A/N

I always start these with some form of excuse as to why it's been a while, only this time I have none and my only excuse is that I've been lazy these past few months. I kind of knew how I wanted this chapter to go but I couldn't seem to express it in the words that fit so I kind of gave up. Anyway a break did me well I guess, (though we'll see how long the next update takes…).

Suggestions/ reviews are appreciated as always :)

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The schools great hall was quiet save for the scribbling of pen against paper and the occasional sniffles of those caught off guard by the sudden weather change. I glanced at the clock momentarily, thirty minutes left of this exam, thirty minutes until term holiday freedom. I shook my head and glanced back down at my paper. Concentrate Em. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed Naomi, several chairs down the row, she smiled and winked as I looked up to her. I smiled, blushing as I hastily turned my attention back to the essay which lay incomplete before me.

An entire grade crammed into the great hall made the already blistering weather harder to cope with. Even though the fans whirred with as much force as they could muster, the air was heavy with humidity and the aroma of sweat. I tapped my pen next to an unfinished paragraph in thought before falling back into a scribbling trance.

"Time's up, Pens down", notified Mrs. Heathery, a supervising teacher.

I hadn't noticed the time go by and somehow managed to finish the essay mere moments before the announcement.

"Pens down, face the front please", she repeated clicking a finger toward a student still writing frantically.

I looked over to Naomi who, feeling my gaze upon her turned to face me. She turned her head in a silent question of how I went and I smiled, giving her two thumbs up before nodding back the silent question. She shrugged and shook her hand in a gesture indicating she was unsure. I rolled my eyes, shaking my head. Naomi would be worried that she didn't do well and of course score at the top of the class. She smirked at my reaction and waited for my attention once more.

Mouthing words as she performed gestures to go along with the action; 'After, do you want to go to get lunch?' She ended the series of gestures with a open palmed shrug. I nodded and smiled.

We were dismissed by columns shortly after and I met up with Naomi outside.

"Oh thank god that's over", I sighed as I rested my head on Naomi's shoulder.

"Preaching to the choir I'm afraid", she laughed, embracing me in a hug.

"You two at it as usual".

I didn't have to turn to know who the voice belonged to. Finn's trademark skate shoes appeared in my line of sight and I removed my head from Naomi's shoulder, feigning a sarcastic smile.

"How did you go?" Naomi questioned him and he shrugged.

"I don't know really, could go either way", he gave a lopsided grin and shrugged with one shoulder before nodding back to Naomi and myself. "And you two?"

We both gave a similar response before being joined by the rest of our group of friends. The same question was repeated several times between each member followed by expressions of joy at having finished the term.

"So I'm holding a house party at mine this weekend, to celebrate starting our final year and all", announced Finn, "I'll text you all the details later but keep Saturday free okay?"

There was a buzz of excitement between the group of friends and the students who had overheard the news. Samantha pushed herself between Naomi and I, capturing each of us by the wrist before speaking.

"Hey you guys, we're going to go down to the beach for lunch, you coming?" She beamed the question and I couldn't help but be affected by her contagious happiness.

I nodded once to Naomi in confirmation before answering for the both of us.

"Sure, sounds good" I smiled as she clapped her hands enthusiastically.

We spent the better half of the afternoon enjoying each other's company and taking in the atmosphere. Knowing that the worst of the year was behind us added to the carefree feel the day held.

Though it was a Thursday there was no shortage in people along the beach. It seemed most of students in our grade had the same idea of visiting the beach as a post exam stress relief. Elissa, Rebecca, Naomi and I all sat tanning what lower parts of our legs we could modestly expose to the sun, while Jasmine and Indigo discussed their responses for the previous exam amongst themselves.

I was startled when a soccer ball curved toward me, missing my head by inches. Moments later, an ashen haired boy appeared, apologizing profusely, wearing a smile of both embarrassment and humor.

"I'm really sorry" the boy repeated again for a fourth time as I handed him the ball, still recovering.

"No, it's fine," I laughed in embarrassment as he received the soccer ball.

"Maybe watch where you kick that thing next time…" Rebecca chimed in, a sarcastic smile touched her lips as she rolled her eyes.

