The green light flickered, and her head was already dizzy as the two girls stepped out of their room, ready to join the party downstairs.

Isla had been hesitant at first, more than it. Nearly frightened to actually take Blaise up on his offer to join their gathering. She never attended parties before the war. It was never in her interest to do so.

She was happier without the drama, the friends, and the mysteries that tended to come with it. Isla enjoyed staying out of everything that rounded the favored Slytherins, not that she believed herself to ever measure up to them, no.

Isla wasn't a pureblood, and that didn't cut it,

She felt as if her knees weakened underneath her as they walked down the stairs, her arm intertwined with Ava's, and the common room crowded with people nearly made her gasp. She had never seen this many students in there at once before.

''Shocking, isn't it?'' Ava smirked at her as her features lit up in the verdant colors, and the thick cloud of smoke circled them.

''What is?'' Isla sought not to seem to be too bothered at sight she held a slight minute ago, ''Oh, you mean—''

Ava's eyes rolled as she annoyingly huffed at her friend, ''Yeah, I mean the party, why do you always seem so clueless?''

Isla's eyes followed the gesture as hers rolled in sync with her friend's, and her arm around Ava's tensed, ''What do we do?''

Ava stopped, her arm dragged out of her friend's grip, ''What do you mean, what do we do? It's a party, Isla, don't be like that.''

''Be like what?'' Isla rose a brow as her friend stepped away from her closer to the table covered with plastic cups and clear crystal bottles. Ava didn't hesitate to make herself a drink before she disappeared through the crowd of people, leaving Isla behind.

She didn't even know what had just happened.

She didn't even have the chance to think before Ava was gone.

She huffed, standing alone in the mass of students as they shouldered their way around her. She was invisible, not one single soul paid attention to her, but for her — for her, it was a good thing, not having to feel more uncomfortable in the silky black dress her friend urged for her to wear.

Her eyes flickered across the common room, over the damp, moving bodies as they danced their way through the dusk and the lights flashing over them.

''You're not supposed to be here.''

Isla flinched by the hoarse voice, ripping through her ears as she spun around, almost stumbling into the muscular chest in front of her.

''What?'' She sought to speak louder than the music, ''Why are you—''

Theodore's hand wrapped around her upper arm, and he dragged her back to the end of the stairs, away from the nosey students and all the attention it brought for him to be seen talking to her.

Her back collided heavily with the stone-covered wall, and she gasped at the coldness as it trailed shivers down her exposed spine.

''You're not supposed to be here.'' Theo said again, harsher this time, making his point more firmly, ''I told Zabini that you're not invited.''

Isla's brows knitted together, and his hold around her arm loosened at the confused gaze she held, ''I'm not—'' She swallowed the hesitation she felt, ''I just followed Ava. I didn't mean—''

Theodore's head tilted, dangerously slow to the side as his tongue rolled over his bottom lip, and he placed both of his hands against the rock-coated wall. He trapped her in, towering over her.

''Didn't mean what?'' He nearly snapped at her, ''Not listening to me? Disobeying me?''

''Disobey you?'' Her note was airy, accusing almost. Her face twisted in a displeased grimace, ''You don't even talk to me if you don't need to, so why would I ever obey—''

''Watch it.'' He hissed, teeth gritted, ''Don't use that tone with me.''

Theodore stood so close to her again, so near that she could feel the heat of his body as it circled her. She could almost taste the bitter-sweet taste of alcohol in his warm breath as it fanned against her lips.

''Use what tone?'' She questioned again. Isla felt a flash of anger bolting through her veins. Not only did he tell her that she was a choice too low for him, but now he wanted to control her too. It made the mannered girl even more provoked.

''If you excuse me—'' She began to push herself off the wall, ''I have to find—''

Her chest awkwardly brushed against his, and his lips held only inches away from hers as he kept the daring glare. Theodore didn't speak a word to her. He simply looked at her as her neck arched more to gaze right back at him.

''Nott!'' Both of their necks clocked the blond boy. His hand held stretched out in the air, and his fingers dragged together for his friend to join him, ''We're playing a game.''

