Joshua O'Brian

September 14th, 2018

The past couple of weeks have been a fucking rollercoaster of emotions. Renouncing my romance with Danielle and breaking up with Jessica was a lot. The days that followed my breakup with Jessica were difficult. I couldn't help but feel guilty about the way things had ended. It seemed as if I was complete asshole who dropped Jessica like she was nobody. I felt as if I could've gone about it better than I did. Maybe it was the fact I had left her for Danielle that rubbed me the wrong way. I couldn't imagine the insecurities that ran through Jessica's mind. She probably thought she wasn't good enough, that I had gotten bored of her. That couldn't have been further from the truth. I really wanted the two of us to stay friends, but from the lack of contact I've recieved from her, I guess she was better off without me.

I really did enjoyed my time with Jessica, I meant it when I told her she was a great girl. Anybody on the campus would be lucky to have her. I just had to be honest with myself by breaking up with her. Because even though she was a great girl, I couldn't conceal my feelings for Danielle. Our history was too great to forget about eachother. I should've seen it coming, when we became friends we were nearly inseparable. I should've known the moment I saw her again, I would fall right back in love with her.

Danielle has been making things easy for me these past few weeks. I've learned to forget about Jessica entirely. She was in the past, Danielle was all that mattered to me now. It's been amazing having her back in my life. There weren't many woman like Danielle, one's that could be so genuine and affectionate at the same time. There was no facade with Danielle, what you saw is what you got, and what I saw was gorgeous. The most beautiful woman I had ever laid my eyes on. It was dramatic to think, but it was so true. Everytime I saw her my eyes lit up, it still shocked me how breathtaking she was. To think I ever took her for granted was so foolish. How could I ever think I would love someone else not named Danielle Peterson?

Today started like every other day had for the past three weeks. Me waking up with Danielle's body pressed against mine. My arms wrapped around her waist tightly as to not let her go. Her arms wrapped around mine as if to remind me. Our clothes, like always, were found spread throughout my room. That left us with nothing but my bedspread covering our bodies. The only thing I got used to seeing Danielle wear to bed was her lavender perfume. I woke up smelling it every morning, along with the shampoo she used on her hair. I would always find myself lost in her brown locks everytime I woke up. It had to be one of my favorite ways to wake up. But nothing could beat the mornings where I opened my eyes to see Danielle's bright green eyes staring back at me.

I could lose myself in those eyes, they seemed more hazel the closer you got to them. Part of that had to do with Danielle's eyes being two different colors. From a distance they looked green, but the closer you got, the more you could see the inner hazel rim just outside her pupil. It was beautiful to look at, I'd find myself doing nothing but staring into her eyes most mornings. The way her eyes almost seemed gold in the sunlight, it was like I was hypnotized.

I wasn't met with her eyes this morning however. Instead I found myself looking at the back of her head. I squinted my eyes at the amount of sunshine coming through the blinds. It had been the one thing waking me up more often than my alarm clock. I went to hold a hand up but felt my arms still trapped in Danielle's grip. After many attempts, I managed to wiggle one of my arms out of her tight grip. I only found it pulled back in by her hand, this time she had no intentions of letting me go easily. I leaned my head up to look at her face, which still displayed that she was asleep. Her eyes were still closed and her mouth was slightly agape. I felt a smile grow on my face as I reached down and brushed my hand along her cheek.

"God she's gorgeous."

I leaned down and went to place a kiss on her cheek, but I was quickly met with her lips. I pulled away to see her eyes fluttering open, the chromatic orbs of green and brown were soon staring right at me. I felt her let go of my arms only to turn around and wrap herself around me like a constrictor. I felt her soft lips press against mine before I rolled over on to my back. Her body naturally followed and she ended up laying on top of me, arms still wrapped tightly around me. Her lips pulled away only for her to snuggle up against me. Her head laid down on to my chest and her legs rubbed up against mine. I ran a hand through her hair as she seemed focused on falling back asleep.

