WOW. Okay, so it's been a while since I've updated. I'm so sorry for that. School has come back and has bitten me in the ass. And I wanna thank everyone for reading and reviewing. It really motivates me to take the time to write when I know people actually care, especially since I could be napping with my free time. Haha. Keeding.

Anyway, not much Aaron in this chapter but the plot does start to thicken in this chapter! I'm glad everyone likes Lauren so far. Well I'll let you go - hope you enjoy!

"So your moms are best friends and you've been friends since birth?" Kayla clarified before taking a sip of her coffee. It was just past noon and instead of calling Aaron when she first woke up, Lauren decided to get to know her roommate better.

The other girl nodded as she looked across the grounds of Spenser Academy. The brochures were nothing compared to the real thing when you could really feel the cool breeze and see the autumn leave all around you.

Lauren felt she had made a good decision to come, but was it the right decision for her?

"So he isn't always a jerk, is he?" Kayla questioned quietly from behind Lauren. She had to laugh at the question. She was well aware of the reputation that Aaron had built up for himself while at Spenser.

She shook her head before responding, "No, he isn't always such an asshole. He can be really sweet when he wants to be. But those moments are very rare and none of them have been while he was at school."

The blonde just nodded her head before sitting down on one of the lunch tables in the courtyard. She wasn't sure what to make of the girl who was Aaron Abbot's best friend at first, but now she knew she was harmless and genuinely a good person. She had a gut feeling that she was going to have an easy and slightly eventful year with Lauren as a roommate.

"How long have you been attending Spenser?" Lauren questioned while pulling her jacket closer. She may love the cold weather, but she wasn't completely used to it. Especially since it was barely September and she could already see her breath.

"I just transferred in halfway through last year. My dad moved to Boston for a job and found this school. He said it was perfect for getting into an Ivy League, which has been his dream for me," Kayla said before draining her cup of all its remaining contents.

"Ah, so where do you want to go?"

She laughed at the thought that Lauren managed to see through her façade of really wanting what her dad wanted, "Strangely enough, Tulane. My mother's an alumni and I've visited the campus before. I love it."

"Right down on St. Charles Avenue. Good choice. What do you want to major in?"

Kayla's nose scrunched up a bit at the question, "That much is undecided."

"I get that. I'm right there with you on that."

The blonde laughed at the answer, "What about you? Where's your dream school?"

Lauren made a face, "I'm not sure I necessarily have a dream college. Tulane was my dream for a while, but that died. And then I was all crazy for Harvard or Yale. But being here in Massachusetts, I'm not too sure anymore."

"Okay, so…" Kayla thought for a moment while Lauren took another sip of her coffee. It had turned slightly cold, but she didn't mind.

"If your best friend totally blew you off like Aaron did, what would you do," she asked while adjusted the scarf around her neck.

She had lived her entire life in the south, the kind of weather she was experiencing now was usually November weather. 'Reminder to get more scarves, hats, and gloves,' she thought, stuffing her hands into her pockets.

The other girl bit her lip in thought, trying to imagine herself in Lauren's situation. She would be mad, of course. Standing alone for an hour and a half, who wouldn't be? And then there was the fiasco this morning, him making a complete fool of himself. But that really shows he does care.

"I'd eventually forgive him, but not right away," Kayla said, slowly. "I'd make sure he realized how badly that hurt to be abandoned like that and make it clear I won't let that happen to me anymore."

Lauren nodded at the answer. She knew she had to talk to Aaron, but she just didn't feel like doing that yet. They might have grown up together, but they only saw each other a handful of times over the school year and usually spent all summer together.

Usually if there was a fight, it wouldn't matter because it'd be weeks before they saw each other again and things would have been forgotten. But being at the same school meant they had to actually work things out now, because they had to actually see each other every day.

"If he weren't such an asshole at times, I wouldn't be having this problem," Lauren bemoaned while laying her head on the table. She pouted as though she were three and denied a teddy bear.

