I knoooow it's been over a month since the last chapter, but I've been extremely busy because I have one more week left of exams and then I'm all yours :) Yesterday was my birthday and today is 1D Day so here's a 8,6k chapter to make up for everything !

Also, I hope the polish readers who had the matura exams did great :) let me know how you did and if you got into the universities you wanted <3

Please don't forget to read the end notes and to please please please answer the questions because the story is just getting started and I write what you guys want to read based on your answers :)

p.s. Comment throughout the story because I LOVE reading your funny comments and replying, it honestly makes my day !

Happy reading :D

----

Previously on chapter 26:

My makeup is still good, thank God, but I am not. Seeing Niall without a shirt, full of fluorescent paint and his hair pulled up into a fucking quiff of all things...it's too much.

"It's occupied." I say when the door creaks open.

I look up into the mirror and of course it's Niall.

"It's occupied." I tell him again and turn around to face him, leaning against the counter.

"I heard you the first time."

"What are those?" I ask, pointing to the jars filled with the colors white, green and red. Stupid question.

He doesn't answer and locks the door.

"I'm leaving now." I announce.

"But Bryan specifically asked me to make sure that everyone is wearing at least a color tonight and I promised I'd do that." Niall says and bites his lip to hide a smile.

"Well, I can't really paint my body because, in case you haven't noticed, I'm wearing a dress." I tell him.

He looks down at my body. "I've noticed."

"So, no thank you. And how did you know I'd be here?"

Niall rolls his eyes. "You're always impatient, of course you'd be here."

Fuck.

"You could paint your face." He suggests, not letting it go.

"I already wiped my face once today, my makeup is going to be fucked."

"But Bryan asked me to." He says, pushing it, and we both know that Bryan wasn't that fucking insistent.

"Yeah? And what do you suggest? Should I go home and then change into something else just so you'll shut up?" I ask.

He shakes his head and comes closer to place the jars on the counter next to me, so I take a step sideways to get further away from him.

"I've got an idea." Niall says with a tone I definitely don't like.

Except that I fucking do. And I hate it.

I hate him.

"I hate you." I tell him.

"But I've got an idea." He says in a whiny voice.

"Your ideas are always bad." I complain, looking up at him through my lashes. Do I know that it used to turn him on? Yes. Do I regret it? No.

His jaw clenches and I bite my lip.

"So bad, always." I add and he suddenly grips into my hips and lifts me up on the counter, stepping between my legs.

I stare up at him and don't react when I feel his hands at the bottom of my dress, slowly pulling it upwards.

"Is this a bad idea?" he asks and I look up at him.

Then, I raise my arms and he smirks, pulling the dress over my head. I watch him as he grabs the paintbrush from the white jar and traces it down from my bra to my belly, drawing little shapes on the way.

"I'm not taken." I tell him when I see him reaching for the red paint. He rolls his eyes and dips the brush into the green jar, and then takes it to my knees, where he slowly inches it up my thigh until he reaches my panties.

"Thank you." I tell him when he's done.

He looks down at my painted body and I look at his, neither of us moving.

"You didn't answer my question." He says, placing his palms on the counter on either side of my thighs so he can bend down and look me in the eye.

"What question?"

"Is this a bad idea?" Niall asks and I stare at the way he licks his lips.

I know that painting my body isn't what he means.

"Is it?" he pushes.

"Yeah." I breathe and grab him by the belt at the same time as he cups my cheek to bring our lips together.

----

Niall's POV

I cup Rey's face at the same time she pulls me by the belt so I stand between her legs.

The fact that she's in her underwear so close to me isn't helping me at all. After all, I've had a plan to stop cheating on my girlfriend, even though she's been cheating on me with another football player from a different team for quite a while now. Zoe thinks I don't know, but I'm not that stupid.

But I can't fucking resist Rey, not when she looks up at me from under her eyelashes and pouts and bites her lip.

Fuck.

She opens my mouth with her tongue and I tilt my head to the right at the same time she does, to deepen the kiss. I pull her towards me so she's on the edge of the counter and our crotches are touching, before I grind down against her. It sends shivers down my spine, and it apparently does the same for her, because she moans into my mouth.

One of her hands slides up into my hair and scratches my scalp, which feels unbelievably good.

"This is a really bad idea." She breathes and pulls away, resting her forehead against mine.

"I know." I say, but neither of us pulls away for a few seconds.

I finally pull away and take a step back. I watch her as she gets dressed, pulling her dress over her body, before she jumps down from the counter and straightens it up.

"This can't happen again. Ever." She tells me and I nod.

I wish I could promise her, and myself, that it's never going to happen again, but I can't.

She leaves first so I can pee, and then I get back to the others as well. Zoe is at our booth looking for me and I look for Rey as I walk towards my girlfriend, only to find her on the dancefloor with Zayn.

"You're green." Zoe says into my ear when I kiss her cheek.

"What?"

"You've got green paint on."

I look down at my naked torso. Oh fuck, I didn't even notice it.

"Did you kiss her?" she asks.

"Kiss who?"

"Renee."

I don't answer, so she crosses her arms over her chest.

"You said you wouldn't do that anymore." She says, getting angrier.

"Let's not fight here, okay?"

"No, Niall! When you told me about kissing her that night at Luke's birthday party I understood and you promised it was just a drunken mistake."

"It was, I told you!" I argue.

If she knew what's going on in my head every time I see Rey, she would break up with me instantly.

"Take me home." She tells me and I roll my eyes.

"Don't be like this now."

She doesn't listen to me though as she starts gathering our stuff. I put my shirt back on and take her hand before we say goodbye to everyone else.

