Prepare yourself for this chapter ;)
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The rest of the week goes pretty smoothly.

I realize I was a little too quick to judge Hayden, something I usually never do, and that he was actually a nice person. Sarcastic, cocky and a little cold sometimes, but nice nevertheless.

I get myself a job at McDonald’s nearest to my university and started working. I made sure to take shifts which wouldn’t interfere with my classes, I took on two shifts a week because I don’t think I could handle more than that with my studies.

One day at work and I was already tired of it.

When Saturday came around the corner, I was well aware of the party and I wasn’t the least bit excited. I was nervous and anxious and annoyed at myself for even accepting the invitation.

Stupid me.

“Sure why not!” I mock myself aloud in aggravation.

“Someone’s lost one of her screws up there,” Hayden says, standing beside the open door to our room, an amused look on his face as he closes it behind him.

I huff and shove another dress back into my suitcases which I had yet to unpack.

“It’s nothing; I’m just regretting accepting the invitation to the party at building C,” I grumble.

“You’re actually going to that thing?” He asks, an eyebrow cocked upward.

“You’re not?” I ask back, an eyebrow of my own raised. Hayden shakes his head and I frown. I really thought Hayden was the type to go to parties and stay up late.

There I go judging again…

“Why not?”

“I’m just not in the mood.” He replies with a shrug and I envy him. He didn’t give a damn about a thing and it looked so much easier. But Jack’s face looked so hopeful…I couldn’t turn him down.

Hayden heads out later that day, not telling me where he was headed.

Not that I cared. I wasn’t his mother.

The distance to building C was far enough for me to regret not searching for Jack’s dorm room and hitch a ride with him.  After hours of contemplating, I found myself dressing up, even applying a little bit of make-up as I work one of my favorite dresses.

When I get close, the music from outside is already giving me a slight headache. I told myself I was just really nervous.

When I get to the building the place is already swarming with people. I realize once again there are mostly males here and I feel completely out of place. Everyone was looking at me. Everyone was watching me and I felt like I was going to be sick.

The attention was giving me anxiety.

Entering the building and pushing passed the many bodies, I could’ve sworn I felt someone feel me up but when I turned all I saw were dozens of empty faces. Everyone was so loud. The music. The laughter. The dancing.

I couldn’t handle it.

Someone felt me up for God sakes!

I had to get out of here.

Just I was ready to exit the building, I bump into a familiar tall figure. It was Jack! When he noticed me, he smiled widely.

“You’re here! And you look great!” I blush even though I know he bats for the other team, the compliment was still flattering.

“Thanks,” I mutter. Great. Just as I was ready to escape.

“These are a couple of my friends I’d like to introduce you to.” As Jack says this, I only now realize there are people standing beside him and to my surprise, there was a girl among them.

“This is Clark Williams and Hunter Steele--my roommate.”

“This is Charlie Davidson,” he introduces me and I wave back shyly. They both wave back at me, smiling unsurely. I guess they knew I wasn’t really comfortable and this wasn’t probably where I wanted to be.

Now if only Jack could see that…

“Let’s dance Charlie!” Before I know it, Jack is dragging me onto the small platform where people were dancing.

Now that I realize, there were a couple of other girls in the corners, but none of them were dancing. I didn’t blame them. Half of the dance floor was full of horny guys.

Thank God Jack was gay.

“Everyone’s watching,” I whisper to Jack as he spins me around, grinning. Why was he so cheerful? Didn’t he see I clearly wasn’t enjoying this?

“Let them watch. Let loose and have a little fun girl, you only live once.” He winks and I bit my lip when he twirls me around again, trying to fight the temptation.

I thought I wasn’t the type to fit in this crowd but as the night drags on I actually find myself enjoying the party.

Eventually, Hunter joins us on the dance floor. After a while I stop to get drinks, leaving Hunter and Jack on their own.

“So how do you like the university so far?” Clark asks as I pour myself a glass of punch.

“It’s okay I guess. Lectures start tomorrow and I guess I can fully judge it by then.” I say through a shrug, sipping my drink.

Clark seemed nice enough. She had strawberry blonde hair and bright baby blue eyes; even though the color seemed innocent I knew she had a lot of spunk in her.

