Avoidance is Key.

"You just don't want to admit it." Was he mad? Like him? Like him? No freaking way did I like Jacob Edwards.

Especially now that he's ruined everything! I spent the last month or so prepping for this very night, I endured him for the sake of it. And he... I would have thrown a fit where I was, but then it would give my hiding spot away, because for the rest of the last hour I hid in the toilets, not literally the toilets but the bathroom as you non-Kiwi people, just waiting for the clock to strike twelve. I wonder if Cinderella would have slapped me.

I knew better than to try to get out of the building before twelve, it would have been useless so rather than make another big useless scene I headed for the girls' toilets, which, to my pleasure, was rather plush. It should have been, considering how much this place was costing us for the measly five hours spent here. I sat on the seat of a toilet, trying not to go mad from the inane talk that drifted in and out of the bathroom.

Although it did keep me informed.

Everyone was buzzing about what just happened, I wasn't surprised by the bitchy remarks about my insanity being the reason I didn't jump at the chance to welcome Jay's confession with open arms.

Well excuse me for having more on my mind than a pair of green eyes and toned arms.

I tried to recite the list of New Zealand prime ministers starting from Henry Sewell who assumed office in 1856, to pass the time, adding in their terms as well, after all there have only been 38 of them. With old Aunty Helen being the incumbent, next year was election year and I was already enrolled.

I was so ready to take part and exercise my democratic rights.

None of this could keep my mind in place however, I kept being jerked back to the clusterfuck that was my present situation; Jebus it would help if time would miraculously go faster.

I cursed my foresight, or rather lack thereof. I left my phone at home, thinking everything would go accordingly to plan. But nope, I get screwed over, although you have to admit, no one saw that coming.

"I fucking like you." How was that even possible?

What was wrong with him?

I tugged on my hair, trying not to remember the way his fingers touched it when it first got cut. But I couldn't help it, it was the first time he'd ever really complimented my appearance, and I am officially going mad.

Sign me up for the next shipment of crazies to lock away. Please?

I sat up straighter when I heard the principal on the speakers. "Okay, now that it is twelve o'clock to the best of our knowledge you will all go directly home and get a good night's rest." Yeah right, the teachers knew the majority of the student body were hopping on party buses going straight to the Venue for the after ball. They just didn't publicly acknowledge it as it would be advocating teenage reckless drinking and more or less debauchery. But there was an unspoken agreement between the teachers and students on this subject, a simple we know nothing policy. They did not ask, we did not tell and no one copped the shit if the party were to be disbanded.

"Give us a big hand for the Ball Committee they did a wonderful job." There were wrapping things up, I heaved a sigh of relief. All I had to figure out was how to get home now.

I stuck my head out of the bathroom, seeing the mob of students exiting the building I nodded to myself.

Operation: Get out Undetected was in play.

I snuck out, ready to sneak down when fingers closed around my elbows, "Mother of God!" I shouted, no one noticed, no one cared. Most people were ready to get drunk and do things they would most probably regret come Monday, if not the next day.

I turned around expecting the worst, only to come across Burr and Erin, I looked around them but saw no Jay. I attempted to calm myself, praying they would give me a ride home.

"Kara, have you been in the toilets for the last hour?" Erin asked, dark eyes concerned, I nodded.

"We saw the whole thing." Burr murmured, letting go of my elbow. "Why did you run?"

"Panic is a sudden fear which dominates the mind and rational thinking." I replied, "To double-cross is to betray by acting in contradiction to a prior agreement. I have to go." I made to leave but stopped and turned back around, my shoulders slumped.

"I have no transportation." I said glumly.

"Yes you do, you came here with a date." Erin said sternly, I looked up. "I can't believe you two hatched something so irresponsible and devious. Yes we know, now." I looked down, "But Jacob came clean about his feelings and you just run off like that? Do you know-" Erin sighed, "Jacob's not the type of guy to admit he likes someone, Kara. And you threw it in his face."

I fidgeted. "A Strategy is a long term plan of action designed to achieve a particular goal."

"You need to go find him." I shook my head, if they weren't going to give me a ride I was going to find a payphone and get my own ride.

People were still leaving, and any minute the others would find me, along with Jay. I didn't want to have to face him again tonight.

I was too angry about the money, angry about his confession and angry that I could feel so darn weird about it all.

Weird as in every time I thought about Jay and the problem, my stomach would twist and turn and flip and flop and I wanted to get rid of it, now.