"You're leaving already?" Jake asks.

I nod, not giving him a reason when he asks why.

The taxi ride to her house in filled with silence, and I can feel anger radiating from her body. She lives in the same neighborhood as Rey, so the taxi drops us off at the front gate.

"I'm sorry." I tell her.

"No you're not."

"Yeah, I am."

She looks up at me. "You told me you don't like her. In any way."

"And it's true."

"Why would I believe you?"

I have no idea what to tell her. I like Rey, but I also like her, and I could never be with Rey anyway.

"Because I'm with you right now, and because you know me." I tell her.

I know she's thinking about it, before she finally gives in with a sigh. She knows that she's not the one to talk, because she's done way worse stuff for a way longer time with that football player, so she presses a kiss to my cheek.

"Do you want to come in?" she asks, licking her lips.

I nod, smirking. "Do you even have to ask?"

She grins and presses the button on her car keys, which slowly opens the automatic gate. She takes my hand and intertwines our fingers. As I follow her up the driveway to the front door, I ask myself why I'm still in a fucked up relationship where the feelings aren't really true.

***

When I get home the next Monday from school, Lilly is sitting in the living room, yelling at mom.

"Why the fuck are you yelling?" I ask after I've toed off my shoes.

"Language." My mom tells me as I kiss her cheek.

"Because I have no idea what to wear to the springtime ball this Friday." Lilly whines. She's holding two dresses and my mother looks helpless, obviously done with this shit.

"Honey, just pick one, and I'll buy you shoes that go with it tomorrow."

Lilly rolls her eyes at her. "I can't tomorrow, I have detention this week."

"Why do you have detention?" mom scolds her.

"Because...I was texting during class."

Bullshit.

"I need to get to work, but I promise I will buy you the shoes myself-"

"I can take her today." I offer and my mom beams at me, standing up from the couch.

"You're the best son ever." She smiles and grabs my face to place a kiss to my cheek.

"Yeah right." Lilly snorts and I flip her off, so she flips me off, which causes mom to scold us again.

We watch her put her shoes on and grab her purse, pulling out her credit card and handing it to me. Before she leaves, she turns around.

"Be nice to each other!"

We throw her giant (fake) smiles and wait until she's out the door before we turn to face each other.

"Why do you have detention?" I ask her once the door is shut.

"I already told you."

"You don't get a week's worth of detention for texting in class."

"You would know." she mumbles as I follow her up the stairs.

"Yeah, I would, so that's why I'm asking."

She sighs and stops in the doorframe of her room to look at me. "I was making out with Jason in the hallways instead of going to class, and when the principal came, we tried to outrun him."

"Jesus Lilly." I laugh.

She rolls her eyes and walks into her room, yelling at me that we'll be leaving in half an hour.

So, half an hour later, the three of us are in the subway, headed towards the nearest shopping centre.

"Can I get toys?" Eddie asks me and looks up at me.

I pull out my wallet from the back pocket of my jeans to look inside. I have twenty pounds left for the rest of next week, and I definitely don't want to ask my mother for more money.

"Uh, sure." I say.

We get to the mall thirty minutes later and Eddie already pulls us towards the toy store. Lilly and I wait around for ten minutes until Eddie is back with a stuffed Olaf toy.

"How much is this?" I ask.

"Eleven." He answers and I scrape together the rest of my spare change until I have eleven pounds so I can get a tenner back.

After I've given the cashier all my money, we make our way towards a shop Lilly wants to visit in order to get her shoes for the ball.

She picks out some black high heels that I don't agree on.

"Oh come on Niall, everyone's wearing heels to the ball."

"But you're sixteen."

She rolls her eyes as we get in line at the cash register.

"Yeah, and when you were sixteen you ran away from home and did cocaine and stuff." She argues.

"What's cocaine?" Eddie asks and we both look down at him.

"Nothing. A bad thing." I answer and he pouts.

"I want to try!"

"You don't want to." I tell him and look at the front of the line to see what's taking so long.

My eyes fall on Rey, who's there with Jason, looking through her purse.

"How much is left to pay?" she asks. Her purchase is a total of 230 and apparently she only has cash.

"Ten pounds."

"Shit, I don't have that. Do you have your card?" she asks Jason, who shakes his head.

I take out the tenner I have left in my wallet and walk up to the cash register.

"I can pay." I say and she looks up at me, surprised and shocked at the same time. I don't know what she's more shocked about: the fact that I'm here or the fact that I'm doing something to help her.

"Uh...okay? You don't have to. I can just-"

I hand the cashier the tenner and she prints out the receipt as I walk back to Lilly and Eddie. Jason and Rey come up to us and the queue advances.

"Hi." Lilly smiles at Jason before she kisses him on the lips.

"Thanks, you didn't have to do that."

"You were holding up the line." I tell her. What I don't tell her is that it was my last money.

"Either way, thank you. I'll give it back to you at school."

I nod and Jason tells her that he'll stay with Lilly and that they'll meet up later.

"Fine. I'll go check out some stores, but we're leaving in half an hour." She says then looks back at me. "Bye."

"Bye."

She walks away and I turn my head to watch her, until Lilly makes a sound.

"What?" I ask.

"There goes your soulmate." She sings.

"Shut up."

"What's a soulmate?" Eddie asks, grabbing my hand.

"Uh...a soulmate is someone who..."

How am I supposed to explain something to a child when I don't even believe in it?

"Hold on." I say and take out my phone to google it.

"Are you actually googling it?" Lilly snorts as I tap away on my screen. A quote from Dawson's creek appears on the screen so I try to explain it as easy as possible.

