💘~🔐~🔮
You keep it on the inside
'cause that's the
safest place to hide.

-Unknown
🔮~🔐~💘

"I must say, Amelia, I'm very impressed with your level of commitment." states Mr. Jackson, my history teacher and quite possibly the only decent one this school has to offer. "Your mini essay on the French Revolution was impeccable and a joy to read. My only advise would be to stay away from only using a limited number of sources. Try branching out to online articles and even YouTube documentaries for your references. It's not all about using books these days." he smiles, removing the thickly framed glasses from his youthful eyes.

He can't be much older than twenty five and with hair as golden as the sand on Malibu beach, I can put money on the fact he must have women falling at his feet.

"Thanks, I'm pleased you like it. History is my favourite subject so you're lucky. None of my other teachers get this much enthusiasm from me." I laugh, mentally cringing as my mind momentarily wanders to Mrs Donnel and her rather questionable methods of teaching.

Mr Jackson warmly matches my smile and pushes himself away from his desk to scrub away the writing on the whiteboard. I take this as my cue to leave and turn to exit, stopping only when his friendly tone halts me.

"Amelia, I don't want to step on any toes here but having read your transfer file, I just wanted to let you know that should you need it, I'm always here if you want to talk. I love my job and I care about my students. That includes you, too."

His smile, once again, reaches its very limit and I can't help but return one of my own. Aside from Jess, he may well be the nicest person I've met since coming here and I appreciate his efforts at reaching out to me.

"Thanks, Sir. I'll remember that," I reply, nodding my head in agreement as I turn to leave.

I step out into the almost deserted hallway; the emptiness of the corridors hinting towards the ever approaching weekend Friday afternoon has to offer and with no one watching, I smile to myself at the very thought of spending my entire two days off doing absolutely nothing. At the moment, it's difficult toss up between binge watching The Vampire Diaries or Supernatural and with Stephan and Damon slowly winning that battle, images of the sexy brothers filter through my mind, making my current smile only grow.

"Amelia!" shouts Jess, just as she comes barrelling towards me. "It's finally the weekend!" she then states, wrapping her arms around my neck and pulling me in for one almighty hug.

I return her kind gesture and notice Aidan and Drew walking towards us, the smile on both their faces suggesting they are just as thrilled about the weekend as Jess is.

"It is!" I match her enthusiasm, whilst simultaneously pulling away from her tight hold. "What have you got planned?" I ask, making general chit chat as a way of distracting my mind from the ever approaching God-like creature that is Aidan Richards.

"What have we got planned, you mean." corrects Jess, confusing me slightly. "Simon Clarke is having a party tonight. You should come with us." she suggests, before further elaborating and all but inviting me back to her place to get ready.

I momentarily think over my options; slightly disappointed that I would be making a dent in my boxset this evening but figure I'm really in no position to turn down friends at this moment in time. Besides, it really is rather pathetic that the prospect of spending the entire weekend lounging around in my pyjamas, with nothing but the Salvitore brothers to keep me company excites me more than hanging out with real people.

I need to get out more.

"Sure, sounds fun." I reply, having to physically force the words out of my mouth. "I'll have to check with Ja-my dad first." I add, trying not to blush at the hands of my minor slip up.

Lucky, neither Jess nor Drew notice but it would appear Aidan does if his ever questioning eyes and curious head tilt are anything to go by. I chose to ignore his inquisitive expression and instead, settle my attention on Drew, who is wearing a rather tightly fitted football uniform.

"You play football?" I ask, genuinely interested in his choice of hobby. I happen to enjoy the sport. "What position are you?" I further question, noticing the small smile form on his face as a result of my interest.

"Linebacker, nobody is getting past me with that damn ball." he laughs, swinging an arm around Jess' shoulders. "You like football?" he asks, flashing me a perfect set of pearly whites.

"Hmm, a little. My old school was crazy for football. I mostly just watch the quarterback run up and down the field for the entire game. There must be some sort of unspoken rule in football that states all quarterbacks have to be sexy." I joke, causing Jess to burst out laughing almost instantly.

Drew and Aidan soon follow suit and I feel oddly left out on their joke as I'm left as the only one not giggling.

"What?" I question, worried I said something utterly stupid.

This only causes the three to laugh even louder and with Jess practically rolling around on the floor, it's left to Drew to explain.

