rah, Jac may seem a bit OOC here, but I figured she'd probably act different when she was younger and be more open for change, and also just to make the story a bit more lax and less angsty.

In which the group go out and drink, Raf and Donna get lucky, Jac learns how to rave, and Fletch comes to realise he's not as opposed to settling down as he thought.


Friday rolled around quickly, and Fletch couldn't have been more relieved. He'd got his 9am lectures out of the way and had headed straight back to his dorm, eager to have a couple of hours to himself before heading out for the night. Raf had told Fletch that he was heading to the library, and Donna had lectures all afternoon, so he was relived to get a moment to himself. He loved all his new friends deeply, but he liked to be able to relax and take some time for himself every now and then.

Balancing his workload and social life wasn't always easy, especially since he really did want to do well, but couldn't help but feel that he should be spending his first year mucking around so that he could get it all out of his systems and settle down for his second and third year. Coasting had been working for him so far, and many people on his course had the same or similar outlook, choosing to do the bare minimum in order to focus on enjoying themselves. Those people included Lofty as well, although Lofty did appear to be doing more than Fletch, worrying that their professors would catch on and give them an earful. Fletch just snickered at him. Lofty was a terrible worrier, he had concluded.

He unlocked the door to access his flat, and pushed the door open into the common room, throwing his bag down onto the sofa lazilly. He stretched his back and let out a long sigh, kicking his shoes off and removing his coat before trudging further in so he could get started on making something for his dinner.

Only, he wasn't alone.

Jac sat on the counter of the kitchen, textbook in front of her along with notes sprawled out messily everywhere, topped off with a cup on coffee placed next to her. He could hear the soft humming of the cooker going and saw a pan filled with what appeared to be a stir fry cooking, and by the time he'd returned to look back at her, she was looking directly at him with her piercing green eyes.

"You're home early." He commented without thinking, chucking his coat down beside his bag as he walked into the kitchen to get a closer look at what she was cooking. "What'cha making?"

She let out a quiet sigh. "Wasn't in the mood for the library today. Just a chicken stir fry." She briskly replied, her eyes returning to the work sitting in front of her.

"It smells amazing." He moaned, taking a look at the range of vegetables that were mixed in, topped with soy sauce. "I'm not very good at cooking, although I make a mean spag Bol." He joked, opening the fridge to retrieve some vegetables, choosing to make a stir fry similar to hers, suddenly in the mood.

He was met with silence as she chose not to comment.

He looked over his shoulder and chuckled, shaking his head.

"Ah, I think we may have got off on the wrong foot." He started, abandoning the onions onthe chopping board and rounding the counter so he could face her properly. "I'm really sorry for giving you a fright with my stupid antics. I'm Fletch- Adrian Fletcher." He introduced, sticking his hand out at her.

She eyed up his hand thoughtfully, before leaning back on her chair, making it obvious she wasn't going to shake his hand.

"Jac Naylor." She replied, giving him a brisk nod. He nodded in acknowledgment- he knew that already, but didn't let on. "I've had to handle worse drunks." She mumbled in reply, choosing to avert eye contact. "I hope it won't be a regular thing, though." She spoke out sharply, meeting his eyes with her signature eyebrow rise.

"Ah, the climbing in your window Part won't be a regular. Can't promise on the drunk part." He spoke sheepishly, rubbing his elbow thoughtlessly. "Although, I have taken your complaints into consideration, and I shan't be bringing girls back here anymore- their places are usually nicer, anyway." He added, grinning at her cheekily.

She rolled her eyes, and returned her paper to her work. "You leave a lot to be desired, Adrian." She exhaled, shaking her head.

"It was a joke!" He squeaked out, a rosy blush traveling up his neck to his cheeks. "I'm not as bad as you think I am." He tried, scratching his head.

"I'm sure you're not." She cooed out sarcastically, not even bothering to look up at him this time.

He let out a huff of frustration, realising that he wasn't going to win this battle, and returned back to his onions, picking off the skin and proceeding to cut them. The two worked in relative silence, only the hum of the cooker filling the silence, and eventually sniffles coming from Fletch.

