"Hey, Little Cadet," My pain in the ass sat down beside me at our usual table in the cafeteria. Or as everyone else calls it: The Mess Hall. I liked cafeteria better.

"Why is he here?" I groaned, chucking the half-eaten hot-dog onto my tray. Lissa looked pleased that Adrian was here, shooting me a meaningful look. She was actually hinting I should give the douche bag a chance.

"I don't think so," I snorted.

Christian looked…well, like Christian. Bored and uncaring.

"I see you've been eating hot-dogs a lot lately, Little Cadet," Adrian pulled out a cigarette and lit it. "Do you have a particular fascination with wieners' and sausages?"

"Lord Ivashkov!" Alberta spoke in a hushed tone. She stomped up and ripped the blazing cigarette right out of his mouth. "You may be one of the twelve founding families. But it does not give you the right to go prancing around like a Royal pig!"

"I was going to say Royal snob. But I like pig better." I said. Christian nodded his head in agreement.

Alberta pinched the red cherry between her thumb and forefinger. The smoke died out.

"Thank you, Ma'am," I smiled. "For both insulting Adrian and putting out his cancer."

"Listen here, Lord Ivashkov," Alberta's palms were flat against the table. Her face only inches from Adrian's. "I am done playing Ms. Nice Guy. You are a student at St. Augustine's and you will act like it. No more doing what ever the hell you please. Get your shit together."

And then she was gone. Just like that.

"You know what I don't get?" I asked.

"Hmm?" Lissa said absentmindedly.

"How come the teachers can swear? But the students get severely punished is they do."

"Because they're bad asses," Christian said.

Lissa offered a more logical response. "Because it is a show of dominance. Hierarchies want their students to know who is in charge."

"And they want us to know they could do whatever the fuck they want. After all, we're just a bunch of screwed up teenagers." Adrian added.

Christian, Lissa, and I, all eyed him strangely.

"Well Lissa and I aren't the screwed up teenagers," He explained hastily.

"Lissa's actually pretty smart, she went to medical school. And myself, I'm just a wealthy young man studying Liberal sciences in a military college. So it's you two," Adrian pointed at Christian and I, "That are the screw ups here."

"You may not be a teenager, Adrian. But you're still a screw up." I said. Christian snickered.

"You still haven't answered my question about wieners and sausages, Little Cadet." Adrian pointed out.

"Give it a rest." I murmured.

"Maybe if we ignore him and pretend like he's not there, he'll go away." Christian said.

"One can only hope," I said. "Shh, don't talk to him. He'll catch the hint eventually."

"Be nice, Rose!" Lissa scolded.

"I haven't caught anything yet, Little Cadet. Though, I would love to." Adrian winked. "Why are you being so mean to me anyways? I bring a lot to this table."

"Like what?" I snorted.

"Like my dashing good looks. My rock hard bod. My dazzling smile. My charm. My sense of humor. My unique style. The list is endless, really. Would you like me to continue?"

I shook my head. "You know what, Adrian?"

"Hmm?"

"I die a little inside every time I talk to you."

"Well, you're still talking to me," he smirked. "So that's an improvement in our relationship, right?"

I groaned.

"Perhaps you even think about me when you're taking a shower. Or maybe I am the lover that invades your dreams—"

"Hey, Rose," Something touched my shoulder. I recognized that sweet voice immediately.

"Oh, my, God, Mase…" I jumped up and pulled him into a fierce hug. "You saved me! You saved me!"

"From what?" he looked around.

I pointed a shaky, dramatic finger at Adrian. "The lollipop rapist that prowls on young girls."

"Of course you'd be thinking about my lollipop." He winked. It was so hard to insult someone when that person took everything you said as a compliment.

"Ready for drill class?" Mason asked.

"Yeah, let's get out of here," I smoothed down my uniform. "Bye, Liss! Bye, Hot stuff!"

"Bye Rose," Adrian waved.

"You're not Hot stuff, Christian is hot stuff." I glared.

