I knew she would come. She can't stay away from me, no matter how hard she tries.

Funny.

I'm currently being held captive by a girl who won't let me get a word in for the life of me. I really am trying to be nice and keep a conversation with her, but Jesus fuck, she does not stop talking.

About five minutes of realizing it, I stopped paying complete attention. Just like all the other guys at this party, my attention shifted to Novalee and the raven-haired girl she had walked in with.

The brunette was pretty, but I was focused on Novalee and that little white dress she had on. She looked sexy. Her style was unique compared to other girls I'd seen on campus, I appreciated it.

Currently, she's glowering at from across the room. She finally noticed me staring at her since she walked in. I smirk and I notice her immediate eye roll.

This woman hates me.

From the corner of my eye, I see Cgc being surrounded by a group of girls. He seems to be in an interesting conversation with them, but I don't care. I need him as an excuse to talk to Nova.

I place my hand on Emily's ­­—­was it Emily? —shoulder as I tell her I'll catch up with her later. I'm a liar. I strut over to my friend and wrap my arm around his shoulder, he's about an inch taller than me. "Hey, girls."

I smile at the pretty brunettes in front of my friend. He loves his brunettes. Not one blonde in sight. They all wave and smile at me. "I'll bring him back in a minute, I promise." I pat Cgc's chest before pulling him away from the girls.

"Where we going?" He asks. I start walking toward Nova, who stands near our couch with her pretty friend. "Remember Nova? We're gonna go talk to her."

Cgc mentioned going to high school with her, so I figured maybe they'd like to catch up? He didn't tell me if they ever talked or not. I didn't bother asking, I just wanted to use him as an excuse to talk to Nova.

Before he can say anything, we're already standing behind the girls who are with one of our teammates, Max. "Nova!" I say and she takes her time turning around.

I see Max and the brunette's attention turn toward me and Cgc as well. Max grins, greeting us. I see Nova's friend looking at her confusingly. "Novalee, long time no see, kid." Cgc remarks and I notice her stunned face. She lets out a chuckle, "now you?"

He pulls her into a side hug which makes me clench my jaw just a bit at their sudden contact. It was quick though. "I didn't know you were a Cali girl." There's a slight smirk on his face. She giggles. "How did I totally forget you came to Oak Hill?" She places her hands on her hips as she admires my friend.

Her friend and Max continue the conversation they were having before we arrived. I stand there in silence. "What's got you rolling around in Cali?" He asks. Nova tucks a strand of her auburn hair behind her ear. "Better opportunities, I guess." She shrugs lightly.

"Nice." Cgc turns to me and nudges me lightly with his elbow. "You know my boy here too, yeah?" He asks her and her face drops. She crosses her arms over her chest and looks down for a second before looking back up at us. "Yeah. We went to school together back in Georgia."

"I'm sure he's sexier than he was at 15." Cgc, my personal wingman. Nova lets out a small laugh but doesn't say anything. I see my best friends' eyes shift to the girl talking to Max. He looks intrigued. "Max, who's your girl?" He calls out to the 6'5, tight end.

Max and Nova's friend turn to look at him at the same time. Both of their brows furrowed. "Not my girl." He scoffs and her face says 'agreed'.

Novalee doesn't hesitate to pull the girl to her side and intertwine their arms. "Actually, my girl. Her name is Madison." She shows off, looking at her friend lovingly. "Maddy." The raven-haired girl chimes in. "Just Maddy."

Cgc nods, holding his hand out. "Cgc, nice to meet you." Maddy takes his hand and when he pulls away, he grazes the inside of her palm. She smiles lightly at my friend. Although she's hard to read. I can't tell if she's interested in him or not.

Max let's out a small laugh. "You're such a man whore, Cgc." He says, shaking his head. True that. Max saunters off to the kitchen and we're left there with the girls. Before I can get a word out, Novalee interrupts me.

"Need to go pee, come with?" She asks Maddy who nods her head. The two trail off almost immediately, but I don't miss Maddy turning around to smile at Cgc. Great. I turn to him, and he holds a slight smirk on his chiseled face.

I smack his chest which catches him off guard. "Don't even think about it." I say. His eyes are hazy. He's buzzed. "What?" He asks. I roll my eyes at him, "not her, bro." I don't know why I tell him this. I don't know Maddy, but a guy like Cgc isn't good for her.

