× Mercury

The first thing you notice when you meet Jamie Shore is that she's tiny, like, really tiny. I'm serious. If for whatever reason I needed someone to get inside a dumbwaiter, I would go straight to Jamie (although, it might take some convincing since there would probably be spiders, and Jamie hates spiders). Being so short and small will automatically make people underestimate you, which, for Jamie, is a good thing on the soccer field considering she had the strength of someone who shouldn't that only stood at 4'11".

But unfortunately, not so good for me as she dragged me through the front door of the frat house like a bulldozer, booming music beating through my body.

"I don't want to be here," I whined even though I was fighting a fight I would ultimately lose. "Can we just hang out at Angie's place so I can pet her cat?"

Jamie laced her arm threw mine and led me through the house. "Why do you have to be so difficult all the time? You're just saying that because those guys will be here."

"It's not them specifically. Just... one of them."

She cocked a perfect eyebrow at me. "Oh? And why is that?"

I ignored her and looked around the room, my eyes wide as I searched for the blonde and blued eyed boy of my freaking nightmares. I wanted to answer her, but I had absolutely no reason to dislike Niall. It might have to do with the reason that he barely gave me any recognition when his Coach introduced him, or for the fact that his eyes seemed to automatically squint in irritation whenever he looked at me, or maybe it was because the only motivation of him coming to this party was to deliberately annoy me.

Actually, those seemed like pretty good reasons to dislike him, but I couldn't seem to get them out of my mouth to tell her so.

"It's the blonde guy with the blue eyes," I ended up telling her as we made our way into the kitchen. Jamie grabbed two red solo cups and handed one to me. I looked at the cup in her hand, debating if I should have any. After the day I had, I deserved a drink. But I declined nevertheless. "He's arrogant and stuck up," I continued. "Or at least that's what I got out of him when we met."

I had already told the team who the boys were and how they were a soccer team in London and that Coach Mathews brought them to California to see us play. They agreed that it was odd to fly all the way across the world to just see us, but they couldn't think of a legit alternative.

"Well," Jamie said, taking a drink of her beer and setting the one she handed me back on the counter. "The black haired one on the team is really cute. And he's right over there, so if you don't mind, I'm going to go talk to him."

"They're here?" I asked, my panic rising. I thought maybe I could find an escape rout before they arrived - I was desperate enough to climb out the bathroom window on the second floor and scale the roof if I needed to. But it seemed like I didn't have that option, I was too late.

"Yeah," Jamie smiled and started making her way through the doorway of the kitchen. A few feet beyond I saw the black haired guy watching her with a smirk. She looked over her shoulder at me. "And for the record, the one you were just talking about is in the dining room. His eyes never left you once you walked through the front door," she teased before disappearing with the boy.

An upbeat pop song was playing through the house. The night was still young but as I walked through room to room - purposely avoiding the dining room - people were already making out on the couch and grinding to the music erotically. College parties never amused me (it just seemed very unsanitary, if you know what I mean) but the atmosphere was always so light and nothing seemed more injuring than that right then.

I probably could have left the party, but I couldn't knowing Jamie was drinking and with a boy I didn't even know. I needed to look out for my smallest friend.

"There you are," Bradley said as he snaked his arm around my waist. "I've been looking everywhere for you. I never had the chance to congratulate you on your win after the game." He pulled me in close and kissed my urgently. I wanted to push him away, I didn't like the how his tongue was trying to slip though my lips.

"I was with Jamie," I told him, even though I really didn't need to give him an excuse.

Bradley chuckled and I could feel the vibration through our bodies pressed flushed against each other. "What was she saying about me this time?" he asked bitterly. "Jamie hates me; you need to stop talking to her. She's trying to ruin us."

I wanted to pull away right then, to tell him that he didn't have any right to tell me who I could or couldn't talk to. But instead I just said, "Come on," and tugged him after me by a belt loop. "Let's go for a walk and just... talk."

Bradley stopped in his place and shook his head. He leaned down and placed his forehead against mine. "Not now, babe. Let's just dance," he said, alcohol on his breath.

