I knock lightly before taking a step back...

I haven't even been home yet. I stayed after school for a bit...but when my driver came and I got in the back of the car, I said Leo's address instead of mine.

I want to see him, so why shouldn't I?

The door swings open, and I watch as his eyes scan over me. "Butterfly?" Leo smirks as he leans up against the doorframe.

"I didn't call," I say apologetically.

"No need," he reaches his hand out for me to take, "come in."

I don't let go of his hand as he leads me through his house and into his room. I'm sure we both know that I could have, it's not like I don't know where I am going at this point. I just like that he feels the need to take me there...and hold my hand.

"Oh, hi, Zach," I say with a smile when I see him at the edge of Leo's bed.

"Heather?" He answers in surprise.

"I'll come by later, Zach, okay?" Leo nods toward the door, signaling for Zach to leave.

"Wait— you promised I could have-"

"Yeah- yeah, hold on," Leo waved him off before stepping out of his room, leaving me alone with Zach.

"Hey..." he says, "thanks for coming to my party and buying me all that stuff. That was really cool of you."

"You don't have to thank me," I laugh lightly, "I wanted to."

"When is your birthday? I'll try to get you something."

I smile in response, "my birthday is in February, and you don't have to get me anything."

"But, I will...It won't be much...allowance and all, but...do you like movies? I'm good with that."

"I love movies," I nod. "What do you have in mind?"

"I have an older sister so I've seen every chick-flick there is," Zach shrugs.

"Chick-flicks, huh?" I say in amusement.

"Especially the ones with Patrick Swayze," he nods.

"Unsurprising," I shake my head. I can name a dozen girls who swoon at the thought of Dirty Dancing.

"Not a fan of uh- Johnny Castle?"

"I understand the appeal, I guess...but no," I say honestly, "Is that bad? Am I less of a girl now?"

"If my sister were here, yes, but since she's not...you're alright," Zach pardoned me, "so you'd prefer Rob Lowe or something?'

"Well, sure, he's undeniably gorgeous," I admit.

"Yeah," he agrees.

"If I had to choose a movie boyfriend, however. I'd have to go with a Heathers version of Christian Slater type of guy."

"Oh, no," Zach laughs, "you're too high society. It would be like if...the red bow Heather dated J.D. instead."

"And is that so hard to imagine?" I challenge, "Though...he was too much of a chaotic evil for me...how about Christian slater from Pump Up the Volume, instead?"

"Mark Hunter was a chaotic good?" He furrows his eyebrows.

"You've seen the movie?" I say happily, "your sister has good taste."

He shakes his head, "that one is all me."

I smirk, visibly impressed, "In that case, yes, Mark Hunter was a chaotic good...with thoughts and ideas...real compassion...I wouldn't mind being Nora."

"Sending anonymous letters to the guy you like?" Zach teases.

"He certainly seemed to enjoy it," I say slyly.

"Yeah, because they were dirty," Zach chuckled. "But— you know...Leo isn't exactly like Mark. He can talk to people...and he would've made a move on Nora somewhere in between the shirtless slow dancing."

"When did we start talking about Leo?" I smirk.

"I'm just saying..." He shrugs and looks down.

"Well, I'm not exactly like Nora, either. In case you thought otherwise. If Mark didn't make a move in the first place...the shirt would've stayed on."

"Ehem," Zach and I turn to see Leo standing in the doorway, "Am I interrupting something here?" he says in amusement.

"What took you so long?" Zach jumped up and walked over to him.

"I forgot where I put it, shut up," Leo handed him a bottle wrapped in a brown paper bag. "Don't drink it all at once," he advised.

"It's not just for me," Zach responded.

"I'm sorry if he talked you to death," Leo looked over to me.

"He didn't, we have the same taste in films," I smiled and he shook his head in disappointment.

"Why am I not surprised?" He said to Zach.

"I bet you haven't even heard of any of them," Zach crossed his arms.

"No, because I watch movies with action, and excitement— you know, the hard stuff," Leo says in defense.

"Yeah— I can tell from that dirty movie you like."

My eyes widen in shock at Leo, but he doesn't notice because he's giving that same look to Zach.

"I'm going to kill you," Leo nods.

"Oh, should I not have said that?" Zach smiles, "did you not want her to know that you like rough-"

Leo charges at Zach who then runs...faster than I would've thought he could. I place my hand over my mouth to stifle my laughter, and soon enough, I hear the door slamming shut...

