I was pleasantly surprised when I felt the effects of the pills only 15 minutes after they dissolved under my tongue.

I hadn't known what to expect, and the effect was better than I imagined.

It reminded me of how I felt in the hot tub, right before it happened. Carelessness. All my cares were gone. I felt the strange sensation of calmness, like every nerve in my body was relaxed. I felt good. Really good.

After another five minutes of blissful silence, I hummed to myself as I hopped out of the car. I was surprised Zane hadn't come out to check on me. I paused in the drive way and looked up at Zane's house. It was big, and modern. I could tell it had been built recently, in the last 5 years or so. I let out a short whistle in appreciation of the beautiful mansion, I wonder what Zane's parents did for work. Clearly, they were loaded.

I didn't hesitate as I pushed open the large black door. I kicked off my shoes once I was inside, noticing the pile that had gathered on the right side of the door. Zane's were there, but also two other pairs of male sneakers. I casually walked through the entrance way, peeking my head in each door I walked by. Normally, I'd feel painfully awkward being in someone's house like this, with no guide. Thanks to my new found friend's presence in my body, however, I didn't feel awkward at all.

As I approached the kitchen, I noticed a boy standing in front of the gas range oven, pressing the buttons on the stainless black microwave that was attached to the hood. I didn't make a sound, simply standing there observing him. He was dressed closer to Austin's style than Zane's, with golden skin and brown hair that was cut short to his head. When the microwave sounded that his food was ready, he pulled it out and turned towards me.

His reaction was comical. He was spooked at first, obviously by the presence of someone else in the kitchen with him. Then, a look of pure confusion covered his face as his eyes roamed my face, and then quickly scanned the length of my body.

"Who are you?" I asked him. It didn't dawn on me that he should probably be asking me that, instead of the other way around.

"I, uh. Gavin." He said after a second, before he cocked his head and lifted his eyebrows. "Seren, right?"

"Mhm." I confirmed, and I was almost surprised that a smile crept onto my lips. Ativan really was my friend, after all.

Gavin shook his head and looked at the ground, like something was comical. Whatever it was, I didn't know. "Come on. Zane's in the basement."

"Lead the way." I answered, gesturing with one hand. Gavin chuckled at me before he pointed his head with a tilt to a hallway to our left, carrying the plate of food. Looked like leftover pizza. Didn't he know you're supposed to eat leftover pizza cold?

I let my fingers run against the soft grey paint of the walls, following behind Gavin. He looked back a few times, I don't know why. It's not like I was going to get lost with him three feet in front of me. He opened a door with his free hand and led me down a set of carpeted stairs. You would think I would be out of my mind to follow a strange boy down into a basement, and you're right. I probably was. An hour ago, I would have laughed in your face if you had asked me to do that. Now, I was calm as a cucumber.

The stairs ended and a gorgeously decorated finished basement met my eyes. However, you could easily tell that the space had been taken over by a teenage boy. Piles of hoodies and jeans were slumped over the expensive accent chair, and a large collection of sneakers were displayed in one corner.

"Look who I found." Gavin chimed out as we approached a large leather sectional that was placed before a giant TV. Seriously, I think that's the biggest TV I've ever seen, and I knew a lot of rich people. Zane seemed to have a silent conversation with Gavin with his eyes. Gavin shook his head at Zane before plopping down on the couch between him and the other boy, who was looking at me with his mouth open. I raised my eyebrows at him, and I couldn't help the giggle I let out.

Seriously, who was this girl? I barely recognized her.

The boy was dressed similar to Gavin, with a hoodie and matching grey sweatpants on. He had beautiful dark skin, short hair and glasses. Once he heard my giggle, he seemed to snap out of the trance he was in before turning to Zane.

"You said a friend was here. You didn't say Seren." He said with his eyebrows raised.

"Interesting that he left that part out, isn't it O?" Gavin elbowed Zane in the stomach. Zane didn't seem to notice, however, because he was too busy staring at me like I had three heads.

