Author's Note: AHHHHH! New update! Finally! Sorry for the wait guys, but I have good news! The climax of the story is right under our noses. Hopefully this means I'll be more motivated to crank out the last couple of chapters! This chapter is going to be entirely the Eliza/Brady portion of the story, just a warning. The next chapter is going to be more Quil-and-Claire-centric. I love you guys sososo much! I now present to you, ch. 53.


Eliza

"Okay class, I'll see you in the new year. Before the bell rings I'd like to remind you—" The bell rang, effectively cutting off Mr. Burns, my history teacher, in the middle of his "have a safe holidays" speech. Before he could say another word, the entire class poured out of the room, chattering excitedly. Exams were now officially finished and we could all relax, enjoy the dance, and have two weeks off from school. Personally, I wasn't feeling the Christmas Spirit.

I met Lilly at the door of the classroom, "So what did you put for number fifty four? Cause I was going to put Rome but then I changed my answer to Greece at the last second," I babbled.

Lilly looked horrified, "The guys are out there risking their lives hunting crazy you-know-whats and all you can think about is how you did on your history mid-term?"

"Well yeah, I'm sitting with a flat ninety in that class and if I just bombed my exam I'm going to get a B. You couldn't get a B if you got a negative score on that test!"

Lilly rolled her eyes. "They could die. Embry and Jacob and all of them are risking their lives!"

Embry. Embry. Embry. It didn't matter that she was dating Travis, not really. It seemed Embry was still her priority twenty-four hours of the day. Not like I could really talk. Maybe I would have felt less worried about my mid-terms if I'd spent more time studying and less time day-dreaming about a world where Brady and I could work.

"It's their jobs, Lilly. They're professionals. They took down the rest of her coven, what's one more? Against all of them?" That was code for: I probably would be just as panicked as you if Brady was out there risking his life but he's safe at home right now, so I'm okay. As long as he is safe, I am okay.

"Whatever, what time is Collin picking you up for the dance tomorrow?"

"Eight. How are you and Travis getting there?" I asked, even though I couldn't possibly care less.

"His brother Jason's a senior, we're riding with him and his date." Poor thing, stuck in a car with two Newton boys. Not like I had any room to say something, but if Embry didn't make a move pretty soon I was going to have to do something myself. Lilly isn't the only one who can meddle in someone's love life.

"Cool, so I'll see you tomorrow night?"

"Tomorrow night," Lilly smiled, turning and heading the other direction to where Travis and Marco's class had let out.

Tomorrow night. I'd have to dance with Collin and spend the entire evening thinking of his best friend, his other half, sitting at home, probably as messed up as I was.

Love really fucking sucks.


Brady

Love really fucking sucks.

Yup, that about sums things up.

Why did everyone say that love was such a wonderful thing when all it did was make every day of my life more complicated? When it made me feel like I couldn't breathe every moment I wasn't near her? When I was forced to smile and act normal while a horrible ache tore through my chest?

Like this week, for instance. Hunting down the vampire would have been a pleasant distraction from all of my Eliza drama, but was I able to go? No. The pack didn't want to deal with their depressed brother moping about a fifteen year old girl who didn't love him. They wanted me to stay back and look after her. Who knows? Maybe they thought I was too depressed to be useful in a fight. Maybe they knew that even though she wouldn't let me near her, I couldn't bear to leave her here alone. Either way, it sucked.

Because as a result of me staying behind, I'd have to watch my best friend walk out of our house in a suit to go pick up the girl I loved for their date. Their date.

Fuck my life.

Seven o'clock Saturday night I was sprawled across the couch in the living room, pretending to be watching the TV, when Collin walked in wearing shorts and carrying a suit.

"Shouldn't you be putting that on, soon?" I asked, trying to maintain a level of casualness in my voice.

"It's not mine," Collin informed me, dropping it on the arm of my couch.

I didn't understand. It was my suit he'd dropped on the couch."You're wearing my suit from my sister's wedding last year? Don't you have your own?" My eyebrows drew together.

