As I walked into the dorm room, Shane was knocking on the bathroom door.

"Melissa?" she asked hesitantly. "Are you alive in there?" Fear went through me when I pictured my roommate's body being carried out after dying of alcohol poisoning. Then the door opened and a pale sickly version of Melissa came out.

"Are you sick or hungover?" I asked in confusion.

"I'm sick because I'm hungover..." She sighed, wrapping her robe around her tighter as she went to her bed.

"Have you drank enough water?" I pestered.

"I don't want to drink anything." She grumbled stubbornly.

"Idiot, you're still sick because you're dehydrated. Drink something!" I opened the fridge and pulled out the Gatorade from the soccer game that I only drank half of. "Here, this is perfect. It'll make you feel back to normal." I insisted, handing her the orange drink. She made a face at it, but looked up to my sincere concern and obliged.

"What happened last night? Are you in trouble? You were really drunk when you went with Mr. Montgomery." Melissa probed.

"Mr. Montgomery just gave me some water because he didn't want me to die of alcohol poisoning and then I went home with my boyfriend." I shrugged as I took off my coat and went to my drawers to find sweat pants and clean underwear. "My dad called my phone looking for me and he was pissed when he figured out, I wasn't at school. I was barely functional last night so I ended up just passing out and my boyfriend put me to bed. I was so hungover this morning." I groaned as I got off track. "Anyway, my cousin had my boyfriend's number and she must've given it to him. My boyfriend was freaked out, because my dad threatened him and he threatened me that I might have to be pulled out of school... My boyfriend probably doesn't want to be with me anymore and I kind of feel like we're broken up." I felt tears return to my voice as Shane put her arms around me where I stood in my sweatpants under my dress in Alexi's sweatshirt.

"Is that his sweatshirt?" Melissa asked, studying it.

"Yeah." I croaked, putting it to my nose to smell it. I grabbed a shirt and went to the bathroom to take off my dress and throw on my t-shirt. I put his sweatshirt back on after swiping make-up over my tattoo once again. "I'm worried he won't talk to me again. My dad doesn't like him. He almost never likes my boyfriends, but this time is worse." I complained as I joined Shane on her bed and she cuddled me close. Melissa was gulping down Gatorade and regaining a healthier pallor.

"I'm sorry Kate. My parents don't approve of any of my girlfriends- or even a girlfriend in general..."

"Do they threaten them?" I asked, miserably.

"No, they usually threaten me and just treat them like shit." Shane frowned, as I put my head on her shoulder.

"Well, I doubt they're as scary as my dad..."

"Why doesn't he approve of your boyfriend?" Shane asked sympathetically. I pursed my lips.

"I don't even know where to start with that question." I laughed humorlessly.

"What happened with you and Delila last night? You went back to her room?" I changed the subject, as I sat up to watch Shane's reaction.

"She slept over there." Melissa chimed, knowingly.

"Ohhh." I hooted with intrigue.

"Yeah, we just hung out with her friends and then made-out and then fell asleep." She shrugged.

"What about you? You got about as wasted as me, I'm guessing." I smirked at Melissa.

"Yeah, I pretty much got so drunk that Ryan had to carry me to bed. I honestly don't remember the whole thing, but I'm surprised Ryan didn't sleep in here or take advantage of me." Melissa's forehead was creased as she thought back. "I think Victoria convinced Paul to sleep over, but I haven't gotten a text back. Most of the guys left after we were caught and we were all a little nervous about more teachers coming or Mr. Montgomery coming back."

"Sounds like the party died after I left." I frowned.

"Not surprised." Shane commented.

"Yeah, most years there aren't that many people brave enough to drink. Even your lesbos drank with us. I was surprised they were actually not that bad to hang out with- well, except for the red head- that girl's a jealous bitch. I wouldn't be surprised if she was the one that got Mr. Montgomery to catch us." Melissa insisted.

"Who, Izzy?" Shane asked in disbelief. "No, I don't think she'd do that if Margaret and Gina were drinking. I drank a bit too. She wouldn't betray us like that." Shane argued, shaking her head.

"She could've just blamed it on me." I murmured. "She definitely hates me enough to betray me." I sighed.

"Betraying you is like betraying me and I will kick her ass if she tries to betray you!" Shane defended passionately.

The dorms were quiet and Melissa fell asleep while Shane introduced me to the anime Margaret liked, Naruto. It was pretty silly, but I found it funny that Sasuke reminded me a little bit of Alexi.

*

We all spent the day recovering from our night and packing for the Christmas break. I didn't have the heart to make myself go to the gym so Shane ended up going alone. On Sunday, there was a farewell brunch. We were supposed to dress nice and Melissa and I got ready in relative silence. She put on a light bit of make-up and we both tried to make sure our hair didn't look too horrible after flopping around in bed for an entire day on Saturday.

