December 6th, 2002

"God, Jooo," The older boy that was currently in between her legs moaned as her tongue circled his neck, slowly giving it soft kisses as she went along his jaw and her hands caressed his muscled torso as they moved south towards his belt buckle. Jo wasn't new to this, this is something she had been taking pleasure in doing for months. His moans only egged her on further, they had twenty minutes until they had to jump into his car and make their way to school.

Things had been looking up for the past few weeks, after a rocky October which was spent trying to rebuild her friendships. She had finally talked to Stephanie, she felt as if the girl looked at her differently once she knew what her life was truly like – but Stephanie had informed her that her life wasn't the case at all, it was the fact that she was her best friend and she had no idea what she was going through. Steph felt awful that she wasn't there when her friend was in a time for need, and Jo felt just as awful for pushing her away.

Once the emotional reunion was out of the way, Steph had told Jo how amazing it was that she had her own place to do whatever the hell she wants. Steph claimed she was jealous, Jo decided to imagine that Steph meant she was jealous of her having her own place – not the fact she has no family, and is pretty much alone. You should have a party! Steph had exclaimed to her closest friend, after informing her that her 'place' was the same size as one of Steph's bathrooms, Steph changed her mind; we should have a sleepover!

Jo hadn't been aware of the eavesdropping that was going on behind her, but when Mark Sloan had caught on to the fact that the, hot one with daddy issues and the ass, he couldn't stay away. Mark was a senior, an extremely hot senior. She had seen him at parties in the past, they would smile at each other but that's as far as their previous relationship had gone. She hadn't even thought Mark knew who she was, he was captain of the football team, straight A student and had a huge house on the south side of town – where Jackson also lived.

So Jo was surprised on that Wednesday afternoon when he so happened to 'accidentally' bump into her as he made his way to the football pitch and she was even more surprised when he had asked her to come watch him play at Friday's game, I'll take you out for dinner afterwards – he forgot to ask that one, Jo decided to push past the fact that she hated being told what to do because well..she liked the attention. What can she say, she's a teenage girl.

Jo went to the game and the one the week after and then every other one after that, and he would take her out for some fancy dinner at some fancy restaurant where Jo always felt lightheaded after looking at the prices. Jo had quickly started to like Mark, he filled a void in her that so desperately needed filling. The sex was great too. Jo never really thought of herself as the girl who would drop her panties after being wined and dined – but she'd also never been wined and dined before. So Jo was even more surprised with herself when he dropped her off after their second date and she quite literally dragged the older guy inside.

It was amazing. He knew exactly what to do, where to touch..where to lick. Jo didn't know if she should be worried that he was so experienced, he was two years older than her and it's not like she was inexperienced – but it was something that nagged in her head afterwards. She won't lie, she's heard the gossip about 'sex god' Mark Sloan but most of the girls at her high school were full of shit, telling their friends anything for their five seconds of Mountview High fame. She decided to ignore that also, she liked Mark. She liked spending time with him. She liked going on dates with him, and she also liked having sex with him. No shame.

Stephanie was all for her friend having hot sex with the cute guy, 'now we just need to sort me out' Steph had said with her eyes fixated on Jackson Avery who was sat with his girlfriend, Lucy Fields..and Alex.

She missed Alex, they hadn't spoken since the day she shouted at him to leave. She missed the silly conversations they had. She missed having someone to talk to at any hour of the day. She missed having someone to give crap to, and get it in return. She missed having someone who would just, listen. Steph and Mark had In some way filled the Alex shaped hole but it wasn't quite like the real thing.

She wondered how he was doing, she knew he was still with Izzie. She had saw the pumpkin farm photo of the two of them Izzie had posted to one of her social media accounts. It was of the two of them, stood in the middle of the patch with big toothy grins on their faces, Alex had his arm around Izzie as she cuddled up to his side. I guess she liked the date, Jo thought.

Jo didn't know if what she felt was jealousy but it felt wrong, wrong that whatever she was feeling it hadn't had anything to do with Mark. So, Jo stopped thinking about Alex. It was hard, he was in the same football team as Mark, he played the same games, he would always walk out of the locker rooms just a few moments before Mark so their eyes would lock and their breathing would catch, but once Mark came out only seconds later and she would turn her head as her new boyfriend gave her a kiss to the cheek, he was gone.

Jo thought getting involved with Mark would give Alex something to say to her, tell her she was being stupid, tell her that Mark wasn't a good guy. That he was the good guy. It never happened and after a few weeks Jo stopped thinking about what she wanted Alex to do – she stopped thinking of Alex. Part of her wanted Alex to be miserable after what he had said to her, but the other part wanted him to be happy because truly that's what he deserved. Now, Alex was a distant memory. It was as if those few weeks where they held on to each other for dear life just didn't happen.

"We have to go, I got a meeting with the college advisor ten minutes before class," Mark said looking at his watch, but Jo wasn't done – she continued doing what she was doing, bucking her hips into his. She didn't want to leave for school just yet. "Stooop?" Mark said through a small laugh as he gently pushed Jo off of him.

"Fine, whatever. Nerd," Jo poked fun at her boyfriend of a few weeks as she got up and went to slide her trainers into her feet.

"Ha ha, you won't be calling me a nerd when I'm in Harvard. Laughing at your sorry ass whose still in high school ," Jo playfully hit him on his arm as she made her way past him and to the door, Mark pinched her ass as she walked by. He thought Jo was incredibly hot, probably the hottest girl he had ever been with – he had always said to the guys on the team that he wanted to bang her, and that's exactly what he was doing. Twice a day. Six times a week – he had to rest up before their big games on Friday.

Jo locked her door and practically skipped up to Mark's car, she was in a good mood today. Once arriving at school the pair gave each other a quick peck on the lips before stepping out of the car and going their respective ways. At Jo's locker she caught Alex in the corner of her eye, he was with Izzie – they were bickering..no. They were arguing.

