Rule 16 - Not proofread so, as per usual, please ignore the mistakes, I'll fix them at the end. 

            Melinda had her arms crossed over her chest, one perfectly shaped eyebrow raised. I just gave her a bored expression as her eyes whisked over my newly dyed hair. If it disappointed her or appealed to her, she didn't show it.

            "What have I done now?" I asked, moving to the side so that she could come in. She looked down at me from her heels and sniffed, walking swiftly past.

            "More like what you haven't done," she retorted. As she was walking into the living room, Sid emerged from the bathroom wearing an irritated expression.

            "What's she doing out of hell?" she asked and I let out a bark of laughter.

            "Terrorising me," I hissed and felt my heart rate increase. "I think she knows about college," I whispered. Sid's eyes widened and I swallowed. I'd really hoped that Dev would be around to help me when the truth came out.

            I inwardly told myself to calm down, she could've been up about me not ringing Mum or something. Not likely, but not completely impossible. 

            "Need backup?" Sid enquired. I shrugged, slowly following my sister into the living room.

            "Perhaps," I shot over my shoulder.

            Melinda had made her way over to the sofa, but rather than dropping onto it, she just looked at it in disgust. On my way in, I'd sent Dev a text, telling him we had another emergency.

            My sister's hair was curled neatly over one shoulder, the blonde shining in the light. She cocked her head to the side and studied me, still in my tank top and shorts.

            "Well?" I pushed. Melinda scrunched up her nose and brushed some imaginary dust from her dress.

            "College not good enough for you?" she asked bluntly and I raised my eyebrows, attempting to look as innocent as possible. Unfortunately, when trying to look like I've done nothing wrong, I tend to give off guilty signals. Such as when I walk past policeman, I know I haven't stabbed some old biddy, but the way they look at me makes me feel like I have.

            "College is fine? What are you on about?" I replied, folding my arms over my chest. Sid hadn't followed me through. So much for back up.

            "The fact that you haven't been going," Melinda told me in an even tone and I sighed.

            "I have been going. You saw me go last time," I countered but she held a finger up, shaking her head.

            "No, I didn't. I saw you leave the house. You could've gone to a brothel for all I know."

            "I'm a girl, what interest would I have in a brothel?" I asked and she rolled her eyes.

            "It wouldn't surprise me if you worked there. Why haven't you been going college?" she questioned, her tone getting darker.

            "If I did, I'd get more business than you. Why are you here asking me and not Dad?" I retorted but she snorted.

            "So you haven't been going?" she exclaimed, ignoring the beginning of my phrase and I scoffed. I had no idea how I was going to worm my way out of it, but I had a feeling that it wasn't going to be easy. I couldn't go home and I couldn't face my Dad. I had a silent hope that he'd disown me.

            "Yes, I've been going!"

            Melinda stomped her heel on the floor and shook her head. Her piercing eyes shot into me and I'd never felt more put on the spot in my life. Then a hero came to the rescue. Well, not quite a hero, more like a dark haired motorcyclist in a really bad mood.

            "What's going on?" Ash asked, chucking his keys on the sideboard. He didn't direct the question at me, just looked straight at my sister.

            "The twerp has been slacking off her responsibilities," Melinda informed him and I scowled.

            "Responsibilities? Who do you think you are?!" She ignored me and so did Ash, who was leaning on the back of the sofa with a bored expression.

            "What responsibilities are these?" he asked and she twirled her hair around her finger coyly. It made me want to be sick in my mouth.

            "College, she hasn't been going." Ash blew through his lips and glanced at me for a mere second.

            "Yeah she has," he defended but Melinda wasn't having any of it.

            "No, she's doing her usual of trying to make herself seem a smart arse and a rebel, when in matter of fact, she's just winding us all up. You're not doing yourself any favours, Alexandra, you're just making dad more disappointed, if that's even possible. I'm not complaining but while I'm raking in the success, you're sitting up here on your backside doing nothing. Sort yourself out," she hissed, looking at me. That was when my stomach hit my feet and my jaw nearly fell open. I would've answered her if I wasn't so shocked and angry. Nothing good ever came out of my mouth when I was angry.

            "Melinda, she's been going," Ash repeated, looking at her through impatient eyes.

            "We haven't been receiving progress reports. Where's Dev?" She asked, a certainty to her voice that sent my stomach into a washing machine motion. I'd hoped the facade would've lasted more than a few months.      

            Dev showed up about half an hour after Melinda and he had a panicked expression on his face when he walked through.

            "Mel, how lovely to see you," he said through his teeth when he stopped next to me. Sid was still sitting in my room and Ash, as expected, had done a runner down to the race track to get ready for his race later that evening.

            "And you. Care to explain about Alex's lack of attendance?" she asked and Dev shrugged.

            "There is no lack of attendance. Where's your dad?" he asked and Melinda let out a huff.