I didn't say anything as I didn't have much choice in the matter.

"Have you been drinking?" he asked as we moved through the bodies and in the middle of the action and started dancing.

"No," I told him simply, placing an arm on his shoulder and getting closer to him. "You know I don't drink anymore."

Bradley smirked wickedly at me and pulled me in even closer by wrapping his arm around my back so we were chest to chest. "And it's a shame that you don't."

The two of us have been together a little over a year. We met at the college library in the beginning of our first year. I wasn't sure you could call what we had an actual relationship, but we never saw anyone other than each other. It was like a silent agreement that we were a couple without the label.

It was all purely lust and anger. There was nothing really tender with what we had, just a lot of sex and yelling, which, let me tell you, can get old pretty fast. But as much as I asked to go for a walk on the beach or go out on an actual date, just to do something different for once, Bradley would always refuse. I let it go, though, because I knew he would pass that bridge to do what I wanted... eventually.

I pulled away from Bradley, suddenly feeling nauseous from his boozy breath. "I'm going to go find something to drink," I told him. "I'll be right back."

Maneuvering myself around sweaty bodies, I gradually made my way into the kitchen. I bumped into a guy with a camera and apologized before going over to the fridge. It was empty except for cans of beer and I sulked in disappointment. I pushed around the cans and prayed there was something other than water and beer I could drink. In the back corner I found a Dr. Pepper and grabbed it with a smile. Taking a red solo cup, I poured the soda into the cup so I wouldn't be harassed that I wasn't drinking. I wasn't in the mood for that confrontation.

"It's weird seeing you out of your jersey and shin guards," a deep voice behind me said. I spun and saw one of Niall's teammates. He was leaning against the kitchen wall with a beer bottle in his hand loosely. He had a different accent than Niall that I noted as British, but it was clearer and a lot more comprehensible.

I didn't know his name, but he was the biggest one of the team, the one that a majority of my teammates thought was the hottest. I started to understand why they thought so. He had this thing about him that caught your attention, in a brooding kind of way. His dark brown hair was short at the sides and longer on the top with some stubble along his jaw. He had dark brown eyes and his muscles were protruding through his long sleeved blue shirt.

"Yeah," I said with a grin, walking closer and joining him against the wall. I didn't want to have anything to do with Niall's team, but it was a celebration night and I wanted a little fun. "Sometimes I wear jeans, sometimes I wear high heels, and sometimes I don't even wear anything."

The guy laughed a little too loudly, drawing attention to some of the people around us. "I'm sure you look really good in that last outfit," he winked. He actually winked at me. Who even does that anymore? "Maybe you can show me sometime."

I was well aware of Bradley just in the other room waiting for me, but I decided to stay and see where the conversation would go despite the consequences I might get later. Besides, it was clear I had all the power in this conversation - something I didn't seem to get with Bradley - and I wanted to see this guy squirm.

"What's your name?" I asked him.

"Reese," he told me, leaning in closer so I could hear him better over the booming music despite having a wall between the dancing people and us. "And you're the famous Lynn Mercury."

I laughed. "I wouldn't go as far as famous."

Suddenly someone walked by and checked my shoulder lightly, but with enough force to spill some of my soda over the ridge of the cup and onto my hand. I looked to see who it was and saw Niall looking over his shoulder at me with a sorry-not-sorry expression on his face. I sent him a dirty look that he ignored and then disappeared around a corner and into the living room.

"What's his problem?" I asked Reese who was watching our exchange with curious eyes. I walked to the island counter and grabbed a napkin and started wiping down the cup in my hand.

Reese shrugged. "He's just bitter and a little jealous. I wouldn't be too worried about it."

I wanted to ask him more about what he meant, but decided to just let it go. It didn't matter. After the party he would be gone from my life forever. Just like Reese would, which was why I found myself saying, "I should keep going; lots of people to see," and quickly walked away from him before he could stop me.

He was boring me anyways.

