Headache

"I don't know why you can't just go on a day without screaming and acting like a bitch!" A loud thud was heard on the wall opposite my bed, and I sighed. "It's a fucking shirt that you lost because you're a slob!"

"A shirt that I lost?" Noelle spat out. "I just saw it on your bed, damn it! Don't try to act all stupid!" It was 6:15 in the evening, and they had already bickered three times. Bickering is an understatement, actually.

"It's because I found it! You 'lost' it, so go around and piss me off, and then you blame me for stealing your size 16 ugly ass shirt!"

I heard a loud gasp come from my mouth and Noelle's. Did Ivy just say Noelle was a size 16? Oh my…

"That's it! I've had it with you two! I can't get a decent night sleep because you two are a bunch of drama and beauty queens! I'm going to Headmaster Hathaway's office right now, and getting out of here! You guys make me want to kill myself!" yelled their third roommate, Natalie.

"What? Nat, come on, don't leave! It'll totally OK. We'll stop- sort of," plead Ivy. She said something else, but it was slightly muffled. At least they weren't yelling.

"No, it's a good thing she's going. One less dumbass I don't have to take care of," Noelle added.

"You know what? I can't wait till you get knocked out of your high horse, you insignificant little bitch," Natalie spat out. There was some rustling going on, and then a door was slammed shut. I could hear Natalie's footsteps stomping down the stairs. Way to go, girl.

"Now look what you've done! She's my friend, and you just had to screw everything up and make my stay hell for the rest of the semester!" shrieked Ivy.

"Hell? You think you're the only one who's in hell?! If you think this is hell, then I'll show you what hell really is," Noelle threatened.

I heard Ivy scoff. "Bring it on, you cunt." Ohmigod, did she just use that super forbidden word? My hand covered my mouth in shock. I could practically feel the whole building suck in some air.

That was it. I was going in, like always. Oh, this was absolutely ridiculous.

I burst the door open and rested my hands on my hips. I examined what lay in front of me- books thrown across the room, a few shirts thrown also, and a broken glass. The girls were facing one another, red in the face. Noelle's hair was perfectly put together as she stood in school attire, while Ivy was wearing her pajamas. She looked the total opposite of Noelle, her hair thrown in different directions. And she was wearing 'booty shorts,' something Noelle and Kiran said was a no-no.

I threw my hands in the air, and gave an frustrated sigh. "Can you guys let it go for once, please? Just please," I begged weakly. They continued to ignore me.

"Fuck off, Reed. We don't always need you to save the day," said Ivy. She turned her attention back to Noelle. I was taken aback. The way she said it was extremely rude! It was as if I wasn't her friend, but somebody she didn't like. Or maybe something else contributed to her bad mood…

"Goddamn it Ivy! She's my friend and she can stay here whenever she wants to," retorted Noelle.

"Yeah, you're right. I'll just go," I said quietly during the half second pause that was given to me.

Ivy threw her hands in the air. "You think I care! You're such an-" She stopped midway her sentence and finally looked at me. "Oh crap, I'm sorry Reed. I-I honestly didn't mean that. I- shoot," she finished. She truthfully looked sincere. Behind her, I saw Noelle roll her eyes.

I sighed. "It doesn't matter. I was leaving anyways." I heard Ivy give a protesting sound, but I slammed the door shut behind me. With that, I turned around and went to my room, grabbing my school supplies and heading for the library. I tumbled down the stairs, feeling suddenly worn out. This was so annoying.

Natalie was right; they were a bunch of drama queens. They knew how to throw a yelling spree, that's for sure. Why couldn't they just let it go? They were acting like a bunch of immature thirteen year olds.

But there was Ivy, telling me to go away as if I was nobody. As if she could boss me around. I was hurt; immensely so. I stopped for a second and thought maybe, since she was already mad, she acted on impulse. Yes, she acted on impulse. Not because she hated me, but because she was already in fight mode. But… something was off.

