RACHEL'S POV

It wasn't until the Friday of my first college week that a party occurred. Alex invited me and Beth along and she, answering for both of us, agreed to go.

'Is this okay?' she said, tugging her tight black dress down her tanned legs.

'Yeah, what about me?' I asked, looking down at my tight red dress and black high heels. We both had our hair curly and makeup done well.

'Hot,' she grinned. 'Let's go before I change my mind again.'

Grabbing our clutch bags, we made our way out of the halls and towards the bar where the party was being held.

Entering the crowded room, you could feel the beat of the club music pulsing through you. Beth took hold of my hand and pulled me through the bodies and in the direction of the bar. She plopped me down on a spare stool and pulled one up for herself.

'Two vodka-'

'and cokes,' finished Jack who had appeared behind us. 'How are you?' he asked Beth, putting his hand on her back.

'I'm good, I'll be better once these drinks come. How about you?'

'I'm good, not drunk yet so I'm doing well.'

The bartender served us our drinks and we took them off the counter before hopping off the stools and following Jack as he weaved through everybody. He lead us to the couches where Alex, Rian and Cassadee were. Taking to his feet, Alex came over to me and hugged me, hands falling slightly lower than I was comfortable with.

'That dress suits you,' he whispered into my ear before pulling away.

'Thanks,' I said rather loudly, the music drowning out my voice. 'Not to bad yourself,' I joked. He was in skinny jeans, a white top and a leather jacket.

With Cassadee and Rian eating each others faces and Beth and Jack being close to it, I decided to sit next to Alex on a couch and hope that he wouldn't try anything. I fiddled with my black straw as I listened to the music, wondering why the artist kept repeating place names in Spain.

'There's an after party later on,' he began, 'you want to come?'

'Sure,' I said, 'sounds like fun!' Sober me wouldn't have said that, but sober me was gone. My drink was now just warm ice cube water and I swear there was more vodka in it than usual.

'I'm gonna go get another drink,' I said, pushing up off the low couch. 'One minute.' Squeezing through all the sweaty, tipsy bodies, I made my way to the bar. Leaning over the thick wooden counter, I crossed my arms and waited for the bartender to come over to me.

'What do you want?' he exclaimed.

'Tequila?' I said, trying to decide whether to get it or not. 'Yeah, Tequila!' He nodded and began to make the drink, I watched in awe as he tossed bottles around and filled the glass with the colourful liquid. Once it was done, I handed him the required money and took the drink - smiling at it as I made my way back to the group.

'What you got?' said Alex, pulling me on to the dance floor as I tried to take sips.

'Tequila! You?'

He lifted his glass and looked at it questioningly, 'I can't remember! It's good though!'

'It's nearly done,' I pointed out. He smiled, nodding.

Suddenly, I felt his hand going around my waist. Edging closer to me, we danced in time to the music, hips swaying in unison. I kept taking large gulps of my drink, enjoying the buzz, and before I knew it I had finished the drink.

'Shit!' I shouted, pouting as I raised my empty glass.

'C'mon,' he said (I think), my lip reading skills weren't great. Dragging me to the bar, he grinned widely before looking to the bar man, 'shots!'

'Of what?' laughed the small blonde guy.

'Um, vodka?'

'No!' I exclaimed over him, 'Tequila, baby!'

The bar tender poured the shots and slid them across to us before pouring another three and walking up the length of the bar. Lifting the shots, we hid the glasses against each other before tossing them back and shaking our heads and the strength of the drink.

'Woo!' he said, slamming the tiny glass on the counter.

'Hey, more shots down here!' Shouted Alex towards the bar tender who was conversing with a girl at the other end of the bar. He turned and signaled that he heard us, saying his farewells to the girl before returning to us.

'Vodka! Vodka shots!' He shouted, scrambling to get the money out his wallet and clumsily handing it to the man. In a matter of seconds, the shots were ready and we were staring down at them.

'Yes!' I said, clinking my glass with his as we stared at the liquid that brought us such a wonderful buzz. 'Three, two, one!' Throwing back the drink, I shivered due to the horrible taste.

'We better get back,' he said, leaning so close to my ear that I could feel his breathe on my skin. I nodded and he pulled me back through the many bodies to the others. Beth and Jack were making out of the couch - she was sitting on his lap and his hands were on her bum. Noticing us, the separated and began to laugh.

'After party!' shouted Beth, leaping off Jack. Hands linked, she yanked Jack out the bar and the rest of us followed, giggling merrily. As we went through the halls, I made sure Alex had no chance to take my hand. I held tight on to my clutch and pretended I was fixing my hair constantly with the other.

'In here!' shouted Rian, slipping into a dorm to our right. We all went behind and soon found ourselves in a crowded dorm room that was bouncing with music and dancing people. I stood close to Alex, not knowing who's party I was at or anything of the people that had attended.

He slid his arm round mine and guided me away from the others. Dropping it, he put his hands on my hips and began to pull me close. 'You look really sexy tonight, Rach.'
I didn't know what to say. I thought he looked good, but I didn't want to give him the wrong idea. Despite this, I was terribly drunk and therefore had little control over what I was doing. Rather than speak, I turned and began to grind against him. As the tempo of the song changed, I spun back round and moved close to his body. Without warning, his lips collided with mine in a messy kiss.

Shoving him off, I looked at him in shock. 'What the fuck?' I shouted, stumbling back into the sea of bodies. I scrambled through them and out the door.

