"Weak"

A/N: Just a small explanation. Since the two switched, they basically became the new person, of which the body they possess. I think it's obvious, but it can be confusing. They'll keep the same personality, but their names switched. So, Adrian is now Kat and Kat is now Adrian. Just in case anyone was confused. Also, there maybe strong language or triggers to some. Be aware.

"So," Ivy smiles,"Do you mind if I come over?"

The day flew by quickly. The only truly interesting part was first period. It seems like the girl besides me is interested. But, I'm not honestly not sure what to do. I have this leech hanging on, and even as "Adrian", I never really had a normal life. It was always about the boys and making sure we did what was necessary to protect our loved ones among others. People just don't see it that way, but they assume our "targets" are innocent.

"Hmm," I hum thoughtfully,"Not today, I have too much homework."

My, well now, last period is right by hers. So, of course she found me and decided to follow me. How wonderful. She doesn't say anything as I look at her. In fact, she looks...almost angry. Did I say something wrong? Or, does she just not enjoy hearing the word no?

"I'm sorry," I feign an innocent look as I analyze her behavior.

Just as I thought, she pats my head and laughs. But, her eyes are hollow and dark. She doesn't care. She just wants to mess around, but why not just say that? Why play games? We walk in silence until I see Adrian with Ivan and Trevor. They're just messing around in the hallway, having fun. I want to talk to them, I do miss my previous best friends. The violence and relentless search for these targets just became too much. Violence isn't the answer, but what we found about those people...they were never going to learn otherwise. I just wish it didn't have to be that way.

"Hey, look, it's your girl," I hear Ivan tease.

"Yeah, and she's with a friend," Trevor laughs.

They don't see past her eyes yet, I see. They don't notice how dead she looks, but maybe I can help them? I almost want to laugh at how easily they'll see her true self.

"Hey, Adrian!" I call over.

They all look over at me and then grin at him. He becomes flustered, but walks over.

"What's up?"

He glances at Ivy, but doesn't address her.

I laugh,"Why don't you bring your friends over? Ivan and...Trevor?"

"Are you sure?"

He gives me a concerned look, but I smile.

"Of course, I'd be happy to meet them."

As he walks back over, I hear their conversation.

"Meet your girl? It's about damn time, dude!"

"Yeah, what took you so long?"

They all walk over and from an outsider's perspective, I understand more why they are feared. It still feels weird not being one of them, but it feels better knowing I don't have to hear people talk about me, anymore. Like I said, I understand that violence isn't the asnwer, but people don't look into things enough. They just accept it at face value. Sadly, not everything is as it seems.

I smile at them,"I'm Kat and this is Ivy."

They smile at me,"Nice to finally meet you. He won't shut up about you."

Ivan elbows Adrian and they laugh genuinely. As much I miss them, it's nice to see them this way. I notice that Adrian side eyes Ivy, and she glares at all three of them. She's just giving herself away, why? Ivan and Trevor stop laughing, catching onto the situation.

"Oh, right," Ivan smiles as he turns to Ivy,"What's your name?"

Ivan's tone has an edge, he sees something is wrong. Ivy doesn't say anything, just stares at Ivan with a blank gaze. I notice Trevor eyeing Ivy quietly as Adrian saves the conversation.

"Oh, right. That's Ivy, right? You told me about her this morning."

I give him a look and study his face. He looks concerned, as if she's dangerous.

"Yeah," I nod, smiling,"This is Ivy. I didn't think you'd remember."

I look over from the corner of my eye and notice ivy smirking at Adrian, not even hiding it. What is she doing?

"Right," Trevor grins,"Nice to meet you, Ivy. We should go, though. You two have fun."

"See you tomorrow?" Adrian smiles shyly.

I nod, watching as Ivan eyes Ivy while they walk away. They know something's off.

"Nice friends you have," She laughs.

"They're good guys, they just seem intimidating is all," I laugh.

