L E O N I E

Heath is a great cuddler. He smells so good. That sort of sweet but masculine cologne that dudes wear and it makes you want to take your clothes off in the middle of the street and have passionate wild sex without a care in the world.

Perhaps that was just me.

But the point is, he smells delectable. And he has such a strong body. He's built. Firm and taut but so huggable. When we spoon, his whole frame encases me. It's so safe and cute. But he has such a dangerous appearance. His features are so sharp and rugged but he's so polite and sweet. How do—

"Hey bitch tits!"

I was snapped out of my day dream at the sound of Jess's voice booming from the other end of the corridor. It made me all too aware of the thoughts that I had been having and I shook them off, grateful that I was alone and no one could read minds. I leaned off the lockers as she approached.

"Hey cutie."

She stopped in front of me and pouted, clutching her school binder to her chest. "You ditched me on Saturday night."

It was Monday morning. I had spent the remainder of the weekend in the apartment, eating too much food, never leaving bed and having a chat to Mom who was obsessed with her new home.

I rolled my eyes and linked our arms together so that we could head off to homeroom. "I doubt that you missed me. You and Bray were about two minutes away from having sex in the middle of the room when I left Jades."

She made a pssh noise in protest but grinned when I stared at her with a raised brow. We carried on to homeroom and passed Harlin as we went. School had been so much more peaceful since we were no longer allowed to converse. That didn't mean that she didn't take the chance to scowl at me whenever we passed in the corridors. But if she didn't screw up her nose and lips into that stupid butt face at least once a week, I would be sad. It gave me something to laugh at.

"You should have hung around," Jess continued as we walked to the back of our class and took our usual seats. "You could have hooked up with that guy. That Damien one. He was cute."

I tilted my head to the side and shrugged with boredom. "He was kind of full of himself. Confidence is great but ick. Too much."

"And what made him think that you had a boyfriend in the Navy?"

We both giggled. Someone had given him the wrong information. It didn't shock me all that much. High school and rumours went hand in hand. It was just so random.

"So where did you go anyway?" Jess swivelled in her seat and pulled on her high ponytail to tighten it.

Amy wandered in and took her usual place in front of us, turning around once she had put her bag down. I so wasn't in the mood for her judgement. And then I remembered that I hadn't done anything for her to disapprove of. I didn't drink or sleep with a stranger.

Her double standards truly astounded me. She was all for female empowerment but under no circumstance should girls have a sex life.

"I just hung out with Heath and his little sister. We watched a couple of movies."

"Your body must be going through withdrawals," Amy gasped with sarcasm. "No alcohol. Are you okay?"

"Yeah I'm great," I smiled back. "I did a line of coke before I came to school."

She rolled her eyes. I knew that she was kidding. She made digs and she claimed that it was just to tease. But at the same time, there was an underlying tone of sincerity. She believed that she was better than us. And maybe she was. But I couldn't understand her need to rub it in whenever she could.

"The little sister is sick, right?" Jess questioned, doing her best to ignore Amy and not bite back. I nodded. "And you don't mind spending time with her? I mean, isn't she going to. . . you know. . ."

"Die?" I filled in. "Yeah. Unfortunately she is."

It was horrible to think about. It was devastating. She was such a sweet girl.

"And you don't mind spending time with someone who's going to pass away?" He's questioned again with more concern. Both her and Amy were watching me with concern. Which I understood.

I had a track record for not handling loss all that well. But I couldn't explain it. I wanted to spend time with Sarah. I wanted to see her smile and have things and have fun. I knew that Heath and his family weren't that well off. So perhaps I could help here and there. I was setting myself up for heartbreak all over again but I think that was what made it easier. I went into it prepared. Benny was taken without warning.

"It's different," I said and left it at that.

Amy and Jess didn't bother me about it any more. But I didn't give them the chance. I pointed at Amy's nose, noticing the little sleeper hanging between her nostrils.

"When did you get that done?"

"My septum?" She sat up straighter and seemed pleased to have the spotlight. "Friday afternoon. Cute huh?"

"Did it hurt?" Jess winced. I sort of felt the same. It was such a firm space to pierce. I'd had my bellybutton done a while ago. But that was soft flesh. It wasn't all that bad.

"Yeah it did a bit," she nodded. "But worth it."

"Is it though?" I tilted my head to the side. "The teacher will tell you to get rid of it. We're not allowed visible piercings."

She smiled and raised her hand. Using her finger, she pushed the piercing up and it disappeared inside of her nostrils. It was so weird. I couldn't figure out how she'd done it. But it was gone.

"See," she made a ta-da hand gesture. "The perfect piercing."

Jess and I agreed that it was a good idea. I wouldn't get one. But she did suit it. The class was full but our homeroom teacher was running late so the entire room was full of chatter. Jess turned to me and appeared excited about whatever she had to say next.

"Jade told me that she's working the door at Melba's during the weekend," she grinned. "She'll let us in if we want to go."