I ended up wearing some tight black pants and a white collared shirt with my hair down and had ended up not wearing any make up- other than covering up my arm tattoo. When the three of us joined the others on our floor and made our way down the stairs together, everybody was buzzing about their plans for their break and about how the dance went. Shane, Melissa, and I were pretty quiet and Margaret looked like she wanted to grill me about what happened with Montgomery, but held back because the prefect was with us and we were in a crowd of Junior and Sophomore girls from our building.

My eyes found Victoria quickly when we made it to the ballroom which had been cleaned from after the dance and filled with round tables with white table cloths and red flowers in the center of each table. I was surprised when I saw that Victoria looked like she was in about as a good a mood as me. She wasn't her usual smiling cocky self. She had a blank, upset expression on her face like she had gotten in trouble for something and I wondered if one of the other teachers had caught her drinking or something.

I gathered with Shane, Melissa, Gina, and Margaret at a table with a few other girls from our floor and my stomach was growling for food. It was buffet-style- my least favorite- having to get up to go get our own food and standing in line with plates and people elbowing you out of the way to rush in behind you. We waited ages for them to let our table go stand in line and Margaret took the chance to ask me quietly what happened with Mr. Montgomery. I told her the same story I told Shane and Melissa about him just giving me water before my boyfriend took me to his place and my dad being mad about it. She nodded in understanding and I asked her how her night went with her date. She told me he was pretty quiet, but nice. She didn't really have much to say and I could tell she didn't like him that much, so I guessed maybe she could find somebody else for Prom or maybe over Christmas break.

"So, I have news. I don't think I told you guys yet." Gina said excitedly to me and Shane after we returned with our powdery yellow eggs, sawdust bacon, and overly salty hashbrowns. "I officially have a boyfriend." She grinned. "Michael asked me to be his girlfriend and he even kissed me." She was so happy it made a smile come to my face despite my own relationship problems.

"That's amazing, Gina. I'm so happy you found someone." I told her sincerely.

"Shane, how did your night go? I didn't see you. Oh, shit, and what happened with Mr. Montgomery?" She asked with a lowered voice. Margaret who was closer turned to explain my story quietly and she nodded with wide eyes. "Ohhh." Was all she said.

Just then, I saw Victoria stride past the table with tears in her eyes and I spent a moment deliberating about how friggin' cold my already luke warm food would be if I left, before I decided to go after her. I slipped by before Mrs. Lulberry could stop me and she stopped Melissa, Michelle, and Tia who weren't as fast since they had all worn heels. I had just worn my black and rose-gold Puma sneakers with my pants and I slipped into the bathroom after Victoria.

"Hey, what happened?" I asked sympathetically. "Did you get caught drinking or something?" I asked as she went to the sink and braced her hands on the side as tears came down her face.

"Get out." She sobbed.

"No, tell me what happened." I insisted, making her look up at me with a miserable scowl. "Did I do something?" I asked in worry and confusion.

"No." her tone had softened as she looked down away from me. "No, Paul... He didn't want to be with me... He was acting like I was being a-a slut because I was drunk and I wanted him to stay over. We b-broke up..." she told me with a tight wavering voice.

"Well, you're not the only one. My dad threatened my boyfriend when he found out I spent the night and now I'm not sure we're together anymore." I sighed, swallowing my insistent tears. She looked over in surprise to study my sincerely upset expression. Then she pulled me into a hug and I hugged her back, hoping her make-up wouldn't stain my white shirt.

"I-I'm such an idiot." She said as she let go. "I should never have gone to the dance with him!" she sounded mad at herself and I shook my head.

"Fuck him. Maybe he has a small dick and is embarrassed. A real man would've been happy to spend the night with you. He's a coward." I insisted. "You're not a slut either. I don't understand this uptight attitude towards having sex or showing your body. It's not like it's some horrible crime." Well, maybe it is in my case... "It's just a natural human thing. If we didn't have sex, nobody would be here!" She laughed with a bitter edge.

"My parents are uptight as hell about sex. They get mad if I dress too revealing or say something suggestive." She told me.

"You should meet my family. My cousins and I are actually sluts. You should see us go out clubbing in Miami when it's hot out." I joked.

"I wish I could go to Miami for Christmas and go clubbing instead of boring dinners with boring relatives." She grumbled, wiping her tears.

"Maybe you could visit over the summer, though most summers we're in New York so we don't die of heat stroke." I shrugged.

"I spend the summers in the Hamptons." She said, making my eyebrows raise.

"Me too..." I said, blinking. Her mouth dropped open and then a smile spread on her face.

"Shit, we should totally get together over the summer or maybe Spring break!" She insisted.

"Totally. We should go back in there before Mrs. Lulberry comes to get us, though." I laughed with a nervous look at the door.

"Ugh, fuck Mrs. Lulberry." She grumbled before wiping her tears and fixing her hair in the mirror before following me out. I took my place as Victoria went back to her table and then Mr. Montgomery approached and my eyes went slightly wider in anticipation.