"Crying isn't going to make me feel sorry for you." Jac snapped, throwing her pen down and swivelling her chair around to face him.

He turned around in confusion, his eyes puffy and still sniffing. "I'm chopping onions?" He half stated, half questioned.

She almost looked regretful, but it was only for a heartbeat, before she nodded her head. "Good. I'm glad you're not that pathetic." She but out, turning back round to hide the flush that was coating her cheeks at her mistake.

Fletch rose an eyebrow, but chose not to comment further, instead choosing to prep the rest of his vegetables.

Eventually, she rose to her feet and took place next to him, standing over her meal as she stirred it around. The two worked in comfortable silence, both tending to their respective meals and acting as neither of them were there. Jac eventually moved away from him, taking her food to the counter and dishing it up onto a plate, before dumping the dirty pan in the sink, ready to clean away once she was done eating.

She took her seat again just as Fletch finished his prep, and he jumped up to sit on the counter worktop to wait for his food to finish cooking.

"You coming out tonight?" Fletch questioned, attempting to get some talk out the young girl.

"No."

Fletch's eyes shot to the top of his head at the bluntness of her reply, but quickly recovered.

"Dare I ask why?" He ventured, a sarcastic hint to his tone.

She sighed in exasperation, before spinning around with her plate in hand.

"Because I'm not about to waste my time in a nightclub surrounded by sweaty, drunken people who will inevitably try and hit on me and make me uncomfortable. Besides, I have a degree to focus on." She hissed out, narrowing her eyes in a silent challenge.

"Have you even been out before? We're really not like that. It's not good for you to be so swamped in work so early on in the course. You should let your hair down- Sacha's coming too."

"I know, he was the one that invited me." Came her reply, clearly avoiding his previous questions.

"And you're still not coming?" He exclaimed, tilting his head. "Surely you must want to go out with your friend?"

"He understands." She spoke indifferently, starting to sound agitated.

"Oh come on, Sacha doesn't really know any of us that well, I'm sure he'd appreciate a familiar fa-"

"Can you just drop it?" She snapped, her expression dangerous.

Fletch paused for a second- so this was the scary side of her. He could understand why she was feared. He was about to retort, but she beat him to it.

"I know your type. You want to be friends with everyone, and just wants a good laugh, even going as far as to use others expense to make yourself look better. Well let me tell you, your stupid, immature boyish charm isn't going to work on me, Adrian. I know that you have some ulterior motive to inviting Sacha out, and if I hear for even a second that you have done anything to upset or humiliate him, I will not hesitate to ruin your life." She bit out, scowling at him the entire time, each word laced with poison.

Fletch sat stunned for a moment. He broke eye contact with her and instead chose to jump down from the counter and focus on his stir fry. She seemed satisfied with his silent response, and turned back to her work. They stayed in silence for the rest of their encounter until Fletch had plated his food, and started to walk towards his room to eat it, but paused at the end of the counter.

"For what it's worth," he started, a sad smile on his face. "I heard about the rough time he had been getting in his classes, and figured he could do with some other friendly faces other than you, and that he deserved, maybe even needed a good night out to enjoy himself. I'm sorry if I've come across as only wanting to use people- that's the last thing I want to do."

With that, he walked into his room and shut his door.

Jac stared at after him thoughtfully, a pang of regret hitting her. Maybe she'd been too harsh on him, she mused to herself, letting out a long sigh. She picked up her empty plate and started on cleaning the place up, including taking his equipment and dumping it in the warm, sudsy water, figuring she owed him that much. Usually she'd leave everyone else's stuff as it wasn't her responsibility, but maybe she did have a heart after all, no matter how small.


Half an hour had passed, and Jac was stood outside of Fletch's door anxiously.

She knocked gently, almost as if she'd knock too hard that the door would break. She heard shuffling come from behind the door, before it was prized open by a rather disheveled looking Fletch.

She appeared to have caught him in the process of him getting ready- he wore a burgandy shirt with the top two buttons undone and the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, along with a pair of well-fitting black skinny jeans, finished off with a silver watch and white vans, to keep his outfit casual. His facial hair had been trimmed well, with only some slight stubble covering his chin and his hair ruffled, which she assumed he was in the middle of before she had interrupted him.