"I'm not wearing it," he said matter-of-factly, smirking. "You are."

I whipped my head towards him, "What did you say?" I demanded.

"I think I was wrong before. Five wolves here really is more than we need, so I'm going up there to help with the hunt. Jake thinks they're getting pretty close to finding her. I'm leaving to go catch up to them in like fifteen minutes."

"What? You can't just leave, you're taking Eliza to the dance! You can't abandon her like that, you're her friend." I reprimanded him.

"Which is exactly why I'm not abandoning her. You're going to take her instead," his smirk transformed to a shameless devilish grin. My stomach twisted painfully. No, no there was no way he was fucking serious.

I swore I almost broke his nose. "You bastard! You've been planning this all along, haven't you?" I yelled, "What have I told you about meddling in my love life? Eliza doesn't want to be with me, okay? Give it a rest!"

"Of course I've been planning this all along, it's me we're talking about. I know you can't see it, but I think you really were getting through to Eliza before. She's changed, man. I can't begin to understand it, but she's different now. She's like an actual human being."

She's always been a human, dipshit, I wanted to shout at him.

"Then maybe you should date her. She's not interested in me, man. Give it up already. You think five is too much? Fine, I'll go after Lilah. You take Eliza to that dance. She doesn't want to see me."

"On the contrary, I think she wants to see you very much. I think she misses you just as much as you miss her. You haven't seen her lately. She looks… empty."

The very idea that Eliza missed me was ridiculous. Collin was delusional if he thought that Eliza actually cared for me. I know I'd once believed she did… but that felt like another lifetime ago. I'd told her how special she was, kissed her, took her out on a date, turned up the charm, and got nothing.

But still… she looked empty? Was something wrong with her? Was she upset about something? It was unsettling to know something was going on with her that was potentially causing her pain. Eliza had suffered enough pain in her life, with a dead mother, a flighty father, a douche bag ex, and birth parents she knew nothing about. I didn't like the idea of her experiencing any more pain.

"You're crazy," I informed him.

"I'm crazy? You're the one who fell for her in the first place. Dude, if you don't make a move soon you're going to turn into Embry, the stalker so petrified of the girl he loves rejecting him that he loses her to someone else. You don't want to lose her, do you?"

"She's never been mine," I mumbled.

"Then put that fucking suit on and change that, you're picking her up in less than an hour."

"I hate you." I grumbled, snatching the black suit off of the armrest and retreating to my room to get dressed.

Eliza was going to be furious. She'd probably slam the door in my face, screaming at me to leave her alone and go home. But even if that was what happened, seeing her face for just those few seconds and hearing her voice would be worth it.

Maybe.


Eliza

Saturday night at seven fifty-eight I was standing in front of the mirror in the front hallway. Emily had come over earlier and put my hair up in a low chignon bun, leaving some loose curls to frame my face. My makeup was done carefully and flawlessly and my dress was perfect.

It was time for the Forks High School Winter Formal.

When I was younger I'd always dreamed about going to the Winter Formal. I imagined dancing around the floor wearing a long elegant dress much like the one I was wearing tonight. I'd never imagined that the man leading me across the floor would be Collin Littlesea.

I sighed and applied more lip gloss. I had the house to myself right now, with Claire and Quil picking up food in Forks and my father at his company's holiday party. The silence was a blessing and a curse. Alone, I didn't have to fake a smile and pretend that everything was okay. But there was also nothing to distract me from my own thoughts.

The doorbell rang.

Speaking of distractions… "Coming!" I called, grabbing my small bag off of the dining room table before opening the door to let Collin in.

Except, when I opened the door, it wasn't Collin.

It was Brady. In a suit. With a nervous smile on his face.

No no no no no no no. This isn't happening.

Without thinking, I tried to slam the door shut so I could escape upstairs and hyperventilate. Brady stuck his foot in the door, effectively stopping me.

"I didn't plan this you know," he said seriously, not letting me shut the door, but not forcing it all the way open either.

