Destined for Danger

[ichthys]

Blake woke up with a jerk, pushing himself up on his forearms. Blinking his sleepy eyes Blake looked at the source of his violent wake up. His phone was chiming. With a groan Blake shifted his weight onto his left arm, leaning over to grab the phone. He had fallen asleep and forgotten to turn off the volume; Blake cursed his forgetfulness and tried to read the text, rubbing his eyes.


He had added Cassie to his contacts as AP and the nickname greeted his tired vision as the little white letters came into focus. Unconsciously breaking into a happy smirk and forgetting about his rude awakening Blake read her text.


He felt incredibly foolish for being so pleased to get her text but he felt so anyway and opened the messages app to respond. He was happy at her use of the new nickname, he probably would never admit it but he liked it a lot. He was also very happy that she had sent him an equivalent to a "good morning" text.


"I am now. What are you doing up so early?" Blake interrupted his texting to glance at his alarm clock across the room. It was only eight in the morning! "It's only 8 AP! I need my beauty sleep."


Blake sent her the text and rolled over so he was sitting up in the middle of his bed. He looked around for a change of clothes. He had been really tired when he had gotten home last night, but he didn't remember face planting on his bed without changing into shorts at least.


As he got up and changed into a supposedly clean shirt and some cut up jeans Blake glanced at his phone, he was perfectly alright with being woken up by Cassie's text. He was strangely unused to being up this early on the weekend. Normally he slept in until around eleven when Sarah would come in and force him up. After he finished his quick change of attire Blake sighed tiredly, realizing that he had no idea what to do with himself. Then he remembered his jeep and that he would need to stop by and pick it up soon.


Think of this Blake grabbed his phone and walked into the kitchen. He was a little hungry now that he was up. The lights were on which meant Sarah or his mom was up too, Blake didn't bother calling after them and instead set a bowl and cereal out to eat.

 

[SecretsInTime]

Cassie cringed when she got the text back, having predicted its contents. His humor still made her smile, but she still felt dumb.


"Crap! Sorry." She began the message. "I was rudely awakened this early as well, and neglected to think of the time before I went to ask you something." Embarrassed, Cassie sent the message and flopped defeatedly onto her bed.


Maya sent a confirmation text. "Yay!!! And you'd better wear that dress I got you, Cassia Thompson! It's expensive and brand new. > " Maya said, and Cassie remembered the little dress her friend had bought for her. It was a little short and had keyhole back, so the skin it showed would probably cause her dad to have a stroke. But Cassie loved the color. It was a blue that brought out the blue in her eyes. She hesitated, but ultimately agreed to Maya's terms. She was going to wear that dress and find a way around her father.

 

[ichthys]

Blake picked up his phone when it buzzed next to him. Swallowing the mouthful of cereal as he read Cassie's text Blake frowned, she felt bad for waking him. He didn't want her to feel bad for waking him up so early though.


"It's ok, I guess that makes us even. Did you wake me up just to ask if I was awake?" Blake texted her, typing the ending comment with a smirk.


She wanted to ask him something? Or did she mean she texted him and asked already. If so why did she want to know if he was up? Blake's forehead furrowed as he reread her first text.


Blake gave a small smile at her apology as he reread it. She talked so formally it was funny to him. He also found it humorous that she prefaced such a formal sounding sentence with the exclaimation of 'crap'.


Blake shut his phone off and sat it down on the table to get rid of his breakfast dishes. He had nothing to do right at the moment so Blake picked up his phone and walked into his room. Turning on his music he sat on his bed and tried to find something to amuse himself with until he decided to go get his jeep, and so he wasn't so desperately waiting for Cassie's texts to come in.

 

[SecretsInTime]

Cassie pulled out the blue dress from her closet and admired it, holding it up to herself. She was sure it would fit, and she was imagining the accessories she could pair with it. She'd probably pull her hair up. She was thinking a messy bun, with hair framing the sides of her face. Her hair could have gentle waves, and...


