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Chapter 3 – Not Just a Chapman

Piper and Polly had drank just enough alcohol to be able to speak confidently to any guy they were about to meet, but not so much that they couldn't stumble their way to Annie's house. To Polly's surprise, the house was full of people, mostly college students that Piper recognised, all drunk and dancing to loud dubstep music that rang in her ears. She pulled down the tight blue dress she immediately had regretted putting on, it kept sliding too far up her legs. If her mom or dad saw her wearing this she wouldn't live to see another day.

'Wow! this party is actually amazing Pipes!' Polly slurred her words, falling into Pete's arms who had come to the door to greet them.

'I was gonna say do you guys want another drink! But I think Poll has had enough for now!' He shouted over the music.

'Yeah, I'll have another. I'll wait here, take her with you please!' Piper laughed, enjoying watching Pete struggle with his girlfriend who was now smothering him with kisses that he nearly fell back onto the sofa.

'Right. Come on Poll. Be back in a sec!'

Piper scanned the room as she stood in the corner, for anyone she might know. There were stains already on the cream carpet, and people were everywhere, laying on the sofas, sat all the way up the stairs, using the kitchen as a mosh pit zone. Piper didn't want to know what Annie's parents would say when they found the state their house was in.

'Hey there, I'm gonna be honest. You're fucking beautiful.' Piper turned to see a red faced drunk jock, towering over her. He moved his hand to her hip, and she laughed nervously, pushing it away. She realised she wasn't quite drunk enough to flirt back with a sleazy stranger nor give him what he clearly was looking for.

'Uh- thank you. I'm just gonna go see where my friend is.' She pushed past him and weaved through the maze of dancing students, towards the kitchen where Pete would be.

Piper was passing the stairs when a random girl fell back into her, pushing her against the bannister, and for a few moments she stayed there on the floor, head spinning. With one hand on the bannister she yanked herself up, and then once she achieved balance standing up, leant to pull down her dress again. She was just about to slip her heels off when all of a sudden, from nowhere, a familiar face flew into sight and came inches close to hers. Two arms slammed onto the wall she was leaning against and were positioned either side of her shoulders, just stopping their heads from clashing.

Alex Vause. Their eyes locked, and suddenly everything else around them was a blur, as if in slow motion. Alex stared deep into Piper's sky blue eyes, and Piper studied Alex's evergreen irises. She even noticed there were tiny flecks of hazel in them. After a few seconds that felt like minutes, the green eyes unlocked themselves from Piper's and moved down to her body, right to her feet, and back up to her face.

Piper broke from the trance she was in, clearing her throat, and Alex dropped her hands back by her side into her jacket pockets.

'Sorry. I got pushed.' She looked around the room.

'It's okay.' Piper said, being the one to scan Alex's body up and down now. She stood so casually but to watch her was somehow entrancing.

'Wanna get some fresh air? It's hot in here.' Without looking back, Alex pushed pass the drunken crowd that had just literally shoved her onto Piper, and she intuitively followed, feeling the magnetic attraction towards the brunette once again.

The air was cold and crisp, causing Piper to shiver and take in a sharp breath when it hit her exposed skin. The music became background as they stood in the quiet of the garden, only a few drunk people here and there talking amongst themselves.

Alex walked further on, sat on the steps of the patio and lit a cigarette, the hot orange glow about the only thing Piper could see past the light of the house. A few minutes passed before Piper realised she was still stood by the door, just watching Alex, who turned round.

'Aren't you gonna sit? I know we're meant to hate each other, but I don't bite. Most of the time.' She chuckled at her own joke, inhaling another puff of smoke and letting it escape out the corner of her mouth.

Piper shuffled across the patio and sat down awkwardly so as not to let her dress slide up too far, and she felt Alex's eyes on her legs, who smirked.

'Cold, huh?'

'A bit.'

'Guess you've gotta sacrifice warmth if you wanna look beautiful.'