I looked over at my phone laying on top of my nightstand, I had to see what time it was. I reached over and grabbed it, seeing that it was only 9:23 in the morning. It was Thursday which meant I had class at eleven. If I wanted to get a decent start to my morning, I had to get out of bed soon. However, the sleeping beauty on top of me was keeping me from doing so. Her grip was still tight around my entire upper body, she had no intention of letting go. This wasn't the first time Danielle had gotten like this. There was a period of time back when we first got together, where she was super attached. My friends called her clingy, I called her compassionate. It didn't bother me that she loved me so much, even if it would put off others.

Nonetheless I had to get out of my bed. I leaned up as best as I could and slowly pried Danielle's arms off of me one by one. Once I was free from her grip, I slowly slid out from under her and allowed her to settle back down on to the bed. I sat up on the edge of my mattress and just as I went to stand up, a pair of arms swung around me. I smiled and looked over at Danielle who was resting her face on my shoulder.

"Do you have to leave so soon?" She asked pouting her lips.

"I got class at eleven."

"So?" She asked.

I pried her arms off of me again and stood up. "So that means I have to get out of bed right now."

"Why so early?" She asked laying back up.

"Well I gotta take a shower and-"

"Shower?" She asked with a slight smirk.

"Danny I mean a real one. You know one where I can actually clean myself."

"Where's the fun in that?" She asked stretching her body out.

I shrugged my shoulders and walked over to my bathroom door. "I'd invite you to join but you're......you."

"Ok Josh.....I guess I'll just see if Shaun wants to take one with me then." She said with that same devilish grin.

I rolled my eyes and ran my palm across my face. She hadn't used that one on me in weeks. Ever since I told her that seeing her with Shaun made me jealous, she'd been relentless with bringing him up. It's not like I could bring up Jessica to make her jealous. Danielle was never jealous of her, atleast as far as I knew.

I opened my bathroom door and beckoned Danielle to follow. I watched as she sprung off the bed and skipped over to me like a happy schoolgirl. This time I threw my arms around her and lifted her up in the air. I walked into my bathroom and stepped into the shower with Danielle's lips pressed against mine. I felt one of her hands leave my body to mess with one of the shower knobs. Our kiss only became wetter with the downpour of water coming from the shower head. It was cold at first but quickly heated up as I pressed Danielle against the tile wall.

"So much for a quick shower."

It was for reasons like this, that I was always late to my first class. Danielle had a habit of being the more rebellious out of the two of us. While I preferred to get to class on time, she rather have me to herself all day long. She certainly wasn't good for my grades, it was because of her that I skipped class so often in my freshman year of college. Even back then she had such a influence on me. At times I thought it was bad, but the closer we got, I realized it was perfect.

April 17th, 2014

Psychology was never really my favorite subject, it definitely wasn't my favorite class. I used to find myself with my head against the wall trying to stay awake. I felt so out of place entering duel enrollment for senior year. That was of course until I met the wallflower who sat directly behind me. Her name was Danielle Peterson, this whole year and I never knew she was in my psych class. The day I met her was amazing, but the day I realized I had class with her, that was astonishing. I mean how I could I have never noticed? Such a beautiful girl and she never once caught my eye. Once I knew she was there, she was the only thing my eyes could see. I went from trying to stay awake to trying to keep my eyes off her.

She looked as beautiful as ever today, everything about her was practically flawless. It was difficult to believe she didn't have many friends. How could someone not want to be friends with someone as incredible as her? It wasn't just her looks, she was such a genuine person as well. Most nights I found myself lost in conversation with her on the phone. She'd keep me up way past midnight on most calls, it wasn't good for my sleep schedule. Not that it bothered me, I had no complaints. Just seeing her was enough to make my day, talking to her only made it better.

I wanted nothing more than to sweep her off her feet and ask her out, but there was one problem. Her last name was Peterson and Quinn was my best friend. I couldn't help but feel as if it were wrong to date your best friend's sister. I mean it almost seemed wrong to be such good friends with her. Maybe I was overthinking it all, maybe Quinn didn't mind at all. But that was a chance I couldn't take, if he got pissed than Danielle would most likely not want to see me anymore. However, there was one thing I could do.

I looked over at her in her desk, carefully taking notes. I leaned over and looked at her notes as I did most days. She was so much smarter than me, so much more committed and organized. I made a habit out of teasing her for how much of a nerd she could be. In reality it was my way of crushing on her. I was hoping she would pick up on it, but social cues didn't seem to be her forte. I guess I just had to be blunt with her, I had to straight up ask her. My school's prom was coming up and I didn't have anyone to go with, mostly because Danielle was the only girl on my mind.

