I felt buzzing in my back pocket and I groaned, shifting myself. Something brushed against my rear end and my eyes shot open.

Liam put his one hand up in surrender as the other one held the steering wheel. "I wasn't grabbing your ass, I swear." He defended. "I was trying to grab your phone so that you could sleep longer."

I sleepily slid it out of my pocket as it continued to buzz. I lazily held it out to him and he took it. I nestled my head in my arm again and drifted back off to sleep.

*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*

When I woke for a second time, I was in a new location... I really need to work on the whole deep-sleeping thing. How did I not realize that Liam had carried me into his house?!

I saw that my phone was placed beside me on a bedside table and I sleepily reached out to grab it.

I sat up and yawned lightly. I glanced around the bedroom, taking in each detail.

A desk in the left corner, along the far lies a window, the bed is on the right side of the room. The walls were a medium blue with accents of navy. The carpet was a soft-looking cream color, and the bed spread was dark blue. The dresser to my left was dark blue as well as the window sill. There appeared to be a nautical theme going on and... This is Liam's room isn't it...

I pushed the blankets off of me and swung my legs over the side.

Think of how many girls have slept in this bed, how many STD's were spread on the very mattress that I sit on...

I jumped into a standing position and did a small shake-dance-thing. I gagged and hugged my arms close to my body. I tucked my iPhone safely in my back pocket and took a small walk around the room. I spotted his cologne and picked it up. I dared push my finger down to spray it and it let out a small cloud... Right into Liam's face!

He coughed, grimacing. "W-what t-the-" he coughed more. He must've inhaled it. I covered my mouth with a hand.

"I am so sorry!" I spoke slowly, biting my lip. Once he had ceased coughing, Liam took the cologne from my hand and placed it back onto the top of his dresser.

"Should I even ask why you were spraying my cologne?!"

I shook my head, still biting my lip.

"Yeah, I don't wanna know." He sighed, running a hand attractively through his hair.

I let a silence fill the room. I had the weird nagging feeling in my gut that was telling me to say something... But I kept my mouth shut.

"Dani?! Dani! Where are you?!" A young voice carried upstairs. I smiled and called back, walking towards the door.

"Up here Dakota." I stepped into the hallway.

She tackled me with a hug, but I kept both of us upright. I chuckled and hugged her back.

I looked at Liam over her shoulder and he smirked. I mouthed the words 'she's so cute!'

He shook his head with a teasing grimace.

"It's so hot outside." She smiled.

I agreed. "Yeah! I hate the heat."

Liam looked as if he was contemplating something and bent down.

"Dakota." He ushered, waving her over. She hurried over to him and bent close to his ear as he whispered something very quietly. She seemed to love the idea and nodded.

They both stood and I creased my eyebrows, watching Dakota cover her mouth with her one hand as she smiled. Liam took steps closer to me and my heart started involuntarily beating faster.

"Are you feeling hot?" He asked, a slight smirk on his lips.

"I'm not sure I should answer that." I said slowly, backing up.

"Get her!" Dakota giggled. All at once, Liam swooped me into his arms and jogged down the hall. I gasped and gripped his shirt tightly.

"Put me down!"

Was this really happening?

"Liam!" I exclaimed, holding tightly as he went down the stairs quickly. Dakota trailed behind giggling.

"You said that you were hot." He shrugged, walking through the hallway. I creased my eyebrows and Dakota ran ahead of us and opened the back door.

I looked in front of us and gasped.

He wouldn't...

"Don't you dare-"

Too late. I shrieked as he jumped into the pool with me in his arms. He let go of me underwater and I came sputtering to the surface.

Dakota broke into a fit of laughs by the edge of their pool. I swam to the four foot area and hugged my arms close to my body once I pulled myself out of the water. Although it was around eighty five degrees out, the air felt cool when I got out of the water. I sat on the ledge with my feet dangling and Dakota put a towel around my shoulders.

"Thanks." I chuckled lightly. She smiled And slid her feet into the water beside me.

Liam swam up to us and propped his head up on my knee. I raised an eyebrow and splashed him. He sputtered, wiping his eyes.

"Alright. I deserved that." He chuckled.

