I lean forward so I can see her face. Yup. Tears. "Pull over."

"No."

"Please, Lucy. Pull over."

"Why? So you can tell me she tried to show you her vagina?"

"Oh my God. Lucy, pull over now."

She finally listens, and pulls the car over, but continues to look straight ahead. I unclip my seatbelt first, and then hers. Reaching up, I move her chin with my finger until she's facing me. "Why are you crying?"

She rubs at her eyes and inhales deeply. Then let's it all out in something that sounds similar to this, "Because I miss you so much and we never get to spend time with each other, not like last year and not like in high school when we spent all our time together, and now all that time is being used up and you're spending it with a girl who's hot, at least ten times hotter than me, and she calls you names and can quote your favorite movie, and all I do is read while you watch that movie, and I'm a shit girlfriend because I should pay attention to the movies you like, and I wish I was hotter and curvier like her, oh my God, do you see her curves? Her body is out of this world and I'm frumpy and stupid and you hate me and you're going to leave me when she shows you her vagina, which is probably a lot sooner than when I showed you mine, and I'm crying because I love you and I miss you and I hate that curvy vagina girl is going to take that from me."

I want to laugh, but I know it's wrong so I keep it in. "Lucy," I start. "Since I saw you sitting on the bleachers at the twin’s game, I've never looked at another girl. Not because I didn't want you to find out, but because I already knew that no other girl would compare to you. I don't care that you can't quote my favorite movie, and you don't care that I don't know what book Will and Layken are from." I do, but I don't tell her because it would just make her feel shittier about herself. "That stuff doesn't matter to us. I haven't done or said anything to ever make you feel the way you're feeling. And I'm sorry if I haven't said or done anything lately to let you know that you shouldn't be feeling what you're feeling. If you're having insecurities, that's my fault, and I'll try to fix it. But you should know that I only ever see you, and only you, and that's the way it's been since we were fifteen."

"Stop it," she whispers, her eyes fixed on mine now.

"Stop what?"

"Stop making me fall in love with you."

I smile now, taking her face in my hands. "I'll never stop that, babe, ever." I kiss her slowly, until I can no longer taste the tears on her lips. Until she knows that she owns every part of me. Forever.

***

I don't know why chicks take so long to get ready. "Babe! I'm sure you look fine, the limo will be here in ten minutes."

"I'm sorry you offered to drive your friend home and now I have to rush," she shouts.

A minute later her bathroom door opens and she steps out. I let out a low whistle. She looks hot. Hotter than hot. Her black dress is short, and tighter than normal. I don't know what the hell she was talking about Roxy's curves for because Lucy's body shits all over anyone else's. "Or we could just stay right here and I can spend the next ten minutes undressing you." I reach over and pull on her legs until she's standing in between mine. My hands wander under her dress, my thumb flicking the garter suspenders. A smile takes over my face, because I can already sense the shit ton of fun we're going to have tonight, especially if she has a few drinks.

"You don't think it's a little slutty? Or too, I don't know, daring?"

I shake my head. "I like you slutty," I tell her. "But slutty just for me, okay?"

She laughs and nods her head. "You should see what Amanda got for Logan when we went shopping."

"Oh yeah?"

"He's going to have a reallll happy birthday."

Rose walks in while my hand is still on Lucy's ass. "Jesus Christ. Are you two ever not about to, in the middle of, or just finished screwing?"

"Rose," I greet, as Lucy swats my hands and pulls down her dress. "I can't help it, Lucy's an animal. It's in her blood. Six brothers, remember?"

"Oh that's right," Rose agrees with a smile. "You better not sneeze around her, you might knock her up."

"That's what birth control's for," Luce says. "Unfortunately for you, the IUD doesn't protect you from STD's."

I block the pillow that gets thrown at her head.

***

"That was good times," she yawns through a shiver.

I take off my jacket and put it around her shoulders. "Yeah, it was. I think Logan had a good night. Pretty sure him and Amanda got it on in the bathroom."

She stops in the middle of the sidewalk with eyes wide. "Shut up!"

I chuckle. "Yeah, I'm not kidding. Pretty sure he finger fucked her at the table too."

"The one we were all sitting at?" she shouts.

I laugh harder. "Yup."

"What the hell are you doing watching them, you creep!"

"I'm the creep? Okay sniffy."

Her eyes narrow, right before her head throws back in laughter.

She walks up the stairs to her dorm on wobbly feet. I walk behind her in case she falls. Also because I like to watch her ass. I reach up and grab two handfuls. She doesn't even flinch. She knew it was coming. And I plan on coming. Soon. All over her face. Fuck, I'm drunk.

***

"What is that noise?" She pushes her head further into my chest but the ringing won't stop.

"What the hell time is it?" Rose moans from her bed.

"Shut up," I tell all of them.

"Babe, it's your phone."

I blindly search for my phone on the nightstand and fling it across the room.

"Ow!" Rose groans.

"Sorry babe."

Lucy pulls back. "Huh?"

"Shut up," I tell her.

Then the ringing starts again.

"Luce, that's your phone now," Rose says.

Lucy sits up slowly. I open one eye to look at her. Her hair's all over the place, her makeup is smeared, she has a line of dried drool on one side of her mouth and her clothes are twisted. And she's never been more beautiful. "Who is calling so early?" She looks so confused it makes me laugh.

I sit up, just so I can pull her down with me. "Forget it, babe, just come back to bed."

Her phone starts to ring again, the same time mine does.

"Dude," Rose says, "You've got eighteen missed calls."

"What?" I sit up now and motion for her to throw my phone over.

Lucy reaches across me for her phone. "Micky?"

I try to focus my tired eyes on the screen and hit answer. "Yo, Jake?"

"You need to come to the hospital. It's Logan and Amanda."

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

-LUCY-

Logan wouldn't see anyone at the hospital. We stayed for hours hoping he'd change his mind, but he never did. On the second day, we were told that he'd been discharged. Amanda was still there. She said that she hadn't seen him either, but that she thought he'd be home waiting for her. He wasn't. No one knew where he was. That was a week ago. When I went to see her at her house, Ethan, her brother, told us she needed time. She didn't want to see anyone that reminded her of Logan, at least for now. I understood, but I worried for both of them.