I believed him, but that didn't mean someone else hadn't. "Fucking Collin. He's going to pay for this. Where is he?" It was strange to talk to Brady after all this time. It was like a weight had been lifted off of my chest and a whole new one had been dropped on it. My hands were shaking with nervous energy.

"Half way to Canada. You'll have to hold off on murdering him until they catch the leech."

"That monkey-faced bastard."

"Tell me about it."

There was an awkward silence. I peeked out of the small opening in the door. Brady was on the other side, looking more handsome than any time I could remember. My stomach twisted into a huge knot. What was I going to do?

"Look, I understand that you don't want to see me anymore. You kept good on your side of the deal, so I need to keep good on mine. If you want me to leave, I can. You don't have to go to the dance if you don't want to. Though it would be a shame for you to get all dressed up and then not go anywhere."

Don't do it, I warned myself, This isn't a smart idea.

But I love him, I miss him, I need to be around him, the silly lovesick girl inside of me thought.

But you shouldn't be. You're supposed to be getting over him, remember? It's for his own good!

I should have accepted his offer and made him leave. I should have called up Sam or Emily for a ride to the dance instead, I should have been strong and done the right thing.

I'm not that strong. Not after all these weeks of not seeing him. I was too giddy by his presence to focus.

I swung the door open. "Well I guess we can go. As friends. We're friends, kind of. Right?"

Brady smiled bigger than I'd seen in months. "Awesome! I mean, cool. I mean, yeah. We're friends. Let's get going." He held out an arm to me and I linked mine with his, shutting the door behind me and locking it before going with Brady over to where his vehicle was parked.

"Since we're just friends, I'm going to remind you that there is to be no funny business. I mean it. Try and kiss me like you did a few weeks ago and I'm leaving. Got it?"

"Got it. And Angel, as a friend, you look beautiful."

I hoped the sky was already dark enough that he didn't notice my face redden. "Thanks," I said, hoping my voice didn't quiver. "But what did I say about calling me Angel?" He laughed. I was all-too aware of how close we were and the heat radiating off of his skin may as well have been fire.

Thanks? That was my smart reply? Idiot, idiot. I chided myself. The old Eliza would have had some sort of witty remark all lined up and delivered it with grace. But whether I liked it or not, that girl was gone. And I had no idea how to get her back.

If I was going to continue being so stupid and giggly for the entire dance it was going to be a long, long, night.

At that time… I had no idea just how long it would end up being.


Brady

I was amazed that I arrived at the high school without a single car accident, considering I hadn't looked at the road for ninety five percent of the drive. It was impossible to look away from Eliza. Weeks away from her and my eyes were drinking up all that they could. Collin had warned me before he left that she almost looked sickly. That sure as hell wasn't the case tonight. She was more beautiful than I'd ever seen her, wearing a girly dark pink dress that flowed all the way to the ground with her light blonde hair in an elegant twist thingy, not pin-straight like I had grown accustomed to over the past few months. Staring at her was like staring into the sun, radiant and blinding. Most of all, I was transfixed my her gloss-coated lips. They looked delicious and kissable and irresistible.

I couldn't kiss her though. She had made that painfully clear. I wondered idly as I parked the car if I could actually manage that. Asking me not to kiss her would be like asking me not to breathe, asking me not to blink, asking my heart not to beat.

Could I even make it twenty minutes without attacking her lips? Maybe I could have before, but after weeks of being away from her I doubted it.

Yeah, I was screwed.

I hopped out of the car and went around to open her door out of habit and noticed her shiver. "Cold?" I asked with concern. Apparently Eliza had decided she didn't need a jacket because she wouldn't be outside for more than a minute anyway. I mentally slapped myself for not forcing her to bring a jacket. Now if she got sick it would be on my hands…

"Well, it's like forty degrees and the sun is gone, yeah I guess you could say I'm cold. It's fine, it'll be warm inside," she chattered without her usual snippy attitude as we headed toward the doors to the school. I followed at her ankles like a puppy desperately attached to their owner. The guys weren't exaggerating, I was the epitome of whipped. Eliza owned me. I was hers for the taking.

