Hey everyone! Here's a decently long chapter for y'all so I hope you enjoy. I have stupid testing for school tomorrow so... that really sucks. Luckily writing always makes my day better so I might have another chapter up before ya know it : )

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Ben took me home because he had to get cleaned up before hand. I told my mom I was going out to eat with Ben to celebrate the fantastic win - so she let me out of the house in my favorite pair of jeans and a Floral tank top. It wasn't overly fancy, but since I normally don't go to parties, I decided to dress like I normally do.

Ben never offered to take me to parties and I always assumed it was because he would always take a girl home with him. Because normally the next morning the blinds to his windows would be shut - which was a signal for "I'm busy" in our world.

"Holy shit I can't believe I actually caught that" Ben commented with amazement while he drove. I smiled and admired how fresh he looked. He freshly showered and his hair was just finishing drying, and he wore jeans and a shirt that shaped every outline of his muscles.

"I'm proud of you" I said with a smile. I rested my hands across my lap while excitement buzzed through body. The outside was dark but I could still spot the party house from miles away. All the lights to the house were turned on and I could see various people from our high school out in the front yard. Not gonna lie - my heart was beating out of proportion and I suddenly felt as if I couldn't breathe. But it was a good feeling - even if not being able to breathe was a bad sign.

    Ben parked his car on the side of the road along with hundreds of other cars on the block. 

     Ben handed me the keys. "Seeing how you're the more responsible one here." He smiled and opened the car door to head into the crowded house filled with drunk people. I spotted Jenna's car a few blocks down so that's where I headed next, hoping that she'd still be inside. 

Luckily for me she was still sitting there, which meant I didn't have to enter the house alone. 

      "Ready for this mess we're getting into?" She exclaimed with fake excitement. "What even made you want to come?" She asked questionably. I shrugged and grabbed her hand to drag her inside.

      The whole room was packed and the only smell I could determine was the smell of sweat.  Football players were playing beer pong in the corner, and some were dancing with red solo cups in their hands.  It was just like I expected, except it was virtually impossible to find anyone. 

  There was a downstairs to the house and an upstairs that I assumed was the ideal spot for making out.  Fortunately I wouldn't find myself up there anytime soon. 

             A small puddle of wetness was on the ground below my feet and I could only hope it was just water. I quickly evacuated the spot however, because you could never be too sure. I kept my hand latched to Jenna's so I wouldn't loose her presence in the crowd. Familiar faces were everywhere, but none of who I actually liked to talk too. Ben was no where in sight even when I entered minutes after him and Jenna was still following behind me.

I was torn between leaving this party in Ben's mustang (which he would end up drunk and no place to go)

Or I could wait for him in the car which seemed like a horrible choice.

  Why did I even agree to come.

       "Hey Elizabeth. What are you doing here?" I heard a familiar voice echo though my ears. I turned on my heels in the crowded living room to face the one person I wouldn't mind talking too.

      "Oh, umm. Ben asked me to come" I said. I didn't want him to think I was an alcoholic or something, that would just totally ruin my reputation. I offered a fake smile and he grabbed my hand and led me out the back door slowly. To my loss Jenna had broken lose of my grip and now she was left behind in the mob of drunken people.

I probably should've gone in after her, but I figured she could find the exit easily and head home if she wanted.

     "Great, now that we're out of there I can actually hear what you're saying now" Colton stated. I could tell that he had showered because his hair looked neater and softer than when he took it out of his helmet. He was wearing jeans and a cut-off shirt that looked good on him.

"Great throw tonight." I said, referring to the 65 yard throw that helped score the winning touchdown.

"Ah, that was nothing" He smirked and looked into my eyes. For a short moment in time I forgot we were at a party, but then I soon remembered when a girl came stumbling out of the doorway. She was throwing up as she laid down in the yard and passed out. Poor girl.

"And that's why I don't drink" I mumbled to myself. I crossed my hands together because the silence of the night started to become overwhelming and the lights from the house were so bright it started to hurt my eyes.

"Same. Besides, I'm not about to throw my football career and my full ride scholarship away just because of some stupid party" Colton said. And just by that statement alone I decided that Colton was the guy for me. He was smart, athletic and he definitely knew how to take control of his life.

"Then why even come?" I asked curiously. I brushed my fingers through my knotted hair and laid it back down on my side.

"I might ask you the same question" Colton said with a smirk. God, he talked so sophisticated. Ahhhhhhh

"Good point" I said while turning my eyes to look in the distance at a couple making out. Colton followed my gaze and I immediately regretted it when I realized who the "couple" was.

Ben and Reagan

God.

"That's the third girl tonight" Colton stated with a roll of his eyes. I listened carefully to his words but couldn't help but feel heartbroken.

Why did Ben have to give in so easily, why did he have to give Reagan what she wants. It made me pissed, and for some reason I couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy boil in my chest when he pushed her against the house. I frowned.

"Can we go somewhere else" I asked slowly and as calm as I could manage. Colton nodded and led me to the side of the house where the cars were parked along the street. I noticed Jenna's car was gone so I quickly texted her, letting her know that I was okay.

