Don't own anything except OC's.

Chapter 23: College party

Claire's POV

I stuck to my word from then on. Quil wanted us to go slow, so I was going slow. I kept my emotions in check, I didn't get angry or frustrated when he kissed my cheek of forehead as a way of saying hello and goodbye. Cuddling on the sofa was our maximum for him, I respected that and didn't push for more. This carried on until Christmas when suddenly, under the mistletoe hanging from the Uley backdoor, he kissed me. It wasn't like the kiss we shared on the beach, but a simple, three second kiss that soon became our way of saying hello and goodbye.

Patience really was a virtue when Quil and I were concerned.

Around this time I also decided to go after my dream of becoming a nurse. I was on track with my grades and my teachers were saying I could do it, with the support of my family and friends, I had the confidence to go for it. I was going to study my ass off for the next few years, but in the end it would be worth it. After my epiphany, Gabby, Behati and I applied for Seattle University together. Gabby was going into party planning, which included art and design courses, and Behati, who had not decided what she wanted to be yet, was focusing on social sciences. I was happy we were going to be together because University was going to be awesome with them around, especially considering Quil was only four hours away and could visit on the weekends.

Christmas was soon over and I was into my last few months of High School. Although I was sad that my High School life would soon to be over, I was excited for the future of not only University life, but my life with Quil, too. Kissing seemed to be our maximum for a while after winter, until March when we had kissed lightly on the sofa, only for it to turn into a make-out session in my living room. It was better than the day at the beach because I knew Quil was beginning to realize that we were ready for more. However, he did stop ten minutes into it, leaving me craving for more as he disappeared into the kitchen to make more popcorn, apparently as amazed by our make-out session as I was.

Dating was a regular thing, not per my request, but Quil's. In his words, he wanted to 'spoil' me. Our dates weren't anything extravagant, they didn't have to be as long as I was with Quil, just movies, fancy dinners, walking through the park or the beach—anything we could think of. Though, there were a few times, when he had the time, that he did something that made me love him more than I thought possible. He made picnics for the park and candle light dinners in his apartment. Our time together was still limited, though when we did get together we made sure to make the most of it.

And when we were out and Quil was asked by a server or random person, which, admittedly, was rare, he always made sure to say, "This is Claire, my girlfriend".

I was his girlfriend.

The first time he did it, I had a school girl squealing fit in my bedroom and danced around in my dressing gown. Because even though I was eighteen, some teenage moments still lived in me. The fact that Quil and I were officially together definitely brought some of that giggling girlishness out of me.

Late afternoon in late March there was a knock on my bedroom door and then Quil walked in smiling. Having spent the whole day doing work, I could imagine I looked a right sight. I had no make-up on and my hair was a mess, not to mention I was in my fluffy pyjamas. Flushing, I hastily tidied the work that was spread around me on the bed.

"Hey, I thought you were coming later," I said, putting three files onto the floor.

"I got off early, were you doing work?" he asked.

"Yeah, but I'll finish it tomorrow."

"You sure?"

I nodded and placed the paper onto the floor until the bed was empty of studying crap. Quil jumped onto the bed and laid next to me, his eyes fluttering shut.

"Had a bad night or something?" I murmured, rolling myself so I was half on top of him. He wrapped his arm around my waist and peeked at me.

"I had patrolling until two and then work at nine," he replied.

"You should have gone to have a nap."

"I thought about it," he smirked as I hovered over his face. His lips were an inch from mine, his breath washing against my face as he breathed. I felt myself hum as I placed my hand on his hard bicep. "But I'd rather see you."

"I feel special."

"You are special."

Smiling, I leaned down to kiss him, only for my cell phone to ring. I was about to ignore it and continue with Quil when he leaned over and grabbed it from my bedside table. I grimaced and answered without looking at caller ID.

"Hello?"

"Hey Claire, it's me," Behati chirped on the other end.

"Hey Bee."

"Oh God, have I interrupted you and Quil?"

"Sort of."

She giggled, "I'm a cock-blocker," she howled with laughter and I chuckled. "Anyway, I rang to ask if you want to come down to Seattle this weekend."

"What for?"

"My cousin, Amy, goes to the University and I thought it would be a good chance for us to see the campus," she paused. "And she's throwing a massive party."

"I should have known there was a party in there somewhere," I grinned.

"Of course there is, what's the point of driving four hours if there isn't a party on the other end? Anyway, you want to come?"

"I don't know…"

"Oh, please, Claire! Gabby said she would come if you do and I've already promised my cousin we would go down...come on, come and have fun!"

"Alright," I sighed, Behati always persuaded me.

"Yey! I'll ring you after I call Amy! Love you, Claire!"

"Love you too, Bee," I shook my head as I disconnected the line.

"A party, huh?" Quil murmured as I set the phone down again. "In Seattle?"

"Don't look like that," I scolded, cuddling back into his side.

"Like what?"

"Like you think this is a bad idea. It's one party, plus I'll have Behati and Gabby with me—"

"I know, I know, sorry. You deserve to have fun, you've been working really hard lately."

I pecked the corner of his lips and then moved to his lips. His hand momentarily moved to the back of my neck and I clung to his t-shirt with my fists. Just as I was about to deepen it, the front door slammed shut. I pulled away from Quil in shock as my mom screamed up that she and my dad were back from grocery shopping.