Kayla laughed at her behavior, "Come on, let's get you into the warmth before you die of hypothermia and you'll never get the chance to make things up with him."

The blonde just rolled her eyes when her new friend said, "Perfect! You want to do a sleepover on the grounds tonight?"

"Answer it already or put the damn phone on vibrate!" Kayla said, while pulling her earphones out. Since they got back to the room they decided to do their own things with Lauren organizing her closet and Kayla finishing that paper. But for the last two hours, Lauren's phone kept ringing and she never answered it.

"Sorry," Lauren said, offering a small smile.

"No, don't worry about it. But I think you should answer it. After this morning, I wouldn't put it past him to try throwing rocks at our window and breaking it," Kayla replied, looking warily in the direction of the windows.

Lauren laughed before setting the ringer to vibrate and slipping it into the back pocket of her jeans. She really wanted to answer the phone, but she just wasn't sure what she was going to say to him.

"Mother fucker!" she screeched as her back pocket started vibrating. She had been putting a dress onto a hanger and ended up throwing it into the air. Kayla looked up from her laptop just as the dress came floating to the ground with Lauren grabbing her butt.

"Just answer it already," she suggested, trying very hard not to laugh at the scene. Lauren just glowered at her but jumped as it vibrated again.

"Think of the poor dresses," Kayla replied. This time she laughed as she dodged a hanger thrown at her head. "You are seriously weird. I hear about you climbing onto pool tables at Nicky's and yet here you are, pouting at a cell phone."

"Hey, now, no judging the weird bitch. It's not her fault her best friend is an obsessive asshole who likes calling more times than should be healthy," Lauren defended, glaring at the phone as it buzzed in her hands another time.

Finally she chose to turn it off, tossing it onto her bed. Kayla laughed at the gesture but was glad Lauren finally chose to do something. Even if it wasn't what she had been suggesting.

"Is there anywhere to go in Ipswich besides Nicky's," questioned Lauren while fingering a black dress. She had bought it right before moving into Spenser and hadn't had a chance to use it yet. "A bunch of prep school bitches, we have to be able to come up with something to do other than a biker bar."

Kayla just gave her a smile before going back to work on her essay. Catching the grin, she had to wonder, "What are you keeping from me?"

"Nothing," her roommate feigned shock, placing an innocent look on her face. "Just be ready by seven tonight and we'll be just fine."

Amused at the situation, Lauren went back to working on her closet and just as she was going to ask Kayla what she should wear she heard, "Be sure to wear that black dress. Tonight's the perfect night to wear it."

'Yep, she's a keeper,' she thought with a smile while taking the dress out of the closet and laying it across her bed.

"Where are we going?" Lauren asked as the blonde turned on a sharp corner. There weren't many paved streets in Ipswich and driving through the woods, basically, was started to unnerve her.

"We're almost there," Kayla replied, taking another turn. And right there in front of them was a giant mansion, all lit up, with a number of teenagers milling into it.

"House parties," Lauren said, after taking in the scene. She got out of the car, careful not to stumble in her heels. "This is what you all do for fun?"

"There aren't any clubs here, only in Boston. So house parties are the only way to have some fun," she explained, shoving on her own pair of heels. She told Lauren at great length how much she hated wearing shoes while driving.

"Did we have to park so far away?"

"Do you want to sleep here overnight? If we parked closer we would have been blocked in," Kayla said, slipping her arm through Lauren's, pulling her to go walk faster. "It won't be that bad, I promise!"

"I like how you say 'that bad.'"

She just got a laugh in return and continued being dragged by the smaller girl. As they got closer to the actual house, Lauren could hear the bass of the music thumping. As much as she wanted to deny it, she was getting excited. She always did at the chance to let go and have fun and dance.

"Is that a smile on your face?" Kayla asked with a rather smug look on her face.

"Shut up," Lauren said, fighting back the grin on her face. They finally reached the house, after making their way through the crowds of kids surrounding the outside. "I didn't think there were that many kids at Spenser."

