Mikey was sucked into the eye of the storm as soon as we stepped into the house. There were teens in every direction, and though I very rarely came to these parties, I knew the basics as Mikey had pounded them into my head before we'd even unlocked the doors of his car.

Under no circumstances accept drinks from other people.

Do not trust guys that say they "know where" something is.

If you think a guy is drunk, he probably is.

And when in need, call him.

Upon slipping through a couple making out against the dinner table, I caught sight of a cooler and smiled when I saw that there was water inside. The smile wavered when I straightened back up and found Ty making his way into the kitchen. He slowed to a stop when he caught sight of me and the smile that had been on his face extended into a full, toothy grin.

"Rory, hey!" I could barely hear him over the music and chatter, he must have seen it on my face because he grabbed my hand and led me through a long, dark hallway and back out on to the backyard. There were a few people smoking what smelt suspiciously like weed out on the grass, but the stairs were free and he lowered himself down. After a moment of contemplation I joined him.

It was far quieter out here, I could actually hear myself think. Not that I was given the chance too as he spoke as soon as I was beside him.

"I honestly didn't think you were gonna show."

I laughed at that, looking down at the water bottle between my hands. "And let Mikey miss his big chance? Never."

"That's pretty cool, you know, putting your own feelings aside for him."

"He'd do the same for me."

Though, if we were going by his track record the last couple weeks, I'd probably reconsider that notation.

"Tell me about yourself, Rory. All I know is what I hear secondhand."

I couldn't help myself. "And what's that?"

"That you're quiet. Smart. Keep to yourself." He shrugs. "Nothing bad, of course."

I tucked my hair behind my ear and considered his words before saying, "Um, I'm named after my mother's book. She's a romance author. The book's called Northern Lights. She said she was nine months pregnant and still didn't have a name. Not until one night she opened her book to edit it and it hit her." I smiled to myself. "I'd love to see them one day."

He nods, then shifts the focus on to himself. "I failed first grade."

I gasped immediately, hand over my chest dramatically and everything. "How do you fail first grade? That's like the easiest grade!"

"How much time you got?" he answers with a laugh.

I opened my mouth to answer, but what left me was a loud yelp as cold, sticky liquid soaked me. I instantly shot to my feet, flinging the excess off my hands and spinning on my heel to find the cheerleader that'd been hanging off Onyx standing with a feign shocked expression and her cup half tipped.

"What the hell, Erica?" Ty growled, smacking the empty cup out of the girls hand.

Erica looked to me with wide eyes. "I am so sorry. I didn't see you there!"

I stepped forward, everything in me wanting to unleash ten years of pent up aggression on the poor, insecure cheerleader, but instead I clenched my hand into a fist at the same time Ty touched my damp shoulder and said, "Come on, she's not worth it."

I allowed him to lead me away, though I could tell by the girl, Erica's, lips parting she hadn't been done speaking. As soon as we were back in the living room, my eyes found Mikey cozied up against Levi on the couch as they watched something on his phone. I felt all anger drain from me as I approached, arms crossed. Levi saw me first and dropped his phone on to his lap in surprise.

"What the hell happened to you?"

Ty sneered as he responded, "Erica being a jealous bitch is what happened."

Mikey started to sit upright hearing the words, but Levi looked to Ty.

"Should I go talk to her?"

"No!" I said quickly, then added, "No, Levi, you don't have to do that. It's not a big deal."

Mikey looked between Levi and me, then eyed me worriedly, "Do you need a ride home?"

Though I wasn't over excited to be driven home by a guy I hardly knew, I also could se that this was Mikey's chance and I wasn't going to pull that out from beneath him. "No, I mean, I thought maybe Ty could drive me home?"

Feeling as though it was a come on to him, Ty nudged my arm with a grin, "Definitely can."

I shot Mikey a look I was sure he could decipher in seconds, then turned on my heel and followed Ty out of the house, arms wrapped around myself to keep everyone from seeing my bra under my white shirt. Halfway out to his car at the end of the street, Ty shrugged out of his Letterman and draped it over my shoulders, thinking my current position was because I was cold. Not wanting to embarrass him, I slipped my arms through it and hugged it around myself.

"Thanks."