I shook my head, already tired from the lack of sleep, the heartache, and the constant yelling. I trudged my way forward to the library, for once excited to work on homework. I had a research paper due for Mr. Barber, and I had no idea how to do my Calculus homework.

Slowly opening the library door, I made my way over to the tables, noticing a rush of students surrounding me. I peered over the heads, looking for an opening. Everyone was so wrapped up in studying, they didn't notice I was standing there or I had even opened the door. Well, everyone but Marcus.

"Reed!" he exclaimed, whispering as he did so.

Ohmigod, it was Marcus! I hadn't seen him all week! While I stood there, gaping at him, I noticed his hair had gotten slightly longer and he had a tiny tan.

"Marcus, hey!" I charged forward and enveloped Marcus in a tight bear hug. He smelled of peppermint and coffee; definitely a reporters smell.

I released him after an eternity. He laughed and said, "I think you've missed me too much." I laughed with him, while earning a few glares from the studious workers.

"You have no idea."

He smiled at me warmly. Now that I thought about it, where was he for the past week? Or maybe I wasn't paying enough attention.

"Hey, did you just get here?"

Marcus laughed. "Yeah, I did. I was spending some more time with my family in Miami. Say, how was your winter break?"

I froze on the spot. Of course Marcus didn't know. He wasn't one for gossip and drama. After seeing my hesitation, he let out a sigh. "Oh, sorry. I shouldn't have asked that, after what happened before you left. I-" He cast his head down, feeling a bit ashamed, and maybe even pitying me. Which I did not need.

"No, it's OK. It was great, actually. I went to St. Barth's with Noelle, and I met Kiran and Taylor, and it was totally awesome," I rambled. "I went shopping, and I went to parties, and I met this super hot guy, and I was just totally…great."

I couldn't stop. My heart was beating at the memories that haunted my dreams every day. So I continued.

"And St. Barth's is so pretty! I've never seen a place as pretty as St. Barth's! The island is so cool, with all these clubs, and you can shop all the time…" Not to mention being stranded on an island, and having a third attempted murder already.

Mrs. Ryan's murderous face as she shoved me in the water…

Marcus was looking at me as if I was high. In a way I was, due to the fact I barely had any sleep and Josh's declaration made me sad the whole day. He had a baffled look on his face, but to his credit he kept silent. The students near us were eyeing us carefully, wondering what was up with all the commotion.

The memories were washing over me. What the hell was going on? When did I become the sick and poor little child that needed help?

Instantly, I felt a warm, soft hand on my shoulder. I shuddered at the touch.

"Reed," the voice said.

I saw Marcus give Sawyer a confused look, and his eyes flickered over to his hand on my shoulder. Sawyer moved from behind me and came forward, giving me a concerned look, along with his trademark vulnerable smile. His hair was a messy array of blonde locks and he had a sweatshirt fastened around him

My muscles loosened up from that very touch, and I felt myself relax. The memories were going away and I was brought back to reality, due to Sawyer. I had a lot to thank him for.

"Uh…I'm Marcus, a friend of Reed's." He took out his hand and Sawyer shook it.

"I'm Sawyer," he supplied. I shook my head, becoming conscious of my surroundings and the people around me.

"H-he's the headmaster's son. I met him at St. Barth's," I fished out. I looked away for a second trying to compose myself. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a few curious onlookers, but they pointedly cast their head down when I caught them spying on me.

"Ah, now I know why I don't recognize you," Marcus said with a laugh.

Sawyer smiled shyly. "Yeah, well…"

A minute of silence followed. "Well, I need to go back. I'm done so…" He collected his books on the table next to us. He looked at me and gave me a warm smile. "I'll see you later Reed, Sawyer." He came over and gave me a tiny pat on my arm, nodded at Sawyer, and left.

I stood there for another minute forgetting Sawyer was standing right next to me.

"Do you want to study with me? I'm sitting over there, in the very back," Sawyer said quietly. He pointed at a table where I saw his books covering it.