"Ms. Chernoff, I'd like to speak with you in my office when you're finished your meal." He said in an emotionless voice with a stern look on his handsome face. I just gave him a non-descript nod before turning back to my food and he walked away with long strides. My table looked petrified like they thought I was in deep trouble for drinking. I ate my food tastelessly and then excused myself before striding out of the room towards Alexi's office. My heart was hammering my chest as I knocked on the door. I caught myself from doing the knock and instead just knocked twice slowly and held my breath.

"Come in." came his stern response. I was mad I didn't have any weapons. If the room was full of Morozov's waiting to ambush me... But when I opened the door, he was alone and had the same concern on his face he had the other day when I left his place. He was sitting at his desk and I closed the door and let it click before taking a deep breath and a seat in front of his desk.

"Cortana Valenti?" he deadpanned. "You're fucking Cortana Valenti?"

"No, you're fucking Cortana Valenti." I joked half-heartedly, waiting for the impending 'we can't do this anymore' or 'this was a huge mistake'.

"I'm a fuckin' idiot." He breathed as if he was talking to himself, his hand going to his forehead in distress. "All I had to do was search 'Valenti' and your face is the first one that pops up!" He gestured at his closed laptop as he sat back in his chair.

"Yeah, I know... I bet you wish you never asked..." I murmured, making his eyes burn into mine. His eyebrows were still pushed down and his jaw was clenched.

"Is your father going to kill me?" he asked through a deep breath, making me tilt my head with my eyebrows pulled together.

"No." I shook my head for emphasis even though my voice was soft. "He knows... what we did... but he's not going to kill you for knowing. It's his fault you know..." I frowned.

"He knows I fucked his daughter?" he groaned with a horrified look. I smirked.

"He knows I get what I want and I don't want him to hurt you." I said boldly, seeing the surprise in his eyes. He still looked unnerved and we stared at each other for an impossibly long silent moment as if he was looking into my soul with his steel grey eyes.

"What do you want to do?" he asked finally in a dark, but professional-sounding voice.

"I..." I looked at the floor. "-want you..." I said quietly, before looking back up at his face to see a little bit of hope had entered his expression. He stood up to his towering height and then I stood up to meet him and he pulled me into a kiss. My eyes closed tightly as he pulled me into him and our lips and tongues crashed together, making me want to cry with relief.

"I'm so fucked." He sighed when we let go and were both breathing heavily and my lips were buzzing with hormones.

"Yeah." I agreed, nodding with sympathy. "Look Adrian and his men know me. The last time I saw Mikhail, I must've been eleven. I don't know if he'll recognize me, but I know Adrian will and some of his men will know me on sight too." I told him in a lowered voice.

"One of the guys thought he recognized you at the bar, but he couldn't figure it out. I asked him, too..." He shook his head as he digested the fact that we had come so close to getting caught by going into that bar. "Adrian was in New York that week. You could've gotten seriously caught." He insisted with worry.

"I know, but I was careful... sort of..." I defended, pursing my lips.

"You're crazy." He breathed, pulling me into a hug as if he wanted to protect me with just his arms.

"I'm a Valenti. We're all crazy... You met my cousin..." I laughed.

"You know Ferenz won't stop talking about her. He's obsessed." He told me with smile twisting his lips. "Isn't she the lunch lady?" he asked with a chuckle.

"Shhh." I quieted. "Since my most recent attempted assassination, she was placed to make sure I don't get poisoned again." I muttered, seeing concern return to his face as he pulled away to see the emotionless expression, I had dredged up to cover my pain about my mother and the worry about who else might be placed in the lunch staff as a replacement. "Not that the food here is much different than poison on its own. You know, three people got sick after eating whatever that horrid soup was?" I informed him, making his lip curl.

"Yeah, don't eat the soup. I heard they put old leftover cheeseburgers in it. That's probably what made them sick." He said, wrinkling his nose.

"Ick, I think prison serves better food..." I said in disgust.

"Nah, at least there's no glass in your food or protein pancakes. Some of the food here is edible." He insisted, knowingly.

"I never thought to look for glass. That's a horrible idea..." I frowned.

"I should probably let you go back..." He sighed, running his hand over my hair. I don't want to go.

"Will you be in New York over the break?" I asked with my devious intentions loud in my tone. He smirked.

"Yeah, but most of us will be in New York. It would be difficult to get away... Whatever you do don't go the club." He warned.

"I won't. It's cold to go clubbing in December. I have to lay low, I guess..." I frowned, thinking about missing all the fun events that I usually got to go to and now couldn't.

"That's smart. You should spend time with your family. I'll miss you, though..." he murmured, bringing his lips to mine to brush them against them lightly sending sparks running over my skin. I pressed my lips to his, but he stood up straight to look at the clock and even on my toes I could reach his lips. Instead, I leaned my body into him and pressed my face to the base of his neck. His arms were soft and comforting on my back, not helping the war inside me about how I needed to leave. I just wanted to stay with him- against him, keep breathing his scent...

"I'll see you later." He said, squeezing me against him before giving me one last longing kiss.