"You still should have brought something to stay warm," I muttered.

Eliza rolled her eyes at me. "I can't wear a winter coat over a formal dress, that would look stupid. I'd rather be frostbitten."

Girls, I'll never understand them.

I pulled her into my side and rubbed her goose bump-covered arm with my heated hand while letting my body heat alone warm her other one.

"What are you doing?" She asked agitatedly.

"Friends don't let friends freeze," I informed her as we stepped through the double doors of the school. Saying the word friends both elated me and pierced me through the chest. It was so much more than I expected we could be a few weeks ago, but still not nearly as much as I wanted us to be.

Once we were away from the cold doors and the heating vents reached our skin, Eliza shrugged me off, muttering a half-hearted thanks.

"My pleasure," I told her. She looked at me strangely, and I mentally slapped myself. Idiot, you should have just said you're welcome. Stop creeping her out!

Instead of saying anything else that would make me sound like a creepy stalker, I let my eyes wander as we followed clusters of high school students down the hall to the gym. I'd only ever been to Forks High School once, before they tore it down and rebuilt it. It was junior year, two years after I'd phased, when the high school had hosted some school carnival fundraiser that basically everyone in the area attended. I went to make out with girls and sneak alcohol behind the school. It had been a successful occasion.

Now the school—as well as the circumstances—were wildly different. The high school wasn't extravagant or anything, but at least it wasn't eighty years old. It was a hell of a lot nicer than the Valley School on the rez, which catered to all of the natives in the area.

Music was blasting all the way down the hall. Or at least, it was blasting in my ultra-sensitive ears. Eliza tensed as we approached the gym and I had to fight the urge to take her hand and give it a reassuring squeeze even though I had no idea what she could be nervous about. She was especially radiant tonight and I'm sure I wouldn't be the only one totally hypnotized by her. I honestly had no idea how she could still be self-conscious when she was so fucking beautiful.

The inside of the gym looked like it had been hit by a sparkly snow storm. Every inch of the floor was sprinkled with powdery white stuff that was probably was supposed to be snow but looked more to me like a mess I'd have to clean off of my shoes later. There were no big lights on, but every surface of the room that couldn't be stepped on was decorated with icicle Christmas lights. The tables were adorned with white tablecloths and the punch bowl looked like it was made out of ice. By Forks standards, the gym looked pretty swanky.

Mostly everyone there was out on the dance floor, mingling while the DJ was switching playlists on his laptop. I spotted Danny easily as one of the tallest people in the room. Next to him, Gaby looked like a doll. A small Spanish doll in a sexy tight purple floor-length dress. Beside her, Danny was smiling like a thirteen year old boy who'd just discovered porn. Neither of them noticed us.

Yeah, when he chases after teenage girls it's perfectly fine. When I do it I'm some deranged pedophile.

A perky caramel-haired appeared in front of me suddenly, blocking my view of Danny and Gaby. She looked up at me momentarily and chewed on her lip. I'm sure it was supposed to be sexy, but Eliza was the only girl here who caught my eye. The girl turned to Eliza and gave the fakest smile I'd ever seen. "Hey, it's Eliza, right?"

"Yeah. What's up Adele?" I could tell Eliza didn't like her by the way she was looking at her. The Adele girl looked to be a few years older, and by the way her tight red mermaid-style dress clung to her curvy figure I could imagine many girls didn't like her either.

"Oh, nothing, my friends and I," she motioned gracefully at a group of girls in equally tight dresses, "Were just wondering who your friend here is," she looked back at me and winked.

"Taken," Eliza answered with a calm but possessive fierceness, "That's who he is." She intertwined her fingers with mine. "Come on Brady, let's go dance."

"Sure," I grinned, letting her drag me away without looking back at the Adele girl, who I'm sure wasn't accustomed to being showed up by freshmen.

"Taken? What was that about?" I shouted over the music as Eliza led me across the gym.

