*2 weeks later*
I grab another bunch of Smirnoff's from the esky and hand one to Danielle Louis, and Blake. "Shit that's cold," I shake my hand of the icy cold water.
"Considering we only just topped it up with ice." Jason muses, a half smirk on his face as I glare at him. He pats his knee for me to sit and I flick my hands as cold water splashes onto his face, before sitting down on his lap.
He goes to wipe his face on my shirt before I quickly jerk away, when his arms wrap around me to stop me from standing up. "Don't wipe your face on my shirt." I tell him with a pout.
"It's only water." He smiles cheekily and rests his head on my shoulder to get the droplets off and I sigh. He lifts his head up and kisses me on the lips. I lean into the kiss, as his hands rest on my legs, one rubbing along the side of my thigh, up the edge of my skirt.
"Save it for the bedroom guys." Chloe calls out, and I give her the rude finger with my back turned.
"I think we should just head there now." He seductively whispers against my lips. I smile as I kiss him again, biting his lip.
"Nope. You're going to have to wait," I tease as he makes a sexy groaning noise in response.
"You guys make me feel sick, why can't I find a guy like that?" Chloe whines, taking another sip of her XXXX Gold, she's the only one who drinks it here.
"What you mean to say is you're jealous?" I laugh as she shoots daggers at me with her eyes, a quiet laughter falling among the six of us. "Chloe there are literally guys swooning after you everywhere you go, you're a tall, skinny, blonde with tits after all." I comment.
"But either they're all idiots or complete sleazes. I'm sick of it." She drinks again and I find myself laughing. She is drop dead gorgeous, any guy would go for her, I think she's just extremely picky.
"Let's start a project then, finding a new guy for Chloe." Danielle announces.
"Ooh ooh! I like this idea. We be hitting the club every Friday night girlies." She bursts.
As we start getting into another conversation, I suddenly remember that Professor Armstrong told us to hand in our papers on Friday night because he'll be working late before going on a three day holiday. And I haven't handed in mine yet.
"What's the time?" I ask Jason urgently.
He looks at his phone on the table and says: "quarter past ten, why's that?"
"Shit. Shit. Shit. I have to hand in my paper before 10:30. Chloe have you handed in your paper yet?" I ask, grabbing her attention.
"Yeah on the way over here."
"Shit. I've gotta get there in 15 minutes." I jump up and run inside without saying goodbye, grabbing my keys from the hook and running out the front door. I've only had one drink so I should be fine. I start the car and back out the driveway as quick as possible, looking behind to make sure I didn't just pull out in front of a car.
I pull up in the campus car park at 10:27, mentally thanking myself for remembering the essay before it was too late. I get out of the car and walk down the path that is hardly lit by the poor lighting of the street lights. I see the main office building lights on and rush towards it as if 10 seconds is to make a difference.
I spot Professor Armstrong walking towards the door and he smiles once he his eyes make contact with mine. "Almost too late young lady." He says once he reaches the door.
"I know I'm so sorry. I could give you an excuse but I think it's pretty obvious that I forgot and an excuse would only make it worse." I can't believe I just told him that, as soon as it left my mouth I wanted to get swallowed up by a hole. To my surprise he laughs, taking the paper, scanning over it, and placing it in his folder.
"That's probably the most truthful excuse I have ever heard. You get an extra credit for that." He humours, locking the door behind him. He looks up in the distance as his eyes focus on something. "Turns out you're not the last one."
I turn and see someone walking towards us with a paper in his hand.
Once he gets close enough I realise who it is. Of course it's god damn Harry.
"Have fun in Melbourne." I tell Professor Armstrong, getting out of there before I have to stand face to face with Harry. I still haven't spoken to him since I found out he had nothing to do with the spiked drink, I don't know what to feel about it honestly. I can't seem to accept the fact that he was actually being civilised for once. In class I make sure to avoid him as best I can, and it's seemed to work so far.
I walk the opposite way I came to avoid him, having to walk around the back of the building.
A few moments later a couple of the lights flicker and turn off, leaving half the campus in complete darkness. Great. I hardly know where I am during the day time, let alone when it's pitch black. I get out my phone out of my pocket to turn the flashlight on, when I hear a voice.
"Look who it is." I jump, turning around slowly to reveal a dark silhouette in the distance.
"Who are you?" I ask. Is this some kind of joke? I try to study the figure but it's unknown to me.
"The guy you owe an apology." The mysterious voice speaks. Is this actually happening?
"John?" I question, remembering the name of the guy who caused the whole mess with the drink, later getting completely done up by Harry. The thought still sends shivers up my spine.
He responds in a deep chuckle as I start to back away. I look back behind me in search of someone, but when I turn back around he's suddenly right in front of me. I scream, as I'm pinned against the wall, his hand over my mouth as his body is right up against mine.
