Wattpad has been messing up lately, so I don't know if this upload will work or not... but hopefully it will :) Here's the next chapter!

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Olivia stared at the scrawl on her arm for the hundredth time as she sat in her room on Saturday afternoon. The pen had faded from the shower and the writing was barely visible, but the words could still be roughly made out. Her mind still wasn’t made up about whether she was going to show her face or not.

Part of her wanted to go, the part that was telling her to lighten up and stop being so sceptical about Sammi. Maybe she did really want to be friends. But the other part was screaming at the top of its voice, telling her that this was a really, really bad idea.

And quite frankly, she didn’t know which voice to listen to.

She was sat on her bed, staring at her reflection in the mirror, when her cell phone buzzed into life next to her. It vibrated furiously, moving itself towards the edge of the bedside cabinet by itself. Checking the caller ID, her pulse increased rapidly.

"Hello?"

"Hey, it’s me." Ethan’s voice sounded calm and friendly, and was refreshing to hear. She exhaled slowly, feeling a blush creep onto her cheeks at the sound of his voice in her ear. It was nice to know they could have a conversation without the risk of Sammi barging in and killing her, although she still wouldn’t put it past her to be listening at the window.

"Yeah, I saw. What’s up?" she asked, sinking back on her pillows.

"Oh, not much, I was just wondering if you were going to Sammi’s tonight. You know, for the party."

"Uh..." Olivia sighed. "I don’t know. I’m still kind of... undecided. Are you?"

"I was planning to," said Ethan, but his voice sounded far from enthusiastic. "I mean, Sammi’s kind of forced me into it. I suppose it would be mean not to come, after we’ve known each other for so long." He paused.

It was difficult to make out his emotions. She couldn’t tell whether he still liked Sammi or not – he certainly didn’t act like he was madly in love with her, but why had Sammi been so possessive over him? She didn’t seem like the type of girl who would stay hung up on some guy who didn’t want her back, especially when she was probably able to have any other guy she wanted at Serenity Falls.

"I guess," Olivia said. "Well, if you’re going to be there, then I guess it won’t be so bad. Maybe we should both let our hair down a bit, have a bit of fun."

Ethan laughed. "I haven’t got much hair to let down, but okay. That sounds good. Do you need a ride?"

"Yeah, that’d be great."

"Cool. I’ll pick you up at eight."

Olivia couldn’t help but smile as she hung up the phone. Ethan was so sweet, so funny. She wondered why she had ever been so scared of Sammi. What was the worst she could do to her, anyway? If she wanted Ethan, she certainly wasn’t going to let a little jealous ex-girlfriend get in the way.

Glancing at her clock, she saw she only had just over an hour and a half to get ready. Crap, that was nowhere near enough time. She jumped in the shower quickly, washing her long brown hair and even getting out the box of wax strips that had sat untouched in the bathroom cabinet for weeks now to de-fuzz her legs.

The next problem was the wardrobe. Everything still wasn’t properly unpacked, even though they’d been in the house for over three weeks now, and there were still random items of clothing everywhere in her bedroom. She stared in her closet, almost willing something to magically appear from thin air, but there was nothing she could find.

Skinny jeans? No, they were too casual. A denim mini? Too casual and too slutty. Why didn’t she have anything in her closet that was suitable for a normal high school party?

Oh yeah, because she never thought that she’d get invited to one.

Just as she was cursing herself for not being a girly-girl... the thought struck her. The small black box at the bottom of her wardrobe, closed and untouched, lying there silently, just waiting to be opened.

She reached for it, placing it onto her bed and smiling as she opened the lid. Thanks, Alyssa, she thought, as she lifted the dress up and examined it.

***

"Hey!" she greeted Ethan, climbing into his car as gracefully as she could, which wasn’t easy when she was wearing a skin-tight designer dress. She smiled at him and clipped on her seatbelt. "You look great."

"Same to you," Ethan responded, a smile creeping onto his face. He could not help but notice how good Olivia looked when she was all dressed up. Her hair was teased out into perfect curls which spread around her face and her make-up was flawless yet minimal.

"Thanks," Olivia nodded, feeling a blush spread on her cheeks. It was impossible to prevent when she could feel Ethan’s gaze on her. It was sweet but at the same time nerve-racking. "So, uh, where’s Sammi’s place?"

"Not too far – a couple of streets away." He put his foot on the accelerator and the car moved away from the sidewalk. "You know, you can guarantee it’s going to be pretty wild."

"I thought it was a small thing?" Olivia frowned as she tried to remember Sammi’s description.

"Yeah, well... Sammi’s not really one to do things on a small scale," Ethan shrugged, smiling. "Especially when it comes to a party."

The journey only lasted for about five or ten minutes, as Sammi’s place wasn’t too far away from Olivia’s street. Her house was situated in a small cul-de-sac with about four or five other houses, but it was far from difficult to tell which one the party was being held at. The house looked full to bursting, and people were spilling out the open front door, laughing and chatting on the front lawn, hanging out by their parked cars. The beat of the music could be heard from a great distance away, and it was a wonder why the neighbours put up with it.

"Wow." Olivia raised her eyebrows as Ethan parked the car just outside Sammi’s driveway.

"Uh, yeah." Even Ethan looked shocked at the amount of people that had showed. "I knew she was one for big parties but this..."

The two of them exited the car and started up the driveway. Olivia had been more sensible in her choice of footwear this time – her ultra-high Alyssa-style heels had been left abandoned in the back of her closet, replaced with a more comfortable and sturdy pair of bowed flats.

"You know, you really do look great," Ethan said again, glancing at Olivia and scratching the back of his head nervously.

