“Everyone's paired up and I'm the odd girl out.”

I shrugged.

“You seemed pretty happy to be paired up with me for a few weeks there."

Holly smiled and reached out to take my hand.

“Yeah, I was pretty happy... for as long as it lasted. I hope you don't mind, but I'm gonna refer to you as one of my ex-boyfriends, even if it was only for three weeks."

I chuckled. "I don't mind."

“Maybe if I could STILL be your girlfriend for this week... and the next... and the next... I'd stick around,” she began a little hesitantly, her expression suddenly nervous. She bit her lip and fiddled with her hands, the ever-presence bubbly confidence she usually had momentarily gone. "Personal Slut would very much like to still belong to Master."

I blinked and pulled my head back a bit. "You mean like... official-official?"

She winced and spoke quite tentatively, quite slowly. "Would... would it really be... so bad? I mean, for me... to be your official girlfriend?"

Before I could answer, the quick, superfast Holly came rushing back.

“You know what forget it I don't even know what I was thinking I mean why would a hot guy like you want somebody Like me when you've got those ridiculous babes like Sam and Neevie and Belle and Zo--"

I cut her off abruptly with a kiss, holding her close with a hand at the back of her head. Holly whimpered and kissed me back with fierce passion.

But I didn't want to lead her on. I broke the kiss almost as fast as

I'd started it, and taking a deep breath I Looked into her pretty hazel eyes from only inches away saying, "Don't ever think you're not worthy.

In a different world, I would KILL to be your boyfriend."

“In a different world..." she muttered miserably.

“I have obligations to the BTC. I belong to them, and you know it.

Neevie's already started her week as my official girlfriend."

"Can I get back in Line?"

“Maybe. If you ask them. But that would mean coming back."

“No, no, no, I can't do that. I told you: I don't belong. They all know it. I mean, Sam and Zofi are cool with me, but we both know Belle resents me even if she tries not to. She's not mean about it, but the resentment is still there, and she's not the only one. Alice, Mari, and even Neevie a little bit. I'm the outsider crashing their party just before midnight. A Spring Break house in Santa Cruz bought me some extra time, but we both know I was just visiting."

“Give them more time to get used to you and figure out a dynamic that includes you."

“Time, we don't have. And the fact that you're all about to split off to different colleges soon only makes them even more desperate to cling to what they have left. No, I can't come back and you know it.”

I sighed. "Can we still be friends?"

Her eyes narrowed.