I made a dash for it, ignoring Erin's and Burr's calls before reaching the final exit out of the building.

Don't ask me how; it basically consisted of me catching a lift with some people I knew only as 'The Chem Five' from my English class, because they did their chemistry homework in English, but I wound up at Denny's. Burger King was closed, and I wasn't a big fan of McDonalds.

Deacon had told mum that we'd be home by three, so I had three hours to sit, ponder and wait, there wasn't any way for me to go home without Deacon. I would never hear the end of it if I did.

And I didn't want to call him just yet, which I'd have to do by payphone because I left my cell at home, because he'd been looking forward to the after-ball for weeks now, I didn't want to ruin it. I should have known that the moment I decided to skive off and disappear, I'd ruin everyone of my friends' nights.

I just didn't think, money does that to people.

Money makes people go a little crazy, among other things. I should know, as should you, you've seen what I do for money.

As my frustration at time and predicament mounted, I was considering throwing my glass of coke across the room, but instead I sighed when I noticed that it was only one O'clock, I couldn't get kicked out just yet.

"Want anything else?" The waiter, an unimpressed looking teenager stood with pad and pen probably wondering why I was here in a ball dress; using up all the free time he probably would have had otherwise, asked. I placed my half finished glass of coke back down,

"Non-economic damages compensate injuries and losses that are not easily quantified by a dollar amount." I said with a wince-looking grin.

"Taking that as a no," the guy turned around and made a twirling motion with his pen near his ear, communicating with the girl at the counter, who giggled.

"Traditionally, insanity or madness is the behaviour whereby a person flouts societal norms and may become a danger to themself and others." I said informatively as he continued to walk away.

"I'm not crazy." I said in an even louder voice, but quickly shut my trap. Not a good time to arouse suspicion of my sanity, especially when there was nowhere else to go.

Sure you're not.

What? Who the,

Don't worry it's just the more in tune with your intelligence you. My eyes darted around the virtually empty Denny's, of all the times my brain decided to talk to me.

It's about time really, this is coming a little too late for my liking, considering all the shit you've gotten us in to.

I sat back in my booth, trying not to look like I was talking to myself, outwardly anyway.

To be fair, I've allowed it thus far... but I was beginning to think you were stupid and in effect that would make me stupid, so naturally I need to step in.

I don't need a lecture from myself thanks, I'm good. If I could give myself a haughty, oh wait- I looked at my reflection in the window and gave myself the evil eye.

You know, the earliest formulation of the self in modern psychology stems from the distinction between the self as I, the subjective knower, and the self as Me, the object that is known.

Amazing. With an amazed look on my face I gave myself a discreet pat on the back. Which turned out to be noticeable, the waiter guy and the counter girl broke out into a fit of giggles, I ignored them.

I know.

Subjectively? I asked me.

Always. I almost laughed aloud at that one.

Alright, I had to stop this. Talking to myself as though I were a separate entity to myself was mad, and yet... an hour and a half later I'd convinced myself that avoiding Jay for the next week or so would be for the best.

Obviously I've been talking to my ass for the last hour or so.

What? No I've been listening, and in my understanding; seeing, plus Jay, equals run.

No, that's not- I cut myself off,

Yeah, I got it bro. Avoidance is key, exams are this week and I need to focus.

Why do I bother? I'd outdone myself, literally, even my own brain didn't know what to do with me.

I smiled to myself, inwardly as well as outwardly, replying with a; because you're me and you don't give up, even on lost causes.

You're going to die alone, my brain made a loud noise, which if I wasn't mistaken, sounded distinctly like a door slamming shut.

And with that the conversation was done.

I was preparing to go out and use the payphone to call Deacon, granted he hadn't lost his phone or something, when Jess found me. Yes, I blinked in surprise as well.

"Oh thank God." She breathed as she sat down, before picking up her phone and calling someone. My eyes about popped out of their sockets, and before I could gather my wits and make a run for it an arm draped over my shoulders and I turned to find Will, a relieved look on his face.

"We've been so worried Kara, shit you have no idea." I smiled weakly, before checking myself for any tracking devices. How did they find me?

"She's at Denny's, yeah we're with her now," Jess spoke into the phone, "Yep. See you soon." She flipped it shut.

"Who was that?" I asked, trying to remain calm.

"Deacon," I sagged in relief, "and Jay." I immediately tried to stand up, but Will's arm kept me seated.

