I sat in a chair across from his bed which he sat up in, channel surfing. I wasn't sure of what exactly to say, I just needed to see him.

"You gonna talk?" He asked with his eyes still glued to the TV. He wasn't wearing a shirt, so his tattoos & big white bandage stood out. He still looked amazing.

I cleared my throat. "What-uh...wh- who was that at the hospital that day?"

"I told you her name was Mya," he responded.

"No, I mean who is she to you? Girlfriend?"

"Something like that."

"And...did you care to consider how she would feel knowing you were out on a date with my best friend?"

He chuckled. "That's your best friend now?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"She gives you so much shit and you just take it. You know what she said to me when the four of us split during the date? She told me that she hopes you don't embarrass yourself with Sammy. She was going on and on about your wardrobe and how you're always borrowing her clothes."

I scoffed. "Yeah okay. She practically shoves them in my face."

"But do you see the point at all? She's not as much of a friend to you as you are to her."

"So kind of like you aren't as much of a significant other to Mya than she is to you?" I folded my arms and waited for him to outsmart me.

"Mya is my ex, for your information. We still fool around here and there and we still care for each other but...that's it. I'm done."

"I wouldn't exactly say you were done if you still fool around."

"And I didn't ask for your opinion."

"Whatever." I shook my head and looked around at the various drawings taped to his wall. He was actually very talented.

"So that's all you wanted to talk about? My ex?" He asked.

"No...maybe." I folded my arms.

"You could've just texted then."

"Why are you being an extra asshole today?" I squinted my eyes.

"I thought I was being myself, honestly." He slowly got out of bed and walked over to get his laptop off his desk.

"You...are a piece of work. I'm leaving."

I make my way toward the door and I hear Nate come towards me. I felt his hand wrap around my upper arm as I touched the doorknob.

"Whoa whoa, where you goin'?" He laughed. I was completely confused about this guy. One minute he's a dick to me and the next, he's concerned about where I'm going. What does he even want from me?

"Away, obviously," I answered.

"Just like that, huh?"

"You obviously don't want me here." I looked to my side and saw The Giver on his dresser. I picked it up and tucked it under my arm. "I guess you won't be needing this either."

"Wait, Liv, stop." He snatches the book back and holds it up out of my reach. I don't even bother trying to reach for it. I knew any vigorous activity would probably hurt him or break his stitches.

"Nate...I'm just gonna leave you alone, okay? If you want to read the book then you can go to the library. But considering I'm not coming to see you ever again, I'm gonna need it back."

His playful facial expression faded and his arm dropped back by his side. "You don't wanna see me anymore?"

"It's not that I don't want to. You just confuse the shit out of me & everytime we see each other there's some form of disappointment." I was irritated and rummaging through my bag to find my car keys. I'm about to name my purse Narnia because shit kept getting lost in it.

He hands over the book. "Take this shit then," he hissed. "You're just like everyone else."

I snatch it and shove it into my bag. "Did you ever stop to consider that if it's a pattern, it's not everyone else? Maybe it's just you."

He scoffs and shakes his head, so sure of himself that he'd never be labeled the problem. I tugged at my shirt once it felt like it was clinging to my stomach.

"Why do you keep doing that?" He asks, changing the subject.

"Doesn't matter anymore, does it?"

I reach for the handle once again.

"Nah, fuck that," I hear him say quietly - moments before grabbing me and pinning me against the wall to kiss me. It was a vigorous kiss but a good one. More intense than the first time. His breathing was heavy and his chest was firm. "You think I'm the problem," he breathed against my mouth. "But you're my problem."

I was having a difficult time processing this since he was now sucking on my neck and getting small involuntary moans out of me. I could've sworn I felt vibrations of him growling against my skin as he ravaged me against this door. I'm not sure what was in the air or in the drinking water but my life was slowly becoming a Sex In the City series.

"W-wait, just...Nate, stop," I whispered.

"Is that what you really want," he whispered back, kissing up my neck and to my chin.

I whimpered and bit my lip when his hand went beneath my shirt. He inhaled sharply and moaned once he made it to my breasts and squeezed over my bra. I felt him becoming more aroused as he continued to press against me.

"Nate," I moaned. "I mean it. Don't...do this to me."

He slammed his hand against the door beside my head and kissed me some more, nearly losing control. Finally he stopped, breathing merely inches before my lips.

"How do you expect me to stop when you sound like that? When you look at me the way you do?"

I bit my lip and slowly moved him off of me. "You're fucking with my head, Nate...I have to go."

