Aubrey throws the rest of her pens into her bag, letting them scatter on the bottom of its lower compartment. Typically, she arranges them inside her pen case into a rainbow color order. Not today. The stiffness and the exhaustion take away her willpower to serve her needs for conformity. And it's because of the incident she had last Monday.

The last blackout was the strongest one she's ever had. When she was awake, she was lying in a fetal position on the humid ground of the barn, body aching all over. Once she managed to get up, she trudged to the house under the pouring rain. She mumbled incoherently about having to stay back in the library when Lorraine asked her whereabouts.

"How were the tests? Did you nail them?" Bob plops down on the seat in front of her, pulling her mind back to the classroom.

Aubrey shrugs while eyeing the last group of students heading to the door. "We'll see soon enough."

"You're still pale. Don't you need to get checked up by the doctor? To see if there is nothing serious."

Aubrey rolls her eyes. Bob and his obsession with health sometimes poke her nerves. "I don't need to see a doctor, Bob."

"Why not? It won't hurt to know that you're actually fine. You should take good care of yourself more, Bree."

"Stop talking like Lorraine," Aubrey says, irritation growing in her. "I don't need you to preach right now." Feeling the sudden heaviness in her head, she massages her temple.

"Okay, sorry."

Things with Bob are gradually warming up since he's no longer avoiding her. To Aubrey's surprise, Bob seems to reach out to her, especially after he saw her talking with Asher last Monday. Yet, not a single word has been spoken about the jock. Maybe he wants to give her more room, like what she did to him when it comes to Lizzie.

"Is that true that you're going to prom with Asher?"

Aubrey bites her inner cheek. Too early to say that Bob is going to stay out of her business. "I guess. Who told you?"

"Lizzie. And she said every girl in this school is talking about it."

"Oh, wow. So I'm like, popular now?" Aubrey scoffs as she stands up and slings her backpack over her shoulder.

"Bree, do you think it's a good idea? I mean, this doesn't sound like you." Bob looks up at her, frowning. "I still remember last month you said you'd rather sit on your roof, watching the stars instead of going to this prom. Even two weeks ago, you still didn't want to go."

Aubrey shrugs. "Things change."

"Are you in some kind of trouble now? Or is he tricking you to come?"

Aubrey clenches her jaws. "No."

"You know Asher is a douche, right?"

"Kinda."

"Then why did you agree?"

Aubrey crosses her arms over her chest, eyes glaring at her so-called best friend. "Because."

Bob sighs. "What about Lorraine? I thought she was against this prom stuff."

"Yeah, and?"

Bob narrows his gaze on her for several seconds before shaking his head. "You should not let a guy like Asher get closer to you."

Aubrey grits her teeth. The rage that she's been trying to ignore is now boiling inside, ready to erupt. "Why is that?"

"I know he's up for no good. I'm afraid he just wants to mess around with you. You can't beat him in his game, Bree."

Before Aubrey has a chance to reply, the very person they're talking about emerges from the door, carrying a black helmet in his hand. His lips curl up into a grin as his eyes dart over Aubrey, but the smile leaves his face immediately when he sees whom she is glaring at.

"Am I interrupting something?" Asher asks.

"Yes-"

"No," Aubrey says before turning her head to Asher. "I'm ready. Are we going now?"

"Yep."

Aubrey nods and shifts her gaze back to Bob. Slowly, she walks backward without breaking eye contact with him. "Watch me."

🔹🔹🔹

The house is exactly how Asher described it. Abandoned.

Its iron gate doesn't fully stand anymore and is buried under thick ivy. If Aubrey visited this place by herself, she wouldn't be able to guess where the entrance was. Asher has to pull up a layer of Ivy for her to spot a narrow opening that is just enough for one person to pass through.

Once inside, Aubrey takes her time taking in the building in front of her. The house is rather small with a few identical windows, also with ivy adorning most parts of it. It's hard to tell the color of the wall until Aubrey walks closer to the entrance. Between the overlapping branches and twigs, she spots the faded yellow paint. Out of curiosity, Aubrey glances at the nearest window, hoping that she can have a quick view of the interior. The shutters are held open by the ivy branches but the cracking glass and the dirt on it block her sight from seeing through it.

"Come on." Asher's hand lands around Aubrey's waist. With a gentle push, he ushers her to the door.

"Where are the others?" Aubrey asks, ignoring the fluttering in the pit of her stomach.