"So a soulmate is that person in the world who knows you better than everyone else and makes you a better person. It's the person who accepted and believed in you when no one else did. And no matter what happens, you will always love them."

"So mummy's my soulmate?" he asks and I lock my phone before I put it back in my pocket.

"You could say that."

"Who's your soulmate?"

I shrug. "I don't believe in that."

"Why not?"

Before I can answer, we're next in line.

Being the four-year-old he is, Eddie forgets the conversation and changes the subject.

"I want some ice cream. Can we get ice cream?" he pouts and I nod.

The four of us sit down at the food court after getting ice cream with mum's card. Lilly and Jason are talking about the ball this Friday, but I don't bother listening in on it. Instead, I listen to Eddie talking about something he saw on TV while texting Zoe.

When she asks what I'm wearing at the ball so we can match, I lock my phone.

"I'm bored. Can we go to the toy store?" Eddie asks and I sigh.

"We've already been there."

"I'm booored." He whines and I look at Lilly.

"I should go too, my sister isn't the patient type." Jason laughs and kisses her cheek before he stands up from the table.

He shakes my hand before he leaves the three of us alone.

"So, about this soulmate thing." She starts.

"Oh here we go."

"I don't but your crap about not believing in it. Just because you and Zoe don't have a genuine relationship it doesn't mean that there's no such thing as soulmates. You just haven't found the right person. Or, you just don't know you have."

"Stop with his Rey thing already, okay? We fu-kissed a few times and that's it. That and the fact that you like her doesn't make her my soulmate."

"She knows you better than anyone else though. I watched that interview on the school website." She argues.

"That was a shit interview, proves nothing."

"Okay then. She does make you a better person though."

"She doesn't, and I'm done with this conversation." I say and get up from the table.

She doesn't shut up though and by the time we reach the subway station, I've had enough.

"Do you actually think I met the person-my soulmate, at this age? Come on, stop with the-"

She shuts me up. "No, I think you're a little bitch who's too scared of commitment because our father was the way he was."

"Why do you always have to start shit?" I ask as we get into the subway.

"Because I'm tired of watching you waste your time with a person who we both know isn't worth it. I mean come on, you both cheated on each other, you both lie to each other. What's the point of being in a relationship if it's like that?"

How am I supposed to explain to her that I don't want to lose Zoe because I just need someone by my side, but I don't want to be constantly scared of losing them? That's why I fucking apologize all the time after doing stuff and that's why I forgive her after doing stuff. Because...fuck, even I don't know.

"Just because you're in a relationship with someone who makes you happy, it doesn't mean you know everything." I say. "You're sixteen."

"So? What does age have to do with anything?"

"You think Jason is going to be your, like, husband or something? Come on."

"Right now, he's the person I want to spend my life with. There's nothing wrong with that."

I snort. "Sure. Whatever. I'm tired of arguing."

"Me too. So I'm here to talk whenever you come to your senses and needs someone to listen."

I look down at Eddie, who looks really confused. I smile at him and he smiles back. Sometimes I wish I could be four again, when everything was fine and I didn't understand what was going on.

***

Rey's POV

On Friday, the whole school is buzzing about the springtime ball. It starts at seven, which means that after practice I have exactly four hours to get ready.

"So who's your date to the ball?" Jake asks during practice when the coach walks off the pitch to take a phone call.

"Your brother." I tell him and his jaw drops.

"Excuse me?"

"What?"

"What about me?"

"Aren't you going with Harry? Or Louis? Or both?" I ask.

"Yeah, because gay threesomes are always welcomed to a school organized event." He sarcastically says and sits down next to me on the grass.

"Also, why the fuck are you asking me on the day of the ball? You could've done that a month ago."

"I assumed you wouldn't have a date."

"Thanks." I say, rolling my eyes. "But you know, this whole date thing is bullshit. Who says you can't go alone?"

"Umm...my social status?"

"Oh Jake."

He sighs and looks at his teammates. "What about Luke?"

"He's not gay." Then, after a few seconds of debating, I say "Actually, I have no idea what his sexual orientation is. I've never seen him with anyone."

"Enter Jake." He says and I laugh.

"Maybe he's asexual." I suggest.

"I can change that."

"Not sure you could."

Jake flips me off. "I guess I could go with Perrie."

"Jake, don't just go with someone because you don't have a date. There's always room for you in the limo."

"Yeah, about that. Who else is coming?"

I shrug and call Sophia over, since she always organizes these things.

"Who else is coming with us in the limo tonight?" I ask and she sits down next to us.

"Uh, well the limo seats twelve. So there's Liam and I, you two and Zayn, Harry and Louis, Niall and Zoe, Luke."

"That's ten." I say, completely ignoring the fact that Niall and Zoe are in this equation.

"Oh, yeah. Also Bryan and Perrie."

"As a couple?"

She shakes her head. "No way."

"Great. Well then, I'll go make a move on Luke and see how he responds."

"What are you-" I start, but Jake is already up on his feet, striding towards poor, clueless Luke.

Sophia and I watch the two of them interact until a pair of legs dressed in footie gear appear in front of me, completely blocking my view.

I look up to see Niall looking down at me.

"What?" I ask.

"At what time does the limo come tonight?"

"We're starting with Liam and I, then Rey, Zayn and Jake, Bryan, Perrie, Harry and Louis, and then Luke, you and Zoe at last because you're closest to the hotel." Sophia answers, even though Niall is still looking at me.

"Do you think we can sneak in something to drink?" Bryan asks, appearing out of nowhere.

"Definitely. We can store it in the rooms." Sophia says.

