"Hold on tight or else I won't be responsible for what happens after. " I heard Senior Chase say as Ivy sat behind him on his motorbike. Her face was fully flushed; one could easily tell the effect he had on her.

My condition, on the other hand, was not assisting me in either way. Sitting behind Senior Aylwin, and not getting wild dreams was really-really difficult!

I saw Ivy wrapping her arms around Senior Chase's waist, concealing her smile. I smiled at the duo. I sat with my arms around my waist, ensuring a comfortable space between us. Senior Aylwin hadn't spoken a single word, not that I was expecting though!

They started their bikes. The engine roared to life as we sped off. The bike was initially moving at a normal pace when he abruptly remarked, "Hold on tight!" As a reflex move, I looped my arms around his torso as the bike picked up speed. My head rested on his shoulder; my front pressed against his back. His hoodie was snug as my fingertips brushed across his muscles and abs. The abrupt contact made his body stiffen, and left me flushed. I immediately recoiled myself, mumbling a quick sorry, and brought my hands to my belly, muttering a string of curses under my breath.

After much deliberation and internal conflict, I finally placed my left hand on his left shoulder gently while raising my right hand to grab my now open hair, which was in a loose messy bun at the time. I couldn't tie them, so instead of struggling with my locks, I let them flow freely.

My gaze was drawn to Ivy, who was clinging to Senior Chase's back as if her world was in his hands. Shaking my head, I chuckled. The girl wouldn't leave a single moment to touch him!

I took in the scenery as it passed me by. It was too late; the stores were on their way to closing. In the lanes, there were so few people going. I couldn't imagine what would have happened if they hadn't been on time! I pushed the thought to the back of my mind. Even then, there was one nagging doubt that I couldn't get out of my mind. What on earth were they doing so late in that desolate alley? It wasn't my place to inquire, so I remained silent. Deep down I was scared, too, of what would he say? What if he knew who I was? Or, even worse, I was befuddled, befuddled beyond belief!

I shifted my gaze to him. He was not wearing a helmet this time. His gaze was fixed on the lane. My fingertips tingled with the need to trace his chiseled jawline. He seemed to be focused on the lane, but I could see from his creases in the forehead that his mind wasn't in one place. His eyes flickered to the rear-view mirror, as if sensing my intense stare, but that time I didn't hesitate to lock my hazel orbs with his dark oceanic ones. He averted his eyes immediately, realizing that our lives were more crucial than the staring contest. Any girl in my place would love to sit with him, throw her arms around him, and chat like there's no tomorrow. He was, after all, perfect!

I didn't realize we'd arrived until I jerked squealing from the impact of the bike's abrupt stop. I found myself in the same compromising position once more. Golly, seriously twice? What would he be thinking about me? A hormonal, insecure teenage girl clinging to him!? Geez man, that was so damn humiliating!

My trance was broken by a sudden cough, which caused me to recoil. In an effort to conceal my flushed face, I ran my hands through my hair. I could sense his piercing gaze the whole time, but didn't dare to meet it.

"Are you both planning to spend the entire night on the bike or what? Not that I'd mind!" Senior Chase spoke up, smirking, a hint of mischief in his voice.

I quickly got off the bike, "No, it's nothing like that. After all, it's not always that I get lost in some deserted alley and seniors come to my rescue, right?" I sent Ivy a stern look, as if to remind her that I was still enraged with her. She sent me a remorseful glance.

"Well, hazel eyes, I've never seen you around here before. Freshman? " He asked, his hands shoved into his denim pockets.

I smiled, nodding. Ivy had beaten me to it before I could add something else, "Senior Aylwin and Senior Chase, it was a pleasure to meet you. Thank you so much for saving us. We owe our lives to both of you!" Her joy and extra gratitude were palpable in her tone. I rolled my eyes at her with a scoff. Well, Senior Aylwin was Senior Aylwin. No words, no emotions, no movements; silent and laconic! He just nodded in acknowledgement.

