She was thinking on her neighbor's behavior when someone gently tapped her on the shoulder. She looked over to find an extremely handsome man, smiling at her. Her stomach clenched for just a moment before he spoke to her.

"Hi, I'm Zach." He extended his hand and Beth shook it, returning his smile.

"Yeah, I know. We've been in the same class for a couple of months now.

"I wasn't sure you noticed, you're always sleeping." He laughed, causing her to grimace.

"I have neighbor problems. I don't sleep much." While she was talking, Zach moved into the seat next to hers.

"That'll do it. My first semester in the dorms, they used to pull the fire alarm at three every morning. I was a lot more surly back then." Zach and Beth talked until the professor entered the auditorium, causing a hush to fall over the crowd.

The next few weeks, Beth and Zach sat together, even going as far as meeting for coffee after class almost everyday thereafter. He seemed like the kind of boy that Beth's father would have liked. He was sweet, ambitious and very courteous. Beth surprised herself by inviting him over for a home cooked meal and study date for the next week. When she got home that night, she collapsed on her couch and dialed her sister. They had spoken infrequently since Beth's move, and she was starting to feel really homesick. At first, she didn't think that Maggie was going to answer, but her sister finally picked up.

"Beth?"

"Hey, Mags. What are you doing?"

"I'm at Glenn's making dinner. You?"

"Not much right now...but next week I have plans." Maggie could hear her sister smiling through the phone.

"Oh really, my sister the social pariah has a date? Is he rented?" Maggie teased her lightly while browning meat. She hadn't eaten well since her sister left, but she was very slowly learning to cook.

"No Maggie, I didn't bribe him either."

"I mean, it's okay if you did. That's why Glenn is still around, I trade se..."

"God Maggie, do not finish that sentence. Please don't finish that sentence. I don't think I can live with the images."

"You never did get over seein' me in the barn with that one guy, what's his name..." Maggie paused for a moment, deep in thought. "Shit, I can't remember. Anyway, you've been touchy about s-e-x ever since. what are you guys gonna do?"

"I'm cooking..." She hesitated for a moment, knowing how her sister was going to react. Maggie frowned deeply into the phone, dropping the spatula, and pacing quickly back in forth in front of the stove.

"That's stupid Beth. You shouldn't bring a boy over, alone. Anything could happen. You haven't even told me about him yet. How well could you possibly know him. He could be a rapist." Beth frowned at her sister, now wearing the same exact look as Maggie.

"Look, it sounds like yer gonna go on awhile and I got things ta do, so lets just leave it here for now and you can lecture me in a couple of days. Love ya." Beth hung up the phone as quickly as possible. She grabbed at the bag that was sitting next to her and opened it up, digging in it for a book. She had barely opened it before hearing squeals of delight next door. Great, the skank brigade is here. Beth sighed and put her book away, slinging the bag around her shoulder, she went in search of a better place to study for her midterms.

Beth had taken to studying down in the laundry room. It was dirty, just like everything else, but not too many people found their way inside of the dingy room. When she had discovered the long table, used to fold laundry, she immediately ran back to her apartment and gathered up cleaning supplies. Now that it was thoroughly disinfected, she spread her books across it and climbed up. She was going on her fifth hour of consecutive studying, aided by a vending machine close to the dryers, when her eyes began to drift closed. Her head drooped against the wall and she fell into a deep sleep, iPod playing softly while she snoozed.

She jerked awake when she felt someone pull the wire to her earbuds, causing them to topple out. Sitting upright, she weakly slapped her hand in their direction. The person barked out a chuckle and she looked up, met by a familiar red and black beanie.

"Um, you shouldn't be sleeping down here. It's for laundry...and like not for squatters" He made a face at her and she stared at him silently, face sullen.

"Do you live with Badger and Skinny Pete?" She knew damn well he did

"Yeah."

"Are you out to get me?" He looked at her confused, but didn't say anything. "I mean, do you just have something against me sleeping or what, because it's been like two or three months and here you are waking me up again." Beth waved her arms dramatically in the open space between them, causing him to flinch back just a little.

"What are you even talking about, yo." He looked at her defensively causing her to laugh loudly and directly in his face.

"Oh no? So it isn't you that put a subwoofer against the wall?" Got ya, jerk! She narrowed her eyes, daring him to argue. He started to pace in agitation, finally turning on his heels and walking back outside. Beth recalled the haunted look in his eyes and immediately felt guilty. Gathering up her things, she walked slowly back to her apartment, arriving just after black and red beanie closed his apartment door. Her stomach clenched again, guilt gnawing at her insides. Yep, it'll be another sleepless night, she thought to herself.