"Judas!" I hissed at Jess before glaring sideways at William, "Brutus!"

"Come on Kara, we're just looking out for you." William said with an accommodating smile, his hazel eyes twinkling.

"If you were looking out for me, you'd take me home and wait with me until Deacon stumbled home, but no... You two are torturing me for your own entertainment."

"Shut up, this serves you right, you know. Cheats never prosper." I gaped at Jessica, before clutching at my chest, when Jess waved off my antics I sighed and sat properly.

"Machiavelli famously argued that the end justifies the means." I looked from her to Will, who shook his head muttering.

"Extortionist."

"I didn't threaten or use coercion to try and get what I wanted, okay?" I argued, before something dawned on me. "Didn't you guys want to go to the after-ball?"

Jessica shrugged, "When Erin and Burr told us that you gapped it from the ball without so much as a heads up about where you were going we had to find you in case something happened, you know Central's pretty shitty at night."

"Yeah, we split up, we knew you wouldn't go anywhere unfamiliar so we stuck around west Auckland." Will added, "Jay had a feeling you might have gone to BK, but that was before we remembered that it closed at midnight."

"Oh."

Jess scoffed, "Yeah, 'oh' alright, you know I was pretty mad when I found out about that bet he'd supposedly made. But tonight, wow you ripped one into him; I didn't know whether to be proud or embarrassed." I looked away,

"I don't like him, but he had the balls to admit something like that in front of everyone." Will said quietly, these two were pros at guilt trips. You think I'm good?

Oh no, no one did guilt trips like Will and Jess do guilt trips.

"Even bigger balls to not try and save face for himself when you ran off like that, the guy just walked back to his seat and sat down, he was smart enough not to run after you either." I scratched my nose,

"Wouldn't you say that it means he's not worth it?" I said overtly trying to ruin him in their eyes, what was with the sudden change of heart anyway? The guy makes one public mistake and he's cool with them? "I mean, and what is with the chivalry stunt? He doesn't like me! That was a joke guys." I said laughingly,

"Kara, not even I would have run after you at a moment like that." Jess shook her head, "You're so stupid sometimes, and you needed to cool off. If he came after you then, would you have listened to any of his reasoning?"

"I think he likes you well enough." Will said, shaking me with the one arm he slung over my shoulders, "That was some embarrassing shit he went through, and you just freaked out and ran. We talked to him afterwards, and all he was worried about was finding you."

"You guys are too easily swayed, I mean... I'm sure not too long ago you were both telling me not to go out with him."

"You two weren't really going out were you?" Jess pointed out, her haughty gaze triumphant when I fumbled for words,

"Do you like him?' Will asked, I looked over at him, before looking back at Jess whose expression showed just how interested she was in my answer.

"No." I said as forcefully as I did to Jay a few hours ago.

I began to push at Will, "I think its home time." I said, wondering how I was going to get out of here without having to see Jay.

Will didn't budge.

"You're just mad because he threw the bet, losing you money." Jessica said sounding a little disgusted,

"What? Is it wrong?"

"Yeah it is, you know, for someone so smart you really do act like an idiot." Jessica shook her head, her red curls framing her sharp cheek-boned face perfectly; her blue eyes icy as they regarded me.

I stared at her, wanting to break eye contact and get out of here, but I couldn't. I was stuck, staring into the eyes of someone who cared about me but disgusted by my actions.

Almost as disgusted as I am.

Shut up you, no one yanked on your chain.

My thoughts, as well as our staring competition were interrupted by Deacon's relieved voice.

"Midge! Man, I was so close to calling Aunty, why would you run off like that?!" Deacon sat beside Jessica, his own blue gaze concerned. "And what was that back at the ball? Shit, I'm piss sober and I'm confused." Only Deacon.

"In 44 BC a group of senators self-proclaimed the Liberatores, led by Gaius Cassius Longinus and his brother-in-law Marcus Junius Brutus, stabbed Caesar to death hoping to restore the Roman Republic." I wouldn't allow my gaze to stray far from Deacon or Jess, because if I looked further to my left I would see Edwards, and even the thought of this threw my stomach into a fit of tumbling that I felt in my toes.

"Honestly, will you just go over there?" I knew that voice, I didn't look because I knew who the question was directed at.

"Erin, we know she's safe; I'm just going to go home now. They can get a ride with Jessica and Britemen."

