"Max brought pizza." I announce as we walk into Seth's dormitory's common room. Where a bunch of us had gathered to hang out for the evening.

"Ooo yummy." Hayley says with a grin. Clamouring over the couch to grab a slice out of the boxes being placed down on the table.

My eyes scan the room as I look for Seth. He's standing in the corner besides our close friend Josh. I grin at him. His attention doesn't turn to me as he glowers, talking in a low voice to Josh who nods and looks at Max.

"Oops sorry Lacey." Max says as he places a hand on my hips to lean past me to grab a slice of pizza off the table.

"You're okay." I say with a polite smile. Taking a small step away from him so he doesn't have to lean, his hand slipping off my waist. After he's done I grab two slices of pizza. Ham and pineapple and pepperoni. Before making my way towards the corner of my room where Seth is.

"Hey princess. Joshy." I say with a smile. Josh smiles politely at me. While Seth takes a sip of his soda and looks past me.

"Pizza?" I offer both of them. Josh grins.

"Your so good." He says with a grin taking the pepperoni I offered him. Knowing Seth's favourite is ham and pineapple.

"Seth?" I offer handing him the slice. He just shakes his head. My eyebrows furrow together in confusion.

"It's your favourite?" I ask him, confused at his coldness.

"I'm not hungry." He states plainly, his attention drawing away from me towards the centre of the room.

"Have you eaten today?" I ask him sending him a concerned face. Taking a seat onto the sofa across from them.

Seth nods barely bothering giving me a glance.

"Okay that's good." I say nodding. Taking a small bite of the unwanted pizza.

"I'm going to go talk to Cam." Seth announces walking away, into the direction of Cam and Hayley.

"What's up with him at the moment?" I ask Josh as he takes a seat on the sofa besides me.

"He's pissed." Josh says with a shrug, licking his lips as he finishes the pizza.

"Why?" I ask my eyebrows furrowing together with worry.

"Your best friend Maxamillion." Josh says vaguely. Nodding towards Max who is deep in discussion with Troy. Our gazes meet and he throws me a grin, excusing himself from Troy and heading over to our direction.

"I might excuse-" Josh starts but I grab his hand. My eyes pleading.

"Stay." I say, knowing Seth's reaction to Max and I talking alone together. We'd been arguing a lot about Max at the moment. Seth thought our friendship was oddly flirty. I know he's over reacting. Max and I's friendship is not like that. At all. I haven't even thought about Max in that way.

"Lacey. Josh." Max says with a grin, flopping himself in between us wrapping an arm over our shoulders.

"Hey Max." I say with a polite smile. Careful not to seem to comfortable, in an attempt not to make the issue with Seth worse.

"Did you grab some pizza?" Max asks us.

"Lacey got me some. Yep." Josh says with a nod, throwing Seth a small glance. Seth raises his eyebrows in return.

Josh and Max launch into a conversation about pizza. I pick at my nail beds anxiously.

Why was Seth so pissed off? I hadn't even done anything. Hell, Max hadn't even done anything. Yet here I was, being cold to Max in order to please Seth. Fucking hell. I hated this toxic bullshit. I'm allowed to have my own friends am I not? He has his friends. I have mine. We have ours.

"You okay Lacey?" Max asks me suddenly. Jerking me from my thoughts.

"Yep, I'm good," I reply, without missing a beat. Max gives me a look before I give him a small smile. In an attempt to show him I'm okay.

He gives me one last look, before turning to Josh. I know he's not convinced.

I stand up, making my way over to Seth. I really just needed him to be okay with it. The overwhelming feeling surrounds me, making me want to scream. I wanted to burst into tears. Frustration over the entire situation.

"Can I have a hug?" I whisper to Seth as I stand beside him, linking his hand to mine. His gaze shifts to me, his eyebrows pulled together with worry. He nods and wraps his arms around me carefully. Almost hesitantly.

I almost winced at the coldness of his touch.

"What's up?" I ask him carefully. Pulling away from him slightly.

"Nothing. I'm fine." He says shrugging. My stomach twinges.

"Look can you please talk to me? I'm not an idiot." I ask him, frustrated at his petty ness.

"I'm talking to you right now aren't I?" He snaps shrugging away from me in annoyance.

"Woah okay. I walk in, hours after talking with you and everything is fine. And suddenly you're all snappy and irritated." I say annoyed. I can feel the others shift uncomfortably. Engaging in conversation with each other ignoring the spat between Seth and I.

"We are not doing this right now." Seth snaps moving away from me. I let out a deep sigh as he turns to join in conversation with Josh.

"I'm going to go lie down for a while in your room," I mutter to Seth as I move past him. He nods, half-heartedly. I leave the common room, pushing open the double doors and wandering down the corridor to Seth's room. I push open the unlocked door and shut it behind me.

"Fucking hell," I say letting myself fall against the door sharply. Before pulling myself up and climbing into Seth's bed. The smell of his bedsheets comfort me as I play with the string of one of his hoodies I had on.

I hear a knock on the door and I crane my neck to see who it is as the door creeps open slowly.

