"HANNAH!" I screeched as she stepped back into our dorm room for the first time in a week.
She smiled, dropping her bag by her side as she gave me a hug. I had missed her a lot, and even with everything going on, I had been thinking about her often.
She looked a lot better; her bruise had faded and she looked more refreshed than she had in a long time.
"Oh, Sky. I've missed you," she chuckled.
"How are you?" I asked, pulling away.
"I'm okay," she said, picking up her bag and heading towards her bed. "It was really nice being around my family."
"That's good," I said, "and... have you heard anything from... you know..."
She nodded, "Yeah. He kept calling me and texting me, so I blocked his number before I even got home. You were right- there's no excuse for what he did to me. I didn't want to hear what he had to say."
"I know it sucks," I said, "but I'm really proud of you."
She smiled, flopping onto her bed. "Thank you. So, what's the plan for Halloween tonight?"
"We are going to a party," I said, running to my closet to pull out my Jimmy Mackelroy costume.
"Oh my god," she laughed, "I love it. Is Mason going to be Chaz?"
"Of course!"
"That's epic," she said, but then her smile faltered. "I don't know if I should go..."
"Why not?" I asked, laying my onesie down on the futon.
"What if I run into Drayden? He always loved Halloween. I know for a fact he's gonna be out tonight," she sighed, "And anyway, I don't have a costume."
I wandered over, plopping down onto her bed beside her. "You have to come! We are going to a party with Blake and his basketball buddies, so it's a totally different crowd than the one Drayden will probably be out with. Besides, Mason and Blake won't let him get near you even if he tries."
She furrowed her brows as if contemplating everything I just said. "You sure?"
I nodded. "100%. I already talked to them. And about the costume... well, let's just say it's a good thing you have the best roommate ever."
Her smile returned, "Oh yeah? Why is that?"
I pushed myself off her bed, rubbing back over to my closet, "Because I got you this!"
********
"To Halloween!" I cheered, raising my shot glass.
Hannah and Blake clinked their glasses with mine before I put it to my lips, letting the cinnamon flavored whiskey fill my mouth before swallowing.
I grimaced, coughing a little until Jax handed me his red solo cup of coke to chase with. The brown fizzy liquid helped to ease the burning in my throat.
"Thank you," I said, passing it back.
I took a moment to look at him; not that I hadn't been admiring him since the moment Hannah and I stepped into his dorm.
I knew that, technically, our costumes weren't that attractive. But, I actually looked pretty friggin' cute in my ice blue onesie... and Jax? He was down right sexy.
The thin spandex material clung so tightly to his abs that I could actually see the cut lines and defined ridges. I could see the thick muscles of his biceps flex as he grabbed the cup back from me, and when I averted my gaze to his eyes, the ice blue coloring popped in contrast to the red and orange flames.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" He asked, though I'm sure he already knew why.
I shrugged, smoothing the ends of my hair. "No reason."
"Who wants another shot?" Hannah asked, giving me an easy out of this conversation. It was hard to take her seriously when she had blood dripping down her face.
I had spent an hour helping her apply the zombie makeup to match the tattered zombie dress I picked out for her at the costume shop. It wasn't super original, but she did look hot. And anyway, I figured she would want to be more sexy than funny given her current situation.
Blake, who was dressed as "men in black" to match some of his basketball buddies, couldn't seem to take his eyes off her. Honestly, I was here for it.
"I do!" I agreed, holding out my glass for her.
Blake followed suit, turning his attention to Jax. "You sure you don't want a shot, Mason?"
He nodded, holding up his solo cup. "No thanks, I'll stick to my drink."
I knew there wasn't any alcohol in there, but the others thought he was drinking a rum and coke. Luckily for Jax, Blake just shrugged, and the three of us took another one.
"Let's play a drinking game," Hannah said, moseying over to the futon.
"Okay," Blake agreed, sitting down beside Hannah.
I looked around, noting there wasn't a lot of seating in their dorm before lowering myself to the ground.
"You don't need to sit on the ground, Sky, I can get you a chair," Jax said.
"Yeah," Blake chimed in, "or you can sit here and I can sit on the floor."
I shrugged, "I'm fine down here. It's comfy for me."
"You sure?" Jax asked.
I nodded, looking up at him. Though, from my angle on the floor, his spandex-clad body was showing all sorts of things that were awfully distracting. I swallowed. "Yeah... I'm good."
Jax pulled a chair over anyway, offering it to me one more time before taking the seat himself.
The four of us casually drank, chatting on and off as we played a game of "King's Cup."
We were about halfway through the game when Hannah drew the "Rule Maker" card. Last time there was a rule, Blake had everyone cut out swear words, which had proven to be quite difficult. I couldn't wait to hear what Hannah came up with.
Well, that is until she opened her mouth. "My rule is that Skyler needs to sit on Mason's lap until the rule changes again."
Damn her.
I locked eyes with her, shaking my head at the knowing smirk on her face. She just wiggled her eyebrows in return.
Well, it was either follow the rules or take some shots. I looked to the bottle of vodka, contemplating just taking the penalty, but then I noticed Jaxon's large hand, extended in my direction.
I supposed it would have been weird not to follow through with Hannah's request, since technically Jax and I were supposed to be "dating" now. Or at the very least, flirting.
I grabbed on, letting him pull me to my feet before I turned around, settling gently onto his lap. I wasn't sure where he wanted me, and I didn't want to feel too heavy, so I kept my feet planted firmly on the ground, holding up some of my own weight.
The game continued as Blake drew a card of his own, but I was too distracted now.
Jax chuckled behind me, reaching around my waist to pull me further back onto his lap. "You can relax, you know," he whispered. I could feel his warm breath on my neck, "you're not gonna hurt me."
I leaned into the invitation, throwing an arm around his neck as I moved to sit sideways across his lap, my butt firmly planted on one of his large thighs.
"Better?" I asked, batting my lashes at him.
"Better," he said, leaning forward to draw his own card. I had to hold on tighter to his neck so that I wouldn't go tumbling off his lap.
I liked the feel of his hard muscles and warm body beneath mine, as the spandex material we were wearing did little to hide the warmth of his skin. I tried my best to remain neutral as the game continued, not wanting Jax to know the affect he was having on me.
We played for a while, until I finally popped the tab on the middle can, picking it up and drinking it down as fast as I could. Nobody ever drew another "Rule Maker" card, so I was trying to be courteous by ending the game faster; I was sure Jaxon's legs were probably going numb. Though, he had yet to complain.
"Okay, Sky," Jax said once I was finished drinking. He kept his strong hands on my waist as I finally stood from his lap. "Let's go to the party before you get too drunk to make it there."