LIBBY

***

"So wait... he kissed you."

I shrug and she laughs. "He kissed you!?" She says it louder that time and I have to shush her, looking around at the kids on the other tables surrounding ours.

I nod and my cheeks go red.

"Are you sure you weren't imagining it?" She asks and my cheeks go redder, but with frustration this time. As if I'd make it up.

"Steph. Yes. He kissed me. Why would I lie about something like that?"

She looks at me and her smile disappears. "I... Sorry, that wasn't a nice thing to say. I'm just shocked. He's so..."

"Yeah I know. It shocked me too." I shake my head and drop it into my hands. "He's such a knob!" I say loudly and she laughs. "Ugh!"

I hadn't told her that it was me that may have potentially instigated the kiss. I'd said it was him. It just came over me all of a sudden. Although, to be honest, I'm not entirely sure if it wasn't both of us.

I tip my head back up after she taps my hands.

"Do you reckon it's going to come of anything?" She asks, looking at me with big brown eyes.

"Steph. Can you really see it going anywhere?" I give her a dry smile and she smirks and shakes her head. "No."

"I just wanted to check."

"Well he's obviously got it out of his system. After he just left yesterday... And trust me, I'm not going there again. No way."

I drop my head onto my arms on the table and feel her put a hand on my head. I muffle a laugh.

"You know when you said you wanted to talk about something... I wasn't expecting it to be something like this." She giggles. "You're way more exciting now. As if you bag a hottie on your first day?"

I look up from my arms and she's looking at me with her head balancing on her hands, her fingers cupping her face.

"What are you looking at me like that for?"

She giggles. "Was he a good kisser at least?"

"Steph!"

"What?! It's a valid question..."

She wiggles her eyebrows and I sag in defeat.

"I want all the juicy details," she says.

I really wish Lo was here to tell as well. I'd ring her soon to tell her, but for now Steph would have to be my new confidante. I just prayed she wouldn't be judgemental about it. She didn't seem to be so far, which was refreshing. But it's not as if I actually like the guy. I just had a momentary lapse of judgement. And I'm now very much over it.

"Well... he'd just helped bring up my shopping. Then he put it down and then he just kind of stood there awkwardly. I didn't know what to do, so I just stood there too."

"Oooh, a play by play. I love it. Continue," she gestures with her hand and sits back in her seat.

"I just... kind of stepped forward. I think he thought I was going for the bags. So he moved as well. And then we stood, like, less than a foot away. Then he closed the gap," I closed my eyes, remembering.

"You liked it, didn't you?" She giggles.

"Maybe..." I joke with a half shrug. "I haven't been kissed like that since I was eighteen and it was my ex-boyfriend Jack. Anyway. I digress..." I scratch my head and pick at my food, trying to get my story straight.

"It started off slow. Like neither of us wanted to be the first to push on or push further. But then something in both of us ignited I guess."

I smile, remembering his lips moulding to mine, moving in sync. I remember his tongue moving with mine as we kissed each other furiously.

"I don't really know what happened next. He backed me up against the kitchen counter... then next thing I know I'm sitting on it and he's kind of pushing between my legs to get to my neck."

"Oh my god, that's hot."

"Yeah, it kinda was." Him kissing my neck felt amazing and it's making my toes curl even now.

"Man! He doesn't strike me as the sort of person that would do that."

I shrug. Boys have been known to do many things and each boy is definitely different.

I'd had two boyfriends at school and then first year at university, Jack and Sam... and neither of them kissed anything like Jasper had. Not even close. At the time I wouldn't have had anything to compare it to, but now I'd kissed Jasper, I genuinely didn't know if kissing a guy could get any better than that.

"So he sat you up on the kitchen counter. Then what?" Steph interrupts my mini daydream.

"We kissed for like another minute or so... and then Alex, Lorna and Taylor came up the stairs and he couldn't get away fast enough."

I didn't tell her about the fact he'd put his hands up my shirt and was close to teasing my nipples. I didn't tell her about the fact I was so turned on I was rubbing myself on my trouser seams... And I definitely didn't tell her that he was harder than wood when he quickly pulled me off the counter when the girls came in. I flush slightly at the thought.

"Can you blame him?" She giggles. "Having three girls suddenly burst in?"

"No, I never blamed him. It's just what he said afterwards."

"What did he say?"

"Nothing! He said zilch. As if like, oh yeah that was fun but... bye. Ugh, I should never have kissed him."

"Wait you kissed him? I thought he kissed you."

I shrug and throw my arms up. "I don't really know who kissed who. I think it was going to happen whether each of us wanted it or not."

"Aww." I narrow my eyes and shake my head at her reaction. It wasn't cute, it was annoying.

But what I'd just said had been the truth. I hadn't planned on kissing him, and I don't think he'd planned on kissing me either, not from the way he'd spoke to us all that afternoon. I don't think I'm his type. But then again, people don't really know their types. Jack and Sam were completely different, so I don't really know what my type is. And Jasper was certainly different to them.

He was tall and lean. He was over a foot taller than me. His hair was brown, thick and unruly, which was probably the thing I liked most. That and his piercing green eyes. And his strong arms. And his full lips. Oh! Shut up Libby.

"Oh hey, erm... we should probably go?" Steph says and I look at my watch.

"Steph, it's lunch time still," I shake my head. "We have ages before we have to meet."

I checked the schedule and the group were apparently actually coming in here for lunch anyway, so we may as well stay and rejoin them.

"Well... don't turn around then. Because you'll never guess who just walked in..." She's looking past me and, as if I can sense him, my hairs stand on end.

I duck my head down lower, but I know it's probably too late. We're now pretty much the only people in here, and the few people that are here are gathered on the other side of the room.

"Is he on his own?" I ask quietly.

