"Cora!" I yell. "Cora, let go." Cora drags me through the grass. Red, white, and blue lights strobe around the house. I know these colors! They're on the American flag!

I smile. "Oh say can you seeee... By the dawns early light. Was so prooooudly we-" Cora slams her hand over my mouth, cutting off the national anthem. I lick her hand, but it doesn't move.

This girl, has some serious skills.

"C'mon Cora... Let's go back inside." I shiver in the cold air. I look up and the sun is nearly showing. Faint rays of light shine behind the college. I start to pull out my phone to take a picture for my photography class, but my phone is nowhere in my back pocket.

"Gem, I don't want to deal with your drunk ass. Nobody does. You're ruining everyone's party time." Cora pulls me and I'll admit, I'm hurt.

I stick my tongue out at her and continue stumbling towards the sidewalk.

"Where are we going?" I ask, curious as to why she ripped me from the party.

Cora places her hands on my cheeks and twists it so I'm facing a large white van. "Am-buh-lance?" I squint my eyes to read the text. "Am- Am- Ambu." I look at Cora.

She glares at me with a classic Scorpio glare. "Ambulance! " she yells.

I widen my eyes. "Who got hurt?" I ask, like I actually care. If it wasn't Leona, Arius, or Cor... I really don't care.

Cora sits in the curb. "Virginia. She fell down the stairs." Cora doesn't cry, but she does look really upset. Virginia and Cora were good friends.

I however, find this hilarious. I laugh like there was no tomorrow. "She just... Tripped?" I laugh harder.

Cora stands up, and is in my face in a second. "You think this is funny?" She screams. "Would it be funny if I-" she stops as something starts ringing in the background.

I know the tune, so I sing along. "Let's talk about sex baby, let's talk about you and me, let's talk abou-" Cora sighs.

"Are you going to answer that?" She asks.

I shake my head. "I don't have my phone."

She points to my side. "Front pocket, Gem. Front pocket."

"Ooh." I smile and pull out my phone. "Hello?" I ask, not sounding drunk besides the slurred speach.

I didn't even stop to think who's ringtone was playing. But of course, when I hear yelling coming from the other end I know that I should have just let the phone ring. "Gem, where are you?" Arius yells. "You threw clothes at me and then ran off. I've been looking for you. We need to go."

I roll my eyes. "There isn't school tomorrow... Mom."

Arius actually laughs at me. He actually has the nerve to laugh at me. "No, I'm worse. I'm not your mom, your mom isn't here. I'm your boyfriend and I know things your mom doesnt."

Now it's my turn to laugh. "Are you really though? Are you really my boyfriend? Do you actually know things my mom doesnt?" And I hang up my phone. Glad that's off my chest. Can't even count how many times we've broke up. But I mean, I'm only allowed to be with him or Li. And Li has Aquaria.

So, I'm stuck with Arius.

"Trouble in paradise?" Cora asks, still not looking very happy at me.

I shrug. "More like trouble in 'I-Can-Deal-With-You-Land'."

Cora laughs, but stops when she remembers she's mad at me. She shakes her head and walks to the ambulance.

Cora and the nurse exchange a couple words before the nurse lets her into the medical vehicle.

Cora winks at me before climbing into the ambulance. She slams the door behind her.

Someone shakes me from behind, but I don't care. "C'mon, Gem. We're going home."

I sigh, my eyes finally getting heavier. "Time?" I ask, to tired to ask the full question.

Arius shrugs. "Phone got stolen." He replies, wrapping his arm around me.

As Arius walks, I realize why he has his arm around me (he rarely ever does that when we walk) as he limps across the yard.

"Why you crimpin'?" I ask, pointing to his leg.

Arius shakes his head slightly, and continues using me as a crutch.

I may have good leg muscles, but he is heavy. "I can't hold you." He continues marching to my car.

Arius's body lifts off of me as Aris takes the weight.

I see Arius droop a little, and Aris falls to his knees. Cor runs to them from in the house and lifts the other side of Arius. As they walk towards my car, they drag Arius. His knees dig in the grass.

Aris glances back at me and motions for me to get into my car. Leona comes running out of the house, and grabs my hand.

"Let's go back inside!" Leona says, still drunk. I'm not sure where her shirt went, but it isn't on her body.