And Leo hesitantly comes back into the room.

"So," he scratches the back of his neck, "the project is due this week. Is that why you're here?"

I laugh at the fact that he is obviously uncomfortable now.

"Sort of," I smirk.

"...sort of?" He gives me a sly, yet confused smile.

"Well, now I think I'd like to see that action film Zach mentioned."

"Stop," Leo says with light laughter as he lays down on his bed

"Aw, are you embarrassed?" I tease.

"...No," he covers his face with a pillow.

I laugh at him some more and he moves the pillow to glance at me with a small smile.

"This is why we don't talk about physics enough when I tutor you."

"That's okay," Leo sighs, "I study harder later on so we don't have to stop talking about other stuff."

"Why would you do that?" I tilt my head curiously.

"So I can do well enough for you to think you're helping, but not too well where you think I don't need you anymore."

"So..." I smile and hold my arms out, "what do you think?"

"It's nice," Tony nods as he looks around, "it could use some color...red, maybe?"

"All in due time, my friend," I sigh happily, "we'll be the new Studio 54 before you know it."

"You better be right, Carey."

"Do you see who you're talking to?" I say arrogantly.

"There is still business to go over, papers to sign, and-" the realtor starts to speak but I motion for her to be quiet.

"Mhm, the boring stuff is for my lawyer, okay, Kate?"

Her jaw clenches, but she doesn't protest. "Yes, Mr. Carey."

"Did you hear that?" I smirk at Tony, "She called me mister Carey."

"You're all grown up now," he laughs.

"Kate, sweetheart, go ahead and set a meeting with the lawyers, and fax the contracts to the investors. I'm going to have a look around," I wink at her before heading through the door that leads to an open area I plan to build the casino in. I'll probably split the room in two...with dancers on both sides...just one will be darker than the other...and more naked.

"Are you the new owner?" A girl holding a bag at her side comes up to me.

"May I help you?" I slide my hands into the pockets of my trousers.

"I'm Liz, I used to bartend here," she explains, "I just came back to get some things. I left the keys on one of the tables...but I guess you'll be changing the locks soon."

"I'll be changing everything," I say slyly, "Though, I'm sorry about your job. I've already hired one of the best in the city."

"Thanks," she presses her lips into a thin line, "It's been tough, but I'll figure something out."

She holds onto the straps of her shoulder bag with both hands and nods goodbye.

"Well, Elizabeth, maybe you can still work here," I suggest, "you can work for me."

"I thought you said you already had a bartender," Liz furrows her eyebrows.

"I do...but a girl like you...I'm sure you have other skills," I smirk at her.

"Excuse me?" Her eyes narrow, signaling she was taking offense before I could even finish speaking.

"Can you dance?" I ask.

No," she crossed her arms.

"It doesn't matter really," I admit, "as long as you don't mind moving around a stage with everyone's eyes lingering onto everything the light touches."

"I'm not a stripper," she scowls.

"Oh, don't be so fond of your clothes," I chuckle, "I have been known to be very convincing when it comes to getting...enchanting ladies like you to take them off."

"Go screw yourself," Liz scoffed and pushed past me, though I stayed unfazed. "I'd rather scrub toilets than work for a rich pig such as yourself."

"I can guarantee you a thousand dollars every week."

She stopped in her tracks.

"There's no way you'll get this place off the ground fast enough to be able to pay that," she said doubtfully.

"You doubt me..." I place my hand over my heart, "That hurts." She turned to me just so I could see her rolling her eyes. "Say you're right, and it takes me some time to turn a profit...I'll pay you out of the Bank of Carey." She seems to let the thought ponder in her head before her eyes meet mine again. "What do you say?"

"I say...go screw yourself."

"Fucking hell," I sigh as I look into the empty fridge. How does he expect us to live off of stale cheerios, beer, and ketchup?

I walk into the living room where he is sprawled out on the couch.

"What're you doing?" He slurs out as I start opening his wallet.

"I need money to get a few things from the market," I say lowly because I don't feel like talking to him.

"No," he lifts up and tries to snatch it away from me.

"There's no fucking food here, alright?" I take about 30 bucks and toss the wallet at him.

"I'll get it myself," My dad argued as he sat up and grabbed his keys from the coffee table.

"What are you, nuts?" I try to snatch them out of his hands, but he fights me.

"Let go, you son of a bitch!" He shoves and kicks at me before using the arm of the chair to lift himself up.