"Bye, Rose," Lissa chuckled. Christian gave a half-assed nod.

I grabbed Mason's arm and headed for the doors.

"Hey, Little Cadet!" Adrian stood there, waving a red tray in the air.

"Don't worry. I'll clean up your mess!" he called out. "Where's my thank you?"

"I apologize for my lack of gratitude," I smiled sweetly and flipped him off.

Mason opened the door for me like a gentleman and I stepped out into the hallway. Right before the doors slammed shut, I heard Adrian yell. "I take what I can get."

Was this guy ever going to quit?

We stepped inside the school gym. My skin rose in goose bumps from the icy air. Why did they always keep gyms so cold?

"Here you go, Hathaway," Mason tossed me a gun. "Nice catch."

"Thanks," I smiled.

"So, uh," Mason was seated beside me on the hard wood floor, polishing off his gun with a yellow rag. "You and that Ivashkov kid….you two a thing?"

I stared at him for a moment in silence before a giggle escaped my lips. That giggle soon turned into a laugh, and that laugh turned into full blown hysterics. Mason simply stared at me.

My stomach hurt and tears were rolling down my face from laughing so hard. I caught my breath for a second. "Are you serious?"

Mason bobbed his head up and down, face solemn. "Yes."

This sent me into a whole new round of hysterics.

"Would you care to share the joke, Ms. Hathaway?" I looked up. Dimitri stood there, staring at me, arms crossed.

My mood instantly soured. Goodbye smiles, giggles, and uncontrollable laughter.

"Sure, why not?" I stood up and smoothed down my skirt, an annoying habit of mine.

Dimitri waited expectantly. He wore his usual uniform: leather combat boots, army pants, and—oh god—a tight black V neck. It showed three inches of pure muscled chest that was begging to be touched.

"Well what's the joke, Ms. Hathaway? It was obviously funny enough to get the attention of all your fellow cadets." His voice was mocking. I hated it. Dimitri was always able to make me feel completely stupid and young with that tone.

"Ashford, here," I jabbed a thumb in Mason's direction. "Was just wondering if I'd been having crazy, wild, unadulterated sex with Adrian Ivashkov."

Mason's mouth dropped open. He didn't favor me getting him in trouble all of the time. Especially at the wrath of General Belikov.

I didn't miss Dimitri's eyes widening in surprise. He played it cool by cocking an eyebrow. "And what was your answer to Mr. Ashford's question?"

"Not all the time," I shook my head. "Just on the weekends. As long as Ivashkov is out of my bed before noon, then I'm okay with having a little lovin'." I finished with a wink.

Dimitri shook his head, disapproval clear in his face. He muttered something in Russian before insulting me. "You make yourself look cheap."

I waited until he turned around to flip him off.

"I wouldn't do that, Ms. Hathaway," Dimitri said, flipping absentmindedly through papers on his clipboard. "I have eyes in the back of my head."

"Shit." Dimitri may not have eyes in the back of his head. But there were giant mirrors aligned on the wall, giving him a perfect view of what I was doing. Damn it, I'd forgotten about those.

I went back to polishing my gun, scooping up what little dignity I had left.

Stan instructed all Cadets to get in formation. I stood on the left side of the gym with all other female students. Meredith—who was three girls ahead of me in our row—smiled and waved. I returned the gesture, just not as enthusiastically as she had.

Meredith had been helping me perfect my routine the past two months, and although she was nowhere close to Lissa's position in my circle of friends, she still was a really nice person and I enjoyed her dry sense of humor. Plus she kicked major ass in Jiu jitsu.

Alberta clapped her hands together and barked out orders. I already knew the routine by heart so I mostly tuned her out.

Like always, Drill team was a blur. Lots of counting, marching, and crafty turns with our guns. It was fun. The only thing that frustrated me is when I'd get yelled at for not holding my gun properly. I'd have to start the routine all over again. The other female cadets were required to join me. It was part of the academy rules. A form of punishment. If one cadet fails, the others do too. All for one, and one for all.

