"What are you doing? Arghh! Listening to you makes me want to pull out all my hair." This was the ninth time Eric Warnard A.k.a Stepmother was shouting at me.

"Why don't you then." I mumbled under my breath because as hard as I might try to restrain myself, his temper was getting on my last nerve.

"What did you say?" He frowned at me in abhor and I glared back, "Nothing my lord. How dare I?"

"I can see you are growing a backbone now Valdez, but don't get ahead of yourself. Remember pride goes before a fall." And there he goes with his stupid idioms again. Eric Warnard was the most infuriating foul tempered textbook geek I had ever met, and he was making my life miserable with his dim-witted idioms. He sounded like my grandpa sometimes.

"You're cursing me inside aren't you?" He raised his perfect eyebrows at me and I contorted my lips into an awkward, toothy smile, but my cheeks were not so compromising. He really did learn to read me like a book in just a week. That didn't make me feel good about myself though.

"Anyway, that is not what's important right now. How are you going to cure me is the big question." I kind of pointed him out to the big picture.

"Well I can always send you off to the mental asylum." Eric shrugged back. Within this past week in which I survived with Eric Warnard, I had learnt one thing, he was unbelievable sarcastic in a scary way. And mad. Like bonkers mad. And irritating as hell when he was mad. So I strived to not make him mad as much as possible.

"Right!" I said in a flat tone, my face dead-panned. Any of my snide comebacks would piss him off and his harassings wouldn't stop for God knows how long. "Back to the crucial topic. What are we gonna do about my phobia?"

"Well what are you gonna do about it?" He shrugged back.

"What!"

"I mean I already tried all the ways I could think of. But still you refuse to yield. Now all that's left is your personal effort. Remember I can't force feed you what you don't wanna eat." He chirped in an annoyingly cheery voice.

"Okay, so you are saying that this... is my fault!" I narrowed my eyes at him dangerously, but he didn't seem to give a damn. "Well yeah. Who else's fault would it be?"

Now I was clenching my teeth and trying very very hard not to hit him. I mean all he ever did was hide in his closet and yell profanities at me. How was that helpful! That closet freak!

"You better take that back." I glared into the guy's skull.

"And what are you gonna do if I don't." He challenged, his gaze mocking. Yeah! What could I do. Maybe crack his nuts? No no. The consequences will be too dire if I did that. I was not ready to face his retribution.

"How could you even say that? You were the one who wanted to cure my phobia and now you are telling me that all of your unproductive efforts were my fault! Do you know how abnormal you sound?" I was barely holding myself back. I wanted to hit him, hard; in the face with my chair.

"It's not my fault that you thought I was normal. You had plenty of time and enough clues to figure that shit out." He shrugged yet again. Can I hit him now? Please let me hit him just once. My ears were dying to hear the cracking sound of his skull. "Yeah yeah I know you wanna hit me. But please refrain, you know I wouldn't be so handsome if I loose any of my beautiful teeth." He smirked while I gawked at him, open-mouthed like a carp out of water. Holy molly! This guy was a mind reader.

~•••••••••••~

Nothing productive came out of squabbling around with Eric Warnard. He was a jerk through and though and his growing irritation was getting out of hand as the days passed. I desperately wanted a breather out of all of this mess. But that seemed practically impossible with Eric sticking to me like glue 24/7. And I'm not exaggerating here, he was basically attached to me from the moment I left my dorm to the moment I went back my dorm, like an octopus on steroids. If it were up to him he would even move in with me.

"Seriously, can't I even take a leak now without worrying about you being there to jumpscare me?" I huffed out a sigh when I found him outside the girls' washroom, leaning on the wall like the damn structure belonged to him. Basically it did, but that didn't give him the right to linger outside of the girls' washroom like a perverted ghost.

"Well in my defense, I'm just looking out for you." He blabbed in nonchalance and I glowered at him.

"Looking out for me? How! By loitering around the girls' washroom like a damn pervert?"

"Hey! Watch what you say Phina. I'm not a pervert." He grumbled in retort.

