[Edited]

~Hailey~

The sky was a familiar dull grey as I reached the campus of the prestigious Hertfordshire University - the private one, of course. 

I marched forward in my desginer boots, bag on my arm. The entrance stood at the focal point of the building, towering high above the large stretch of grass which surrounded the front and back of the campus; the doors were made of a heavy oak wood, reminding me of castle doors found in a place like Transylvania.

On hearing my phone ping yet again, I muttered a curse. Layla was relentless. Instead of replying I chose not to answer it and continued to march forward, shouldering my way past the dozens of students who stood milling about in my line of path.

The main building Ibwas walking towards was the most important, built for the Art, English, Media, and Journalism & Communication students. At first I'd thought it was the only campus structure but on soon visiting however, I noticed that it wasn't.

In the far distance behind it, several square-shaped structures similar in design littered the field and hosted lecture rooms and workshops for students of other studies. Around them, neat; cream-coloured stone paths travelled across the grass in straight lines or occasional bends, branching off in the appropriate places to reach the outer buildings.

Overall, the place was huge and exceptionally jaw-dropping -- the perfect institution for rich students.

Making my way up the steps, I walked through the entrance and glided along the polished stone floors in a hurry; to prevent Layla from kicking my ass. I was late. I cursed and speed walked under the arched ceilings until I made a sharp left and entered the cafeteria.

Where the rest of the building was Victorian in style, a few of the classrooms; the gym and the cafeteria were modern and open-spaced -- just the way I liked it. Scanning the large room, I tried to spot the familiar cluster of well-dressed girls who belonged to my group.

Taking up the entire length of the back wall stood the metal food stands and tills. Sometimes Layla could be found there queueing for a fruit salad, or something equally as ridiculous for breakfast. 

She wasn't there today.

Hmm...

My eyes drifted past the tills and over to the right side of the room where several coffee machines and a few smaller tables were stood. Light from the windows next to them hit the floor and lit up the table surfaces, but I couldn't see them over there either.

"Yo! Hailey!" Layla waved manically as she called out from the right corner of the room. On hearing my name, the rest of the girls stood, smiling brightly. Of course they'd taken up two of the biggest tables in there. 

I stalked over to them.

She pulled me in for a hug when I reached her. "Finally! I get to see you in the flesh."

I laughed. "Layla, it's been two days since I last saw you. Chill."

She waved a hand, dismissing what I'd said. "Details, details..."

At that point, Courtney, a blonde who had been applying lipstick in front of her mirror, piped up. "How was your date with Scott?" Her eyes were round with excitement as she looked at me, ignoring another girl sitting next to her who was trying to get her attention.

It was the same thing they'd ask every time.

Rolling my eyes, I took a seat. The whole group sat with me, which was something I was used to. Looking

Amanda, a redhead with an obsession for manicured nails, spoke after me."So what? We still want to know." Her sharp face was alight with something other than disdain for once -- a predatory grin that was in fact innocent (it was just the way she looked).

Around us, the other girls nodded. I sighed, admiring Amanda's long blood-red nails that seemed to be plastered with fake diamonds as I thought on what to say. They could've been real ones.

I couldn't be sure with Amanda.

Layla poked me in the arms. "Oi. Earth to Hailey! Answer her."

I jolted and poked her back before putting my hands flat out on the table. "It was fun," I admitted. "We had cotton candy and lots of sugary stuff," I tapped my chin as I thought harder. "Oh! And we went on a kiddie's merry-go-round!"

If it were anyone else talking about this they would've frowned, but their faces stayed interested as I discussed the date in detail. The girls never found fault in anything I said and did, which made me feel powerful, but sometimes I pitied them for it.

The truth was: power only lay where people thought it was. I was no different to any other girl in that room, except I had parents who wanted me to be something I wasn't, and their parents were probably more interested in encouraging them to be who they were. Nevertheless, they worshipped me and I adored the attention whenever I received it. 

"...So yeah, all in all it was a good night." I'd just finished telling them a less explicit version of what had gone down when Scott had stayed over as I didn't want them to know absolutely everything. That was saved solely for Layla and I knew she'd get pissed if I gave them the special treatment.

She grinned at me in knowing as the rest of the girls squealed in delight.

No one from any other group dared to look over and give us death glares at the noise we'd created. If they did, they were too unimportant for the girls and I to notice or they'd realised it was us and had looked away again. We had that sort of power and came on top of the social hierarchy.

Suddenly, the group went quiet and Layla squeezed my arm, pulling me from my  thoughts yet again. "He's coming," she whispered. I smiled and turned just as Scott grabbed a seat from another table and sat next to me. I swear half the girls nearly swooned and I tried to contain my annoyance. Did they have to be so obvious?

As if to mark my territory (pathetic, I know), I kissed him on the lips for much longer than usual to which he looked slightly surprised but didn't say anything about. 

I brushed away a few of his strawberry blonde curls from his face as he grinned.

From underneath the table, I grabbed hold of his hand and squeezed it. "Hey," I grinned back. So what if my voice was slightly higher pitched? He was like a god in the form of a man...