I shifted my sitting position and felt a hard object in my pocket. I gasped and pulled my feet out of the water in a flash. I whipped my phone out of my back pocket and hit the power button.

Nothing.

I held it up and shook it lightly, watching as water dripped from the device.

"No,no,no." I muttered, tapping the screen. I pressed the 'home' button, volume, power button again looking for something... But I was crushed to find not even a flicker.

Liam pulled himself from the water and came over to me, confused as to what had happened. His eyes widened as he saw me trying to get my phone to turn on.

"I'm so sorry... I didn't know that you had it in your pocket..." He said in shock. I let out a frustrated sigh, running a hand through my hair.

"Wait, put it in in rice! Mom did that when she dropped hers in a puddle!" Dakota exclaimed, taking my phone and running inside.

I ran a finger under my eyes making sure that my mascara didn't run.

"Sorry." Liam apologized again.

"It's alright." I sighed, pulling down my tank top, for my stomach was showing as the material clung to me.

"Woah, woah, woah." Liam said, holding out a hand and pointing at my stomach. "Does little Miss. Goody-Goody have a piercing?" He lifted the material of my shirt, exposing my dream catcher piercing. I folded my arms over it immediately. "When did you get that?" He asked with a smirk.

"When I was fifteen."

"Anything else that you're hiding?" He chuckled.

"I'm not hiding anything." I chuckled. "I have a piercing here-" I showed my dream catcher again. "-and my cartilage-" I turned my head to show three studs in a row. "-and two here." I finalized, pointing to the normal lobe of my ear where most girls get their ears pierced.

He looked amused. "Well since you showed me all of your secrets, I'll show you mine." I creased my eyebrows as he took off his shirt. He dropped the sopping material by his feet and pointing to his left bicep. "This one is actually pretty ironic because you have the piercing." He chuckled. I looked closer and saw a tattoo of a dream catcher. "And then I have this one" he turned around and put his head down. I went onto my toes and saw the words "Keep The Faith" written in cursive across the back of his neck. How did I not realize these before?!

"How were you able to get these?" I asked. I know that you need a parents supervision to get a tattoo under eighteen.

"My cousin is a tattoo artist." He simply said.

"Does it hurt?" I asked.

"Only for a bit. After it's done, it just scabs over...and then- there it is." He shrugged. "Why? You want one?"

I shrugged. "I've always wanted one on my wrist or hip... Or maybe ankle."

"I could help you with that." He smirked.

"I don't know what I would get." I chuckled, finding it weird that we were having this conversation. I lowered myself to the ground and sat crossed-legged.

"Have anyone,anything, a slogan, or quote that means a lot to you?" He asked, sitting across from me and hanging his legs into the water.

I thought for a moment.

"I would want a quote of some sort on my arm right here-" I said, running my fingers across the inside of my Forearm. "Maybe something about strength."

He nodded. "What about a symbol on your wrist? That would be a good starter tattoo. It's the least painful." He tapped my wrist.

"Hmm..." I thought again. What would mean something to me...

"What about a cross." I said, trying to imagine one there.

He smiled. "Yeah, that sounds like a good one. Simple; yet perfect."

"What if I got one on the side of my hand instead?" I said, turning my palm and tracing the side of my hand with my index finger. "Or on my back."

"Right here would look best. And it's easy to cover up if needed." He said, moving the fabric of my tank top over and placing his finger on a spot on my back to the left.

"How big?" I asked quietly. He drew a design of a cross onto that spot, sending shivers down my spine.

"About that size." He said, looking into my eyes.

We both stayed quiet for a few minutes, just looking at eachother.

"I should, uh... I should go." I said, clearing my throat. He pulled me to my feet.

"Right."

"Yeah." I said, looking at my hands. The spot on my back where he touched still tingled.

"Okay."

I nodded awkwardly, taking a step towards the fence. "I'll just.. Bye." I chuckled nervously, pointing across the street.

"See ya." He said, seeming distant although he looking straight at me.

***** One Week Later*****

"Dani! Liam is here!" My dad called. I grabbed my purse and slid on my flip flops. Under my shorts and t-shirt lies a bikini so it seemed as though I was going swimming. I slid my aviators over my eyes and threw my hair into a messy bun before jogging down stairs.