Her phone buzzed and she immediately dropped her thoughts. She grabbed her phone and left the dress sitting on her desk as she sat on her bed and read the message. His question made her face palm once again - her message was cryptic and she just needed to get to the point already. He is up now, so get it over with! She thought to herself, beginning to type.


"Sorry, I'll get to the point." Cassie shook her head at her apologizing, which was sounding like a broken record, and continued. "I just found out about a party tonight. Shayne Jackson is having one at his house. You know him, right? Well he basically tells some people to invite more, and then those people invite more, and so on. It should be fun." She held her breath and typed her last sentence. "Since you were so shocked about my suggestion that I like parties, I was wondering if you wanted to go with me?" Cassie clearly remembered Blake's statement saying that he'd 'like to see her at a party sometime.' She was trying to hold that to him now. She didn't understand why she was so nervous, but she set her phone down and shook her hands out, trying to get rid of her anxiousness.

 

[ichthys]

Blake had busied himself with toying with a baseball he had sitting on his cluttered desk. He was tossing it up and down in the air, occasionally hitting the ceiling. The baseball was in the air as his phone went off and Blake turned his head to look at it, forgetting the ball. His distracted attention ended with the baseball falling back to him and dropping on his torso. Blake grunted at the minor impact, pushing the ball off of his stomach and onto the floor.


Turning his attention back to his phone Blake read Cassie's text then reread it as he thought about his answer. Blake knew of Shayne, though he didn't know him well. He hardly knew him at all aside from maybe one or two unplanned and neutral confrontations that occur throughout the school years. Cassie was right, he did wonder how a party with her would be. Thinking quickly Blake started to text her back.


"Hm. Let me see what I've got on my schedule today...." Blake sent her the small text and stared up at his ceiling, looking down at the floor Blake reached down and picked up the briefly abandoned baseball. Setting it next to him Blake returned to his phone. "Well, you're in luck I'm free tonight. I'd love to see you party tonight." Blake sent the second follow up text quickly, feeling giddily nervous at the idea of seeing Cassie at a party.


As he put down his phone and started throwing the baseball against the opposing wall and catching it Blake thought about it. He could understand being nervous, he had felt nervous a lot lately, mostly- well only really- when it came to Cassie. He hardly ever got nervous, he was always a collected individual and usually unfazed by things that made others nervous, but lately he had been getting nervous. Blake was getting nervous around Cassie, like a little boy with a crush; every time they talked and whenever he thought about her- which, he didn't do in excess but sometimes the pretty redhead crossed his mind- he got that nauseous nervous thrill in his stomach. Blake threw the ball and caught it again, feeling the sting in his palm. It wasn't a terrible feeling though he decided. Blake didn't mind it all that much. In fact, if the nervousness he felt simply meant he liked Cassie he guessed it wasn't so bad. He did like her, which he had admitted when he asked her to Homecoming, at least to himself.

 

[SecretsInTime]

Cassie sat and waited until her phone buzzed again, and scooped it up. She read the first message, and to her disappointment it didn't stop her blood from flowing too fast. It might've even made it faster, her adrenaline catching up to her. She began to analyze the invitation she'd sent, wondering if she'd been too forward or if she said something wrong, or if Blake wasn't all that interested. What if it seemed silly to him? What if --


The phone buzzing again so quickly caught her off guard, but she opened it and read it just as swiftly. The answer finally made her heart slow down, and luckily it also soared. She was going to be at a party tonight with Blake Donovan, and for reasons she couldn't explain she was ecstatic. Some of her friends, when they found that she and Blake were there together, would undoubtedly be completely shocked. She was sure they had her pinned for a good guy type, the kind to want a jock or a high academic achiever. In truth, she was never a jock sort of girl, but she didn't envision herself falling for someone like Blake. She supposed she hadn't looked under the surface enough.


"Sounds great! Here's the address..." Cassie sent off the address of Shayne's place. She had thought about talking with Blake about car arrangements, but quickly realized that if she left her house in that blue dress to get into Blake's car, her father would have a panic attack. Since she knew her father would be home today, she figured that sneaking around would have to work.

