I pull away and playfully roll my eyes at him after he laughs again in the middle of a kiss.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he says as he keeps laughing. "This is just the worst make-out music ever."

"What— you made the mix."

"Not for this," Leo replies, "I didn't expect to be making out to Blister in the Sun. It's weird."

"Fine," I switch to the next track, "how's this?"

"Yeah," he nods, "I can kiss you with the stones on."

"Are you sure?" I raise my eyebrows, "because if you laugh again, I'll turn off the music."

"Wow," Leo smirks, "someone really wants to kiss me."

"Shut up," I smile and grip the collar of his shirt in my hands.

"See, so aggressive," he teases, "I've got you hooked, don't I?"

"Leo, you're so arrogant," I shake my head in amusement and try to climb off of him.

"No— come back," he grabs me and sits up to bring our faces closer together. I tilt my head to the side when he starts to trail kisses down my jawline and to my neck. "I know you can't help it..." He whispers against my skin, "it feels good."

He's right.

Whenever I see him, it's like he's been gone forever and I've been desperate to reconnect.

I hope I'm only this way for so long—because I'm going to drive him crazy always needing to be close.

"Leo..." I mutter out softly, "can we just..."

"Can we what?" He replies breathily.

And I don't even know what I want to ask.

"I-"

I stop speaking and we both seem to turn questioningly toward my room door.

"I thought your parents weren't home," Leo furrows his eyebrows at the sound of persistent knocking.

"They're not," I respond with the same confusion.

"Heather?" I hear my name called out.

"Audrey..." I say with a gasp.

"Shit-" Leo jumps up. "Should I hide under the bed or something?" He says in a loud whisper.

"Under the bed? No, Leo, there's more space in the closet."

"Right, yeah," he rushed toward it, and I wait until he shuts that door before I open the other one.

"Audrey— hi, I didn't know you were coming over," I try not to look as flushed as I am.

"Obviously," she sighs and walks in, "your shirt is unbuttoned but nice bra."

"Oh, " I laughed uncomfortably and buttoned it back up.

"I told the desk clerk that it was a surprise. You had to have been dying to see me."

"How was the ski lodge?"

"Interesting, to say the least," she rolls her eyes. "I'm moving back home now, I thought I should let you know."

"Thanks?"

"And I brought you your Christmas gift, here, open it," she hands me the gift bag.

"Audrey you shouldn't have," I say as I sift through the tissue paper.

"It's a white, python leather Fendi bag."

"It's beautiful," I say gratefully.

"Yes, and oddly matches that...thing in your hair."

"The hair clip?" I ask and she nods. "It was a gift."

"Not from mommy and daddy dearest, I'm sure. Camille would never have approved."

"Of course not, and she didn't at first, but then Jace called to make sure I liked it."

Audrey narrowed her eyes at me before reaching up to take it off of me.

She scoffed as she held it, "Jace got you a custom Bulgari hairpin?"

"So?"

"Do you know what he gave Evie?" She asks rhetorically. "...Lipgloss. Red lipgloss."

"That's...sweet."

"Sickeningly," Audrey agrees jokingly. "Anyway, I have to finish unpacking my things. Enjoy the Fendi."

"How could I not?"

She laughs proudly. "And, Heather?"

"Yes?"

"Turn off whatever the hell— that is," she points to the speaker Leo's mix is playing on.

"Goodbye, Audrey," I say as politely as I can before shutting and locking the door again.

Leo doesn't come out immediately, and I assume he's waiting for me to say it's safe.

"Are you still there?" I laugh lightly, and soon enough he appears from out of the closet.

"Mhm," he nods.

"I'm sorry you had to hide. Audrey finding you here...well, that wouldn't be great for either of us."

"Because you don't want certain people to find out," Leo almost glares at me.

"I thought we agreed on that...Is something wrong?"

"Nope," he shakes his head, "your hair pin's really pretty, by the way."

"Is that what this is about?" I ask and he shrugs and looks away from me. "Leo," I sigh out.

"What?"

"Jace was just being nice. This was the first Christmas we spent apart."

"Yeah because he's not your boyfriend anymore," He says frustratedly.

"We're aware of that, so why are you being like this?"

"I don't know, okay?" He shakes his head. "I'm going to go home."

"Why?" I say sadly.

"I'll call you."

The elevator dinged and in came the boys.

"Ah— smell that?" Jace takes a deep breath, "that's the smell of a pussy-free home."

"Don't speak so soon," I smirk, "you're here, after all."

"A comedian, this one is," Jace says facetiously and points at me.

"They think so," I motion toward where Tony and Ethan are laughing.

"I'm just— dropping these two off, they had already started drinking," Ethan explains his reason for being in my house.

"You can stay if you want," I say indifferently and open my decanter of bourbon.

"Really?" He seems surprised.

"Yes...if you jackasses aren't tired of each other yet," I say aloud to all of them.

I have noticed a change.

Jace has always been my best friend along with Ethan. Once I fell out with Ethan, Ethan took on Tony. Tony was no one's best friend— only a teammate. Yet, after he started hanging around Ethan more, Jace decided he wanted him around too. And, after the ski trip...they've decided that we're all one big dysfunctional family.

I'll allow it.

"Is Audrey all moved out now?" Tony asks.

"Obviously," Ethan punches his shoulder. "So, no snooping around to go sniff her panties."