I try to yell and push him away, but one arm is stuck behind my back against the wall in excruciating pain.
"Shhh, there's no one around to save you, just like when Harry came and found me. You really shouldn't have gone running to your little boyfriend, he can't protect you now anyway."
I go to speak but no sound comes out with the barrier of his hand. I continue to squirm and kick my legs as much as I can, and I manage to kick him in the shin.
"You bitch." He shoves me, spitting in my face as pain shoots up through my arm against the wall and the back of my head.
"Hey!" I hear someone call out, and for a moment I think it's one of his accomplices, when a fist connects with John's face, knocking him almost completely off his feet. He loses contact with me and I back away from him, wiping the saliva from my face and grabbing holding of my now aching arm. I try to hold back tears as I watch the tall figure walk towards John and punch him again. By the movements I can tell that it's Harry. Him and Professor Armstrong were the only other two people here.
"What the fuck do you think you are doing, huh?" Harry yells, pushing him in the chest as he stumbles back holding his jaw. He swings again, and John blocks, connecting his fist with Harry's jaw. He swings again and I have to look away, hearing the sound of flesh against flesh is almost unbearable.
"Stop!" I yell. As much as I now hate this guy, I can't let him get absolutely wrecked again.
Harry looks back at me sternly, as if asking me to stay out of it. He turns back to John and grabs him by the shirt. "I suggest you leave now, unless you want to end up like last time." He threatens, as John gives me one last menacing look before walking away.
I stand there in shock, unsure of what exactly just happened. I move the hair from my face and realise that my cheeks are wet with tears and sweat.
"Are you okay?" He walks towards me and stops right in front of me, concern written on his features as he looks down at me, studying my face.
I look behind him to make sure John is still walking away. I nod in response.
"What happened to your arm?" He asks his fingers making contact with mine as I watch him slowly bend my arm out to inspect it. Deep small scratches cover the skin from my shoulder to just below my elbow, and I can see the teared skin from the rough bumps of the wall. A dark purple bruise had already formed on my wrist, and I flinch as he turns my wrist and tears threaten my eyes again. Don't cry Caitlin. "Sorry." He apologises.
"I.....It was behind my back, against the wall." I explain, looking back at the wall that I had previously been held against. "He said this would happen," it comes out as a whisper, my attention now drawn to the note I had found two weeks ago.
"What was that?" Harry asks and I look back at him.
"I got a note at my door, telling me to basically be careful otherwise the same thing you did to him would happen to me." My voice slightly wavers as I watch Harry's forehead crease at my words.
"He left a note at your door?" His voice raises, the usual anger masking the worrying look on his face that I prefer to this. I nod in response. I watch as his fists tense and he turns around as if looking for the guy again. "That fucking asshole deserves another lesson." He says with his teeth clenched.
"Harry don't." I step forward, realising how close I am when he turns back around to look at me.
"What you're just going to let that guy waltz around doing whatever the hell he wants?" He spits with fury.
"If you hadn't have hit him in the first place we wouldn't even be here right now!" I almost it yell in return. He gives me a piercing look, which would probably be frightening if I wasn't always angry at this bit for something.
He takes a deep breath and shakes his head. "You're welcome for just about saving your life." And with that he turns in his foot and walks away.
"It's not like I was at risk of deal ain't dying." I pointlessly mutter to myself. I sigh in attempt to calm myself down, and I decide to walk back the way I came, the way I actually know. I look around me in the dark, this time getting to the point where I can turn my flashlight on. I constantly sweep the light around in search of anyone or anything, overly paranoid after the events that just took place.
I walk back past the front office whose few lights are remaining switched on, and see Harry up leaning against the glass door. Just to think that I finally got away from him. He stands up straight when he sees me and walks over.
"I'm not letting you go by yourself, let me take you home." He offers, seeming somewhat less angry than before. My god this boy is bipolar.
"I'm fine." I stubbornly admit, knowing it's not the truth.
"No you're not, I'm taking you home." He pushes, walking with me as I follow the path to the car park.
"I drove here, you don't need to come with me."
"And how do you expect to drive with your arm?" He says, gesturing to me holding my sore arm up to my chest. I look down and move my arm as pain shoots through it. It's my right arm as well. I look away and sigh heavily, he has a point. "I can walk from your place."
"You don't even know where I live." I point out.
"Doesn't matter." He replies, looking up at the car park ahead of us. I sigh in frustration at his lack of detail in almost every answer he gives and I'm sick of answering questions. Everything has happened so quickly tonight, it feels like ages ago when I was out the back with everyone, chatting and having a good time. Oh how the night has gone downhill from there.
"It's just here." I say, chucking the keys to him as I walk to the passengers side.
