Sweet, Sweet Superstar

"Bri? Baby doll, wake up." Tony's voice floated to my ear as I snapped my head up, looking around to see the library. I looked down, grimacing at the wet pages of my European history book. I wiped at my mouth, smiling up at Tony who chuckled softly at me. "Good nap?" He asked as he pulled the chair out to sit in. I nodded, running my hands through both sides of my hair, tugging out the snarls in the long brown locks.

"What are you doing here? You're done with finals." I yawned softly, looking over at my best friend.

"I need some girl advice." He told me, leaning forward and cautiously examining my face. It was obviously no secret that I had feelings for Tony. He had been aware of it from day one when I announced it to him in my drunken state. But that never stopped us from becoming friends. I wished we could be more, but Tony was hesitant about it and I really had no idea why. And at this point, I was too afraid to ask him.

"Really? And I should help you why?" I asked him, leaning back in my chair and yawning again.

"Stop, you're going to make me tired and I've got a date tonight." I looked up at him, my mouth snapping shut and my teeth gritting immediately.

"What?" I asked him, leaning forward with squinted eyes and hoping I hadn't heard him right.

"There's this girl in one of my classes and she's a total babe; the whole package when it comes to what I want. She's beautiful, brunette, and has this smile that just lights up the room. So I sucked it up yesterday and asked if she would want to meet me for a drink. She said yes and now I'm fucking freaking out because I don't know what to wear or what to say." He sighed, rubbing his hand over his face. He took his hat off his head, throwing it on the table as I stared at him, blinking because I had no clue what to say.

"Um, so what do you want my help with?" I asked, looking down at my book and flipping a couple pages, wrinkling my nose as the wet spot from my drool had soaked through a majority of my book. I scratched at my scalp as he sighed, shaking his head and pushing himself up from the table. "Ton," I sighed back to him, grabbing his wrist. "What do you want me to say?" I whispered to him, giving him a look that said it all. How could he expect me to give him advice as to how to get a girl when all I wanted was for him to be with me?

"I want you to put your feelings aside for two seconds and help me out," he voiced back, frustration evident in his rough voice and the way he ran a hand through his hair, tugging at it. I bit my lip and dropped his hand, heaving out a deep sigh that blew my bangs straight up for a moment. I looked up at him, trying to hide how hard this was for me as I nodded, packing my stuff up. It was worth it to see the grin on his face as we walked back to the hockey house, my arm looped through his as I rested my head against his shoulder, telling him little things that he can do to make a huge impression on her. He could open her car door for her, pull her chair out when they got to where they were going.

"Look her in the eyes and tell her how gorgeous she is, that will make her fall for you," I whispered to him, knowing that if Tony ever did that for me I would be a goner.

"All of this really helps. I'm not a good relationship guy if you haven't noticed," he chuckled softly as I nodded. Tony was bad at reading people which made him bad at relationships. But I was the one person he could always read. He could look at me once and know exactly what type of day I was having. He knew how to make me laugh so hard I could cry when I didn't even want to smile. With one simple twitch of his lips, he could make me fall in love with him all over again, and have no idea what he was doing to me.

"Want to help me pick out something to wear?" He asked me as we reached the hockey house. I shrugged and followed him up the stairs, waving to Kara who was in Mike's room, straightening her hair. She gave me a weird look and I told Tony I'd be to his room in a second.

"Can you just shoot me in the fucking face?" I asked Kara as I walked into Mike's room, flopping on the bed. My back pressed into the soft mattress as the tears poked at my eyes now that I was away from Tony.

"What's going on? Why aren't you and Lucia together yet?"

"Good question. It's like he's a fucking moron or something." I muttered, staring up at the ceiling fan that was idle since the air was starting to turn frigged.

"Or maybe he just likes the chase. Plus, you do give him a lot of attention." Kara combed her hair, pinning part of her hair to the side and turning towards me. I nodded at her outfit, jeans and a flowy black shirt.

"He's going on a date tonight. Well, I don't even know if it's a date. They're going out for drinks." I sighed as Kara sat next to me, laying down even though she just did her hair. She grabbed my hand, squeezing it in hers.

"So, things might not even work out," she consoled me. I bit my lip, sniffing as I got teary eyed again. Just the thought of Tony with another girl making my insides clench uncomfortably.

"He seems so excited like he just can't wait to see this girl again. That scares me Karabear. What if he already loves her?"

"That's impossible," she whispered to me, "He already loves you." I closed my eyes, wishing her words were true.