The moment the bell rang I got from my desk and packed up my things. I watched as Danielle looked over at me and smiled. I felt my stomach start to flutter with butterflies, I had never been so nervous at asking a girl out. This should've been easier, I should've had more confidence in myself. I had asked girls out all the time in highschool. But none of those girls were like Danielle, not a single one. They were just girls and Danielle.....was a woman.

I felt myself staring at her and she must've too, because she looked at me again and tilted her head slightly.

"Are you ok?" She asked.

I leaned against my desk as the other students left the room. "Oh I'm good I just......was thinking of something."

"What was it?" She asked putting on her bookbag.

"Fuck why did she have to be so oblivious?"

I shrugged my shoulders and waved her off. "Oh you know just.....stuff."

"Well come on we don't want to be late to our next class." She said beckoning me to follow her.

I followed her out into the hallway and placed an arm around her. "Danny, do you dance?"

"Well that's an odd question." She said looking up at me.

"Why did her eyes have to look like that?"

I smiled and nodded. "It is but....do you?"

"Well if you must know, I took four years of dance in highschool." She said blushing a bit.

"That body can dance?"

My eyes widened. "Really?"

"Yeah, I've always loved dancing silly." She said bumping into me. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh um.........."

"Fuck don't bitch out now!"

"Are you sure you're ok?" She asked placing a hand on my cheek.

"Why does she choose now to touch me?"

"Yeah yeah I'm good. I'm sooo good. Why do you ask?"

"You're acting really strange." She said moving her hand to my forehead. "You're burning up, are you sure you're not feverish?"

I snatched her wrist. "Danny!"

"Yes?" She asked giggled a bit.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. "Did you go to your school's Prom?"

"What?" She said furrowing her brow. "Again, another odd question."

I opened my eyes. "Have you?"

"I....no I didn't." She said looking away from me.

"Why?"

"Because.....because no one wanted to go with me." She said stopping and leaning against one of the lockers in the hallway.

I leaned against the locker right alongside her. "Really?"

"Yes, is it hard to believe?" She asked.

I crosses my arms. "Why wouldn't it be?"

"I mean.....look at me." She said motioning to her face.

I smiled and leaned closer towards her. "Ok....I'm looking."

"Hideous right?" She asked looking up at me.

I shook my head. "No....not at all. Quite gorgeous actually."

"Gorgeous!" She said laughing as if it were a joke. "I wouldn't go that far."

"Would you want to go to Prom with me?!"

The words came out of my mouth without a second thought. My whole plan for asking her to prom went out the window. My words seem to shock Danielle, her eyes were just staring at me. I couldn't tell if she felt happy or awkward. I immediately started regretting even thinking of the idea. Danielle didn't seem like the kind of girl who enjoyed huge social spaces. Why would she ever want to go to Prom? I went to back away from her but felt her hand grab my arm. My heart nearly leap out of my chest when I felt Danielle's soft lips connect with mine.

My eyes were almost bulging out of their sockets. Out of all the answers I could have gotten, this was the last one on my mind. I felt her hands move up to caress my face as my hands made their way down to her hips. I felt her body turn towards the lockers, which led me to press her up against them. The people in the hallway would just have to enjoy the show, because I had no intention of stopping. Instead I followed Danielle's led and prodded her mouth with my tongue. This was my first time kissing her, I was going to make it worth remembering.

"AYE! BREAK IT UP YOU TWO!"

We both pulled away in an instant, gasping for air. I looked over and saw an administrator pointing his finger at us. I simply smiled and gave him a thumbs up, he rolled his eyes and walked away. I turned my head to look back at Danielle and noticed her tongue was almost hanging out of her mouth. I was close enough to feel her heart beating at a thousand miles per hour. She must've been as nervous as me, she was definitely braver. Without warning, she leaned and locked lips with me again. This time however I made the smart decision to pull away.

"Whoa there tiger, one more kiss and I'm sure we're gonna get suspended."

"Sorry." She said giggling. "I guess I just got a bit excited."

"A bit?" I held my hand up to my mouth. "I'm pretty sure my lips feel violated right now."