Butterflies flew round Piper's stomach at those words and she didn't know how to respond.

'So. What do you study?' Alex continued.

'History.'

'Ah. Classic Chapman.'

'Is it really?' Piper smiled at the comment even though it probably wasn't a compliment. 'What do you study?'

'English literature.'

'Nice. I love literature. But my parents thought I was better off...' Piper didn't want to finish the sentence, her parents were the last thing she wanted to talk about with Alex right now, who broke the silence she had just created.

'Why do your parents make your choices for you?'

Piper watched Alex inhaling the cigarette smoke so gracefully, if that was even possible to do. 'I- they don't make my choices. They just have a big influence in my decision making.' She half laughed, but Alex didn't.

'That sucks. Life is what you make it, not what somebody else makes it. It's your life Chapman. You gotta start living it.' She let out a last puff of smoke before stubbing the cigarette on the ground and wrapping her arms tight round her body.

'Fuck its cold. You didn't even bring a jacket?'

'I don't know, I wasn't really thinking. I drank a bit too much before I came here and now I'm really regretting wearing this dress, plus the fact that it's way too small for me.' Piper laughed and Alex couldn't help but laugh along with her because her laugh was infectious, and they were both clearly comfortable in each other's company, even though there wasn't much conversation.

'Well. I think it's a very nice dress. And it looks expensive. This outfit I'm wearing, I wear all the time. At least you get a massive choice of party outfits. Bet you have a walk in wardrobe, am I right?'

Piper giggled, resting her chin on her knees that she hugged close to her chest. 'No! It's not that big. And I like your outfit. It suits you, your style. I would just look stupid.'

'Are you saying my choice of fashion is stupid?' Alex leant away from Piper, acting as if she was horrified.

'No! No I think it looks great, I'm just saying that I wouldn't pull it off-'

'Haha, I'm just messing with you.' She huddled herself closer to Piper who could see Alex's breath in the freezing air, and smell the strong scent of smoke infused with perfume on her leather jacket. Piper usually hated the smell of smoke but for some reason she suddenly didn't mind it. She liked it. They sat in silence for the next few minutes, watching the sky, a black velvet blanket scattered with diamonds.

'I love looking at the stars.' Piper said, eyes fixed on the galaxy above them.

'Same. They're amazing. My uncle knows pretty much all the constellations. He's such a nerd.' She laughed huskily. Alex then looked at Piper's smiling face, admiring her flawless skin and incredible bone structure.

'He must be really clever-' Piper looked back down to see Alex watching her tentatively, as if studying her or trying to read her mind. She opened her mouth but closed it again, noticing how pretty Alex's milky white skin looked in the moonlight.

'What?' she laughed nervously when Alex didn't say anything.

'I'm just trying to figure you out. You're not so bad for a Chapman, you know.'

'You're not so bad for a Vause.'

Alex let out a quiet laugh and looked away.

'What have you figured out about me?'

Alex looked up at the sky. 'That maybe you're not just a Chapman. Maybe you're just Piper.'

There was nothing Piper could do at that moment but smile a huge smile, showing her pearly white teeth, and Alex looked her in the eyes again.

'And maybe you're not just a Vause. Maybe you're just Alex.'

Their noses were almost touching, and Alex opened her mouth slightly to say something when loud footsteps behind them broke them apart.

'There you are Pipes! Where the fuck have ya been? I thought you wanted a drink!' Piper stood up.

'Sorry Pete. Where's Polly?'

'She's inside dancing. Come back inside, it's freezing! What the heck you been doing out here so long?'

He gestured her towards him.

'I was just-' Piper turned to where she had been sat, but Alex was nowhere to be seen. Confused, she looked around the garden and through the full length window of the kitchen where Pete had just come from. But she had disappeared. The mysterious, beautiful Alex Vause.


Review and let me know how you think it was! Thanks for reading it, and just for the record I don't think i'm gonna end it exactly how Romeo and Juilet ends lol! That would be cruel! xo