5

I woke up the next morning feeling incredibly sore. I didn't even want to get out of bed but when I checked the time, it was already 12pm and considering I was in someone else's house, it would be rude to continue to sleep in.

If I was back in my motel room, I would sleep in until at least 5pm.

I went to the bathroom, fixed up my hair a bit and then tried to find my way around the house, going downstairs. I made it into the kitchen where I found Dean eating waffles.

"Hey there, Elettra," he grinned when he saw me standing there. "Breakfast?"

"You live here alone?" I asked, peering around the house and ignoring his question. He already told me he had the place to himself but it surprised me a little. It was a decent house, larger than average sized.

He rolled his eyes at the fact that I ignored his question but grinned nevertheless. He nodded his head, "Yes, I do. My father dipped out on me quite awhile ago with his second wife but he still pays for the place so I'm not complaining."

I wanted to narrow my eyes down at him and ask why he was willingly telling me all of this but instead of picking another fight with him, I continued looking around his house. I walked towards his fridge where there were a few photographs put up.

"What about your mom?" I asked. I was looking at a picture of a man who looked like an older version of Dean, a little boy who I could tell was a younger Dean from the eyes, and a beautiful lady who had bright blue eyes like Dean's.

Dean cleared his throat, "She passed away when I was 12. It was a shooting."

I winced at the thought, "She must be in a better place." I stated simply, still looking at the picture. "Then again, any place is better than this shitty residence we all call Earth." I turned to look at Dean who was slowly chewing but his eyes were fixated on me.

I raised my eyebrows and gave him a questioning look. "What?"

"You're.... well, you're the first person that didn't say 'I'm sorry' when I told you about my mom." He smiled lightly.

"People think that saying sorry is a magic eraser but truth is, it won't change anything or even mean anything considering I didn't know your mom... or even you." I said flatly. I paused, licking my lips and then I cleared my throat, "I should go."

"Do you need a ride?"

"And let you know my location?" I scoffed. "No, thank you."

And then I left, leaving Dean with a small grin tugging on his lips.

-

"Elettra, they are going to kill you." Eddie, my best friend since forever said through the phone with a worried tone.

I laughed, "No, they won't. They won't find me."

I had to admit, I was a little worried. I knew what lengths Derrick would go to and I knew he could find me but at this point, I had no reason to stress. If I was going to die, I would.

Like I said, everyone in a life the same as mine knows that this was the way we'd go out. I was lucky I got saved last night but it wasn't the first time I was facing death, it would definitely not be the last time either.

"Yes, they will!" Eddie exclaimed. "If they don't kill you, they'll kill that boy of yours."

"Dean?" I scoffed. "No, they won't." They might but I think Dean would be able to help himself. He could probably face Derrick and his whole crew and beat them all on his own.

"Elettra, who are you trying to convince?" Eddie sighed. "You know them, they don't hesitate with things like this. Taking your life, or some random guy's, is not going to make a difference to them."

"They won't touch him."

"How are you so sure?"

"Because I will rip their guts out if they do." I said quietly because I was walking through a convenient store picking up some things.

"Elettra... are you gaining feelings?" Eddie dramatically gasped. His tone changed to intrigued.

I rolled my eyes, "No, but he saved my life so I owe him. That means I'm not going to let my ex-everything kill him."

"Fine," Eddie sighed again. "All I'm saying is that they will kill you or pull some stupid shit, trust me on that one. El, we know them so I suggest you don't doubt them."

I picked up a pack of m&m's and debated if I wanted them. "So, what do you want me to do?" I asked as I shoved the candy into my bag before bringing the rest of the stuff to counter to pay. It was too much to steal all of it, okay?

"Skip towns soon. And talk to this Dean guy, warn him."

"Warn him?" I laughed, the cashier ringing up my items, "You're kidding."

Eddie groaned, "No, El, I'm not. You said he's dealt with this stuff before, so warn him that these guys will be back. If not now, then eventually."

I rolled my eyes, pulling out some random debit card and handing it to the cashier. "Fine, I will... if I run into him again."

Eddie chuckled, "Well then you better hope you do because if not, his death will be on you."

I narrowed my eyes though he couldn't see me, "That is not funny." The cashier handed back the card and started bagging the items.

"I'm not joking."

-

"Would you like anything else today, dear?" The old man at the diner, Ben asked me. "We have some nice specials going on today."

I smiled at the man and shook my head, "No, I'm okay. Thank you though." He walked off, nodding lightly.

I looked around the diner again, today it wasn't so packed.

A group of teens, different from the ones from the other night, sat in a booth. A blonde girl and a brunette were laughing, showing each other something on their phones. Three guys sat with them, all talking about something that I couldn't hear.

They had way too much food in front of them, more than they needed but they didn't care about waste. The blonde laughed a loud laugh making me want to stab my ears. Jesus, other people were here, it's a public place.

I looked away, uninterested in what they were doing.

I looked over to a family of four sitting and laughing when someone walked in, catching my attention. Shit, I didn't actually want to run into him again.

I looked back straight ahead at the wall in front of me, where I sat in the same spot as before at the counter on a bar stool, avoiding accidentally making eye contact with him.

"Elettra." Shit. "You think I wouldn't walk in and notice the new hooded girl in town? This is a very small town, you know."

I sighed and looked up to meet eyes with Dean. "Sit."

Dean smirked and sat down, "Someone is actually willing to be in my presence today."

I glared at him, "We need to talk."

"Are you breaking up with me already, Elettra?" His eyes sparkled with amusement.

I gave him a flat look, "Do you think I'm in the mood for playing leapfrog with cows?"

He gave me a confused look.

"Because that is what talking with you is like." I continued to glare at him.

"You are a very grave person." He noted, still looking entertained.

"Listen, those guys from last night, they're not people you want to mess with, trust me they-"

"Are you worried that they'll do something to me?" He quirked an eyebrow, his eyes lit up with glee. I didn't like how entertained he was whenever he spoke to me.

I sighed, "No, but this is my way of warning you so I know I've done my part. All I'm saying is they won't hesitate to kill you and they will come after you eventually."

"I have dealt with guys worse than them," He told me forwardly. "I can handle it."

I swallowed. I did not have a good feeling about how things would go if Derrick and his guys did come back. They were cruel and enjoyed other people's anguish and misery.

"Fine. Don't say I didn't warn you."

He looked at me for a few seconds before replying, "What about you? What if they come back for you, not me?"

"It's either one of us or both of us. I'll handle myself too." I shrugged, not thinking much about it. I guess I wasn't too panicked about it because I still didn't have much reason to live. I'm not a suicidal person nor am I trying to kill myself, it's simply just that I am not afraid of the concept of dying. If I die, I die. If I wake up tomorrow morning, I'll go on with my day. It's basically that life and living really doesn't matter or make a difference to me.

"Elettra, you okay there?"

I blinked a few times, realizing I zoned out completely.

"I'll be fine. I just wanted to make sure you knew that they will come back. In 5 days or 5 years, I don't know but they will." I concluded.

"Multiple guys against one girl. Doesn't seem like you'll be able to handle it very well." He paid no attention to what I said previously but instead was more worried about what I was going to do if Derrick did find me.

Not knowing what to say, I gave him a flat look, "I have lived the last 19 years of my life taking care of myself, don't worry about me."

He looked at me as if he were analyzing me and then sighed, "Okay. If you need something you know where to find me." And then for the first time, he was the one to get up and leave.