"Are you...into any of them?"

"No," I smile,"Adrian's just a friend."

She doesn't say anything at first, but looks ahead as we walk. She suddenly stops and something doesn't feel right.

"What's wrong?" I ask as I walk backwards to maintain space.

Again, she doesn't say anything. Something doesn't feel right at all, and my instincts are screaming at me to run. But, if I run, this game is over and she'll have won, right? I swallow the bad feeling and walk towards her, giving a worried look.

"Are you okay?"

I gently hold her face. She looks down at me and just stares. Something seems to change within her eyes, but they still look dead. I think I know where this is headed and I know it's not going to be pleasant.

"Ivy?"

She pushes me against the wall, leaning over me as she snakes her head to my neck. She still doesn't say anything, just presses me against the wall and licks my neck. I feel myself freeze, knowing this body is weaker than the previous one. But, I've been through worse than this and her mind games won't work on me. I won't let this bother me. I relax my body and respond in a way that won't set her off. She's getting what she wants, right? She won't know that it's not working. This goes on for a few minutes before she bites my ear and whispers,"I don't want them around you. You're mine."

I breathe and shiver, which only encourages her. She bites my neck and slips a hand under my shirt.

"I'm the only one you need...okay?"

Her voice is low and almost sounds dangerous. This doesn't feel right. She's doing this to get under my skin, to control me. It doesn't matter if I enjoy this, but if I do, she has control. On the other hand, if she breaks me, that's better for her. I'll be a puppet under her control. She'll be able to do what she wants to me and when she wants to. Her actions start to become more serious, more intense as if she's losing control of herself. So, I gently push her away, trying to play this correctly,"O-okay, I'll stay away. You don't have to tease me like that, though."

I smile at her and she hugs me,"Mine."

I grit my teeth and hug her back. I feel disgusted.

"I should get home," I kiss her cheek, pulling away.

She kisses me and holds me for a moment, before we part ways. Once she's out of sight, I make a run for it. That was something else. I've dealt with a lot, but her game is something else. I'm not wrong, she is manipulative. But, she pushes the boundaries. As I run, I notice Adrian and the boys talking quietly about something. Ivan smiles at me as I'm about to pass, but stops. His smile falls and he stands in front of me.

I know he's reading my body language, he knows I'm uncomfortable.

"Hey, you alright?"

He looks at my face seriously before looking at my neck.

"Are you?"

Adrian interjects, seeming to understand the situation,"Uh, about Kat...she's into other girls."

"Oh," Ivan smiles apologetically, but his eyes tell me he's worried,"Sorry. Was that...Ivana girl your girlfriend?"

"No," I smile,"Not yet. Sorry for the misunderstanding."

Trevor remains unusually quiet, but they play off the situation. We would do this to not set anyone off, and they don't know it's me in here and someone else in that body. I don't think they'd even believe me if I did tell them.

"Hey, Kat?" Adrian says as I'm about to walk away,"Would you like to hangout sometime?"

His eyes are pleading and I honestly almost forget that the soul within his body was once in this situation. Except, maybe he loved Ivy. He knows how damaging this life is and is honestly offering help.

"Yeah," I drop the act, looking around,"I'll text you later. Thank you."

I run off, I have to play this carefully. Ivy isn't stupid, nor is she in the right mind. I mean, why play mind games? Why not just be honest and admit what you want? What's the point of any of this, control me and do what she wants? I shake my head and feel my phone vibrate in my pocket. The message isn't from Ivy, but from the being.

"Be careful, kid. Like I said before, I know you're strong, but that body isn't. Play this safe, I know you're smart."

