After slogging the day away in my room with nothing to do but watch Roux and Claude divide the stolen money amongst the three of us, I found myself a dorm party to attend.

It was awesome.

The student union of the Blue Hill University had bribed the hostel warden to let them organise a New Year Party in the gym and, with the kind of funds lining the pockets of these kids, the party was lit. Booze, weed, drugs I recognised and turned a blind eye to, coupled with hard music and iridescent lights, it was the perfect place to wrap up my day.

"Sorry I'm late, the entire city's traffic is blocked after the Gravel-dude's attack this morning," I overheard someone say.

I grinned into my cup of... whiskey? But it tasted chocolate-y, for some reason. And minty. Satan, what was I drinking?

"Stupid Villains!" another person added. "Making our lives hell."

"Why'd he have to break a road, though" a heavily slurred voice said. "Could've broken our Uni instead."

A cheer of "yessss" followed.

Idiots.

I propped my feet on the table in front of me, leaned back on the couch, and scrolled through my phone. In less than twenty-four hours since my attack, the reward on my and Garnet's heads had skyrocketed. The estimated damage on the city was 3.26 billion xines (and Storm asked why we hated paying taxes!). The people of the bank assured the public that their money was still there (how? It was currently stuffed in my underwear drawer). Super Storm, with Agent Ace standing beside him, was apologising to the press for his inability to catch me. "Investigations are underway and we will get him in no time."

Yeah, they will get me in no time, as in, never!

"Yes, the attack was initiated by Gravel," Super Storm was answering a reporter, his heavy voice buzzing through my earphones. "His known associate Garnet was with him. And another Villain we have not yet identified – no, we are not lacking in our investigations, we will get them – yes, I understand your concerns but the Future Unit is committed to your protection and–"

My phone rang, freezing Storm mid-sentence, a hand half-raised, the other on his hip.

"New phone, who this?" I said, answering the call and grinning at Roux's face filling up my screen.

She rolled her eyes. "Satan, where are you? It's so dark."

I showed her the party around me. Two women were making out on the other end of my couch. Another couple was dry-humping to the music in front of me. Behind me, a group was having a heated debate regarding the obvious chemistry between some Marx and Engels. 

"Idiots," Roux aptly commented.

"Hmm. Where are you and why are you calling me?" Behind her was the familiar sight of her room, all reds and pinks and fur and glitter. "I thought you and Claude wanted me out of the house for your smexy times."

"Don't say smexy, how old are you?" Roux shifted to lie back on a mountain of pillows. "And no, he's not here. He had work."

"Work? What work?" As far as Claude, aka Hook, was concerned, I was his only employer, while also being his landlord. And his girlfriend's best friend. Satan, he needed to meet new people.

Or maybe I did.

"He's out street racing."

"Again? What's this recent enthusiasm for street racing?"

"I don't know but it makes him happy."

"Hmm. Who does he race with, exactly? And how illegal is it?

"Some of the Clockwork guys, probably."

"Probably? You don't know who he's hanging out with?"

"He's an adult and his own man, Ridge. He doesn't need to report his friends to me."

Right, but he was also a criminal wanted for the murder of a Hero. I'd have kept my friends in the loop about who I hung out with if I were him. But I wasn't and he wasn't my boyfriend so I accepted what Roux thought best.

"Anyway, I called 'cause I was shopping for a guinea pig armour–"

"You don't have a guinea pig."

"Which is beside the point! Don't be a pessimist, Ridge."

I pouted. 

"Anyway, on their site, I found a gold dildo that's apparently inlaid with diamonds. Do you want it?"

I blinked at her, slowly took a sip of my drink and said, "Of course." You could be single or you could be single with a gold and diamond dildo; it was an easy pick.

Roux beamed. "Okay."

A guy walked past me carrying four shot glasses on a hardcover book. I picked one up, ignoring his complaints, downed it and returned it to his make-shift tray. "Thanks, man."

