Cara's POV
"Now that we all understand the assignment and what I'm expecting, get out of my classroom." The professor grinned and spun to erase what was left of the scribbles of his whiteboard. I had to admit, Mr. Hanks was a great professor, but when it came to notes and the chickenscratch he called hand writing, I was at a loss. I abandoned my chair and made my way down the steps with every other student that was dying to get out of here. San Diego State was a huge college, and as my best friend Evelyn bumped my shoulder, I was thankful that I had somehow ended up with her in one of my classes.
"A ten page paper on courage?" She groaned, clutching her notebook and pen to her chest. It was amazing that the sea of students hadn't swallowed her up already; at 5'3 and petite to the point where I was jealous of her, she was easy to lose. "And due this Friday." I added, grabbing her wrist and tugging her through the slowly dwindling crowd of kids. Stepping out of the door and into the fresh air was nothing short of heaven from the relief of the burning hot class room. Prof. Hanks was the only professor to lack air conditioning because it 'preserved energy'. Well, definitely not my energy.

However, my energy had been lacking for about four years now, and sometimes I even thought the effects would be permanent. Flashbacks of my father flooded my mind, the night he was finally arrested and put in his rightful place - jail. The only words I could ever describe him with were 'sick' and 'bastard'. "Earth to Cara..." Evelyn teased me, nudging me in the ribs with her elbow. "Hmm? Sorry. I blanked." I mumbled, flashing back to reality. "I said 'are you busy tonight?' There's frat party going on later and I sort of wanted to go..." She looked up at me with her pleading brown eyes, but they were no match for my cool blue. Evelyn was a great friend. Actually, she was my only friend and I'd known her since the diaper years. This, though, also meant that I knew how 'lonely' she got, or as she worded it. Eve was always open to meeting new boys; whether they were friends, one nighters, or relationship material. I on the other hand was content with where I was -- Okay, that was a lie. I wasn't actually content with being single, but I wasn't about to go boy hunting any time soon. Even if she was my best friend. "I uh..." I stuttered, fishing for an excuse. "I have to work tonight. Otherwise I'd definitely go with you." I gave her an apologetic smile, but something told me she saw right through my bluff. She scowled at me for a minute and then shrugged, muttering an 'okay' before falling silent. It wasn't a total lie, it just wasn't the work she was thinking of. Eve knew all too well I worked at the Starbucks around the corner - I 'complained about it enough', she liked to joke. With the paper looming over my head, though, I wanted to knock out as much of it as I could before Friday came around. "Ooh! I almost forgot!" She halted in her tracks, pulling me to a stop as well. I raised an eyebrow at her but she spun on her heels and took off in a flash. "Mr. Hanks! YOU'LL STILL TAKE LATE PAPERS, RIGHT?!" I heard her shouting as she dashed back toward the sweaty building. I let out a laugh as I watched her flee; Eve was never the best at school, but she was a great friend. Soon her short blonde self had vanished in a mass of people, and I was left to find my car alone. A few hours later...

