A/N: Thank you reviewers! If teen drinking and drug use bother you, this chapter isn't for you, I'm sorry. I had all intentions of making a major cliff hanger but, I apparently suck at being able to do that.

I DISCLAIM

It was half past by the time Fulton had made it to the tree house nestled in the woods behind the Goldberg's home. Mr. Goldberg had built it for Addy as a birthday present when she turned 8 and the two of them utilized it frequently over the years. Climbing the makeshift ladder that was connected to a tree trunk, he pulled himself up and into the fort, laughing as he saw Addy bundled up and under a mound of blankets, an upturned flashlight illuminating the small space.

"Jesus! About time you showed up, Tiny!" she exclaimed.

"Have you been out here since 9?" he asked, starting to feel slightly guilty. "Whoa, what happened to your hair?" he caught a glimpse at the straight hair hanging out from under her hat.

"Since 8," she told him, pulling her arm from under the blankets to reveal a flask. "Mommy dearest took me to 'fix my unfortunate haircut' and go shopping after dinner and we both came home crying."

"Wow, that's a new record. It's usually at least 2 days before you're blubbering," he pushed her over to get under some of the blankets himself. "This place needs heat."

"Here," she handed the flask over to him, "drink up, you'll be warm in no time."

"No thanks," he took it from her and threw it out of the tree house.

"What the hell, Fult!" she smacked his arm.

"That shit makes you stupid," he said simply, the reality of why he was against it hitting Addy like a ton of bricks and she instantly felt bad.

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "I forgot."

"It's fine," he pulled her into a side hug. His mother was a recovering alcoholic, 10 years sober. She'd lost custody of Fulton when he was young, leaving him in the care of his grandparents until she straightened her life out. While the last 8 years with her had been the best of his life, he wasn't quick to forget the hell he endured in his younger days.

"Toke up then?" she asked hopefully, she had all intentions of being inebriated by the end of the night.

"Now that I could do," he chuckled.

"Baby, what's wrong?" Scooter asked Julie, coming up from behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist. "You've been staring at that painting for 10 minutes," he whispered in her ear. They were at a house party in Edina, filled with upperclassmen and the young privileged elite of Eden Hall.

"Just a lot on my mind," she tilted her head to try and look at him.

"You know what's good for that?" Cole walked up at that very moment, beers in hand. "Booze," he told her, shoving one into her hand and walking off, sending a wink towards Scooter.

"Don't pay attention to him," Scooter told her, "his mom snorted too much coke when she was pregnant," he added, causing them both to laugh.

"No, he's got a point," Julie replied, looking at the beer bottle before deciding this was the perfect moment to get drunk for the first time.

"Whoa, slow down there champ," he gently pulled the bottle away from her mouth. "What's going on with you?"

"I'm just trying to fit in," she commented sarcastically, bringing the drink back to her mouth. "You know, loosen up or something."

"I didn't bring you here to fit in," he laughed lightly. "I brought you here to show off how hot my girlfriend is," spinning her around to face him, he pulled her close and kissed her gently. He really wasn't a complete jerk, he did care for her underneath it all. The fact of the matter was that he was 17, horny and had no desire to be in a long term relationship. He'd mulled over what Cole and Rick had told him that morning, he knew they made valid points but, he also knew he could never be that cold.

"Thanks for inviting me," she responded quietly, kissing him again, this time more deeply. "This is only until you graduate, huh?" she felt the need to ask, she had to be honest with herself and decide if she really could do this.

"I … don't know," he responded awkwardly. "We've only been together a week, Julie. We barely know each other."

"I'd like to know you better," she kissed his neck, beginning to feel warm and fuzzy from the beer she'd just chugged.

"I'd like to know you better too," he smirked, playing with a strand of hair that cascaded down her back. "Just not in someone's living room with half the school watching," he whispered, kissing her forehead when she pulled away to look at him. "You wanna head back to school?" he asked hopefully.

"Yeah," she responded with a longing smile, taking his hand as he stood. "Just a second," she told him and hurried into the kitchen to grab a few more beers before following him out into the cold night air.

"Feeling better than when I left you?" Addy inquired, packing the pipe, her back leaning against the wall of the tree house.

"Where'd you get the weed?" he asked.