Except after he'd been exercising in the gym. Then I was reminded that he was most definitely just a man.

As the group continued to talk he joined in our conversation. Not a minute later we all laughed over something that Amanda had been dared to do with an older guy over the weekend (something absolutely crazy). Time seemed to tick by until it was almost the beginning of lectures and at half past nine sharp we all stood and got ready to go.

I hugged Layla and a few of the girls who I was closer with, before taking Scott's hand in mine and leaving with him.

Scott and I were both English undergraduates. While I wanted to become a top editor - perhaps working for a women's magazine, Scott wanted to graduate and obtain his Masters so that he could go into the career of teaching. When I'd told my parents Scott's ambitions a few months ago, they'd sent me death glares; no doubt silently wishing he could take my place as their son due to his more 'respectable' career, while they'd chatted with him as we'd sat around the dinner table.

It saddened me to think those were the only occasions where they wanted to spend time with me -- to size up my friends and brag about them to their co-workers later on.

After our two hour lecture had finished, I met Scott on one of the benches outside the main entrance and together we walked back to his which was a ten minute stroll away. 

The driveway was wide but not very long, leading straight towards his house which had a cute light brown wooden door with a golden knocker. The house looked to be three stories tall, but I knew better seeing as he had the whole cellar to himself which 

After opening the door, we went straight down into the cellar and plopped ourselves on the white leather sofa which took up the whole back wall. I inhaled the leather's scent with delight, loving the smell of leather.

"Are you hungry?" He asked me as his hand wondered up my thigh.

I shook my head. "Not yet."

He nodded. "Alright."

Soaking in the familiarity of the room, I felt a sense of happiness.

The far left wall had large open windows with white blinds suspended up high; the wall in front of us was made of brick and had a plasma screen TV hung up against it. Above us, at least fifty light brown wooden beams crisscrossed on the ceiling, giving the room a cottage-style effect and reminding me of my home.

Carefully, I slithered forward until I sat on the edge of the cushions, my feet resting on the floorboards. A sleek black coffee table stood about a metre in front of us; underneath it was placed a giant light blue rug.

I frowned, looking at the already lit fireplace.

Scott followed what I was looking at and said,"It's automatic," as he scooted over closer to me, pulling me onto his lap without much effort. I waited for him to finish explaining. "It turns itself on whenever I activate the alarm and pass through the motion sensors above the cellar door."

"Oh, that makes sense." 

He began to rub at my shoulders eliciting a moan from me, against my wishes. "Mmm, don't stop." The way his fingers moulded softly into my shoulders did things to me down south.

Wait, this can't happen! Not now.

With speed I jumped off his lap and stood out of reach. He looked more than shocked. I hurried to explain.

He relaxed, sliding up the seat until his back rested against the cushions. A cheeky smile found its way across his lips at my evident discomfort. "We still have an hour or so left."

He looked adorable.

Looking around the room, I suddenly spotted an Xbox lying in the corner -- a potential distraction. "How about we play a game of Grand Theft Auto instead?" I asked him instead.

His shoulders didn't tense up -- something that was always a sure sign he was disappointed or pissed. I took that to be a good sign.

Nodding, he stood ready to set it up, but I forced him back down.

"You stay there. I'll do it."

He looked puzzled for a second before his eyes lit up, sparkling with mischief. It was an expression I knew almost guaranteed trouble. "Scared I'm going to do something you won't like?" He drawled out, making the blood rush up to my cheeks. I didn't blush very often so that made me pissed.

He'd said that deliberately.

"No," Yes. "I'm already standing so it's just easier for me to do it." Why were we even debating this?

He snickered.

"What?"

"You don't even know how to set up the Xbox."

I scowled before walking over towards the console. "Yes I do." Another lie. I began to fiddle with some wires. How hard could it be anyway?

Damnit, I cursed after several seconds. It was going to be trickier than I thought. I had no idea where anything went.

"Like this," he suddenly said from behind me as he guided my hands to fit the wire I was holding into one of the holes. He repeated the action with the next wire. Even after all the time we'd spent together my hands still tingled with the contact.

His warm breath brushed against my exposed shoulder, and I froze when he kissed the side of my neck, right below my left ear.

"I can't," I told him right before standing up which took all my effort. Before he could object, I left him to set it up as I tried to admire a new plant that had been placed on the other side of the room.

When everything was switched on he grabbed hold of my hand and we sat back down on the sofa together. An hour and fifteen minutes of gaming later, we heard the sound of feet walking overhead and switched off the TV, walking up the stairs to greet Scott's parents.

"Hi," his mother said as she saw us.

Scott's mother was short but of a very slim build, with styled brown-blonde hair that reached just past her shoulders. As an executive of an architectural company she'd achieved masses at her youngish age of thirty-nine, and was often clad in sophisticated business attire to suit the role.

Today was no exception.