"Fuck off," Tony nudges him. "I was just asking."

"Another hopeless conquest, Anthony?" I tease, "what is it about girls you can't get that appeals to you?"

"and why'd you go higher up the ladder?" Ethan adds.

"What're you assholes talking about?" Tony shakes his head.

"You were working Heather before Jace beat you to it," Ethan says nonchalantly. Jace suddenly decided to tune in to the conversation, even bothering to put his glass down. Pitiful what the very mention of a girl could do to a man. "She would at least smile and talk to you."

"Audrey's more difficult," I chuckle, "especially if you're not up to her standards...and those are extremely high standards. Of course, I meet them but— I prefer her as a comrade of sorts."

"I'm not saying that I am interested in Audrey— but if I were, she liked Ethan, we're practically the same guy," Tony says in defense.

I snicker unintentionally, and Ethan's jaw hits the ground.

"Can't argue with logic, Carey," Jace laughs with me.

"I just mean, I can get any girl that you guys can get. "

"Yes, we can tell by your rap sheet," I say sarcastically.

"Lay off of him," Ethan stands to go get a drink, "he can't help what he is."

"He's you apparently," Jace teases.

"Nah— he's easily pleased. Give him something good to look at and he's all set."

"No sex," I raise an eyebrow at him.

"No head?" Jace asks like it pains him to say.

"Tony's motto," Ethan chuckles.

"A born-again virgin, I see. That's—admirable?" I narrow my eyes at Tony.

"Born-again?" Jace scoffs, "You'd have to have already lost it to be born-again."

He said it jokingly, and we all halfheartedly laughed or gave some gesture of finding humor in his comment— except Tony, of course. Now, that was expected...but what confused me was his lack of a defense. He simply avoided eye contact as if he were embarrassed.

"...Tony?" He looked up once I said his name. "You're a virgin?"

Those words wiped the smiles and sly expressions off the face of everyone in the room, and I bet he could feel the eyes looking at him in surprised astonishment.

"Did we come here just to talk about me?" Tony laughed awkwardly. "Isn't this supposed to be a party?"

"Holy shit, Milligan," Ethan stood dumbfounded with his arms crossed.

"Would you look at that, Jace?" I say smugly, "you could have gone to his place for a 'pussy-free' home."

My school does this thing where they host a Winter Wonderland themed dance toward the end of our break. When I first heard about it, I assumed no one would actually go to one of these things. But, it actually gets a pretty decent turnout because a lot of us start to get bored staying in.

"Zachary!" Charlie runs up behind me and drapes his arm over my shoulders.

"Hey, man," I chuckle.

"I didn't think I'd see you here."

"I guess I didn't have anything better to do," I shrug. "Besides, you came...and a lot of other people."

Like Evan who is standing across the dance floor.

"Not many upperclassmen though. Is this lamer than we think?"

"I don't know...when you get older you find better places to hang out. My friends have cars and empty houses," I try to rationalize, but it's clear that this is just a sad dance. Paper snowflakes, un-spiked punch, and we're all getting picked up by our parents. I shouldn't even be here.

"Do you think McKayla Hallet would dance with me if I asked?" Charlie subtly points toward where she is with her friends.

"Do you know her?"

"Yeah— well, not really. We had geometry together, and I did her homework," he admits. "But you know Karlie, maybe you can get her to convince McKayla to save me a slow dance."

"Karlie?" I scan the crowd for her face.

"She's right next to McKayla."

Oh, yeah. I didn't notice her at first, she's wearing her hair different, and I don't think I've ever seen her in lipstick.

"Look, I'm not sure you have too good of a shot with her, Charlie," I answer honestly. "It's okay, though," I say as I look over at Evan who has a girl on each arm, "you can't have everything."

He catches me staring, and I'm tempted to turn away, but he turns first...right into the girl on his left. I watch as he smirks and whispers into her ear. She...giggles, I guess and puts her hand against his chest.

I only pry my eyes away when he kisses her. I knew it would happen because he knew I was watching.

I'm ready to go now.

Charlie sighs, "I don't want everything...I just want a dance, and when she says 'yes,' I'm going to flip you off and say I told you so."

He didn't even give me a chance to respond before heading toward her...straight into the storm.

McKayla and all of her friends turned to face him as he walked, but Karlie looked past when she saw me. Her eyes shifted from me to Evan who was still very occupied with the one he's probably leaving with. Karlie raised an eyebrow in my direction, and I simply pressed my lips together and shrugged.

She stood around her friends a little bit longer, clearly not listening to what was happening (Charlie's rejection) because she was practically already on her way to me.

"Hey," I said as soon as she approached.

"Did you two break up or something?"

"Or something," I replied.

"He just met them, you know?" Karlie says. "He came alone and was standing by himself for a while."

"Well, he's not alone now, and I don't really want to talk about this. Not because it's you...I don't want to talk about it with anyone. I don't even care."

"Okay...you looked sad, that's all."

"I'm not sad," I say quickly. "I mean, why would I be? He does that all the time, that's why we're not together, that's why we're just friends."

She furrowed her eyebrows and shook her head.

"If you're friends, then why aren't you talking to each other?"

Ouch.

...and this feeling, Karlie, is why I didn't want to talk about this.

"I want to get out of here," I say lowly. "But, can you do me a favor?"

"Sure?"

"Save a slow dance for Charlie."