LYSSA GOES TO MARK

She smiled at her friend and waved her off. "I'm alright, you go ahead!" she said as her eyes glanced back to Mark one more time. Jenny followed her gaze, looking back to her and giving an encouraging wink.

"Good luck," Jenny whispered in her ear before she pulled away, disappearing into the living room dance party.

Lyssa steeled herself, taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, and approached her class crush. He was an average height, thin, with brown hair and a light dusting of freckles. He smiled at her again as she approached, a friendly warmth touching his eyes.

"Well if it isn't the straight-A student! Finally coming to party with us low achievers, eh?" He laughed, clumsily leaning in for a hug. It seemed like he had already been drinking a bit. Lyssa's breath caught in her throat as his arms wrapped around her, forcing out a nervous laugh at his good-natured ribbing.

"Yeah! My friend Jenny has been trying to get me to come to these things for forever, I just finally decided to take her up on it."

"Well its good to see you here! You'll have a ton of fun, trust me!" He took a sip of his drink, then stopped, as if he had just remembered something. "Oh god, I'm so rude. Lyssa, this my friend Jack! Jack, this is Lyssa, that smart girl who lets me steal all her test answers."

Mark winked at her playfully as he introduced his friend. Jack was taller than Mark, with dark hair and sharp features. He leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, showing off some definition in his biceps. His dark eyes looked up and down her body as Mark talked, a smirk on his lips that made Lyssa shiver.

She nervously took a drink from her cup, not realizing how strong she had mixed her drink. The overwhelming burn of the **** caught in her throat, causing her to cough violently, the drink spilling out of her mouth and making a huge mess.

Mark's eyes went wide, a concerned look on his face. "Shit Lyssa, are you ok? Hold on I'll go get a towel or something."

Lyssa leaned against the wall, heaving and sputtering, next to Jack. He put an arm around her in something that passed for support, but even through her coughing fit she suspected he was just trying to feel her up.

"Hey, you gotta slow down there. Do you need to come sit down?"

Jack gestured down the hall, where there were several doors; some open, some closed. She didn't really like the idea of being alone with Jack, but it would be nice to sit down in a quiet place for a little bit. If nothing else she just wanted to hide her embarrassment for making a mess of herself in front of Mark.