“Jade,” I groaned, feeling irritated with her rationalization. “You have to talk to him. I won’t allow you to drag my problems into your friendship with Reid. You know it’s stupid, and you love that boy too much to let it come between you.”

For the most part Jade’s expression remained annoyed, but understanding sparked in her eyes. I knew she loved him, despite never having said it, and I knew how devastated she would be if Reid was no longer in her life. I couldn’t be responsible for that.

“Just think about it, okay?” I pressed. “Reid must be going crazy. This is the longest the two of you have gone without some kind of talking.”

Slumping back into the sofa, Jade stared up at the ceiling. “I’ll call him.”

I smiled, and clapped my hands like an overzealous cheerleader. “Good. Now what are we doing for dinner?”

I stood up, waited for Jade to respond, and quickly walked to my room to put my phone on charge. When I saw the most ridiculous bouquet of red roses on my desk, I froze. Jade must have been following me, because her front hit my back as soon as my feet stopped moving.

“Oh that,” she muttered. “I forgot those came by for you while you were on campus.”

“Who are they from?” I asked. It couldn’t have been my father, and as far as I knew I didn’t have a secret admirer.

“I have no idea. They were delivered by a delivery boy from the flower shop, and I didn’t want to read the card.”

I moved towards my desk, racking my brain trying to figure out who would send me such an exquisite bouquet for no rhyme or reason. I plucked the card from between the rose stems, and pulled it out of the envelope.

I read over the note a second time, working through the uneven blend of emotions crashing inside my head. I was confused, and even a little surprised, but the feeling that reigned supreme was indignation.

Most girls would have melted on the spot at his gesture, but I wasn’t most girls. I wasn’t some game that needed to be won or a conquest that needed to be overcome or defeated.

“Never saw that coming,” murmured Jade.

It only took me a moment to decide what I was going to do. I looked at Jade over my shoulder. “Can you please text Reid, and find out where they are?”

“What are you going to do?” She asked, her voice laced with worry.

“I’m going to give Dane Winters exactly what he deserves,” I replied. After eyeing me with suspicion, Jade grabbed her phone and it only took five minutes for Reid to reply. The goofy look on her face after seeing his name flash on the screen didn’t go unnoticed, but I reserved my comment, archiving it for a later date, preferably one that didn’t include knocking a certain asshole off his pedestal.

“They’re in the Union,” said Jade.

“Perfect.”

And it really was perfect. I’d planned on doing this wherever he was, but having an audience was even better.

“You coming?” I asked, taking the ridiculous bouquet out of its vase.

With a sigh, Jade replied, “No. I have a feeling this is something you need to do on your own. Besides, I’m sure Reid will fill me in.”

I nodded once, walked out of our apartment and headed straight towards the student Union. It was a three story building, the bottom floor being the cafeteria, the second floor housing several campus stores, and the third was where the campus radio station had its studio. It was already 3p.m but the cafeteria was still bustling with activity.

The glass doors shut behind me, and I searched the sea of faces until my gaze zeroed in on Dane. He was sat at a table with a group of bulked up meat heads who I could only assume was the football team. On his lap sat a leggy red head, her legs tangled with his, and her breasts pressed against his chest. My traitorous heart jumped, altering my regular heartbeat into something more turbulent. He looked hot. Not even I was too proud to notice.

His grey V-neck t-shirt looked as if it was painted on, exhibiting the fine lines of his biceps, and his pecs. His hair was messy, his eyes bright with laughter. He looked comfortable, like an animal completely at ease in its own environment.

Sadly, that wasn’t going to last much longer.

I put one foot in front of the other, and strode towards Dane and his ‘peeps’. The roses he’d been so generous to buy me were perched on my arm, but as I got closer, I moved them and grasped onto the thick collection of stems with my hand.

Reid saw me first. Uncertainty darted across his face, and he tapped Dane on the shoulder, alerting him of my presence. Our eyes met, and he stopped his groping session with Red long enough to register that my visit wasn’t at all a friendly one. His eyes bounced between mine, and the roses in my hand.

“Kennedy,” he said, standing up. I stopped a foot in front of him, trying to calm my nerves. My empty hand was fisted against my thigh, and I could feel my nails digging into the flesh of my palm. Seeing Dane, being face-to-face with him, and standing so close only coaxed my anger.

Time passed as we stared at each other and we paid no mind to the people around us who had suddenly grown quiet.

I ended it with the first swing of my hand, hitting Dane in the chest with the bouquet. Collective gasps sounded around me, but I was too blinded by fury to care.

“What the fuck, Kennedy!” Dane yelled, lifting his arms to shield his chest. I swung again, feeling a sick sense of satisfaction when Dane flinched.

“Who the fuck do you think you are?” I shouted between hits. Petals hit the floor, and the thwack of the stems echoed around us. “You are a disgusting human being, and a pathetic excuse of a man. I’m not one of your fucking groupies, and I’m not someone who can be bought with a bunch of overpriced fucking flowers.”

“Jesus, what the hell is wrong with you?” He grunted, and stepped back. I matched his movement and moved forward.

“What’s wrong with me?” I laughed harshly. It was empty, and yet still carried a sardonic tone. “What’s wrong with you? You told some random guy I’m a hooker when we were at Kolony, then you kissed me like you meant it, and to top it all off, you then took some trashy waitress home and fucked her all night knowing that I could hear it through the walls of my bedroom. So I’ll ask you again, Dane, what.” Wack. “Is.” Smack. “Wrong.” Thwack. “With you?”

My chest heaved from exertion and my arm dropped to my side. Dane glared at me, his eyes hard and cold. His arms were red from where I’d continued to hit him, and I could make out a few welts from where the thorns had caught his skin. The cafeteria was completely soundless, save for my heavy breathing. Who knew hitting someone with a bouquet of roses was so damn tiring?

“Kennedy.” My name came out of his mouth as a growl, but instead of being menacing, it made my skin prickle with carnal awareness.

So not the time to be turned on, you idiot.

“I suggest you turn your ass around and leave,” Dane continued, “before you make an even bigger spectacle of yourself.”

With quivering muscles, I closed the gap between us, and looked up. “I’m not leaving until every single fucking person in the room knows what an asshole you are,” I replied. “I am done being your punching bag, and the ass of all your crude jokes. I let you get away with your childish bullshit in high school, but we aren’t in high school now, and I am not that girl anymore. I fucking hate you, Dane. You make me sick to my stomach and I swear to God, if you never speak to me again, it will be too soon.”

On the outside Dane’s expression was stoic, and I knew he wanted the world outside to think my words had no effect at all. But they couldn’t see his eyes – the way they billowed with every emotion he was feeling, ranging from his own anger to a heat so scorching it warmed my skin.