Asher shrugs before pushing the front door open, welcomed by a creaking sound. "Not sure."

Following the boy, Aubrey steps into the house and sweeps the hallway with her eyes. The inner part of the building is as abandoned as it looks from the outside. The beige floral wallpaper is peeled off hither and thither, revealing the dull grey concrete wall. Spider webs hang low, covering the ceiling while the floor is tarnished, hiding the black granite under the dirt.

"Don't try to go up there if you don't wanna hurt yourself," Asher says when Aubrey observes the broken wooden stairs.

"Who lived here?"

"Don't know." Asher slips his hands into his jeans pockets. "I heard this house had been long empty until the legal heir claimed it more than a decade ago, but they never did anything to this property."

"So, they're not from around here?"

"Nope," Asher replies, popping the p letter. He then wraps her hand around Aubrey's wrist, sending butterflies straight to her belly. "Come." He guides her to the room that appears to be the living room.

At one glance, it looks like a hobo camp. Empty chips bags and beer cans are scattered all over the floor, an ashtray is full of used cigarettes, and dirty pizza boxes pile up on the table. When Asher unexpectedly pulls her to a sofa, that she doesn't dare to guess what the original color was, Aubrey makes a soft shriek. The next thing she knows, she falls on his lap with his hands holding her waist, preventing her from tipping over.

"Sorry." Holding her breath, Aubrey scoots over to the spot next to him at a respectable distance.

Asher smirks. "No problem. I don't mind if you sit back on my lap though."

Another wave of butterflies swarms wildly inside Aubrey's stomach. She's never experienced this, or at least, not this strong. The indescribable desire that has been building up inside becomes unbearable to control. The very soft voice in the corner of her head tells her to run, yet the familiar voice, which she's grown to listen to recently, tells her to stay and see what the jock has to offer.

"So, your friends aren't here yet."

Asher moves closer, resting his hand over the headrest behind Aubrey's back, nearly hugging her. "Seems like. They will be soon, though. Tessa needed to pick up a crate of beers from her cousin's house." He runs his fingers over Aubrey's shiny dark hair, his touch light as a feather. "You have beautiful hair."

Aubrey feels her cheeks warm up. "Thanks."

"I bet it smells good. Can I?" Asher asks, leaning closer before inhaling the lock of her jet black hair between his fingers. He groans. "Exquisite."

The excitement and the anticipation intertwine. Aubrey's breath hitches in her throat as Asher's fingers slowly caress her cheek. Her heart beats so fast that it's getting hard to breathe at a normal pace. When he leans in and their lips are mere inches apart, Aubrey closes her eyes.

A shiver runs down Aubrey's spine as Asher's lips finally meet hers. This is her first kiss and she's clueless. As if he notices her inexperience, Asher smiles before starting to move his lips against hers, guiding her. It's when the front door swings open, prompting Aubrey to jerk away from Asher. A blonde girl walks in with two boys hot on her heels; one carries a crate of beers and the other hugs three bags of chips.

"Party time!" Tessa shouts before narrowing her eyes at Asher and Aubrey. "Did I just see what I think I saw a few seconds ago?"

While Asher responds with a smirk, Aubrey quickly says, "I don't know what you're talking about." She props herself up from the sofa. "And I-I need to use a toilet."

Tessa raises her eyebrows in amusement. "This is an abandoned building, babe. Even if there is a toilet, there is no running water to flush. You should go outside and do it somewhere in the bush. Unless you can handle the rotten toilet smell, then go ahead. It's the first door behind the stairs."

Doing business outdoors is out of the question. Aubrey prefers to endure the nasty toilet than expose herself in the open. After digging into her bag for a bottle of water and traveler tissue pack, she walks to the door Tessa has pointed out.

Once she opens it, a strong and nasty odor hits Aubrey's nostrils, urging her to gag, yet she goes in and closes the door behind her. At least the bathroom window is open. Kissing Asher gives her a weird sensation in her lower region, leaving uncomfortable dampness inside her pants. She needs to clean up.

Trying to inhale as little air as possible, she stands in front of the basin with its almost non-existent mirror. Whoever smashed it left only a tiny part of it that Aubrey barely sees her reflection. When she begins to unhook her jeans, her eyes catch a glimpse of a shiny object on the floor. As she bends over to have a better look, a golden metal frame is staring back at her. She carefully picks it up. To her surprise, the golden metal frame holds an oval glass, and it's as black as the granite bathroom floor.

🔹🔹🔹