I shake my head slowly, but the sudden movement made me dizzy. I wait for a second for my vision to return to normal to speak. "Arius is hurt." I say, pointing to my car. Aris is in the drivers seat. Cor is in the passenger. I'm sure they would have already left, but the keys are in my- the car starts up.

I run to the car, and I faintly hear my best friend yelling behind me "I'll sit in back."

I throw open the passenger door and Cor looks up at me. His eyes wander over me before he finally speeks. "No." He says simply, already knowing what I was going to say.

I grip the side of his tight black shirt. "Get the hell out of my front seat, Cor." I say, glaring at him.

Cor shrugs. "I already got "the hell" out of your seat. Now an angel sits in it." Cor smiles up at me. When I don't respond, he nods once. He sits up and smiles at me. "But you'll let the psychopath drive your car."

I punch him in the arm, but it doesn't even look like it phased him. He crawls into the backseat and Leona follows.

"Your car purrs... I like it Gem." Aris says, smiling greedily at the road behind us through the rear view mirror.

I think, I should have just let Cor drive it.

***

"Aris, you're never driving again!!" I scream at the top of my lungs as we fly by corners.

I'm not sure where were going, but the destination doesn't matter if we don't get there alive.

"Aris!" I scream.

I look at Aris's smiling face and instantly regret many things about my choices today. Coming to the party, the alcohol, giving Cor my keys, kicking Cor out of the seat instead of Aris!

Wait- I don't ever remember even giving my keys to Cor.

"Where are we going!?" Leona screams, but she's smiling as the car screeches around the corners. Oh, my poor car. Imagine what this is going to do to my tires.

Aris only smiles. "Yeah!" He yells in excitement, switching gears, causing the car to go faster.

I grip the handle on the roof and send a small prayer to whoever is listening.

"Oh, the Gods can't help you when I'm driving this! This is... Wooh!" Aris yells. "Two hundred miles per hour!"

I clench my teeth as Aris zooms on the highway. "Where the hell are we going!?" Leona asks again, gripping the door like her life depended on it.

Aris chuckles to himself. "Vegas? I bet if we go this speed all the way-"

The whole car screams a "No!" Except Arius, who still looks in pain.

Aris pulls over and a migraine overcomes me. He really shouldn't have a drivers license.

"I was kidding. We have to drop Arius off at home, he's hurt pretty badly." Aris says in a non-joking matter.

I look at Arius, as he groans and all but cries in his passed out state.

"What happened? It's so unlike an Aquarius to get in a fight." Leona says, brushing Arius's hair out of his eyes.

Aris shrugs. "Don't know. I just saw that Gem couldn't hold him. You got any idea Cor?"

Cor shakes his head. "Just saw that you couldn't hold him and Gem could." Cor jokes with Aris.

Aris glares at Cor. "Oh, shut up. You know I'm a lot stronger than both you and Gem." Aris doesn't look to happy, but when is he ever?

Cor's jaw twitches. "I don't think you want to test the theory."

Aris chuckles menacingly. "I don't think you think at all." Aris is halfway out of his seat.

Cor opens up the door and walks off, being the bigger person.

"Was it something I said?" Aris asks.

Leona gives Aris a disappointed look. "You're a real jerk, you know that?" Leona gets out of my car and starts calling for Cor.

Aris rolls his eyes. "I guess I better go tell him how sorry I am, which isn't that much might I add." He gets out of my car.

With just me and Arius left alone in the car, I sit in the silence. I hate silence.

So the next best thing is the radio. I turn it on.

Arius shuffles about and his eyes flutter open. "I know who did it." He says, looking at me.

I'm confused, and still a little drunk. But the adrenaline rush I'm having right now must be dumbing down some of the side affects.

Arius looks at me intensely. "I know who did that to you." He collapses on the seat, falling back into his sleeping state.

Ooh? What happened?! Is Arius just crazy? Why is he hurt? Do Cor and Aris have some unfinished business?

But that's not going to be answered in this authors note. I would actually like to say that I have a partner helping with Cor's POV. That's right, you heard me correctly. COR'S POV!!!! Amazing? I think so.

I hope you're enjoying this book, and don't forget to comment and vote... It would mean more to me than Gem's car means to her.

Speaking of Gem's car, the image above or to the side or wherever it is on your screen, is Gem's car. In case you're wondering, it's a Toyota Supra 2016. And yes, the car can actually go 200mph according to google. The car hasn't been released yet, but can we all just take a moment to admire how beautiful it is?