"You're getting ready early." She commented, snapping out of her trance before he could notice where her attention was.

"Ah, I've got to head out early as I'm going to Lofty's place to work on a project. Figured we'd use to together from there." He hummed thoughtfully, leaning against his door frame. "Is there anything you wanted?"

She fiddled with her fingers for a second, before coming up with a suitable answer.

"I've done your washing up for you."

He raised an eyebrow, and nodded. "Uh, thanks."

She huffed in frustration. He wasn't going to make this easy for her, she soon realised.

"I was out of line earlier. I jumped to conclusions when I shouldn't have. You didn't deserve that. For what it's worth, I appreciate what you're doing for Sacha." She murmured, choosing to stare at the collar of his shirt instead of his face.

"What's this? An apology?" He teased, moving off of the sideboard to stand up straighr in a more friendly posture.

"Don't push it." She warned, the small smirk on her face betraying her tone.

Fletch chuckled, and nodded his head at her. "Thanks. Shall we call it even?"

She hummed in agreement, crossing her arms over her chest.

"So, how much will I need to bring?" She questioned, her gaze piercing into his.

Fletch scowled in confusion, crossing his arms in a similar fashion. "You what?"

"How much will I need to bring with me to Albies? I haven't been before, I don't know how much the drinks will be." She stated as if it was obvious. "And while you're at it, dress code?"

Fletch spluttered for a second, before regaining his posture. "Uh, I usually bring about 20, we always usually tend to get a round each and then extra for some fast food after if we're hungry." He rushed out, a small grin threatening to surface his face. "And I'd say smart casual, maybe a dress or even smart trousers would be fine. What's with the sudden change of heart?"

She looked thoughtful for a second. "Sacha will need someone to get him home." She replied, before whipping her head around as both Raf and Donna entered the flat, noisily chatting away to eachother.

"Fletch when are you heading over to Lof- oh! Are we interrupting?" Raf spoke, but quickly fixed his tone after spotting who Fletch was talking to.

"No. I was just leaving." Jac murmured out, before striding away to her room and shutting the door behind her.

Raf and Donna looked at Fletch questioningly, only to be met with a shrug. "She was just asking bout the details for tonight." Fletch informed the two, which seemed to satisfy them. "Anyway, I'm going to Lofty's now, I'll meet you there, yeah? First round's on me." He cheered, heading out of the door as the two students cheered their thanks after him.


"So you're coming?" Exclaimed Sacha down the phone, clearly excited by the prospect of it.

"Yes Sacha." Jac breathed out, holding the phone to her ear as she sorted her way through her wardrobe. A head towel was wrapped around her damp hair, a face mask coated upon her face with it. "How any times are you going to need clarification?"

"Sorry, sorry. You just seemed adamant that you wouldn't be seen dead there last time I spoke to you." His tone was apologetic, but she could still tell he was beaming. "Why the sudden change of heart?"

She paused. "How else will you get home in one piece?"

He scoffed. "You have never seen me drink! I'll get home just fine." He huffed, but chuckled soon after.

"So, I'll swing round your place at about half 9 and we can head to albies together- it's not that far from your place, anyway. Is that enough time for you to get ready?" He questioned, a hopeful hint to his tone.

She glanced at the time. 8:25. That would be enough time, she was quite speedy when it came to getting ready. "Yeah, sure, that sounds fine. You have my address?" She checked, finally picking out an outfit she was satisfied with.

"I do indeed. I'll see you later then!" He cheered down the phone before hanging up, allowing Jac to let out a sigh of relief as she chucked her phone onto her bed.

Nightclubs were definitely not her choice of place to spend her time. From experiences at the carehome, the whole idea of being surrounded by strangers that she didn't know nor trusted had left her feeling anxious at just the idea of it. She'd heard many stories about date rape drugs that mainly men used on women, and after seeing countless girls at her home loose their innocence, she wasn't sure she could handle more guilt in her conscious of being in the vercinity when it happens.

