Dangerous Vibes - Book I of the Dangerous Series [WATTY AWARDS 2012 FINALIST]

Chapter 12 - Guilt

Chapter 12 - Guilt

I struggled to get out of bed on Monday morning, still feeling the aftermath of Saturday night's booze session. I decided that I needed a few weeks break from alcohol, it certainly wasn't going to do my college brain any good. Although, that was what college was about, right? I mean sure you're there to learn for your career, but as far as I knew you're also there to fulfil the college life of partying and drinking way too frequently.

I sat with Will in the first lecture, not having seen Joel or his mates. It made me feel somewhat uneasy, not knowing where Joel was in the theatre. I'd wondered if he was watching me flirt with Will, the way that he had watched us at my party on the weekend.

I felt even more uneasy about seeing Lilly. She clearly hated Will but there I was sitting with him. I almost felt guilty for it, as if I'd chosen a side. But that was far from true. I planned on explaining the whole thing to Joel when I'd see him in the tutorial next.

Once the lecture was over I hugged Will goodbye, still not catching a glimpse of Joel, Ashton, Jordan or Lilly. I made my way to the tutorial, spotting Joel immediately. I cautiously took my usual spot next to him, feeling extremely anxious about the confrontation.

"Hey." I smiled apprehensively whilst taking my seat. He immediately turned and flashed me a wonderfully handsome and genuine smile, completely settling my anxiety.

"Hey Miranda. How are you today? How did Saturday end up? I'm so sorry I had to leave early..." He trailed off, studying my face while I studied his. He really was very good looking, his eyes so big and bright, and the cutest set of dimples.

"Um, yeah, it was fun. I'm so sorry about the misunderstanding between Lilly and Will. Before you say anything though I just want you to know that me being friends with Will won't affect my relationship with you or any of the guys, including Lilly." I stated seriously, not breaking eye contact with him.

"I know you think that he's some sort of aggressive psycho, but he's really not. Lilly must have seriously rubbed him up the wrong way. I mean, I can see how cold she can be to people she doesn't know, me in particular. I'm not taking sides here but I do value Will's friendship and I just hope you can respect that, because I do value your friendship too Joel." I declared. I felt quite relieved after getting that off of my chest. Joel was such a genuine guy that we continued on throughout the tutorial as if nothing had ever happened.

Tuesday dragged on again, being the longest day on my schedule. I was dreading the late morning tutorial that I knew I had with Lilly, and felt very anxious as I walked into the class room. "Hey Lilly." I said as I took a seat. She hesitated and took in a deep breath, before turning to face me.

"Hey, Miranda." She said, once again with a forced smile. I took this opportunity to cut straight to the chase.

"Look, Lil, I'm sorry about what happened on Saturday. Will really is a good guy. It just sucks that you two didn't hit it off too well..." I trailed off as she cut me off, a dead serious look consuming her face.

"Look, Miranda, I don't need your sympathy. I want you to know something though. Will isn't who he seems. You should be careful around him. I know that you and I don't really, well, get along, so this might come as a shock to you." She narrowed her eyes, sparking up my curiosity even more.

"I don't want to see something happen to you, because of Will. He's dangerous. Now, can we please drop the subject? I'd like to get on with these stupid exercises so we can get out early."

And that was that.

The class continued on as we silently worked through the exercises. I couldn't stop replaying what she had said to me, over and over again in my mind like some annoyingly addictive song on repeat. I had no idea what it had meant.