Hayden doesn't flinch. He doesn't do anything. I don't even think he's breathing. His glassy, metallic eyes pin me in place almost like he's trying to get inside of my head—what do you know, his eyes ask—and with every second that passes, my skin grows hotter and more uncomfortable the closer he gets.

I don't know anything, really. All I know is that I have something that doesn't belong to me and that my life is two steps away into either turning into 1) an action movie or 2) a murder mystery narrative on Dateline NBC.

And then, just like that, Hayden Cross' harsh stare is gone. His body loosens. The world starts moving around us again, rich in colors and sounds. Hayden shakes his head, grinning. "What are you talking about?"

"The memory stick."

I can smell the alcohol on his breath when he leans forward, moving so close that I can see small flecks of light blue in his grey eyes. "What have I told you about messing with the photo nerds?"

Even when I take a step back, he's still towering over me, and I have to tilt my head to the side to get a good look at him. "This is serious."

His eyes drop to my mouth.

"Just give me the memory stick," he insists, hands attaching to my hips, and making me jolt. Any other time, I might have pushed his hands off of me. I might have screamed at him and threw something at his big head. But the vibrations of my phone in my pocket keep me grounded to one spot. He has to understand what's going on here. He has to know that those guys in the parking lot were probably just the beginning.

Flashes of light illuminate the smoke curling from his lips bright red and then dark, dark blue to smudge away the shadows elongating on his cheeks when he tilts his head to the side. Every second that passes, more smoke slithers from his lips down my throat, but I continue to stare him down.

"Where is it? Just give it to me, I'll give it back."

"Wouldn't you like to know?" I respond, voice as tense as my body.

Listen! Listen, you idiot!

"So where's your date?"

Dammit, Hayden!

Oh, no. He is not changing the damn subject. Hell no.

"He's here," I hiss. "But this is more important than—"

"Are you sure, Em? Why do I have a feeling you're lying?" Hayden sneers.

Anger and frustration boil my blood. "Why do you care anyway, Cross?"

"Why do you think I care?" He snaps.

"Because you just fucking asked about it!"

He narrows his eyes. "No I didn't."

A sharp throbbing sensation pounds behind my eyes. "You've got to be kidding me right now—"

His lips unwind from the snarl back into his usual, irritating smirk. "Well, this was fun but I gotta go... somewhere else."

Anxiety is a spike through my chest. As I grab for Hayden, my hands slipping down the surface of his bare shoulders, he steps out of my reach. "Oh, no you don't!"

"Have fun at the party, Emmy," he grins. No! No!

People move in to fill the growing distance between us. I push through the mosh pit of people grinding against each other, a few of them making out like wild animals, toward Hayden.

"Hayden! Hayden!"

His eyes stay locked with mine until all I see is twin pools of glowing, liquid mercury. And then he's gone.

A scream tangles in my chest. The walls of the room push every bit of oxygen out of my lungs and the phone in my pocket grows heavier and heavier.

He can't be serious—this is serious—if I don't—if they don't—oh God.

"Ember? Ember Chance ohmiGod!" a high-pitched voice shatters the brittle walls around me.

I whirl around to see a girl with long, waist length strawberry blond hair clapping furiously before making a run for me. Recognition hits me just as she throws her arm around me, squealing like a crazy person. But my excitement doesn't match her own. Instead, I feel hurt and then anger. I thought she didn't recognize me—she sure acted like it in the market. It's not like it hasn't been three years or anything.

Abigail Williams had been a senior in high school when I had arrived as a naïve little freshman. She'd been one of those girls that despite being so popular were friends with pretty much everyone. She was the first person outside of my brother and friends to call bullshit on Hayden Cross and his friends. My partner in crime against Hayden Cross. And then she left after graduation and never looked back.

"I missed you so much, Em," she says when she realizes that I'm not returning her embrace.

"What are you doing here?" No surprise, no emotion touches my voice.

Abigail's smile doesn't falter. "I got back from Denver two days ago. I—uh—know Nate's brother. He...invited me."

Another vibration.

Shit. I need to get out of here.

"Listen. This was great but I gotta go—"

"No!" Abigail interrupts. What the hell is it with people interrupting me! She grabs my wrists tight. "I know what you're thinking and I'm so sorry. Blame my parents—everything just happened so fast. Let me make it up to you, okay? How about we get a drink!"

I can't bring myself to look at her.

"Please, Ember," Abigail pushes, squeezing my wrists until I finally muster up the courage to look my friend in the eye. I was all too aware of how time and family could rip reality in half, and time could fly faster than you could catch up with the world. I remember hearing about how her parent's New York based company was in some deep water during the recession. I remember her brother transferring back home to a local, cheaper university.

I missed her. I still miss her.

After a long moment, I cave in. "Fine."

"Yay! Come on!"

We wind through the massive crowd into another room with floor-to-ceiling windows with old fashioned arcade games sitting in front of them. In the center of the room right across from the large couch and flat screen TV is a massive green pool table. But instead of billiards, little cups filled with different colored gelatin sit in waiting.

Holy crap, that has to be about two hundred shots. How in the world did Nate get so much alcohol?

As if to answer my question, a roar of laughter echoes over the music, followed by people screaming to chug. On the other side of the room are hoards of college kids drinking from a large bag full of red liquid.

Oh, that's how he got it.

"You first?" Abigail asks in a giddy voice, nudging me. I eye a little cup of bright red.

Is this really a good idea?

I don't get a chance to ponder too long. Abigail drops a shot in my hand and clinks hers against my cup in a small toast before slurping it down in one go.