"Of course My Lord. I didn't mean you were one but your actions sure seem to speak otherwise. And could you please not act so friendly with me? It's unnerving." I stated in a grating tone.

"Why is that? I was so sure that in the span of these two weeks we'd spent together we definitely grew closer. Don't you feel the same 'Phina'?" He didn't fail to emphasize the word 'Phina' as he spoke and I didn't fail to notice his sarcastic tone either. He was really pissing me off.

I whirled around on my heels to look him sharp in the eye, "You know what, let's not do this. I can't do this with you anymore. You only need me for composing your music right? Then you should only come to find me when you really need me. Why the hell do you keep sticking on to me day in and day out and make this hard both for me and you?" I finally snapped.

My grouchiness got him into a serious stance and he glared right back at me, "Well, if you weren't so battered and dented with phobias and scars, it wouldn't have been so hard for the both of us and I for one wouldn't have to be stuck with the likes of you day in and day out."

His vile retaliation snapped that last ounce of patience I had it in me and I lost it. I really did. Because I was not the violent kind. I swear I'm not, but without realization my body moved on it's own and I connected my hand with his cheek and the hallway went silent. The slap had been an open-handed smack and was as loud as a clap; moreover it had left a red welt behind.

I was not proud of what I did, but his words cut deep, like he was pocking at an old wound with a pointy knife. He had me show him my most vulnerable scars and even if I didn't want to admit it, I'm convinced I might've wanted to confide in him when he said he would help me, heal me. But now, all of a sudden when he mocked me for having those scars, I guess I couldn't just sit back and take it. At this point, every scrap of me was trying not to shed those angry tears that were welling up on the rims of my eyes.

A few minutes passed by and everyone just stood there in silence looking at me as if I did something wrong... They started to whisper in each other's ears... Oh damn, I was center of attention now. I looked at Eric who looked like he was ready to murder someone. For a moment, I thought he was going to hit me back, "Don't touch me again," he said walking past me, almost making me trip.

~•••••••••••~

I am not guilty as charged. I am so not. It was his fault. All of it was his fault. But what if I get expelled for hitting him? What am I gonna do then? Words along the line of guilt and fear kept popping up in my head since that blasted day and it has been two whole days since then. Eric was nowhere to be seen during this entire two day span and that was saying a lot since he loved the idea of huddling in together as much as possible. He must be really angry this time around. But it wasn't my fault this time and I refused to apologize for something he deserved since a long time ago. It doesn't concern me if I hurt his feelings; he had been hurting mine since way back. Yes, letting my conscience rest in peace I decided to go back to my mundane high school life and not bother about Eric Warnard until further notice. Might as well be prepared to be kicked out. But I didn't realize that not just Eric Warnard but the Veronans as well held a grudge against me now. I really failed to see all the affection the Veronans shower him with.

I was copying notes for Lena in the library when Chieftain Mean Girl sauntered in with her minions and screeched in her preppy egocentric pre-Madonna musician singer voice, "Is Saraphina Valdez here?" Oh Great. What does she need now? "I need to speak with Saraphina Valdez, can anyone tell me where I can find her?" The librarian who was in charge went up to Donna Perkins to shut her up for good, "Excuse me Miss Perkins, this is a library and we practice silence here. If you are not familiar with it you are free to leave any time." Donna Perkins almost made a sour face but didn't let her spirits get dampen.

"Of course Mrs. Collins, I am sorry for causing such uproar here but you know I wouldn't cause a ruckus if it wasn't essential. I need to talk to Saraphina Valdez, it's important." Her tone was saccharine, almost convincing.

The librarian, Mrs. Collins gave her a pointed look and then turned around to scrutinize the room for a said Saraphina Valdez. There was no way for me to escape now. Damn.

"Alright alright, you got me. I'm here." I got up of my seat and walked to the librarian and preppy Donna Perkins dreading all the melodrama that came complimentary with her.

"Ah! There you are Saraphina. I am sorry for the inconvenience but could you step out with me for a minute?" She spoke in a sweet voice, like cupcakes sprinkled with poison. But no one could mistake the utter rage in her eyes. I could tell I was in for trouble but it's not like I could avoid it forever. Might as well be done with it as soon as possible.

