Two Years Ago

9:03 p.m.

The three girls left for Maeve's girlfriend's apartment along with some of their other friends, deciding to begin the night a bit early. Scarlett was sure that the girls just wanted her to have the apartment to herself and not make her feel like she was about to miss out. She finished her dinner and at this point had about two glasses of wine, already having a light buzz. She turned to the nearest window and watched as the campus got more and more alive. It was intoxicating to watch. The sun would set and yet the city was flooded with bright lights and life.

It was nice to have the apartment to herself- it didn't happen often. She initially thought she would use the night to unwind and watch a movie, but the idea of being cooped up tonight made her feel itchy. The apartment suddenly felt small and she felt trapped. She wanted to be alone but couldn't stand the silence.

She didn't want to think tonight, she had to get away.

Scarlett got up from the couch and pulled her jacket back on. She would just go for a quick walk to get some fresh air. She pulled her brown hair out from the inside of the jacket, letting it fall down her back. Lifting up her wine glass, she quickly gulped down her third glass, grimacing slightly at the taste of her cheap rosé. She released a quick breath, grabbing her keys from the table, and made her way out of the apartment. She quickly sent a text to her roommates to let them know.

just in case you guys come

back, Im going for a quick walk

to get some air

do u have ur mace

no I don't have my mace Im

just going down the street

Be safe!! Let us know if you

wanna come over to the party :)

And if u need us, let us know

As she stepped outside, she pulled her jacket closer to her body, feeling the cold air. Her alcohol buzz wasn't enough to completely block the cold air, unfortunately. She watched as people ran by her, all ecstatic for the night to come. She waved to a few people she knew as she began to walk away from campus. Initially, she was only going to do a few laps around the buildings near her, but it wasn't enough. Inhaling deeply, she revelled at the feeling of the crisp air filling her lungs.

She got to the edge of campus that was relatively empty. It was an area she liked to call The In-Between. It was just on the outskirts of campus but not quite in the city. There was a relatively large clearing of grass and some trees, an area where many students came to hang out. But since it was a Saturday night, most students were doing other things. Usually, there were so many students that she could hardly find anywhere to sit. But now, she had more options than she knew what to do with.

Scarlett made her way to the middle of the clearing and laid down. The grass felt scruffy against her body, tickling her face. The ground was cold and a part of her was worried she might get grass stains or dirt on her clothes while the other part felt peaceful. The sky was dark and spotted with stars. She looked for the one constellation she knew, somehow unable to find it. The stars glimmered down on her, twinkling with beauty. She wasn't sure how long she was laying there, time didn't seem to matter.

She forced herself to not think about her father or the rest of her family, refusing to let her emotions swallow her whole. She had done that for the past few weeks when they found out about her father's car crash. They thought he wouldrecover but he took a turn for the worst that very night, and only her motherhad time to say goodbye. They said it was painless, but it didn't make it any easier. Her mother was her rock through it all, she-

"Hey, are you okay?"

Scarlett forgot other people could be around and she jumped slightly at the low voice that interrupted her thoughts. She pushed herself to sit up and lean on her elbows, staring at the boy who was near her in the clearing. He was gorgeous. He had dark-brown hair that went up slightly and he had absolutely flawless skin. He had sharp facial features and his thick eyebrows were knit together in confusion. But he also had a small smirk on his face, as if amused that he had found a girl laying in a clearing.

"Hello? Do you need help?" he asked again, this time making his way towards her. She snapped out of her trance, trying not to stare at him.

"Hi, I'm fine," she said a bit too quickly, feeling flustered. "Yeah, I'm fine... totally fine."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Is that why you're laying in a clearing at night?"

Scarlett couldn't help but grin- he got her there. "Just clearing my head."

"A bit on the nose, isn't it?" he asked her, giving her a charming smile. "Clearing your head in a clearing?"

Scarlett let out a laugh, shrugging her shoulders. "I suppose so."

A few moments of silence passed. "Can I sit with you?" The question stumped Scarlett. She wanted to be alone, but something about this boy made her intrigued.

She studied him for a second and decided to take a chance. "As long as you're not here to hurt me, because I can totally kick your ass."

"I don't doubt it, but I won't hurt you," he swore with a chuckle, taking a seat next to her.

Scarlett scoffed and tried to keep her eyes on the stars and not the boy next to her. "Do I even need to point out that that's exactly what someone who wanted to hurt me would say?"

"Ha, good point, guess you'll just have to trust me," he said, folding his knees up and lazily resting his arm on them. Scarlett hummed noncommittally, enjoying how his presence made her feel at ease. They sat in comfortable silence for a few moments and Scarlett snuck a few glances at him, noticing muscles beneath his long sleeve shirt. "You looking at the stars?"

No, I'm looking at your arms.

"No," she sighed out, tilting her head, "it's just a ploy to get cute boys to sit next to me. Seems to be working."

Scarlett scolded herself as soon as the words tumbled out of her mouth, That was not much better than what I was thinking, was it?

"Cute, huh?" he repeated with a grin.

"Sorry, I might be a bit tipsy," Scarlett said and she knew if she were completely sober, she'd be absolutely mortified by her bluntness. "Usually, I'm only half this blunt. You caught me after a few glasses of cheap wine."

"No judgment here, I'm certainly not opposed to a girl calling me cute," he said, holding his hands up a bit in surrender.

They fell into silence again. Their elbows occasionally bumped each other due to their close proximity. Scarlett could feel him glancing at her every few moments. She tried her best to keep her eyes on the stars, not wanting to meet his eyes. Even with a bit of alcohol, she had no clue how to be casual. But his presence was calming in a way she didn't expect. Something about sitting with him just felt right.

"Why are you out here alone? Did something happen?" he asked her gently. She noticed that his eyes were scanning her body as if to check for any visible injuries.

"No, no," she assured him, shaking her head slightly, preparing her white lie, "I just sort of wanted a night away from the typical routine, you know?"

"Well, I get that."

Before she could answer, she heard her phone ding.

Are you back in the apartment?

ran into cute boy, stay tuned

Ur with a random stranger?

I know it sounds weird but idk he

seems nice, Im good I swear

I lied. I have my mace

ATTA GIRL!!

tell him he better get you home safe

or ill end him. have fun girl

"Sorry, it was just my friends checking in. I promised you'd get me home safe," she said with a fond smile on her face. She sent a heart before locking her phone. "Don't make me break my promise."

"I won't," he said in a murmur.