"Why do you know my name?" I asked the two boys, curious as to how they knew who I was just by sight.

"You don't think Zane told us about you?" O answered me.

"Zane talks about me?" I found that hard to believe. I wouldn't tell my friends about him. If I had any, anyways.

Gavin and O both laughed. "Only all the..." Zane kicked Gavin's leg, cutting him off. "He's mentioned you a couple of times." Gavin finished, rubbing his leg and shooting Zane a dirty look.

"I'd ask if they were good things but I already know they weren't. Zane doesn't like me very much." I watched as Zane's friends glanced at him with confused looks.

"Why do you think that?" Zane asked me with a frown on his face.

I laughed. He was joking right? Zane looked even more perplexed after that.

"Maybe, I don't know, because you've sat at lunch with me every day and spent every weekend with me for a year, and you spoke to me for the first time two days ago?" I explained as I fell onto the long chaise of the couch. I stretched my body out and propped my head up with my hand. The pills were kicking in stronger now, and I felt a little loopy. I think that's the proper term anyways. Loopy? Sounds right.

Zane awkwardly scratched his ear while staring at me. I wish he would stop staring at me all the time now. It's like he could see right through me. My head suddenly felt heavy and I had to fight to keep it upright.

Gavin placed his empty plate on the coffee table before bounding across the couch and flinging his body over Zane's, rubbing his head with his hand. "Are you acting shy at this new school Zaney?"

"Are you two boyfriends?" My voice sounded a little off, but I don't think anyone would notice.

Gavin pulled his body upright while Zane let out an exasperated sigh and rubbed his eyes. Gavin and O both looked at me with blank expressions, like they were wondering if I was kidding before collapsing in fits of laughter.

"What gave you that impression?" Zane asked me in a serious voice.

"I don't know. I've just never seen you with a girl. What's so funny?" I was watching Gavin and O with an amused expression, seeing their laughter made me want to laugh like that again.

"It's just...what kind of acting are you doing at that private school, Zane?" O asked as he wiped a tear from his eye. "Because it's nothing like the Zane we knew at Hawking."

Zane threw at throw pillow at O's head. "Part of the deal was no more girls, remember asshole?"

Hawkings was the name of the public high school in our school district.

"Wait- you all went to Hawkings together?" I asked curiously, I had figured Zane moved here from another city.

"O and I still do, sweetheart." Gavin winked at me. "Zane got kicked out."

I felt my eyebrows shoot up as I looked at Zane for confirmation. Judging from the daggers he was shooting at his friends, I'm guessing he wasn't pleased that they were sharing this information.

"Kicked out? For what?" I asked Zane. He felt like such a goodie two shoes, he barely drank, never smoked, I'd never seen him in detention, ever.

"Fighting." Zane finally told me, taking his baseball cap off and smoothing his hair before returning it to his head.

"So you were a player and a fighter? What else?" I looked at Gavin and O, hoping for them to tell me the rest.

"Yeah, what else Zane?" Gavin said teasingly, like he knew Zane wouldn't want me to know.

"Nothing else." Zane said quickly. "Let's move on."

"Great, because I'd love to get into the reason why Seren is here." O said and he leaned back against the couch. "No offence, but I was beginning to think he'd made you up."

Zane began to say something but I cut him off.

"Zane is convinced I'm going to kill myself." I said bluntly, and from the looks on the boys faces, I almost wished I hadn't.

"What? It's the truth." I added, shrugging.

There was an awkward silence, as no one knew what the fuck to say next.

"Well... are you?" Gavin finally asked.

"Would I tell you if I was?" I muttered, rolling my eyes.

"So you can see why I'm concerned." Zane said blankly. The boys were having a conversation with their eyes again, but I didn't care to try and decipher the looks because my eyes were getting heavy and all I wanted to do was rest them.

