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"In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: It goes on." - Robert Frost.

Dedication: Lovelydanii69 for the awesome cover on the side - thank you!

Recap:

"Game on, biatch."

He then stepped back, the cool air replacing his warm contact. My cheeks were flushed at our closeness and I wanted to bury my head in the sand. He had just caused me so much unwanted attention from the female body and had caught me off-guard.

Yep. He was going down.

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I watched miserably as Xavier rose to the top of the social ladder. Literally, it was like he was a hero at school. He was accepted and welcomed amongst 'the boys' and had girls hanging off him already. I tried to ignore him the best I could but was mainly unsuccessful.

The bad boy attitude he wore had all the girls melting into puddles around him. It was disgusting. I felt like I had been picked up and dumped into a cliché, teen movie. The worst thing of all though, he had seemingly become good friends with Jacob, my ex whom I try to avoid like the plague. I have had horrible nightmares of Xavier bringing him over to the house...

He stood there with one of the cheerleaders, Amanda, aka one of Megan's minions, their arms brushing each other. He was laughing at something one of the boys said. I narrowed my eyes into slits.

"If you stare any harder, you're going to burn a whole through his shirt." Brooklyn whispered to me. I jumped in alarm, as if I had been in some trance. Reluctantly, I dragged my eyes from him and towards the vivid, green eyes of my best friend. Was I that obvious?

"He's annoying."

"Uh huh."

"Don't 'uh huh' me." I retorted, knowing exactly what she was implying. She raised her eyebrows suggestively but I ignored the gesture.

Just because he was ridiculously, amazingly, gorgeously attractive, does not mean I actually am attracted to him. He's infuriating. Shaking my head, I stood abruptly, grabbing my lunch bag. She peered up at me questioningly, still giving me her knowing smirk.

"I'm going for a walk."

She gave me an odd look which I brushed off. I wandered towards the bin and dumped my empty bag. A throat cleared behind me. Slowly, I turned, half expecting it to be Xavier. My stomach clenched painfully, as it always does when I see him. I stared into the familiar dark eyes of Jacob immediately deciding the walk was not a good choice on my behalf.

"Hey Faith," he smiled.

My gaze dropped as I gave him the once-over. He's tall with a thin build, but broad shoulders. He has tanned skin, dark hair and deep, brown eyes. The complete opposite to Xavier. I wonder if that's why I find Xavier so attractive. He's the absolute opposite of the type I would usually go for.

Jacob gave me a small smile and I narrowed my eyes. After we broke up, we went through the 'unable-to-stare-at-each-other-without-spitting-fire' phase (okay that was mainly me), to the 'completely-pretending-you-don't-exist' phase and now were settling nicely into the 'awkwardly-trying-to-associate-with-each-other' phase. I still don't know if I like us being on speaking terms again after everything. My pride and ego are still bruised.

"Jacob." I responded coldly.

His face twitched slightly at my not-so-warm welcome. "How are you?"

"Fine."

I took a step, planning on leaving it at that, but he reached out for my arm. I flinched.

"I wanted to talk to you."

"About?" I questioned, stepping back so that his arm fell limply to his side. He looked slightly hurt but I didn't care. He did worse to me. A lot worse. I pushed memories of him far into the back of my mind, refusing to think about what has happened.

"What's with you and the new guy?"

My eyebrows shot up. I stared at him incredulously, my mouth dangling open unattractively. He could not be jealous. Not after all this time. A laugh escaped my lips as I stared at him, waiting for him to say he was joking.

"Why do you care?"

He pursed his lips at me. "Look I personally like the guy but for you... He just seems like bad news. I just don't want to see you get hurt."

Trust Xavier, to make everyone think we have a 'thing'. I shook my head, making a mental note to spit in his dinner tonight. (Kidding...) I felt a swirl of annoyance in my abdomen as I stared at the boy in front of me. This whole conversation was so ironic.

"Clearly," I said in a low voice, stepping toward him. "You don't care about hurting me."

Jacob's jaw clenched, which was a habit he'd adopted to show he was annoyed. He was annoyed?

"How many times do I have to apologise?" he murmured desperately, his eyes staring pleadingly into mine.

"Until I forgive you. Which could possibly be never."

"Faith-"

I stepped back as he reached for me once more. I stared at him distastefully. With that, I turned and walked from him, more annoyed now than ever. I felt Xavier's stare on my back before I heard him. I just knew he would have seen the encounter between Jacob and I.

"Trouble in paradise?" he asked me sweetly.

I didn't reply.

"Faithless, talk to me Sweetcheeks."

My body paused and I pressed against the lockers, my forehead connected with the cool metal. I focused on my breathing. Until I stopped, I didn't realise my hands had been trembling. I heard Xavier stop beside me.

