"An adventure? We still have two lessons to attend." She whispered even though they were in an empty parking lot.

At this Draco rolled his eyes. "We just got excused from one lesson, and I know for a fact that your last class is study hall." He said giving her a knowing look.

Hermione felt a tinge of pride at the fact that he knew her schedule, and reluctantly she sighed and shrugged her shoulders.

"Fine." She relented playfully rolling her eyes.

"I'll just have to tell Harry not to worry about driving me home after school." Draco who barely allowed her to finish her sentence threw an arm around her shoulder and jostled her around.

"Finally! Goody too shoes Granger skipping class." Hermione lightly shoved him off of her laughing

"Okay, okay. Let's go before I change my mind." She said as Draco opened the door for her to get in the car.

"You've actually never been up to graffiti bridge before?" Draco asked as he glanced at Hermione quickly as he drove with one hand on the steering wheel. Hermione shook her head and frowned a little.

"No, I had no reason to- I mean don't people just go up there to get high?" She said disdain mixed in with her words. He shrugged unconcerned.

"Some people, but I go for the view." He said pausing briefly.

"Plus, there's rarely anyone up there this time of day." He finished giving her a quick look.

Hermione nodded eyebrows bunched as she replayed the scene that had taken place a mere fifteen minutes ago in her head.

"Well now that we're alone-"

"what? We should snog?" Draco asked wiggling his eyebrows at her. Hermione scoffed making a disgusted face before replying.

"No, I was going to ask you clue me in on what happened back there with Pansy"

"Oh, that?" he replied shrugging his shoulder. "I mean you heard what she said. Lavender went and told a few people what she saw at the park."

"And this means what exactly? Her and her friends are idiots so, no one would believe them." Draco shook his head slowly.

"That would be the case but, somehow the news reached pansy… which means the whole school will know in a few hours, and they will believe her"

"So, what do we do?" She asked panicked her eyes widening.

"Relax, I've already got everything figured out." Hermione sat staring at him as he smiled to himself and tapped his fingers on his steering wheel.

"Well… Are you going to tell me your plan or what?"

"Impatient, aren't we?" he asked cocking an eyebrow at her while smirking.

"Good lord women you've got to lighten up." He said after receiving no reply from her. When she still did not laugh or smile, he cleared his throat.

"Fine. If you must know I think we need to continue the fake dating thing at school."

"What?!"

"Listen I know it's crazy but-"

"No, I don't think you do know." She said crossing over him.

"Draco we cannot and will not allow the whole student body to think that we're dating."

"I don't understand what the big deal is." He said allowing glances over at Hermione while he was driving.

"What would people say, or better yet what will they do?" She said shutting her eyes to ward off whatever she was imagining.

"I'm still not seeing the problem here." At this Hermione looked over at him mouth gaping.

"I'm sorry let me rephrase his for you." Draco observed that her voice sounded strained and he suddenly sobered realizing that this was not a joke to her.

"Pansy will freak. Ron will freak, and I don't want to have either one of their beady eyes on me." She finished saying each word slowly. He was taken aback by the flash emotion that settled over him his face darkening and his grip on his steering wheel become tighter causing his knuckles to go white.

"So that's what this is really about then." He bit out surprised by how calm his voice sounded compared to the way he was feeling.

"Still hoping to run back to him when this is all said and done." Hermione looked at him eyes blazing as her face arranged into the furious expression that he had become acquainted with over the years.

"What does that even have to do with anything!" She cried her voice ringing throughout the car.

He knew that he was crossing a line and that once crossed it would be very hard for him to return to where he was now, but what he also knew was that he was Draco Malfoy. And when he became uncomfortable he sought familiarity in whatever form it may come in, and truthfully the hot pang of jealousy that he felt encompass his body and burn his pale skin when he imagined Hermione getting back with Ron was uncharted territory for him and it made him uneasy. However, fighting with her did not, it was familiar, it was routine, and most importantly it was safe.

"Don't play dumb with me; you're just trying to keep your options open." The words possessed a venom that he hadn't used towards her since grade school, and as best as she tried to hide it, he saw the flash of shock that crossed her features.

"You and I both know I'm not like that."

He was expecting for her to match his energy and the guilt that was slowly overtaking the anger doubled when her voice was soft and lacked the malice that it usually had when they had argued like this in the past.

"so, what is it then?" He asked trying to silence the guilt by convincing himself he had a valid reason to angry with her.

"Are you afraid that everyone's going to think you're easy? Cause then what? You're worried that no one guy will want to date you after that? Well news flash that's already the case, and we both know that's the real reason you put up with Ron's crap." The words barreled past his lips before he had time to process what he was saying. Not used to thinking twice or even considering if his words hurt her. He forced himself to stare straight ahead at the road not wanting to see the hurt expression that was no doubt present on her face. He was screaming apologies in his mind, but he couldn't seem to force his lips apart to speak them aloud.

They sat in silence for the rest of the ride until he pulled the car into the grassy patch off the road that had been the designated parking spot for the bridge.