"Anyone have headphones I can borrow?" I asked the room. Zane nodded and fished a pair of out his pockets before handing them to me.

Once they were in my ears, I found the song that had been playing in the car and turned it on, making sure to press the repeat button. I let my eyes close as I listened to the lyrics again, trying to understand the story better.

I don't know how much time had passed, in which I had been blissfully unaware of the anything besides my own mind. I was stuck in the dream world between awake and asleep, and my body had this glorious fuzzy feeling, comforting me like a warm blanket. I stretched my body out, wondering if I could actually fall asleep.

"Seren." I heard Zane's voice call out to me gently, but I ignored it. Can't he see that I'm actually relaxed, for once?

"Seren." He said again, firmer this time.

"What?" I groaned out, keeping my eyes closed.

"Uh. Your skirt rode up." He said awkwardly. Who cares? I blinked my eyes open and glanced at the boys, who were pointedly looking anywhere but me.

"So what? You can look." I said groggily. I didn't want to move. It's not like I didn't have any underwear on. Had they never seen a girl in their underwear? They definitely have.

"Do you want to cover up, maybe?" Zane said calmly.

I don't know why, but the phrase cover up made my blood boil. Jax's voice was in my head again, maybe you should cover up next time. Like the bare flesh of my body was too much for anyone to take without demanding more. I flung my body into a sitting position.

"Why?" I demanded. I reached at my top, dragging it over my head and throwing it onto the floor. "It's just a fucking body. Have you never seen one before? Here. I'll show you mine." My voice was ice again.

I stood up and reached to undo my skirt, but in one swift movement Zane had covered me with a blanket and thrown me over his shoulder.

"Put me down." I told him, but he simply walked down one of the hallways like I weighed nothing. I hadn't realized how tall he was until this moment, and I only noticed it because of how far off the ground I was. Zane didn't speak as he entered into a room, and plopped me down on a bed. A quick glance around the room, and I assumed it was his bedroom.

"What's going on?" Zane demanded as he sat down next to me. "What was that?" His tone was firm, but gentle.

"What? Everyone else looks. They look at me all the time." I mumbled, wrapping the blanket around my torso.

Zane gently grabbed my chin, raising my head and moving it so it was pointing directly towards his. I didn't want to look at him, so I pointed my eyes towards the ground. He was studying me, looking for something.

"Are you on something?" He asked finally.

"No." I said quickly. "Probably still high from the weed."

Zane sighed. "Are you ever going to stop lying to me?"

"Not likely."

"What did you take?" Zane jerked my chin again, signalling that he wanted me to look at him, but I didn't. "Tell me."

"Just anxiety medication, calm down." It was the truth, anyways.

Zane let go of my chin. "Since when are you on anxiety medication?"

"Since none of your business." I sounded like a child.

"What medication?" He breathed out.

"I don't know." Lie, again.

"Can you just tell me? Please?" He sounded tired. Join the club.

"Ativan." I said quietly.

"How much?" Zane asked me.

"I don't know." My voice was getting smaller and smaller. He sighed heavily.

"3." He was going to get the truth out of me anyways.

Zane closed his eyes and took his face in his hands. My eyes were getting heavy again. He stood up suddenly and walked over to his closet, tossing a park of track pants and a shirt at me.

"Have a nap." His voice was distant. He was mad at me. Again, join the club. He turned around so that I could change, and once I slipped into his clothes I sat back onto the bed, laying my head on the pillow and pulling the blanket around me. I was tired enough that I wasn't going to protest.

Zane took one last look at me with a blank face, before I closed my eyes, succumbing to the tiredness. I heard him open the door and start walking out.

"Zane." I said before I heard the door close, I didn't wait for him to answer before continuing. "Can you lock the door for me?"

"Yeah." He agreed.

"Zane?" I called out again.

"Yeah." He answered in the same way.

"Don't let anyone get me." I slurred out before the darkness took me.