"She's right," Mike called to me as he walked in, his jeans hung low on his waist as his upper half was bare. He ran a towel over his head, his blonde hair sticking up in random, matted spikes. Kara and I sat up together, watching Mike as he pulled on an American Eagle shirt and sweatshirt, zipping it up before joining us on the bed to put socks on his feet. "He told me."

"What!?" Kara squeaked out, hitting his shoulder. "And you didn't bother to tell me!" She hissed at him, her tongue snapping against the roof of her mouth in a direct tisk.

"No because he just told me at practice today."

"What?" I asked Mike, looking past Kara to her boyfriend. "That doesn't make sense because he just came to find me in the library to help him with his date he had tonight."

"First of all, it's not a date, it's drinks, big difference freshie. Second, Tony Looch wants you to get jealous as hell Bri." Mike rolled his eyes at my ignorance.

"Why would he want that?" I huffed out, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Because it's hot and he wants to make sure that what you feel is still real. He's nervous and he's freaked out because he has never felt this way before. Take it easy on him, tiger." Mike winked at me. "But if you want some advice, I'd say come to Blarney's tonight, bring along your fake ID and dress in a hot number. He'll be eating out of the palm of your hand, or you in general, in no time." My mouth dropped open at Mike's words, a deep blush coming to my features. I hit him upside the head as I stood up to go to Tony's room. "Don't act as if you haven't been thinking about it," Mike chuckled as Kara tried to hold back her laughter. I shook my head at them and exited the room.

Tony was standing shirtless in front of his closet when I walked into his room. I tried not to stare at the deep curves and bunches of muscle that ran up and down his back. The distinct pinch of his shoulder blades surrounded by solid muscle. Tony had no fat on his body which I was always fully aware of because of his tight hugs that would plaster me to his body. I sighed softly and crossed the room, coming to stand next to him. I had to resist the urge to reach out and run my fingers down his bare chest. I wanted to grab his face and kiss the sense out of him, to tell him that I loved him and I didn't want to go out with this girl.

"I don't know. Dress shirt? Or t-shirt?" He asked me, holding up a black shirt with a white eagle printed onto the shirt along with a white, blue stripped button down. I bit my lip and picked the black t-shirt.

"It will accent your hockey playing muscles," I teased him, watching his lips spread into a wide smile.

"Hell yeah. I have a lot of those." He flexed and I sucked in a deep breath, trying to restrain myself from jumping his bones. He was almost too sexy for his own good. Have I mentioned that before? Either way, it's worth mentioning several times.

I walked to his bed, sitting on the edge of it and pulling my legs into a folded pretzel, drawing a heart pattern into his blue comforter. I smiled at the memory of our first meeting, now four months ago. Tony had been such a sweetie and he told me later it was because of the kiss. "You were an amazing kisser." Of course he always said it with a joking glint in his eyes but there had always been something more that he tried hard to mask.

Bri, babe?" Tony asked of me, tilting my chin up to look at him. "Do I smell good?" I giggled at him shaking my head yes and grabbing his collar. I pulled him down to my level, nuzzling my nose in the crook of his neck.

"You always smell good." I whispered softly, my lips brushing against his neck as I spoke. Tony shivered slightly before he shook his head and pulled away. He took in a deep breath as he looked down at me, his green eyes trying to express something that words could not. I tilted my head as I studied the look, but it was there and then gone, like a storm passing through.

"Good." He cleared his throat and stepped away from me, grabbing his zip up hockey sweatshirt. I looked down at my jeans and sweatshirt, glancing over at Tony's closet once again where I had a couple shirts hanging for the days when I would come straight to the hockey house after work.

"Hey Ton, where are you guys going tonight?" I murmured to him.

"Blarney's, the usual." He told me, replacing his brown belt for a black one, remembering my strict lecture of not wearing black and brown together. I smiled softly at him as he pointed at the belt to make sure I noticed.

"Good boy. Do you mind if I come? I mean, not with you but just in general, like if I'm there?" I pushed out, taking in a deep breath. His eyes lit up and he nodded.

"Yeah, just act like you don't know me." He winked, but I couldn't help but see the relief in his eyes as I nodded. I shook my head and stood up, trying to figure out what was right about the way Tony felt about me; my head which was saying there was no way he cared about me, or Mike who had confirmation that Tony loved me. I blew out a sigh, hoping that maybe tonight would clear that up for me.
***

I stared down at my vodka cranberry, feeling the all too familiar buzz racking at my brain. But the buzzing between my ears was much better than listening to Tony sweet talk the beautiful girl next to me. I was drowning myself in alcohol. I knew it, Kara knew it, Mike knew it, and I was almost positive that Tony knew it, but he was doing jack shit to help me. Instead, he kept his hand securely on the Leah's thigh as she giggled mercily. She was his age and drop dead gorgeous, how was I supposed to compete with that. At that thought, I took another swig of my drink, finishing it off in a gulp.