Melba's was a nightclub on the beach front between Miami Dade and Southbeach. She was a casual so she was given shifts whenever and it meant that we could go in once in a while. She had rules. No drinking in the bar, no fighting, no stripping. Basically nothing that would draw attention to ourselves. Which was fine because whenever we went, we danced, laughed and  turned down anyone that came on to us for the fact that lying about our age to get a hook up was just wrong.

"That sounds fun," I agreed. "Amy, want to come?"

"No thanks," she scoffed and turned back to her cell phone.

"Can Bray come?" Jess adorned an innocent grin.

"No," I deadpanned. "No chance. Girls night. Just the two of us. Or three if Amy changes her mind."

"I won't."

No one could say that I didn't try.

Jess gave me a pout but didn't argue. I loved that she was happy and she'd found someone that she was smitten with. But girl time was still essential and I was not going to let her attach herself to his hip and never leave him alone again. As much as girls needed girl time, boys needed boy time. One night wasn't going to kill her.

Later that afternoon, Jess, Bray and I sat in Jade's living room with Martha and Quinn. Jade was somewhere, cleaning the kitchen I think. We'd gathered with the intention of helping Ethan with his music assignment. He had to compose a piece with lyrics and his own music. It wasn't something that he would be assessed on until closer to the end of the semester. But he wanted to get a head start.

Of course, he hadn't shown. He claimed it was a conflict of after school obligations that he'd forgotten about but the three of us knew that it was more to do with the fact that Amy hated Jade's house. It was as if she believed that simply stepping over the threshold would land you with an alcohol dependency and a bag of crack.

"You know what I think," Martha said. She was sitting between Quinn's legs on the floor having her fire red hair braided in to French plaits. She had a bong in front of her and had just exhaled a cloud of smoke. "I think that Shaggy was just a stoner. Like, Scooby couldn't talk. But Shaggy was wasted. Like he's so laxed all the time and he eats so much."

"You're just figuring that out?" Quinn giggled. Her long pin straight hair framed her pixie shaped face. She had such beautiful skin. Clear complexion. How were Asians so flawless? "Who didn't know that Shaggy was a pot head."

"Innocent children?" Jess volunteered. She was sitting on Bray's knee on the love seat. Martha offered him the bong but he declined. No weed for the future professional athlete. "I mean, I didn't know that he was a pot head."

"It's just a classic case of hidden adult themes in kids movies," I said, sprawled out on the three seater. "Like, remember at the end of the second Toy Story movie, when Buzz meets Jessie and Jessie impresses Buzz and his wings pop open. It's like, a kid would think nothing of that, but duh, Buzz got sprung."

"Leonie!" Jess gasped. "Please stop. I don't want every Disney movie that I love, ruined."

"How long has it been since you've watched a Disney movie" Bray questioned, rubbing his eye with a small smile.

Jess winced with a shrug. "Ages?"

"Exactly," I said.

"Ow," Martha grasped her head and Quinn apologised for tugging.

"Just watch any Disney movie at this age and you'll hear tons of super subtle shit," I pointed at her. "It's the funniest thing, realising that you had no idea what that meant when you were a kid."

"Can we watch a Disney movie now!" Martha giggled. She kept fidgeting and I think that it was driving Quinn insane. She had been struggling with these French plaits for a while. She might have been more stoned than she realised. "What about A Bug's Life. I loved that when I was a kid."

"That's Pixar," I corrected. Come to think of it, so was Toy Story. Whoops.

"How uncultured," Quinn sniggered.

"I know a movie that we can watch," Bray said, he stood up, letting Jess fall into the love seat and sauntered over to the television cabinet. The television cabinet was huge but it was on wheels and it got pushed out of the room and stored in a locked bedroom whenever there was a party. Such a sound idea.

Jess looked at me and seemed a little worried. "I have to go," she mouthed.

"Bray, Jess needs a ride home."

Jess went bright red and covered her face with her hands. Martha and Quinn were not in the least bit concerned that Jess had an after school curfew. They'd lived at home before. Why else would they deal with living in this unhygienic dungeon when both of them came from wealthy families?

Bray looked over his shoulder and nodded but continued using the remote while he stood in front of the screen.

"I was actually hoping that you could take me," Jess gave me a frustrated glare.

I knew that would be because she didn't want to be seen in a random boys van. So I nodded and smiled. Bray stepped aside and the screen lit up with two girls, both of them were naked and straddling a different end each of a super muscular man. There were audible gasps from the girls. All three of them began to protest and Jess looked horrified.

"What?" Bray laughed. "This is quality content. That's Cecelia Pratt. Leonie's favourite porn star."

I tilted my head to the side to get a better view of her face. "Huh. So it is."

Jade appeared from the kitchen with a dish towel in one hand a bowl in the other. She looked confused until her gaze landed on the television. "I thought you'd all decided to have an orgy. Who put this on?"

I pointed at Bray and Bray pointed at me. Jade shook her head and left the room.