She stopped walking and turned back to me. "You've got to be careful around here," she said in her regular speaking volume, knowing I could hear her perfectly, "The girls around here will tear you to pieces if you aren't careful."

Too late for that. I thought to myself.

"So what you're saying is, I'm too sexy for my own good?" Eliza's face reddened slightly.

"Not at all, I just don't think these Forks girls are used to… your species." She explained, maybe a little too defensively.

"You mean extremely attractive men?"

"I mean extremely arrogant men," Eliza corrected. I laughed and pulled her closer to me.

"Well unfortunately for these girls, I'm taken, remember?"

She shoved away from me. "I had to say something to get them to leave you alone. Obviously we're just friends."

"Well we better not let the other girls know that," I chuckled into her ear, pulling her back into my arm and leading her to where everyone was dancing.


Eliza

It was hard to maintain composure while Brady was so close. His skin wasn't just hot, it was like an electric current ran through it and anywhere that it touched me tingled, even though he wore a suit jacket and shirt. I wanted to melt into him, to become a part of him so irremovable that no girl would dare come near him for the rest of the night. It didn't matter that I knew I shouldn't want Brady, that I couldn't have Brady… that didn't mean any of the girls in this corner of hell were any more deserving of him. Especially not Beauty Queen cheerleading captains like Adele or Queen Bees in the making like Camille.

Ugh, Camille. I didn't even want to think about what would happen when she found out who I was here with. Not like I cared about what she thought, but tonight was already difficult enough, I didn't have time to deal with my friend turned enemy, too.

I hadn't seen her yet, and she hadn't seen me, but it seemed like the rest of the fucking student body had. After a while we stopped dancing and went to sit with Marco and Jasmine, which was slightly less awful than being up on display for everyone to whisper about. Travis and Lilly stopped by to chat for a minute or two, but then Travis dragged Lilly off to dance. I had to admit that she and Travis were cute together, but I didn't think that Lilly was quite as enthused about the relationship as Travis was. Whether or not Lilly had feelings for Embry—which she had never mentioned to me—she couldn't completely give herself to someone who wasn't him. I just wondered how long she would string Travis along for before she realized what she really wanted.

Why couldn't Lilly and I just talk to each other about our boy troubles like normal best friends? What had happened to us?

"So, everyone is talking about you two, you know that right?" Marco hollered across the table where we were sitting. A glowing Jasmine sat beside him, her chair pulled as close to his as physically possible.

Now don't get me wrong, I love Marco to death, but at that moment I could have punched him repeatedly until he saw stars. "I have no idea what you're talking about," I tried to play dumb. Unfortunately, someone as secretly smart as Marco saw right through it.

"So I'm guessing you haven't seen the Wicked Witch of the West Coast yet?" He chuckled.

"Have you?" I asked, not bothering to wonder who he meant. There was no doubt.

He shrugged. "She's here with some upperclassmen. I may have seen her once or twice. She's probably heard you two are dating by now so I'd brace myself if I were you."

"We're not dating," I yelled. "And neither were Brady and Camille."

Marco suppressed a smile. "Just saying… Brace yourselves."

"Come on Marco, I want to dance!" Jasmine decided.

"Oh, I do a mean Running Man," Marco bragged.

"Please don't," Jasmine told him as he led her off to the dance floor, leaving Brady and I alone.

"Welcome back to high school," I sighed, looking sideways at Brady. How was he still sexy when I only looked at him from the corner of my eye? This was just getting ridiculous.

"I'd say it's good to be back but…" he laughed.

"You're the one who wanted to come," I reminded him.

"Is that how you remember it?" Brady teased.

I opened my mouth to reply with some form of a witty remark when Jason Newton of all people sat down beside us. Well sat wasn't exactly the right word—he actually fell. "It's Seth, right?" He asked, giving Brady the once-over. His breath smelled strongly of alcohol. Senior boys were notorious for getting drunk at school functions.

"Brady," Brady corrected.