"Tony, you are so adorable," Leah gushed. I would never admit it out loud, but I liked her. A lot. If I couldn't be with him, I would pick a girl just like her to be with him. And it pained me to see him so happy while I was miserable. I wanted to start sobbing, but first I had to pee. The alcohol I had been chugging since I watched her walk in was finally getting to me and although I didn't want to break the seal, I had too.

"Excuse me," I muttered to nobody in general. But Tony looked up, his eyes locking with mine for the first time since she walked in. I cringed at the memory of him pulling away from me, standing up straight and nervously running a hand through his hair. "I have to pee." I sniffed at the end, a lump forming in my throat. I saw sympathy flash across Tony's face but at the moment I didn't want any of it. I rubbed my nose with the heel of my hand, walking past the couple and to the bathroom, fully aware of Tony's eyes on my back.

"Brianna?" An all too familiar voice called to me as I reached the hallway to the bathrooms. I cringed even in my drunken state a bad taste coming to my mouth and it wasn't from the mixture of alcohol. I looked behind me, seeing my ex-boyfriend. I growled lowly, the alcohol bringing out the nasty side of me as my green eyes lowered. As if my night hadn't been shitty enough seeing Tony with the gorgeous brunette I had practically let him get in the bag with. Of course, my luck had been shitty since the day I met Tony.

"No." I snapped back at him, turning back to keep heading towards the bathroom. It was a bad idea. The bathrooms were located in a narrow hallway with little room for two people to go through side by side. Alex followed me, trailing behind so close that I could smell the alcohol on his breath. I reached the bathroom door, spinning around as he grabbed my wrist, tugging me to a stop.

"Hey, I've been waiting to see you on campus," he breathed out, the nasty smell of his beer breath hitting me in the face and making me want to throw up.

"Can't say the feeling is mutual," I snarled back at him, tugging my hand away from his grip. He looked down at me, taken aback by my actions, not that he really had a reason too after what he did to me. He was stupid enough to cheat on me. The bastard didn't think he would get caught. He was wrong. I found out and kicked his ass to the curb before he could even utter a useless apology. I looked past his shoulder, scanning the bar for Tony, hoping that he was still here, that he didn't leave me here because what Alex wanted, he got. And it looked like one of those nights where he was drunk enough to throw the tiny bit of common sense he possessed out the window.

"Bri, don't be like that," he murmured, taking another step towards me. I tried not to let the paranoia slid up and down my body, trying hard to keep my legs mobile and working enough so that if I needed I could use the little bit of strength I had to push him away.

"Don't be like what? Pissed? You fucking cheated on me you dick." I growled at him, shoving at his chest. He didn't like that and the anger flared in his blue eyes. Like Tony, Alex possessed an Italian temper. His dad was from 100% Italian decent and he could get vicious if probed. He reached for my hands, grabbing them and slamming me into the wall with his hips. "Get the fuck off of me." I growled at him, trying not to let my voice shake. Assholes like him could smell fear.

"Don't shove me and stop trying to fight me," he snapped down at me, the cloud of alcohol once again making me want to vomit all over his Nike's.

"You're an asshole, and I'll do whatever I want." I tried to wiggle out of his grip, but he just squeezed my wrists tighter. His fingers were going to leave a mark, that much was obvious to me as he pinned me to the wall, finding something sexy about having me vulnerable to him. "Let me go."

"No, you know you love me, Brianna. Stop fighting what is meant to be." I gagged loudly as he pressed himself against me tighter, the feeling making me feel dirty. I tried once more to push him off of me, but he was too strong and his grip just tightened even more. He grabbed me off the wall, pushing me back into the Men's bathroom. I let out a loud scream before the door swung shut hoping that Tony would hear me.

"Shut up." He growled at me, his hands going to my hips and then around to my butt, squeezing as if he had a right too. His lips and teeth nipped at my neck even as I tried to bend at the most awkward angle possible to not leave him any room. But he still succeeded, biting on my skin hard enough for me to cry out in pain. "Yeah, you like that."

