Never Mind the Bollocks

Ohmigod, Upton was here, flesh and blood. He was actually here. Holy shit. Oh God. He looked even hotter than before, and he might as well light the whole school on fire. His beautiful brown looked ready to be touched, and his striking eyes twinkled in delight. I was vaguely aware of the stares everyone was giving me, and all the envious glares the girls were handing out.

"Upton? Ohmigod! I-what… this is such a surprise!" I went over to him and hugged him. In an instant, I forgot all about Easton. And for a split second, I thought I was back in St. Barth's, hanging out with Upton and feeling like the luckiest girl in the world. The cold air wrapped us, but with Upton's strong, warm arms I had no inkling of the cold. God, he smelled so good right now.

He laughed my favorite throaty laugh, and pulled back to look at me in the eye. His deep blue eyes gazed at me and he smiled.

Lord, help me.

"Noelle told me about a certain party, and she invited me over. You don't mind, do you?" he asked in his sexy British accent. Upton's perfect brow furrowed and all I wanted to do was to make it all straight again.

"Oh no, of course not! It's extremely sweet of you to come here. I never would have thought… that you would!" I gave him another hug, while feeling extremely guilty. I hadn't called or texted him as I should, but he came here regardless. I had a lot to explain.

I felt Upton leave my side and go to Sawyer. They briefly shook hands, and I could've sworn I saw Sawyer's jaw clench. Oh yeah, I forgot. Sawyer didn't like Upton. And I was pretty damn sure Josh wouldn't like him either…

"Upton? What the hell, man!" I heard Gage say. Graham was right behind him and the two began talking to Upton. I walked up and stood next to Upton, seeing that Sawyer had already left.

"So Reed, like your new surprise? Of course, it won't help that you two keep on making moony faces at each other every two seconds," said Gage.

I scowled at him, and I felt Upton snuggle closer to me. Nice; very nice.

"Ready for the big party, Upton?" asked Graham.

He peered over me and gave his drop dead gorgeous smile at me. "Of course," he finished. I wrapped one thin arm around his strong back, and I smiled back, happy- right smack in the middle of a huge mess.

There was going to be a very large, bloody battle up ahead. Josh was still looming over the background, Sawyer was still here who was becoming more than just a St. Barth's friend, and Upton was standing right next to me, the most sought out guy ever. The boys talked, and a heavy feeling developed in my chest. I felt so guilty. I had a feeling I was giving Sawyer false hope, not to mention that I had some unfinished business with Josh (involving some serious confessions). And Upton came all the way from England- England!- to be my date for the ball. These guys- Sawyer and Upton at least - didn't need to be led on. Hurricane Reed was back.

"Hey, you guys coming to eat dinner?" asked Gage. He looked at Upton and grinned. "The food here is kind of shitty, but it'll do." Gage went ahead and rubbed his stomach and went off, no doubt wanting to be the first one in line.

We laughed, and Graham asked "Where are you staying?"

"I'm staying in The Rosetta Inn. It's a fairly nice place; cute little cottage. Reminds me of England…" Upton trailed off. "But of course, Reed wouldn't know- she's never been there! I think I'll show you some time, if you allow me," he added.

I was blushing furiously, and I felt bad that Graham was the third wheel. Glancing up at Upton, I said, teasingly, "We'll see about that." Upton chuckled.

"OK, yeah, we should go. It's getting cold," Graham broke through. Upton's arm led me forward, and I thought I heard Graham mutter, "Gage was right about moony faces."

As we walked across the quad, people were continuously giving Upton and I odd, resentful looks. The girls gaped at Upton's hotness as he confidently walked beside me. I couldn't help but smirk. This was going to be the talk of the town.

I noticed that Upton made no attempt to kiss me or do anything flirtatious. The thought made me all warm, realizing that he was respecting my wishes. I forgot that I asked Upton to give me some space, and it was sweet of him to remember that.

But first things first- I had to get my emotions in check.

We approached the wide, oak doors, and stopped in front of it. It seemed like I was making a large entrance in a room full of important people, and I needed a breather.

"Ladies first," Upton said as he slightly cracked opened the door for me. Aw, what a gentleman.

I grinned at him and replied, "Thank you, Sir Upton Giles."

He mock-frowned at me. "Maybe I don't need to take you to England. You're already acting like a proper English lady." I raised an eyebrow at him, silently suggesting if I wasn't a proper lady before.

Upton came forward, mere inches away from my face. His sweet breath tickled my face, and he smirked. "I can tell you one thing, Reed. You are a proper lady… but secretly, I know you're something more," he murmured. A deep flush began to form on my cheeks, recalling the time I was about to sleep with Upton.

"Well then, I can't show the world how I really am, can I?" A playful smile went up to my lips and I opened the door even more, successfully cutting out the naughty talking.

