This chapter is dedicated to @TheSinglestPringlest for being fantastic. Thank you for showering my stories with your love. Your comments are the fuel to my motivation. Lol :D I'm done being cheesy now... Enjoy!

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Seth drops me off at my dorm just around lunchtime and I wave a hurried goodbye before heading to my room. Having space from the boy who resides in my every thought is a pleasant relief. It's exhausting to have to cover up my true intentions constantly. I don't think I was so worried about him knowing how I felt until I learned how he felt.

Defeated, I fling my door open and find Emma laying on her bed staring at the ceiling. She sits up, greeting me with a dreamy smile on her face. Grateful for the opportunity to forget my life for a few minutes, I indulge in her conversation. Apparently, she's making a little progress with her boy Trevor and they've got plans later tonight. I find myself getting drawn into Emma's world as I sit listening to her, compassion blooming beneath my chest as I realize I've got more in common with this girl than I'd originally thought.

She's not as self-absorbed as I'd first assumed. While her heart still yearns for Trevor, she's not living in some fantasy world. She knows she probably has zero chance with him and she's accepted it. Making things right seems to be her true intention and I respect her for that. Actually, listening to her talk about him has made me think a lot about my own situation. Maybe my goal shouldn't be to prove myself worthy of Seth's affection. Maybe, I need to divert my goals and start focusing on just being his friend.

Can I do it? Can I deny myself what I truly want in order to give Seth what he needs?

I want to shake the idea away. I'm selfish and what I want is so much more appealing than settling into friendship status. But, based on Seth's words from earlier today, it seems I have no choice. Finding someone to date seems like the furthest thing from his mind. He's got a purpose and nothing can divert his attention from succeeding in school and earning a degree in filmography. That's his life—his ultimate goal.

I watch Emma leave our dorm room thirty minutes later and I ponder what my next move should be. Back off or resolve to be the best friend a guy could ever want? I'm not sure if I'm capable of either one.

Sighing at the ceiling, I roll off my bed, head to the bathroom where I splash some cold water on my face, and then leave. Calling up a few friends, I practically force them all to hang out with me. Thankfully, none of them put up much of a fight.

It's just me, Roger, Luke, and Sophia. I wouldn't typically have invited her along, but she happens to be Luke's long-time girlfriend and likes to follow him everywhere he goes. It's obnoxious.

After a quick stop at the dollar store, we decide to meet up at the tennis courts. They're empty today, meaning that for the next few hours they're ours. Barely an hour passes before I grow bored of sitting in the sun. Now that it's starting to sink, I pull my duffle bag off my shoulder and begin pulling out its contents. I couldn't afford much, but I did manage to snag some pretty incredible toys that I know these weirdos—myself included—will enjoy.

"Are those bouncy balls?" Roger asks, grabbing a bag of Teddy Grahams and tossing the contents into his mouth. His cheeks bulge as he continues to glance through all the goodies.

"Indeed they are," I announce proudly. "I also found whoopee cushions, some foam airplanes, and several packages of glow sticks."

"And you have some kind of plan for using all this junk, right?" Sophia asks, biting at her thumbnail.

I watch her tug a hangnail out with her teeth and flick it on the ground before answering with an "of course." Slinging my bag onto my shoulder, I tilt my head in the direction of the guys' dorms and begin leading the way.

Unfortunately, someone has other plans for me today that don't involve pranking the Junior boys. Groaning, I swivel to glance behind me when I hear someone shouting my name.

"Mercy," Jamison pants, his run slowing as he comes to stand before me. His hands find his knees as he bends over to catch his breath and I hear him hiss beneath his breath.

"You need something?" I ask impatiently. I've got lives to mess with and Jamison is wasting precious seconds.

"Yeah." He takes a deep breath, cringing slightly as he stands up straight. "I was really hoping to talk to you." He must see the hesitation on my face because he quickly adds, "I'll buy you lunch."

How could a girl refuse?

Glancing at my three waiting friends, I let out an annoyed sigh and hold my duffle bag out for Roger to take.

