Hey Loves, so sorry for not updating earlier...I was busy and my connection is pretty bad right now. 

To make up for it, I'll be updating the next two chapters, maybe three if I get good feedback. Enjoy!

"Look who finally made it back." Eric smirks, coming out to meet me. He gives me a sideways hug before pulling my box out of the trunk.

"Yeah." I roll my eyes. "I'm back in the bowels of hell."

"It's not even that bad." He chuckles, tugging on my arm to get me moving. "Although, not much has changed since you left."

"Well, good to know." I reply sarcastically. "That really makes me feel better."

"You'll be okay big head." He laughs patting my head.

"Will you ever quit doing that?"

"Never." He smirks. "Cross my heart and hope to die."

"You are such a jerk."

"That's what I've been told." He smiles, patting my head again. "Bighead"

Great

"Emma!" Piper, my roommate squeals when Eric and I finally get my stuff back to the dorms. "I'm so happy you came back."

"Wish I could say the same."

"Ouch." She cringes, taking a step away from me.

"Oh no, no that not what I meant Piper." I plead. "You know I love you. I just mean school in general."

"Don't come closer." She shrieks, reaching for her navy blue lampshade.

"Piper." Eric calls cautiously. "Put that down."

"No I won't." she smiles. Then, she lunges towards me, lamp raised in the air.

I cover my face with my arms, ready for the impact.

I see myself back in the basement. I'm shielding myself from my aunt and I sense my body going into a panic.

Nothing happens though. No one moves.

After a few seconds, I hear laughter and open my eyes.

"God I missed messing with you." She laughs, going back to drop off her weapon.

"That wasn't funny Piper." I chide, watching her cautiously. I feel shaken up and my breath is coming out in short gasps but neither of them seems to notice.

What is wrong with me?

"Gosh Emma relax." She says. "I'm not gonna hurt you."

My shoulders slump and I try to smile. This is Piper; she's my roommate. She won't hurt me.

"I think I'll head back now." Eric calls from behind Piper. She has her back turned to him so he points at her head, and then circles his hand next to his head in the universal sign for crazy.

I laugh and Piper swirls to face him, glaring.

In turn, Eric sticks out his tongue before making his escape.

"Child." She mutters when the door shuts behind him.

I start laughing again but stop abruptly when Piper glares at me.

"It's nice being back." I smile, heaving my box onto my bed so I can unpack some.

"It's nice having you back." Piper smiles, coming to stand beside me so she can help me unpack.

Together, we take out my clothes and sort them out in their respective places.

"There's a party over at Eric's dorm tonight." Piper says a few hours later while we sit at a little café a couple of blocks down. "You should come with."

I shake my head. "I don't think that's a good idea."

"Why not? She furrows her eyebrows.

"I don't know." I shrug. "I'm just not feeling up to it."

"Oh come on." She pleads, holding both hands up as though saying a prayer. "Pretty pleeease?"

Darn, that puppy dog face

"Fine." I sigh. "But if I feel even a little bit uncomfortable, I will leave."

"Fair enough." She smiles, happily sipping her cola.

Just then, I get a text from Edward asking if I'm okay. Smiling, I shoot off a quick reply in the affirmative.

"Who's got you smiling brighter than the sun?" Piper gives me a knowing look.

"Edward." I blush, looking down at my bed.

"Oooh Edward." She smiles, wiggling her eyebrow. "Are you two finally a thing?"

"Piper!" I shriek, tossing a camisole at her.

"What?" he asks, feigning innocence. "It was just a question. I mean, you two are practically joined at the hip. It's a surprise he isn't here playing bodyguard."

"Sure it was." I roll my eyes. "Besides, there's nothing going on between Edward and I. We just grew up together and that made us pretty close. He gets me but there's nothing to it."

"Uh uhn." She smirks before getting up off her chair. "Keep telling yourself that and maybe someday you'll believe it."

I groan outwardly and Piper smiles, satisfied.

