"That bitch!" Kathleen cried, angrily slamming her hands on the sill. "That rotten bitch!"
"I can't believe it," Danielle whispered.
Sera felt as if someone had socked her in the stomach as the two continued to talk. "Well, if he wants her," she choked out.
"Screw that!" Kathleen snapped.
Michelle reached out to touch Liam's shoulder flirtatiously, but he took a step back from her. Sera watched in amazement as he turned and walked away from her. Michelle stood for a moment before turning and walking the other way. "Good for him," Kathleen muttered. "I knew I liked him for a reason!"
Sera turned away from the window and sat on her bed. "I can't believe her," Danielle declared. "She's got a set of balls."
"No, she's a backstabbing bitch! Now I hope you realize what she is." Sera stared at Kathleen in confusion. "She's not worth being upset over."
Sera blinked and shook her head. "I'm not upset about her."
"Then what's the matter?"
"I don't know; I guess I'm confused."
"About what?" Danielle asked, sitting next to her and handing Sera her beer.
Sera took a long swallow and began to twirl the beer in her hand. "I don't know what just happened."
"What do you mean?" Kathleen demanded, hands on her hips.
Sera stood and walked back to the window. The street was empty now. "I don't know. I just don't know."
"Sera," Danielle said. "You're not making any sense."
"I've never met anyone like him," she murmured. "No one has ever made me feel that way. He looks at me, and I melt. He touches me, and shivers run up and down my spine. He kisses me, and the whole world disappears, and I feel... well, I don't know how to explain what I feel. All I know is I feel more for him in the past hour than anyone I've ever met. How is that possible?"
"I don't know; maybe it's the alcohol," Kathleen joked.
Sera put her beer down. "Maybe you're right, but I don't think so."
"That's a good thing," Danielle said forcefully. "Why are you questioning it?"
"I don't know; have you ever felt like that?"
"No."
"Then there's Michelle—"
"Don't tell me you're concerned about that tramp!" Kathleen cried.
"No, it's not that. I just don't understand what in the world he could want with me when he could have her?"
Danielle and Kathleen's mouths dropped open. "Because he has good taste," Kathleen answered dryly. "It's obvious to the rest of us what Michelle is; you're the one who refuses to see it."
"I see it now," Sera whispered.
But too late. She always saw things too late. She’d considered Michelle her friend; she’d trusted her. But, after everything that happened tonight, she knew her trust was misplaced. Just like it always was.
And now there was Liam. She didn't know what to make of him, or the way he made her feel. She hated feeling this way; it only led to suffering. She found herself torn between wanting to see him again, and hoping she never would. She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around herself as her body trembled with her torn emotions.
Liam walked back into the frat house. The music had been turned down; the lights were dimmed to give the home a more romantic vibe. Although, how anyone could feel like screwing in the jumbled mess of garbage, and the stench of beer, he didn't know. However, some people obviously did. He could hear more than one couple having sex in the dance room, and knew the thumps over his head weren't drunks falling.
"Hey, how'd it go?”
Liam turned as Mike came strolling in from the back room with a cute brunette tucked under his arm. She grinned up at Liam drunkenly as she leaned heavily against Mike's side. Jack and Doug followed behind him; a redhead was under Jack's arm, and a brunette under Doug's. "Fine," he replied absently.
Mike flashed a drunken smirk as he leaned against the banister. "Told you so."
Liam scowled at him. "Told him what?" Jack asked happily.
"About Sera."
"Oh," Jack replied, his forehead furrowed. "You shouldn't have even bothered to try; she doesn't give it up."
"I didn't try!" Liam barked. "And don't talk about her like that."
He was even more astonished than they were by the hostility in his voice, and the tension filling him. Mike lifted a blond brow questioningly but didn't say anything. Jack and Doug both stared at him with expressions of shock.
"Well," Doug was the first to recover. "There are some girls back there who are more than willing."
The brunette giggled as she wrapped her arm around Doug's waist. Liam couldn't help the sneer of revulsion curling his upper lip. He looked away from her, his gaze traveled down the hall to the back living room. He could hear voices coming from there, most of them female. For a minute he was tempted. He was still partially erect from his time with Sera, and he wouldn't mind having someone relieve him.
Growing hard again at the thought of Sera, he took a step toward them and then stopped. He suddenly realized he wasn't in the mood for one of those girls. Frowning, and suddenly annoyed, he turned back around and headed for the stairs. His emotions were a rioting mess he couldn't begin to fathom right now.
"Where ya going?" Jack slurred.
"To bed," he muttered.
"Are you serious, man? There are plenty of girls back there!"
"Hey," Mike snatched hold of Liam's arm before he could escape. "You all right?"
Liam's jaw clenched as he gazed at his friend. Mike's eyes searched his face in bewilderment. "No," Liam responded as he pulled his arm free. "I'm not."
He turned away and stalked up the stairs.
Chapter Three
Sera had slept in later than she'd planned, and now she was in a rush. She had to research her history report before meeting Kathleen and Danielle for lunch. Kathleen was still sound asleep when she'd left the room;
