Adrenaline.

1.

He was an enigma,
and she wasn't.

He had many secrets,
and she had one.

He was a protector,
and she needed protection.

He had broad, muscular shoulders,
and she needed one to cry on.

He was alive,
and she was empty inside.

But he gave her that rush of adrenaline,
which she needed to survive.

O N E

✧

Nova's P.O.V.

I was shaken abruptly. Gasping loudly, I sat up and looked around the room. Small, colorful blurs of light danced around the room as my eyes tried to adjust. I brought my fists to my eyes and rubbed them softly, hoping to regain my vision and sanity. My best friend, Beverly, stood there. Her hands were firmly placed on her hips and a frown of disapproval cascaded onto her perfectly pink, bee-stung lips. Her eyebrows were stitched together, and she was shaking her head.

"How on earth did you get in here?" I wailed, as I picked up my pillow and chucked it at her face. I glanced at the clock and it was one o'clock in the morning. A smile played on her lips, and she lifted up her finger, revealing my spare key dangling from the tip of her acrylic nail. I huffed and laid back down, throwing my blanket over me.

"Come on, Nova!" she beamed. She walked over and ripped off my blanket, revealing my unamused face. She scoffed and sat down next to me. Inching closer to me, she grabbed my cheeks, and touched our noses together. "You can't hide from the world forever, Nov," she whined. She let out a sigh laced with disappointment, and let go of my face. I sat up and glanced at her, noticing the immense sadness that had washed over her face.

"Bev, I'm not hiding. I'm trying to sleep because it's—uh—1:04 in the morning," I sassed, not really caring about what she had to say.

She hasn't gone through half of what I've been through. She simply has no room to talk.

She sighed. "It's a Friday night! I miss the old you; the one who didn't let a simple picture ruin their life."

I scoffed.

"A simple picture? Is that what you call it?" I hissed, feeling anger entangle itself in my bones. The anger coursed through my veins, making it almost impossible to look into her eyes without feeling the impulse to slap the grin right off of her face.

The last time I went out, it wasn't what you would classify as a good time. What I had assumed to be the best night of my life, turned out to be the worst.

Where do I start, exactly?

"Take another shot!" he insisted, as he handed me a tiny glass filled with Bacardi. I stumbled over to him, taking the glass from his hands and dumped it into my mouth. My throat lit on fire and my stomach tried to fight back the small dose of liquid, but I persisted.

"Now, that's a good girl," he cooed as he rustled the top of my head. I smiled at him, taking in every inch of his gorgeous face. The alcohol had heightened my confidence, making me feel as if I was the only girl in the world. He flashed me his pearly whites and sent me a wink. Blushing, I sent him one back. I was so drunk that both of my eyes closed at once, making me look like a fool. But nevertheless, my heart fluttered. After all, he had been my crush for three years.