Niall and I are apparently having a stare contest, because we keep looking at each other while the two of them talk plans. I have no idea why we're doing this, but I know that neither of them wants to lose.

"Who am I staying with? In the suite I mean." Bryan asks.

"Well...each suite has three rooms and we're twelve, so I thought it would be Liam and I, Rey and Zayn, Niall and Zoe in one, and then Jake, Luke, Harry, Louis and you."

At that, I break eye contact to look at Sophia.

"What about Perrie? Why doesn't she stay with us? And Jake?"

"Well, I thought the couples would stay in one suite."

"What she meant was why do we have to share a suite." Niall says, pointing between the two of us.

I don't disagree, because he's right.

"Jesus, you can change the arrangement when we get there, it was just a suggestion." Sophia says, shaking her head.

The coach comes back on the pitch, so the guys jog over to the rest of the team. Right before the whistle blows, Niall turns his head to look at me for a split second, just to see that I'm already looking at him.

***

The dress I picked out for the springtime ball kind of matches the theme, and even though it's a bit see-through, I put on a nude high-waisted bikini and matching strapless boob-holder things. After I do my makeup and put on my shoes, I yell at Jason that I'm going to be leaving soon.

"You don't have to yell, I'm in the next room!" he yells back so I call him over.

"Who are you going with?"

"I already told you." He sighs and leans against the dooframe.

"Tell me again."

"With Lilly and some friends. I'll see you there."

"Are you picking her up?"

"No, she's coming here soon."

"Okay. You look great by the way."

He rolls his eyes and leaves my room. There's a honk coming from outside so I look out the window to see that the limo just entered the driveway, which means it's time to go.

I put on my pale blue fur coat on and hurry down the stairs, bag in hand.

"Do you have everything?" my dad asks from the living room as I check myself out in the big mirror in the hallway before I try to take a good mirror selfie.

"Yeah."

"ID? Wallet? Keys?"

"Yeah dad." I groan and walk over to the living room to say bye to him.

"Where are your shoes?" Sophia asks as soon as I climb into the limo.

I look down at my sneakers. "In my bag. I'm not going to wear these heels all night, am I?"

She smirks and pulls up her dress. "Same."

I laugh and place my bag under my seat as Liam hands me a glass of champagne.

"Cheers." I say and we clink our glasses together before we down them.

Zoe's next, which means I have to brace myself.

Her house is gigantic, as expected, and she's wearing a black dress with long earrings. Shit, she looks amazing.

"Hii." She says and we greet her back. My fake friendly voice is off the charts, but only Sophia notices.

"You girls look amazing." She says, looking us up and down. "You too Liam."

Liam, being the saint he is, engages in light conversation with her as the limo drives over to Zayn and Jake's.

"Why didn't you and Niall meet up beforehand?" Sophia asks.

"I had something I had to take care of and I couldn't get there on time." She says, looking down at her lap.

The door opens five minutes later and Jake and Zayn get in.

"Wow, you look. Wow." Zayn says and I smile before I lean in to kiss him.

"Ew, not in front of me." Jake begs and I flip him off.

By the time we get to Niall and Luke, I've drank three champagne glasses and managed to engage in a conversation with Zoe about her dress designed by D&G just for her.

"Alcohol is here." Luke announces as soon as Niall opens the door and gets in with two Tesco bags.

He kisses Zoe and squishes in between her and Liam after shaking every guys hand and kissing every girl on the cheek, except for me. Of course. Asshole.

"So we have a way to hide all these bottles before we get to the hotel." Louis says as he takes the bottles out of the bags. Two bottles of Vodka, one of Jägermeister, one of gin, and Bryan brought two sick packs of beer in his backpack. Oh, and there's also one of whiskey. I could gag just by looking at it.

"I can put one in my bag." I say and take the Jägermeister bottle. Sophia, and Perrie follow because they've also brought their sneakers (Zoe didn't, because she stated that she doesn't mind wearing heels all night) and then Niall stashes two in the backpack he shares with Luke. Jake places the juice bottles in his backpack and it's been sorted in no time.

"Cheers, to a great night." Liam says after he's filled everyone's glasses with the last remains of the champagne.

We toast and then quickly down our drinks because the limousine just pulled up in front of the hotel.

"Don't forget. Whatever you do, don't act suspicious." Niall says before we all exit the limousine one by one.

There's a photographer at the entrance, ready to take our pictures, so we do squad photos and then couple photos before we finally enter the lobby.

Everyone from our school is here, from the freshmen all the way to the seniors, and everyone looks great.

We get in line to check in, just as Coach comes over to check our bags for drinks. And of course, because Niall was the only one stupid enough not to roll the bottles between his change of clothes like the rest of us did, Coach finds the bottles as soon as he opens the backpack.

"Horan, why am I not surprised?" he asks, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Come on Coach, don't ruin our fun."

And of course, only Niall is charming enough to talk Coach out of confiscating the bottles.

We get the two keys for our suites and decide that Liam, Sophia, Jake, Perrie, Zayn and I will be in one suite, and the rest will be in the other.

"There's a door between them anyway." Sophia says as we walk over to the elevator.

The suite is great and I settle in mine and Zayn's room immediately so I can check whether my makeup got a bit squishy in the limo because I was sweating in my coat.

"You look great." Zayn says once I've taken off my coat and placed it on the hanger by our door.

"Thanks." I smile and pull him down for a quick makeout session.

Jake bursting into our room interrupts us, and after screaming and covering his eyes, he informs us that everyone is in our living room, ready to start the pre drinking.

We follow him to the living room where people occupied the couch or the floor, loudly chatting as Niall fills everyone's cups.

