After my run in with Queen biyatch, I decided I had enough lectures for the day. I strolled down the campus, sat out at the bleachers, had a sundae ordered. I would've even gone out, but I was too lazy to catch a cab, and my Mustang – er, not actually mine, but that's not the point – was back in the Casa.

After withering away the day, thinking about potent ways to get rid of a body on campus, I walk back to the dorm. I push at the door, but it is locked. Cursing hell, I open my backpack and search for the key in its daunting depths. My fingers touch metal, and I pull out the key, snorting in triumph.

The room is empty and I throw my bag to one side, and spring onto bed, shoes, clothes and all. I am just drifting off, when I hear a click.

I sit upright, years and years of training kicking in. I wrinkle my forehead and concentrate, and I hear it more vividly – a slight movement from the bathroom.

'Rachel?' My first thought. 'Is that you?'

I hear a faint curse.

That wasn't Rachel. My first instinct is to go pick up my gun tucked beneath my jeans in the cupboard. My eyes roam around, and I take note of a baseball bat stashed between Rachel's bed and her dresser. Moving slowly, I pick it up, my hands automatically gripping it and holding it in swing position.

'Rachel?' I prod, standing at an arm's length from the bathroom door. 'Are you taking a shower?'

The door clicks and opens. I swing the bat, hitting square across the intruder's head.

Ouch.

'Are you out of your mind?' Christian demands, holding his head in his hands.

I shrug. I throw the bat to the side and help him to a seat.

Christian lets out a low groan. 'What in the world did you even hit me with?'

'A baseball bat?' I provide, rolling my eyes. 'Oh, come on. It wasn't even a big swing. Stop being a ninny.'

'I am not a ninny, whatever that means,' he huffs indignantly, 'Do you treat everyone this way?'

I narrow my eyes. 'Not everyone. I tend to be a little aggressive when I get intruders. What were you doing in my room?'

Christian eyes me warily. 'Last I checked, my best friend lives here too. I went to use the bathroom and you wacked me across the head.'

I know I have to let him have his way. I know that letting him win our arguments would be a significant step in warming him up to me. I know that lesser the fights we have, the better the chances.

But, Christian makes me aggressive. I am aggressive and violent in general, being the Mafia Boss and all, but I know when to keep my mouth shut and reign myself in. I am in control most of the time, and the guys – especially Jay – keeps me in check.

Christian Beneventi makes me lose all self-control, all sense that I may possess. He infects me, unleashing the beast within me. Christian brings out the worst in me.

'You asked for it.' I retort, my face hot. 'I'd bet you stayed in there to scare me or something.'

'Or something.' Christian rubs his head and gets up. 'It won't hurt to apologize when you are wrong, you know.'

'It wouldn't hurt you either. You mistook me for someone else and manhandled me, and you have yet to apologize.'

'Do I?' he chuckles.

'Yeah,' I snap. 'Just consider this retaliation.'

'Retaliation. It means payback, right? No worries, I'll get you back too.'

'Don't start a war you can't win,' I say, throwing his words back at him.

Christian eyes me. 'Vincere la battaglia, perdere la guerra.'

Win the battle, lose the war.

What the hell does that even mean?

'What?'

His green eyes flash, and for a moment I am intrigued. For a moment, I am just curious – I want to know Christian Beneventi actually is; beneath all the playboy façade.

'I'm getting out of here.'

He gets up, looks pointedly at the baseball bat.

'For someone who came to meet Rachel, I don't think you did.'

He doesn't answer. If at all, he scowls, and then walks out, almost running into poor Rachel.

'Watch where you are going, fat ass!'

'You are the only one who calls my ass fat.'

Rachel rolls her eyes. 'Have you seen Jared?'

'Uh. No.' I had a feeling he did. Christian runs a nervous hand through his hair. 'I didn't. He must be at practice, or something.'

Rachel narrows her eyes. 'Why aren't you there then?'