 

[ichthys]

Blake smiled down at his phone when Cassie's text came through and let the ball he was playing with drop next to him as he picked it up to read the address and respond to her. He studied the address for a moment, trying to lay out a mental map to the school mates house. He would have to use the maps app on his phone though, as he wasn't terribly familiar with where Shayne's house was. He would also need something to wear. He debated asking Cassie if the party had a dress code but decided that he would wear his more formal-causal outfit that would look good if the party was formal or informal.


"Alright, sound's great." Blake sent her the short text with a happy gusto then turned momentarily thoughtful. Should he offer to give her a ride to the party? That would be nice, taking her to and from the party. But, Blake remembered, that would mean going to her house and picking her up, that would mean the possibility of her father seeing that. Blake wasn't a rule follower though and he could always sneak around and pick her up. Blake scoffed at his train of thought, what was he doing? He could just ask her if she wanted a ride or if she just wanted to meet up at the party. Blake struggled with the urge to ask if he could pick her up but decided not to. Maybe next time...Blake let that hopeful little thought rest in the back of his mind as he got up from his slouched position on the bed with a grunt. Walking over to his ever present pile of clothes Blake began sorting through to find one of his nicer shirts and a pair of dress pants he knew he had at least one pair of.


Eventually, after being unable to find dress pants, Blake settled on a pair of nice black pants and a white tshirt that he could wear under his leather jacket. He hoped that looked nice enough, he had no real formal clothes. Blake decided that he would need to go shopping with his mom soon to solve that problem, especially if he wanted to win his and Cassie's bet. Blake looked down at the pile of clothes and noticed a graphic tee he remembered Sarah getting him a long time ago. It was black and had a tuxedo on the front. Blake smirked and picked it up, thinking about what Cassie would react to seeing him in that. He could tease her about how this was his first step to being a "gentleman". Blake grinned and set it on his bed, next to the pants. He would wear that shirt and see what happened. Besides, it was a party at Shayne's house, Blake doubted it would be a terribly formal event, and oh well if it was this was Blake after all.

 

[SecretsInTime]

Cassie recieved Blake's confirmation text with a smile. Considering she didn't have much to do that day, she called Maya and they went out. Maya, of course, was psyched for the party and needed a new dress... And pair of shoes... And eye shadow, and look at that cute necklace, Cassie! She ended up convincing Cassie to buy a pair of silver chain earrings to go with the dress. Otherwise, they went to their favorite café and met some other friends. Cassie ended up getting home just in time. She got dressed into her dress, earrings and silver sandals. Her makeup was basic and complementary to her blue-grey eyes - the blue theme brought out the blue shades. She let her hair down, and made it a bit wavy. She took a jacket to hide the keyhole back of the dress from her father, but would ditch it in the car. She began to slip out the door when her father asked where she was headed.


"I'm going out with another friend. Remember Stacy?" She couldn't use the Maya excuse due to her event with her earlier that day. Cassie knew for a fact that Stacy, one of the craziest dancers she knew, would be at the party.


Her father looked suspiciously at her outfit. "Why are you wearing such a short dress?" He stood, meeting her.


"It's not that short, Dad," she denied. "I'm just going out with Stacy. It's not a big deal."


"Don't you think it's a bit cold?" He pressed on, seemingly thinking there was something she was not saying.


"No, we'll be inside. Okay, bye Dad!" Cassie waved and escaped, ignoring her father call after her. She slipped into the car and drove away. Her father didn't come after her, simply standing in the hallway suspiciously.


She got to Shayne's place at about 8:15. The party was already going on, with the music pumping as loudly as ever. His house was in the shadow of the trees, blocking the last of the daylight. The lights were effectively dimmed, and the furniture was already pushed to the side to make room. The kitchen was crowded already with people waiting for their alcohol. Cassie found Maya quickly, and convinced her to stay towards the front to find Blake and her friend's date when they showed up.

