I was vaguely aware of Shawn hoisting me up and dragging me out to the car. I felt his strong hands buckle me into the backseat, next to a sleeping Mia. Jacob was also buckled in the car, murmuring something incomprehensible as he drunkenly laughed to himself. I rested my head on top of Mia's, yawning loudly as I drifted in and out of sleep.

Shawn drove to Jacob's house first, and I giggled sleepily as he struggled to lug Jacob's large body out of the car and up to the doorstep. He disappeared into the house for a few minutes and I heard a few crashes before Shawn emerged again, looking slightly worse for the wear. He climbed back into the car, cursing under his breath.

"I did not sign up to be his babysitter." He muttered to no one in particular as the car pulled away from the curb and he quickly drove away. My eyelids fluttered shut again before I realised something and quickly sat up.

Bad idea.

My stomach turned and I slumped back down, trying to avoid the nausea. I had never drunk that much before, and it certainly did not feel good.

"Shawn, are you okay to be driving right now?" I slurred out. Even drunk, I wanted to be responsible.

He chuckled a bit and met my eyes through the rearview mirror. "I don't drink, if that's what your asking. I'd rather drive and be able to take care of my friends."

"Awwwwww," I slurred, and he laughed again.

"W-Where is Asher?" I asked, remembering the incident at the beach. His cold stare flashed through my mind and I shuddered, trying to push the memory away. His anger scared me more than I cared to admit.

"He found a ride home." Shawn said, his hands clenching on the steering wheel. "You kind of fucked up, Olivia." He said, but he didn't sound mad. More like he was trying to look out for me, which I was grateful for. Even though it hurt, I appreciated his honesty.

"I know... I-I'm so sorry." I said, my eyes starting to tear up uncontrollably. I really needed some sleep, and maybe a cold shower.

"It's okay. He will forgive you, I'm sure of it." I smiled at Shawn's words, but eyes began to droop down again.

"We can talk about this later, when you are in the right state." Shawn told me, parking the car. I looked up to see my house, with all the lights off. It was a good thing my mom was working the night shift tonight. She was okay with me drinking occasionally, but I knew she would be disappointed to see me right now. My hair was tangled and messy from the salt water, and I could smell the beer on my breath without even opening my mouth. I'm sure I was covered in sand and leaky mascara, as well.

Shawn opened my door, helping me climb out of the car.

"Can you walk? I have to help Mia." Shawn told me quietly, trying not to wake up the neighbors.

"Sure." I told him, zigzagging my way up the path. I got about ten steps before I face planted straight into the grass.

"Ouch." I muttered, my face still pressed into the grass. I heard Shawn's quiet laughter behind me as he carried Mia to the door. She was fast asleep in his arms.

"Stay here, I'll come back and get you." Shawn said, a smile in his voice. He used my key to unlock the door, walking in to the foyer. I realized that he had no idea where to go, so I grudgingly pushed myself up from the lawn. I slowly made my way inside, being careful not to knock anything over. My dad was a heavy sleeper, but I would have a hard time explaining a line of broken vases in the morning. Shawn helped support me as we walked up the stairs and into my room. He carefully laid Mia on the bed and I plopped down next to her, too tired to even change out of my sandy clothes.

"Do you have a makeup cleaner or something?" Shawn whispered, turning around in a circle as he looked around my room.

"In the bathroom." I whispered, getting sleepier by the second. I heard Shawn rummaging around in a drawer before he emerged with some makeup wipes, handing one to me.

He helped me and Mia take off our makeup, which I knew I would be grateful for in the morning. After that, he helped me climb out of bed to brush my teeth before I plopped back down, snuggling myself under the covers.

"Thank you, Shawn." I smiled at him sleepily. He chuckled and flicked off the light before leaning over and kissing me on the forehead. He did the same to Mia before waving to me and walking out of the door. I heard him lock my front door downstairs before starting the car and driving away. I pressed me face into the pillow and drifted off to sleep, my head swimming with thoughts of a beautiful green-eyed boy.

________________________________________

Sunday passed by in a miserable and hungover blur. I felt even worse than I looked in the morning, which was definitely saying something. I took the world's longest shower before hopping back in bed, where I spent the rest of the day watching Netflix and battling my headache. I was glad that I had done my homework earlier, because the pounding in my head prevented me from doing anything strenuous.

Thankfully, by the time I woke up on Monday, I felt better. I was tired, sure, but who isn't on a Monday?

I drove Mia to school while we relived Saturday's events, which were a bit hazy in my mind. Unfortunately, Asher's angry and cold face was still seared in my memory. I felt awful about what I had done, and I had no idea why I had acted like that anyway. I almost kissed my friend, and then grinded on another guy in front of him. I was so embarrassed; I didn't even know where to begin with an apology.