"Ready to head out, Mase?" I chucked him an ice cold bottle of water. I gulped down my own.

"Yeah," he patted the perspiration from his forehead with a towel draped over his shoulder.

I grabbed my gym bag and began shuffling towards the door, muscles screaming at me with every step.

"Hey, are you going to the party tonight?"

"Hmm? What party?" I was intrigued, and he knew that.

"It's Halloween; there are always parties here around this time of year. Especially tonight." he informed.

"Really?" I grinned widely. "Parties here? Won't we get in trouble?"

"No if we follow by the rules."

"What rules?"

"All cadets must be back by curfew, absolutely no alcohol, and no music."

I groaned. My mood was like a deflated balloon. "And there goes the fun."

Mason shrugged. "It beats sitting around in your room all night doing nothing, doesn't it?"

"I suppose." I walked to class, shoulders slumped.

"So you're coming?" The smile lit up his face, his excitement was contagious.

"Maybe…" I grinned. "Do I have to dress up?"

He nodded eagerly. "Of course, it's Halloween."

"Where am I supposed to be?"

"Eddies place, 8 o' clock." he answered. "I'll come by your dorm to get you."

"Okay, sounds good."

"I'll see you later, Hathaway," Mason shot me with his thumb and forefinger.

I laughed and opened up my locker. I grabbed my chemistry and liberal arts text books.

"Oh, and one more thing, Hathaway!" Mason yelled from down the hall, hands cupped over his mouth, forming a perfect O. "You're not really having crazy monkey sex with Ivashkov, are you?"

I laughed. "Why, you jealous?"

"No," he said a little too quickly and defensively.

"Oh. My. Effing. God," I shook my head in disbelief. "You're jealous!"

"Am not," Mason objected.

"You are soooo jealous! Admit it." I placed my hands over hips.

"Answer my question." he said. "Are you having crazy monkey sex with Adrian?"

I grinned. "No. Not in a million, billion years."

Mason nodded and looked to the ground, the faintest smile on his lips. "Good."

Since I'd forgotten it was Halloween, I had no time to obtain a real costume. So I did the best I could do in the situation, I made my own. With a little help from my best friend, I pulled together this little number.

I looked in the mirror, the reflection staring back made me giggle.

I wore skin-tight black leather pants, combat boots, a black tang top, and a black leather jacket. I curled my waist-length hair into spiral curls, covered it in silver glitter, and pulled it back with small kitten ears—courtesy of Lissa. I quickly drew three cat whiskers on each cheek with black eye-liner

I turned around. Lissa and Christian sat on my bed, waiting patiently for me to be done.

"Wow," Christian snorted. "You look like a reject from a bad 80's porno flick."

"Funny," I said. "That is exactly what I was going for."

"You look great, Rose," Lissa smiled.

"Don't lie to her, babe," Christian said. "She looks like a two dollar hooker and you know it."

"At least I put some effort into my outfit." I said.

Christian was wearing all black, with plastic fangs and fake blood dripping from the edges of his mouth to the bottom of his neck.

"Vampires are in," he shrugged. "Plus I wore these teeth for my honey. She thinks it's sexy. Don't ya, babe?"

Lissa giggled and nodded. She was dressed in a cute little pink fairy costume that put my outfit to shame. Her gold hair was straightened to perfection. Giant lavender wings and gold glitter completed the look.

Christian raked his vampire teeth across the skin of her collar bone. She laughed. "Stop it, Christian! That tickles."

He pulled back and smiled, one that made him look edgy and dark and dangerous. "You love when I bite you."

"Eww, keep it in your pants until you get out of my room!"

I heard a light knock at my door. Saved by the bell. "Coming!"

I flung open the door.

"You're not Mason." I stated.

"Wow, Little Cadet," Adrian let out a wolf whistle. "I've already ordered a Chinese girl, but I suppose you'll do."

"What does that even mean?" I asked.

"Whatever you want it to mean." he winked. I sighed.

