The Story Begins Here: NYU School Campus

"Yeah she helped me and kept me from passing out." James said to Evelyn.

***

Antonio had been exhausted from fighting with Seth, normally he wouldn't have but it was probably due to lack of sleep cause of exams, Antonio took off his white scarf and waved it as a surrender, "Tiggertopia surrenders!"

"WE WILL TAKE YOUR WOMEN AND CHILDREN AND KILL THE MEN!" Seth howled at Antonio, snatching his scarf and hopping in the snow in a victory jig. "BOW, WEAKLING!"

***

"Passing...wait, the drink made you pass out?" Evelyn demanded, eyes widening up at him. Her stomach clenched. Oh hell, what had she made?!

Antonio narrowed his eyes up at Seth and just kicked his legs out from underneath him in response.

***

"Okay not passing out, but it made me pretty dizzy." James realized he had maybe been being a little over the top there.

Seth wobbled but maintained his stand. "This war is OVER!" he informed Antonio dramatically. "You lose, England! The Germans have kicked your ass and demand all your M&Ms in compensation!"

***

Evelyn glared and punched James on the arm. "I'm already feeling guilty for doing that to you and you make it worse!"

"NEVER!!!!" Antonio hollered over dramatically in the snow, and he shivered some more since he was soaked.

***

James rubbed his arm, "Ow what the hell?! What do you feel guilty for? You didn't do anything for once!" James yelled at her.

In response, Seth dumped a huge ball of snow on Antonio's head like a snowman face substitute. "Oh, really?" He draped the scarf around Snowman Tony's neck.

Seth turned and took off toward the dorm building, laughing crazily.

***

Evelyn flinched and jerked back, startled. She recovered hastily, feeling her heartbeat skitter nervously for a second in slight fright. She glared and leaned over. "Why are you yelling at me?" she yelled back in his face. "I'M ONLY TRYING TO HELP YOU!"

Antonio shook the snow off of his face and got up, he took a running start and jumped onto Seth's back, "TAKE ME HOME!!"

***

"I'm YELLING cause you're frustrating me! And also because you hit me!" James yelled right back to her face.

Seth grunted and attempted to throw Antonio off. "MOVE OFF, BITCH!" He bucked like a rampaging bull, arms flailing, still running around campus and attracting the attention of almost every single person walking around.

***

Evelyn felt anger boil her blood and annoyance shot thorugh her. Was this guy serious?! Here she was possibly pissing off all her friends by trying to help him and he --

"YOU ARE SUCH A WUSS! YOU CAN'T TAKE A PUNCH?" she snapped in his face.

"CARRY ME HOME LIKE THE EGYPTIAN GOD I AM YOU CAESAR SALAD!" Antonio shouted into his ear, tightening his grip around Seth's neck.


***

"YOU'RE SUCH A BUTCH MAN THE WAY YOU PUNCH!" Was James' witty retort.

Seth gasped for air. He wobbled and kept running so he wouldn't fall over. "Gor IGALIANG!" he gasped out between breaths. "GO INSULG MAH ANGESTRGAL GIVALS!"

***

In response, Evelyn, reached up and yanked the bangs over James' forehead to test his manly strength. Still holding them, she leaned over in his face, "YOU'RE A PATHETIC EXCUSE FOR A MAN, JAMES DARKO! JAKE TAKES PUNCHES BETTER THAN YOU EVER COULD!"

"THIS IS SPARTA BITCH!!" Antonio retorted

***


James yelled out, grabbed Evelyn's hand and tried to get her to let go of his hair, "OH PLEASE! IF HE THROWS SUCH GOOD PUNCHES THEN HE WOULDN'T BE IN THE HOSPITAL!"

"SPARTA NEEDS TO LEARN TO WALK THEN!" Seth roared, and then began to spin in circles where he stood, arms out wide and cackling. "YOU'RE GOING DOWN, ITALY!"

