Hi! I know I probably shouldn't be posting a story while I already have one going but I just couldn't get this one out of my head, so here it is. For those that are reading ODAAT don't worry, I'll be updating that soon. But until then I hope you enjoy this new story.

Disclaimer: I own nothing...no seriously, even my original characters are based on my friends and even my own personality, so I really do own nothing.

Enjoy!

Accepting Reality is the First Step to Insanity

I walk out onto the back porch. The morning air still cool as it whips through my light jacket. I take a seat on the steel chair there and immediately register how cold it still is, a shiver runs through me but I remain seated. I look out into the distance, watching as two girls go back and forth on one of the tennis courts. The taller of the two obviously showing her skill in the sport. Glancing to the right, I look over the pit, see the many cars parked in its spaces, and just to the right of that I watch the soccer team conditioning, readying themselves for next year's season in the first of many unofficial practices. A smile crosses my face as I take in my surroundings, etching these memories into my brain, hoping they'll remain there long after graduation. Taylor Swift's "I Heart Question Mark" starts to play through the headphones in my ears, the familiar song taking over my senses. It's fitting that that song should play, that it's providing the background music to this moment of contemplation, but I turn it off anyway. Right now I like the sound of the silence, I like not hearing anything but my own thoughts, and as I place my Ipod into my jacket pocket, I'm met with that ever perfect silence and I can't help how relaxed I am. My smile grows that much more, hoping that this feeling, too, becomes something I'll always remember, the feeling of being relaxed and comfortable in this place.

I take a deep breath as I lean back into the chair. I love being out here, I love the absolute chaos and calm that is this place. I turn my head slightly and look into one of the basement windows. It's the common room in the hallway. I take a look around the room, my eyes scanning over the chairs placed around the table. For just a second I wonder what it would've been like to have been a freshman here, to have lived in this dorm and have this basement and this back porch be mine for the year. It doesn't matter really, I'm here now and that's what matters, but I can't help but wonder what if. I sigh as I turn to look back over at the view. I don't get to come out here as often as I would like, the demands of senior year being the cause. But when I can, when the perfect opportunity to escape arises, I jump at it, I soak up all the time I can before I have to return back to reality.

The vibrating phone on the table in front of me breaks through my silence. I look at it for a moment before sighing and picking it up. Flipping it open I see that I've gotten a text from Kyla.

"Don't forget we're all meeting for lunch."

I roll my eyes before getting up. Taking one last look out at the tennis courts and the pit, I turn around and head back to my dorm, walking past a few freshman coming back from breakfast. Scanning my ID I walk through the newly unlocked door and go to put the code in before walking through that door as well, and eventually up the stairs to the second floor.

"Fuck…" It's the first thing I hear as I walk through the door. Followed by "…that feels so good."

I roll my eyes as I find my roommate attached to the neck of the girl beneath her. Her hand moving between them but thankfully covered by her bed sheet, as moan after moan escapes their lips. I clear my throat hoping that would bring attention to the fact that I'm in the room, but as I watch the girl's back arch and her head get thrown back I know that they didn't hear me. I rub at my eyes as I take in a deep breath and release it slowly.

"You do realize it's like eight o'clock in the morning right?" My voice causes my roommate to remove her attention from the neck before her and place them on me.

"She has a ten o'clock class." She looks down then back up at me as she says this, never once ceasing her movements. She says it as if it were the most obvious thing in the world and I can't help but roll my eyes. That's three eye rolls before I've even started my day, at this rate, who knows how many there'll be by nightfall.

I sigh. "Jess…" She's giving me the puppy dog look that she knows I can't resist. I foolishly attempt to be strong, to try and go against her pouting, but the longer she looks at me the more I can feel my resolve breaking.

"I'll be in the common room…and I better not hear one peep out of you two." I make my way to the door beside my bed.

"You won't…I promise."

"I better not. I'll see you later…bye Lola." I say as I walk completely into our common room.

"Bye." It comes out as more of a moan than anything else and I can't hold back eye roll number four as I close the common room door.

Taking a seat on one of the couches, I grab the remote and turn the TV on. Less than two minutes later the door on the other side of the common room opens and my suite mate walks in, wearing shorts and a half shirt. Not noticing me, she walks the short distance to the mini fridge and opens it up.

"Hey, Terri."

She turns around to find me laying on the couch watching CNN. "Hey, Spencer." She smiles before walking over and taking a seat on the couch opposite the one I'm on.

"What're you doing in here?"

"Jess and Lola." I say gesturing in the direction of my room.

"Ah, I see." She rolls her eyes and I can't help smiling.

"Yeah…what're you doing up?"

"I have class at ten."

"Oh."

She shrugs her shoulders and gets up off the couch. "Not all of us can start our days after noon."