 

[ichthys]

Blake spent the rest of his morning and afternoon hanging around the house with Sarah who decided the two should have a competitive game on the xbox they shared in the living room. Once it got closer to the time Blake should've been getting ready to head to the party he changed and said good bye to his sister. His mom had stayed home this Saturday and offered to drop him off at the shop so he could pick up his jeep. She hadn't asked where he was going- though he had told her he would be at a party until some time tonight- and Blake was partly relieved. His mother hardly ever pried, she would ask where or what he was doing and unless he lied she didn't press for details. Oddly enough his mother trusted him, at least enough to not make stupid choices. Blake didn't intend to drink at the party, he had only drank a few times and he didn't really like it much. He definitely didn't like what alcohol did to people.


Once he got out of his mom's little car and gladly picked up his newly painted jeep it was already around eight. Blake quickly picked up his phone to use it to get himself to Shayne's place. The trip didn't take long and he arrived at around 8:45, he didn't get turned around on the way there so that was an accomplishment. Parking his jeep in an available place Blake jumped out and locked the vehicle before he walked up to the house. He could hear the music at it's cranked up volume as soon as he got out of his jeep and he smiled as he opened the door and felt the music wash over him. The house was in full party mode, people all around Blake were drinking or dancing or talking. Blake wouldn't be surprised if couples were hiding somewhere making out. Shrugging his shoulders to pull his jacket around him Blake looked around to see if he could find Cassie. He walked around a cluster of teenagers as he distractedly listened to the music playing, trying to make out any lyrics over the sound of people and the blaring bass.

 

[SecretsInTime]

Cassie spotted Blake before he saw her. She and Maya had been loosening up. Maya's date had shown up and gotten them all shots. Just one thing Blake didn't know about Cassie was that she could handle alcohol. Maya was a horrible influence on her as a teenager. In middle school, Cassie did just one bad thing - practiced drinking. Maya drank because it was fun, but Cassie had a little more each time to avoid getting drunk. She was analytical - she liked fun and being looser with the drink, but not being incapable of control. Therefore, she'd never been fully drunk or unable to drive - she had researched each time and knew that drinking enough water and waiting an hour after her last drink made it safe for her. Her high metabolism and tolerance made this true. She'd done this plenty of times. Right then, her tolerance was about two shots and a beer, partially because she hadn't drank in a while.


With this in mind, she had just the one shot before Blake showed up. She had a bottle of water in her hand, washing it down. She knew the drill. She walked up to Blake casually and waved a little. Maya watched happily from a little bit over.


"Blake! I was wondering if you would actually show. I don't ever know what to expect from you." She teased. She gestured behind her. "If it's not too much, you can meet my best friend, Maya?" Maya waved excitedly, tugging on her date's arm. He seemed to stare in a different direction.

 

[ichthys]

Blake turned to see Cassie walking up to him and smiled as she waved and stood in front of her, looking at her with a carefree smirk at her teasing. He looked her over, noticing the dress and earrings and smiled. She looked pretty tonight, well, Blake thought she had always looked pretty but tonight she looked a bit more so. He liked the color of her dress and how it brought out the color of her eyes. Plus her hair was a really pretty red and Blake swallowed before he let his surveying eye and thoughts get too out of hand.


"Yeah well, I figured I would get something out of it so I might as well show up." Blake said with a sarcastic smirk. He found her comment about not ever knowing what to expect funny, it also made him feel a bit proud and happy that he was unpredictable to her.


When she asked him if he wanted to meet her friend Blake followed her gesture spotting who he assumed was Maya. "Sure, after you." Blake waved his hand in front of himself, giving Cassie a joking grin. "See, I can be a gentleman."

 

[SecretsInTime]

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. So chivalrous," she laughed. Cassie led Blake to her very excited best friend, who was practically jumping up and down. "Hi Blake! I'm Maya. This is my date Jared, I'm sure you know him." While Jared was as mindless as Jake and his best friend, he was never outwardly mean to anyone. He was just really... Simple, Cassie guessed you could say.