"Oh my God you look unreal!" Sophia exclaims and I smile.

Niall looks up from where he was pouring his own drink. He looks me up and down once before we make eye contact and then goes back to pouring his drink.

How the fuck am I supposed to survive tonight if he looks so good in a dress shirt and trousers?

Zayn. Yeah, Zayn looks amazing. And he's sitting next to me on the floor and smells so good.

Niall finally sits down on the floor across the table from me and leans against Zoe's legs, who's sitting on the couch.

"Let's play a drinking game." Sophia suggests after ten minutes of loud chatter and laughter.

"Never Have I Ever?" Liam asks and she shakes her head.

"Nah, we've done that too many times. How about truth or dare?"

"Are we in middle school?" Niall asks.

"I'm down for it." Bryan says and drinks out his beer bottle and places it on the small coffee table so we can spin it.

"How is this a drinking game?" Jake whines as he takes a sip of his drink.

"Well, whoever the bottle lands on has to take two sips. And if someone refuses to speak the truth or to do a dare, they have to take a shot." Louis suggests.

"A shot of what?" I ask. Not a good idea. The party officially starts at half past eight and it's not even eight, so drinking shots will be fucking horrible.

"Dealer's choice." Louis says and winks at me.

"Okay. Who spins first?" Harry asks, already pouring himself his second drink.

"I do." Sophia offers and spins the bottle, before taking the two sips.

It lands on Bryan.

"Dare." Bryan says and takes two sips.

"Okay...hm. I dare you to kiss the person you find the most attractive in this room."

"Like, just a peck, or?"

"Well, if she's in a relationship, then yeah."

"Okay."

Bryan moves from his seating position on his knees and shuffles over towards me, before pulling me in for a kiss. We kiss for like five seconds until I pull away and smile, thanking him for the weird sort of compliment.

Bryan spins next and takes two sips. It lands on Niall, but before Niall can choose, there's a knock on the door. Zayn gets up because he's closest to the door and opens it.

"Can we join?" Lilly asks, already walking into the room with Jason behind her.

"No way, this is a drinking game." Niall says and she completely ignores him as she bends down to hug Jake and Harry at the same time (what the fuck??). He whispers something into her ear, which makes the three of them smirk. Then she comes over to me and hugs me, before she sits down next to Zayn, and Jason next to her.

"Niall, truth or dare?" Bryan pushes.

"Dare."

"Fine. I dare you to let your sister play with us."

Niall rolls his eyes and agrees. "But I'm making her drink."

He pours like two drops of Vodka into a new cup, a whole lot of juice, and then hands the cup to Lilly. Jason pours his own drink and ignores my scowls as he does so.

It's Niall's turn to spin and it lands on me.

"Truth or dare?"

"Dare." I say.

"I dare you to take all your makeup off."

"Fuck you." I say. "You knew I was going to take a shot."

"Exactly." He smirks and I roll my eyes, but my smiles gives away that I'm not even mad.

I take a shot of Jägermeister because he picked it out for me. I spin the bottle and it lands on Lilly, who chooses truth, so I ask her what her intentions with my brother are, just for the sake of it.

It's her turn to spin and it lands on Niall.

"Truth or dare big brother?" she asks in a sweet voice.

Niall squints at her. "I'm never going to pick dare if you're asking."

"Don't be a little bitch." She says and everyone lets out different types of noises.

"Fine. Dare."

"Okay. I dare you to kiss Rey for thirty seconds."

What the fuck. I look at Zoe who's looking at Niall.

"What kind of shot do you want me to take?"

"Whiskey." Lilly says. "Or you do the dare."

"I hate you." Niall says before he pours whiskey into a tiny shot glass and downs it.

Fifteen minutes later everyone's had a turn, in which Luke had to give Jake a lap dance, Zayn had to do a sexy striptease (which nearly killed me), Louis had to makeout with Jake, Sophia had to text her mother a picture of her drinking and Perrie had to lick Liam's face.

Jake spins the bottle and it lands on Lilly, who chooses truth because she claims she doesn't trust Jake.

"Have you ever had unprotected sex with Jason?" Jake giggles. I think everyone is a bit tipsy at this point, but Niall still doesn't find it funny when Lilly's answer turns out to be yes. I don't find it funny either to be honest.

Lilly spins the bottle and it lands on Harry, who picks truth.

"You people are boring." Bryan says. "Start picking dare for God's sake."

"Harry, who in this room do you think has the most chemistry? Couples excluded."

"Niall and Rey." Harry answers, but not many people hear it because there's an ongoing conversation.

I hear it though, and apparently so does Niall, because we make eye contact for a few seconds before I look somewhere else.

The bottle lands on Perrie, who chooses dare to make Bryan shut up.

"Perrie. I dare you to take a shot of Whiskey."

Perrie flips him off but does the dare, before she spins the bottle and it lands on Jake, once again. He's dared to choose someone to take a shot with and chooses Luke. After that, the bottle lands on Niall.

"Dare."

"I dare you to tell me who you think is the best person in this room. And your girlfriend doesn't count." Jake says.

"Best in what way?" Niall asks.

"Like, personality looks. And don't lie."

"Fine, I'll take a shot then." He says and takes a shot of Whiskey.

The bottle lands on Lilly, who chooses dare.

"I dare you to stop with these fuckin' stupid truths and dares."

Everyone takes Lilly's side, telling Niall that he shouldn't take things so seriously and that his sister's really fun.

"I'll guess you'll have to pour me a shot." She smiles and Niall's nostrils flare.