I gave a nervous laugh. "Ye-yeah." I stood where I was at, not knowing what to do. My mind had gone blank.

"Reed." Sawyer went over to my side and hesitantly took the books from my hand. He peered through me with his handsome eyes and smiled slightly. "Come on." I snapped out of my daze and followed Sawyer.

We followed tables and rows of several bookcases until I saw the table where Sawyer was studying at. I wasn't surprised to see him pick a secluded spot in the library. No one else was around here. At this angle one could see everything; that was probably how he saw me. He set my books from the seat across from him and he pulled the chair out for me.

I gave a tiny smile and said, "Thanks." He nodded and went around the table to sit back on his seat. He rummaged around his notebooks and textbooks until her found the one he needed. I watched Sawyer sharpen his pencil with fascination before he caught me staring at him.

He swallowed and gave me an odd look. "Are you here to study, or…?"

I cast my eyes down and gave a tired laugh. "I guess so."

Sawyer obviously noticed my discomfort. I knew he was staring at me intently while I took out my books and got them together. When I finally looked up, he was still looking at me, concern written all over his face.

"Is something wrong, Reed?"

My gut contracted and my breathing got labored. For a second, I debated whether or not I should tell him the truth; I was so used to lying now. But Sawyer had made me a promise. He said that he would be there for me. And now, I was utterly tired of lying. So I spilled it all out.

"I can't sleep. I can barely eat. I sleep at least four to five hours a day. I always dream of…them." I rested my chin on my arms and looked up at Sawyer. "I'm still in lo-still confused over my…feelings for my ex, and I don't know what to do. I'm so tired, Sawyer. I'm tired of lying to people, and I'm tired of acting Oprah to everyone, when I need most of the help. I'm sorry for throwing this at you but…" I glanced at him and his face held consolidation and purpose. Not pity.

"But you're the only one I trust."

A tiny smile broke through Sawyer's striking features. It was a lovely smile, one that I had yet to see. I knew for a fact my lips had formed a smile also, and I felt warm. Warmer.

"Well then, I'm glad you do."

I held my gaze on him and Sawyer held his and for a second I forgot, for the past year or so, what it felt like to be relieved and calm.

"Reed! I've been looking all over for you! I have major stuff to talk about it for the fundraiser," said Noelle as she marched her way towards our table. I looked up and saw Noelle rushing her way to us, and I caught Sawyer give a slight eye roll. I suppressed a smile, wondering when he started to eye roll.

"Hey, Noelle." She came over to my side and yanked the chair next to me. She gave an exasperated sigh, and took out a large folder from beneath her arm.

"So," she started, "the girls have managed to secure the date for the second and third party-" She stopped, finally noticing Sawyer was sitting diagonal from her. "What are you doing here?" Noelle asked rudely.

Sawyer's face was passive, bored, and distant. "Aside from my constant complaining and wasting money on shopping, I like to do my homework. Besides, you're being too loud for the library," he added. I held back a giggle.

Noelle waved her hand dismissively and started talking to me. As I pretended to listen to Noelle's awesome ideas, I managed to sneak a few peeks at Sawyer. Every time I did, he smiled at me and I couldn't help but smile back. And I knew, for a fact, it was going to be impossible not to.


thanks for reviewing guys!

yeah, i know, its a crappy chapter and yet another filler. i'm sorry if the pace of this story is going to slow, but i'm not one for all the bang bang in the first two chapters. so bear with me guys! on a side note, i won't be able to upload for at least a week or 2 because finals start next week and my birthday is coming up (I'M GOING TO BE 16! YAY! LICENSE! I AM FREE IN 6 DAYS!) and i need a break. sort of. anywho, i hope all your midterms go well too, if you have any :)

also, if you're a fan of vampire diaries, check out the new fanfic i have. it's from the sexy damon's pov and you'll get insight on a lot of things (soon).

reviews please! you know i love them