"Is my car okay?" Colton asked while opening up the door to his Jeep. I nodded and climbed in the passenger side to reveal a nice, neat car that didn't hold a piece of trash in sight.

           "Okay so, why do you even hang out with Ben. You guys are complete opposites and I, I just don't get it" Colton said with a confused expression in his eyes. I could tell he was being genuinely serious so I decided to tell him the truth.

       "Because I can't let go of who he used to be. He's different when it's just him and I, when nobody else is around. We've been best friends since 1st grade and I'm not letting go of our friendship" I said honestly. The cars mood grew very serious and I knew if Ben were here he'd crack some stupid joke that would make me die with laughter.  But he wasn't here.

    He was out there drunk while kissing random girls.

    "Wow, that was deep" Colton said with a pang of sadness in his voice. He looked at me. "Ben's a bastard" Colton commented with a annoyed expression.

  "Yeah, well he says the same thing about you" I said while looking out the window at the party house. The party was only getting wilder and I couldn't see it calming down anytime soon.

      "Well it's no surprise. He sure does hate me" Colton said with a small chuckle. He shook his head and looked at me calmly, like we weren't talking about a touchy subject here.

      "Don't you hate him too?" I asked, even though I could already guess the answer. He rested his hand on the top of my seat, which suddenly made me feel enclosed, but I choose to ignore it and look more closely at his features.

His luscious hair and brown eyes and the way his nose crooked to the side just a tiny bit. A small pimple rested on his hair line and I could tell he just shaved because his chin looked smooth.   Just simple, small stuff that you wouldn't be able to notice unless you looked closely at him.

    "Oh I hate him too, you don't have to worry about that one" Colton said with another chuckle that made my stomach fill with butterflies again.

        "Why though?" I asked, I decided that this was my chance to find out the truth. Ben wouldn't tell me, but something made me think that Colton would. There was a sliver of hope.

        "Sorry, that's off limits. Anything else you'd like to know instead?" Colton asked with a growing smile. He knew that not knowing was bothering me, but it didn't seem to matter either way.  I put my hand up to my chin to make it seem like I was thinking about something to say, but instead I noticed a lop-sided Ben stumbling out of the house looking completely exhausted.

I had to go.

"I'm sorry but I have to go" I said while opening up the door to the jeep. Colton looked puzzled at first, but he soon realized my intentions.

    "Okay. Thanks for talking to me" He called out, but I was way too focused to reply.    

On a scale from 1-10, 10 being the most drunk you could possibly get, Ben was a 4. I suppose it wasn't too bad because he could still walk and talk sense, but he couldn't walk in a straight line or anything alike.

I wrapped my arm around his body as he swayed back and forth although I knew he didn't want my help, he was too drunk to resist as I helped him in the passenger side of the car.  

       "Libs, let's go sky diving" Ben said excitedly. I rolled my eyes and climbed in the drivers side while plugging the keys into the imitation.  Ben laid his head back into the seat and looked at me innocently, like he hadn't just drank his heart out tonight.

        "No" I said plainly. I suddenly remembered the stunt he pulled with Reagan tonight and I wasn't feeling so nice anymore. I rolled my eyes and started to drive away, I just wished I could've stayed to talk with Colton just a tad bit longer.

      "Jeez, whats your problem" Ben asked in a tone that made me believe he was sober. I turned to look at him while he brushed of his jeans rather quickly.

    "Nothing's my problem" I said.  I focused and turned to look at the dark road again and began to formulate my plan on getting Ben inside. There was no why he would be able to climb up that ladder without falling and dying, and I was almost positive the door to his house was locked -- or maybe it wasn't.

Ben had told his parents he was going out to eat, and almost always they left the door unlocked when they knew he was coming home, or they handed him a spare key.

      "Ben, do you have your house key?" I asked, trying to think of where he put it. Ben looked though his pockets and pulled out a silver key dangling on a key chain. He handed it to me and I thankfully held it in my hand.

We were safe.

       "Jeez, I'm exhausted" Ben said while laying farther back in the seat.

   "Well you should be from all that mouth workout you got from Reagan" I said with a double roll of my eyes. Ben looked at me with a confused expression for a while. After a few seconds passed he realized what I was talking about and a hint of realization appeared on his face.

   "Oh, yeah. She was okay" Ben said while looking out the window again. For some reason just hearing him say that made me feel a little bit better, and the jealousy that once resided in my stomach suddenly disappeared.

        After that we didn't talk for the rest of the time it took to get home. I parked his car in the driveway and helped him out of the car, but luckily he was stable so he wouldn't knock any glass vases over. I slowly turned the key to his house and cringed, I was just waiting for the moment when the alarm would go off or his parents would be sitting at the table waiting for him.

  Luckily, the coast was clear.

I carefully closed the door behind me and we made our journey up the stairs to Ben's room when he instantly fell asleep when he hit the bed. I rested his keys on the dresser and made my way out of his window into the cold night.

A part of me wanted to go back to that party, because maybe I could talk to Colton a little bit longer.

But I didn't because I knew it was too late and he had already left.

I sighed and laid in my bed as the thoughts overwhelmed me and I was faced with the realization that I was starting to like Colton more than I ever have before.