I stumbled back a little and looked up to see who I'd bumped in to, or who had bumped in to me. I recognized him instantly. Hot anger flared up inside me, and my eyes narrowed into a glare. From the smug look on his face, I'm guessing he had purposefully stepped into my path. I stepped back and raised my chin slightly, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Well, if it isn't little Cassie Brown," Aaron Abbott said, smirking down at me.

"Did you want something? Or do you just enjoy walking into people?" I asked irritably.

He shrugged nonchalantly. "In case you didn't notice, you're in the boys' wing. Last I checked I was allowed to walk around here."

I rolled my eyes.

"A better question would be, what are you doing here?" he said, glancing around. "As far as I know, girls only come up here for one reason."

I raised my eyebrows in mock surprise. "Girls actually come see you for that reason? Wow, they must be really desperate if they're knocking on your door." His face scrunched up in a scowl, and I laughed. "I hope that's not your sex face, 'cause if so, I feel sorry for any girl who climbs into bed with you."

His eyes narrowed slightly and he glanced around, his gaze landing on something behind me. What was behind me again? Brian's door? Was Aaron smart enough to figure that out? I watched his eyes move back to me and take in my appearance, lingering on my hair, and then a slow grin lifted his lips. Yep, he was smart enough. I'm surprised.

"I guess that bet did you some good after all." My anger became hotter and I clenched my jaw. Apparently, he found this very entertaining. "Maybe tomorrow night you can come by my dorm. After, me and Brian can compare our thoughts on your... performances." My anger spiked to burning rage, and he flashed me a knowing grin. Oh, he was enjoying this, the bastard. "From the rumors I've heard, I bet you're quite the little pleaser."

I snapped.

My fist slammed into the side of his face, my knuckles digging into his skin. Just like I'd been taught, I put all my weight into the punch, and as a result, Aaron crashed to the floor, holding his head. The hallway fell silent as Aaron stared up at me, completely shocked. A tiny drop of blood was trickling from his nose, showing that I'd not only hit his cheek, but gotten part of his nose as well. I glared down at him, my hands balled into fists at my sides. "I've been wanting to do that for a long time," I said. And then I stalked past him to the stairs, ignoring the eyes of the other boys.

As I walked, I started thinking. Now, that probably wasn't the smartest thing to do, because I would probably get into a load of trouble for it. But it had honestly made me feel better. I couldn't help but smile as I made my way to my own dorm, unlocked the door, and walk in.

"What are you smiling about?" Rebecca asked, eying me from her spot on her bed.

My smile grew and I shrugged. "I, uh, had a good after-school session with a classmate."

She raised an eyebrow. "Boy or girl?" she asked slowly.

"What do you think?" I replied, grabbing a change of clothes and heading for the dorm's small bathroom.

There was a loud bang on the dorm door, followed by another and another. Rebecca jumped up and went to open it. "Kira?"

"Where the hell is she?" Kira screeched, storming into the dorm.

"Who?" Rebecca asked.

"Your fucking slutty roommate!"

I walked out of the bathroom, now wearing comfy clothes, and looked calmly at the pissed off redhead. "What do you want?"

She stomped over to me, stopping only when she was about five inches from me. Oooh, she was trying to be intimidating. "You better go apologize to my boyfriend."

I raised an eyebrow. "Your boyfriend?"

"Yes," she hissed. "Aaron."

"You're dating Aaron Abbott?" I laughed. "Oh, I feel bad for you."

"You have ten seconds to march your ass to his dorm and apologize for what you did," she threatened. "And you will also help clean him up."

"And you have ten seconds to get the fuck away from me before I give you a bruise to match your boyfriend's," I said, my voice even.

"Psh." She raised her chin and glared at me.

"Five seconds left," I informed her. "Do you really think that I won't hit you? 'Cause that's what your boyfriend thought, and now look at him." Doubt trickled into her eyes, and a moment later she took one step back. I smiled at her. "Good. Now get out of my dorm. And no, I'm not apologizing."

Her face reddened. "You'll regret this," she sneered before leaving in an angry huff.

As soon as the door slammed behind her, Rebecca rounded on me. "You hit Aaron?"

I shrugged. "He pissed me off."

She let out a long whistle. "Damn. You better be careful."

"What, you actually believe Kira's threat?" I asked with a little laugh.

"Don't underestimate her."

"She can't do anything."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that, if I were you. She can make your life hell if she really wants."

I felt my smile slip away. "Sophomore year was my hell. There's nothing she can do to top that."

Rebecca looked away, but not before I caught the sympathetic gleam in her eyes.