why don't everyone appreciate my honesty.' I giggled and nudged him with my elbow.

'I love your honesty, it's cool. So we are going card wasting?'

'Yes,' I twirled my hair around my finger shyly. 'I have been paid to DJ at a club for someone's special sweet sixteen, wanna come?'

'Where?'

'Human world, I was hoping fresh air would brighten your sour mood. You have been tensed all morning, what's up?'

'Just thinking,'

'You coming?'

'Won't people judge you for carrying a terrible bad luck like me?' I asked sadly.

'Pardon?'

'I do have a reputation for badluck and ugliness, w...'

'What did we discuss about your low self-esteem and insecurity? If you don't believe and have confident in yourself, who will?' He asked with a disapproving frown.

'Again, this is not a topic you can preach to me about, Elle have tried all our lives but still fail to get me to be confident. You can't blame me, all my life...'

'Have you ever looked at yourself in the mirror and question your beauty? Accept that you are undeniably gorgeous? The mirror never lies, have you?'

'How are you so sure? My reflection tells me I am ugly,'

'No matter how intense a beam is, a mirror always bounce it back it...'

'That is not...'

'A shapeshifting spell is strong but when the shifter stands in front of the mirror, their true identity always look them right back in the face.'

I sighed and slouched back in the chair. 'I don't understand where this useless motivation is heading to,' I sighed with an eye roll. He shrugged.

'Neither do I. You are coming with me and Liliane, full stop.'

'But...'

'The gods have spoken.' He concluded. And that was how I ended up in a club sitting with Liliane at a isolated corner. My hands were between my thighs and heart beating fast with fear.

Elle made sure I wore a velvet hot pink short with beryl stones laced up at the sides, a beryl camisole with white hem and white wedge sneakers which had beryl stones deigning the wedge and of course, a hot pink love sleeve jacket. I tied the jacket around my waist to had fanciness and make my legs look more sexier.

Liliane was like a glowing star, a bright one. She wore a glowing bluish white swing dress, white clogs and white gold princess necklace. She was glowing in the dark club, like a star. I really admired her nonchalance, her grace and elegance. With my very best composure, I was trying my best to pretend to be okay.

The party was going on well, teenagers dancing here and there while most admired Ann, whispering and murmuring. I tapped my foot and released my hands from the prison of my thighs and smoothened my French braid before returning my hands to it prison.

'Calm down,' Ann chuckled.

'They are busy admiring you...'

'Us,'

'Why would there admire me?'

'Why would they admire me?' She asked back. 'Calm down, Rinette, you are doing great.'

'I can see him and her, the two people who have spent their time making my life miserable are here. They are looking at me. The look on Manuwei's face says she recognizes me, she is going to come hurt me...'

'And you will stand up to her and put her in her place.' My heart sank into my stomach as she stood up with her girls, eyes still on me. Roy stood up too, both approaching us. Roy was trying to recognize me, I was scared as fuck. I couldn't breathe as my heart hammered against my chest, all my forgotten fears came rushing in. I shifted back in my chair, my feet itching for me to run for the hills but I was still too afraid to stand up and sprint.

Don't let them in, Marinette, breathe.

It was like I could hear Ace's voice in my head, whispering to me not to show fear and weakness. I looked over to where he was standing as he danced and did his DJ stuffs. He opened his eyes like he knew I was looking at him and smiled sweetly. Our eyes stayed lock, that spark flying between us again. Even when they came and started talking to Liliane, he never stopped looking at me. He winked at me and signalled that I faced my fear, and that I did.

'Marinette,' Manuwei snapped, swatting me in the face just as my attention was back to them. I sprang to my feet, and with the new fire Ace had passed to me, I backhanded her face. She staggered back, her eyes widening in shock.

'Don't ever hit me again you expired bitch, I am not that pushover you once knew.'

'How could you...'

'I don't have time to talk to trash, excuse me.' I picked up my bag and made to stomp away, knowing Ann could take care of herself. Roy dragged me back, he was the person I feared most and that was when my fear kicked back in.