"Aidan is our schools quarterback." he answers, immediately mortifying me.

Of course he is.

"What? But you're not wearing any football gear?" I defend, as if that'll somehow magically not make him the schools quarterback anymore.

"I don't have practice today." he replies, oddly sounding sad in his revelation. "But thanks for the compliment, I'll be sure to put on one hell of a show for you at our next game." he winks and just like that, the arrogant, self centred man I know is well and truly back.

But he isn't fooling me. His sad tone and distant eyes suggest he is holding back on something and I'm suddenly curious to find out more. He's always been so self-assured around me, so to get a glimpse at his vulnerable side is rather peculiar, yet strangely familiar. It's very odd how the entire football team has practice except Aidan who, lets face it, as the quarterback plays an important part in the games formation and I can only assume his reasoning is personal.

And as he so smartly said to me only two days ago, I have every intention of finding out more.

~~~~

After Jack gives me his blessing to attend tonight's party, with the condition I come home with Anna who was one step ahead and asked for permission an hour previous to me, I find myself eating takeout pizza in Jess' room with Justin Timberlake's 'Rock Your Body' gently playing in my ear.

"Drew thinks Aidan likes you." states Jess, rather randomly around a mouthful of pepperoni pizza. "Apparently he doesn't shut up talking about you." she reveals, quickly checking the temperature on her hair straighteners before gliding the device through her long, dark locks.

"Aidan does not like me!" I scoff, finishing off my second slice. "I interest him, that's all." I reason, moving from my position on her bed to touch up my already done makeup.

"Isn't liking someone and being interested in them the same thing?" she argues, now running a brush through her tangles.

Her eyes meet mine in the reflection of her mirror and for a moment, I contemplate telling her how Aidan and I first met. I quickly decide against it, figuring I really don't have it in me to explain why I was so willing to sleep with a complete stranger the first night I met him, let alone trying to reason why neither of us has mentioned it since.

Some things are just better off left unsaid.

"You two nearly ready? I'm sure that party started five hours ago." claims Jess' Dad, a rather sweet man in his early forties.

His eyes sparkle as he appreciates Jess in all her party form and he even offers me an adorable smile.

"When did you become such a grown up." he asks and does so rhetorically.

"Dad!" protests Jess, throwing a pink pillow at his head. "You say that every time I put on a dress and do my makeup." she giggles, her Dad soon joining in.

I watch their interaction in total awe and silently wonder what it must be like to have such a close relationship with your Dad. I can't say I grew up wishing I had one but it surely can't hurt to have that amount of love and support surrounding you.

"And I'll carry on saying it until you're well into your thirties." he defends, checking his watch on his wrist. "Seriously though, pumpkin, if we don't leave in the next five minutes I'm going to bed." he chuckles, suppressing a yawn.

"Give us three minutes!" states Jess, pushing the straighteners through her hair at lightning speed. "We'll be ready then."

~~~~

Whist stepping out of Jess' Dads car and gracefully trying to ensure my dignity is in tact, I furiously pull on the hem of my dress, desperate for it to grow a few inches longer. Its black, stretchy material clings to my every curve and the lace texture rubs in all the wrong places. It's too short and I'm slightly regretting my choice in outfit; vowing to do everything in my power to destroy it at the next given opportunity.

"Be carful you two, and have fun." hollers Jess' Dad from the drivers side of his car. 

He leaves us with one more parting smile before driving off down the road; the heavy music filtering through the night air from Simon's house already playing havoc on my ears.

"You ready to party?" smirks Jess, totally rocking her emerald green, off the shoulder dress.

"Born ready!" I laugh, pulling her up the driveway and through the double doors, entering what can only be described as total carnage.

If I thought Saturday's party was busy then I dread to think what this one is considered as. The house is completely trashed from top to bottom with red solo cups littering every path and giant stains permanently etched into the cream coloured carpet. The smoking area also appears to have moved inside and people are actually using the sofa as an ashtray, much to my distaste.

That certainly isn't going to go down well with Simon's parents.

I suddenly spot Anna is the far left corner swaying her hips in a circular motion, clearly enjoying the beat the music has to offer and when her heavily mascaraed eyes land on mine, she shoots me a wide smile. She's with her group of friends and they all seem to be taking full advantage of the free alcohol, ensuring their night includes maximum fun, which I can only hope doesn't end in disaster.