"I didn't know Jacob Edwards was a coward." Erin's attempt at subtlety was poor, or was that on purpose?

"No, he just knows where he isn't wanted." I looked up to see him leave, despite my relief, something felt wrong about watching him walk away. A part of me knew exactly what it was, but on the surface I told myself it all came down to wasted money.

Jay's Interlude

"Dude, you like her? Her?" Was Danny's question of the day apparently, and I savoured every class –away from the fucker- until lunch, but here I was gritting my teeth and wondering for the thousandth time why I didn't just stay home. Monday was shitty from the get go, what with looks of pity, confusion coupled with people asking whether I was okay, but to have Danny go on and on about the fact that I had let my friends, meaning him, down by liking someone like Hunt nonstop was grinding down my patience. And I've never been the patient type.

"Danny, if you don't back the fuck off, I'm going to beat you like a Singaporean officer who has immunity from prosecution for assault." I said quietly, Burr seated on my left looked up from his lunch.

"I'm just saying, I mean... all the hot chicks."

"Danny, shut up man." Peter said, an annoyed expression plastered over his face. I nodded at my blond friend, who shook his head, probably wondering why we put up with the little dick.

We just had to keep reminding ourselves that back in the day, Danny wasn't so annoying. That was before we left Lynnfield, well got expelled, minor detail.

I had to admit, Saturday night didn't go quite like I imagined it would. Not that I had planned for my temporary insanity to win through, I should have just gone through with the thing, at least that way she would at least talk to me.

Kara was avoiding me like I had the Plague.

It took all of my self-restraint not to walk over to the library, where I knew she was hiding, and drag her out and make her talk.

I wanted to shake her until she fucking listened to me, but what was the point in that? Hunt put a whole new spin on the term 'stubborn as a mule'. I didn't push for her time, I let her be. It had nothing to do with the fact that I didn't know what to say to her, but I knew if I forced it, I'd worsen the situation.

She had to talk to me at some point; after all I knew there was something there.

I told myself it was the way she looked that night, but it had started before then hadn't it? She wormed her way, unintentionally, into my head and try as I might I couldn't get her out.

I took to ignoring Erin who wanted me to tell her how I 'felt'; honestly, how gay would that be? Did Erin really expect me to take this like some school boy bitch?

What made it worse was that I knew Burr saw Kara often, but I also knew he wouldn't say anything if I asked him. He was good with being neutral, so good at it, it was his vice.

By the time Wednesday rolled around I was sick of girls telling me she wasn't worth it. Who the fuck were they to tell me who was or wasn't worth my time?

"Jay." I withheld a growl, seriously it was getting fucking ridiculous, as I turned, preparing myself to politely tell a bitch to fuck off; I came face to face with Jessica, why couldn't I have liked her? It would have made much more sense. She was hot, and a lot more normal than Kara would ever be. If I had wanted her, I would have had her a long time ago. But I didn't want her, I wanted her friend...

I wanted someone who thought avoidance was the answer to all of her problems.

"What?" I asked tiredly, it was the end of another day, and I had to meet Deacon before I went home, he wanted my notes for Horticulture.

"Hello to you too." She greeted, I waited for her to say something more substantial. She sighed, "She does like you." At least she didn't beat around the bush.

"Look, we're not in fucking 4th form. If she wants to tell me something, she'll talk to me. Until then, second hand messages don't cut it." With that I turned to leave, but Jessica stopped me again.

"She won't admit it, she won't unless she's sure she's not being conned." I turned back,

"What makes you think I still give a shit?" Nonchalance was something I could do in my sleep.

"You gave a shit in the first place?" She replied, blue eyes regarding me critically, gritting my teeth I tried not to blow up completely.

"I don't have time for this bullshit; I have to go see Deacon." I didn't budge, allowing my anger to seep through a little, "All of this trouble was for shit, look next time I see her I'll apologise for fucking up the bet, it was a waste of time and money, not worth the trouble." I didn't wait for her reply again before I was walking away, however I wasn't fast enough not to hear her say,

"She's worth the trouble," I scoffed to myself; of course she'd say that. I was fast enough, however to completely miss the last bit, "she thinks you're worth the trouble too, she's just afraid to admit it."

There's a sort of tranquillity reached through listening to your father talk about future recessions damaging the company, especially when the idea of him talking about the company in general was enough to put me to sleep.

"This is why taking Horticulture was a complete waste of time Jacob, Horticulture doesn't prepare one for a recession." I exhaled loudly, trying not to laugh at Maya who had fallen asleep during my father's lecture.