"Sorry, it's just.....that was.....that was my first kiss." She said putting her hands behind her back.

I took a step back and shook my head. "Bullshit!"

"I swear." She said turning crimson. "I never....I never did that before."

"What made you do it now?"

"I don't know." She said running her hand along my chest. "I look at you and I just feel.......so happy. You have no idea how much seeing you makes my day. "

"I've met a lot of guys Josh, none of them have ever made me feel as happy as I am around you." She said lifting her hand to my shoulder. "It's like.....it's like you're the one I've been waiting for."

I tilted my head. "The one?"

"Yeah I know it sounds super emotional and overdramatic, but it's how I feel. I genuinely feel so happy when I'm around you, it's like I can be myself." She said with a huge smile growing on her face.

"You're the most amazing guy I've ever met Joshy. I've felt this way since I met you, since you came into my room out of nowhere. I've just been too scared to tell you."

"You think you've been scared?" I reached out and held her hand in mine. "I practiced, asking you to prom, several times in the mirror this morning."

"Seriously?" She asked laughing so hard she almost fell on to me.

I chuckled and wrapped arms around her. "It's not funny."

"You're right, it's hilarious." She said laughing into my chest.

I laughed to myself as I leaned down and kissed her on the forehead. I waited until we both calmed down from our supposed laugh attack, before meeting her eyes. I knew since I met her that I really liked her, but she was my best friend's sister. I had no idea if I could resist my feelings, especially after that first kiss. Who would I be to turn her away after that? How could I possibly resist those eyes?

Those lips.

That fucking adorable smile.

I lifted my hand up and placed it on her cheek. "Danny?"

"Yes?" She asked. Her eyes seemingly lighting up.

"I..........."

"FUCK! JUST SAY IT!"

"Josh, what's wrong?" She asked. Her smile fading as fast as it had came.

I closed my eyes, there was no way I could see her reaction. I couldn't possibly see those eyes sadden. I pulled away from her touch all together and took a step back.

"I don't think we should do this."

"You stupid son of a bitch! You actually said that!"

"W-What....what do you mean?" She asked. Her voice sounding shaky, filled with hurt.

I clenched my fists and turned my back to her. "I mean....you're Quinn's sister. I can't do that to him, he's my best friend. If we date then.....it'll just make everything so complicated."

"What?!" She asked as her hand gripped my shoulder. "Are you actually serious?"

I felt her spin me around in an instant. My eyes opened on instinct and I was met with her beautiful eyes filled with pure fury.

"You're actually going to turn me down because....BECAUSE OF MY FUCKING BROTHER?!!" She asked raising her voice.

I looked around at all of the heads turning towards us. "Hey hey lower your voice Danny."

"NO!" She yelled grabbing me by the shirt. "I am so sick of my brother dictating my life without doing or saying a damn thing."

I pried her hand off my shirt before placing my hands on her shoulders. I hoped to calm her down but she only seemed to be growing more angry. She brushed my hands off and shoved me away from her.

"Every guy I've ever liked has turned me down because of my fucking brother." She asked slightly lowering her voice. Not that it mattered, everyone was already looking.

"Every guy has been too afraid to date me because I have two brothers. Because they just think that I'm too much responsibility." She said gripping my hand.

"Like I'm some shielded person who can't make her own decisions. Like my brothers own me like I'm some fucking piece of property, WELL I'M NOT! I'M THEIR OLDER SISTER! I DESERVE.........I deserve to be happy too."

Everything grew quiet in an instant, the only sound was a few audible mumbles from the people looking at us. I took a look around before leaning closer to Danielle who was visibly frustrated. Her eyes were quickly filling up with tears, she tried looking away to make them stop. But they soon began streaming down her cheeks. I reached a hand up and wiped a few of them away. I kept my hand on her cheek and leaned forward and kissed her soft lips. I felt her hand squeez my hand as her other hand tangled itself in my hair. I took a step forward and pressed her up against the locker again. I stopped myself and pulled away for the second time today.

I kept my eyes locked on to hers, they looked confused, unsure of what to feel. I was unsure, Danielle was right about most of what she said. I've heard Quinn tell me stories about the previous guys who tried to date her. They always backed out when things got to serious, by serious I mean an actual relationship. It makes me even more surprised she hasn't been kissed before. Yet she chose me to be her first.