"Lacey?" Max's voice asks.

"Yeah." I say sitting up carefully. Why was Max here?

"Are you okay? I just noticed you leave and wanted to make sure you were okay?" He asks, closing the door behind him. I nod slowly.

"Yeah I'm alright. Just some stuff with Seth you know." I say waving my hand vaguely.

"Oh. Well if you need to understand a guy's perspective. I'm here." He offers, perching on the edge of Seth's bed.

"That might actually help." I say thoughtfully. "The situation is that Seth is being super pissy at me lately because of a guy that I'm close with. And he thinks that I would cheat on him. But I wouldn't. The world knows I wouldn't. But he doesn't. And he's the only one that matters." I say choking on my words.

"You really love him huh?" Max asks me, placing a hand over mine supportingly. I nod, wiping away the tears that form in my eyes.

"More than anything. He saved me. He doesn't realise it but he did. I just wish I could show him how much I love him. But he's so stuck in the mindset that he's not good enough and that I would search for better. But he is better. You know?" I say let the tears flow, swallowing the lump in my throat.

"I'm sorry Lacey. I wish he could see it too." Max says wrapping me up in a hug. I wipe my eyes with the sleeves.

I hear the door open and I pull away from Max slowly.

"Fucking hell." Seth's voice says. I immediately wince. Max nods slowly to me and takes his leave.

"I'll let you guys have a talk." Max says, giving me a small smile of support. Max leaves, thinking he's letting me let Seth know everything. But I know things aren't going to go that way.

"Let us have a talk? What does he fucking mean? You know, I hate being right. I asked you if anything was going on. You said no. Yet everywhere I look, he's touching you, hugging you, fucking telling you to talk to me." Seth snaps angrily, running a hand through his hair.

"He means let me talk to you about the fact you can't let go of the idea that Max and I are sleeping together." I snap back. Wiping my eyes further.

"Well what the fuck am I supposed to think? You spend more time with him than you do me? You speak about him like you're fucking together. Oh we can't come. Oh we are busy. Do you even realise that?" He shouts back, making me flinch.

"I do not. I talk about that for Hayley. Not Max. He's one of my mates. Your allowed to have your friends that are girls? Do you see me accusing you of cheating every five seconds huh?" I yell back, standing from his bed, adjusting my shorts under his hoodie. "How about that girl Charlotte? I don't get pissy at you about her do I? She's always with you? Talking with you? But I don't let it get to me."

"Well why was he in here then? In my room. With you." He sneers, pointing out the fact it's his dorm room, and just how bad it looked.

"Well, someone managed to see that I was upset, and that I was going to your room for privacy so I could be upset in peace." I snap, enunciating the someone.

"There you go. Comparing me to him. Is he good in bed too? Huh? Do you compare us in bed?" He snaps stepping close to me, anger clearly written across his face.

"I don't know what he's like in bed. Nor do I care. Don't you understand that? You're it for me. And by the way your acting. I don't know if I'm it for you." I say my last sentence trailing off.

"God. You are so dramatic. Of course you're it for me. It's just. When your off with some other guy. Makes me feel like maybe I'm not the only one?" Seth says in frustration. I blink twice at his words.

Dramatic? I'm not dramatic, he's the one blowing this out of proportion.

"I don't know how many times I need to tell you. But I do not, nor will not, nor have ever wanted be with Max. Okay never." I say seriously, trying to push it across.

"Lacey. Stop. You keep saying that. But everything else points to you and him being together. And what am I meant to think? I know how you acted with me before we got together. You think I don't see you acting the same way with him?" He yells angrily. I flinch at his tone.

"Wow. I'm really sorry that I'm being myself too often in front of other people. My entire personality wasn't flirting with you was it. Am I even allowed to be myself around my friends without being accused of cheating?" I shout back, anger riling me at his stupidity.

Seth looks away from me, almost like I slapped him.

"I'm going to my apartment." I say before he can say anything else. I make my way towards the door, grabbing my phone off his dresser. I close his dorm room behind him, leaving him in there.

I order myself an Uber as I make my way down the corridor, away from the common room at the other end. I walk past the RA's office and he gives me a sad look, probably having hear our argument. I had become an accustomed face around here.

I pace back and forth along the sidewalk as I await my Uber. Attempting to keep the tears from flooding out. The smell of him on his hoodie sends me waves of comfort, yet makes my heart twinge at the strong reminder of him.

My Uber arrives and I climb in to the back. With a small hello, the rest of the ride is silent. Thankfully.

The Uber pulls up outside my apartment and I thank the driver, making my way inside. I pull out my phone and see a few messages.

Where have you gone?

Back at the apartment. Felt sick.

Ahh okay. Will be home late, some of us making plans for clubbing if you feel better later?

I'll just stay home. Have fun and be safe!

You too :P

I leave the messages from Max unopened. I use my free hand to push open my apartment door, hanging up the keys onto the key rack and sliding off my shoes as I enter. I drop my phone onto my bed before crawling into myself. Letting my mind wrap around my emotions, wringing them out to a point of numbness.