Theodore shrugged, and his eyes rolled back to stare at the unclear girl he had trapped in his hold, and as she was meant to take a heel back, to let her spine rest against the stone again — she nearly slipped on the sticky floor covered in spilled drinks.

Without a second doubt, his arm wrapped around her lower back, and he brought her closer to him.

The sting in his breaths caused her mind to feel more than dizzy as his hand felt pleasing on her bare skin.

He lingered for a slight minute, almost as if he wanted to feel her skin upon his before his toned chest tensed, and he immediately withdrew from her.

''Thank you—'' Isla's sight grounded as he caught a step away from her. He just looked at her. He stared at her with a gaze so intense.

''Nott, for fucks sake!'' Malfoy yelled again, ''Bring that bloody girl with you if you have to, but get over here already.''

The boy sighed, his head tipped back in with a groan.

Isla's eyes glanced over him, how his white shirt nearly revealed his muscular upper body, and the music rose to pound in her ears again. Loops of harsh tones tore through her, and Theodore started to walk away, closing in on Malfoy before he turned around, facing her from feet away.

''Are you just going to stand there or?'' He muttered, annoyed with her stillness, ''Suit yourself then.''

Isla hesitated, more than it. She knew she shouldn't follow the brunet. She understood how foolish it was of her to join him and his friends after what he spoke to her a few nights prior. Still, she couldn't help it.

She felt a wave of courage as it washed over her and, without another minute, lost, ''Theodore!'' Isla shouted after him, taking rushed steps closer as he peered down at her.

He was so tall in comparison to her. It felt intimidating almost.

''God...'' He mumbled to himself, gesturing with his hand for her to slip down onto a couch before he placed himself next to her. His hands were large on his own knees as he groaned at the situation.

''Seriously, Nott? I wasn't bloody serious about her—'' Draco growled from across the table.

''Manners, Malfoy. You look like a fucking person, act like one.'' Theodore shut him up, sending him a glare before he reached for a plastic cup, and he took it up to his lips.

Draco muttered something to the girl sitting next to him before nodding towards the table, shooting his best friend a glare, ''Spin it.''

''No, you spin it.'' Theodore's eyes rolled, ''You were the one who wanted to play this bloody game.''

''Coward.'' Draco said, loudly for everyone around the table to hear, ''I guess I have to do this for you too then?''

The blond leaned forward, flicking his fingers against the bottleneck, and it spun around, landing on Pansy, who sat angrily on the end of the furniture.

Isla stopped paying attention to them, her mind clouded by the surroundings for minutes, and she completely fell lost in her thoughts.

She couldn't help but gaze over the dancing students, how people moved close to each other, and how they kissed, hugged, and touched each other through the flashing lights.

''Clarke.''

She felt shivers run down her spine, intrigued by how the other people were acting. Isla wanted to appear the way they did. She wanted to let herself loose, slip out of the everyday hold she had upon herself and just have fun.

''Clarke—'' Theodore almost growled again, making her head snap to match his, ''Drink.'' He handed her a cup of liquor, and the scent of it stung at her senses.

He noticed her doubting expression as he placed a hand on her thigh.

She froze. Isla gulped as she looked up at him, seeing how he was already staring down at her.

His hand slightly tensed around her thigh. His fingers brushed over her bare skin, gripping it discreetly as his jaw fixed, and he nodded towards her cup, ''Drink.''

She did. She pathed the cup up to her mouth and let the bitter taste pour down her throat.

A grimace came across her face, and she frowned at the taste as it lingered in her mouth.

''Have you never tasted alcohol before?'' Theo rose a brow at her. His lips parted in surprise, ''I thought you—''

''No,'' Isla quickly dropped the cup back onto the table, crossing one leg over the other, and it caused him to her go of her with a frown.

It didn't take long until she nearly winced back again.

''Clarke,'' Her breaths stilled at Pansy speaking her name. Her entire body shifted around in her seat as she fully faced the girl, ''It landed on you.''