"Half of these kids go to the other private or public schools in the area. If there's a party any school can crash it."

They made their way into the massive mansion, walking through bodies, finally ending up in the kitchen. From there the girls could see where a majority of the dancing was happening, where people were hooking up, and where all the booze was.

Lauren was slightly impressed at the set-up, "Who hires a DJ for a house party?"

"Tyler always does."

There was a slight twinge in Kayla's voice that Lauren couldn't help but pick up on and pulled her closer, "Do you like this Tyler?"

The only answer she got was the bright blush that spread across her face. The dark-haired girl laughed and grabbed two glasses, quickly pouring some champagne she found into them, "Here's to getting you laid tonight."

"Lauren!" Kayla exclaimed, while slapping her in the arm. She pouted for a second but accepted the bubbly drink, tapping her glass to Lauren's. "I'll gladly drink to that."

The two girls laughed loudly at the last comment and downed the drink and poured more. Just as they polished off their third glass a boy with blue eyes and brown hair came up to them, Kayla quickly shutting up.

Lauren looked at the boy and he was cute, but in a nice guy way. She hoped this was Tyler because if he wasn't she'd have to convince Kayla that this guy seemed like a perfect match for her.

"Tyler!"

'Bingo,' thought Lauren, quick to take another sip of her drink. She looked at the two and imagined how cute they would be. Boy next door meets the girl next door – it was just right.

"I'm gonna go look around, see if I can't make any friends." Lauren said, though neither paid attention. As she passed by Kayla she muttered, "Leave a sign or something if I shouldn't come back to the dorm, okay?"

She walked away, grinning, when she heard a gasp come from her new roommate, 'That was totally worth it.'

Wandering around, she moved carefully as to not touch any of the sweaty grinding bodies. She grimaced at the girls who were too drunk to realize they were showing everything to the world. Lauren snuck into an empty corner, grabbing some spiked punch along the way.

She watched all the people around her dancing and doing things you couldn't imagine them doing while they were in the Spenser blazer and tie. She grinned wryly to herself wondering which of these, currently, sex-driven teens she'd see playing the model student come Monday morning.

'Oh the irony of the young and wealthy,' Lauren mused, taking a sip of the drink. She crinkled her nose at the taste of vodka, having had bad experiences with the liquor, but continued to sip at her cup.

"My, my, what do we have here?" A voice questioned just to her side. It whispered right in her ear and Lauren had to jump back at the shock.

"Who, the fuck, are you," she asked, looking back into a pair of blue eyes. They were so light that they were translucent. A shiver ran down her spine and she noted how a smirk crossed his face.

"That is a question for another time, Ms. Li."

Lauren raised an eyebrow at this, "How do you know my name?"

"Spenser is a small school – you're like a celebrity. The girl who made Aaron fall to his knees."

She smiled a little at the title, but regained her composure, "I have no idea what you're talking about. And how could you possibly think I'm the same girl, maybe I'm just a new student."

"You do and I was there."

Lauren deflated a little, 'There goes my mysterious bit…'

She took another sip of her drink, her eyes never leaving his face, "Well since you know all about me, I think it's only polite to tell me your name."

"No, I disagree," this boy replied, slipping the drink from her hands and placing it on the table beside them. To say Lauren was intrigued by his take charge attitude was an understatement, she was freaking turned on by it.

"Let's see how you move and then I'll think about telling you my name," he whispered before pulling her close to him, her back to his chest. They moved together to the beat of the song and Lauren couldn't help but let herself go. She enjoyed dancing and dancing with somebody as rough and uncouth as him was definitely her taste.

Song after song played and they continued to dance, leaving little space between them and the sweat poured. Lauren didn't care that she probably looked disgusting; the alcohol in her system had worked its way and was starting to cloud her judgment on everything but how to move. Nothing had a consequence at that moment and she was free to do whatever, having made a mental note to deal with everything after she got rid of, what she was sure would be, a massive hangover.

