Side Effects

Chapter Four: Powerful,

Logan's POV

*Amelia is very relevant in this chapter, and this picture of Nina Dobrev reminded me of how I imagined Amelia to look like*

"You actually behaved at a party. I'm impressed." Jared admitted, sitting down on the couch slowly. Ever since he stopped drinking for the night, his movements have been grandpa-like. Guess he wasn't drunk anymore.

The party had ended an hour ago, but our gang was still around somewhere. Just like any old typical high school party, people were getting high, getting drunk, and getting laid. For once, I had only participated in one of the three. It usually was a grand total of two out of three, but something about tonight was different.

The giggles erupting from the kitchen disrupted my thoughts, particularly one laugh I want used to hearing. I followed the sound absentmindedly, knowing the owner without having to see a face.

"Leave me alone! What did I do to you!" Halia squealed, hitting Wes's back repeatedly with a very strong punch.

It appeared that Wes had thrown Halia over his shoulder.

I chuckled, passing Wes and hitting him on the butt, letting him know that he was doing something right. Halia did not take the gesture lightly, and started pushing her weight on Wes's left shoulder, trying to get near me.

"Hey, lady, stop trying to abuse your new friends. Especially Logan. He's only an ordinary basketball player. Nothing can beat my football manliness." Wes said, hauling her around me. That didn't work.

I felt a hard smack on the back of my head, and I instantly whipped my hand back to cover the spot. She had a very very very powerful hand for such a small girl, I thought, looking back at her with a menacing glare.

Charlotte and Evan flirted by the overly huge island in the kitchen, Evan smacking her butt and Charlotte tittering with disapproval.

"Stop being a jerk!"

"Stop being a bitch!"

They probably translated that into their own unique version of "I love you", I thought, observing them from afar.

I felt a presence come next to me, making me turn and seeing Halia analyzing them as well. The look on her face was similar to mine when I looked at Evan and Charlotte together; a smirk with a side of wow those idiots are idiots.

"You see it too." Halia said, leaning against the fridge and looking up at me.

I nodded, watching her blue eyes flick over my face. I took her in; she wore a pink shirt that Amelia called a crop top, and a set of really short shorts that practically forced you to stare at her wide expanse of legs. She was hot, and I was hot for her.

I heard a tsk, and saw Halia turn her smirk onto me. "Keep your eyes up here, buddy."

"You're kind of making it hard to." I admitted, using her own weapon against her as I raised an eyebrow.

"Anyway," I started, turning so that I could face her, "how do you like it here in Jenner so far?"

Halia turned her head slightly to the left, thinking,"My family used to move around a lot. Finally settling somewhere so iconic to California, I found that I didn't want to explore the iconic things right away. That's probably why you haven't seen me around much. Other then that? It's charming and exactly the perfect place for me at the moment."

"Yeah, you kept to yourself. Don't worry about it, we'll take care of you, show you around. Get you accompanied with our favorite beach."

"I already have one. It's Blind Bea---"

"Getting well acquainted I hope?" Amelia interrupted, brushing past Halia with a grin on her face. She swiftly moved to where Evan was pissing off Charlotte.

Halia blinked twice, and continued,"Yeah. Blind Beach. I run on the beach and trails a lot."

"You run?"

"Yes I run. I was on the cross country and track team at my old school." She shrugged, looking away with glazed eyes.

Crap. Guess I screwed up that moment we were sharing, I thought.

I excused myself from our conversation, and made my way to the hallway bathroom as my escape. I closed the door, locked it, and slid down the other side. I'd talked to her for a few minutes and I had no air left on my lungs to breathe. Their was chemistry, sure, but...why did she close off at the mention of her past?

My eyes glanced around the familiar line of the bathroom. The walls were eggshell blue, with a random drawing of a yellow bird on the wall opposite of the door. That wall also had the toilet and sink, and the wall adjacent had the tiniest shower, other then the shakes they have at the beach, of course.

Beaches and California in the same sentence were such a stereotype throughout the world, but here in Jenner, we took our beaches seriously. Living in a small beach town probably does that to people, I thought. I thought back to Halia and I's brief conversation, and how she mentioned Blind Beach.

Only Halia would choose the beach that most tourist wouldn't visit, I thought, knowing that she preferred no attention and constantly avoided conversation. The fact that she liked running tickled the back of my mind. Somebody else I had cared for loved running at that beach as well.

It had been a while since I had thought about Marietta.

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Furious knocks came from the door I leaned on. I had been too deep in my thoughts to realize someone was even knocking. Remembering the situation with doors I had witnessed earlier, I quickly got to my feet and listened to make out who could be knocking.

"Dear god. Open the fuck up Logan. I swear to god if you're relieving yourself from your Halia sexual tension---I saw the way you two were ogling each oth---" Amelia stopped as I opened the door.

"Rambling to yourself as usual, Amelia? Wait, I see a gray hair. Gasp!" I squeezed past her and out into the hallway.

Amelia looked ready to explode, so I quickly apologized, begging for her forgiveness and repeating that she was my bestest friend ever.

She sourly looked at me in the eyes, "Dude. Get over yourself." She turned and went inside the bathroom. "Save your apologies for Halia, you're going to be begging her for much more then mercy." Winking, she locked the door behind her.

Wes came down the hall, laughing quietly at what Amelia said. "Is she always horny, or does she always just talk about sex?" He questioned.

Halia was next to enter the hallway. "I wouldn't call her condition as horny." She replied, glancing at the door and back to me.

"What were you doing in the bathroom anyway? We were all looking for you, ya know." Halia said, quirking her eyebrow at me again.

"How is Jared doing? He seemed ready to crash onto the couch earlier." I changed the subject, receiving as surprised look from Halia and a knowing look from Wes.

Wes suggested that we'd better go ahead and see. The three of us marched out of the hallway
and into the living room, looking at each couch for any sign of our big buddy Jared.