"Why me Danny? Why did you have to kiss me? You know I can't resist you now. I won't resist."

"Josh?" She asked loosening her grip on my hand.

I squeezed her hand and brushed my lips against hers. "I never got my answer to Prom."

"Are you asking me as a friend or-"

"I don't plan on bringing a friend to Prom." I lowered my other hand and took her free hand in it. "I plan on bringing the most gorgeous girl in Florida, but she still hasn't given me an answer."

"That's really sweet Josh, but....it's a lot you know. I feel like I can be a bit emotional sometimes. I'm sorry for venting like that, it was uncalled for." She said lowering her eyes away from mine. "You don't have to ask me out of guilt, if you don't want this, now's your chance to back out."

I smiled and raised her chin up. "I want you more than anything in the world Danielle Peterson. But right now, I want an answer as well."

"SAY YES!"

I looked around and noticed it came from one of the many people staring at us. I chuckled a bit and looked back and Danielle. Her eyes were nearly lit up, she didn't seem as worried as she as she was before. I felt her hands squeeze mine as she leaned forward against me.

"Yes." She said with a huge smile. "Yes Josh, I'll go with you. If only to see you try to dance."

I laughed and playfully shoved her. "Please, I bet I can keep up with you."

"I'll hold you to that." She said pecking me on the cheek. "I always get what I want."

September 21st, 2018

The truth about Danielle and I was a complicated one. To everyone that we know, we were together for only a year. The reality was that we were together for nearly four years. We dated in secret for a really long time, we were good at it. We were good at acting normal around Quinn and Isiah, only to ditch them to have sex in my car. When Danielle and I first started dating, she admittedly timid. I was her first kiss and in her opinion, I was out of her league. Which to this day still baffled me, if anything she was way out of my league. As her and I dated for a few months, she started to grow more confident. She was far more comfortable with us cuddling and making out. After almost half a year, we finally decided to have sex for the first time. Danielle was hesitant in the beginning, but that day I became her first. I would never admit it until a few years later, but Danielle was also my first.

She only got more and more confident the days following our first time. Everyday she initiated the sexual encounters at school, her house, my house, it didn't matter. In that period of time Danielle and I were like bunny rabbits. The years after that we both realized we were deeply in love with one another. Things turned sour unfortunately and we broke up, then as the universe intended, we ended up right back together. Which brought us to today, where her and I were back to being our usual selves.

Danielle nearly got me to ditch my afternoon classes. Our shower this morning definitely encouraged me to do so. But like most days, I resisted enough to just get through school. Thankfully I didn't have Danielle in any of my classes, she could be such a distraction. I got through most of my day without even thinking about her too much. Though I knew once I got back to my dorm room, she'd be the only thing on my mind for the rest of the day. My classes took me from noon to six, which is around when the sun started going down. The dusk sky was in full glow by the time I made my way out on to the courtyard. I had already texted Danielle to meet me back at my room. She simply responded with a winky face emoji, which gave me an idea for what she had planned. I honestly just wanted to binge watch Stranger Things, but I guess I'll just to settle for chilling.

"Yo Josh!"

My ears perked up and my head shot around to the location of the voice. I was surprised to see another person from my past. Not Alice, but an old friend from highschool, Henry Carter Jr. He's grown up a lot since the last time I saw him as a freshman. Even in college he still seemed like just a freshman. I watched as ran up to me and held his hand out. I immediately grabbed at it and shook before shoving him a bit.

"Where the hell you been Henry?"

"Down south in Miami for the most part, where you should've been." He said with a huge smile on his face.

I held my hands up and chuckled a bit. "Hey you know me, not much of a Miami person."

"What are the odds I find you here? From what I remember you told me you were heading to UCF." He said pointing his finger at me.

I shrugged looked around the courtyard. "Things change I guess. This place seems to suit me better."

"How's everything with you? You and Danny still dating?" He asked.

I hesitated for a moment, thinking how I could even answer that. "Yeah, we're still together."

"Sheesh that's gotta be like four or five years now." He said shoving me a bit. "Who would've thought you were in it for the long run?"

