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Dedication: SydneyAdams3 for the kick ass cover on the side!

Recap:

"That's fine by me." she laughed and I grinned back. Well this was a lot easier and quicker then I  originally thought it would be. "Now, let's go and hang out with our other halves."

I rolled my eyes and let her guide me out the door. All of a sudden we were like the four best friends. Who knew that would happen.

And just like that, my life was beginning to come together again. I never thought I would genuinely be happy in a place like this.

I suppose miracles really do happen.

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I stumbled to the side, my head spinning. The urge to vomit suddenly becoming overwhelming. My hand slapped to my mouth as a precaution. As sudden as it came, the feeling went away, which I was thankful for. I collapsed back onto the lounge, the entire room moving around me hazily. As always, my eyes began searching for Colin, forgetting he was only mere metres from me.

"Hayley, it's your turn." Imogen snapped, annoyed that I wasn't paying attention.

I blinked back to reality, having forgotten we were still playing. With a sigh, I slid to the floor, folding my legs underneath me. I was stuck on what to say, since we play this game quite frequently and we all knew almost everything about each other. The cliche games of 'Never Have I Ever', 'Truth or Dare', 'Would You Rather', have become old since we party at least once a week.

"Never have I ever..." I began, cocking my head to the side, my vision slightly blurry. To state that I am slightly buzzed would be erroneous. "Had a 'weed brownie'."

Several fingers went down and that, no surprise there. A few people raised their eyebrows, surprised I hadn't done it. I shrugged lightly in response. Maybe I wasn't as wild as I thought I was. I used to think I had done everything.

The turn then moved to Colin. I pivoted slightly, interested in what he had to say. My eyes zoned in on his perfect lips and sculpted jaw. I almost had drool dribbling attractively down my chin.

"Never have I ever, oh wait, I've done that." he said suggestively, winking at me. I smirked as a couple of people laughed. I just responded with shoving him slightly although I didn't really mind. He shot me a dirty smirk, loving the attention. "Never broke a bone having a drunken fight with someone."

Okay, this was just getting lame now. We were too drunk and running out of things to say to each other. Imogen must have realised this too, because she was dramatically yawning. She hated being the sober one and had hardly drank anything tonight, so she was in a mood. And when Imogen is in a mood, everyone should evacuate.

"It's not fun when we aren't talking about our sexual activities." she sighed, standing up. She made a pointed stare at us all, conveying her disappointment. "Chase, let's go dance."

"Yes ma'am," he saluted, slowly getting to his feet.

I laughed slightly at this. Chase is a character definitely, but he doesn't usually jump up to dance. He swayed slightly as he got to his feet, a happy smile perched on his lips. I smirked at him. He was a love sick puppy.

So much for a 'bad boy'.

When I thought about it, the people here weren't really that bad. I had a lot worse expectations when I first arrived. Sure they party hard and do some wild things, but generally they're not bad. I was expecting some really messed up criminal. It's nice to see that not everyone has been corrupted yet.

Maneuvering my body and snapping back to reality, I located myself back on the lounge, resting my head back. Colin crawled, literally on his hands and knees, towards me dramatically. I burst out laughing at him as he clambered up onto the lounge, reclining back so that he was partly lying across my lap.

"I've missed being drunk," he breathed, his eyes slightly bloodshot. He had a goofy grin spread across his face, which was 100% adorable.

A smirk formed on my mouth as I stared at his adorable face. I finally convinced Colin to drink with us. By 'us' I am referring to our whole gang, as he usually tends not to party. He's had some pretty messed up stuff happen when he's drank a lot, so he doesn't do it very often. It was nice seeing him just have fun and relax a little. It made it more enjoyable for me.

"I think you owe me a big, fat, THANK YOU." I felt it was necessary to yell the last words of that sentence. He breathed a laugh before snaking his hand around the back of my neck. He brought my face towards his. Our lips met sloppily, before he released me much to my dismay. "You smell like vodka."

"And you taste like it." I retorted with a grin.

"Can we go running?" Colin suddenly asked, sitting up faster than I could blink. He gave me a head spin just watching him. "Aw please Hayley can we go for a run?"

Rolling my eyes at his childish behaviour, I jerked my shoulder up. "Why not?"

Grabbing my hand enthusiastically, he dragged me after him. It was refreshingly nice to see him so relaxed and just, well, happy. Or somewhat, anyway. Usually he was so dark and mysterious with everything. It was amazing seeing him like this. I thought he could only be this way when he home with his siblings.

We hardly made it two steps outside the dorm before he slammed my back against the wall. His lips were on mine within a matter of seconds. I responded instantly of course, toying my fingers through his hair.

I'd choose this over a run any day.

He leant back and gave me a huge smile, which I instantly returned. It was hard not to smile when I was around him. He was beautiful. Especially since he was just having fun, for one of the first times that I've known him. He was like a changed man.

"Oh God I love you," he breathed, bringing his lips to mine.