'Bathroom.' Christian mutters, before pulling her close and kissing the side of her head. 'Bye.'

Rachel just raises a hand, and shuts the door after him, before punching the wall next to it with her fist weakly.

'I'll bet he's going around looking up chances to contract AIDS.'

'So.' I begin, wanting to change the subject. I get uncomfortable whenever she gets emotional over Jared. 'I might have hit Christian with your baseball bat.'

Rachel snickers. 'Oh, no. You didn't.'

'I didn't know it was him! Honest!' Okay, maybe I had some inkling, but I wasn't gonna say that. 'I thought it was a serial killer. You can't blame me.'

We exchange pleasantries, before I realize I am in dire need of a shower, and I pick up my towel and enter the bathroom.

I stand under the shower and close my eyes, slowly increasing the temperature until the water is scalding hot, that it fogs up the room and the mirror hanging on the wall. I enjoy the burn the hot water leaves on my skin, calming me from the inside. I wash my hair out with my pink Head&Shoulders shampoo, which sits next to Rachel's Johnsons baby shampoo, before wrapping it up in a towel. I wrap another towel around me, and I open the door.

'Bathroom's free now.' I spot Rachel bent over her laptop. I pull on fresh clothes before unwrapping the towel from my hair and drying it by rubbing.

'Uh, Coral?'

I turn, furiously rubbing away at my head.

'Yeah?'

Rachel's staring at me, her eyes as wide as saucers.

'What?' I snap.

She coughs, before holding up a thumbs-up. 'Nice hair.'

'Huh?'

She points to her hair. 'Hair. The color is, uh, cool?'

I throw my towel to the side, and look over my shoulder. I see a flash of pink.

What the hell?

I go to the mirror and grab at it. My hair which was once a true strawberry blonde was now dyed a bright magenta, right from the roots to the very tips that curled slightly to the small of my back.

I groan in disbelief.

Rachel winces. 'I guess that wasn't the look you wanted?'

The magenta pink clashes with my skin. It looks horrendous on me, with my crystal blue eyes.

'I look like Nicki Minaj.'

'Minus the silicon boobs,' Rachel pipes.

I groan even louder, thudding my head on the cupboard.

'How did it even happen?'

Good Question. I think back, back, back. The hot water, the foggy mirror, the pink shampoo.

Pink Shampoo?

I run back into the bathroom and grab the Head&Shoulders bottle. I flick it open and squeeze out the pink stuff that wasn't shampoo.

Crap.

Well, now I know why Christian was in the bathroom.

/////

I roll my hair into a high bun and cover it with a black and white bandanna, before pulling a hoodie over it. I look in the mirror to make sure none of the hot pink strands are visible, before I walk out with Rachel.

'I am so sorry about your hair. From the texture, I think it is a temporary dye. It would wash out with a couple of showers.'

'Yeah. On a completely different note, are there any good places to hide a body?'

Rachel laughs, though I wasn't being funny.

Christian and Jared are already at a table in the cafeteria hall, and Rachel and I grab sandwiches.

Christian's having a sandwich too, and he is sipping a bottle of Pepsi. 'Is that the new Goth look?' He glances at my head. 'Are you hiding a very bad case of pillow hair?'

Jared bumps his shoulders with Rachel, who tries to fight her blush. 'Yeah, what's with the bandanna?'

'Just a trend.'

I sit down and bite into my sandwich. Before I can even react, Christian pulls down my hood.

'Wow. That's one hot mess.'

Jared chokes on his sandwich.

Pink hair billows down my forehead, and I push it to one side before glaring at him.

'Chris,' Rachel glares too, pulling my hood back up. 'Why did you even do that? Where did you even get the dye from?'

Christian regards me like a work of art. 'I have my sources. You'd be surprised.'

He slams his hands on the table before declaring, 'Jared, man, I need another sandwich.'