He doesn't pour her any shot, so the game continues. Lilly spins and it lands on Zoe.

"Truth." Zoe chooses.

"Is it true that you and Niall are together just because, and that you cheat on each other repeatedly?"

"No chill!" Bryan exclaims and everyone takes a sip of their drink, looking at each other.

"You're a little-" Niall starts but Zoe places her hand over his.

"It's fine babe." She reassures him. "No, it's not true."

"Liar." Lilly says and Niall warns her to stop the bullshit.

Zoe spins and it lands on me.

"Truth." I say, and the moment I say it, I know I should've picked dare.

"Is it true that you have a crush on my boyfriend?"

"Shiiit." Jake and Louis say at the same time.

Before I can answer, the doorbell rings.

"Saved by the bell." Bryan laughs and stands up from the floor.

Zayn opens the door. Lottie is there with a couple of her other friends.

"We just came up to say that it's started for like ten minutes and everyone's taking photos because the photographer is leaving in fifteen." She says, so everyone stands up and downs what is left in their cups.

We grab our stuff before we leave in groups, and through some weird alignment of the planets, I end up with Niall, Zoe, Lilly and Jason, waiting for the elevator. Maybe walking down eight flights of stairs in heels isn't that bad.

"Shit, I forgot my phone." Zoe says and I hand her the keycard. "See you downstairs baby."

The elevator dings and we get in it. I press the button for the lobby and then stand up straight. There's an awkward silence for a couple of seconds, in which I stare at myself in the mirror.

"You need to stop making everyone uncomfortable." Niall tells his sister and she crosses her arms over her chest as she looks up at him, not intimidated at all. Everyone else in her position would probably be a bit frightened by Niall voice and the way he's towering over her, but she doesn't even give a fuck.

I like her.

"And you need to stop lying to yourself. When you'll do that, I'll stop making everyone uncomfortable, deal?" she retorts and the door opens, so she makes a dramatic exit.

Niall places a hand on Jason's shoulder as we exit the elevator. "Good luck."

Jason laughs and then jogs over to Lilly, who already joined their friends at the entrance into the ballroom.

Niall and I walk over to the sitting chart to find our table. The twelve of us have table four, so we walk into the room in silence. Thank God for the loud music blaring from every corner of the room.

Everyone's already at the table taking photos and screaming at each other over the music.

"Cheers." Jake says and takes out a silver flask from his pocket, which he pours into my tonic water.

"What is it?"

"It's Gin bitch."

I take the glass and knock it against his. "Cheers."

Intoxicated by Martin Solveig comes on, which puts everyone in a good mood, and then Beyoncé comes on, which makes Jake scream and pull me towards the dancefloor.

We dance together for a few songs and the other join us at some point.

Half an hour later, the food comes, so we sit down at the tables as our principal comes up on stage to announce that the voting for the spring time kind and queen has officially been opened and will close in two hours.

"This year we decided to do things a little bit different due to our somewhat larger budget, so we'll have king and queens for every generation. Which means there will be four kings and four queens, all nominated by you a month ago on the school's website. The top three most written names are the nominees."

Everyone cheers as he announces the nominees. Lilly was nominated for the freshmen queen and Jason for the freshmen king, which makes me really happy and gives Jake and I a reason to drink.

"The three senior springtime king nominees, in no particular oder, are..." the principal announces. "Zayn Malik."

Our table cheers and the guys slam their fists against the table to make as much noise as possible.

"Niall Horan." He continues, which gets the same reaction. "And finally, Harry Styles."

"The hipsters of our generations LIVE!" Jake yells, which makes everybody laugh.

"Now, the queen nominees, in no particular order. First nominee, Renee Parker."

I smile.

"Second nominee, Gigi Hadid." After applause dies down, he announces the last nominee. "And last but not least, the third nominee is Perrie Edwards."

He waits for the applause to die down before he speaks once again. "You have two hours to get a ballot from the desk in the lobby, write your name on it and pick your eight choices, before the student body president, Deborah, will count the votes and get back to me. Until then, have fun. And drink responsibly."

Everyone cheers as he walks off the stage before the music finally starts up again.

After the main course is finished, people start leaving the room to vote, so I decide to go outside to smoke instead.

"I'm coming with." Louis says, and Jake, Luke and Zayn follow.

We go to the smoking area on the side of the hotel, and it was a bad idea because it's chilly. But Zayn, being the gentleman he is, offers me his coat by putting it on my shoulders.

"So who do you think will win king and queen?" I ask.

"You and Niall, obviously." Zayn smiles.

"Really?"

"Uh, duh?" Jake says like it's the most obvious thing in the world. "Cheerleading and football captain? It's the basic cliché and everybody knows it."

I shrug.

The door to the smoking area opens and Niall joins us, wrapped up in his parka. He looks at me as he asks for a lighter, so I hand him mine. Oh, so I do exist after all.

"Do you have the good stuff?" Zayn asks Niall, who nods.

"Do you want it now?"

Zayn shakes his head. "Not yet, but if I drink more, I won't smoke with."

"I will." I say and Louis agrees with me.

"I hope you win babe." Jake tells me.

"I wouldn't mind." I smile. "I mean, I never won prom queen these past three years."

Jake agrees. "And I also really wish Jason and Lilly would win though. I mean, imagine they'll be the school's power couple in like two or three years."

Niall rolls his eyes. "They're sixteen."

"So?" I ask.

"They won't last."

I frown. "Why not? Because they're young?"

"You sound just like my sister."

Jake interrupts our argument by making the whole thing even more awkward. "Imagine an universe where you two would date. You'd be ruling the school and be the most notorious power couple in the history of the school."