"And you weren’t just saying that because you were checking out my ass?" Olivia grinned, surprising even herself at her witty comeback. It was usually her feeling constantly nervous, and Ethan being his usual cool and collected self, instead of the other way round.

"Well, I... I mean, I..." he stuttered, his cheeks flushing pink as the scratching of his head increased.

"I’m kidding." Olivia giggled at Ethan’s nervous reaction, slipping her hand into his. She couldn’t help but notice how cute he looked with that embarrassed expression on his face. "But thanks anyway."

***

"Come on, babe! Dance with me!" Sammi squealed, wrapping her arms around Ethan and swaying drunkenly in time to the music, but Ethan was pushing her away.

"No, Sammi. You’re drunk," he said, but so was he. The room was swaying and his head was pounding, but he wasn’t drunk enough to completely lose all common sense.

He hadn’t seen Olivia at all during the whole party – Sammi had dragged him away just a few seconds after they had set foot in her crowded house. The whole place was literally full to bursting with people, and everywhere you looked, there was a crowd. It was impossible to make out anyone’s identity in the dense throng of people, and just as difficult to hear anyone speak over the pounding beat of the music.

He had only had a couple of drinks... or was it more? It hurt to even try and think about what had gone on since he had arrived. One thing he did know was that Sammi had been offering him more than enough drinks all through the evening.

"Aw, babe!" Sammi pouted, lifting her bottle to her lips and taking another swig, gulping down the bright liquid quickly as if her life depended on it. "Come on, I’ve got something to show you."

Ethan sighed. If he’d have been sober, Sammi would’ve probably been irritating him to the point of walking out of her house, but the alcohol in his system was softening his emotions. She took hold of his wrist, grinning wildly, and pushed her way through the crowd in the direction of the door. Then, she took him all the way upstairs and into a room which he recognised as her bedroom, closing the door behind her.

Up there, the beat of the music was softened and even though there was still a wild party going on downstairs, the whole atmosphere was calmer. Ethan looked around the room. He hadn’t been here for months, and yet the room still looked the same. The walls covered in posters of various celebrities, her dresser covered in endless amounts of make-up and hair products. The same pair of faded, comfy slippers waiting on the floor by her bed. And even though he no longer felt anything for Sammi, the room still brought a feeling of sadness along with it.

"What did you want to show me?" he asked, confused, as he looked at Sammi. She was standing there, a few steps in front of him, still with a smile on her face.

"Ethan, you know you still want me," she said, throwing her arms round his neck and drawing him in. Her lips touched his gently, tenderly, and even though it was all wrong, he didn’t pull away.

He couldn’t deny it – yes, it was wrong, but it did feel good. There was definite chemistry, even if it was purely physical. The kiss was progressing now, no longer tender but powerful, hungry and the longer their lips were together the more desire grew inside him.

No. No, this is wrong! His sober self screamed, as he used all his willpower to push Sammi away. "No, Sammi. Please." There was a hint of desperation in his voice, but his body was not listening to his brain. He was overcome with want, desire, all he wanted was to carry on kissing her right now.

"Oh, Ethan," she smiled, her eyes glittering. She didn’t remove her arms from around his neck, and her body was still pressed up closely against his, which made his heart pound. "Don’t you want this, hmm?"

He opened his mouth to speak, but Sammi was playing with the buttons on his shirt, a seductive smile on her face, and he couldn’t force the words out. Then she stopped, leaning back slightly. Ethan let out a breath he didn’t even know he had been holding. Thank God, was all that was running through his mind. She’s finally got the picture.

But she hadn’t.

In a second, she had pulled her dress expertly over her head, throwing it onto the floor behind her. She smiled playfully as Ethan stared at her, shocked. There was no denying the longing that he was feeling inside as he took in her image – her lacy black underwear that complimented her flawless tan perfectly, enhancing her round breasts and perfect curves.

"Ethan," she said quietly, her voice almost a whisper. "Are you honestly going to tell me you don’t want this?"

And then she was close again, pulling him in quickly so their lips met, her hands behind his neck, running through his chocolate brown hair. Sparks raced through Ethan’s body, barely able to contain the feeling of burning desire that was swelling up inside him as Sammi pressed herself against him. He stumbled backwards onto her bed, the mattress letting out a loud creak as it sustained the weight of both of them. This was uncontrollable now and he was unable to stop himself as lust overtook his whole body.

"Ethan, Ethan, Ethan," Sammi grinned, as she climbed on top of him. Her face was inches away from his and her short black hair dangled down, tickling his cheeks. "I knew you couldn’t resist me. You haven’t changed... one bit."

She reached down and cupped his face in her hands, kissing his lips so tenderly that they barely even touched her own. She stroked the side of his face and smiled as his hands reached behind her back and touched the clasp on her bra...

But the atmosphere was shattered as the door slammed open with such force that it bounced off the wall behind. Ethan immediately sat up and pushed Sammi off him, suddenly coming to his senses about how wrong this whole thing was. What was he doing? Sammi was his ex-girlfriend, for God’s sake! He didn’t even like her anymore, but there was no doubt he had only given her more of the wrong idea.

His attention turned to the figure at the door as he pushed those thoughts out of his head, but the sight that greeted his eyes was much, much worse.

"What the hell?"

Olivia’s voice was quiet, her shock and pain seeping through the cracks as her voice shattered. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out, and all she could manage to do was turn around and walk away. 

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I'M SORRY FOR DOING THIS! I know you all are going to hate me but still... there's gotta be a bit of drama, right? :p REMEMBER TO VOTE if you want Olivia and Ethan together :D