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Dedication: Love2Read16 for the awesome covers on the side. Thank you! They turned out awesome. :-)

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The bass thundered underneath my feet as I was perched on the ground, my back resting against the wall. Yes, there was another party, but it was exactly like the usual. It was more just of a hangout, because we have classes in the morning.

There was music, vibrating the entire room (which had me wondering why guards didn't come in and bust down the place) and some other things going down. I wasn't bothering to drink or anything tonight.

I think it's safe to say, I could use the break from it.

Plus, I was still recovering from my ugly injuries. My face swelling had gone down completely, but the bruises hadn't yet faded. Unfortunately. You could hardly see them when I had make-up on, but if you studied close enough, they were still visible. I clambered to my feet and stretched, feeling my back crack. I shook my hair out of my face, so that it cascaded in ringlets down my back. I walked over to the tap in the bathroom and filled my hands up with water, before slurping it up. The smooth water ran down my throat and I licked my lips, honing in for more. I felt so dehydrated, even though I had hardly been doing anything.

"Well, that's a creative way of staying sober." Colin said from behind me, causing me to jolt forward and smack my head against the mirror. I let out a groan, turning off the tap. His laughter floated around the room and I scrunched up my face, raising my hand to my forehead.

Just because I needed more bruises on my face.

"Thanks." I said sarcastically, glowering at the mirror, so that it reflected back to him. He gave me a charming smile in return.

"Welcome," he said, still chuckling.

I rubbed my forehead, frowning. I turned on my heel and faced him. I swallowed, letting my eyes dip and take him in.

He stood there, a black T-shirt stretched across his defined chest and broad shoulders. He had on loose fitting jeans that hung low on his hips, revealing his V line, which almost had me drooling. He had a cigarette dangling from his mouth and his dark hair, flicked across his forehead. His jaw was perfectly straight and chiseled, which I found so attractive. He has slight stubble, making it evident that he probably hasn't shaved the last couple mornings. I personally don't find beards attractive, but this slight, dishevelled look, really suited him. Making him just that bit more alluring, if even possible. His eyes... don't even get me started on them. They were like bright, blue helicopter beams that could light up an entire city. They were entrancing.

I then realised, I had been gawking for the last few moments and drool was actually probably escaping from my mouth. I quickly snapped my mouth shut and rested back on the sink, folding my arms across my chest. I confidently looked him in the eyes, trying to casually act as though I hadn't spent the last few minutes of my life, captivated by him. I ignored his ignorant smirk and tried to look at him emotionlessly, wiping all vulnerability from me.

"Smoke often?" I forced out, running my tongue across my teeth, annoyed at myself. I don't want him to realise how much he was affecting me.

He shrugged, the smirk on his face indicating he definitely knew. "Often enough."

I nodded, jerking my shoulder up in response in attempt to seem nonchalant. "So, you're hanging out in the bathroom, because...?"

He shrugged. "I don't want to socialise."

"Oh." I said, waving off a waft of smoke that floated towards my direction. He quickly turned slightly from him, preventing further smoke to follow. I raised an eyebrow at his gesture. That seemed... un-Colin like. "I'll go then."

"No," he said, his eyes flickering to mine. "Stay."

My eyebrows must have been up in my hair line by now. To say I was shocked, would be the least. Colin... Colin Denver, wanted me to hang out with him? What was the world coming to? And I wanted to? I just nodded, not having any words to say as my mind was stuck, replying his word "stay".

He took his last puff of his smoke, before dropping it to the ground. He stamped on it and much to my utter shock, picked it up and flicked it into the bin. My mouth was physically hanging open. Okay, Colin was getting more and more strange by the second.

He quirked an eyebrow at me. "What's that look for?"

"I-Er-" Oh God, I was stuttering. "You're just... different than usual tonight."

His neutral face, that I had hardly even realised was there, became slightly more stony, as if saying that was offensive to him or something. I immediately regretted my words. He had been actually opening up to me slightly, and then I went ahead a ruined it with my big mouth.

"I like it." I blurted, to both of our astonishment.

Kill. Me. Now.

An awkward silence lapsed between us and I wanted to bury myself into a sand box, labelled 'shame'. Why, why, why was it my main mission to make an idiot of myself in front of him? Since when did I go awkward and weird in front of a guy? I was usually the complete opposite.

He slowly walked over to me, a serious expression lining his face. I stood up straighter, the closer he got. I gulped as when he stopped mere inches from me. I sucked in a breath of surprise at our proximity. He inched forward again and my heart stuttered to a stop.

He wasn't...

The door banged open loudly and we sprang apart like a bucket of ice, cold water had been splashed onto us. I jerked my body from him and glanced up. I met Johnny's eyes. Instead of the warm, familiar smile I always got, it was replaced with a cold, hard look.

"Oh." was all he said, his voice monotone and bland, causing me to wince slightly. "It all makes sense now."