The rest of the night went by without any sign of Niall and I was over the moon because of it. There wasn't any alcohol in my veins but the high I was feeling took over my actions and I was on fire. I danced with Bradley some more and some guys I didn't even know harmlessly. I was tripping over my feet like maybe I was intoxicated, and all the congratulations and pats on the back from the game earlier was almost a constant as I walked through every room.

Emily was sitting on the couch with some guy from my English class and Macey was drinking from two beer cans, one after the other as boys watched with hungry eyes. I had no idea where Jamie went and I probably should have gone to hunt her down, but at that very moment I just didn't care.

I passed other players on my team and we acknowledged each other with a loud "hey's" or simply a shout of enthusiasm.

This was our night and nothing was going to ruin it.

× × ×

It was nearing midnight when I was pinned against the wall by Bradley's hands, his lips on my neck. He had a hand on the wall above me and the other one on my hip, his fingers digging into my skin just above the waist of my jeans. I let him do that as I kept drinking my soda I had refilled for the fourth time that night, my mind wondering off.

"You taste," Bradley said as he bit my neck, "so good."

I had to force myself not to roll my eyes.

Tilting my head back against the wall, I closed my eyes and made myself enjoy Bradley's mouth on my skin. His hands where hungrily running up my back and played with the latch of my bra almost like he was going to take it off right there in the hallway with people all around us.

"You're mine," he purred into my skin with a bite, leaving his mark. "Remember that."

I didn't respond.

We were on the second floor of the frat house and people were leaning against the wall chatting, beer in their hands. No one was paying any attention to us.

"Let's go find an empty room," Bradley slurred in my ear. I swallowed hard and nodded timidly. His hand trailed down to wrist and took it, forcefully making me follow him, pushing ourselves through the throng of people.

I had a mental fight in my head, trying to conjure up anything to help me get out of this situation. I was on my period. I wasn't feeling good. Emily was about to fight the kid in her Econ class and I had to play ref. Luckily, I didn't need a good excuse because one volunteered for me.

"WHERE'S LYNN MERCURY!?" someone shouted through the house.

From the sound of my name, Bradley and I stopped and looked in the direction of the yell. The people in the hall looked over at me like I was caught red handed.

It wasn't everyday someone demanded my presence, and from the shouting, it could only mean one of two things:

1) Someone wasn't very happy with me.

2) Oprah Winfrey was there to grant me a new car.

The music was blaring and there were still a lot of people dancing and moving to the beat, not fazed by the cry that broke through the barrier of the high atmosphere.

I let go of Bradley's hand without a word, thankful for the distraction from following him to a bedroom. Stepped through the people, I walked down the stairs until I was in the living room and could finally see who was asking for me by my full name.

It wasn't Oprah.

From the sight of the girls in the foyer, I started to panic. It was the North Carolina team. At the party. Asking for me. The same team that put my dream on the line a year ago.

"What the hell are you doing here?" I spat, more aggressively than I imagined. I have learned that I liked to be hostile and mean toward people to hide the fear I might be feeling, right then was a very good example of that.

Katie Vender was the one standing in front, the one who tripped me last year and went for round two during the game before I outwitted her.

"You know why I'm here," she sneered just as aggressively, except I didn't think her tone was out of fear. "You ruined my life, Lynn Mercury."

Before I could respond, Jamie was there beside me. I wasn't sure how she had gotten there without my knowing, and I realized that was only one of Jamie's many tricks.

She placed her small hand on my shoulder. "Lynn, back down."

I shook her hand off and squared my shoulders. Katie was taller and bigger built than I was, but I still swore to that day that I could take her in a fight if it ever came to it. I was getting the feeling that that night had come.

"The game earlier wasn't fair," Katie continued. "That stunt you pulled-"

"Was exactly what you didn't expect," someone said behind me. I turned to see Niall coming up to stand by my other side. "And completely fair game not to mention a genius move. Unlike what you did last year."

Katie looked a little shocked as she looked Niall up and down, and then she laughed like she just heard a good joke. "So, you have a boy to fight all your battles now?" she asked hypothetically, looking at me with humor in her eyes.