"Hey, are you actually okay?" he asked, actual concern evident in his voice.

"Don't pretend you care Xavier. Just leave me alone."

"Is there something I need to know about Jacob?" he asked quietly. This serious side to him was bizarre and made me feel uncomfortable. I almost preferred him pestering me.

I pushed myself from the lockers and strode from Xavier without even looking at him. Just because he showed some kindness, which was probably fake, I wasn't going to spill my entire life story to him. I just needed to cool off and be by myself. Remaining calm was my top priority or I'll slip into my rage black out phase and get myself suspended again.

"Faith!" his voice called out. I kept walking. "I need to know if you're actually mad because tonight-"

His voice was cut off as I rounded the corner and the bell, signalling lunch was over, blared loudly in my ears. I was relieved. Class could distract me. I settled into my seat, letting all thoughts of Xavier and Jacob fade from my mind. The rest of the class filtered through, all buzzing with news. It was obvious when something was going on, there was a certain excitement in the air and a consistent murmur being carried through everyone. I shrugged it off, too tired to participate with the latest gossip right now.

Mr. Cloud chose to enter then, the dull talk of the class dropping almost instantly. I settled back in my chair as soon as he started speaking. The rest of the day cruised by uneventfully. I successfully avoided both of the boys and made it to work on time, which was awesome, seeing as I had to walk.

I quickly changed from my school uniform to my shorts and shirt. Immediately a sense of comfort rushed through my as I settled into my flannelette shirt and slipped my dusty, old boots on. I checked my list of chores, a sigh escaping me. It was long as per usual. I rubbed my eyes wearily and exited the office, making my way down the corridor.

Since Amanda was on, it didn't take as long to do all the jobs but it was still a tiring shift. Eventually, the clock perched above stable fourteen indicated it was time to go. A relieved smile stretched across my face as I signed out. It was bizarre. Although the stables were nice, the barn had an old-school type vibe to it. Everything was wooden, creaky and half of the wood was starting to fade. When you go into the office, it looks strange seeing two touch screen iPads sitting there. We use them to log on and off for shifts. I just think it looks out of the place.

I swung my school bag onto my shoulders and dragged my feet, feeling exhausted. All I wanted to do was shower, eat some dinner and watch a good movie.

I heard the thud of the bass before I even entered my lane. Seeing as I had no close neighbours, I could only imagine the music was coming from my house. I gritted my teeth, praying that it was not what I thought it was. Xavier's words flooded into my mind, something about tonight...

Quickening my pace, I practically jogged towards the house. My jaw dropped. You've got to be kidding. Rainbow coloured lights shone brightly from various windows of my two-story house. Was one of them coming from my room!? With the sky darkening, the strobe lights illuminated the entire front yard, making my house look ten times cooler than it originally was.

Anger pulsated through my veins as I glared at my house. Teenagers, some I recognised from my school, were stumbling across my front yard and someone was even upside down, drinking from a beer pong. I squinted and saw someone sprawled at the end of the driveway, evidently passed out.

My fists clenched into balls as I stomped towards my house. My teeth were gritted to the extent I thought I might chip one. I was going to kill him. Besides me looking like a 'cowgirl', I was tired, sore and wanted to be in bed. Not be a host of an underage teenage party. This must have been what everyone was buzzing about in class today. I felt the urge to face-palm myself. If I had bothered to ask anyone, I would have easily found out what Xavier was up to. I hadn't even had a chance to get back at him for the water balloon pranks.

"Faithless!" Xavier's all-too-familiar voice boomed, making an involuntary shudder roll down my spine. "How nice of you to bless us with your presence!"

He staggered towards me, a can of Woodstock planted in his palm. He gave me a goofy smile, his eyes showing how drunk he was. As we came into closer proximity, the smell of alcohol washed over me. I wrinkled my nose at him distastefully, taking an automatic step back.

"You're throwing a party at my house?" I bit out, trembling with fury.

"Our house, Sweetcheeks."

"I'm going to kill you and then kill everyone at this party and then kill you again."

"How can you kill me twice?" he asked me, cocking his head to the side. "Has your hair always been this red?"

"Shut down the party. Now."

"I don't like your tone, Missy."

"I'm going to call the Police."

"Who will call your dad."

"Good. He might come home." I said, my voice growing louder with each word. I shoved Xavier past me, wanting nothing more than to punch him in the forehead.

"Loosen up Faith," he pleaded, grabbing my hand. A wave of electricity spiked up my arm at his touch but I firmly ignored it. "Have some fun. When was the last time you went to a party?"

"Last weekend."

"Oh, I thought you were anti-social."

I rolled my eyes at him. "Guess we don't really know much about each other, do we?"

"Why don't we try? Tonight, let's drink, have fun, get to know each other. You never know, you might begin to like me if you tried."