I laugh a little and nod my head. "You could if you planned your schedule accordingly."

"Yeah, yeah, I'll see you at lunch." She waves goodbye and walks through the door and into her room. I go back to watching the TV and before long I've fallen asleep.

-

I don't know for how long I was asleep, but it seems all too soon I'm being woken from it by the person I'm assuming to be my roommate. "If you like that arm of yours, I'd stop shaking me if I were you."

And sure enough it's her. "You do know you don't scare me right?"

I ignore her as I attempt to bury myself deeper into the couch cushions. "I don't care, go away."

"Can't. Lunch starts in a half hour and we're discussing spring break."

"I don't care."

She laughs for a second and I can only assume she's shaking her head right now. "If you're gonna be difficult, I'll stop being nice."

I lift my head off of the couch and open one eye to look up at her. "Go. Away." I make sure I emphasize each word before placing my head back onto the couch cushion and attempting to get back to sleep.

"Fine, but remember you asked for it."

I start to get comfortable when I hear music coming from our room. I cover my ears as I try to block out the sound coming from the next room but it only seems to be getting louder and louder until it's blasting right against my ear. I sit up and stretch before getting off the couch, finding Jess standing there holding her laptop with a triumphant smirk plastered all over her face. "I hate you."

She just laughs. "Again I say, you asked for it."

I roll my eyes at her, bringing the total to a whopping five before noon, and make my way into our shared room. "You can turn that off now." I say over my shoulder.

"But I like this song."

"Yeah, well, I don't."

An evil smirk appears across her face before she starts to sing. "You get the best of both worlds. Chillin' out, take it slow, then you rock out the show." She even does a one arm air guitar.

She looks at me planning to continue before she sees the look plastered across my face and decides, instead, to turn the song off. "Thank you."

She sets her laptop down and walks over to her bed and takes a seat. "No problem."

I move to the sink in the corner of the room and open the medicine cabinet and grab my tooth brush and my toothpaste.

"So, you excited about spring break? After five o'clock today, we're free." She says as she flips through her magazine.

I turn around and lean back onto the sink as I put toothpaste onto my tooth brush. "Oh yeah, I'm so looking forward to being stuck in this room for 10 days."

She raises an eyebrow at me and shakes her head. "Why are you under the misinformed impression that you'll be spending spring break here when, in reality, you'll be in Myrtle Beach with us?"

"Because I'm not going with you guys." I say avoiding eye contact.

"Why the hell not?"

I shrug and turn back to the sink, looking at her through the mirror there. "I don't feel like it."

"And that's why you should come. Look, as far as I can tell, you're looking to mope around here for a week, when you could be on a beach, with your friends, drinking margaritas, and watching girls run around in their bikinis."

"As tempting as that sounds, I just don't feel like being around people."

"Too bad, cause you're coming." I shake my head, ready to argue when she cuts me off. "You're not gonna sit around moping over bitchtastic for a week. So, you're going of your own free will or I'll drag your ass there. Either way, you'll be sitting on a beach, with your friends, drinking margaritas, and watching girls run around in their bikinis. Got it?"

I sigh, knowing immediately I won't be able to change her mind. "Fine…and don't call her that."

"Why? It's only fitting." I smile before turning around and starting to brush my teeth.

There's a knock at the door and then it's opened. Lola walks in and Jess gets up to give her a kiss hello. "Hey, baby." She says as she smiles up at Jess, then turning to look at me she gives me a small wave. "Hey, Spence."

I nod my head in her direction, not being able to give her a verbal hello as a result of the toothbrush working around in my mouth.

She smiles at me for a moment before turning her attention back to her girlfriend. She's nervous for some reason and as the next words leave her lips, I instantly know why. "So…we need to talk."

Jess looks at me before returning her attention back to Lola. "Is this a we're-about-to-break-up-we-need-to-talk or is it more of a Spencer-needs-to-leave-because-we're-about-to-have-happy-naked-time-we-need-to-talk?"

I can't help but start laughing, that is until Jess sends me a glare, forcing me to pretend to be preoccupied with brushing my teeth and not listening in on their conversation.

"It's more of a I-have-news-you're-not-going-to-like-we-need-to-talk."

Jess sighs before grabbing her desk chair and taking a seat. "Okay, you know the drill." She says gesturing to her lap, to which, Lola lifts her skirt up slightly before straddling her lap. I can't help but smile and shake my head at their method of bad news delivery.

I watch through the mirror as Lola begins kissing all over Jess' neck, her left hand moving under Jess' shirt, while the right stays perched on Jess' hip. Jess has both her hands on Lola's thighs and is moving them back and forth.

"Okay, I hate to do this, but I'm calling a hand check here." I say as I turn to face them, leaning back against the sink.