"For God's sake Alex! I ask you to do this one thing. One thing. I never ask you to do anything," Alex wasn't facing Jo but she knew that what Izzie was saying would have gotten an eye roll from the guy who currently had her finger in his face. "Everyone will be there! Your friends..my friends! Alex, if you say no way to me. One. More. Time!" Alex slammed his locker shut, startling Izzie.

"Fine! I'll go to the stupid damn dinner, will you just shut up already." Alex went to walk away but Izzie was hot on his heels,

"You are on such thin ice, Alex. You keep speaking to me this wa-" Izzie told Alex in a harsh whisper, the pair were directly behind where Jo was placed at her locker, she didn't think they registered who she was as.

"What you gonna' do? Break up with me? Go 'head Izzie! Break up with me!" Aled mirrored Izzie's tone and stance, guess things aren't so great in paradise.

They had been talking about the scout dinner that the school threw every year, it was mandatory that all the football players and major high school athletes attended. It was mostly for the seniors, scouts came from all kinds of universities – but their younger team mates were required to come to basically be interviewed about their senior team mates, and maybe woo some scouts in to coming back for them when it was their turn.

She wasn't surprised that Alex didn't want to go, he wasn't a senior and it wasn't his thing. When Mark had asked her to go with him she didn't hesitate in saying no, but when he looked at her with pleading eyes she quickly changed her mind. Izzie was leaving it a bit last minute to persuade Alex as the dinner was tonight.

Mark had bought her a dress. She has begged him not to, at least not an expensive one. Jo knew that she would never wear it again and she hated the thought of him spending obscene amounts of money on something she didn't..appreciate. Of course Jo appreciated the gesture but she wasn't the girl who wore fancy dinner party dresses and schmoozed college scouts into considering her boyfriend. Mark had turned Jo into a lot of things she never thought she was, he made her weak.

"I did it," Jo felt two hands push upon her back as she heard Stephanie's out of breath voice, turning her head slightly Jo looked at her best friend who was now leaning against the locker next to her own. "I'm going to the dinner tonight, I did it." Steph raised her flat hand in front of Jo's face for Jo to reciprocate with a high five. Jo didn't want to know how her friend did it and why she seemed to be wheezing through breaths right then.

The dinner was lame. If Stephanie wasn't here Jo probably would have snuck out hours ago, but she was keeping an eye out for her friend who had been acting a little bit crazy lately. Mark had left he side only seconds after they first entered the big double doors leading into the hall they were all currently situated in. Sat on one of the chairs at the very end table Jo sat up, scouring the room to find him.

He was currently with his football coach and a few older men, they must be scouts Jo thought. Continuing to look around she saw Izzie with a group of friends, they were giggling whilst looking at something on one of their phones. No Alex. Taking a sip from her non-alcoholic wine, she looked around the room once again. She wasn't looking for Alex. She was looking for Stephanie. Not Alex.

Jo needed space. The room was so crowded, Jo left the room and made her way upstairs to quickly use the bathroom. The hall was fancy, fancy enough to have deodorant in the bathrooms – she didn't hesitate to use some, take a few deep breaths and make her way back outside. She moved towards the open balcony that was over looking the hall which her peers were situated in.

She found Stephanie. With Jackson Avery, shock.

"Having fun?" A male voice came from besides her, it was Alex. She didn't need to look at him to know that voice.

"I'd be having more fun at home, eating my body weight in popcorn whilst watching some trashy rom-com," she deadpanned, "or stabbing myself in the eye with a fork," Alex smirked, if there was another person who was not suited for this sort of thing, it was Jo.

"You not up for kissing a load of old men's ass' for your boyfriend?" Truthfully, Alex hated the fact that Jo and Mark were together. He never liked Mark, and he never liked the way Mark had treated girls. That was a lie. He didn't care one bit about how Mark treated other girls until one of those girls became Jo. Mark was a serial dater, he would get in to relationships with girls – they would last a few months and once the relationship became dry, he would just stop talking to them.

No break up, just nothing. He would give them absolutely nothing. Mark had been going on about how hot Jo was for months, he never believed she would actually fall for his crap. Jo was supposed to be smarter than that. Alex wasn't surprised when two days after Mark had informed them all Jo had her own place, he was now telling them they had a date. At least he didn't have to have a front row seat to Jo's heartbreak now they weren't friends anymore, what are we?

"Ha! If you think I was then you wouldn't know me very well," Jo smiled slightly,

"How do you think that's happened?" Alex asked as he nodded his head towards Steph and Jackson, Stephanie currently had her arm looped in Jackson's as she patted his chest and laughed with one of the scouts. Jo could only imagine the conversation they were having.

"Lucy's in Bali," Jo sing songed, "I think Steph cornered in the supermarket, told her how devastated Jackson was that his girlfriend was away for the dinner and he had no date." Jo started to laugh,

"What?" Alex said through a big grin, he missed hearing Jo laugh.

"Yeh, I think she did some schmoozing of her own, loves her now," they both laughed together at this, they turned their heads and as their eyes met – Alex's breath catches in his throat. She looked beautiful. Her long unruly hair was tied up into a messy but elegant up do, she had just enough make up on that she looked flawless yet it didn't hide her features, her dress wasn't really something he would have pictured her in but she looked great none the less; it had a sweetheart neckline with no straps and was tight around the waist to show off her great ass, and it flowed at the legs.

She looked flawless.

"What about you?" He raised his eyebrows, "having fun?"

"Not yet," he smirked as he pulled out a flask from the inside of his suit jacket, shaking it a bit to show Jo just what he meant,

"Care to share?" She asked her old friend as she raised her eyebrows.