"I figured I'd see you eventually," Wesley said. "I already ran into Andrea and Jack, they invited me to your little party tonight."

I had no knowledge of a party. I looked back at Nate and he shrugged.

"You look great, though. I see you finally lost that weight you always stressed about," he licked his lips.

Nate cleared his throat and I was ready to introduce him but I was so busy being frozen by all the anger I had stored away. I kept thinking about the first time I tried to leave him. He had just finished yelling at me for having an extra slice of pizza saying that I didn't need it. Then he had went on to say there's a dent on the side of the bed I always slept on when I would sleep over. And we argued and bickered for hours on end. He told me I couldn't leave because who else would want me? Then he pinned me against the wall, my face damp with tears, and I felt I had no choice but to give in to him seducing me back to that same bed with the dent. He always said he liked fucking me because I gave him something to grab. He made me feel like I was Shamu when everyone else said that I wasn't that big. I was a size 16 and he got me a Lane Bryant gift card for my birthday. I cried for hours that day. I cried for hours on many days. And his words always drove me to eat more. I was his puppet that did anything he asked because I always felt he was right...that no one would want me. And I was so desperate to be able to keep saying that yes I had a hot boyfriend. The thought of everything made my blood boil.

"Are you gonna say something?" Wesley squinted his eyes, searching for a sign of life somewhere on my face.

"Uh," I spoke in a slightly raspy tone. My throat was dry. "Thanks. Um, this is my boyfriend Nate. Nate, this is my...ex...boyfriend, Wesley."

"Boyfriend huh?" Wesley nods with a crooked smile. "That's what's up. Never thought you'd ever...well it's nice to meet you bro."

Nate squinted his eyes and put on the fakest grin. He was already in defensive mode and it was kind of hot. But I knew he was only reacting from how I was acting. He knew I was uncomfortable, I'm sure it showed in my face and also by how bright my knuckles got from how hard I was gripping the table.

"Pleasure," he responded blankly, pursing his lips after.

"Uh...yeah," Wesley cleared his throat. "So I'll see you tonight, Liv"

He looked at me with a thirst in his eyes and I didn't like it. I had to make it a plan to stick by Nate the entire night. Or maybe we shouldn't even leave our room.

+

Johnson, the only other reasonable person in the house besides Nate, pleaded with us to join the party. It was like being a human in a room that contained a few vampires. Red bloodlust flickering in the eyes of Gilinsky, Andrea, and Sydney. Sometimes I would feel their eyes burning into my back...or maybe it was just the knife Andrea had been driving into it.

Nate held onto my hand as we made our way to the kitchen to seek solace in there. I sat on the kitchen counter while he stood between my legs, both of us sipping on our bottles of brew.

"Yo babe," Nate said. "I'm not responsible for all this tension, am I?" He looked so cute & innocent with worry.

"I think it was a long time coming before you even arrived. Well...maybe minus Gilinsky. He's just upset because I wouldn't have sex with him."

"He's what because what?!" Nate's eyebrows raised & his jaw clenched. "Fuckin' bitch boy. You don't owe him shit."

Nate looked past me through the scattered crowd of privileged young people. I knew he was searching for Gilinsky. I grab his chin and bring his lips to mine.

"Don't worry about him, I'm yours now," I spoke against his lips before massaging his tongue with mine.

"Ugh," I hear Sydney behind me.

"Is there a problem?" I ask her.

"Yeah," she smiles. "And I'm lookin' right at her."

I laugh, ready to beat her ass. I grab an ashtray near us and Nate grabs my wrist, stopping me.

"Don't worry about her," Nate mocked me in a cute way, kissing me again. "I know Johnson wants us out here...(kiss)...but I wanna take you back upstairs."

I wink at him and hop off the counter. The party wasn't on my priority list at all. We walked through the party, weaving through faces I've never seen. I felt a hand grab my wrist and pull me back. Nate didn't realize because I wasn't holding his hand so he kept walking, unaware.

"Where are you going?" Wesley smirks at me.

I snatch my hand back. "Away. Do you mind?"

"We have some catching up to do, though."

"No we don't," I scoffed.

I go to walk away but he grabs my waist, turning me back around with force. "You know I thought about you everyday after we broke up."

"Is that so?"

"That is so," he sighed. "I miss you." He moves strands of hair out of my face and I slap his hand, forcing myself out of his grasp.