"Make me proud," I whisper, slapping him on the shoulder. I watch the three of them walk away, Roger glancing back once before I turn back to Jamison. "So, burgers or pizza?"

——— 

We end up at Taco Bell. I'm shoveling my third taco into my mouth before Jamison decides it's time to vocalize why he dragged me away from my friends.

"I wanted to apologize."

I glance in his direction, lettuce, sour cream, and chunks of tomato dropping from my lips where I've just bit off a bite too large for my mouth to handle.

"Wha?" I mumble, hurrying to swallow as I wipe my mouth.

"Apologize," he repeats, crumbling up his wrappers and tossing them onto the tray. "For the way I acted yesterday. I suppose I'm a little protective of Seth sometimes."

I push the rest of my taco into my mouth, throw my wrappers onto the tray with his and then lean back in my seat. I let my eyes scan over his face as I chew. He never breaks eye contact. Instead, he just sits, waiting for my response. Finally, I clear my throat and pull my brows down in confusion.

"You have to protect Seth from me?"

Now Jamison looks uncomfortable as he shifts in his seat. He winces again and covers the discomfort with a cough before lifting his eyes to mine. "Okay, so not you in particular. Just girls in general."

I laugh, using my fist to cover my mouth in case any leftover pieces of food decide to fly out. "What, are you his bodyguard? Why the heck do you have to protect a grown—very capable—man from girls? I mean, I get that we're a terrifying species, but really?"

He sighs, tired as he rubs at his eyes.

"It's not like that," he growls. "It's just that Seth is too nice. He has a hard time turning girls down. They ask him to go to lunch, then it's dinner, then suddenly she thinks they're dating and he has no idea how any of it happened. Girl's love that he's this tortured, rugged, mystery but they forget to ask what made him that way."

I take a moment to process Jamison's words, suddenly more curious about Seth's history than I ever was before. Shame feels heavy when I realize I'm no different from these other girls. He's already bought me two meals and not once have I really, truly tried to get to know him. It always feels like I'm invading his privacy and I stop... but maybe he doesn't want people to stop. Maybe he's waiting for someone to care enough that they'll actually push a little.

"So, what did make him that way?" I find myself asking, leaning forward, and resting my chin on my fist. I know I'm prying, but I think nothing of it since I'm expecting Jamison to blow me off anyway, muttering that it's none of my business. He'd be right. But that's not what happens.

He groans, glancing around the small restaurant before leveling his gaze at me. "It's really not my place to share any of this with you, but I can see that he's actually starting to accept you, so..." With another glance around, he lowers his voice. "So, his past is really messed up. Like, really. His dad left to chase after someone younger and his mom finally gave in to her love for drugs. Pretty sure he was abused as a kid," he hesitates before looking at me behind lowered lids. "Things got pretty ugly."

I small gasp shoots through my chest, horrific images of a small Seth as a child bombarding my thoughts.

"Why are you telling me this?" I manage to say, almost hating the sympathy I feel for Seth. It's a feeling I don't think he'd appreciate. He's so quiet and reserved, but maybe it's because he wants to avoid the pity. And I definitely feel pity.

"You asked." His face is twisted into confusion but quickly drops as he shakes his head. "I don't know. Maybe it's because I want you to understand him. Or because I know you have feelings for him and I'd hate for all this to be a waste of his time. Or," he smiles at me, "maybe I just feel guilty for being such a butthole to you before."

I grin, dropping my eyes to the tabletop. "Speaking of butts... something's been a pain in yours. Care to share?"

Jamison's mouth falls open. "I can't believe he told you about that!"

I chuckle in evil delight as I stare at the bewilderment on his face.

"I guess I don't feel so bad about telling you a little about his past then."

"Oh, but you should," I laugh. "Because he didn't tell me a thing. I happened to get a glance at a message you sent him. So, what's this pain in your butt? Or is it a who?" My lips tilt up into a mischievous grin. "Is it me?" I rub my hands together. "Do tell."

"Well," he says, clearing his throat. "It's a little more literal than that."

I tap my chin, thoughtful. "I don't get it. Did something happen?"