"Spence." She's giving me her puppy dog look again, but this time I'm not looking at her.

"That's not going to work." I say to the ceiling.

"Fine." As I turn back around to rinse my mouth out, I see her raise her arms up in a surrender type fashion, her hands on either side of her face and holding them there. Lola is continuing her assault on Jess' neck as her hips start to grind into Jess' lap.

"I'm not doing spring break with you guys."

"What? Why?"

Lola kisses her neck a few times before answering. "I promised dad I'd go with him to Virginia."

Grabbing a towel off the hook, I wipe my mouth before turning around and walking to my desk and taking a seat at my desk chair as I start to lace up my shoes.

"Can't you do that some other time?"

She looks down at Jess' lips before looking into her eyes. "It's important to him."

"Well, spring break's important to me." They stare at each other for a long time. Both girls challenging the other, hoping the other will back down. Jess is the first to look away, a sigh escaping her lips. And, in that instance, all three of us know Lola has won. "Say hi to your dad for me."

Lola smiles before throwing her arms around Jess' neck and hugging her. "Are you mad?" She asks pulling back.

Jess gives her a strained smile before shaking her head, her hands still on either side of her face.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm positive." Lola leans in and gives her a kiss that's quickly heading to a less than G rated place, despite Jess' hands still being on either side of her face. I start to clear my throat and point to the clock once Jess gives me her attention. "Okay, we've gotta go, but I'll see you after class." She says as Lola gets off her lap.

"Okay. I have to get to class anyway, love you." She kisses Jess one last time before making her way to the door.

"Love you too."

"I'll see you later Spence."

"Later." Once the door is closed behind her, I turn my attention to Jess, the amusement evident on my face. "Man, you're whipped." I start to laugh and she sends a pillow flying across the room and into my face.

"Shut up."

"Whatever, you ready to go?" She nods before grabbing her jacket and making her way towards the door.

We walk out of the room, me following behind her, stopping for a second to lock the door before making our way to the stairs and down to the lobby. Walking out of Clewell, we head in the direction of the Refectory, otherwise known as the Rat.

After piling two slices of pizza, some fries, and two oatmeal raisin cookies onto my plate and mixing Sprite and Lipton Ice Tea for my drink, Jess and I make our way to the table Kyla is currently sitting at.

"Hey, Ky." Jess and I seem to say in unison.

Kyla laughs. "Okay, that was weird…you two spend way too much time together."

"I know! I keep trying to get rid of her but she can't seem to take the hint." I roll my eyes for the sixth time before smiling at the both of them.

"So…spring break."

"Hold on. We're still waiting for Terri and Chelsea." I nod, taking a bite into my pizza.

"Well there's Terri." Jess says as she nods towards the front of the Rat. We watch as she scans her ID before making her way to the food. Turning my attention back to my own plate I see Jess' eyes move over Terri's body as a smirk appears on her face.

I shake my head before smacking her in the back of hers. "Stop."

She rubs at her head before setting her glare on me. "That was uncalled for…I was just looking."

"Yeah and if your girlfriend were here, you'd be dying." I return to my pizza while Kyla just laughs.

"Hey, guys." We look up to find Terri placing her plate on the table and smiling at each of us. Kyla and I both offer up a wave, while Jess decides to go with an insult.

"Big head."

Terri sighs. "You really wanna go there baby teeth?"

Jess just scoffs. "You don't scare me small ears." By this point, they're both grinning like idiots and Kyla and I are just shaking our heads.

"Don't make me attack your lazy eye."

"Well-"

"Stop!" Kyla says throwing her arms into the air. "I'm calling a truce, so sit your ass down and shut up until Chelsea gets here."

"I'm here. Sorry I'm late. I totally spaced on the time." Chelsea says as she sets her plate down and takes a seat between Terri and Kyla.

I smile at her before turning to face Jess, watching as she rubs the spot right above her left eye. Rolling my eyes, I lean in and whisper in her ear. "Before you even ask, you are the only one, I repeat, the only one that can see the laziness in that eye, so just drop it."

"Okay, so you guys know the jest. We're staying at my parents condo in North Myrtle. I've been there a few times so trust me when I say, you won't be disappointed. Anyway, we're in the penthouse but there are only three rooms and since there are six of us, we have to decide who's rooming with who."

"It's actually just the five of us." Jess says as she sets her glass down.

"What happened to Lola?"

She shrugs. "Family thing."

"Okay, so it's the five of us. And I call my own room. So who's rooming with who?"

I'm still deciding when Chelsea starts to speak. "I call Spencer." Then turning to Terri, she says, "No offense but you don't sleep before two am and Jess, I don't think I can take your Hannah Montana obsession for ten days."

"Miley and it's not an obsession." Chelsea just shrugs and sips her drink.

"Great, now I have to deal with it."