I don't respond, but sigh in relief. I notice the bus still waiting and walk onto it quickly. I find a seat and quickly send Adrian a message and save the number as "Chris", deleting Chris's actual contact. It's not like I'll even use her number at all, she's not a friend. Neither her nor her boyfriend are people I care to have around. I look through the phone as the drive home continues, making sure that I don't miss my stop. I don't have many contacts, not even "Mother's." Is the dad even around? He wasn't there this morning. As I look through the phone, I find that I have a social media profile, as well. I pick up on mocking laughter and look up from my phone to notice a girl looking at me and then giggling to her friends. They're sitting directly in front of me, they're being loud on purpose. I continue to look through my phone, ignoring them. I have too much on my mind to care for petty games.

"Hey, Kat," I hear a girl chide.

"Yes?" I ask impatiently.

"No need to sound so annoyed," I can hear her pout,"I see there's a hickey on your neck. You get some finally?"

Her and her friends giggle, but stop when I look at them with a serious look.

"Yeah, when are you going to?" I speak with no emotion.

I stare at her expressionless and everyone becomes quiet. I look back at my contacts, finding a list of blocked numbers. One is Ivy's. Something had to have happened before the switch. Seeing Ivy's behavior, I'm not surprised. Just as I unblock the number, I notice it's my stop.

"Damn," I mutter and stand up, putting my phone away.

The same girl laughs,"Too busy texting your boy toy?"

"My girlfriend, actually. Thanks for asking," I glance at her and walk out of the bus. I look around and notice my house is really close by. I don't know what this lady will have to say when I walk in, but I suppose I'll find out. As I reach the door, I hear yelling from inside the house.

"Get out of my house, you ungrateful swine! I tried to help you see the truth, but you were always smiling as if everything was fine! You were too naive, too hopeful! Why couldn't you just help me?"

From what I can tell, the lady sounds as if she's crying. Drunk, probably and of course in the kitchen. I sigh and dial "Chris's" number.

"Hey, can you and the boys pick me up?"

"What's happened?"

"The lady is crying, and probably drunk. I've been through enough situations to know those aren't good combinations."

"Alright, should I ask about you coming here?"

"Yeah, she'll understand. You can tell her."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'll wait by the side of the house. I have something to talk to you about, anyway."

"Okay, we'll be there soon."

I sigh in relief and sit by the side of the house. I can still hear the lady yelling, but go back to looking through my phone. I read through the messages between Ivy and the previous Kat. Both texts and social media messages. They almost hurt to read. All Ivy has been doing is playing mind games or trying to control Kat. She broke that person, but that doesn't explain how, now, he functions around the boys. It's almost as if a flip is switched and he's someone new. Or, maybe he's surviving. I can understand that. As I'm looking, I feel a car pull up in front of me. Ivan nods at Trevor and they exit the vehicle, heading towards the door. I quickly enter the vehicle and notice that Adrian isn't here. I walk over to the boys cautiously.

"What are you guys doing?"

They look at each other,"Adrian said something was going on, so we just want to make sure you're safe."

I know what they mean, and I grab Ivan's arm.

"No, it's fine. I'll deal with it tomorrow, I just need to get away for a day. Where is Adrian?"

"He's at home."

They look me over and then back to the door before looking at each other.

"We'll leave it for now, but if you need anything, we're here."

Ivan gives me a pleading look before switching back to his usual composure,"Come on, get in. Hanna said you can stay the night there, Adrian explained what's going on."

I nod, and sigh in relief.

"I know you don't know us. I don't even know how you know Adrian and aren't terrified of him, with the rumors and whatnot. But, we want to help. That's what we do."

"Just not legally,"Trevor mutters.

"Hey, she doesn't need to know that. She isn't involved in this."

Ivan frowns, watching the road.

I smile,"It's alright, really. I know you three don't really know me, but I appreciate what you do. I just have some things to work out before I do anything."

They nod and the drive becomes quiet. Not an uncomfortable silence, but a serious one. We all understand how serious this situation is, but the lady yelling makes me wonder. What did happen to the father? Did he run off? I mean, I'd have taken the kids and ran from a bitch like that. But, something about what she said feels wrong. Just who was she talking about?