"You're full of shit, Wes. You know what I did when we broke up? Absolutely nothing. I didn't cry. I just went home and watched a movie because I knew I was better off without you and your fucking abuse."

"That's funny, I thought you were probably gonna hit up a 24 hour buffet" He laughed.

It was as quick as a lightning strike when Nate came out of nowhere, socking Wesley square in the jaw. Wesley scrambled back onto his feet and tackled Nate head on, sending them crashing onto the wooden coffee table. So many more jabs were thrown as I watched on in shock. Out of nowhere, a drunk Gilinsky breaks a glass bottle on Nate's head and joins into the fight. 2 against one was a bitch move and no one jumped in to help or break up the fight. Some girls even screamed, others were recording it. So I took one for the team.

I yelled as I jumped onto Jack's back, wrapping my arm around his neck & inhibiting him from continuing in the brawl.

"What are you doing," Jack said as he gasped for air.

I got off of him and pushed him away from everything. "Don't you fuckin' dare!"

"I can't believe you're sticking up for him, or even worse, dating that loser!"

"He's far from a loser, Jack! Try getting your head out of your ass so you could see better."

I turn my attention back to the fight and soon see blue and red lights flashing from outside.

"Shit," I whispered to myself. I rush to the boys and pull Nate off of Wesley. "Cops are here, we gotta go."

"Fuck," Nate said with a bloody nose.

I took him by the hand and we ran out the back door just as soon as the cops busted in and everyone scattered. We ran through the moonlit woods that lined the nearby lake. We got far enough until we couldn't hear anything anymore or even see the house. I began shivering. The alcohol was wearing off and I no longer felt warm. Without hesitation, Nate unbuttoned his shirt and pulled me into him, knowing his body heat would help.

"You good?" He asked.

"Yeah...thanks."

I looked up at him and wiped the blood off his nose with my bare hands, then wiping them on my jeans.

"Just gonna ruin your pants like that?"

I shrugged. "They're Andrea's. She lent them to me for the double date."

Nate looks down, looking at what he could with the help of the full moon. "I remember those now. They fit you right."

His hands traveled into my pants, grabbing my ass. His eyebrows raised.

"Wearin' a thong, huh? Fuckin' tease."

"You weren't supposed to find out until later." I stuck my tongue out at him.

He sighed and kissed me some more, his hands still in my pants. I didn't even care about the frigid breeze that came and went.

"You make me happy, you know that?" He asked. "I don't remember the last time I felt like this."

I genuinely smiled as butterflies swarmed in my stomach. "Ooh, yikes. Sounds like things are getting pretty serious pretty fast," I joked.

"Shut up," he laughed.

We ended up staying out in the woods for another hour until we headed back. The place was trashed and cleared out of partygoers. Turns out the cops only showed up because of a noise complaint.

We saw Johnson passed out on the couch. When we got upstairs, Sydney was passed out looking trashy on her bed. Andrea and Jack's door was closed but we heard moaning. I rolled my eyes. Typical.

Exhausted, we retired to our room and went straight to bed, making out until our lips went numb.

+

A knock on our door had woken us up, our fingers were still interlocked. Nate got up to answer and it was Johnson telling us that we were leaving in 20 minutes.

The ride home was absolutely awkward and you could cut the tension with a knife. I decided to fall asleep again, not waking up until we stopped at a diner for food. Even in there, the conversation was minimal. Sydney kept shooting me dirty looks and I was tempted to throw my hot coffee on her face. One day, man. One day. Nate noticed how on edge I was and he rubbed my inner thigh underneath the table, teasing me. I tried to hide my smile and stuffed my face with scrambled eggs.

Gilinsky was still looking like he was filled with jealousy to the brim. As a giant 'fuck you', Nate put his arm around me, kissing my temple before finishing his last strip of bacon.

Sydney was dropped off first, followed by Nate. I wanted him to come back to my place but he had stuff to do. I gave him the longest goodbye kiss. Back at Casa de Liv & Andrea there was even more tension. We didn't speak as we entered the apartment, dropping our bags near the front door. Andrea went straight to the television as I went for the fridge for juice. I sipped on my cup as I watched her glare at the TV.

"Let's let it all out, right now," I suggested. "You don't want to be friends anymore and I wanna know why."

"Because," she shook her head. "You bore me, Liv. I'm sorry. We've just grown apart since middle school."

