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It's been close to three weeks since Alex declared us "friends," and honestly I have to agree with the term. Hazel balked at the idea of a friendship forming between the two of us at first, but now she doesn't even bat an eye when Alex comes over either to study or just hang out. She keeps her distance, but I can tell she's worried about me. Hell, even I'm worried about me.

Hazel, Mia, and I are eating lunch in our favorite dining hall when I feel a tap on my shoulder that sends a wave of heat down my spine. I know exactly who it is without turning around. I've become used to Alex's woodsy, masculine cologne.

Mia's eyebrows shoot towards the ceiling, her fork hovering near her mouth.

Alex straddles a chair backwards beside me, leaning forward on his elbows. "Hey Mabes," he greets me with a lazy grin.

"Alex," I reply as I take a bite of my grilled cheese. I'm all too aware of the stares of six girls behind me as their eyes bore into the back of my head. Being around Alex attracts a lot of attention from women, and I'm still not entirely used to their glaring.

He steals the other half of my sandwich and takes a bite, chewing thoughtfully. "So I was thinking..."

"Shocker there," I mutter under my breath.

A deep laugh rumbles in his chest. "There's a party this Saturday."

I stay silent, pausing mid-bite.

"It's going to be a victory party," he continues.

"Victory party?"

"We play Dartmouth at seven that night."

"Getting a little ahead of yourself, don't you think?" I glance sideways at him warily. I know what's coming.

"We've played a practice game against them already before the season started, and they aren't doing too hot this year. It'll be an easy win," Alex explains. "I'm inviting you. And your friends too if they want to come."

And there it is. This is the second time in a month that someone has tried to convince me to socialize in a public setting.

"I told you I don't do parties," I remind him, earning myself a light jab in the ribs from Hazel's elbow. She gives me a stern look as if to say "what the hell?" and I offer her a small shrug in response.

"I know that's what you said, but I thought maybe you would change your mind." He reaches out a hand to run his fingers through my ponytail, his skin brushing against the nape of my neck and eliciting an involuntary shiver from me. "Are you cold?"

I shake my head, silently chastising my body for reacting to him. Hazel and Mia both notice the way Alex if touching me and they shoot me an incredulous look. I catch Mia mouthing the words "what the fuck" to Hazel with wide eyes.

"We'll go," Hazel decides, her voice cutting through the heated silence.

"I never said I would—" My words come to an abrupt stop as Mia kicks me under the table.

"I think it'll be loads of fun," Mia says sweetly as she takes a sip of her drink.

My shin throbs painfully as a reminder not to argue.

Alex's eyes twinkle with amusement and his lips twist up into a half-grin. "Mabes?" He waits patiently for my response, cocking his head to one side.

"Where is it at?" I ask sullenly.

"The team is throwing it at a bar downtown. I can text you the address."

"You know we're underage, right?"

He rolls his eyes at me. "So is half the team. It's not that hard to get a fake ID."

"Mia and I already have some," Hazel pipes in. "We can get you one too, Mabel."

I glance over at my friends but they remain decisive. They want to go, and since I was the one who was formally invited, I'm the one who has to say yes. It isn't that I particularly hate parties or drinking, but it makes me on edge. Being around a large number of people, the majority of them not even being acquaintances, is hard for me to handle sometimes.

"Okay," I reply hesitantly. "I guess I can make an appearance."

His face lights up in response, the dimples in his cheeks appearing as he grins. "I'll text you, okay? I've gotta get to class," Alex says as he scarfs down the rest of the cheesy sandwich.

I roll my eyes and wave him off. "Yeah, yeah."

He tugs on my hair once more playfully before getting to his feet and stooping down to pick up his backpack. As I watch him leave, a strange feeling of irritation washes over me when I see that the group of girls that were sitting behind us are hurrying after him.

"Okay, what the hell was that?" Mia asks, her voice drawing me out of my thoughts. She stares back at me with wide brown eyes. "Alexander Woods, Mabel?"

It's the same tone that Hazel had used the first time Alex came over to study, and I brace myself for another lecture.

"I didn't tell you?" Hazel cuts in innocently. "Mabel and that fine piece of man there are friends." She emphasizes the last word as though it's dirty.

"Friends?" Mia's face contorts. "Are you kidding? That guy is basically a sex symbol on campus and you two are just friends?"

"What's wrong with that?" I ask in a low voice.

"I'm just finding it hard to believe that you're only friends with him, Mabel." Mia lays her hands down flat on the table in front of her. "I've just decided. I'm going to live vicariously through you when it comes to him, so make sure you let me know every detail, okay?"

I laugh, shaking my head. "Mia you're with Dom."

