Lindsay heard my outburst and turned to face me, sneering. Apparently she was under the impression she was just the most evil supreme being there was. I shook my head and walked over to the stereo, snatching the cord out of the wall. She stopped what she was doing and watched as I walked over to the closet and pulled out some old sheets, draping them over the furniture before turning to Ike. "Well, before Lindsay got out of hand, the walls were grass green and the furniture was yellow. You can still see a bit of it."

My hands were clenched and blood dripped out of my palms, spreading under and across the nails. It made me mad that she contradicted what I'd done with the living room and she knew it. I hated it when people did things like that. It wasn't enough to add onto what I'd done, she had to go ahead and completely do it over. It was the biggest insult I'd been given so far.

I tried to stay calm and not pay attention to anything but Ike's face for fear I would lash out against something. Now was not the most oppurtune time to do so.

"Oh my God! Tasha, what are you diong??!" He grabbed my hands and pulled them up from my sides, seperating my fingers from the tight clench. Blood now poured openly from the self inflicted wounds.

Taking my wrist gingerly, he pulled me towards the first bathroom he saw and started opening cabinets, searching for something. He gave out a triumphant cry and when he emerged his hand from inside the cabinet, a brown bottle of hydrogen pyroxide was in it. I flinched, knowing and dreading the burning bubbly sensation the pyroxide would provide.

I glanced down at the cuts, not ebing able to judge the depth because of the blood still pooled up in my hands.

I washed the cuts of my own accord under the faucet and then looked at my hands once the blood was gone. Yep, they were deep ones. I knew I shouldn't have had the damn artificial nails put on.

He took my small hands into his comparitively larger ones and poured the solution straight on there over the sink. I yelped in pain but he didn't relent, just kept pouring. I wanted to narrow my eyes at him, but tears were lapping at the edges and so I was afraid to even try. Finally he held the bottle back upright and recapped it.

"I don't know where your bandages are..." He looked at me expectantly.

"Second drawer on the bottom. In the blue tupperware box." I directed.

He nodded, following my instructions and retrieving a white roll that looked like cottony toilet paper. He wrapped it around my palms individually and then taped it with medical tape.

I sighed and looked down. This meant I wouldn't be able to write for a while if I didn't want to irritate the sores. I cursed under my breath before looking back up at Ike. Those warm brown eyes looked back down at me, caring and sensitive. I felt myself blushing and pulling away from being so close.

"Thanks." I spoke, walking back into the living room and looking at Lindsay sadly one more time before going out the door, Isaac following. How could my own best friend do that to me? She knew that I cared a great deal about my decoratings. She could have at least consulted with me aboutit but this was just obscene. And then she insulted my job. I thought she ws supposed to be supportive...

"Look, maybe I better go. THings are a bit awkward here and I feel out of place." Isaac looked at his watch as if to enhance his point.

I sighed, knowing that as soon as he left, Lindsay and I would have to talk about this. I wasn't ready for that. I was still in a horrible mood, but he was right. We did need to talk and I'm sure things must have been weird for him.

"Okay. Do you want me to drive you back to the coffee shop or would you rather call your brothers to come pick you up or something?"

"Umm...Can I just call them? I mean, I don't know where the phone is but I think it would be easier. Plus, you can't drive with those hands like that..."

"It's right over there, Hon." Lindsay pointed to the phone hanging on the wall in the kitchen, finally being remotely civil to the guest.

He nodded and excused himself to the kitchen, Leaving me to stand in an awkward silence in the middle of the living room that was halfway painted with the girl that would probably try and paint ME black.

There was a mumbling for a minute or so and then the click of the phone hanging up.

"Zac is on his way to pick me up. I..umm..well, it was nice seeing you again, Tasha. Lindsay, you too. I'm going to go wait out front so you girls can talk." He opened the front door and shut it behind him after Lindsay and I said our goodbyes.

"Well?" I looked over at Lindsay.

"Well what?"

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have painted the living room green and yellow like that. I didn't respect your opinion and I should have known better. I was just being stubborn. Forgive me?"

"No, it was my fault too. I shouldn't have painted it black like that. It just made me so mad that I specifically said not to do that and you did it anyway while I was on vacation."

"I'm sorry."

"I know. Me too. Truce?"

"Truce." I agreed.

"So what do you say we do with this room?" I asked.

"Sailor Moon wallpaper." She said after a while. "With a nice pink border."

"NOO!!!!!!!!"

Damnit. Back to square one.