Devan beamed, running down the expansive field, gripping the football tightly in his hands. Sweat glistened on his warm face and as he passed, the cheer of the crowd heightened. He dodged one of his friends trying to retrieve the ball from him, flashing him a quick playful smirk as he escaped. His brown hair fell into his determined eyes as he dodged the opposite team. Just as he was about to pass, a familiar figure swiped it out of his hands. Devan dramatically fell to the dewy field. The crowd watching the game found this funny, a few people going as far to shout inaudible words to the star athlete. For Devan, football was the very definition of pure bliss. Surrounded by friends, releasing all the energy he had inside. On the sideline, his girlfriend loomed uncomfortably, waiting for him to finish so they could head back to his apartment. The girl, Alexandria, absently shoved her auburn hair out of her forest-green eyes, trying to comprehend what was happening in the game. Sports had never exactly been her thing, it gave her no joy to see athletes parading around the field, but she tried to be supportive, for Devan.

The whistle signaled and one by one, the student came running on the field. Knowing that he had to stay for his team and fans just a bit longer, he hovered on the field, his blue eyes searching for Alex. Their eyes met over the head of a fan and he gave her a tightlipped smile, a sort of apology for her having to suffer through this. She returned the smile and sat herself down on the dewy grass to wait. A few long minutes later, she was startled by a hand landing on her shoulder. Jumping a bit, she glanced up at who was above her. There stood a boy, dripping with sweat, dressed in a uniform. He shot her a grin, "Hey, Alex."

Alex returned the smile, happy to see her boyfriend's best friend, "Hey Grayson!" She peered around Grayson, trying to get a look at Devan standing almost directly behind his blond friend. "You guys did great out there!"

Devan sidestepped Grayson, still smiling like an idiot. "Thanks!" He wrapped an arm around her waist before turning to his friend. "We should really get going."

Grayson nodded, understanding, "Sure, see you later."

The car-ride on the way back to his roomy apartment was silent. Devan still breathed heavily due to the game he had just finished and Alex sat quietly, listening to the radio on in his car. Pop songs flooded the car, filling the space with noise. She traced patterns on the window of the car, smiling to herself when the smudges revealed her doodle of a heart. With a little smirk, she scribbled their initials in the center. Quiet mumbling along to the song could be heard from Devan in the driver's seat. The silver jeep arrived at his small apartment, pulling into the parking garage and Devan stepping out. Alex jumped out of her boyfriend's car, walking over to him and linking their hands together. At the contact, she warmed. The instant the large football player had stepped through the threshold of his silent home, he dropped down on the couch. His father had passed a year ago, leaving him absolutely alone in the apartment. She knew how much his dad had meant to him, always there to cheer on his games and bandage his many wounds. Alex made her way around cluttered room, trying to hide her disdain for his unorganized lifestyle. Socks cluttered the floor, the pillows sprawled across the crumb-filled carpet. The couch shifted with both of their weight pressing down on it. Devan wrapped an arm around her, sighing into her hair. With the comfort of his form next to her and the sleep promising to drag her under soon, she drifted off.

Her eyes snapped open. The heat that had been pressed up against her was gone, leaving her shivering in the chilly room. Her heart pounded mercilessly as she waited for her surroundings to clear up. The teen let out a loud yawn as she stood up. The more she waited for her sleepy haze to pass her, the more she recognized her surroundings.

It was Devan's house. With no Devan to be seen. Her first night spending the night and it was already turning out badly.

"Devan!" She called out, trying to figure out where he had wondered off to.

No answer came.

A wave of fresh panic washed over her. "Devan!"

Still no answer came, but this time, the sound of heavy footsteps reached her ears. They thundered down the hall right next to his living room. She waited patiently for him to reach her, too exhausted from just waking up to go and meet him halfway. Perhaps if she had been more aware, she would have noticed that the footsteps were anything but welcoming.

A dark figure crossed her vision. Before she could call out to it, it spoke.

"Who are you?" The removed tone made her hair stand on end.

It sounded exactly Devan down to the way he pronounced his words, though something was noticeably different. His words were callous and rigid. They slashed through the air, lingering there as Alex was too startled to say anything. As much as she wanted to respond to the familiar voice, it seemed wrong.

Realizing the man was waiting for an answer, she forced her lips to move, "What d-do you mean?" The light voice trembled, forgetting to try and appear unafraid.

The figure took a step into the light, revealing his boyish features. Dark hair hung into his eyes, his electric blue eyes narrowed in anger, "Get out, you should know better than to follow a drunk man home." It was Devan. Drunk? Neither of them had been drunk....

His tone left no place to argue, it was ice. Instead of standing her ground as she wanted to, she picked up her bag from the floor and instantly left the apartment. Her limbs felt numb, frozen in complete shock. He looked like Devan, sounded like Devan. It was unmistakably him, though he didn't recognize his girlfriend of one year. She caught a night bus heading home, her head spinning and her entire being screaming that something was wrong from deep down in her bones. Something was very off.