Soft music played in the background, the rhythmic tapping of the drums coaxing my brain into a state of focus. I didn't like my apartment much, nor did I like being alone and cooped up in a building for hours at a time. Many times I had considered moving back in with my mother at our old house, but it was the memories that always stopped me. Leaving it all behind seemed to be the easiest way to forget. The bar was pretty quiet tonight, as always. It was a smaller pub a few blocks away from my apartment and most of the workers knew me by name. It was my haven when I couldn't focus. Inevitably a fight or two would break out once in a while, but other than that, it was a pretty laid back place. I sat slouched at the bar on a stool, my laptop in front of me as I stared at the blank document that was my paper. Instead of thinking of something to type up, I stared back at my reflection in the screen; lengthy brown hair, flat and dull. Blue eyes that stared back at me with a sort of malice. Many freckles that dotted my face, yet another thing I couldn't cover up. The only thing I was okay with was the slight tan I had - a great bonus about living in San Diego. I scowled at my reflection for a few more minutes before simply shutting the laptop and scooting off of the seat. Rachael, the bar tender that night, gave me a sympathetic look and placed the computer behind the bar for safety. "No luck tonight, Cara?" She joked. I gave her a half smile and headed to one of the side exits for some fresh air. "Not at all." I called back to her as I exited the building. The sun had sunk long ago, leaving me to the darkness and my thoughts. The only thing I could hear was the sound of muffled, soft voices from inside the bar and the rush of traffic. The moon illuminated the night enough so I could find the curb of the sidewalk and take a seat. I sat like this for quite some time, my mind wandering from my paper, to old memories, to the future. I was 21 already, soon to be 22 in a matter of months. It was crazy how fast time passed when you weren't watching. My thoughts were disturbed by commotion behind me. The side door swung open and out fell a man looking exceptionally drunk. The door swung shut behind him and he stumbled onto the sidewalk, muttering what sounded like slurred profanities before shakily making his way to the curb. I watched silently a few meters away as he crouched on the concrete, held his head in his hands and then all at once collapsed onto the ground. "Oh my gosh," I whispered to myself, slowly rising to my feet and approaching the seemingly passed out man. The rhythmic rise and fall of his chest was a telltale sign that he was still alive, thankfully. "Er... Sir?" I asked, reaching down and gingerly clasping his shoulder to shake him. I could only see the side of his face, but in the moonlight he looked so familiar. I leaned in closer, shaking the man a little harder now. "Hello...?" I tried again. The man stirred beneath me but refused to open his eyes. "H-huh? Am... I dead?" The words left his mouth slurred and troubled, the smell of alcohol noticably strong on his breath. There was no chance this man was driving tonight. "No," I laughed a little. A relaxed smile spread across his face though his eyes remained closed. "You're laying in a parking lot." He seemed to laugh along with me, though it sounded more like a groan. His body stopped stirring again after a moment, as if he'd passed out again. I knew it was pointless to ask his name, he was already struggling to form words or even a laugh. An idea popped into my head, and ironically, so did my paper about courage. I hadn't been this close to any guy since my father had been arrested, but it was obvious this guy would be left here if I didn't help him. I silently hoped he stayed passed out as I reached for his pocket as gently as I could, finding the rectangular shape I was looking for -- a cellphone. Carefully I slipped it out of his pocket and dabbled a little with the Iphone. I stared with a blank face at his background picture: It was three men dressed in all black with bandanas covering their mouths, and (hopefully fake) guns in their hands. Wasn't that from a music video... "Focus." I chastised myself. Locating the call log, naturally, I called the first person there. It rung for a long while before an angry, shrieking voice picked up. "I told you to never, EVER, call this number again." It was a female voice that shouted at me through the receiver before the line went dead. I nearly dropped the phone from my sweaty palms but managed to catch it, glancing back at the man still passed out on the concrete. "Bad breakup..." I mumbled to myself, hunting for the next number in the call log. About 13 numbers down I finally found a different one named 'Jaime'. I shrugged, turning toward the man passed out and putting the phone up to my ear. A voice answered on the first ring.
"Vic?! Where the hell are you man?! We've been calling everyone!" A voice hollered through the phone, evidently worried sick. "Er... 'Vic'," I began. "is passed out in a parking lot right now. A bar called Moonshine, if you know it? 58493..." I trailed off with the address. The line went silent for a moment aside from the muffled voices. I could only catch short phrases like 'passed out' and 'don't think she knows'. The voice came back, rather pushy, but I could tell he was stressed. "Can you two just stay there until we arrive? It won't be too long." "Your friend is passed out, I really don't think he's going anywhere." I reminded him. The voice on the line breathed a sigh of relief and then a 'thank you' before the line cut. "Well that was... interesting." I mumbled, clutching the phone in my hand. Glancing at the man, he was now stirring again and struggling to sit up. Though my natural reaction was to simply keep my distance, my compassion drove me forward and placed a hand on his arm, steadying him against the curb. I could now get a look at his face as he brushed gravel off the side of his cheek; he was familiar alright. I couldn't put a finger on where I'd seen him before, but I definitely had. His face was... incredibly cute. His hair was long-ish and dark brown with a few slight curls, his nose was adorable, his skin was a darker natural tan, and his dark brown eyes... made me realize that I had been staring at him. "Sorry..." I mumbled, taking my hand off of his arm. "Where am I?" He seemed to be a bit more sobered up now. The way he stared at me made me squirm on the curb next to him - he was staring at me like I was some superhero or something. "You're at Moonshine. You passed out, I called your friends... Oh, here." I set the phone in his lap, an embarrassed blush rising to my cheeks. He took the phone from me, our hands brushing before I pulled mine away. "Is everything okay...?" The look he gave me, it was as if he expected me to get up and run at any moment. "You don't... know me or anything?" He asked suspiciously. I stared at him, searching his face for some kind of recognition. "No, I don't think so. Sorry." I apologized. "You look familiar though. Do you go to SD State?" The amused look on his face was contagious, I couldn't help but smile back. "Actually, I dropped out a few years ago. Tried another course instead." It was only my second year in college, there was no way I'd seen him. "Any luck?" I asked him. Though he was still drunk, his laugh sounded much clearer than the first time. "A little."
