The Hangout (formerly the Hanger)

Chapter 1: The Beginning of the End

Fire lit across her face as she began to sweat in the hard college desk. The chatter in the room couldn't drown out the sound of her heavy heart and pitted stomach.

From across the room William John Winters watched her pouted lips as she bit at them nervously. He didn't know why her leg twitched and her foot tapped but it was Tiara Mark's livelihood on the line. Her future depended maintaining good grades while she worked full time or else.

Mr. Kopecheski handed the papers to Luke Randal--William's childhood partner in crime and closest friend.

He was a fire sign--an Aries to be exact. He had a broad chest and a slight stubble to his chin. He thought he looked sexy like a new school James Bond. Though attractive he may be, that chin chair just made him look like a douche.

Luke zipped around the room of gloomy and unfazed faces being his usual charming self.

"Ohh Carla," He turned her paper face-down and placed it on the blond barbie's desk. She flipped him the bird before getting back to her phone.

Tiara took a deep breath as Luke looked up from the test. "Tiara." He handed her a piece of paper in a discrete manner with a weak smile.

"Sean Pickleby! Lets hope your brains are bigger than your..personality." He shouted moving on. Varied laughs echoed but Tiara couldn't hear anything over the giant thirty two percent in thick, bold, red, font.

This accelerated accounting class could possibly break her. She shoved the paper away quickly thinking of what her parents would have thought if they could see her now. Her slight moment of reflection allowed tears to gather behind her eyes, just begging to release, but Tiara never cried.

Its been so long she had long forgotten how to let herself feel for things.

Even though in that very moment she could smell the burnt rubber of the tires, sense the responsibility she could hold for the tragic loss of her parents.

Even in their death she failed them. She had to retain an 3.8 gpa average, if the Esu Hotel were to keep paying her tuition.

Though she has always been an intelligent and diligent student, she didn't have enough hours in the day between work and school she had no time to eat or sleep.

She was starting to lose her health, waking in the morning sick to her stomach--every night spent in spells of nausea.

She was 21 years old she was young but not dumb enough to not be worried.

Her health was slipping, she needed help. Her hand rested on her forehead, clearly she was distressed. She couldn't afford a tutor.

She definitely could not rely on family or what was left of it. Her aunt was busy running the restaurant to care--not that shed care if she didn't have the restaurant. Her cousin is the biggest hard ass constantly ridiculing and humiliating her when ever she could.

There was still some time left in her class and while she began wipe her sweat William stopped watching her and grabbed his vibrating iphone from his pocket. Class was practically over he grabbed his things and made a stop by Tiara's desk. He took a peak at the math teacher reading a book diligently at his desk unbothered by Will's movements.

He mouthed to her, can I talk to you? She shrugged at him as he answered "Hey dad give me a second?"

"Tiara I have to take this, meet me outside. Hey Dad."

I know you are upset son but I do not have time to baby sit that ego. Now I paid a pretty penny to fix your mistakes. You are going to meet with Lilly and Amira and beg their forgiveness again! You will make this right William."

"Of course father. Id be happy to." He nodded to a student as he walked by, it was hard to focus. Why do people always make a point to say hey when IM on the phone he thought.

This was certainly not the time to be distracted but as he noticed Tiara walking up he couldn't help it. Her party was definitely on both sides of her body. Most girls were lucky to have maybe one. Her hour glass figure most certainly did not quit and she was proportional. That was a thing of beauty. She was a little on the short side, I mean she was what? Five foot four, he was six six but man she was...proportional. Little ..person, he caught his self thinking and tried to pull his self away from objectifying women.

"HELLO? AM I TALKING TO MYSELF!!?"

"I am sorry , no but can I call we talk about this in person I have to get back pretty soon and I can't drive like this."

The tone of his father reverberated in his ear drum shaking his focus as he faced Tiara.

"Its okay actually I'm gonna go okay." before he smiled and said sorry, she smiled back at him quickly disappearing into the rush of the campus.

He rushed to his car after his after ending the call with his father promising to be home soon so they could speak. The day was proving to be a very stressful one all he needed was some comfort. If he wasn't such an idiot maybe he wouldn't be in so much trouble now.

His feelings began to buckle far from happy. He felt the lowly feelings of regret and guilt take him. The engine revel up as he sought silently of Dakota. Her auburn hair and simple, freckled, face staring back at him as he nuzzled her neck. He could still feel the way she would run her fingers through his like like he was fascinating and she needed to know every inch of his body, down to his last hair follicles.

The thought kept his chest warm as the wind blew into the window of his car.

He ruined everything he loved. He couldn't see it but he was the worst parts of himself. The feelings tried to linger but he shoved them aside locking them deep, deep, inside himself somewhere he seldom let loose, somewhere his body would probably grow some form of disease someday.

He pulled into the gas station not far from the college preparing to buy gas before heading to the hotel.

The gas station was small and kind of cute, it belonged to a nice East Asian man who like to talk to Tiara when ever he saw her. Usually he was a pretty warm fella who liked to wear solid shirts. He wondered if he had spoken to her recently as he browsed for a snack.

His attention was caught by an unexpected friend!