"Turn around so I can get the full affect," Adrian rolled his finger.

"No."

"No?"

"No."

"Why not?" he pouted.

"Because you repulse me," I answered. "What the hell are you supposed to be anyway?"

Adrian wore dark jeans, a pale blue button up shirt, and black Nikes. Nothing out of the ordinary.

"Ethan," He pointed to a small name tag on the left side of his chest.

"The cafeteria guy?"

Adrian nodded. "I didn't have enough time to get a Halloween costume, so I did the best I could with what I had. Creative, huh?"

"No," I snorted. "You're not even wearing his apron or chef hat."

"That's because I'm Ethan-after-dark." He grinned.

I shook my head and decided to ignore him. "Lissa, Christian? Ready to go?"

"Aren't we supposed to wait for Mason?" she asked. The two walked out hand in hand.

"Naw," I said. "He'll find us at the party. Let's go."

We were about half way there when I felt something cool touch my fingertips. I glanced down to see that Adrian had placed a silver flask into my palm.

"What is this for?" I asked.

Adrian smirked at me. "Happy Halloween?" It came out as a question.

"Happy Halloween, indeed." I unscrewed the cap and took four big sips. The liquid felt like acid dripping down my throat.

"What the fuck is this shit?" I whisper yelled. Lissa and Christian were about ten feet ahead of us, off in there own little world of cupcakes and rainbows, completely oblivious to Adrian and me.

"Russian Vodka," The smirk never faltered. "Got a kick to it, doesn't it?"

"Definitely," I coughed.

"Drink some more, it will help you loosen up a bit."

"That's exactly what I need," I brought the metal to my lips again. My cheeks instantly flushed with heat.

"Put it down, put it down," Adrian whispered tightly.

"What?"

"Russian at 12 o' clock,"

"Huh?" I asked stupidly.

"Russian is coming this way," he said through gritted teeth.

"Oh, shit," I quickly shoved the flask into the pocket of my jacket.

Adrian draped a lazy arm around my shoulder. I tried to shrug him off, but his grip tightened, pulling me into his body.

I couldn't help but notice how warm he felt against me. His skin smelled like expensive cologne—clean and crisp and musky.

"Just play it cool until he passes," he whispered into my ear. "Don't draw attention."

I felt like I was trying to get through airport security.

Lissa waved sweetly at Dimitri. He smiled and nodded back. Approximately two seconds later—ugh—Tasha came to stand beside him. I guess they'd been taking an evening stroll together. They weren't patrolling—hierarchies got holidays off, much like their students.

I bit the jealous green monsters head off. It was getting out of hand.

Tasha was wearing simple blue jeans and a navy blue t-shirt. Simple. Plain. Nothing fancy. But she still looked beautiful.

She smiled and stopped to greet her nephew. Tasha pulled both Lissa and Christian into a fierce hug, shiny raven black hair bouncing with her bubbly movements.

"Walk really slowly," I instructed, "I don't wanna talk to either of them."

"You have beef with the General and Tasha?" Adrian asked curiously.

"No, I'm fine with….Tasha," I spat her name like it was a dirty word.

"You're jealous of her," he chuckled. "Why?"

"I'm not jealous," I snapped, "She's just smart, and nice, and…."

"Beautiful?...Hot?...Gorgeous?...Sexy?...Fuckable?" he offered.

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, all of those."

"What's your problem with the Russian?"

I sighed tiredly. "There's too many of them. I don't want to talk about it."

Adrian studied my face thoroughly. He looked strange, puzzled, and confused.

And then the light seemed to go off in his eyes, like a light-bulb. A slow, mischievous smile spread across his face.

"What?" I was defensive.

"Nothing," Adrian shook his head, that shit-eating grin got wider.

Dimitri's head snapped over, glancing at us for the very first time. His dark eyes narrowed slightly when he focused in on Adrian's arm around me.

I fought the urge to smile.

Dimitri was jealous.

"Good evening, Sir," Adrian nodded towards Dimitri and Tasha. "Ms. Ozera."

