t h e
v - c a r d

A nauseous headache woke me up before I even regained consciousness and I could feel a warm blanket covering me from the shivering cold while I lay entangled on a soothing mattress.

Where the heck am I?

And while I couldn't exactly see due to the darkness enveloping me, I saw blinking red numbers perched above the nightstand, assuming it was the alarm clock.

It was two in the morning.

Two. In. The. Morning.

Ultimately freaking out was a major understatement.

I let out a shaky sigh and I tried to remember anything that might make me recognize why and where I am. When all of a sudden, I felt like puking.

What did I digest?

Oh.

Oh.

Alcohol.

In a flash, everything from several hours ago came haunting back to me.

God, what a mess, I mumble to myself. To think my parents don't know about any of this only made me feel guilty as I told them I was staying in a friend's house. For a project, of course, I would never be caught with an actual friend for once in my life.

And then maybe, maybe I wouldn't be in this situation in the first place.

Snapped out of my thoughts, I heard a not-so-quiet shuffle on the giant bed, alerting my instincts.

It couldn't be, it couldn't be him. There's no way.

But one glimpse on the other side of the bed proved me wrong.

It really was Connor. And he was waking up.

Where is the door, the door, the door?!

Squinting my eyes, I made out a rectangular shape attached to a wall and it vaguely resembled a perfectly solid door. I leaped up onto the chilling cold floor and sprinted to the door, avoiding any hazards on the pretty spotless ground.

Out of a relieved sigh, I quickly realized the door knob wouldn't twist fully, thus learning it's stupidly locked. There goes my escape and luck.

"Avery."

I halted in my tracks, wishing that when I turned completely around, I could say good bye to him and poof into thin air. But that requires magic and unfortunately, I don't possess any.

Soft footsteps echoed in the extravagant and large room making it seem louder than they actually were.

This cannot be happening.

Please, please, not right now, I begged to the heavens above.

Who said they would grant my only request?

His surprisingly minty breath fanned my face when he unknowingly trapped me by the door handle and I looked down to avoid his stormy chocolate brown eyes.

"W-what do you want?" I breathed out, a little flustered.

"Nothing."

I finally gaze up towards his face confused and almost disbelieving. Does that mean he's letting me go?

"Except you."

The world spun out of control as his soft lips suddenly crashed down on my own frozen lips.

His kiss was demanding and vigorous, unlike the gentle first kisses I read about only in romance novels.

I tried to push him away, but he was simply too strong while he caged me to the wall and deepened the forced kiss.

At first, I thought it would be over in a snap because he started becoming gentler.

I spoke too soon.

I thrashed, cried, screamed, but it was no use. I saw my life wash away as he roughly tore off my shirt and the shorts I wore to the party that was still going on right below, unaware of us.