"'Be back before dinner." I chirped, kissing my dads cheek.

"Be safe." My step-mom said while stirring something In a pan. If only she knew what I was doing today. I only lied to them a little...

I had told them that I was going swimming in Liam's pool, but didn't say that instead of swimming... Liam was taking me to his cousins Tattoo and body art shop.

I'm so dead if my step-mom finds out. My dad would be cool with it, but she on the other hand... She'd roast me alive for what she calls 'defacing your body'. You should have seen her when my dad let me get my piercings. She was a crazy mess, always going off on me about putting holes in myself where there shouldn't be holes.

I jogged outside where Liam sat in his Audi.

I slid into the passenger seat and felt my heart race. As soon as I shut the door, butterflies erupted in my stomach.

"Nervous?" He asked, re-adjusting his rearview mirror and pulling out of my driveway.

"Actually no. I'm excited." I smiled, my leg involuntarily bouncing up and down.

"Have the design you want?"

"I just want a plain cross- no flair. Just a thin cross above my left shoulder blade."

He nodded in approval.

Within a few minutes, Liam pulled into the parking lot.

"Here we go. Ready?"

I nodded and as we walked in, he placed a hand on the small of my back. He opened the door for me and I took a deep breath.

He led me to the counter where a man who seemed to be in his twenties sat.

The man looked up and I saw he had tattoos lining his arms, climbing up his neck. A hoop on his lip, Gages, and an eyebrow piercing.

"Sup, Bro." The guy said, standing and clasping Liam on the back. "You must be Dani." He said, acknowledging me.

I nodded. "Yep."

"What can I do for you today?"

"We're here to get Dani a tattoo above her shoulder blade. I know about the rules, but you can let us slip right?"

"Alright. And of course Liam! I'll let the girl and you slide anytime. It's just some ink." He shrugged, waving for us to follow. He brought us back into a small room and told me to sit. I took the seat and saw that it resembled a massage bench/chair with a head rest.

"Okay." The guy said, putting plastic gloves over his hands. "So what are we thinking that we want?"

"A medium sized cross right here." I tapped the exact spot where I thought was best fit.

He nodded, taking a marker and placing a dot where I had pointed. "Alright Dani. If you could lie your head forward onto this headrest, I can start on your back." I bent forward and felt him move my shirt. "Can you take your one sleeve out?"

I slipped my left arm out and he got to work.

*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*

"Thank you for taking me there." I beamed, hugging Liam with my right arm. My left was sore.

"No prob' Dani. Now you are a true badass."

I cocked an eyebrow. "It's not like I got a skull. It's a cross." I chuckled.

"Yeah, but it still takes guts. I mean- you already have the cartilage piercing, belly-button piercing and all we need is a little nose ring." He chuckled, tapping my nose. I crinkled it, letting out a small laugh.

"That can be our next task. Hoop or stud." I joked, walking beside him into his house.

He thought for a moment. "You'd look hot with a stud. Hoops only work on dark haired girls."

I pushed at his shoulder. "You think I'm kidding? Seriously, it would complete your look." He chuckled.

"I don't want to be trashy." I grimaced.

"You won't be trashy." He chuckled. "It would be cute."

"But you're weird, so I'm not taking your opinion." I teased.

"You took my opinion on your tattoo didn't you?" He smirked.

I stuck my tongue out at him. I walked to the mirror that was in the hallway and he stood behind me. I pulled the sleeve of my shirt down and looked at the dark black ink on my light skin.

"I have something for you." Liam said, disappearing into the kitchen. He came back a few minutes later with a small box.

I turned around and creased my eyebrows. He placed the box into my hands and I opened it with caution.

"You didn't need to..." I said in shock. I picked up the sleek iPhone 6 and flipped it over in my palm.

"I had to. I broke your iPhone 5. So this was the least I could do. I went to the apple store and they were able to switch all of your old contacts into your new phone."

I smiled and put my arms around his neck. "Thank you."

"No prob'." He chuckled. "Ready to party tonight?" He asked. I smiled.

"As ready as I'll ever be."