"You look like you're having a nice time," Roux mused.

Whatever was in the shot glass burned my throat and jabbed at my brain. "You should come next time."

"To Blue Hill? Hard pass."

"Come on, they aren't that bad."

"What else will you say next? We should join the Future Unit and fight for the upstanding citizens of Boofort?"

I laughed so hard my stomach hurt.

When Roux spoke again, her voice was low... almost, uncertain. "On a different note..."

"Yeah?"

"I was thinking about a trip–"

"A trip?"

She hesitated. "Well... yeah. Kinda wanted to get out of Boofort for a few days."

I could get out of Boofort forever. Not that I knew where I'd go, but the idea of a fresh start was like some dangerous sport: I craved it but was also terrified of it. I hated this city, you see, with an undying passion and was desperate for a way out.

But leave, and then... what? Who was I if not ex-drug lord, top Villain, Super Storm's nemesis and Garnet's best friend, Gravel?

"I haven't asked Claude yet but I'm sure he'll say yes."

There was a strange feeling blooming in my chest, something heavy and empty all the same time. I downed the rest of my chocolate-y, minty drink and beamed at Roux. "I'm in on whatever you want, Roux. You know that."

Instead of showering me with love and praise, she frowned. "You okay?"

I blinked. "Duh." The music was starting to rattle my bones, in a good way. Someone was singing Bluefort's anthem in a surprisingly good voice. The cup in my hand was now empty which was less good. "I gotta go, okay? You do your shopping and plan your... trip."

What a strange word, trip. Trip was to fall, and trip was to temporarily go somewhere? Were we all going somewhere whenever we fell?

Why do we fall, Master Wayne – wait, no, wrong book.

I waved Roux goodbye and cut the call. A girl with stunning silver hair walked past me so I elegantly extended my leg to make her trip.

"Asshole!" She scowled at my giggling self as she caught herself and walked away.

College parties were fun!

I hauled myself to my feet to get another drink. The world spun around me for a while, then stilled.

"I really think the Future Unit has seen some significant changes after Desmond Reyns took over the... reigns, ha ha."

I glanced over my shoulder to see a trio standing by the rock-climbing wall.

"Please, he's a dick profiting off Hero Notch's death," a girl in the group said.

"You mean murder?" another broke in. "It was murder, Tora. And the Villains are still on the loose."

"Right?" Tora said. "So how can you say Reyns has brought about significant changes to the Future Unit?"

"The crime rates have decreased–"

"Have they? Or are we just not putting enough people on trial because the FU quietly silences them."

Fuck, that woman was asking for trouble!

I swallowed the foul taste in my mouth and walked away. My heart was hammering for some reason as I made my way through a sea of gyrating bodies. From the corner of my eyes, I spotted a skinny golden-haired guy eyeing me through the crowd. I winked at him but I was probably not at my best game, or my right mind, because he simply vanished as I blinked.

Creepy but cute.

The food table at the end of the gym-turned-party-hall was laden with booze and chips. And half-eaten pizza slices. And buckets of chicken wings.

I picked up a good-ol' bottle of beer and raised it to my eyes to check if someone had already drunk it. Somehow, the chore seemed too much for my intoxicated brain to handle and I nearly fell backwards –

"Careful," came a voice near my ear, followed by an arm catching my shoulder and righting me back on my feet. It was humiliating to be helped!! I was a feared Villain of the – holy Satan, he's hot!

A guy came around in front of me, smiling through his pretty, full lips. He was dressed in a light pink sweatshirt and dark pants that did nothing to hide that ass! He was slightly taller than me, I realised with irritation, but my annoyance was quick to fade when I eyed his gorgeous mop of dishevelled blonde hair.

"I love your hair," I slurred out before I could help it.

The smile widened. "Thank you."

I sexily leaned against the table, ignoring the bowl of chips I accidentally overturned in the process. "Ridge," I said, extending a hand.