"Lord Ivashkov," Tasha smiled sweetly. Dimitri simply nodded in acknowledgment.

"Wow, Rose," Tasha chuckled. "You look…different."

"Thanks," My tone was sharp and bitter, even I noticed that.

Dimitri's eyes traveled over my body at a painfully slow rate. He visibly gulped and met my eyes. They were cold and hard. "Are you following dress code?"

I shrugged. "Don't know, don't care."

"You should, because I can give you a detention slip," he threatened.

That bastard was challenging me. I shot him a death glare.

Who gives a damn if he was 6'7, outweighed me considerably, and was currently wearing a really cool brown duster—I could still take him. I hoped.

"Female and male interactions are prohibited," Dimitri stared at Adrian, "You are in the college campus, Lord Ivashkov. I hoped you'd respect the rules of our High-school, especially when the issue involves underage girls."

"Look who is talking," Adrian muttered.

"What did you say?" A blaze of anger shot through Dimitri's words.

"Just let it go, Dimka," Tasha spoke softly, touching his forearm. I wanted to break her fingers right off. "They're kids. It's Halloween. Let them have some fun and enjoy themselves. It's their night off…."

Dimitri stared at me for a moment longer. He could practically freeze me solid with his cold gaze. But finally, and very reluctantly, he nodded. "Fine."

I breathed a sigh of relief. Dimitri and Tasha walked spoke their goodbyes and left.

"That was a close call," Lissa chuckled.

"You can say that again." I muttered.

Christian banged on Eddies door loudly. He opened it a moment later, clad in a police officers uniform. I laughed.

"Is Mase here yet?" Lissa asked.

"No," Eddie said. "He went looking for Rose about five minutes ago. He said he couldn't find you."

"Oh well, he'll find us here eventually," Christian shrugged.

"Now let's get this party going!" I fist pumped. My upbeat mood quickly vanished as I stepped inside the room.

Monopoly was sprawled out on the ground, untouched and ready to be played. A horror movie played on his small television set. Bags of popcorn and a few soft drinks lay neatly on the bed.

"Where is everyone?" I asked.

"What do you mean? You are the party guests." Eddie held up his hands. "I also have Yatzee if you guys would like to play that as well."

"Oh, goodie!" Adrian feigned excitement. "Yatzee, too! Did you hear that, Rose? This night just keeps getting better."

It was about 25 minutes later—in the midst of an intense Battleship round with Mason—when I thought I'd die of boredom. Is this really what cadets considered a fun party?

"Let's sneak out," Adrian leaned over, whispering in my ear. He handed me the silver flask. I sneakily took a few sips without allowing anyone to see.

"Really?" I grinned.

"I have a couple of stashed bottles in my room—"

"Let's go," I was up and standing in the blink of an eye.

I swayed slightly from the sudden movement. That's when I realized I must have drunken a little more vodka than I originally thought.

"Where are you two going?" Mason asked suspiciously.

"I'm not feeling very well," I searched for an appropriate response. "And…Adrian is going to take me home."

Well that was genius.

Lissa's jade green eyes flickered down to our intertwined hands. She smiled deviously. "Okay you two, good night." She winked at me.

Great, my best friend thought I was hooking up with Adrian. Hell, she didn't think it…she was encouraging it.

I sighed and decided to let it go. "Night, guys! See you tomorrow at class."

Eddie looked sad. Mason looked angry. Lissa looked smug. And Christian looked bored.

I didn't blame him.

I tugged on Adrian's hand and pulled him into the hallway. Once the door clicked shut, I jumped up and down.

"You're a lifesaver!" I exclaimed. "I thought I was going to die in there…"

"Me too," he grinned. "Come on, I'll show you to mi casa, Little Cadet."

We had to do some sneaking around and duck behind a few bushes, but five minutes later, we arrived at the male campus in front of room number B777.

"Cool room number," I said. "Did you have to pay for that?"