            "We haven't had a progress report. He doesn't know yet, I decided to give the little slacker a break and see if I could sort it out before she got hell from Dad," Mel explained. Instead of filling the conversation with yet another sarcastic and bitter comment, I decided to let Dev handle it.

            "I've got the progress report here. She's doing fine, currently on a C+. Telling Andrew would've been a mistake anyway, she's not slacking. I'm keeping an eye on her, don't you trust me?" he asked.

            She sighed and finally gently lowered herself onto the sofa.

            "I want to see the report," she said and I tensed. Dev, however, didn't seem in the least surprised. In fact, I had trouble hiding my surprise when he pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to my sister. Her eyes skimmed over the report before she handed it back.

            "Why didn't we get a copy?" she pushed. Dev shrugged and took the paper from her, folding it up.

            "Because this is her listed address? I don't know," he replied and then looked at the clock. "Look, you can stay here tonight if you haven't got a hotel waiting," he offered and she smiled.

            "Alex's room again?" she asked. Dev nodded and I groaned, walking back through the passage to grab not only my friend, but also my stuff. We had a shift to cover in about an hour, anyway.

            Dev took hold of my arm while Melinda was sorting her stuff out and we let out a sigh of relief. Apparently, he knew some people at the college so he managed to forge a report that we could use for now, but if my relatives were to ring the college themselves, we were screwed. Melinda appeared satisfied, so I relaxed, preparing for my shift.

            Because Ash was racing, Dev, Sid and I arrived at work tense. We'd left Melinda back at the flat to sort through some of her speeches and I was sorting out some stuff behind the bar.

            When the races were on, we closed up the bar and just left the backdoor open for people to walk through. Instead of putting myself through watching Ash crash again, I decided to stay back and do the stock count. Sid had gone on through with my cousin, making me suspect that something had happened, or was going to happen, between the two of them. She must've run to him for a reason when Ry hit her, and not just because she was looking for Matt.

            I could hear the cheering through the door and the sounds of the engines. I was expecting the sound of metal cracking and bones breaking, but was greeted with nothing but the normal sounds of the races.

            When I'd waited for the first race to be over, I checked my phone and moved into the stock cupboard to count the bottles of WKD. The perks of being short? Not being able to check the top shelf.

            "Need some help, love?" The voice behind me made me jump, I hadn't even heard Ash come in.

            "I'm fine," I said through gritted teeth and reached up higher. When I glanced over my shoulder, he was standing in the doorway, watching my shirt ride up my back.

            "Yup, sure," he agreed and pushed himself into the room on the doorframe.

            "No!" I exclaimed, sprinting towards the door only to fall short of it shutting. My jaw hit the floor and Ash stared at me with a funny expression.

            "What?" he asked, running his hand through the back of his hair.

            "The door!" I stammered and pointed towards the closed door. He raised an eyebrow and I grunted, pulling on the handle to prove my point. As the cupboard contained the safe and the booze, it contained an auto-lock feature that when the door closed, it would lock. And the keys were on the bar. Alongside my phone. And my sanity.

            "Just unlock it," Ash said with a shrug and I narrowed my eyes.

            "No shit," I hissed, gesturing towards my empty pockets. He grimaced and slid onto the floor.

            "Good job my race is finished, eh?" I couldn't even respond, I was still staring at the door in disbelief.

            "Please tell me you have your phone?" I asked. He shook his head.

            "Nope."

            How in God's name was he so calm? Granted, the main reason for my freak out was that I was stuck in a room with the same bloody boy that had kissed me that morning and walked off as if nothing had happened. He was still acting as if nothing had happened, whereas my heart was thudding against my ribcage, warning me that the little situation we were in wasn't a good one.

            I tried tugging on the door again, but Ash just looked at me like I told him I was considering a sex change.

            "It's locked, Al," he said and I nodded, kicking the door with my toe.

            "I know damn well that it's locked, Toms," I countered and he chuckled, resting his hands behind his head.

            "PMSing?" he asked and I seethed, taking a deep breath.

            "Are you trying to piss me off?" Ash shook his head at my words and looked up at me.

            "Nope, but you're making it easy."

            Instead of answering him, I rested my forehead against the door and tried shouting for someone, anyone, who may've been in the bar. After nobody was responding, I tried flicking the light on and off for someone to see that we were clearly in distress. I say we, I meant me. Ash seemed as calm as ever, just tracking my every move with his utterly gorgeous eyes.

            "What if we can't get any oxygen in here? I mean, we'll end up like those people in the films who just, like, die because they can't breathe. I'll have to kill you so I can have yours and then I'll be done in for murder. That's if anybody finds us because we must've been in here for about an hour now and nobody has realised I'm missing. If I don't come home, Melinda will know something weird is going on and tell my dad and then I'll have to go home to rot until I reach eighteen. That's if I don't rot till I reach eighteen in here," I ranted while pacing. Small, dark rooms tend to make a girl go a bit stir crazy. Especially if that room contained the very guy she was trying to forget.