"What does?" I questioned, standing upright.

"Why you don't like me. You're with him, right?"

I glanced over at Colin and we exchanged a surprised look. "No?"

"Looks like it." he said.

With that, he turned and strode from the bathroom. I felt guilt stab me in my abdomen. I made it so clear to him that I wasn't ready to date or be emotionally tied down with anyone, and here I am, almost kissing Colin.

I looked up at him. He was studying me with slightly narrowed eyes. Without a word, he turned and left. I swallowed a lump, that had seemingly lodged itself inside my throat. I slowly turned and lent on the sink heavily. I stared at my reflection and sighed.

So much, for not getting involved with boys this year.

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So last night had kind of been intense. I didn't tell Imogen about it, but my mind was consumed with it. I wanted, so badly, to know what Colin's lips felt like on mine. I hadn't even realised how much I had wanted that kiss to happen until it didn't.

I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. I can't like Colin. That would just be... weird. We argue ridiculously. I can't stand him most of the time, so how could I possibly like him in anyway? I usually want to kill him. It's impossible... right?

Maybe it's just my hormones betraying me.

I glanced up in time to stop myself from running into the back of someone. I stepped back, blinking a couple of times. The person turned around in surprise and I met his dark eyes. They flashed with hurt and anger, before he scowled at me.

Johnny.

"I-" I went to start, but he just shook his head at me.

He turned and entered the classroom, without a word. I nodded, more to myself than anything. I could understand his anger right now. I shrugged it off and walked in after him. If he didn't want to talk to me, that was fine. Wasn't it only a couple of days ago, that I was begging him not to in the first place? I let my eyes roam over the classroom and wasn't surprised that Colin wasn't yet in his seat. I collapsed down and grabbed a pen, running my fingers over my forehead. A head ache was beginning to form again, much to my displeasure.

The lesson started and I felt my eyes wander to his seat. Where was he? Why did I even care? I snapped my eyes to the front, cutting all thoughts about him in half. I didn't want to be thinking about him. The door swung open at that precise moment and he strolled in. He grunted to Mr. Johnston. I waited for him to retaliate or get angry at him for being late, but he didn't even acknowledge him. Was it because of the riot and the last incident they shared together?

Colin sat heavily down beside me. Automatically, my eyes flickered to him but his were faced forward. I swallowed and followed suit. He probably wanted to forget that whole thing last night happened.

Yeah, I wanted that too, right?

"Alright guys, I have set a paired assignment for you. You will be partnered with the person you're sitting with. This assignment involves..."

I began zoning out. Awesome, so we would be forced to talk now. After letting the instructions sink into my brain, I swivelled my eyes to Colin and cleared my throat. He didn't move and I furrowed my eyebrows together.

"Okay, let's get started." I stated casually.

He turned his smouldering eyes onto me and my mouth parted slightly. Those eyes... I mentally slapped myself and dragged my eyes from them. I scribbled down the title of our assignment and the date.

"Um, Colin?" I asked when he hadn't moved. "I'd rather get this over and done with."

Oh and I forgot to mention, Mr. Johnston said the staff all know we chuck parties and if this assignment wasn't completed on time by every single person in this room, we were banned from having them for a year.

No biggie or anything.

Surprisingly, he actually set to work. We were making steady progress and were about a quarter finished by the time the bell signalled. We hadn't really spoken much, but at least we were getting the assignment done.

"I don't think we're going to get this finished by next Monday." I told him, staring down at the assessment sheet. "We'll have to work on it this weekend."

He snorted. "Yeah. Right."

I frowned up at him. "I'm being serious, Colin."

"So am I." he remarked, drawing to his full height. I stood as well, shoving the chair back with my knees. "I'm going home this weekend."

"Home?" I echoed incredulously. "Since when do you go home?"

"Since almost every weekend." he spoke to me in a duh tone.

I found myself blinking at him stupidly for a second. I hadn't noticed that. I guess he was only really at the parties that were held in his dorm, no others. I hadn't really thought about where he would be when I wasn't with us. I just assumed he was in his room brooding or something.

"Well how are we going to do it then? I can't do it all by myself." I argued, folding my arms across my chest.

He jerked his shoulders up in response. "Come to my house then."

I opened my mouth the retort, but my words died at my lips. I blinked at him for a number of moments. The fact that the class was dramatically emptying, hardly even registered in my mind. I stared at him like he was indeed crazy.

Colin, of all people, wanted me to go to his house?

"What?"

"Come to my house." he shrugged, shoving his stuff inside his back and hitching it onto his shoulders.

My mouth fell open. "Seriously?"

"Well if you want it done..." he trailed off, talking to me like I was a child.

"Okay then?"

"Okay."

Emotionlessly, he took off without another word. I was left, gaping after him in bewilderment. Did that actually just happen?

I was going to Colin's house...

This should be interesting.

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