Jared turned to Maya. "I think the DJ is taking requests. Wanna come with me?" He asked, and Maya practically pulled him in that direction. She blew a quick kiss to Cassie in goodbye, and left her and Blake there.


"She's a little crazy." Cassie rolled her eyes, laughing. "She's excited now so I can't blame her, but other times I can."


"So what do you like to do first at parties, Blake? You seemed curious that I would ever be in this setting, so tell me what you do at parties." She smirked, tilting her head a little.

 

[ichthys]

Blake smirked as he followed her, enjoying her laughter and comments. He stood a little awkwardly next to Cassie as he was introduced to her friend and her date. He smiled politely at Maya, his eyes dancing with amusement at her exuberant behavior. When he was made aware of Jared he gave the other guy a nod. He knew who Jared was and he didn't have much of a problem with him, he didn't do much to bother Blake. Seeing Jared there though made Blake wonder if Jake was around as well. He supposed the bully might be but he dropped the queries when Cassie started speaking to him.


"Oh so she's always like that? I thought maybe they let her loose with a few bottles." Blake responded teasingly watching Cassie laugh. His expression broadened with a wide, goofy smile at the sound of her laughter and he moved his hands from hanging limply at his side and crossed his arms. "Me? Uh...Well...." Blake looked at Cassie with a sideways glance. "The music is pretty nice, do you dance?" Blake said cryptically, giving her a bashful look though he tried to hide it with his usual smirk. "Or you know, we could just stand here and talk?"


Blake didn't have a set agenda when he went to parties. He did whatever he wanted. A few times he had flirted with girls- a few of which had been a little buzzed or completely drunk. Otherwise he hung around, drank something that usually contained little or no alcohol and sometimes he would hang out and dance or something.

 

[SecretsInTime]

Blake's slightly shy smirk sent Cassie's heart flipping in midair. Normally she'd probably hesitate, but tonight she decided to take Blake up on his offer. "I dance, but you can't judge me on my skill level." She chuckled. "AP students can't be good at everything in the world." With the alcohol loosening her thoughts, she took Blake's hand and pulled him into the dancing area. She felt the warmth coarsing through her veins, almost like adrenaline. When they were near enough to the music, the song changed and Cassie began.


Cassie wasn't bad at dancing when she was loose enough. Dancing is all a confidence game - if you are self conscious, it doesn't work out and you seem awkward. If you let it go, even if you don't use the greatest moves, it turns out alright, Cassie had some good moves to use when she wanted. She beckoned after Blake to come farther onto the floor, twirling a little with a bright smile.

 

[ichthys]

"I'll try to keep the scores above a five." He bantered back, giving her a carefree smirk. "That's surprising though. I thought you excelled at everything." Blake smiled teasingly at Cassie, giving her his hand as she dragged him to the dance floor.


Feeling her hand around his made his stomach flood with that new, nervous feeling. He looked at her as she started to dance and smirked before stepped up to her and moving along to the music as well.


He wasn't a terrible dancer. He could say he owed his sister a little bit of credit for that, she had always wanted to mess around and dance with him when she was younger. The memories made him grin again and he looked at Cassie with a bright eyed expression. As he did, watching her twirl and smile, Blake almost laughed at her. She seemed very different here, dancing with him at a party, than she did at school, even teasing and messing around with him in the office.


He honestly really enjoyed her, her company, her personality. With an inward chuckle he even admitted that her dance moves weren't that bad. Casually Blake moved a little closer, wanting to close the gap between them but not getting too near to her.

 

[SecretsInTime]

Cassie was pleasantly surprised by Blake's dancing. He wasn't awkward or stiff, and he seemed to know how he needed to move. She smirked, wondering whether he'd practiced this. She knew she had, but from being at other parties.


There was something about music when it surrounded her, made her feel like she was inside of it, that made Cassie careless and free. She danced and swayed easily to the rhythm, feeling it in her muscles. She wondered why she secretly picked up painting rather than learning an instrument, forgetting about practicality when she danced.


