"Well well well, isn't it Alicia freaking King." "You gotta be kidding me." I snarled. There stood Noah, leaning against the wall in a dark blue fitted T-shirt and black ripped jeans. His eyes travelled down my body from head to toe, finally resting on my face. "Still ugly. Huh?" he grinned. "Still alive?" I said dryly, rolling my eyes. He chuckled lowly and walked towards me, stopping only inches away from my face. "I am not dying anytime soon babe." His fingers glided over the bare skin of my arm and I narrowed my eyes at him. "Aren't you being too touchy for someone who just called me ugly?" He chuckled again and brought his face closer to me. "Aren't you being too comfortable with my touch for someone who hated me?" "You wish." I narrowed my eyes and pushed him away. Our bickering would have continued further if it was not for the blonde petite girl who wrapped her arms around his head and attached her lips with his. My face contorted at their heated kiss and I walked away from them. I entered the house again and looked around for Emily. My eyes met with Sophia who was swaying with the music alone in a corner. "Where is Emily?" I asked her as I reached her. "I dddon't know." her voice slurred. My eyes wandered in search of her but I couldn't find her. "Damn it." I whispered to myself. I was supposed to take care of her. How could I leave her alone when Chloe was determined to ruin this party for her? I left Sophia dancing and made my way to the lounge. Chloe was dancing with another friend of Noah and Justin while Emily was nowhere to be found. Marching towards the kitchen, I cringed as I found couples glued together on my way. After the kitchen, I searched through all the rooms on the floor but all in vain. I was getting anxious with every passing second. "Jake." I called when I almost collided with him. "Did you see Emily?" "Yeah. She is in the study room. Her head was pounding so she excused herself for a moment." he told me and gave me directions to the study. Thanking him, I ascended the stairs and rushed towards the said direction. I scrunched my nose in confusion on observing the scene inside the study. Emily was sandwiched between the wall and Justin, their eyes were locked together. By the look on Emily's face, she was not aggravated or annoyed by the fact that he was holding her captive in his arms. What in God's name is going on in here? Didn't he have a girlfriend? Before I could break their stare, a hand wrapped around my mouth and someone dragged me away from the study room. I struggled with my arms but the hold didn't weaken. Within a moment, I found myself being pulled into a dark room. My state of confusion changed into complete wrath when the light of the room switched on and a pair of ocean blue eyes stared into my eyes. "What the fuck Noah?" I screeched, my nostrils flared in anger. "Your nose is getting all red pooper. Take a chill pill." he grinned, showing me his pearly white teeth. "Pill my ass." I seethed again. He had me pinned to the wall and his arms were caging me inside. "A very fine ass." he smirked and I hissed angrily. "Let me go so that I can teach Justin a lesson." I argued and he shook his head in a no. "Let our friends enjoy a little." he responded. "Enjoy? Your friend has a girlfriend who I supposed, is also your friend." I retorted. "Yeah she is. But we can agree on the point that she is a great pain in the ass." he said. "You know what! You are a jerk." I pointed fingers at his face and he smirked again. "And that friend of yours, he is a fucking coward. If he feels something for Emily, he should have enough guts to admit it." His eyes narrowed at my words and he gritted his teeth. "You don't know shit." "I know enough." I struggled with my arms and pushed him away. "Don't you dare touch me with your dirty hands again." I spat and dashed out of the room in a swift. I hurried towards the study room but stopped in my tracks when I watched Emily exit the room. Her makeup was all messed up and her eyes looked puffy. "Let's go back." she mumbled when she reached me, her eyes brimming with moisture. "What did he-" "Please Ali. I don't want to talk about it. I just want to go back to my house." she almost begged and I nodded. Gripping her hand in mine, I led her down the stairs and towards the exit. ... "It's all my fault. I forced you to go with me." I admitted when I stopped the car in front of her house. Throughout the drive, Emily kept whimpering silently and I found myself drowning in guilt. "No. It's not." she said. "You were right. I can't just hide in a corner forever." "What did he do Emily? Did he forced you to.. Umm.." I trailed off in a low voice. She shook her head in negative. "He.. He kissed me." Another tear left her eyes and rolled down her cheeks. I looked at her with wide eyes, surprised by her confession. "And then he said he just wanted to...p.. prove that I am a c.. character less s.. slut." she said between hiccups. "Em!" I whispered, my voice laced with grief. "He said I was trying to sabotage his relationship with Chloe. He said I was trying..." another yelp broke her sentence. "I was trying to s.. seduce him." I patted her back as she silently weeped. My heart ached for her. There was nothing I could do to make her feel better. I just sat there awkwardly, rubbing comforting circles on her back. Justin had accused her of something she would never even think of doing. After everything Chloe had done to her, Emily still had place for her sister in her big heart. Why do good people suffer the most? After weeping for almost fifteen minutes, she wiped her tears and hugged me goodbye. I asked her repeatedly if she wanted me to accompany her but she refused. Giving up, I revved the engine and began the drive to my house. ... "Is something disturbing you?" Dad asked as he sat down beside me. I whispered "no" and supported my head on his shoulder. It was almost 11 pm and after changing out of my party clothes, I was flopped on my bed, hugging my knees. After making sure I finished the warm milk, Dad left the room and closed the door behind him. I tried to sleep but a strange heaviness in my stomach prevented me from sleeping. I even tried couting backwards but everytime I closed my eyes, my heart would started beating erratically. Finally giving up, I hopped out of bed and strolled towards the window. Fresh air calmed my senses as soon as I opened it. The sky was bright, the almost round moon was casting its rays on the empty street. I inhaled deeply, the deep scent of flowers permeated in the air filled my nostrils. My eyes closed on their own as I relished silently. Exhaling, I opened my eyes, only to watch Adam standing near his window. I gulped when I realized that he was not wearing any shirt, just a thin white vest covering his rippled chest. His eyes were zoomed in on me and his gaze held me static. I didn't know what to do, whether to go back in the room or start a small talk. Knowing his sour mood, he would either taunt me sarcastically or pass a rude remark. The better option was to ignore him for now. The night was already a mess, I didn't need him to add more to my misery. I lifted my face back to the sky and continued exploring the random patterns of stars. A particular triangle caught my attention, a perfect equilateral triangle. "Ignoring are we?" he said after a moment and I frowned. "Not tonight Adam." I muttered meekly and he mirrored my frown. Without listening to his reply, I closed the windows and turned the lights off. Snuggling deeper into my fluffy pillow, I waited for the sleep to finally overpower my senses. Few minutes have passed when the phone beeped. Groaning, I picked up the phone from the bed side table and read the message. "Everything's alright?" It was Adam. We exchanged numbers on our last tutoring session, more like I tortured him for his number and gave him mine. A warm feeling flooded my chest after reading his message. There were just two words but strangely, those two words meant a lot. It showed that he cared, at least a little. "Perfect." I replied and waited for his reply. I fought my inner girl who wanted to write more than just one word. A wave of disappointment enveloped me when the phone didn't beep for the next five minutes. When I was about to switch it off finally, the phone beeped again. "Then stop acting like some sky-watching creepily-smiling freak and go to sleep. I don't want you to yawn continuously during the tutoring." A curse escaped my mouth. I almost threw the phone because of his dryness. What did I expect? It's Adam. Cold, crass and annoyingly rude Adam. _______________________