Dove Cameron's voice fills my ears, and I lip-sync along with her. 'I could be a better boyfriend than him. I could do the shit that he never did.' I smile to myself, continuing with my essay. I've been in an incredibly good mood since the moment I opened my eyes this morning. Even the playlist I chose for the day is light and filled with more pop than I usually listen to. Just because of the evening I had.

My hand freezes over my keyboard, and I'm again lost in my memories. For the thousandth time today. My return to campus, meeting Baker, then Clay, an opened door and a stunned Colt, watching movies, drinking beer and laughing... and then him fingerfucking me in the kitchen. Heat floods my veins, my belly in twists and knots and I shut my legs together. Dammit! I need to snap out of it, at least until I'm back in my room. The library is definitely not the place for my fantasies. Or my clit twitching, and my panties being wet... dripping wet. Oh God! I'm hopeless!

Abruptly, I push myself from the table and lean my back on my chair. I close my eyes, taking a deep breath and releasing it through my nostrils. Breathe in, breathe out. Over and over. Until my heartbeat becomes even. Phew! Looks like...

"Ava, what the hell are you doing?" I open my eyes with a snap, staring at Layla in total perplexity. "I've been calling you non-stop for about 20 minutes!"

My best friend huffs, plopping herself down on the chair in front of me. She has two cute braids, framing her face while the rest of her hair sprawled over her shoulders. No makeup, no sexy clothes. Oookkkkaaaay, my bestie is in a mood.

I turn off my music, take out my AirPods from my ears and put them back into their case. Slowly I grab my phone from the table, unlock it and see five missed calls and one unread message... from an unknown number. Licking my lips, I swipe away all notifications to avoid temptation, lock my phone and put it on the table again.

"Whats up?" I ask, feign innocence. Layla blinks, her eyebrows pinch together immediately. She's angrier than I expected, and it's intriguing. I haven't seen her since I left home yesterday with my dad, but I certainly don't remember her being so agitated.

"Whats up?!" She repeats after me, whisper-yelling. "Why didn't you pick up your phone?"

"I have a focus mode for the library. I turned it on as soon as I stepped inside." I shrug, tilting my head to the side and roaming my eyes over her face. "Why are you being so bitchy? You look like you're ready to bite someone's head off."

"You're not the only person who is allowed to have a resting bitch face, Mason." Layla fires back, instantly looking up at the ceiling and clenching her jaw. One thing is clear, her angry mood isn't targeted at me. "Sorry, kinda had a super fucked up day."

"Tell me more?" I probe, closing my laptop. I still have about five sentences to write, but it can wait.

"The first thing I saw once I opened the door of my room was Grace and her boy toy. All their lovey-dovey stuff made me want to vomit, like really. They are... dunno... too sweet." My best friend tsks, her fingers tapping on the table. Then she heaves a sigh and lets her shoulders slump. "Drake was his wonderful self this morning. He woke me up around 5am wanting to come back here. I threw a fit, and we left around 7am. He was moody and broody, he kept silent for the whole ride. I honestly was happy when he dropped me near the dorm, but Grace kinda made it worse."

After I found out the truth about Thompson and Grace, I felt weird. I wasn't sure I liked the guy, I was doubtful if he liked me or not, so it wasn't about me feeling betrayed or angry. It was just a hookup, nothing else. Something close to what Drake and I had. Though, an unsettling premonition wormed its way under my skin. Something wasn't right, and the more I thought about it, the more I was sure... we couldn't trust Grace. She was a snake.

Layla's roommate knew about her crush on Thompson. She told me she was sure there was something more between Colton and me after she saw us dancing. And still - she slept with him. If it wasn't the behavior of a backstabber, then I don't know what is.

"I thought you were trying to be civil?" I ask, reaching over my pack with M&Ms. I dump a few candies in my palm, and shove them into my mouth.

"I'm civil. I just keep her at arm's length." Layla muses. "I don't want her to feel suspicious. So far, we're just keeping an eye on her, maybe it was just a one-time thing of her being a snake in the grass."

"Do you really believe that?" I snort, covering my mouth with my palm.

"Bitch." She shakes her head, but I finally see her smile. A real one, honest and happy. "You shouldn't have left without me. With you in the car, things wouldn't have been as oppressive."