Adrian groped his pocket and pulled out a key. He slipped it into the door and turned. The oak wood slid open silently. "No, my parents did."

I brought the flask to my lips.

"It's empty," I pouted.

"Damn, Little Cadet," Emerald green eyes widened. "You drank all of that by yourself?"

"Hey," I poked his chest. "You had a sip too."

"Very well," Adrian motioned me inside. "Welcome to my home."

The air smelled of cloves and his cologne. It was a strange combination, yet I'd become familiar with it and found it somewhat comforting.

His dorm was much bigger than my own. The place was every bit as fancy and flashy as Adrian was. A flat screen plasma T.V. hung on the wall, fancy oil paintings in the small kitchen, expensive-looking black leather couches, and the coffee table was a built in aquarium tank—packed with exotic, colorful fish.

"Wow," I breathed.

"You like it?" Adrian was in the kitchen, filling two glasses with tequila.

"Do I like it?" I scoffed. "I love it. This must have cost you a fortune."

He shrugged. "My parents don't mind."

"Rich people," I scowled.

"Not all rich people are bad," he smiled, handing me one of the glasses. He took a sip of his own.

"You prove that all rich people are snobs," I said.

"And why is that?" Adrian sat down on the couch and patted the seat beside him.

"Because you don't give a damn what you have to do, or who you have to hurt in order to get what you want," I sat down, careful not to make bodily contact. "That's how you spoiled brats work."

"That's what you think of me?" His voice was warm and pleasant—much like it always was—but it held a tinge of hurt.

"You really want me to answer that?"

Adrian nodded.

"Yes," I said truthfully. "I think you're a rich, spoiled pig."

He barked out a laugh, it was harsh and rough—humorless. "I respect your opinion, I do, Rose. But you have no clue who I am. So you shouldn't be judging."

I shrugged, taking a sip of tequila. "Perhaps, I shouldn't. But I can't help it; I'm a narrow minded bitch."

Adrian grinned. "Perhaps, you should get to know me first."

"Alright, shoot," Another drink of alcohol. I could feel myself relaxing tremendously, and it was wonderful. "Tell me something about yourself."

"Like what?"

"Anything,"

"Okay," he crossed his legs, elegantly. "My family founded this school."

"Is that why they call you Lord Ivashkov?"

Adrian nodded. "Yes, that is why. And you can thank my great, great grandpa Augustine Ivashkov for that."

"You mean your great, great grandpa was St. Augustine?"

He nodded.

"The St. Augustine?"

"One and only," Adrian uttered.

"Wow, that's cool." I licked my cup clean of liquid.

"Want some more?" Adrian chuckled.

"Yeah," I handed him my cup. He reached down and retrieved the half-empty bottle and filled it to the rim.

"Thanks," I slurped some tequila down to keep it from spilling on me.

"So tell me something else,"

"This is my third year as a freshman in college."

"You mean you can't pass?" I laughed. "That would suck having to go three times."

"My mother and father are furious at me," He said. "$500,000 in tuition down the drain. Unless I can pass this year—which I find highly doubtful—they're going to have to pay an additional $150,000."

"Why don't you just pass? It'd be easier." I snorted.

Adrian shrugged. "It pisses off my parents—which is a plus. Besides, have you done the trial tests at the end of the year? It's a bitch. Practically impossible."

"So you're saying that you can pass academically, but not physically?" I asked.

"If you want to put it that way," he said. "Then, yeah. I can't."

I giggled. "I bet that makes you feel like a man."

Adrian grinned.

I don't know what happened—or why Adrian would let me anywhere near his stash of hard alcohol—but I somehow ended up dancing on his aquarium coffee table and cracking the glass down the middle.

"Oh, shit," Was the only words I got out before the table busted like the walls of a dam. My feet were pulled out from under me as the water flowed by, carrying me away.

My body slammed into a nearby wall with a loud thud.

"Fuck," I groaned in pain. I was soaked head to toe in water.

"Not Nemo and Dory!" Adrian shouted. I watched in a drunken haze as he franticly darted back and forth, like a pinball game.