"Girls, the pleasure is all ours. I'll see you around, girls. Let's get going, bro! " Senior Chase gave us a wink and the two of them raced away.

My gaze tracked him until he vanished completely. I sighed and turned to face Ivy, who was already drooling about his long-time gone crush.

"Stop being such a love sick puppy and come inside!" I nudged her side. I turned on my heels and walked towards my dorm, trailed by her.

The campus was almost vacant. Except for the guards, not a single soul was there. They questioned our late arrival, so we summarized our predicament. We were eventually able to get to our dorms after receiving their acceptance. I thanked my lucky stars that no one saw us with the seniors; otherwise, I'd again be the subject of discussion for the next few days. The reality would be crystal clear, but these people would sugar-coat it with their own so-called dumb imaginations. Stupid rumor-mongers!

"What a lovely night it was! He looked so sexy tonight! " I cut her off to save myself from listening to any of those so-called sensual gagging thoughts. "Ivy, I had a blast tonight, and all thanks to you! " I remarked sarcastically, glaring at her. Even my eyes hurt from all the glaring. Huh!

"But please pardon me from listening to those gagging sensual thoughts of your crush; I've got better things to do," she scoffed, before lifting her hands under her chin and slipping into her dreamy world.

"What should I do with you, Ivy!" I grumbled under my breath, before preparing myself for bed.

The next morning, though, was just like every other day, or so I thought!

Waking up, I firstly checked my notifications, which included messages from my parents, Ethel, and a few friends, but my eyes were on the lookout for a message from someone specific. Much to my delight, it was! I opened it, reading:

"What if I want to risk my life? "

With a smile, I gently tapped my cell against my forehead. I was quick to reply:

"You're messing around with your life in every way possible! Stop surviving for the sake of others and start living for yourself. "

Ethel would undoubtedly say if he had seen this, "Look who's offering life advice to others, who herself is caged within walls of insecurities." A sad smile crept on my lips. I organized myself for the day by shaking off such bothersome thoughts.

"Dang girls, you hit the jackpot! " Damy chuckled, munching on his sandwich.

"Did they say anything? " This time it was Felix. I get it with Damy, but Felix!? Wasn't he supposed to be straight or something?

"What did you talk about? " Then there's Saphy, who was engrossed in these asinine discussions.

I sent Ivy a whole-hearted glare, reflecting my never-ending disdain towards her, which she blithely ignored. Our friends, scratch that, the majority of the freshman, heard about our experience with Seniors because of her and that big blunt mouth of hers. And here I was, thanking my lucky stars that no one had seen us last night.

The way she over-exaggerated the whole incident, I was confident that if there weren't too many people in the cafeteria, her neck would be in my hand at any moment. And here Ethel told me that I was a world-class exaggerator. He should certainly meet her; his perceptions will change in an instant!

Ivy began recounting the events of the previous night as soon as we got here. I didn't intervene because I didn't think it was a big deal, but my mind was immediately changed as she smothered the real situation with her own sugar and spices.

"You know, what happened last night? Well, how would you all know, since you weren't there! Ha-ha, I'm so dumb!" I always knew.

" Anyways, last night, Soph and I went to a medical store to get her some sort of medicine, but we ended up getting lost. It was so fucking scary. That smelly, filthy, haunted, and secluded lane felt... Well, there are no words to adequately explain the place." Was it that alluring to you? Huh, over-dramatic!

"So, we were stranded there. My phone's battery was dead, and Soph hadn't brought hers. However, this does not imply that we were scared. Ok, I'm not sure about Soph, but I certainly wasn't. I knew how to manage such a situation and comforted her by telling her that everything would be fine soon." Oh really, why didn't I know this!? Who was the one begging Jesus with quivering lips? Because I certainly knew I wasn't that so-called 'one'.