"Is that why you're squeezing your legs together? Because you don't have to leave to handle that, I gotchu," he smirked. "Or...you can stay and we'll just talk because maybe...I don't want you to go."

I didn't know what to think at this point. With the quickness, I left his room and went out the front door. This was all becoming too much for me to handle.

My mind was a clusterfuck mess as I sat in my car with my head against the steering wheel. I looked up and saw Nate looking out the window of his bedroom. The way he looked down made me feel like if I ever needed a lap to sit in, his was open. But then he shook his head with a small laugh and walked away from the window.

+

When it rains...it pours.

I opened the front door to a goddamn potential orgy. Andrea's rock music was playing and it was hazy with weed smoke. On the couch was Jack & Jack with Andrea & Sydney on top of them, making out. Buttons were unbuttoned, zippers were down, hands were hidden, and I was ready to trash the place. I was already frustrated because of Nate...now this.

"What the FUCK?" I spoke with a long drawl. Sydney and Johnson looked up and chuckled. Andrea was startled. Gilinsky looked at me with apologetic eyes. I didn't even continue looking at him. I was done. Andrea stumbled to her feet.

"Liv! Listen, don't worry, I'll clean everything up once they leave," she explained, touching my arms as if I held her life in my hands. "It's just, they came over to hang out and Sydney brought the pot so we all kinda just...you know?"

I nodded. "Sure."

"And like," her voice lowered so only I could hear. "I know I said I'd never date Gilinsky and I still won't but he...is...packin', like holy shit." She laughed to herself and I was laughing inside because I already knew this. But at the same time, I was disgusted with him.

What is it with these guys? They have to sleep around town and try to act like they only want one person. Only genuine guy left that I know is Sammy. But he hasn't asked me out yet. Then again...how could I be so stupid? He's already gotten a weekend full of sex from me. My mom would always say that no one is going to want to buy the ice cream truck if you're giving out all the ice cream sandwiches for free. Clearly that flew over my head.

I was fed up and just retired to my room without saying another word. For some reason, it was hard to breathe and I had to open a window. I pulled 'A Game of Thrones' from the bookcase for a quick escape. Ah yes, Westeros. I, Daenerys Targaryen, was back with my beloved Khal Drogo who loved me so much that he poured hot liquid gold over my evil brother's head, killing him to protect me. Honorable men make me weak in the knees. Why must the keepers only exist in books & movies?

Somehow I had fallen asleep for a bit with the book open & face down on my chest. The sound of a knock on my door had woken me up. I quickly checked my phone before getting out of bed and sighed at a message-less screen. When I had opened my door, Gilinsky let himself in, uninvited.

"What the hell do you think you're doing," I asked him.

"Shh." He shuts the door. "They're all asleep."

"Lovely! Go join 'em."

"I'm sorry I haven't called or texted," he went on. "I was a little freaked out by the Nate thing. I had to clean my seats myself because I was scared what anyone else would think."

"Oh, poor you," I replied sarcastically.

"I deserve your sarcasm, I know. And I'm sorry for what you had to see today. I literally had no control, I was high."

"Please use that as your sad excuse if you ever kill someone one day," I laughed. "I just want you to know how stupid you sound. I didn't mean to stab him, I was high!"

"Okay...I deserved that too. I just," he sighed, placing his hands on my waist. "I couldn't stop thinking about you since what happened between us that night."

I squinted my eyes at how unbelievable he was and I slapped him across the face, ridding myself of his grasp.

I traveled to the other side of my bed and picked up my striped backpack. "I am so sick of you guys thinking you can easily be forgiven after being complete assholes."

"Wait, I'm confused. There's someone else?"

I threw my head back with laughter and started packing the bag with clothes. "Unfortunately there's three of you! There's you, a horny fuckboy too confused to figure out where he wants to put his dick, much less his heart. Then asshole number 2 is an ungrateful douchebag who can't straighten his loose wires out. Then there's the 3rd one, the only one worthy of my time right now and that's where I'm gonna go."

"A-are you talking about Nate?"

"Nate was asshole number 2!"

"So you guys had a thing going on?"

"Jack, honey, sweetheart, none of that fucking matters. Just leave me alone."

I pushed past him after I finished packing my overnight bag and slammed the front door when I left. I hope I fucking woke everyone up.

+

The large pizza that I balanced on my left hand sure smelled amazing. As I made my way down the hallway, I heard Sammy in his apartment shouting at the TV; he was watching some kind of sports game on TV.

I knocked loud enough so that he could hear me over the sports announcer. I quickly made sure my hair was intact. The door opened and it was actually a sports video game on the TV. I was greeted by a short & petite girl with big eyes while Sammy was still playing the game wearing only his dark grey briefs, not paying attention to the front door at all.