He grabbed fish after fish carefully—and hurriedly—as possible. Once he had all the fish safely in his bathtub, he took a deep breath and sat on the toilet.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, staring down at the fish. The danced around happily in the water, bobbing their little heads at the surface for food.

Adrian fed them some fish flakes.

"You killed, Blue," he whispered.

"It was fish, Adrian. Get over it."

"She was my favorite, and you stepped on her with your combat boots."

I wrapped my arms around his body and hugged him tightly. He rested his head on my shoulder. "I'm sorry, really. I'll buy you a new fish, if you'd like."

Adrian shook his head and smiled. "No, it's okay. I still have my other buddies."

He pulled away and poked his finger in the tub. Two gold fish swam up and sucked on his finger. I giggled. "They like you,"

"They love me," He corrected, standing up. "Let's go check the damage, shall we?"

I grabbed his extended hand and nodded. "Let's go,"

Adrian had to make an emergency appointment with the cleaning crew. Carpenters were scheduled to replace his entire living room with plush, brand new carpet tomorrow morning. But for now, the best we could do was cover the drenched area with a million towels.

"I'm sorry," I apologized for the billionth time tonight.

"Little Cadet," Adrian threw his hands up in exasperation. "Stop apologizing, everything is going to be okay!"

My shoulders slumped and I looked down. "Yeah, I know. But I murdered Blue and nothing is going to bring her back."

He brushed a kiss to my forward, and surprisingly, I didn't pull away. Maybe it was the alcohol pumping through my system. Maybe.

"Blue is in a better place now, don't worry." He traced his long fingers across my cheekbone. I leaned in to savor the touch.

"Now, come on," Adrian said.

"Where?"

"To have fun,"

"After all of this?" I gestured around his dorm.

"Of course," he said. "The night it still young and we have plenty of alcohol."

Adrian smiled as he flashed the bottle of Russian Vodka.

"Purr-fect," I grinned deviously, "Let's do this!"

Have you ever been so drunk that you really had no clue what in the hell you were doing? You were just doing it because it seemed fun and the right thing to do. A part of your brain is screaming you were going to regret it in the morning. Yet, you ignore that rational part and focus on the stupid task ahead.

Well maybe you haven't been in that situation before, but I have. I was in it right now.

My genius idea was to take my bathroom door—the one that I'd earned back from Dimitri—and use it as a sled to slide down the stairs of the college dorm building.

After Adrian had unscrewed my door from the hinges, I had him carry it all the way to the top floor. He had informed me this was the most logical thing to do, considering the top floor was vacant and we'd most likely not get busted.

"I wanna go first!" I screamed.

Adrian positioned our makeshift sled at the top of the stairs at a peculiar angel. I hopped on and he gave it a hard push.

I never thought it would go that fast. The sled jerked and bounced in all different directions as it went all the way down the flight of steps. I slammed into the door of an empty college dorm and yelped in pain.

Adrian practically pissed himself laughing and I joined in.

We took our turns on the sled, zooming down the stairs and flying into that same damn door, time after time. Adrian hauled the piece of furniture up at least 50 times.

You'd think we'd get bored after doing the same thing over and over again, but no, it only seemed to get funnier and more entertaining. My stomach ached from how much I'd laughed tonight.

"Alright, alright!" I gasped for oxygen. "Just one more time, I swear!"

"Fine," Adrian busted out laughing for no apparent reason. I joined him. Nothing like having a good, drunken laugh.

I sat down on the hard sled; Adrian gave me a good shove. My whole body bounced up and down as I flew down the stairs.

Wham.

I heard a loud, cracking noise. I glanced up see that the door had splintered down the middle. Shards of wood fell into my hair and spread out around me.

"You broke the door!" Adrian howled.

I picked it up, "Just leave it there, Little Cadet."

I shrugged. "Have it your way, let's go back to my room"

Adrian's eyes widened in surprise. "What?"

"Shh," I placed a finger to his lips. "No talky, talky."