"I've missed you," I heard Upton say as we went inside. I beamed.

I could've sworn I heard the whole cafeteria suck in some air. Literally everyone's heads turned to the door, and a flash of nervousness swept over me. Upton came closer, tucked his arm around my waist, and he smiled down at me. "Where's the red carpet at? I feel like I'm some big movie star," he said, making me giggle a bit.

We moved forward, and eventually everyone got to their senses and began acting normal. My eyes flickered over to various tables, looking for Sawyer (but I didn't see him; he was probably running late), and Josh. I saw that he was sitting with Ivy and her group of friends, who was sitting way too straight, his back facing me.

OK…

"Ah, there you are Reed. You like my surprise?" mused Noelle as we came by. She looked very smug. But I had to hand it to her; she did a pretty damn good job.

"Yes, I do. Thanks Noelle." I sat down next to her, while Upton sat next to me.

"Upton! What a surprise!" exclaimed Amberly. She leaned forward, exposing some under developed cleavage for a freshman. Ugh.

Tiffany rolled her eyes. "Gosh, it's been like forever since I've seen you!" The two laughed.

"Yes, well, the correct greeting would be 'How are you, Tiffany?'" Upton replied back. He looked at Amberly, unwillingly, and added, "How are you, Amberly?"

Tiffany laughed back. "I'm fine- we're fine. Are you here for the party?"

"Yep," jumped in Noelle. Out of the corner of me eye, I saw Amberly huff, and the rest of the Billings girls were blushing furiously. Couldn't they make it any less obvious?

"Hey guys." Rose and Portia came by and sat in front of me and Noelle. Rose immediately started digging in her food tray. "I'm starving! I'm so busy getting ready for the-" Rose looked up from her plate and her mouth dropped.

"Uh, guys, this is Upton. He's going to be my date for the ball," I supplied.

Portia was the first to recover. "So, you're Reed's mystery guy. I'm Portia, BTW." She waved her hand and carried on to start texting on her cell phone. Upton said his hellos in his perfect accent, and Rose just about died. Upton gave me a quick smile, wondering what kind of powers he had on the girls in America.

"I'm Missy," she supplied from the far end of the table. Her big nostrils were way up high, and she tossed her ugly blonde hair to the side. Definitely not attractive. Upton scooted a bit closer to me, and I managed to suppress a giggle.

"Yo girls, move over. You need to make some room for us." Gage came forward, Graham in tow. Where was Sawyer? I gave a look to Graham, and he just shrugged. Maybe he was tired.

"No guys, go sit back down at your table! We were just getting to know Upton," whined Vienna. She and London threw a brilliant smile at Upton, and my blood began to boil. And I fought the urge to roll my eyes right in front of them.

"Oh Upton, my name's London, like the name of your country!" exclaimed London. The whole table looked at each other, seriously wondering where her brains went. I glanced up at Upton and he seemed positively shell shocked.

"London is the name of their capital, you idiot. You need to dye your hair blonde, so we'll know that you're actually serious," Noelle commented. We all covered up our giggles and smirks. Gage and Graham gave odd looks at each other, for once not having anything smart to say back.

"Who says I'm a natural brunette," London muttered under her breath as she played with a strand of hair. At the far end of the table, Constance raised her eyebrows, and gave me a smile. She cocked her head at Upton, and I mouthed a 'Later.' Constance nodded, and I internally groaned. She was going to be full of questions.

The boys ended up sitting at our table, and conversation flowed naturally. I was at ease, having Upton beside me and not worrying about… anything, really. I was genuinely happy, and I knew tomorrow was going to be great. I had the perfect date, the perfect dress. This weekend was going to be perfect over all.

"Hey Reed," I heard someone say. Only Upton, Astrid, and I were here after a long dinner. Everyone else had left, each of them silently telling me that they were going to wait for me at Pemberly, probably forcing me to spill all the details. The two British friends were talking about the U.K., and their stories amused me. British folks knew how to drink, that was for sure.

I turned my head to the side and saw Ivy standing right next to Josh. Ivy seemed happy and interested, while Josh stood several inches away from us, his eyes flickering over to other places. It had been a while since I talked to Josh, and I didn't know what to think. Not to mention that Ivy and Josh were making me feel all suspicious over their secret talk a while ago.

"Ivy, hey," I managed to say. Astrid gave me a concerned look, and I gave a terse nod back.

"Oh, I'm bloody tired. I think I'll go." Astrid got up. I gave her a silent plea to stay, but she just shrugged. "Nice talking to you, Upton… Bye… Josh, Ivy." Her Converse's made little pitter-patters on the floor, and she was gone, leaving me with an impossible mission. I was going to talk to her later.

Ivy turned her full attention to me and Upton. Josh was repeatedly fixing the strings on his sweatshirt, and smoothing out his jeans. Ivy raised her eyebrows at me, asking 'Well?'

