I WOULD HAVE loved to scream "NO!" out loud because my brain doesn't seem to know any other word at this moment. I shake my head as tears come in my eyes, which are nothing more than a sign of weakness. I should be strong right now. For Dean, who I think looks way too calm for the fact that the people in this room have already noticed who he is, and the police will be here in just a few seconds. 

Even Peter's eyes shine suspiciously.

"Kolin is wrong. You're not going to jail, you hear me, Dean? You're coming right back here." 

Bronwyn also looks like she's about to cry, but she manages to restrain herself and just gives Dean a quick hug. She quickly turns away from us after that, but I know she just can't manage to keep up her neutral facade. 

The fact that she and Peter also feel the same way about it as I do, makes me almost happy, even if that sounds weird. But it makes me happy that there are people who stick with Dean, take him in their hearts in the shortest time, and only want the best for him. He deserves everything. 

So many people judge Dean ─ I was one of them at first, too ─ but in the end, he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time the night Hollyn died. I can't say if he would be the person he is today if Hollyn hadn't been murdered in the first place, but I do know that I absolutely fell for this person here and don't want to be without him anymore. 

I've never had future plans or liked a guy enough to want to include him in my future, but that probably changed the moment Dean banged on my door. Or when I ran away with him to Jeremy, my brother, and we talked all night. Or when he led me to his favorite spot in the woods and I practically poured my heart out for him. It probably took every word, every dimpled grin, and every action of his, to make me want to cling like a monkey on him and never let him go.

"Sydney?" Dean puts his hands on my shoulders and shakes me gently so I can emerge from my thoughts. "I need you to listen to me carefully right now." 

I nod, though I would have preferred to shake my head stubbornly. 

"The first thing that's going to happen after I leave is that all the rooms I've walked in will be checked. That includes Peter's room. Go get the video camera and check it carefully." The next words seem to take a lot of effort from him. "If necessary, you can also ask Hunter for help. Maybe he'll know how to find this video." 

Hectically, I look around for Kolin, who is suddenly nowhere in sight. Surely he won't have left and grabbed the camera himself...

Bronwyn and Peter run out of the room with respectable speed since they could probably count up one and one together like me, but I don't even think about following them. I have to do something first that I should have done way earlier. 

"Go, Sydney," Dean shouts forcefully as I don't move. 

I shake my head, owning up to my stubbornness. 

He runs his hand nervously over his angular face. "What the hell is keeping you here?"

I hear someone kicking the door across the room, and the people around us look for even more distance than they already have. Nothing would stop me from doing this. 

Dean's voice gets louder and angrier. "Why don't you just run away like everyone else? Why do you stay with me even now when I ─" 

Determined, I put my hands on the back of Dean's head to pull him down to me and put my lips on his without a hint of hesitation. 

Not only Dean makes a surprised sound, but so does everyone else in the room. I don't care that they probably think I'm crazy for kissing a 'murderer'. I don't care that the door opens with a loud noise and the footsteps of the police officers are getting closer. 

The only thing I care about is Dean's lips, which kiss back just as firmly as mine. His arms wrap around me, welcoming me and keeping me warm because I've gotten surprisingly cold since I heard the sirens. Dean kisses me like it's the first and last time, and it scares me. At the same time, my whole body tingles with desire as I slightly open my mouth and I feel his tongue. 

One thing is for sure, we should have done this way earlier. 

I gasp as he deepens the kiss, taking me completely in and giving me one of the most beautiful moments of my life. Nothing else matters except his lips, soft and firm at the same time. I tug lightly at his short hair, which I cut for him a few weeks ago, and he sighs softly. Why did we wait so long? What's certain is that I still regret nothing, because this moment is absolutely perfect, even though we're surrounded by judgmental students and loud police sirens. 

Dean is an incredible kisser, even in a moment like this. I don't want it to end. I don't mind him kissing me forever if it means he doesn't get caught. 

Almost at the moment, I think that, he gets pulled away from me for the second time that night, only this time by a cop who immediately cuffs Dean's hands behind his back. It happens incredibly fast, way too fast. I barely have time to blink before they're already leading Dean away. 

He tries to turn around, to catch another look at me, but he doesn't have a chance. The officer forces him to turn his head around. 

I block out the students' glances completely. I'm not interested in their judgmental eyes burning into me. Or their whispers and murmurs, dedicated only to me. 

I just look after Dean, even when I can't see him anymore. Something inside me is breaking, my heart probably. Every single part of my body hurts, only my lips are still tingling. Breathing heavily, I grab my chest, emitting an indefinable sound that doesn't even begin to describe the agony of my state. I knew this moment would hurt, but I didn't realize it would tear me apart so much inside. I want to scream, but not a single sound leaves my throat. I want to run, but my legs don't move an inch. But most of all I want to go to Dean, even though deep down I know I won't see him again for a long time.

-

Well... THEY KISSED