Hence why she'd avoided sixth form parties like the plague. Sure, she drank, but usually on her own, or she would occasionally go down to the local pub with some work and drink there. She knew it was quite sad, drinking on her own, but sometimes it helped. Especially when it came to the anniversary of her mums abandonment. When she was 17, she had bought herself a bottle of vodka and drank it until she was stupidly drunk. She had awoken in her bathroom, vomit all over the floor and her head hanging in the toilet. Her roommates had laughed at her, chucking a packet of floor wipes into the bathroom and shutting it behind her.

She shivered at all the memories that were overwhelming her. Time to make some new ones. One that were positive, and maybe even enjoy herself this time.

"Let's get this over with." She mumbled, pushing the door to her bathroom open to get ready.


Sacha knocked on her door at exactly 9:30, a plain simple black short sleeved shirt, black skinny jeans and some red vans on his feet. Nothing bright, he decided, choosing to use his formal clothes that he would have saved for interviews. His chestnut brown, thick curly hair was barely styled, allowing it to sit wildly on the top of his head. He didn't want to make too much of an effort, he mused.

Jac let out a couple of muffled curse words as she rushed to open the door, her highlighter only completed on one side of her face. "Give me two minutes." She rushed out, striding back to the bathroom to apply the last of the highlighter and put on the setting spray.

"You look amazing." Complimented Sacha, giving her a small smile. "Wish I cleaned up as nice as you." He joked, running his hand through his hair nervously.

"You look great Sacha, everyone will love you." Jac reassured gently, grabbing ahold of her black leather jacket and a small black clutch bag lined with intricate golden patterns.

"I hope so." He hummed thoughtfully, and stuck his arm out for her to take. "Shall we?" He invited, his usual grin back on his face.

She linked her arms with his, and nodded her head, letting out a sigh of anticipation. She couldn't help but dread the evening- socialising wasn't the top of her priority, especially not with sweaty, horny boys.

"We shall." She muttered, before the two set off to join the others in Albies.


"Oi Raf mate! Over here!" Yelled Fletch, signalling to Raf who had just entered the bar, along with Donna and Essie. Fletch had arrived in Ablies only minutes before along with Lofty, Dom, Arthur and Zosia, who had brought along Ollie, who both clearly had eyes for each other. Only a matter of time, thought Fletch quietly, casting sideways glances at the two who were outrightly flirting with each other.

"Ey Fletch, I seem to remember the first round being on you?" Raf spoke as he approached, a white polo and cheenos on, along with burgandy adidas. His hair was spiked up and some light stubble made an appearance on his face.

"It better be. I'm planning to get alcohol poisoning tonight so I have an excuse not to do my History essay." Donna grumbled as she approached the corner of Albie's that they'd chosen to station themselves in. Donna wore a navy off the shoulder shirt body on dress that hugged her curves in all the right places, finished off with some silver heels and a long silver chain necklace and hoop earrings. She had gone for a smokey eye palette and a matte nude coloured lipstick. She looked good, Fletch thought to himself.

"Ah ah ah, we still have others to wait for- I'll get them once they arrive." Fletch returned, stubbornly staying seating, but a good humoured grin lay on his face.

"They better hurry up or I'm jumping over the bar and chugging the nearest bottle." Huffed Essie as she slumped down in a seat next to Fletch, the black heels she'd picked out already hurting her feet. She wore a short emerald green dress that was elbow length- the dress bodycon but the arms flowing freely as they reached her elbows. She wore simple studded ear piercings, and her hair was down and loosely curled, her golden locks draping over her shoulders. She looked beautiful as well, Fletch thought, realising just how good looking all of his friends were- not that he'd try anything on them, he knew he wouldn't get far with his stupid, boyish charm.

He was snapped out of his thoughts as Morven arrived, bringing a short blonde in with her.

Morven wore a strappy red dress with a silver hemmed choker, paired with silver heels and huge hoop earrings. Her eyeconic eyeliner lined her eyes, along with some warmly toned eyeshadow, paired with bright red lipsticks. The blonde next to her wore a purple dress that complimented her pale skin, along with having her hair straight, cascading down her shoulders.

