"How does this look on me?"

"What about this?"

"I guess, that one was much better."

"Ivy, c'mon, it's not your two-year anniversary; it's your sister's!" I rolled my eyes at her and donned in the same navy-blue outfit that Ethel had picked out for me. I matched it with a pair of black boots and washed-out blue jeans.

"So what, Soph? Maybe I'll meet someone hot there. Who knows?" She replied as she nonchalantly rummaged through her closet.

"Hold on, woman! Hold on! What do you mean, 'Maybe I'll meet someone hot there.'" I mimicked her words while brushing my unkempt locks.

"Just so you know, young lady, you were the one who bonded us together as brother and sister. What if he took your comments literally and treated me like his so-called sister? Ugh! I hate my life at times. I hate you, Sophronia Jasper." She shot me a stern glare, prompting me to scurry into the bathroom to change.

So, basically, we were prepping for Mysie and Senior Ryder's two-year anniversary celebration. Obviously, it was their day, and they could have spent it alone, but the lads were hesitant to party. It was in some sort of club nearby the Uni.

"I'm done! Let's go!" Ivy walked into view, wearing a short red skirt and a white crop top. She had her hair dyed once more, this time in a bronze hue, and it was pulled back into a neat ponytail.

"Seems like you have a full plan on making Senior Chase suffer."

The party was in full swing, with dancing, making out, laughing, and what not! Because it being the weekend, all of that was to be anticipated. Senior Aylwin deserved credit for arranging for us to seat in one of the VIP lounges. We were surrounded by folks who didn't seem to be in the right state of mind, dancing to rock music. I wondered whether being drunk and acting yucky-yucky was something they did on a regular basis.

"Would anyone like anything?" Saphy rose to her feet and faced us all.

I sprang to my feet and feverishly nodded my head. The area was suffocating, and the mood was awful.

"One coke, please!"

"Thank you!"

"Let's go, before they come." Her tone was annoyed, with a hint of contempt in it.

"They?"

"Who else are coming?" In unison, Felix and Damy inquired. I wasn't the only one who didn't see what was going on.

"Aria and girls. Not to forget, Azura, too." As we sat down, Mysie explained. That was my first encounter with her at the party. Her hair was pulled back into a neat ponytail and she was adorned in a knee-length white strapless dress.

"Why would you do such a thing, anyway? Wasn't the last time's drama enough for you?" Senior Chase spoke out.

"I didn't, at least not Aria. The guys were the ones to blame." She gestured to the S. Racers, who were absorbed on the dance floor and encircled by chicks. "As for Azura.... Well, she's a friend of mine, and not inviting her would be... incredibly rude?" She seemed as if she couldn't come up with anything to say. Regardless, we all nodded.

I sipped my coke, which was strange in a nice way. My throat burned at first, but I loved sipping it after that. It felt fantastic to sip it, like if I'd never tasted real coke before. I double-checked the can's label to be sure it was my coke and not something else. It was satisfactory to me. I gave a little grimace before sagging with relief.

Great, now I'm having mood swings because of a drink!

Aria and the rest of the gang were seated next to us, with Azura on my opposite side. After my last encounter with Aria, I figured it was best to keep the heck away from her if I didn't want to be the center of attention for the rest of the year. I felt euphoric, and ecstatic within, a fuzziness looming over me all of a sudden. I giggled, despite the fact that I had no idea why. Something within of me then clicked.

If Senior Chase is here, then he should be too.

My eyes searched for someone specific, but all I got was disappointment. My eyes were diverted to a familiar figure leaning against the bar, a drink in his hand. I moved towards him, stumbling a little.

What the heck is wrong with me?

"Didn't know you drink?"

He looked me in the eyes as he placed the glass down. "Are you alright?" he said, frowning as he beheld my state.

"Yupppp! All goodie goodie! No-no, giddy-giddy!" His warm brown orbs glimmered with worry.

"You leave about me. Why are you drinking, tell me?" I poked his chest, accentuating my words, which caused me to fumble a little and giggle even more.

He gave a shrug, "Occasionally. Stress reliever, I guess." For a brief time, I scrunched up my nose, pondering intently, before grinning like a clown.

"You sure, you aren't drunk?" He chuckled as he emptied the entire glass. I let out a full-throated chuckle, which simply elicited amusement from him. Something flickered in his eyes, then vanished as swiftly as they swirled. He gave assistance and escorted me to my seat securely.