"I suppose you could say that," he says, crossing his arms on the table. "It has to do with our little adventure last night."

"Okay?" I drawl, confused.

"What do you suspect happened?" he asks, muffling a grin behind his fist.

"I don't know," I admit. "I mean, all I know is that you had a problem with me. Am I that pain in your butt?"

"You have your moments," he tells me, "but for real, it's way more literal."

"A literal pain in your butt?" I ask. He doesn't respond. "Well, I'm pretty sure a snake swam up my pants. Maybe that same snake bit your butt... hopefully after it tried to snuggle with me."

He bursts into laughter but shakes his head. "No... worse."

Squinting my eyes at him, I try to consider other options. He watches me for a moment before sighing and giving in.

"Poison Ivy."

I stare at him for a moment before I realize what he just admitted to me. "You have poison ivy... on your butt!"

"Yeah, and now the whole restaurant knows," he says, hushing me as he glances around. "Thank you for that." He clears his throat.

"Showed up pretty quick, huh?" I tease, resting my cheek in my hand as I watch him.

"I suppose all the rubbing, you know... from walking..." he looks around the room as he speaks, "probably irritated it quicker than it normally would have. Anyway, I'm gonna see the doctor this afternoon. I need something stronger than Calamine."

"I appreciate you braving the agony to come talk to me," I tell him, smiling.

"Yeah, well, the guilt was somehow more agonizing," he confesses with a shrug. "I think Seth's soft side has been rubbing off on me. It's embarrassing."

"Look at the bright side," I tell him, "maybe you'll need a bodyguard to keep all the girls away now."

He smiles, shaking his head as he stands and grabs the tray. "I really should not have told you about that."

I walk to the entrance and then wait with the door open until Jamison has stashed the food tray on top of the trash bin. Then he makes his way toward me. When he reaches for the door, I shake my head and insist that he go first. With an odd look directed at me, he exits the building and I watch in fascination as he walks to his Land Rover.

"You know," I say, stopping beside his vehicle as I analyze his movements, "now that I'm paying attention, I can definitely see the change in the way you walk. Kinda awkward. Trying to avoid friction, huh?"

He freezes with his hand on the door handle, then tilts his head in my direction. "As if you'd be handling this any better. Also, you can walk back to your dorm if you're not careful."

"Feeling fragile?" I ask, pouting my lips in sympathy.

"I've got blisters in places that should never know the sensation of pain," he tells me and then shrugs. "So, yeah. I'm fragile. Bug off."

I mimic his shrug. "If I were you, I'd probably just use it as a wonderful excuse to stay in bed forever."

"I suppose my conscience is stronger than my slothfulness."

"Are you calling me lazy?" I gasp, hand to my chest. "Careful, I will gossip about your butt to the entire campus if you're not careful." A very visual image flashes across my mind and a heave of uncontrolled laughter erupts from my lips.

He glares at me before shaking his head and swinging his door open. "You are so going to regret tricking me into divulging that information to you."

I barely hear his threat as I fight to catch my breath. His eyes squint at me, waiting for me to chill out.

"What?" he finally blurts, curiosity winning.

"I'm just picturing—" I choke on a laugh and quickly clear my throat. "As gossip spreads about your poison ivy, so will your rash."

He rolls his eyes and slides into the front seat. I join him in the passenger seat, still battling the humor of my own imagination as I buckle up.

"You know," he starts to say, glancing in his rearview mirror as he backs up, "I think I've decided that I actually really do hate you."

I smile at him, surprised to find that while he might 'hate' me, I actually don't hate him. In fact, I don't even mind that he dragged me away from my friends for this. Because, as it turns out, I kind of enjoyed our lunch date.

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Alright... so a little peek into Seth's past. What happened to him!

Also, Jamison. Do we love him or hate him? How do you feel about him telling Mercy Seth's personal info? Does he seem like a good friend? Curious curious!

I didn't scour the internet very long to find this image, so I'm sure there's a human out there who portrays Jamison a little better. But this is how I sort of imagine him, just with green eyes. Though, Jamison's a little bit more average-looking than this guy. :)