"Hey guys!" Called out Morven, the nightclub getting busier as the night went on. "This is Cara- she shares most of my lectures." She yelled out, her arms linked with the girl who shyly waved at the table. A chorus of 'hello's' and 'nice to meet you's' travelled down the table before the two took their places on the spare seats.

Fletch's eyes kept darting to the entrance of the nightclub, eyeing it up as he waited for the remaining guests. His distraction didn't go unnoticed though.

"Eager for a certain someone to join us?" Hummed Raf, jabbing Fletch in the ribs to get his attention.

"Oh fuck off." Grumbled Fletch, trying to fight off the grin threatened to surface. "I'm just eager to get these drinks in, I think we're all getting really restless." He tried to defend himself, but knew Raf saw straight through him."

"Hm. I'm sure. You won't have to wait around much longer then." He commented, gesturing to behind Fletch.

Approaching the table was Jac and Sacha, arm in arm.

Fletch didn't think he'd ever seen someone so beautiful.

Her hair was straightened as it usually was, but looked a lot fresher and gentle. It flowed down her shoulders, brushing back as she strode along confidently, her face showing not even a hint of emotion. She wore a black jumpsuit that clung to her body tightly, the sleeves a pattern of lace which traveled all the way down to her hips. The chest was cut into a low V, showing off just enough cleavag, but nothing too tacky. She wore simple black high heels which she appeared to have no problem striding around it, making it look as easy as walking normally. Her look was finished off by eyeliner and naturally toned eyeshadow, along with a natural matte pink lipstick.

Fletch was smacked on the arm gently by Fletch, and he regained his composure before leaping to his feet, turning around to address the table.

"Right, shots all around I think! 13 right?" He called out, to which the rest of the table hummed in agreement. "Thank god for student discounts." He muttered to himself, knowing this would be expensive.

He then turned around just as Jac and Sacha arrived, to which he grinned at the two.

"Just in time! First rounds on me, nice to see the two of you arrived in one piece." He greeted, smacking Sacha on the shoulder in a friendly gesture. "You both look lovely, by the way." He added, shooting Jac a glance before striding off to the bar, his face most definitely red.

He placed the orders for the shots, choosing to go with the simple stuff- vodka. Always got the job done, he figured, and was generally the cheapest thing to get. It was 4 for £4, which he thanked God for, and placed an order for 16, figuring he would just save the three extra shots for himself and two others. The small glasses arrived on two trays, and Fletch stared at them blankly for a second, figuring he'd just have to make two rounds.

He almost dropped the plate when a hand brushed against his shoulder, only to see it was Jac who had joined him. "Need a hand?" She questioned, pointing to the two trays.

"Would you please?" He grinned sheepishly, picking up one tray.

"Sure. I best be getting one of those extra shots, though." She commented, picking up the second tray, offering him a tight lipped smile before slipping back to the table to deliver the goods.

"Let's get this party started!" Bellowed a Fletch to the table as he arrived, placing the tray down with a cheeky grin. The table all scrambled to grab a shot, leaving three as expected, and held them up.

"On three! One, two, Three!" Yelled Fletch, throwing the vile liquid down the back of his throat. He hissed and pulled a face at the unpleasant taste, mirrored by most on the table apart from Zosia, Jac and Dom.

They all raised there eyebrows, and Dom rolled his eyes. "Lightweights." He commented, to which Zosia hummed in agreement.

Within a heartbeat, Jac had nabbed one of the remaining shots and thrown it back down her throat, holding up the offending glass after and smirking. "Cheers." She drawled out, the table looking on at her in a mix of awe and amusement.

Fletch followed suit, grabbing another one and throwing it back, grimacing at the taste but refrains from making too much of a scene with it.

"Too much for you to handle?" Commented Essie, who snickered.

"It tastes like death!" Complained Fletch, holding his hands up in mock surrender. "Who's gonna fight for the last one?" Questioned Fletch, holding up the impending item to the table.

"I'll arm wrestle literally anyone for free booze." Challenged Zosia, holding her arm out ready for a fight.

"You're on." Growled Donna, hopping to sit across from the other girl, connecting their arms as they prepared for their wrestling match.