We kill the next couple of hours unpacking the rest of my stuff and just catching up. When it begins to get dark, Piper reminds me of the party which I pretended to forget about and we decide to shower beforehand.

"You ready?" piper asks, shrugging on her boots.

"Almost." I reply, tugging my top over my head before applying a bit of makeup. "Done."

Piper smiles and nods her approval.

"You are going to kill it in that blouse."

"It's just a party Piper."

Piper laughs. "Party Piper." She repeats. "Has a funny ring to it."

"Yeah." I giggle, picking up my purse so we can head out.

Even if we didn't know where the party was taking place, it wouldn't have been difficult to get to the location.

With the swirl of noise and music pulsing through the air, anyone could locate it.

When we head into the apartment, the smell of booze and sweat immediately hits me and I feel a wave of nausea coming on.

Thank the heavens I didn't have dinner before this.

Once we get inside, Piper gets lost in the swarm of bodies as per usual. She loves to mingle and will most probably find her way back to me when it gets too overwhelming for her.

Sighing, I head to the kitchen to grab a drink before looking around for Eric. He lives in this building but I haven't spotted his red hair even once.

"Hey, look who showed up." a beer infused voice drawls behind me.

Plastering a big fat smile on my face and hoping it doesn't look more like a grimace, I turn around to face him.

Yepp, just as I remember.

He is even more handsome that the image I had saved up in my head. "Hey Travis."

"Aren't you the little show stopper tonight." He quirks coming closer.

"Well, I could say the same for you." I smile.

"Huh." Travis cocks his head to the side as though he is reflecting on my words. "It's nice to see you again Emma."

"Ditto"

"And" he comes even closer, so much so that I can almost feel his booze breath on me. "You look better than ever before." His hand latches onto my shoulder.

"Thanks Travis but I should get going."

I try to pull his hand off but he has me in a death grip and horror of horrors! He is leaning in.

"Get going where?" he slurs.

"I...uh...I'm meeting someone soon." I shove him with all my might but he doesn't even so much as budge.

Curse you, gym.

"Are you?" he smiles. "I get the feeling you want me to shove off."

"Then please do."

"Who?" he smirks, ignoring my statement and cocking his head once more. He pulls me closer and leans in.

He knows I lied.

"Is it someone I know?"

His breath is on my cheeks now.

Omg he's going to kiss me

I pull my leg backwards a bit, preparing to kick him where the sun doesn't shine. I didn't really want to create a scene but this is getting way too intense.

"In fact it is." Someone smiles, pulling me away from Travis.

Eric!

"Sorry to interrupt Travis but I have to borrow her for a bit."

Eric tugs on my hand and I follow him gratefully towards the living room. Scouting the area, we push our way past bodies dancing, people making out, drinking and whatnot before getting seated on a comfy sofa.

"Thanks for saving my ass back there." I sigh as relief floods my system. It might just be the buzz from my drink though. I really can't tell the difference.

Eric leans back in the chair and takes a swig from his bottle.

"No problem bighead." He smirks. "It's what I do."

"How long where you watching us?"

"Not long." He shrugs. "But enough to know that you were about to make the guy sterile."

"So you only pulled me out because of him?"

"Nah." He takes another swig. "He would have deserved it. I came in because I wanted to be the hero."

I chuckle and he joins in for a bit before returning to his drink.

"Thanks anyway."

"Seriously bighead, there's no need to thank me. You would have been able to handle yourself."

"But you didn't let me make a scene. You saved me and I think that's sweet."

Omg did I just say that?

Eric wiggles his brow at me. "Oh, so you think I'm sweet?"

"Yeah." I laugh, taking a sip of my drink. "I mean you always look out for me."

"Fair enough." He shrugs. "But don't I at least deserve some reward? It's a full time job you know."

He smirks and I blush.

What do I do?

I mean he did say reward...

Eric seems to sense my confusion and laughs it off. "Relax bighead. It's just the booze talking."

"Oh...err...I wasn't not relaxed."

Yeah right

"Sure Emma, whatever you say."