Steph shakes her head. "Nope there's like... six people with him. I don't think he see-"

"What?" I ask when she cuts herself off.

"He's seen me. But he's headed over there," she jerks her head.

I turn and thankfully he's not looking this way. I look at where they are out of the corner of my eye, and I'm still unsure whether he's seen me.

But when he turns his head slightly to the left, his green eyes lock on mine from across the room and my skin goes cold.

He tears his gaze away immediately and looks towards his friend, who is sitting next to him. He laughs, an uneasy and forced one, and looks behind him at the other three of his friends who had sat down already.

"Do you want to leave?" Steph asks quietly, obviously noticing I'd gone pale and looked uncomfortable.

I shake my head. "No. If I leave, he wins."

She chuckles. "Atta girl. That's the spirit."

"Not to mention, obvious," I add, and she nods. "I think the others are joining us soon anyway." I hoped to god that was true.

She groans. "Ugh, do you know what it is after lunch anyway? If can't be more tour?" She groans.

"A quiz. Then I think there's that barbecue thing at the beach later."

She groans again. "Can't we just skip the quiz and go straight to the beach?"

"I'm up for that, but we don't have a car and neither do you. Or the number for a taxi," I explain.

She's looking at the group with a small smile, and I can see a plan hatching in her head. And when the grin grows, I know I won't like it.

"Steph, whatever you're thinking, stop it."

"I'm not thinking anything." But before I can stop her, she gets up and heads over to where Jasper and his friend were now getting food.

"What the f-"

I look up and watch in disbelief at what she's doing. She puts herself in between Jasper and the food he's trying to pick up, so he can't ignore her. He goes to get the food twice, each time Steph getting in the way, so in the end he gives up and goes to a different station, leaving Steph alone with his friend. She doesn't follow him so I reckon that was her plan all along.

I very much doubted Jasper would give us a lift to the beach anyway. And if he did he'd leave us there just to spite us. But it seems I'd underestimated his friends. As Steph comes back over, she's smiling, which means she's been victorious.

"We have a lift. Ziggy and that lot are going to the beach anyway, so they said they'd take us with them."

I look at the boy, Ziggy, who is now staring at Steph as if she's a meal, and I really didn't like the look of him. His black hair was down to his shoulders and greasy, and he had an unattractive tattoo on his neck that looked odd and made him look even dirtier than he did already. I didn't have a thing against tattoos - I love a well put together sleeve - but on him it just looks downright creepy. His general appearance didn't help either. His frame was wiry compared to Jasper's, and he was dressed similarly - mostly black, with a leather jacket - and even though I didn't know Jasper at all, it makes me wonder why the hell he was friends with these people in the first place.

"Steph, I'm happy to go to the beach but I'm not really happy about going with them..." I jerk my head subtly over towards their table.

"It's fine. They'll just drop us, then we can do our own thing until the others get there. Then we'll get a lift back to campus with Laura or whoever."

I shake my head, still dubious about my new friend's decision. Ziggy, if that was even his real name, probably had drugs or something. And I know that's generalising and I hoped it wasn't true, but he had that kind of look.

"Lib, come on. Live a little," she pleads, pouting slightly.

Her demands echo the thoughts of Rob, just before I left. So, despite my entire brain and body screaming at me to say no, and in the spirit of actually doing something with my time here, I find myself agreeing to Steph's completely insane plan.

***

We dump our trays at the back, and then walk past Jasper's table to say we were going to get ready.

Steph is flirting like crazy with Ziggy and I really wish she wouldn't. I can now see myself being left on my own at the beach, whilst she goes off with him and gets up to god knows what. I fast regretting my agreement to this plan, but seeing Jasper's eyes on mine gives me a bit more bravado, making me stand tall. I will not back down.

"We'll come get you in half an hour," Jasper says without feeling. "I'm not waiting. If you're not there we're gone."

I want to bite back and say I didn't really want to go in the first place, but he surprises me by looking at me apologetically. It halts me in my tracks, as I'm not sure if it's his curt response just now, for Ziggy or for yesterday. In any case, I narrow my eyes at him and just walk away, dragging Steph away with me.

"Stop it, Steph!" I say once we're in the relative safety of the outside world.

"Stop what?" She shrugs but she's smiling, which means she knows exactly what she's doing.

"Making a fool of yourself!" I didn't mean it in a horrible way. I meant it in a way where I was worried for her. "Ziggy doesn't look like he means well, so please just be careful."

"How do you know that?" She laughs, thankfully not taking offence at my comment. "He could be fine?"

"I don't really want to test it. Look, I've agreed to go, but can we please just have nothing to do with them once we're there?" I plead, coming to a stop on the pavement next to the basketball courts. "I've just told you how uncomfortable it makes me and-"

"Lib, you're worrying over nothing." She cuts me off and puts a hand on both of my shoulders. "Plus you could get a chance to get some alone time with Jasper again?" She smirks. "I'm helping you out... Why can't you help me?" She asks.

"I don't want help with Jasper, Steph! Weren't you listening to what I said earlier. He doesn't want anything else to do with me. I don't want anything to do with him either. End of."

"You don't know that..." she says slyly. "Ziggy could be nice?"

I go to open my mouth but I know she's right. Underneath that tough tattooed greasy exterior Ziggy may be a soft, derpy puppy. I sincerely doubted it, but I'd give him the benefit of the doubt. Plus, if Steph wants to hang out with them, I obviously can't stop her.

I like her, I really do, but as we continue walking again, I'm starting to realise that being her friend is going to be stressful. But I'm also thinking she will probably be the one that will help me live this year to it's fullest. I just hope she does truly know what she's doing.

"You're crazy," I say, putting an arm around her shoulders. "Super crazy."

"And proud of it. Now let's get going. Don't want to keep the boys waiting."