"Let's get a drink and find the guys." suggests Jess, pulling my focus as we manoeuvre ourselves between various dancing bodies.

We enter the kitchen in no time and I'm immediately hit with the strong stench of beer and jäger. I'm not partially find of alcohol but if I absolutely have to, I prefer spirits over anything else.

"Baby, over here!" yells Drew over the pounding bass of the music.

Jess offers him a world class smile before shooting him a 'I'll be two minutes' hand gesture.

"Beer, jäger or wine?" she then proceeds to ask, fumbling around for two cups.

Neither.

"Wine, please." I reply, instantly regretting my choice as the cheep liquid slides down my throat in a burning motion.

"Hey you two, you both look nice." comments Drew, clearly deciding two minutes is too long to wait for Jess to come to him.

"Thanks, how was football practice?" I ask, making polite conversation while Jess distracts herself with pouring another drink.

"It was good, you should watch us practice some time, especially if Aidan is putting on a show for you." he smirks, earning himself a playful slap to the chest from Jess.

"I'm good thanks, I think I'd rather watch paint dry." I fire back, instantly feeling the sensation of warm breath at the back of my neck as it deliciously caresses down my sensitive skin.

"Now, that's just mean, darling." whispers an all to familiar voice, awakening every hair on my body.

"Dylan, you haven't met Amelia yet, come say hi." states Drew, grabbing the attention of a dark haired guy with the most intense blue eyes I've ever seen.

Thankfully, his presence forces Aidan to move away from me and as I stare into Dylan's clear blue pools, I'm immediately reminded of ice but the playful grin claiming his face suggests this guys personality is anything but cold.

"Hey, I'm Dylan; the sexy one." he offers, sticking his hand out in a 'nice to meet you' gesture, which I instantly take.

"Hi, I'm Amelia, the hard to impress one." I reply, enjoying his smile as my come back no doubt amuses him.

"How you liking California so far? You're a New Yorker, right?" he questions, taking a swig of his beer.

"It's...different." I offer, feeling the familiar burn of hazel eyes staring into me.

"You'll get used to it. I went to New York once, I pigeon almost took a shit on my head." he states, sounding nothing less than outraged.

I laugh at his revelation, along with the others and shake my head it utter contentment.

"You know, us New Yorkers would consider that good luck." I inform, placing my unwanted wine on the kitchen counter, disregarding the awful substance.

"What? That's ridiculous. How is a bird shitting on your head good luck?" he laughs, looking slightly confused.

I shrug my shoulders in response and risk taking a look in the direction of Aidan, instantly locking my eyes onto his black skinny jeans before allowing my gaze to travel up to his tightly fitted white T-shirt. His glorious arm muscles bulge against the thin fabric and I find myself blushing at the thought of them wrapped firmly around me as we engage in all kinds of sinful activities. I have no idea where the thought comes from but as soon as it enters my mind, I want it to leave.

"Jess, do you want to dance?" I ask, suddenly desperate to get away from him and my very inappropriate thinking.

"Sure!" she replies, pushing herself away from Drew's hold as she saunters through the large crowed gathered in the kitchen area.

I attempt to follow her but find I get stopped by a strong arm wrapping around my waist.

"You can run away all you want but I'll catch up to you soon enough." informs Aidan, sending shiver after delicious shiver running up and down the full length of my spine.

I look over my shoulder to find Drew and Dylan in deep conversation before latching my eyes back onto Aidan.

"I'm not running, just feel like doing a bit of dancing." I ensure, flashing him my sweetest smile. "By the way, do you like my hair?" I ask, twirling my braid around in my fingers as seductively as I can muster. "I did it with you in mind. I know you like it like this." I tell him, taking hold of his beer and bringing the awful tasting drink up to my lips.

I raise my eyebrows at him over the rim of the cup and begin to slowly walk backwards until I'm at a safe enough distance from him.

"Thanks for the beer." I chime, quickly turning around to enter the living room, all my attention focused on swaying my hips in the most outrageously inappropriate way possible.

That sure showed him.

Amelia-two.
Aidan-one.

~~~~

I really hope you're all enjoying this book so far.

Amelia is getting brave and I LOVE it. 💚

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