"Oh, guys, this is Upton. I uh-" met him in St. Barth's, he was my winter fling, and his ex girlfriend tried to kill me. Oh, and we made out everyday, and he has the sexiest chest ever "-I met him at St. Barth's." Upton was fully facing the two, his sexy lips forming a smile. His arm rested on the table, and he lightly draped it over my shoulders, having his fingers move up and down my shoulder blade, making me shiver. Oh God.

Josh noticed the nice gesture, and I could see his arm muscles retract. I hope he took his pills.

"Hi Upton! I'm Ivy, a friend of Reed's." She took out her hand and shook Upton's.

"Pleasure to meet you, Ivy," replied Upton in his ever inviting accent.

Ivy beamed at him and gestured towards Josh. "And this is Josh, my boyfriend and Reed's… friend," she added. The whole time she was introducing Josh, I kept my head cast low, suddenly interested in the tiles beneath me. I refused to look at him.

"Hello, mate." Upton took out his hand to shake Josh's. I remembered the last time he went to shake someone's hand, and he didn't even do that. I silently prayed that he would do it so we could get on with… whatever.

Josh slowly took out his hand and brought it in contact with Upton's. Upton's smile quickly faded, and I saw that Josh was putting too much force in the handshake. Josh seemed passive and his face displayed no emotion, but I could the anger seething. What the hell was his problem!

After what seemed like an eternity, they let go. Both were flexing their hands; good to know Upton didn't go down in a fight. It was extremely hard for me not to smirk, seeing Josh's discomfort.

For the past month, I was just going with the flow with my feelings, not even bothering to settle my affairs. I thought I had with Josh, so I continued to hang out with Sawyer, feeling eager to let go. Among other things, I wasn't being the best of 'friends' to Upton, by not calling him as I should, even though he took the time to do so with me.

And now? I didn't know what to think. Sawyer just bolted, leaving only Upton and Josh. Josh was acting as if he had some claim in me (which he didn't), and Upton was doing what I asked. Giving me some space. And he was being extremely sweet about it. Not only that, he had no idea what was going on. I had to explain to him sooner or later what was really happening. This weekend was becoming less and less perfect.

"So… how did you guys meet?" asked Ivy. She seemed determined to break the silence.

Upton glanced at me. "We were all lounging, when I saw Reed. I've known the whole St. Barth's crowed since I was little, and we rarely get any new visitors. Needless to say, I sure am happy Noelle brought Reed along," he explained. I blushed furiously.

Ivy looked around. "Oh! That's so cute; don't you think so too, Josh?"

Goddamn it. She just had to ask his opinion over it, didn't she? I wanted to fucking strangle her right now. Ivy looked as if she thought none of this was wrong. Oh, but it was.

Josh looked at Upton straight in the eye. "Is that how you pick up one of your whores for the night? Perhaps use a different approach each day, but still the same result- you fucking someone. Worked well," he finished. Josh finally gave me one hard stare, and I wanted to kill him.

Josh Hollis just called me one of Upton's whores! I had every reason to move on and go out with somebody. No way in hell was I going to let that go. Josh had no incentive to say that. I was not his girlfriend, and I was not someone he could have a claim on. If he still cared for me, he should have not done that.

He needed a good ass whooping right now.

"Josh! What-" Ivy began.

"Listen mate," Upton got up, effectively scooting the bench back and throwing himself in Josh's face, "I have no idea what the bloody hell I've done to you, but you have no right to say anything like that. How dare you call her something as horrible as you did? She doesn't deserve this- she doesn't deserve you. And to think, you're supposed to be her friend, you little fucker."

Josh scoffed and raised his chin. Upton was so much taller than Josh; if I were Josh, I would've run. Like now.

"Guys, you're acting like little girls right now!" Ivy went over to Josh and started tugging his arm. He brushed her arm away, and Ivy seemed hurt. I got up too, resting a soothing hand on Upton's shoulder. Both of the guys never tore their eyes away from each other, and I was glad no one else was in the cafeteria.

"Upton, come on. It's not worth it," I said while I looked at Josh. I narrowed my eyes at him, truly hating him right at this moment.

Upton's shoulder relaxed, as did the rest of his body. He nodded, and I did a happy dance in my head. I was so glad no blood was spilled.

"Don't you ever come near me again, or Reed for that matter," Upton spat. He gave a hard look at Josh, and he yanked my arm, dragging me out. I managed to get a glimpse of Josh and Ivy, and she slapped him on the shoulder. Good.

Upton kept on dragging me well into the quad. "Where's your hostel?" he asked briskly.

"Upton, hold on a sec. Let's just talk-"

"Where is your hostel at? I don't want you to freeze out here."