Hermione was stunned honest to God stunned. She wanted to scream and yell at him, but she wasn't stupid. She knew for whatever the reason may be, that was what he wanted. So, she sat quietly. The silence becoming suffocating as the hum of the engine switched off. Neither of the two showed any sign of relenting and Hermione felt her throat getting thick making it difficult for her to swallow. She looked over at Draco observing his death grip on the steering wheel and the flexed muscles in his jaw trying to piece together what could have happened. Searching for the culprit of his random foul mood.

What did you expect?

She thought to herself almost scoffing aloud.

You let your guard down because he was civil for one day? You were asking for it.

But they had been more than civil. She thought back to their outing together. How he would flash her a small smile when he thought no one was looking. The way that he had called her love and told her she was pretty. She still felt her stomach flip as she recounted how he had wrapped his arm around her while gently cupping her face, but that had all been pretend. All of it; every last second. None of that was real. It was all an act to impress his parents, but this loud seething Malfoy who sat next her and said words to intentionally cause her pain was more real than ever, and she would never forget that again. Deciding that she'd had quite enough of people mistreating her and thinking they could get away with it she left. She didn't spare him a single glance; juts grabbed her bag slammed the door shut behind her and left. She didn't expect for him to come apologize to her, and she tried to convince herself she wasn't upset about it even when she stopped walking a few feet away from the car and still saw no movement inside. The tears that had threatened to spill over while she sat in the car now seeped slowly from the corners of her eyes. They were hot and salty, and she imagined the ocean boiling over behind her eyelids. She threw her bag on the ground and took a seat beside it knowing she couldn't walk all the way to her house. She took out her phone not really thinking twice about what she was doing. It rang once before it was picked up, and she shuddered at the familiar voice on the other line.

"Hermione, you missed your last lesson, and then I see this bizarre text saying not to worry about driving you home." Harry's rushed words and panicked voice brought a wave of guilt over here as she realized she had carelessly left her friend to worry about her whereabouts.

"I know I'm sorry, I just made a super stupid decision and-"

"What are you doing at graffiti bridge Mione?" He asked not allowing her to finish sounding tired. Caught off guard by his question her eyes widened, and she sputtered while trying to form a coherent sentence which sounded more like chocking because she was crying.

"How'd you know?" She finally said sniffing and grossly rubbing her nose on her arm.

"I checked your location. I knew something was wrong when you left with Malfoy and then didn't show up for study group." He said a bitter edge creeping into his voice when he said Draco's name.

"You're with him right now, aren't you?" The question had no anger or judgment to it, and he sounded genuinely curious, and that's when Hermione realized how crazy this whole ordeal was. No wonder Ron had been so furious.

"I was- I mean he's still here, but I got out the car I'm only actually a few feet away sitting on the ground." She said rambling in an attempt to stop crying.

"I'll be there in ten minutes just hang tight okay?" Harry said mumbling softly to himself. Hermione pulled the phone away from her face and looked at the time which she had neglected checking when she had first called him.

"But there's still forty minutes of class, and it's a half hour drive."

"Yeah? I left as soon as I realized you weren't there. I wasn't gonna leave you alone with that git at the bridge. People don't just go there for the view." He scoffed. She thought back to Draco's words and tried to imagine what they would've done had they not gotten into a fight.

"Listen Mione I'm almost there but I gotta go, stay away from Malfoy until I get there okay?"

"No problems there." She assured picking gravel out of the soles of her shoes.

"Alright, see you in a second."

The line went dead, and Hermione was left to sit and think about her actions like a child in time out. Sure, she knew Draco, but she didn't know him. She mentally kicked herself for cutting class and coming to some bridge in the middle of nowhere with a guy who apparently thought she was as desirable as snow on summer holiday. She also thought about how stupid she had been to cut Harry off at Ron's request. She didn't know anyone who would leave class and drive all this way because they were worried about her. This thought brought new tears to her eyes. She didn't deserve his concern after she had tossed him aside like he was nothing, and for what? A toxic relationship with Ronald?! She let her head drop into her hand as her mind reeled at all the mistakes she'd made recently that no study guide could save her from.

"Mione!" She snapped her head up to see Harry; his head poking out the window concern written all over his face. She was so lost in her own little world that she hadn't even heard his car pull up. She moved quickly but clumsily. Swiftly picking up her bag as she walked over to his car her cheeks stained with tears. She knew Harry wanted answers, but she wouldn't have felt less like talking if you had paid her to not speak. They sat in the car, but he didn't pull away immediately. He only sat and stared in the direction of Draco's car.

"As much as I want to… I won't barrage you with questions right now." He sighed finally looking away from the car up ahead of them.

"We don't even have to talk at all if you don't want to." He said looking at her, and because he was her best friend, he put the car in reverse and began to back away from the clearing without waiting for the response he knew he wouldn't receive.