"Daaaad." Daniel whined, "Maya's bored and so am I... can we just go? It's Jay you want to talk to about recess and whatever." Maya snapped up, looking from Daniel to my father.

"Doesn't Jay have exams this week? He needs to be studying not being lectured about things he doesn't need to worry about." I nodded at her.

"Fine, but at next year you're doing Commerce." It was an order, not a suggestion. I shrugged,

"Barter usually replaces money as the method of exchange in times of monetary crisis, when the currency is unstable and devalued by hyperinflation." I muttered, pushing my food around on my plate, Kara was on to something here, using bits of information as responses.

"Borrrring." Daniel uttered, exchanging looks with Maya.

I stopped, it occurred to me that perhaps that's what I needed right now; bartering.

Bartering, goods exchanged on a one-to-one basis with the intent that the value of the goods traded is of relatively equal value. I stood up, it was Friday and there was a party to attend, if she would be there.

"I have to go do something." I said suddenly,

"We're not finished talking." I looked at my father,

"I'll do Commerce, but only if I can do it as a conjoint with a BA, majoring in Journalism."

He couldn't refuse, and I didn't care.

I had an idea, and I wanted to test it out before I lost inspiration and basically all care.

I grabbed my car keys, "Where are you going?!" I heard him yell,

"Out!" I shouted, opening the door to come face to face with the last person I expected to see at my doorstep.

Her brown eyes darted around my head, before meeting mine.

"What are you-" she cut me off, how did she even know where I lived? Then I remembered that Deacon had been over dozens of times.

"ACC stands for Accident Compensation Corporation, the scheme providing 24-hour no-fault personal injury insurance cover, so even if you had wanted to sue me for damages you wouldn't have been able to because due to the Scheme's no-fault basis, people who've suffered personal injury don't have the right to sue an at-fault party." I just stared at her, as she folded her arms and despite her discomfort I could tell she was resisting the urge to poke her tongue out at me before saying, 'So there!' I was still processing the fact that she was at my doorstep.

I had only just decided to finally break what she must have thought was a wall built through avoidance, only to find she was one step ahead of me.

I raised my eyebrow; however, pointing out, "Except in cases of exemplary damages," she fumbled for response, before "Well in England the speaker of the house is not allowed to speak."

"You came here to tell me this?" She looked as bewildered as always, half of the time at her own eccentricity. My gaze flickered towards her shirt, which read I'm impressed. Pause. Not.

"I-" She began, I grabbed her hand and tugged her inside, before leading her up to my room and closing the door behind me.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, not acknowledging the pounding that reverberated in my chest, she looked down at her feet, before looking back up at me.

"Standing is a human position in which the body is constantly in an orthostatic state."

"No, why are you here? Shouldn't you be at Jessica's?" I had left her alone, knowing that trying to talk to her would have only pushed her away. I didn't know whether I'd been successful, sure she was here in my room, it's not unusual for a girl to be in my room, but what did it mean? From Hunt?

"I-" she coughed, before her eyes met mine, holding this time. She stood just in front of me, her cheeks unusually pink. "I'm sorry." She said it so quietly that for a second I thought I had imagined it, "I didn't know what to do, and now..."

"Now what?" I asked thickly, I'd been giving her the space she needed... and she was the one that left me looking like a dick at the ball. I had every right to keep reservations.

"I'm still really angry about the contract." I sighed, was she serious?

I could feel my eyes narrowing, "Money, is that all you ever think about?"

"It's easy when you never have to worry about it, isn't it?" Low blow.

"You're not poor Kara," she stopped, her eyes finally holding mine without looking away every five seconds.

"I'm not rich either, Jay." She said my name, dare I say the usual conviction in her voice wasn't there, the conviction she usually said my name with.

I threw my hands up in frustration, "What do you want from me?" I snapped, and she folded her arms in front of her,

"I don't know." She said bitterly, "Curiosity compels me. I want to know why you think you like me." She mumbled, looking away.

Without thinking I reached forward to make her look at me again, "Why I think I like you?"

She moved back from my touch, "Thought and thinking are mental forms and processes."

"That's why you're here, after avoiding me for a good six days," my statement was blasé and dull.

"It would have been more." I stepped towards her, but she stepped back, I should have known that pushing her like this could only lead to her lashing out at me, but I couldn't resist.