His hand was warm, his grip firm. "Aspen. A pleasure."

With the way he was bathed in lights and shadows, all sharp features and curiosity laden eyes, the pleasure was honestly all mine. Or so I hoped.

"I don't think I've seen you around before," he started.

Right. I forgot this was an exclusive party for only the elite students of Blue-fucking-Hill. "Aspen," I said instead, to distract him. "Your hair..." that was gently swaying to a draft I could not feel, "is exactly like Super Storm's."

Aspen's eyes widened briefly, before settling on a charming display of amusement. "Uh, thanks? We probably use the same shampoo."

I nodded 'cause that made sense.

"Are you a fan?" he asked. "Of Super Storm?"

"Ew, no." I waved a hand, then thought about it. "I mean, I guess... he is hot."

Aspen just smiled mischievously and didn't say anything.

Realising that calling another guy hot in front of a potential hookup wasn't the best way to go about getting laid, I added, "You're hot too, don't worry."

Aspen leaned forward on the table, his biceps straining his sweatshirt. "Aren't you a sweet talker?"

Of course, I was. Anyway, onto the main point. "Do you have a boyfriend?"

Aspen raised a brow and shook his head.

"Girlfriend?"

He shook his head again, adding a chuckle to it. "Look, Ridge, you're drunk and I'm not so it's my duty to tell you, I'm not into casual hookups."

I pouted. "Then let's get drunk."

"That's not what I said and no–" He lightly slapped my hand away as I had reached for another cup of booze "–you're already too drunk, you need to go easy on your liquor."

"I'm not drunk," I said smartly. "Gee, dad."

Aspen blinked, some strange emotion flipping through his face, too fast for me to catch. Then he was smiling his dashing smile again. "Which department are you from?"

"Um..." Think of a department, Ridge! "Earth science."

"Earth Science?" Aspen echoed.

I nodded confidently because confidence was key. "You?" A diversion was the second key. Wait how many keys did a lock need, again? What was I trying to unlock?

Things were getting fuzzy. And the world was spinning again. Spin, spin, spin, as if determined to make me trip.

"Fine arts," Aspen said.

I had no idea what people did there but I suddenly wondered how Super Storm would look posing for a nude painting.

"No, we don't do nude portraits," Aspen said, his lips quirking.

Fuck. Did I say that out loud? Satan, I was drunk!

"Yes, you are."

Satan on a trampoline!

"How 'bout calling it a night, Ridge?" Aspen offered. "Which block do you live in? Let me escort you there."

"Nah uh." I nearly fell face-first on the ground as I stepped away from the table but Aspen caught me by the arm.

"Careful!" He eyed me and I stared back, unable to understand how he got so close to me. Were we hooking up? I wasn't sure. "Can I?" he asked.

Okay, maybe we were hooking up. I nodded.

Instead of kissing me, however, he took one of my arms and threw it around his shoulder in a pretty no-homo-tho kind of way. "Block and room number. Tell me."

Our sides pressed together, I could smell his cologne, feel the soft warmth radiating off of him. "I don't... live on campus."

"Okay then let me book you a cab."

"No, I don't live..." Think of a lie! "Anywhere."

"Are you trying to say something lame like I live on earth?"

I beamed at our shoes. Aspen was wearing a pair of worn-out sneakers. It was blurring in and out of my sight. "But I do live on earth. Aspen, we're NEIGHBOURS!" I shouted.

A person nearby hooted in agreement but I couldn't tell where they were; in this dizzying world, the lights had all blended together and were stabbing at my eyes and everything was getting... slow and mushy and...strange. I was feeling strange. Like someone was holding my brain underwater.

"Seriously, Ridge." Aspen's chuckle came with a gush of warm air near my temple. "I can't help you if you don't help me."

What bullshit Hero complex! I stood up straighter and turned to scowl at him; was it me or did he have... two heads? "I don't need you–"

And then I was fainting into his arms...