She did notice Blake moving closer to her, and without hesitation closed some more of the space. She didn't mind being so close to him then, as compared to when she accidentally was on the bench that day. His facial expressions were amused, which she figured was at her, but they made her happy. Just to have him with her in the room, even with all the other people, had her heart skipping. That was probably the alcohol talking, though, now that she thought about it.

 

[ichthys]

Blake looked at Cassie when she moved closer to him and flashed her a smirk. He felt really calm dancing with her and not really very nervous though when she stepped closer he felt that nervous thrill in his stomach. As he danced in front of her, mostly at the moment just moving side to side to the movement of the music, Blake watched her sway to the music. He didn't quit grinning and simple danced with Cassie, a happy smile on his face.


Blake didn't really try to look around while they danced, he mostly kept his eyes on Cassie, watching the way her dress swirled around her legs as she swayed or twirled. He brought his eyes level to hers and smiled broadly. He wondered if the music was too loud or if maybe he could lean forward and whisper in her ear. He didn't want to shout and he felt like he might need to raise his voice above a quiet tone in order for her to hear him.


The instinctive, spontaneous side of Blake won out after the few seconds of mental debate and Blake closed the remain space, leaving about two or so inches between them. Leaning over so his cheek was next to her own Blake whispered in her ear.


"You look really pretty AP." Blake had whispered the words in her ear before he registered exactly what he was doing. Pulling away as soon as he finished speaking he stepped back, giving her space and looking a little sheepish. He looked back up at her and managed a smirk, his eyes still holding an embarrassed light but he looked somewhat pleased and completely genuine.

 

[SecretsInTime]

Blake's amusement spurred Cassie on, trying new things and sweeping her hair away from her face. Her smile didn't seem to falter, as the music picked up its tempo.


Blake leaned in, and Cassie held her breath in anticipation. His comment, right next to her, sent chills down her spine, and her smile turned a little mischievous as he backed away. With her new confidence, she found herself only warm with excitement rather than her face heating up. His slight embarrassment after that only made her adore him even more.


Since Blake was taller than her, it would be harder to carry out her little plan, but she didn't let that bother her. She stepped forward to close the gap again, and lifted her cheek to his like he had done. She placed her hands on his shoulders so she could support herself on her tiptoes. Once this was finally arranged, she said "You're not looking shabby yourself, Jailbird." Her hand trailed on his jacket a little longer before she took her place on the ground again, maybe a little closer now. This confidence was way out of her personality, and she'd probably regret her actions tomorrow, but for now she'd let herself go. It wasn't too often she would.

 

[ichthys]

Blake grinned, his head slightly ducked, though he was still looking sheepish. He didn't entirely regret his action though. He could feel his heart racing still and he knew his neck and cheeks might be pink tinted. His hand was instinctively and habitually twitching to grasp his earlobe. He ignored the urge though and looked up with a cautious smirk.


As he looked up at Cassie she stepped closer to him and Blake tensed a little as she put her hands on his shoulder and her cheek next to his. He relaxed himself, unloosening his shoulders especially when she held onto him, feeling the light pressure of her hands. As he heard her voice in his ear Blake couldn't help but smile, that strange new feeling spilling through him. When she pulled away he felt a slight sting of disappointment but he focused on her hand trailing along his jacket, loving the sensation.


He smiled with renewed energy, titling his chin down so he could make eye contact with her and noted how close they stood. He didn't argue though and looked at her, drinking in the color of her hair and eyes. His heart beat was double now and he was dreading the thought of moving from this exact spot.


"Jailbird, huh? Did you really pick a nickname for me? I'm touched." Blake murmured his humorous remark with a casual smirk, not wanting to ruin their moment but also wanting to say something despite it.

 

[SecretsInTime]

Their closeness was absolutely perfect. Cassie's hands were on fire after she held onto Blake, and she wanted closer, more, all of the above. That was beginning to be all she could think about - getting closer, feeling more, making one more step. His eyes drove her crazy, and his hair was just messy enough to frame his face in the right way. She was insane with all these thoughts, and in the back of her mind her sensible self scolded her. The negative was drowned out by every other sensation.