"Hi," I greeted back 

Her cream blazer had a thin black rim which went well with her knee-length pencil skirt; the outfit was to die for and coordinated brilliantly with the rest of it -- her white blouse and white silk neck tie.

As she pulled me into her arms and rubbed my back before doing the same to Scott, her green eyes shone with warmth. Apparently they'd both just come back from a week long business trip abroad.

"It's nice to see you, Hailey," Scott's dad rumbled as he shook my hand. Where his wife was small and lean, he was tall, broad-shouldered and big-boned. His hands were huge and meaty, engulfing mine as they took it into his tight grasp.

Nevertheless, his eyes were friendly -- the exact shade of Scott's.

*

Later in the evening, we were all sat around the table eating dinner together. The atmosphere was a huge contrast to what was always waiting for me at home and at the end of it, Scott stood and announced that we were going up to his room. I was a bit embarrassed at that point, but they just waved us off, laughing from whatever new topic they were talking about.

Once inside his room, he handed me a spare pink towel he'd bought for me after my first stay, as well as some soap, spare PJ's and shampoo and conditioner.

I took them from him gratefully and sent him a smile. "Thanks."

Half an hour later and ready for bed, I hopped in underneath the cool sheets feeling nothing but shattered. When Scott climbed in, I wrapped my arms around his frame and rested my head on his chest before snuggling in closer. "Night," I whispered to him, feeling the cool air come in from the window which was open by a slit.

He rubbed his hands up and down my bare arms, eliciting goosebumps. Only a thin blanket separated us, something that I was all too aware of.

"Night." He whispered as his warm, minty breath fanned my face.

Before I knew it I was fast asleep.

*

I tugged on Ophelia's bag, causing her to fly backwards. 

The group that had been walking past suddenly stopped and began to laugh, looking to be in an older year.

From where she sat on the floor, Ophelia's round face peered back up at me, her lips trembling as tears pooled in her eyes. The mist was there for just a second before she blinked, clearing it.

I had to give it to her, at least she didn't bawl like a baby. Although a large part of me wished she had, as it would've given me a great deal of satisfaction.

"Oops," I sneered down at her.

This was the fourth time that week I'd pulled her to the ground. The fact that she was slightly chubby and was short, made it easy for me to push her around.

Maybe if she wasn't so fat and such a loser then I wouldn't have to bully her, I thought to myself.

To me, she was pathetic. An outcast.

I hated outcasts.

Leaning closer until I was a few inches away from her, I jeered, "What's the matter, fat face? Can't get back up?" More people began to crowd us, laughing cruelly at the retort. It was this type of attention I craved. 

She met my stare with resistance which weakened only slightly at the nickname I'd christened her with. When she didn't reply I grew irritated. Why didn't she ever fight back like the rest of them?

I was beginning to grow bored and I couldn't have that. Tapping my feet, I said more loudly,"Well maybe if you didn't weigh the amount of a whale you'd be able to move. Don't you think?" There were a few more sniggers. A self-satisfied smirk plastered itself to my face as she flinched.

That was more like it. I needed her to feel lesser than I. 

*

I sat up, startled.

The room around me was pitch-black and for a second I didn't know where I was, until I felt the warm presence of Scott beside me. I was still at Scott's house. 

The knowledge relaxed me. I wasn't alone.

Carefully, I tried to rub off the sweat that was trickling down my back with my pyjama top which I didn't know if it was the result of the heat or because of the dream I'd just had.

Letting out a quiet sigh, I rubbed my face.

I'd dreamt about Ophelia.

Again.

Even the name made me feel guilty.

When something wet landed on my cheeks I flinched, nearly jumping out of my skin. What the..? Reaching up, I swiped at it. Tears. I'd been crying.

I made to sit up, pulling the covers with me, but thought better of it seeing as I didn't want to risk waking Scott and his parents. The only thing I could do was lie back in bed left alone to face my thoughts, but I was too ashamed of them and of what I'd done to do that. I know I deserved to, but I couldn't revisit them. I just couldn't. 

I sat up. 

At that moment, despair racked through me coupled with regret.

The second a small cry escaped my throat, I wacked a hand to my mouth, eyes wide. Scott shifted upon hearing the noise, sitting up when his arm fell flat against the covers where I should've been lying.

He rubbed his eyes as he sat up with me and looked at me closely. "What are you doing?"

I sniffed. "I couldn't sleep."

He felt my cheeks and made a sound in the back of his throat. "Come here."

When he pulled me to his chest and laid us both down, I sniffed a little harder. He gazed up at the ceiling to give me some privacy, stroking my hair as he did so, while I wiped at my tears which had slowed considerably. I felt angry at myself for a number of reasons.

"Want to talk about it?" He asked, moments later.

I shook my head. "Not tonight." Not ever.

Luckily, he didn't say anything in response. If he had I didn't know what I would've responded with. 

Suddenly he turned, breathing into my neck as he buried his face there. "You'll be ok, baby," he whispered. He always knew what to say to make me feel better.

If only I could've believed him.

"Ok." Together we lay there in silence, moulded into one another until I drifted asleep.

---

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