***

Evelyn's temper rose, fury making her blood boil. James had a knack for angering her. Her hand under his warm fingers tightened and twisted his bangs, almost pulling them out despite his attempt to remove her grip. "KEEP TALKING, PRETTY BOY!" she snapped, nose-to-nose with him. "AND YOU'LL BE HIS NEW HOSPITAL ROOMIE!" Hell if some pretty-boy thought he could put her in her place when a towering, 6'4, short-tempered Spaniard hadn't been able to!

"IN YOUR DREAMS CAESAR SALAD!" Antonio yelled.

***

James grunted and did the only thing he could think of and grab Evelyn by the shoulders and shove her sideways off the bench that they both fell into a snow pile. "MAYBE THEY'LL LET YOU TWO SHARE A BED SO YOU CAN MAKE OBNOXIOUS SPANISH IRISH PIG HEADED CHILDREN!"

Seth continued spinning like a top, bright blond hair swinging wildly until.....

He toppled backward onto Antonio, legs in the air. "FUUUUCK! MAN DOWN!"

***

Evelyn had not been expecting this. She squealed and then it was muffled by a mouthful of snow when she landed on her side.

Once again in the same week, she was lying buried in snow. She felt a heavy weight on her arm and realized James' arm was squashing her shoulder into the snow. "YOU FREAKING JACKASS!" She sat up, pushing her loose hair out of her face and over her shoulders, and punched James' shoulder as hard as she could. After her experience with Jake, her punches had greatly improved. "YOU ARE SUCH A WIMP! YOU HAVE TO USE THE WEATHER TO TAKE DOWN A GIRL!" she screamed down at him.

"OOOOH SHITTT!!!" Antonio yelled as they both fell down into the snow.

***

James tried throwing off some of her punches, but god damn it! "YOU'RE SUCH A MAN!" James yelled as he grabbed her around the waist and with some difficulty rolled over with her so that he was on top of her now shoving snow into her face.

Seth landed on a cushioned ground - Antonio. He cackled and got to his feet, dusting himself off. "Sucker," he panted, suddenly exhausted after all that running and yelling. He bent over and braced both hands on his knees, grinning down at Antonio. "You gotta admit, that felt good during exams."

***

Evelyn did a combination of choking and squealing and then a whole lot and batting at James' hands as they shoved snow on her face. She suddenly realized she couldn't move, completely pinned down. Annoyance shot through her. The jackass was using his weight and height to an unfair advantage!

Evelyn opened her mouth to yell at him - and her lungs heaved up no air. She coughed and suddenly let out a slow tired breath of air. Oh no. It's here again. That old draining sensation had overtaken her. Her vision blurred with a mix of snow and weariness. Her head flopped back on the snow and for a second, she stopped fighting, letting her hands drop down on her sides and simply trying to restore the sudden energy drain. In her sight, James' blue eyes seemed to blur with the sky over his head as his face hovered over hers. Evelyn sucked in a breath of air, feeling her worn out lungs protest under his warm weight.

Antonio wiped the snow from his face and lifted himself off the ground brushing snow off of his jacket. That had been a lot of fun,and the headache Antonio had was gone suddenly. It did feel good to take a break from reading tiny font all night, "Yeah it was fun, and much needed. Thanks Seth." He smiled patting his arm.

***

James stopped when he felt Evelyn's body going limp underneath him, he gazed down at her eyes and they were closing. "Oh no no! Hey Ev! I'm sorry!" James panicked getting off of her, really freaking out! He didn't mean to hurt her they were just playing right?

"Hey Ev come on stay awake." James told her getting off of her and sitting by her side. What if she was getting sick? Because of rolling around in the cold? People did that.

James got on one knee and put his arms underneath her body and in one movement he picked her up, and stood up standing. "Here come on I'll take you inside I really am sorry!" He apologized for the millionth time, moving the loose bronze curls that clung to her face.

Seth smirked at Antonio, smacking his shoulder as tey headed back into the building. "You're pretty crazy when you let loose, Tig. And here I thought Ash was the fun twin," he taunted him.

***

Am I really that underweight that it's no mean feat just picking me up and carting me everywhere? Evelyn wondered dazedly. She felt nauseous as her world tilted vertical. She groaned and interrupted James' freak-out. "Put....put me down. Need solid ground....I'm all right," she informed him dazedly, more ill because of her elevation than because of whatever the hell was wrong with her.