As soon as we reached his car, Ty opened my door, then walked around to climb into the driver's side. I sent Mike a quick text before joining him in the car and shutting the passenger door. The minute I was situated inside, I found myself comparing the warm, cozy sedan to Onyx's old beater. Everything about Ty's car was calming; the faint smell of pine, the old R&B ballad playing softly through the speakers, I was able to move without kicking trash or paper on the floorboards, and the best part of all-it didn't smell like stale cigarette smoke.

Once we'd pulled out of the crowded neighborhood and onto the main street, he sent a quick, sad smile in my direction. "I'm sorry about Erica. We dated a couple years ago and I guess she's still salty about the breakup."

That made sense, given her expression.

"This definitely isn't how I wanted tonight to go." he commented, tapping his fingers along the steering wheel. "Let me take you out. Just you and me this time."

I felt a slight flutter in my chest but quickly pushed it down. "I'd like that."

"Why do I feel a but coming on?"

"But I don't think it's a good idea. I try to keep a low profile, as much as I can being Mike's friend, that is. Erica making my life miserable isn't exactly how I want to spend my senior year."

He nodded. "I get that. Maybe I can talk to her."

"Do you really think that'll help?" I asked with a sad look. "If she's still caught up on you, she's going to do everything in her power to get you back, or destroy anything you try to spark up."

"So caught up she's still blowing Hayes every chance she gets?"

The bitterness in his tone startled me, and the words slipped out of me before I could stop them. "Onyx Hayes?"

Ty snickered. "Yep. Cheated on me with him sophomore year. Didn't bother to stick around and see how many times."

"I'm sorry, Ty." I whispered.

He shrugged a shoulder. "It's whatever. But I'm not going to let her sit here and ruin this."

"Okay." I gave in. "I'll go on a date with you, but it has to stay between us. Let's see how it goes before we tell anyone."

A playful smile took the place of the scowl that'd been there moments prior. "Even Mikey and Levi?"

"Yes, even them. I love Mike to death, but he has a big mouth."

The rest of the ride back to my house after inputting my address into his GPS was mostly about school and interests. His being baseball, anime, magna and mine being rom-coms, specifically 90s and early 2000s, and coffee.

As soon as he put the car in park and looked passed me out my window, his entire body grew rigid. "Hayes is your neighbor?"

"Unfortunately." I mumbled, more to myself than him.

I wouldn't admit it aloud but it felt a little empowering and as if my feelings were validated by having someone dislike Onyx as much as I did.

I reached for the handle to my right, but his hand moved across the console and rested on my thigh, stopping me. "I'm really sorry, Rory."

I gently brushed his hand off and offered a weak smile, "It's fine. I'm just really exhausted and need a shower."

Knowing what that sly hand movement meant, I leaned across the console and kissed his cheek, hoping it put enough of the point across before I opened the door and stepped out.

"I'll see you at school Monday, yeah?" he asked, I nodded. "I'll text you the plans for the date. Goodnight, beautiful."

"Night, Ty." I waved and watched the car speed off into the night with a smile inching its way across my face. A small, giddy bubble of happiness was forming in my stomach, but was momentarily disrupted by a loud slam. I whirled around to find Onyx closing the lid of the trash can at the end of his driveway. The minute he looked up, his eyes fell on me, and a teasing smirk appeared.

"You look like a drowned kitten." but his eyes drop to the Letterman and they darken to a point I can read them from where I'm standing. "But it looks like you got the guy."

"I look like this because your friend decided to "accidently" trip and spill her beer all over me."

I added air quotes for emphasis and the faintest of smiles returned to Onyx's lips. "Who?"

"Erica." I answered with a sigh. "I guess her and Ty were a thing and. . ."

I trailed off, feeling my cheeks starting to flush as we surely knew what direction the conversation was going in.

"Just be careful." Onyx tucked his hands into his jean pockets, walking up the driveway until he was directly opposite me on the other side of the patch of grass between our houses. "That crowd will eat you up and spit you right back out, Sky."

"In case you forgot, my best friend is a jock, Onyx." I snapped, defensive.

Onyx shook his head a few times, his hair fully covering his eyes when he finally lifted his head again. "Michael. . . it's different with him. Just make sure you know what you're getting yourself into before you get too involved. Night, Sky."

He walks up the driveway to his front porch, casting one last look back at me and disappearing into his house before I could decipher what the hell he meant by that.