He leaves to go get a refill afterwards and I just sit there people watching and feeling buzzed. Truth be told, the buzz isn't just from my drink.

He always makes me feel a bit dazed. Well, not like Edward but just a different kind of buzz. It gets kind of confusing.

When Eric returns he sits by me and we get talking for again for a while before he asks me to dance. At first I refuse but he wouldn't stop patting my head and calling me big head so I had to give in.

It turned out to be so much fun though.

We sit for a while afterwards, calming down from the high that comes with it when Piper comes stumbling into view.

"As drunk as a boiled owl." She says, pointing to herself and we burst out laughing. She never ceases to amaze me; who does that?

"We can see that." Eric says smiling. He gets up off the chair and tries to steady her. "We should get her back."

"Yeah." I agree. "It's probably for the best, it's getting late anyway."

Together, we hold her up with me saying a few goodbyes to a couple of people before we head outside.

"I didn't know Santa Claus and the Easter bunny are such good friends." She tugs on both our ears. "But don't worry, I won't tell anyone. Your secret's safe right here." She points to her heart.

"Oh...kay..." I trail, untangling her hand from my hair where she'd gotten it stuck. It hurts like hell but I bear it as gracefully as possible.

"Sorry bighead." Eric mutters, most probably noticing the glaze of tears in my eyes. "She's a head case when she gets like this isn't she?"

"Yeah." I laugh. "That's why she has us."

He nods and we settle into an easy silence; concentrating on holding piper up. It doesn't last for long though.

"I'm fabulous!!" piper screams, breaking out into some '90s video dance moves.

"Piper no." I laugh holding onto one of her arms.

"I forgot how fun drunk Piper can be." Eric chuckles, doing the same. When he laughs, his dimple becomes obvious and it makes him look even more breathtaking.

Maybe Piper's not the only one who had one too many tonight.

"No seriously." She whines, stooping to lean her head on my shoulder. "I really am fabulous and I just wish that I could bake a cake made out of rainbows and smiles and we'd all eat it and be happy."

She starts sobbing and I have to pet her head which is still on my shoulder.

"Maybe I should just carry her?" Eric suggests, scratching his neck.

Just as he says it, Piper perks up like someone flipped a switch inside her.

"I know what would make us happy!" she reaches for her purse, pulls out a wad of notes and starts spraying them in the air.

Hurriedly, Eric and I leave to pick up the money and she wobbles before collapsing onto the ground in a crumpled heap.

That doesn't deter her spirit though. "Yes less privileged people, take my money which I humbly give to you."

"You probably shouldn't do that Piper."

"Shut up I'm rich!" she retorts, pulling her bag strap onto her arm and attempting to get up. She opens her mouth again to talk but starts puking onto the side of the road instead.

Oh God

Stuffing the money in Eric's hands, I rush up to her to hold up her hair while she pukes her guts out. It takes a while but she finally stands up straight, wiping her mouth with her sleeve.

"Careful.' She says pointing. "That's corona flavored vomit."

"Noted." I nod before leading her to Eric who puts all her money back.

Now that she's puked, it's easier to lead her home even though she's not sober yet.

Within a few minutes, we arrive and Eric helps me put her to bed. It's a struggle and she keeps referring to us as Tweedledee and Tweedledum but Eric is strong so we get done soon enough.

"I should get back." He says, scratching his neck nervously.

"Oh...uh...yeah." I stutter. "Thanks for Everything Eric."

"oh...uh...you're welcome." He smirks, pulling me in for a hug. I lean in, feeling warm and safe. He smells nice even though he's been drinking. I even forgot to be embarrassed by his mild teasing.

He pulls away first, still smiling.

"Bye Eric." I call, waving.

"Bye Bighead." He smirks before shutting the door behind him.

That was chapter 10 loves,

What do you think of drunk Piper?

A very big thank you to 'linasyd16' and all others who helped spread the word on Emma. I love you all!

Stay tuned for more! and don't forget to vote and comment if you liked the chapter...really means a lot to me.

Byeee