"Aren't you the one who told me to stay away from your brother?" I cock my eyebrow at her, making Layla shake from silent laughter.

"I told you to keep your pussy to yourself." God! She's ridiculous. "Besides, I'm very doubtful my brother would have wanted to jump your bones with me in the car."

I roll my eyes and toss another handful of candies into my mouth. Layla's jokes and mockery about me and Drake don't bother me. It actually is more proof she moved on and isn't holding any grudges... as long as I indeed keep my pussy to myself.

"We are friends. I'm steering clear from any lingering thoughts I had." I retort, and my bestie narrows her eyes on me. "Can you really blame me? The things he does-"

"Shut up!" Layla's cheeks become red, lips smacked into an adorable pout. "I don't want to know the details of what my big brother is capable of in bed. Ew, Mason, why did you need to bring that up?"

Smirking, I shake my head and take my laptop from the table. "Just giving you a taste of your own medicine, Benson. Stop roasting me, and I'll stop trying to tell what your brother's tongue-"

"I fucking hate you!" She hisses, standing up from her chair and storming out of the library. Ava - one, Layla - zero. Not that I'm counting anyway.

Laughing to myself, I stand up from the table and put my laptop into my backpack. I will finish my essay later, in my room. Now, I want to cheer up my bestie and also ask her something very important. Keeping secrets from her is easy, but there are things I need to talk to her about... because I want her to know.

Once I'm out of the library, my gaze falls on Layla, standing with her back pressed to the wall. She rolls her eyes, letting her lips curl into a mischievous smile. God, I love this girl. She's my ride or die, and I will be damned if I am going to put my friendship with her at risk ever again.

"Want to grab a coffee?" I ask, extending my palm to her. She takes it and I haul her to my side, draping my hand over her shoulder. Planting a loud smooch on her cheek, I make her giggle.

"Coffee sounds good," she murmurs, wrapping her arm around my waist and putting her head on my shoulder. "I love when you're around. It makes me feel like home. As if I never left it."

"I love you too." I hug her tighter and we stroll down the hallway on our way out of the building. "How was your day other than Drake and Grace?"

On our way to Starbucks, Layla tells me more about her day. Little by little, with my comments to lighten up the atmosphere, she relaxes. A big toothy smile scatters over her lips when she saunters up to the barista to place our orders. Biting my bottom lip, I watch her in silence. Warmth spreads through my veins and I remind myself of a big fluffy toy, suddenly realizing how much I missed spending time with her. Right at this moment, I'm even grateful to Grace for her shady behavior. It's like we still hang out with her and talk about stuff, but it's rare and we don't get into details. Layla and I prefer to be on our own, just like today. Her spending time with Kaleb helps a lot, she doesn't ask to tag along.

"What did you do once you got back yesterday?" Layla takes a sip of her Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccino, while I scrunch my nose. "What?"

"How can you drink that monstrosity?" I quirk an eyebrow at her, taking a sip of my Honey Almondmilk Flat White. All my receptors come to life, as I enjoy the rich taste of coffee on my tongue. Fucking perfect, for real.

"No accounting for taste, Ava." She points out, a mocking smile taunting me. "You've never heard me criticizing your love for M&Ms, have you? So please, don't be a judgemental bitch, and leave me the fuck alone with my monstrosity."

I raise my hands in front of me. "No objections, your honor."

"God, why are you so annoying?" Layla falsely scowls, leaning her back against the chair. "Did Jordan spoil your return home or was she behaving?"

"In all honesty, I didn't see her." I shrug, my heartbeat accelerates. My best friend knits her eyebrows together, eyeing me in confusion. "I left the room once Dad drove away, intending to spend some time alone, in the farthest corner possible away from my lovely roommate. Aaaaand, when I got back, she was already asleep."

"Since when is Jordan an early bird?"

"She's not. I came back around 2am." I sip my coffee, hiding my smile behind my cup and enjoying Layla's shocked state.

"Were you with Grace?"

"No." Averting my gaze, I look around the place, not really seeing anything or anyone. "I was with Clay and... ahem... Colton."

Layla's eyes look as if they are popping out of their sockets. She leans forward on her elbows, peering me in the eyes. "At the dorm?"

"No. At Thompson's apartment." I blurt out, psyching myself for an outburst from her side. "Clay invited me to go there with him."

