The crowd had picked up in the 10 minutes they were upstairs, all the London rabble gathered to trade pills and blow each other. Apple and Betty walked down the steps arm in arm,

"Betty," Apple hesitated to ask.

Betty gave her a look, noticing her cautious tone. Apple locked into her eyes.

"About last night..." They suddenly heard chanting in the crowd.

"Take you're top off! Take you're top off!"

"For fucks sake" Betty swore, and they both took off into the crowd.

They found Eliza eventually in the mob, standing on a table and twerking her ass like it was a urban house party. They had Tony drag her off, and carry her to the ferrari outside. A hot red F430 spider he'd bought off a racer.

"Nice ride," 

Betty cooed, twirling her fingers along the stallion, before helping herself inside. 

"Not bad," 

Apple got in the front, she knew her role in this and she would play it well, just as long as he gave her the rush she was craving, and he kept his hands below her dress line. He put his palm on her thigh when he got in.

"Get ready to piss yourselves girls," 

he hollered, starting up the roaring engine. All the girls cheered as he hit the gas, and they zoomed off with their heads out the window and their hair in the air. They sped past neon signs mixed with victorian style buildings. Their screams disappearing past corners just as quickly as they came,

"FUCK MY LIFE," Betty yelled out the car. 

"FUCK CHiHUAHUA MAN," Eliza shrieked,

and the girls laughed and cheered her on. They all looked at Apple next, as if it were natural taking turns to curse the sky. She smiled knowingly, stuck her head out the window, and yelled what she had been wanting to release all night, 

"FUCK CASSIAN BUTLER," 

she screamed, and the girls wooed together. She felt so free in that moment. So free of school. Her school persona. Her home life. Cassian. That she felt like she could even give Tony a bj for taking them out tonight. She really had needed this. But just as she had finally felt the exciting rush of the thrill. The sweet release of finally letting go of the anger towards that fuck wit in a leather jacket, the world decided to fuck her over, again.

Apple shouldn't have even been surprised at this point. Since she could crawl the world had never been kind to her. Put her into wealth, but at the cost of licking sour bruises in the middle of the night. Gave her a pretty face, but born her a character naturally repellent, egotistical, and destined to be alone. And gave her three years of peace, just to have trouble drive in to their right, stopped behind a traffic light, in a striped biker jacket and a golden cross hanging on his hairy chest. Fucking Butler.

He was in the drivers seat of a black bentley. Two other guys in the car with him. He looked over at her and saw her in the passenger seat. They made eye contact for what felt like minutes. And he looked away first. The disinterest in his eyes stung her a little. Something she quickly chalked up to just relief.

"Tony!" a tanned jock called from the princess seat. 

"Mateo! Where've you been man?"

"I just flew in from abroad this morning. Weren't you out too?"

"Yeah just came in, I dropped by your crib though where were you bro."

Mateo's gaze slid from Tony to Eliza in the back, and his smirk turned mischievous.

"Hey what street rats did you pick up back there, stop by the strip club?"

The three girls glared at him. "Your mommy drop you in the head as a kid? Otherwise how could a charity owner raise such a dickhead," 

a fire in Apple was lit. She always got chattier when Butler was around, with the help of a little liquid courage. And anything related to him that she could use to take him down a notch was fair game.

"She's right Mateo, you are a pretty big ass for a mommy's boy," Tony laughed, "and besides, this one's a lady, not a slut," he gripped Apple's thigh harder. Apple suddenly felt self conscious of his hand on her, and the eyes that were watching where his fingers went. 

"You sure about that?" Cassian smirked, also watching where Tony's hand had gone,

"be careful with that one Tony, she'll be sucking your dick one minute, then the next day 'accidentally' slip onto another." 

A arrogant smile danced on his lips, as he glared at her with smug triumph in his eyes. That was it. As terrified as Apple was of Butler, and all this unsolicited male attention, she wasn't going to take his bullshit anymore. He would never leave her alone. And she was different now. Popular. Liked. At least, this version of her was.

She didn't hesitate when she said it, caution thrown out the window, and a playful smile on her lips, "and that one will be kicking some kid's ass one minute, and the next he'll be getting a black eye from his old man."

Butler's grin fell instantly. He looked at her with surprise, for probably no more then a split second, but Apple had seen it, felt the weight of it, before his eyes flared with rage. 

His hands tightened on the wheel, and the world between Apple and Cassian grew silent, the two locked in a staring match. Apple could barely breath. She remembered that look. She remembered that look well. Horrible memories came rushing back to her from that look alone. Instant regret already coiling around her heart. But she would not budge. Not a fucking muscle. If she let him win here. She might as well put a bullet through her head now and be done with it. Because death was much better then the hell he would bring to her.  

His friends turned to him puzzled. But before anyone could get any answers, the traffic light finally turned green.

"Hey why don't you come with us to Neon 21?" Reggie called from the backseat before they took off.

"Bet, race you?" Tony grinned. 

"Bet," Butler called, his playboy mask back on.

"On go." 

Cassian looked over at Apple again.

"One."

She surprised herself when she didn't flinch under his gaze.

"Two."

All the rage had dissipated from his eyes, replaced by a cocky grin. He mouthed something to her. Something that made her heart drop.

"Three."

Your dead.

"GO!"

Fuck.