"Well, you picked one for me first..." She responded, getting the closest she could get to him without actually doing anything. "And I think mine suits you well. I couldn't let a perfect nickname go to waste." She smiled softly, heart beating off the charts, and just when she thought she would finally close that gap...


"Watch out!" Someone yelled from the left, and some student with beer all down his front was stumbling right toward them. He tripped and almost fell on Cassie, but luckily she backed away just in time. He laid almost face-first on the ground, and a bunch of kids laughed and picked him up, talking about how wasted he was. Cassie, obviously, was extremely annoyed, and her face said it all. She looked almost disappointedly at Blake, especially when Maya appeared from nowhere.


"Cassie!! Did you see that?" She laughed, oblivious to what was about to happen for her best friend. She grabbed Cassie's elbow and began to drag her away from the dancing area, to the kitchen. "C'mon, I think it's time for another drink. Bring your friend." She hinted, winking at Cassie, though she was too tipsy to realize that she couldn't bring him when she was dragging Cassie away. Because of this, Cassie could only look pointedly at Blake and gesture for him to follow.


When they got to the kitchen, Maya grabbed a bottle of beer and popped it open for herself. She gestured for Cassie to take one, but the redhead didn't want to have to carry around a drink. Since she knew that Maya wouldn't give it up until she drank something, she grabbed a bottle of water and a shot of tequila. She downed the alcohol in one quick motion, feeling the warmth travel through her, and smiled at Blake when she noticed him. She gestured around her, wondering if he wanted a drink as well, as she unscrewed the water. She still needed to balance out her levels.

 

[ichthys]

Blake looked down at Cassie, feeling his heart continue to race. The way she was looking at him out him on edge, in a good way, but on edge nonetheless. He stayed still as she moved closer, listening to her speak with a quirky smirk on his face. His gaze was glued to her blue eyes as he listened to her, feeling her words and the dwindling space between them send a buzzing down his back.


He was pleasantly overwhelmed by her nearness and smiled in amusement at her, his heart beating as she smiled up at him.


And then the moment vanished as the drunken teen collapsed between them. Blake moved away and to the side just as Cassie pulled back as well. Looking down with a blank expression and moving away again as others hoisted the unconscious boy away Blake felt a wave of regret and disappointment.


Blake turned his attention back to Cassie and caught her own look of disappointment. Giving her an equally dissatisfied and regretful look before Maya bursts in and pulled her away.


Still shaking off the feelings from before and after their interrupted moment Blake followed Cassie. Skirting around people and catching up with them in the kitchen Blake gave her a smile, reaching her side and standing roughly a foot beside her, reaching over the counter to grab a can of pop that was sitting out to be drank. He didn't really want to drink anything and he glanced at the can. It was a Mountain Dew can and Blake frowned, setting it back down. He wasn't thirsty, though he didn't mind the drink. He turned to lean against the counter and watched Cassie down her shot of liquor.

 

[SecretsInTime]

Since the moment was ruined, Cassie didn't know how to rejuvenate it or even bring it up. She settled for letting it go, especially as the shot settled into her veins. Cassie gulped down some of the water and looked almost curiously at Blake. He didn't seem too shocked that she was able to drink, let alone without any trouble, while most people were, especially with her reputation. She walked a little closer so he could hear her better, though it was much quieter in the kitchen.


"So the good girl can handle her liquor." She started for him, placing a hand on her hip. "Are you surprised?" She asked simply, tilting her bottle a little with a smirk. "It's not every day the straight-A's girl with the insane father drinks." She would explain to Blake later if he asked that she was cautious and never drank too much to be incapacitated, but for now seeing some surprise on his face would be fun.

 

[ichthys]

Blake turned his attention to Cassie as she came up and spoke to him. He twisted around so his back was resting against the edge of the counter and he regarded her with a closed expression, his arms loosely crossed.