Hell, he's not good for any girl. Plus, I feel a need to care for the girl a little bit since I know she's friends with Novalee. To my surprise, he doesn't argue. "Okay." That's all he says before making his way back to the girls he'd been with earlier.

He could sleep with any of them for all I care.

Maddy and I walk into the restroom as we said we would. She's been to parties here before, meaning she knew where it was. It was upstairs, one of the many rooms in the long hall. I'm surprised Christian's stuck-up self, lives with three other guys.

He could afford a place like this and live all on his own. I also remembered Cgc was fucking rich too. His parents bought him an Audi for his sixteenth birthday. He'd drive it to school all the time.

Maybe all the guys who lived here were rich, stuck-up football players. Maybe those were the requirements to live in this place.

Anyway, I was shocked to see Cgc tonight. I remember being heavily attracted to him in high school. He has dark hair, dark blue eyes, and is so fucking tall. Checked all my boxes.

We were never anything more than friends though. The people I ended up being friends with in New Orleans happened to be his friend group. I hadn't really talked to anyone after high school though.

Everyone moved states, leaving me alone in Louisiana. I didn't mind. If they wanted to keep in touch, they would have. They didn't. Neither did I.

I didn't hold it against them though. It's why I wasn't a total bitch to Cgc tonight. I could've been. I knew he had some football offers, but it totally slipped my mind that he picked Oak Hill. It took me by surprise seeing him tonight. And of course, he's buddies with Christian.

Not shocking.

When we got to the restroom, Maddy told me how Cgc and Christian were roommates. Then she grilled me about how I knew both of them. She hadn't heard the part of the conversation where I mentioned going to school with both Cgc and Christian.

She was mad at me for about .2 seconds before grilling me about both boys. That lasted a good thirty seconds as I mentioned not knowing much about them anymore. I hadn't spoken to either in years.

"I saw the way Cgc looked at you though." I purr and she smirks. "He's sexy." Maddy and I had talked about boys, obviously, and I knew she slept around. Not a lot, but when she needed a little bit of fun.

She liked pretty boys, so I wasn't surprised that Cgc was right up her alley. He was still a stunner. I'd cheer her on if she decided to get with him. Maddy wasn't a relationship girl at all. She'd been single since high school.

Me on the other hand, I was a relationship girl.

After I ended things with Christian and moved to Louisiana, I met my ex-boyfriend, Devon. We dated up until a couple of months before graduation. He cheated on me with my best friend, Tyra. Yup. Stung like a bitch.

After that, I was terrified of relationships. Just because I dated two stupid boys in high school, love was ruined for me. I still wanted it though. Sometimes I'd find myself staring at couples and wanting to throw up. It's because I was jealous though. I wanted what they had. Something real.

That was hard to find nowadays, and I wasn't the type of girl to go search for it. Real love would come to me, that's what I believed, so I don't chase it.

"You think he'd be down to hook up?" Maddy applies some clear gloss on her plump lips, smacking them together. I scoff, "please, did you see the way he looked at you?" I hype my friend up.

She looked amazing tonight. Every single guy at this party wanted her. Her green eyes meet mine and she scrunches her nose. "What if he asks me to stay the night? What will you do?" She asks. I have an early class tomorrow.

"Uhm, I don't know. I can call a car?" I suggest. It's only inching toward ten, but the Ubers in Cali never stop. She shakes her head, "no, you'll take mine. If he wants to fuck me, he can at least give me a ride home the next morning. If not, then I won't do it."

Cgc Scott did not look like a man who would give a girl a ride a home the morning after they hook up, so I grow worried for her plan. After fixing her black hair once more, she grabs my hand. "Okay, let's go." She leads me out the restroom and the once muffled music, sounds clear again.

We walk downstairs and head for the kitchen where Max pointed out the drinks would be. She hands me a cup and opens up a brand new bottle of tequila that sits on the counter. She pours some into both of our cups, but its only about a shot.

We both clank our cups together before downing the alcohol. I close my eyes shut and swallow roughly at the burning sensation that now tingles in my throat. "Liquid courage." She says and I notice her eyes scan the room. I spot Cgc before her and point in his direction.