"I really have to go now. Sickos," Jess rolled her eyes with a light laugh and stood up. I wasn't keen to hang around either. All of us were still in uniform and the weather was hot this afternoon. I'd rather be in the apartment wearing nothing.

Both of us went outside after calling a brief goodbye to Martha and Quinn who were suddenly very interested in what was happening on the television.

"How does Bray know who your favourite porn star is?" Jess questioned. Her tone was light but I could tell that she was a little bit bothered.

"He was kidding," I assured her. We started down the footpath. The car was on the road. Bray's van was on the drive. We heard him calling after us as he bounded out of the front door. "I had no idea who that was. It was just one of his dumb jokes."

"Oh," Jess chuckled. "Right."

"I'll give you a ride," Bray came to a stop beside us. He shook out his tousled hair and lazily gestured at the van. "Come on. I'll drive."

Jess hesitated. Her gaze moved between the two of us and the van. "I don't think so. Mom and Dad would kill me if they saw you."

Bray exhaled and shook his head. He seemed frustrated. He gripped her wrist and pulled her about ten inches away from me. It seemed pointless considering I could still hear them.

"I wanted to spend some alone time together," he leaned down, wrapping his hands around her waist. "Let me drive."

"You know that I want to—"

"The backseat is comfortable," he murmured. "Come on. I'm dying here."

Asshole.

I turned around, gave him a solid slap across the cheek and pulled Jess by the arm who appeared shocked. As did Bray. He held his cheek and stared at me as I started dragging Jess down the footpath towards the car.

"Think about what you just said," I warned. "I'm not giving her back until you fix that attitude. Bitch. Bitch boy."

"Leonie?" He spread his arms.

Jess didn't argue. She didn't tell me off in the car. She didn't talk much at all. Bray wasn't like that. He was never forceful or rude about getting sex from a girl. It was entirely possible that he didn't even realise what he'd done. But if he didn't realise, he was going to find out. I wasn't having it.

Jess said, "I think that he's just . . . I don't know, feeling deprived. We still haven't slept together."

"And? He can keep waiting. I don't give a fuck."

"What if he doesn't wait?"

"Then he isn't worth your love, beautiful girl."

She'd finally smiled.

Bray wasn't a commitment person. He hadn't been in the past. He'd just found it too much hassle. But he also wasn't a liar. If he wasn't feeling it, he was up front. I believed in him. I knew that he could give Jess his all. And if he couldn't, he'd tell her.

When I dropped Jess off, she was fine. She seemed a little off and but that was to be expected. Her parents were watching from their front windows. Their scowls full of judgement. I wasn't a favourite in the Collin's household, that was for sure. Still, I asked if she wanted me to come in and keep her company while she waited for Bray to text her. She said no. I wouldn't be allowed to hang out with her. But I made her promise that she wouldn't send him the first message.

Which was ironic as it turns out, because Bray was sitting on the sofa, in my apartment when I came home and dropped my backpack beside the foyer threshold. He was leaned into the couch cushions, seemingly relaxed and right the fuck at home.

"I should hide that spare key in a different place," I sighed and headed straight for my bedroom. He followed of course.

"What was with the slap?"

"What was with trying to force my best friend into sleeping with you for the first time on the back seat of the van?" I walked into my closet and started throwing clothes around. In search of something. Not just out of frustration. Although, I was also frustrated. "You are such a piece of shit for that."

He leaned against the closet door frame and folded his arms. "I know. That was shit. That was real low. I would never force her to sleep with me. I just .. I just like her. I want her. Ya know?"

"Cool," I turned around, having found a t shirt dress. I started unbuttoning my blouse. "I'm sure that you do want her. But you'll wait until she's ready and for fucks sakes, you will not do it on the back seat of the fucking van for the first time!"

I dropped my blouse, pulled the dress over my head and then pulled down my skirt and kicked it to the side. And it was a subtle test that he managed to pass. Not once did his eyes leave mine after I'd taken my top off. Next followed the bra which required some fiddling until I was able to slide it out of the sleeve of my dress. There. I felt so much better.

"You're right," he nodded. "I wasn't thinking. I'll do it better. I will do better. Dinner. Flowers. What do you think about a blanket on the beach and sex under the stars?"

"You dumb fuck," I slapped his chest and pushed past him.

"What?" He followed me to the bed where I'd collapsed and spread his arms. "That's romantic!"

I leaned up on my elbows and huffed. "You're doing it for sex. Do it because she deserves it! If she has sex with you after, awesome. If not, you deal! She deserves to be treated like a princess whether you get action at the end of it or not."

He exhaled a sharp breath and dropped down into the bed beside me. "Okay. I get it. I do. She does deserve those things. I'm going to step it up. Cute dates. Flowers. All of it."

"Good," I said. We both stared at the ceiling in silence for a few minutes. "By the way, I would totally have sex under the stars."

"Thought so," he sounded smug and I elbowed his ribs. He sighed. "I'm not good at this Leonie. But I want to be better."

"I know." Me too.