"Shut it, big head."

Kyla rolls her eyes at Jess' childishness and continues. "Okay, issue number two. Who else is driving? I know I am and Chelsea's riding with me so decide amongst yourselves."

Jess and I both look at each other before nodding and speaking in unison. "Terri."

"Cool. I take it you two are riding with her." We both nod. "Alright, last thing is when do you wanna leave? I figure we can leave around eight tonight and get there around midnight or we can wake up at the ass crack of dawn and make the drive."

"I pick eight tonight. There's no way I wanna wake up before ten tomorrow." I say with a shrug.

"Same here."

"Agreed."

"Yeah, me too."

"Okay, cool. Terri and I will park outside of Babcock, I expect all of you there at seven thirty packed and ready to go. We'll load up, hit the gas station and go." We all nod. "Alright, well, I officially call this spring break meeting to an end."

I stand, grabbing my plate and cup. "Okay, well, I have class so I'll see you guys later." I get a chorus of goodbyes as I walk away from the table.

-

Walking out of my last class of the day, I smile knowing that my spring break has officially begun. I make my way to Clewell, leaving the FAC (Fine Arts Center) behind me. I reach the second floor and realize I still need to pack. Groaning loudly I push the door open and find Jess sitting at her desk, a newly packed bag sitting on her bed.

"You're already packed?"

She laughs lightly. "I only had one class and time to kill, of course I'm packed."

I groan and fall onto my bed. "Do you wanna pack my stuff?"

"No, I really don't."

"You couldn't just be nice, could you?" Sighing I get up off the bed and make my way to the closet, grabbing the bag there and going into my dresser to get my clothes.

A half an hour later I'm on my bed exhausted and completely packed. I turn over onto my side and can already feel the heaviness of my eyelids. "Okay, it's decided, I'm taking a nap. Wake me up at six thirty okay?"

She nods absentmindedly, too focused on the TV to pay much attention. "Yeah, no problem." I fall asleep to the sound of the Hannah Montana theme song.

-

I open my eyes when I hear a not so quiet, "Jess…" followed by a series of moans. I take a look at the clock, it's six thirty, at least she woke me up. Although, I would have preferred a different method. I roll my eyes as Lola starts on a litany of fucks.

I take in a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to keep my annoyance at bay. "Please tell me you two aren't doing what I think you're doing."

Lola's moan and subsequent, "Fuck," gives me all the evidence I need. Getting out of bed, I walk into my closet and grab my towel.

"I'll be in the shower and you two better be done when I get out." I don't even stay to hear their goodbyes. I walk out of the room and close the door behind me. I make my way to the bathroom and run into Chelsea.

"Hey, Spence."

"Hey."

"Do you know if Kyla and Terri are in their room?" She asks pointing down the hallway.

"No clue. I just woke up, unfortunately to the moans of your roommate."

"So, that's where she ran off to."

"Yeah."

"Well, I should go and let you get to your shower. I'll see you tonight." She waves goodbye as she walks a little further down the hall and towards Terri and Kyla's room.

"Later."

-

Walking out of the shower, I place my shower caddy on the rack against the wall before making my way back to my room. As I walk in, I take a look at the clock before getting dressed. I have fifteen minutes left to get ready.

"So, where's Lola?"

Jess looks up from the bag in her hands. "She's helping Chelsea and Kyla with the food and drinks and stuff."

"Oh, okay." Having finished getting dressed, I pick up my shoes and begin to put them on.

"You ready?" I look up and find Jess holding both my bag and hers. I nod and follow her out.

We make our way out of Clewell and the short distance to Babcock where we find Chelsea, Lola, Kyla, Terri, and a girl I've never seen before waiting for us. We reach them and Jess moves to the trunk of Terri's car and places our bags inside before closing it.

"Okay, so there's a slight change in plans."

I look up at Kyla curiously before my eyes land on the brunette beside her. She smiles at me, her eyes the most beautiful shade of chestnut brown I've ever seen. I notice her nose is wrinkled slightly and I can't help but think how cute it looks. She runs a hand through her brown locks before giving her attention back to Kyla.

"So it turns out my sister's gonna be joining us." Kyla says as she jumps off the hood of Terri's car and makes her way to her own. Everyone else follows suit, obviously not thrown by the change.

I stand there looking at her for a moment before she approaches me. Her body moving with a confidence I've never really seen in anyone else. She reaches out a toned arm in front of her as that nose wrinkling smile takes over her face again. "Hi, I'm Ashley." Her voice is husky as she speaks. It's the perfect blend of feminine softness and masculine assertiveness, and honestly, it's music to my ears.

I grab the offered hand and as our fingers touch and eventually grasp one another, I swear the earth stopped moving and my heart skipped a beat. "Spencer."