"True." Zayn agrees and I'm surprised that he never seems to mind these conversations.

In a way, his security turns me on, so I step closer to him so I can lean against him.

"Yeah, in a parallel universe maybe." Niall snorts and blows out smoke at the same time.

We finish our cigarettes five minutes later so we go to get in line to vote. I vote before I join Jake and Zayn on the dancefloor with a new glass of tonic water, to which Jake adds gin. I dance close to Zayn with the glass in hand, and as I drink it, I can feel the alcohol getting to me.

Niall's POV

We get in line to vote for the king and queens, and Rey is right in front of me, so I look over her shoulder in an undercover way so I can see if she's that shallow to vote for herself or not.

She votes for Jason and Lilly, and then for Perrie and Harry, before Deborah crosses her name off the list, to make sure she doesn't vote twice.

"Niall Horan." I tell Deborah before I take a pen and a ballot.

"You don't have to tell me your name." she blushes so I throw her a smirk before I focus on the task at hand. Of course I vote for Jason and Lilly, then the hottest girls from sophomore and junior year. I place a cross next to Rey's name and then next to Harry's, before I hand over the ballot and wait for her to cross out my name from the list.

"Have a good night." She tells me.

"You too." I say and walk over to Zoe, who's waiting for me at the entrance.

"Who did you vote for?"

"Harry and Gigi." I tell her as I place my hand on the small of her back.

"Really? I would've voted myself." she laughs. "That's what I always do at our school dances."

"You have prom kings and queens at every dance?"

"Of course. Don't you?"

"No." I laugh and follow her on the dancefloor.

Ten minutes later, Jake appears out of nowhere and pours some alcohol from a flask into my fucking fruit punch.

"What is it?" I ask into his ear so I can hear him over the music.

"Does it matter?"

"No." I say and exchange my glass for the flask.

"Suit yourself." He laughs. "But you'll have to refill it."

I agree and then take two shots before I offer some to Zoe.

"No thanks, I just put lipstick on."

"I can pour it down your throat."

"Babe, you'll spill." She says into my ear and I roll my eyes.

I'm kind of buzzing from all the mixed alcohol and as Zoe and I dance, the only thing I can think about is how nice a joint would be right now.

Zoe turns around and presses her back against my chest during a Jason Derulo song, which allows me to scan the room.

My eyes fall on Rey, who's currently mingling and chatting with people, laughing at something Bryan says with her head back. I look at her dress and then at her in the dress. When I saw her in the living room I was like...fuck.

Zoe turns back around after two songs to kiss me and I kiss her back, but I'm a little dizzy so I tell her I need more drinks.

"I have to go upstairs and refill the flask, but I'll be back in ten minutes, okay? You want to come with?" I ask her and she shakes her head.

"I'll find something to do." She laughs and walks over to Perrie and Sophia.

Two minutes later I'm in the living room of Jake's suite, trying to decide which type of alcohol would be best. I stick with gin and drink some water before I go to the bathroom. I stare at myself in the mirror and wonder if anyone else can tell that I'm a bit past tipsy. I notice a red spot on my shirt, probably from Zoe's lipstick, so I take my shirt off and wash it with a brush, before I hang it on the radiator. It'll dry in five minutes.

I walk out of the bathroom to get some cigarettes, when I notice that Rey is in the hallway, staring at herself in the mirror.

She turns her head when she hears me closing the door.

"What are you doing?" I ask her.

"I think one of my eyes is bigger than the other."

"What? Don't boobs have that problem?"

She looks down at her chest. "What? One of my boobs is bigger than the other?" she asks, shocked.

"Noo, I didn't-that's not what I meant."

"You seemed to like them before." She pouts and I roll my eyes, stepping closer.

"I didn't mean it like that."

She ignores me and looks at the flask I'm holding.

"Did you pee in that?" she asks in an innocent voice that lets me know she's currently in the exact same state as I am.

"No. It's gin."

"Gimme." She says and makes grabby hands.

She takes a small shot and then gives it back to me. I look down at her and she looks up at me, and for a few seconds no one says anything, until her eyes widen with realization.

"You know what would be reaaaalllyyy nice right now?"

"A joint?" I ask and she yelps in delight.

"Exactly."

I turn around and walk towards the door that joins our suites. I move my hand to signal her to come with.

She waits in the doorframe of my room as I look for the weed in my backpack, then grab the rest of the stuff and walk back into the other suite.

"Hotbox or balcony?" I ask.

"Hotbox." She says, so we walk into the bathroom and lock the door.

"Do you want to roll?"

"I don't know how."

I ask her to crush the weed as I make the filter and soon enough, I lick the end of the paper and roll a perfect joint.

"You're good with your tongue." She observes from her place on the edge of the bathtub.

"Thanks." I smirk and take the lighter she holds out for me to light it up. Once I give it back to her and smoke starts coming out, she sits down across from me, leaning against the bathtub.

"Is that a bathing suit?" I ask.

"Yeah."

"Do they have a pool here?"

"Yeah."

I pass her the joint.

"Wait, you're naked." She observes.

"Not really." I laugh looking down at myself. "How the fuck didn't you notice it like ten minutes ago?"

"I don't know. Wasn't looking."

"Where were you looking then?"

She lets out the smoke through her nose. "Your eyes."

I feel warm inside, but I blame it on the weed.

"You're drunk."

"You're drunk too." she argues.

"Yeah."

"Do you ever ask yourself why we only get along when we're drunk?"

"Sometimes." I say and pass her the joint.

"Do you think the others will be angry that we smoked without them?"

I shrug. "It'll be our little secret."