Maybe it was because of her black leather jacket and black denim jeans.

“You’re really cute so I guess it’ll take a lot to get used to the stares,” Clark said to me, catching my attention. “I was a little freaked out by the stares too in the beginning but then I got used to it.”

I furrow my eyebrows, how was she already used to all the attention?

“I’m a sophomore,” Clark explains.

“Oh,” I say lamely. So he already went through all of this. “How did you manage to get used to it? I don’t think I could ever.” I admit.

“Well, I guess I made a reputation for myself, one I knew would stick with me forever. See boys don’t approach me because of the way I dress, the way I talk and I practiced myself a mean glare,” Clark chuckles as she tells me this and I’m blown away.

She did this all just to avoid the attention.

That was harsh.

“I was just like you in the beginning,” she tells me. “It’s up to you to decide whether you can take the attention or try to make it disappear, although it’ll change you forever.”

Change me? I gulp.

But didn’t I want to change me…

I didn’t want to be shy and insecure forever.

Before I can respond, someone from beside me clears his throat and I turn to come face to face with Daniel and those familiar lightening blue eyes.

“D-Daniel?” I almost gasp his name in surprise.

“This is—” But when I turn to introduce him to Clark, she’s already gone.

Okay then…

“You’re here,” Daniel says, eyeing me up and down The gesture makes me blush. Daniel looked good himself, he could really dress, and he knew it too. “I hope you’re enjoying my party.”

So he threw the party?

Why was I not surprised?

“It’s great,” I lie and he leans in closer. I pull back though, an awkward grimace on my face.

“I’m glad.” He tells me. “You want to dance?” He asks.

I really wanted to say no. I really did. But it seemed my body had a mind of its own as I place my hand in Daniel’s outstretched one. I thought it would be rude to say no because he really looked like he wanted to.

He leads me back over to the dance floor.

“Everyone’s looking at you,” I whisper to Daniel. I mean he was the one to throw the party and to be here with plain ol' me, this felt like high school all over again when I would talk to Alex in the halls.

“I don’t think I’m the one they’re focused on.” He whispers back with that familiar despicable smirk drawn across his face and suddenly I feel uncomfortable.

As if Daniel senses this, his arms find my waist and we start swaying to the music, but that doesn't make me feel any better.

I've never danced with Alex, I realized.

Doing this kind of felt wrong…was it wrong? I didn’t know. But it felt wrong, so why couldn’t I stop myself?

“There’s something about you, Charlie.” Daniel starts, tucking a string of my hair behind my ear and I gulped. That gesture alone was supposed to be reserved for Alex but I couldn’t stop feeling this way, feeling these things.

“You’re different.”

"You're different Charlie."

This felt all too familiar.

“You’re innocence, the fact that you don’t know how beautiful you are, how crazy you’re making everyone, it’s very attracting.” He admits, his lips whispering these words that have my heart racing directly beside my ear.

“I-I have a—” I couldn’t say it. I couldn’t tell him to back off no matter how much I knew I should, I couldn’t. I think I actually wanted this. I was actually enjoying this. This was wrong.

So wrong!

“From the moment I saw you,” he continues. “I wanted you.”

This was bad. I knew where this was heading.

From the distance, I see Jack, Clark, and Hunter. They were winking and sending suggestive looks my way and I just wanted to disappear. Oh crap. Jack probably thinks Daniel was the boyfriend I was talking about.

I just wanted the ground to swallow me whole because this wasn’t how I pictured the night to go.

“Give me a chance,” he almost begs and before I know it, his lips crash against mine.

The kiss is different from all the others kisses I’ve ever received from Alex. It was hard and fueled with want and desire. This kiss made me feel desired. It felt good to feel desired. Daniel kissed me, not as if he needed me, but as if he wanted me.

It felt good to feel wanted…

Wait.

What was I doing?

Quickly I push Daniel away when I finally return to reality, my scattered thoughts finally aligned. He was panting slightly and I was a little angry.

“Y-you kissed me!” I exclaimed the obvious in furry. But most of all I was angry with myself. “Why the hell did you kiss me!” I shout again.