The boy nodded his understanding as he gave a genuine sounding apology to Rebecca. He was tall, broad shouldered with an olive complexion, large hazel eyes set alongside high cheekbones atop a strong jaw. Wide lips and a petite nose complimented his 'textbook model' appearance.

"Lucas," he offered a hand to me as he tucked the ball under his idle arm.

I blushed, glancing over to Naomi before taking the proffered hand. Naomi smirked, an eyebrow raised as she watched the exchange.

"Nice to meet you," I replied as I withdrew my hand, glancing over to Naomi once more.

"Likewise," he responded before continuing, "I go to Feddero".

I smiled, nodding that I knew his school. Feddero was a private, all boys high school set atop the cliffs; a few kilometers walk from the beach. I briefly noted that he must have a comfortable household income in order to attend such a prestigious college. Though Feddero wasn't classed as a top achieving school in terms of academics it was a strong contender against tough competition. They excelled in sports and extracurricular activities where there academics did not.

A second boy, familiar in appearance approached, wearing the same uniform Lucas did. He stopped beside him, smiling to Naomi as he pushed a shoulder into Lucas'. Lucas turned briefly to the newcomer before speaking.

"This is Jarrod", I smiled to him as he waved once in greeting, returning a broad smile of his own.

Jarrod was of a darker complexion than Lucas, his features, though less refined were still pleasant. The boy ran a hand through his tousled brown hair distractedly before speaking.

"How do you do, sorry about-" he nodded to me, "-the ball," Jarrod finished the apology with an embarrassed laugh.

I shook my head, smiling.

"It's fine, really".

"Jay?" His attention was taken from me as Brandon called out to the boy, pausing the game of football he played with Finn and Corey.

The boys smile grew as Brandon approached.

"Hey Cuz," he said before embracing Brandon.

Realization dawned and I understood why Jarrod had a familiar look about him, being Brandon's cousin he shared a similar skin tone and features akin to that of Brandon.

"When did you get back?... I thought you moved over to New Zealand," Brandon's face was a mix of joy and bewilderment.

"Yeah…"Jarrod's expression turned to one of melancholy before he continued, "Mum and dad… Uh well they needed some time, so I came back here with mum… Only just got back… About a month ago."

"…Sorry to hear that…" Brandon lay a hand on the boys shoulder before continuing, "But it's good to have you back, you should have called."

"Yea, I guess I never got around to it, what with exams two weeks after I got back", he replied, shrugging apologetically.

"Em," my attention was taken from the conversation the two boys shared as Naomi lay a hand on my shoulder.

"I think I'll head home, I'm not feeling too great all of a sudden," she smiled apologetically.

I nodded my understanding before standing up to brush the sand from my skirt. As Naomi followed suit.

"We're going to head home, Naomi isn't feeling to great," I notified Rebecca and Elissa before turning to Naomi.

"Sorry," Naomi added in a weak voice.

"Are you okay?" I questioned, concerned by her suddenly sluggish movements.

She nodded, wiping a hand across her forehead weakly.

"Are you sure? You look faint," I noted, examining her condition.

"Yeah…" Naomi staggered slightly as she answered and I hurried to support her, she gratefully let her body weight rest against my shoulder.

"Do you want some water?" Jasmine had watched the exchange and now voiced her concern, offering a water bottle to Naomi who shook her head.

"No, I'm fine, thank you," she managed a weak smile before looking back to me in a silent plead.

I took my cue and we walked in step to her car parked nearby.

"Are you sure you can drive like that?" I asked as I gave her room to remove her car keys from her pocket.

She shook her head before closing her eyes and swaying off balance. I hurried to support her once more, removing the keys from her hand as I helped her into the passenger's seat.

"Thanks…" Naomi's voice was scarcely more than a whisper as I sat down into the driver's seat.

I had driven Naomi's car on occasion but somehow I felt uneasy. Mid-way to our destination I understood why. I'd never actually been in Naomi's house. I'd waited outside in her car as she hurried to pick up something she'd forgotten but never was I invited in. I felt a sudden pang of hurt as I realized, but looking at Naomi in her current state masked the feeling with one of concern.