Vic's POV
I can't believe she broke up with me. I had given her everything I could, I loved her, and she had dumped me on my ass for some other guy. Relationships had never been my thing, but I really believed that she was the one. Love just wasn't a friend of mine. The cool air hit me like a slap in the face as I stumbled out of the bar and into the night. The ground beneath my feet was spinning from one too many drinks, and I soon found myself a lot closer to the earth than I wanted to be. Carelessly I stood on shaky legs and stumbled to the curb for a seat, but that was when the nausea hit. The world shook around me, vision blurring as I collapsed to the concrete in a strange state. I was too uncaring to open my eyes or pick myself up, I just wanted to lay here for a while. Why should I care? She didn't care about me. Maybe if I just kept my eyes closed I could stay like this.
It was a few minutes before I noticed the voice calling to me. My eyes remained close, engulfing me in darkness. The voice calling to me was... enchanting. "Am I dead?" I managed out, though it sounded more like slurs. Nothing inside me had the will to care though. "No..." Followed by laughter. It was one of the best sounds I've heard in a while... It was like music to my ears. I couldn't help but smile and laugh along. As the laughter stopped so did mine, and I found myself drifting into blackness once again. I couldn't remember a thing when I woke up. The only thing I could taste in my mouth was alcohol. I struggled up into a sitting position, wiping the gravel from my face as I realized I was in a parking lot. How had I made it out here? I felt a touch on my arm and I was instantly met with a pair of striking blue eyes. I couldn't help but stare back at them. After a moment she looked away, mumbling an apology and turning to hide her blush. The place where her hand left my arm was now cold. It was as if her voice was enough to sober me up, though I could tell I was still nowhere close to being fully functional. She seemed uncomfortable with me staring at her, but I just couldn't gather the sense to look away. Instead I managed a few words. "Where am I?" I asked, wanting to hear her voice again. She told me an answer, but I wasn't paying attention to what she was saying, I was listening to her. "Oh... here." She placed the phone in my lap, our hands brushing and sending short shivers up my spine. She pulled away all too quickly. "Is everything okay?" That caught my attention. Everything wasn't okay. The memories of the breakup flooded back to me and hit me like a punch in the gut. Why had Brooke cut it off? What had I done? I didn't want to think about it. I wonder if this girl was a fan. I wonder if she knew me at all. She was acting as if I was just another person. "You don't... know me or anything?" Relief washed through me as she answered; she hardly had a clue to who I was. We talked. Well, she talked and I executed slurred responses that she found funny. Her laugh was something I wanted to hear over and over again. I knew it was wrong of me to even be considering a girl right now -- Brooke and just dumped me less than eight hours ago after all, but I couldn't help it. This girl was...gorgeous. "Before I forget... What's your name?" I asked her, interrupting one of her sentences with an apologetic smile. She returned my smile a little reluctantly. "It's Cara." "Cara..." I mumbled, trying it out. I liked the sound of it. "I'm-" I was cut off by a shout. "VIC!" Jaime jumped out of the drivers seat of his car and made his way over to us. I forgot that she had even mentioned she called them. "Vic." She chuckled, repeating him. Jaime glanced at Cara with an apprehensive expression. "She's cool." I slurred to him, struggling to my feet with the help of Cara. "Thank you." I grinned at her. "Come on buddy, lets get you home. Thanks..." Jaime trailed off, eyes shifting to her. "Cara." I repeated before she could even manage her own name. Once again I noticed a blush rising to her cheeks; it was adorable on her. "Thanks Cara." Jaime smiled at her, a little too fondly. I mindlessly elbowed him in the gut and pretended to blame it on the alcohol. Jaime tried to lead me to the car but I stood my ground. "Wait," I tugged my arm free of Jaime's grasp. Tony and Mike were shouting from the back of the car. "I want to see you again." I slurred, watching the red rise to her cheeks once again as she glanced around. "Oh... Do you want my number or something?" She offered, though there was a sort of reluctance in her tone. I nodded eagerly. I struggled for my phone but Jaime took it from my hands, entering her phone number as she read it off while I simply stared at her. Her long brown hair fell a little past her ribs while her blue eyes glanced around nervously. The freckles on her face were adorable. She was beautiful. She was a little bit shorter than me and, blaming the alcohol, her body was rockin'. Cara...
