Mason drove under the speed limit in his charger. It was such an expensive car for a college student to be driving, but it was nice. I feel the leather console with my fingertips. 

I wonder how he can afford this. I thought the only job he had was with the band. I guess there's a lot i don't know about him.

Neither of us spoke until I felt the awkwardness gnawing at me so bad I had to speak up.

"I'm sorry for being a pansy ass and ruining your shirt." I pointed out the black mascara stains on his otherwise crisp white shirt.

"Don't apologise. You're far from a pansy ass. And I'm pretty sure they have this amazing invention called the washing machine which I hear works miracles." He laughed, looking down at his shirt and then back up at the road. I giggled a little bit imagining him doing laundry.

"Well, I don't usually cry, especially in front of anyone." I bit the inside of my cheek remembering how not long ago I was sobbing like a five year old.

"Would it make you feel better if you said your eyes were leaking instead?" I smiled running my fingers underneath my eyes.

"I think I'll go with that theory."

Mason pulled up out the front of the dorms and shut off the engine. He turned to face me and rested one arm on the steering wheel. I'd never been alone in a car with a guy, let alone one I thought was devastatingly attractive. I crossed my arms not knowing what to do in this sort of situation.

"Do you want to come and work with the band tomorrow? Say, lunch time?" He asked running his fingers through his scruffy dark hair.

"I do, but can I ask you one thing Mase?" He nodded and waited patiently.

"Why are you helping me out so much?" I blurted out. He cocked his head to the side with a small frown forming between his brows.

"I saw you on my first day, you were with 3 different girls. Why help ME out? I'm not anything special. Especially compared to those other girls." I looked down at my fingers flecked with smudges of dried mascara. He touched my fingers slightly.

"But you are different. Any other girl would have jumped at the chance to see me play live and sleep with me afterwards, but you..." He smiled and shook his head.

"You called me disgusting... and I loved it."

"You like being called disgusting?" I frowned, confused. He laughed and ran his hand through his thick hair.

"I like how honest you are. I can tell you're hiding something, but I also know there's a brutally honest side to you as well. You're unpredictable and I love that." He took my dog tag in his hands and ran his fingers over the edging.

"You think I'm hiding something?" I press my lips together. I can guarantee him he would never even be able to guess the things i'm hiding.

"I don't think, I know. I have a past that I keep hidden too Quinn. I know a fellow hider and you, tinny, are keeping your cards very close." He said looking straight into my eyes dropping the silver chain back against my chest. I swallowed, afraid of being found out.

"I'm not asking you to throw all your secrets at me, but at least let me show you that you can trust me. If I can do that will you promise to open up?" He raised one eyebrow with a smirk on his face.

"Okayyy..." I said with my eyes squinted, sceptical that he could do anything that would make me trust him enough with my secrets.

"But just so you know, I'm locked tighter than Pandora's box. There's some things even Lexi doesn't know." A massive grin spread from cheek to cheek on his face.

"Challenge accepted." He licked his lips and rubbed his hands together. I shook my head at his enthusiasm and opened the car door.

"Tomorrow at noon?" I asked.

"See you then beautiful." He winked. I rolled my eyes smiling and shut the door.

When I walked through the front door Lexi hugged me so my arms were pinned to my sides.

"Sorry." She held her hands up.

"I'm just so glad you're okay! Did Mason drive you?' She asked with her hands on her hips in a mum-like fashion.

"Yes mother and no I didn't let him get to second base." I mimicked her stance. She squealed and started shaking her hands in the air.

"He kissed you?!? You kissed him?!? You exchanged saliva?!?"

"Is that what first base is?" I asked.

"Well duh sister Mary, what else would it be?" She stood waiting for my answer, hanging on to every word.

"Well then, no. But I did cry all over his t-shirt." I shrugged.

"Aww Quinnie, that's so cute. Sad, but cute." She cooed.

"Anyway, I'm working with the band tomorrow at lunch. Coming?" I asked, taking my P.J's out or as I liked to call them 'jim jams'.

"I don't need an excuse to perve on my boyfriend. I am definitely coming." She looked into thin air, more or less fantasising about him. I raised my eyebrows.

"So you guys are official now?" I got undressed and slipped on my jim jams.

"Uh-huh. It seemed like the wrong time to tell you before" She nodded proudly.

"But I swear I'm gonna try and wait at least a month this time before I give up the goodies though, It's hard because he's so damn hot, I just want to run my tongue all over his body and..." I stuck my fingers in my ears.

"Lalalalalala not listening!" I saw her shoulders shaking up and down with laughter while I backed up to my bedroom. I pulled one finger out to make sure it was safe and then removed the other.

"I'm happy for you Lex. Maybe you can give me some pointers when I'm ready for all that stuff." I said leaning in the doorway.

"Girl, you'll be the kama sutra queen when I'm done with you. She waved confidently. I chuckled at her hand gestures and we said goodnight.

It's not like I hadn't had sex before, I was just very inexperienced. I was brought up to believe that even kissing was wrong unless you were married to the person. I'd only kissed and had sex with one guy before in my life and that was a night I'd rather forget. I stupidly decided to drink alcohol for the first time. I figured since I was 20 I should give it a try since everyone at school had had their first drink at around 16. I don't remember too many details but I woke up in a random guys bed and saw our clothes strewn across the floor so I put two and two together. I cried for half an hour while he laid passed out in his bed and I took my clothes and ran all the way home at 2 in the morning. Not exactly the type of first time you really want to be telling people about. I haven't had a drink since.

A week later the word got out. The passed out guy I found myself next to was none other than Chase Jenkins, the church administrator's son. Of course he bragged to all of his football friends that he screwed the pastors daughter. There's always two sides to a story and no one wanted to hear mine. That was the straw that broke the camels back when it came to my parents. They believed the town gossip before attempting to even ask me what happened. According to them it was just one crime in a long line of offences I had committed against the family name. It was clear that drinking and I would never mix.

I flicked off my light and fell into bed. As soon as I hit the soft sheets I let out a big groan. 

Man I want to marry my bed right now. 

I shut my eyes and flicked through the content of the day in my mind. I'd lost my family but gained some amazing friends which I now considered my family. Life wasn't going the way I'd planned but I wasn't unhappy about it either. It reminded me of what Jim said to me. 

Life gives you what you need when you need it. 

With that comforting thought I drifted off.