"Then, all of a sudden, a bright beam of light dropped on my face; I shielded Soph and stepped forward, my eyes closed. Two motorcycles came to a halt in front of us. Reaching them, I took two large strides. 'Hey, yes, you two!' I demanded. 'Show us your damn faces and don't dare show off your over-smartness, or I'll knock your damn asses. ' They seemed a little frightened at this stage and removed their helmets right away. And what I saw after that was... " Seriously, I thought you were some kind of karate black belt or white belt. Scared, my ass!

"It was Senior Chase and you know who was with him!? None other than Senior Aylwin! Then Senior Chase said, 'What are you sexy and that beautiful lady doing here?'" Sexy? He said so? When? Ivy's constant babblings seemed to have had a major impact on my hearing. My poor ears!

We sat behind them, and believe me when I say this: Senior Chase kept praising and flirting with me the whole ride. He demanded that I hang on to him as closely as I could, and I had no choice." Oh, so he told you to cling to him the whole way, as your damn life depends on him. Very great! I really had to have a good conversation with Senior Chase.

"Earth beckons, Soph, earth beckons!" Saphy's words jolted me out of my trance. "Huh?" I wondered; my brows arched.

"I asked you, what did you talk about?"

"Ah, we! We spoke about how we shouldn't trust Ivy's words. How to refrain from kicking Ivy's arse! How can I give Ivy some advice about how to talk less? Not to take stupid, so-called shortcuts when you have no goddamn idea about them. Not to get lost at freaking 9 at night when there's no one else in the deserted alley except an ogling owl and rats to keep you company! Not to exaggerate, knowing that if they heard about it, you'd be doomed. Want to know more, or is this sufficient?" I took a long sip of my coke and rolled my eyes at her.

"You're no fun, Soph! I know, I'm sorry! I've already apologized for that; please put that out of your mind! In the very least, don't humiliate me in front of everybody. " Her eyes were sincerely pleading with me.

"The great Senior Aylwin, gave you a lift! Can you imagine it? It's like, Oh. My. God! And don't even bring up Senior Chase! Fuck, he's both naughty and hot!" She blushed as she intertwined her fingertips, batting her eyelashes. Stupid hormonal teen!

"Tch, no one is even asking you about them! You're the one who's rambling endlessly. We got lost, and they rescued us, gave us a lift, and safely dropped us off at our dorms. Tada, end of the story!" I had to keep sipping my coke, to keep myself calm and avoid beheading her,

"Now I feel like I, too, want to get lost; maybe he'll be my knight in shining armor! How romantic!" Felix narrowed his eyes in response to Saphy's dramatic statement.

"How gagging!" I blurted out, followed by Felix's nod.

"Oh, shut up! You enjoyed the whole ride. Can't we even think about him?" She sighed once more. I glanced at Austin, who didn't seem too pleased with the discussion. He had a bored expression on his face and a glimpse of anger in his gaze.

"Sure, darling," I said, "but knowing you've got a guy glaring at you right now, I don't think that's a wise idea." I directed my finger at Felix, who seemed to be green with envy.

"It's not her fault that seniors are so......" My fingers itched to smack Ivy's head so damn badly. Felix and Austin got up and walked out before she could finish.

"What's up with them?" Damy, who had been silent the whole time, abruptly spoke up.

"Their stomachs just got filled with a new dish known as 'Spicy Fried Jealousy with cheesy corns of over-exaggeration.' Look at their reactions; you can all try it sometime; it looks like it's really delicious! " I said, chuckling, followed by them.

"Let them go! You keep going!" Saphy, urgh!

"You know what? If I'd stayed a couple minutes longer, Senior Chase would have asked me out; after all, he didn't complain once when I wrapped my arms around him.... " I cut Ivy off, smacking her head as hard as I could, making her hiss in agony. "Ouch, what was that for?!?" She seethed, shooting me a glare, which I happily returned.

"Look, you guys can continue with your stupid gossips; I've got a kid to tutor. Goodbye!" I said as I rose from my seat, gathered my stuff, and walked away.