I smiled and shoved him back. "Hey fuck you Henry. Ok I happened to be a great boyfriend."

"A great boyfriend doesn't say that." He said crossing his arms.

I rolled my eyes and sighed. "You going somewhere?"

"Just gonna head over to Josie's." He said motioning over to the plaza across the street. "You can come if you want, I'm meeting my friend over there."

"Friend?"

"Well.....girlfriend technically." He said trying to hide his obvious grin.

I felt a huge smile form on my face as I hit him on the arm. "Look at you Junior! I didn't even know you had it in you."

"Hey come on man stop." He said laughing. "You thought I was gonna be single forever?"

I shook my head and laughed. "No but it's just crazy, you're almost a man now."

"I am a man." He scoffed.

I held my finger up. "A real man doesn't say that."

"You wanna come or not?" He asked rolling his eyes.

I nodded and took out my phone. "Yeah I'm down, let me just ask Danielle if she wants to come too."

"Alright man I'll see you there." He said patting me on the back before walking away.

I looked down at my phone and started typing a message to Danielle. I'm sure she'll be a little disappointed that will have to postpone our Netflix and chill. I was just thankful to be doing something other than hanging out at my room.

So I just ran into an old friend and we're gonna get drinks at Josie's. You care to join us?

I took a seat on one of the many benches in the courtyard. I waited around for a response, about five minutes passed before I felt my phone buzz. I looked down and didn't see an message from Danielle, but a message from Alice.

Do you remember Henry from highschool?

I smiled and quickly went to tapping my fingers on my phone.

Yeah, I just ran into him like five minutes ago actually.

No shit? I just saw him at Josie's and you're not gonna believe who I saw him with.

I leaned back in the bench as I watched a image loading into the chat. I looked around before watching the image finally pop up. My jaw nearly hit the floor when I saw a picture of Henry with his arm around......Jessica. His new girlfriend was fucking Jessica Hayes. I shot up from the bench and ran a hand through my hair as I paced back and forth. Out of all the fucking girls Henry could've gotten with, it had to be my ex-girlfriend. This didn't make any sense, I mean Henry was a fucking nerd. Why would Jessica want to get with him?

"NO! Don't get jealous! He's clearly a fucking rebound, you and Jessica clearly aren't together anymore, and you're happy with Danny!" I screamed internally.

I started making my way back to my dorm, drinks with Henry was clearly not happening. I went back to my phone and saw that Danielle had responded about a minute ago, not that I noticed.

But I really wanted to stay in tonight Joshy. I guess if it's an old friend I can make an exception, let me get dressed and I'll be over there.

I shook my head and rushed over to the girl's dormitories. The thought of texting her didn't even pop into my head. I had to see her in person and I had to see her now. When I got to the building I rushed up the steps and ran over to the front door. In doing so I accidentally bumped into someone leaving the building. The sounds of papers flying everywhere was enough to make me stop and look back. I saw a girl with dirty blonde hair frantically picking up all the dropped papers. Without a second thought, I immediately rushed over and started helping her collect all the scattered papers.

When I looked up at the girl I was met with brightest green eyes I had ever seen. Even brighter than Danielle's, I didn't even think that was possible. This girl was also gorgeous, not better than Danielle, but still I would be stupid to describe her as anything but beautiful. Her hair was tied up in a loose bun with a bandana tied around her head. I tried to do my best to act like I wasn't caught off guard by how she looked. I just went back to picking up the last few pieces of paper on the ground. When I got them all I banged them against the ground to straighten them and then held them out in front of the girl. She took them out of my hand before nodding.

"Thanks, I'm sorry I bumped into you." She said with a soft smile.

I shook my head and waved it off. "No it's my fault, I was in a hurry and I wasn't even paying attention to where I was going."

"Well I wasn't either to be fair." She said holding her papers tight to her chest. "I was kind of in my own head for a moment and then BLAM!"

I pointed to her papers. "What are those? If you don't mind me asking."

"Just........stuff." She said blushing slightly.

I tilted my head and rolled my eyes. "Ah come on, what are they?"

"I mean they're......drawings." She said turning nearly crimson.

"Drawings?"

"Yeah you know....like art." She said giggling.

I held a hand out. "Do you mind if I see one."