He flinched when the door slammed. He wanted to go after her to apologize but he found himself glued to the seat. He watched in his rearview mirror as she stalked away. He'd assumed that she'd be back in a few minutes yelling and demanding for him to take her home, in fact he wished that would happen; because then maybe he could work up the courage to apologize before they arrived in her neighborhood, but she never came back, and he was too much of a coward to go after her. Draco knew he would never admit to anyone else, but he sometimes whispered the word into the darkness on cold nights when he couldn't sleep, and he found himself letting his mind wander. Too afraid to do the things he really wanted to do, afraid to take risk, and too afraid to stand up to his parents. He didn't know how long he sat in his car until her heard tires approaching. His heart raced when he thought of Hermione out there alone with whoever it was until he looked in his mirror and recognized the burgundy-colored car to be Harry's. It occurred to him that it was odd that he was there, but the thought didn't really register in his preoccupied mind. He was too busy wondering if he had seen his friend walking down the road and had come back to tell him off, and for some reason he again felt a strange longing for him to do so. He wanted someone to hold him accountable for his actions because that's what Granger usually did, but this time she was silent, this time she had allowed him to disrespect her without any repercussions. She had done something though, leaving him sit confused and guilty in his car was worse than any earful she could have given him. He still hadn't figured out what to do with this revelation when he heard a muffled cry from the car behind him.

"Mione!" The thought that Harry was calling her name because she was missing flashed before Draco. This idea was quickly put to rest though when the top of her head appeared in his review mirror. This did nothing to warm his blood which had gone cold. The way that she scrambled to the car like she was in a horror movie running from some crazy murderer unsettled him. He watched as she ungracefully fell into the seat like she had been drained of all energy and it had taken all her strength just to walk over to it. The vehicle did not move right away after she shut the door, and Draco thought that raven-haired boy behind the wheel was most likely debating whether or not he was worth is time. He apparently was not because after few short seconds the distance between his car and theirs began to grow. The car had almost completely left the small area only the tip of the front hood could be seen around a large hedge, and this is when the panic settled over him. Because as the car moved further away so did Hermione. Scrambling to get out of his car he threw the door open and tried to stand only to realize that his seatbelt was still on. Making a noise under his breath he fumbled with the seatbelt something he had done thousands of times effortlessly he was now doing like it was his first time. Finally freeing himself he all but tumbled out the car; just in time to see a flash of red disappear. He moved away from his open door and kicked the gravel beneath his feet. He was furious with himself, but for what he did not know. Was it because he knew he had ruined his budding friendship with Hermione, or because the thought of that actually made him feel ill? All he'd had to do was keep his mouth shut, or apologize while she was still here, but he hadn't, and now he wasn't sure if he'd ever get the chance to. Walking back over to his car he fell softly onto the grassy patch and laid flat on his back. He stared up through the tangle of tree branches and watched the clouds trying his best not to think. This only worked for about two seconds until he could no longer ignore the word that had been bouncing around his head taunting him. He sat up quickly ripping up two handfuls of grass as he did. He threw the clusters with all his might his frustration growing as the green bits daintily floated through the air before landing softly on the ground. He put his head between his knees trying to combat pounding of his head which only caused the small voice who was still whispering that word to increase in volume. When he thought he might drive himself insane he uttered it. Loud enough for him to hear, but soft enough to get lost in the wind.

"Coward."

Harry had insisted on walking her up to her room. He had only left once he had directed the bathroom to wash her face and had made sure that she okay to be alone. After about a dozen

'I'm fine Harry's' He had left reluctantly. Hermione was grateful for him, and his presence did make her feel better, but she wanted to be alone. She had just come back upstairs to her room after locking her front door after his departure when She walked over to her closet and took a seat on the floor. She wanted to believe that Draco's words hadn't hurt he, and that she had only cried because he had caught her off guard, but she knew better. She was used to his senseless teasing; she had cried because there was some truth to his words. Not the part about her wanting to go back to Ron, but the part where he'd said no one wanted to date her. She had always had that fear, and it had only intensified when everyone around her had begun to couple up. Two years of school dances had gone by and she had stayed home with a book for all of them trying to convince herself she did not care. She had expected nothing more on year three when Ron had asked her to the spring formal. She had been elated because as much as she loved a good book, she wanted to have her own fairytale moment with fancy dresses and dashing prince charming. If she was being completely honest though she never really gotten it. Ron had been late picking her up which she didn't mind, but then he had refused to dance. On top of that he had spent the night raving about how he could almost see Lavenders nipples through her tight dress. Every dance afterwards had felt like a chore and often times she longed for the days where she and her cat would curl up in the living room by the fireplace with a book wrapped up in a fantasy where she had danced the night away until her feet hurt. Draco was right though, she put up with his "crap", and clung onto him like a lifeline because she was scared that if she left, she would never find anyone else who would even bother to take her to a dance. She knew this was un-rational, in fact she had looked up the stats; with several billion people in the world in an average person's lifetime they're likely to come across at least five people in their age range that find them attractive. Though this brought her comfort it did not stop her from pulling the garbage bag from under bed and putting everything back where it belonged. Just in case.