“I thought—” Daniel starts, his hands still on my waist and the rest of his words become a blur.

What scared me the most was that I actually liked it.

Alex, think of Alex. And as if on the signal I hear Alex’s voice from inside my head screaming. “What the hell?”

When two hands pull Daniel away I realize the voice wasn’t coming from inside my head.

“Why the hell are you kissing my girlfriend?!” Alex’s shouts, his veins popping in anger as he socks Daniel in the jaw, causing him to stumble back a bit.

My hands cover my mouth as I gasp and I can feel my eyes burning.

He saw. He witnessed it all.

Daniel rubs his jaw before swinging back at Alex. Being as scrawny and thin as he was, Alex is thrown back onto me and I groan from the impact. We’re thrown across the floor and Daniel’s face falls with worry as he approaches me with concern.

“Charlie—” He reaches out.

“Go.” I cut him off, unable to look at him as I reach Alex’s moaning figure on the floor, he was struggling to get back up but I knew he wasn’t a match for Daniel.

So I told Daniel to go because I knew if he didn’t, this wouldn’t end well. “Please.”

Daniel clenched his fists, giving me one last look, before turning back to the party who all stopped to stare and I didn’t even realize until now.

“Can we get the music a little louder people?!” He shouts and the stares, the crowd, everyone, and everything goes back to the way it was as he disappears through the crowd.

As if nothing ever happened.

I felt a tug at my chest.

Jack and his friends find us after they finally push through the crowd while I help Alex up again.

“What the hell was that?” Jack asks, looking between Alex and I. “Who is he?”

“He’s my…boyfriend,” I say, my head dropping in shame and Jack’s eyes widen. Clark and Hunter give me similar faces and I know what they’re thinking. They were probably thinking Daniel was my boyfriend.

I can feel Alex looking at me but I can’t bring myself to look his way. Alex storms away from me without a word and out of the party and I hold back a sob.

“Do you need anything?” Jack asks hesitantly and I shake my head, walking after Alex.

When I exit the party, I see no sign of him at first until I look across the road to where Alex was unlocking his car door.

He was leaving.

“Alex!” I call after him, hurrying to catch up and his head snaps up as he glares at me and I freeze in my spot.

The way he was looking at me, it made my heart shatter into a million pieces.

“Why’d you kiss him?” Alex asks and when I don’t respond he repeats himself a little more harshly. “Why did you kiss him, Charlie!”

“I-I,” I start, the tears rolling down my face. “I don’t know,” I say true because I really didn’t.

I was with Alex so there was no reason for me to go kissing Daniel and yet I did and no explanation would change that fact.

Not even if I gave myself one.

“I came to see you today as I promised, but when I was at your dorm building, I was told I would find you here. I never expected…”

Alex doesn’t even finish his sentence; it looks like it hurts him too much to even try to.

“Is it because you’re prettier now?” Alex surprises me my asking. I look up to meet his harsh gaze. Alex thought I wasn’t pretty enough before?

“That’s why, isn’t it? So you think I’m not good enough for you now?”

“N-no—” I try to say but he doesn’t let me finish.

“I loved you before all of that and this is how you treat me. You’re just like you’re a mom; it’s just back then you didn’t have the chance to show your true colors.”

Alex continues and the tears don’t stop. I knew when he got mad, he said things he didn’t mean but to bring up my mom, he knew how much that would hurt me.

How could he say such things, I didn’t deserve to hear all this did I?

Yes, you do, the ugly voice in the back of my head tells me.

“So that’s it then? It looks like you already have things decided,” I say through a choked sob, my voice cracking.

Alex looks at me. Really looks at me and I realize he neither wants nor needs me at this moment. “I don’t know… I just need some space.”

He enters his car and drives off. Once he’s gone, I fall to my knees harshly, surely leaving them bruised as I cry.

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So that happened... :(

Share your thoughts! Do you agree with Alex in the way he dealt with that? Did he have the right to? What about Charlie, is it entirely her fault that Daniel kissed her? What do you think about her admitting she wasn't revolted by the kiss ;)

Hope you're enjoying the book because things are about to get good. *Rubs hands in anticipation*

Thank you so much for all your support❤

xxx