I glared up at Niall. He didn't look at me, but he had to feel the heated glare I was giving him. How dare he. How dare he come out of nowhere and defend me like he knew me. How dare he treat me like shit and then come to my rescue. How dare he fight my battles when I was completely in control of them. How-

"Maybe he could teach you how to play better while he's at it," Katie continued and that was when I had enough.

She could have stood there all night dragging my appearance, commenting on my bad posture, or even call me the foulest names in the book. But the second she were to say a boy's soccer ability was better than mine, well, that was where I drew the line.

Fighting never amused me, but if I was ever in that position I would never pull hair or slap. Punching and kicking was how I would go. So that was why I was a little surprised to find myself going at Katie full force with my claws.

I didn't remember lurching forward, but the next think I knew I was in contact with Katie's face. Before I could go beyond that, arms were wrapped around my waist and were pulling me away.

"Let me go!" I shouted. If anyone wasn't paying attention to our exchange before, they were now.

I didn't know who had a hold of me, but as they pulled me away from Katie, away from the entryway, I saw her teammates swarmaround her to see if she was okay. I saw a large red mark on her check and I smiled in satisfaction. I didn't do as much damage as I wanted, but it was something.

"Put me down, I swear to God," I started once I felt the cold night air hit my face. "I'm going to-"

"Okay!" the person holding me said and let me go, my feet slamming down on the wooden patio in the backyard. I spun and saw Niall standing there. Of course it was him.

"Why did you do that? Who the hell do you think you are!?" I shouted, stepping closer to him and made sure to give him the foulest look to show how much I really despised him at that moment. We were so close; our faces only inches away from each other. "She deserves everything that was about to come."

"Getting into a fight isn't worth it," he said, his voice surprisingly calm, which only ticked me off more. "It's petty and it only makes you look like a fool."

My breathing was heavy as I tried to catch my breath again. So much adrenaline was pumping through my blood; I needed to let it out before I exploded.

I reached out with my hands with a surge of energy and pushed Niall's chest away from me, hard. He stumbled back a little but there was a snarky grin on his lips from my outburst of random aggression.

"Stop smiling before I hit you!" I yelled, which only made his grin widen. "What are you even doing here? What did I do to you?"

He was taken back by my questions. "You didn't do anything to me."

"You... I..." I sputtered, trying to say a coherent sentence but my mind was so jumbled up from the adrenaline that nothing was coming out right. "That's bullshit!" I managed to yell. "You barely acknowledged me when your coach introduced us, you keep giving me dirty looks, and just an hour ago you pushed me out of your way. Why are you even here?" I asked him again.

"Honestly?" he snapped, anger finally seeping through his cool exterior and I could hear his accent crystal clear now. Irish. His accent was definitely Irish. "I'm only at this party because you didn't want me and my team to come."

I looked at him like he was the dumbest person ever, and from the very little I knew of him, he just might have been.

"Lynn." I looked over and saw Macey standing in the open sliding glass doorway looking at the two of us. Her long, dark hair was shining with the dancing kaleidoscopic colors of the living room lights behind her. "We should go before Katie and her asshats come back."

I looked at her and then back at Niall. He was gazing down at me with a look that sent shivers down my arms. His blue eyes were so hypnotizing that I almost forgot Macey was watching us, and believe me, someone as breathtaking as she was, that was hard to do.

"Stay away from me," I snapped at Niall and walked away from him.

Macey grabbed my hand in hers and led me through the sweaty people dancing to the music. I didn't know what time it was, but I knew it was late by how heavy my eyelids were. It had been a long day and I couldn't wait to go to bed and dream about peaceful things.

"Wait," I suddenly said, stopping Macey in her tracks. "I have to tell Bradley I'm leaving." I really didn't want to go back to him, but I didn't want him to be mad at me either.

"No, because if you go find him, you won't leave," Macey argued, giving me a stony look. "Now let's go."

I was honestly surprised how well Macey was maneuvering herself through the people like she was Your Majesty after the many red solo cups she had chugged down in the past couple of hours. But then again, this was Macey McGrath I was talking about.

I sighed to myself knowing that she was right, and followed her out of the house.