"No, she doesn't." Tony barked at him, grabbing him by the scruff of his neck and pulling him out of the bathroom. I was pressed against the wall, my eyes shut tight before I flashed them open, the door swinging shut behind Tony. I sprang into action, running and sliding across the floor in my drunken state, glad that I had worn flats today instead of heels. I used the walls, chairs, and even other people for support as I desperately tried to follow Tony out of the bar. He still had Alex by the back of the neck as he threw him onto the ground, yes threw him on the ground, and looked down, getting right in his face and grabbing him by his neck so he was looking up at Tony.

"Who the fuck do you think you are touching her like that? Violating her like that? You have something coming for you." Tony was growling at him and he looked fucking scary. I had never been afraid of Tony before, but if I was Alex, I would be shitting my pants. Tony wound up and straight up punched Alex in the nose. "Yeah, you aren't laughing now are you asshole." It had to be the hottest thing ever to watch Tony beat the shit out of my ex for me, but I had to stop him. He had so much more to lose with being on the Gopher hockey team, a team his dad happened to coach.

"Tony! Ton, stop! It's okay!" I exclaimed, flailing around as he continued to lay into Alex who was begging for him to stop. "Tony! Stop it!" I screeched, putting my arm on his back. At the feel of my touch, Tony stopped, his fist connecting once more before he looked up at me, the anger melting off his face. He stood up, haling Alex up with him. He shoved him towards the street, watching as he stumbled around like a wounded animal.

"Get the fuck out of here, and I better not hear about you even looking at her." Tony growled as Alex scurried down the street.

"Tony," I whispered to him, placing my lips against his bare arm. His breathing was so rough, his lungs pulling in air as if he hadn't been breathing the whole time he was punching Alex. He wrapped an arm around my shoulder, pulling me into his body tightly.

"Are you okay, baby?" He murmured softly, pressing kisses all over the top of my head. My stomach dropped to my feet as I wrapped my arms around his waist, holding on to the moment that may never come again. I refused to let go or loosen my hold, playing the damsel in distress card for as long as I could. His hands rubbed up and down my back soothingly as I breathed in the clean scent of his shirt. Tony rocked the both of us back and forth; his lips pressed to my head, puckered to form a sweet kiss. I pursed my lips as I heard someone clear their throat, the click of heels telling me it was probably Leah.

"I'm going to go," she told Tony, her voice light and airy, like an angel or something to that effect.

"Yeah, she needs me," Tony told Leah, his arms tightening their hold on me.

"I know. Be good to her Tony. She loves you." I resisted the urge to snap my head up to look at Leah, wondering how she could be so unselfish about giving Tony up, while just the thought of it made me want to puke. Leah walked away after giving Tony an awkward hug around me. I pulled away once the sound of her heels had disappeared.

"I ruined your date," I whispered to him, biting my lip, the guilt beginning to swarm around me.

"No you didn't and it wasn't a date. It was a drink. She's a nice girl but she's just.. not.. what I'm looking for." Tony sighed softly.

"What do you mean?" I breathed out, searching his eyes to find that same look from earlier. I liked it. I loved the way his green eyes got so impossibly soft and they would twinkle as they searched mine.

"She's not you, Brianna."

My eyes slid closed as my knees gave out, Tony scooping me up so that I was wrapped around his body. The feel of his lips against mine, the backs of his knuckles brushing across my cheek made me sigh softly. His lips were impossibly soft and plump, the slightest movement or brush making my whole body tingle, the feeling going straight to my toes. I wish I could describe every single emotion and feeling that ran through my body at the simple touch of his lips to mine. It was so much better than the first time now that I was way more sober and alert as to what was going on around me. Tony's kiss sobered me up instantly, like a bucket of cold water on a hot summer day, the feeling so good that it made me moan into his mouth.

"Come home with me?" He whispered in between kisses, his mouth not leaving mine for more than a second. I inhaled deeply, setting my hands on either side of his neck.

"And do what?" I breathed out, as if I even had to ask. He pulled away, his green eyes suggesting things that made me blush. I pursed my lips and opened my mouth to respond, but I didn't know what to say.

"I'll be gentle."

"What if I'm scared?" I whimpered out, letting him kiss me softly to calm me down.

"When you're with me, you have nothing to be afraid of." He assured me, setting me down on my feet as he walked me to his car. He pulled me into his side, dropping kiss after kiss to my head. I followed Tony's lead as he slid into his car and started it. I bit my lip, looking out the window and trying to comprehend that Tony finally wanted me the way I wanted him. I just wished I wasn't so scared.