When I walked into school, I saw everyone fussing about something. The hallway was bustling with students who seemed way to energetic for this early in the morning.

"What is everyone talking about?" I asked Mia. I was glad that I wasn't the center of attention this time, but the whispering still made me uneasy.

"There's another new student or something." She answered, uninterested.

"Who transfers two weeks into the school year?" I wondered aloud. Weird.

Asher was leaning against my locker when I got there, his expression unreadable. His arms were crossed tightly against his chest, the muscles bulging through his t-shirt. He didn't turn around when I got there, but I know he could sense my presence.

I gathered my books in silence, trying to read his expression. When it finally became apparent that he was not going to speak first, I said something.

"Is this about Saturday night?" I asked quietly, even though I already knew it was.

"What the hell was that, Olivia?" He finally asked, turning to face me. His eyes were angry, yet I preferred them over the blank stare he had given me at the party. At least this time he was showing his emotion, instead of hiding it behind a mask.

"I'm sorry." I told him, unsure of what else to say.

"Seriously? That's all you have to say?" He asked, taking a step toward me. His eyes flashed angrily and he clenched his jaw again.

"What do you want me to say?" I said quietly. "I was drunk and I know I acted terribly, and I'm sorry."

He huffed and rolled his eyes. "You almost kissed me and then you were practically fucking some guy in the middle of the party. I know you were drunk but I honestly didn't think you were like that."

My blood boiled at his words. "Excuse me?" I asked, taking a step toward him so that we were almost chest to chest. "I said I was sorry. You have no right to be rude to me right now."

"And you had no right to be a slut right in front of me, but you did that anyway." Asher spit, eyes ablaze.

My mouth dropped open and I felt my cheeks flush. I hated that I was blushing, but I was livid.

"Fuck you, Asher. I tried to be your friend, I really did. But I was right on the first day, you're just a dick."

"I'm looking out for you Olivia. Noah is bad news and I don't want you anywhere near him." Asher said, smacking his hand against a locker. A small crowd was beginning to form, but I barely noticed. I had tunnel vision focused on Asher, my eyes red with rage. How dare he.

"You cannot tell me what to do. Last time I checked, you aren't my boyfriend. Hell, after this you aren't even my friend. We almost kissed on a dare because we were drunk, so get over it." His face dropped for an instant before he regained himself, his anger appearing again.

"How can you not see that I'm trying to help you?" He insisted, stepping even closer. We were face to face now, both of us fuming.

I was ready to jab back at him when I was interrupted by someone pulling on my arm.

"What's wrong, Liv? Babe?" My mouth dropped open again. Noah was standing behind me, holding onto me arm.

Even though he was talking to me, his eyes were trained on Asher. He smirked slightly, a taunting look in his eyes as the two boys stared each other down.

"What the fuck did you just call her?" Asher snarled.

I looked back and forth between them, confused at the sudden hostility. I grabbed Noah's arm again and turned him to face me.

"What are you doing here, Noah?" I asked him, pleading at him to calm down with my eyes.

He glanced down at me, smiling. He seemed unaffected by Asher's angry glare.

"I transferred here. I was going to tell you at the party, but you ran away." He explained quickly, before shooting Asher another winning smile. "You know, when we were dancing."

Asher clenched his jaw and stepped forward again, but I saw Shawn appear to pull him back. They looked at each other for a few moments, Shawn shaking his head subtly, before Shawn dropped his arm and stepped away. Even Shawn couldn't handle Asher's venomous stare.

"I'm glad we get to spend more time together now, though." Noah smiled at me, though there was an edge to his grin. He pulled me into his chest and turned to face Asher again, slowly smirking as he held me close to his body. I shook off the urge to push him away, even though I felt uncomfortable.

"Isn't that right, babe?" Noah's words sent me over the edge. I'm sure he meant well, was he was way to close for my liking. And we barely knew each other; calling me babe was way to much.

I tried to push myself out of his arms, but his grip tightened around me. I turned to face Noah, and I saw that he wasn't even paying attention to me. His eyes were still locked on Asher's. I tried to step away again, and he just pulled me back to his chest.

"Noah." I whispered, my eyes filling with fear as he refused to let go of me.

Asher noticed this too, and I met his eyes for a second before he lunged forward, pushing Noah against the lockers. I felt someone's hands pulling me away as Asher cocked back his fist and slammed it into Noah's jaw.

_______________________________

yep, another cliffhanger ;)

also, thank you all so much for #8 in comedy! that is so awesome!!! and #101 on badboy and 190 in teen fiction... you guys are the best

the next update will be on Wednesday, May 1.