"Come over here around nine. My parents are in LA, and Dakota is at a friends. I'll see you then." He said. I gave him a small wave and left towards my house.

*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*

"How was the pool?" My dad asked with a smile. I felt a twinge at my heart.

"Good." I lied easily. I put my purse down in the corner of the room and Leigh let out a horrifying gasp. My sleeve had slipped down... Well shit.

"DANIELLE BROOKLYNN OLIVER! TELL ME THAT IS FAKE!" She shrieked, making me wince. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?! HOW WERE YOU EVEN ABLE TO GET THIS? ISNT THERE PARENT PERMISSION REQUIRED?! TOM, ARENT YOU GOING TO SAY SOMETHING?! SHES DONE WRONG. DON'T HARM YOUR SKIN DANI! WE ALREADY HAD THIS CONVERSATION LAST YEAR WITH THE PIERCINGS! YOU'RE TURNING INTO THE PUNK TEENAGER THAT I ALWAYS TOLD MYSELF I WOULD NEVER RAISE!!"

Anger bubbled inside of me. "Did you even see what it was." I spoke sternly. She gave me a 'how dare you use that tone' glare.

"It's a cross for your information. It's a form of expressing my religious beliefs. You're acting like a had the word 'SHIT' tattooed onto my forehead! My tattoo is meaningful, now stop acting like my mother! As a matter of fact, I'm not your child! You don't need to raise me! I can make my own decisions and-"

"Danielle, that's enough!" My dad spoke harshly.

Leigh gasped and hurt washed over her face. I almost felt guilty.

"Go to your room." My dad said, shaking his head.

I bit my bottom lip and walked away without another word.

*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*

Should I feel bad? A little...

Did I overstep my boundaries? Yes.

Am I still pissed? Yes.

Should I go apologize? Yep.

I sat on my vanity bench, fixing up my makeup. I had on a loose navy blue shirt with an open back, black studded shorts and converse. I put on a dream catcher necklace and curled my hair briefly.

This party wasn't going to be fancy was it?

Nah... It's Liam.

I reapplied mascara and put on a peach lipgloss.

"Alrighty... Let's go." I said to the mirror smiling and holding my new phone in my hand.

I jogged down the stairs and placed my hand on the front door handle when my step-mothers voice spoke.

"You're not going anywhere young lady." She spoke, typing on her laptop.

"Yes I am." I argued lightly.

"Don't use that tone with me."

I bit my bottom lip to refrain from snapping.

My dad entered the kitchen and seemed to be oblivious to the tension in the room. "Where you off to dani?" He asked causally, grabbing a muffin and taking a bite.

"Over to Liam's for a bit."

"Have fun."

I smiled and opened the door.

"Tom, she just got a tattoo for gods sake! That boy is a bad influence and-" I stepped outside and shut the door before I could hear the rest of their conversation.

I took a breath and started walking across the street. It was ten o'clock now, so I was an hour late. I could feel the music vibrating the porch as I walked up to the front door. I 'fluffed' my hair casually and knocked.

Nothing...

I could see bunches of people dancing and talking inside. I guess the music was too loud to hear anything. I opened the door and was greeted with blasting music.

I couldn't even hear my own thoughts!

I shut the front door and took my phone from my pocket. With all of these people so close... One might take my phone- who knows! I don't know anyone!

I felt eyes following me as I made my way to the kitchen. I was pretty hungry.

I snacked on a few Doritos because who doesn't love Doritos?!

"Dani!" A familiar voice greeted loudly. I looked up from biting a chip and saw Liam making his way towards me. "Glad you came." He smirked, holding two bottles. I smiled. "Have a beer." He held a bottle out to me.

...uh oh...

I took it to be polite and watch him wave a few people over.

"Sup Dani!" A dirty blonde smiled.

"Hey Parker." I beamed.

"Guys, this is Dani. Dani, this is Shea-" he pointed to a girl with brown wavy hair, a beanie that said 'screw off', a grey crop top, really short shorts and converse.

"Hey." She nodded, smiling.

"-this is Noah-" he pointed to a guy who was... Woah...