"Sorry to leave you like this, Cinderella, but it's almost twelve," he breathed into her ear. By now all flirtation she usually planned out in her head was completely gone and all she wanted was to be as close to him as possible.

Lauren launched herself into his arms, her mouth aiming for his. He eagerly responded, moving his hands into her mussed hair. Neither was sure how long they kissed before coming up for air. Hazel met blue and in a flash he was gone, leaving Lauren just the slightly bit sad at the thought.

"Lauren! There you are! I've been looking all – are you okay?" Kayla asked, her hand now in Tyler's. Lauren looked them over before slumping into Kayla's arms that suddenly drew her in.

The combination of an overwhelming surge of feelings, the effects of alcohol, and the heat of the countless teenage bodies turned out to be too much for Lauren at the moment.

She briefly heard Kayla telling Tyler that they had to go back to the dorms now and felt herself being lifted. Her world faded just as soon as she was placed into Kayla's car.

"Holy shit, remind me to never drink again." Lauren moaned as she woke up the next morning. The sunlight that streamed through the window burned and the pounding in her head refused to let her think past the pain.

"Well at least you had fun." Kayla muttered before pressing something cool into her hands along with a bottle in the other.

"Thanks," she said before popping two pills into her mouth and quickly washing down both of them with two gulps of water. The water alone made her feel just a bit better as her mouth felt like it was made of sand paper.

"Ugh…" Lauren responded before falling back onto her pillows. "What time is it?"

"It's just past eleven. I have a croissant and some coffee here for you, if you have the appetite for it."

"The coffee sounds lovely, no food yet though."

A few sips of the warmth soothed her a little more as she felt the aspirin start to kick in, "What happened?"

Kayla sat down on her bed, crossing her feet under her before starting, "Well, Tyler and I found you and you started passing out. He carried you to the car and that's when you finally passed out. He came back with us and brought you up to our dorm. I let him drive back with my car."

"Oh damn… I haven't done anything like that since I was a sophomore…"

Her roommate giggled at that, "Oh, your phone has been buzzing for the past hour. It's Aaron. I think you should call him back."

Just as she finished saying that, they both heard a buzz from Lauren's bedside table. She shot Kayla a look who gave her a stern one in return, and she huffed before answering, "Hey Aaron."

"What the fuck, Lauren. I know you're mad but how could you do that to me? You know what an asshole I think he is!"

"Whoa, what are you talking about?"

"As if you don't know what I'm talking about! Your little show with Garwin – does that ring any bells yet?"

"No, actually…" Lauren trailed off as last night started replaying in her head. The blonde hair. The cocky attitude. The blue eyes. "Oh shit."

"Yeah, oh shit! I can't believe you were that-"

She quickly hung up the phone and fell back onto her bed. "Kayla, what does Reid Garwin look like?"

Her roommate had sat there patiently watching and was quite confused at what the Son of Ipswich had to do with anything, "Blue eyes, light blonde hair. Why?"

"Does he wear a pair of fingerless gloves," Lauren asked softly, unable to get the feel of the gloves resting on her hips as they held her while she and this mystery boy danced out of her head.

"Yeah, he's pretty infamous for them." Kayla replied, her eyes furrowed with speculation. "Did you meet him last night or something?"

Lauren thought for a moment of how to respond to this. Finally she got up and looked Kayla right in the eyes, "I think I made out with him last night."

"What do you mean 'you think'?"

"As in I was drunk, we danced, he was hot and we made out."

"Oops…"

'That is so an understatement,' Lauren thought as curled up onto her bed, pulling the pillow over her head. 'Aaron's going to kill me.'

Tada! Chapter 2! Woo. Now, go read my other story if you want! It's just as good and was my first baby before One Time. Haha. So yeah. Enjoyed their first meeting, even though Lauren didn't know about it? Haha.

Now the next chapter will have more Aaron and probably just al little bit of Reid.. But who knows.. since I haven't started writing it yet. But yeah. This is a really quick update, so if there are any mistakes in my writing - forever sorry about that!

Until next time! :]