"Right…toke first, then ask questions about your emotional status," she commented on his swift change of topic. "Bought it back east, I completely forgot it was in my violin case and brought it straight through the airport. Those drug sniffing dogs? Government conspiracy," she laughed, inhaling deeply before passing to him.

"You're nuts," he chuckled, taking a moment to light up. "How's school?"

"Sucks," she responded simply. "Did I tell you they sent me to a new one?" she asked, continuing when he shook his head, telling her she hadn't. "Wow, have we really not talked since before the holidays?"

"Nope," he said, "I haven't seen you since July either."

"Christ," she exclaimed, having a hard time comprehending how they seemed to loose contact with each other more and more as time went on. "Anyway… Academy of the Arts out, charm school in…"

"They really have charm schools?" he interrupted, exhaling a puff of smoke.

"No, but if they did, this would be one," she grabbed the glass piece from him. "Let's put it this way, if Cake Eater ever had me over for dinner, I would know what each fork was for," she explained, causing him to laugh loudly.

"That sucks," he shook his head and chuckled.

"Could be worse I guess. So, this Julie thing…" she probed anxiously, still unsure as to why it bothered her so much.

"There is no Julie thing anymore," he sighed, finally ready to talk about it. "I'll always care about her, but she doesn't want anything to do with me."

"You're just going to give up on it that easy?" she asked.

"I guess," he shrugged. "It's not like we were hanging out all the time or anything. I just thought she was really cool and really hot," he confessed, causing Addy to scoff. "What?" he asked.

"Just seems like a punk move, giving up so easy on the girl that gives you a major boner."

"Shut up," he managed to smile, shoving her a bit.

"Make me," she retorted out of reflex, not prepared for him to clumsily tackle her. "Ow, hey!" she whined, her reflexes dramatically slowed as she struggled against his weight. "Get off! I'm just a little girl!"

"You are not a little girl," he pushed himself up a bit to look at her.

"I think that offends me," she laughed nervously, becoming increasingly aware of his body on top of hers.

"I'm not calling you fat," he rolled his eyes. "You've just, grown up," he told her casually.

"You noticed," she teased.

"Kinda hard not to," he smirked, still having not moved from his position on top of her as he shifted his weight onto one arm so he could gently brush the hair back from her face.

"Fulton-"

"Shhh," he quieted her, knowing if she said anything else one of them would come to their senses. Leaning in, he hesitated inches from her face, only continuing after she closed the gap.

"So, why'd you lie to me about the black eye?" Julie asked as they snuck back onto campus hand in hand. She had originally planned on letting it slide but, with a few bottles of liquid courage coursing through her she couldn't help herself.

"He told you," Scooter groaned, leaning against the back of her dorm.

"He told me a lot of things," she shrugged.

"Like what?" he responded hastily.

"You seem guilty of something," she eyed him, walking the length of her building and to her window.

"No," he followed quickly after her. "I just know he has a thing for you, that's all."

"Well I have a thing for you," she reassured him, turning to kiss him a bit sloppily. "Help me with the window, you're taller, " she instructed, watching as he palmed the glass and pushed it up. Pulling herself up and into the room however, proved to be a bit more difficult in her current state and she smirked as she felt his hand on her butt, helping to boost her up. "Like what you see?" she called down with a laugh.

"You have no idea," he smirked, climbing in behind her and shutting the window. Hooking his fingers into the belt loops on her jeans he pulled her towards him for a kiss.

"You never answered my question," she pulled back.

"I was embarrassed," he told her quietly, his admission causing Julie to giggle. "You're not helping!" he protested though found himself laughing as well.

"That's probably the most honest and real thing you've ever said to me," she told him, any doubt that Fulton had placed in her mind erased by his admission and the alcohol. Smiling widely, she clumsily fumbled with the buttons on his shirt. "Take that thing off," she instructed him with a slur, taking off her own shirt and moving to her bed.

"Yes Ma'am," he laughed, doing as he was told before pushing her back onto the mattress and kissing her; hands roaming.

"I'm not having sex with you," she told him as he kissed down her chest.

"Ever?"

"Tonight."

"Well, there's plenty of other things we can do," he smiled at her devilishly, unable to keep Cole's logistics from running through his head.

"Teach me," she whispered after a long pause, giving him the green light to continue his trail of kisses down her body.