He's with a group of women in the living room, currently laughing at what one of them is saying. "Guess now's not a good time." She frowns, looking toward me. Time seemed to be on her side, because about five seconds later, he walks away from the girls and starts walking toward the kitchen.

His eyes meet ours when he looks up and he smiles. At Maddy. "Hey." He approaches us and his greeting is more directed towards Maddy. "Hey, I was just looking for you." She admits, earning a smirk from him. "Really?"

My mind wanders off toward the party. It's not too crazy, it's more relaxed. Everyone's either mingling, downing alcohol, or heavily grinding against each other. I pour myself some of the jungle juice that sits on the counter. When I take a sip, its wayyy more alcohol than actual juice. I cough a bit but decide to finish it.

Maddy and Cgc stay engaged in their conversation, so I decide to leave my friend to it. I don't want to be a third wheel and well, they seem to be hitting it off. I walk out from the small kitchen into the living room. "What are you up to?" A voice next to me asks.

I turn my head and look up at Christian. "Maddy's mingling, so I left her to it." He sticks out his bottom lip to mock me. "So now you're all alone?" He asks. I scoff and take a swig of the alcohol in my cup. His brown eyes stay on me. "No."

"You actually were alone until I came to talk to you." I sigh and shake my head. He is so aggravating. "What do you want, Valdez?" I cross my arms over my chest. He stares at me for a second before replying. "I thought you weren't coming tonight?" There's a teasing note in his voice.

"I wasn't, until Maddy asked me to come with her." I say and he nods his head like he believes in my words. He crosses his arms over his chest smoothly and again, he looks at me without saying anything. I groan after a couple of beats, "ugh, what?"

He tucks both lips in his mouth and his tongue pokes out from the middle to lick them. "You're fucking stunning."

My eyes widen just a bit at his words. Who does he think he is? Before I can say anything, I feel my phone vibrate three times. I pull it out and see Maddy's name.

upstairs with cgc

;) gave him that ultimatum and he said he'd take me home in the morning. can you believe it?

left my keys behind the bottle of fireball in the kitchen, go get them before some snatches them.

My eyes widen again at her texts. I push past people to walk into the kitchen and immediately spot her keys. I grab them quickly and loop them between my finger. "What was that about?" Christian says. I thought he would've stayed behind.

"Uhm, nothing." I lie. His dark brows furrow but he shakes it off quickly. "I have to go; I have an early class tomorrow." I finish the small amount of my drink left and throw the cup away. I don't give the guy a chance to answer before walking off.

That doesn't stop him. "Whoa, whoa, whoa." He jogs in front of me, placing a hand on my shoulder. I shrug it off lightly. "Hmmm?" He rolls his eyes, "you were drinking, you can't drive back to campus and where's Maddy? Didn't you guys get here together?"

I decide not to share the fact that my friend is currently upstairs making out with his friend. That's not my business to tell. "No, we just got here at the same time," I lie and see the confusion on his face "and I'm not even buzzed, Valdez, I'll be fine."

I don't lie about that. I don't feel anything at all, otherwise I wouldn't drive. I know better, trust me. Still, he shakes his head. "No, let me take you home. Give me your keys." He motions toward Maddy's keys in my hand. I chuckle and shake my head, before walking past him to go outside.

"Nova!" I don't stop at his voice and continue to walk towards down the street where we had parked. "Valdez, I'm fine. I'm not a damn child." As I inch toward her car, his long strides have already caught up to mine. "Let me look at your eyes."

Before I can object, he's cupping my face in his hands. I don't move as he looks into my eyes, our faces only inches apart. "What are you doing?" I mumble. He finally pulls his hands away and drops them back at his side. "My friends like to lie about being drunk, so I can tell if someone's drunk just by looking at their eyes."

I hold back a small laugh that tries to escape. "You grab all your friends faces like that?" I tease. He tilts his head lightly, his mouth in a straight line. I mock him by tilting my head; finally, he lets out a husky chuckle. "No, obviously not."

That's what I thought. I unlock Maddy's car. "You weren't lying, you're good to go." He stands by the car door with me, which stops me from opening it to get in. "Told you."

He takes a step back, allowing me space to open the car door. When I do, I get in and turn it on.

"See you around?"

"Maybe." I say, before shutting the door and driving off.