"You can't drive your car!" I shout, "You're drunk, you asshole!"

He does this all the time, he comes back with dents all over the car and tells the insurance people someone hit it with a cart. One day someone else is going to get hurt...never him, though. He always comes back.

It'll never be over until his liver gives out and he's throwing up blood.

"I'm not drunk!" He denied, the alcohol on his breath consuming the room. "Now, get out of my way before I kill you."

"Go ahead," I swiftly slide the key ring from his fingers, "kill me."

"You useless goddamn peddler," he spat, "with your shitty, no-good friends. You'll never be anything but a waste to my fucking name."

I scoff through laughter, "useless peddler, huh?" I say rhetorically. "At least, I'm not weak like you. I feed off of people like you," I chuckle, "throwing your money away for a fix...because you're just so pathetic..."

"I should put you in a cell, right next to that street rat and all his brothers," my dad threatened.

"Do it," I glare at him, "you need me more than I have ever needed you. You'd be dead by now if it weren't for me."

He looked up at me, but his eyes could hardly settle...too drunk to keep his head up, "Get your good-for-nothing ass out of my house right now."

"You're throwing me out?" I shrug, "fine by me."

He's kicked me out before...he just doesn't remember doing it when he sobers up.

"Your whore mother was just as worthless as you are...I get nothing from you being here, so go."

I throw the keys at the wall beside him, "I hope you fucking crash."

"I'd knock but the door is already open..."

"What the hell?" My eyes open to see Trevor, "can we get some privacy?" I say harshly.

"Like I said...doors open," He shrugs and walks in, "pants up, Jace, let's get drinks."

"I'm kind of busy—" I sigh, "can you stop for a second, babe," Evie takes her mouth from around me, "just a sec..."

She stands up and huffs in annoyance.

"Evelyn...always nice to see you on your knees," Trevor says slyly, "reminds me of the good ol' days."

"Dude," I glare at him as I re-buckle my belt, "she's my girlfriend."

"So what? You fucked my sister."

"No, I didn't," I say honestly.

"...you didn't?" He raises an eyebrow.

"No, she's your sister," I say sternly, "It'd be like fucking you."

"You'd quite enjoy that then," he smirked proudly.

I shake my head at the thought and walk out of the room so we can talk. "Can't you find someone else to go day drinking with? I'm staying with Evie, a lack of quality time is how my last relationship failed."

"Jace, everyone knows your last relationship failed because you couldn't find the balance between romance and sexual frustration," Trevor says in amusement.

"To each their own," I shrug. "Why don't you go to Ethan and say you're sorry? You can celebrate over drinks."

"I'll take 'he can go to hell' for 200, Alex," Trevor crosses his arms and leans against the wall.

"I hope you realize the only reason you two clash so much is because you're too alike," I challenge.

"Perhaps Alison was right when she said you were delusional," he gave me a look of disbelief.

"What does Alison know?" I scoff.

"Well, for one, she knows Heather broke up with you. Which, apparently isn't mutually exclusive to not loving you anymore...and yet...it is."

"Can we not beat around the bush for once?" I complain.

"Heather has moved on, contrary to popular belief. And, unlike you, she has really moved on."

"Unlike me?" I furrow my eyebrows, "I'm the one with someone else while she's writing-"

"You know what I never understood?" Trevor rubs his chin as if he's thinking, "she wrote about wanting to kiss someone...and touch them...for the first time. But, it would be the hundredth time with you."

"Maybe she didn't mean it to be literal..." I wonder.

"Or...maybe she did," he places a hand on my shoulder.

"I don't care," I shrug him off in irritation.

"That's easy to say now...but we both know you're going to lose it when you see her with this...mystery guy," Trevor laughs at my expense.

"I have Evelyn."

"Oh, please, enough with that," he rolls his eyes, "you won't like her so much when her mouth isn't around your dick and she wants to," he gasps dramatically, "talk," he says in pretend horror.

"I've done this before, remember?" I argue, "the honeymoon stage will end eventually, and I'll still want her."

"Sure," he says skeptically, "Evelyn is not the 'meet your mother' kind of girl, is she?" Trevor asks but doesn't give me a chance to respond, "No," he says for me, "and Leona will never let you put your grandmother's ring on her finger."

"Who said I planned on marrying her?"

"You were going to marry Heather," His lips pull into a smirk, and I look down in defeat. "See, wouldn't this have been easier with a drink?"