'Go, get 'em, tiger.' Jared yawns, but Christian pulls him up by the collar of his shirt.

I lean back and rub my eye. Rachel sighs, before pulling out another of her ubiquitous texts and begins to read. I bite another chunk of my sandwich and chew, my eyes trailing to Christian and Jared at the counter. Jared is chugging down a Pepsi, while Christian ponders over different types of sandwiches.

An idea strikes me. It is so Sean-like, that I doubt it would work, but I've heard that he had pulled this one out, with varying degrees of success.

Well it wouldn't hurt to try, yes?

I rummage around my bag again. There's got to be a pack of those, I always carry them with me, cause Sean has a fetish for them. So does Blade, though he won't accept it.

Aha.

I grab Christian's Pepsi discreetly, and open it, before slipping the small white ball into it. I screw it shut and shake it for good measure. I place the bottle back in its place, sneaking a sly glance at Rachel, but sure enough she's buried deep within her text.

And now, the waiting game.

Christian and Jared return in a few minutes, Jared holding onto a can of 7up. 'Here,' he offers the can to me. 'I guess Chris feels shitty about your hair.'

'No thanks,' I smile at him, toothily. 'You can have it.'

Christian scoffs. 'Rach, did you run into Nathan again?'

Rachel looks up from her text. 'Nothing I couldn't handle.' She glances at Jared. 'It's fine.'

'No, it's not.' Jared pops the 7up open before raising it to his lips. 'Why didn't you tell me?'

'Or me?' Christian asks.

'Oh, for god's sake. I am not twelve, guys. He's not going to do anything.'

Jared shrugs, unconvinced.

'Jared,' Christian reaches for his Pepsi. 'Do you have the number of that cute cheerleader from Houston?'

'Gina?'

'That's the one.' He begins to unscrew the cap. 'I was wondering if – '

Unfortunately, we never got to know what he was wondering. At the precise moment the cap came off, the Pepsi bottle erupted, drenching Christian head to toe in sticky black liquid.

The entire cafeteria stills. Someone yells.

Some of it sprayed on Jared too.

'What the hell, Chris?'

Rachel's eyes are once again wide as saucers.

Christian sputters, wiping Pepsi off his face. 'Don't know. Man, I've got to shower now. Shit.'

I notice people pointing out Christian. He looks like a rug rat. Wet rug rat.

I smirk, deliberately covering my smile with my hand. Rachel picks up the Pepsi and peers down into it.

Christian fusses about his shirt, before getting up. 'I'm coming too. I need a change of shirt.'

I pull out my Mentos packet and hold one out. 'Mentos, anyone?'

'Nah, I'm good,' says Jared, rubbing at his arm. Rachel looks up, blinking twice, before she understands. Christian looks bewildered.

Jared goes on, 'I've heard Mentos and Pepsi are not the best combo...uh...Oh. Oh, right.'

I smirk wider, and I pop the Mentos into my mouth and I chew, not taking my eyes off Christian. I watch satisfied as his jaw tightens and his fists clench.

I hold up my hand, curling two fingers in and sticking my thumb out, so that my palm resembles a pistol. I take aim at his head and fire. 'Bang. Bang. Bang.'

Christian narrows his eyes at me menacingly, and I am sure if it was someone else in my position, they would have pissed themselves. I however, levelled out his gaze with one of my own trademarks, with a slight curve to my lips to top it off.

'It's on,' I say. 'It's on like Donkey Kong.'

Jared laughs, before hauling Christian away, who is still looking at me with a murderous flare.

I might as well as gone ahead and stomped on a snake, or written up my own death wish.

Whatever.

/////

Seems like Alex is always pining after trouble. 

Chapter dedicated to @LEPalphreyman, author of the Cupid's Match and Valentine's Day. 

Her books are mind-blowing, and Cupid's Match is now a show on CW Seed. Seriously, how cool is that?

Vote and comment, loves. 

Be right back.