She smiles and bites her lip, which does things to me, so I take my flask out and take a shot before she asks me for one as well.

"Aren't you worried about your lipstick or something?"

She frowns. "Hmm, I didn't think of that."

"I can pour it down your throat." I jokingly offer.

"Okay."

I make a surprised face but still extend my arm and she tilts her head back and opens her mouth. I don't pour more than I should, so she licks her lips and giggles.

"Do you think this dress makes me look good? I think I should've picked something else. That's why I was staring at myself."

"No."

"No what?"

"No you don't look good." I say and she pouts.

"You look beautiful."

Rey's POV

My heart swells at his words but I don't let it show.

"Thank you."

We finish the joint so we end up passing the flask between us instead.

"We should get back." He says.

"But we should finish the flask first."

"It'll take forever."

"Then let's play a game." I suggest.

"Okay. Truth or dare?"

She laughs. "Dare."

"I dare you to answer Zoe's question."

I know which question he means. He means the question I didn't get to answer just before the game ended.

"Do I have a crush on you?" I repeat and he nods. "Do you like flattering yourself?"

"Well, depends on the answer, doesn't it?"

I shake my head and smile.

"So?"

"I do." I say and the expression in his eyes changes. "When I'm drunk at least. And I don't know why. Maybe because alcohol makes people more attractive." I say, trying to hide the truth behind a joke.

I take a small shot and then ask him whether he wants truth or dare.

"Dare."

"I dare you to answer the same question about me."

He takes a shot in response and I make a face, which causes him to laugh.

"Truth or dare?" he asks.

"Truth."

"Do you believe in soulmates?" he asks.

I didn't expect such a serious question.

"I don't know. I do think there's someone out there for everyone, you know? Like, someone who can make us a better person, someone who will love us no matter what. Someone who we'll always love even though we're not together." I say and he nods.

"Do you believe in soulmates?" I ask him and he shakes his head before taking a shot and passing the flask to me.

"Truth." He says, so I ask him why he doesn't believe in soulmates.

"Because I think it's bullshit."

"That's not a valid answer." I tell him and he groans.

"I don't believe in it because I think it's something people tell each other to make themselves feel more secure."

"So you don't think there are two people out there who are made for each other?"

"I didn't say that. I just say that there's no such thing as soulmates. I mean, two completely different people can be together."

"Yeah, but soulmates doesn't mean two people are the same. It means the opposite, two people who complete each other." I say and take a shot.

"That I can believe." He says and takes the flask from me, but I know it's empty.

"Truth."

He thinks about it for a few seconds. "If I kissed you right now, would you kiss me back?" he asks.

"The game's over. Flask is empty." I say and he checks by turning it upside down.

He stands up first and helps me up as well, before we both look at each other in the mirror. I retouch my makeup as he puts his shirt on and refills the flask.

I lean against him as we way for the elevator because the hallway is spinning and I'm drunk. But a good kind of drunk. The kind of drunk that makes me feel alive, invincible. Not like throwing up.

"I need to tell you a secret." I say just as the elevator dings.

"What?"

"I'm a bit drunk." I say and watch the doors close.

"Me too." he laughs and then gets all serious.

"What?"

"I also need to tell you a secret." He whispers and leans down to press his lips to my ear.

I get shivers all over my back. "What secret?" I ask.

"The answer is yes. But don't tell anyone."

"Answer to what?" I ask just as the doors open and we step out.

"To Zoe's question." He slurs and winks. I watch him walk away towards the entrance to find Zoe, with me slowly trailing behind him.

Does he mean he has a crush on me or what? I don't fucking get him.

Niall's POV

The room is spinning and the blaring music doesn't help me at all. I'm the good kind of drunk but still not really thinking straight.

"Where have you been? You've been gone like half an hour." Zoe asks and pulls me into a kiss.

"Washed my shirt. Had your lipstick on." I tell her and she smiles.

"They're going to announce the kings and queens soon."

"Why are you smirking?"

"Because I already know you'll win."

"Really?" I ask.

"Yeah, you and Perrie will be great up there."

"What?"

I'm still too drunk to actually register her words, but she definitely said Perrie.

"How do you know Perrie will win queen?"

"Uh..."

I frown at her.

"I kind of gave some money to that girl to rig the votes and make you and Perrie king and queen."

"What? Why would you do that?"

"Because I know she wanted it a lot." She says, getting a bit worked up over it.

"Well, maybe some other people also wanted to."

"Like Rey?"

I shrug.

"Niall." She says and cups my face to look into my eyes.

I blink at her, trying to make the room stop spinning.

"I did it because I care about you. I wanted you to win and I asked her to rig the votes for you and when she asked who I wanted as queen I said Perrie."

She's talking too fast over the loud music but I can understand what she's saying. What I don't understand is why she took Rey's chance away.

"I did it because I love you, don't be mad okay?" she says.

I nod, smiling. "I love you too Rey."

---

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----

Hope you liked it; let me know what your favorite/least favorite part was :D

Let me know on Twitter by mentioning me @ronniebennett94 or by using the hashtag #coldwaterff what you thought about the chapter/story/everything ! I always like and retweet :)

Now, here are some questions I'd like you to answer, because I always look at them and get ideas for the story:

1. which was your favorite part of the chapter and why??

2. what should happen in the next chapter? how should zoe react?

3. What should Rey do for her birthday? What would you like to see? How should it play out? Any ideas about anything are welcome :)

4. Please give me ideas about scenes and stuff you'd like to see because I always try and put them in the story! (I already have a few ideas written down because of your ideas guys! <3 )

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xoxo,

Ronnie