Noah looked like the definition of badass... He had a couple of tattoos on his arms, a white t-shirt, skinny jeans, a smirk that would send most girls fainting, and amazing eyes that were a mix between blue and green.

"And Finally, this is Hannah." A girl with blonde hair smiled lightly and gave a small wave. In her other hand lay a beer bottle that was half empty.

What else did I expect from Liam's friends... He's Liam...

"Oh, check out what she got earlier today." He walked beside me and pulled my shirt down the show my shoulder.

"Woah. Kitty's got claws." Parker smirked. I rolled my eyes.

"Did your cousin do it?" Hannah asked, smiling.

"Yeah, you know how he is." Liam shrugged. His eyes flashed with excitement in a second. "Oh, and Dani also has a belly-button piercing and cartilage piercings.

Oh geez...

"Really?! Lemme see." Hannah smiled.

I lifted my shirt awkwardly and showed my stomach.

All of them nodded approvingly and smiled.

"She's cute. I vote we keep her." Shea decided, nodding with a smirk.

"I agree." Noah spoke, putting an arm around Shea's waist.

"Same." Parker added.

"She seems chill." Hannah remarked, taking a sip from her beer.

"You're officially a part of the group." Liam chuckled, nudging my arm. I laughed lightly.

"Cool."

"Let's go out by the fire." Hannah chuckled, taking Shea's wrist and then mine in the other hand.

Before I even had a chance to say anything, we were all weaving through people.

Shea adjusted her beanie and sat cross-legged on the grass. Hannah did the same and I followed their actions. Soon we were in a small circle.

"Ugh. I need a smoke." Shea muttered, patting her pockets.

"I got ya'." Hannah replied, tossing her a joint from her back pocket. She held one out to me. "Here."

I took it and rolled it in my fingers for a few seconds.

"This your first time?" Shea asked, hers hanging between her lips.

I bit my lip.

Hannah chuckled warmly. "It's okay, it's easy." She placed a cigarette between her lips and lit it, then passed the lighter to Shea. "Don't inhale. Just take it in to your mouth, and then out."

She took a drag and blew the smoke out of the corner of her mouth. "See? Easy."

I placed it between my lips and it felt wrong... But I really want to fit in with these people...Prove that I'm not a goody-goody as I was back in Maryland.

Shea lit the end and I sucked in a small bit, not inhaling. I blew it out and felt really weird. Shea and Hannah smiled.

"See? You're a natural." Shea said, looking at me approvingly.

"Oh, and just so you know-" Hannah blew smoke out of her nose. "Shea and Noah are a 'transitioning couple' as they call it." Shea pushed Hannah's shoulder.

"What's a transitioning couple?" I chuckled.

"They're really good friends, and they're seeing if dating works for them. You'll see them get together- then break up- then get together again many times." Hannah chuckled. "Right now they're together."

I took another drag of my cigarette, nodding.

"Well I'll be damned." Liam said, smirking and shaking his head. "Are you smoking?"

Shea smirked. "She's a natural."

"Told you that you're a badass." He joked, sitting beside me. "Have an extra? I left mine inside."

Hannah shook her head. "I'm all out. Sorry."

He took the joint from between my fingers and took a long drag, then flicking the embers off of the end.

I grimaced and he chuckled, blowing the smoke into my face. "Ew! You're so gross!" I exclaimed, swatting the air and bursting into a chuckle. Everyone started laughing and I took the cigarette back from Liam.

Parker and Noah found their way over to us and joined our little circle in the grass. "Brought more beer." Noah said, placing six beers in the center. Everyone took one and I hesitantly grabbed one as well. I must've left mine inside. Shea passed around a bottle opener and we each popped our lids off.

"A toast to the new addition of our crew. Dani, you're a true badass. Cheers." Shea piped up. We all raised our bottles to the center and clinked them together.

"Cheers." They all echoed, taking the bottle to their lips and taking a swig.

I chuckled and took the glass to my mouth and took a small sip.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A/N
So, a BUNCH of things have happened! Dani might be straying down the wrong path... We'll see. This chapter was on the longer side... I was going to break it up into two chapters, but I just couldn't wait!!! Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Stay tuned!

Thanks for reading! <3 <3

~K

*word count 4185*