AUTUMN

I stared at the Acela Express ticket in my hand. I had not packed everything, it was a miracle that I even had the train ticket purchased considering how hectic these last few days had been. But today was Wednesday and Audrey's wedding was on Sunday. I had agreed to become one of the bridesmaids so I had to return to D.C. early to try the dress and get ready for late rehearsal.

I glanced at my phone laying on the table in front of me and frowned. It had been six days since that awkward kiss on the beach. Six days of going to class alone, spending time thinking about what had happened, and wondering where the hell he was. There had been no talk during the one-hour trip, I had been listening to the songs played inside the car while he had been focusing on the road. That night right after he had dropped me home and made sure I had gotten inside the building, he simply left.

The next morning, I could not see him anywhere. Neither hide nor hair. It was as if he had fallen off the face of the earth.

"Where on earth are you?" I muttered to myself as I continued staring at my phone, hoping something would pop on the screen. A phone call or perhaps even a message.

Maybe I didn't search for him thoroughly.

I shook my head. No, no, no. I was not looking, let alone search. Not really. But someone as big and tall as Fraizer ought to be noticed. Plus he usually had a bunch of people following him around like a parade, so surely I'd know if he was somewhere in Columbia yet no matter how long I had spent wandering around aimlessly, I couldn't see him nor his parade. Again, I was not really looking, I was merely spending time in Columbia more than usual.

"Okay, this is stupid." I grabbed my phone and shoved it into the back pocket of my jeans. "And a waste of time." I folded the ticket, put it in my bag, and slung my bag over one shoulder as I stood.

I had a lot of things to do. I had to inform the school about my absence for the next two days, email my professors and ask them if I could have their notes since I did not have any friends here who would be kind enough to lend me theirs. On top of that, I still have not packed my stuff yet. There was no room for Fraiser Ronan inside my head. Absolutely none.

"What is up, slut?!" I heard Margaux's voice long before I saw her and her ridiculously long legs. Just like Fraizer, she had her own group of people following her everywhere.

"Gawd, I miss Carlton High," I muttered under my breath as I tried to ignore her and continue walking.

She moved and blocked my path. "Off to steal someone else's boyfriend?" One perfect blonde brow arched on her sun-kissed forehead. "Or are you happy enough with stealing mine?"

This was certainly not how I wanted my afternoon to be. It was hard enough that I had to deal with Microeconomics so early this morning, I really did not need her to further ruin my day. "Margo, could you just step aside and let me get out of here? I promise I would be out of here as fast as I could."

"Did you guys know that she slept with the admission board?" said Margaux as she addressed the crowd around her.

I pressed my lips into a thin straight line. What was I thinking? Of course, she did not listen to a word I had said!

"It was not a surprise since she used to sleep with her English teacher back in high school." A wicked, annoying smile appeared on her face as she folded her arms in front of her blouse.

The girls in the crowd said "eww!" and scrunched their noses. I internally rolled my eyes. If they saw Joe in person, I bet they would throw their panties away. The guys made that noise which was a combination of 'whoa!' and 'ho ho ho. They were acting like high school cheerleaders and jocks if I were being honest. Something that I thought only existed in teen TV series.

I took a deep breath and gave her my sweetest smile although what I was about to say was anything but sweet. "Spreading rumors, huh? Wow." I shrugged my shoulders to give a more dramatic effect. "I am so surprised you can spread something other than your legs. What would Fraizer's grandma say if she saw this?" I gasped and covered my mouth with my hands. "Oops. I forgot! You were kicked out of their house the last time you were there. I guess no more random stalker visit to Fraizer's house, huh?" Seriously, I should get an Oscar for playing a bitch. Truly. Jess would have been proud. It turned out that watching Mean Girls had paid off.

Surprisingly, the crowd cheered which was a surprise. Well, at least the male audience in the crowd since the girls were more subtle and only whispered to one another.

"At least I am no slut like you!" Her eyes went full-on crazy on me while her forefinger kept on pointing at me. Had she not learned that it was rude to point at people? One finger pointing at others, while four fingers pointing at no one other than themselves. "At least I did not sleep with my teachers or someone a lot older than me!"

Maybe I should point out to her that Joe was not that much older. Sure, he was ten years my senior, and ten was not a small gap but the way Margaux had talked about it made it sound like he was a hell lot older.

Everyone's eyes were on me, waiting for my response in anticipation. "I did sleep with my English teacher, although the accusation about me sleeping with the admission board is no more than a rumor since I got here by a legitimate scholarship. You could go ahead and check it with the school."

She pointed her red nail at me and said, "ha! I knew you really did it!"

Dear Mendes, why do I have to deal with this now? I internally groaned. She may look like decent twenty-something years old university student but she acted like she was ten.

"Well, at least I did not sleep with my boyfriend's best friend to get back at him." The crowd gasped sharply and Margaux's face was not as pretty as it was fifteen minutes ago. "Oh, they do not know about you and Matt? I thought you told your fans everything."

"You, slut!" Again, she jabbed her long, red-painted nail at me and used that annoying, condescending nickname.

I shook my head. "Your face is fine, to be honest, but you will have to put a bag over that personality."

"You!! You!!! I swear I will-" She lunged forward and I stepped aside, causing her to grasp empty air.

I raised my brow and tilted my head to one side. "You know, Margaux, you are really the kind of girl that a guy would show off..." I could not fight the urge as a wicked smile slowly appeared on my face as I added, "in the show and tell for a psychology class."

I did not wait for her reply as I was already on my way, walking away while the crowd was cheering on me. Once I had reached the front gate, I could not help but smile to myself. "Who would have thought that I could be a badass?"

I knew a real badass would never say something like that but I did not care.

Perhaps I should thank Margaux for making me feel slightly better. Or maybe not since she had looked like she was about to put her hands around my throat and choke me to death. In all seriousness, I really hoped she would stop being a bully because as much as I hated embarrassing her in the public (although I was simply returning the gesture), I would not back down or hold back. I would not let someone beat me down. I had never been a coward, I would not start to become one. Today she had pushed me more than she had usually done. I could understand that she was embarrassed after being kicked out by Fraizer's grandma but that was not a reason to be a douche.

I looked over my shoulder and did not see Fraizer anywhere. Although I had decided that if he chose to hide from me then that was his choice and told myself to stop looking for him, unfortunately, sometimes it was as if my eyes had their own mind and immediately searched for him amongst the crowd. Letting out a small sigh, I shrugged and decided to head straight home. I should be thinking of him and that kiss. 

♥

So, my angels? What do you think?
What will happen next?
Will Phraser be in the next scene?
Will Tyler be able to make things right?
Let me know in the comments!

You've probably noticed that I've been updating daily these last few days, I'm thinking of continuing to do that. What do you think? Does it sound like a good idea or will it be too much to read? Let me know!

♥

Loads of Pizza
Cos Pizza is Love
Agatha