"Thank youuuu, Austin. You know, you are so fucking cute!" Without realizing it, I blurted out. His eyes widened in astonishment, perhaps as a result of my bluntness or profanity.

Who knows, maybe both! Why the hell did I curse?

I let go of his hand and went in quest of my coke. "Ah, there it is! The love of my fucking life." Feeling lightheaded, I practically guzzled the whole drink. With each passing minute, the jitteriness and fuzziness grew stronger. I plopped down a bit too loudly, causing a shrill squeaking noise that drew attention. I was aware of the presence of eyes on me, but I was too ignorant to notice. Rather, I felt compelled to dance. I stood up, wobbling a little, and giggled. My knees felt like jello, and I felt like a slime all over.

Ivy rushed up to my aid, "Is everything okay? Did you have a drink or something?"

"Nopppee!" I guffawed in response.

"Fucking hell, she's definitely wasted."

Fucking hell! I like that word!

"Fucking hell, I'm sure as fuck drunk!" I imitated his words, howling with laughter, unsure which was more hilarious: their contorted horrified looks or the way I yelled, 'Fucking hell.'

"Make her sit. What did you drink?" I was treated as though I were a kid. I was forced to sit, and I began to wonder what I had drunk.

"What did I drink? What did I drink. Drink, drink, drink! What did I fucking drink? What the fucking fuck did I drink?" I sung it as if it were a song, losing all of my senses in the process. My own ridiculous song made me laugh out loud. They gave me a stern look before Austin handed them a red can.

"She drank this... Coke! "

"Yes, yes, yes! That's exactly what I drank." Before they shared a knowing gaze, Saphy took it and sniffed a little. "Someone spiked her drink. It's alcohol."

I stood from my seat, brimming with rage, "What the fuck? How fucking dare someone mess with my drink?" Despite being drowsy, I managed to express my fury, which quickly turned into giggles.

Am I sure Mme. Mother Nature hasn't given me a surprise visit?

"Soph, simmer down!" They attempted, but failed, to calm me down. Ivy was startled by my quick move as I dragged her down with me.

"How did your plan turn out? I mean, of course it would've, but I'd want to hear it from your fucking blunt mouth." Her gestures were frantic pleading, but I couldn't comprehend what she was pleading for. A sober Soph might have guessed, but the one in front of her was anything but sober. My mind and senses had been utterly wrecked by that bloody drink. I was swearing, laughing, and jabbering gibberish.

"What was her plan?" His intrigue was palpable in his voice.

"Ah, look Ivy!" I said, chuckling again. "Senior Amber Eyes, you, you, and YOU, you're her fucking plan, for god sake." My forthright confession caught him off guard. He was wearing a befuddled expression.

"My life is just fucking awesome! One friend doesn't express any emotion at all, while another shows all of them at the same moment." I continued staring at him, "Well, I'm sorry for last day's incident. You know, with you being Ivy's brother and all that fucking nonsense shit. Fuck, Ivy can't be your sister! How can she be if all she can think about is you, you, and YOU! Senior Chase is fucking this... Senior Chase is fucking that... and blah blah blah crap...." Before I could say anything further, a hand clamped my mouth tight. I followed it, only to be confronted with Ivy's icy glare.

"Thank. You. So. Fucking. Much!" I didn't detect a scintilla of gratitude in the way she uttered those words. I rolled my eyes at her ungratefulness, despite the fact that I was attempting to help her.

"You're late, Aylwin." I was scared I wouldn't suffer whiplash because my neck spun so swiftly. He was dressed to the nines in a white t-shirt, a black blazer, and smartly fitting matching chinos. His hair was somewhat tousled, which added to his fucking ravishing appearance. All the gals were practically drooling at him; except for me, who was already planning my ways with him. My mind was viciously muddled by all the sinful thoughts. I came to a conclusion at that precise moment—'I so fucking hate alcohol.'

"He's been here for an hour or so." He casually walked to the bar and grabbed a glass.

"Was he? How could I not find him?" I blurted out, gaining amused attention from my mates. He stood to the side, offering a brief nod to the person who had greeted him.

"Senior Poker Face!" I called out as he was about to seat down. I staggered a little as I approached him, closing the distance between us to a sliver. His scrutinizing stare swept across my face until it lingered on my eyes, piercing through my soul and kindling a raging flame of a strange pleasure within me.