Zigzagging down the quiet corridor, I began to cry. I was overreacting a great deal, but I was drunk. 'What an ass,' I hissed to myself. 'Dickhead,' I spat as I thought about him.

Hiccuping, my legs momentarily became jelly and I fell to the floor. I propped myself up against the wall - everything was spinning and I began to feel seasick. Hearing the faint noise of voices in the room my back was to, I shut my eyes and tried to calm down.

My attempts to ease the spinning was interrupted by the ringing of my phone. Answering, I heard Alex on the other line.

'Babe, I'm sorry! Come back!'

'No, I don't like you in that way! You treat people like shit!'

'You know what, Jack was right! You are just a tight little bitch!'

'Fuck you!' I shouted, hanging up immediately after.

Feeling the thud of a door shut, I turned to see someone looking down at me. It's, uh, I know this guy. He's in my, um, Music? Yeah, he is. His name's Tom! Yeah, I know him!

'Rachel?' he questioned, 'Are you okay?'

'Just,' I burped into my clenched fist, 'a little drunk.'

'You should get back to your dorm,' he instructed.

'Where am I now?'

'100-200, what's your dorm number?'

'342,' I admitted, feeling a bit silly. 'I think I'm lost.'

TONY'S POV

Looking down at the beautiful girl, I felt bad as she looked awfully disorientated. Ever since she spoke to me that day in Music, I kept seeing her around and I couldn't help but think a little about her. I guess I had a bit of a crush on her, but she was far out of my league so I tried to ignore it.

'Do you want me to take you home?' I offered, my voice a little shaky with nerves.

'Aw, you're a sweetheart,' she said, 'unlike some guys. That Alex Gaskarth is an idiot.'

I'd seen her with them almost everyday and although I didn't want to be nosy, I was pretty confused. 'What's up?' I asked, knowing that Alex could be a rather large douche. I caught him cheating on his girlfriend and he denied it. He began to make rumors about me Vic, Jaime and Mike because we kept finding him and Jack cheating. Idiots.

'He kissed me, and I don't like him. They treat people like dirt, that group!' I nodded. Lifting her hand so I could take it and pull her up, she fell into my arms - legs barely able to hold her own weight. I held her up and smiled before looking towards her terribly high heels.

'Get those off,' I laughed, 'no wonder you can't walk.'

'They make me look sexy though,' she murmured, shaking them off her feet and picking them up of the ground. Her brown eyes met with mine.

'Still sexy,' I joked, unknowingly to her it wasn't a joke though.

Wrapping my arm around her shoulder, I walked with her through the halls and towards the elevator. Pressing the buttons, we entered and stayed silent as the quiet hum of the lift filled the air. Pinging, the doors opened and I tightened my grip on her as she became less stable.

'342,' I said, turning her shoulders so that she as facing her room. Rummaging around in her purse, she pulled out the key and began to shove it in the hole, upside down. 'Here,' I said, taking it off her and putting it in the right way up. She fell in the door and I entered behind her, putting the key on the table next to a little makeshift microwave and kettle. Not all of the dorms had kitchens - it depended on how much you paid, or simply your luck.

Glancing around, I suddenly realised that she was stripping off. She had her dress over her head to reveal her black underwear.

'Stuck!' she exclaimed, squirming under the material. 'Help,' she insisted.

'I don't want to cross any boundaries,' I replied.

'Please?' she groaned, hands flailing out the top.

Approaching her cautiously, I took hold of the dress and slipped it over her head. She looked up at me and hiccuped. 'I need to put on pajamas,' she murmured, 'where do I keep my pajamas, Tom?'

'It's Tony,' I reminded her. Going up the side of her bed, I lifted her pillow to reveal shorts and a strap top. I handed them to her and she looked at me in confusion. 'My Mum kept hers there,' I explained. She began to put them on and I took that as my signal to leave.

'Fuck!' She shouted after a large bang. I turned back round to see her lying on the floor, hand over her head. I took a few steps in her direction and noticed blood as she moved her hand away.

'Oh god,' I said under my breathe, making my way back to her. I pulled her up and sat her against the bedside table, examining the cut. It wasn't that large, but the sharp edge of the table had grazed her forehead. 'First aid kit?'

'Bathroom,' she moaned.

Fetching the kit from the bathroom cupboard, I wet a towel and went back to her. Kneeling down, I began to pat the blood away. 'It's not too bad,' I ensured. I took out a large plaster and gently placed it on her head, making sure I covered the worst of it.

'Come on,' I sighed, lifting her bridal style and placing her down on the bed before putting the covers over her.

'Thank you, Tony. You really are lovely.'

Stepping away, I picked up the kit and put it back in the bathroom. Although it didn't seem bad, I was terrified in case she had a concussion and I was to blame for her not getting checked. I looked around for a minute - Rachel falling into an alcohol induced sleep - and found an empty envelope and pen.

Rachel, you hit your head. I think it's okay but if you feel sick, dizzy, anything like that - get it checked out. Hope you feel okay, there's two paracetamol inside the envelope. See you around. -Tony (not Tom)

Sliding the pills inside, I put the note down on the table before exiting the room and making my way home. I couldn't help but smile a little as I went home - even when she was drunk she was adorable.

'Look who's finally back,' smiled Jaime who was sitting in his joggers watching late night TV.
'Who was it out there?'

'A girl from my Music class, she was pretty wrecked.'

'Are you friends?' asked Mike.

'Acquaintances? I don't know to be honest...'

'She's cute,' added Vic, winking at me.

The boys looked for confirmation, which I gave them eventually. 'Yeah, she's cute.'

Notes

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