"But you're here now, why is that Hunt?" I knew it would unnerve her to hear me call her Kara,

"I told you." She ground out, still moving back, she would have to stop soon, considering she was backing into the edge of my bed.

"You want me to tell you I like you, again." I stated, wondering why she flinched when I said it. "It's not something I would have easily admitted to, fuck, I've tried to get rid of it. For everyone's sake, I tried to push this down and go through with our agreement but I couldn't do it." I remembered then that I was going to barter with her, it was the whole reason I stood to leave earlier, deciding to go to Jess's 'before mock exams' party.

Only now, I'm not so sure my plan for barter really had a direction... I just wanted a reason to end the stalemate.

"Why?" She asked, her voice seemingly scratchy,

"Because I knew that once it was over we'd go back to being two different people with no interest in each other." I answered truthfully, her eyes wide as she stared back at me.

"Ellipsis." She murmured, looking increasingly uncomfortable. Her hand moving up to tug on her hair, which must have been easier to comb, I noticed that her hair was actually being combed nowadays.

I had moved forward, standing within an arm's reach of her.

"I have vast personal space boundaries." Her voice was shaky, and I couldn't help the grin that snuck onto my face, I leaned forward,

"Mine are non-existent, remember?"

"I'll pinch your nipple again." She said quietly, I realised too late that the chuckle which erupted at her threat belonged to me. I brought my hand up, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear, there was always the chance that she would lash out at me, but the idea only quickened my pulse rate.

"No you won't," I replied, still leaning down, a semi-goal in progress. My lips brushed against hers, once, twice before she seemed to decide the contact was electric -in the voltage sense- and jerked away from me. Fuck.

"I shouldn't have come here." She muttered, I grabbed her hand but she pulled out of my hold and pushed past me, I grabbed her arm again as she tried to pass by.

"Don't be like this." I said quietly, she didn't jerk out of my grasp but nor did she look me in the eye.

"I don't know what to be like." She replied, I reached out and took hold of her chin, lifting her gaze to meet mine. "Without the ongoing assessment of a listener's expressions and modification of what you are saying, a conversation may become awkward, ineffective or worse." She murmured,

"And you won't even look me in the eye. What happened to not being scared of me?" I asked,

"What happened to girls like me not talking to guys like you?" She replied, my words coming back to bite me in the ass.

"Because there's something about you that's laughable yet likeable despite being despicable." Her brows furrowed, a scowl slipping over her face.

"Laughable?" Insulting her probably wasn't the best idea, but it was something that came naturally between us. I stopped, there wasn't really an 'us' was there?

I completely missed my opportunity to duck; the bottom of her fist met my cheek. "What the fuck?!" I growled, my hand automatically moving to the throbbing area of my face.

"I'm not pathetic!" She spat back,

"I didn't mean it that way!"

"Well, it's wiser to choose what you say than to say what you choose!"

"You hit me!"

"Oh don't have a hernia about it." God what on earth did I like about this girl?

End Interlude.

I knew I probably shouldn't have hit him, but it was better than what I wanted to do, because I'm sure what I wanted to do would have been undignified, even for me. I just couldn't get any of it to sink in really and everything sort of existed on a surreal level at the moment. So much so, that I felt myself being pulled towards him, as opposed to the opposite. And the idea scared me too much.

So I turned and fled, because I don't even know why I turned up on his doorstep in the first place. Avoiding was what I did best, so why did I have to change that?

I had been on my way to Jessica's house, but had made a hasty decision which landed me at Jay's –not so- humble abode. I was actually about to leave without knocking when he opened the door, all thought fled at the sight of those green eyes and the flip flopping within my stomach started up again.

So it came as no surprise when leaving him there eased the tightened feeling in my stomach, but as a big surprise when the feeling moved up into my chest.

"Stop it." I grumbled to myself, this was ridiculous, why I would even consider thinking about something so preposterous, was beyond me.

Edwards and I? Stupid!

And yet I'm still unable to explain to myself why it was I stopped at his house, why I let him drag me up to his room and why I didn't want to pull away when he kissed me.

It didn't help that my friends, bar Burr who was awesome at keeping his opinions to himself, and Will who just didn't badger me to talk about it, kept throwing the idea of me and Jay in my face.

Jay didn't show up to the party that night, and for some reason it made my disposition a little cloudy. I did not want to try to comprehend the reason as to why this was so, so I threw myself into studying for the mock exams.