"I bore you?" I placed my hands on my hips. "When you needed someone to proofread your papers, who did you ask? When you had me write 'smart stuff' to a guy on OK Cupid just so you could sound good, who did you ask? When you got accused of stealing makeup, who defended you and helped get you off the hook? Who has had to endure months of you flirting with Gilinsky yet claiming you would never date him? ME! And what the fuck has Sydney done besides walk around with her tits hanging low because she thinks bras are so 20th century? There isn't shit else going on with that twat!"

"What the hell does Gilinsky have to do with any of this?"

"I liked him! I really, really liked him! And I knew that you knew. The way my face would light up everytime he came over and how much it fell when I saw you dancing with him or kissing on his face. I wanted that to be me. And you just Regina George'd me!"

She scoffed. "You're delusional. He didn't even want you! He was all up on me! What did you want me to do?"

"Tell him to back off! That's what I would do in your shoes...best friend!" I was shaking with anger at this moment. She didn't understand an ounce of how upset I was. "And eventually he did want me. Everytime he couldn't score with you, he tried getting with me. I gave in for a bit but then I realized how much of a sleaze he was. So I guess in the end, you two are perfect for each other! Slut & Sleaze, happily ever-fuckin'-after."

"Now I'm a slut?" She chuckled. "You know, Sydney was r-"

"Don't you dare. Don't you fucking dare."

"I'm so done. You cannot believe how done I am." Andrea turns up the volume to the TV.

I huffed and grabbed my bag, going into my room. I dumped everything onto the bed and re-packed it with more clothes - my clothes, none that are Andrea's. When I came back out, she had the nerve to look at me.

"Where are you going now?"

"Away. I have to figure some shit out and I'm gonna see if I can sublet my room. Basically I'm dropping you before you drop me."

I leave and slam the door shut. I was visibly upset, on the verge of tears. Andrea and I had been through everything together. Images of when we first started being friends kept flashing in my head. Poor fashion choices, boy band-crazy, singing in her den while we drank soda and read teen magazines that came with the pullout posters...we were each others ride or die. At first, I had no idea where to go. I didn't want to be a burden to anyone so I started driving to the nearest Days Inn. But then I remembered I didn't have enough money for anything over a one-night-stay. So I made a U-turn.

+

The door opened and Nate looked like he just woke up, but really he was high and still wearing his sweatpants...only his sweatpants. And I could tell there was no underwear because the sweatpants hung low and it gave me a nice view of his v-line.

"Oh shit, what's up babe?" He said in a sexy raspy voice, rubbing his bare chest.

"Andrea and I had a fight," I spoke quietly. "And I don't have any money for a hotel."

He placed his hand on my shoulder and pulled me in to hug me. He shut the door.

"Go take your stuff upstairs and come back down. I'll be in the living room," he said.

I did as he requested and came back downstairs where he, Foosh & Alex were spread out on the couches, passing the bong around.

"There she is," Nate said. "Come sit next to me." He patted the cushion next to him and I sat down. He kissed me on the cheek, eventually touching my chin so he could kiss my lips. Just that easily, we were making out heavily in front of his friends. His tongue tasted herbal and his lips were so smooth. His scruff tickled my chin and his hands had a nice grip on the back of my neck.

I pulled away from the kiss and grinned. "Nate...in front of everyone, huh?"

"Yeah, so?" His top lip curled a bit before he licked his lips. I could tell I was going to be dinner tonight. I'm guessing he gets extra horny when he smokes. "Anyway...Foosh...Alex, just thought ya'll should know that I'm with Liv now."

"Officially?" Foosh asked.

"Yeah, this my baby," he smirked, smacking my thigh & causing me to shriek with surprise. I made a mental note to make him do that to me later. "You my baby?"

"Hell yeah," I replied.

"So...what now, is she moving in too?" Foosh inquired.

"She could if she wanted to, is there a fuckin' problem?"

Foosh scoffed and passed the blunt over to Alex before getting up to go upstairs.

"Foosh! What the fuck, yo?" Nate called out to him. He waved him off. "Whatever. Yo Alex, quit babysittin' the bong, bruh. Shit."

I was ready to take a couple hits myself. But I couldn't help but wonder why Foosh was upset. He didn't have a problem before.

____________

Author's Note: Hmmm...what's up with Foosh? And before you conclude...NO he does NOT have a crush on Nate, lolll.

So who is Team Niv? ...or should it be Nivia...wait that's almost like the lotion. But lotion is great and so are they. Anyhoo...

Things shall be revealed in the next chapter! Dark things.

Vote & comment!! xx