"Do you get lonely, sure I get lonely sometimes."

-All My Friends, Snakehips

________________________________

I wake up in the morning slowly, gaining consciousness the same way you peel off a plaster. Slowly but painfully, until you rip it off and sit right up.

Jasper and Alec are lying on the floor with a few pillows and a fair distance between them. They're sound asleep. Last night they'd agreed to stay in my room in case I broke down in the night. I didn't object out loud, but I was more than certain that I wasn't going to break down. Sure, it's a scary thing- burying someone's body- but I've dealt with worse.

Before anything else, I notice a cool breeze flying into the room from the open window, so I shift my position on the bed and pull it shut as quietly as I can.

I then turn to eye the shininess of Jasper's blonde hair, and then the soft messiness of Alec's deep brown locks. My eyes trail to Alec's long eyelashes, and then to Jasper's puckered lips.

"Staring is creepy," Jasper whispers, eyes still closed and body unmoving.

I chuckle quietly and shift my legs so I'm sitting on the edge of my bed. "You sleep okay?"

"As good as the floor gets," Jasper says with a sigh, finally opening his eyes and exposing his bright blue irises.

"I told you that you didn't have to stay with me," I remind, wary we'll wake Alec, who is breathing softly.

Jasper sits up and crosses his legs. "I did have to stay. What happened yesterday isn't something that happens every day."

"You two exhaust me."

We both jump at the abrupt sound of Alex's voice. He sits up slowly, and faces us with an unimpressed look on his face. "What has a guy got to do to get some sleep around here?"

"How about not bury the dead body of the groundskeeper?" Jasper says mockingly, raising an eyebrow.

Alec waves him off and stands, stretching his arms above his head, his shirt lifting up and revealing his toned back. He then proceeds to pick up his jacket, and is about to leave, when he turns around and leans in to my cheek, pressing his lips to my skin. I freeze as his lips linger for a moment as he whispers, "Be careful, Liv." Then he leans back and slips out the door.

I watch the door in bewilderment for a moment, before turning to Jasper. "That was to get at you, you know that, right?"

He nods, standing up and frowning at the door. "Game on, Alec."

***

"Whitman is a powerful writer, and he uses language techniques to create an impact on the reader. To send a message that will stay with them, that's what writing does," Ms Harper explains to the class, sitting on the edge of her desk.

The second hand lands on the twelve, flicking the minute hand to tell us it's the end of the lesson. Everyone gets up as Ms Harper calls over the sudden eruption of noise, "Don't forget your homework for next lesson!" She looks around almost frantically. "Class dismissed!" she adds as if the class hadn't already dismissed itself.

I stand, pushing my chair in and avoiding Alec's gaze. I've barely spoken to him all class, because if I do something as simple as make eye contact, I'll be reminded of what happened yesterday. Maybe it has taken more of a toll on me than what I'd thought.

"Olivia, Alec, may I have a minute?" Ms Harper says once the classroom is close to empty.

Alec shoots me a look, and then turns to Ms Harper, nodding.

She smiles nervously, but it doesn't do anything to loosen our caution. "I have some documents that need sorting into separate piles, and I don't have time tonight to do it. I need some students who I can trust to do the job for me. Would you both mind?"

"Sorry, but spending my evening sorting out paper? No thanks," Alec says dismissively, eager to leave.

"It's not really an option, Mr West," she mumbles weakly.

He eyes her, his initial confusion turning to realisation as he grunts, "Rosa wants us to do it because we didn't serve detention yesterday."

She presses her lips together, and sighs. "I'm sorry."

I internally groan, absolutely sick of detention. "What time?" I ask, shooting Alec a pained look.

"Seven o'clock this evening?" she suggests, to which we begrudgingly nod. "Great! I'll see you then."

***

"I still can't believe we have to do this," Alec mumbles as we sit in Ms Harper's classroom stacking paper at half seven. Ms Harper left about ten minutes ago for dinner with the other staff members, so we're alone. The evening sky is dark outside, stars only beginning to twinkle beside the low-hanging moon. "And I don't see Jasper helping us."

I chuckle lightly, finding his frustration quite amusing. "I bet Rosa will give him something else to do."

"Not that I'm complaining that he's not here," Alec says, the frustration in his deep brown eyes coming off really quite beautiful. He leans his head forward and trails his fingers through his natural quiff.

I nudge him with my elbow, replying, "Admit it, he's growing on you."

Alec stares at me, completely bewildered. "You're kidding. I've spent the last few days watching him try to seduce you. It's been hell. Literal. Hell."

I roll my eyes with a chuckle, and look back down at the stacks of paper. He sighs heavily, and his paper pile consequently falls from the desk in front of us from the sudden gust of air, scattering across the floor. Alec's head melts in his hands while I try to hold back my laughter, and he mumbles, "I hate my life."

I laugh and stand from my seat, before crouching down and picking up the paper. Alec crouches beside me, helping as well. I go to reach in for a paper with scribbles for writing on it, but Alec reaches for the same piece, so are hands brush against each other.

I look up, eyeing him, while he watches me with the same intense look in those warm but strong eyes. His eyes flicker to my lips, and before I know it, Alec has leant in and has his soft lips pressed against mine.

I close my eyes after the initial shock, and put my hand to his neck, leaning in closer.

We both stand up, not breaking the kiss that's sending butterflies through my entire body. His hands gently grip my waist, and he eases me back against the wall beside the door. His strong hands slip to my arms and pin them against the wall at my sides, and his lips inch to my neck, his body pressing against mine.

I stand on my tip-toes to plant kisses along his jaw. "Liv," he murmurs to himself, closing his eyes and tilting his head back as I kiss down his neck, my hands slithering round his sides and clawing into his back.

The kiss becomes more passionate, more rough, and he pushes me against the closest desk. I lie back onto it, and he crawls above me. My heart is racing as he inches his way up the desk, the brown in his eyes showing redder hues. He lifts himself fully onto the desk so he's crouching above me and trails a line of kisses from my stomach to my neck and to my mouth again, his hands clamped to the table sides.

I fumble to lift off his shirt and he does the same for me soon afterwards. Then, as if working to a rhythm, I undo his zipper.

Suddenly, a piercing scream sounds from the corridor outside. Our lips break apart abruptly, and Alec's attention snaps to the door. He looks back down at me and we share a nervous look, before he carefully climbs off me and helps me off the desk, hands on my waist.

"What was that?" I ask anxiously as we both pull our shirts back on.

"I have no idea." He offers me his hand. "Come on."

I take his hand and intertwine our fingers, before he tows me out the door. We race down the dim light of the corridor, and eventually come to the main entrance, where a girl is sat in a ball, shoulders shaking.

We fall beside her and I shake her shoulders gently underneath her long blonde hair. "Hello?"

Slowly, she looks up, bottom lip quivering and I notice that it's Lydia, Jacob's girlfriend. Her eyes are filled with water, but when she notices me, she frowns through her tears.

I share a look with Alec, who then looks back down at her with a furrowed brow.

"Are you alright?" I ask quietly.

She shakes her head, her face as pale as if she'd seen a ghost. But with the things that go on at this school, I wouldn't be surprised if she had seen a ghost.

"Jacob...he's...he's dead."