You know what? It's just a few shots. I haven't seen Abigail in years.

"Fuck it," I mutter.

One shot turns into another.

And then another.

And another.

And—well...

It goes back and forth until the room starts tilting to the side. And then that tilting turns into spinning, a low throb pulsing throughout my head as the room looks like someone has sprayed it with water—colors and sound bleeding together. But it doesn't bother me. In fact, everything and everyone looks prettier. I feel like if I try hard enough I can fly because of how light my body is.

Abigail and I sink to the ground beside the pool table, giggling hysterically.

"It's been so long," she slurs, lazily wiping a bit of gelatin out of her cleavage. Tiny empty plastic cups sit around us.

"I don't like that," I whine, taking a small sip from a cup I got off of the table. I'm not sure what it is.

Pull yourself together, Ember.

But why? I'm always trying to pull myself together.

Abigail yanks me into a hug-turned-head-lock. "I'm so, so, sorry, Em. It's my f-fault that all that stuff happened last year. It's all my fault!"

"Why do you say that, Abbey?" Her name rolls off of my tongue in a series of long 'B' and 'Y' sounds.

"Yannnooo," she drags, "to protect you from him, Em. Did he hurt you?"

I lean forward and bury my hands in my hair. The room is spinning too fast. "He's trying to," I hiccup, "but then he's," hiccup, "he saved me from those bad guys! And then he insults me and then he acts all weird and then nice and then like a douchebag and, and—"

Abigail shoots up and I fall over onto my side. She clumsily pulls me up by the arm and we almost topple over a random chair.

"What are you doing?" I question, throwing the cup aside and jabbing my fists into my hips, stumbling slightly. Abigail's red eyes bounce around the room, zipping from place to place quickly until, finally, her gaze settles on something in the back. There is a mischievous glint in her eyes.

Abigail's lips curve into a small smirk. "Let's go swimming!"

We stumble through the crowd, tripping over ourselves and out the back door. The pool glows a shimmery white and blue, lights sparkling with invitation. A few people give hoots of encouragement and I give a group of guys a flirtatious wink, kicking off my shoes and throwing them somewhere. I'll find them later. I hope so. Abigail is already shimmying out of her romper.

"No clothes?" I ask with wide eyes. "No," I shake my head, telling myself, "Keep your clothes on."

"You want some of this boys?" Abigail calls over her shoulder, standing in only her bra and panties. A group of guys howl and race over to stand around the pool, chanting for us to jump. I look down at the blue water hesitantly and lean to dip a toe in and test the water.

Yikes! I probably shouldn't—

Suddenly, two heavy hands press against my back and I'm shoved forward into the pool, head first.

The shock of the ice-cold water is almost paralyzing and I crash above the surface with a gasp.

I don't remember how to swim!

Holy shit! I'm going to drown—oh!

Kicking my legs, I tilt to the side so that I'm floating on my back.

Abigail swims up behind me and wraps her arms around my middle, making me dunk under the water. Surfacing, I give her a bewildered look before bursting into obnoxious guffaws of laughter. Another distinct laugh catches my attention and I turn in the direction of the source. Hayden and his friends stand at the edge of the pool practically dying of laughter.

"Seriously! Do you think this is funny?" I call out, waving a fist. "I could have died!"

"Hysterical!" he replies, crossing his arms over his chest. For a second, there's four of him.

Oh God. Please, even if I'm wasted, let there only be one Hayden.

Narrowing my eyes, I dip my face in the water deep enough to where it reaches just below my eyes, and swim to the pool's edge out of Hayden's line of vision. Climbing out of the water, I signal my audience to keep quiet. The water in my clothes makes the journey to him harder, and I'm anything but quiet when I sneak up behind Hayden. But he doesn't seem to notice me through all of the insults he's coming up with.

"Take that!" I scream with a roar, jumping onto his back to send us both into the water. Frothy white and teal engulfs my vision. My nose burns and suddenly, calloused hands slip around my leg to yank me up and out of the water.

Hayden's grip on my leg is like iron.

"You!" he seethes.

Twisting out of his reach, I find myself beside him, and wrap my legs around his waist from the back to climb onto his back. Hayden twists his body and reaches for me but I'm too sly and avoid his hands.

"Ha! Ha! Take that!" I shout and wrap my arms around his neck, moving my legs up his back to get a better grip like he's giving me a piggyback ride. Hayden wades around throwing curses left and right, trying to get me off of his back while I laugh like a maniac, splashing as best as I can without falling off.

"Get the fuck off of me!" He shouts and sounds seriously pissed off.

"Or whaaaat?"

This is brilliant! The best thing I've ever done!

His anger fuels my drunken madness.

He can't get me. I'm faster. I'm better than he is.

The way he stumbles and slurs his words propel my courage fifty feet into the air.

So I act on the first thought that pops into my head. Pressing my lips to the side of his cheek, I drag my tongue up the side of his face. Hayden yelps. Literally yelps. Like. A. Dog. "Who's the little bitch now?" I sneer.

Laughter echoes across the pool and I look over my shoulder to see people holding up their phones and snapping pictures and videos. Good! This should go down in history! My hazy mind cheers.

I lean my weight all the way forward and kick my legs, tipping Hayden over and into the water, splashing my hands like a maniac. Hayden hits the water and a mini tidal wave carries me forward as I let go. Abigail meets me and we climb out of the pool, skittering away and sliding on the wet floors of the house. I don't bother looking back.

Hayden is going to totally gonna kill me if he gets me.

Emphasis on 'if'.

* * *