I woke up the next morning more tired than usual. The party went on till three in the morning. After one point, pretty much all the men were drunk and playing poker and all the women were chatting their mouths off.

Carter and I kept each other company, for the most part, we sat up in his room for a little bit, even managed to sneak out and take a walk and then he walked me back home.

I groaned, squinting at the sun that peeked through my blinds while pulling a pillow over my head. My phone began ringing so I answered and used it as an excuse to wake myself up. "Hello?" I groaned.

"We're meeting at noon, right?" Hannah's voice came through.

"Yeah, why?" I asked.

"Because that's thirty minutes from now," she said.

I whined and hung up while standing up and pulling my closet doors open, grabbing the first pair of jeans I spotted and a red tank top. I grabbed my air forces and a pair of black socks before grabbing my undergarments and going into the bathroom where I showered, brushed my teeth, washed my face before coming out.

I put my hair in double dutch braids after getting dressed before grabbing my phone, shoving it in my back pocket, and taking my keys in the other pocket before running downstairs.

Two minutes left.

I grabbed a banana and cut it up and put it on some toast which I ate quickly before heading out. I stepped out and locked the door behind me while unlocking my phone to call Hannah for a ride when a car halted in front of my house.

I looked up in confusion when the door opened and Carter stepped out. "Need a ride?" he smirked.

I shook my head and rolled my eyes while smiling before walking down to his car. He opened the passenger door for me before getting in the driver's seat and starting the drive. "Thanks for the ride," I smiled.

"Well, when you didn't show up at the cafe this morning, I figured you must have slept in because you seemed tired by the end of last night. So I thought instead of meeting you there I would just drive you. Save you some time," he shrugged.

"Well, that's very generous of you," I retorted.

He laughed while turning the volume up just a bit, the music humming in the background. Stay by Rihanna was playing on the radio and I found myself humming to it.

He must have noticed because he turned the volume up. I glanced at him and he was laughing while looking at me. He probably knows the words, most people I know do.

"Not really sure how to feel about it, something in the way you move," I mumbled with the song.

"Makes me feel like I can't live without you, it takes me all the way," he sang. "I want you to stay," we laughed. It's a sad song yet here we are laughing to it.

"Not bad, Reed," I teased, punching his arm, "Who would have thought Carter Reed sings to Rihanna?" I chuckled.

"You tell nobody," he glared at me.

"Or what?" I smirked.

"Alexandria," he said slowly.

"Why do you always call me that?" I frowned.

"Isn't that your name?" he questioned.

"It's Alex. I don't like people calling me Alexandria, especially my friends," I mumbled.

"Friends?" he asked.

I bit my tongue, hesitantly looking up at him. "Or strangers doesn't matter," I stammered.

"Oh, come on. We're no strangers anymore," he scoffed.

"Then?" I asked.

"We're friends," he shrugged.

"Okay, friends it is," I nodded.

"Can I ask why you don't like people calling you by your full name?" he questioned.

"Um- actually, my mom always called me Alexandria growing up, and all my life I've only seen her arguing with my dad. I've never seen her- she's never been, my mom. And my uh- ex also only called me Alexandria. So, there are just no good memories with the name. No good people associated with it," I laughed awkwardly.

"So?" he asked.

"So?" I repeated, confused.

"Why does it matter who said it and who they were? You can't let other people take away from the beauty and value of your name. It's not worth it. Who named you?" he inquired.

"My dad," I answered.

"Then why does it matter if your mom called you Alexandria or your ex? Your dad named you Alexandria. He must have some thoughts resonated with the name. He liked that name for you, you should wear it with pride. As long as you like it, of course."

I stared at him, shell-shocked.

"Do you like it?"

I snapped out my thoughts and stuttered. "Uh- what?" I asked.

He chuckled, "Do you like your name?" he asked.

"Not really," I answered, "I mean, I'm just not an Alexandria. I'm Alex, you know? Alexandria sounds too..." I struggled to find the right word. "Perfect! It sounds like a name for a princess. And I'm not a princess, not even close," I laughed. I liked Alex because it suited me better.

"Sure you are. I mean, every girl should be treated like a princess, hence she is a princess. It's math," he shrugged while parking the car.

"It's not math," I shook my head.

"Yes, it is. Alex or Alexandria, both can be a princess," he shrugged before hopping out and running over to my side to open the door. "Princess," he smirked while holding his hand out. I stared at him and laughed before letting him help me out. "Right, who are we meeting here again?" he asked, walking into the place with me.

"My friend Hannah and the guy she's talking to, Jake."

"So, her boyfriend?" he asked.

"No, not her boyfriend. It's complicated, just let it be," I sighed while we walked in and waited around for the two of them. The doors opened and they walked in moments later.

Jake and Carter nodded at each other while Hannah just stood there. "The guy you said you were bringing is Carter Reed?" she sputtered.

Right, I didn't tell her that.

"Is that a problem?" he asked.

"No, it's no problem," she said quickly. We all exchanged our shoes for bowling shoes and picked an aisle before heading over.

"So, are any of us any good at bowling or..." Jake trailed off.

"Yeah," Carter and I said in sync.

"No way," he scoffed.

"Excuse you?" I asked, "What is that supposed to mean?" I questioned.

"You are not good at bowling," he chuckled.

"What makes you say that?" I narrowed my eyes at him while folding my arms across my chest.

"You look like you can barely lift the ball," he said while shooting me a knowing look.

I mean, he's not very wrong, I take a fairly light ball. I have no upper body strength. "So? It doesn't matter how heavy the ball is, what matters is how many pins you knock down, and Hannah can vouch for me, I am great at bowling," I scoffed.

"It's true," Hannah nodded in agreement.

"All right then, I'll challenge you. Whoever has most points at the end wins," he shrugged.

"What does the winner get?" I questioned.

"Whatever they want," he stated.

"Fine, game on," I smirked.

◆:*:◇:*:◆:*:◇:*:◆

I was last and this was my last shot. If I get this strike, then I win, if I don't, then Carter does. I was so confident in myself. That was up until I was standing there with Carter right behind me.

"Is this allowed? I'm pretty sure it's considered sabotaging," I mumbled, still staring ahead because I couldn't bring myself to look at him. We were stood too close.

"I don't think it's considered sabotaging," he whispered in my ear, "The referees would have said something," he mumbled.

"The referees?" I scoffed, "The ones who've been making out this entire time? Yeah, right."

He was also taking advantage of the fact that I bowl from the same spot and don't take a step up.

"What's wrong, Alex?" he chuckled while his hands rested on my waist. "Take your turn," he whispered seductively.

I took my turn, ignoring the tingles and fire set on my skin. I knocked all the pins down and one was dancing, waiting for something to knock it off with the weight of a feather. But it didn't.

I groaned, "God damn it!"

"Wouldn't have happened if you picked a heavier ball," he snickered.

"You cheated," I stated.

"I won fair and square," he argued.

"What you just did was not fair and square and you know it," I rolled my eyes, "But I'm not a sore loser. So, what do you want?" I asked, folding my arms across my chest.

He took a minute to think while looking around before his eyes met mine and he smirked.

"I want a date."

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