"Are you drunk, Fresher?" My eyesight was blurrier than usual, and the booze in my system was wreaking havoc on me. Everything around me was spinning as if I were on a merry-go-round rather than standing on the ground. I staggered a bit, clutching his blazer tightly in order to stay upright, as I felt his hand curled against my waist, assisting me in standing straight. His damned touch sent thrills up my spine, making my goddamn breath hitch in my throat. At the moment, all I could think about was his warmth and spicy, tantalizing cologne, which was making me anxious all over again.

"Someone spiked her drink." Giggling, I nodded. "Yeah, some fuckass spiked my drink." I stifled a yawn as I groggily rubbed my eyes to clear my vision.

"How much did you drink?" Although our intimate proximity didn't help my already dire condition, a significant part of me was rather relishing it. He was the one who was to blame for my dilemma. Without a doubt, he had drastically altered my psyche!

"I'd just had one can of coke. I swear to God, pinky swear!" He gulped down his glass content with a shake of his head. He set the glass on the table, which was empty.

"C'mon, sit." He grasped my hand in his, but I jerked away and shook my head in denial.

"No sitting! Why don't you smile? I mean, all I've seen of you since the first time... I met you is this... this damn poker face, which makes me... want to covet the sins, one of which is... YOU, FUCKING YOU." He cocked his perfectly arched brow slightly.

"You know there are gesture called smile, chuckle, laugh. Sometimes show it!" I poked his muscular chest several times, attempting to intimidate him.

"Always poker face! Like this." I imitated his poker face expression. "What did you say that day? Um... what was that? What the fuck was that? Ah-yeah... I recalled." To keep my eyesight intact, I wiped my eyes yet again.

"I have my reasons and situations." I prodded his chest and spoke through gritted teeth, "You have plenty of reasons to put your goddamn life on the line, but you don't have a single cause to fucking smile. Tell me, tell me, tell me!" Instead of responding, he did something wholly unforeseen that I could never have envisaged in my wildest dreams. A shrill squeal escaped my mouth as he lifted me in a bridal state. I heard gasps all around me, but I was too dazed to heed them. My hands were clasped around his nape, holding me steady.

Then it occurred to me. "I'm too young to marry," I said, lifting my head to meet his orbs, which were already locked on me. "Put me down, Senior Poker Face."

"We're not getting married."

"We're not?" I inquired, my eyes lingering on his lips as I cocked my head. Those full, luscious pink lips were inviting.

Wrong move, I know!

"We're not."

"All right, then!" I sank into his arms, my cheek nestled against his chest. As I closed my eyes and sagged in contentment, I could hear his rhythmic heartbeat. My thoughts were already jumbled, and his cologne didn't help matters. Controlling my self in his embrace, with his scent all around me and alcohol in my system, was the most arduous thing I had to do. Furthermore, my rising inappropriate ideas added to my already frustrating situation.

"I'm taking her over to our place."

"Sure thing, bro! If you want, I won't even come today."

"Hold your horses, bro, and take the keys. Shit, where are my keys? I kept them."

"I already have."

"Fuck! They're perfect for each other."

Should I go ahead and do it? Should I do? What if he doesn't like it? What if he shoves me? Should I do it? Should I, or shouldn't I? Let's do it, Soph! Just go for it. We'll see what happens afterwards. It is entirely his fault. He is so doing things to me. Yes, I'll do it!

"Hold on!" Senior Poker Face came to a halt as I locked my gaze on his eyes. I knew I'd come to regret all I'd done the next day. But, at the time, everything seemed perfect, so I pushed such thoughts aside. I made a life-altering choice right then and there: 'I, Sophronia Jasper, would never touch alcohol again'.

"You're such an alluring sin that I'd love to commit every fucking time," I whispered, moving my face closer to his and leaning into his ear. My fingertips stroked his nape as I seductively nibbled down on his earlobe.

I drew back, my gaze falling on his darkening stormy oceanic orbs. That was it! I slammed my lips on his, startling him. Heck, even I was taken aback by my bravery! My fingers caressed his nape as his grip tightened on me. My mind wasn't processing anything else, other than devouring his luscious and savory lips. What the fuck did he drink, I wondered? It was delicious, mmm! I bit down his lower lip, but couldn't continue as Mr. Slumber whisked me away with him. Just like that, I faded away in his warm, and soothing embrace.

I hate you, Mr. Slumber! Darn you, couple!