In truth Blake had been a little bit surprised to see her drinking though not shocked as he supposed he probably should've expected it. Thinking about it though he was a little surprised at her personality now and wondered if it was the drinking or just that the party had loosened her up. In that regard he did furrow his brow in a look of study and although he didn't look wholly surprised he gave her a smile of amusement.


"I guess the good girl's not so good." Blake retorted, leaning his head towards her ever so slightly a devilish smirk on his face. Mostly just so she could hear him as he gently spoke but also because the recent memory of their nearness was still fresh in his mind. "As for surprised, not terribly. I'm just glad you aren't as out of it as your friend." He commented, looking pointedly at where Maya was or had been last he paid any attention.

 

[SecretsInTime]

Cassie followed Blake's finger and laughed with his implications. "Yeah, Maya doesn't really care about safety if you couldn't tell," she explained. "I keep it in moderation. It's good for a rush but not for anything past that. Tastes pretty good once you're used to it though." She pointed out, tipping the bottle of water towards Blake in her point. "Water keeps the freak-out to a minimum. Maya hasn't caught onto that." She smiled and took another drink. She may be slightly bad by drinking, but she was still uptight enough to never let it get out of hand. She was still a good girl at the core.


During this time, Jake had popped into the kitchen for a drink. His last three beers had disappeared all too soon, and the effects weren't strong enough for him yet. While there, he noticed Cassie and Blake's banter. So the slacker had a thing for her, and she fell for it... He thought jealously, and forgetting about the beer on the counter, walked up to the two. 


"So the failure is better than me, Cassie?" Jake immediately accuses as he walks closer, keeping a stare on Blake. "I don't see it. I really don't." He shook his head. "Would you rather go to Homecoming with this slob than me? I know you like me, so just stop with the hard-to-get act." He smiles devilishly, turning his attention to the redhead. Cassie had by now backed up in disgust, smelling the strength of alcohol on him. He'd obviously drank a lot more than she had. 


"Give it up, Jake. I would rather -" She was cut off by Jake grabbing her arm and pulling her closer to him. "Get off of me! Are you insane?" She pulled on his iron grip and away from his grasp the best she could. She didn't want to be desperate and ask for Blake's help, and she was sure they'd both cause a scene from this if she did, but it looked like she needed him.

 

[ichthys]

Blake looked at Cassie as she spoke, his expression a blend of his usual smug grin and his eyes watched her with a look of pure enjoyment and a hint of entertainment. He found it slightly amusing that Cassie drank, not because her drinking was funny but because she was still her uptight, rule following, "good girl" persona, even while drinking at a party. Blake smiled and gave a small chuckle and was about to say something in reply to her comments when they were interrupted.


When Jake, who seemed more drunk than sober, came barging in glaring at Blake the dark haired rebel clenched the counter edge tightly with one hand while the other one balled into a fist at his side. He set his jaw and glared right back at Jake as the bigger guy started his sneering comments. Blake glanced over at Cassie for a brief second when Jake started confronting her. His gaze whipped back to Jake though when he pulled her to him. Blake pushed himself off of the counter and stepped closer to Jake, his indignation at the jerk's mistreatment of Cassie making him forget all else.


"Let go of her!" Blake snapped, gritting his teeth as he glared with barely restrained fury at the tormentor. Blake had had enough of Jake already. The first time he barely managed to keep from getting involved in a fight. In recollection it was only due to Cassie that he hadn't. But this time there was no school board threatening suspension if he slugged Jake a time or two or for that matter completely wrecked him. His fists were ready at his sides, knuckles stark white, as he looked at Cassie out of the corner of his eye, his main focus still nailed on Jake. His built up hatred of the jock was flooding his mind and in the moment Blake could hardly think of anything other than smashing his fist into his face...repeatedly. He was also largely concerned with Cassie, probably more than just his usual hatred for Jake seeing as the last few encounters had involved her, and his rising temper made him unconcerned for anything else.