"Alright ladies," started Ollie, sitting so he was sat in between the two. "We want a fair fight. No cheating, or you'll be buying the next two rounds. The loser had to buy only the next round." He stated, to which the rest of the table cheered, Fletch throwing in a few howls of encouragement for Donna. He made a sideways glance at Jac who sat next to him, who appeared to be looking on in amusement.

"Ha! With what money, Ollie?" Drawled out Donna, faking wiping away a tear. "Poor student, remember? I can barely handle a round."

Ollie shrugged. "I don't make the rules. It won't be a problem if you don't cheat." He snidely remarked, shooting her a sarcastic glare. "Right! On three! One, two Three!"

The two girls clenched their muscles as the two fought to win the battle, both appearing to be struggling. There were cheers coming from all around the table, each respective person cheering for a different girl as they battled it out.

Eventually, Donna's arm gave out from under her and Zosia slammed her hand down, smugly grinning at the girl. She reached for the shot and downed it, holding eye contact with Donna as she did so, slamming down the glass as she did so. "I think it's time for the next round, don't you think, Donna?" She drawled out, the rest of the table erupting into cheers for the winner, to which Donna stuck her tongue out at her in good nature as she sulked off to buy the next round, followed by Essie who would help carry them over.

Fletch chuckled, and turned to face Jac, leaning into her ear so she could hear him.

"Having a good time?" He questioned.

Jac turned to look at him, smirking at him. "So far. Maybe this wasn't such a bad idea." She hummed thoughtfully.

Fletch chuckled at her, moving away from her and just looking at her with affection.

He looked forward to what else the night held in store for them.


As the night had progressed, everyone had split up to different areas of the nightclub as the alcohol had continued to kick in, leaving them in small groups scattered.

Fletch, Raf, Cara and Donna had headed into the moshpit, Raf and Cara hitting it off straight away, as they all screamed along to the songs playing and dancing along- albeit, badly, but they were enjoying themselves.

As a song came on that Fletch didn't recognise, he thought it would be a good chance to excuse himself to take a breather. He shouted into Donna's ear that he'd be back, who was too busy to notice as she danced against another person, before pushing his way through the crowd to the bar. He slumped back against it, and threw his head back, a lazy grin framing his face.

"Having fun?" Hummed a voice next to him, which he recognised to be Jac's.

She looked a bit fuzzy, but still stunning he noticed, as she stood next to him, leaning against the bar in a similar fashion.

"Why aren't you dancing?" He slurred, turning to face her sloppily.

"Ah, I don't dance." She grimaced, knowing where this was heading.

"Rah! Nonsense!" Cried Fletch, shaking his head. "Give me five minutes and I'll show you how to rave." He snickered out, unsure as to what he was actually laughing at. "Where's Sacha?"

Jac chuckled. "Chatting up your blonde friend. She's lovely, by the way. Most of your friends are." She commented, gazing over at Sacha as he spoke eagerly to Essie, who was returning it was just as much enthusiasm.

"Essie's brilliant. A good egg." He joked, nodding his head in approval. "I'm soooo glad you came out tonight. Made me sad thinking about you cooped up in your room all on your own." He stumbled out, his eyes lidded as he spoke.

"Trust me, it's a preference." She commented, snickering at him. She was tipsy herself- she'd had as many shots as everyone else, but was able to handle her drink a lot better than them, apparently.

"Still." He started, but never finished his sentence as a new song came on, instantly perking him up.

"Oooh ! I love this song!" He yelled, grabbing her hands, to which she yelped in surprise as he dragged her to the dance floor.

"Fletch! Adrian! I don't dance!" She tried, but he wasn't having any of it.

"You ain't even missin me baby!" Bellowed Fletch along to the lyrics, the rest of the nightclub howling the lyrics out with him. "So why do I want you so badly?"

Jac watched him in amusement as he swayed his body to the rhythm, holding her hands firmly, forcing the girl to dance with him, a small smile playing on her lips. If she were sober, she was sure she would have slapped him by now, but, date she say, she was actually enjoying herself.