"Upton! Just stop!" I broke my arm free from Upton's grasp; my arm hurt terribly. "Calm down. Just, let me explain everything."

He ran his hands through his perfect hair. "What is his problem? I thought they were your friends! I did absolutely nothing to him, and he said all that! He even called you a-a… whore! And that's not true! How dare he call you that?! I'm going to rip his little, no-for-good ba-"

I groaned. "Upton! Calm down." I came forward and rested both of my hands on his arm. He flinched a little but he held his ground. I felt like I was calming Daniel Ryan down, as opposed to Upton.

He sighed. "Sorry." I nodded, encouraging him to talk about it. Instead, he kept on looking at me, waiting for me to say something.

OK. Right.

"He's uh… he was my boyfriend. He's my ex." Upton kept on staring at me, waiting for more. Nervousness was slowly creeping in, and I started to get hot. "It's just, ever since the whole... Sabine thing, things have been a little… muddy. I hope you understand," I pleaded. He nodded, acknowledging everything I just said. Thank God.

He sighed again. "So, do I have to deal with him tomorrow at all?"

I gave a hard laugh and said, "I hope not." Upton nodded again.

"I-I should get going. I'm sure you're tired." He took both of my hands and lifted them up, while he wrapped his arms around my waist. I hugged him back fiercely, feeling extremely guilty.

"I'm sorry about all of this," I mumbled deep within his chest.

A low rumble emanated from his chest. "No, it's alright. But if he ever lays a finger on you, I'll become the damn Devil himself," he said so patriotically. I giggled.

"I wouldn't doubt that." Upton released me, and I instantly missed the feel of his arms. He gazed at me, and the amount of guilt intensified. I was in a lot of trouble.

"Good night, Reed. I'll see you tomorrow." Upton cupped my face with one of his hands, and he bent his face forward, giving me a lingering kiss on the forehead.

"Will you be here early?" I was beginning to feel a heavy dread in me. The place where he kissed me was tingling.

Upton let go of me. "Of course." I smiled at him and gave him another quick hug.

"Bye." He started to walk back and I called out after him. "And don't let the bed bugs bite!" I heard his loud laugh, and I felt a lot better. I watched him walk back to the gates, his coat flapping in the wind. Upton was a tremendously good person, and he deserved someone else. I felt horrible. Maybe I was a… whore.

No Reed, stop thinking like that!

Loud footsteps broke my train of thought. I turned my head to the side and saw Ivy walking real fast. She looked haggard and distressed. I had to talk to her.

"Ivy! Wait!" She continued to ignore me, and she kept on walking straight to Pemberly. I huffed and followed her.

"Ivy, come on. I need to talk to you!" I was very close to her, but her pace quickened. I walked even faster, my breath becoming labored. She continued to ignore me, until she abruptly stopped. I skidded in my tracks, noticing her icy stare.

"You know what sucks? Those two were fighting over you. You! I'm supposed to be Josh's girlfriend." She paused and took a deep breath. "I wouldn't bet a single dime on the fact that Josh still loves you," Ivy spat. I saw lingering tears in her eyes, and I felt absolutely horrible.

"Ivy, I-"

"I've been trying to understand his motive for keeping me, but I really can't. I don't doubt that Josh pities me. And I need you to stop that too," Ivy added. My mouth was frozen, and I didn't know what to say.

"Ivy look, he obviously cares some way or another-" I started.

"Stop." She stepped back, intending for the conversation to be over. "Just leave me alone. Leave me and Josh alone." With that, Ivy turned her heel and left. What the hell was going on?

I stood there for another five minutes, drinking everything in. I inhaled, wishing I could escape to England with Upton right now. Eventually, my feet started to drag me towards Pemberly. As I walked, I noticed a slight shadow. I froze, and my heart quickened. Was it another…?

With swift movements, I turned my head to the side and saw Sawyer leaning against one of Drake's wall. His legs were crossed, his hands in his coat pockets, and his head was tipped to the side, making him look impossibly cute. For a second, I thought he looked like a mobster. All Sawyer needed to have was a cigarette. And he needed to throw the butt of it down on the ground, while expertly smashing it with his foot.

OK, my imagination was running to wild.

But I could've sworn I saw him smirk as he walked away, as if he saw everything that had happened inside. Which I'm sure he did. No wonder he was laughing.


thanks for reviewing guys! this is sort of a late xmas present. i've noticed that my last few chapters have been very sloppy, and lacking details, so i hope this chapter makes up for it.

well, what do you think? this is a little taste of what's going to happen later on, so stay tuned. next chapter is the ball, for sure.

quick question: would you guys like it if i put a playlist on my profile for the party? i'm like in love with music, and i'd love to share it with you guys. sorry if i'm trying to convert you to my music, but in my defense, it'll make reading the story a lot better :) thanks!

reviews please! they're always appreciated.