Antonio stuck his tongue out at Seth, "Hey I can be fun too! That is when you and Jake aren't constantly scaring the crap out of me or flying into me with skateboards."

***

"Are you sure?" James asked raising an eyebrow he set her down gently onto the ground but kept his arm around her waist just to make sure she was steady. Also if she was going to pass out he could catch her.

"I do not scare the crap out of you!" Seth protested, furiously thinking back to ensure this was true. "I do the latter," he admitted sheepishly. He slung an arm around Tony. "You can't beat the Armada if you run off every single time, England. Gotta learn to kick Spanish butt sometime!"

***

Evelyn wobbled and wished he'd set her down on the bench instead. She nodded slowly, eyes scrunched closed to keep her balance and then opened them, blinking dazedly when James' stunning eyes filled her vision. She turned her head away and pulled back just a little, only then realizing he had an arm around her. Evelyn froze momentarily.

Okay, time to say what I wanted to and retreat! "I - I'm fine, James," she said shakily, not looking at him but speaking to the top button of his jacket instead. Way too close. His jacket was way too close. Evelyn swallowed uncomfortably. "Look, I had to tell you something and I got sidetracked. I...I...AshnImadealovepotionandyouaccidentallytookitinsteadofAshton!" she breathed out quickly.

"Um I'd rather not take on the Armada thank you." Antonio cringed nudging Seth.

***

James blinked at Evelyn he managed to hear Evelyn say "Ash" twice, and something about a potion and love? James set her down on the bench and looked at Evelyn wondering if she was delirious "Um... Ev... what the he hell did you just say?"

Seth and poked Antonio's shoulder. "He's not that terrifying, you know, and I'm shorter than you!"

***

Evelyn's eyes widened in panic up at him. Oh hell, he'll never believe me now! He'll think I'm sick or something and babbling. Her shoulders slumped. She had to try at least. She glanced down at her hands, clasped in her lap. "Love potion. That's what you took. On the night of the bonfire," she said quietly. "That's why you have no reason for why you suddenly like Alexis....it was meant for....someone else. She was aiming at someone else and you intercepted it off Ashlee and took it as she was on the way to him."

"I know he isn't but after the whole Evelyn thing I'm just trying to stay on his good side. I know that there is still part of Jake that's really mad with me. So until I get his trust back and he doesn't attempt to fake murder me, I'm gonna stay scared." Antonio said, he just wanted things to be good between all of them again.

***

James raised both eyebrows in bewilderment in Evelyn? A love potion?! Really?! That had to be one of the stupidest things he had ever heard! He knew that people posted crap like that online but it never worked, it was all fake!

So James burst out laughing at Evelyn, "Ha ha ha! That's really funny Ev! There's no such thing as love potions! Ha haha!" James said in between his laughter.

Seth blew out a breath. So Jake was slightly touchy about the Evelyn thing but...

"Dude, trust me, Evelyn's the last person Jake will want near him now," Seth said, thinking back on the whole break-up issue. "She dumped him. He doesn't want anything to do with her."

***

Evelyn didn't crack a smile, simply watching James until he ran out of breath. "Am I the kind of person who would believe in this shit unless I saw proof? You should know me better than that," she said shortly, face serious.

"Well that's good maybe he'll start to feel better about everything then, and kind of get back to normal." Antonio said.

***

James stopped laughing and thought about this for a minute. It would explain why he felt all weird and sick the night of the party, and for all of sudden liking Alexis? But no... that wasn't it? Potions and spells didn't work! It was all crap from the movies and those lame TV shows. There was no way they had made a real potion.

But wait... he wasn't the only one acting this way. Connor was too, and so was Seth. Had they drank some of that stuff too? Was that why Connor was clinging to Ashlee and Seth was doing the same to Alexis' friend Rose? But why would the girls give them a potion?!

"Wait... so you mean to tell me... I drank a shitty love potion and now my feelings for Alexis are because it actually worked?!" James said in complete shock.