I walked out of the library with her and her cronies as they took me to a secluded expanse of Verona High. And then her true colors came out. She turned around on her heels to look at me, wait! Scratch that. To glare at me openly and spat, "You! I do not know what you think of yourself but you better not get ahead of yourself. Every day you would stick onto Eric like a leech and when things didn't go your way you resort to violence with him! Don't you have any dignity? How pathetic can you possibly be?"

Rumors are carried by haters. Spread by fools, and accepted by idiots. Now I did not know which version was Donna Perkins but whatever! She was just pissing me off at this point. "Listen Donna, I don't know what you heard but if you have been watching us, anyone with eyes can tell that it was not me but Eric Warnard sticking to me like a leech. And yes I did hit him, just because he was being the prick that he was and he very well deserved it. I don't want any trouble with you because of that."

"Oh yeah? Well guess was little Miss innocent, we do have a problem." She bared her teeth at me in malice. I don't know how I missed that little crush she had on Eric right there but no way was she going easy on me now. "You dared to resort to violence in Verona High and that shall not go overlooked by us. If you don't want to have any more problems with the populace of Verona High you better stay as far away from Eric as possible." Yeah. I would like that as well. But I refrained from saying out anything more. Trying to explain things to a lovesick bitch was as good as trying to explain gravity to a cow.

I was let off with just warnings while I was dreading something much worse considering my bad luck and such. But in no way was I complaining.

I retired for the night early after such an eventful day but thoughts and events from the day didn't stop replaying in my head and were demanding analysis before I could be allowed to sleep. And then at last when the carousel came to a stop and my mind was able to meander freely in the random thoughts I finally felt drowsy enough to fall into a turbulent sleep.

But Eric Warnard was like a piece of chewing gum stuck to your hair; obsessive and sticky. Again Eric's angelic face came into view, only this time it was not adorned with his faked smile that made him appear all too arrogant, like any Casanova. He somehow looked older, lonelier and his shoulders were slumped and eyes casted down in a mournful gaze. His hands hung limp by his side and his eyes were red and staring before him; his face wet with tears. He looked like the saddest soul alive, like there was nothing more for him to live for. A glass figurine, perfect to the eye, fragile underneath.

He looked straight into my eyes and for a split second I felt his pain piercing right through me. The grief was raw, like a never ending death. Then, before I could comprehend what was happening he jumped. He just let everything go and fell over. I ran to him, my futile attempt to try and reach him but he was too far gone. I saw his limp body at the foot of the hill, bathed in his own blood and something broke in me. Horror spread through my veins and my blood ran cold. The nausea swirled unrestrained in my empty stomach, whereas my heart felt as if my blood had become tar as it struggled to keep a steady beat. It was as if I had died in his stead and I let out a strangled scream as I couldn't well contain my emotions.

"Well, how does it feel? Does it hurt?"

"Tell us if it hurts."

"Tell us how much it hurts?"

"You are the chosen. We know you can hear us."

As I watched Eric's lifeless body from atop the hill I heard things hiss malevolence in my ears. They were vile and definitely evil, and they seemed to hold a grudge against me. I couldn't see them but their words were crammed with wickedness. And they made me sick.

I woke up to cold hands pressing against my cheeks and a scream that tore through me like a great shard of glass. I felt my eyes widen with shock, my heart thudding like a rock rattling in a box. The scream came again, desperate, terrified... human and made my hair strand stand straight up on the back of my neck. And then there was this smell. It was of something that smelled like rat poop and death and it was wrapping my room in a uncanny whiff.

I didn't notice that I was hyperventilating until a soothing voice spoke in my ears 'It's okay. It's okay. I'm here. I'm right here.' It whispered as a warm comforting hand rubbed my back in a calming fashion.

My eyes slowly refocused and right before me was Eric Warnard, in my room in the middle of the night and consoling me with the kindest eyes I had ever seen him wear.

I must still be dreaming.

TO BE CONTINUED...