"Thanks for taking care of him." He said again, and I simply waved to her. "Bye, Cara." I called as Jaime helped me into the back of his black jeep. I watched her from the back of the car as she lingered on the curb for a moment more before meeting my eyes. I couldn't help but smile at her. She ducked her head, a hint of a smile on her lips as she turned and headed back into the building. I was bombarded with questions as we hit the road. "What the hell man?!" "What happened?!" "I knew Becky wasn't worth it." Tony snorted, but I was too careless to correct him to Brooke. Instead of answering their questions, I mumbled an 'I'm fine' and allowed myself to pass out in the back seat for good that night. Cara's POV I wasn't stupid. I was smart enough to know not to give my number out to a drunken stranger and his friends. I respected myself enough to not be some booty call, and besides, I was definitely not that kind of girl. I took a deep breath and headed back into the bar, pulling out my own phone and pulling up Evelyn and I's conversation. I quickly sent her a text. Did we ever know a Vic from school or something? -C I headed back to the bar and was met with another familiar face, but it wasn't Rachael's. "Hey Grant." I greeted, reaching over the counter for my laptop. Had I really been out there long enough that Rachael's shift had ended? I checked the time on my phone: 12:45am. I couldn't help but be a little surprised. It had been about 10pm when I took a 'break' from my paper. He nodded to me and gave me a smile, wiping off the last of the counters. "Didn't even know you were here. Where you been?" He asked, sldiing over toward me. Instinctively I took a step back from the counter, trying to act as polite as I could. Grant had attempted to ask me out a few times now, and a few times I had politely declined. He was definitely cute, and funny too, but he wasn't a deep person. In the time I've known him he was extremely... fixated on himself and himself only. "Oh... out. Just for fresh air." I reached for my keys and waved goodbye, heading out to my car and sliding into the driver's seat just as my phone buzzed. Nooo... The only Vic I recognize is Vic Fuentes. Why? Meet someone at the shoppe? ;) -E Oh. Right. She thought I was working. MAYBE... None of your business ;) -C Whatever! -E I smiled down at my phone and tossed it aside, cracking open my laptop and pulling up the search bar. "Vic Fuentes..." I murmered as I typed. It had a nice ring to it. The images that appeared in front of me were identical to the man I'd met tonight. I stared in disbelief at the screen. 'Vic Fuentes of Pierce The Veil' read from headlines on the search engine. Pierce The Veil. "Oh...Oh my gosh." I groaned, putting my head in my hands. I was half beating myself up for not recognizing him at all, and half thankful I hadn't. I was already awkward around guys, but if I had known it was someone famous... I probably wouldn't have spoken at all. I wasn't a huge fan of them... I mean, I've listened to their music and I've been interested in attending one of their concerts, but I'm also a broke college student too prideful to ask her mother for money. I let out a sigh, turned on the ignition, and headed back to my apartment. The part that worried me most was that, when he looked at me, I swear I felt butterflies in my stomach. - - - - -
THIS IS NOT EDITED, so I'm really sorry for the mistakes. I typed this in like two hours because I was feeling energetic.
Let me know what you think!

Notes