Pansy held a vicious smirk as she nodded towards the bottle, and Isla's eyes flickered, only to notice that it did.

''And what—'' Isla rose but was quickly hewed off by Pansy, staring her down, before her eyes snapped to Draco, and she bit down her lower lip.

''I dare you to kiss Malfoy.''

Isla gulped. She blinked so quickly. She didn't quite catch what the girl was saying. A frown was plastered over her face as Pansy rolled her eyes at her.

''Kiss Malfoy.'' She said again, with more pressure this time, ''Go on — I can't wait to see this.''

Draco mumbled something underneath his breath to the girl still resting next to him before he patted his lap, signaling for Isla to place herself over his thighs.

''I don't—''

''You don't have to do it if you don't want to.'' Theo took another sip of his drink as he kept his eyes on her, ''It's just a silly game, leave if you—''

Isla stared out over the group of people, dancing and enjoying themselves, and the envy grew within her. She didn't even think this through before she forced herself up on her feet and stumbled her way over to the other couch.

Draco's head bowed down to his lap, wishing for her to sit down. His tongue rolled on the inside of his cheek, ''Go ahead, Clarke. I've had worse girls on my lap...'' He peered over to Pansy, watching as her skin fumed in jealousy.

''Are you—''

''What the fuck did I just tell you?'' Draco hissed at her words. His hand closed around her wrist as he dragged her down onto him, ''Was that so fucking hard?''

''No—'' Isla swallowed, ' I just didn't know if you were serious.''

Her eyes fell upon the boy.

His eyes shimmered in a pearly color, and the blond strands of hair held sleek over his head. Draco was handsome, more than it, and the instant his hands gripped around her lower back, she froze.

''I—'' She whispered, and he scoffed at her, '' don't—''

''Have you never kissed anyone before?'' Draco mumbled, his sight constantly flicked between her eyes and lips, ''Don't tell me you've never been kissed, Clarke?''

''I have.'' She lied, starting to regret what she had brought herself into, ''Of course, I have.''

''Then kiss me,'' Malfoy said as he tugged her inches closer. The tension grew, ''Show me what you got.''

Her lashes battled as she closed her eyes, leaning closer to the blond, and the glares of the other people around the table shot daggers into her back.

Just as she could feel his breaths upon her lips and how close he was — he halted, and within seconds, tiny ones at that.

He burst out laughing.

Isla's body jolted back, gulping as he kept on laughing at her. The other students who noticed joined the blond's act.

They all chuckled and made fun out of her as she nearly drowned in embarrassment.

''You really believed so, didn't you?'' Draco gasped for air as he snapped his hands off of her, brushing them off against his pants. He felt disgusted by touching her. She could tell, ''Get off me, Clarke. I don't want to catch something.''

Isla felt the tears as they shredded in the corner of her eyes, but she wasn't going to show him — no.

She wasn't going to portray herself as that person, but she couldn't stand another minute being close to the people around her. The students who kept on toying with her.

She refused to cry in front of them, even if it was all she wanted to do.

''Was that really necessary, Malfoy?''

''Piss off, yeah? Wasn't you the one telling her she's not worth your—''

''You better shut that bloody mouth right now.''

''Or what? What are you doing to do about it? Run after your little excuse of a choice and come back to me when you're thinking clearly again.''

Her feet flat against the ground as she snatched a bottle off the table, and then — then she walked away.

Isla rushed her way out of the common room, through the basement, and across the yard. She couldn't breathe properly. She didn't want to do anything anymore. The one time — the one single time she put herself out there, she was played with.

She wished for the world to swallow her whole as she slipped down next to a pillar on the top floor of the astronomy tower.

She blamed herself for all of the humiliation she just had to live through, and she couldn't even think about it without her whole body wrenching within.

Her hand grasped at the flask she brought, and with her teeth, she ripped the stopper off of it, and in a bold move, she let the liquid pour down her throat, but not for long.

Her insides burned out of the strong taste, and she nearly felt herself choking on it, and just as she tore the glass away to cough, her body jolted off the floor by the husky grunt behind her.

''Nott?''

_____