That night was the first that she didn't hear music blaring through the walls. Her head hit the pillow and she dozed, wrapped in a cocoon of warmth and contentment, until a blood curdling scream woke her up. When it didn't stop, she panicked, reaching for the large butcher knife that she kept beside her bed. The racket stopped abruptly and she put her head to the wall, she could still hear whimpering and thrashing from the other side. Her heart beat heavily in her ears and she placed her hand over it to keep it from jumping straight out of her chest. Finally convinced that her neighbor wasn't being killed, she rolled back over and closed her eyes. Suddenly, she could hear the thumping of speakers vibrating through the thin barrier of sheetrock. She tossed a pillow loosely over her head and sighed. It was going to be a very long night.

A red-eyed Beth looked at the digital letters of her alarm clock. She could feel Cat walking over her torso, meowing loudly. She swatted at him lightly with her hand and yelped when he stuck her with his extended claws. As she tried to free her now throbbing hand, the cat held on tighter, enjoying their game. Finally she was able to dislodge him in time to hear someone knocking lightly. She put her feet on the ground and slowly stood up, cracking her sore back. Moving slowly, she gathered her robe around her and walked to the door.

She was greeted by a pair of vibrant blue eyes, for a moment her breath caught. Red and black beanie was not wearing his signature hat today. His sandy blond hair stuck up in all directions, scruff graced his face and to her embarrassment, she found him really attractive.

"Yo, can I come in or something." He scratched the back of his neck and waited for her answer. Beth nodded her head and opened the door wider for him to enter. Following her lead, he walked over to the couch and sat down with his legs crossed. After he was seated, she eyed his feet on her couch and walked over to the kitchen. Pulling out two glasses, she filled them with sweet tea. She walked back to the couch and placed them on coasters.

"So, I'm sorry about last night and the..." He made an ambiguous gesture with his hand before continuing. "I've had a bad couple of years and shit. So, yeah, I'm sorry."

Beth folded her hands in her lap and waited to see if he had anything else to say, when he didn't finish, she stretched out her hand.

"I'm Beth Greene. Nice to meet you."

"Yeah, nice to meet you too. I'm Jesse. You're not from here." Beth shook her head.

"No, I'm from a small town in Georgia. Moved to get away from my brother and sister." As she was speaking, her cat jumped up on her lap and stuck its butt in her face. She swatted her hands back and forth. "Damn Cat!" She yelled, causing Jesse to laugh.

"What's its name?" Jess asked as he snatched the cat off of her lap and began to pet it, causing Cat to purr contentedly in his arms. Beth couldn't help but smile at the two of them, snuggled up together.

"Damn Cat."

"Yeah, but what's its name. Like, what do you call it." Jesse said slowly, as if she were a child that hadn't understood the question. Beth laughed uncontrollably.

"She. is. called. Damn. Cat." She choked out between giggles. "My brother started calling her that, it was just the only thing that stuck. Wont come to nothin' else." Jesse took a sip of the tea in front of him and nodded his head, letting loose a laugh of his own. Beth's stomach flip-flopped as they sat there looking at each other. Cat had made herself comfortable in Jesse's arms. Must have a way with the ladies. Beth sighed lightly.

"Well, I gotta bounce but maybe I'll see you again. Like by the dryers or something." He smiled broadly.

That isn't where she saw Jesse next. The week came and went without any her catching any sight of him. She had even developed a habit of hesitating at the door, trying to stall to see if he would come out and talk to her. No dice. As her date neared, she had put him out of her mind completely. She figured it was best to focus on one man at a time. Her sister had given her a long lecture, even with Beth pointing out the hypocrisy of the entire speech Maggie was undeterred. Now she was standing in her kitchen making dinner. Zach was running a few minutes late, but she didn't really think anything of it at first. However, when thirty minutes came and went, she started to panic just a little. She had never been stood up before and was more than willing to believe that he had been in an accident instead. Dialing his number, she cringed when she got his voicemail. An hour later, she was just pissed. She was pacing her kitchen when she heard a familiar voice float through the wall. Zach. She was sure it was him.

Steeling her resolve, she walked into the hallway and banged on the door.

"Who is it, yo? I'm busy." Beth knocked again, a little more violently this time. She heard the lock turn and the door creaked open slowly. When she saw Jesse's face, she pushed the door open, smacking him lightly in the leg on the way.

"What in the hell are you doing? Didn't they teach you, I don't know, manners where you came from." She glared at him and walked into his house just in time to see Zach lift a pipe to his lips. She moved quickly to the table and snatched the baggy that was sitting there. Jesse's apartment was identical to her own and she navigated her way to the bathroom easily. She could hear Jesse yelling behind her, but she didn't stop until she had flushed everything down the toilet. When she rounded the corner, she was face to face with her very angry neighbor.

