"Miss Brown?" Professor Harries called after me as the class ended. "Yes?" I turned to her. "I heard about miss Collins and I am incredibly sorry." She said. "Oh, thank you." I nodded. "I also think it would be a great opportunity for you to open your mind for your new assignment." She smiled. I gulped. "Yeah, sure." I smiled nervously. She nodded with a smile. I walked away, knowing that I lied back there.

Writing anything else other than poetry seemed incredibly hard for me. My new assignment was a short short, that inspired a goal of mine. I wasn't even sure about my goals. I wanted to work as a poet. It was my dream job. I didn't even know how would Kylie getting shot gave me an opportunity to write this assignment.

I sighted as I made my way to the cafeteria. Zack was sitting on my usual bench. It has became our spot for now. I smiled as I walked up to him. My feelings for Zack scared me somehow. I have never been this attracted to a boy before. Don't get me wrong, I did have crushes back at high school and middle school. But, Zack didn't seem to be just a crush.

He understood me, made me feel accepted and good. He made me laugh and smile. He called me beautiful and actually liked having a conversation with me. He was writing something in a notebook. I sat beside him. "Hey." He looked up from his notes. "You're actually studying?" I teased him. Being around him was easier than being around other guys.

"I have a test, alright?" He looked back to the notes. "Right." I nodded as he scribbled into the paper. "Need help?" I asked. "Well, there was this part, I need your help with." He smiled nervously. I chuckled as I pointed for him to show me.

~~~~~~~~~~

"I can't believe I aced this test." Zack seemed so proud. I smiled at I looked at him. "I wanted to ask you something else." He walked facing me. "You're going to trip." I crossed my arms. He tilted his head. A grin made its was across my lips. "I want us to party. Just for tonight. You get to meet my teammates, too." He shrugged.

I wasn't so good with new people, Beatrice and Chadd were a prove of that. "I am not sure about that." I twisted the zipper of my jacket. "Jane, they want to meet you. They're all wondering about that girl, I am hanging out with all the time, the one they sometimes see during my practice." He stopped. My lower lips were stuck between my teeth. "Please, say yes." He held my hand between his.

I really wanted to try. It wouldn't hurt anyone. I really hoped it wouldn't hurt me. Or Zack. "It's okay if you're not comfortable, we will leave the minute you say so." He nodded. I took a deep breath. It was honestly one of the biggest things I have ever did, out of my comfort zone. "Alright, we can go." I smiled. "Yes!" He kissed my hand softly. Heat seemed to spread across my body.

Despite the cold weather, I felt incredibly warm. "You won't regret this." He took my hand into his and we walked together to the sorority house.

My breath seemed to race as we reached the house. A party had already started as the night fell. The music was incredibly loud. "I will take those up to my room, wanna join me or stay here?" He asked, taking my bag and his. "Yeah, I will join you." I said, not wanting to stand all alone.

His room was upstairs. The music became lower as he closed the door behind him. The room had a king sized bed along with a small closet. It was a bit messy. The wall was covered with posters of singers and football players. A couple of trophies were on the shelves beside a couple of books. "Like it?" He asked as he stood beside me.

"It's nice." I said. "Want me to take your jacket?" He asked. "Yeah, sure." I slid out of my jacket and handed it to him. I walked around the room. His desk was terribly messy. Crumbled papers and food leftovers covered it, along with his books and notes. Three framed pictures laid there as well. One had a happy family, they were all smiling widely.

I think it was Zack and his family. The principal was there smiling beside a man that had a sandy yellow hair that matched Zack's. His skin was pale. A yellow beard matched his hair, covered his jawline and upper lip. His eyes were green, unlike Zack's. They matched the eyes of the other boy standing beside Zack.

He looked younger in this picture. "It was in Hawaii." He stood beside me. "I didn't mean to impose." I said. "It's okay." He smiled. "This is your brother, then?" I nodded towards the frame. "Yeah, that's Mike." He nodded. "Ready?" He asked, with a soft smile. I nodded with a soft smile back.

~~~~~~~~~

"I got to tell you, Jane. This guy is crazy about you." George, a redheaded boy with a smily face, said. I could feel my cheeks burn. "Stop teasing the girl, George." Oliver, a brunette with a sharp jawline, rolled his eyes. "So? Enjoying it so far?" Zack whispered from beside me. His warm breath tickled the lobe of my ear. I looked at him. His lips were just inches away from me. His friends weren't that bad really.

"So far so good." I smiled. He smiled back. "Just kiss her already, man." George whined. I looked away, with embarrassment. "I swear to god, I am going to beat you up, George." Zack got up. I watched him as he chased George into the house. Oliver sat beside me. "So, Jane, you study what exactly?" He asked. "Writing and literature, also journalism." I said. "Aiming for the papers, then?" He asked.

"Sort of." I shrugged. "Oliver, my man, hey!" I heard a familiar voice that was heading our way. I turned to see Chadd along with Beatrice coming our way. They were followed by Alexander and Kylie that I didn't know got out of the hospital already.

"Chadd, hey man." Oliver stood up and shook hands with Chadd. Beatrice's belly didn't seem to get bigger despite her being pregnant. I wondered if she got an abortion. They sat across from us, beside them Alex and Kylie. I was terribly uncomfortable sitting there with a group I knew I didn't fit in with.

"Jane, I thought you didn't party." Alexander asked with a smirk. Kylie seemed to ignore my existence. It annoyed me, more than Alex's stupid sarcastic question. "Jane is Zack's friend, you guys know her?" Oliver made it even worse. "Yeah, sure." Beatrice rolled her eyes. My blood started to boil in my viens.

She wouldn't even meet my gaze. She wasn't even grateful for me risking my damn life for her. "Hey." Zack came back with heavy breathes. "Where is George?" Oliver asked. "He got what he deserved." Zack smirked. He looked at the group sitting across from us. He knew that I wasn't enjoying it. "We're gonna head out now." He said. I stood up, thanking the lord.

"You guys didn't even have one drink." Oliver said. "Yeah, Jane. You didn't even drink." Alex teased me. That guy was really testing me. "Stay in your lane, Alex." Zack demanded. "That's okay, I will have a drink." I clenched my jaw. That was another thing I did out of my comfort zone. I gotta tell you this night was a mess.