"Nolan's friends all look the same to me," Jason shrugged. "Speaking of Nolan, aren't you a little old to be here with a fourteen year old girl?"

"I'm fifteen," I interrupted. "Why do you care?"

"And I'm not that old," Brady answered vaguely. The age game was a delicate one when it came to the pack. Especially with people like the Newtons, who had unknowingly married into a family of shapeshifters.

"Aren't you supposed to be here with my brother?" Jason asked drunkenly.

"You're thinking of Lilly, my best friend. I'm Eliza."

"Oh yeah, fuck. I'm waaaaaasted."

"I noticed," I replied curtly. "Come on Brady, let's go get some punch."

Brady nodded and helped me up, guiding me away from a very drunk Jason to the refreshments table. I'd have to talk to Brady later about giving Lilly and Travis a ride home, because I sure as hell didn't trust Jason to get them home safely. "So who spiked the punch?" I laughed.

Brady sniffed the air. "No one, he must have just added a little something to his own glass."

"Your whole super-human senses thing is actually really fucking weird." I informed him. He smiled brilliantly.

"I try."

"Look at the happy couple," a familiar and snakelike voice sneered from behind us.

I ground my teeth together and cleared my face of all expression. "Hi Camille, you want some punch?"

She ignored my question. "You know, Liza, it's funny. I always knew you were jealous of me, I mean obviously, but I didn't realize until just recently that you were this desperate to be like me."

"Excuse me?" I asked, narrowing my eyes at her and stepping away from Brady. She was taller than me, like always, but I didn't let that stop me from getting right in her face. Screw nervous, I was livid.

"You act so innocent too. 'Oh I don't like Brady. Not at all. He's creepy, take him. He's all yours,'" she mocked in a high-pitched whiny voice that sounded absolutely nothing like me. "Yeah right. The second he takes interest in me instead of you, you were basically drooling all over him. Then I got tired of him and didn't call him after our date you decided to jump on him. What a loser."

"Excuse me, it was me who didn't call you, Miss Crazy," Brady inputted.

"Stay out of this Brady!" I ordered. Him defending me would only give Camille more ammo.

"Yeah Brady," Camille teased, "Let your loser girlfriend stand up for herself. If she actually knows how, that is. Did you finally find a backbone, Eliza? Or are you going to keep hiding all of your loser emotions inside and pretending like nothing bothers you? I see right through you, and I've seen right through you from the start! You want to date Brady? Fine. I had chicken for dinner tonight, would you like those leftovers, too?"

"News flash Camille, Brady was never interested in you. At all. Understandable, since you're even crazy and all. And I'm not dating Brady, by the way. Sorry to disappoint you but I'm not jealous of you. I don't want to be you. No one wants to be you. You're a shallow bitch with no real friends except Gaby, and she only sticks around because someone has to. So go stick your perky nose in someone else's business."

"Whore," Camille muttered, turning to leave.

My blood was boiling. "Camille?" I called, trying to maintain my calm voice.

"What?" She snapped, turning back around.

"Have some punch," I suggested, snatching a random cup off of the nearest table and splashing its contents on her chest and down the front of her sparkly silver gown. Her scream pierced the air.

"You bitch!" She shrieked.

People from all surrounding areas turned to stare at us. Camille's dress was most certainly ruined, and I didn't even feel bad for her. "Look what you did!" She cried.

"I am so sorry, Camille. I just tripped. I didn't mean to. It was an accident!" I apologized, filling my voice with just the right amount of fake panic to be convincing.

"You liar! I'm going to get you for this! You are done at this school. Done!" She jabbed a perfectly manicured finger at my chest.

"Accidents happen, Camille," I shrugged. Softer, for only her ears to hear I added, "In case it isn't completely clear, we aren't friends. Don't cross me again, kay?"

Her face turned a dark shade of red and she drew her hand back. For one wild moment, I thought she was going to hit me, and then Brady was there, standing between us. "Enjoy the rest of your night, Camille. By the way, I think you have a little something on your dress," he smirked.