We arrived at her house, a two story, modern seaside villa. I hesitated before getting out to help Naomi.

"I…Uhm…Is…" I paused, unsure what exactly it was I wanted to say.

Naomi looked at me, confused and exhausted before I shook my head and helped her to the front door. She fumbled with the key several times before I took over. Once more I hesitated as I swung open the door, revealing a spacious wooden floored hallway leading to a carpeted mahogany staircase. Naomi shuffled through the threshold and I closed the door uncertainly, unsure of what to do.

"Em?…" Naomi rested against the wall several meters ahead of me and I took my place by her side once more.

"I'm here," I rested my hand on the small of her back, supporting her as she led the way up the stairs to her room.

I was amazed by how spacious and clean the house was. Though open, the house felt cozy and well decorated. She pushed open the door, revealing a spacious bedroom. A neat king size bed sat in the centre of the main wall and a windowed balcony to the coast made up another wall. I led her to the bed before depositing her bag beside her table.

"What do you feel?" I questioned, troubled by her condition as she stretched along her bed.

She breathed deeply several times before giving a weak answer.

"…I don't know… Nauseous… Dizzy…"

"I'll go get you some water…" I offered.

Naomi didn't respond and I took it as a cue to do as much. It took me several steps toward her doorway before I realized I had no idea where the kitchen was.

"Uh… Where's the kitchen?" I asked, embarrassed.

"…Downstairs…follow the hallway down…"

I nodded once before striding through the threshold and down the staircase. Her house really was beautifully decorated. Modern furniture adorned an open lounge room to the right. I continued down the hallway before reaching a dining area with a modern, open kitchen. I opened several cabinets, mentally apologizing for the intrusion, before coming across some neatly stacked glasses.

"Sorry it took so long" I apologized as I sat on Naomi's bed beside her, offering the glass as she sat up enough to accept it.

"Thanks," she hushed, weakly clasping the glass between both hands and sipping from the chilled water.

I pushed a strand of hair from her eyes, behind her ear as she placed the glass on her bedside. She smiled weakly, blushing slightly as my hand lingered.

"Will you stay tonight?" She questioned shyly, her blush intensified and she averted her eyes.

Shy Naomi was such a rare sight to me. I couldn't help but feel a pang of affection that tore at my chest each time I witnessed her blushing in embarrassment. It was hard for me to believe I could affect her in such a way when it was usually the other way around. She took my hand in hers weakly, looking to me expectantly when I didn't answer.

"Of course… If it's ok with your mum…" I added the last part hesitantly as I remembered I had never actually been invited into Naomi's house.

Naomi smiled shyly.

"My mum is on another business trip… I have the house to myself for a week or so…" Naomi replied.

"Oh…" I didn't know what to say or why I suddenly felt nervous.

I blushed and looked down to my hand, Naomi's fingers entwined with my own.

"Ok… I'll call my dad and let him know" I smiled, embarrassed before excusing myself to make the phone call.

Naomi seemed to fall back into her exhausted state by the time I returned.

"You should really try and sleep, we can go to the doctors tomorrow if you still feel unwell," I returned to my seat beside her.

Naomi smiled weakly but didn't say anything as she took my hand in her own once more before closing her eyes. I smiled, using my free hand to gently stroke her hair causing her to sigh. It didn't take long before Naomi's clasp around my hand weakened and her breathing slowed to a relaxed, sleep induced rhythm.

I watched Naomi for a short while. She really was perfection. My eyes gazed upon her face in awe, taking in each detail. Two small beauty spots sat above her left cheek bone, light freckles dotted themselves across her nose and a small, faded scar rested on her right cheek. I briefly wondered how she had obtained the mark before my eyes were drawn downward. A silver necklace adorned her slender neck, its pendant rested neatly on the shelf of her bosom.

I blushed, looking away hastily. My inner voice laughed at my perversion. Though Naomi was my girlfriend I still felt weird watching her as she slept. I sighed as I looked at Naomi's alarm clock. It was already five in the evening. I unhooked my bra from beneath my blouse before taking my place beside Naomi, beneath the covers.