"Wow... I should have insisted on joining you and your dad..." She mutters, and my insides ready to churn. Does she still hope for something to happen with Colton? "Don't look at me like that with your Bambie eyes! I've moved on and I don't care about that egotistical jerk. I just think hanging out at his place was probably much more fun than playing UNO with my 6 year old nephew."

"Damn, I'm sad I didn't see Cameron." I set my cup on the table. "Does he still have plans to marry me?"

"He does, but this time you have competition." I laugh, tears springing to my eyes. "Her name is Anna, and she's the princess of Arendelle. You can blame it on his sister, she showed him Frozen two weeks ago."

"Nah, he's still too young for me... I prefer older guys." I blabber, and see her eyes rounding. She straightens her back, expecting me to rile her up with my jokes about Drake, but I surprise her with my next question. "What do you think about Clay?"

Layla blinks, then huddles more comfortably on her chair and peers at me. "Clay is handsome, well-built and very funny. I feel good around him, even when he's being a jerk to other people. Plus, he has always been nothing but nice and understanding to me. Why?"

"We kinda decided to be friends." I flash her a small smile, watching her reaction.

"He doesn't know what he's signing up for. You're a nightmare" She chortles loudly, almost spitting her coffee all over the table. "Though, maybe not. Colton Thompson has been his best friend since grade school, and I bet Clay knows how to deal with annoying people."

One mention of him is all it takes for my nipples pebble. Jesus Christ, I want control over my body back. I will exhaust myself with this pent up frustration if it happens this often. Exhausted Ava makes horrible decisions, like going with her ex to the ice-rink when he...

"How was Thompson?" Hearing her question, I suck in breath and grasp my cup in my hands. It's not the time or the place for my memories, especially the ones I'm hoping to forget. Gulping down everything, I force a smile on my lips and instantly drop it. I'm too tired to pretend tonight.

"I think I like him," I mumble quietly, and gape at Layla. Her gaze sweeps over my face, a wrinkle between her eyebrows becoming deeper. Deliberately, I want to hide from her what already happened between Thompson and me. Yet, I want her to know the truth about my attraction to him. It's only fair.

The longer she keeps silent, the stronger my fear of losing my shit. Why is she so calm? Wait... why is she smiling?

"I should have guessed that." My best friend exclaims, giggling. "The dude is exactly your type. A walking disaster, calling for an emergency the second you see him."

"He's an asshole," I muse, crossing my arms over my chest. "But... a kinda gorgeous asshole."

"Do you think he likes you?" Layla, the prosecutor, keeps her eyes trained on my face. I hold her gaze, biting the inner side of my bottom lip.

"Maybe, maybe not. It's hard to tell." There is nothing hard about this question. Thompson likes me, while I'm not sure it's the same for me. I feel attraction for him, and this chemistry between us is definitely off the charts, but... it's not enough for me to make any other assumptions. It's not easy for me to fall in love with just anyone. Mind you with a guy who turned my life into a living hell and didn't even say he was sorry yet. And I let him fuck me with his fingers... Dammit, I'm an idiot.

"How do you feel about him sleeping with Grace?" Layla rips me out of my thoughts with her question, and I focus my attention on her. Why is she so predictable though? I expected this question from her and I definitely have an answer.

"I can't be jealous of all the girls he slept with, because for him it didn't mean anything. As for Grace..." I chew on my inner cheek, weighing my next words. "She's not my friend."

"Should have known you're going to say something like that." Layla downs her drink, and sets the empty cup on the table. "I'm not angry with you, if that's what your scared look on your face says. I'm over him, one hundred percent. He made it really easy to stop the infatuation I had for him. Be careful though, he doesn't date anyone."

"That's my line." I add, and we both burst out laughing, drawing people's attention to us. Like we always do.

Four hours later at 10pm, I'm in my dorm and finally done with my essay. Jordan is watching something on her laptop, ignoring my presence, just like I do to her. I change my clothes and climb in bed, grabbing my phone from my blanket. I unlock the screen and open the only unread message I have. A cheeky smile spreads across my lips as I read it. Quickly saving his phone number, I send him my response, turn off the sound, toss my phone on the bedside table and plop myself on my back. This guy has no idea what's going to hit him... and it makes everything a thousand times more exciting... and arousing. He's fuckable indeed.

❤️