I laced my fingers through his and began walking towards the high-school campus.

The wind whipped around me. I shivered. I felt something warm and soft touch my shoulders. Adrian's wool coat. I looked up at him. He gazed at me and smiled.

I'd lost my combat boots along time ago—I honestly had no clue why or where—so I walked bare feet across the cool, damp grass. The moon hung above us like a chunky pendant, casting an eerie glow.

"How long until we're there?" I whined. I'd started out by leading the way, but now I was lost and had no clue where to go.

Luckily, he seemed a little less intoxicated than I was. We passed a few doors and hallways. Merely seconds later, I was staring at the bold black numbers of room E4301. My room.

I reached into my pocket and pulled out the brass key. The door knob swayed to the left and right.

"Funny," I said. "It wasn't moving just two seconds ago."

"Hey, Bert," Adrian said. "How's it going?"

"Who's, Bert?" My face scrunched up.

"The graveyard Janitor, he's pretty cool."

The chubby man with black hair and a gray mustache grumbled in response, and rolled his cart away without another look our way. Rude.

"He doesn't seem very nice," I slurred.

I tried to shove the key into the lock four more times unsuccessfully. Adrian grew impatient and did it himself.

He rested on my bed, eyes closed, and hands behind his head.

I straddled his waist.

His emerald green eyes shot open in shock and surprise. "What are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing?" I kissed his neck.

"No, I know what you're doing," Adrian's voice was husky. "But why?"

"Because I fucking want to," I said. "I'm doing being good, I'm done being responsible. I want to have fun, be a teenager. I want you."

I smashed my lips to his forcefully. His mouth was soft and warm like honey.

The kiss was hot and feverish and filled with lust. I pulled back to take off my shirt.

Adrian's expression was dark and hungry. His breathing ragged. "No,"

"No what?" I licked the edges of his mouth. He moaned.

"No," He pushed me away. "I will not take advantage of you."

"You're not," I pouted. "I'm a willing participant."

"You're drunk,"

I ripped open the few buttons of his shirt and kissed the warm skin I exposed.

"No," Adrian held me at arms length. "If you still want me tomorrow—when you're sober—then we could do this all night."

"You don't think I'm pretty?" Tears burned my eyes. "You…you don't want me? Is it the age difference?"

Adrian looked alarmed. "No, it's not that at all. I-I want you so badly….it hurts me sometimes."

"Then have me," I climbed onto his lap. Adrian shook his head in protest but his warm, soft lips attached to my neck.

I moaned and grabbed a fistful of bronze hair, holding him there.

Whoosh.

I felt a strong breeze come through my room. I looked up to see Dimitri towering down on us.

"Oh, fuck me sideways," I gaped.

"What is going on here?" He growled.

Lord have mercy. I was about to face the wrath of a very pissed off Russian.

Adrian and I sprung apart. "God damn you, Bert," he muttered.

"The janitor ratted us out?"

"Get the fuck out of here," Dimitri grabbed Adrian by the collar.

He picked him up by his shirt and threw him out into the hallway, as if he weighed nothing. Adrian landed on his ass.

He stood on his feet and stared at me.

"Go! I do not have much patience left," Dimitri snarled.

"Go, Adrian, now! I'll be fine, I promise."

Adrian spared me one last glance, before nodding, and walking away.

And that's when Dimitri turned back to me.

I paralyzed with fear.

I've never been truly afraid of dieing—not even when I was in the car accident with Jessie—but right now, staring into Dimitri's black eyes, I was terrified of Fate.

I wasn't afraid of him, per se, I was afraid of his control snapping and him doing something he might regret later.

"So…I give you your privacy back, and this is how you show me gratitude?"

I watched in horror—and a bit of fascination—as he lifted his long leg and kicked the edge of the door. He managed to break the screws, and rip the hinges straight from the wall in four blows. Dimitri picked it up, effortlessly.

"It's going to be awhile before you get this back."

And then he walked away, taking my privacy with him.