I didn't like the emphasise he put on the word 'like'. I frowned at him. "I just want to go to bed."

"It's one night, Faith. I promise I won't throw a party without telling you again, if you join in. Come on, you know you want to, deep down."

I stared at him flatly.

"Deep, deep, down." he muttered weakly, giving me a lope-sided smile which annoyingly made me gawk. "Come on, please Faith? Everyone's here already and you know they're all going to hate you if you cancel it. Your room is locked, I double-checked. I said upstairs is off limits, I even barricaded it, okay? I will tell you next time but only if you join in."

"You're blackmailing me."

"I'd prefer to call it negotiating."

"There won't be a next time."

"Yes Ma'am." he saluted me and I suppressed another eye roll.

I stared at him for a moment. He brought up some valid points. I suppose I could join in... A smile lit up his face as he saw my expression change.

"Ugh, fine."

"Yay!" he exclaimed, sounding like he was five years old. He embraced me in a rib-cracking hug and I quickly pushed him away from me. "You won't regret it."

"Doubt that." I muttered, turning my back to him.

I already was.

***

I threw back my fourth vodka shot, my throat feeling raw.

The liquid burned as my eyes slightly watered. Cheers erupted around me and my head was feeling light. After having the quickest shower of my life and getting dressed, I must admit I got into the party mood. I summoned Brooklyn to join me in the festivities and we got drunk. Fast. Xavier smirked at me, clearly liking my changed attitude.

"That's my girl."

An unattractive snort escaped me. "Nobody is your girl."

"Ouch."

"Truth hurts."

"Touche," he laughed, clinking cans with me. Yeah, we were keeping it classy. I rolled my eyes at him. I literally had to drag myself away from him. He was so attractive and charismatic when he wants to be. He almost made me want to be friends with him. Almost. Brooklyn raised her eyebrows slightly at me. I knew exactly what she was thinking. I ignored her questioning stare.

"I'm going to go get a refill." I announced.

"I'll accompany you." Xavier cut in smoothly.

He walked beside me, causing our arms to brush frequently. I purposely stared ahead, ignoring the desire to reach out and touch him.

"So, Faithless," he began, his voice light and carefree. "What's up with you and Jacob?"

"Asking me personal questions whilst I'm intoxicated. You're smarter than you look, Xavier." I told him. My body was swaying. I hastily sat down on the lounge, the room around me spinning. I needed to sit for a moment, to make sure I wasn't sick on my own floor. He took that as an invitation to also sit down, resulting in the lounge dipping beside me.

"He's my ex." I stated, unsure why I was telling him this.

"End badly?" he probed.

"You could say that." I replied dryly, taking the last sip of my drink before it became empty. I dropped the can, making a mental note to pick it up later. "I'm not going to tell you what happened though. I'm not that drunk."

"I invited him tonight."

"Of course you did, he's your new BFF." I rolled my eyes, surprised that I didn't really care he was going to be here. He hurt me and drove me insane, but at the same time, I still had feelings for Jacob, as much as I hated to admit it. "So Xavier, what's your story?"

"My story?" he echoed with a small smirk. "I'm not that drunk."

He used my own words against me. I gave him a deadpan stare, not appreciating his answer.

"You owe me for not shutting down this stupid party."

"Stupid?" he asked with a smirk, knowing I was having a good time. "Trust me Faith, you don't want to know my story."

A slight pout formed on my face. I suddenly wished I wasn't drunk. He gave me a heart-stopping smile. A genuine smile. It was the first time I had actually seen one on him. Usually he his trademark smirk planted on his lips.

"What?" I asked him, self-consciously reaching for my face.

"Nothing. Want to dance?" He offered me his hand.

I stared at it for a few moments, my mind screaming no but my body wanting nothing more than to accept his offer. So, I did. Slowly, I reached forward and our hands connected, sending spikes of electric currents shooting up my arm. Swallowing uneasily, I clambered ungracefully to my feet after him. He gently tugged me towards the large space in the lounge room, which had been made the dance floor.

Despite the music being upbeat, he tangled his arms around my body as if we were about to do a Waltz. I lightly shoved him back, not wanting to get this close to him. He ignored me and came back, his fingers brushing against my chin. Warning bells blared in my mind, telling me I was in a dangerous situation. The music was loud and fierce in my ears, making my body move in ways I never would while sober.

Wasn't I only telling myself to not let anything happen between us merely a couple days ago? But in this moment, I wanted nothing more than to feel his lips against mine. I surprised myself. I didn't think I would be able to get over Jacob before high school finished. I hardly knew anything about Xavier and already felt things towards him I never felt for Jacob.

"Admit it, you're having fun," he murmured to me, his face inches from mine, his arms tightly wrapped around my waist.