"We didn't order pizza, we ordered Chinese," she spoke in a squeaky voice.

"Babe, who is it?" Sammy called out, still not looking my way.

I didn't want to cry, I don't think I did. And if I didn't cherish pizza nor the money I just spent on it, it would probably go face down on his carpet.

"It's a delivery girl but not the one we're looking for," the girl answered him.

He finally looked and his entire facial expression changed.

"Yeah, wrong apartment," I said quietly before walking back down the hallway.

"Shit," I heard him whisper. "Wait inside, okay? ....Liv, wait!"

I turned around slowly and glared at him like a villain in a horror film.

"I never wanted you to see that," he spoke.

"Seems to be a lot of things dickheads didn't want me to see today. Should've stayed in bed this morning with my eyes closed!"

"I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize. This was my fault. I shouldn't show up unannounced. We're not even actually dating so I don't see any reason to be more pissed off than I already am."

"I mean...yeah. I thought this was a casual thing," he shrugged.

I nodded. "Yeah, no, same. I'm just gonna go."

I put on a fake smile and he smirked at me. "Call me tomorrow?"

I reached inside the pizza box and took a slice out. "Maybe," I said with a mouth full of pizza.

+

The radio was playing horrible songs that it already played only an hour ago. And there I was sitting in my car, in a 7-Eleven parking lot, binge eating the entire pizza. Every bite took the sadness away. No matter how many times I thought about everything, I always came back full circle to blaming myself - getting myself in these predicaments.

I was 5 slices down, remembering the days I used to hide food in a trunk under my bed for safe keeping. Everytime I would be sad or hated myself just for being me, I'd eat. I should just be a loner, a recluse. Everytime I become vulnerable, I let people get to me. I let them in easier than I should; just handing out keys to my doors.

"No...no, no, no. Shit," I whispered to myself as I looked up and saw Nate walk out of the 7-Eleven holding a large Slurpee. His dimples appeared as he sucked on the straw...and then I was spotted.

I had absolutely nothing to hide this pizza box with. Throwing my small bag over it did absolutely nothing. He had a slight grin on his face as he approached my car. Two guys trailed behind him. One had dark hair and a little scruff, he was holding a bag of Cheetos and a can of Arizona Half & Half. The other guy had a hoodie on and his cheeks were abnormally red for some reason. He was sipping on a Big Gulp.

Nate tapped on my driver's side window and I closed my eyes as I rolled the window down.

"You aight?" He asked me.

I was totally prepared to speak but words never came out. I came to terms with myself and shook my head in silence.

"Wanna talk? Well...after you move your dinner out of the way?"

I shook my head again.

"Who's this, Skate?" I hear the dark-haired guy ask.

"This is Liv. Liv, this is Foosh & the emo guy over there is Alex," Nate said.

"Shut up," Alex spoke. "I'm not emo. I'm not emo, Liv, it's nice to meet you."

"Okay he's not emo, he's just really really high."

Suddenly all three of them started chuckling. Poor Nate's was the weakest since he was still healing.

"We'll be in the truck," Foosh said. They both left me alone with Nate. I hated to admit to myself that it turned me on to simply watch him sip on his drink. He did it so...seductively. And I paid so much attention to detail; like how his pinky hung off the bottom of the cup, his tongue would hit the straw first before his lips did, and his eyes never looked down as he went in for a sip - they stayed on me.

"What are you doin' out here?" He asked me.

"Oh, you know, just being pathetic by my lonesome." I tossed the other half of my slice back into the box.

"Damn, you ate that whole thing?"

"Would you judge me if I did?"

"I'd judge you if you didn't. That's impressive," he grinned.

"You clearly haven't dealt with a girl like me," I stated.

"I know." The look in his eyes was mesmerizing again. His face softened for me. "You should drive behind us, we're going to a get-together down in the Heights."

"The Heights? No way in hell," I laughed.

"What's wrong, you scared?"

"Uhh, yeah! They're always on the news," I replied.

"That's funny you think I'd let anyone hurt you, Liv." He bit his lip. "Come on." I was still hesitant. "If it makes you feel better, you can park your car and your pizza at my place and just ride with us in the truck."

"Well..." I looked over at the large black truck and sighed. "Okay. But I'm bringing the pizza."

"Thatta girl," he winked. "You'll have fun, I promise."

__________

Author's Note: ...and this won't be the kind of regular party Liv is used to. It's gonna be a late night posting for Chapter 6 but I'm working on it right now!

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