"Makin a fool, of me, I'm so keen, baby I got your back, like we're still seventeen!" Jac joined in, only knowing parts of the song, causing Fletch's smile to expand even wider than she thought possible as the two danced and sang the lyrics together.

As the song came to an end, the two stumbling off of the dance floor, laughing and snorting as they struggled to stay upright, the alcohol starting to hit Jac as her vision swam a bit.

"You two having fun?" The two looked up to see Zosia and Ollie staring at them in amusement.

"You're still here? Honestly thought you'd be at your dorms shagging each other by now." Spluttered out Fletch, causing Jac to let out a honk of laughter at his bluntness.

Ollie's cheeks grew hot and Zosia laughed at them. "So did I." She hummed in agreement, eyeing Ollie from the corner of her gaze.

Fletch and Jac watched as Ollie open and closed his mouth like a goldfish, before he grabbed her wrist and started dragging her towards the exit. "See you tomorrow!" He called from behind them, Zosia laughing as the two left.

The two shared a look, before bursting out laughing as the two gripped onto each other for support.

"I didn't expect that!" Weeped Jac, running her fingers under her eyes.

"I did." Countered Fletch, struggling to stop giggling.

The two were snapped out of their giggling fit as they realised just how close they were. One of Fletch's hands was holding her waist while the other gripped her elbow. One of her fists was curled into the shirt on his chest, and the other holding his shoulder. She was mere centimetres from his face, and could smell the strong scent of vodka off of his breath as his breathing depended. She could see him glancing between her eyes and her lips, and that's when she panicked.

She thanked the song for changing, as she quickly released her grip of him and took a step back, coughing to shift the awkward atmousphere. "I love this song." She commented, avoiding his eyes, suddenly feeling a lot more sober.

"Yeah." He mumbled in return, staring at his feet. It was inaudible to her though, so she shuffled uncomfortably on the spot. He didn't have time to feel sorry for himself as an arm was wrapped around him.

"Fletch!" Slurred Donna into his ear, a bloke he didn't recognise hanging off her other arm. "I'm heading back to the flat and so is Raf with Cara, will you be alright getting home?" She shouted over the noise, grinning at him lazily.

"Yeah yeah, think I'm gonna stay a bit longer, nd I'll just come back with Jac." He shouted in her ear, to which she nodded and giggled at him.

"Use protection!" He called out after her, to which she retorted by flipping him the middle finger.

When he turned around, Jac had slipped away.

He was disappointed, but too drunk for it to get to him too much. He soon caught up with Sacha and Essie who had since joined the dance floor, and decided to hang around them as the three chanted along to the songs that played out.

He didn't see Jac slip out the door with a boy around his age, and get a taxi back to his dorm.


4am came around soon enough, and the crowd was starting to die out. Fletch figured it was time to be heading back home, as he was starting to struggle to keep his eyes open.

All that was left of the group were Lofty, Dom, Sacha, Essie, Morven and Arthur. Fletch scoured the crowd, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion. "Anyone seen Jac?" He called out to the group, his voice still slurred but he shad managed to sober up a tad since then.

"She left with someone." Sacha called back to him, shrugging his shoulders. "Never seem him before, but she said not to wait up for her."

Fletch felt his stomach drop. He swallowed thickly, and he suddenly felt like he was going to be sick. He knew that he found her attractive, but he never really realised that he may even be starting to feel something more for her. Clearly, though, that feeling was reciprocated.

"I'm glad she's getting out." He decided to say, placing a fake smile on his face.

No one seemed to notice his distress, to which he was very greatful of the alcohol for, and the group piled out of the nightclub.

"We're going to head to maccies, you coming?" Essie nudged him, but it was more of an elbow as she stumbled over her own feet.

"Nah, I'm gonna head home, I'm shattered." He grimaced, not in the mood to be around anyone anymore.

"My my, is that Fletch being a sensible boy? Never thought I'd see the day." Honked Essie, before slapping him on the shoulder. "Go on then, I'll see you tomorrow, if I'm not dead by then." She joked, before stumbling along in her heels to catch up with the others.

Fletch smiled after the group before turning on his heels and heading back in the direction of his dorms, ready to get under his covers, shut the world out and feel extremely sorry for himself.