"Oh I.....I don't usually show anyone my drawings." She said nervously tucking her hair behind her ear.

"I mean I did help you pick them up.....and I didn't exactly get a good look at any of them."

"That's true....but you were the reason I dropped them in the first place." She said narrowing her eyes at me.

I mimicked her actions and took a step forward. "I thought it was your fault?"

"I thought it was yours?" She asked.

I laughed a bit and leaned against the handrail on the stairs. "What's your name Miss Artist?"

"Cassandra." She said holding out one of her hands.

I noticed one her grip on her papers had loosened. I took the opportunity to lean forward and pretend to reach for her hand. Instead, I snatched one of her papers out of her grasp.

"HEY!" She shouted frantically trying to snatch it back.

I held a hand out in front of me and leaned back slightly. "Whoa whoa whoa, I'm just trying to see what all the secrecy is about."

"It's not a secret, I just....I'm really insecure about my drawings ok." She said nearly pressed up against me.

I backed away and turned to look at the drawing. "Is this.......holy shit."

"What? Is it that bad?" She asked crossing her arms.

I shook my head and held the picture up to the light. Today was not the day I was expecting it to be. First I meet an old friend from highschool, then I find out he's dating my recent ex-girlfriend, and now I ran into the girl that Quinn had been talking about for the past month. The drawing she was working on was a self portrait of Quinn himself. A damn good one if I had to admit, I mean it looked just like him. I looked up at Cassandra and then back at the drawing and then back at her.

I held the drawing up to her and pointed to it. "You drew this?"

"I mean yeah." She said holding her arm.

"This is really good." I looked back at the drawing and smiled. "I mean this is.....wow."

"Really? You think so?" She asked looking at it with me.

I nodded and looked over at her. "How do you know this person?"

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"The guy in the picture. He's my bestfriend, Quinn."

"Really?" She asked. Her eyes lit up and a huge smile formed on her face.

"Yep.....and you must be the girl he talks about so much."

"He....he talks about me?" She asked messing with the bandana on her head.

I looked back at the drawing and nodded. "Are you kidding me? Quinn never seems to shut up about you. The only thing he never brought up was your name."

"That's.....that's amazing." She said turning crimson again.

"You know.....it's been a tough year for him." I let my eyes drop. "He's lost a lot.....but when he talks about you....it's like he's old self again."

"I never realized I had that kind of impact on him." She said.

"I don't think he does either. I haven't seen Quinn this happy since.....since his girlfriend died."

"I know....he told me about it. I had no idea how bad it was, he always seems so happy around me." She said staring at the drawing of Quinn.

I looked back up at her. "It was bad for a time, he never really talks about it. It was a dark time for him, but he's gotten better......thanks to you."

The look on her face was that of appreciation. Her eyes turned a bit glossy for a moment, as if she thought about crying. From the looks of her, I had no idea why Quinn didn't ask her out. Surely, he was holding out due to his grief. But he should know better, if Cassandra really makes him happy, he should just accept her love. It's clear she liked him, no girl gets this happy and draws pictures of a guy she sees as a friend. I remember when Danielle kissed me for the first time. I should've seen it coming, all the signs were there from the start. The way she acted around me, the way she would always talk to me on the phone for hours on end. The way she looked at me, it wasn't the way a friend looked at another friend. Cassandra had that same look in her eyes when she stared at the drawing of Quinn.

"I never got your name." She asked.

I handed her the drawing back and smiled. "It doesn't matter. But what does matter, is you getting that drawing to Quinn. I'm sure he'll love it."

"You think so?" She asked.

I nodded and walked back up the steps. "I know so!"

I turned around and got one last look at the smiling beauty known as Cassandra. Quinn was lucky, this girl was perfect for him, he just didn't see it. I turned back at entered the building and rushed upstairs to the third floor. I walked down the hall to Danielle's door and knocked on it a few times. It was only a few seconds before I was met with those beautiful emerald eyes I had fallen in love with. It didn't matter that Jessica was with Henry know, he could have her. I had everything I wanted, everything I needed. I leaned forward and captured Danielle's lips in mine with a word. She didn't hesitate to return the favor, holding on to me as I pushed us both back into her room. It seems like after all....Danielle always gets what she wants.