AN:

"She asleep?" I asked Carter.

I was staring at the way Seren was laid over his lap, her head slumped on his shoulder. She still had her huge sunglasses on, like she had all day. She didn't remove them when the darkness overcame the light of day, and I knew why. She didn't want anyone to see how exhausted she looked.

The rest of the group had left to other parts of the yard. Olivia and Noah were in the hot tub and Jax, Tyler and Trinity were gathered around the fire pit, leaving only Cain and I sitting around the table with Carter and Seren.

It was odd, and nobody could deny it, the way Seren had been acting. She had barely taken more than two steps away from Carter. She left his hands on her body wherever he placed them, yet she didn't look happy to have his hands on her. She didn't look happy with anything.

Seren has always been the life of the party. She's loud when she drinks, she dances and laughs. She gets on top of tables and she yells out her words. She smiles when she's drunk. She's not smiling tonight.

"Yeah, she's out cold." Carter answered, his hand gently stroking up and down her arm. He looked like he had just won a first place trophy, and he couldn't stop touching it. It was sickening.

"Good. She seemed exhausted earlier." I replied, leaning back in my chair. She looked like she hadn't slept a wink, even though she had fallen asleep before I had left her room last night.

"So, are you guys a thing now?" Cain asked, and I could feel the tension in his words. Cain has liked Seren for years, and he knew as well as I knew, he was never going to get the girl of his dreams.

Carter hesitated for a moment. "We're just hanging out."

Cain and I both nodded, while Cain offered me a cigarette. I felt the drawing call for nicotine in my skin, but I ignored it, as always. The allure of the poisonous fumes have been surrounding me all day, after watching Seren chain smoke this afternoon.

I knew where Carter's hesitancy came from. We've all seen guys make the same mistake with Seren, after all. She pays attention to a guy when she's drunk, and they get their hopes up only to realize it was just the alcohol in her talking. I'm not sure why Seren hasn't had a boyfriend since I've known her, she could have anyone. I had a feeling the answer to that question was more complicated then we could guess.

"Do you guys know what's going on with Jax?" Carter asked us, surprising me.

"He was in a shit mood all day. He would barely talk to me while we are on the boat. Then, when Seren and I were talking down at the dock, he basically demanded she leave and go back to the house with him." Carter continued.

I couldn't help but look over to Cain, who looked right back at me. We both knew Jax's feelings for Seren. Hell, anyone with eyes could see the way he pined for her.

"Do you think there's something going on with them?" Carter asked.

I chose my words carefully, as I answered. "He's probably just jealous. We've all seen the way he looks at her." Cain nodded his head in agreement.

"You don't think they were together or anything, do you?"

Cain chuckled slightly as he shook his head. "What's the first thing you would do if you were dating Seren?"

Carter laughed quietly, I could tell he was trying his best to stay still, so he wouldn't wake her. "I'd tell everyone."

I felt a frown on my face emerge from his words. Likely, this was the reason that Seren didn't date, and I thought about how hard that must be for her. To know that people only want to be with you because of what they see on the outside.

"Jax would have told us. Definitely." Cain concluded, glancing back down at her. "You'll have to get used to it, if it works out I mean."

"I don't know. I mean I've seen the way you all look at her. Yet he's the only one who seems to have a problem." Carter mused. "I'm not scared of a little competition. I just don't want her to feel awkward about it."

"I don't think Seren even notices, honestly." Cain muttered before taking a drink out of his plastic red cup.

The way they talked about her made my heart feel heavy. It's the way that they always talked about her, like she wasn't a real person with real feelings. Like she was simply a decoration, only there to look pretty. I knew she wasn't, I knew she had those feelings and I knew that she waded deeper into those feelings everyday.

Today was a great example, she had waded even further than I expected her to. She was chest deep now, I could see it. She was only steps away from vanishing under the water all together.

"How did she seem today?" I asked suddenly, curious to see if Carter had seen what I saw.

"Uh, normal. I guess." Carter answered.

I resisted the urge to shake my head. How couldn't he see that there was nothing normal about the way she was acting?

"I think everyone else turned in." Cain noted after a moment, and I noticed that the yard around us had gone quiet.

"I guess I'll carry her in." Carter said.

As if his words were a cue, Seren slowly moved, nuzzling slightly against Carter's shirt before craning her head upwards. Carter looked down at her when he noticed her movements, a smile crept onto his face.

"Hey, sleepy head. We were just about to go inside. I can carry you, if you want to go back to sleep." Carter said softly, and it left a scowl on my face. He was really pulling out the stops, trying to get her to actually notice him.

And hey, maybe she would. Maybe Carter could be someone for her. She deserves that, she deserves to have someone who really sees her.

She shook her head, pulling her upper body upright before sneaking a hand under her glasses to wipe her eyes. "That's okay. I can walk."

"Sure." He said, letting his arms fall from her waist.

Seren only looked at me for a split second, before walking straight ahead of Cain and I, and I wasn't surprised. Just like the thousands of other boys that Seren would never notice, I was one of them. That's okay, though, I understood it.

We followed Seren into the house, and even though we had all left the yard at the same time, Seren had walked so quickly that I was sure she was already tucked into her bed. Yet, as we walked past the kitchen into the hallways, I saw her. She was standing in front of her door, her fingers lingering on the doorknob. Her eyes were glazed over, and her face looked empty.

"You okay?" Carter asked her, yet she didn't look towards us.

"Seren?" I asked. Her head turned at my words, and she looked startled to see us standing here, watching her.

"I don't want to sleep in here." She said flatly, and I knew from her tone that she was serious. I had no idea why she didn't want to, I couldn't think of a single reason.

I felt eyes narrow, I didn't like this. I had this horrible pit in my stomach. There was more to this story, but what?

Carter scratched the back of his neck. "I can sleep in here with you, if you want."

"No, I don't want to sleep in this room." She repeated, and now I was even more confused.

There was an awkward pause, nobody knew what to say. "The three of us are in the bunk bed room. There's an extra one, if you want." Carter finally answered.

She nodded, standing back against the wall, like she wanted us to lead the way. I tried my best not to look back at her as we walked, because I knew she didn't want any eyes on her. I could feel her energy, though, and it felt... defeated.

Once she was in the room, she walked over to the unclaimed bed. She didn't look at anyone as she climbed into the blankets, and no one said anything as we all climbed into our own beds.

"Night." Cain's voice rang out.

"Goodnight." I answered.

"Night." Carter joined in.

Seren didn't bother saying anything.

I tried to sleep. I really did. But I couldn't, because I could only think about Seren. Her behaviour was just so off, it was heavy and it was alarming. I remembered Henry, and how his behaviour had changed before he took his life. I wouldn't let it happen again.

I laid awake in bed all night, and by the time the sun came up, I had decided I was going to be there for her, whether she let me or not.