"So? He doesn't look like that." She sighs dreamily. "I love Dom, I really do, and the sex is great...but hot damn that boy Alex is dripping with sin. All of that masculine energy and rugged good looks?"

"I think it has to do with the hockey," Hazel says in agreement, nodding along as Mia goes on to describe a very naughty—and detailed—fantasy of just what she'd like to do with Alex if she were ever given a free pass.

"Stop it," I plead through a fit of nervous giggles.

The chair next to Mia scrapes against the tile floor as Dominic appears and plops down beside her with a tray of food. He kisses her temple quickly in greeting and Mia leans into his touch, winking at Hazel and I.

"What were you hens squawking about?" he asks.

"Nothing," we say in unison, and then we laugh together at the ridiculous sound of it.

His brow furrows. "Because that's not weird at all," he mutters, stabbing at a piece of lettuce with his fork.

I can see where Mia is coming from when she says that Alex is distinctly different from Dominic. Her boyfriend is nearly always clean shaven and his fiery red hair always styled. He's got more of the "hipster-preppy" vibe going on, which isn't a bad thing, but in comparison to Alex it's very different. Alex usually has stubble or a beard growing in, and whenever I see him his hair is usually damp from coming out of a shower and unkempt.

"I'll see you guys later, alright?" I get to my feet, leaving the conversation, and carry my tray to the trash. Hazel and Mia's banter about Alex has left an unexpectedly strange feeling in the pit of my stomach. Alex is beyond attractive, there's no denying it, but he's so much more than that. It makes me wonder if he has ever gotten tired of people only seeing him in a physical aspect.

I start for the doors leading outside, keeping my head low as I pull out my phone and plug in my headphones. The cold November air rushes against me, nipping at my exposed skin as I open the doors.

"Hey," a voice says from behind me, and I halt in my tracks. A tall, leggy blonde stands before me with a scowl on her face. Two more girls stand behind her wearing the same disapproving expression.

"Hi?" I answer awkwardly, fumbling to pull the earbuds from my ears. "Can I help you?"

"I'm hoping so," the blonde says, folding her arms over her chest. "I'm Kelsey."

"I'm Mabel."

"I know," she replies coldly, her eyes narrowing.

I don't understand how she already knows my name, but something about her makes my blood run cold. I've never seen either of these girls before except just in passing, and I know for a fact that I've never had classes with any of them.

"So what's your relationship with Alex?"

"Relationship?" I repeat uncertainly, startled by the forward question.

"You're right, that's probably the wrong word," she says with a tight laugh. "Alex Woods doesn't do girlfriends."

The other girls look me over and giggle. Their judgemental stares make the hair on my arms stand straight up. I don't want to be here anymore.

"Look, I don't know what you've heard but we're just friends," I assure her quietly. God, why do I get intimidated so easily? It's pathetic.

Kelsey ignores me. "Don't get in my way," she says fiercely. "I laid claim to him a long time ago, and some little freshman slut like yourself better not get in my way."

"Sophomore," I mutter, irritation flaring up inside me. What is this, middle school?

"Excuse me?"

"Sophomore," I repeat, louder this time. "I'm a sophomore. If you're going to insult me at least get your facts straight."

"Fine, a sophomore slut then." She shakes her head at the correction, her lips twisting in disdain. "Don't try anything with Alex. On the off chance that he's drunk enough to want to stick his dick in someone like you, just remember this conversation. I don't take kindly to others trying to interfere with what's mine. He's entirely out of your league and needs someone who at the very least is in the same playing field as him, and you're not it."

Her words sting me as though I've been slapped, but it's not for their intended purpose. I hadn't been trying to steal anything from Kelsey like she's assuming, but the message she's sending comes across loud and clear. It's the same one my father used: "You're not good enough."

Kelsey and her two little minions push past me, each of them slamming their shoulders into me, and with it, her words cut deeper and deeper. She was being juvenile, and I know that I shouldn't be upset, but I am. It's not like I'm rushing to cash my v-card in with Alex, our relationship is strictly platonic for the most part.

"You're a horrible excuse for a daughter. You're the reason my Laura is gone," my father's words ring clear through my head and I have to choke back the sob that threatens to erupt from my chest in response.

I try the techniques Nichole taught me to ward off the incoming panic attack as I dart for the nearest building, but it's no use. Trying to slow my breathing doesn't help, counting forwards or backwards doesn't help, I'm completely helpless to the burning tears and ragged breaths that overtake me. I find a storage closet inside and wrench the door open, letting it slam shut behind me as I enter the dark room. I've just barely made it inside before I feel my legs give out from beneath me.

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F*ckin Kelsey...

BT hit 100 reads this week! Thank you to those of you who continue to stick with me, I appreciate you with all my heart.

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