"What do you mean?" I ask. Did my voice really just shake? Gosh this is a lost cause.

The guy looks at butt hurt jerk who has paled a little and running fingers through his already messy dark hair.

He's such a jerk.

"I mean," The guys looks back at me. "That you two look a lot younger than twenty-one. Have you two been drinking?"

I blink. "No we haven't, we just got here."

The guys smiles. "Well listen here, I'm not going to kick you out."

"Why not?" Butt hurt jerk speaks up.

"Because you two came in here without being invited, which I'm assuming, and now you guys can only leave when we say so." He smiles.

"Excuse me?" I ask, eyebrow raising. "Actually we can leave whenever we want to."

He chuckles. "I don't think so."

"Why so?" I cross my arms, glaring.

"Because this is my house. And two are my guests." He looks at us closely. I look over at butt hurt jerk who is rubbing his temples.

"And when did you become the boss of everyone?" I give him a pointed look.

His smile fades. "I'd watch that mouth of yours, sugar, or one day that mouth is gonna get you hurt."

I smile wider. "I'd rather not."

He looks over at butt hurt jerk, glaring. "Control her or I will."

"When did I ever become controlled?!?" I ask as butt hurt jerk grabs my arm dragging me a bit away from him.

"Cupcake, calm down." He says.

I shove his arm. "No why don't you and let's get out of here."

"We can't- not yet." He argues.

I shove his arm again. "And why not?!?"

"Because that guy isn't going to let us leave right now." He explains.

I watch him closely. "No it's because you want to party."

He sighs, looking away for a moment.

"Well news flash, jerk, I don't want to party like you."

He looks up at me, eyes blazing. "Why so, cupcake?"

"Why so? Because I didn't want to be here in the first place!" I say.

"I don't think that's the full reason." He stares at me intensely.

"Okay well enlighten me!" I said.

He sighs."I think another reason why you didn't want to come here was because you didn't want to interact with other people because you don't know how to." He bites his lip, looking away then back at me. "Because you have no friends."

I slap him, how dare he actually say that. The look on his face when he looks at me is quite amusing, but now I am certainly not in the mood.

"You know what?" I say, inching myself closer to him. "Have fun with these people because I don't want to interact with people because I have no friends. Bye Collins." I put as much sarcasm I can, spitting his real name.

I turn away and walk past him. How dare he say that to me?!? That wasn't even the reason I didn't want to go. But no, Collins just had to assume stuff, as always.

Now I know I don't have friends, but he didn't have to blow it up in my face just because I didn't want to stay for the party. I don't get what his problem is- why does he want to party with drunken, crazy college people anyway?

"Ivory," he is right behind me, grabbing my shoulder.

"Collins." I mock, voice laced with venom.

"Look I'm sorry." He says.

"I don't want to hear it," I laugh. "I'm over it anyway."

"You are?" He asks. "No you aren't."

"Actually I am." I say, yanking away from his hold on my shoulder so I can shrug. "I was actually kind of stupid to think I actually had a 'friend', but I was wrong." I laugh.

He looks at me, expression turning to something else I can't read. Maybe. . Understanding?

"It's alright though, really. I'll just call my brother to come get me." I dismiss him, heading towards the door.

"Ivory, I'll drive you." Collins says, walking back outside.

Where is that weird guy, so he can drag him back in?!?

"No I'm good, I'll just-" He interrupts me by picking me up, throwing me over his shoulder.

"Collins!" I yell, punching his back. "I can just yell out for help and people will come and help me." I hiss at him.

He chuckles. "By people you mean intoxicated people."

I curse at him, throwing many profanities at him that I can think of.

"Gosh, do you kiss your mom with that mouth." He asks, walking farther and farther away from the house full of partying people.

I wrinkle my nose, smacking his back. "Actually I don't kiss my mom on the mouth. At all."

He sits me down, opening the door to let me in. I sigh I'm defeat as I climb in.

"Okay, so you want me to drive you home?" He asks.

"Yes." I cross my arms over my chest.

"Listen, I didn't mean to say that to you, it's just I was aggravated at you and everyone else." He explains.

"So you had to bring up me having no friends?" I laugh. "Thanks."

"Thanks?" He starts the car.

"Yeah thanks for bringing it up." I say.

"I didn't mean to. I shouldn't have said it," he says as we drive out of the driveway.

I decide not to reply, I am kinda pissed that he threw it at my face like that. And I kind of thought I has gotten an actual friend- him. But I guess I was wrong.

"Why'd you stop?" I ask as he parks the car on the side of the road.

I look over at him, he's looking straight ahead with his face expressionless and his hands are still on the steering wheel.

"Ivory," his voice is serious sounding. "I have to tell you something."

Oh goodness, is he going to tell me he is a killer?!? Or is he going to tell me he's an alien which means he's been feeding on my brainwaves to look more humane?

Or what if he is secretly a girl? Or if he is crazy? Well he's already crazy, I can mark that off the list. Or what if he is a robot that will take over the world and he wants me to be alongside him in the act?

"Uh yes?" I squeak out, way too many possibilities going through my head.

He sighs. "I know I shouldn't have said that. It's just. .It slipped out and I don't know, plus I was aggravated. But I know how you feel."

"How I feel?" I ask.

"At having no friends, with no one really liking you, people ignoring you. ."

I look at him again. His hands are still on the steering wheel. He looks like he needs to say more.

"Butt hurt jerk," I decide to use his name I call him, trying to ease the tension in the car. "What are you trying to say?"

He sighs. "What I'm trying to say is. . It's that I don't have any friends either."

What?

"What?" I repeat my thoughts, turning towards him.

"You heard me, cupcake." He says softly, looking at me.

"None at all?" I ask.

"None." He says.

Why wouldn't he have any friends? He seemed like a guy who would be liked by many. . I mean he was kind of sarcastic and very annoying, but he still seemed like he'd have at least a few friends.

But now it kind of makes sense, why he always was at the library instead of the lunch room, how he seemed so suprised that I didn't have any friends and how he didn't tease me at the time.

Maybe, butt hurt jerk and I, aren't so different after all.

"Why don't you?" I ask, lightly.

"Maybe a little like you, but I don't tell everyone how it is." He said. "I don't know, people just don't."

"Are you upset that you don't?" I ask, looking up at him.

He shrugs. "I don't think so. I mean I have my dad. . .and Netflix." He smiles at me.

I laugh.

"Are we okay now?" He asks.

I nod my head. "Yeah." I wasn't my lying to him, I'm over it. Just a few mean words aren't going to make me stop hanging out with him. "I'm sorry about smacking you, I was kinda pissed off."

He smiles. "Kinda?"

I roll my eyes, smiling. "Shut up."

He laughs and after a moment he speaks up.

"What are we, are we friends?" He asks.

"Butt hurt jerk, we can be." My voice is soft, in a playful way.

"Then we shall." He declares, holding out his hand. "We must shake on it."

We shake on it, smiling at each other.

He puts the car in drive, heading down the road.

"Butt hurt jerk?" I ask him.

He smiles. "Yes cupcake?"

"Do you have to drive me home right now?" I ask, hoping he'll say that he doesn't have to.

"I don't have to." He says. "Where to next?"