Quil smirked at me. "Your parents have the worst timing."

"I think everyone I know does," I replied.

My dad came to see me minutes later and after learning that Quil was in the room with me, he checked in every fifteen minutes. He said it was because he missed me, I knew that it was really because he wanted to make sure Quil and I weren't up to any 'funny business'. We hadn't actually told anyone we were dating now, though I was sure the pack knew from the stupid wolf mind link. I didn't want other people interfering and messing it up and Quil said he would keep it to himself as long as I wanted him to. However, people had noticed we were closer than before. Whether it was standing closer in a room or hugging unnecessarily because I just wanted to be close to him. My dad, though he hadn't said anything, was irritated. He had always been cautious around Quil anyway, now he had noticed that Quil and I were closer than he deemed to be right, he had done everything in his power to make sure we weren't alone together for too long. Usually, when he was in the house, he made Quil and I sit downstairs with him and mom or checked my bedroom regularly. He was annoying as hell, but Quil told me not to tell him to go away because he didn't want to upset him even more.

Quil left at seven to start his patrolling shift and do inventory for the shop. We kissed goodbye in my bedroom, not wanting to do it in front of my dad, and then he left me to do more work. The next day I convinced my parents to let me go to Seattle for the weekend, they reluctantly said yes after I gave a long speech about seeing my potential school and that I was a mature adult and I could handle myself. Though, I left out the party bit.

I felt like a rebel.

Lying to my parents about parties and drinking was more Nora's thing than mine. While I preferred to spend my time with my friends and Quil, Nora liked to get wasted and dance to loud music. I had never seen the attraction, then again I wasn't a normal girl.

That weekend, after talking to Quil all morning over the phone, I made my way to Behati's. Her parents had gone out of town for the weekend and her siblings were staying with their Grandma. Behati had told her parents she was staying with Gabby and some other friends for the weekend, though we were really using their empty house for a meeting point.

"Bee!" I called into the bedroom. She and Gabby were already on her bed listening to music. "Hey Gab."

"Hey Claire," they both replied.

"Why is Amy having this party anyway?" I asked, pouncing onto the bed beside Gabby. She handed me some sweets and I took them, popping them into my mouth.

"She's a college student," Behati shrugged. "That's what they do."

"Fair enough," Gabby snorted.

We drove down to Seattle in Behati's car, I sat in the front in charge of the radio while Gabby stretched herself along the back seats. We talked about anything we could think of and the four hour drive seemed a lot shorter. We pulled up outside the Seattle dorms and Behati led us through the building and to the third floor. I took in the creams walls and long hallways of my possible future college, only turning back when the door was wrenched open. A woman with long brown hair and green eyes stood at the doorway, smiling cheekily.

"Hey girls!" she greeted us brightly. "You ready for the party?"

By the sounds of things, she had already started drinking.

We sat around her dorm room for a while, sipping at alcohol and slowly getting ready for the party. I shimmied into my black crop top, Aztec skirt and sneakers at eleven. Behati had packed my outfit for me and, at first, I had thought it was too simple. However, looking at Amy and her friends now, I almost felt dressed up. They were in denim shorts and tops varying from t-shirts to their bra's. I could hear the music pumping downstairs and random people kept bursting into Amy's dorm to shout and yell about 'getting their party on'. Gabby, dressed in a tight black dress and grey plimsoll's, shook her head as Behati jumped around the room like an excited bunny. Once she was done, Behati got dressed into her black shorts, light orange stop and white plimsoll's, only pausing once to slap her cousin on the butt.

We left the room and went downstairs, stepping into a raging party with alcohol constantly being handed out and music so loud I couldn't hear myself think. With the alcohol in my system steering me on, I dragged Behati and Gabby into the crowd of people who were dancing so we could dance together. Amy came over with three drinks for us and I didn't want to strain to ask what was in it, so I gulped it down, cringing at the burn in my throat. Drinks were steady after that, we took turns to get them for each other until I was almost tripping over myself as I danced.

Behati, Gabby and I went over to get a drink from the multiple bottles on the table, Amy had disappeared an hour ago with three guys. Behati was about to grab a bottle and pour a cup when a stunningly beautiful man intercepted and handed her three cups. Behati smiled gratefully and handed them to us. Curious, I squinted at the man, he was tall, with pale skin and was really handsome, but he gave off a strange vibe. Shaking my head and figuring it was probably the effects of the alcohol, I downed the cup and put the empty one in the bin. Behati and Gabby took theirs to the dance floor, I couldn't help but notice the man was watching us as we walked away.

Minutes later, I began to feel dizzy. My head was spinning so fast I felt like I was on a rollercoaster. I tried to rub my temples but it didn't work. I gasped, falling over myself until I bumped into some guy. He didn't notice, he carried on jumping up and down to the beat. Suddenly, Behati pushed passed me and ran off, throwing me off balance. I tried to head after her and Gabby, who had followed, but ended up in the hallway. Some girls knocked me and I fell into the wall. Wanting fresh air, I stumbled outside into the night and ran until I fell over.

Despite my fighting, I passed out, the world turning black in a second.

Thoughts?

Sorry for the incredibly late update, but I've had exams and I've been study none stop for them. But, finally, they've finished! I have loads of time to write so the updates will be faster!

Thanks for the reviews, favourites and alerts! Pictures are on my profile!

-Laylax