My stomach dropped as the words tumbled out of his mouth. My muscles tensed. Colin just admitted he loved me? My jaw would literally be on the ground if my lips were locked with his.

Did he really mean it, or did he just say it because he's drunk?

Do I say it back?

Obviously sensing my shock, he slowly stood back. An awkward look spread across his face as he realised what he just admitted. I gulped slightly, losing all saliva from my mouth. We shared a look for several moments, neither knowing what to say.

"Er- I mean, well," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. He didn't exactly look like he regretted saying it, more fearing that I would not say it back. Well, that's what I got from it anyway.

"Do you mean it?" I whispered, my eyes boring into his. This was a serious moment for me, so I really hope he meant it.

Please be honest with me. Tell me it was real. Don't block me out.

He studied my face for a moment, biting his lip. His eyes intently searched mine, as if seeing if I was truly affected by what he had said. After a few pain-saken moments, he finally replied.

"Yes."

A full-blown grin spread across my face. I let out a breath I hadn't realised I had been holding.

"Thank God because I love you too."

"Really?" he asked, looking taken back. "Like seriously? You love me?"

"Seriously." I grinned even bigger, probably looking like a creep.

I don't think I can describe how happy I am. My cheeks were aching from all the smiling. Despite the fact that we're both drunk, this was an exciting moment in my life. I never thought I would find love again. Especially not with Colin. He leaned forward, resting his forehead on mine. He grabbed my hand, entwining our fingers together. Never, in a million years, would I have thought I would be this happy after everything.

"So, do you want me be like my girlfriend or whatever?"

I snorted at the casualty of it, but couldn't stop the massive smile that found its way on my face. I would have laughed if someone said a few months ago I would be genuinely smiling and saying 'I love you' to Colin. But it was happening and I was loving every second of it.

"Yeah, alright. Whatever." I joked, lightly punching him in the shoulder with my free hand.

"Good." he murmured, pecking my lips again.

He took a step back, his face turning serious. I quirked an eyebrow at him, waiting to see what he had in store next.

"Last one to the canteen has to wash the other's underwear!"

He tore down the hallway, leaving me standing there open-mouthed. Did we seriously just share a heart-felt moment that could change my life, and he come out with that afterwards?

Well I suppose that's Colin Denver for you...

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I wish I could be cliche and say that our new romance was the talk of the school, but everyone apparently assumed we were together anyway. So, therefore, there was no shock horror. Which was fine with me because I didn't want the attention or the black mail from Eliza.

Which I'm sure will come, the jealous cow.

"Come to mine this weekend?" Colin asked, tugging me along behind him.

Yes, we had turned into the love-obsessed couple that you read about in books, that only hang out with each other and hold hands around school. I was ashamed of myself really, but I was too happy to care. I was loving being with him, even if we did look like a pair of preteen dweebs. This was my moment of happiness and I wasn't going to let anything ruin it.

"Don't need to ask me twice," I replied, pulling him towards me. He slung his arm around my shoulder, our noses grazing. I could already taste the home-cooked meals, my mouth watering. You don't realise how much you miss it until you don't have it for a long time. A wave of excitement stirred in my stomach at the thought of seeing Colin's family again.

I have grown quite attached.

"Good, you need to do my laundry anyway." he brushed off, fighting back a smirk.

I groaned, remembering the stupid deal we made. Like I had a chance to catch up to him, with his long legs and strange amount of fitness. I went to the gym and ran yeah, but I didn't specialise in sprinting unlike someone apparently has.

"That bet wasn't real, we didn't shake on it." I shot back defensively.

"You're just a sore loser." he laughed, bumping shoulders with me playfully.

He stopped suddenly, making me stumble. My eyebrows raised in question. He took a step closer to me, so that we were mere inches apart. I gazed into his icy eyes, getting lost in the depth of them like I always do.

"Thank you."

"For?"

"Being you. Making me happy, all that sloppy stuff." he said, giving me a lope-sided smile. Over the past two days, I have never seen Colin so pure and honest. When he was like this, it made me want be to a decent and honest person as well. This Colin was a good example to me. "I've never felt so happy than I am right now."

A genuine smile formed on my lips, because I felt the exact same.

"Well, it's the least I could do." I joked.

Life was beginning to seem perfect.

"I'll see you after class," he said, letting go over my hand reluctantly. I sighed, actually bummed that we had to part ways.

Dear Lord what was happening to me. This was not me at all. I was enjoying it nonetheless. With a content smile slashed across my face, I headed towards the bathroom. I had only managed to make it a few steps, before I felt a hand grab the back of my neck.

My head was thrown forward, connecting harshly with the mirror. I squeezed my eyes tightly shut, as the mirror erupted into tiny shards, raining down beside me. Silence filled the air, the cluttering coming to a still. Slowly, my eyes opened. I stared into the bits of broken mirror that was dangling off the board.

"Eliza," I drawled, laughing without humour, my old self re-emerging quickly. "What took you so long?"

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Mwahaha