I thought work the next morning would be peaceful, but I was wrong, what with Stan telling me I was harsh the week before and that the entire seventh form as well as sixth form class thought I was crazy. What else was new?

Swearing to myself as I left Parkers that afternoon, at home I dug my phone, Jay had bought me, out of my bag and switched it on, I sighed impatiently as it told me to wait while it loaded all one hundred and thirteen messages and txts. Ninety-three percent of these were from Edwards. I deleted them all except the last five.

"Will you just answer the fucking phone?" Delete.

"Stop acting like a five year old and talk to me." Delete.

"Turn your goddamn phone on!" Delete.

"-fuck." Delete.

"Alright, fine. This is the last message I'll call and leave, but you have to at least hear me out. I'm sorry I stuffed up the plan, alright? I'm sorry I liked you enough to not want to put you through something just for the sake of money, even if you think it would have been worth it. I don't think it would have been, but it's all a question of perception isn't it? There is no truth, there is only perception."

"Gustave Flaubert," I murmured. I fell asleep that evening thinking about his voice.

"Midge, I'm getting sick of him asking about you, it's annoying and why can't you just talk to him?" I gripped the steering wheel; it was Monday the first day of our study leave. Deacon had an exam, but I was only going in to study, and yet all I could think about was a certain green eyed bastard.

This was not good for exams.

Imagine my surprise, and chagrin, when I pulled into the parking lot to find that Deacon had duped me. He didn't need to get here early to go study, the fact that he had no books with him might have been a hint.

I almost refused to leave the car, not with Edwards standing little more than a few feet away, a small bruise on his cheek from where I hit him.

Whoops, did I do that?

"I brought her here, you do the rest." Deacon said, as he pulled me out of the car, to Jay. Whose arms were crossed over his chest, the look accentuating his- stop!

"I had to use a little duplicity to get you here, but I just want to tell you that I'm leaving you alone. It's obviously what you want." His voice was heavy with consideration the response that I thought, nay guaranteed, would happen did not happen. I did not jump for joy, or grin like the Cheshire cat, I actually stood a little awkwardly and said nothing.

"There's an ant in Brazil that has a gland which causes the ant to explode like a bomb, spraying a sticky toxic goo on everybody nearby." I finally uttered,

"But I do like you." He murmured again, and the clenching in my chest started up again.

He must have seen something that I didn't know I projected because a wry grin made his face light up.

"And you like me." Seriously, how did he deduct that from a look? I had to deter his train of thought here,

"We don't suit, Congress is the legislative branch of the U.S government." If that didn't work, perhaps this would. "I'm not allowed to be involved with boys."

"You're just making excuses." He moved towards me, but I backed up, backing into my car. Drats.

"I'm not. Don't talk to me, you're just, -why do you even like me?"

"Because; you ate my butter chicken." I gaped, and he used the opportunity to grab my hand pull me towards him. "Because no one's ever made me work this hard before, because you're a crazy bitch who doesn't care what I think of her- "

"I'm not crazy." He didn't hear me,

"Because you avoid with the best of them and know almost as much as I do,"

"I know more!" My throat went dry when I realised he'd effectively pressed me against the side of my car, his hands on either side of me moved down to rest on my hips.

"Vikings used the skulls of their enemies as drinking vessels." I blurted,

"Human skulls had been used as drinking cups for hundreds of years. The muscles and flesh were scraped away, the bottom was hacked off and then they were suitable to hold any beverage." Was it weird to be turned on by the fact that he knew that? Kara, are you out of your mind!

I had to stop this madness, with one last attempt at deterrence I strengthened my resolve, but it merely sounded like conditions for agreement.

"Well, I'm not going to tell you you're awesome when you're actually being a dickhead. And if you think I'm going to change who I am to suit you than you better change your brainwaves because that'll never happen"

"I don't want you to change; I like you the way you are. I like that you don't think I'm the shit, or that you look like an escapee from the mental institution." I glared, "Or that your evils could literally kill someone," the smell of cinnamon was all too familiar and scarily inviting. "I like that your clothes never match, or your mouth gets ahead of yourself." Was he having fun listing all my unpleasant little traits?

"If you don't believe me by now," he didn't get to finish his sentence, because I'd gotten sick of it all and just shot him.

Just kidding, I did however snake my arms around his neck and pull him in for a kiss. If only to shut him up, yeah that's my excuse and I guess I'm sticking to it.