"Nice car." He comments on the BMW Convertible. I hop in and watch as he starts the car, carefully backing out of the park as if there's a car to look out for, it's completely deserted.
He pulls up in the driveway and stops the car, turning the engine off as he passes the keys back to me.
"Are you sure you're alright?" He asks again.
"I think so." I tell him, looking down to study my bruised and bleeding arm. I can't believe how badly it got scratched.
"You might have fractured something, you're going to need to get it looked at." He assures me.
"Thanks." I mutter under my breath, tired of his attitude that may or may not be intentional. "Can I ask you something?" I ask, and he almost flinches at the question, giving me an uncertain look, so I jump straight into it. "Why are you always such an asshole." I ask, not sounding serious but actually wanting to know the answer. I can see the slight formation of a smile that quickly disappears.
"Why do you always ask so many questions?" He shoots back, and I'm pretty sure he's asked that all too many times.
"So we both have problems." I shrug, accepting that I won't ever get a proper answer out of him. I look up and see the hint of a smile again and I can't seem to look away. The only time I've seen him smile is the malicious smirk that's always planted on his lips. This one's almost..... Nice?
Silence fills the car, and he takes this as the moment to open his door. I get out and lock the door, and he's gone before I can say anything else. I turn around and see Blake standing in his driveway looking at me.
"Everyone was wondering why you were out for so long. Who was that?" He questions, a couple packets of chips lay in his arms. How do I explain this? I see his eyes move from my face down towards my arm, and I quickly jerk it behind my back. "What happened?"
"I um.... Just...." I can't lie without either sounding like I'm cheating on Jason, or I've obviously made up some story to hide the truth. "Something happened. Nothing big, it's just, something got out of hand a few weeks ago and some people were particularly angry. Harry just thought it would be safer to drive me home than be by myself." I try to explain in the lightest way possible for him to understand and not press questions.
"Are you alright?" He asks. "Your arm looks pretty bad."
"Yeah it's fine, I'm fine. Just, can you please not mention anything to Jason tonight?" He gives me an understanding look.
"I can do that. You should probably clean that up, did you need me to help?" He offers, sensing the fact that by not telling Jason I mean anyone for that matter.
"I should be able to get it, but thank you," I thank him smiling.
I walk back inside and walk straight to the bathroom, shutting the door behind me. I look at my arm in the mirror and flinch when I touch the skin. I apply some dettol to clean it up, cover it in a soothing cream and place a dressing over the top. I open the door and walk into my bedroom, making sure to wear a long-sleeved top to cover the evidence that something happened tonight.
I walk out the back to where everyone is and they all look up when they see me.
"There you are! What took you so long?" Danielle asks.
"Did you hand the paper in?" Jason asks.
"Yeah got it in. Sorry it took so long I was having a discussion with the Professor about it." I tell them, looking at Blake as he gives me an understanding but slightly misunderstood smile, as if trying to figure out what happened.
"All Armstrong does is talk talk talk, but he's got a sexy ass voice which I could listen to all day every day." Chloe admits, making me smile.
"Anyway, I suddenly got really tired while I was out so I'm going to head off to bed now."
"What, its only 11." Danielle pouts.
"Yeah, I just really needy to sleep I think." I chuckle lightly, scratching my head as I avoid eye contact with Jason.
"Well have a good sleep party pooper." Louis tells me.
"I will." I say, and I look at Danielle as she gives me a confused look. She knows somethings up. "Goodnight guys." I shut the door and walk towards my bedroom when I hear the door open again. I hope it's not Jason as I turn around and see Danielle.
"Hey what's up?" She asks me and I sigh.
"Can I tell you tomorrow? I'm really tired."
"That's not good enough." She puts her hands on her hips.
"I'll tell you to tomorrow, it's not that big of a deal." I turn around and continue into my bedroom and she follows. "Goodbye Danielle." I say, s she gives me a disapproving look before leaving.
"You are telling me first thing tomorrow."
"Yes, I will." I satisfy her as she walks away and back out the door. I turn the light off and get under the covers. It's so cold in here, the air conditioner must be down pretty low.
~~
The images of tonight run through my head and I feel my arm start to ache. I roll over so I'm not laying on that arm, when I hear footsteps through the house, stoping at my door. There's a light knock, before it opens to reveal Jason. He walks towards me as the light shines on my face.
"Hey babe, is everything okay?" He asks, kneeling across the bed and laying next to me.
"Yeah, I'm just really tired." I tell him.
"Do you want to be left alone?" He asks, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.
"No." I say straight away. "You can sleep in here I mean." I assure him.
"Okay, I'll be coming to bed in a minute." He kisses my forehead and gets up from the bed slowly, trying not to move it too much. He shuts the door behind him and my mind reels back to the same place it was at before.