            Warm hands settled on my shoulders and I stopped walking, running my hands down my face.

            "Alex, for the love of God, please calm down," Ash breathed, giving me a look that suggested my crazy attitude would be the end of him.

            "I can't calm down, you locked us in here, you moron!" Ash let out a breath of laughter and folded his arms over his chest.

            "You're being almighty snappy with me this evening. Is something wrong, love?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. I shook my head and let out a sigh, retreating away from him. I'd had a conversation with Sid and decided that I wasn't going to be getting any deeper with this Ash thing. I wouldn't deny the feelings I had for him, so I had to try and get rid of them.

            "No," I said with a nonchalant tone and dropped to the floor in the corner. Ash surveyed me for a moment before groaning and sitting on the floor opposite me. The cupboard wasn't huge, more like a very small room with a few shelves.

            I leaned my head back against the wall and let out a small breath, contemplating what I would have to tell Melinda in the morning. The thought of her telling dad something and making me go back home made my stomach tie itself in knots. When I'd been talking to Dev about a days earlier, I had to stop the conversation for risk of crying and looking like an idiot. Home was shit, not as bad as some have it, but living there was still a nightmare.

            "How'd the race go?" I eventually asked and Ash raised his head, seemingly surprised that I was speaking to him. His tousled hair moved when he ran his hand through it and he smiled. One of those stupid one sided smiles that caused an eruption of butterflies in my belly.

            "I won," he told me and I smiled back.

            "Congrats." He frowned and moved over so that he was sitting closer to me.

            "Alex," he started and I held my hand up.

            "I don't like that tone to your voice, please just stop talking," I said once hearing seriousness and possible concern riddled through the word 'Alex'.

            Ash rolled his eyes and leaned back on his arms, staring at the light bulb. The silence allowed me to listen to anyone that might be entering the bar who could let us out.

            "What is your problem?" Ash asked at last, all concern was gone.

            "Being locked in this cupboard?" I offered, lifting my head to return his annoyed glare.

            "You were fine earlier today and all of a sudden we get locked in here together and you turn all cold on me. What's the problem?" he asked again and I blew out through my lips.

            "I don't have a bloody problem, Ash. I just want to get out of here," I countered with a hiss and got to my feet. He did the same, putting his arm out to prevent me walking past him.

            "Are you in a pissy because I kissed you?" he asked. I inwardly felt my stomach lurch. I wasn't in a mood, I just didn't want to talk about it. I wanted to forget it. If something more were to happen between us, it would end with either me leaving because of my home problem, or Ash breaking my heart because he couldn't keep it in his pants. I knew his type and despite his charm, didn't like it.

            "No, I'm not some love struck little kid," I hissed and he narrowed his eyes.

            "Stop acting like one then," he retorted and I grunted.

            "Why don't you tone down the ego a little bit? I'm in a bad mood because I've got to live with Melinda on my back and I'm stuck in a cupboard with you, not because you couldn't keep your lips to yourself," I admitted and Ash blew through his teeth, clearly getting more annoyed. He wasn't the only one.

            "Don't you think you should be getting over the little Melinda problem you have? Grow some balls and talk to your family." I raised both of my eyebrows and felt like slapping him.

            "Come back to me and say that when you understand the situation better. Now leave me alone," I snapped and shoved past him to bang on the door again.

            Ash followed me and grabbed my shoulders, twisting me around to face him. He moved me away from the door and trapped me between his arms, which were resting on the wall. My chest was moving deeply with my irritated breathing and Ash looked like he was trying to calm himself down.

            "Don't shut down on me," he all but ordered and I tried to shove on his chest but he didn't move.

            "I'm not. I just want out, Ash," I replied, feeling my heart beat go erratic. He looked down between us and then met my eyes again. For a moment, I was scared he'd kiss me again and then I'd lose all self control. I'd been living with the guy for three months, five days a week, pretty much twenty four hours a day. It wasn't easy.

            "If the cupboard is seriously your problem, someone will come and let us out when the next race finishes, calm down."

            "If you tell me to calm down one more time, I swear to God," I started and he chuckled, warm breath hitting my cheeks.

            "Your hair looks good," he whispered. I looked up, surprised, meeting his hazel eyes. He lifted a hand from the wall and twirled a red strand around his finger. "Fiery, matches you," he finished and looked up before pushing away from me. The breath that I hadn't even realised I was holding came out.

            Ash walked to the other side of the cupboard and sat down, observing me.

            "Such a tosser," I whispered, dropping to the floor myself and he smirked.

            "Why is that?" he asked, cocking his head to the side.

            "You just are," I concluded, not wanting to let him know that he could control my moods with a click of his fingers.

            "Well, sometimes you're a crazy, hormonal bitch, but who's complaining?" he said, a