I loved him. I loved him so much. "Come on Brady, let's go dance," I suggested, grabbing his muscle-corded arm and leading him away from a seething Camille.

"I can't believe I just did that," I breathed as we made our way onto the dance floor. It was a slow song. My heart thrummed wildly as Brady pulled me into his body and planted his hands somewhere between my waist and my hips. Somewhere between the friend zone and a more intimate relationship. It was a perfect representation of our relationship, caught in the middle. More than we should be to each other, but still not nearly enough. My heart and my head were once again at odds, but my body was dancing. Dancing with him.

"If you ask me, she deserved it. I really, really don't like that girl," he scowled.

My face transformed to a mask of puzzlement. "If you don't like her then why did you kiss her? And then agree to go out with her?"

"Isn't it obvious, Angel?" He smiled down at me with that lady-killing grin of his, "I was trying to make you jealous. And it worked, too."

"Did it now?" I answered with fake interest.

"Oh yeah… I have you right where I want you," he replied in a low voice, his hands sliding slightly lower and pulling me closer.

My breath came out in a shutter, and Brady smirked. "You really do look beautiful tonight, Angel."

"You've got to stop calling me that," I informed him, rediscovering my voice.

"So I have a question of my own." My stomach dropped as I speculated about what it could be. "Collin told me there's nothing going on between you two, so why did you kiss him?"

"Isn't it obvious?" I asked, inclining an eyebrow suggestively. "To get even."

His hands tightened on my hips and his fingers fanned out. His touch was deliciously good. My knees felt unstable for a moment, and I seriously thought I was going to fall into him like in some cliché movie, but I managed to resist. "I have one more question," he said, so softly I barely heard his voice above the music.

"What is it?" I asked, moving my hands from his shoulders to his biceps and back up to his shoulders without even meaning to. Touching him felt so amazing.

He tilted his head down so our foreheads touched and his lips were so close to mine that I felt the warmth of his breath on my face. "If I were to kiss you right now, what would you do?"

My body went to war with itself. Kiss him! Kiss him! Kiss him goddammit!

Run away! Run away now! Get the fuck out of here!

Every moment I didn't answer I dug myself into an even deeper hole. One that I wasn't sure how to get out of. I tried to organize my thoughts, to think reasonably, to remember why I swore never to give my heart away.

Except… whether he knew it or not, my heart was already his. I'd promised myself I wouldn't let things get to this point. Then again, hadn't I also promised myself never to fall in love with Brady in the first place?

When twenty seconds came and went and I still hadn't said anything, Brady took my silence as a "go for it" and leaned down even further to capture my lips. The second they met alarms sounded off in my head and I realized what was happening. I pushed him away so hard and so fast he almost fell over.

"I—I—I can't do this. I'm sorry, I can't!" I choked out, suddenly overcome with a million and one different feelings tangling for dominance inside of me.

"Eliza I—"

"I need some air, excuse me," I muttered, unable to look at him. I was an idiot for coming to this dance with him. For letting myself be around him. Why did I think I could control myself around this boy? I couldn't be friends with him. It was impossible. If I really wanted Brady to get over me… If I wanted to get over him… I could never see him. Not even under friendly terms.

A painful lump that could only mean tears started crawling up my throat as I all but sprinted out of the gym in my heels. I shoved open the gym doors and nearly knocked a couple of girls over.

"Watch it!" One of them snapped. I ignored her and kept running. By the time I made it through the front doors of the school, the tears had started. I was a mess. I couldn't go back in there like this. How the hell was I going to get home?

A twig snapped off to the left and I jumped, turning to the noise. I wasn't alone. A distinctly female figure stood not too far away, but she was far enough away from the lights of the school that I couldn't quite recognize her.

Oh great, an audience. That's all I need… someone asking—

"Eliza, what happened?"


Ooooh, a (sort of) cliffhanger! I'm evil, I know. If you took all the time to read this chapter, can you spare another minute to leave me a review? It would be much appreciated! See you soon!