Author's Note: xP This chapter and the next are a bit more serious... Anyways, I lost my patience and hooked them up though you can be sure that Imma throw in some problems along their relationship [mwahahahhahahaha on bass amps]

The front doors of the Coates banquet hall is adorned (speckled) with teams of photographers. Couple photographers, precisely. Like Taylor said, this was as big as prom, so the photography teams actually take photos of you which you can order into cards or whatever.

Turner and Lex are already dancing to some slow Josh Groban song when Caine busts in, bloody nose and all. His normally pretty face, messed up with a bruised eye and a heavy nosebleed. Taylor, who has been waiting for her date all this time, let's out kind of a gasp and hurries over to him. Even Diana seems piqued with interest.

"What happened?" Her tone is somewhere between worried and amused.

"I'm good at agitating Drake?" Caine manages a half-cough half-laugh.

Diana pulls him aside. "Why didn't you just throw the bastard through a wall or something?"

"Because I'm interested in seeing what he'll do here." Caine grins and wipes at his nose with the back of his hand.

He had spent the last twenty minutes convincing Drake that Lex liked him, something Caine suspected entirely. There oughtta be a show.

"Hey, Caro, Drake's outside."

"Can I?" Lex looks up at Turner. Turner frowns before taking off his Bench jacket and draping it over her shoulders. "It's cold out there. Careful."

"Thanks."

She zips that oversized jacket all the way up so that she can almost hide in it, and then makes her way out. Drake is leaning nonchalantly against one of the big pine trees outside of the banquet hall.

"That's a hell of an ugly jacket."

"Thanks. That's the ugliest piece of Billy Talent merch I've ever seen."

"That message wasn't for you."

"Yeah, well I kind of figured out that you hated me. You know, especially since the nosebleed incident."

"That's the problem. I don't really… hate you. This isn't a confession or proclamation of love or anything. I'm just saying I don't hate you. I can tolerate you."

"Gee. That's great. Yeah, Drake, I tolerate you too."

Lex turns to leave, eyes rolling in annoyance.

"Okay, Caro, you know that's not what I mean. Don't make me say everything out loud."

"Say what?" A sly grin crosses her face now. "Hmmm?"

He rolls his eyes. "I know everyone thinks I'm psycho. I do have certain problems but I'm definitely not crazy. And besides, even a schizo has hormones."

Lex grabs him by the collar and pulls him to her. "What now, Merwin?"

Drake Merwin is toned, lean, defined in every limb. Except for his lips. Soft and unlike her own. Drake is the one who leans in and finishes the movement. And they stay therefore at least half a minute, breathing raggedly, before Drake straightens up.

"Come on, take off that ass-ugly Bench crap." She pulls it off and he wraps her in his sweater. I'm thinking of The Sweater Song from Hedley. Lex's head hums pleasantly, almost like she's buzzed. He said 'Forever girl, I know you hate the weather girl, so maybe you should hold onto my sweater, girl.'

Caine is almost cackling in devilish excitement. Diana looks at him strangely. "What happened?"

"They hooked up! I was right!" Caine sounds like a ridiculous 10-year-old girl who got tickets to a Justin Bieber ticket.

Diana rolls her eyes. "Oh, the poor girl. Drake's going to tear her head apart."