"What did you do that for, bitch?" Beth narrowed her eyes and put a hand on her hip.

"You have a problem. Normally I wouldn't make it my problem, but he was supposed to be my date for tonight and it's been a really really long time since I've had a date. A long time. This is entirely yer fault..." Beth turned on heel and marched towards the door. She could hear Jesse swearing behind her. Zach reached his hand out and caught the hem of Beth's sundress. She turned around and swatted at him, but he only held on tighter.

"Let her go. Take you're hands off her, alright, or you wont be getting any more free sconte, my sconte, bitch." Jesse broke Zach's hold and spun Beth around by the shoulders, pushing her gently towards the door. When they got in the hallway, she rounded on him, prepared to dress him down, but he beat her to it.

"I'm sorry, okay. I just thought he was here to see Badger or something." Beth's eyebrows drew together in confusion. "What, he didn't tell you? He's here all the time. That's Badger's cousin."

"Ugh." Was all that she could manage before storming off into her apartment and banging pots and pans loudly. He hadn't been a rapist, but Maggie had been right all along. She hadn't known what she was getting herself into. She pitched herself onto the couch and let the tears that had been threatening her since Jesse's apartment fall, one by one, until the dam broke. She could barely hear someone knocking through the sobs. Choosing to ignore it, she placed her head in a decorative pillow and continued to cry.

"Come on, I know you're in there. I can hear you crying through the door." Darn it! She snorted angrily and went to the door. Placing her ear to it, she couldn't hear any evidence of her "date" being on the other side.

"What do you want Jesse."

"I didn't mean to screw up your date, okay. I'm sorry. I can come in and be your date yo. I know I'm probably not as charming as that asshat, but..."

"Are you shitting me? You came over here to be my date? You didn't really think that through did you.." She looked incredulously at the door.

"Umm, no. Not really, but just open the door." Beth turned her deadbolt and opened her door slowly, glaring at Jesse the entire time. He put up his hands in surrender causing her to roll her eyes.

"No, wait, we have to do this right." Jesse said before he ran quickly down the hall and disappeared down the stairwell. Well that's just about right. Going as well as the first one did. She shut her door and went back to the couch. She heard Jesse's door slam and she huffed out a breath. Nope, this one is worse. The date actually ran away, Maggie will have a field day. A few minutes later she heard someone banging on the door. She didn't know if she should be relieved or not, but she opened the door anyway. Standing on the threshold was a cleaned up version of Jesse, wearing a long sleeved shirt and clip on tie, holding a bouquet of fake flowers. Sensing her confusion, he opened his mouth to explain.

"Jackie in 2D keeps them." He shrugged and it made Beth laugh.

"You stole me some flowers, very romantic. Please come in, the table's still set. We'll have to nuke the food though." She gestured for him to come inside and he shyly handed her the flowers. She went to her cupboards and pulled out a mason jar. Least I don't have to water 'em. She smiled at Jesse as he sat down, looking around with a goofy grin on his face. She placed his plate in the microwave and poured him a glass of tea. After they finally got to tuck into their meals, Jesse ate with gusto, making groaning noises she recognized as pleasure. Blushing, she thought about the night she put her ear against his wall.

"I don't think yer girlfriend will be too happy about you being on a date right now." Jesse snorted into his tea.

"That shouldn't be a problem. No girlfriend." Beth looked like she was waiting for an explanation, but Jesse remained tight lipped, choosing to change the subject.

"So, what's your family think about you being here. You know, so far from home." He glanced back at his plate after asking.

"They don't like it much I guess." She stabbed at her food with a fork a looked back up. "I left after my daddy died. My momma, she's been gone a long time now and I guess daddy was the only thing really keepin' me there. I miss 'em though. They miss me. It's tough sometimes, but I'm sure you know that already with the walls bein' as thin as they are." She took a breath and looked back up at him. He had put his fork down to listen to her talk.

"Yeah, my family...My parents can be real ball busters. My brother though, man, my brother is like this really smart kid."

"You talk to 'im?"

"Nah, not in a long time...This is really good." He picked his fork back up and began eating again. They spent the rest of dinner telling stories and laughing at each other. When Beth looked at the clock behind Jesse's head, it read midnight. Catching her line of sight, he glanced up at the clock and back at Beth.

"Well, I guess I need to bounce, but this was fun. Hit me up if your next date doesn't work out." She smacked his arm gently from across the table and stood up to walk him out. When they got to the door, he hesitated for a moment. Beth looked at him in confusion, only to be taken by surprise when placed a gentle kiss on her lips. He smiled and walked next door. She stared at the empty hall for a moment, before hearing loud hoots and hollers from Badger and Skinny Pete. Shaking her head, she closed the door and went to clean up.