Titling my head back to see him better, a small smile stretched across my lips. "I suppose it's not the worst night of my life."

He rolled his eyes at my answer. "Good."

His hands sunk lower, his thumbs beginning to caress the exposed skin of my hips. I sucked in a breath of surprise. The song ended and an even more upbeat song began. I stepped back from him again, not wanting to be this close. I began to dance and he watched me quietly, not expecting me to have pushed back.

"Well? Are you going to dance like you asked me to?" I questioned teasingly, attempting to diminish the accumulating tension between us.

"Slow dancing is more my thing."

I goggled at him. Not one teenage boy should ever say that. It was so uncharacteristic but that fact that it is so abnormal made me like him that tiny, little bit more. I grinned at him, gently pushing against his chest.

"Well you're no fun."

"Baby, I'm the only fun one."

I smiled again, actually enjoying his company. Slowly, he reached into his jacket pocket and withdrew a joint. My mouth fell open as he lit it, taking a drag. Everything I had begun to feel and the thoughts of me having been too harsh on him quickly evaporated.

"You're not doing drugs in my house." My voice went from light to venomous within seconds. My tone was cold and indifferent. My vision had begun to turn blurry but I forced my eyes to be fixated on him and the joint that was dangling loosely from his lips.

He quirked a questioning eyebrow at me. "You don't?"

I took a couple steps back from him without even realising I was doing so. "Wow."

"It's just a joint?" he asked me, actually shocked I was reacting to it at all.

"You're disgusting. How dare you do this in my house?" I screamed at him, feeling my face grow hot.

"You're seriously overreacting..." he trailed off, staring at me like I had three heads.

Angrily, I pushed around him, my fists clenched at my sides. Memories of my mother doing this exact thing burned my mind. She traded in smoking for food a long time ago, in order to remain the tiny size she is. I ground my teeth together painfully.

"Faith," a voice said and for the first time in months, I actually was relieved to hear him. At first I wasn't sure if it was him, with the loud music pulsating through the air, but once I took a moment to listen, it was obvious it was him. I could tell his voice from almost anywhere. "Are you okay?"

Pivoting, I stared into the dark eyes of my ex. I glanced over to where Xavier stood, still mirroring a look of shock. He body was rigid, the joint planted between his fingers. I looked back to Jacob. I forgot how attractive he was. I leaned forward, my hand finding his. I entwined our fingers, our lips meeting in a rush. I snaked my arms around his neck, crushing my body to his. He stumbled back, his body tense in surprise. We broke a part breathlessly and he stared at me with wide, questioning eyes.

"Er- Faith, what was that about?" he asked, seeing as I spent majority of my time either spitting fire in his direction or purposely ignoring him.

"I've missed you." I stated simply.

"How much have you drank?" he laughed but not moving back from me. Our breaths mingled as one due to our proximity. "I was so surprised to hear you throwing a party at your house."

I dragged my eyes from him and back to the lounge, but Xavier was no longer there. I hardly acknowledged that Jacob was speaking. I turned back to him and pressed my lips to his once more. His hand cupped my cheek, which used to send my knees weak. Surprisingly though, I didn't feel anything like I used to. His hands dipped down my sides and rested on my hips. The movement was so like what Xavier did before. It felt like a bucket of cold water had been splashed over me. Instantly, I detangled myself from him, feeling slightly sick.

I was an idiot.

After everything this boy has done to me, I just openly let myself fall back into his trap. I stood back, my chest rising and falling. Jacob stared at me in confusion. He reached out for me once more but I continued to retreat. I spun on my heel and met eyes with Brooklyn, who had a deep frown spread across her face.

Blindly, I ran for my stairs, needing to get away from everyone. Stupid alcohol, stupid boys and stupid hormones. As I reached the stairs, I saw Xavier. I narrowed my eyes at him as he threw his joint into one of the plants. My plant. He stared down at me, a look of anger on his face. He withdrew another joint from his jacket and I scrunched my face up in disgust. He knew I didn't like it so was purposely doing it.

He walked down the stairs, tantalisingly slow. I stood stock-still, waiting for him to pass. A cloud of smoke rolled over me and I not-so-subtly waved it from my face, my eyes narrowed.

"Have fun with Jacob?"

I didn't reply. He brushed past me and I turned. He strode towards Megan, who I hadn't realised was here, and grabbed her hand. He glanced back at me, a smirk planted on his lips. I felt my nails biting into my flesh.

I was genuinely surprised at the tsunami of anger that poured through my body at this. I think it was a build-up of the party, the drugs, Jacob and now her. Of course he would go for her, she was gorgeous. It hurt me to think of them together, after everything she has done to me. I felt the sudden urge to scream. Turning, I stomped up my stairs.

I wish this night never happened.

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